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princeescaluswords · 1 year

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what do you mean by 'not aesthetically pleasing'? I've seen you use it a few times for things that seem unrelated to aesthetics.

You've all heard the phrase "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." It's so ubiquitous it's a cliché, though a very useful one. We call a pleasurable or appreciative reaction to a particular sensory input "beauty." As we grow and accumulate experiences, we begin to understand that there is a certain set of characteristics that, singularly or in combinations, we find beautiful. This is our aesthetic, and we all have one. It's very hard to define our personal aesthetic, and sometimes it can be damaging to try, like pinning a butterfly to a board, but we know it when we sense it.

As an aside, sometimes enough individuals in a society share so many aspects of their aesthetic in common that it becomes a public aesthetic. This phenomenon can be positive or negative or sometimes both at the same time. You only have to open Tumblr to see debates about public aesthetic and the campaigns to preserve or change them.

When I use that phrase 'not aesthetically pleasing' I am 99 times out of 100 referring to my personal aesthetic. It's important to me to make a distinction between my evaluation of a cultural object's quality with how it makes me feel. My favorite example of this is The Godfather. The Godfather is among the best United States films ever made. The writing is precise in its economy, insightful into humanity, and perfectly balanced between expository detail and pacing. The acting is exquisite from Al Pacino and Marlon Brando down to Abe Vigoda. The directing and cinematography is symphonic in creating tone. The setting and action is timeless while still being aware of history and the principles explored are universal without ignoring the nature of the Mafia as a product of class uprising and xenophobic oppression. There are many reason that it is consistently listed in the top ten movie rankings, but nevertheless, I hate it.

It does not sit well with my personal aesthetics. I despise the way in the movie the victims of these criminals vanish like ephemeral soap bubbles on the screen, even though I am intellectually aware that this is deliberate because it represents how the mobster justify themselves and 'this thing of ours.' I detest how the movie makes the point that the same qualities that make Michael Corleone a war hero make him an effective don. I am unsettled by how bonds of love and family transform people into heartless murderers. This isn't a rejection of darkness or unsettling images; there are few movies darker than Kubrick's and I am aesthetically pleased by his disturbing works from The Shining to Dr. Strangelove to A Clockwork Orange.

I recognize that there is a difference between the quality of a piece of media and my aesthetic reaction to it. I think it's a significant problem in United States culture -- and especially the fandom -- that this awareness seems to have been discarded. Too many people operate under the oversimplified idea that "if I like it, it's good, and if I don't like it, it's bad." Don't get me wrong, an individual can derive aesthetic pleasure from a quality piece of media, but it's not a necessary relationship.

Take my primary fandom, Teen Wolf. While as a work of art it has significant flaws -- shoddy chronology, an overindulgence in spectacle, needless casting bungles, and a recurring practice of prioritizing the emotional trauma of white male characters and white male characters alone while portraying the neglect of the emotional trauma of characters of color and women as necessary to the plot -- most of it still provokes within me aesthetic pleasure. It's why I talk about it, but I don't try to say it's on the same level as The Godfather.

There is a resistance to separating quality from aesthetic pleasure that I lay at the feet of Post-Modern thought. No, I am not a fan of Foucault or the people he inspired. By rejecting any attempt at objective measurement, we have become bound to the subjective, and it has created a toxic cultural experience. That's why I try to be clear when I voice an opinion dependent on quality or voice an opinion based on aesthetics.

#fandom problems #my writing

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aliveandfullofjoy · 3 years

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So I was reading about the first Oscars ceremony, and it had a division between Outstanding Picture and Best Unique & Artistic Film, where Unique & Artistic was apparently meant to be an equal to Outstanding Picture but dedicated more for prestige artistic works. The next year, the two categories became one from then on, and Outstanding Picture was the only top prize. (If any of that is wrong, blame wikipedia.)

If the split had remained, and there was a more commercial-y movie top prize and a prestige art top prize, what are some notable movies that suddenly pick up wins?

okay wait........ this is a brilliant question and i am ashamed to say i’ve never really given it much thought until now.

idk if you’ve seen wings and sunrise but they’re both pretty great and they do represent wildly different kinds of filmmaking. while it’s safe to say Wings is the more commercial film, it has great craftsmanship behind it and it very clearly created the template for accessible, capital-i Important, and well-made best picture winners to come.

and, full transparency, sunrise is one of my, like, top 15 favorite movies, so i’m hella biased, but that movie is a gorgeous and strange and thrilling piece of work. the title “unique and artistic film” is impossibly vague, but watching sunrise makes it very, very clear that it fits that bill for that category. and while we’ll, of course, never know what might have happened if that category had continued, it’s tempting to think that all the winners in unique and artistic film would be of sunrise’s calibre, but knowing the oscars... that’s clearly a fantasy, lol. while sunrise is a wildly inventive and artistic film, it’s important to remember that it was fully on the academy’s radar -- janet gaynor won best actress in part for her performance in the film, and it also won best cinematography. so while it’s tempting to think the academy would always recognize a truly unique and artistic achievement every year, in all likelihood, they probably wouldn’t stray too far from the movies that were already on their radar.

so for this thought experiment!!

it’s probably safe to assume every best picture winner has to go in one of the two categories. there are only a handful of winners that stick out as maybe missing out on the big win in this new system, but only a handful.

so uh. this is way more than you asked but i got hooked. here’s what i think might have happened if the two best picture categories had stuck around. as i was working through the years, it became clear to me that, unfortunately, in a lot of years, the unique and artistic film would likely end up going to the more overtly “prestigious” films, such as the song of bernadette or the life of emile zola, while their far better and more commercially viable rivals (casablanca for bernadette, the awful truth for zola) would win outstanding picture. the actual best picture winners have an asterisk next to them. what’s also interesting to consider is the importance of the best director category: most of the time, a split in picture and director will tell you what’s clearly the runner-up. those years, usually, give you a good sense of how the two awards would shake out.

Outstanding Picture / Unique and Artistic Film

1929: The Broadway Melody*; The Divine Lady

1930: The Big House; All Quiet on the Western Front*

1931: Cimarron*; Morocco

1932: Grand Hotel*; Bad Girl

1933: Little Women; Cavalcade*

1934: It Happened One Night*; One Night of Love

1935: The Informer; A Midsummer Night’s Dream (** this is one of the few years i think the actual BP winner, Mutiny on the Bounty, would miss out; The Informer was clearly the runner-up for BP with wins in director, actor, and screenplay, while Midsummer was seen as THE artistic triumph of the year, and with its historic write-in cinematography win, there was clearly a lot of passion for it)

1936: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town; The Great Ziegfeld*

1937: The Awful Truth; The Life of Emile Zola*

1938: You Can’t Take It With You*; Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Grand Illusion (** this one’s tough... Grand Illusion made history as the first non-english movie nominated for BP, and it clearly had a lot of support, but Snow White was such a monumental moment in Hollywood, and the academy clearly acknowledged that with its honorary award)

1939: Gone with the Wind*; The Wizard of Oz (** this is one of the first years with a clear runaway favorite for best picture, which makes guessing the way the other award would go very difficult! i’m leaning towards Oz purely because of its technical achievements, but i’m not confident about that choice at all.)

1940: Rebecca*; The Grapes of Wrath

1941: How Green Was My Valley*; Citizen Kane

1942: Yankee Doodle Dandy; Mrs. Miniver*

1943: Casablanca*; The Song of Bernadette

1944: Going My Way*; Wilson

1945: The Bells of St. Mary’s; The Lost Weekend*

1946: The Best Years of Our Lives*; Henry V

1947: Gentleman’s Agreement*; A Double Life

1948: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre; Hamlet*

1949: All the King’s Men*; The Heiress

1950: All About Eve*; Sunset Boulevard

1951: A Place in the Sun; An American in Paris*

1952: The Greatest Show on Earth*; The Quiet Man

1953: Roman Holiday; From Here to Eternity*

1954: The Country Girl; On the Waterfront*

1955: Marty*; Picnic

1956: Around the World in 80 Days*; Giant

1957: Peyton Place; The Bridge on the River Kwai

1958: The Defiant Ones; Gigi*

1959: The Diary of Anne Frank; Ben-Hur*

1960: Elmer Gantry; The Apartment*

1961: West Side Story*; Judgment at Nuremberg

1962: To Kill a Mockingbird; Lawrence of Arabia*

1963: Tom Jones*; 8½

1964: Mary Poppins; My Fair Lady*

1965: The Sound of Music*; Doctor Zhivago

1966: A Man for All Seasons*; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

1967: In the Heat of the Night*; The Graduate

1968: Oliver!*; 2001: A Space Odyssey

1969: Midnight Cowboy; Z

1970: Airport; Patton*

1971: The French Connection*; The Last Picture Show

1972: The Godfather; Cabaret

1973: The Sting*; The Exorcist

1974: Chinatown; The Godfather, Part II

1975: Jaws; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest*

1976: Rocky*; Network

1977: Star Wars; Annie Hall*

1978: Coming Home; The Deer Hunter*

1979: Kramer vs. Kramer*; All That Jazz

1980: Ordinary People*; Raging Bull

1981: Chariots of Fire*; Reds

1982: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; Gandhi*

1983: Terms of Endearment*; Fanny and Alexander

1984: Amadeus*; The Killing Fields

1985: Out of Africa*; Ran

1986: Platoon*; Blue Velvet

1987: Moonstruck; The Last Emperor*

1988: Rain Man*; Who Framed Roger Rabbit

1989: Driving Miss Daisy*; Born on the Fourth of July

1990: Ghost; Dances with Wolves*

1991: The Silence of the Lambs*; JFK

1992: Unforgiven*; Howards End

1993: Schindler’s List*; The Piano

1994: Forrest Gump*; Three Colors: Red

1995: Braveheart*; Toy Story

1996: Jerry Maguire; The English Patient*

1997: Titanic*; L.A. Confidential

1998: Shakespeare in Love*; Saving Private Ryan

1999: The Cider House Rules; American Beauty*

2000: Traffic; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (** this is another year where i think the actual BP winner, Gladiator, might have missed out. it was a tight three-way race going into oscar night, and if there were two BP awards, i think this consensus might have settled, leaving Gladiator to go home with just actor and some tech awards.)

2001: A Beautiful Mind*; Mulholland Drive

2002: Chicago*; The Pianist

2003: Mystic River; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King*

2004: Million Dollar Baby*; The Aviator

2005: Crash*; Brokeback Mountain

2006: The Departed*; Babel

2007: No Country for Old Men*; The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

2008: The Dark Knight; Slumdog Millionaire*

2009: The Hurt Locker*; Avatar

2010: The King’s Speech*; The Social Network

2011: The Artist*; The Tree of Life

2012: Argo*; Life of Pi

2013: 12 Years a Slave*; Gravity

2014: Birdman*; Boyhood

2015: Spotlight*; The Revenant

2016: La La Land; Moonlight*

2017: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; The Shape of Water*

2018: Black Panther; Roma (** again, i think Green Book gets bumped out in this scenario, i think Black Panther is precisely the kind of movie that benefits from an award that’s seemingly more ~populist~ while Roma easily snags the unique & artistic prize)

2019: 1917; Parasite*

2020: The Father; Nomadland*

but of course i have no idea at all, and most of these are just my gut reactions lol. what a fun question!

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peakyxtommy · 4 years

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Dating Finn Cole Includes...

A/N: Been watching Animal Kingdom all weekend long. Excited to watch S4 tomorrow. It’s such a good show. Falling more in love with Finn Cole. Might start writing animal kingdom imagines for J Cody. Enjoy, have a good start to your week! xx

You meeting through mutual friends while he was in L.A. filming Animal Kingdom / U.K. Peaky Blinders

He’d be pretty shy around you at first. Until he go to know you better

He’d find the courage to ask you out on a date, one night while your friend group was out for drinks at a live show

Your first date would be pretty classic with dinner at a fancy restaurant

He lives a private lifestyle and is able to go throughout his day without being recognized by many people

When fans do ask for photos or autographs, he would be willing to do so

Going to red carpet events (Movies/TV shows premiers) together and him holding your hand the whole time through, watching your reaction subtly throughout

You praising him afterward and tell him how proud you are

Staying at the after party until one of you wanted to leave

Missing him while he’s away on long stretches of filming

Face-timing him during breaks or late in the evening

Visiting the sets of Animal Kingdom and Peaky Blinders

Enjoying him in his natural element, acting with talented actors/actresses

He would be sweet, charming, goofy at times

He’s very laid back as well

Loves comfort-ability in clothing in his everyday life (b/c your boy is THICC),

but does enjoy dressing up in fancy pieces for photo shoots/important events

Would tease you about always finding a way to slap or pinch his bum

“Can’t keep your hands to yourself, love.”

He loves you wearing his clothing, walking around in nothing but one of his t-shirts drives him mad

Supportive of you and your dreams

Always knows what to do put a smile on your face and would love you make you laugh because he enjoys the sounds of your laugh

Him calling you nicknames (Sweetheart, Darling, Love, etc.)

You calling him nicknames (Honey, Love, Babe, etc.)

He’s definitely the big spoon, holding you tight all night long, telling you how much he loves you before bed

Forehead kisses, soft and slow kisses, rough and heated kisses leading to making out on the couch

He would say “I love you” first

Outdoor Activities you enjoy together - Surfing, hiking, camping out in the woods in a cabin or tent, visiting various museums / talks about art

Indoor Activities you enjoy together - reading various literature, watching classic films like (Godfather, The Irishman), having a record player listening to his favorites (BB King, Muddy Waters, Jacob Collier), your favorites (Hozier, Bon Iver, Stormzy)

Summer Activities you enjoy together - Going to the beach, festivals/concerts, Live music at bars drinking beer, with his arms around your waist, singing the lyrics into your ears, basking in his warm body wrapped around yours

Fall Activities you enjoy together - Pumpkin picking, Hay rides, haunted houses, taking walks in the evening after dinner talking about your day, finding cute sweaters for him to wear all season

Winter Activities you enjoy together - Picking a Christmas tree together, baking cookies and drinking hot chocolate, him placing mistletoe's around the house to find various spots to kiss you, skiing together in the Alps

#finn cole imagine #finn cole #animal kingdom #animal kingdom tnt #peaky blinders #finn cole x reader #headcanon #j cody imagine #michael grey imagine #animal kingdom imagine

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demivampirew · 4 years

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So we meet again.

Henry x Reader

Summary: A recent graduate recounters someone from her past with who things did not exactly ended up in great terms. She holds a grudge on him for that and still has unanswered questions about what happened.

This will have another part soon.

Masterlist

Triggers: talking about losing a parent; drinking; ghosting.

It's been an exhausting journey, but you finally made it. You graduated from University College of London and got your PhD in Linguistics. Now you were ready for the new chapter of your life. You wanted to teach Linguistics but also write books. One of your firsts topics in mind was to write a book about the topic of language acquisition, discussing the different views of famous linguistics such a Noam Chomsky, Edward Sapir, Eve Clark, Steven Pinker, among others. You also wanted to write books about the best methods of learning more languages. It excited you to know how limitless was the things that you could do with all your knowledge and how anxious you were to investigate even further. But that would have to wait because today your focus was on celebrating all your hard work. After the commencement ceremony, you went home to change and went to a pub to celebrate your achievement with your girls. The bar was pretty exclusive and usually wealthy people hung out there, mostly because when celebrities were in London, went to the pub looking for a place to drink without being bothered. You weren't rich, exactly, but money wasn't a problem for you. But definitely, you wouldn't qualify to get in the said club, the only reason you were allowed to be there was that the place was owned by your uncle/godfather. You were dancing to some song playing in the pub with your friends Kate and Emma. It felt so good to be out, truly partying without worrying about upcoming exams or books to read for class. You were finally free to rest and just have fun for once. You went to the bar to get the next round of drinks for you and your friends when you got a text. You grabbed your phone from your jean pocket and read the lovely message that your aunt Judy sent you. She couldn't be in the commencement because she lived in The USA, but she wanted to let you know how proud of you she was. You were walking towards the bar with your eyes set on your phone screen when accidentally collided with someone. You immediately apologized for being distracted and not looking where you were walking. The other person did the same as you, for him was distracted as well. You look at his face and froze. "What is he doing here?" You thought, then remembered that he always used to hang out there. That was after all the place where you met a few years back, one summer that you worked as a bartender to gain some money for the upcoming spring break; he helped you make the drink that he wanted since you didn't know how to do it for you were new in the job and he used to have the same job when he was twenty. It's been almost two years since the last time you two spoke to each other, before he ghosted you out of the blue, without any explanation. You used to be really close, he was your best friend in the entire world. You trusted him more than anyone else in the entire world. He was always there for you, even when he was away filming some movie. He would do everything he could to make you feel better on your shitty days. But, again, one day he stopped responding your messages, changed his number, moved out and didn't try to reach for you to let you know that he was moving or why he did not want to be your friend anymore. He just vanished. You knew that he was ok because he continued doing movies and you recently saw a trailer from a movie starring him and Armie Hammer that was about to be released soon. You could see in his eyes that he was as shocked to see you as you were to see him and how immediately he put together that the pub was owned by your uncle, so it wasn't uncommon for you to be there. You broke the silence, saying "I'm sorry, sir. I'll be more careful next time.", offering a sympathetic smile and walking away, pretending not to know him. You asked your friend Mark, the bartender, to prepare you three margaritas, and then went back to your friends. You chatted with your friends, although your mind was somewhere else. You discretely check the entire room, looking for him. You saw him with hanging out with two guys that you didn't know. They were laughing and taking pictures while drinking beer. "Stop looking at him and enjoy your night," you told yourself. You try hard to focus on the conversation with your friends. - I can't believe that you're leaving me alone in my night. It's only eleven p.m. - you told your friends after some time. - I'm truly sorry, but I have to work tomorrow.- Emma apologized - Tomorrow is Sunday! - you prompted - I know, but I still have to work in the hospital. - she explained - Yeah, and I'm a mother, I don't have free days - Kate added.- So technically, I also have to work tomorrow and I should go. You sighed and said goodbye to your friends. Then you went to sit by the bar. - Your friends left? - asked Mark surprised - Yep. One has a kid and the other has a shift in the hospital where she works tomorrow, so they both left early. -Bomer. Well, I guess you'll continue your celebration with me.- he said smiling. - I guess so. Hey, do you need some help? - you asked him - No, don't worry, Charlotte and I have everything cover. Just enjoy your night. - How is George? - He's great. He got promoted, now he's the bank's manager. - he informed excited. - Great! Congratulate him on my behalf. - I will. And I'm sure he will ask me to tell you the same. - Thanks. Are you going to New York for vacations as you planned? - We're still not sure. We were also thinking about going to Las Vegas. - That sounds fun as well. - Yes. I promise you to bring you something from our trip. - he said winking - Please, don't waste your money on me. Buy things for you two. - Nonsense, I want to bring you a present. We met thanks to you. - A simple thank you is enough for cupid, a.k.a me. - you replied winking and with a smirk on your face. - There she is! My little genius! - said a man approaching you from behind. You recognized immediately the voice and stood up to hug your godfather. - Hi, uncle John! - you greeted him while hugging him. - Hi princess! Congratulations! You're a star! - he saluted you while praising you. - Thanks! And thank you for letting me celebrate here! - you thanked him - No need to thank me, and besides, your dad help me built this place, so technically is part yours too. - he said winking. - He'd be so proud of you, honey. -he assured you. It's been a year since your father passed due to a heart attack. Since then, your mother, who was a college professor, and your big sister, a surgeon, have been taking care of you, so you wouldn't have to quit studying. You could always count with your uncle too; you didn't like to ask for money, even though you knew that he would be happy to help if you needed it, so if you require some money for things like clothes, hang out with your friend, etc, you would always ask him to work in the pub. You would cover shifts and during college breaks, you would work regularly there. - Everyone, can I have your attention for a moment - said your uncle aloud, while everyone in the pub turned to him - For those who don't know me, I'm the owner of this place and this is my gorgeous niece. - he said while grabbing your shoulder - She graduated from the University College of London today! - he announced proudly - So, in her honour, everyone gets a drink on the house.- he said and people cheered. Your uncle kissed your temple and went into the back of the place. You continued drinking, while people came to claim their free drink, congratulating you while doing so. Apparently, Henry asked his friend to bring him the drink, because he never reached the bar. You gave a hand to Mark and Charlotte, who now were more than busy handing out drinks. When the clock announced that it was 1:30 a.m, you decided to head home. You could keep partying, but you were bored. Mark tried to keep you entertained, but he was busy now that the pub was getting more and more clouded with rich kids looking to get wasted. You said goodbye to him and Charlotte and went to salute your godfather before leaving. He offered to take you home, but you assured him that a taxi would be more than fine and that you would let him know as soon as you were in your house. The night was so beautiful that you decided to walk. Your place was not that far away and the streets were packed with youngsters looking for places to hang out, so you felt safe. You were halfway to your home when you notice a shadow walking not so far from yours. Someone was walking behind you, although judging from the shape of the shadow, it was a few meters away. You weren't a scaredy-cat and you're even tougher when you have some drinks on you, so you turned around to face the person. It was him. - What the hell are you doing following me? - you said angrily - I saw you leave alone and I wanted to make sure you made it safe - Henry explained - Oh, so now you remember that I exist? - you questioned, furious. - I wonder where was that concern for me like two years ago when you erase me from your life without notice. A little heads up would've been nice, you know. - you reproached him and he looked away. - So, like when you ghosted me, it seems like I still don't get an explanation from you. - you told him while rolling your eyes - I needed you a year ago, not now. - What happened a year ago? - he asked surprised - I lost my dad. You've known if you were there for me like you always did, but apparently, I stopped being important for you, sir. So now you can fuck off. Don't worry about me, I'll take care of myself, as always. Goodbye. -you said and turned around and starting to walk away. - I was in love with you.- he said loudly enough for you to hear him. You stopped immediately and stood there, without turning around. - I loved you and I couldn't stand the fact that once again you forgave that asshole Steven for cheating on you once more. I couldn't be around you any more, it hurt, so I left. - That asshole reached for me to see how I was doing after my father passed. You didn't. And yes, I've made the same mistake plenty of times, but in the end, I learned my lesson. I might have done things differently if I'd have known that you had feelings for me. - you said, turning around to face him - I had a crush on you when we met and grew stronger and stronger, and then my heart broke when you started dating Gina. You were so happy together, that's when I realized that I'd never had a chance with you. So I started dating Steven. I've always known that he'd cheat on me sooner or later, he was a womanizer, a party boy, but at least he was nice to me. I needed that to make feel better and to concentrate on other things that weren't my feelings for you. - I didn't know. - he commented. - I stopped talking to you because I had hopes that if I wasn't around you my feelings would go away and I would fall again for Gina, but that didn't happen. She realized that my heart now belonged to someone else and left me. I saw online that you broke up with him and I wanted to reach you, but I was ashamed for cutting you out of my life without speaking to you, that I simply could not do it. I really wish I would have had the guts to ask you to forgive me, then I'd have been by your side when your dad passed. I'm so sorry. I know you two were close and that must hurt. You don't know how sorry I am. - You can apologize for all your want, it doesn't change a single thing, Henry. - you were about to continue your way, but stopped for one moment - Thank you for ruining my graduation day by reminding me how not only you neglected our friendship, leaving me alone without a single word, but also for letting me know that we might have something nice if instead of disappearing you would have told me how you felt. - you finished and walked away.

#henry cavill #henry cavill x reader #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill fanfiction #demivampirew

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autolenaphilia · 3 years

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Mafia: City of Lost Heaven

The original Mafia from 2002 by Illusion Softworks is a weird and fascinating game. It is a third-person shooter somewhat in the vein of the GTA series.

It is set in the 1930s and is about a Mafia family, the Salieris in the fictional city of Lost Heaven. It focuses on the rise of player character Tommy Angelo in the Salieri organization. It is a standard gangster movie plotline, with the Godfather and director Martin Scorcese being referenced often. The character wants the money crime can give him and is successful as a mafioso, but he experiences conflict between the horrible things he must do and his conscience. This contradiction eventually destroys him and the story becomes a tragedy.

This cinematic gangster tragedy is an unusually ambitious story for an action video game at the time, and it isn’t entirely unsuccessful in those. Mainly it is because the 1930s gangster film atmosphere is so fully realized, more than the actual writing. The writing isn’t terrible, Tommy’s story is a coherent tragedy, but it does not quite reach the high level of its gangster movie inspirations.

And it has many of the problems of the genre, except even more so. The game depicts the mafia in quite glorifiying ways. The mafiosos in these guys wear nice suits and fedoras, drive nice cars and get to have cool gunfights with Tommy guns. And yet the story tries to have it the other way too, with the mafia depicted as ruthless violent people and crime leading to a tragic end. Tommy is himself frequently appalled at the things the family wants him to do and ultimately he ends up badly because of his mafioso life. The contradiction is obvious. It is the same trap the gangster films that inspired this game fall into. Gangster films want to show this cool escapist fantasy of gangsters because it is fun, yet both storytelling logic and any moral analysis demands crime leads to tragedy.

The story also has the problem of this opposition between “good” gangsters and “bad” gangsters that doesn’t make much sense. The plot driving the story for basically 4/5 of the game and especially the middle levels is this rivalry between the Salieri and Morello families that eventually becomes an outright war. And in order to have a more easily graspable “heroes and villains” situation, the narrative is clear that the Morellos are the worse mobster family. Don Morello kills people for bumping into his car and tortures people to death. He is presented as a vile and repellent villain from the first. It is the Morello mobsters which you kill for most of the game, and you kill a lot of them, and this somewhat over-the-top villainization is meant to justify that.

And Salieri doesn’t do these kinds of things, he doesn’t deal in drugs either and fights common thugs who mug and sexually assualt women. He is the “good” kind of gangster. Even his collecting of protection money is presented as actually providing some form of protection. It is an implausible idea to say the least, and the game is certainly aware of it. What drives the plot inthe last four levels of the game is that Don Salieri is becoming morally worse after his final victory over Morello, getting more greedy for money and power. Butthe game depicts him as committing ruthless murders even before that point. This inherent evil of the mafia is what drives the actual main storyline: the tragedy of Tommy.

This Salieri vs. Morello plot feels hollow, the game’s attempts to subvert it doesn’t work because it doesn’t feel credible to begin with. The over-the-top villainy of Morello and Salieri’s softer actionsfeel like sentimental nonsense from the very start. “This gangster is good, he protects people from common muggers OwO, but this gangster is bad, he tortures people >:(“. Salieri’s slide into further villainy after Morello’s defeat doesn’t feel credible either. For a subversion like that to work it must have some plausibility to start with, some emotional resonance with the audience, and it just doesn’t.

It makes the game feel like it buys into the glamorization of crime that is often present in the genre more than most actual gangster films do.

Speaking of that, I should mention the sexism of this game. Most gangster films certainly depict a male-dominated culture. In that, the genre reflects the real-life mafia, which is extremely male-dominated and misogynist, and it is arguable how much those films endorse that sexism as opposed to merely depicting it.

And I would argue Mafiafalls into endorsing it, at least in its storytelling. There are only tworeal female characters, and each only appears in one level each. Sarah is an especially outstanding example, for she becomesTommy’s wife. The level in which she appears Tommy rescues her from a sexual assault by some muggers and they have sex and fall in love. This is said to lead to their marriage, and I do literally mean “said” because we never see her again after that level. Tommy mentions her occasionally and his marriage to Sarah and their daughter is by his own admission his most important motivation.

And that is the purpose of women in the story of Mafia: to provide motivation for their husbands. Two other gangsters are similarly driven by their wifes and children to break with the Salieri family’s obligations, in explicit parallels to Tommy’s situation. And it is not just sexist writing, it is ineffective writing too. Tommy’s marriage is meant to be very important to him as a character, and it is problem in the actual story it is never shown. We never get to see Tommy’s and Sarah’s supposedly idyllic family life, only hear Tommy talk about how it is the most important thing for him, which weakens any emotional empathy we might feel with him.

The level with Sarah at least features a bunch of dialogue between Tommy and Sarah and it is nice I suppose, but it is not enough. Sarah is also depicted as a bit of a bimbo or at least extremely naive, as she doesn’t seem to be aware the Salieri’s are well a mafia family, which seems unrealistic considering how closely connected she is with them. (She grew up as the daughter of the bartender in the Salieri’s Bar and works there, a location in which they literally shoot rival gangsters in at one point).

The writer of Mafia, Daniel Vavra would many years later become a gamergater, probably the most prominent developer to sympathize with the movement. And while it is of course a disappointment, it is not entirely unexpected. He was by far not the worst misogynist in video games or anything,

but just looking at Mafia, it is not strange at all that Vavra as a game writer would feel threatened of the very idea of feminist analysis of video games.

I talked about the story far more than I wanted to when I started writing this, and it is actually not the most interesting thing about this game, it is actually the city of Lost Heaven itself, the attempts at realism in the gameplayand the cars.

The city of Lost Heaven is one of the more fully realized cities in video games, and it is clear a lot of effort and thought was put into its design. Even the map of the city which you use to navigate it showed a lot of effort. It has (printed)creases, stains and pen markings drawn on it just like a real map would. The original box(that I owned) came with an actual physical copy of the map, which was very fun to have,although bringing up the map in-game by pressing tab was certainly the more practical option.

It is perhaps not a huge world compared to modern open-world games, but it was huge for 2002 and it is varied in a semi-realistic way. Lost Heaven is divided into various distinct areas just like a real city would. There is an industrial area, a working class housing area (“Hoboken”), a detached housing area for the upper middle class on the outskirts (Oakwood), an area with mansions for the rich (Oak Hill), ethnic ghettos like Chinatown or Little Italy. The basic idea seems to have been is to recreate an American city from the period in miniature.

And the areas have been given a lot of effort to make them appear more tangible. The building models and textures are different of course, but you can also detect a difference in the pedestrians. People in working clothes walk around in the industrial area and the working class area of Hoboken, whereas you can primarily see the nice looking suits and dresses in the richer areas of of town. It clearly took great effort to program and it contributes greatly to the mood. Even the cars seem to vary slightly, with the older and cheaper cars more abundant in the poorer districts, but the difference I think is lesser compared to the pedestrians.

The care with which Lost Heaven was constructed creates this compelling atmosphere. It feels like you are driving around in a 1930s American city. The aesthetics and atmosphere make the gangster story work better than it otherwise would. Lost Heaven simply feels more real than most video game cities do. And this is despite the dated graphics.The textures might oftenbe very grainy, shop signs especially are a blurry mess, but even they were made with some effort.

Let’s talk about the cars too, because they encapsulate this game in both aesthetics and gameplay. The cars are all based on real cars of the period, even if the names are all changed to avoid any claims of trademark infringement. Fords are called “Bolts” and Chrysler Airflows are called “Ulver Airstream” for example. If you know anything about older cars, you can however easily recognize many of them them under the changed names. an early game car is unmistakeably a Ford model T for example. Also some cars are far more common than they should be, like the concept car Pierce Silver Arrow of which only five were built is a common rich man’s car in the game under the name “Silver Fletcher”.

The cars driven by the NPCs are used to show the passage of time in the game, which goes from 1930 to 1938. As the years go by in story, older cars get more uncommon (but don’t disappear entirely) and new models are introduced. Your access to cars in gameplay also improves as you progress in the story. You go from slow, fragile cars like the aforementioned T-ford to fast, powerful and sturdy cars. The effort put into the cars from the research to the NPC programming is another thing that helps create the compelling mood of Mafiaand the city of Lost Heaven.

The cars are a good example of how the game often prioritizes atmosphere and verisimilitude over fun and accessible gameplay. The driving in this game is not a side-thing like it would be in most action games and cars in this game handle fairly realistically for this type of game. It is still arcadey, but far less arcadey than you would expect from a non-driving simulator. And most importantly, cars are period accurate in that they are both slower and more clunky to handle than modern cars.

Damage to the car also has more consequences than you might expect. A crash might damage the engine causing the car to go slower, a bullet rupturing a tyre makes the car far more difficult to handle, a shot to the gas tank will cause the fuel to leak out(fuel is never really a problem in the primary story mode, but it is there as a game mechanic and can be relevant in the free ride mode). The early-game cars are more fragile and vulnerable to crashes and the like, but none (outside a special car in the game’s free ride mode which not available in the regular story) are immune to these problems.

So this game prioritizes realism over player enjoyment, practically the only obvious concession to the player is that you always have automatic gearchanges available, but you can also choose to change gears manually if you want to. It is frankly oftenfrustrating, even the best cars in this game can be difficult to handle.

Car chases in this game are brutally difficult because of this, and the game’s most infamous level is the fifth one where you have to compete in a car race, driving a fairly period-accurate racing car. It has perhaps the best speed and acceleration of all the car’s in this game, but handles terribly. It is perhaps the most difficult level in the game, and even the developers seem to have realized how unfair it is. You could cheat in the original box copy version of the game which I played as a kid and the GOG version has an easy mode for the race.

A lot of the game is actually about this car hierarchy mentioned before. Typically at the beginning of each level you are given a new car by the Salieri’s mechanic Ralphy, and it is usually better than the car he gave you last level (he also teaches you how to steal it, which isn’t that useful in the story mode, but gives you that ability in other game modes). At the end of most levels, you are also given the opportunity to do an optional side-mission for another mechanic, Lucas. If you succeed, Lucas teaches you how to steal a really capable car. Typically the car you can get from Lucas will be better than the ones Ralphy will give you for the next 2 levels at least.

So the clunky car mechanics both give period verisimilitude and a sense of progression throughout the game.

And it does certainly add to the atmosphere and sense of realism. Mafia’s cars feel more real than most video game cars, but they are also oftenfrustrating to use in gameplay.

But Mafia priortizing its verisimilitude over player enjoyment doesn’t stop there. In each level you are given an objective, typically somewhere else in the city than where you start (which is usually Salieri’s bar). And you have to drive from the starting point to where the actual level starts. After the level is over, you have to drive all the way back.

You can’t just speed your way through the city either, because Lost Heaven’s cops will notice you breaking the speed limit or running a red light and fine you. The fine doesn’t actually cost you anything in the story mode, but it takes up time and negates any time you won by speeding. You can run away but the cop cars will follow and try to arrest you (which is a game-over), and if you try to kill them they will shoot back. The police will usually radio in for back-up too, so you will have to evade or kill the cops (including the back-up) to escape, both of which are fairly difficult.

So the best idea is to keep to the speed limit of 40 mph and don’t run any red lights. You can toggle a speed limiter with the F5 button which caps your car’s speed at 40 miles. It adds to the realism the developers are going for, but in order to play the actual level you have to have this bit of tedium with the drive both before and after. It is basicallya commute except with a varying destination.

The developers was probably aware of the tedium on some level. During the first half of the second level you get to play Tommy during his pre-gangster life as a taxi driver. It is literally just driving from point A to B under a time limit, and the customer will get cranky if you crash the car, and getting a speeding ticket is game-over here of course. The customer dialogue is often rude and theydoesn’t even thank you for most of the time. It is super-tedious and clearly intended to get the player to understand why Tommy became a gangster, since this boring dead-end job is his alternative. The problem of course is that a lot of his life as a gangster consists of driving from point a to point b in a similar fashion.

The game’s obsession with verisimilitude also extends beyond the driving to the action. Without being entirely realistic, Tommy is on the flimsier side of shooter game protagonists and can’t take a lot of bullets before dying. It is like in Max Payne, where a point-blank shotgun blast can practically kill the player character in one hit. You can find healing in first aid boxes boxes, but they are rare. Reloading before your magazine is empty also means you lose any bullets left in the magazine.

And unlike Max Payne, there are no quicksaves or manual saves whatsoever. Saves are done automatically at certain checkpoints and you have to re-start at those if you die. This save system makes this game extremely difficult, since you have to sometimes practice entire segments in order to progress. It is a lot of having to memorize where an enemy mobster pops out so you can shoot him before he shoots you.

The combat is certainly well-made and sometimes quite fun. There are like the cars some weak weapons, but overall weapons feel powerful and the environments and set-pieces are often enjoyable. But the action like the rest of the game is frustratingly difficult.

And that is the game, pretty much. You have a tedious drive to have a big spectacular shoot-out that is frustratingly difficult and you have another drive back. Sometimes there is a car chase, but that’s it. There is a stealth level that tries to change up the formula where you break into a villa, but the game is not really built for stealth so it is frustrating and very much not fun. Then there is the side-missions from Lucas on your drive back, usually a timed fetch-quest of some kind. They do add variety and have some interesting story ideas but can be frustrating in their own right.

There is also the free ride game mode, where you get to explore Lost Heaven freely and do whatever you want, although there is not that much to do, except get into car chases/fire fights with cops or random gangsters you can aggro if you want. The oddest game mode is “free ride extreme”, where you get to do various bizarre quests to unlock equally bizarre cars. It is a weird mode, especially for this game, as you have this usually serious aiming-for-realism game letting its hair down and going for outright comedic surrealism.You get to chase down a super-fast npc named Speedy Gonzales, that sort of thing. The mission certainly have surreal imagination to their credit, even if they can be as frustrating as the rest of this game.

So is Mafia a good game? It is hard to say. A lot of my fond memories of this game comes from playing an already old by that point box copy as a teen when I didn’t have access toor had played many other games, so nostalgia plays into my fondness for this game.

Replaying it now, the game’s faults are more apparent. When it comes to story, the game certainly stood out back then, and the tragedy of Tommy Angelo the unwise still broadly works, but its re-telling of gangster movies has not aged that well. Gameplay-wise the game is difficult in a way that feels frustrating rather than fun, and there is a lot of tedious driving from point A to B. Some of the action set-pieces are exciting, but the high difficulty and limited save system essentially means replaying large chunks of them almost to the point of memorization.

There are many other games like the GTA series that have a similar mix of third-person action with driving which have more easily enjoyable gameplay. Mafia seems to care more about making its world believable than any kind of player enjoyment.

And it is probably its world, the city of Lost Heaven that still fascinates about this game. A lot of work and love went into Lost Heaven, and it shows. Lost Heaven is an atmospheric and memorable place. Mafia makes a lot of strange gameplay choices just to make Lost Heaven seem more real, choices that not many other games would have made for good reason, because thatlevel of realism is not that fun.

The result is that this is a game where you play a badass 1930s gangster not just during daring shootouts in mobster wars, but also during his slow drive to and from hisgangster work, and youhas to follow the traffic laws so he isn’t ticketed. It is 1930s Gangster simulator 2002, or an approximation there of.

Mafiaisn’t alwaysa fun game, there is a long stretchesof frustration and tedium here, but it is frequently interesting and a clear labour of love, atmospheric, weirdand fascinating.

#mafia 2002 #my reviews

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ineffably-effable · 3 years

Text

Honey Trapped (aziraphale/crowley crack!fic, 1.6k words)

Summary:

What happens when @racketghost makes a film reference that goes completely over my head, and I’m left pondering the question of how Crowley might come to believe himself a bee.

Notes:

Unbeated. All mistakes are my own.

(Link to ao3)

Slight warnings for some platonic, non-consensual cuddling from someone not currently in their right mind.

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4 months after the narrowly averted armageddon.

2 weeks and 6 days after Aziraphale and Crowley moved into a charming cottage in The South Downs.

2 weeks, 5 days and 10 hours after a comical series of misunderstandings left them both under the impression the other was only comfortable with platonic cohabitation.

Shortly before Elevenses.

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Aziraphale was a creature of habit.

Every Sunday he made his way into town to pick up pastries to go with his morning tea. This particular morning was no exception. Shortly after breakfast he had left Crowley to his gardening and set off to visit the local bakery.

All in all, he’d been gone less than an hour.

Certainly, he thought to himself, not enough time to excuse (or explain) Crowley standing in their front yard - wings out for all the world to see - rubbing his face into a sunflower.

“Crowley?”

Aziraphale called out to him more out of habit than out of an expectation he would reply. Although unlikely, he supposed it might be possible Crowley was trying out some new unconventional method of gardening.

That particular hope evaporated when the demon looked up and stared at him with an entranced expression on his face, sclera blown wide and orange pollen clinging to his skin.

“Are you- ah” Aziraphale took a few cautious steps forward, a little unnerved by the vacant stare, “Are you feeling well, dear?”.

Crowley tilted his head to the side, but otherwise only stared unblinkingly back at him.

As Aziraphale drew nearer, he noticed Crowley’s nose start twitching. The demon had flicked his tongue out and was alternating between sniffing and tasting the air. In a flurry of movement he spread his wings and beat them with such unnatural speed they emitted a low pitched buzzing sound. Before Aziraphale could react, Crowley flew straight at him. In a matter of seconds he had wrapped his arms around the angel’s shoulders and pulled him in close, effectively pinning Aziraphale’s arms to his sides as he pressed their bodies together. (Blessedly, Aziraphale managed to hang on to the pastries - but it was a close thing). The more the angel attempted to extract himself, the more Crowley tightened his grip. In fact, as if encouraged by the movement, he nuzzled Aziraphale’s neck and started lapping with his tongue all over Aziraphale’s face. When Aziraphale flinched, Crowley took advantage of the angel’s shocked gasp to start licking directly into his mouth.

This act proved a bridge too far for Aziraphale. He recoiled, wrinkling his nose at the sickly sweet taste of pollen, and exerted a small amount of angelic strength to push Crowley away.

Unperturbed, the demon flew back across the yard, ostensibly in search of a new flower to harvest.

Well, thought Aziraphale. That was a thing.

He watched as Crowley selected a new flower, favouring one large enough that he could start tonguing it enthusiastically.

"Hullo Mr. Fell." A familiar voice called out. Looking past Crowley, Aziraphale noticed a bemused adversary waving to him from the swing on their front porch, his diminutive hell hound on his lap.

"Adam!" Aziraphale greeted, faking a composure he didn’t feel as he miracled the pollen from his face and his disheveled clothing to its previous state. "I don’t suppose you happen to know what's gotten into Crowley?"

Adam grinned.

“He bet me I couldn’t hypnotize him.”

Aziraphale resolved never to leave Crowley without supervision again.

“So now he believes himself to be a... bee?” Aziraphale guessed (taking into consideration of the demon’s recent affinity for flowers and buzzing).

“Yep.”

When no further information appeared forthcoming Aziraphale voiced the obvious question:

“Why?”

“Bees are great. Pepper’s mums keep a hive and- ”

Recognizing a tangent when he heard one, Aziraphale nipped it in the bud.

“Sorry, dear boy, I meant why were you discussing hypnotism?”

“Brian’s Dad is trying to quit smoking and the doctor suggested hypnotherapy,” Adam said quickly, in a way that suggested this was not his first time telling this particular story, “but his Dad fell asleep during the session so Brian asked if I’d give it a shot. Pepper and Wensleydale thought I should see if Mr. Crowley could teach me how.”

Aziraphale blinked.

“Adam,” he began, “Surely you realize it would be wrong to coerce someone?”

‘‘Yeah, but Brian’s dad wanted to try it.” he insisted, “We told him my godfather was a magician and he was going to teach me how.”

“You told him Crowley was a magician?”

“He looks the part. ‘Just needs a spot of eyeliner, that one’ Mum said - ”

(Aziraphale possessed enough self-awareness that he recognized how ridiculous it was to be offended by that. He also recognized now was not the ideal time to engage in a conversation about how a spot of eyeliner did not a magician make.)

“- so I popped over here to chat to Mr. Crowley and he said I probably wouldn’t be able to do it because it’s more of a snake demon trick than an occult trick.”

“I see.”

“That’s when I bet him that I could.”

“Right.”

Crowley chose that moment to repeat his trek back over to Aziraphale who, now wise to what he was after, was able to narrowly avoid being pounced on before shooing him back off towards the flowers. Adam did a very poor job of hiding his amusement, but wisely kept his mouth shut as Aziraphale turned back to him.

“Do you have any idea why he seems quite so insistent on licking me?"

Adam snorted and concealed it poorly with a cough.

"Well, Pep’s ma said the worker bees swarm around their queen? They sniff her out so they can feed and protect her.”

"Oh."

Adam grinned but otherwise ignored him.

"He’s always around you, so seems reasonable he’d think you were important?"

A little distance away, Crowley hummed in displeasure as the flower he was nuzzling collapsed. Aziraphale performed a quick miracle to enlarge one of the nearby violets to keep him occupied.

"Is there any particular reason you haven’t restored him yet?"

“Nah, just waiting for you to get back."

"Me?"

"Crowley suggested that I should wait for you if anything happened. I think he was worried about stinging me or something." Adam rolled his eyes. He stood up and walked down the steps, Dog at his heels. "You want me to do it now then?"

"Yes please."

"Sure."

Adam waved a hand and suddenly Crowley was coughing and spluttering, wiping his tongue clean on the inside of his shirt.

"What in the ever loving fuck?"

"Back with us, dear?" Azirpaphale asked sweetly.

"Angel what the sodding hell is going on? Everything smells like flowers-" he felt along his face, "- I'm sticky. Why am I sticky?"

Adam glanced sidelong at Aziraphale.

"Adam, what are you doing here?"

"Just visiting, thanks for the help Mr. Crowley!"

"Help with-?" Crowley’s face fell. “-don’t tell me you got it on your first try,” he growled.

Aziraphale feigned a sudden interest in his hands.

"Thanks for the chat Mr. Fell."

"Anytime dear, you're always welcome. Did you want a croissant before you go?"

Adam grabbed one from the proffered bag. He made a “cheers” gesture before biting into it and promptly vanishing (along with Dog).

"Angel?"

When Aziraphale turned Crowley was standing only a few paces away from him, looking stricken but considerably less orange.

"Yes dear?"

"Please tell me I didn't stick my tongue down your throat."

"Well, that's a little hyperbolic-" he began consolingly, "- I mean, even with your tongue the length it is, you could barely reach my tonsils."

When he finally looked up Crowley was starting at him in horror.

Stung, and not caring to conceal it, Aziraphale turned for the cottage. "Well, no harm done then. Let’s get you a cup of tea."

"I’m sorry angel, I’d have never done that if I was-”

"Never?" Aziraphale asked, somewhat sharper than intended.

Crowley blinked.

"Not on purpose!"

"That inspires confidence."

"Aziraphale."

"No? Would you prefer coffee? The croissants are fresh, maybe some human food would do you good after all the pollen you’ve ingested-"

"Aziraphale." When he turned, Crowley was regarding him with a bemused look.

“Yes?’

"Was it any good?"

Aziraphale didn’t quite manage to avoid cringing.

"It was rather like being licked in the mouth by an enthusiastic puppy,” he quipped. “Not much finesse I'm afraid.”

Crowley shook his head. He rubbed a hand over his face, and pulled slightly on his earlobe while not quite making eye-contact.

"Well apologies if my technique was subpar, there was the slight impediment of believing I was a bee." Crowley responded waspishly.

"Of course, dear." he gestured back towards the cottage, “Shall we?”

"Seems like it's only fair I should get the opportunity to defend my honor." he offered a little too casually.

Aziraphale raised his eyebrows.

"Consider it a professional courtesy. I'm the original tempter and you've impugned my abilities."

"Indeed," Aziraphale played along, pursing his lips to keep back a smile "In the face of such unassailable logic who am I to disagree?"

"Right." Crowley said. He walked up to Aziraphale, nodded, and tilted his head. "Right," he repeated. Moving swiftly, he snaked an arm around Aziraphale's shoulder and brought his hand up to cradle the angel's cheek as he leaned in. The kiss was forceful but chaste. When Crowley made to pull back Aziraphale darted forward and gently nipped his bottom lip. That, plus a completely unsubtle pout, soon had the demon kissing him back in earnest.

By the time they parted Crowley looked exceedingly pleased with himself.

"Well?"

"Overall?” Aziraphale smirked, “A considerable improvement."

"Excuse me."

"It’s only fair I deduct some points for the overwhelming taste of pollen."

"Angel?"

"Yes dear?"

"Buzz off."

#is it not enough to write fic #must it also be good?#I'd apologize but you were fairly warned #my writing

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letterboxd · 4 years

Photo

Bong Hit!

Today Parasite overtook The Godfather as the highest-rated narrative feature film on Letterboxd. We examine what this means, and bring you the story of the birth of the #BongHive.

It’s Bong Joon-ho’s world and we’re just basement-dwelling in it. While there is still (at time of publication) just one one-thousandth of a point separating them, Bong’s Palme d’Or-winning Parasite has overtaken Francis Ford Coppola’s Oscar-winning The Godfather to become our highest-rated narrative feature.

In May, we pegged Parasite at number one in our round-up of the top ten Cannes premieres. By September, when we met up with Director Bong on the TIFF red carpet, Parasite was not only the highest-rated film of 2019, but of the decade. (“I’m very happy with that!” he told us.)

Look, art isn’t a competition—and this may be short-lived—but it’s as good a time as any to take stock of why Bong’s wild tale of the Kim and Park families is hitting so hard with film lovers worldwide. To do so, we’ve waded through your Parasite reviews (warning: mild spoilers below; further spoilers if you click the review links). And further below, member Ella Kemp recalls the very beginnings of the #BongHive.

Bong Joon-ho on set with actors Choi Woo-shik and Cho Yeo-jeong.

The Letterboxd community on Parasite

On the filmmaking technique: “Parasite is structured like a hill: the first act is an incredible trek upward toward the light, toward riches, toward reclaiming a sense of humanity as defined by financial stability and self-reliance. There is joy, there is quirk, there is enough air to breathe to allow for laughter and mischief.

“But every hill must go down, and Parasite is an incredibly balanced, plotted, and paced descent downward into darkness. The horror doesn’t rely on shock value, but rather is built upon a slow-burning dread that is rooted in the tainted soil of class, society, and duty… Bong Joon-ho dresses this disease up in beautiful sets and empathetic framing (the camera doesn’t gawk, but perceives invisible connections and overt inequalities)—only to unravel it with deft hands.” —Tay

“Bong’s use of landscape, architecture, and space is simply arresting.” —Taylor Baker

“There is a clear and forceful guiding purpose behind the camera, and it shows. The dialogue is incredibly smart and the entire ensemble is brilliant, but the most beautiful work is perhaps done through visual language. Every single frame tells you exactly what you need to know while pulling you in to look for more—the stunning production design behind the sleek, clinical nature of one home and the cramped, gritty nature of the other sets up a playpen of contrasts for the actors and the script.” —Kevin Yang

On how to classify Parasite: “Masterfully constructed and thoroughly compelling genre piece (effortlessly transitioning between familial drama, heist movie, satirical farce, subterranean horror) about the perverse and mutating symbiotic relationship of increasingly unequal, transactional class relationships, and who can and can’t afford to be oblivious about the severe, violent material/psychic toll of capitalist accumulation.” —Josh Lewis

“This is an excellent argument for the inherent weakness of genre categories. Seriously, what genre is this movie? It’s all of them and none of them. It’s just Parasite.” —Nick Wibert

“The director refers to his furious and fiendishly well-crafted new film as a ‘family tragicomedy’, but the best thing about Parasite is that it gives us permission to stop trying to sort his movies into any sort of pre-existing taxonomy—with Parasite, Bong finally becomes a genre unto himself.” —David Ehrlich

On the duality of the plot: “There are houses on hills, and houses underground. There is plenty of sun, but it isn't for everybody. There are people grateful to be slaves, and people unhappy to be served. There are systems that we are born into, and they create these lines that cannot be crossed. And we all dream of something better, but we’ve been living with these lines for so long that we've convinced ourselves that there really isn’t anything to be done.” —Philbert Dy

“The Parks are bafflingly naive and blissfully ignorant of the fact that their success and wealth is built off the backs of the invisible working class. This obliviousness and bewilderment to social and class inequities somehow make the Parks even more despicable than if they were to be pompous and arrogant about their privilege.

“This is not to say the Kims are made to be saints by virtue of the Parks’ ignorance. The Kims are relentless and conniving as they assimilate into the Park family, leeching off their wealth and privilege. But even as the Kims become increasingly convincing in their respective roles, the film questions whether they can truly fit within this higher class.” —Ethan

On how the film leaps geographical barriers: “As a satire on social climbing and the aloofness of the upper class, it’s dead-on and has parallels to the American Dream that American viewers are unlikely to miss; as a dark comedy, it’s often laugh-aloud hilarious in its audacity; as a thriller, it has brilliantly executed moments of tension and surprises that genuinely caught me off guard; and as a drama about family dynamics, it has tender moments that stand out all the more because of how they’re juxtaposed with so much cynicism elsewhere in the film. Handling so many different tones is an immensely difficult balancing act, yet Bong handles all of it so skilfully that he makes it feel effortless.” —C. Roll

“One of the best things about it, I think, is the fact that I could honestly recommend it to anyone, even though I can't even try to describe it to someone. One may think, due to the picture’s academic praise and the general public’s misconceptions about foreign cinema, that this is some slow, artsy film for snobby cinephiles, but it’s quite the contrary: it’s entertaining, engaging and accessible from start to finish.” —Pedro Machado

On the performative nature of image: “A família pobre que se infiltra no espaço da família rica trata a encenação—a dissimulação, os novos papéis que cada um desempenha—como uma espécie de luta de classes travada no palco das aparências. Uma luta de classes que usa a potência da imagem e do drama (os personagens escrevem os seus textos e mudam a sua aparência para passar por outras pessoas) como uma forma de reapropriação da propriedade e dos valores alheios.

“A grande proposta de Parasite é reconhecer que a ideia do conhecimento, consequentemente a natureza financeira e moral desse conhecimento, não passa de uma questão de performance. No capitalismo imediatista de hoje fingir saber é mais importante do que de fato saber.” —Arthur Tuoto

(Translation: “The poor family that infiltrates the rich family space treats the performance—the concealment, the new roles each plays—as a kind of class struggle waged on the stage of appearances. A class struggle that uses the power of image and drama (characters write their stories and change their appearance to pass for other people) as a form of reappropriation of the property and values of others.

“Parasite’s great proposal is to recognize that the idea of knowledge, therefore the financial and moral nature of that knowledge, is a matter of performance. In today’s immediate capitalism, pretending to know is more important than actually knowing.”)

Things you’re noticing on re-watches: “Min and Mr. Park are both seen as powerful figures deserving of respect, and the way they dismissively respond to an earnest question about whether they truly care for the people they’re supposed to tells us a lot about how powerful people think about not just the people below them, but everyone in their lives.” —Demi Adejuyigbe

“When I first saw the trailer and saw Song Kang-ho in a Native American headdress I was a little taken aback. But the execution of the ideas, that these rich people will siphon off of everything, whether it’s poor people or disenfranchised cultures all the way across the world just to make their son happy, without properly taking the time to understand that culture, is pretty brilliant. I noticed a lot more subtlety with that specific example this time around.” —London

“I only noticed it on the second viewing, but the film opens and closes on the same shot. Socks are drying on a rack hanging in the semi-basement by the window. The camera pans down to a hopeful Ki-Woo sitting on his bed… if the film shows anything, it might be that the ways we usually approach ‘solving’ poverty and ‘fixing’ the class struggle often just reinforce how things have been since the beginning.” —Houston

The birth of the #BongHive

London-based writer and Letterboxd member Ella Kemp attended Cannes for Culture Whisper, and was waiting in the Parasite queue with fellow writers Karen Han and Iana Murray when the hashtag #BongHive was born. Letterboxd editor Gemma Gracewood asked her to recall that day.

Take us back to the day that #BongHive sprang into life. Ella Kemp: I’m so glad you asked. Picture the scene: we were in the queue to watch the world premiere of Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite at Cannes. It was toward the end of the festival; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood had already screened…

Can you describe for our members what those film festival queues are like? The queues in Cannes are very precise, and very strict and categorized. When you’re attending the festival as press, there are a number of different tiers that you can be assigned—white tier, pink tier, blue tier or yellow tier—and that’s the queue you have to stay in. And depending on which tier you’re in, a certain number of tiers will get into the film before you, no matter how late they arrive. Now, yellow is the lowest tier and it is the tier I was in this year. But, you know, I didn’t get shut out of any films I tried to go into, so I don’t want to speak ill of being yellow!

So, spirits are still high in the yellow queue before going to see Parasite. I was with friends and colleagues Iana Murray [writer for GQ, i-D, Much Ado About Cinema, Little White Lies], Karen Han [New York Times, Vanity Fair, Vulture, The Atlantic] and Jake Cunningham [of the Curzon and Ghibliotheque podcasts] who were also very excited for the film. We queued quite early, because obviously if you’re at the start of a queue and only two yellow tier people get in, you want that to be you.

So we had some time to spare, and we’re all very ‘online’ people and the 45 minutes in that queue was no different. So we just started tweeting, as you do. We thought, ‘Oh we’re just gonna tweet some stuff and see if it catches on.’ It might not, but at least we could kill some time.

So we just started tweeting #BongHive. And not explaining it too much.

#BongHive

— karen han (@karenyhan)

May 21, 2019

Within the realms of stan culture, I would argue that hashtags are more applicable to actors and musicians. Ariana Grande has her army of fans and they have their own hashtag. Justin Bieber has his, One Direction, all of them. But we thought, ‘You know who needs one and doesn’t have one right now? Bong Joon-ho.’

And so, you know, we tweeted it a couple of times, but I think what mattered the most was that there was no context, there was no logic, but there was consistency and insistence. So we tweeted it two or three times, and then the film started and we thought right, let’s see if this pays off. Because it could have been disappointing and we could have not wanted to be part of, you know, any kind of hype.

SMILE PRESIDENT @karenyhan #BongHive pic.twitter.com/Dk7T8bFYtv

— Ella Kemp (@ella_kemp)

May 21, 2019

But, Parasite was Parasite. So we walked out of it and thought, ‘Oh yes, the #BongHive is alive and kicking.’

I think what was interesting was that it came at that point in the festival when enthusiasm dipped. Everyone was very tired, and we were really tired, which is why we were tweeting illogical things. It was late at night by the time we came out of that film. It was close to midnight and we should have gone to bed, probably.

Because, first world problems, it is exhausting watching five, six, seven films a day at a film festival, trying to find sustenance that’s not popcorn, and form logical thoughts around these works of art. Yes! It was nice to have fun with something. But what happened next was [Parasite distributor] Neon clocked it and went, ‘Oh wait, there’s something we can do there’. And then they took it, and it flew into the world, and now the #BongHive is worldwide.

I love the formality of Korean language and the way that South Koreans speak of their elders with such respect. I enjoyed being on the red carpet at TIFF hearing the Korean media refer to Bong Joon-ho as ‘Director Bong’. It’s what he deserves!

I like to imagine a world where it’s ‘Director Gerwig’, ‘Director Campion’, ‘Director Sciamma’… Exactly.

Related content:

Ella Kemp’s review of Parasite for Culture Whisper.

Letterboxd list: The directors Bong Joon-ho would like you to watch next.

Our interview with Director Bong, in which he reveals just how many times he’s watched Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

“I’m very awkward.” Bong Joon-ho’s first words following the standing ovation at Cannes for Parasite’s world premiere.

Karen Han interviews Director Bong for Polygon, with a particular interest in how he translated the film for non-Korean audiences. (Here’s Han’s original Parasite review out of Cannes; and here’s what happened when a translator asked her “Are you bong hive?” in front of the director.)

Haven’t seen Parasite yet? Here are the films recommended by Bong Joon-ho for you to watch in preparation.

With thanks to Matt Singer for the headline.

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twentiethcenturymoviesandtv · 3 years

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A Question of Auters: A Director’s Influence

John Ford. Alfred Hitchcock. Stanley Kubrick. Martin Scorsese. Orson Welles. Charlie Chaplin. Tim Burton. David Lynch. Francis Ford Coppola. Steven Spielberg.

If you have only the barest knowledge of film, you recognize at least one of these names, and well you should. These are the names upon which an entire school of thought is built, the greatest directors in film history. These are the directors that matter, the creators that shaped an industry. These are the men who made important films.

Or at least, so popular auteur theory would have us believe.

Auteur is a word heard often within the film community, thrown around as a casual term, part of the jargon used by those interested and well-versed in cinema. Even those who aren’t interested or well-versed might recognize the word from use alone, and either way, depending on your viewpoint, it may inspire either a wise, respectful nod, or a disgusted snort.

Before we jump into the reasons for those reactions, however, perhaps we should discuss what, exactly, an auteur is.

The word auteur is a French noun, defined by dictionary.com like this:

A filmmaker whose individual style and complete control over all elements of production give a film its personal and unique stamp.

Or, for a simpler definition, just translate the word literally: auteur is French for author.

It’s a reasonable translation, one that makes a lot of sense. In many ways, despite not literally writing the story or script, a director is the person the most responsible for a film’s end result. They get the final call. They work with the actors. It is they who have the ‘vision’ of the film, the end product in mind throughout the entire project.

It’s no surprise that in a world fascinated by the relatively new (and relatively fast growing) medium of film, it didn’t take long for the public to become equally fascinated by the people most obviously behind the movie-making process: the directors.

The term auteur theory is not a new one. It was discussed first by future author François Truffaut, in Cahiers du Cinéma titled Une certaine tendance du cinéma français, which, translated, is: “A Certain Tendency of French Cinema”, in which Truffaut criticized French cinema, championing instead American directors, notably Alfred Hitchcock and Howard Hawks. It was also Truffaut who said:

“There are no good or bad films. Only good or bad directors.”

Later, the term auteur theory was first coined by American critic Andrew Sarris in a 1962 essay entitled Notes on the Auteur Theory, followed by a book called The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968, which would go on to influence movie critics, raising further awareness of the idea of auteur theory in the first place.

But what is an auteur? We’ve named a few, sure, and we’ve even discussed the basic definition, but how can you tell if a film is created by an auteur, rather than ‘just’ a director? Where does the difference come in?

The answer lies in the examples used by Truffaut in his essay: Howard Hawks, and Alfred Hitchcock.

Both of those directors help set the gold standard for what would be considered the criteria for the auteur style, very simply by having a style of their own.

See, put very simply, Hitchcock and Hawks, while creating very different films, had one thing in common in terms of directing: they both had very distinct individual styles.

In Sarris’s 1962 essay, he laid down the groundwork, three major rules, that all directors must follow to be considered an auteur, all three of which Hawks and Hitchcock embodied to a T:

“A great director has to at least be a good director.”

In other words, to be an auteur, the director in question has to be at least a competent story-teller and film-maker. They must have some level of ability in terms of technicals.

2. “Over a group of films a director must exhibit certain recurrent characteristics of style which serve as his signature.”

An auteur must have a signature style. This is probably the rule that people are the most familiar with, the distinguishable personality that makes Tim Burton’s films dark and full of stripes, or why Hitchcock has an ‘icy blonde’ in nearly every one of his best films. This is the element that dictates that, for it to be the work of a true auteur, you can tell who the director was, just by looking at the film itself.

3. “Interior meaning is extrapolated from the tension between a directors personality and his material.”

In simpler terms, auteur films have to reveal the director’s innermost thoughts and ideas about life, the human condition, films, anything, really. It’s these elements that give us Steven Spielberg’s use of fathers (and lack thereof) in his films, or his themes of ‘Growing Up Sucks’ and Tear Jerker stories of idealism, or Howard Hawks’ themes of manhood, or Martin Scorsese’s stories of Anti-Heroes, cynicism, and the idea of Family vs. Career.

To quote Andre Brazin:

“The politique des auteurs consists, in short, of choosing the personal factor in artistic creation as a standard of reference, and then assuming that it continues and even progresses from one film to the next. It is recognized that there do exist certain important films of quality that escape this test, but these will systematically be considered inferior to those in which the personal stamp of the auteur, however run-of-the-mill the scenario, can be perceived even minutely.”

In other words? Being a bad film produced with a recognizable style is better than being a good film with a bland style.

The question is…is that true?

Is it better to be a worse film with the distinct fingerprints of a well-known name, or a good film with no individualism as a style?

And an even bigger question: does it all truly lie in the hands of the director?

Here’s the thing:

While auteur theory existed in the 1950s and 1960s, it wasn’t really considered a big deal, especially by the auteur’s themselves. Hawks and Hitchcock thought of themselves as just working in a trade, not making art. It was in the following decade that the idea truly took off.

The ‘auteurs’ emerged, en masse, in the 1970s, and with good reason: the entire idea of auteur is impossible without the existence of film school, and the ability and reason to watch a director’s entire filmography. The distinct styles of Orson Welles, Charlie Chaplin, and Alfred Hitchcock directly influenced the ‘movie brat’ director generation, such as Scorsese, Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, and Woody Allen, directors who had not only grown up with films, but with film studies. This led to the birth of ‘New Hollywood’, the age of the director, a period that returned the state of productions to the way it had been in lulls of studio involvement in the past. It’s no coincidence that many films on ‘best of’ lists are created by auteurs from the 1970s (although I should point out that there are no shortage of films created by stylistic directors beforehand). Although the idea of ‘auteur’ had been around for decades, an argument could be made that director worship truly took off in the 1970s with films like The Godfather, Taxi Driver, Jaws, and Annie Hall.

The success of these films encouraged studios to put more projects in the hands of these up-and-coming directors, fresh and eager to tell new stories and make more films. As big as the idea became in the 1950s and 1960s, it can be very easily argued that the idea experienced a rebirth in the 1970s, shaping very much the idea and examples we have available to us now. But just as it sparked a resurgence, it also sparked a backlash, a backlash that some would argue was very much needed.

Some, like critic Pauline Kael, have been very outspoken against auteur theory, with plenty of arguments being made against it, such as it’s tendency to elevate lesser films, claiming that a bad movie by a great director is important simply because it has his style. Other criticisms point out that just because a director forces his style on a film doesn’t necessarily mean it fits the individual film, making each movie more about style than substance (a common criticism of Stanley Kubrick’s work). Other complaints explain that the idea of ‘auteur’ excuses Prima Donna Director behavior, or encourages overblown expressions of ‘vision’ that end in disasters.

These are valid criticisms.

But there is one that is held above the rest, one final critique that remains, in my opinion, the nail in the coffin against auteur theory being considered so incredibly great, is that: film is, by nature, a collaborative effort.

I asked earlier if this all lies in the hands of the direction, and the fact is, no, it doesn’t.

There’s no Tim Burton or Steven Spielberg style without their signature Production Posses. Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic work doesn’t rest on his shoulders alone. Every director, no matter how involved or talented, relies on a network of people, all bearing a substantial portion of the weight of an individual film. The best directors know this.

The fact is, no matter how talented the director is, there must be a limit to the director’s power, or a film’s production can turn into an egotistical disaster. By nature, movie productions are group efforts. Between actors, producers, editors, cameramen, costume designers, transportation, catering, and countless other individuals with vital jobs, films are massive efforts from massive amounts of people. Every movie, no matter how many ‘hats’ the director wore, is the result of the coordination of several people executing a vision that, in the end, may have been the director’s, but by no means was exclusively his.

“Boiling it down to one person and placing their influence above everyone else makes for bad movies.” (“The Ultimate Guide to the Best Auteur Directors.” StudioBinder, 12 Feb. 2020, www.studiobinder.com/blog/auteur-theory/.)

In a nutshell?

Are directors important?

Of course they are. They are still the head of a production, and they still do (often) have identifiable fingerprints on each film they’re a part of.

But with that said, it’s vital to remember that directors are not the end-all and be-all of an individual film. Auteur theory is a valid element of film study, and by no means should it be omitted, but it should be contextualized in film history, a reminder that no director stands alone.

And the best directors, the auteurs themselves, would agree.

Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you in the next article.

#Film #Movies

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charliejrogers · 4 years

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The Irishman (Or Oldfellas)

Let’s just get this out of the way first. DeNiro’s not Irish. Why would you make a movie called The Irishman about an Irish man’s ascension in the Italian mob, in which him being Irish (while not a crucial plot point) does come up a number of times throughout the film, with a lead actor who is not only not Irish but so obviously and blatantly Italian?! The matter is worse for putting fellow Italian-American Al Pacino in the role of non-Italian Jimmy Hoffa, especially since it is pretty crucial to the plot that he is not Italian.

Great. Now that rant is over. Let’s start a new one. Holy fuck this is a long movie. At least epic films from times past gave you the courtesy of an intermission. Yes, no one was holding a gun to my head and telling me I couldn’t get up to pee, but it’s also a little hubristic of Scorcese to assume that this is such a dominant work of art it need not be interrupted. At the very just breaking this up into parts like in Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight would have been appreciated.

Ok, I think I’m just about done ranting, which is good because despite what you see above, I really liked this film. While the obvious comparison to draw is to Scorcese’s great mob epics like Casino, Goodfellas, The Departed, in many ways the film fits more in line with his most recent picture, 2016’s Catholic guilt epic Silence. Yes, The Irishman features plenty of violence and even a trip to the movie-mobster-favorite the Copacabana, but this movie doesn’t do much to add to the myth that the mob life is wonderful. There’s little glitz and glammor, no drugs, no big parties. In fact, the main mob boss, Russell Bufalino (played in an incredibly understated fashion by the usually boisterous Joe Pesce) won’t allow people to smoke in front of him, and Pacino’s Hoffa can’t stand the sight of alcohol. Harvey Keitel’s brief appearance on-screen as an aloof, no-nonsense mob boss whose power extends beyond that of Pesce’s grants a reminder of the sort of aloof, mysterious, and powerful men who usually populate and dominate such films and our memories with their devotion to their family and mob-world principles (Brando in the Godfather most notably) but are generally absent here. Pesce’s character, above all, is concerned or the business.

And the ultimate demythologizing comes with the inspired decision to introduce many of the side characters (who are real people) with captions giving us their name as well as how and when they die. The captions often contain brutal and gory details that we will never see on-screen. As an audience, we love to relish in the excitement of mobster violence (think of the end of Bonnie & Clyde or Sonny’s death in The Godfather), but Scorcese denies us that perverse satisfaction, forcing us to appreciate the meaninglessness of the violence.

And so the film largely follows the life of DeNiro’s Frank Sheeran, a WWII vet and now truck driver, as he first becomes associated with Pesce’s mob business and his subsequent ascension among its ranks. It’s notable that Frank is a vet, and a combat vet at that. While this movie doesn’t really focus on PTSD, it’s clear that the war has done a number of Frank’s moral fortitude. He’s a man who will take orders without question and always respect the chain of command. Why should he feel any more guilty taking out a loud-mouthed mobster than two Nazis whom he was just watched dig their own graves? Both came as orders from on high, so what choice did he have?

The main conflicts of the film (of which there are really only two) come, then, when Frank feels unsure of where to place his loyalty. For much of the film this conflict takes the form of Frank playing the middle man between the Joe Pesce’s mob and the millionaire president of the trucking union and long-time friend of the mob, Jimmy Hoffa. He’s played to perfect effect by Al Pacino as a vain and egomaniacal man, not unlike a certain current president, that still manages to elicit genuine sympathy as he struggles to maintain control of his union.

It’s a testament to this film’s script and structure that the conflict of these two men to control Frank’s will develops so naturally that it never feels overly dramatic. That the climax occurs during an event designed to honor and appreciate Frank heightens the tragedy as Frank will only be able to return the favor in one direction. And, in all, the three hours it takes to reach this conflict’s resolution feels earned. Along the way, I for one enjoyed the history lesson – or at least some aspects of history and other unsubstantiated claims about history (the film is based on Frank’s own account which many have determined to be untrustworthy.) Still, I had no idea who Jimmy Hoffa was or that there were claims that JFK (through his father Joe) had ties to the mafia, and it was just fascinating to learn of the deep ties between unions and the mob. And had the film stopped here at the three hour mark, it would have been a wonderfully told story , a script full of engrossing conversations where on the surface nothing is said but in reality lives are at stake, and a tour de force of acting for its three main leads (DeNiro, Pesce, and Pacino), but would feel a little inconsequential in terms of its impact.

But it doesn’t end at the 3 hour mark. It keeps going in an almost Return of the King fashion for another half hour. And it’s in that half hour that the film is at its most ambitious. It turns all of what we saw before into a morality play. Frank has survived his life with the mob, but everyone else he knew from the mob is dead. We’re reminded by contrast of the countless side characters the movie introduces at the same time as it tells us how they will die. So like a soldier returned from war, what is Frank who has lived his life according to orders, a nervous and indecisive man who can in the best of times do little more than stumble through a sentence, supposed to do now? To whom does he give loyalty now? Should he try giving to God? He tries, but we sense that to do so would be a betrayal, an admittance that his life was wasted and that his loyalty was not well spent? It’s here where themes from Silence become prominent. He desperately fears the end of his life, maintaining his soldier status even in his nursing home, but recognizes and struggles with the pain that in the eyes of the time and the world, what was so important to him was done without meaning.

These are interesting questions, but ones that couldn’t help but feel rather tacked on. In particular, Frank’s troubled relationship with his daughter was a recurring motif that never really landed as the movie was far more interested in his relationship with the mob and Hoffa. Or maybe I was just more interested in Hoffa and the mob. But while the last 30 minutes don’t reach the heights that the film aspires to, it does do it’s job in elevating this film beyond the level of just another mobster movie. Scorcese’s getting up there in age, DeNiro, Pesce, and Pacino too and his question of a life lived well is universal. The film therefore invites us to take stock of our loyalties and question whether those loyalties will still have their meaning at the end of our days.

***1/4

(Three and a fourth stars out of four)

Capsule Review: It’s Goodfellas but re-made by a director with so much Catholic guilt he would be crazy enough to do filmed version of Silence.

#the irishman #martin scorcese #silence #oldfellas

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sleemo · 6 years

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Mike Celestino, Inside the Magic: I’ve been looking forward to this film for quite a while, but some fans have expressed that they’re not sure why we need a Han Solo origin story. What is your response to that?

Jonathan Kasdan: We don’t. [laughs]

Lawrence Kasdan: I’m mystified by that one question. I feel I can answer almost any other question. But, ‘Why do we need…?’ I feel that you can say that about any movie that was ever made.

Jonathan: I think we need it almost exactly as much as we needed ‘Iron Man 2’… or 3. For that matter, ‘Batman Begins.’ I mean, I am a huge fan of the [Christopher] Nolan Batman cycle, but let’s be honest, there had been five Batman movies. And never in any of the Batman movies, even as they continue, has there been any danger that he was going to die. So the handicaps on this movie that I think have caused people to ask that question are a little baffling, simply because it’s such a hallmark of the culture now to revisit characters we adore.

Lawrence: You find out more than you knew before. ‘Godfather [Part] II’ was not necessary, but I’m so glad that Francis [Ford Coppola] made it. I wanted to know more about that.

Jonathan: And then there’s the further element of it, which is that we never thought of this as a movie that was going to answer questions. Because we weren’t really asking questions either. We weren’t saying, ‘You’ve got to see the scene where he wins the Falcon.’ We were saying, ‘How can we make a really fun heist/crime movie with a character we absolutely adore, and pepper it with moments that are delightful and fun, and they give you a little kick?’

And I gotta say, seeing it with an audience for the first time two days ago, I think that was Larry’s initial impulse, and I think he totally was right on the money. There is something so primal about seeing Han and Chewie see each other for the first time, and that connection between them evolve. It’s powerful. It’s what movies do best. I’m excited.

ITM: Lawrence, you helped originate the relationship between Han and Lando in ‘The Empire Strikes Back.’ How do you feel that relationship is different when they first meet each other in this movie?

Lawrence: Well, it’s the seeds of that relationship. And what’s fun is that neither man is [fully] formed. They’re both at an early stage, and you can see where it’s headed, but Lando is not the Lando we meet in Cloud City, and Han is certainly not the Han that lands at Cloud City and is suspicious of Lando. They have to learn to suspect each other. They have to learn to be competitive with each other, and that’s what happens in this movie. They recognize that this is a kindred spirit: someone who’s reckless and out for himself, will say anything, do anything. You don’t know if what he says is true. That’s all a fun way to make a relationship.

Jonathan: I was constantly saying to Larry that one of our inspirations for Lando had to be those beer commercials with The Most Interesting Man in the World. [laughs] I thought, ‘Lando is that guy.’ He’s gonna tell you all this stuff and you’re just gonna think, ‘Is that true or isn’t it true?’

ITM: Jonathan, you mentioned on Twitter that the Corellian Hounds were inspired by the Death Dogs in Ron Howard’s Lucasfilm movie ‘Willow.’

Jonathan: It’s an incredible coincidence, because it was one of these things that, from the very first [time] Larry had started working on the script, before I got involved, he had wanted [it] to open with a very Dickensian, Oliver Twist-ish feeling. These kids are going to be on the run. And I said, ‘What I want to see more than anything is something like this thing that terrified me when I was nine years old in Willow.’ Which were these dogs that felt very real, and would maul you if they could.

We stuck with it all along, we made sure that element stayed in the movie, even as things got embellished and longer. And the dogs that they came up with are the coolest thing ever. To see my six-year-old niece visit us on the set and pet these horrifying creatures was so cool.

ITM: Prior to the existence of this movie, there had been a rough established origin story for Han Solo in the Expanded Universe. We knew about Sabacc, we knew he grew up on Corellia. How did you decide what to keep from what had already existed?

Lawrence: I’m lucky because I know nothing about the Expanded Universe. I had never read one of those novels, so for me it was always starting from scratch. And Jon, who’s much more converse in that stuff, would sometimes say to me, ‘But here’s what happened.’ But we never felt limited by it.

Jonathan: What we took as a golden rule was that if it was mentioned in any of the seven at that point existing movies, it was officially a hard and fast rule. But even after the decision to make certain things canon and other things not, there’s still so much material between ‘Rebels’ and ‘Clone Wars’ and the books and comics they do consider canon, that it’s almost impossible to think of every reference within that world as law. It’s just too big.

I understand the desire in fans to feel that anything they read in that world, ‘Okay, well this is really what happened.’ But the truth is it’s such an expansive galaxy. And there’s a great guy at the center of this: Pablo Hidalgo, whose job it is to sort of master all this stuff, and he helped us a lot with things that he thought were hot button. What’s great about Pablo is he’s not the guy who says ‘No, no, no. You can’t do that.’ He’s the guy who says, ‘This could be tricky, and here’s what I would do that might help.’

Lawrence: And he lets you do that.

ITM: I don’t want to spoil too much in this interview, but my all-time favorite minor ‘Star Wars’ character– Bossk– gets a brief mention in this movie, and I want to know where that came from.

Jonathan: [points back and forth between me and himself] My favorite ‘Star Wars’ character too, by a hundred percent! I will say that there was a lot of effort on the part of this guy [points at himself again] to get Bossk into the movie. Desperately trying to, and there was not even resistance exactly. More what it was is that in the process of telling the story and refining the script, he kept falling out. And I kept trying to sneak him back in.

It went back and forth, and there did come a moment early in pre-production where I was like, ‘Guys, why do we keep taking Bossk out?’ And the guys were like, ‘There’s just no place for Bossk.’ And then once we were shooting I was like, ‘Well can we at least indicate [his presence]?’ Because he represents– and here’s why he’s important– because he’s so badass. He is like the Lee Van Cleef character in ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ or something. And you want to believe that these characters live in a world where that guy, and all those bounty hunters lined up along that wall in ‘Empire,’ are moving around and in proximity. That’s really cool.

#jon kasdan #lawrence kasdan #solo #han solo #lando calrissian #pablo hidalgo #bossk #star wars #interview #link #*

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doesitreallywork · 5 years

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Looking for a quality review that tells you all you want to know about Video Game Godfather? Look no further! Read our detailed review inside this post!

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Visit Official Website »

Video Game Godfather Review – Does It Really Work?

In the year 1972, Francis Ford Coppola launched the flick The Godfather to big essential honor. The tale was absorbing as well as the actors was wonderful and also this set came to be a symbol in the movie theater landscape. There was bound to be somebody that would certainly make a ready the followers.

That is what this video game is everything about. We are mosting likely to do a testimonial that will certainly reveal us what this is everything about to ensure that we understand what you can anticipate when you most likely to play the video game. I have actually seen the evaluations and also Metacritic had actually offered the video game a high rating that will certainly make you prepare for.

There is a great deal that is taking place for this video game which is something that we can all accept. We have actually seen what this is everything about as well as we understand without a doubt that it will certainly be terrific.

So that you will certainly not be dissatisfied, we are going to do a testimonial that will certainly allow us recognize what this video game is all concerning and also when you go to get it, you will certainly recognize that it is not a fraud as well as that you will certainly delight in playing it.

I am informed that this video game was not authorized by Coppola that though that it did not have the deepness that would certainly make it excellent. You see, that is the method with taking renowned films and also attempting to transform them right into something that is terrific, you will certainly either fail or blow the minds of players.

With this one, all you obtain is the stars that will certainly articulate the tale and afterwards the capturing starts. When EA got the civil liberties to this video game, they were undertaking this obstacle of making this fantastic or ru9ining it for everybody that would certainly try to play the video game. That is what takes place.

What is The Video Game Godfather Everything About?

When you are obtaining a video game such as this one off the net, you will certainly initially require to recognize some aspects of it that will certainly aid you obtain all that you require. In this way, you will certainly have obtained it all and also you can decide to acquire based upon something that is actual and also substantial.

You might have seen the combined evaluations as well as currently you do not understand what to do. It is time that somebody informed you the entire tale to make sure that you recognize what you are managing as well as you can comprehend and also start to value what this is everything about.

This is a video game that is based upon the Francis Ford Coppola 1972 motion picture The Godfather. EA acquired the legal rights to this set and also they transformed it right into a video game. That is what it is everything about.

When you begin it, you will certainly have the history tale informed to you by the stars whose voices were generated to see to it that this was as exact as feasible. You will certainly be provided the tale that will certainly begin you off on what this video game is everything about and afterwards you will certainly start the activity.

This will certainly be simply you firing the opponents and also as the murder boosts so does the factors that you have actually made. Essentially it is everything about the body matter with a history tale to relocate along.

This is not something that will certainly delight you the manner in which you anticipate unless you are a follower of the important things that are fierce as well as meaningless with little tale or compound. That is exactly how this set circulations which is exactly how you will certainly obtain the entire point began.

For the ardent as well as strong flick followers, you can anticipate frustration when you believe that this is as excellent and even near to the film.

Exactly how Does The Godfather Job?

When you begin to play this video game, you will certainly be a behind the scenes male in the Corleone family members that will certainly be charged with the duty of making certain that you are securing the household as well as ensuring that you remain in the recognize in all times.

This is the function that you are called for to play when you begin the video game. It will certainly function by matching you with the troubles that encounter the Corleone family members and also you will certainly need to ensure that you resolve them. You will certainly be the hitman as well as the guard. There is a great deal of capturing as well as murder.

That is just how the tale opts for this, you will certainly be called for to eliminate all individuals that are hazards to the household while making certain that you do not die on your own obviously.

You will certainly be needed to do the essential things like obtaining business that are testing the Corleone’s household. There is additionally the issue of taking control of noises that will certainly reveal you just how to specify where you have all that you require to do this flawlessly.

There will certainly likewise be hits that will certainly entail the products vehicles as well as such points. Every little thing that you will certainly be performing in this will certainly be everything about ensuring that the Don’s family members is secure and also growing.

That is just how this video game will certainly function as well as you will certainly be the one to play the scenes. It resembles being that hitman that is sent out on the duties that are essential. I need to confess that although this video game does not have the narration capacities that the film had, it has the enjoyable if you like murders as well as such.

What Duty Will Certainly You Be Playing

I believe that every one of you that have actually enjoyed these mobster films recognizes what the enforcer does and also what the duty of that guy is. That is exactly how you will certainly reach remain in the video game. You will certainly be the one that sees to it all the essential scenes work out.

This personality is developed by you when you begin the video game and afterwards you will certainly go on to something that is much better. This is what this is everything about.

This personality that you will certainly be playing is one that did not show up in guide or the motion picture which is just how you will certainly have full freedom to be whatever that you desire as you relocate to safeguard the Corleone family members.

That is the task that you will certainly do when you have this. Luca Brasi is the one that will certainly instruct you just how to end up being the mobster that will certainly offer the family members best which is what you will certainly satisfaction on your own in. there is a whole lot that takes place below and also you will certainly locate it really gripping as you relocate.

What Is Not So Terrific Regarding This

When you obtain the video game, you will certainly recognize that there is a whole lot that was refrained to make it terrific. This indicates that there are some brief upcomings that you can manage in time or even more properly learn to deal with.

The roads of New york city are tough to browse which is something that is additionally real in the real world. You will certainly be gone after as well as in some cases or every one of the moments you will certainly locate that there are individuals that are following you bent on eliminating you while you have a time frame.

The video game has some excellent murders and also the equine’s head is included plus things like the implementations that you will certainly need to do yet they are not as outstanding as you would possibly desire them to be.

The Final Verdict

We have actually come to the end of this video game evaluation and also as you have actually seen, there is a whole lot that is wrong when you attempt to contrast it with the motion picture however as a video game it has actually succeeded and also you can rely on that you will certainly have a good time with this one.

Pros

– There is the truth that this set has a straightforward video game play as well as there is a whole lot that you will certainly require to do that needs this sort of simpleness.

– This video game has some actually great personalities and also all of them are from the motion picture other than certainly you.

– The video game has a fast lane with great deals of physical violence and also battles that will certainly make it outstanding.

– They have actually attempted to make it as properly as feasible which is simply wonderful.

– When you play, you will certainly enjoy since there are a great deal of points that you will certainly need to do so completing will certainly take a long time.

Cons

– This video game is not so admired by the Francis Ford Coppola or followers of the film.

Summary

That is just how the tale chooses this set, you will certainly be called for to eliminate all individuals that are dangers to the family members while making certain that you do not die on your own naturally. You will certainly be called for to do the crucial things like obtaining business that are testing the Corleone’s family members. There is additionally the issue of taking control of noises that will certainly reveal you just how to specify where you have all that you require to do this flawlessly.

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indie-struggle · 6 years

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I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script

So, I've read an article at least twice a year for the last eight or nine years. Some of you may have read it. It came from the Villiage Voice and was written by Josh Olson, a screenwriter noted most for his 2005 story called A History of Violence, directed by David Cronenberg.

I've always enjoyed this article because it is honest and raw and straight to the point. It makes damn good sanity of something a bit insane that is often overlooked. Shared or unshared by others, it gives an insight to what it's like to work in the system he works in, and at the same time trying to live as a writer.

It may come off pompous and coarse or rude and all that other stuff, and it is. But, it also isn't. It's has great advice. But, it's mostly about a man who's hassled. And it takes a lot of balls to put yourself out there like this and tell people that you're tired of this shit, which in this day in age, can fuck your career. I highly respect that in a person whether or not I care for their work.

Moving on, the last time I visited the website it was gone. It took a few minutes to find it somewhere else, thankfully, but I wanted to post it here--like I should have done beforehand--before it was lost forever. It's been almost ten goddamn years since he wrote this and I still find it a great gem. Like a fine wine that grows greater with age. I hope you enjoy it too.

I will not read your fucking script.

That’s simple enough, isn’t it? "I will not read your fucking script." What’s not clear about that? There’s nothing personal about it, nothing loaded, nothing complicated. I simply have no interest in reading your fucking screenplay. None whatsoever.

If that seems unfair, I’ll make you a deal. In return for you not asking me to read your fucking script, I will not ask you to wash my fucking car, or take my fucking picture, or represent me in fucking court, or take out my fucking gall bladder, or whatever the fuck it is that you do for a living.

You’re a lovely person. Whatever time we’ve spent together has, I’m sure, been pleasurable for both of us. I quite enjoyed that conversation we once had about structure and theme, and why Sergio Leone is the greatest director who ever lived. Yes, we bonded, and yes, I wish you luck in all your endeavors, and it would thrill me no end to hear that you had sold your screenplay, and that it had been made into the best movie since Godfather Part II.

But I will not read your fucking script.

At this point, you should walk away, firm in your conviction that I’m a dick. But if you’re interested in growing as a human being and recognizing that it is, in fact, you who are the dick in this situation, please read on.

Yes. That’s right. I called you a dick. Because you created this situation. You put me in this spot where my only option is to acquiesce to your demands or be the bad guy. That, my friend, is the very definition of a dick move.

I was recently cornered by a young man of my barest acquaintance.

I doubt we’ve exchanged a hundred words. But he’s dating someone I know, and he cornered me in the right place at the right time, and asked me to read a two-page synopsis for a script he’d been working on for the last year. He was submitting the synopsis to some contest or program, and wanted to get a professional opinion.

Now, I normally have a standard response to people who ask me to read their scripts, and it’s the simple truth: I have two piles next to my bed. One is scripts from good friends, and the other is manuscripts and books and scripts my agents have sent to me that I have to read for work. Every time I pick up a friend’s script, I feel guilty that I’m ignoring work. Every time I pick something up from the other pile, I feel guilty that I’m ignoring my friends. If I read yours before any of that, I’d be an awful person.

Most people get that. But sometimes you find yourself in a situation where the guilt factor is really high, or someone plays on a relationship or a perceived obligation, and it’s hard to escape without seeming rude. Then, I tell them I’ll read it, but if I can put it down after ten pages, I will. They always go for that, because nobody ever believes you can put their script down once you start.

But hell, this was a two page synopsis, and there was no time to go into either song or dance, and it was just easier to take it. How long can two pages take?

Weeks, is the answer.

And this is why I will not read your fucking script.

It rarely takes more than a page to recognize that you’re in the presence of someone who can write, but it only takes a sentence to know you’re dealing with someone who can’t.

(By the way, here’s a simple way to find out if you’re a writer. If you disagree with that statement, you’re not a writer. Because, you see, writers are also readers.)

You may want to allow for the fact that this fellow had never written a synopsis before, but that doesn’t excuse the inability to form a decent sentence, or an utter lack of facility with language and structure. The story described was clearly of great importance to him, but he had done nothing to convey its specifics to an impartial reader. What I was handed was, essentially, a barely coherent list of events, some connected, some not so much. Characters wander around aimlessly, do things for no reason, vanish, reappear, get arrested for unnamed crimes, and make wild, life-altering decisions for no reason. Half a paragraph is devoted to describing the smell and texture of a piece of food, but the climactic central event of the film is glossed over in a sentence. The death of the hero is not even mentioned. One sentence describes a scene he’s in, the next describes people showing up at his funeral. I could go on, but I won’t. This is the sort of thing that would earn you a D minus in any Freshman Comp class.

Which brings us to an ugly truth about many aspiring screenwriters: They think that screenwriting doesn’t actually require the ability to write, just the ability to come up with a cool story that would make a cool movie. Screenwriting is widely regarded as the easiest way to break into the movie business, because it doesn’t require any kind of training, skill or equipment. Everybody can write, right? And because they believe that, they don’t regard working screenwriters with any kind of real respect. They will hand you a piece of inept writing without a second thought, because you do not have to be a writer to be a screenwriter.

So. I read the thing. And it hurt, man. It really hurt. I was dying to find something positive to say, and there was nothing. And the truth is, saying something positive about this thing would be the nastiest, meanest and most dishonest thing I could do. Because here’s the thing: not only is it cruel to encourage the hopeless, but you cannot discourage a writer. If someone can talk you out of being a writer, you’re not a writer. If I can talk you out of being a writer, I’ve done you a favor, because now you’ll be free to pursue your real talent, whatever that may be. And, for the record, everybody has one. The lucky ones figure out what that is. The unlucky ones keep on writing shitty screenplays and asking me to read them.

To make matters worse, this guy (and his girlfriend) had begged me to be honest with him. He was frustrated by the responses he’d gotten from friends, because he felt they were going easy on him, and he wanted real criticism. They never do, of course. What they want is a few tough notes to give the illusion of honesty, and then some pats on the head. What they want–always–is encouragement, even when they shouldn’t get any. Do you have any idea how hard it is to tell someone that they’ve spent a year wasting their time? Do you know how much blood and sweat goes into that criticism? Because you want to tell the truth, but you want to make absolutely certain that it comes across honestly and without cruelty. I did more rewrites on that fucking e-mail than I did on my last three studio projects.

My first draft was ridiculous. I started with specific notes, and after a while, found I’d written three pages on the first two paragraphs. That wasn’t the right approach. So I tossed it, and by the time I was done, I’d come up with something that was relatively brief, to the point, and considerate as hell. The main point I made was that he’d fallen prey to a fallacy that nails a lot of first timers. He was way more interested in telling his one story than in being a writer. It was like buying all the parts to a car and starting to build it before learning the basics of auto mechanics. You’ll learn a lot along the way, I said, but you’ll never have a car that runs.

(I should mention that while I was composing my response, he pulled the ultimate amateur move, and sent me an e-mail saying, "If you haven’t read it yet, don’t! I have a new draft. Read this!" In other words, "The draft I told you was ready for professional input, wasn’t actually.")

I advised him that if all he was interested in was this story, he should find a writer and work with him; or, if he really wanted to be a writer, start at the beginning and take some classes, and start studying seriously.

And you know what? I shouldn’t have bothered. Because for all the hair I pulled out, for all the weight and seriousness I gave his request for a real, professional critique, his response was a terse "Thanks for your opinion." And, the inevitable fallout–a week later a mutual friend asked me, "What’s this dick move I hear you pulled on Whatsisname?" So now this guy and his girlfriend think I’m an asshole, and the truth of the matter is, the story really ended the moment he handed me the goddamn synopsis. Because if I’d just said "No" then and there, they’d still think I’m an asshole. Only difference is, I wouldn’t have had to spend all that time trying to communicate thoughtfully and honestly with someone who just wanted a pat on the head, and, more importantly, I wouldn’t have had to read that godawful piece of shit.

You are not owed a read from a professional, even if you think you have an in, and even if you think it’s not a huge imposition. It’s not your choice to make. This needs to be clear–when you ask a professional for their take on your material, you’re not just asking them to take an hour or two out of their life, you’re asking them to give you–gratis–the acquired knowledge, insight, and skill of years of work. It is no different than asking your friend the house painter to paint your living room during his off hours.

There’s a great story about Pablo Picasso. Some guy told Picasso he’d pay him to draw a picture on a napkin. Picasso whipped out a pen and banged out a sketch, handed it to the guy, and said, "One million dollars, please."

"A million dollars?" the guy exclaimed. "That only took you thirty seconds!"

"Yes," said Picasso. "But it took me fifty years to learn how to draw that in thirty seconds."

Like the cad who asks the professional for a free read, the guy simply didn’t have enough respect for the artist to think about what he was asking for. If you think it’s only about the time, then ask one of your non-writer friends to read it. Hell, they might even enjoy your script. They might look upon you with a newfound respect. It could even come to pass that they call up a friend in the movie business and help you sell it, and soon, all your dreams will come true. But me?

I will not read your fucking script.

#I will not read your fucking script #screenwriting #writing for film #filmmaking #film-making #film making screenwriting, writing for film, filmmaking, film-making, I will not read your fucking script by Josh Olson

#I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script #Josh Olson #screenwriting #writing

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gossipnetwork-blog · 6 years

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How Scooters Are Becoming Millennials' Extreme Sport of Choice

New Post has been published on http://gossip.network/how-scooters-are-becoming-millennials-extreme-sport-of-choice/

How Scooters Are Becoming Millennials' Extreme Sport of Choice

Pedestrians on the sidewalks of downtown Chicago hold up cellphone cameras, drivers honk in frustration and the police don’t quite know what to do. It’s not every day that 300 young scooter riders flood the streets, ignoring red lights and turning a loading dock into a temporary stadium – to the dismay of at least one exasperated business owner.

It’s called a street jam, where riders flock from all over the world to shred a city, performing tricks and causing the same type of mayhem more usually associated with skateboarders. For those who grew up during the Razor-scooter boom in the early aughts, it’s hard to see a scooter as much more than a fad, let alone a symbol of rebellion, but that stereotype doesn’t exist for the younger generation. Eighteen years after the release of the first Razor, scooters have come of age, spawning a uniquely millennial subculture with the same disruptive spirit as skateboarding – minus the steep learning curve. And according to many scooter riders, it’s actually overtaking skateboarding in popularity.

“I’ve seen less and less skateboarders over the years,” says Devin Szydlowski, a 17-year-old semi-pro rider who traveled from San Luis Obispo, California, to take part in the Chicago Jam in August, one of the largest in the U.S. “It depends on the [skate] park, but we have the majority. There’s more scooter riders than skateboarders. We’re targeting younger kids, whereas skateboarding is targeting older kids.” A study on Statista.com by the Outdoor Foundation backs up his observation: The number of skateboarders in the U.S. decreased from 10.1 million to 6.4 million between 2006 and 2016, with an even more dramatic drop among skaters age six to 17.

“It’s huge in other countries,” says Logan Fuller, a 25-year-old whose baggy, torn jeans and mischievous eyes look straight out of a Nineties issue of Thrasher magazine. He’s one of the best known scooter riders at the jam and is capable of grinding down a 22-stair handrail. Fuller is based in Maryland but basically lives on the road, traveling from jam to jam, supported by sponsorships and contest winnings. “I just went to Russia and France for street jams, they’re crazy. There’s, like, a thousand people,” he says.

Starting at Grant Park Skate Park, the riders at the Chicago Jam – most of whom look under 18 – critical-mass through downtown, stopping along the way to grind down rails and spin scooters around their heads like helicopters. As with skateboarding, the chance of landing a trick is relatively low and the probability of racking yourself on a rail dangerously high.

The event is totally rogue, with no permits and no Internet trail outside social media. Historically, it was organized by a prominent scooter manufacturer, but this year it grew too large for a business to carry the legal liability should (or when) the cops arrive. It’s so loosely planned that there’s not even a route map; organizers simply direct the mob using a megaphone.

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The best tricks win prize money, crucial since many of the top street scooter riders backpack across the country for months at a time. But what’s more important than money is the opportunity to put faces to Instagram names. After the jam, kids gather in a warehouse to watch the premiere of a scooter film, buy scooter art prints and mosh to a performance by Atlanta rapper KZ, whose Instagram features as many photos of him on a scooter as in the studio. There’s a rebellious spirit to the gathering, and half the young riders seem like the type to sneak cigarettes between classes – but good luck asking any of them for a lighter. After all, this is the vaping generation.

Skateboarding’s roots lie in 1960s surf culture, but push scooters originated as much more of a kids’ toy. The image started to change when Razor launched its insanely popular “Pro” model in 2000. The founder owned a toy company and saw that scooters had become trendy as transportation for Japanese businessmen in Tokyo, thus the brand’s initial retail partner: The Sharper Image (sticker price: $149). They sold at a pace of one million units per month for the first six months.

Razor soon realized that scooters could become a new action sport and began to invest in building a community. In 2001, they offered a $1,000 prize for the first person to land a backflip and created the first touring team of riders.

“We started putting on competitions locally and then a national tour,” says Ali Kermani, a skateboarder who helped Razor cultivate its extreme-sports program. “We’d go all over the place to skate parks that had strong scooter scenes, like the Incline Club in New Jersey and Skate Barn West in Washington [State]. Then the first street jams started happening in New York.”

Even though the sport isn’t recognized by the X-Games and no Tony Hawk figure has propelled it to the mainstream, athletes are innovating at an unprecedented pace. The most groundbreaking trick in skateboarding history is likely Hawk’s 900 at the 1999 X-Games, the result of nearly 50 years of skating progression. Scooter rider KC Corning landed one in 2004, showing how quickly the sport is evolving.

“Scootering is the first sport that developed through the Internet, so we were able to build a whole industry in just a few years,” says Andrew Broussard, considered by many to be the godfather of scootering. He landed his first tailwhip on July 4th, 2001, and became hooked. While still in high school, he launched Scooter Resource, a message board that for the next decade would be the website of record for the community. Broussard also began hacking together custom scooters capable of taking more abuse, a business originally branded Scooter Resource in 2006, before being renamed Proto Scooters in 2008. The company doubled its revenue for six years straight, its growth only slowing once a rush of other companies entered the market.

A rift exists between “park” and “street” brands, with street riders preferring upstart, rider-owned companies like Proto and TSI to corporate operations like Fuzion (available at Walmart). Scooters are modular, which has created a marketplace for component-specific companies like River Wheel Co. and Tilt, which produces nearly indestructible wheels, decks, forks and even the clamps that connect the parts. Scooter riders (or often their parents) drop up to $700 on pro-level rides, a sharp contrast to the costs of earlier models.

One scooter rider grinds down a rail in Grant Park, Chicago.

The lexicon of tricks grew and was cataloged on Scooter Resource with specific credits for the pioneers behind each move. Because a scooter has handlebars like a BMX bike and a deck like a skateboard, it’s a hybrid capable of incorporating tricks from each with a much quicker learning curve, which is undoubtedly part of why it appeals to a younger crowd.

“When you first start out skating, you can’t just ollie right away, you have to practice for six months,” says Szydlowski. “On a scooter, a bunny hop takes, like, a day to learn. Or an hour.”

Today’s riders mainly find inspiration on YouTube. It’s resulted in underground scooter celebrities like the Funk Bros – Corey and Capron Funk – who are far from household names but boast 3.5 million subscribers. Scooters still play a part in their videos, but they’re now known mainly as Jackass-style pranksters (who can land triple front flips). Ryan Williams, a well-known rider of both scooters and BMX bikes, has 950,000 Instagram followers. But despite these riders’ huge followings, their popularity leaves little trace outside social media.

The rest of the community is the same; nearly everything happens on Instagram or Facebook. According to Tommy Daddono, one of the organizers of the Chicago Jam and a founder of scooter manufacturer Outset Select, his event is one of the most popular street jams in the world, but it was un-Googleable until a week after the dust had cleared.

Since pro-level scooters are so costly, many of the kids come from affluent backgrounds. Despite this, the scene feels decidedly DIY. Riders dress with a mix of grungy skater gear and a touch of Internet irony. One middle-school rider in Chicago wore a black cap with small text reading “Link in Bio.” Just like skateboarders, shredded jeans and dirty Vans are the style, but unfortunately for the burgeoning scene, it takes more than just streetwear to convince skateboarders who came of age during Razor’s initial boom that scooters are cool. Landing a backflip at a skatepark definitely turns heads, but a combination of entitlement and inexperience has made most scooter riders a bane to skateboarders, inline skaters and BMX riders.

“There’s a stigma because of all the little kids,” says Daddono. “Every skateboarder will tell you that [scooterers] don’t look where they’re going, they’ll ride in front of you. They don’t have the etiquette yet.” Many simply never learn, which Broussard credits to a lack of guidance from older kids. “Skaters will complain about it, but they’ll never go up to scooter riders and explain why what they’re doing is dangerous or bad park etiquette,” says Broussard. “But if it’s a young skateboarder, they’ll give them pointers and help them out. It’s a hypocritical attitude.”

Pioneering riders like Daddono, 24, and Broussard, 31, turned to scooting because they felt skateboarding’s street credibility died with its commercial boom. Buying a board at the mall wasn’t rebellious. Instead, early scooter riders dug through garage sales for dollar scooters, took them to skate parks and rode them until they were literally destroyed – typically about an hour.

“Skateboarding used to be anti-establishment, but now if you wear skate clothing, you’re trendy,” says Broussard. “Scooters started [out] punk-rock. The older generation couldn’t afford skateboards or BMX bikes, but we could dumpster-dive for scooters.”

“Every skatepark I’ve been in, there’s always a skateboarder with a chip on their shoulder and are super mad,” says Szydlowski. “Skateboarders are trying to make themselves feel better, because they know that their sport is dying in a sense.”

Although events like the Chicago Jam appeal to a younger audience, it’s the relatively older kids who play the starring roles. Mike Hohmann, a 22-year-old with frayed Kurt Vile hair, is a good bet to win prize money at any jam. He’s based in Florida but has spent the past six months couchsurfing between events across the country. In May, he won several hundred dollars for grinding a 30-foot rail called the Green Monster in Austin and had a similar payday in Chicago for landing a backside 360 bar twist down a dozen steps at Grant Park. Once Hohmann’s cash runs dry, he’ll return to Florida to work a pair of minimum-wage jobs to save for his next trip.

“It’s the community I love. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you are, everyone’s a brother here,” says Hohmann.

Scant documentation of the community has emerged outside social media, but the scene does have historians. One is Dylan Kasson, a professional rider for Proto who has photographed scooting for a decade and hosts a popular podcast, Tandem. He’s produced several photo books and is compiling a larger survey of the sport that he hopes to publish under the title The Scene.

“Scootering is so new that it’s still in that stage where there’s a lot of untapped potential,” says Kasson. “Videos are the most important thing. That’s how people realize new tricks are possible.”

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As documentation of the sport grows, so does the industry around it. As with skateboarding, apparel companies like Sky High have formed to serve the subculture. The 11th annual Scooter Con in San Diego boasted 1,500 attendees, and in October, Vault Scooters hosted the first-ever invitational competition, called Sovereign of Street, which had a prize pool of $11,000. Scooters are also a big part of Nitro Circus, an internationally touring stadium event with an emphasis on daredevil mega-ramps (it’s where Capron Funk landed that triple front flip).

Even though it’s still a fresh industry, it might already be getting too mainstream for Broussard, who fears the popularity could ruin the rebellious character, just like with skateboarding.”The founding generation of scooter riders is drastically different than the current generation,” he says. “We rode because after the Razor boom, it was not trendy. We were experimental. Now, some kids spend more time accessorizing their scooters than riding them.”

Rebelliousness was certainly on display in Chicago, however. It’s hard to call a mob of 300 kids riding into oncoming one-way traffic anything but daring. They were not only endangering their own bodies by running red lights and hurling themselves down stairs, but also destroying public and private property. The Most Disorderly Conduct Award went to a teenager who climbed to the top of a 20-foot wall overlooking a loading dock, then launched himself off it with a sinister grin, landing on the roof of a parked van and nearly causing the roof to cave in.

“Just like with every sport, there’s the rebellious scootering, where it’s just haywire, no one gives a crap and they just do illegal things,” says Szydlowski.

Even so, not even the police seemed convinced this was a group to be concerned about. The only real legal altercation happened at a 10-foot ledge overlooking a busy street. Riders filed into the road to block off cars and, surprisingly, the first officer on the scene graciously looked the other way. He just seemed shocked that these kids would attempt something so stupid and asked that no one hurt themselves, a luxury that would’ve never been afforded to skateboarders. After about 10 minutes and a few very dangerous tricks, another cop arrived and quickly broke up the scene. The organizers thanked the officers over the megaphone and the scooter riders erupted in applause, but not before a mumbled chorus of younger voices could be overheard saying, “Fuck the police!”

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bestnewsmag-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on Bestnewsmag

New Post has been published on https://bestnewsmag.com/the-godfather-director-talks-net-neutrality-says-internet-companies-favour-business-over-art/

'The Godfather' director talks net neutrality, says Internet companies favour business over art

Francis Ford Coppola, director of conventional movies such as The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, has despatched a letter to the pinnacle US telecommunications regulator to induce support for “internet neutrality,” which prevents net corporations from blockading, throttling or giving “fast lanes” to precise websites.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, named by way of President Donald Trump in January, has said that he plans to scrap a 2015 internet conduct general aimed at preventing broadband carriers from favoring their content material over others.

In the letter released late on Sunday by way of advocacy institution Public Knowledge, the Oscar-prevailing filmmaker stated the net changed into designed so it might no longer be ruled with the aid of large corporations.

“Trusting the leadership of big agencies with America’s creative history is an essential mistake, and might already be visible in the ‘monotony’ of contemporary major studio cinema,” Coppola wrote.

“The adjustments you are making at the FCC will best make the fragile balance among artist and businessman greater not possible to preserve. I guarantee you that none of the movies that I or my contemporaries are recognized and celebrated for ought to exist these days in this type of weather,” he wrote in the short letter.

Big net businesses like Facebook Inc, Alphabet Inc, and others back internet neutrality guidelines, announcing they guarantee identical get admission to the net.

Internet provider carriers, together with AT&T Inc, Verizon Communications Inc, and Comcast Corp, oppose net neutrality policies, saying they made it harder to control net traffic and discouraged investment in improving access.

Ten (10) Business Lessons From The Godfather

Francis Ford Coppola’s popular films The Godfather Parts I and II aired on AMC on Thanksgiving Day. The films are based totally on Mario Puzo’s novel titled The Godfather. I actually have watched it endless instances. But, this time I took notes. The Godfather, Vito Corleone changed into a mobster. But, he changed into also a clever businessman. He owned Genco Imports and trucked items from New York to destinations consisting of Havana, Canada, and Nevada.

Here are a number of the business classes I gleaned from the film:

1. Build Relationships

When a fellow desired a choose from the Godfather, his reaction became: “I can’t don’t forget the closing time you invited me over for coffee…You in no way wanted my friendship…Now you come back to me for justice.” Putting the crook detail apart, what I found out from this is the significance of staying in touch, developing friendships, sharing and giving “before” you need a favor. Folks assist those who they prefer, know, and trust. Folks buy the ones they prefer, realize, and trust.

2. Stay Flexible

The Godfather went as far as saying, as friends, your enemies emerge as our enemies and you become feared. Well, in the enterprise, the enemies might be perceived as competition. Your buddies permit you to position yourself where your opposition fears you. However, these days with increasing collaboration, we may be competitors in the future and companions the subsequent.

This passed off to the Godfather in another scene while he needed to maintain the peace and had to partner with a rival. So, the lesson right here is to live flexible.

3. Make all inquiries internet director Godfather.

Before the Godfather met together with his rival, he instructed his son Michael: “I want all inquiries made.” We call that collecting intelligence. It is first-rate to group with channel partners which might be for your enterprise but provide unique products and services. So, whilst you decide to crew with a competitor, it is satisfactory to make inquiries and gather as lots information as feasible approximately your competition.

4. Make them a proposal they can not refuse

When the Godfather’s godson asked for assist with getting a movie studio to agree to offer him an element within the film, the Godfather advised him he might assist. When the Godfather said he might assist, the godson asked how. The Godfather said he was going to make them a suggestion they couldn’t refuse.

Again, setting the crook detail aside, whilst negotiating deals, you ought to make them a proposal they cannot refuse. Don’t waste it slow or the other birthday celebration’s time.

I finished law college lower back in 1994. I invested in books on negotiating. One that I preserve on my shelf is Tim Hindle’s Negotiating Skills. Tim advised to put forth your suggestion with as little emotion as viable. Another e-book that I have stored over the years is Neil Sister’s 10 Minute Guide to Negotiating. Neil advised that “it’s miles to your advantage to give a higher authority from that you need to are seeking for approval in finalizing the negotiation.”

The Godfather despatched his pseudo-adopted son, the conciliator out to California to address negotiations. As Tim Hindle cautioned, this man became cool, calm, and accrued. He changed into fluent and assured. He by no means lost his temper. He was always complimentary and well mannered. The conciliator extensively utilized the Neil Shister tactic of providing a better authority. He later revealed that it turned into the Godfather

The conciliator changed into organized to percentage the “what’s in it for them”. The Godfather’s conciliator instructed the film govt that they could cope with the unions for him and help him in other ways.

I teach authorities contracting for Georgia Tech’s Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) and we educate enterprise proprietors to attention on constructing relationships and assisting the patron and the sale will observe. The key is to satisfy with the chance head to head and to be prepared with a proposition of what is in it for them.

Five. You can do something positive about it

When the godson informed the Godfather about the film deal, the godson was disillusioned and stated that he couldn’t do whatever to exchange the studio government’s mind. The Godfather informed the godson that he may want to indeed do something positive about it. To accomplish that become to be a person.

This jogged my memory of a chum of mine who’s an exceedingly bad, naysayer. I can not stand it. I recognize I can’t exchange him. I can only manage my reaction to it. At some factor, I can also want to distance myself from the negativity. But, this guy continually says, “no, it can not be finished…Nothing can be accomplished about it.” Like the Godfather, I agree with wherein there may be a will, there’s a way. Go around, over, or beneath boundaries.

6. Never inform all and sundry outside the family what you are wondering

I love this. Whether you figure in a government agency, enterprise, or have your own enterprise, there wishes to be loyalty. The paintings teams function first-class when they feature as an own family unit. The management’s strategic thoughts want to live internal to the family. Communication outdoor the family desires to be managed.

7. Tell them what you want

I won twelve months of unfastened business education in 2008 once I won a Sam Walton Emerging Entrepreneur Award. One of the classes I became taught become to get within the dependency of announcing “I want” this and that once I want to get something accomplished and want to give others instructions. This is a wonderful leadership skill.

Well, I observed that the Godfather used this approach. Here are some examples of the Godfathers’ “I want” statements:

– “I need no acts of vengeance.” – “I want you to arrange an assembly with the five families. This battle ends now.” – “I want all inquiries made.”

As a child, I became taught to invite, “May I actually have?”. Well, in business, it is “I want”.

8. You lose your political connections, you lose 1/2 your electricity

You understand I have never been a political individual. As a baby growing up in Chicago, my mom was an propose of supporting the nearby alderman. We were desirable residents and we helped. As a town planner, I helped mayors, metropolis council, and county commissioners’ members. I never had cash to donate to campaigns. But, I even have found through the years how folks with political connections have more potent businesses than those that don’t. So, there can be some advantage to this.

9. Don’t ever take facets with all people against the circle of relatives

This lesson is much like No. 6 in that whether you figure in a central authority business enterprise, organization, or have your very own business, there wishes to be loyalty.

10. Women enterprise owners cannot be careless

I took creative liberty in this one. The Godfather honestly made the male chauvinistic assertion: “women and children may be careless – however now not men”. Well, we will naively sweep that under the rug as a sign of his time. Alternatively, we will face the fact that men that notion this manner raised guys to assume this way – and therefore, this form of thinking is probably to nonetheless exist.

I am a legal professional, civil engineer, metropolis planner, certified public supervisor, and business strategist. I have been on male ruled profession paths for almost 30 years. So, the lesson I found out from the Godfather’s assertion become that on the grounds that guys might imagine that like children, ladies can be careless – girls want to counter this stereotype. We can’t care loose and careless. This is mainly real of ladies enterprise owners. A lot has been written about how girls owned groups are much less successful than male-owned agencies. Perhaps the concept of carelessness needs to be studied. If ranges of care might be measured, should or not it’s validated that women enterprise proprietors care much less than men?

Godfather Points – Getting Godfather Favor Points The Godly Way!

Mafia Wars features special obtainable factors called “Godfather Points” which acts as every other forex that shall we you obtain several things that you can’t normally purchase with cash online. These include electricity and stamina refills, call trade privileges, more mafia contributors, and other unique objects. Some of the matters that the Godfather offers can handiest be purchased the usage of those factors.

Basic Spending Guide

If you want to be the main part, it’s miles excellent to invest your Godfather Points on talent points. Others can be getting their godfather factors as properly and they could use them for beauty things like name adjustments. Since they get the same five ability points as you do after every level up you can construct a tremendous advantage over others mainly whilst you stack up on Godfather Points. Items supplied with the aid of the Godfather both closely depend upon terrible odds or are simply too luxurious whilst compared to skill points.

Getting More Godfather Points

With some of these cool bonuses, Zynga did no longer make it extraordinarily easy to accumulate these points. You simplest get an unmarried point only for leveling up and the relaxation of the methods contain spending cash or completing gives. The quality that ordinary players can do is often take a look at out the Mafia Wars Fan Page in hopes of finding unique deals that reward factors.

The Godly Way of Obtaining Them

This is wherein things get thrilling because many players will brush matters apart due to the fact they need to play Mafia Wars the same old way wherein Godfather Points slowly construct over time. However, there are also some games that can get over 500 people to their mafia in just a count number of days without getting worried about jobs.

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letterboxd · 4 years

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2019.

축하해요 to Bong Joon-ho and the Parasite crew on taking the highest-rated spot in our 2019 Year in Review. Congratulations also to Anthony and Joe Russo and the entire Marvel team on Avengers: Endgame finishing the year as the Most Popular film.

“I find it beautiful that people would express their feelings and put their heart and their mind into cinema” —Céline Sciamma on Letterboxd reactions to Portrait of Lady on Fire.

The Letterboxd Year in Review is presented by NEON.

The 2019 Letterboxd Year in Review is out, and, as voted by you, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women are the three highest rated films of the year, while the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Endgame is the year’s most popular film. Feel free to dive in, then come back here for some insights and behind-the-scenes tid-bits:

The 2019 Letterboxd Year in Review

Pro tip: on devices with keyboards, we recommend navigating via the up/down arrow keys for the most satisfying experience.

Right out of the gate, we could tell Parasite and Portrait of a Lady on Fire were going to have an impact this year—we picked them in our top 10 Cannes premieres of 2019, but we couldn’t have predicted that Parasite would topple The Godfather’s long-standing position as the highest-rated film on Letterboxd. An epic achievement. As director Bong told us at TIFF when we revealed he was on track to have the highest rated film: “I’m so happy with that. All the cinephiles, the film geeks. Me, also the cinephile, so I’m very happy with that news. Thank you!”

Céline Sciamma was also touched by the attention that Letterboxd members have paid to Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which had a limited US release in December and gets a wider run in February. “I’m paying a lot of attention about what’s going on around the film, what is being said,” she told us. “I’m really looking at things, so I’ve seen a lot of Letterboxd”—she sees you!—“and the fact that people who were touched by the film would take the time to write about it, I think it’s something really beautiful because, especially with this film, which is about how love is an education to art—because art consoles from love or makes us greater lovers—I find it beautiful that people would express their feelings and put their heart and their mind into cinema.”

Getting to the heart of why we created Letterboxd, Sciamma concluded: “That’s the beauty of this digital era. As a young cinephile there was no internet, and I remember writing, just only for myself in little diaries about film. And so I found it really, really important.”

The two highest-rated films of the year are both distributed in the US by NEON, who we are proud to have on board as an official presenting partner for the 2019 Year in Review. NEON’s manager of acquisitions, Mason Speta, says: “The Letterboxd community is home to the most committed and passionate cinephiles, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be recognized by the people who love movies as much as we do.”

In that same Cannes piece, we highlighted just one documentary, For Sama. The heartbreaking first-hand account of life as a young mother in Aleppo has gone on to become our Highest Rated Documentary of 2019. “It really means a lot to us,” director Waad al-Kateab told us. Her co-director Edward Watts added: “To know that it’s reaching so many people is such good news. The dream was always that the film would reach so many people and they would come in contact with this incredible story, so it’s fantastic to hear that people have seen it, and that they like it!”

The Lighthouse also appeared on our Cannes list; it finishes the year as our Highest Rated Horror (read our Q&A with writer-director Robert Eggers here). Quentin Tarantino is 2019’s Most Watched Director, after thousands of you revisited his back catalog in anticipation of Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.

A global scan of the 50 Highest Rated Narrative Features favors the US, with 20 films on the list, but the remaining films come from far and wide: Korea, France, China, Brazil, India, Japan, Spain, Germany, Colombia (twice), Turkey, Sweden, Romania, Italy, Mexico, Austria, Iceland, and a couple set in the Arctic Circle and outer space.

We’re very pleased to see, in the highest rated category, that two of the top three directors are women—Céline Sciamma and Greta Gerwig. The only other time a woman has featured in the top three in our history of Years in Review was in 2017, when Gerwig’s Lady Bird took the second spot. Overall, ten women directors feature on the top 50 narrative films list, down one from 2018’s record of 11. On the other hand, ten women directors feature among the 20 highest rated documentaries, with Waad al-Kateab and Beyoncé Knowles in the first and second spots. These are the ten highest rated films by women directors in 2019, and here are the 10 most popular.

Best of the decade

Also included in this year’s review is an extensive selection of 2010s best-of-decade lists, covering narrative, non-fiction, directors, directorial debuts, action/adventure, animation, sci-fi, comedy, comic/manga adaptations, horror, romance, war, mini-series, comedy specials and underrated films of the decade.

There’s so much to explore, so that’s it for now, but the goods keep coming! Look out for interviews with the directors of For Sama and Portrait of a Lady on Fire in the next few weeks. We’d love to hear your observations in the list comments, and to know what you’re anticipating most in 2020.

A few important thank yous: to NEON for partnering with us, to Joseph Qiu for 2019’s beautiful illustration, to Jack Moulton for data deep-dives and list-keeping, and to all the filmmakers for continuing to inspire us. And to all of you: thanks for another excellent year. As Céline says, art makes us greater lovers!

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