#hamilton cast matching icons

[thewickedbohemian]

Another poll related to that animated movie musical tournament I did

so because a lot of actors from TV shows I watch ended up in my dream-castings for the various musicals I'd want to see become animated films (well, there is kinda one exception that wasn't in the tournament but it's still perfect and a movie would be a better place for the actor to play this role than a revival if they've still got a TV show airing) and animated movies are about the least time-suck an other gig an actor with a currently ongoing show could do

So other than the Avenue Q thing (honestly, if a movie metaphorically-made-today wouldn't replace the Gary Coleman character, because it's been mainly played by women how freaking perfect would she be though and no I came up with this dream-casting not even realizing the common Coleman thing) all these would be for animated movies (although ones where the character doesn't necessarily have an iconic appearance might have this version animated to slightly resemble the actor) so you don't need to worry about age/looks matching as much.

Also when coming up with the dream-castings in the first place I tried to pick actors I know could sing but even the ones whose singing talent is more of a question-mark could surprise people, this is more of a based-on-their-acting related poll

[thejacksmit]

First Take Classics: Jaws - the sharks are circling, the water's getting clearer...

SYNOPSIS: When a massive killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Long Island, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.

50 years ago last weekend Steven Spielberg unleashed the first of the true 'summer' blockbuster movies upon the world, and it is genuinely hard to think of a cinema industry that didn't have the Jaws franchise come into existence. More than just a film, this series changed the way that films go into cinemas, how they are promoted, and so much more - so while we haven't had Jaws 19 as prophecised in Back to the Future: Part II... now is as good of a time as any to look back at one of the most prolific films ever put in cinemas.

For the time it was made, Spielberg was able to do a LOT to make this film as spinechilling as he could, clocking in at 2 hours 4 minutes it is all killer, no filler, which is all the more impressive considering the well documented struggles they had filming it - to quote Richard Dreyfuss, "we started the film without a script, without a cast and without a shark". Once they found a shark (both real and mechanical), and got the script inspired by the book by Peter Benchley finished, shaped by the author himself and Carl Gottlieb, while it doesn't follow the plot beat for beat, it still has enough tension to make the ending that we do get feel properly terror inducing for those experiencing the film for the first ever time. It is shot brilliantly by Bill Butler, and of course you then have the John Williams score. So iconic, so menacing, and so recognisable that it works anywhere, even a packed Salford Community Stadium (because of course my friends over at Sale play the main theme just before they let Ben Curry and the boys loose on a home matchday). Two notes is all you need to not only make you think of the film but set the scene for anything where sharks may indeed be swimming.

When casting the film, Spielberg went with big names but not relatively well known ones at the time - and I think we can safely say that Roy Schieder, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss certainly became well known after the first screenings. They sell this film, they make it believable, and in the final act especially, they do it in a way that even in a CGI age, feels at home on a big screen (or a 3D reissue as they've done in the past). Supporting them is Louise Gary, Carl Gottlieb, Murray Hamilton, Jeffrey Kramer, and a wider cast who just understood the assignment and then some - while some elements haven't aged as well as others in a modern day cinema context, the film still holds up, it still delivers tension, suspense, fear and more, and of course, it made everyone realise that mechanical sharks called Bruce can sometimes complicate filming (making many people glad CGI exists now).

The impact Jaws had in 1975 understandably set the industry standard until Covid - the idea of the saturation release, where a distributor books every possible screen available to play the film for a fixed window with a marketing campaign to match... it's still something in place to this day. And nothing says how pioneering it was like the marketing itself - usually we have the modern day trailer on the reviews, but it's worth sticking the original teaser trailer on here too just to show off how on the ball they were back then. Imagine how audiences must've felt seeing this on-screen for the first time 50 years ago!

THE VERDICT

It's surprising that there wasn't a formal reissue here in England, because many people haven't had the chance to see it on a big screen where it belongs - but this film set off many careers, a whole franchise, and made a whole generation scared to go to the beach. Sometimes the best ideas really are the simple ones, after all, because two years later a little known movie called Alien was genuinely pitched to studios as "Jaws in space" by Ridley Scott...

RATING: 4/5

[cleverhottubmiracle]

Some watches are earned—immaculate heirlooms you spend years saving for, inherit, or blow your bonus on. The best watches for men on Amazon are not those. Which is no shade: There's a lot to like about an easily-sourced, fast-arriving watch, and the 15 brands we've honed in on below are as reliable (and reliably handsome) as any you’ll find IRL, with the added benefit of next-day shipping.With a nigh-unparalleled selection of affordable tickers from brands like Timex, G-Shock, and Citizen, to say nothing of the elite Swiss units from the likes of Hamilton and Tissot, the best watches on Amazon offer a mind-boggling variety of styles, movements, and price points.From time-honored go-tos like the Seiko 5 Sports GMT and G-Shock 6900 to deeper cuts like the Orient Bambino and Mondaine Swiss Railways watch, Maison Bezos has a timepiece for pretty much any taste and budget. A bunch of our 30 essential picks are under $100, and a few are even under $50. Hell, one Casio in particular can be yours for just $16. Add one—or three!—to your cart alongside a six-pack of white crew socks, a cast iron skillet, and a bottle of Terre D'Hermès, and you’ll never stress a naked wrist again.5 GQ-Approved Watches Available on AmazonCitizenOver the last 50 years or so, this Japanese brand has refined its design language, technology, and material palette into a collection with a uniquely sporty, modern vibe. Citizen has created some true classics over the years (like the Orca-inspired “Eco-Zilla” diver) but it’s most known for its pioneering use of titanium cases (like the one on the aviation-inspired Garrison) and the world’s most popular solar-powered movement, Eco-Drive, found in both of these watches. Pro tip: Citizen’s cases tend to be on the beefier side, but its women’s collection has plenty of enticing sub-38mm options if that’s more your scene.CitizenGarrison Super Titanium watchTimexThe first name in American watchmaking hasn’t been American-owned for a long time, but its watches are still a powerful nostalgia play when worn with boat shoes, white crewneck tees, and straight-leg jeans. These days, Timex spends equal amounts of time dredging up bangers from its deep archive of historic designs (like the perfectly mid-century, hand-wound Marlin) and creating blockbuster riffs on best selling models with designers like Todd Snyder and Jacquie Aiche. Thanks to its position at the dead center of the price/style/quality matrix, there’s room for a Timex in any respectable watch collection.TimexExpedition North Titanium watchSeikoConsider yourself warned: No other brand can match Seiko’s reputation for turning casual watch wearers into die-hard collectors. With a true sports watch design, tidy range of color variations, and solid automatic movement (meaning you’ll never have to wind it or replace the battery), the Seiko 5 GMT is one of many flex-worthy Seiko timepieces on offer under $500, and the perfect place to begin. The perennially in-demand Essentials, meanwhile, offers an angular aesthetic not unlike the iconic Cartier Tank at a tiny fraction of the cost.CasioThere’s often more performance to be found in a $50 watch than there is in a ticker that costs thousands, and no brand proves it better than Casio. This is where you go to find a sturdy, functional, and not-at-all-bad-looking diver (complete with 200m water-resistance, a screw-down crown, and rotating bezel) for as little as $50, a feat that has made the humble MDV106 the GOAT of ultra-affordable sports watches. It’s also where you’ll find cult classics like the A100WEG, which—thanks to a peak-1980s design and $60 price—has earned a similarly elevated place in the affordable watch canon.SwatchThis fun-loving Swiss brand invented the cheap-and-cheerful watch category long before anyone had heard of a MoonSwatch, and has been going strong ever since. Nowadays, early 1980s classics like the delightfully postmodern Clearly Gent (a.k.a. the “Jellyfish”) maintain their spot in Swatch’s wide-ranging collection alongside newer additions paying homage to cultural heavyweights including Matisse, Basquiat, the Simpsons, and Charlie Brown.Marathon41mm Pilot's Navigator with Date WatchMarathon34mm General Purpose Mechanical WatchBulovaYou won’t get far in Amazon’s watch selection without encountering this erstwhile American brand, whose best 21st-century wares—like the Devil Diver, so-nicknamed by fans for its 666 feet of water resistance—capture vibes of the swinging 1960s and 1970s. Go a little further down the Bulova rabbit hole, though, and you’ll discover the brand’s longstanding connection to NASA, and the many timekeeping instruments it supplied to the agency over the years. The most famous of these is the Lunar Pilot, a modern recreation of a chronograph famously worn on the moon by Apollo 15 Commander David Scott.BulovaOceanographer "Devil Diver" watchTissotIf you’re familiar with this Amazon mainstay, it likely came to your attention via the PRX, Tissot’s best-selling 1970s re-release. Despite the PRX’s unbeatable combo of collector-approved styling and Swiss-made quality, it’s not the only banger in the Tissot stable and one of many worthy models up for grabs on the ‘Zon. Amid Tissot’s diverse offering of refined-yet-affordable office watches, vintage-style chronographs and NBA collabs you’ll also find the Classic Dream, a sleek and office-ready ticker with a very grown-up Roman numeral dial.TissotClassic Dream watchVaerOne of the best additions to the American indie watch scene (and Amazon’s expansive watch marketplace) in recent years, Vaer combines the styling of classic 20th-century tool watches with high-end specs and a wide range of case sizes and strap options. There’s much more to this brand than what you’ll find here, but the selections in their Amazon store (namely the WWII-inspired field watch and solar-powered diver, both featuring ocean-ready screw-down crowns and available in small and mid-sized cases) are textbook examples of what Vaer does best.VaerStandard Issue Calendar Field watchMomentumYou may know this Vancouver-based brand as the makers of the Sea Quartz 30 (aka the watch Magnum PI wore before he got a Rolex) and the ana-digi ticker worn by one John Rambo, but you won’t find either of those particular bangers on offer at the House of Bezos. Fortunately, there’s a lot more in Momentum’s catalog than those retro bangers, namely tight selection of field watches, diver’s watches, and similarly rough-and-ready styles. Whether its the jumbo numerals on the Atlas Eclipse, or the blacked-out case of the Smokejumper, it’s not hard to see how Momentum watches earned a spot on some of the ruggedest wrists of the ‘80s.MomentumAtlas Eclipse Solar watchMomentumSmokejumper Eclipse Solar watchBertucciIf you want a watch with Bluetooth connectivity or one that’ll look right with your best navy three-roll-two, Bertucci isn’t the best place to find it. When it comes to field watches, however (the ultra-legible, ultra-tough, no-nonsense style inspired by the tickers issued to infantry in the field since WWII) Bertucci is that rare example of a brand that does one thing and does it exceedingly well. While most every Bertucci watch shares a similar look—big lugs, crown offset at four o’clock, nylon strap—their catalog encompasses a surprisingly wide variety of case materials, movements, colors, and specs. Fortunately, any of ‘em will add a dash of tactical swagger to your off-duty wardrobe.BertucciA-2T Original Titanium watchMondaineMost examples of peak mid century modern design—your Dieter Rams 606 Universal Shelving Systems, your Hans Wegner teak chairs—come with a price befitting their status as museum-worthy objets. Not so the Mondaine Swiss Railways watch, a faithful (and, more importantly, affordable) tribute to the clocks designed for the Swiss National Railway (SBB) by engineer-turned-designer Hans Hilfiker in 1947. Like the best examples of mid century design, Mondaine’s tickers are both highly functional and little bit fun, with highly legible black and white dials and bright red seconds hands inspired by the railway’s trackside signals.Mondaine41mm Swiss Railways watchAmazon Watch Shopping for BeginnersThere are few online retailers who can match Amazon’s selection or prices, but getting the most out of shopping for a watch here requires a bit of savvy. If you’re buying a $20 Casio or Armitron, the stakes—along with the odds of receiving a fake—are pretty low. Once you start getting into more expensive models and brands, however, the safest bet is to buy from Amazon (or a watch brand’s Amazon store) directly whenever possible.If not, a quick peruse of the retailer’s seller profile and a look at their ratings will give you a sense of who you’re dealing with. Whoever you buy from, always make sure you’re covered by a no-questions return policy and make note of how much time you have to change your mind. And, as with any watch purchase, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Source link

[norajworld]

Some watches are earned—immaculate heirlooms you spend years saving for, inherit, or blow your bonus on. The best watches for men on Amazon are not those. Which is no shade: There's a lot to like about an easily-sourced, fast-arriving watch, and the 15 brands we've honed in on below are as reliable (and reliably handsome) as any you’ll find IRL, with the added benefit of next-day shipping.With a nigh-unparalleled selection of affordable tickers from brands like Timex, G-Shock, and Citizen, to say nothing of the elite Swiss units from the likes of Hamilton and Tissot, the best watches on Amazon offer a mind-boggling variety of styles, movements, and price points.From time-honored go-tos like the Seiko 5 Sports GMT and G-Shock 6900 to deeper cuts like the Orient Bambino and Mondaine Swiss Railways watch, Maison Bezos has a timepiece for pretty much any taste and budget. A bunch of our 30 essential picks are under $100, and a few are even under $50. Hell, one Casio in particular can be yours for just $16. Add one—or three!—to your cart alongside a six-pack of white crew socks, a cast iron skillet, and a bottle of Terre D'Hermès, and you’ll never stress a naked wrist again.5 GQ-Approved Watches Available on AmazonCitizenOver the last 50 years or so, this Japanese brand has refined its design language, technology, and material palette into a collection with a uniquely sporty, modern vibe. Citizen has created some true classics over the years (like the Orca-inspired “Eco-Zilla” diver) but it’s most known for its pioneering use of titanium cases (like the one on the aviation-inspired Garrison) and the world’s most popular solar-powered movement, Eco-Drive, found in both of these watches. Pro tip: Citizen’s cases tend to be on the beefier side, but its women’s collection has plenty of enticing sub-38mm options if that’s more your scene.CitizenGarrison Super Titanium watchTimexThe first name in American watchmaking hasn’t been American-owned for a long time, but its watches are still a powerful nostalgia play when worn with boat shoes, white crewneck tees, and straight-leg jeans. These days, Timex spends equal amounts of time dredging up bangers from its deep archive of historic designs (like the perfectly mid-century, hand-wound Marlin) and creating blockbuster riffs on best selling models with designers like Todd Snyder and Jacquie Aiche. Thanks to its position at the dead center of the price/style/quality matrix, there’s room for a Timex in any respectable watch collection.TimexExpedition North Titanium watchSeikoConsider yourself warned: No other brand can match Seiko’s reputation for turning casual watch wearers into die-hard collectors. With a true sports watch design, tidy range of color variations, and solid automatic movement (meaning you’ll never have to wind it or replace the battery), the Seiko 5 GMT is one of many flex-worthy Seiko timepieces on offer under $500, and the perfect place to begin. The perennially in-demand Essentials, meanwhile, offers an angular aesthetic not unlike the iconic Cartier Tank at a tiny fraction of the cost.CasioThere’s often more performance to be found in a $50 watch than there is in a ticker that costs thousands, and no brand proves it better than Casio. This is where you go to find a sturdy, functional, and not-at-all-bad-looking diver (complete with 200m water-resistance, a screw-down crown, and rotating bezel) for as little as $50, a feat that has made the humble MDV106 the GOAT of ultra-affordable sports watches. It’s also where you’ll find cult classics like the A100WEG, which—thanks to a peak-1980s design and $60 price—has earned a similarly elevated place in the affordable watch canon.SwatchThis fun-loving Swiss brand invented the cheap-and-cheerful watch category long before anyone had heard of a MoonSwatch, and has been going strong ever since. Nowadays, early 1980s classics like the delightfully postmodern Clearly Gent (a.k.a. the “Jellyfish”) maintain their spot in Swatch’s wide-ranging collection alongside newer additions paying homage to cultural heavyweights including Matisse, Basquiat, the Simpsons, and Charlie Brown.Marathon41mm Pilot's Navigator with Date WatchMarathon34mm General Purpose Mechanical WatchBulovaYou won’t get far in Amazon’s watch selection without encountering this erstwhile American brand, whose best 21st-century wares—like the Devil Diver, so-nicknamed by fans for its 666 feet of water resistance—capture vibes of the swinging 1960s and 1970s. Go a little further down the Bulova rabbit hole, though, and you’ll discover the brand’s longstanding connection to NASA, and the many timekeeping instruments it supplied to the agency over the years. The most famous of these is the Lunar Pilot, a modern recreation of a chronograph famously worn on the moon by Apollo 15 Commander David Scott.BulovaOceanographer "Devil Diver" watchTissotIf you’re familiar with this Amazon mainstay, it likely came to your attention via the PRX, Tissot’s best-selling 1970s re-release. Despite the PRX’s unbeatable combo of collector-approved styling and Swiss-made quality, it’s not the only banger in the Tissot stable and one of many worthy models up for grabs on the ‘Zon. Amid Tissot’s diverse offering of refined-yet-affordable office watches, vintage-style chronographs and NBA collabs you’ll also find the Classic Dream, a sleek and office-ready ticker with a very grown-up Roman numeral dial.TissotClassic Dream watchVaerOne of the best additions to the American indie watch scene (and Amazon’s expansive watch marketplace) in recent years, Vaer combines the styling of classic 20th-century tool watches with high-end specs and a wide range of case sizes and strap options. There’s much more to this brand than what you’ll find here, but the selections in their Amazon store (namely the WWII-inspired field watch and solar-powered diver, both featuring ocean-ready screw-down crowns and available in small and mid-sized cases) are textbook examples of what Vaer does best.VaerStandard Issue Calendar Field watchMomentumYou may know this Vancouver-based brand as the makers of the Sea Quartz 30 (aka the watch Magnum PI wore before he got a Rolex) and the ana-digi ticker worn by one John Rambo, but you won’t find either of those particular bangers on offer at the House of Bezos. Fortunately, there’s a lot more in Momentum’s catalog than those retro bangers, namely tight selection of field watches, diver’s watches, and similarly rough-and-ready styles. Whether its the jumbo numerals on the Atlas Eclipse, or the blacked-out case of the Smokejumper, it’s not hard to see how Momentum watches earned a spot on some of the ruggedest wrists of the ‘80s.MomentumAtlas Eclipse Solar watchMomentumSmokejumper Eclipse Solar watchBertucciIf you want a watch with Bluetooth connectivity or one that’ll look right with your best navy three-roll-two, Bertucci isn’t the best place to find it. When it comes to field watches, however (the ultra-legible, ultra-tough, no-nonsense style inspired by the tickers issued to infantry in the field since WWII) Bertucci is that rare example of a brand that does one thing and does it exceedingly well. While most every Bertucci watch shares a similar look—big lugs, crown offset at four o’clock, nylon strap—their catalog encompasses a surprisingly wide variety of case materials, movements, colors, and specs. Fortunately, any of ‘em will add a dash of tactical swagger to your off-duty wardrobe.BertucciA-2T Original Titanium watchMondaineMost examples of peak mid century modern design—your Dieter Rams 606 Universal Shelving Systems, your Hans Wegner teak chairs—come with a price befitting their status as museum-worthy objets. Not so the Mondaine Swiss Railways watch, a faithful (and, more importantly, affordable) tribute to the clocks designed for the Swiss National Railway (SBB) by engineer-turned-designer Hans Hilfiker in 1947. Like the best examples of mid century design, Mondaine’s tickers are both highly functional and little bit fun, with highly legible black and white dials and bright red seconds hands inspired by the railway’s trackside signals.Mondaine41mm Swiss Railways watchAmazon Watch Shopping for BeginnersThere are few online retailers who can match Amazon’s selection or prices, but getting the most out of shopping for a watch here requires a bit of savvy. If you’re buying a $20 Casio or Armitron, the stakes—along with the odds of receiving a fake—are pretty low. Once you start getting into more expensive models and brands, however, the safest bet is to buy from Amazon (or a watch brand’s Amazon store) directly whenever possible.If not, a quick peruse of the retailer’s seller profile and a look at their ratings will give you a sense of who you’re dealing with. Whoever you buy from, always make sure you’re covered by a no-questions return policy and make note of how much time you have to change your mind. And, as with any watch purchase, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Source link

[chilimili212]

Some watches are earned—immaculate heirlooms you spend years saving for, inherit, or blow your bonus on. The best watches for men on Amazon are not those. Which is no shade: There's a lot to like about an easily-sourced, fast-arriving watch, and the 15 brands we've honed in on below are as reliable (and reliably handsome) as any you’ll find IRL, with the added benefit of next-day shipping.With a nigh-unparalleled selection of affordable tickers from brands like Timex, G-Shock, and Citizen, to say nothing of the elite Swiss units from the likes of Hamilton and Tissot, the best watches on Amazon offer a mind-boggling variety of styles, movements, and price points.From time-honored go-tos like the Seiko 5 Sports GMT and G-Shock 6900 to deeper cuts like the Orient Bambino and Mondaine Swiss Railways watch, Maison Bezos has a timepiece for pretty much any taste and budget. A bunch of our 30 essential picks are under $100, and a few are even under $50. Hell, one Casio in particular can be yours for just $16. Add one—or three!—to your cart alongside a six-pack of white crew socks, a cast iron skillet, and a bottle of Terre D'Hermès, and you’ll never stress a naked wrist again.5 GQ-Approved Watches Available on AmazonCitizenOver the last 50 years or so, this Japanese brand has refined its design language, technology, and material palette into a collection with a uniquely sporty, modern vibe. Citizen has created some true classics over the years (like the Orca-inspired “Eco-Zilla” diver) but it’s most known for its pioneering use of titanium cases (like the one on the aviation-inspired Garrison) and the world’s most popular solar-powered movement, Eco-Drive, found in both of these watches. Pro tip: Citizen’s cases tend to be on the beefier side, but its women’s collection has plenty of enticing sub-38mm options if that’s more your scene.CitizenGarrison Super Titanium watchTimexThe first name in American watchmaking hasn’t been American-owned for a long time, but its watches are still a powerful nostalgia play when worn with boat shoes, white crewneck tees, and straight-leg jeans. These days, Timex spends equal amounts of time dredging up bangers from its deep archive of historic designs (like the perfectly mid-century, hand-wound Marlin) and creating blockbuster riffs on best selling models with designers like Todd Snyder and Jacquie Aiche. Thanks to its position at the dead center of the price/style/quality matrix, there’s room for a Timex in any respectable watch collection.TimexExpedition North Titanium watchSeikoConsider yourself warned: No other brand can match Seiko’s reputation for turning casual watch wearers into die-hard collectors. With a true sports watch design, tidy range of color variations, and solid automatic movement (meaning you’ll never have to wind it or replace the battery), the Seiko 5 GMT is one of many flex-worthy Seiko timepieces on offer under $500, and the perfect place to begin. The perennially in-demand Essentials, meanwhile, offers an angular aesthetic not unlike the iconic Cartier Tank at a tiny fraction of the cost.CasioThere’s often more performance to be found in a $50 watch than there is in a ticker that costs thousands, and no brand proves it better than Casio. This is where you go to find a sturdy, functional, and not-at-all-bad-looking diver (complete with 200m water-resistance, a screw-down crown, and rotating bezel) for as little as $50, a feat that has made the humble MDV106 the GOAT of ultra-affordable sports watches. It’s also where you’ll find cult classics like the A100WEG, which—thanks to a peak-1980s design and $60 price—has earned a similarly elevated place in the affordable watch canon.SwatchThis fun-loving Swiss brand invented the cheap-and-cheerful watch category long before anyone had heard of a MoonSwatch, and has been going strong ever since. Nowadays, early 1980s classics like the delightfully postmodern Clearly Gent (a.k.a. the “Jellyfish”) maintain their spot in Swatch’s wide-ranging collection alongside newer additions paying homage to cultural heavyweights including Matisse, Basquiat, the Simpsons, and Charlie Brown.Marathon41mm Pilot's Navigator with Date WatchMarathon34mm General Purpose Mechanical WatchBulovaYou won’t get far in Amazon’s watch selection without encountering this erstwhile American brand, whose best 21st-century wares—like the Devil Diver, so-nicknamed by fans for its 666 feet of water resistance—capture vibes of the swinging 1960s and 1970s. Go a little further down the Bulova rabbit hole, though, and you’ll discover the brand’s longstanding connection to NASA, and the many timekeeping instruments it supplied to the agency over the years. The most famous of these is the Lunar Pilot, a modern recreation of a chronograph famously worn on the moon by Apollo 15 Commander David Scott.BulovaOceanographer "Devil Diver" watchTissotIf you’re familiar with this Amazon mainstay, it likely came to your attention via the PRX, Tissot’s best-selling 1970s re-release. Despite the PRX’s unbeatable combo of collector-approved styling and Swiss-made quality, it’s not the only banger in the Tissot stable and one of many worthy models up for grabs on the ‘Zon. Amid Tissot’s diverse offering of refined-yet-affordable office watches, vintage-style chronographs and NBA collabs you’ll also find the Classic Dream, a sleek and office-ready ticker with a very grown-up Roman numeral dial.TissotClassic Dream watchVaerOne of the best additions to the American indie watch scene (and Amazon’s expansive watch marketplace) in recent years, Vaer combines the styling of classic 20th-century tool watches with high-end specs and a wide range of case sizes and strap options. There’s much more to this brand than what you’ll find here, but the selections in their Amazon store (namely the WWII-inspired field watch and solar-powered diver, both featuring ocean-ready screw-down crowns and available in small and mid-sized cases) are textbook examples of what Vaer does best.VaerStandard Issue Calendar Field watchMomentumYou may know this Vancouver-based brand as the makers of the Sea Quartz 30 (aka the watch Magnum PI wore before he got a Rolex) and the ana-digi ticker worn by one John Rambo, but you won’t find either of those particular bangers on offer at the House of Bezos. Fortunately, there’s a lot more in Momentum’s catalog than those retro bangers, namely tight selection of field watches, diver’s watches, and similarly rough-and-ready styles. Whether its the jumbo numerals on the Atlas Eclipse, or the blacked-out case of the Smokejumper, it’s not hard to see how Momentum watches earned a spot on some of the ruggedest wrists of the ‘80s.MomentumAtlas Eclipse Solar watchMomentumSmokejumper Eclipse Solar watchBertucciIf you want a watch with Bluetooth connectivity or one that’ll look right with your best navy three-roll-two, Bertucci isn’t the best place to find it. When it comes to field watches, however (the ultra-legible, ultra-tough, no-nonsense style inspired by the tickers issued to infantry in the field since WWII) Bertucci is that rare example of a brand that does one thing and does it exceedingly well. While most every Bertucci watch shares a similar look—big lugs, crown offset at four o’clock, nylon strap—their catalog encompasses a surprisingly wide variety of case materials, movements, colors, and specs. Fortunately, any of ‘em will add a dash of tactical swagger to your off-duty wardrobe.BertucciA-2T Original Titanium watchMondaineMost examples of peak mid century modern design—your Dieter Rams 606 Universal Shelving Systems, your Hans Wegner teak chairs—come with a price befitting their status as museum-worthy objets. Not so the Mondaine Swiss Railways watch, a faithful (and, more importantly, affordable) tribute to the clocks designed for the Swiss National Railway (SBB) by engineer-turned-designer Hans Hilfiker in 1947. Like the best examples of mid century design, Mondaine’s tickers are both highly functional and little bit fun, with highly legible black and white dials and bright red seconds hands inspired by the railway’s trackside signals.Mondaine41mm Swiss Railways watchAmazon Watch Shopping for BeginnersThere are few online retailers who can match Amazon’s selection or prices, but getting the most out of shopping for a watch here requires a bit of savvy. If you’re buying a $20 Casio or Armitron, the stakes—along with the odds of receiving a fake—are pretty low. Once you start getting into more expensive models and brands, however, the safest bet is to buy from Amazon (or a watch brand’s Amazon store) directly whenever possible.If not, a quick peruse of the retailer’s seller profile and a look at their ratings will give you a sense of who you’re dealing with. Whoever you buy from, always make sure you’re covered by a no-questions return policy and make note of how much time you have to change your mind. And, as with any watch purchase, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Source link

[tessubitvh]

𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀. [ the schuyler sisters ]

like or reblog if you use, please!

requested by; anon

[loserstuffs-blog]

please, fav/reblog if u use/save ♡

[yr-obedt-cicero]

Honest thoughts on Sean Haggerty as Hamilton? Seems like half the fandom is like "omg he's perfect! it's uncanny how much he looks like the real Hamilton!" and the other half is "omg he's so ugly! did they cast him based on Hamilton's worst paintings?!!"

I personally didn't like Hamilton even being a character in general in Turn, so I already have negative feelings towards his character. But I'll get into that another time perhaps. I haven't watched Turn in a few years, so my memory of him is rusty please bare with me here.

Appearance wise, it doesn't really match up for me. No offense to Haggerty, but I'm going to be kinda mean about his looks. His face has too much of a wide set, from many portraits I've seen of Hamilton his face was slim with a pointed chin, Haggerty's headshape is too squarish for my liking. Credit to them for giving him ginger hair, you wouldn't believe how many shows just give Hamilton brown hair for some reason, but it doesn't really look natural at all. Sure, the color is, but the curls are just weirdly uncanny or have a unnatural appeal to me and for some reason in the next season his hair was just straight. I could nitpick about his eye color and the lost opportunity for his iconic nose shape, but those are pretty small. The major thing that peeved me was his build, Hamilton was described as being short, slim, and almost sickly at times. Haggerty's build is too muscular and squarish to fit Hamilton, especially during his war days when he was young and prone to ailment. The only thing his structure gets right on the list is height I guess?

Attitude and behavior wise, pretty good. He portrays the cunning, sly, yet charming characteristics that Hamilton was renowned for. It's just my personal pet peeve that I believe Hamilton would have a bit of an accent, but barely any shows do that for Hamilton, so this isn't even really a complaint towards Haggerty specially. For the most part of his screentime and lines, which is very little, he does good at his character at least. But he really wasn't even a major person or effect in the show, so he wasn't given much room to really fail elsewhere.

But honestly, I agree. Why the hell, out of all his portraits, did they have to choose this fucking one?

Overall; I didn't like him being in the show in general, but it only made it worse when they casted a guy who barely resembles Hamilton other than his personality.

[joshs-franklin]

I SAW MEAN GIRLS LAST NIGHT

it was amazing!!! the entire cast was on in their main roles so that was a treat cause i saw Hamilton yesterday afternoon and it was a majority of understudies. they did things differently than on the cast recording and the original bootleg lmao, here were my favorite parts:

• Barrett did a hilarious dance after Grey said “no one died” in Cautionary Tale

• Cady’s part about moving to Chicago and meeting an obese person was hilarious

• skateboards and rapping and Starbucks Venti Chi was hilarious

•the scene changes between all of Cady’s first day classes was so cool to watch, all the teachers just got out of their desks and put on hats or jackets to look like teachers

• Where Do You Belong was awesome! the lunch tray choreography was something i’ve never seen done ever and it was so cool and different!

• Kyle rides into the calculus scene on the back of his desk and it was so cute and funny

• Stupid With Love was just as amazing on stage as it was in my head!!!

• Erika literally pushes her desk up against Kyle’s and SNIFFED HIS HAIR!!!! IT WAS SO GOOD!!!

• all the students pretending to be animals in Apex Predator was so interesting

• Krystina singing What’s Wrong With Me was so sad!! like i never realized how sad Gretchen is in the show until she starts singing this song about wanting to be accepted

• Stupid With Love Reprise was so cute!!!

• Kyle was genuinely laughing at Erika’s goofy ness and it was SO CUTE

• Erika’s little “shit” after Aaron says he’s swearing off of dating was so high pitched it was hilarious

• Cady stumbling to answer Aaron after he asks “never get what?” was so funny, Erika was just like silent for a full minute

• Kyle totally blushed after Erika said “you are so smart”

• Barret pops out after this and and says not to sleep on it, she goes “and it worked, cause that shit always works” but she like screamed it and it was SO FUNNY

• THE OCTOBER 3RD PART WAS SO CUTE!!!! Kyle swings his desk around to face Erika and they just lean into each other while singing it and they were smiling like happily in love idiots

• Karen doing Sexy was probably the funniest part of the show

• THE CONDUCTOR THROWS HER THE MOUSE EARS

• Erika was talking to Kyle in their scene during the halloween party with the teeth in and Kyle just started hysterically laughing it was adorable

• Someone Gets Hurt made me both love Regina and hate her at the same time

• Kyle looked so tense kissing Taylor lmao

• Taylor backs up to Kyle and slides down him at the end of the song while facing Erika and it was such a dominating moment

• TAYLORS VOICE IS INCREDIBLE

• Grey flossed during Revenge Party and his did it so fast it was hilarious

• “i end up with Aaron when she’s gone!”

• “a revenge party! a party that ends with somebody crushed and alone! AND UGLY CRYING!”

• Kyle pulled all his hair down in front of his face and looked adorable

• “your hair looks sexy pushed back” Erika sounded so sad and Kyle stumbled to respond it was cute

• Cady telling Aaron about Regina cheating was so tense

• the autocorrect part was hilarious “Reginals is cheering on you”

• “what was lion suit supposed to be?” “it’s supposed to be lion suit”

• Erika tried to reach out to Kyle and he just pulled away and walked off stage

• Rocking Around The Pole is my new favorite christmas song

• Fearless was a bop, Krystina doing the Gretchen dance was iconic

• KATE RIPPED OFF THE SLEVES OF HER JACKET

• STOP WAS MY FAVORITE NUMBER IN THE SHOW

• Grey tap dancing is my new favorite thing

• World Burn was amazing

• Taylor came out in all black in front of a copy machine with a single spotlight on her

• I’D RATHER BE ME OH MY GOD

• the conductor was BOPPING

• Barrett’s voice sounded so healthy during it i was so happy

• the three guys dressed as girls were hilarious

• REGINA GETTING HIT BY THE BUS WAS SO FUNNY

• Regina’s mom in the What’s Wrong With Me Reprise was so funny

• Who’s House Is This was so funny, Karen was so confused lmao

• Kyle showed up in the iconic wool collar coat!!! (the matching one he has with Erika!!!)

• More Is Better was so good!!!

• Erika and Kyle talking in the scene leading to the song was so genuine and cute and they were actually laughing at each other

• Erika kisses Kyle during the song and you could see he didn’t want to have to pull away...it was a longer kiss than in the bootleg from back when they opened the show

• Erika’s desperation when Kyle starts to leave was so sad, you could tell their acting was so genuine and heartfelt

• at the end when Erika sings “stars” the entire LED screen just filled with stars and it was so cool

• Karen and Gretchen bursting into the room was so funny “somebody, not me, barfed in your oven”

• Damien and Janis ridding in on the scooter was hilarious! “Janis you know i can’t stop this Jazzy i have a curfew!”

• Someone Gets Hurt Reprise was so AMAZING!!! Barrett was so powerful and Greys “and i want my pink shirt!” was so funny

• Do This Thing was awesome!!!

• SQWILLZ!!!

• Aaron telling Cady he liked seeing her be awesome was so cute

• NO THE LIMIT DOES NOT EXIST!

• Kyle dancing with the mathletes is so adorable

• KYLE KISSED ERIKA FOR 15 SECONDS!!!! (YES I COUNTED, IM ON TO THEM...THEYRE SO DATING)

• Kyle pulled his shirt over his head for the drunk douche part and the audience screamed for those abs!!!

• I See Stars was so good!!! Erika was so into it!!!

• Kyle comes out dressed in the lion suit!!

• Kyle picked Erika up and spun her around and she started giggling uncontrollably, it was so adorable

• THEY KISSED AGAIN

• the spring fling photo they all take at the end is so cute!!!

• the bows were adorable, everyone was dancing so dorky

overall, one of the best musicals i’ve ever seen!! and Erika and Kyle are literally dating, i’m so on to them lmao

[brothermarc7theatre]

“A Doll’s House, Part 2″ show #811

Lucas Hnath was on to something when he sat down to write his response play to Ibsen’s iconic work, A Doll’s House. A play which received outrage and protests, but also empowering reactions over time, now receives its fifteen-years-later examination when Nora returns to the home, and family, she walked out on. Palo Alto Players has taken on this incredible text by putting it in the hands of Jeffrey Lo, whose sturdy direction is stunning in his approach to the text with simplicity and a fully-realized concept. Executed by a flawless cast, this A Doll’s House, Part 2 is an evening at the Lucie Stern Theater you do not want to skip.

(Gabriela Grier (Nora) and MIchael Champlin (Torvald); Photo credit: Joyce Goldschmid)

Led by an incredibly strong Gabriela Grier, Nora returns to the living room once housing portraits, furniture, and décor, which made this her home, only to find it is now just a barren room with flower wall paper, a couple of chairs, a table, and a coat rack. Ms. Grier, however, fills the room with a palpable intensity that comes in waves of determination, bargaining, plotting, loving, groveling, and veracity. Ms. Grier delivers her dialogue, complete with enough monologues to warrant some much-needed sips from her soda can, with a commanding eloquence that makes Mr. Hnath’s lines sing with rhythm and intensity. Ms. Grier’s chemistry opposite her ex, Torvald, is dished right back by a stellar Michael Champlin. Mr. Champlin delivers his Torvald with a recitative gravitas, knowing when to play the part of successful man trying to keep the household together, and a betrayed husband who just wants to do the right thing. All seemingly calm, respectful roads of compromise and negotiation bubble to the explosive argument between Nora and Torvald in the final scene, handled with volatile composure by Ms. Grier and Mr. Champlin. Mr. Lo’s staging has his two romantic adversaries in all parts of the room, sitting, standing, and bringing an approachable energy to Torvald and Nora’s journey, as they catch up to what their reality is.

(Judith MIller (Anne-Marie) and Gabriela Grier (Nora); Photo credit: Joyce Goldschmid)

Judith Miller is standout as household nanny, Anne-Marie. Her physicality of the aged nanny matches her vocal delivery of some of the plays most astute and comical lines. Her warmth and care for Nora and Torvald juxtaposes her tough love turns when she simply has to put the two in their place. Katherine Hamilton endows Emmy, Nora and Torvald’s daughter, with elegance but a captivating manipulation, directed and delivered in lockstep with Ms. Grier’s Nora. The mother-daughter scene is a stirring duet of cat-and-mouse, and culminates in a satisfying manner.

(Gabriela Grier (Nora) and Katherine Hamilton (Emmy); Photo credit: Joyce Goldschmid)

There are all sorts of touches and staging nuances Mr. Lo has throughout the one-act play, all of which elevate Mr. Hnath’s text from living room drama to high-concept theatre. This is not a knock to Mr. Hnath, as his text is one that requires, or allows, the direction to make strong choices based on how near-conversational Mr. Hnath’s syntax runs. Christopher Fitzer’s gorgeous scenic design allows Mr. Lo and cast tons of playing room and for staging choices and chair placement to have a reason rather than functional, they actually push the plot and enhance the tone of each conversation. Carolyn A. Guggemos’ lighting design has pushes of dims and brights to draw attention to key lines, takes, and retorts between the four characters, and does so in quite the effective, very noticeable manner. Melissa Sanchez’s costume design is spot-on period, and her particular palette choice for Nora is a proper standout against the primary scenic color.

A Doll’s House, Part 2 is a play one approaches with a caution but intrigue, as Ibsen’s play is a standalone drama that has stood the test of time. However, the response Mr. Hnath has created is one that is equally applicable to audiences in 2020, and will surely stand the test of time as well. Fear not if you have never seen Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, for this play is its own entity, and Mr. Lo and company have ensured that you’re in for an enthralling time at the theater. Go see this show!

[aion-rsa]

Terminator 2 at 30: How Guns N’ Roses Created the Perfect Hype

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As far as blockbuster sequels go, Terminator 2: Judgment Day remains widely hailed as one of the best, having constructed a skillfully expanded spectacle without indulgently redefining the original premise. Yet, the film had to be sold to the public going into its July 3, 1991 wide release, which was nearly seven whole years after the first film cemented the superstardom of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Fortunately, a partnership with rockers Guns N’ Roses yielded a theme song in “You Could Be Mine” that would effectively convey the film’s intensity and attitude. Thirty years later, the song remains an indelible part of the revered sequel.

While fan-magazine-read sci-fi cinephiles saw Terminator 2 coming from the time the film’s tightly-scheduled principal photography commenced in October of 1990, the sequel was a surprise to the general public when its first teaser trailers ambushed big screen audiences. After all, this was a time before the prevalence of the Internet (specifically YouTube,) made the frequent release of trailers into a commonplace, slow-burn promotional strategy. Thusly, the $102 million-budgeted film had to rely on theatrical trailers and television spots, which had effectively spoiled the film’s narrative notion of Schwarzenegger’s new T-800 being the hero this time around, poised to battle Robert Patrick’s groundbreaking, visually-perplexing T-1000. However, the still-thriving music video realm of MTV (and the radio-fueled Billboard Hot 100) would provide an additional platform for the film’s promotional pièce de resistance: a music video theme song. But, what?

The Terminator franchise’s returning director, James Cameron—who had since pulled off an amazingly up-scaled sequel feat by following up Ridley Scott’s masterpiece with 1986’s Aliens—was subverted by suits from distributing studio Tri-Star Sony, who unilaterally acted on the idea that the film needed a music video of some kind. As the director recounted in an interview collected in The Ringer’s recent Terminator 2 oral history piece, “[T]hey’re saying, ‘Well, we’ve got to do a music video.’ And so, they go to Arnold—they didn’t talk to me—and they say, ‘We want you in a music video with some act.’ Arnold says, ‘OK, look, if you’re going to do a music video, you get the biggest band in the world. I don’t even care who they are.’ They flip open Billboard: ‘Guns N’ Roses makes sense. We’ve got a rose in the movie and bloody guns. Good, do it.’”

Consequently, it would be star Schwarzenegger himself—not Cameron—who would first foster the film’s partnership with Guns N’ Roses, who had essentially been picked out of a Billboard magazine based purely on their current position. However, Guns N’ Roses were indeed the hottest rock band in the world of the time, and, fortuitously enough, they were moving toward the September 17, 1991 dual release of the ambitious “Use Your Illusion I & II” albums. Thusly, Terminator 2’s usage of “You Could Be Mine” (from “Use Your Illusion II”) would advantageously attach the film to the debut single from the albums, which were the long-awaited first proper new material from the band—notwithstanding low-key compilation-released songs “Civil War” and a cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” both of which would be included on the “Use Your Illusion” albums—since the stratospheric success of 1987’s “Appetite for Destruction” and 1988 live/acoustic album “G N’ R Lies” had fully digested on the charts in 1989. The connection made the film’s release a true multimedia event, which was about as good as promotional material got during that era.

Unlike other famous chartbusting soundtrack songs directly inspired by their films, “You Could Be Mine” was not written specifically for Terminator 2. Interestingly, the song, written by Axl Rose and imminently-outgoing guitarist Izzy Stradlin, was a throwback composition from the “Appetite” era that didn’t make the final cut. This explains why the song lyric, “With your bitch slap rappin’ and your cocaine tongue you get nothin’ done” almost presciently appeared in the liner notes of the 1987 album. However, the band’s inclusion was cemented after they were courted for a private screening of the film. As Schwarzenegger recalls in the oral-history-collected interview, “We had a specific screening, it was just for us, the cast, James and myself, and Guns N’ Roses. I think that Axl Rose was extremely impressed. I remember him going to Jim and saying, ‘I’m in.’”

Fatefully, “You Could Be Mine” was on tap as the hard-driving debut single for their then-upcoming dual album event. The song’s lyrics may be topically divergent from Terminator 2’s apocalyptic time-crossing cybernetic warfare—instead a seedy Los Angeles story of a destructive relationship with a cocaine-addicted rock groupie—but the song’s hard-driving tempo and Axl Rose-imbued swagger make it a tonal match for the actioner. The song was prominently featured in the film, serving as the brash musical backdrop to the introductory scene of Edward Furlong’s John Connor, who throws shade on his imminently-doomed foster parents before riding off on his motorbike for a spree of ATM-scheming and arcade splurging. In essence, the song was John’s defiantly-loud theme song, representing his imminent transition from delinquent to post-apocalyptic leader.

This idea, of course, would become evident with the music video over which the whole partnership was based. With the single itself having dropped on June 21, 1991 (editor-in-chief Mike Cecchini and myself have recounted similar warm memories of owning the song’s cassingle), the video manifested under the auspices of veteran music directors Jeffrey Abelson and Andrew Morahan, along with the late effects wizard, Stan Winston. Yet, it was a conceptually simple clip, in which Guns N’ Roses are playing a concert that gets an intruder in Schwarzenegger’s T-800, who’s there to terminate the band!  

Read more

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The “You Could Be Mine” video was put together with footage taken from a Guns N’ Roses 1991 concert performance at New York’s Ritz rock club edited against the footage of T-800’s ominous approach toward the stage, mixed with movie-promoting material from the film’s trailer, notably its inclusion of the now-iconic “hasta la vista, baby” line. Of course, the most memorable part of the video occurs after Axl reaches the song’s high-note killer coda, at which point we see the band finally intercepted by their cybernetic pursuer while trying to leave the concert venue; an exterior scene that, according to guitarist Slash, was actually shot outside L.A.’s Roxy Theatre. However, the chase ultimately proves futile, since a scene through the killer’s mechanical infrared point of view reveals that killing the band—specifically Axl—would be a waste of ammo, thereby ending the confrontation with an awkwardly anti-climactic—albeit hilarious—detente.

Ultimately, “You Could Be Mine” became a signature tune for Guns N’ Roses. The song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 9, 1991 at #29 (mind you, at a time in which such a feat reached far more people than it does today), and lasted 15 weeks on the charts. Moreover, it became a Top 10 hit globally and even reached #1 in Finland and Spain. It remains intrinsically associated with not just Terminator 2, but the film franchise as a whole, evidenced by its nostalgic usage in 2009’s post-apocalypse-set Terminator Salvation, in which Christian Bale’s grizzled adult John Connor plays the song on an old boombox to lure a Moto-Terminator for a quick hotwire job.

Likewise, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was properly hyped by the success of “You Could Be Mine,” notably with the visual promotion by the video’s constant rotation on MTV that summer. Partially propelled by that momentum, the film went on a worldwide box office tear, breaking records and going on to gross a global total $520 million (which, adjusted for inflation, would be $1.027 billion). Notwithstanding resolute fans of the first film, the sequel remains widely revered as the best entry in the franchise (we won’t go over the sad, divisive state of the franchise’s subsequent entries) and, in 2017, even received a major 4K 3D overhaul—notably with digitally updated effects that, for example, edited Schwarzenegger’s face onto his stunt double in some key scenes.

Indeed, fully-vaccinated moviegoers who were too young or just missed out on experiencing the film on the big screen would be well-advised to check local theaters for 30th anniversary screenings. As the song in question pertinently says, “Now holidays come and then they go. It’s nothin’ new today. Collect another memory.”

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[awesomebrazilianprincess]

It's Neymar's Time to Complete His Rise to Royalty

If Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi has anything in common with Crash Davis—if there’s any sort of cultural crossover between the archetypes of global sports glitz and minor league baseball grime—it’ll show itself when the tape recorder starts rolling. That’s when the icons in their posh private jets heed the wisdom Davis imparted on a bumpy bus, whether they’ve seen Bull Durham or not. “You’re gonna have to learn your clichés,” Crash says in the 1988 classic. “They’re your friends.”

The galácticos have little choice but to follow this advice. Combine the fanaticism surrounding global soccer with the minimal access afforded the media covering it, and you have an environment where every crumb becomes content, where innuendo is louder than insight, where the tiniest spark can become a bombshell. In short: The less said the better; be safe, not sorry. So it’s significant, then, that in the middle of what should be the most relaxing summer of his adult life, Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. is willing to let you in, share his concerns and maybe even make a headline. He can’t hide from who he is, nor from the momentous, legacy-defining season to come.

The quiet but charismatic 25-year-old Brazilian forward has never won a World Cup. He has never been named FIFA’s player of the year. And if he remains at FC Barcelona (which was up in the air as of Monday; if he’s not in Paris a week from now, it will be a surprise), he will have to wait a bit longer until he’s even considered his own team’s centerpiece. But he’s universally deemed soccer’s best player after Ronaldo and Messi, and he’s beloved in a way that neither of them ever will be. And a big reason for that is his indifference to the Book of Crash.

Neymar can’t fake it. He’s not packaged, and he’s not a ­product—and as a result, he sells lots of them: Nike, Gillette, Panasonic, Beats by Dre. In 2013 he was named the most marketable athlete in the world by SportsPro and Eurosport. In January he was ranked the most valuable player on the Euro­pean transfer market by Switzerland’s CIES Football Observatory. And in April he was the only footballer on TIME’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people. (“I’ve always been struck by his humility,” David Beckham wrote for TIME. “He’s respectful and wants to learn...He lives to play the game, and I imagine he approaches it now the same way he did as a boy.”)

Neymar says he can’t explain his inclusion on that list—and then he tries to do just that: “Maybe because I’m an athlete or maybe because I do a lot of things on social media. But I don’t know. I don’t like to talk about myself. I try to be a good role model for my son, my family, my friends, and then I try to be a good role model for the rest of the people, too. ... I try to be myself without being anything different. I’m only one Neymar—for my family, for the public. I’m always the same person.”

When Neymar acknowledges that, yes, the next 12 months, climaxing with the World Cup in Russia, will probably be “the toughest season of my life,” he believes it. The world will read those words and discuss and dissect them, and then they’ll become even more true. The spotlight is about to get even brighter, and Neymar, who’s been soccer’s next big thing for nearly a decade, will have to confront his destiny.

This was Neymar’s first summer without a national-team commitment since 2010, when his exclusion from Brazil’s ill-fated World Cup squad caused an uproar at home. Brazil has already qualified for Russia, so he’s had the chance to indulge. He hit Oracle Arena for Game 2 of the NBA Finals, sitting courtside with Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton and posing afterward with Odell Beckham Jr. and Kevin Durant. Neymar wasn’t at all concerned about whether the Warriors’ megastar was a fan; this was no ego trip. “I don’t know if he’s seen me play,” Neymar told SI, “but I had the pleasure to meet him.”

In another photo the 5' 9" Brazilian stood on a chair and playfully lorded over 6' 7" Draymond Green. Neymar enjoys being around famous and accomplished people—he reunited with Green in Ibiza last month—not because of how it reflects on him but because he’s a fan, genuinely in awe of what they can do.

In the last year he performed a short, silly scene in which he juggles a napkin holder in Vin Diesel’s most recent Xander Cage movie—a role only for the athlete who doesn’t take himself too seriously—and kicked a ball across Hollywood Boulevard on Jimmy Kimmel Live! He’s joined musicians onstage, singing and dancing at concerts back home.

Neymar has a piano at his house in Spain—it was there when he moved in, he says, and he has been teaching himself to play with YouTube ­videos—but at an L.A. photo shoot for this story it takes some convincing to get the man watched by tens of millions every weekend to tap out even a simple a tune on a rented grand. He sits, gets up and wanders a bit before settling back in. Songs are suggested. How about Barcelona’s club anthem, “El Cant del Barça”? A Nike marketing rep asks that the studio’s ambient music be turned up, not down, so Neymar might feel a bit less scrutinized. He’s not an action figure to be played with. He’s human; he gets nervous. He says he felt it when he met Michael Jordan in Las Vegas and when he lined up to take what would be the winning penalty kick in the Olympic gold medal game last summer in Rio. Before the confidence bubbled up at the penalty spot, he admits, he endured the “worst sensation—all of the responsibility is on you.”

The Olympics play a distant second fiddle to the World Cup, but that U-23 tournament stubbornly remained the one international competition Brazil hadn’t won. And with the 2016 Games being contested on home soil two years after World Cup humiliation (also at home), Brazil named Neymar one of its three over-age players. He delivered, scoring four goals in six matches and converting that gilded penalty against Germany. Neymar was in tears almost immediately. For him, delivering the final piece of Brazil’s trophy puzzle was an immense achievement. For the public that adores him, however, it’s still not enough.

“It was like the Yankees finishing with the best record in the regular season: O.K., that’s kind of cool, but they measure everything around here by World Cup championships,” says Brian Winter, a Texan who co-wrote Pelé’s 2014 autobiography and who now runs Americas Quarterly, a political, business and cultural journal covering Latin America. As Reuters’ chief correspondent in Brazil for five years, he knows well how the nation’s sports, economics and politics intersect; he was living in São Paulo when Germany dismantled the hosts 7–1 in the ’14 Cup semifinals. That game in Belo Horizonte, he says, marked “the start of a long descent into hell for Brazil,” which has been reeling from financial and political crises since.

Neymar’s penalty and Olympic gold offered only temporary respite. “It was cool for, like, a day,” says Winter. “It created the sensation that hosting the Games hadn’t been a total waste. But once the lights went off, it was so clear that all of the promises linked to the ­Olympics—improved policing, infrastructure—had fallen short.” Brazilians, he says, are “desperately hoping for a reason to be happy in 2018. And so often—maybe too often—Brazilian soccer and politics mix.”

So the nation turns to Neymar. Four years after the misery of the so-called Mineirazodrubbing by ­Germany, which Neymar missed with a fractured vertebra suffered in a quarterfinal Thunderdome match against Colombia, Brazil has a viable shot at redemption in Russia. The 7–1 stain will never go away, but this World Cup will feature Neymar in his prime, shouldering the hopes of a country desperate for a reversal in fortune. This is the season in which it all could turn around. The season in which Neymar might finally fulfill his promise.

"Everybody wants that Neymar be the protagonist in the World Cup,” says Ricardo Kaká, the Orlando City midfielder who was part of Brazil’s 2002 title-winning team (and who, incredibly, is the last man other than Ronaldo or Messi to be crowned world player of the year—10 years ago). “This is unfair sometimes, but it’s also because of who he is as a player, for his potential, how he can decide a game, how he’s a protagonist in Barcelona. There is going to be pressure on him.”

Kaká is certainly familiar with scrutiny, but as good as he was, he never became the long-term, tactical focal point of the Seleção. Nevertheless, Neymar looks up to the former Brazil number 10, who’s 10 years his elder. Neymar admires Kaká’s piety, and Kaká appreciates Neymar’s willingness to listen and learn. They’re both part of a text-message group reserved for Brazilian national team veterans, making it one of the most exclusive clubs in the world: Kaká, Roberto Carlos, Denílson, Elano...–Neymar joined recently, and he employed the group’s advice during the Olympics.

Kaká explains: “The first games, Brazil didn’t play so good, everyone was criticizing Brazil—and he was the most important player. He tried speaking with the press, and then I said to him, ‘Now as a player we have a very good opportunity to answer without saying; we have the field to [show that] we care and that the situation is important to us.’ In the end he won the Olympics, and that was the best answer he could give.”

The members of the group, Kaká says, believe Neymar is “very smart to understand that these guys can give him something different, something that could help.”

Brazil needs Neymar because, increasingly, Brazil is Neymar. Though rocked by recessions and political scandals, the nation has seen massive gains made by the nascent middle class over the past couple of decades. For years, socioeconomic classes “often resembled castes,” Winter says. There were five—A through E—and it’s the C that’s been on the rise.

C is roughly where you would have found a young Neymar. The son of a journeyman pro player, he wasn’t impoverished growing up on the southern fringe of the São Paulo megalopolis, but his family didn’t have much either, and making ends meet was a chore. Now Neymar takes in some $37 million per year (more of it from endorsement deals than from Barcelona), according to Forbes. He’s living the modern Brazilian dream.

“Neymar has the deepest connection with the people of Brazil of any soccer player of this generation, particularly with the rising middle class,” Winter says. “The way he talks, his street-wise charm—he appeals to that segment. He’s the best pitchman in a generation.”

That appeal also dovetails with the millennial generation. Neymar is a master of social media. His image isn’t meticulously crafted or self-celebratory like Ronaldo’s; it’s not homey or reticent like Messi’s. That video of Neymar playing soccer in a backyard with Justin Bieber is more effective than anything a consultant might stage. It’s organic and honest, a window into Neymar’s effortless cool.

He’s fashionable. And he’s got a wonderfully wry sense of humor. “Social media tends to ferret out the phonies,” Winter says. “People love watching for their idols to show a glimpse of insincere behavior—but you really don’t see it from him.”

There’s a 2011 video of a 19-year-old Neymar in the locker room at his old Brazilian club, Santos, in which he dances and sings and thrusts along to Michel Teló’s cover of “Ai Se Eu Te Pego.” The more sighs and eye rolls Neymar gets from teammates in the video, the more committed he becomes.

He’s comfortable, unvarnished and fearless in the moment—the sort of person anyone with spunk or spirit would like to be around. The clip has more than 25 million views, and Neymar has 78 million followers on Instagram, making his account the 14th-most popular in the world, a hair above Messi’s.

Ronaldo has more, but Google “CR7 dancing” and among the first few hits are clips of the Portuguese star gyrating in a pink bathing suit in front of a crowd in Ibiza and another of him cavorting on a private plane. Search “Messi dancing” and you’ll find videos of the Argentine and his wife. There’s no better illustration of the differences among the three men.

Kaká certainly sees it. “Neymar just tries to be himself,” he says. “What’s in your character [takes] you where you want to go. Messi is a little bit shy, so he wants to be more out of the light. Cristiano wants to be not just a soccer player, but also a celebrity. There’s not a rightway, it’s just a choice. Neymar is the nice guy who wants to be everywhere, but he’s humble and simple. When he takes a picture with Kevin Durant, it’s: ‘This is the man, not me.’”

The soccer-loving world may worship now at the feet of Messi and Ronaldo, but that’s humanity’s appreciation for the divine and incomprehensible. Messi plays as if there are fireworks attached to his boots—the ball moves so quickly from one side of his foot to the other that it seems to occupy two places simultaneously. He’s all controlled chaos, staccato soccer. He is a savant, essentially, who doesn’t seem to be truly comfortable anywhere but on a field, and he’s been the driving force behind a three-time European champion that’s arguably the greatest side the sport has ever seen.

If Messi is from Mars, then Ronaldo hails from Mount Olympus. He’s like one of us but better, perfected. He plays like the physical specimen he is: with strength, power and panache. He’s more attractive than the statues of him. If Neymar markets to the C class, Ronaldo aims his CR7 brand, with its underwear and fragrances, at those in the A+. The guy has not only an airport but a galaxy named after him.

Yet for all their supernatural prowess, neither Messi nor Ronaldo is as adored in his homeland as Neymar is in Brazil. Argentines and Portuguese may look up to their respective icons, but Neymar prefers to look you in the eye.

Asked if he’s a little bit Ronaldo and a little bit Messi, Neymar says, “I think I’m like that. Sometimes I’m a little flamboyant, an extrovert. Sometimes I’m quiet.”

Whether he’s their peer is less important to the soccer world than whether he’s their successor. The Messi-Ronaldo duopoly has combined to win six FIFA Club World Cups, eight Champions League titles and a boatload of other honors. But Messi is 30, Ronaldo 32. Next summer’s World Cup will be the last for each man in his prime. At some point, it must be Neymar’s turn.

The Brazilian says that FIFA’s player of the year award is “very important” (Crash Davis wouldn’t like that answer), but he shrugs when asked if and when he’ll break through. “Everything happens in the right time,” he says. “The main focus is to keep playing well, keep winning games, and when the time is right, I’ll get mine.” (I’ll get mine—that wouldn’t pass the Crash test either.)

Back in June, when Ronaldo celebrated Real Madrid’s second consecutive Champions League crown with fans at the Plaza de Cibeles, he made his case for a second straight world player of the year award with a micro­phone and a chant. The thought of it—of using a team event to tout his case for an individual honor—makes Neymar squirm. “No, I wouldn’t do that,” he says.

He attracts attention in other ways. His play, like his demeanor, borrows a bit from both Messi and Ronaldo. But whereas Messi slices and Ronaldo surges, Neymar glides. He’s smoother and more efficient than either, outstanding with both feet and blessed with the creativity and vision of his great Brazilian predecessors. But his game, like his personality, is more accessible. Train long enough and hard enough, and maybe you, too, could play like Neymar. He’s human, mortal, and he speaks with a voice the next generation understands.

This is where Paris Saint-Germain enters the picture. The powerhouse French club was always going to feature in Neymar’s story, thanks to an astonishing Champions League round-of-16 series that will live forever in the lore of both PSG and FCB. Last season was a tough one by Barcelona’s standards, and its puzzling lack of ruthlessness was exposed in a 4–0 first-leg Valentine’s Day massacre at the Parc des Princes. Neymar says he was embarrassed by the performance, and he corroborates the story that he promised friends he’d net two goals in the March 8 decider at the Camp Nou—which he ultimately did, in the 88th and 91st minutes, before setting up Sergi Roberto’s clincher in a 6–1 thriller.

On a team as loaded as Barça, there aren’t many moments when a player can and must take command. But with his European season on the line Neymar was unstoppable, and for many it seemed like a turning point on his climb to soccer’s summit. In TIME, Beckham wrote that it would “be remembered as the moment he stepped up to take on the mantle of best player in the world. Neymar is ready to make his move.

But as July came to a close, it appeared more and more likely that move might take him away from Messi and back to Paris, where PSG was looking for a way to finance the payment of his record $261 million release clause. Yes, Neymar would have to wait for Barcelona to become his team—but if and when it did, then his team would be Barcelona. If he leaves for PSG, he will join a lesser league and a club that has the cash but not the chemistry to make a deep Champions League run. In NBA terms he’d be moving from the Warriors to the Clippers. And instead of Durant, whose desire to win trumped his need to be the man—as Neymar’s did when he left Santos for Barcelona in 2013—the Brazilian would be channeling Kyrie Irving, itching to get out from under LeBron James’s shadow.

Asked which of his two favorite NBA players he identifies with more—James, who was raised in the spotlight, or Steph Curry, who came up quietly at Davidson, mirroring Neymar’s lower-profile beginnings—­Neymar chooses LeBron. Let us not forget, then, James’s ultimate decision to break from the Big Three after winning superteam trophies in Miami. In order to be soccer’s biggest name, perhaps Neymar has to shine further away from Messi, Luis Suárez and Barcelona’s band of superstars.

If he ultimately stays in Spain, Neymar must launch his assault on Messi and Ronaldo while improving on his own 13-goal La Liga campaign and helping steer Barça back to the top under new coach Ernesto Valverde. Last season’s results and the upcoming World Cup apply pressure from both sides. But Messi and Suárez relieve it, at least on the club side. Neymar doesn’t have to be the best player every time he steps onto the Camp Nou field. He’ll have to be more impactful, but he can do so while remaining true to himself. He’ll have some leeway.

If he goes to PSG, he’ll be paid like a king and expected to inspire a desperate club that hasn’t advanced beyond the Champions League quarterfinals since 1995. He’ll have the headlines and the billboards to himself. When those are shared, knocking a ball around with Bieber endears you to fans. When they’re yours alone, a Bieber moment may raise questions of focus, maturity or leadership. There will be no outlets at PSG, no excuses. Either way, he’ll also have to prepare mentally and physically for the rigors of a must-win World Cup.

But it’s all manageable. It always has been—so believes the man with LIFE IS A JOKE tattooed across his left biceps. He was Brazil’s Olympic talisman, and he was thriving at the 2014 World Cup before getting hurt. “We only have one life, so we have to figure out a way to be happy,” Neymar says. “Don’t take it so seriously. That’s pretty much it. Enjoy your life.”

Neymar’s relationship with his homeland remains strong. Not even the court cases concerning his controversial 2013 transfer to Barcelona have dented his reputation. In July, he was cleared of tax evasion in Brazil; a Spanish investigation is ongoing. (“Tax evasion,” Winter points out, “is next to soccer as the national sport in Brazil.”) Neymar’s countrymen, meanwhile, remain grateful for the gold medal and for his staying with Santos as long as he did. His Q rating is unscathed.

The only thing that could hurt him at home is, of course, failure to win in Russia. After he was forced to watch the semifinal rout by Germany while recuperating, Neymar told his fellow Brazilians, “We are going to do all we can so that I can fulfill my dream. My dream is to be the champion of the world.”

Three years later he’s asking for help. “I want to win a World Cup,” he says, “but it’s not only me, you know? There are other factors. There are teammates. There are a lot of things going on.” He’s certainly right, if the Mineirazo was any indication. But then he concludes, “I think you can be a legend without winning a World Cup.”

Maybe, but not in Brazil. Sócrates and Zico, for example, were great players and remain well respected. Many pundits think their 1982 squad, which lost to eventual champion Italy in the second round, was better than the ’94 side, which won it all. But on a team with five stars on its jersey, the bar is so much higher. “If Neymar doesn’t win at least one World Cup, as much as people love him today, he will be forgotten,” says Winter. “Brazil isn’t short of epic personalities who’ve won World Cups.”

Neymar tries to make light of the pressure. “It’s very normal,” he says. “The thing is, if you win a World Cup, they’ll tell you that if you want to be the best, you have to win anotherWorld Cup! When you’re one of the top players, this is going to happen all the time.”

Perhaps it has all felt routine until now. But the next 12 months, whether he’s in Barcelona or Paris, will be anything but ordinary. A new chapter is beginning, and while the end is uncertain, it’s sure to be blessedly free of clichés.

[thranduiliens]

 A REVIEW FOR -- crossedswordsrp

It's the year of 1641 and the city of Paris shudders upon the brink of revelation or destruction. It is a powder keg waiting to explode - and only time will tell who will be left standing once that fuse finally burns down to light. All it might take is a single -- - spark.

Please note that these critiques are meant to help and not insult. It was never my intention to be rude. Ultimately, it is still up to you to follow my advice! You know your roleplay better. I’m just here to help. If you have read this, like/reblog the post. If you have any more questions, my ask is always open! The review can be found under the cut.

first impressions -- the url, theme, and overall look of the rp

I’m a sucker for urls that are clear and have no dashes because it makes tagging easier. And it gives the idea that it’s a period rp which, sure enough, is what it is when you look at the plot.

And I love this theme! I love how it’s not boxed in like so many rp themes I see nowadays. There’s just enough space occupied by your posts without it looking too cluttered. I also love how dark it is without it being unreadable or straining to the eye, and the colors compliment each other well. None of the colors clash, and it’s great that you chose one standout color. The font size is great, as well. Although I think the title on your header image could be a bit bigger, or in a different font that would fit the feel of the roleplay Try this --which would look cohesive with the header, in my opinion. Or this, if you want a font with no texture.

(I’m actually just being nit-picky here because I actually really love how the main page looks as it is)

the story itself -- the side as well as full plot and other things about the roleplay

The introduction is great. It’s good that you took the time to explain what inspired the roleplay. It also helps, I think, for people who may be new to joining period rps to get a sense of what to expect from your group. The fact that Hamilton is also great because a lot of people get excited when they see it come up. At the same time, you let applicants know that the roleplay is still your own, still original, which makes it less intimidating to apply.

The side plot only needs a teeny, tiny bit of editing, particularly in the first paragraph. Try this: “The year is 1641...” instead of “It’s the year of 1641...” It’s a period rp, so it’s best to set that tone and try to not use contractions without it being awkward. Also ‘of’ is a preposition that can be dismissed in this sentence. You don’t really need it there. As for the second paragraph, “powder keg” are two separate words, not one.

As for the full plot. Again, it’s intriguing, exciting and it reels people in and is just the perfect length for it to give enough ideas for anyone interested in applying without it being wordy or boring. The only improvement I would suggest is with grammar. I’ll strike out words that I think should be removed or changed, and any suggested changes will be bolded. Let’s start with the first paragraph:

“In 17th century Paris, beneath the brightness and romanticism, the decadence of the French court where kings and courtiers hold sway, underneath all of it, the true nature of the city dwells still.” 

You’ve already started the paragraph with “beneath the brightness and romanticism...”. It would flow better without the added phrase of “underneath all of it”

Also, “...that glittering bauble of made and broken dreams“ I think it’s just a typo but it should be “...that glittering bauble of made of and broken dreams.

On to the third paragraph: There’s a point where it gets confusing and my attention is taken out of the plot for a bit because of the last few sentences. It’s written in a stuttering, stopping manner that can get distracting.

“... secret from the general populace and court by his councilors Rossignol and Jean Bourbon - Louis temperate enough to wait for an heir by Angeline before revealing the controversial match.“

The bolded part was where it became confusing. I don’t think there should be a dash there. A period would be less confusing--it completes the thought and brings the attention right to the next sentence. (Never underestimate the power of proper punctuation!). And I think you meant to say “Louis was temperate enough to wait...”

That’s all I can find, actually! This is such a great plot, honestly, I love it.

the laws and their enforcers -- otherwise known as the rules and admins

Ehhh... Not really too sure about including passwords in rules. While it does force people to read through them, it can also send the idea that you don’t trust your applicants to read the rules on their own accord. Take from that as you will. I don’t personally mind it but you know how Tumblr can be... sensitive, sometimes. Besides, the password placement makes sense. It’s important that people read the Activity section of the rules, anyway, so it’s not a deal-breaker at all.

You never come off as strict or unwelcoming, too, even if it’s just the rules page. You even put in just a little bit of extra effort to explain what god-modding, meta-gaming, etc are and give links to examples as well which will definitely be appreciated. Again, it’s quite welcoming to new applicants, and not just for those new to period rps but also new to rps in general. Your FAQs page is also concise and answered one of the first few things in my mind, which was LGBT+ rep. Bonus points for being welcoming to that!

the important pieces -- the characters

So many POC! I love this so much! You have a wide range of characters, all of whom have interesting bios. This is a great cast with a lot of potential for character growth while still establishing a past for players to shape the characters around.

the pretty pictures -- the graphics, sidebar, icons, etc.

Simple but beautiful. The graphics do their job and all come together cohesively. No complains here. Everything looks good and fits the rp’s aesthetics.

This group is a breath of fresh air amidst many modern roleplays that limits characters to being high-schoolers or such. It offers a great opportunity for applicants to improve their writing and everything is just so well-made. The plot is intriguing, the characters are diverse, and the admins seem approachable. This is such a great group and I hope it flourishes and that many people join! Good luck with everything!

[wentzkinz]

my favorite song is the entire Hamilton cast recording

mmmHMm g00d shit

url: not my thing | p good | nice nice | perfect! | who did you kill

icon: not my thing | p good | nice nice | perfect! | pls i want it

theme: not my thing | p good | nice nice | perfect! | give me the code

mobile theme: not my thing | p good | nice nice | perfect! | teach me your ways

posts: not my thing | p good | nice nice | perfect! | you are blog goals

following: no but ily | i am now! | of course! | if i ever unfollow you it’s because fall out boy has choked me with a fidget spinner

comment: i love how the orange of the cat eyes matches the orange on your mobile theme it looks so nice, your whole halloween theme is 👌👌

want a blograte?

[edwardmclarkson]

Flat mag update: The Terminator Article- Character Analysis of the T-800.

Director: James Cameron,

Film character analysis- The Terminator (T-800),

The T-800, a now legendary film character, owes its popularity to many factors, from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s performance, to famous quotes, visual effects, and the overall idea of an indestructible, time-travelling killing machine.

The T-800 and its’ ‘endoskeleton’ was designed and created by James Cameron, who painted and created the concepts for what would become one of the most iconic characters in motion picture history. With the help of visual effects expert Stan Winston, the character was brought to life with the use of make-up, puppetry, stop animation and miniatures.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s performance as the T-800, would greatly propel his career and that of the film’s popularity. His accent, stilted delivery and physic allowed for a believable and compelling villain and later hero in Terminator 2 and 3. Coupled with the dark and iconic soundtrack and theme by Brad Fiedel, the Terminator was a fresh movie for the 1980’s, with the idea of science fiction portrayed either in space or in the future, rather in the present familiarity of the audience.

 Did you know?

-Cameron story-boarded the entire movie by himself and was unknown to the film community until the success of the Terminator movie.

-Before the production of ‘The Terminator’ Linda Hamilton (Sarah Connor) broke hear ankle, meaning all the shots of her running (which there are lots) had to be rescheduled towards the end of filming.

-At the time of filming, Cameron was completely broke and his car was repossessed, living of ‘buy one get one free’ big mac coupons mailed to him by his mother.

-Schwarzenegger was originally in talks to be cast as Kyle Reece in the movie, with the Terminator envisioned as an ‘everyman’ that matched his infiltration abilities.

[deferredmomentum]

Mary Poppins Returns spoilers

So I got out of Mary Poppins Returns about an hour ago and it was fucking amazing.

I couldn’t stop crying, and then I couldn’t stop smiling. The whole feel of it was the perfect blend of old-timey Broadway and modern music (and yes, Lin got to Hamilton). Because the pacing and even some of the scenes were very similar to the original, it was at risk of seeming like a remake, but they pulled it off brilliantly--it felt much more of a respectful homage to the 1964 classic than a copy.

Like I said before, the big Broadway numbers had an amazing throwback feel with a modern twist. Each song was fresh and original, but I could immediately tell what 1964 song it was a nod to. My favorite was definitely the leery song (obviously inspired by “Step in Time”), followed by “A Cover is not the Book” (“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”) in the animated sequences--I’ll get to that later. Will the songs become as iconic and unforgettable as “A Spoonful of Sugar” or “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”? Of course not. Nowhere close. But they are fun and upbeat, and even if you aren’t humming any of the songs on your way out of the theater, I dare you to keep your feet still during the film.

Let’s get to the casting choices (practically perfect in every way). Emily Blunt played the impeccably posh nanny to a T, but let’s talk about her voice. Don’t get me wrong: she has a beautiful, full, rich sound. But the songwriters took her deep alto and tried to stuff it into Julie Andrews’s soprano range. She was brilliant during the musical numbers, but something was lacking. If they had only taken her songs and dropped them three or four keys, she would have been able to utilize her gorgeous deep voice instead of having to lighten it in order to sing in the mezzo-soprano range she was given. (They lowered it a little, I’ll give them that. And I’m a songwriter myself: I know how important it is that a piece be performed in the perfect key. But give me a fucking break. They were trying to make her into a carbon copy of Julie Andrews and they know it.) Apart from the music, she took the iconic character and made her completely her own. But there was no doubt in my mind: that was most assuredly Mary Poppins on the IMAX screen in front of me.

Now we get to gush over Lin-Manuel Miranda as Jack. I really don’t have very much to say about the most perfect human being on the planet: he speaks for himself. His singing and rapping were impeccable, as always, and the 1930s costuming and heavy stubble? I wanna ride that like a pogo stick. But I digress. I was hoping for a nod to Dick van Dyke’s over-the-top Cockney accent, but I was afraid it might become cartoonish. It didn’t. It was overdone and exaggerated, but only as much as it needed to be as a tribute to Bert and didn’t go overboard. Jack is the little boy that never quite grew up, who kept that childish belief in his heart and refused to let go.

On to Emily Mortimer as Jane Banks all grown up. A career woman during the Great Depression, she is following in her mother’s footsteps, working as a labor activist and humanitarian heading up her local soup kitchen. She has her own flat and makes it quite clear to Jack as their romance is budding that she can hold her own quite nicely, thank you very much.

Ben Whishaw is one of my favorite actors, and he absolutely nailed grown-up Michael. I just wanted to cuddle him and tell him it was going to be okay. He played a sad, broken, lonely man just barely holding it together for his children better than almost anyone I have ever seen (and let’s be real--sad, broken, lonely man just barely holding it together for his children is a pretty common character). He recaptures the wonders of childhood as soon as he feels the balloon in his hand, showing just how much of a scared little boy he truly was inside.

I also want to talk about the relationship between Jane and Michael. Those of you who know me well know that I love seeing healthy, loving sibling relationships portrayed on screen. Even in the 1964, there was a gender role reversal (naturally coming from Jane being older, of course) that continues into the sequel. Jane remains the big sister and supports Michael so much and has become a sort of surrogate mother to his children in the wake of his wife’s death. And they’re just so affectionate. Little touches, hugs, kisses--I absolutely love this healthy, supportive relationship being shown unquestioned.

We need to talk about the kids. Nathanael Saleh (John), Pixie Davies (Annabelle), and Joel Dawson (Georgie) were all amazing little actors, and fucking adorable to boot. Their singing was impeccable, their dancing flawless. They are all destined for great roles in the future.

Now that I’ve discussed the main cast, I can get on the most important cast members, the ones who make you gasp and chuckle and go “Oh, them!” We had the bird lady. If you don’t the story behind the most-skipped scene of my childhood, google it. (I would add a link but Tumblr hates everything and everybody right now so I’m not gonna bother.) There was just a blip of her on the church steps, but she’s unmistakable. Karen Dotrice, who played the original Jane Banks, had a fun little cameo (if you didn’t notice it, go back and rewatch it; snitches get stitches). Angela Lansbury had a small role as the balloon lady from the books, and Admiral Boom is keeping time as always. Jane and Michael’s original toys can be seen in the corner of the attic, the mirror is just as cheeky, the umbrella won’t shut up, and the banister is as good an escalator as ever.

And of course, Dick van Dyke is brilliant as Dawes, Jr., the son of one of his 1964 characters (although he may have needed a little less makeup this time around). The man is fucking 93, but he might as well be 33. His dancing is as lively as ever, and no one could ever match the insane way he slipped completely back into character after 54 years.

Although some have criticized the plot as being a cheap rip-off of the original, I think it held its own as a beautiful tribute to one of the most beloved films of all time. It stayed just close enough to the classic to bring viewers back to the time they first watched it as children but strayed far enough to feel fresh and updated for the now-adult fans. I only have one major complaint about content, and that was during one of the last scenes, where Dawes, Jr. is firing his nephew (played by Colin Firth). Fans remember vividly the scene in the original when upon being fired, George Banks’s carnation is ripped to pieces, his collar torn off, and his hat punched through. I was looking forward to it as soon as it became apparent the nephew would be fired. And it? Just? Didn’t happen? But that was my only major concern. (My friend is pissed that Mary came in on the kite instead of her umbrella, but Jesus man, pick your battles.)

The animation scene was an absolute triumph. Instead of using a modern 3D animation style, they reverted to the old hand-drawn animations (think Robin Hood 1973). The penguins are back with a bang, no kazoos this time, unfortunately, but they finally have their own show under the big top. The costuming was brilliant: the clothes were not animated, but unlike the 1964 costumes, it appears that layers and texture had been drawn on the clothes to make them appear animated. The scene is meant to show the children how much they fear losing their home, and the animated wolf, badger, and weasel reflect the chairman of FFB and his lawyers. The children have quite the adventure, including a kidnapping, only to wake up and discover that it had all been a nightmare. But how could three different children possibly have the same dream at the same time? Mary Poppins will never tell

This film was for those who grew up with the original. At its core, it is about being able to recapture the childlike wonder and perspective on life that it is so easy to forget as we become more and more jaded towards humanity and the world. It is about forgetting, for just a moment, the everyday grind of existence, and once again believing in something magical and trying to change the world.