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deadwriter16 · 2 years

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bkdk w/ jealous bkg bc of rody + first confession(s) pls 👀👀

i was gonna get more then one done today, but life happened lol

anyway. this one was hard for a number of reasons. i haven't seen WHM yet, so all the information i have is based off the trailer but muted (i watched it in class), a couple rody gifs, that one picture of bakugou looking hot, and the wikipedia summary of the movie.

i tried my best.

i also don't like the romantic jealousy trope. like at all. i like jealousy as an angst factor during the pining stage, or as a possessive kind of thing, but i've never liked it as a catalyst for confessing or as anything seriously relationship-affecting. i don't like those things where someone gets jealous and then gets all mad and loses it. so i changed this one up a bit to something i liked writing better. it still follows the prompt of course, the trope is just switched up :)

despite that, i hope you still enjoy!!

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Katsuki hates planes. Not because he’s fucking weak, but because they’re cramped and he’s claustrophobic. Damn PTSD. Katsuki takes absolutely no pleasure in being crammed against the wall of the plane with Todoroki next to him and Deku next to Todoroki. Sure, it’s nice to get the window seat, but not when Todoroki is basically breathing down his neck and Deku seems to be off in space somewhere. Katsuki frowns, trying to pay attention to the song playing in his headphones. But he can feel Todoroki looking at nothing over his shoulder, obviously wanting to talk to Katsuki.

Katsuki pulls off his headphones and glares. “What.”

“Some fight, wasn’t it?” Todoroki asks, “you did well, Bakugou.”

“I don’t need your fucking pity,” Katsuki snarls, despite knowing that Todoriki isn’t pitying him. He’s just too tired to talk about this fight right now. Especially with how spacey and off Deku’s been since they got on the plane. Deku hasn’t said much since he said goodbye to Rody before leaving for Japan, and Katsuki doesn’t really know how to feel about that.

Rody Soul is a perfectly nice guy, and Katsuki thinks that jealousy in general is one of the stupidest human emotions in existence. But he’s been jealous of everything that touches Deku since the day he realized that’s the emotion he was feeling, not intense hatred. And now Katsuki has better things to worry about than the regret constantly nagging at him, like becoming the number one hero. Or dealing with fucking Todoroki.

“It’s not pity,” Todoroki responds, “you seem upset. I’m trying to help you, but I’m not doing it right. Should I challenge you to a fight? That usually works for you-”

“We’re on a goddamn plane, you idiot,” Katsuki rolls his eyes, and then clicks off his seatbelt (yes, he wears it even when the seatbelt sign is off) and roughly pushes past Todoroki, shoving Deku with his leg. “Move, Deku. I gotta piss.”

“Oh,” Deku snaps out of his daze, “sorry, Kacchan.” Deku moves his legs, and Katsuki walks to the back of the plane, shutting himself in the tiny ass bathroom. Now he feels even worse, the stuffy feeling too similar to slime. But he does have to piss, so does as fast as he can before covering his ears as he flushes (plane toilets flush really fucking loud). Katsuki washes his hands and pushes open the door as quickly as he can, practically inhaling the slightly less stuffy air of the hallway, and almost hitting Deku in the face.

“Shit!” Katsuki stops the door from slamming into Deku, “the hell are you doing here, Deku? There’s another bathroom down the hall, dumbass.”

“I just wanted to check on you,” Deku shrugs, “you’ve been kind of...off this whole plane ride. Since we got to the airport, actually. Are you okay, Kacchan?”

“Am I okay?” Katsuki snorts, “you’re the one who’s been spacey as fuck. That fight must’ve taken a shit ton outta you, huh? And leaving that fucker with the bird.”

“The what-” Deku furrows his brow, “oh, Rody? Yeah, I’ll miss him a lot. But hopefully the next time we get a break from school I can go visit him-”

“I didn’t ask, Deku,” Katsuki mutters, starting to walk away.

“You literally did-” Deku protests, “seriously, Kacchan. Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Deku,” Katsuki snarls, “stop asking and go back to whining over your one hundredth best friend, who’s probably gonna visit you first, since everyone loves you-”

“Kacchan,” Deku crosses his arms, eyes narrowing, “you're being an ass. What is your problem?”

Katsuki blinks, always taken aback when Deku stands up to him, but not upset like he might have been when he was younger and stupid. Now, Katsuki appreciates that Deku’s willing to put Katsuki in his place. So Katsuki breathes, in and out, then sighs. “Nothin,’ Deku. Shouldn’t have fuckin yelled like that. It’s uh, it’s a good thing you’ve got friends. And...it’s a good thing I ain’t one of ‘em.”

Deku’s gaze turns understanding. “Kacchan, you know that you’re my friend, too, right? We’ve fixed our relationship enough that we are-”

“I used to be your best friend, though,” Katsuki spits childishly, regreting it immediately.

Deku’s face contorts into something like pity. “Oh, Kacchan…”

“Not that I fucking care or anything!” Katsuki yells, taking a few steps back. But Deku grabs his wrist before he can go anywhere, keeping Katsuki in place. He’s silent for a bit, biting his lip as if pondering something.

“You’re right, Kacchan,” Deku finally says, hand loose around Katsuki’s wrist, giving him the option to leave. He doesn’t. “You’re not my best friend.”

Katsuki’s heart drops. He hates himself for it.

“You’re more, Kacchan,” Deku finishes, and Katsuki’s eyes widen, “you’ve always been more. To be honest, Kacchan, I...I like you. Like, like like you.”

Katsuki snorts before he can stop himself, simply from the juvenile confession. Deku’s looking at him with something like hope in his eyes, as well as anxiety manifesting itself in Deku’s now bone-crushing grip on his wrist. Katsuki just stands, processing Deku’s statement. Deku...likes him. Even after all the bullying. Even after meeting a million better people for him. Even after Katsuki basically admitted to being jealous over a perfectly decent guy.

Maybe, Katsuki admits to himself, he’s been jealous this whole time not only because he wants to be Deku’s best friend, but because he also wants to be just Deku’s.

“Huh,” Katsuki says out loud, “I think I fuckin’ like you too.”

Deku’s responding smile is big and beaming. Katsuki doesn’t hate it at all.

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weekendwarriorblog · 3 years

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The Weekend Warrior 5/7/21: WRATH OF MAN, HERE TODAY, THE UNTHINKABLE, MONSTER, THE WATER MAN and More

It’s a new month, and I guess going by previous years pre-COVID, this weekend would normally be the start of summer. This year, we’re instead getting a summer with a lot of movies that would normally be dumped into April or February or some other uneventful month. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t or won’t be any good movies, but really, there’s nothing that feels like a summer movie until A Quiet Place Part II and Disney’s Cruella open on Memorial Day weekend.

There’s been lots of great developments, though, including the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn reopening this Friday and then in a few short weeks, theaters may be allowed to be open with no capacity rules although social distancing and masks will probably still be in place. Believe me, it’s been a confusing week as the city that got used to being on the backburner when it comes to reopenings, especially with movie theaters, is now dealing with arguing politicians competing to see who could throw open the then most doors fastest. It’s actually pretty embarrassing.

That aside, this week’s The Weekend Warrior column is brought to you by the new album “Coral Island” from Liverpool band The Coral, which I’ve decided to listen to on loop until I finish this column, because it’s taking me so long to get through it. (Eventually, I switched to Teenage Fanclub’s “Endless Arcade,” since I hadn’t had a chance to listen to it yet…. And to an old standby, Royal Blood, with their own excellent new album, “Typhoons.” At least the record business seems to know it’s the summer!)

Before we get to this week’s new movies, a couple tidbits. First of all, I’m thrilled that my friends Larissa Lam and Baldwin Chiu’s documentary FAR EAST DEEP SOUTH can finally be seen by the entire world, or at least the United States. It debuted on PBS World Channel on Tuesday night as part of the “America ReFramed” series, but for the entire month of May until June 3, you can watch it On Demand HERE, and that is huge! (There will be other ways to see it that you can read about here.)

This is an amazing MUST-SEE doc that looks into the little-known Chinese communities that took root in Mississippi in the early 20th Century and how they became such a huge part of that area with their markets, also bonding with the African-American communities that were similarly dealing with racism from the typically white post-Civil War South. It’s not just a history lesson, and it’s an incredibly moving story about a family trying to find its roots in the most unexpected places. There was a good reason why the couple’s short “Finding Cleveland” won the Oxford Film Festival while I was on the jury that year, and Far East Deep South similarly won an award there last year after its World Premiere at Cinequest was almost scuppered by COVID. It’s amazing how much more relevant and important this film has become since I first saw it last year, since both Asians and African-Americans are dealing with serious racial issues, and this movie shows that more than anything, they should be working to boost each other rather than fighting. Do check it out On Demand this month if you get a chance!

Another musician making movies is Mr. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters. I mentioned his documentary WHAT DRIVES US last week, but I actually only got to watch it on Thursday, and like his previous film Studio City and HBO mini-series, Sonic Highways, it’s a fantastic look at the music biz, this time through a variety of artists who began their careers by piling into vans and driving around the country. That is, except Lars Ulrich from Metallica, who mentions that the band was never so small or indie that they didn’t have a bus. But Grohl has used his vast connections to bring in a lot of great musicians including The Edge from U2, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and more, making this a very entertaining movie both for fans of the various bands but also live music fans in general. I gotta admit that as much as I loved What Drives Us, it did bring me down a bit since it’s been almost 14 months since I’ve seen any live music, and I really miss it. This is now streaming on The Coda Collection, which you can subscribe to through Amazon Prime Video.

Guy Ritchie is back with his latest movie, WRATH OF MAN (Miramax/MGM), which reunites him with Jason Statham for the first time since 2007’s Revolver, I believe. Statham plays the enigmatic Paul “H” Hill who works at cash truck company Fortico, responsible for moving hundreds of million dollars around Los Angeles each week. Fortico has recently been hit by a lethal robbery, and H’s team soon learn that there’s a lot more to their new coworker, who happens to be looking for revenge against the man who murdered his son.

(Unfortunately, reviews for the movie are embargoed until Thursday at 6pm, so I can’t tell you whether it’s any good or not. Until Thursday night. Sorry!)

But I will talk about the movie’s box office prospects, because why not? Ritchie’s last movie, The Gentlemen, opened in January 2020, during the “before times,” with $10.6 million, but that was more of a classic Ritchie ensemble crime-comedy. Wrath of Man is more of the type of movie Statham has been making over the past few years, a cross between a revenge thriller and a heist flick. In fact, Statham has done a pretty good job creating his own brand through a variety of action-thrillers as well as a number of franchises including “The Transporter” movies, “The Expendables,” and eventually joining the “Fast and the Furious” franchise as Deckard Shaw with Furious 7 in 2017. Statham then went off to make Hobbs and Shaw with Dwayne Johnson, which didn’t do bad with $174 million. Before that, Statham starred in The Meg, a summer shark attack movie that grossed $145 million. Statham going back to help his old mate i.e. the director that gave Statham his start is pretty huge.

But as I said earlier, those were all in the “before times” and with the box office the way it is, it’s hard to imagine that the exciting reunion of Statham and Ritchie can open with more than $10 million but maybe closer to $8 million, because MGM/UA just doesn’t have the marketing clout of a Warner Bros. or Universal. Even so, that should be enough to be #1 this weekend as both Mortal Kombat and Demon Slayer continue to fall away. Unfortunately, if the movie *is* any good -- and I can’t tell you one way or another -- then by the time reviews hit, people will already have other plans for the weekend than to go see the movie. So yeah, that’s pretty dumb on the part of MGM, huh?

UPDATE: MGM is putting the movie into 2,876 theaters and maybe I'm being overly optimistic, because, as you'll read below, the movie IS pretty good and reviews have remained positive with the American reviews rolling in last night, still at 70% Fresh at this writing. Maybe that'll help the movie do a little better, maybe as much as $9 million, although I'll probably owe MGM an apology if it cracks $10 million, and I don't think it will.

Mini-Review: If you’ve seen the trailer for Wrath of Man, you might go into Guy Ritchie’s latest thinking you know what to expect, because it’s sure being sold as another typical Jason Statham revenge thriller. Don’t be fooled by the marketing, the movie really is Ritchie’s chance to make his own version of Heat, an L.A. heist movie that owes as much to Rashomon as another movie being released this week.

Wrath of Man begins with the heist of an armored truck that turns deadly with the wanton murder of a couple guards. From there, you might think we know where things are going when Statham’s “H” company whose truck was hit, and on his first day, he stops a similar heist by killing the truck’s attackers. H is immediately the hero of the company, although he still has quite a few suspicious coworkers and the feeling is quite mutual. Ritchie’s film then slips into the second episodic chapter which goes back five months to that initial heist where we learn that Statham’s son was killed by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I don’t want to go too much deeper into how the movie and story play out, because like The Gentlemen and some of Ritchie’s more intricate films, there’s a lot that purposefully isn’t made very apparent at the beginning. To many, this movie will be seen as even more macho than most of Ritchie's films, to the point where even the only woman guard, Dana, being just as macho as the men. As the movie begins, there’s a lot of joke-cracking and crotch-grabbing, all while Statham’s character silently observes and only acts when necessary.

The film’s shift to more of a classic Ritchie ensemble does slowly take place, but by the third chapter, it shifts to the group perpetrating the cash truck heists with an “inside person,” taking the movie to yet another place that makes it more obvious that this is Ritchie’s attempt at delving into the L.A. heist genre that other filmmakers have done so well.

Oddly, Statham doesn’t have too many lines, acting almost like a Terminator in his determination to right wrongs, but as always, Ritchie puts together a fantastic ensemble cast including a number of great American character actors who we rarely get to see in such great roles. I was particularly impressed with Jeffrey Donovan, who has appeared in a number of otherwise forgettable crime films this past year. The same can be said for Holt McCallany as H’s truck driver “Bullet,” but Ritchie also cast the likes of Josh Hartnett and Scott Eastwood in smaller yet still significant supporting roles, all of whom become more interesting as you start figuring out who all the players are.

Like I said, the movie is fairly macho and the few women play very small roles, but it’s how things are set-up in the first few acts to then change course and build to an absolutely amazing third act that will undoubtedly bear comparisons to Heat. And yet Wrath of Man (which is actually based on a little-seen French crime-thriller) does branch away from some of Ritchie’s standards, first of all by being far darker and even more violent with any of the wisecracking humor that pervades a lot of Ritchie’s work to counterbalance such violence disappearing once the flashbacks begin. It’s all punctuated by a fantastically tense score by Christopher Benstead, which seems a bit much at first but eventually settles into the perfect pace and tone for the action.

Despite disappearing for a good chunk of the movie, Statham is still great, basically killing everyone as his characters are wont to do, but watching how all of the different ideas come together leads to such a satisfying conclusion that one hopes those who might be put off, thinking they know where it's going due to the somewhat pathetic and obvious marketing will give it a chance to see how Ritchie has changed gears as effortlessly as he did with Aladdin a few years back.

Rating: 7.5/10

After even a longer time since he directed a movie, Billy Crystal once again takes the helm for HERE TODAY (Sony/Stage6), a movie in which he plays comedy writer Charlie Burns, whose chance encounter with Tiffany Haddish’s lounge singer, Emma Payge, leads to an unlikely friendship, as he struggles with early stage dementia.

I’ve known about this movie for over a year now, and I was pretty excited to finally get to see it, since I was such a fan of the other movies Crystal has directed, 1992’s Mr. Saturday Night and 1995’s Forget Paris, and it’s just amazing to me that he hasn’t directed a movie since.

At first, it seems like it’s the type of meet-cute we’ve seen so much in Crystal’s past filmography, but his pairing with Haddish isn’t something that might work on paper, but in fact, their comic styles mesh so perfectly together that it’s amazing that no one thought of putting them together before.

Crystal wrote the film with comic Alan Zweibel, who adapted it from his own short story “The Prize,” which refers to Haddish’s character winning Charlie in an auction for a lunch. Actually, her ex won the lunch, and she decided to use it because… free lunch! It’s a pretty simple set-up but one that allows the filmmakers to explore some of the odder things that happen in life.

Much of the movie’s humor plays upon the differences between the two characters, and how unexpected their friendship is. I can totally relate, because I have a lot of good long-time friends who most people might never expect us to be friends, but Crystal, Zweibel and Haddish pick up on that and create a movie that’s very funny but has enough other characters around the duo toa allow their characters to show how they’re just really nice people. We see that with how Charlie takes a young writer at his late night show under his wing or how Emma livens up the bat mitzvah of Charlie’s granddaughter. Oh yeah, and Haddish sings. She actually has a number of great performances in the movie, and seriously, anyone who watches this movie is gonna wanna see a smart filmmaker put Haddish in a musical immediately.

The film also acts as a truly touching tribute to Crystal’s friend, the late Robin WIlliams, who was diagnosed with the exact same type of dementia after his suicide death, and knowing that fact, makes the film even more poignant. More importantly, it doesn’t use Charlie’s condition for laughs, and for that alone, I feel like this is ten times better than that overrated Oscar winner The Father.

Here Today’s biggest problems come in the third act when it feels like the movie is starting to over-extend its welcome, even going into somewhat expected places, but it recovers from that rough third act to land a really nice ending. Crystal has always proven himself to be a really strong mainstream filmmaker (ala Rob Reiner and others) who makes crowd-pleasing movies, and it’s so nice seeing him going behind the camera for a movie that’s obviously very personal but also highly relatable.

As far as box office, I certainly have high hopes that Crystal still has an older audience of fans who might want to see him on the big screen again. I’m just not sure if this will be in more than 1,000 theaters, and though I’ve seen quite a bit of marketing, I just haven’t seen Crystal or Haddish do nearly as much in terms of getting out there that would be necessary to reach an audience that might want to venture out into movie theaters to see the movie vs. waiting until it’s on cable/streaming. There’s also Tiffany Haddish’ fanbase, and there could be some benefit for the movie coming out the same week as her new CBS show “Kids Say the Darndest Things.”

I’d love to be optimistic with this making $4 to 5 million but it’s probably more likely to be closer to $3 million especially with capacity limits still in place for most theaters and the audience generally being older.

UPDATE: Maybe I was a little too optimistic, because I enjoyed the movie so much and it will probably be closer to $1 or 1.5 million since other reviews aren't as great.

Next, we have two movies finally being released many years after their festival premieres…

The Swedish apocalyptic thriller THE UNTHINKABLE (Magnet), directed by Victor Danell, is finally being released after playing genre fests in 2018 and 2019. It stars Christoffer Nordenrot as Alex, a young piano virtuoso who ran away from home due to his abusive father Bjorn (Jesper Barkselius). Years later, he returns home for his mother’s funeral after she’s killed in a terrorist attack on Sweden. At the same, there’s a virus that’s erasing people’s memories, but Alex is still in love with Anna (Lisa Henni), the girl he had a crush on when he left, and the three of them will have to help each other face all the horrible things hitting their home at the same time.

As I was watching this movie, a lot of it felt eerily familiar to me, but I couldn’t figure out why. The more I watched it, the more I realized that I actually HAD seen the movie before. Sure enough, I saw this movie over two years ago at the “What the Fest?!” in New York two years ago, and I honestly don’t remember loving it. Still, I decided to give it a fresh look, hoping to get more out of it on second viewing.

Some of the same things bothered me on this second viewing, because it’s really hard to figure out exactly what is going on and whether the horrific events are natural, man-made or a combination of both. For some time, we get so mired into Alex’s lame relationship with Anna, and when he returns home, his conspiracy theory-driven father is busy protecting a bunker that’s being invaded by foreign military troops he thinks are Russians. We cut between these two disparate scenarios while sometimes returning to the capital of Sweden and throwing in a few big set pieces. It’s so disjointed that you feel like you’re watching a lot of random unrelated events, maybe a bit like last week’s About Endlessness -- maybe it’s a Swedish thing?

There are aspects of The Unthinkable that are quite commendable, particularly those action moments and how the mystery about what is happening develops as the film goes along. Eventually, the film does find a more consistent pace, and things start becoming a little clearer, which makes the final act better than much of what we’ve watched earlier. Even so, it’s still quite annoying how long it takes to figure out what’s going on, even on a second viewing, and for most people, that may already be far too frustrating to get through it.

Hitting Netflix on Friday over THREE years after it premiered at Sundance is music video director Anthony Mandler’s directorial debut, MONSTER (Netflix), based on the novel by Walter Dean Myers. It stars Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Waves) as Steve Harmon, a 17-year-old film student put in jail, accused of murder in a bodega robbery. His defense lawyer (Jennifer Ehle) is trying to help him be released, but he’s fighting against the odds of a judicial system that sees him as a “monster” because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I have to be honest that I did go to see this at Sundance the week it premiered, and for whatever reason, I just wasn’t feeling it, so I only really caught about twenty minutes of it. Watching it now with more time and a little less weary than I usually am towards the end of Sundance, I was able to appreciate Monster more for what it is. On the surface, it’s just about Steve’s case and how what really happened unfolds before our eyes and we learn more about those around Steve and how their influence may have pulled a smart and studious young man into the criminal world that now has him in prison with much more violent life-long criminals.

We already knew that Harrison was a great actor, but Monster shows us that he was already on his way to greatness with this movie that for whatever reason got buried even as it dealt with issues that have been in the headlines almost every day since this debuted.

Mandler takes an interesting approach, both non-linear and also with blatant nods to Kurosawa’s Rashomon, which is even cited by Steve’s teacher, played by Tim Blake Nelson. Jeffrey Wright and Jennifer Hudson are decent as Steve’s parents, but they’re generally smaller and non-showy roles compared to the moments between Harrison and Ehle. Much of the film takes place in the courtroom with flashbacks showing what happened through the viewpoint of whomever is on the stand, which eventually includes Steve himself.

The way Mandler handles the material may lean more on the artiness rather than something more mainstream -- Michael B. Jordan’s Just Mercy comes to mind -- but it’s just as powerful in showing how someone like Steve can be othered by society into being a criminal. Sure, there have been other handlings of this sort of material that I thought were better films, but if you know anyone who has ever had dealings with the “justice” system and know how unfair and horrible it can be even to the innocent, then Monster will certainly strike a chord.

Also hitting Netflix this week is the new series based on Mark Millar and Frank Quitely‘s comic books, JUPITER’S LEGACY (Netflix), another kind of twist on the superhero genre ala Amazon Prime Video’s series based on Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson’s The Boys. I love the comics, and I can’t wait to finally get around to seeing Netflix’s first adaptation of a Millarworld property.

David Oyelowo makes his directorial debut with THE WATER MAN (RLJEfilms), a movie about a young boy named Gunner Boon (Lonnie Chavis), whose mother (Rosario Dawson) is battling leukemia. In an effort to cure her, Guner goes off on a journey along with a teenage girl named Jo (Amiah Miller) to find the mythical Water Man, who can provide them with a magic token that might save Gunner’s mother’s life.

I’ve interviewed Oyelowo a few times before, and I really like him a lot, so I had really high hopes for him as a director since I feel he’s just a terrific actor. Unfortunately, the material here is just not strong enough that I think even a far more experienced filmmaker could make something out of it.

Set in PIne Hills, we meet Gunner, a bright kid who loves drawing comic books, but he has trouble connecting with his father (Oyelowo), so when he has an idea that might help his sick mother, he goes off with a head-strong teen named Jo, in search of the Water Man, a summertime adventure permeated by a lot of very bad low-budget visual effects.

Honestly, I’m not even sure where to begin with where The Water Man falters, because Oyelowo has such a great cast, including Alfred Molina and Maria Bello in tiny parts. The story is a problem, as is the writing, which is just so bland and dull, that there’s really nothing in Oyelowo’s direction or any of the performances that really can salvage it. Neither of the child actors have much charisma or personality, and even Dawson’s performance, which would normally be a showstopper is repeatedly lessened by the constant cutting back to the kids. (And as someone who beat leukemia myself, I’m never a fan when cancer is depicted in movies as a death sentence rather than just another hurdle in life that needs to be overcome.)

Oyelowo himself may be one of his generation’s best actors, but he brings so little to the role of Gunner’s father, maybe to not take away from his younger star, but it hurts that he doesn’t do more to create a stronger conflict by making the character more horrible to drive Gunner away. The actual Water Man doesn’t improve things when he finally shows up, essentially talking like a pirate but not even remotely paying off.

Honestly, The Water Man seems like such a misguided venture -- Exec. Produced by Oprah, no less -- and it might have been totally forgettable if the characters didn’t keep saying the title of the movie every five minutes.

Hitting theaters Friday after a festival run is Tran Quoc Bao’s action-comedy THE PAPER TIGERS (WELL GO USA), starring ALain Uy, Ron Yuan and Mikel Shannon Jenkins as martial artists once known as “the three tigers but now middle-aged men must set aside old grudges and dad duties to avenge the murder of their teacher. I’ve had a screener of this since last summer when it played at Fantasia Festival in Montreal, and I just never got around to watching it, but if I’m able to squeeze it in before the weekend, check back here for my review.

Streaming on Shudder this Friday is Ryan Kruger's South African comedy-thriller FRIED BARRY (Shudder), starring Gary Green as Barry, a violent street junkie who is abducted by aliens who take over his body in order to… well, actually… they do a lot of drugs, have a lot of sex and other craziness. It’s a pretty strange and bizarre movie that reminds me a little of movies like a lower-fi Under the Skin or Beyond the Black Rainbow, and much of it is driven by the insane and unique performance by Green and the odd characters he encounters that I think will find its fans for sure, but it will definitely be for a very select audience of genre festival fans, as this is by no means a mainstream genre film.

Speaking of which, another movie out this week which I wasn’t allowed to see in advance is Gia Coppola’s MAINSTREAM (IFC Films), starring Maya Hawke as a young woman seeking internet stardom by making YouTube videos with a charismatic stranger, played by Andrew Garfield, until “the dark side of viral celebrity threatens to ruin them both.” Yup, it’s one of THOSE movies. It also stars Nat Wolff, Jason Schwartzman and Johnny Knoxville, but I haven’t heard anything good about it, and I’m not sure my curiosity is piqued enough to spend any of my own personal money to check it out.

Hitting Amazon on Friday is the doc THE BOY FROM MEDELLIN (Amazon) from Matthew Heineman (City of Ghosts, Cartel Land), a portrait of musical superstar J. Balvin, as he prepares for a massive sold-out stadium show in his hometown of Medellin, Colombia, which is hindered by the growing civil unrest in the area.

Lots of other movies this week, but a few that i just wasn’t able to get to this week, including:

ABOVE SUSPICION (Lionsgate) INITIATION (Saban Films) ENFANT TERRIBLE (Dark Star Pictures) QUEEN MARIE (Samuel Goldwyn Films) SILO (Oscilloscope) CITIZEN PENN (Discovery+)

That’s it for this week. Next week, Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson star in SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW (Lionsgate) and Angelina Jolie returns for the thriller THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD (New Line) and Timur Bekmambetov’s thriller, PROFILE (Focus Features). That’s right. This will be the first weekend in over a year where we’ll have three or maybe even four new wide releases.

#TheWeekendWarrior #Movies #Reviews #WrathOfMan #HereToday #Monster #The Unthinkable #TheWaterMan

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aggresivelyfriendly · 5 years

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A Premonition of Love-Chapter 10

Hi Babes! That week long hiatus did me good, I hope the wait was ok for you, lol. Here is the real chapter 10. It’s a special day, and in a moment I’ll share my SOTT memory as @emulateharry tagged me to! thank you so much for the beta, Char! Thank you @bleedinglove4h and @dirtystyles for everything, for a year!

Thank you to everyone still with us, we are nearing the end of our little happy story! Mwah- Enjoy!

Chapter 10-Isshokenmai

“God dammit!" Ada cursed under her breath and hoped Harry didn't hear it.

It's not exactly that the words would indicate he had won. He knew that she had been stressed, all caps, since they came back from Kyushu. He wanted to help her alleviate that stress in his very Harry ways. Solicitous and thoughtful, full of intent, his ways always were. Like he'd relieved her again and again while they were filming on the island location. But that was a different kind of pressure.

She may have been lightly stressed at the Onsen, but production went well, and Harry had her feeling very relaxed. Repeatedly. He'd been trying to recapture her languid openness since they got back to Tokyo.

It had been fleeting, situational and geographical.

She'd made it back to Tokyo and immediately started having trouble with her lighting union. Then there was a flu going through the catering peeps which was a nightmare. Ada delegated, but as the boss at the top, all of it wound up on her plate a some point, or at least the back of her mind.

It was all slowing them down, and now more that ever she felt like they could have a nouveau classic on their hands. However, the Elvis scene seemed intrinsic to that distinction. Ada had a rewrite to include it all ready to film. But they had to make up the time they'd lost to when Harry was more Babe Ruth than Ted Williams; some great takes, but lots of strikeouts to get to them. Now he was giving her frequent doubles and triples, occasional grand slams, on and off set. It was not enough though, they were still behind. The sickness and the Union issues where making her pissy.

Currently, Harry was in his scene, and he was doing well. He'd loaded the bases for sure, but she needed a triple so they could move on. When he was pressured he got anxious and she was too anxious to give him the feedback and patience he needed. She was a shitty base coach right now.

The first several scenes had homes smoothly, bits of dialogue laid flat and well. They'd been having trouble for the last hour though.

"Ada, Ms. Scott." Well, Harry hadn't called her that, in public, before. "Can we step off set and chat? I'm having trouble here." He gestured by the trailers and she sighed and got up, followed him to the more secluded area.

"What's up Harry? You're doing fine. Let's get it done." She was impatient and had one foot pointed toward where he stood politely, and one back to the scene they were working on.

"I know I'm doing fine." He gave her a look. "You aren't. You're vibrating, and not like last night from the lelo." She didn't laugh at his vibrator call back. "What's up Ada?" He put his hand on her shoulder, the only comforting touch she would accept, though maybe a step too far, on set.

"Nothing. I'm fine!" She asserted. He was quiet. She sighed. "I'm fine, really, it's alright. We just have so much to finish. And well, I'm sick of bitching about it. The only way out is through. So let's go get it done." She started to go and he caught her hand. "C'mon Harry." She shook him off. He was so sweet, that face, but not discreet. And they needed to be working.

"Smokes!" He dropped her hand and put both of his up. "Sorry! Ada, you're putting everybody on edge. You gotta calm down. Let's take a break. A couple hours. You can go for a run, or eat or....." he grinned at her. That would calm her ass right down.

"Styles?" She had one brow up and if she wasn't so beautiful the look could be called a snarl. "There is absolutely no way we have time for a two hour break. Half the kitchen is sick, which means my crew and cast are next and the union....." she kept talking, her tension about to boil over.

She could feel herself getting emotional. She wasn't a crier, not for sadness usually, but she did when she was really mad or frustrated. Hated when anybody saw, which of course made her more frustrated, and the tears would come out like diamonds from tectonic movements, slowly with great pressure. They had to get this scene and get it right now! She was just about to lash out when she watched Harry's head swivel around like a squirrel on the defense and then his mouth was on her.

God! He tasted...he tasted like mint, because he jawed at gum like he channeled all the insecurity he bottled up into his Wrigley strips. There was a piece of it in his mouth when he opened for her and she slipped her tongue to retrieve it. She forgot herself and her day and her place. He made her feel like that. Made her forget her early mornings, forget she would pay for late nights, was paying for late nights, forget that they were on a tight schedule and under a microscope from the studio. This whole thing was a gamble and she would gladly bet the house on his pony anytime he put some part of him on her, especially if that part was his mouth. He had her in his arms, and she nestled in for just a moment and burrowed her face into his neck and took a giant sniff to fill her nostrils with the smell that had come to linger in her bathroom.

She heard a noise and startled away from her boyfriend. Holy hell? Was Harry her boyfriend? Secret boyfriend? She looked up at him, and his brow was earnest and she almost smoothed it with her thumb before she heard a PA coming for them. Ada jumped back.

"We can't take a break, Harry." She nodded, assured herself that she was right. She was always right. He bit his lip and gave her something like agreement.

"Tonight - we need to get you relaxed though." He said and smiled at the runner as she walked by. The girl tittered and Ada had to smile. She had no idea. Ada was tittering inside, she just had a hard boiled public face.

"I don't know how to relax. Not until we are done. I want this to be so good, and I've become convinced it's the Elvis scene, you singing, that will single it out. We just..."

"So we do the scene. We will get there Ada, I promise."

"You can't promise that, Crybaby."

"Crybaby?" She saw he didn't know that movie, they'd have to change that. "I can promise that, I will give my best, which you know is very good." He smirked. "And then we will find the time, it's one scene."

"Um, no, we have to have a transition, not a hard cut; a flow into the scene. It kinda makes a whole new ending to the movie, but I think it could be the difference between this being another remake or rom com and being a beautiful homage. While being a piece that stands on its own, But the producers - I'm not sure who they think they are risking it all on, you or me - but they aren't budging. I don't think they are willing unless it's basically no consequence to them. Though Jocelyn had heart eyes on the Skype call - mmphf."

He pushed his mouth against her again. And she fell into it, again. This time, rather than flavor, all she could feel was the sensation of her lips yielding to his. When she was about to submit enough to count the surfaces of his tongue, she pulled out of the kiss. Their lips smacked wryly when she broke the suction.

"Are you going to make this a habit, the kissing to shut me up thing?"

She wasn't sure how she felt about it. Well, she loved kissing him, but him kissing her on set?

"Well, you get going and your anxiety just ratchets up. But when I kiss you," he gently ran a finger over her shoulder. "It stops the nerves and these come down." Then he quickly chucked her chin and sighed. "If it's just another movie, we will get praise for that, just not awards. And the feedback from the internet and 'them' will be scathing, but short lived. It will be alright. If we get the scene, amazing. Ada, we can make a good movie, maybe a great one, but only if you chill."

She watched him do that stare thing he did when he was connecting. It worked a charm. He might be a far. Did the Japanese have a version of that? The charm worked on her now, maybe not a month ago, but she took a big inhale and felt her tension leaking out. Not all of it, there was a definite set to her shoulder that she knew was going to stay until they wrapped, probably even through press if she couldn't realize her vision. But, he made it better

Harry felt a little out of his depth. Ada was both the cause of his recent bouts of anxiety and the cure. He assumed she could say something similar about him. Though maybe frustration over anxiety in her case. Whatever was making her wind up like a toy, unable to whirl joyously, was only adjacent to him. He was involved, but he was doing well, and they had made great progress. She was fixated on her new creative vision. Couldn't see the forest for newly developed trees. He could relate - he'd been there.

One day, Jeff Bhasker had to pull him out of the studio. He'd been plowing away at a fun song. Harry had been sure that the album needed a light moment, he was still convinced of that, years after the fact. Trouble was, Harry hadn't had much fun. He was creatively fulfillled and doing what he loved, but he hadn't performed, he hadn't gone out, he hadn't been to a show, and he hadn't fucked in a really long time.

He'd been creating, but not doing anything worth writing about.

Jeff had driven him to a liquor store, grabbed tequila and taken him to a beach. They'd drank and wound up swimming like dolphins. Then the next night Jeff, the original, had sent him on a date with a friend of Cam's Harry had fancied the picture of.

It was fun, and young, light. And it helped him. He wrote something that he loved that captured the possibility and a personality. He didn't see the girl again, but he was thankful, to her and good friends and inspiration. Ada needed that.

He watched her the rest of the day. She called cut a ton, and he watched her drink matcha like it was her job. By 3:30 she ordered herself a coffee.

Uh oh.

He had to give her a new focal point long enough for her main one to come into focus. But, really, much as he'd watched her, and apart from knowing how to take her apart in the bedroom, they were new. He might not know her well enough, yet. What would help her, best and fast.

He thought about Ada, went to his trailer and thought about her like a friend - not someone he was trying to woo. What would make her smile, despite her anxiety, despite herself? He thought about little things she'd mentioned, phone calls he accidentally eavesdropped, her music, and stuff on her walls from when they'd continued sharing personal pictures beyond embarrassing adolescent snapshots.

Ah! He knew, she'd made mention of her tactics a couple times, her relaxation ones. Then, if the platonic ones worked, he'd introduce his own technique.

Well, he'd implied those earlier, so they were guaranteed. They were tested and approved.

He checked with Jeff, got a vote of confidence, and headed back to the hotel room. They'd consolidated when they came back from Kyushu. They were only using one. His was slightly bigger, he'd l silently been smug. Harry had raised an eyebrow and her pupils touched the crown of her head in response. Her eye rolls were impressive.

He laughed. She laughed at him. He loved her throaty laugh. Her throaty voice. He was pretty sure he loved her. He'd certainly fallen, right into their possibilities. Maybe more.

Harry liked to spoil people. It drove his mom crazy when he did it with money. But she loved gestures, he'd gotten really good at gestures.

Time for a grand slam.

He felt completely ready by the time he expected her. Was bored and chilly an hour later, asleep when he heard the door go at 8:30.

He shook out of his sleep. Was glad he had that ability to sleep and wake on command. It served him as well on tour and filming Dunkirk as right now.

He swished his way over to the door, with the wine that was now very aerated and the room service menu. He had the kitchen on standby with her favorites cued. She just had to pick and he'd send the message, voila.

"Buenas tardes, Señorita!" Harry said brightly and checked his face in a reflective surface. His painted on mustache was still curled and unsmudged. "Welcome to Casa Surreal!"

"Are those my panties?" Ada interrupted his little speech.

"Well, right now they are mine. But I'm only borrowing them. I'll be sure to launder them before I give them back. Now come on Señorita, come in. We have and evening of entertainment before us!"

"Why are you speaking rudimentary Spanish?" She was smiling at his absurdity at least, he liked that. She reached forward and slipped her fingers beneath the suspenders he'd connected to the brightest thong of hers he could find.

Oh, he liked that.

"What's with the suspenders?" Ada snapped one and it hit his nipple and he was afraid they were gonna skip all his preparations and go straight to the main course or dessert. He was certainly feeling appetized.

"I thought they made the outfit!" He stepped back to show her his pink panties and black suspenders and the Calvin he thought of as his cowboy boots. "Don't you like them?" He liked the way her eyes climbed over him like he was a robust tree.

"Oh, I like them!" She raised an attractive brow after she glanced at his crotch in her inadequate lacy thong. "We both seem to like them! That what the get up is for?"

"No. Though I'm glad we both LIKE my outfit! Let's look at yours." he steered her along to the ensemble he had in the bedroom.

Half an hour later, he'd filled in her eyebrows and sat her at an easel and turned on the tv. Her wine was at her elbow. His was in his hand.

"Here's to creativity!" He saluted and she adjusted her flower crown and gave him a winged smile. He could see the Atlian weight had fallen off her scapula for a time.

"We're painting?" She had been trying to guess his plans for a while.

"Why yes Ms. Kahlo, we are painting!"

"I don't know how to paint. I wish I did. It was like a dream of mine at one point, actually. I feel like you've exposed one of my inadequacies here." He notes her fake laugh. "I started exploring other creative fields when I failed at painting. Those who can't, direct." He could tell she was talking in a happy voice but saying something sad. That was one of his favorite writing tricks. Heartbreak, but make it a bop.

Harry stopped setting up the Netflix to check her face. There were kernels of doubt he'd have to heat up so they popped and he could devour her insecurities with truth later. But not right now. She was still smiling. She was still with him, buying into his lost weekend mentality. Even if they only had a couple hours. He was going to provide a great distraction, and relax her very tightly wound self, so they could get the scene she wanted. He wanted.

They wanted.

"Well, luckily," he dimpled gleefully, then crossed his eyes to make her laugh, it came from so deep in her neck it warmed his belly. Her laugh he'd always call up, no matter their outcome and into their possible forever. "I've got us a teacher."

He hit play on the episode he liked best.

"Oh my god!" We're those tears in her voice? Shit, big misstep. But she didn't looked anguished. "How did you know?"

"Know what?" Harry asked as he swished his way to the table top easel and sat as close as possible to her, in case these weren't tears of joy, while giving room for painting. He was wondering if he could paint her. Probably not. The show taught mountains and woods he thought.

"That I love Bob Ross! That's what I watch when I need to decompress!" She looked like she had found a treasure; he knew he had.

"Didn't." He shook his head. "I just, well, I thought you could laugh at me and we could do that painting and wine thing my mum loves together, but we can't go out, not really, not like, discreetly. So I figured I would make it fun here, and get really comfortable!" He raised his eyebrows to amuse her. Her painted unibrow danced while she chuckled. "And there is no one to teach us. But Jeffrey, a high strung individual if I've ever seen one, introduced me to Bob Ross. I turned up at his house and he was coming off a bad day watching this in his boxers. I took all the piss out of him. But, like, he was right, it's soothing. Thought he could teach us and chill us out."

"Yes, great plan." She kinda flounced. Ada didn't flounce. God he was charmed.

"I also have some edibles, but that was absolutely a last hope, because I'm fairly certain we will go to sleep much earlier than I'd like."

"Oh, yeah, no, no edibles for me, for us." She snapped his suspenders. "I wanna paint and then put these to use!" She made big eyes at him.

"Yeah, like what kind of use?" He leaned in to steal a kiss.

"Nope, not happening Styles." She shook her head and took up a paint brush. "I have some learning to do." She brushed black paint between his brows. A brow to match hers.

Harry felt his heart speed up and he got his brush ready. Caught her chin in his hand. A moment later he sighed, "Stop smiling! I can't paint your face like that!" He flashed his arms up.

Bob talked in the background, made happy little trees and happier accidents. But Harry and Ada's paint wound up more on each other. Ada complained she didn't learn anything new. Harry told her that was definitely not true from his trussed up position on a chair.

And by the end of the night, Harry's suspenders wound up around Ada's wrists too, bound at her low back with her bent over the couch end.

They both had inch and a half wide marks on their asses by morning too. Suspenders were inspiring.

It would have made Ada's director's chair much more uncomfortable, if she wasn't so damn relaxed!

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfic #apol #a premonition of love #harry presley #chapter 10 #for real #issokenmai #bob ross #relax

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enthusiastic-sarcastic · 5 years

Text

For You (Part Two)

Pairing: Fionn Whitehead x Reader

Request: “Could you please write something based on any of Fionn and Joe songs? Like the story behind Don’t Go or For You, maybe?”

Warnings: Angst, some fluff.

A/N: Here’s the second part. Blame the mobile app for the weird spacing. I hope you enjoy!! I recommend listening to the song while you read, you can find it on YouTube or Fionn and Joe’s SoundCloud account (I would post it here but for some reason the link isn’t working cuz again tumblr is mean).

[Part One]

The room grows silent, as his slightly chapped lips press against yours, his eyes closed as if scared of your reaction. After what seems like an eternity, you’re finally kissing him back, and the room picks up again. Spinning as you place your hands over the sides of his face to pull him closer. Spinning when you let out a muffled moan against his lips with the release of all of the unspoken tension. Spinning when you quickly pull away from him, and he has to catch his breath again.

And now, you’re shaking your head, and so suddenly this night is reminding him of that one.

“No, I can’t—We can’t.”

Fionn’s breath is labored as he tries to come up with the right words to address the impending argument.

“I know—Sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking—I ended things, I shouldn’t have-”

“You can’t do this to me. This can’t keep happening. Why did you kiss me when you made the decision about us years ago, Fionn?”

You’re quick to stand up, and all Fionn wants to do is grab you and never let go. But he understands your anger. He understands that look in your eye that he couldn’t quite place before.

“Because I think I’m still in love with you.”

You scoff at his words, your eyes getting red and puffy as more tears fall silently onto your cheeks. He attempts to make eye contact with you, but it’s almost as if you can’t bring yourself to look at him, and he can’t blame you as his heart beats painfully within his chest.

“You think? That’s not fair, Fionn.”

“No, god, I know that I’m still in love with you.”

“No, you know what—I can’t listen to this. I can’t bear it. I can’t stand the thought of knowing that you still love me in the same way that I love you. You’re making it impossible to move on, even years later, Fionn.”

“I—”

“I know, I get it. You wanted me to be happy and you figured that the relationship was only prohibiting that due to the demands of your career and I respect your decision. It took me a while but I truly do…But that doesn’t mean that I can just forget your words and move on—that doesn’t mean that we can just start over��it still hurts, Fionn, and I don’t want to complicate things any further.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be here…this should’ve never happened. I really shouldn’t intrude on your life, that’s not...that’s not my place anymore.” He’s shaking, with his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets and his eyes turned forcibly away from yours, as his vision becomes blurry and the room continues to spin.

And just like that, the silence has returned. And he can’t stand it when he knows that you’re standing right there with tears running down your face.

Eventually, he hears you sigh, before he feels your hand being placed onto his arm—a comforting touch.

“Fionn, I don’t want to lose you again…”

Your voice is constricted by the small sobs that fall from your lips,

“Can’t we just be friends? Go back—way back—to the way things used to be? That way, even though we’re almost always miles apart, it’ll seem like things haven’t changed—like we can just pick up where we left off—in those few moments when we can enjoy each other’s company, without all the hurt.”

I don’t see their faces

They walk right past by me

But it’s just empty spaces

A friend’s telling me to stop dreamin’

But I just can’t shake off this feelin’

The walk to the cafe seems to go on for ages before Fionn finally arrives at the scuffed doors of the place, just a few minutes before he’s expected, and that makes him increasingly more nervous than before.

After his last encounter with you—after that fated kiss—Fionn, against the pressure of a past heartbreak, agreed to attempt to reconcile your friendship with him.

Although, now, as he sits on a wooden stool at the counter, coffee in hand and heart racing at the mere thought of seeing your face again for the first time in eight months, he doesn’t think he will survive the hour.

Strangers walk by the glass window beside the counter, but his eyes don’t register anything except masses of grey and blue. In fact, his entire surroundings start to slowly bleed together, as his mind grows fuzzy in preparation to see you walk towards the cafe—towards him.

If Fionn was being honest with himself, he didn’t think he could bear to talk to you without wanting to kiss you again. You were always a looming thought in his mind. And ever since that night and your agreement, it had become difficult for him to focus on anything else. Food suddenly had no taste. Music was suddenly just noise. And so, for the last few weeks, Fionn decided that it would be best to just dive into his work—to assume the role of another—in order to cope with his profound feelings.

But you knock me out of my trance

Please just give me

One more chance

With you

Feelings that suddenly come rushing back into him as he spots your figure walking towards the cafe and the color returns to his eyes and the world around him reanimates itself.

He fumbles to stand up from his chair, as you walk closer towards the counter, and suddenly you’re hugging him tightly, and he’s kissing your hair.

It takes a few moments for you to pull away from him, much to his delight, and the friendly smile returns to your face as you finally speak to him,

“It’s been so long.”

He nods in agreement, a smile growing on his face as he takes a seat, your words softly repeating in the back of his head as if pleading him to do something.

With you

Once you order your preferred coffee drink, you sit down in the seat next to him with your knees almost touching by their close proximity.

“So, not trying to be pushy but what can you tell me about your latest project, movie star?”

Fionn’s face visibly cringes at the sudden nickname and it sends you into fits of laughter,

“Honestly, all I can say is that it’s coming out sometime towards the end of next year…”

“Aww that’s it…” You whine jokingly, raising your eyebrows suggestively as if doing so would convince him to share his secrets with you.

“Hey, I signed a contract. You’re just gonna have to wait til the trailer comes out along with the rest of the world” He laughs at you when you cross your arms and sigh dramatically.

“What about you…Anything interesting happening in your life right now?”

“Well, work is…work. I just got back from New York on Friday after sitting through hours of business meetings over winning the rights from some author for the new film adaptation of some bestseller…”

You trail off and shake your head, taking a sip from your cup before placing it back onto the wooden counter,

“It’s been exhausting but I guess it’s worth it…”

He nods his head with a soft sigh, raising his cup up to you comically, and you quickly follow his suggestion, clinking the cups together as if to preach the truth behind your words.

But I’m missing

The way that I used to be

I’m missing

The days when I was happy

I’m missing

The things that made me believe

That you and me

By the time that Fionn finally notices the empty state of your cups, the rain has really started to pick up outside, beating ruthlessly against the brick exterior of the building insomuch that it disrupts the sultry jazz tune that plays on the speakers scattered across the room.

“It was very odd to see you on screen, just casually chopping away at your fictional dad’s body…The whole time I just felt really bad about torturing your character, but in the end it was kind of amusing.” You chuckle, and Fionn shakes his head at you,

“Yeah, the layout of that entire scene was so morbid but honestly I had fallen—we all had fallen—so deeply into the hole of the project that I didn’t really think very much of it…I was drained.”

Fionn can’t help but admire the way that your eyes look under the dim lighting of the room as the rain continues to fall outside and a rumble of thunder echoes from the distance.

“Honestly, I almost cried when I got to the ending where Stefan travels back in time to be with his mom and ends up dying in his therapist’s office. That was one of the good endings but it was still so hard to sit through” You sigh contently, and start fidgeting with your hands as you lean against the tabletop.

Suddenly a phone rings, interrupting the peaceful silence that had settled between the two of you, and Fionn becomes suddenly aware of just how quick you are to grab your phone from the purse dangling from your chair.

A smile appears across your cheeks as the screen lights up, projecting a dull blue hue across your features. A smile that makes him wonder whether or not it appears on your face whenever you see that he’s texted you.

“Damn, I’ve gotta go…I’m sorry to cut this short but I have somewhere to be in an hour and I really need to change out of these clothes.”

You glance up at Fionn with apologetic eyes and a warm smile.

“Ooh why…do you have a fancy date or something?” Fionn teases, without really thinking about the meaning of his words.

“Actually…yeah…” You trail off and his face seems to visibly drop as you fiddle anxiously with you fingers again and continue,

“It’s just a small dinner and movie thingy with this guy that deals with our legal defense team at work…”

Fionn wants to smile, he truly does, but for some reason, it’s as if his body has frozen in place, and he can only stare back into your eyes,

You seem to fidget under his gaze, shaking your head as you look at him,

“I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable…that was really bad timing…I hope this doesn’t screw up the opportunity to see you again.”

Your words send his heart racing, and the color returns to his cheeks as he clears his throat in an attempt to clear the emotion lingering in the back of it,

“No. Sorry, it’s just—I’m sorry if I gave you that impression…It may not seem like it but I’m really happy for you, (Y/N)…Truly. I’m happy that you’re happy. I’ll always support you.”

He manages a smile the best he can—one that even crinkles the edges of skin around his eyes—and that seems to convince you because your lips curl into a smile that matches his.

“Thanks, Fionn…”

You throw your arms around him and hug him tightly—almost desperately—and he quickly succumbs to your embrace, nuzzling his nose into your hair. Although Fionn realizes that his time with you is coming to an end, he can’t bring himself to push down the numb feeling anymore. As you part from his arms, it begins to feel as if a part of himself goes with you, but you remain close enough to him that he can collect his thoughts.

“I’m happy that you’re in my life again” You admit, pulling up the strap of your purse onto your shoulder,

“And I hope that you’ve found happiness too”

Fionn’s heartbeat continues to speed up at your words, beating against his chest like the rain that drummed heavily against the rooftop of the stuffy room, and he finds himself able to fight off the impending sadness traveling through him.

He doesn’t want to let his feelings get in the way of your growing friendship. He doesn’t want to screw up it all up when it’s only just begun. He doesn’t want to—he can’t—stand to watch you walk out of his life again.

In all of the chaos of dealing with the perplexity of his own emotions, Fionn is only barely able to hear your utterance of goodbye before he finds himself waving in your direction, a routine smile plastered onto his face.

You give him one last wave before you turn around and walk out of the doors of the cafe and Fionn finds himself staring blankly at the spot where you once stood as the jazz music fades out from the speakers overhead and he suddenly has to blink tears away.

Stop crying

Well I’m crying

I’m crying

For you

#Fionn Whitehead #fionn whitehead x reader #fionn whitehead imagines #stefan butler #requests

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holland-stan-posts · 6 years

Text

To the only boy I love - Sebastian Stan

Summary: you've joined Sebastian meanwhile he is filming in Greece, turns out you get bored and catch up in all his films...but then you both make an agreement to watch one and unconsciously you hurt his feels.

Warnings: HIGH SPOILER OF THE MOVIE "THE APPARITION" AND TOOK THE INSPIRATION FROM "TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE" LOADS OF SWEARING TOO. You've been aware. 😂

A/N: I wanna specially thanks to my friend @kirawritesaboutevanstan for checking out this thing for me and making my shit writing into a fairytale one! Thanks baba, ily loads. ALSO CHECK OUR HER AMAZING WRITING HERE. (Highly recommend 'The Anchor in their lives' ❤)

M a s t e r l i s t

(THE PIC IS NOT MINE I TOOK IT FROM AN INSTAGRAM PAGE)

Basically, you've toured Greece from one end to the other in these two weeks. You were done, screwed. But your boyfriend was filming, and as support, you have to stay next to him. Not that you're there obligated to do so, but you took a month off from work, so you decided to join him during that time.

The thing is; you are officially bored.

Athens was nice, you took loads of pics and even wandered through smalls islands from Greece, so now you're sitting on the big sofa that Sebastian’s rented apartment has.

It's big, comfortable and almost feels like home. It's situated near the filming location which means it's quiet and very calm. Not really like your apartment back in SoHo. And as much as you hated to admit it but you sort of miss the constant noise of the city.

Now you spent your days alone, on the big couch, fighting with the remote control or with the devices since they're in Greek. However, you cherish every moment your boyfriend comes back from work. He'd snuggle on your side. He is warm and very welcoming, so hugging him is a totally win-win situation.

Also, he is very private when it comes to you. He doesn't post many pics of you on his social media, like on Instagram stories or WhatsApp's status. He likes you to keep you to himself. Mostly. That changed when he often found you screaming at the t.v. Because of a movie you were watching. He finds himself enjoying when you're watching a horror film, and then you're saying things like "don't fucking turn around Josh, you gotta get yourself killed dumbass!" or "KISS HIM ALREADY ALEX! CAN'T YOU SEE THE GUY HAS A CRUSH ON YOU?". His camera is ready for your endless reactions. He just loves that.

You've set yourself a goal, a few days ago. You've told yourself to start watching again Sebastian’s old & new films.

So by the time he made home today, he found you with a pillow in your hands, your popcorn bowl next to you and as snug as a bug in rug wrapped up in a blanket.

Let's not forget is HOT AS HELL in Greece right now, but due to the A.C. systems, you're freezing.

You are screaming to a Ben on the screen. Your eyes light up when you spotted Sebastian standing in the door frame, eyes tired and with a happy smile.

You pause the movie and stare at him.

“Long day?” he only nods and walk to the comfy sofa and lays next to you.

“Was it hard? Do you want something to eat? I ordered a take out because you must be tired of my food by now” you scratch his hair carefully.

“I love your food, but take out sounds good too,” he says, instantaneously closing his eyes.

You're back at your business, he already took a shower and is full of energy next to you, his Chinese food on a plate, his phone in his hands.

“What are we watching?” he asks nonchalantly.

“The Apparition” you grin.

“What? Babe, are you kidding right?” he laughs at your choice.

“Nope, I found the movie on Netflix and damn, those abs were gold back in time Stan” you tease.

“True thing, they were. But now? They kill” he winks at your direction, and you just roll your eyes playfully.

He left the room again, and you started the movie again decided to finish it, once again you're screaming at the screen since the characters are sort of dumb.

“I can't understand why they haven't left the house yet! It's haunted for fuck's sake!” you screamed at no one in particular.

“I don't think you understand that part babe. The house is not haunted. It's Ben, well sort of” Sebastian explains with the toothbrush in his mouth. He left again and then you suddenly got scared, so a pillow is being attacked by your hands now.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. They're going to die!” when Sebastian’s character dies you literally do a facepalm. “WHAT THE FUCK DUDE? You can't just die! Damn thing!” again, Sebastian’s phone is recording you. You get to the scene where the girl dies, so you're completely tense, waiting for the moment to happen. You don't even register him coming, still recording. Your bowl of popcorn in your hands, chewing slowly. When the demon takes the girl, Sebastian decides it's a good time to scream, he does, and the next thing your popcorn is flying around all over the living room.

“FUCKING HELL SEBASTIAN YOU SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME YOU DUMBASS!” you hit him with the pillow, he is having a hard time breathing because he is laughing so hard.

“I'm sorry, baby! It was just so fun!” he says between laughs.

“Shut the hell up. You're lucky I didn't kick you out for that little prank you did there” you hiss at him and sit down on the couch.

He stops laughing and walks towards you, looking like a sad puppy. Jumping next to you, ignoring him you look for another movie on Netflix to watch. His head flies to your lap, looking at you.

“Babe? Please, I'm sorry. Would you forgive me? I'll do anything for you” he begs.

That exact moment you found the movie everyone is talking about.

“Okay I'll forgive you if you watch this movie with me!” you stare at him and kiss his nose.

“Oh no, babe! I'll do anything else just don't make me watch a rom-com!” he says whining and acting like a child.

He, in fact, loves to watch movies, but when is a rom-com from Netflix he is not a very big fan of them.

“C'mon jerk, you scared me. Now you get your payback. Oh and bring new popcorn” you smile innocently.

“You're lucky I love you” he mutters and goes to the kitchen for a new bowl of popcorn.

"To All the Boys I've Loved Before" is on and ready to start. You can say it's not going to be good based on the trailer you watched earlier, but since everyone is talking about a Peter Kavinsky, you want to see now.

When everything is set up, Sebastian immediately hugs you, using your shoulder as his pillow. The movie starts, and you both get so engulfed in it.

“I’d fucking move out of the country if that happens to me,” you tell to Sebastian who agrees when you see how Lara Jean’s letters are nowhere to be seen.

“Look, babe, he is writing little love letters to her,” you say in awe.

“He only wants to play with her. She's going to end up with Josh, believe me. TeamJosh” he says now wholly focused in the movie, he even left his spot on your shoulder.

“How so? He is her sister ex-boyfriend! That can't happen! It's a code we all agree on when we start dating! Do not date your boyfriend/girlfriend friends or family! Also, look at Peter! He is totally into her!” you say now.

“You'll see,” he says shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh boy! He really declares his love over the letters! I'm dying! This is so damn cute! He even stands up for her in the school! I told you!” you say tearing up when the end credits show up.

“Don't die, baby. I love you” Sebastian says really concerned.

“JUST LOOK AT THEM! I wish I could receive love letters too. Peter Kavinsky is so perfect! I want one too” you cry.

“Ouch. That's hurt my ego a bit” he breaks apart the hug and looks at you a bit hurt.

“Oh please, it's a fictional character” you explain with a shrug.

“It's okay. Let's go to bed. I have a long day tomorrow” he walks away, leaving you to clean the mess.

Later that night, after all the cleaning, you go to bed finding Sebastian sleeping deeply.

You check your phone for new messages when you found three notifications from Instagram where Sebastian mentioned you in his story.

The first one is where you are screaming at the t.v. Watching The Apparition. The caption is “someone decided to catch up on my old movies...I think I did a good job in that one. @yourusername ❤”

The other one is where he scared you, and the popcorn flies all over the place. “Sorry baby, you just looked so cute all scared @yourusename. 😜”

And the third is one you didn't notice he took. A pic of you swiping your tears away while you were watching the other movie. “She told me to watch this rom-com as a payback for the prank, now she's crying because she wants a Peter Kavinsky in her life...I'm slightly offended @yoursusername” you smile at the pic, his back is turned to you, so for tonight, you decide to be the big spoon.

Whispering a “you're way better than a Peter Kavinsky” in his ear you fall asleep, with your hands on his waist, your head resting on his back. Slowly he covers your hands with his and let you hug him tighter.

The next morning you wake up alone, Sebastian is long gone, you close your eyes a bit more, and when you reach for your phone in the nightstand you touch a paper that falls, so you got up and look for it.

You were on the border of tears. You didn't expect him to do that. He is the most incredible person you could ever wish for.

When Sebastian comes back home that night, he found on the coffee table some pizza’s boxes with coke, a movie ready to start and you standing there, with a rose.

“Babe? What's all this?” he asks clearly confused.

“Sorry I told that I want another guy in my life, I said that without thinking about your feelings. You're the only boy I want in my life” you held the rose in front of him to take. He takes it carefully.

“Normally a guy brings his girl flowers not the other way around” he laughs with tears in his eyes, reading the little paper that is in the rose, 'To the Only Boy I Love'.

“I know. But I think my boy should get flowers too. I love you Seb, a lot” you run to hug him, hiding your face in his neck. He whispers a slowly "Love you too" instantaneously he hugs you back, and stays there for a while, then cups your face and kisses you deeply.

When both your lungs scream for air, he breaks apart and whispers “Hi” and smiles.

“Hi” you greet him too.

“Okay, let's go to see those movies” he laughs, kissing you again.

“Wait, you were serious? I honestly was thinking to let you choose tonight” you smile taking his hand.

“Really?” You nod, and his smile is bigger than ever.

He gives you a peck on your lips and runs to the couch, choosing an action movie and then pats the space next to him. “C'mon let's watch this one and then we'll watch one of your choices.”

“Oh Gosh, it's going to be a long night” you smile but cuddle next to him anyways.

Permanent taglist: @kirawritesaboutevanstan

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sole-cuore-amore-e-droga · 5 years

Text

Suspiria remake review from a shitty movie-goer

(this review is posted too late so excuse me for some timing inaccuracies I couldn’t be arsed to edit)

(IF YOU HATE TL;DRS JUST SKIP AHEAD TO THE “THE REVIEW” PART. YOU’RE WELCOME)

I actually hate to admit why was I interested to watch this movie in the end, but for once SOMETHING motivated me to go to a movie after countless tries from my family to get me to watch something in theatres at a “reasonable time” (daytime is what they mean, this movie was at 8pm our time, and this is when the cross-city bus transport (it goes from one big city to another) stops doing their service lmao).

I myself have a lowkey interest in moviemaking (I’m already getting there by editing my phone-recorded videos because whatever). I come up with my concepts in my head and I am mostly willing to put them down somewhere in my computer so I don’t forget it years later if I want to make that concept a thing in the end (because none of my concepts are finalized... well except for one short horror-ish story I posted on DeviantArt (see mom, I do like some horror stuff!). Reddit as of lately inspired me to edit some of my movie’s plot-lines based on irl events (not related with anything too SJW), and I’m not sure how an usual movie-goer would see this concept but I am going to try to execute it... whenever I have enough equipment to shoot my own little films or skits or whatever.

What’s that? There are people who scrolled past this and already yell at me that “YOU ONLY WENT TO SEE THIS MOVIE BECAUSE OF THE MAN WHO COMPOSED THE SOUNDTRACK~~~”? Ugh yes you exposed me, tea all over. I even had “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” on a bit of a repeat as of lately (how fucking come I wasn’t too couragerous to listen to this song before?? And “Pyramid Song”??? Man am I discovering their pearl(ie)s(*) too late). And I’m occasionally on the band’s subreddit as well. And the man himself is touring ‘round the USA, signing material of fans and have genuinely warm chats with them. Admireable.

But that’s only half truth.

I never thought I’d see Suspiria on cinema theatres in here. Until one time when I saw an ad on a completely random Lithuanian website that said this movie is coming to our theatres 14 December... I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. I made my goal to see Suspiria since then. I even dared to ask a couple of my new college ‘friends’ to see it with me, but one of them fell off the deal when I revealed that I’ll be going to see it on Saturday, and on the weekends he’s usually at home, far away from the city the college is in (he lives in college dormitory on mostly the work-weekdays). So my only movie companion ended up to be this 28-year-old coursemate (actually we both study different things but sometimes we attend some of the same lectures) who was intrigued by the Suspiria trailer herself so at least I’m gonna have her by my side of the movie, so I thought. Sweet.

I already envisioned seeing this in a mall cinema theatre but my companion offered me a cheaper alternative - her suggested cinema theatre was actually in renovation so the business is temporarily happening inside an actual drama theatre’s long theatre hall. I had to wait long until the ticket box opened and because of that I was lowkey frustrated as I finished my English test writing a little earlier, so I spent my time walking around the city until the time came and I wandered off to the old building of the cinema so then I remembered it was moved and I found the moved place. Yeah I bought the tickets before my companion could but I’ll skip ahead to the time that I almost lost the tickets because they were put down on a windowsill outside some children activity centre (Suspiria and children?? lol). I came back home late at night and was ready for the movie to happen the next day. Oh and before buying the tickets I coincidentally saw dance classes going on nearby that building... weird, as Suspiria has dance elements in there

The day came (December 15) and my family went together with me because they saw this as an opportunity to see the Christmas tree of our city (but not the movie). Needless to say, they were still visibly pissed at me orchestrating this idea, as I planned everything BUT the transport to go by. Well at least my mom and my sis. Dad was cool with it as he returned home to watch Home Alone. Aside all that, the cinema hall was cozy, Christmassy, not too small, there were a few trailers before the movie, no snack-seller places (as this is not a mall lol) - my companion was glad she wasn't at the mall as she found this place where we were at way lovelier.

Now with all that unnecessary long intro off my chest, let’s begin:

THE REVIEW

(definitely not spoiler-free, if you are sensitive to spoilers please watch the movie for yourselves before reading my review. But if you like being spoiled, I’m your friend then I guess lmao)

The intro to the movie felt like I ended up booking a wrong movie - I didn't expect that to be set somewhere in Germany, especially an American/Italian-shot one. Was that a thing in the original Suspiria? I don't know... (apparently it is, but the cities are different, never the country though)

Patricia (I didn’t know it was Chloë Grace’s role until reading the Wiki) looked like to be a really big deal here, with the dance pupils discussing her disappearance the other day and Susie overheard them, then Sara mentioned the Patricia thing to Susie after Susie revealed she was kind of chosen as the lead dancer for the Volk play... is it because Patricia was THE saviour that unfortunately knew a little too much?? Idk, it’s perhaps the reason we get to see the Klemperer guy subplot happen (I didn’t know it was Tilda Swinton behind him all the time either, must be because the way the male German accent was put on her lol). Turned out she was captured and kept under some dungeon where Sara had gone later in the movie, but looking like an almost melted and grotesquely old human being (or if Mary’s mother from “Chocolate with Nuts” was a person). Speaking of which, there is one more later in the movie, but I won’t tell just yet - we will need to get into such scenes discussion first.

Interesting deaths here, despite of them being grotesque and horrifically detailed. It almost felt like Susie, whilst doing her first dance as the probable lead dancer, temporarily turned into Olga’s voodoo doll or a violent bloodbender (that old lady from Avatar that could bloodbend was incredibly uncanny, damn) and left Olga completely fucked up, and the foam mouth later on... is this the effect myxomatosis has on a human being if it was ever humanly? She was twitching and salivating afterall. :P But no, she’s not dead until she gets to plead her death later in the movie! :O Several others occur throughout, but none is more prominent than this key scene I described, well at least according to TV Tropes.

The search for the evil person in this movie without Wiki helping me much was definitely a nice game for me to play. I kept thinking that Blanc might be that one, then I thought she’s not the one until she looked at Carolina (I think that was the tall tomboy’s name??) suspiciously and then she later passed out on the floor violently, with rabies foam and everything.

Anyway, don’t tell me Tilda Swinton wouldn’t make out a pretty good Thom Yorke post-Pablo Honey. She’s 8 years older than him, ffs! Also played a man before (e.g.: this movie I’m talking about) so the make up won’t be an unjumpable-over hurdle.

The sighs were for sure unsettling, especially because they oddly sounded like orgasm here and there. IDK why. I know fucking is referenced twice in this movie (well only fucking once and sex another time). Speaking of random things, the nightmare shots were completely random themselves, following up with some imagery we never see in the movie again, and some of that we see only a little (like the worms and bloody organs).

3 long scenes that were note-worthy for me. One is the Olga mutilation/Susie's first dancing scene that I already noted, and it was driven by music (the others will be too. Soundtrack of this movie still rules). Then there's the Volk play itself - girls go from one place to another, take poses of each other, dance individually, let their minimalistic red rope dresses flick in the air, interspersed with Sara in the underneath area and her broken leg (so broken, the bone went out of her skin!), and then the matriarchy getting her back on stage, but healing her leg with her witch powers before that. I haven't really listened to the rest of the soundtrack but I gotta check the song out so that I won't end up labeling it as a Kid A reject. No but seriously - intense dancing needed some intense drumming and painful instrument sounds just to project out the massiveness of the whole play.

Then I keep remembering the scene where Madame Blanc commands Susie to jump higher and higher in the mirror hall, up until she jumps as highest as possible. Also my companion’s favourite scene was the stare exchange between these two ladies during the part where people were singing some drinking song in a bar to celebrate ‘Volk’’s success - you hear them singing and then some chilling background noise slowly mixing and creeping its way into the atmosphere, then I think it leads into a scene where some sparkling aura entity wakes Susie up (and she’s nude) in the middle of the night and gets her to go down to this... dungeon orgy full of random stuff going on, complete with an Asian man doing something beyond explanation (I could say lewd but not quite), even more strange ritual dancing and the very much frightening Madame Helga... who looked like Jabba the Hutt for some reason. And then of course everyone slitting, slashing and twisting each other, and by the end Susie throwing us all a plot twist which makes her THE evil one who can finally let her ‘friends’ go of all that suffering they have been through thanks to the damn witches (and yeah apparently her dance friends haven’t completely died? THAT’S how they do - they tell Susie to end their suffering and she does). Also she cracks her chest open to reveal a... very graphic part of a female body that will by no doubt get this whole text review reported without consent so I refrain from any illustrations. Oh and this scene mostly has the possibly favourite this movie’s soundtrack song of mine, if not one of them, play - titled Unmade. It was a mind-boggling decision to do so but the movie editors do them I suppose, but still. I felt sad for the song having to be the background of such absurd but fair enough events? (Oh and I didn’t mention that everyone who voted for the other woman than Madame Blanc to be the leader of the witches (iirc) were rid of in this movie. Damn.)

Oh and the ending is rather an interesting detail, not talking about post-credits because as always I have to be this one movie goer who wants to do it but can’t because they’re urged to go back out of the movie theater. We turn into modern day Germany with a love heart carved on a brick wall with the letters A and L (perhaps?? at the time of finishing this review my memory towards it kind of erased some parts of the movie for me), a nice little remembrance of Lutz’s (the old man’s) love for his dear Anke, with which they have reunited during the movie, but Lutz was dragged out by some people related to the dance academy for probably wandering elsewhere than needed and somehow Lutz ended up as one of the sex dungeon victims, stripped of clothing and lying down quite powerless. That and before the modern day shot we are subjected with Lutz in hospital with Susie coming to visit, they discuss something related to the plot, Susie touches the guy speaks some more, leaves and according to the Wiki, Lutz “suffers from a violent seizure” that was nothing more than just a hard seizure. And it even erases his memories!

Anyway, as a whole, I felt more underwhelmed of this movie’s experience despite really wanting to see it. Like, “uhm yeah gore blood people getting slashed everyone’s a witch and everyone’s watched over by the witch and if you expose the witches you die” kind of underwhelmed. I didn’t want this movie to blatantly go through my head, but it did, that’s why I wanted to make notes everytime something notable happens. There was one startling moment, and it just was an innocent scene transition. And something within Olga’s mutilation scene made me chuckle (and made some other people leave the cinema hall ASAP). It’s more of a disgusting watch than scary. Also feels too dragged out in parts.

I’d only recommend it if you are gore-tolerant (there are people that can’t stand looking at blood so this might as well not be for you, especially if you’re younger than 16), like intense choreos that can impact other people literally, and... the soundtrack. Yes of course. If you dare to get through the movie with feeling its soundtrack, sometimes you might as well feel it right, but some of the soundtrack song usages might as well make you go “hmm” as much as me.

I'll remind myself to never watch a movie in theaters for soundtrack again (unless they're not THAT late). And the other 'trilogy of the three witches' movie remakes, especially if they come out at the time I haven't moved houses by now, because for sure as hell will my parents not like me going to cinema late once more. The movie is lowkey 7 out of 10 for me, can sometimes it's on the verge of falling down to 6 becaude of no completely proper comprehension of some directing choices... so 6.7/10 is good - as it still has 6 in it, but totally leans on to the 7.

Will probably watch it again. I need to remember some more of this movie sometime later. And looking for online uploads of this movie is unrecommendable - I'll wait until Lionsgate distributes it to America for wider audiences so that anything could surface 2 months (or even a few days) later from now. Though if I didn't need all that, I'd definitely not watch it again for a long time... unfortunately I want to.

Post movie feelings: my companion liked the movie, initially said to never watch it again but now wants to watch it again because it was so "wtf" she felt like re-experiencing it at some point. She liked the music (another bonus point for Yorke). She wished she could film the reactions of other people who watched this, as they mostly were confused, all being like "wtf did I just watch???". I'm already feeling bad for the 3rd companion who didn't join us but would also like to watch this - he’ll likely be one of those confused movie-goers.

#suspiria #reviews from a shitty movie goer #lol :')#spoiler alert #tl;dr alert #this review's looooong overdue but f*ck it!#suspiria (2018)#there's a lot i might have missed?#movie review #review

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kateanddevinreview · 6 years

Text

London Has Fallen

In which Kate and Devin write a porno

Devin: Okay, so this movie is just Gerard Butler being a badass right? Is this the one with Denzel Washington? Or are neither of those things right.

Kate: It’s something like that.

Devin: Well, Butler showed up in the credits, but so did morgan freeman?

Kate: It’s a trifecta!!

Devin: Or maybe I'm just racist and mixed them up.

Kate: Or maybe it’s the two of them being badass together.

Devin: I made some comment the other day about minorities being underrepresented at the oscars or something and they asked what actors I think should win instead and I blanked on literally every minority actor I knew.

Kate: Hahahah. It’s still true though. And to be fair, could you name any white actors?

Devin: My brain got stuck on Tom Hardy and forgot literally every other actor on earth

Kate:I think he’s on tv now anyway. So far this movie is starting a bit slow. Do you think someone is going to be shot soon?

Devin: I find it weird that we are in....India?

Kate: I think we’re at an Indian wedding. Terrorist’s daughter is getting married

Devin: This is set up for motive?

Kate: Probs

Devin: The Phantom of the Opera and Harvey Dent go for a jog

Kate: Why are politicians always running? I don’t think they do that much

Devin: I think cause DC? it's an easy excuse to pan around the lawn

Kate: Ok well fine, coming at me with movie reasons. Wait, is this a sequel?

Devin: Is it? Was the last one just called "London"?

Kate: I was thinking Gerald saved a president in the last one?

Devin: She has crazy eyes

Kate: She does but she’s pregnant

Devin: I'll forgive it if we get through this movie without her vomiting.

Kate: She’s in like her third tri already so she really shouldn’t

Devin: Google says this is a sequel, to Olympus Has Fallen. Lots of stuff falling apparently

Kate: Knew it!!! I’ve seen that one too

Devin: Really? I'm guessing last time he saved President Harvey Dent from terrorists, wooed or impregnated his wife, and got hired for secret service or unfired from secret service

Kate: Unfired, if it’s what I’m thinking of

Devin: This time he'll save the Prime Minister from terrorists, see his kid born, and...uh. Be knighted? That's my guess

Kate: Seems like a totally logical guess to me. I’m betting he discovers the Prime Minister was murdered. I don’t think people are expected to attend state funerals?

Devin: I think it's cause his vice isn't available? I think normally this is the kind of thing they send him for. But I am basing that on episodes of Madam Secretary so who knows

Kate: New guess!! President is killed and Butler has to protect Freeman

Devin: Hmmm. Maybe. Is Freeman the Vice?

Kate: Yes. He said “Hello, Mr VP”

Devin: I'm missing like half of this dialogue, idk how

Kate: Cause it’s boring

Devin: I want splosions!

Kate: This baby melodrama music is not my favorite. Once again I feel like writing is letting us down?

Devin: Yeah. Be better hollywood!

Kate: Also important people shouldn’t just sign shit without looking at it

Devin: is this the fringe guy? No. Who is he? He's someone

Kate: I think? No?

Devin: Fringe guy is similar but different. Oh! The Magicians? Magicians teacher guy?

Kate: No, definitely not him

Devin: IMDBing....

Kate: “Most protected event on earth”= everyone will die

Devin: Yup. This cast listing order is stupid. Do we know British Gerard Butler's name?

Kate: You mean the head of the British security? Also no. Also I think they’re going to use kids?

Devin: Yes, British guy. Mr. Sands! From Limitless. Thanks wikipedia, for your superior cast list

Kate: Limitless. That’s right, I never watched much of that

Devin: I really liked the main guy and all the arts and crafts in that show. I'm sad it was cancelled. Also we should add the movie to our review list

Kate: Yes!

Devin: Splosion! I didn't think those guards were supposed to have real guns? Then again EMTs should definitely not have rocket launchers

Kate: Hahaha, yeah, those cops are definitely plants. It’s clearly a very well orchestrated attack

Devin: Pretty sure only america gives their cops guns. Also, rocket launcher

Kate: Wow I don’t care how this movie ends the world would not recover from this

Devin: Yeah Kate, it's fallen. Show. Us. The. Egg. It's not London unless I see the big glass egg and the ferris wheel

Kate: How did they know that one president wouldn’t leave on time?

Devin: Trackers? Or they caused the traffic?

Kate: No, he decided?

Devin: Motorcycles, a car's only weakness

Kate: Nice driving!

Devin: Don't injure civilians!

Kate: Ummmm, Devin. I think that ship has sailed.

Devin: He rammed the bad guy into a non bad guy car!

Kate: Oh fuck. Ok so who is the black lady? Is she the First Lady?

Devin: Voight buddy, you could have moved. He's the driver, she's the head of secret service

Kate: He was driving! It was a bullet! Give him some credit. Is she?

Devin: Yes. According to wikipedia

Kate: She’s not doing much. And she hunkered with the president?

Devin: Right? Stop flailing. Where is your gun, woman?

Kate: Oh god. That was brutal

Devin: That was very brutal

Kate: Why didn’t they park closer to the chopper?

Devin: Crashing in 3...2...oh ok nvm

Kate: Hahaha

Devin: He's got a cane so you know he's evil

Kate: So true

Devin: Moral of this movie: don't trust the handicapped

Kate: And yet, they didn’t detect a plan of this magnitude

Devin: Uh, did those people just have labels?

Kate: Yes. NSA and something else

Devin: Like, movie? Movie. We do not care

Kate: I’m assuming it will be important later?

Devin: Why is the lady not doing anything?

Kate: Nice, flares! I like flares. Why are they flying so low anyway?

Devin: I got distracted googling the secret service

Kate: Anything pertinent to share?

Devin: Apparently the director just does the boring shit, so idk why she's even here

Kate: Ummmm, I think the movie should end here?

Devin: Yes they all died. The End

Kate: No way anyone survived that. I call bullshit

Devin: Also, I assumed presidents would have like one guy their whole time in office? But apparently they hire someone new a lot. Oh she dead.

Kate: For the secret service?

Devin: As director. Like Obama had 2

Kate: I mean, that’s four years for each

Devin: Trump has already had 2. The first guy for like 2 months? 1 month?

Kate: Well, Trump does that a lot. He’s had like 8 communication directors

Devin: I just wonder if they choose to leave or if the president purposefully swaps them out

Kate: Also working for the president is really intense, so maybe you just burn out and have to leave

Devin: Makes sense. The local biker gang is here

Kate: I don’t think bikes make that noise. That is dumb

Devin: Yes. Also no one checked the wreck

Kate: At least we know from earlier scenes they are fast runners!

Devin: This looks like he put his manifesto on youtube

Kate: What point is there in entertaining this phone call? Also why does he care about one president?

Devin: Imagine if he called before they watched the video! Like 5 minutes earlier

Kate: Right? He should take the uniform too

Devin:

"Who is this?"

"It's...seriously? You didn't see my video?"

"h/o googling it"

"It's on youtube"

"yeah one sec, gotta sit through this 50 shade of grey trailer"

Kate: Ahhhhhhh Being hunted by motorbikes!! Oh no

Devin: Sure, that's subtle. Also this is a regular subway

Kate: I like that he was able to loot the body for weapons. Very practical

Devin: Jesus Gerard Butler. WTF? You went from zero to torture in no time

Kate: I know, little intense. Definitely running on adrenaline

Devin: This is the most 'murrican fucking movie. You cannot convince me that huge squads of racists didn't come out of this movie going "rah rah ‘murrica"

Kate: Oh god. Unfortunately yes

Devin: Although these talky bits suck. I'd rather have more fighting. Oh, thanks label, I really cared what time it was

Kate: Everyone is dead, that’s what this discussion is. I mean surrender and then ambush. How many people do they think there are? You’re not going to be professional right now? Weird

Devin: Blah blah blah. Bitch it was a wedding. Of course his family was there

Kate: How did you not know his family was there? It was a wedding. So dumb

Devin: What even is the point of that dialogue? There better be drugs in his water or something

Kate: What kind of shoddy intel are you all operating on? This is dumb. Do criticize if necessary. You have to teach them. Also off color jokes?

Devin: "You know what's most important Mike? Children. That's why we are never going to spend time with ours in any subsequent movie."

Kate: Of course it’s not your delta team.

Devin: Yeah why was that message not in code?

Kate: Zoom in!

Devin: Enhance! Your safe house has a fucking skylight!?

Kate: Seems like a pretty lame safe house. Oh this is gross

Devin: This movie is very gratuitous with its gore

Kate: It really is. And president you should not have done that. You are not almost out of this by any long shot

Devin: There must be a porno of this where they fuck right then

Kate: Did all of MI6 just die?

Devin: I'm not going to lie, that weird pirate porno you made us watch that one time is better than this movie

Kate: Haha! Oh pirates. Also my taste is terrible because I still enjoy this

Devin: I don't believe the hackers would make this basic of a mistake

Kate: No, me neither

Devin: Also driving seems like the quickest way to be spotted?

Kate: They kept everything under the radar but you didn’t notice this earlier?

Devin: Ok I guess at least the car is bulletproofed

Kate: How many of these terrorists are there supposed to be?

Devin: It's just the same 4 guys, they're really fast. They keep healing when they're off screen

Kate: Seems like an infinite supply. Mutants!! Also Mike is still somehow always faster

Devin: Now I want an action movie where 3/4 of the way through you realize he's been re-killing the same 5 guys over and over and surprise! it's really a fantasy/horror movie!

Kate: That would be so good. Change the whole game. I do oddly think this would make a good porno with very very little change

Devin: It's cause there's so much standing really close while breathing heavily and the plot is basically just as thin

Kate: Yeah pretty much. It’s a male romance novel

Devin: Also there have been.....5 women? in this entire movie. 6, I guess. Wife, mother, secret service director, beehive, assistant cop, MI6

Kate: Assistant cop?

Devin: Black lady?

Kate: I don’t remember her

Devin: She was in the bullpen with not!Fringe guy

Kate: Ok sure

Devin: Oh, ok, and random lady who had a text label I didn't read

Kate: There was the turning 30 woman and one lady head of state.

Devin: Still, none of these people shooting right now? There's like 20 guys in this scene!

Kate: Nope. Can’t have women in harm’s way unless they don’t have a choice. Also no lady terrorists

Devin: Only lady terrorists allowed are dead motivation ones

Kate: Also I’m subbing lady because it’s faster to type than woman

Devin: Agreed

Kate: Omg. Whispered “Mike.” Straight out of a romance novel

Devin: What? Are you ahead of me or did I miss it?

Kate: Maybe? The president whispered it

Devin: No! I must have missed the Mike whisper

Kate: He should be really tired by now. He didn’t have dinner!

Devin: "Hear that? My boyfriend is coming"

Kate: He really should just kill the president. It doesn’t make sense not to

Devin: There is so much manly eye contact and face holding

Kate: So much

Devin: Like I'm pretty sure almost this exact sequence happened in Outlander

Kate: In the porn there would be a scene where the president seduced him, Mike walked in on it, and then they have a threesome

Devin: With the bad guy?

Kate: Yup

Devin: That seems like it would be out of place plot wise. Would the bad guy turn himself in or something?

Kate: No. Just random sex that doesn’t make sense

Devin: Weird. The sex should make sense!

Kate: It’s for real a thing that happens in porn, you get whiplash. Oh god. This is lame. Really?

Devin: One punch where he runs all the way across the screen. So stupid

Kate: Did we learn who the brit mole was?

Devin: Nope. They hacked the police station I think? Damn! Wheelchair guy didn't even get to make a speech about how bad America is. This movie is not even pretending to care about America's mistakes

Kate: Why didn’t he just shoot everyone?

Devin: Out of bullets?

Kate: He hasn’t run out of guns until now

Devin: What even is this dialogue right now?

Kate: Really dumb

Devin: "You fuck with America? OH HELL NO. WE BAT SHIT. WE WILL FUCKING MURDER ALL Y'ALL."

Kate: America’s not even 500. Witty banter!

Devin: "EVEN OUR PRESIDENT WILL PICK UP A GUN FOR MURDER TIME"

Kate: Also he’s not dead because you haven’t killed him?

Devin: Yeah you just punched him a bit and talked nonsense

Kate: Once again, another thing they wouldn’t have survived.

Devin: I feel like the porno version of this has them go back to their wives at the end with lots of meaningful looks and sly smiles between the two main dudes. Like "yeah, we'll do this again next mission"

Kate: Oh no! But yes probably. Why was there a lock in an elevator?

Devin: Is the president the only one alive from this whole thing? They would definitely make out in this elevator

Kate: I think one other world leader survived? There was a missing link to the terrorist?

Devin: I guess?

Kate: Who sent a fucking video?

Devin: Honestly this plot is stupid Yeah he's def the mole. Also he's running away? Like he obviously did it

Kate: Are we supposed to care about him or her? Because I do not

Devin: They would have had sex earlier in the porno

Kate: Yeah. It would have made more sense. Just kill him already

Devin: Also she would have just arrested him. I feel like the porno would have less murder

Kate: It’s weird that normally I complain about too much sex? But this would just be better as a porn

Devin: Yeah our review is basically "this would have made a better porno"

Kate: How would you have found him?

Devin: Who hears "look out your window" and looks up at the ceiling? Oh maybe that's what the missing link was?

Kate: Also the VP does not have the authority to call that type of strike

Devin: What is this 10 angled shot explosion? Ok, we've got a baby

Kate: So it’s been at least a few weeks

Devin: No prime minister but I didn't realize it was his funeral so I feel like the president is close enough. Now knighthood

Kate: Sure. They don’t know how emails work? Re: is for replies

Devin: "Many people would say this is our fault, but we're america so fuck those people. we'll kill those people."

Kate: “Commence spending no time with my kid”

Devin: In the porno version we end instead with a mirror of the earlier DC lawn scene, with them sitting on a bench watching their wives/kids, and the pres saying something like "still want to quit?" and Butler saying "and leave you, sir? Never." And then meaningful eye contact. Roll credits.

Kate: Hahahah

Devin: Okay, so scores

Kate: Yes. Scores.

Devin: 3/10 for the movie, 6/10 for the porno

Kate: I go a little higher movie? Like 4.5 for the movie. 6 for porno though. I think we can agree that no porn should ever rank higher than 7

Devin: Yeah. Like, even amazing porn is still porn

Kate: Ummmm tropes? So many, “family as our motivation”

Devin: “America is terrible and we never learn anything”?

Kate: Which is so hypocritical

Devin: “One man assumes command of literally every other character without argument”

Kate: Hahahaha. So like 7 on the tropes? They all fit the plot really well

Devin: Yeah, I mean it had a very particular niche and it played to it

Kate: Exactly

Devin: I'm going to give the title an 8/10. Catchy and accurate

Kate: I can agree. Thematic

Devin: London did pretty much fall. Like an old lady in a Life Alert commercial

Kate: Better than Olympus has fallen

Devin: Yeah, plus how fucking pretentious is it to call the white house "olympus"?

Kate: Exactly

Devin: What would the porn title be? I feel like they're usually puns?

Kate: Pun for sure. London may fall but our guys stay up

Devin: kind of long

Kate: It could be the tagline?

Devin: Oh yeah, good tagline. My brain gave me "Banging Private Ryan" which does not fit but is almost certainly a movie that exists

Kate: Hahahahaha. Banging president something? Whatever his name was

Devin: No idea, I called him Harvey Dent the whole movie. London Goes Down?

Kate: London laid down? Cause laid. Get it?

Devin: H/o I have to see if there is a real porn title for this. NSA people monitoring my internet searches, I'm really sorry

Kate: Gives them some spice! A story to take home

Devin: Top result for "London Has Fallen Porn Title" is:

"London Has Fallen movie condemned as racist 'terrorsploitation' "

"London Has Fallen is gun-barrel porn"

Kate: Whelp. Yep. I feel bad for enjoying it?

Devin: "London Has Fallen Is The Worst Film About Our City Ever"

Kate: Oh no it was a piece of shit for sure. Super fucking racist

Devin: “Blowing London.” That's my official submission

Kate: Nice! “Blowing London” is great. I thought you’d actually found it.

Devin: Ok, any parting words?

Kate: It was a dumb racist movie that I feel guilty for enjoying anyway? Which means we should have more action movies made with better plots and motivation. And female representation!

Devin: Or more action movies that are just porn

Kate: Or that. What about you? Parting words?

Devin: If you want to see a movie where Gerard Butler brutally murders everyone, this is it. Or, you know, go watch 300, it is less awful.

Kate: So true.

#kate and devin review #london has fallen #murrica

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honeylikewords · 4 years

Note

In a perfect world where you were hired to help write and direct the final movie of the new trilogy, how would you want Rise of Skywalker to go? What adjustments would you want made to either address anything from the previous films, or to avoid what has thus far been hinted at in trailers and interviews?

Oh, man, there’s SO much to think about here. Let’s start with, I think, things I’d want to change from previous films (either retconning them in RoS or providing context that makes them fundamentally changed)…

So, to that effect, here’s an itemized list!

Just as a precaution, I make some assumptions or pull from information I’ve seen around the internet. Some of these MIGHT turn out to be close to canon, so if you want to avoid anything, just steer clear of this post. I’m trying not to theorize too hard, and thus avoid spoilers myself, so I don’t know anything with any solid confirmation, so I could be wrong. Just wanted to cover my bases!

Without further ado, here’s the list!

1. I think I’d retcon out the idea that Luke would ever hurt Ben as a padawan. The general characterization of Luke felt very… off in The Last Jedi, and I wasn’t sure why the writers went in the directions they did for that.

I’m not saying Luke can’t have a darker side– we know he struggled with a call to the Dark side during his training and feared it would overtake him– but the idea that he’d go as far as to even imagine killing a sleeping child, much less the son of his two most beloved people in the universe is… weird. And wrong.

So I’d retcon that out with it being a false memory planted by, let’s say, Snoke or Palpatine, in order to create a rift between them and bring Ben to the Dark side. I think that would make a great deal of sense, frankly, and bring some much-needed closure and relief to the idea that Luke would ever hurt someone so defenseless.

2. On a similar note, while I understand that the thesis of TLJ was “making mistakes and learning from them”, I felt like most of the “mistakes” engineered into the movie didn’t actually make sense for the characters making them. Poe being “selfish” and “glory obsessed” doesn’t at all match with what we’d seen of him in TFA, nor does it match with any of the extended (and canonical) material about him.

He left the Republic Navy because they were too accepting of the idea of sacrificing their soldiers. In the military, that’s called “acceptable losses”: the amount of cannon-fodder that the military’s willing to wave off and accept as the “expected amount” of dead soldiers. If that idea enraged Poe enough to leave the Republic Navy, why would he be so accepting of the same idea for the Resistance? As far as I’m aware, the only life Poe is ever willing to sacrifice is his own; he wants everyone else safe. So why write him like he doesn’t care?

Here’s a direct quote about him from his official Star Wars Wookiepedia entry:

“… Dameron developed a strong sense of commitment and duty, but had trouble with the line between his commitment to the Resistance and the commitment to his comrades, willing to disobey a direct order from his superior, General Organa, to make sure that the Millennium Falcon safely left Starkiller Base before its imminent destruction.”

Oh, yeah, that definitely sounds like the kind of guy to blindly let HUNDREDS of his comrades die. Yeah. For sure.

And then to act like he’s a bad person for not trusting a leader who isn’t making themselves clear in a time when clarity is of the utmost importance? To act like he’s a narcissist for trying to take the lead and help as best he can in a chaotic and, for all intents and purposes, leaderless situation? To frame him like he’s a bad guy for not trusting Holdo immediately, or acting like his distrust comes from a place of sexism or self-interest? Absolute rubbish.

So while I can’t retcon the whole “insubordinate bad listener self-obsessed narcissist” behavior that got written into TLJ, I’d try my best to re-contextualize Poe’s frustrations that he expressed in the film by showing why it would make sense for him to take the lead, to demand answers, to do his best to destroy the Dreadnought.

For example, showing why it was important to take down the Dreadnought: he’s constantly concerned about civilian casualties at the hands of the First Order. With a Dreadnought still active, millions of people could be killed at the First Order’s whims; by taking the ship down, he saved millions of lives.

Another good way to dispell the idea of him as a self-centered hotshot willing to throw away lives is to show just how much he values the lives of others and wants to keep them away from harm; show his own self-sacrifice. Show him being willing to take the damage to protect someone else. Show him telling someone to get behind him, to stay safe, telling them “I’m not going to lose you, too”. I think that would be a helpful step away from the perception of him as a glory chaser; show that his self-sacrifice is genuine.

Honestly, I’d put so much effort into fixing the fallout from the Poe mischaracterization that I could go on forever about it, but I’m sure you all want to read other stuff, too, so let’s move on for now.

3. Absolutely retcon the shit out of the idea that the Force connection between Rey and Kylo was anything more than platonic or an intervention of Snoke. Sure, you can indicate that there’s still a lingering connection, but clarify that it’s more about the battle between the Light and the Dark, and the inherent connection that such mirror images will have to each other, but don’t get it twisted as some kind of galaxy-spanning love story.

I’d put a lot of emphasis on Rey clearly expressing frustration with Kylo and saying “He’s failed himself. His pain is his own choice now; I tried to help him, but he rejected it, so it’s up to him to stop himself or we’ll do it for him” or something to that effect. And having her definitely avowedly denying any kind of “attraction” out loud. That’d be nice.

4. In a parallel train of thought, we gotta talk about Rey’s parents. While I’m certainly fine with the idea of Rey Nobody, because it’d be so great to have a Star Wars story where someone NOT from the Skywalker bloodline is just as strong as one of them, and is just as worthy and important, regardless of their bloodline or heritage, I’m also concerned that leaving her a Nobody would give credence to all that bullshit Kylo was spewing about her “not mattering” to anyone but him, ugh.

And it’d leave a door open for R*ylos to be like “WELL THEY’RE NOT RELATED SO OBVIOUSLY THEY CAN HAVE SEX!”, ew.

So we’d have to give her some kind of actual backstory, and finally clear up what that is. It’s not something I actually want to do all that bad– I’m genuinely totally happy to not know everything about Rey’s parents, and the story would be fine without ever knowing anything about them– but I feel like so many people would demand it, and ensuring that Rey and Kylo are somehow related would finally put a cork in that insufferable bottle.

I don’t really have any great suggestions for how to deal with it, but I think there’s definitely the potential for a cool twist where Ben isn’t actually Leia and Han’s biological son, but Rey is their biological daughter. A sort of switched at birth idea, if that makes sense, and while it might be hard to believe (wouldn’t a mother know if she gave birth to a boy or girl?), there are lots of ways to work around it, and I think it could be a cool twist, though it does leave the loophole of them still not being related…

Hm. Well, at any rate, I’d have to iron it out with some other brainstormers, but I’m sure there are ways to fully cap off and prevent R*ylo from ever happening. Don’t worry, I’ll name some later in the list.

5. I’d also do my best to take away any lingering ideas about Finn being “goofy” or “cowardly”. TLJ decided to present him as this selfish weirdo more interested in wealth and himself than in the greater good, which was… odd. While he’s certainly careful about self-preservation, he also has a good heart, so I’d do a lot to emphasize his strong, heroic nature, and not just use him as a guy for all the gags to bounce off of. He deserves serious, thoughtful moments, heroic moments, AND silly, light-hearted moments.

6. While on the topic of Finn, I’d also put FinnRose to rest and just… not have that be a ship. I’ve talked about it before, but I’ll summarize my basic issues with it: they just didn’t have any chemistry, it was a very forced and hasty relationship, and it didn’t make sense for either party.

Rose has a problem with hero worship; that much is evident. So why indulge her in it by pairing her with someone she childishly idolizes? Why not have her character arc be about finding her own personal bravery, not being reliant on others or their stories, but forging her own?

As for Finn, I’d love to see him end up staying close to Rey, possibly even beginning to walk the road towards their own relationship (though I do also value the idea of Rey not needing to have any romantic relationship in the saga at all), at the very least as friends.

The whole “what we love” line in TLJ made no sense (except as a shoehorn to explain the validity of R*ylo in future films?), so I’d just have her explain in RoS that she was talking about “what we love” being belief systems that we fight to protect, like defending human decency, freedom, and peace, and that the kiss was a weird, juvenile decision that she’s embarrassed about in the same way one might be embarrassed about a childhood diary entry about a crush. It was just a fleeting moment of weirdness, but now that she’s more grown up and sturdy in her own personality and life, she doesn’t have to rely on the childish ideas of heroes and romance to keep her going.

I think that’s a long enough list of the retcons for now, so I’ll move into things I’d like to see happen in the movie and things I’d rather NOT see in the movie (i.e. things from the trailers that are being hinted at that I want GONE).

1. I’m just gonna get out in front of this: I don’t think I’m gonna like Zorri Bliss. I don’t. I’m really tired of “badass female characters” in that “badass female character” is such a boring stock trope by now. Skinny white woman who engages in violence and is flippant and emotionally removed, oh, joy, I’ll hold for applause. But what I’m really concerned about is the angle they’re trying to push with her and Poe; specifically, that Poe may not be “that good of a person” because he used to hang out with her, and she’s implied to be a smuggler or mercenary of some sorts.

Look, I get it. We don’t like “perfect” characters. I know that I love characters with oddities and quirks and flaws, and who make mistakes. But there’s a difference between that and fundamentally re-working a character so that they’re “not so nice” anymore.

Poe already has flaws to work with and explore. Why make him have a “dark” backstory when he’s already interesting enough? And why make it connected to a “past relationship” with this random new woman?

I’m also concerned about them pushing a romance, which we simply don’t need, especially because it looks like it’s being done to finally quash any perceptions of Poe as queer. Which is just so shitty on so many levels, but I don’t have time to unpack them all.

So what I would do is probably just… cut Zorri altogether. We’re already introducing new characters in this film, and specifically adding Jannah to the roster, and tossing in new characters to an already crowded roster won’t really help. None of them will get enough screen time to properly reach catharsis in their arcs, so we just have to nip the least helpful bud, and Zorri’s seems like it’d be the first one to go, in my opinion.

Maybe she’ll turn out to be great in the film. Who knows. But if it was up to me, I’d drop the whole subplot of her, and making Poe’s backstory a sullied one. I don’t need that.

Instead, I’d use that time to allow the main trio to DO THEIR THING. We need to see THEIR character journeys: not random newcomers.

2. No Bendemption.

This is gonna be a slightly controversial take, I guess, but I think a redemption for Kylo would be kinda hackneyed and forced.

That’s not to say I don’t think villain redemptions are possible, fun, interesting, or worth exploring. But I’m saying that I think this particular one just… wouldn’t work.

Kylo doesn’t seem to be at all legitimately sorry for the things he’s done. He seems to be aware of his choices and capable of making them independently. Sure, the writers might force the idea that “oh, it was PALPATINE controlling him all along!”, but I feel like that would be so counterintuitive to the point of these stories.

The whole point is about choice: who we choose to be, what we choose to do. We can all choose to be kind, or we can choose to be cruel. We can choose to put others first or serve ourselves. We choose the Light or the Dark, and we get to decide what we do with that. Everything we do is a choice, and the Star Wars saga is about becoming out better selves and choosing to help those around us because it’s right.

So making the baddie secretly mind controlled would be… dumb. And hollow. And devoid of substance. So that’s out, not an option (if they want to tell a valid story).

So that just leaves us with Kylo Ren, Ben Solo, whatever, has been CHOOSING to be this way. And while he’s certainly felt pained by it, he also keeps making his choices; he’s now Supreme Leader, and he could choose to destroy the whole thing, leave, fight for good, but he doesn’t.

So he can’t BE redeemed. Because he doesn’t want to be.

I mean, I’d honestly have to write a whole essay on just this singular topic to accurately convey my point, but here’s a shortened version of it:

I think a Bendemption wouldn’t be prudent at this point because he just doesn’t have the time to make a satisfying arc in one movie without it feeling forced, rushed, and out of character. So, to tie off the saga, he has to go out like Vader did: he has to die to be redeemed.

He can either die a villain or die a hero, but regardless, I think he just… needs to die in order to properly close the book on him. It needs to end with sacrifice, and either he sacrifices himself or someone else makes a sacrifice of him. Only then do we reach the catharsis.

And, look, I know the Bendemption is gonna happen. But if I was writing it, I wouldn’t let it happen: he’d have to have his Vader death. At the very best, it could be a noble one. At the worst, he’d die as he deserved to. But it would finally be over.

3. No grey Jedi Rey.

I don’t really love this whole cultural direction we’re taking with our movies where “the bad guys are secretly good and the good guys are secretly bad and the real truth is just to be in the middle!” because it’s so unhelpful.

Yes, extremism is bad and blindly believing any one group is the best and most moral, without ever questioning that, often prevents people from critically analyzing their choices, but it’s not that there isn’t an objective truth in the world; there is. There are objectively good and evil things to do. So we can’t pretend that relativity is universally applicable, because it isn’t.

So having Rey “accept the Dark and the Light” would be… difficult without seeming clownishly college-philosophy-student-y.

While it would be important for her to accept that the Dark can exist in all of us, and that it’s not inherently evil to be tempted or to acknowledge it, the difference is in choice. She shouldn’t be allowed to have the best of both worlds because that isn’t how it works in real life, either.

Indulging in our worst impulses, darkest desires, or lowest cruelties doesn’t make us more “real”, it makes us worse people. So having her “use the Dark side” would also just feel like this weird attempt to allow her to love Kylo or accept evil as “alright because we’re all bad inside”.

This isn’t to say she has to live in a world of harsh absolutes, but rather that she should, ultimately, choose the Light, kindness, and a journey towards making sure that she is keeping herself in check, as well as making sure that she is doing her best work for herself and others.

So I’d write a clear moral line in: anyone can change, yes, but the important part is to change for the better, not just to accept the worst and stagnate in one’s most awful, darkest qualities.

The idea would be lenience by extending kindness, which anyone can choose to accept, not just “you’ve been evil but I love you anyway”. Nah. We can’t just tolerate people’s evil behavior and let it continue: we have to extend the possibility of mercy and tell the person they can come to the Light if they so choose, but we won’t descend to them. They rise, or they fall, and it’s in their own hands.

4. On a less philosophical note, DON’T make Finn, Jannah, and Lando all related.

A lot of the content I’ve seen circling for them seems to imply a familial relationship, possibly that Finn is Jannah’s lost brother, and that Jannah is Lando’s daughter. And, yes, while I’d love to see Finn reunited with his family and given a chance at a happy life… it’d be kinda cringey and bad to imply that the few black characters in Star Wars are all related.

I get that Star Wars is a dynastic story centered on families and genealogies and inheritances. But holy shit, it’s kinda racist to imply that the, like, only three black people in the series are going to be related.

It’s a galaxy full of people.

Not all of them have to be related just because they have similar melanin.

5. As for the overall plot, I think what I’d just want is the final triumph of good over evil. I really need to see that. I don’t need an ambiguous ending, I don’t need a dark one, I need one where the Light wins out, because that’s what we need to see, what we need to believe, and what we need to strive for.

The First Order NEEDS to fall. Kylo NEEDS to be out of power. And there NEEDS to be an emphasis on the value of lives, on the importance of taking care of the people in our universe, and on the belief that good does prevail, even when it doesn’t necessarily seem like it will.

I’m not too bogged down with details– planet-hopping is fine, traveling to new worlds and seeing new people is all cool– but more concerned about the overall message. The MESSAGE is what I’m most interested in. And we all know what my message would be.

6. Oh, and just focus on keeping the trio together. Structurally, I’d just need to see them working as a team; we’ve had way too much time of them apart, so it’d be nice to see how they interact and function as a group. I’d like that.

Anyway, this is just a short-list of things. If I were to actually talk about this, I’d need, like, a whole essay just to unpack my thoughts. Oh, and I’d probably prepare a full alternate script. Just because.

I have plenty of other ideas for things I’d love to see happen, but this is just a list of things I don’t want or things I’d do to prevent things I don’t want. LMAO.

I’ll come back to this idea, this list-ish format of thoughts, after the film is out and after I’ve seen it, in order to talk more about things I’d have done differently or changed (provided there’s anything I would have done differently or changed), but for now, this is just a handful of my ideas about things I’m concerned with.

Let me know what you guys are thinking; I’d love to be able to discuss this and kinda get a feel for what other people are thinking about, concerned about, worried about, or excited about.

#long post #gif warning #messages #anonymous #k reviews #(Sorta!!)

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themastercylinder · 5 years

Text

SUMMARY

The movie, which Cimino also wrote, is loosely based on, and named after, two infamous early-nineteenth-century Irish bandits. As a young ne’er-do-well, Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges) steals a car. In the other sub-story, an assassin attempts to shoot a preacher delivering a sermon at his pulpit. The preacher escapes on foot. Lightfoot, who happens to be driving by, inadvertently rescues the preacher by running over his pursuer and giving the preacher a lift.

Lightfoot eventually learns that the “minister” is really a notorious bank robber known as “The Thunderbolt” (Clint Eastwood) for his use of a 20 millimeter cannon to break into a safe. Hiding out in the guise of a clergyman following the robbery of a Montana bank, Thunderbolt is the only member of his old gang who knows where the loot is hidden.

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After escaping another attempt on his life by two other men, Thunderbolt tells Lightfoot that the ones trying to kill him are members of his gang who mistakenly thought Thunderbolt had double-crossed them. He and Lightfoot journey to Warsaw, Montana to retrieve the money hidden in an old one-room schoolhouse. They discover the schoolhouse has been replaced by a brand-new school standing in its place.

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot are abducted by the men who were pursuing them—the vicious Red Leary (George Kennedy) and the gentle Eddie Goody (Geoffrey Lewis)—and driven to a remote location where Thunderbolt and Red fight each other, after which Thunderbolt explains how he never betrayed the gang.

Lightfoot proposes another heist—robbing the same company as before—with a variation on the original plan; the variation being due to Lightfoot inadvertently killing their electronics expert, Dunlop, the man who tried to assassinate Thunderbolt in the earlier scene. In the city where the bank is located, the men find jobs to raise money for needed equipment while they plan the heist.

The robbery begins as Thunderbolt and Red gain access to the building. Lightfoot, dressed as a woman, distracts the Western Union office’s security guard, deactivates the ensuing alarm, and is picked up by Goody. Using an anti-tank cannon to breach the vault’s wall, as they did in the first heist, the gang escapes with the loot. They flee in the car, with Red and Goody in the trunk, to a nearby drive-in movie in progress. Upon seeing a shirt tail protruding from the car’s trunk lid (which is a strong indication one or more people are hiding in the trunk to avoid paying), the suspicious theater manager calls the police and a chase ensues. Goody is shot and Red throws him out of the trunk onto a dirt road, where he dies.

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Red then forces Thunderbolt and Lightfoot to stop the car. He pistol-whips them both, knocking them unconscious, and kicks Lightfoot violently in the head. Red takes off with the loot in the getaway car but is again pursued by police, who shoot Red several times, causing him to lose control of the car and crash through the window of a department store, where he is attacked and killed by the store’s vicious watchdog.

Escaping on foot, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot hitch a ride the next morning and are dropped off near Warsaw, Montana, where they stumble upon the one-room schoolhouse—now a historical monument on the side of a highway—moved there from its original location in Warsaw after the first heist. As the two men retrieve the stolen money, Lightfoot’s behavior becomes erratic as a result of the beating.

Thunderbolt buys a new Cadillac convertible with cash, something Lightfoot said he had always wanted to do, and picks up his waiting partner, who is gradually losing control of the left side of his body. As they drive away celebrating their success with cigars, Lightfoot, in obvious distress, tells Thunderbolt in a slurred voice how proud he is of their ‘accomplishments’, and slumps over dead.

Thunderbolt snaps his cigar in half (as it is no longer a celebration), and with his dead partner beside him, he drives off down the highway into the distance.

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DEVELOPMENT

Stan Kamen of the William Morris Agency came up with the initial idea for Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, but gave it to Michael Cimino to write on speculation with Eastwood in mind. Due to the great financial success of Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider, road pictures were a popular genre in Hollywood. Eastwood himself wanted to do a road movie. Agent Leonard Hirshan brought the script to Eastwood from fellow agent Kamen. Reading it, Eastwood liked it so much that he originally intended to direct it himself. However, on meeting Cimino, he decided to give him the directing job instead, giving Cimino his big break and feature-film directorial debut. Cimino later said that if it was not for Eastwood, he never would have had a career in film. Cimino patterned Thunderbolt after one of his favorite ’50s films, Captain Lightfoot. The music is composed by Dee Barton but the song “Where Do I Go From Here?” is composed and performed by Paul Williams.

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PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY/BEHIND THE SCENES

Although Eastwood generally refused to spend much time in scouting for locations, particularly unfamiliar ones, Cimino and Eastwood’s producer Robert Daley traveled extensively around the Big Sky Country in Montana for thousands of miles and eventually decided on the Great Falls area and to shoot the film in the towns of Ulm, Hobson, Fort Benton, Augusta and Choteau and surrounding mountainous countryside. The film was shot in 47 days from July to September 1973. It was filmed in Fort Benton, Wolf Creek, Great Falls, and Hobson. St. John’s Lutheran Church in Hobson was used for the opening scene.

Eastwood did not like to do any more than three takes on any given shot, according to co-star Bridges. “I would always go to Mike and say ‘I think I can do one more. I got an idea.’ And Mike would say ‘I gotta ask Clint.’ Clint would say, ‘Give the kid a shot.'” Charles Okun, first assistant director on Thunderbolt, added, “Clint was the only guy that ever said ‘no’. Michael said ‘OK, let’s go for another take.’ It was take four, Clint would say ‘No we got enough. We got it.’ […] And if [Cimino] took too long to get it ready, [Clint] would say, ‘It’s good, let’s go.'”

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Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 1974 (FILMING LOCATION)

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“They said the writer wants to direct it himself.” Michael Cimino wasn’t unknown to Eastwood – he’d done a pass on Magnum Force the previous year. “So I said, ‘Well let’s take a shot with him, he writes rather vividly he should direct rather vividly.” This is perhaps best-remembered as the film Cimino directed on time and under budget. As the title suggests, it’s a light-hearted buddy/caper movie with an underlying melancholy suggested by the very ’70s ending in which one of the buddies dies (these days, it would preview badly and be changed). Korean War veteran John ‘Thunderbolt’ Doherty (Eastwood), who sometimes poses as a preacher, spends his time with his wilder pal Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges) robbing banks. What starts out breezily in Butch and Sundance vein, darkens as it realizes just how self-destructive the mock marriage of male-bonding can be.

“Everybody there was on a no-nonsense road,” asserts Eastwood. “His extravagances came out several pictures down the line. There was no reason it shouldn’t be on time,” says Eastwood. “To go in and do one shot after lunch and another one maybe at six o’clock and then go home is not my idea of something to do. I like to move along.” – Eastwood

DISTRIBUTION/RELEASE

Thunderbolt was released on May 23, 1974. The film grossed $9 million in rentals on its initial theatrical release and eventually grossed $25 million overall, making it the 17th highest-grossing film of 1974. The film did respectable box office business, and the studio profited, but Clint Eastwood vowed never to work with the movie’s distributor United Artists again due to what he felt was bad promotion. According to author Marc Eliot, Eastwood perceived himself as being upstaged by Bridges.

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Given that for Eastwood this was an offbeat film, Frank Wells of Warner Bros. refused to back Malpaso in the production, leaving him to turn to United Artists and producer Bob Daley. Eastwood was unhappy with the way that United Artists had produced the film and swore “he would never work for United Artists again”, and the scheduled two-film deal between Malpaso and UA was cancelled.

Eastwood took a big chance on you with Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, which you directed in 1974 with him and Jeff Bridges starring. Huge. It was [Eastwood’s production company] Malpaso’s first picture. One of the great things about him is that he’s never been afraid to take a chance on new people. I remember we saw The Wild Bunch together in New York at a theater. It was myself, my producer, Joann Carelli, and Clint. We watched it and then walked down to P.J. Clarke’s and had a hamburger. No big deal. Jeff Bridges, the same way. I was unbelievably fortunate to have both of them in my first film. And never have I had such a good time making a movie. I would go to Clint every day and say, “Hey, boss, you happy with the dailies?” He said, “Michael, you just keep shooting what you’re shooting.” He said, “I’ve done so many films with great backgrounds, and it looks like it could have been shot in Burbank, but you have an eye for scope.” When I look back, given all of my experiences, it was by far the best. And I’m still collecting checks on that movie, if you can believe it. It’s still shown all over the world. – Michael Cimino

Edgar Wright on THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT (Trailers From Hell)

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Paul Williams – Where Do I Go From Here (1971)

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Cast

Clint Eastwood as Thunderbolt

Jeff Bridges as Lightfoot

George Kennedy as Red Leary

Geoffrey Lewis as Eddie Goody

Catherine Bach as Melody

Gary Busey as Curly (credited as Garey Busey)

Jack Dodson as vault manager

Gene Elman as tourist

Directed by Michael Cimino

Produced by Robert Daley

Written by Michael Cimino

Music by Dee Barton

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REFERENCES and SOURCES

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/clint-eastwood/

http://theclinteastwoodarchive.blogspot.com/

http://www.money-into-light.com/2011/09/paul-rowlands-review-of-thunderbolt-and.html

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/deer-hunter-directors-first-interview-773132

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) Retrospective SUMMARY The movie, which Cimino also wrote, is loosely based on, and named after, two infamous early-nineteenth-century Irish bandits.

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Dwayne Johnson Is Ready For You to See Him Like You Never Have Before (Exclusive)

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=2669 Dwayne Johnson Is Ready For You to See Him Like You Never Have Before (Exclusive) - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=2669 The crowds amassed in the Hong Kong mall for the premiere of the China-set action flick Skyscraper were packed tens, perhaps hundreds deep, a palpable excitement turning into a deafening roar of applause upon the arrival of a certain sunglasses-bespectacled movie star. "I can't even hear myself talk," co-star Neve Campbell shouted with a smile. "Dwayne Johnson is in the house, evidently."That feeling was very much mutual in the moment. "There’s not a scream, a smile, a tear, a hug, a laugh, more tears, another laugh, another hug that I will ever EVER take for granted," Johnson captioned a photo of himself beaming alongside his screaming, selfie-seeking fans. That is the mentality he's built his entire acting career on. "Our connection is everything to me and I’m boundlessly grateful for this passionate luv," he wrote. "I luv you back."Part of that luving relationship is that Johnson knows what fans want to see from him. In the past year alone, he's starred as the unbreakable Agent Luke Hobbs in The Fate of the Furious, an "elite" "lifeguard" in Baywatch, the video game action avatar Smolder Bravestone in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and a primatologist with a giant, mutant gorilla friend in Rampage. Now, he's ready to introduce viewers to a side they haven't seen from him."He said, 'You're not a superhero. You're a wounded hero and you are a man who's gonna barely survive the entire movie,'" Johnson told ET of the conversation he had with writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber. The night before their premiere, the actor is standing with his "brother" on the banks of the Hong Kong harbor, backlit by the neon lights of the city's many skyscrapers. Thurber chimes in, "People will see him unlike they've ever seen him before. He's so vulnerable. It's his best performance."The plot of Skyscraper is the sort of ludicrously over-the-top, popcorn-worthy premise you have come to expect from Johnson: he stars as a former FBI agent who must rescue his wife (played by Campbell) and their two young children from the eponymous skyscraper -- the tallest, most advanced building in the world -- after it is taken over by terrorists. After collaborating on the action comedy Central Intelligence, Thurber pitched Johnson Skyscraper as an homage to movies like Die Hard and The Fugitive, and Johnson said no."When he pitched me, I said, 'Hey, listen, let me think about it.' I finally called him back and I said, 'I'm so sorry to do this to you. We're already developing a movie based on the world's biggest building,'" the actor remembers. "He goes 'No!' I mean, he was heartbroken. And I was so happy. I hear him just wilt away on the phone. I'm like, 'I'm so sorry, brother. You got a great idea, but we beat you to it.'""I was really depressed. I was super bummed out," Thurber continues the story. "And then Dwayne hangs up on me and about three seconds later my phone rings and its him. He says 'I'm in!' So, hook, line and sinker. I didn't know he was that good of an actor. That sold me."Before you feel too bad for the director, he is getting his revenge now, launching into a bit about how he didn't actually write the role with Johnson in mind but only asked him after everyone else said no. "Tom Cruise said no and then Mark Wahlberg said no and then Kevin Hart said no twice," he jokingly lists off. "Then Melissa McCarthy and Will Ferrell. Arnold Schwarzenegger said no.""See what I gotta put up with?" Johnson erupts into laughter. Universal Pictures So, the story may be right up the actor formerly known as The Rock's alley, but the role Will Sawyer shows a new side to Johnson; he plays a disabled war veteran who lost his lower leg in an explosion. It's a responsibility Johnson took to heart, doing research and finding inspiration in the Paralympian and first U.S. amputee to climb Mount Everest, Jeff Glasbrenner. ("He told himself, 'It's not gonna be the excuse for me not to do things in my life. It's gonna be the reason why I do do things in life.'") Sawyer is also a family man with the (mostly) realistic skill set that entails. "He has to use his ingenuity to get the job done," Johnson says. "Compared to fighting his way through the building." He doesn't put his life on the line knowing he will come out the other end but does so anyway for the sake of his family. (For the record, Campell kicks her share of ass in this, too.)While the character is only human, it wouldn't be a Dwayne Johnson movie without some insane stuntwork, including one particular crane sequence that has been heavily teased in the trailers. "Hopefully, fingers crossed, it becomes an iconic moment," Johnson smiles. "Take a friend if you're afraid of heights. Or if you have vertigo, take a friend." When a fire erupts in the building, Johnson must leap from a super crane over the fireline and into the skyscraper, some 98 floors up."We built the top of a crane. I was suspended maybe 30, 40 feet in the air," Johnson recalls. "I was wired, but I still did it. Ran, jumped off. One take. I told [Thurber] I only had one take because years ago, I tore the top of my quad and my adductor from my pelvis, so it's hard for me to get a good jump off." To make sure he got the footage he needed, the director set up a number of cameras and Johnson jumped, once. "That's what you see in the movie."At the end of the premiere's red carpet, after Johnson had met and greeted his fans, he was welcomed with a traditional Chinese dragon dance, with large, colorful felt heads snaking around a stage as confetti fluttered downwards. "For luck and prosperity," he explained on Instagram of the dance's significance. Not that he needs either. With Skyscraper hitting theaters on July 13, Johnson already has plenty of prosperity on its way, with little luck required: the sequel to the mega-hit Jumanji, set to begin filming early next year; a Fast and the Furious spin-off centered on Hobbs and Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw, with Idris Elba recently cast as the villain ("He and I have been waiting a long time to work with each other"); and Red Notice, about an Interpol agent tasked with capturing the most-wanted art thief in the world, which co-stars Gal Gadot and will be written and directed by Thurber."He won't stop calling, 'What do you got next, man? I need it,'" Thurber imitates Johnson, before continuing the bit that he tried to get anyone and everyone else to star in the movie. "Chris Hemsworth, yes," Johnson grinned. "Ryan Gosling.""Anybody," Thurber deadpanned. "Literally anybody."In true Dwayne Johnson nature, he's happy to joke around, but never at the expense of sincerity. "You know, we had a great time on Central Intelligence. Skyscraper, we had a great time, too," he adds, earnestly, of his connection with Thurber. "Look, I've gotten to a point in my career, and that point is that life's too short and work is too important to, excuse my language, work with assholes" -- and, of course, candy asses -- "So, I refuse to do that."RELATED CONTENT: Dwayne Johnson Triggers Fan Mania Inside Massive 'Skyscraper' Premiere in Hong Kong! (Exclusive) Dwayne Johnson Jokes He Set Up His Former Co-Stars Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra (Exclusive) Dwayne Johnson on Taking Political Meetings and the Possibility of Running for President (Exclusive) Source link

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