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#General Liam Lynch
stairnaheireann · 8 months
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#OTD in 1919 – An unofficial government policy of reprisals began in Fermoy, Co Cork.
Two hundred British soldiers looted and burned several commercial buildings in the town, after 23 Cork Volunteers, under the leadership of Liam Lynch, augmented by Mick Mansfield and George Lennon of Waterford attacked members of the Royal Shropshire Light Infantry en route to services at the Wesleyan Church. Four soldiers were reportedly wounded, one fatally. Fifteen rifles were captured. Lynch…
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hollywoodfamerp · 3 months
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Pack your bags, Famers! Our annual winter trip is taking place in Ireland! On February 17th, all celebrities will be arriving at the Adare Manor to kick off our trip! Named the #1 resort in Europe in 2023, Adare Manor sits on 840 acres of pristine parkland.
"It’s prestige without pretense and magic without nonsense. Above all, it is the sense of belonging. You are known. You are family. You are home."
UNDER THE CUT, YOU’LL FIND THE LIST OF ROOMMATES!
Unless we got a message from you telling us you wanted to be with a specific person or were not in the ships list - you were included in the generator. If you do not see your FCs name on this list, please message us POLITELY and let us know - sometimes a name gets missed getting put into the generator. We’re human and it happens! At the same time, if your FC is on there twice by any chance then please let us know. Again, mistakes happen. As we accept new applications and people come into the group before AND during the event, this list will be updated. Same will go for if people get unfollowed or ask to leave the group. We posted the pairings in advance so that you may reach out to your roommate and get new interactions going! Even if a mun is on hiatus, be sure to reach out to them so that you can see if you can head-canon some interactions or plan for something when they are off hiatus. All trips are to encourage new interactions and unlikely connections!
PLEASE LIKE THIS NOTICE WHEN YOU HAVE READ IT AND SO THAT YOU CAN KEEP TRACK OF THE LIST UPDATES!
Addison Timlin & Sabrina Carpenter
Akanishi Jin & Lee Sunmi
America Ferrera & Ben Feldman
Andrew Garfield & Elizabeth Lail
Angourie Rice & Chris Evans
Anne Hathaway & Jenna Coleman
Ariana DeBose & Mason Mount
Ashton Irwin & Ariana Grande
Awsten Knight & Miley Cyrus
Bae Joohyun (Irene) & Dove Cameron
Barbara Palvin & Maxence Danet-Fauve
Beyonce Knowles & Chloe Bailey
Brie Larson & Brittany Baker
Callum Turner & Chace Crawford
Camila Morrone & Jessica Chastain
Cari Fletcher & Victoria de Angelis
Carrie Underwood & Gigi Hadid
Cate Blanchett & Ellie Bamber
Cha Eunwoo & Glen Powell
Choi Minho & Kim Ahyoung (Yura)
Choi San & Danielle Campbell
Choi Soobin & Rylee Arnold
Cody Christian & Lucy Hale
Colby Lopez (Seth Rollins) & Rebecca Quin (Becky Lynch)
Danny Amendola & Olivia Culpo
Demi Bennett (Rhea Ripley) & Ashley Fliehr (Charlotte Flair)
Dua Lipa & Joseph Quinn
Emma Stone & Chris Daughtry
Ethan Torchio & Damiano David
Florence Pugh & Cillian Murphy
Gareth Southgate & Byun Baekhyun
Harry Kane & Charlie Hunnam
Harry Styles & Mazz Murray
Hayley Williams & Luke Hemmings
Hwang Hyunjin & Bang Chan
Jackson Wang & Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul (Ten)
Jamie Campbell Bower & Jonathan Good (Jon Moxley)
Jenna Ortega & Halle Bailey
Joey King & Nick Robinson
Josephine Skriver & Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Jung Yoonoh (Jaehyun) & Lee Taeyong
Kang Seulgi & Jung Wooyoung
Kelsea Ballerini & Joe Keery
Kendall Jenner & Liam Hemsworth
Kim Hongjoong & Diamanté Quiava Valentin Harper (Saweetie)
Kim Jisoo & Christian Yu
Kim Mingyu & Sana Minatozaki
Kit Connor & Gong Jichul (Gong Yoo)
Kylie Jenner & Christina Aguilera
Lauren Jauregui & Bill Skarsgard
Leati Joseph Anoa'i (Roman Reigns) & Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Lee Felix & Dakota Johnson
Lee Jeno & Na Jaemin
Lee Taemin & Kim Jongin
Leigh-Anne Pinnock & Alycia Debnam-Carey
Lily James & David Tennant
Logan Lerman & Jeon Jungkook
Louis Tomlinson & Phoebe Bridgers
Lucas Wong & Kim Jungwoo
Lupita Nyong'o & Tessa Thompson
Billie Eilish & Ryan Gosling
Madelyn Cline & Chase Stokes
Maika Monroe & Dylan O'Brien
Mark Lee & Lee Donghyuck (Haechan)
Min Yoongi & Kim Namjoon
Niall Horan & Matt Smith
Nicholas Galitzine & Taylor Zakhar Perez
Nick Jonas & Selena Gomez
Nina Dobrev & Sofia Carson
Pamela Martinez (Bayley) & Mercedes Justine Varnado (Sasha Banks)
Park Seonghwa & Lewis Pullman
Pete Davidson & Naomi Scott
Renee Paquette (Renee Young) & Taylor Swift
Renee Rapp & Olivia Cooke
Ross Lynch & Anya Taylor-Joy
Sam Claflin & Riley Keough
Samantha Gibb & Sydney Sweeney
Saoirse Ronan & Jack Lowden
Sarah Paulson & Jessica Lange
Sebastian Stan & Margot Robbie
Tom Hardy & Elizabeth Olsen
Tom Holland & Natalia Dyer
Tony Goldwyn & Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (Megan Thee Stallion)
Travis Kelce & Romee Strijd
Troian Bellisario & Joshua Hong
Vanessa Hudgens & Matthew Macfadyen
Wong Kunhang (Hendery) & Jensen Ackles
Xiao Dejun (Xiaojun) & Yoo Jimin (Karina)
Xu Minghao & Noah Beck
Yoo Bora & Joe Burrow
Yoo Siah (Yooa) & Kim Minjeong (Winter)
Zac Efron & Sophie Turner
Zendaya Coleman & Paul Mescal
Zoey Deutch & Dacre Montgomery
Zoë Kravitz & Lili Reinhart
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thewardenofwinter · 1 year
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What We Undertake
— WIP by M. Warrin
“Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no to-morrow. To forget time, to forget life, to be at peace.” —Oscar Wilde, The Canterville Ghost
GENRE: gothic fiction, historical fantasy, paranormal fiction
STATUS: first draft
GOAL WORD COUNT: 110k
POV: Third Person limited
SYNOPSIS:
Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak meets Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow in this paranormal mystery and gothic romance set in the late 19th century.
Our tale follows one Dolores Clive, resident medium and the daughter of the late Warren Clive, Boston’s most beloved undertaker. After her father’s death and subsequent take over of the family business, Dolores has become a recluse haunted by ghosts of her past and near future which all comes to a head when her step-sister arrives in town with her newly acquired fiancé and his rather strange but beautiful brother in tow following a string of murders. With the lawmen against her due to her gender and career, Dolores must inspect these horrific events herself. in hopes that she might catch the culprit
When a member of Dolores's own family is next on the chopping block, she realizes that she has her hands full and enlists the help of old friends and members of the victims' families in hopes of catching the culprit and putting an end to their murder streak. Though the task isn't as simple as it seems: as time goes on, more and more secrets behind these deaths all seem to point in the direction of something supernatural and malevolent out of any of their control.
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CHARACTERS:
DOLORES Clive
24. Daughter of the late Elektra and Warren Clive, resident undertaker. Now the owner of the Clive Family Funeral home that has been running for four generations, Dolores is tasked with someone more macabre goal than her day-to-day job: investigating a group of murders with similar mo's that the police refuse to look into.
CHARLES Morrison
27. Son of the late Claire Morrison (nee White) and Dr Albert Morrison, the town doctor beloved by many. Brother of Alice Morrison, aged four and twenty. Has just returned home to Boston after seven years abroad in England studying optometry.
VINCENT Karloff
30. Son of Robert Karloff and his late wife. Stepbrother of Liam Hardwell. Arrived alongside his stepbrother for his wedding,
ROSAMUND Clive-Lynch
20. Daughter of Rebecca Clive-Lynch (nee Fitzgerald) and the late Joshua Lynch. Engaged to Liam Hardwell. Arrived back in Boston for her wedding alongside her mother.
LIAM Hardwell
25. Son of the late Frederic Hardwell and his wife Lucile Karloff (nee Wilshire). Stepbrother of Vincent Karloff. Engaged to Rosamund Clive-Lynch. Visiting Bostom with his fiancee.
DAVID Prince Jr
21. Son of David Prince Sr, resident coffin maker and gravedigger of Boston. Currently studying under Dolores Clive in hopes of owning an African American-owned and operated parlour.
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💀 Hope you enjoyed this intro <3 This WIP is something I've had in the drafts for a while but have just now begun taking seriously. I might post some chapter snippets soon, I'm really proud of the formatting I did for the Google doc.
— M. Warrin
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8-bitbrainrot · 9 months
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heyy the name's 8-bit, and this is my brainrot!!
it/he, minor
stupid on purpoise (probably)
currently into: spiderverse + sam and max,, maybe some pokemon, murder drones, and fraggle rock
moomins, ducktales, adventure time, my little pony, nintendo modding, etc,,,,
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tag guide:
8-bitsart: my art :]
8-bitsbrainrot: silly posts unrelated to art
8-bitsaskbox: answered asks :0
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IMPORTANT STUFF/BYI:
don't repost my stuff please it would make me really sad
DNI proship, entirely nsfw blogs, general bigots, the people who go out of their way to step on worms when it rains
my art and such may centre around triggering stuff (drugs, gore, angsty junk, it's all tagged) or suggestive jokes/content! heed tws and tread carefully please!
uncensored strong language warning !! @#☆!$
any loser with a spider-ham pfp gets a free follow
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bruffdec · 1 year
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Mary Lou McDonald, leader of Sinn Fein predicts a United Ireland in the next decade at General Liam Lynch Commemoration in Anglesboro, Co Limerick
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desktopepics · 10 months
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Predawn | Official Trailer from Desktopepics on Vimeo.
Coming to Film Festivals Everywhere. #PredawnShortFilm
A family of new homeowners discovers a series of unusual creatures in the forest lining their backyard. Desperate for answers, they recruit their closest friends to investigate the mystery behind what may be the start of an apocalyptic siege.
Co-Directed by Angie Lynch and Corey A. Burkes, screenplay by Corey A. Burkes, Produced by Karen Surgeon-Bennett, Troy R. Dowden, and Paul J. Haberman, the film boasts of a talented team including music composer Liam Bradbury, sound supervisor Jarid Coronado, film colorist Jefferson Rosa, production assistants Brianna “The Brave Cat” Spires and Russell Burkes, production photographer Iris Faction Media and Theresa Matos, makeup artist Antalya Suazo, wardrobe stylist Sariya Anne Burkes, casting services provided by Backstage, computer graphic artist Javanshir Shukurov, drone aerial videography by KIG Films, video game footage by Tiffany Burkes, additional music by Mackster and For Your Consideration hostess Stacey Dori.
Staring the incredibly talented cast: Diron Jones ("Frame of Reference"), Ashley Johnson ("The Pod Generation"), Wynter J. Davis in her first staring role, Po Yen ("No New Wave"), Josh Schaffrin ("About Him: The Other Side"), Vasudha Krishnamoorthy ("Iru Dhuruvam"), Gray Campbell ("Twenty Two"), Madison Geiger ("The Righteous Gemstones"), Izzy Miller ("Treacherous Behavior"), Kaycee Fillbright "Murder a Trois"), Joshua Alford ("The Almosts: Year 1") and Judith Aaron in her first staring role.
DesktopEpics Entertainment, Stories You Can Feel, Presents "Predawn", set to debut at film festivals everywhere throughout 2023-2024 festival seasons.
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repdragons13 · 10 months
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THIS IS MY STAN TUMBLR BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA USE MY AUTHOR TUMBLR FOR IT
fanboy, writer, screenwriter, (aspiring) director. Italian. '05 born😼
BYF
he/him transmasc; bisexual ???romantic, ambiamory
autistic, adhd, generalized anxiety
I am incredibly much a fanboy!
DNI:
gaylors, haylors, matlors.
absolutely no stunt larries, ziamers, liam payne haters
+general dni criteria
STAN LISTS
music:
taylor swift | rep/sn stan, debut defender, James apologist
1D | OT5; liam/louis lane
Conan Gray | footnote stan
Joshua Bassett | different stan
5SOS | SGFG stan; calum lane
BTR | elevate stan; kendall lane
Ed Sheeran | divide stan
The Vamps | night&day stan; connor lane
NHC | fixed&serious stan; reece lane
R5 | doctordoctor stan; riker lane
WDW | wai stan; no lane
Little Mix | get weird stan; jade lane
Shawn Mendes | SM3 stan
Justin Bieber | lifetime #1 stan
books:
simonverse | spierfeld/bruso crazy; martin hater
pjo | cabin #7; on son of neptune
what if it's us | mario and mickey hater; dylan's #1 fan
crave | team hudson; flaxon shipper
hp | jkr die ty; drarry/jegulily shipper; Hufflepuff
hunger games | team peeta! gabe hater
movies/tv shows:
mcu | sambucky shipper; top3: Spidey, Steven, Kate
nick/disney | ross lynch is goat
wolf pack | cyrlan shipper
teen wolf | sterek/thiam hater; stanny shipper
CAOS | team harley
The Batman | mainly watched for Robert
much more tbh
musicals:
Hamilton | lams shipper; LMM stan
DEH | Evan apologist
-Heathers | west end supremacy
The Prom | netflix defender
The Greatest Showman | tos supremacy
And that was my introduction. Be gay do crime lads!
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thegleeacademy · 3 years
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Welcome to The Glee Academy, LIAM STERLING is a SUBMISSIVE that will be placed in suite 112 in the building that used to be Dalton Academy because he has been found to pose no threat to the general population. As soon as you send in your account link I’ll add you to the masterlist and get you an ooc link.
⇲ IC INFORMATION
NAME: Liam Sterling
FC: Riker Lynch
AGE: (21+ with older characters being normal because graduates have to come back to learn the new laws) 28
PRONOUNS & GENDER: he/him, cis male
SEXUALITY: homoflexible
MARK (Dom, Switch, or Sub?): sub
BIRTHDAY/BIRTH ORDER/SIBLING INFO: (this is optional) middle
CLASSES: (this is optional)
CLUBS: (this is optional)
KINKS: (this is optional)
ANTI-KINKS: (this is optional)
⇲ BIOGRAPHY INFORMATION
(If you want to write a biography instead of answering the following questions, go ahead. Just make sure that you do answer these questions in your biography as they all pertain to the plot of this rp and how your character fits into it.)
ARE THERE ANY FAMILY DYNAMICS YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN? CONSIDER WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE FOR YOUR CHARACTER BEFORE THE REBELLION AND BEFORE THEY TURNED 21 AND HAD TO GO TO A BDSM ACADEMY LIKE TGA: (You can use this to talk about family history, what their parents are like, what they thought about the world, any struggles they had with the original M/s world laws, and what they were taught by their own family from 18-21 about their marks.)
The Sterling family has always been known not only for their fathers' political notoriety and their mother's known name in the art world. but for their very public family dynamics. Although the Sterling children grew up in the public eye, their parents were never terribly strict or overbearing. The home was filled with love and laughter, and all the children were supported endlessly. Although their parents did prepare them a bit for the outside world, needing their submissive children to be prepared for the treatment they would endure. Liam has always been a bit soft, however, and his family knew he would struggle in the world under the old laws. The entire Sterling family is also musical in some way, all of them singers, dancers, or performers. Liam can dance, but his true passion is music. He is shy to sing in front of others, though he does play several instruments extremely well, including piano and guitar.
WHAT WAS YOUR CHARACTER’S LIFE LIKE WHILE THEY WERE AT SCHOOL BEFORE THE REBELLION?: (n/a if they’re 21-23 because this would be a 21 year old’s first year at a BDSM academy, and the last few years were all disrupted by the Rebellion so people that were supposed to start could not.)
As a submissive, Liam's life prior to the rebellion was not one anyone would have or should have envied. He did not have a great time, despite excelling at school and academics. He has a true heart of service, and that helped him to get through during his time at TGA in the past. However, that did not get him away from all trouble and run-ins with 'monster doms'.
WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER THINK ABOUT THE OLD WAYS? WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER THINK ABOUT THE REBELLION?
Liam respects the old ways, as that is how he was taught to believe, and how he was expected to behave. However, he is grateful for the new ways, and for the chance to explore different sides of things. In a way, he is nervous for the newfound 'freedom', but is ultimately excited for the prospects. :
HAD YOUR CHARACTER GRADUATED BEFORE THE REBELLION CAME? IF SO, WHAT WERE THEY DOING IN THE REAL WORLD? IF NOT, WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR THEM TO BE ON CAMPUS WHEN THE REBELLION TOOK OVER?: (Remember, students were NOT harmed or tormented by the Rebellion)
Yes, Liam was graduated before the actual laws began to change. He left TGA as a claimed submissive, but unfortunately had been claimed by a true monster Dom. the claim was toxic and abusive, and Liam has been left quite scarred from the experience. Although he would love to be in another claim, one with love this time, he is nervous to fall into the wrong hands again.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU HAVE IN MIND FOR YOUR CHARACTER OR WOULD LIKE THEM TO DO?: (Plots you hope to have, wanted connections, anything else that wasn’t already addressed, you can write a full bio here if you want but that is up to you, etc)
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wordofrecall · 4 years
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character playlists: ori
so. let’s do this. my playlists are long and scattered, but they make me happy, so i might as well share them and the thoughts behind song choices. so. here’s some songs for runaway knights & wannabe witches, and what have you.
something holy - childhood & riches & wonders
pearl diver - mitski - oh hunter, if you didn’t want the beautiful so badly, perhaps you would’ve found it in your spirit singing softly - look. it's on the nose, considering that her title is "the pearl hunter," but also, like, that rules. this is a song for wren, i think; ori in the present reflecting on her mother and the similarities between them.
icicles - the scary jokes - i can only be forgiven if i’m giving myself up to you on a silver serving tray / must i bare myself to the stabbing of your knife & gnashing teeth while our lovely company appears so entertained? - aaand a song for childhood. 99% of ori's socialization came from her parents having important guests over, so. uh. yeah. show off your reclusive child prodigy like a pageant whenever you have the opportunity. she probably won't grow to loathe you.
life: the cruel interlude (on god) - kilo kish - why do i dare believe in me when i bleed? - questioning was. always a big thing for ori. i don't think she ever believed that the mirzha was god, and i known that she never truster her father's patron, but. in her studies, in her passions, there's always this tiny sense of desperation for something to have faith in something. not herself.
bluejays & cardinals - the mountain goats - the stars come out of hiding for you, & i would too - there is. a lot, in ori's relationship with her brother. she was the favorite child, yeah, the one destined for great things in spite of her... troubles. but he never had those troubles! she didn't, doesn't understand how he went through life so unafraid. there's envy there. i also think that the line i quoted is terribly true, like, canonically. because. she sure did do that stupid shit.
be calm - fun. - take it from me, i’ve been there a thousand times--you hate your pulse because it thinks you’re still alive! - sometimes you have intense social phobia. and that's okay!
country death song - violent femmes - kiss your mother goodnight & remember that God saves, kiss your mother goodnight & remember that God saves - i think andrei is a much less pitiable or even sympathetic man than the narrator of this song, but. like. it's a country song about a father killing his daughter while preaching godliness. i had to.
i’m all bloody inside - liam lynch - inside me, well, it’s dark & gross as hell, i’m not a pretty sight - the family business!
the hazards of love 3 (revenge!) - the decemberists - but father, don’t you fear, your children are all here - fantasies. part of the fantasy is imagining a world where she doesn't feel terrible about the thought.
shankill butchers - sarah jarosz - they used to be just like me & you, they used to be sweet little boys - "blood hunters are ghost stories." "and also, they're fucking terrible. violent, cruel, zealous. the worst."
sparrow - st. vincent - & no eyes are on the sparrow, eyes are on the sparrow, how could that be the case? the lark keeps whistling his number, silly little number, as if he isn't prey - pity for the boy. sort of retrospective, but it's a thought that's been there since she was a child.
something burning - rituals & fire & running
starchild - ghost quartet - but i will transcend & vomit this loser out of me; i will become the next big thing, i will light myself on fire - maybe she is some kind of angel? bursting with radiance and terrifying to look upon.
arsonist’s lullabye - hozier - don’t you ever tame your demons, always keep them on a leash / when i was sixteen, my senses fooled me - oooor maybe she is a sixteen year-old who is having a panic attack and setting everything in sight on fire by accident.
blood - my chemical romance - i’m the kind of human wreckage that you love! - so she's broken.
girl anachronism - the dresden dolls - it’s not the way i’m meant to be, it’s just the way the operation made me - so she's failed and she's broken and she's sick, and there's no time to fucking think.
when the chips are down - anais mitchell - cast your eyes to heaven, you’ll get a knife in the back. - so she does what her mother did before her, and she runs from that which she has always known.
body terror song - ajj - i’m so sorry that you have to have a body / one that will hurt you, & be the subject of so much of your fear - feelings on being built Wrong; feelings on your mind's undue control upon your body.
in corolla - the mountain goats - & no one was gonna come & get me, there wasn't anybody gonna know, even though i leave a trail of burnt things in my wake every single place i go - very good as an ori song in general but this is her justification to herself in the water. under the docks, she says this to herself.
the harrowed & the haunted - the decemberists - will i be so brave? - just to get that oceanic vibe up.
luna - the mountain goats - rise through the flames & end again in flames at last - an inexplicable feeling.
unwhere - reeder - a song for leaving what you've always known.
something lonely - years & woods & dreaming
runs in the family - amanda palmer - run from their pity, from responsibility, run from the country & run from the city, i can run from the law, i can run from myself, i can run for my life, i can run into debt, i can run from it all, i can run 'till I'm gone - she is broken and all she can think to do is get as far away as possible
panic attack - liza anne - i hate that i can be seen like this
black eyes - david wirsig - my hammering heart hears the voices of spirits that tempt us, the scorn that they’ve spoken
for the departed - shayfer james - they will bury me alive, but i’m not inclined to care; i am too far gone now
hurt - johnny cash - everyone i know goes away in the end; you can have it all, my empire of dirt
my body’s made of crushed little stars - mitski - i work better under a deadline! i work better under a deadline!
blood in the cut - k. flay - guess i’m contagious; it’d be safest if you ran--fuck, that’s what they all just end up doing in the end
little pistol - mother mother - i think i might be scared of the world & the way it makes you feel afraid & how it gets in the way
villains pt. 1 - emma blackery - built to create, designed to destroy
the beer - kimya dawson - & the christians gave me comic books as if i would be scared of burning in hell while i was already there [...] i tried to scream fuck you but blood was pouring out my mouth
something safe - family & finding it & fighting together
haunted house - sir babygirl - i’m running just to hide & i’m hiding just to breathe & around every corner is the same night on repeat
your heart is a muscle the size of your fist - ramshackle glory - i love you & you make me glad to be alive; i promise that i’m gonna pay you back / you always know how funny everything is, even when i’m so serious that it’s gonna be the death of me
medicines - the taxpayers - o, but our rotting corpses lying there soon began to leak & grow these lesions that all smelled just like a rose / & all the blood & guts inside us germinated into timeless pages stained with lines of lovely prose
autoclave - the mountain goats - i am this great unstable mass of blood & foam
alligator skin boots - mccafferty - i’m cool to the touch, leap to my death, i’ll die for you all, i’ll die for my friends, it goes like this
100 years - florence + the machine - lord, don’t let me break this, let me hold it lightly, give me arms to pray with instead of ones that hold too tightly
tomorrow will be kinder - the secret sisters - but i feel warmth on my skin, the stars have all aligned
armour - rae spoon - you know i placed was to build a life for you
amy aka spent gladiator 1 - the mountain goats - play with matches if you think you need to play with matches; seek out the hidden places where the fire burns hot & bright / find where the heat’s unbearable & stay there if you have to--don’t hurt anybody on your way up to the light, and stay alive
curses - the crane wives - won’t you stay with me, my darling, when my walls start burning down?
something daring - islands & visions & loss
jane’s dream - janelle monáe
beekeeper - keaton henson - hear me, o woman that has gone astray, gone astray
fire - kimya dawson - i’m reading books about how they’re corrupt [...] as long as i’m burning, i’ll keep on yearning to save the world, not sure how, but i’m learning
cosmic hero - car seat headrest - i love you, but i can’t stand the touch, & of course i’m alright with death
turn the lights off - tally hall - everbody likes to get taken for turns to see how bright the fire inside of us burns [...] should be stronger, books abandoned
eat you alive - the oh hellos - child, i’m afraid for your soul; these things that you’re after, they can’t be controlled
cry for judas - the mountain goats - hallucinate a shady grove where judas went to die
o death - monica martin - no wealth, no land, no silver, no gold, nothing satisfies me but your soul
blood of angels - brown bird - and i would wage my soul to bet that there ain’t no one throwing lightning anyhow
the universe is going to catch you - the antlers - the arms of the universe kept you from falling [...] those arms did not come back
a burning hill - mitski - i am the fire & i am the forest & i am the witness watching it / i stand in the valley watching it
something terrifying - conversations & selfhood & divination
the lamb - dessa - but blood is blood, & what’s done is done; blood is blood, & its burden is a beast
going invisible 2 - the mountain goats - i’m gonna burn it all down today & sweep all the ashes away
the lion’s roar - first aid kit - she plays a tune for those who wish to overlook the fact that they’ve been blindly deceived by those who preach & pray & teach, but she falls short & the night explodes in laughter
the villain i appear to be - connor spiotto - even if you can’t see the good inside me, i don’t have the time to tell you why i do the things that i do, just please hold on & soon you’ll seem
up the wolves - the mountain goats - there’s bound to be a ghost at the back of closet, no matter where you live; there’ll be a few things, maybe several things that you’re gonna find really difficult to forgive
thursday girl - mitski - glory, glory, glory to the night that shows me what i am
at the bottom of everything - bright eyes - we must take all of the medicines to expensive now to sel; set fire to the preacher who is promising us hell
everybody does - julien baker - i know i’m a pile of filthy wreckage you will wish you’d never touched, but you’re gonna run when you find out who i am
tongues & teeth - the crane wives - i know that you mean so well, but i am not a vessel for your good intent 
a pearl - mitski - you’re growing tired of me and all the things i don’t talk about / sorry, i don’t want your touch--it’s not that i don’t want you
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stairnaheireann · 19 days
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#OTD in 1923 – Liam Lynch, chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army, is mortally wounded by Free State troops in the Knockmealdown Mountains, Co Tipperary.
Liam Lynch was born in Barnagurraha, Co Limerick. He joined the Irish Volunteers after witnessing the arrests of the Kent family by British forces after the failed Easter Rising of 1916. Two of the Kent brothers, David and Richard were shot during their arrest. Richard would later die of his wounds and a third brother, Thomas, was executed by Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). During the Irish War…
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hollywoodfamerp · 7 months
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Hotel Adlon Kempinski
In the heart of Berlin, facing the Brandenburg Gate and only a few steps from the government district, you will find the legendary five-star luxury Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin. A total of 385 elegant rooms and suites, 3 top-tier restaurants, including Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, which has been awarded with 2 Michelin stars, and a spacious spa meet the highest demands of every guest!
Under the cut is the roommates list. Couples have been roomed together and everyone else was randomized by a generator. If you have been roomed with another fc that you play, please message us politely and we will fix it asap! Roommates are subject to change due to unfollows, follows, activity check etc. so please like this post to keep up to date on any changes.
UPDATED 9/27 @ 7:20 PM EST
Demi Bennett (Rhea Ripley) - Ashley Fliehr (Charlotte Flair) 
Fergal Devitt - Renee Young
Hwang Hyunjin - Bang Chan
Sarah Paulson - Jessica Lange
Lee Know (Minho) - Lee Felix
Park Jinyoung - Lim Jaebeom
Awsten Knight - Miley Cyrus 
Kim Jisoo - Christian Yu
Choi Minho - Kim Ahyoung (Yura)
Tyler Hoechlin - Maura Higgins
Maika Monroe - Dylan O'Brien
Kim Mingyu - Sana Minatozaki 
Zoey Deutch - Geoff Wigington
Kelsea Ballerini - Joe Keery
Shay Mitchell - Andy Biersack
Zendaya - Timothee Chalamet
Vanessa Hudgens - Austin Butler
Dua Lipa - Maya Hawke
Yoo Siah (Yooa) - Kim Minjeong (Winter)
Xiao Dejun (Xiaojun) - Yoo Jimin (Karina) 
Min Yoongi - Kim Namjoon
Kim Hongjoong - Diamanté Quiava Valentin Harper (Saweetie)
Julianna Margulies - Cate Blanchett
Jung Yoonoh (Jaehyun) - Lee Taeyong
Jackson Wang - Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul (Ten)
Sebastian Stan - Margot Robbie
Colby Lopez (Seth Rollins) - Rebecca Quin (Becky Lynch)
Pamela Martinez (Bayley) - Mercedes Justine Varnado (Sasha Banks)
Lucas Wong - Kim Jungwoo 
Lee Taemin - Kim Jongin 
Tom Holland - Natalia Dyer
Akanishi Jin - Lee Sunmi
Mark Lee - Lee Donghyuck (Haechan)
Zoë Kravitz - Lili Reinhart
Beyoncé Knowles - Gong Yoo
Lupita Nyong'o -Tessa Thompson
Sarah Drew - Brett Tucker
Gareth Southgate - Kendall Jenner
Choi Soobin - Sofia Carson
Ryan Gosling - Cha Eunwoo
Jensen Ackles - Jonathan Good (Jon Moxley)
Hwang Yeji - Camila Morrone
Park Seonghwa - Romee Strijd
Lee Jeno - Louis Tomlinson
Jung Wooyoung - Mazz Murray
Byun Baekhyun  - Harry Kane
Choi San - Taylor Zakhar Perez
Olivia Rodrigo - Elizabeth Olsen
Hailey Baldwin - Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (Megan Thee Stallion)
Florence Pugh - Carrie Underwood
Selena Gomez - Anya Taylor-Joy
Liam Hemsworth - Kang Seulgi
Adelaine Kane  - Chace Crawford
Jang Gyuri - Molly-Mae Hague
Jessica Chastain - Ross Lynch
Sydney Sweeney - Park Seoham
Park Jihyo - Sam Claflin
Ben Feldman - America Ferrera
Taylor Momsen - Blake Lively
Bill Skarsgard - Jacob Elordi
Nicholas Galitzine - Mason Mount
Sabrina Carpenter - Jenna Ortega
Niall Horan - Ariana Grande
Kim Taehyung - Wong Kunhang (Hendery)
Samantha Gibb - Leati Joseph Anoa'i (Roman Reigns)
Joey King - Joshua Wong
Lauren Jauregui - Min Yoongi
Taylor Swift  - Naomi Scott
Lucy Hale - Emma Mackey
Jeon Jungkook - David Corenswet
Otto Wood - Madelyn Cline
Halle Bailey - Brittany Baker (Britt Baker)
Cillian Murphy - Chris Evans
Chris Hemsworth - Na Jaemin
Lily James – Glen Powell
Olivia Culpo - Danny Amendola 
Bruno Mars - Gigi Hadid
Josephine Skriver - Aaron Taylor Johnson
Harry Styles - Sofia Carson
Nick Jonas - Jennie Kim
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crimsoncityhq · 3 years
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PART I
One thing rang true and that was the prediction of the brutal blizzard of November 28th. Everyone prepped the best they could with the remembrance of how last Winter had ruthlessly blanketed their homes. There’s a frenzy for backup generators that get bought up in the Chicago stores for the anticipation. The first ominous whistle of the wind, and the pebbles of ice fall on the eve of Thanksgiving. Power flickers in each home giving them a moment of awkward darkness, before the backup generators kick in. The power companies in the city promise to have everyone serviced, but they start to service the scattered patches on the outskirts of the city first .
Most joked that was the brutal blizzard they had prepared for, until Mother Nature dropped her poker face. The ships with cargo became stuck in the harbor due to the icy fortress that froze over the gigantic lake. No lights of passing planes in the sky, as the wind turned into a sinister howl. Darkness engulfed the entirety of the city, except for a strip of hotels in neutral territory. The footmen of the families alert them that there seem to be only a handful of hotels that seem to be around. Meanwhile the temperature dips in the homes of those unlucky, and they must face a brash decision to not become the ice sculptures akin to the people of Pompeii. 
Multiple phone calls are done, and just as their phones are about to die they get a booking. A hotel that mentions that the accommodations might be crowded -- However, they can host your groups and promise warmth as long as the storm doesn’t shut them down. Everyone packs up their children, pets, and housemates to journey to the only solace that isn’t sold out in all Chicago.
After a restless eternity everyone was given a room number with their baggage ( human and otherwise ). The group of people that checked guests in alert them that there is a room for the animals to stay in kennels or they may accompany the others up to the room. Just when everyone was annoyed after being crowded in the lobby, and having to wait decades to get from one floor to another in the elevator.  It doesn’t help there’s always that one asshole that tries to asphyxiate everyone with their heinous flatulence. 
They FINALLY make it into their hotel room. Massive enough and customized with multiple full sized beds. No television, the heat blares up, it’s the poster child of the most bare necessities room. While everyone claimed a bed and stared haughty towards the guests that had ended up in the same room with them. A loud crackle followed by a slight rumble of their feet had the lights in the hotel rooms go off. The hotel doors seemed to have powered down, and anyone that tried to leave them --found they wouldn’t budge. A soft wheeze emitted from the heater in the room, and for a moment that’s the only noise in the room with you until the profanities start to flood. Winter wasn’t the only one that had prepped for the evening. The Walshes and their affiliates watch on with hidden elation as their plan goes into motion.
Part I will run from November 28th until December 3rd. Under the cut will be the groupings as well as some additional notes for this event.
Please don’t make any new starters open or closed that don’t pertain to this event while it’s happening. Normal replies can be done while the event is running, but it gets confusing timeline wise if people have additional threads that they start that would belong after the event timeline.
For this event specifically, the weather in Chicago is fictional. After the event you can feel free to glance at the Weather app and RP it out that way!
Animals will also be boarded at this neutral hotel. Keep in mind if the animals are left at your residence with the current temperature and no heat they will likely pass away.
Keep in mind that if your character has children (unless they are Walsh affiliates) they  likely have their kids in the room with them or any other NPC’s. If the character is a Walsh it was their choice to have them be ‘stuck’ in the room with them or left with a babysitter provided by the council.
For information on the bold names check the Walsh Discord channel. 
PREP PLOT SLOTS CHOSEN
 LIAM WALSH & IVY IVASHKOV volunteered to carpool with a hotel van to the hospital for sedatives and other harvesting supplies. AUDREY ROUSSEAU is already at the hospital and helps them fill the van before they all ride back to the hotel together. DAVUT DEMIR & KILLIAN WALSH are tasked with going to The Westin and sabotaging the hotel in time for the storm. They are told to do whatever necessary to make sure the hotel can’t accept any more guests before they return for the night. DARREN MURPHY took a smoke break after unloading only one of the supply vans at the hotel. LINCOLN DAWSON caught them smoking—as opposed to working—and made DARREN MURPHY finish unloading two other vans while they watched. 
ASLYN WALSH collected the weekly stash owed from the business owners at Magnificent Mile. She delivered the money to the council without prying eyes of local law enforcement or rival gangs catching on. ARMANDE IVASHKOV & another associate, had the dirty work of cleaning up the old blood stained hotel rooms used for organ harvesting the night before. They made it presentable before opening night. Their efforts were doubled when other affiliates weren’t aware of the chore, and had set off to bloody the room with a fresh harvest session.TARON LYNCH & JOANNA "JOEY" O'SHEA are instructed to sabotage the backup power generators on the north side. Surprisingly, they didn’t get caught. CAOILAINN WALSH had to “check” everyone into the hotel—AKA, assign each guest to a room. Everyone converges in the lobby and watches them impatiently, and the later it gets, the more aggressive the crowd becomes. ASLI DEMIR & FLETCHER HARGRAVE met with Jean Jaques “JJ” Baptiste and persuaded him by discussing terms of agreement for him to temporarily close Romanet Hotel the night of the massive storm.
ROOMS
ROOM #1: Arlo Flores, Fletcher Hargrave, Ira Evans, Jesse Valencia, Theodore "Teddy" Cohen
ROOM #2: Anastasia Sahin, Billie Washington, Josephine "Josie" Leon, Mathias Attano, Taron Lynch
ROOM #3: Andrea "Andy" Perez, Asli Demir, Blythe Sweetwine,Braden Kahale, Margeaux Saint Claire
ROOM #4: Alejandra Ruiz, Armande Ivashkov, Harlow Dumas,Jackson Marston, Lev Vasile, 
ROOM #5: Gwen Arnolds, Hana Faust,Jean-Jacques Baptiste De Romanet, Jessika Delmonica, Oisin Donnelly
ROOM #6: David Sharpe, Juno Song, Layla Jiminez, Nadia James, Nicola Faust, Peyton Bridges
ROOM #7: Callan Quinn, Effie Faust, Igor Vasile, Letitia "Tia" Valentine, Rosalie Halliday, Sutton James
ROOM #8: Addison Mckinley, Anton Volkov, Aries "Rhys" Rigsby, Cecilia Cavendish, Esmeray Demir, Lucian Faust
ROOM #9:  Aslyn Walsh, Catriona O'Shea, Oliver Faust, Tulsa Jane Honey
ROOM #10: Genevieve Bisset, Lee Malkovich, Levi Bohan, Maisie Kane, Saskia Vasile
ROOM #11: Amara Ricci, Auron Wright, Christine Li, Holden Mercer, Sloan Washington, Stefano Vitorri
ROOM #12: Edith Cohen, Ellis Rowe, Lavrenti "Lav" Vasile, Lincoln Dawson, Silas Hale
ROOM #13: Fabian Drake Kalashnyk, Carrigan Connolly, Cassidy Faust, Monika Adler, Nicholas Krieger
ROOM #14: Erin Cerci, Lada Antonovna, Leonid "Leo" Vasile, Rahi Kumar, Zoe Washington
ROOM #15: Abel Washington, Dominika Romanov, Faith Williams, Olivia Madden, Rosalia Leon, Cassandra Conally
ROOM #16: Atticus Mercer, Diamond Washington, Killian Walsh, Lorelai Faust, Oakley Butler
ROOM #17: Audric Noire, Mikhail Morosov, Noah Etkin, Nova Deveraux, Viktoriya Vasile
ROOM #18: Anatalya Vasile, Darren Murphy, Julia Faust, Konstantin Vasile, Violet Madden
ROOM #19: Davut Demir, Katarina Vasile, Veronica Pierce, Vincent St James, Zane Washington
ROOM #20: Beauregard “Beau” Griveaud, Blair Faust, Caoilainn "Callie" Walsh, Milo Arrington, Zedekiah Vasile
ROOM #21: Dante "Sebastian" Faust, Liam Walsh, Marissa Atkinson Orion Anderson, Vitomir Kipriyanov
ROOM #22: Andrew "Drew" Whittmore, Callum James, Ivy Ivashkov, Marie-Anne Beaulieu,  Nikolai Volkov ROOM #23: Audrey Rousseau,Barnaby Eaton, Constansia Fournier, Edie James, 
ROOM #24: Birdie Mendoza,Eleanor "Elle" Eaton, Joanna "Joey" O'Shea, Katya Ivanova, Wyatt Leon
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jeffhane · 3 years
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dynasty live watching: an incoherent post so that i’m not spoiling people on the twitter tl (i doubt any of this will be chronological or coherent enough to actually contain spoilers but better safe than sorry!)
oh my god the “previously on” - i forgot abt fallon and evan....
Theyre at a FUNERAL??? this was actually predicted but oh my god. if its steven i am going to be so mad. what an unfitting end to the- WAIT WHAT SIX MONTHS? what was that font;;;;:; whes sueiwjwk
copper arch🥵🥵🥵
this is cute. this is cute i like faloon pretty women so true
BYE I FORGOT ABT THIS VASE
fallon is genuinely such a bad person this is so bizarre,,,, i think she needs to calm down about oiterally everything ever
“This wedding is our chance to break the cycle of craziness” babe ur literally the one making the cycle of craziness
w. was that an ikmenn of liam getting his head off
JEFF MY BELOVED HE LOOKS STUNNING IN THAT OUTFIT. WHYS ALEXIS HERW “POWER COUPLE” YOU WERID MANIPULATIVE PERSON GET AWAY FROM HIM LOL
alexis is up to no good. bad bad jpeg. why do they write her dialogue like this
adam is acted so well lmao he’s the most unhinged person to ever exist *screams*
ohhh dominique, i don’t remember much abt her 😭😭😭 this woman she’s with is beautiful
ITS LAGGING????? i cannot Believe tjis
~rebrand~ ok girlboss!!!!!!!!! can we ship this businesswoman i dont recall her name with fallon???? id like that i think
too many plotlines have happened in too many minutes, i’m already forgettint things that have happened... isn’t blake supposed to be in prisoj? no? Ok: sure
adam is constantly doing this expression that is like 👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁👁 HI SAM HI SAM HI SAM BEAUTIFUL MAN I LOVE HIM WHOS THIS MAN
raf is so stunning ughhhh i’m loving the costumes this season, everyone looks great! is this man a sam love interest? nervous? that is kinda cute. i miss stevej though. sadness. so many emotions
UHHHH hi alexis sure ig ur here
~OMENS~ babe that’s a tad dramatic don’t you think?????????? “Ignore the lore at your own peril” alright
WHOS THAT? WHOS THAT? OH HER OK
bye everything is going wrong for this......:..:::... *rubs hands together evilly* that will certainly be entertaining
credit scene!!! such a beautiful cast! where’s anders, oh how i miss him... i miss monica too wasn’t she supposed to be BACK🤔🤔🤔🧐🧐🤨🤨
its a commercial break... havent had to watch the show with these for so long😑😑😑. getting american ads is so funny bc the vast majority of them are Not at all relevant... at all
BACK TO DYNASTY!!!!!! was that a slinky? huh? oh ok that’s why the marriage is happening at the manor. #whenyouonlyhaveoneset oh hi ok monica so shes not going to be here?????😑😔😳
WHY IS SHE GETTING A CAR I FEEL LIKE THATS FORESHAWDOIWIJG FOR UMMMMM.... NOT GOOD THINGS ..... ITS LAGGING AGAIN 🤨
blake having dinner... ok hi cristal,,,,; is the priest subplot back? that was a weird one
adam???? how on earth does adam work his way into everything? NEXT GUEST? HUH? are you cheating on your wife? HI CULHANE! HI!
“straight people are exhausting” i mean yes, objectively, absolutely, but culhane is #notstraight .... idk how i feel about sam and this man. also what? huh? staying here? ok cool ig
OHHHHH he got married i see i see
“Haven’t you milked the carrington cow already” but....... she is literally the person who deserves the stuff..... k......... i don’t like dominique but she was given the short end of the stick also blake stop manipulating people just bc they tell u the truth😶😶😶😶😶😶😶
frustrated that we haven’t seen fallon in any non-wedding related stuff yet i always liked her more ~dramatic~ plots . like she’s a sweetheart but i do want her to evolve beyond thsi. idk if that makes sense. ok bye
“A relative’s happy marriage” uh???? we live in a society😔📈
who is father lynch<3333 oh he is in the hospital that’s not great oh adam upset that’s new /s
y is kirby dressed like an elf. god bless.
ughhhh i just think adam is not good for kirby. he’s not good in general. so true . what is he up to. ads again hhhhhhhhhh💯
omg we are back!!!!! blake wear the suit!! hi liz!!! i’ve seen pictures of this outfit, it looks nice. “I really want things to work out with liam” now that would be great but you’re in a soap opera so the chances of that are .... I DONT EVEN ONOW IF U CAN WEATHER ANYTHING W CRISTAL...)))))!$$ NOT NECESSARILY THE BEET CHOICE????
~technically it wasn’t cancelled~ alright love i feel as though you’re not telling the full truth here. ok his name is ryan . we know that now . cool . this relationship is awkward but it could be sweet
what the Fuck is dominique talking about this is so creepy😭😭😭 please do not market lingerie to ur niece 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂 why does no one in this show know how to be polite
“You want me to stake my personal assets” i’m sure this would be meaningful if i knew anything about finance????? WAIT WAIT WIAT WAIT WAIT DHE REHEARING THE SAM DONS G THE SONG ALEXIS DONT INTERRUPT HER SINGING THE SONG🧐😔😔😔🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🥰🥰🤬😤😤😤😤😤😤
~duplicitous sham~ that’s quite a juicy phrase ms fallon. alexis i dislike your marriage. and you in fact. yes x . “We were just like any other newlyweds” except the newlywed factor........:
anders. oh my god i adore him so much. he reminds me of my grandfather . YES adam is dangerous. anders i love you so much. be my grandfather figure. top 10 cool old dudes of all time.
liz is so beautiful how am i suppised to “Focus” on the “storyline” kirby just went 🥰🥰 also hi culhane ily babe
“My father’s convinced adam is pure evil” you see, that is......... trueeeee...........:.::: im sorry culhane ily love
this dialogue unfortunately does not flow all that well LOL . people dont think up things like this on the fly “my love is like that boutineer” sir i guarantee that metaphors r not going to save ur relationship... HI sam. so true. hi ily. samhane? culsam? 😳😳
DONT STEAL ANDERS SPOT OH HI JEFF YOU LOOK STUNNING.......... BEAUTIFUL BOY ....... HI!!!! ~you are the only family you’ve ever needed~ shit none of this wouldve happened if the Carringtons werent so greedy ij the first place
~true love has many faces~ how many anti liam omens can they sneak in into the episode 😭😭😭😭 hi laura whats up
the poor waiters at this establishment...... why does laura look like a rlly young version of my grandma........: huh.... wont think abt it /... alexis bad mom.jpeg
“I don’t want to miss my sons special day” ok bye i don’t #care she’s kind of rude
fallon trying to avoid future drama is confusing to me as that used to be her ENTIRE THING? HUH??? everyones talking to their moms today what the heck do that many people talk to their moms???
jeff hiiiii <333 that maroon suit!!!!! love!!!!!
Dont hurt anders you strange little evil man!!!!!!!!!!! (Adam, for reference)
fallon likes to ~e n u n c i a t e~ her dialogue. Drama Teachers Love Her
FIRBY SCENE! WELL THEY R TALKINF! UWU ! UWU ! smiles:) smiiiiiles:) the height difference i cannot do this😑😊😊😊🕯🕯🕯 BYE
BueirHWIIDWJDIWIFJWIFJWJJFWJFJWJDJWJDJWIFJWJFJWJDKWJDJWDJJWHDWHDHWHEHWHDHWJDJWJRJWJEJWJDJQUEUWJEJWJEJW CRIES SOBS SCREAMS THIS OS SO FUCKING FUNNY
Kirby you dumbass😭😭😭😭😭 ALEXIS WUDIWNDJW JEFF CAN YOU NOT HEF FCANKREMTIWN WHY IS THIS DIALOGUE IM SCREAMIGNRJFJD
kirby babe you are the kist imorjri WHQT? HUH? when all the characters have the maturity of a 13 yr old <33333 DID THE SHOW JUST END?????? OK.... DAMN.... they were really 2 minutes away from the end and remembered that things are supposed to happen in tv show episodes.... i cannot tell whether it os over actually?????? huh??? going to keep watching because it would be so embarrassing if i missed a few minutes oh yeah theres more
IM SORRY WHYBARE THESE PEOPLE SO STUPID. every single one of them. ih my god l. ohhhh my god . “I never meant to hurt you” you cheated on him. both of them are bad people. 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨 kirby darling what were you thinking . this dress on kirby is STUNNING ugh, she’s so charming . adam Shut the fuck up. He hasn’t said anything but shut the fuck up. OH MY GOD ADAM SHUT THE FUCK UP. OH MY GOD I HATE ADAM SO MUXH. OH MY GOD HOW IS HE THE WORST PERSON TO EVER LIVE 😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😶 HES SO EVIL
“I didn’t want to tell you because i didnt want you to think of me as a monster” why did you do that stuff then bro . Kirby you SHOULDNT trust someone after they say that? How naive? Huh ?
omg hello jeffs grandma!!!!! she deserves better than every shitshow in this family... god🤨 dominique being a good person? i like to see that. she seems so genuine. ok this is nice . wait... SAFE? 😳😳😳😳 💴 💵 #money i miss monica
why do they never have sufficient lifhting in WAIT..... HER?????? #dumbofass HI JEFF <33333333 HI you can scam and whatever ur allowed to i support u
ooohhhh GORGEOUS fallon outfit
“Such a fail” IS THIS 2012 . CRINE HEIDJWJFIWNDWJDNWKFJW ENJDJSDJWJNDJWJD they keep saying folklore and im thinking its some sort of reference to the album and i get confused. wheres scheming fallon. need scheming fallon. do a scheme. do it
“We are that lucky couple” press x to doubt .... wait who is this🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 this seems cincerning im cocnentwd why did it zoom in on this random man
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strangenewfriends · 4 years
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During a pivotal year of his solo career, Harry Styles has notched another monumental achievement: his first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
As “Watermelon Sugar,” the standout track from Styles’ sophomore solo LP Fine Line, lifts 7-1 on this week’s Hot 100 tally, Styles tops the chart for the first time, after previously reaching a No. 2 peak as a member of One Direction. After starting his solo career with his classic rock influences on his sleeve, Styles has become a fixture at pop radio in 2020, with both “Watermelon Sugar” and “Adore You” becoming ubiquitous top 10 hits this year.
How shocking is the ascent of “Watermelon Sugar”? And what could the song mean for Styles’ future at the Grammy Awards? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
1. On a scale of 1-10, how surprised are you that “Watermelon Sugar” is the song to finally give Harry Styles his first Hot 100 chart-topper?
Andrew Unterberger: Three months ago, it would've been a 10 for sure. Types of songs that don't usually go to No. 1 in 2020: fourth official singles, songs that have already dropped off the Hot 100 for multiple months after debuting, rock (or at least rock-based pop) songs. "Watermelon Sugar" was each of 'em, and even as recently as last week, I'd have been, like, an 8 about it going all the way to No. 1 -- even with a viral video, good audio-only streaming numbers and huge radio support, it seemed to have hit a ceiling outside the top 5. But a concentrated fan campaign and some good chart timing have put it over the top, and maybe I shouldn't be so surprised by that in 2020 after all.
Jason Lipshutz: I’d give it a 7 -- not because of any deficiency or quirk with the song, but because of its circuitous route to the top of the Hot 100 chart. Styles performed “Watermelon Sugar” for the first time on Saturday Night Live on Nov. 16, 2019, and released music videos for three other Fine Line songs before finally returning to it in May. That’s an incredibly slow burn -- to provide some context, “Watermelon Sugar” was released the same weekend as the ill-fated Charlie’s Angels reboot! -- and an unlikely path to pop ubiquity, to say the least.
Joe Lynch: I guess 9? It's super catchy and easy to get into, but it's just not the vibe of most 2019-2020 Hot 100 toppers – although given that Taylor Swift's "Cardigan" cozied up to the top slot last week, perhaps we're at a point in the pandemic where people are specifically turning to something that's a far cry from the top 40 norm for a break in monotony.
Lyndsey Havens: I'd say a 6. Three years ago (and still today) I thought that "Sign of the Times" could have and should have topped the chart, and then I thought that "Adore You" might finally do the trick. But people do say "third time's the charm" for a reason, and it makes sense that, after two strong top 10 singles, the continual growth of Fine Line well into 2020 and the strong promotional push, that this summer-ready, breezy pop-rock track has claimed the chart's top spot.
Stephen Daw: I'm clocking in at a solid 5 — it's surprising (to me, at least) that it took Harry Styles this long to log his first No. 1, but as soon as I heard "Watermelon Sugar," I was confident that, if a song off of Fine Line was going to reach the top of the Hot 100, it would be this one.
2. The success of Styles’ second album, Fine Line, has been one of the biggest stories in mainstream pop this year -- the album is still in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart eight months after its release. Why do you think Styles’ sophomore solo LP has resonated so well this year?
Andrew Unterberger: I wish I knew -- as do record company folks around the world, I imagine. It's a very good album and Harry is an extremely likeable star, but nothing about an album that feels largely like a tribute to '70s pop-rock and post-peak Paul McCartney would've struck me as an album to take him to that next level of stardom. He's just a star -- one with a big-enough gravitational pull to bend the mainstream to him -- and I won't underestimate him so easily again.
Jason Lipshutz: In 2020, artists like Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez and 5 Seconds of Summer have all released top-notch pop full-lengths... but I have returned to Fine Line more than any of them. Part of that has to do with its sense of uplift and enthusiasm during a particularly trying year -- shout-out to “Treat People With Kindness” for snapping me out of some grade-A funks -- but Fine Line’s songs are stronger than those of Styles’ self-titled debut, the pacing is immaculate, the hits are far more effective and Styles is more comfortable in his own, ‘70s-pop-channeling skin. Fine Line is part throwback, part comfort food, part magnetic artistic presence, and remains an excellent front-to-back listen.
Joe Lynch: I think he's in a great spot in his career: not only has his 1D fan base embraced his maturing sound (which, to be fair, isn't a tough sell – this is very accessible pop-rock), but his gender-bending, classic rock-worshiping fashionista persona has expanded his listenership beyond the realm of card-carrying Directioners. Plus, it's an album that's crafted to last: this is meticulous studio pop that mostly eschews the tiresome trends and tricks most producers feel obligated to slap on a recording to make it feel “contemporary.” Fine Line occupies its own lane instead of competing against two-or-three new sound-alike albums a month.
Lyndsey Havens: Harry is the "perfect" pop star: his One Direction past earned him a built-in (and very dedicated) fan base, he’s mysterious enough but generous with his content, queen Stevie Nicks has become his number one fan, and, of course, he delivered an album filled with fantastic pop-rock hits and ballads. When Harry Styles arrived, fans had to adjust to Styles' sonic pivot. But by the time he delivered Fine Line, both Styles and his fans had matured -- and those pop-rock roots he planted years prior were in bloom. There was no adjustment period, and in my opinion, that allowed Fine Line to be immediately and repeatedly consumed.
Stephen Daw: There's a lot to be said for Harry's massive, mobilized fan base, and for his status as a burgeoning pop auteur in the modern era. But I think both of those facts only help uplift the fact that Fine Line is simply a great album. The songs aren't pigeonholed into one specific sound, yet they retain this classic, pop-rock finish to them that passes the minivan test; there's something for parents and kids in all of these songs.
3. Styles’ other Fine Line hit, “Adore You,” peaked at No. 6 earlier this year, and comes in at No. 12 this week. Are you a “Watermelon Sugar” person or an “Adore You” person?
Andrew Unterberger: I think "Adore You" is the better song, but I'm glad that "Watermelon Sugar" was the song to get him to No. 1. "Adore You" was the dead-center top 40 single -- and even "Falling" could've caught some post-"Someone You Loved" radio spillover -- but "Watermelon Sugar" is just pure Harry. He couldn't have asked for a better, more validating single to affirm his superstardom.
Jason Lipshutz: Hard to pick one, but give me “Watermelon Sugar” for the higher sing-along quality. Watching Styles perform Fine Line in its entirety at the Forum in Los Angeles last December included an arena of fans shouting “Watermelon sugar, HIGH!” -- and this was before the song was a chart-conquering hit. I suspect “Watermelon Sugar” is going to be a euphoric live staple in the coming years, which gives it the edge for me.
Joe Lynch: Definitely "Watermelon Sugar,“ a perfect, laid-back summer jam that gently uplifts without ever demanding attention. "Adore You" is solid but tailored for a specific topic, whereas "Watermelon Sugar" is the kind of softly buoyant treat that floats well in a variety of contexts.
Lyndsey Havens: I find it interesting that the two songs off Fine Line to stick around the chart's upper echelon are a bit similar-sounding. One of my favorite things about Styles is the risks he'll take, best evidenced by his debut solo single "Sign of the Times,” but also by Fine Line tracks like "Lights Up," "Falling" and "To Be So Lonely." But that's exactly what makes me a Harry Styles fan -- he's no one trick pony (insert joke about him heading in more than one direction), and while "Adore You" and "Watermelon Sugar" may not showcase his range, they've both become Styles standards for me. But to finally answer the question, I have to go with "Adore You" for the lyrics alone. I mean.... how can you compete, or argue, when he pleads like that?
Stephen Daw: They're both excellent songs, but if I had to pick, I'm partial to "Adore You." Sonically, the groovy bass line and stylized guitar riffs hit me right where I live. Lyrically, I respond a lot more to the "strawberry lipstick state of mind" than I do to something that "tastes like strawberries on a summer evening." But they both have strawberries in there, so it's a win either way!
4. Styles is now the second member of One Direction to score a solo No. 1, following Zayn with “Pillowtalk.” If you had to choose one of the other members -- Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson -- to someday score a No. 1 single, who would you put your money on?
Andrew Unterberger: Can't say the prospects for any of them reaching the Hot 100's peak are looking particularly robust right now, but if I had to choose one, I guess I'd say Liam. He has connections throughout the pop world that could result in him finding his way onto the right collab -- with buddy Post Malone, perhaps -- to find his way back to the top. Rooting for Louis, though! Go Louis!
Jason Lipshutz: I’m going to zag a little and go with Liam Payne, who scored an unexpected top 10 hit with the Quavo team-up “Strip That Down” and has been trying to recapture that magic in the years since. Payne’s solo debut didn’t offer any other standout singles, but he’s proven capable of headlining a rhythmic pop single that sticks around at radio, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he does so again over the next few years.
Joe Lynch: That's a tough question, because I could see Liam or Louis hopping on a track as a featured artist that goes all the way to the top. But if we're talking primary credited artist, it's gotta be Niall Horan, who has demonstrated probably the most solid catalog and sonic cohesion thus far of those three. Not saying it seems likely, but then again, when Fine Line dropped, who thought "Watermelon Sugar" would sweeten up the top spot on the Hot 100?
Lyndsey Havens: Justice for Niall's "No Judgement"! I played that song a lot when it first came out. But I actually think it's a smarter financial move to bet on Liam Payne, considering his strategy of collaboration. He's worked with Zedd, Quavo and Alesso, among others, and I wouldn't be all that surprised if in another year or so he lands on a track -- or a remix -- that shoots to No. 1 for the star power alone.
Stephen Daw: While Liam is the only other member to get one of his songs into the Top 10 of the Hot 100, I'm putting my chips down on Niall. Heartbreak Weather turned out to be a pretty fun record, and I remain convinced that "Black and White" is going to have a second life (much like "Watermelon Sugar”)!
5. Finish this sentence: at next year’s Grammy Awards, Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” will __________.
Andrew Unterberger: ...be shut out. It may score Harry his first nomination or two -- either solo or with 1D -- but considering how the Recording Academy has given him the cold shoulder so far, and seeing how overlooked he was even among this year's VMAs nods, I don’t know if I see him taking home his first Gramophone for it. (Uh-oh, looks like I'm easily underestimating him again -- never mind, I say the song sweeps.)
Jason Lipshutz: ...be nominated for record of the year, and Fine Line will be nominated for album of the year, and justice will have finally been served to Styles, who has yet to garner a single nomination over the course of his career. Will either win? It’s too early to say, but I like Fine Line’s chances at this point.
Joe Lynch: ...sow seeds of discontent; the Grammys will continue to ignore Harry Styles, and the fans will unleash their exasperation on Twitter with the machine gun-rapidity of a cartoon character spitting out watermelon seeds.
Stephen Daw: ...probably get nominated for record of the year. It would be worthy of a spot in the song of the year and best pop solo performance categories as well, but something tells me that if one of his songs were to be nominated for those categories, "Adore You" stands a better chance. While it would be great to see Harry win, if he were nominated in this category, he'd likely be going up against the likes of Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd and/or Megan Thee Stallion, and I just don't think he'd be able to clinch the ROTY win with that kind of competition.
Lyndsey Havens: ...still taste like strawberries on a summer evenin’.
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kingstylesdaily · 4 years
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Five Burning Questions: Harry Styles Earns His First Hot 100 No. 1 With 'Watermelon Sugar'
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During a pivotal year of his solo career, Harry Styles has notched another monumental achievement: his first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
As “Watermelon Sugar,” the standout track from Styles’ sophomore solo LP Fine Line, lifts 7-1 on this week’s Hot 100 tally, Styles tops the chart for the first time, after previously reaching a No. 2 peak as a member of One Direction. After starting his solo career with his classic rock influences on his sleeve, Styles has become a fixture at pop radio in 2020, with both “Watermelon Sugar” and “Adore You” becoming ubiquitous top 10 hits this year.
How shocking is the ascent of “Watermelon Sugar”? And what could the song mean for Styles’ future at the Grammy Awards? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
1. On a scale of 1-10, how surprised are you that “Watermelon Sugar” is the song to finally give Harry Styles his first Hot 100 chart-topper?
Andrew Unterberger: Three months ago, it would've been a 10 for sure. Types of songs that don't usually go to No. 1 in 2020: fourth official singles, songs that have already dropped off the Hot 100 for multiple months after debuting, rock (or at least rock-based pop) songs. "Watermelon Sugar" was each of 'em, and even as recently as last week, I'd have been, like, an 8 about it going all the way to No. 1 -- even with a viral video, good audio-only streaming numbers and huge radio support, it seemed to have hit a ceiling outside the top 5. But a concentrated fan campaign and some good chart timing have put it over the top, and maybe I shouldn't be so surprised by that in 2020 after all.
Jason Lipshutz: I’d give it a 7 -- not because of any deficiency or quirk with the song, but because of its circuitous route to the top of the Hot 100 chart. Styles performed “Watermelon Sugar” for the first time on Saturday Night Live on Nov. 16, 2019, and released music videos for three other Fine Line songs before finally returning to it in May. That’s an incredibly slow burn -- to provide some context, “Watermelon Sugar” was released the same weekend as the ill-fated Charlie’s Angels reboot! -- and an unlikely path to pop ubiquity, to say the least.  
Joe Lynch: I guess 9? It's super catchy and easy to get into, but it's just not the vibe of most 2019-2020 Hot 100 toppers – although given that Taylor Swift's "Cardigan" cozied up to the top slot last week, perhaps we're at a point in the pandemic where people are specifically turning to something that's a far cry from the top 40 norm for a break in monotony.
Lyndsey Havens: I'd say a 6. Three years ago (and still today) I thought that "Sign of the Times" could have and should have topped the chart, and then I thought that "Adore You" might finally do the trick. But people do say "third time's the charm" for a reason, and it makes sense that, after two strong top 10 singles, the continual growth of Fine Line well into 2020 and the strong promotional push, that this summer-ready, breezy pop-rock track has claimed the chart's top spot.
Stephen Daw: I'm clocking in at a solid 5 — it's surprising (to me, at least) that it took Harry Styles this long to log his first No. 1, but as soon as I heard "Watermelon Sugar," I was confident that, if a song off of Fine Line was going to reach the top of the Hot 100, it would be this one.                               
2. The success of Styles’ second album, Fine Line, has been one of the biggest stories in mainstream pop this year -- the album is still in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart eight months after its release. Why do you think Styles’ sophomore solo LP has resonated so well this year?
Andrew Unterberger: I wish I knew -- as do record company folks around the world, I imagine. It's a very good album and Harry is an extremely likeable star, but nothing about an album that feels largely like a tribute to '70s pop-rock and post-peak Paul McCartney would've struck me as an album to take him to that next level of stardom. He's just a star -- one with a big-enough gravitational pull to bend the mainstream to him -- and I won't underestimate him so easily again.
Jason Lipshutz: In 2020, artists like Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez and 5 Seconds of Summer have all released top-notch pop full-lengths... but I have returned to Fine Line more than any of them. Part of that has to do with its sense of uplift and enthusiasm during a particularly trying year -- shout-out to “Treat People With Kindness” for snapping me out of some grade-A funks -- but Fine Line’s songs are stronger than those of Styles’ self-titled debut, the pacing is immaculate, the hits are far more effective and Styles is more comfortable in his own, ‘70s-pop-channeling skin. Fine Line is part throwback, part comfort food, part magnetic artistic presence, and remains an excellent front-to-back listen.                                
Joe Lynch: I think he's in a great spot in his career: not only has his 1D fan base embraced his maturing sound (which, to be fair, isn't a tough sell – this is very accessible pop-rock), but his gender-bending, classic rock-worshiping fashionista persona has expanded his listenership beyond the realm of card-carrying Directioners. Plus, it's an album that's crafted to last: this is meticulous studio pop that mostly eschews the tiresome trends and tricks most producers feel obligated to slap on a recording to make it feel “contemporary.” Fine Line occupies its own lane instead of competing against two-or-three new sound-alike albums a month.
Lyndsey Havens: Harry is the "perfect" pop star: his One Direction past earned him a built-in (and very dedicated) fan base, he’s mysterious enough but generous with his content, queen Stevie Nicks has become his number one fan, and, of course, he delivered an album filled with fantastic pop-rock hits and ballads. When Harry Styles arrived, fans had to adjust to Styles' sonic pivot. But by the time he delivered Fine Line, both Styles and his fans had matured -- and those pop-rock roots he planted years prior were in bloom. There was no adjustment period, and in my opinion, that allowed Fine Line to be immediately and repeatedly consumed.
Stephen Daw: There's a lot to be said for Harry's massive, mobilized fan base, and for his status as a burgeoning pop auteur in the modern era. But I think both of those facts only help uplift the fact that Fine Line is simply a great album. The songs aren't pigeonholed into one specific sound, yet they retain this classic, pop-rock finish to them that passes the minivan test; there's something for parents and kids in all of these songs.                                
3. Styles’ other Fine Line hit, “Adore You,” peaked at No. 6 earlier this year, and comes in at No. 12 this week. Are you a “Watermelon Sugar” person or an “Adore You” person?
Andrew Unterberger: I think "Adore You" is the better song, but I'm glad that "Watermelon Sugar" was the song to get him to No. 1. "Adore You" was the dead-center top 40 single -- and even "Falling" could've caught some post-"Someone You Loved" radio spillover -- but "Watermelon Sugar" is just pure Harry. He couldn't have asked for a better, more validating single to affirm his superstardom.
Jason Lipshutz: Hard to pick one, but give me “Watermelon Sugar” for the higher sing-along quality. Watching Styles perform Fine Line in its entirety at the Forum in Los Angeles last December included an arena of fans shouting “Watermelon sugar, HIGH!” -- and this was before the song was a chart-conquering hit. I suspect “Watermelon Sugar” is going to be a euphoric live staple in the coming years, which gives it the edge for me.                                
Joe Lynch: Definitely "Watermelon Sugar,“ a perfect, laid-back summer jam that gently uplifts without ever demanding attention. "Adore You" is solid but tailored for a specific topic, whereas "Watermelon Sugar" is the kind of softly buoyant treat that floats well in a variety of contexts.
Lyndsey Havens: I find it interesting that the two songs off Fine Line to stick around the chart's upper echelon are a bit similar-sounding. One of my favorite things about Styles is the risks he'll take, best evidenced by his debut solo single "Sign of the Times,” but also by Fine Line tracks like "Lights Up," "Falling" and "To Be So Lonely." But that's exactly what makes me a Harry Styles fan -- he's no one trick pony (insert joke about him heading in more than one direction), and while "Adore You" and "Watermelon Sugar" may not showcase his range, they've both become Styles standards for me. But to finally answer the question, I have to go with "Adore You" for the lyrics alone. I mean.... how can you compete, or argue, when he pleads like that?
Stephen Daw: They're both excellent songs, but if I had to pick, I'm partial to "Adore You." Sonically, the groovy bass line and stylized guitar riffs hit me right where I live. Lyrically, I respond a lot more to the "strawberry lipstick state of mind" than I do to something that "tastes like strawberries on a summer evening." But they both have strawberries in there, so it's a win either way!                                
4. Styles is now the second member of One Direction to score a solo No. 1, following Zayn with “Pillowtalk.” If you had to choose one of the other members -- Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson -- to someday score a No. 1 single, who would you put your money on?
Andrew Unterberger: Can't say the prospects for any of them reaching the Hot 100's peak are looking particularly robust right now, but if I had to choose one, I guess I'd say Liam. He has connections throughout the pop world that could result in him finding his way onto the right collab -- with buddy Post Malone, perhaps -- to find his way back to the top. Rooting for Louis, though! Go Louis!
Jason Lipshutz: I’m going to zag a little and go with Liam Payne, who scored an unexpected top 10 hit with the Quavo team-up “Strip That Down” and has been trying to recapture that magic in the years since. Payne’s solo debut didn’t offer any other standout singles, but he’s proven capable of headlining a rhythmic pop single that sticks around at radio, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he does so again over the next few years.                                
Joe Lynch: That's a tough question, because I could see Liam or Louis hopping on a track as a featured artist that goes all the way to the top. But if we're talking primary credited artist, it's gotta be Niall Horan, who has demonstrated probably the most solid catalog and sonic cohesion thus far of those three. Not saying it seems likely, but then again, when Fine Line dropped, who thought "Watermelon Sugar" would sweeten up the top spot on the Hot 100?
Lyndsey Havens: Justice for Niall's "No Judgement"! I played that song a lot when it first came out. But I actually think it's a smarter financial move to bet on Liam Payne, considering his strategy of collaboration. He's worked with Zedd, Quavo and Alesso, among others, and I wouldn't be all that surprised if in another year or so he lands on a track -- or a remix -- that shoots to No. 1 for the star power alone.
Stephen Daw: While Liam is the only other member to get one of his songs into the Top 10 of the Hot 100, I'm putting my chips down on Niall. Heartbreak Weather turned out to be a pretty fun record, and I remain convinced that "Black and White" is going to have a second life (much like "Watermelon Sugar”)!                               
5. Finish this sentence: at next year’s Grammy Awards, Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” will __________.
Andrew Unterberger: ...be shut out. It may score Harry his first nomination or two -- either solo or with 1D -- but considering how the Recording Academy has given him the cold shoulder so far, and seeing how overlooked he was even among this year's VMAs nods, I don’t know if I see him taking home his first Gramophone for it. (Uh-oh, looks like I'm easily underestimating him again -- never mind, I say the song sweeps.)
Jason Lipshutz: ...be nominated for record of the year, and Fine Line will be nominated for album of the year, and justice will have finally been served to Styles, who has yet to garner a single nomination over the course of his career. Will either win? It’s too early to say, but I like Fine Line’s chances at this point. 
Joe Lynch: ...sow seeds of discontent; the Grammys will continue to ignore Harry Styles, and the fans will unleash their exasperation on Twitter with the machine gun-rapidity of a cartoon character spitting out watermelon seeds.
Stephen Daw: ...probably get nominated for record of the year. It would be worthy of a spot in the song of the year and best pop solo performance categories as well, but something tells me that if one of his songs were to be nominated for those categories, "Adore You" stands a better chance. While it would be great to see Harry win, if he were nominated in this category, he'd likely be going up against the likes of Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd and/or Megan Thee Stallion, and I just don't think he'd be able to clinch the ROTY win with that kind of competition.
Lyndsey Havens: ...still taste like strawberries on a summer evenin’.               
source: Billboard
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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years
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The Weekend Warrior 10/16/20: SYNCHRONIC, FRENCH EXIT, TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7, LOVE AND MONSTERS, HONEST THIEF, THE KID DETECTIVE and More!
After the last couple weeks, I really need a break, which is why I’m writing most of this in transit to Columbus, Ohio to see my mother, sister and all (or some) of the friends that I made during my sabbatical to the city seven years ago for cancer treatment.
On, and look... Variety wrote about the movie theater chains and NATO lobbying Governor Cuomo to reopen movie theaters, showing that there’s been no proof of any cases leading back to movie theaters. (And more from The Hollywood Reporter…) New York leads and the world follows? More like ED leads and the world follows. Been saying this shit for months now and putting up with all sorts of needless abuse for it.
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This week’s “Featured Flick” is actually a movie coming to theaters on October 23, but since I’m not sure I’m writing a column next week, I’m gonna review it this week! Cool?  The movie is SYNCHRONIC (Well Go USA), and it’s the follow-up to Aaron Moorehead and Justin Benson’s amazing sci-fi film The Endless from a few years back. This ome stars Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan as parademics in New Orleans who have been coming across a series of bodies that have died in gruesome ways, all connected by a designer drug they were all taking.
I’ll just say right from the start that I loved almost everything about this movie from the amazing performances by Mackie and Dornan to the entire look and tone of the movie, which shows the duo taking huge steps forward as filmmakers, particularly Benson as a screenwriter. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what I can say about the movie and its plot without spoiling other’s enjoyment. I will say that it involves a designer drug and time travel and Mackie’s character has something odd about his brain that makes him better suited to figure out what is happening to the victims than others might be. Also, Dornan’s character Dennis has family issues, particularly with his daughter Brianna (Ally Ioannides), who disappears mysteriously, but it’s so nice seeing Katie Aselton as Dennis’ wife, as well as in another movie out this week.
I’ll also say that people who watch this movie will inevitably make comparisons to the work of Alex Garland and maybe even the more-versed ones might see a little of David Cronenberg’s Videodrome in the film’s trippy nature. The thing is that the movie is super-smart, and it’s obvious that Moorehead and Benson must have done a lot of research to make every aspect of it feel authentic. It’s just amazing what this duo can do with a small fraction of the money that Christopher Nolan had to make Tenet, and yet, they can create a complex and unique premise that’s actually easy to understand. Things like the camerawork, the music and sound design all add to the amazing tone and the mood that the duo have created.
I also think it’s Mackie’s best role and performance in many years, maybe even going back to The Hurt Locker, so as a long-time fan, I’m glad he connected with Moorehead/Benson to show that he’s more than capable of leading a movie like this.
Again, Synchronic will be in movie theaters and drive-ins NEXT Friday, October 23, but I want to give you an advance heads up, because Synchronic is likely to be the most original sci-fi or genre film you see this year. If you can’t get to the drive-in and don’t feel comfortable going to a movie theater, then I’m sure it will be on digital soon enough, but you definitely shouldn’t miss it!
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Next up is Aaron Sorkin’s THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO SEVEN, streaming on Netflix starting Friday and the movie I was most looking forward to seeing this week. I was such a huge fan of Brett Morgen’s Chicago 10 documentary, which opened Sundance in 2007, especially with how he recreated the court trials using animation and a talented roster of voice actors including Hank Azaria, Mark Ruffalo and Geoffrey Wright. Sorkin has just as an impressive list of actors for his version, including Mark Rylance, Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Frank Langella, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and many more.
If you don’t know about the protests outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago – you see, back in those days, the Democrats were the bad guys… how times have changed!! Those protests led to a number of arrests but a few years later, the federal government charged a number of individuals with inciting the riot. The accused include Black Panther leader Bobby Seale, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II from Aquaman and Watchmen, Abbie Hoffman (Cohen), FBI agent Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch) and two more. The six white guys are defended by Mark Rylance’s William Kunstler, who faces the tough Judge Hoffman (Langella) who is not putting up with any guff from these young revolutionaries.
All of the characters are quickly introduced with a quick-cut opening montage with actual newsreel footage, but then we’re quickly moved to a meeting to the Attorney General (Keaton) with the trial’s prosecutor (Gordon-Levitt). From there, we’re right into the trial about 16 minutes into the movie, although Sorkin frequently cuts back to the actual day of the Chicago protest to recreate what happened as testimony is given. Probably the part that will have the most impact and resonance is the way Seale was mistreated compared to the others, getting so riled up at the judge that the judge orders him chained and gagged. The trial would end up taking place for almost 7 months even though the results were eventually overturned.
This really is perfect material for Sorkin, and maybe if I hadn’t seen Chicago 10 first, I would have been a lot more fascinated by the trial sequences, though Morgen did an equally great job working from the transcripts. Basically, what happened happened. Where Sorkin’s screenplay and film excels is showing what’s going on outside the courtroom, whether it’s the recreations or just conversations taking place between the plaintiffs.  As might be expected from Sorkin, the screenplay is great with lots of fast talking, making for a movie that moves at a kinetic pace for its two hours.
If I had to pick a few of the best performances, I’d probably focus on Cohen’s Abbie Hoffman, which is more than just an accent, he and Strong’s Rubin bantering back and forth like a seasoned Vaudeville act; Rylance’s Kunstler is spot-on, and Langella is just great as the crusty judge, the film’s only true antagonist. I also appreciated John Carroll Lynch and in fact, all the performances, although I felt that with so many characters, Sorkin wasn’t able to give Bobby Seale the time his story truly needed. Still, I would be shocked if this isn’t considered a SAG Ensemble frontrunner.
Ultimately, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a fine recreation of a certain moment in history that still feels relevant and timely fifty years later, even if it’s so heavy at times you either need to focus or, like me, watch it on Netflix in two sittings. I still liked Steve McQueen’s movie Mangrove that takes place in a similar era and also culminates in a trial just a little bit better.
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Before we get to the rest of this week’s new movies, I have one last review from the New York Film Festival, and it’s the closing night film, FRENCH EXIT, from director Azazel Jacobs and writer Patrick Dewitt, who has adapted his own book. The film stars Michelle Pfeiffer as Frances Price, a Manhattan widow from wealth who discovers she has no more money, just as her son Malcolm (Lucas Hedges with longer hair than usual) has decided to marry his girlfriend Susan (Imogen Poots) though he hasn’t told his mother that yet. With no other options, Francis takes her son on a ship to live in Paris for a while at the home of one Mme. Renard (Valarie Mahaffey), an elderly woman who is a genuine fan of Francis and welcomes them as her guests.
This is one of those ensemble character dramedies that I wouldn’t even be able to begin to tell you why you should see it unless you miss seeing Pfeiffer in a semi-decent performance, but one that doesn’t do much as the film itself is so boring and insufferably pretentious most of the time I’m not sure I can even recommend it for that.
Jacobs and Dewitt previous made the movie Teri maybe ten years ago, and I was never really a fan, so I’m not sure why I thought that Dewitt adapting his own book would bear better results.  Once Frances and Malcolm get to Paris, there’s just an influx of odd characters who show up, some who have more impact than others. I liked seeing Danielle Macdonald as a psychic medium the duo meet on the ship across the Atlantic who Malcolm bonks. She’s brought back when Frances wants her to conduct a séance to communicate with her late husband who she thinks is now inhabiting an omni-present cat. Like everything else, the relationship between Malcolm and Susan and how that’s affected by her meeting a new guy just never goes anywhere.
For the most part, the whole thing is just dull and uninteresting, and so pretentious it never really leads to anything even remotely memorable. I have no idea why the New York Film Festival would decide to close with this one. (Although the 58th NYFF is over, some of the movies will hit its Virtual Cinema soon, so keep an eye out! For instance, this Friday, FilmLinc begins a Pietro Marcello retrospective as well as showing his latest film Martin Eden in FilmLInc’s Virtual Cinema.)
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Liam Neeson stars in Mark Williams’ HONEST THIEF (Open Road), a crime-thriller in which he plays Tom Carter, the uncaught robber behind 12 bank robberies who decides to settle down with Kate (Grey’s Anatomy) Walsh’s Annie Wilkins, who he meets while renting a storage space to hide all the money he’s stolen. After a year of things getting serious with Annie, Tom decides to retire so he calls the FBI and says he’s ready to give back the 9 million, but two crooked FBI agents (one played by Jai Courtenay, the other by Anthony Ramos) decide they’re going to take the money instead. Their plan to steal the money Tom’s trying to return leads to a number of deaths, including putting Annie in the hospital. When that happens, Tom has had enough, and honestly, there’s no one better at getting revenge than Neeson. (Did we mention that Carter is ex-Marine? I mean, of course he is!)
Many will go into Honest Thief expecting the typical Neeson action revenge flick ala Taken or maybe one of his high-concept thrillers, but Honest Thief isn’t nearly that exciting. It starts out fairly slow and dry with no real crime or action elements, although Williams does throw them in from time to time. The whole thing is pretty dry, and it’s a good 54 minutes before we get to the revenge aspect of the story and that’s after a lot of bad decisions being made across the board. Anyone who is still wondering how Jai Courtney has a career won’t be changing that decision by his turn as the villain, and it’s a lot odd when the movie tries to make a sympathetic character out of his partner, played by Ramos.
Regardless, any elements that make Honest Thief unique from other Neeson action movies are quickly tossed aside for the same usual cliches, and the action scenes aren’t even that great. While Honest Thief may not be an awful or unwatchable movie, it’s probably not the action movie you might be expecting from Neeson – more like a bargain basement The Fugitive with one plot decision that almost kills the whole movie.
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Delayed a number of times and now dumped to PVOD (with minimal theatrical) is Paramount’s LOVE AND MONSTERS, which is written by the prolific Bryan Duffield (The Babysitter, Spontaneous), directed by Michael Matthews and produced by Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps Entertainment. In the movie, Dylan O’Brien plays Joel Dawson, a young man surviving the apocalypse with a small community after the government’s plot to blast a couple asteroids heading to earth backfires. Instead, it creates giant, carnivorous monsters out of the earth’s animals who eliminate 95% of the earth’s human population. (We learn all of this through a Zombieland-like animated prequel getting us up to speed.)  Before the earth fell into disarray, Joel was in love with Jessica Henwick’s Aimee, but they were separated by the fateful events. Seven years later, they’re reconnected via radio and Joel has sworn to travel the 85 miles across the creature-covered wasteland to reunite with her. Hence, the title “Love and Monsters.” Get it?
I actually didn’t hate this movie, although it’s not really a family film or one meant for young kids, because it’s PG-13 for a reason, including mild violence i.e. people being chomped by monsters, and some sexuality. Dylan O’Brien does a decent job carrying it, but it relies just as much on the other people he meets, particularly Michael Rooker’s Clyde and his young ward Minnow, played by Ariana Greenblatt, the latter who is such a scene-stealer that it’s disappointing they’re only in the movie for a small chunk. They’re probably the funniest part of the movie.
I like giant monsters and these ones are certainly … interesting. They seem to have been toned down a bit maybe to be more kid-friendly, more like the kid-friend Godzilla than the terror we’ve seen in recent incarnations. There are also a number of great action set-pieces, and some good post-Apocalyptic ideas we haven’t seen, especially when Duffield’s dark sense of humor is able to come out and keep things fun.
Still, Love and Monsters is not a kids’ movie, and there’s something about it that might make people wish the filmmaker just went full-on R, because going further towards PG would have made even the best parts quite painful to get through. As it is, Love and Monsters is a suitably fine boy and his dog adventure – oh, did I mention the dog? – that would make a perfectly fine streaming movie.
We’ll get back to some of the other theatrical releases in a bit, but I wanted to get to two movies that were pleasant surprises, maybe because I went into them with absolutely zero expectations.
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I wasn’t really sure what to think about Cooper Raiff’s SH#!%HOUSE (IFC Films) at first, maybe because it’s title is a little off-putting and not really particularly representative of what the movie is. Raiff himself plays Alex Malmquist, a fairly new arrival at his college but already missing home and his mother (Amy Landecker) and not really adjusting to the crazy college lifestyle as exemplified by his roommate Sam (Logan Miller). After a party at a frat called “Shithouse” (hence the title), Alex meets and connects with his dorm’s R.A. Maggie (Dylan Gelula) and the two spend the night bonding and hanging out.
Obviously, someone at IFC Films loves these platonic indie two-handers about people meeting and hanging out over the course of a night, because Shithouse is the second such movie after Olympic Dreams earlier in the year. They also must know that I’m a sucker for these kinds of semi-rom-coms, because just like with that other movie, I totally ate up everything Raiff was trying to do and say with his movie. The chemistry between the two leads is undeniable, and maybe it won’t be a surprise that Gelula also appeared in Raiff’s previous movie.
As with any relationship, things do come to an end, and this one crashes and burns in a very sad way for Alex the very next day. Maggie starts to pretend she doesn’t even know him, and she ignores his incessant texts saying how much he enjoyed their night together. Boy, I have been there back in my reckless and romantic days of youth.
At first, I wasn’t that into Raiff as an actor – remember what I’ve said about filmmakers casting themselves? – but Alex definitely grew on me. Gelula is absolutely amazing, and frankly, I can see someone “discovering” her in ten years and becoming a new Parker Posey, Kate Lynn Sheil or other similar indie ingenue.
The combination of the two is what makes Shithouse such a special experience, since their situations are quite relatable and Raiff does a great job with the characterization in his writing to make this quite enjoyable to see how things will resolve themselves.
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I also wasn’t quite prepared for how much I’d enjoy Steve Byrne’s THE OPENING ACT (RLJEfilms), maybe because I was unfamiliar with Byrne, and as usual, I didn’t read the description of the movie before sitting down to watch it. If I did, I would have known that Byrne is a stand-up comic and presumably this movie is somewhat based on situations that have happened to him. It stars Jimmy O. Yang from Crazy Rich Asians (a great comic in his own right) as Willy Chu, a young comic who has always dreamed of making it in stand-up but instead, has been stuck trying to get slots at an open mic night, while holding down a day job working at an insurance company. One day, his friend (Ken Jeong) sets him up for an MC gig in Pennsylvania at the Improv where his idol Billy G (Cedric the Entertainer) will be performing, so Willy quits his job to pursue his dream.
Much of Byrne’s movie deals with Billy’s “adventure” in Pennsylvania with the club’s womanizing featured act (played by SNL’s Alex Moffatt) and trying to face the struggles of stand-up in hopes of getting to the next level. There have been better movies about the subject, like Mike Birbiglia’s Sleepwalk with You, but Byrne’s film is a nice addition, particularly because Yang plays such a likeable, benevolent character you want to see him do well even after he crashes and bombs on a Saturday night and is at risk of losing the Improv gig.
It’s obvious that Byrne pulled in a lot of favors from friends to get such a great cast of comics – even getting Whitney Cumming to make a cameo – but the likes of Bill Burr actually take on key roles, like Willy’s boss in that case. Moffatt is particularly hilarious expanding on some of his outrageous SNL characters to play a stand-up who actually does help Willy, even as he puts him in pretty awful situations. Cedric also gives another fantastic performance as Willy’s idol who gives him the cold shoulder at first but eventually comes around and offers him the mentoring that Willy needs.
The Opening Act isn’t anything particularly revelatory, but it is thoroughly entertaining, and a nice little indie that I hope people will discover for themselves, especially those who like (or perform) stand-up.
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Edward James Olmos directs THE DEVIL HAS A NAME (Momentum Releasing) starring the great Oscar-nominated David Strathairn as almond farmer Fred Stern, who has been running his orchard for three decades with trusty second Santiago, played by Olmos himself. Things are going well until they notice that some of the trees are rotting. It turns out they’re being poisoned by the water that’s been sullied by crude oil run-off from the nearby Shore Oil rigs. Around the same time, an opportunist named Alex Gardner, played by Haley Joel Osment, offers Fred a very low-ball offer to buy the farm, though Fred suspects something is up, and sure enough, Shore Oil is responsible.
Another movie I didn’t know what to expect other than a few cursory elements is this movie “based on a true story” movie about the little farmer taking on “The Man.” In this case, Shore Oil is represented by Kate Bosworth’s Gigi Cutler, a tough exec. at the corporation who thinks their lawyers (one of them played by Katie Aselton!) can crush this local troublemaker. When Stern’s lawyer (Martin Sheen) sues the oil company for 2 billion, they need to start taking things seriously, bringing in a tough “fixer” played by Pablo Schreiber.
I’m not sure where to begin with this movie that certainly has noble intentions in telling this story but suffers from quite a few issues, mostly coming from the script. I was a little concerned once I knew the premise, because I was not a huge fan of Todd Haynes’ Dark Water from last year, although I did enjoy the Krasinski-Damon-Van Sant ecological venture, Promised Land. This one falls somewhere in between, and probably its biggest issue is that it tries to create some humor out of the erratic behavior of the characters played by Bosworth and Schreiber; both performances are so off-the-rails at times it regularly takes you out of Fred’s story. (Osment is also pretty crazy but at least he fits better into his role.) Strathairn is great and well-cast, and Olmos is equally good, and I imagine that it’s partially because many of their scenes are together, allowing Olmos to direct with his acting. Aselton and Sheen are also decent, especially in the courtroom scenes.
Oh, and did I mention that Alfred Molina plays the Big Boss, who is interrogating Cutler as a needless framing device? Yeah, there’s a lot of characters, and when you hold this up against something like The Trial of Chicago 7, it’s just obvious that the film has too many elements for any filmmaker to be able to juggle at once.
Because of this, The Devil Has A Name is an erratic real-life dramedy that’s too all over the place in terms of tone, it ends up shooting itself in the foot by trying (and failing) to be funny despite the serious subject matter.
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Next up is 2 HEARTS (Silver Lion Films/ Freestyle Releasing), another movie based on a true story from the Hool Brothers, who I really wasn’t very familiar with. I assumed this was going to be a faith-based movie, and maybe in some ways it is, but not really. It essentially tells two stories set in different time periods that you assume will somehow be connected. Ooh, boy.
First, there’s Jacob Elordi of Euphoria and The Kissing Booth – neither of which I’ve seen, mind you – who plays Chris Gregory, a college kid who connects in a meet-cute way with Tiera Skovbye’s Sam. Before we get too far into their story, we cut back to what looks like Cuba in the ‘50s and 60s, and meet Jorge Bolivar (Adan Canto), the son of an alcohol magnate, a soccer player who suffers a serious lung issue that puts him in the hospital. Years later, Jorge is travelling to Miami when he meets Radha Mitchell’s Leslie working as a flight attendant.
Both guys are pretty suave smooth-talking pick-up artists, and the movie spends almost an hour cutting between two very corny and cheesy romance stories that really don’t offer much in terms of story. Instead, it keeps following Chris and Sam’s life as they have kids, taking forever to get to the connection between the stories. I was getting pretty bored of the movie, but I felt like I had to stick it out to see what happens.
When you call a movie “2 Hearts,” you kind of expect it to be about a heart transplant of some kind, right? But no, it’s actually about a dual lung transplant that Jorge receives. Want to take a wild guess who the donor is?  I certainly don’t want to spoil what happens, but for a movie that spends a good hour setting up the relationships between the two men and their pretty blondes with ups and downs that makes it seem like a Nicholas Sparks movie, it really throws a spanner into the fairy tale with all the melodrama that’s to come. It’s such a whiplash in terms of tone it pretty much destroys any chance of one enjoying the movie for what it is. It also loses a lot without Elordi, since the actors who play his family aren’t very good at all.
I had to actually look up the story to see how much if it was true, only to learn that Jorge was based on Jorge Bacardi who actually received a double lung transplant from one Christopher Gregory, inspiring him to create the Gabriel House of Care. The problem is that the time periods get so messed up by setting one story decades in the past. Using the same actors to play the people over that time with pretty shabby make-up just makes things that much more confusing. The big problem is that it spends so much time avoiding the actual plot and point of making the movie that by the time it gets to it, you just don’t care about the characters anymore.
The whole thing is very by the books and predictable, but ultimately, it’s hard to believe any of it, despite it being based on a true story. If you go into this movie expecting love and romance and all that kind of mushy stuff from the title, you’re likely to be disappointed when the movie finally gets to its point. (In other words, it could have used some giant monsters.)
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Here’s another movie that I didn’t really know what to expect going in and that probably should have helped me enjoy it more… if it was anything resembling a good movie. Picked up at the Toronto Film Festival where it premiered last month, Evan Morgan’s THE KID DETECTIVE (Sony) stars Adam Brody as Abe Appelbaum, the “kid detective” of the titles, who as a child was one of those super-smart kids who have the deductive powers to help the people in his community, but as a 32-year-old, he just isn’t taken as seriously any more. When a high school girl named Caroline (Sophie Nélisse) comes to Abe to find out who murdered her boyfriend, Abe finally realizes that he has his first grown-up case, though he’s still obsessed with the disappearance of the mayor’s daughter (and his kid receptionist) Gracie many years earlier.
I’m sure there’s gonna be people out there who watch and appreciate The Kid Detective for what it is, a wry and slightly clever noir pastiche pseudo-comedy, but anyone who has seen Rian Johnson’s first film Brick or the underrated Mystery Team (starring Donald Glover very early in his career) might feel that this doesn’t live up to either. Besides the fact that Brody really hasn’t developed much personality as an actor, the film rolls along with a fairly flat, deadpan tone that just never gets remotely exciting. The humor is subdued and yet it feels like everyone is constantly trying too hard, particularly Morgan, while at the same time not really taking any chances. This is a movie that could have been edgier but instead, it milks its flimsy high-concept premise as long as possible before giving up.
Like Love and Monsters, Sony is releasing The Kid Detective into theaters on Friday, and hopefully parents will check that rating before assuming it’s a kid flick. Although there isn’t so much bad language or anything that wouldn’t warrant a PG… other than the fact that it’s not particularly funny or even entertaining and kids will be super-bored.
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I can’t believe there’s still more! Amazon’s “Welcome to the Blumhouse” anthology series continues this week with two more movies in the series of eight, which you can now watch on Prime Video:
Easily my favorite of the four movies I’ve seen is Zu Quirke’s NOCTURNE (Amazon), which follows a pair of twins, Julie (Sidney Sweeney) and Vivian (Madison Iseman), who are both competitive concert pianists at the Lindberg Academy, although Vivian is clearly the better, as she’s heading off to Julliard while Julian is taking a gap year.
Before we meet them, we see a young violist jumping off the balcony to her death for some reason, and we learn that she was the finalist to play a concerto, so now that slot is open and both Julie and her sister desperately want it.
Nocturne is certainly more like the horror movies we expect from Blumhouse, which is both good and bad. The good is that it is indeed quite scary as Quirke’s team uses really eerie lighting effects and other things to create suspense. But there’s also an artiness to what Quirke does that elevates Nocturne above the normal high-concept horror-thriller.
Quirke, who also wrote the film, delivers all the characterization you expect from a good horror film so that you really care about the characters, and she’s put together such a fine cast, particularly Sweeney who has to run a gamut of emotions as Julie. I also like Rodney To as Julie’s tough instructor Wilkins
Again, I won’t say too much more about the actual plot, although if you can imagine a Faustian bargain and how that plays out for those around Julie, you can probably understand why a super-fan of The Omen might dig what Quirke did in this environment.
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The fourth movie in the “Welcome to the Blumouse” series is EVIL EYE (Amazon), from Indo-American filmmakers Elan and Rajeev Dassani, a relatively innocuous thriller based around the relationship between Pallavi (Sunita Mani from last week’s Save Yourselves! and GLOW) and her mother Usha, played by Sarita Choudhury.  Pallavi is in her late 20s and single and her mother keeps wanting to get her set-up with a nice man, as a good Indian mother is wont to do.  When Pallavi meets Sandeep (Omar Maskati), things are going well since he has money and her mother thinks her daughter has hit the jackpot, until she realizes that Sandeep has a dark secret.
Here’s another thriller where it’s really tough to talk about the plot, because obviously the filmmakers want the story to unfold in the specific way it was written. Apparently, this one was once an Audible story, and the first thing I noticed was how amazing Sunita Mani looks from her fairly glammed down roles in other things. I think she’s just wearing make-up and has her styled different but I’m not sure I would have known it was the same actor in Save Yourselves! Because I had to do a double take.
The problem with Evil Eye, and it’s been a problem with some of the other “Welcome to the Blumhouse” movies, is that it isn’t necessarily what I’d consider horror. It really plays a lot more like a romantic drama, other than the fact that Pallavi’s mother has visions and believes in astrology enough to send her daughter trinkets to protect her from the “evil eye.” In fact, the movie just gets weirder and weirder, as it starts introducing supernatural elements, and without giving the big plot twist away, it does expect one to believe in reincarnation.
I wish I could have liked this more, but it really seems like it would be better suited for a show like “The Outer Limits” or “The Twilight Zone,” since the premise is stretched so think for about 30 minutes longer than necessary.  I think the filmmakers did perfectly fine with what they had to work with – the two main actresses are just fab – but I think I’d need to see some of their other work to see if the issues I had were just cause the story isn’t that interesting or by their limitations in making it.
(And I promise that I do have a feature on all the filmmakers from the first four “Welcome to the Blumhouse” series coming over at Below the Line, but it’s been a pretty tough piece to write.)
I reviewed Alex Gibney’s new doc Totally Under Control (Neon/Participant), co-directed with Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger, in last week’s column but it’s now available to watch On Demand and then it will be on Hulu starting next Tuesday, October 20. Obviously, everyone wanted to get this out there and make sure people see it before they get too in-deep with the election.
I also reviewed David Byrne’s American Utopia (HBO), directed by Spike Lee, a few weeks back, but it will be on HBO and presumably HBO Max on Sunday night. Not as big an event as Disney+’s Hamilton but still worth watching, especially if you’re a fan of Byrne or his band the Talking Heads, because it actually acts as a nice counterpoint bookend to the late Jonathan Demme’s fantastic Stop Making Sense, one of the best concert documentaries ever made, or at least top 5. I’m bummed I missed Byrne’s show on Broadway, and it doesn’t sound like Broadway will be coming back anytime soon so I guess this HBO documentation is the best any of us can wish for.
Of the movies I didn’t have time to watch this week, the two that I’m hoping to still get to are two docs: Inna Blockhina’s SHE IS THE OCEAN (Blue Fox Entertainment) and Rick Korn’s HARRY CHAPIN: WHEN IN DOUBT, DO SOMETHING (Greenwich). She Is the Ocean explores the lives of nine women who all have a passion for the ocean. The Harry Chapin doc may be more self-explanatory, and I wish I was a bigger fan of Chapin, the famed singer/songwriter/activist, because maybe I would have watched this movie earlier. (But seriously, look at how many movies came out this week, when I was hoping it would be “slower”!) Also, I’m a little bit interested in the K-Pop doc #BlackPinkLightUpTheSky that will air on Netflix, just because, I dunno, I like adorable, young Asian women, so sue me?
Premiering on Disney+ this Friday is Justin Baldoni’s CLOUDS, starring Fin Argus as musician Zach Sobiech, who has only months to live when his cancer starts spreading, but he follows his dream to make an album and becomes a viral music phenomenon. I’m not sure if this is a true story but it certainly sounds a lot like a faith-based film called I Still Believe that hit theaters just before they all shut down due to the pandemic. Coincidence? I think not.
Also this week, the 32nd ANNUAL NEWFEST LGBTQ FILM FESTIVAL begins on Friday, running through October 27 with opening night being the well-regarded Ammonite, starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, but it will be done as a drive-in, so I’m out. Over in Los Angeles, the AFI FEST starts on Thursday and runs through October 22, and that’s also showing a lot of cool festival/awards films that I haven’t had a chance to watch yet like The Father, I’m Your Woman and more. I missed my chance to get press accreditation, so yeah, I guess I’ll be waiting on that.
And then we get to all the movies that I didn’t have time to see or didn’t receive a screener, so here we go. This week’s unfortunate dumping ground:
Lupin III: The First (GKIDS) (This anime film is being released as a Fathom event on Oct. 18 – dubbed, and Oct. 21 – subtitled)
Belly of the Beast (I’ve actually heard good things about Erika Cohn’s doc about illegal sterilizations being conducted in a woman’s prison.)
Don’t Look Back (Gravitas Ventures)
Rom Boys: 40 Years of Rad (101 Films)
The Antidote (Cinetic/Brand New Story)
Monochrome: The Chromism (Tempest)
J.R “Bob” Dobbs and the Church of the Subgenius (Uncork’d)
Monster Force Zero (WildEye Releasing)
Ghabe (GVN Releasing)
The Accidental President (Intervention)
In Case of Emergency (Kino Lorber)
I’m not sure how much of a column I’m gonna write next week since I won’t have nearly as much time to watch movies or write about them in the coming week, while I’m in Colmbus. There are a couple high profile movies I hope to get to, so we’ll see what happens.
By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!
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