#Glenn isn’t even my favorite he’s actually probably my least favorite I am just

[bread-that-draws]

Glenn Close girlies listen to me. Guys. Guys please

[emberfrostlovesloki]

#4 Reader X SickSpencer

Gif credit: @stunudo​

Prompt: Reader X SickSpencer - Spencer catches a cold and doesn’t come into work on Monday morning. The reader goes to his apartment to check and see if he is doing alright. 

Category: Fluff / Comfort

Content Warning: Language (maybe) 

A/N: After watching the episode where Spencer gets tortured I had an infinite need to write something where he gets comforted by someone. This is pretty domestic and fluffy, but it’s what I needed right now. I want to thank @veraiconcos​ for helping me with the inspiration for this chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Please like / reblog!

Link to all stories

_y/n_ = your name

_y/l/n_ = you’re last name

_h/c_ = hair color

_b/s_ = brother/ sister

_h/l_ = hair length

_f/c_ favorite color

_Y/n_ walked into the headquarters of the BAU with a pep in her step. She had spent most of the weekend hiking the paths of Ricketts Glenn State Park in Pennsylvania. She had taken the train up after she had clocked out of work and spent the rest of the weekend disconnecting from the world. She found the forested paths relaxing compared to her normal job she was bound to. She had asked if Morgan or Prentiss wanted to join her, but both of her teammates already had plans for the weekend.  In total the woman had walked over fifty miles. At noon on Sunday _y/n_ sadly said goodbye to her campsite, and drove herself to the airport. She had arrive at the office before everyone on Monday morning. She hadn’t gotten any work done during her outdoor experience. Because of this she arrived at her desk early in order to make a dent in the pile of paperwork she had left behind on Friday. When she sat down at the white desk _y/n_ noticed that some of the files she was least looking forward to were nowhere to be found. She didn’t think too hard about it for the moment, and just grabbed another file instead. After an hour, the other members of the team started streaming into the bullpen. _Y/n_ noticed that at 8:00 A.M. Morgan, Prentiss, J.J., Hotch and Gideon were all present, except for Dr. Reid. Agent _y/l/n_ looked around the room once more just to make sure that the young man wasn’t actually there, and she was just missing him. Spencer had never been late to work before. He had actually picked her up multiple times when she had texted him in a panic that it was raining and the trains would run late, and she’d probably get fired for being two minutes late. She knew that her fears were unfounded, she also knew that Spencer knew her fear was stupid. None the less he would pull up to her apartment and swing the passenger side door open from the inside. Those had been good rides. When _y/n_ was very sure she had not missed Spencer she walked up to Morgan who was just now walking up to his desk. She leaned against his desk and asked, “Morning, do you know where Reid is? Also, I’m missing some files from my desk, any idea where they may be?” Derek smiled and said, “I can explain both questions sweetness.” _Y/n_ rolled her eye’s at Morgans flattery but still raised her eyebrows, non verbally telling him to continue. Morgan took a seat and continued, “Reid is sick, apparently he caught a cold. About your missing files, your boyfriend stayed late last Friday, last I saw of him he had taken about ten of your case files to his desk, and was filling them out himself.” Before _y/n_ had a chance to process that Derek had called Spencer her boyfriend she replied, “Oh my gosh, is he okay? When did he get sick?” Morgan smiled as she realized what term he had used for her friend. She grabbed one of his case files and started hitting him over the head with it. The athletic agent put his hands over his head and said, “Reid got sick on Saturday. He texted us on Sunday that he had a fever and Hotch told him to stay home.” 

Before _y/n_ could ask more questions, J.J. entered the room and said, “We have a case, let’s head into the conference room to talk over the details.” When the team was assembled, Hotcher stood up and started explaining the case. “We’re looking for an unsub that has killed congressman Luke Allen. The murder took place in the senators office last night at 1:00 A.M. His body was found today by his aid, Gracie Suveua. There was no apparent forced entry. The senators most popular contributions on Capitol Hill have been his working and signing the bill regarding Obergefell vs. Hodges in 2015.” The team nodded and agent _y/l/n_ commented, “So we may be looking for a person that has problems with the implications of gay marriage in the Supreme Court: religious extremists, opposing party members or a person from another radical religions that oppose LGBTQ+ rights.” Gideon agreed and replied, “That’s a great start for a profile. Hotch and Derek, would you head over to the sight of the murder. J.J. would you give Penelope our main facts so far and get her to do a database search based off of those criteria. Prentiss, _y/n_ and I will head over to the police precinct to ask some questions and gather information from the force.” After a minute of gathering in their separate groups, the teams went their separate ways to begin the hard work of the new case. Prentiss and _y/n_ weren’t thrilled to be going to the prescient. The officers were mostly of a male demographic, and often ignored comments that both female agents had made before, and turned out to be true later. Nonetheless, the trio whisked away to the station. When they arrived, the Police chief heartily shook Jason’s hand, but chose not to shake Emily of _y/n’s_. The two agents looked at each other, shrugged and moved into the sleek building after Gideon. It wasn’t until 9: 30 P.M. that the team was back to the conference room debriefing the information that they had accrued during the course of the day. After the debrief was over Aaron said, “I think we will be better use to this case if we all get some sleep and pick this up tomorrow. I don’t think that we aren’t at risk of another victim being killed tonight. If we work hard there won’t be a second death  to follow the first. Get some sleep and I’ll see you all tomorrow morning.” Each member of the team slowly got up, in their fatigue and moved out of the bright room and back toward their desks. When _y/n_ got to her desk she slumped down in her swivel chair. She pulled out her phone and looked at the message she had missed. She ignored a text from her mom and instantly scrolled down to the text that Spencer had sent her. The message read, “I’m still feeling pretty bad. I’m sorry that I can’t be useful in this case.” _y/n_ observed the text, and thought about how Spencer threw himself into his work 110% of the time and maybe it was batter that he had a break from work, even if he had to feel like shit to get to that place. 

Before she could respond to the message that Reid had sent three hours ago Morgan approached _y/l/n_ and asked, “Do you need a ride home? Taking the train right now isn’t exactly safe.”_Y/n_ looked up to him and said, “I think I’ll go check on Reid first. Would you mind taking me to his apartment?” Morgan raised his eyebrows at the statement, and after a moment of silence said, “Sure thing.” The agents moved to the parking lot where Derek’s car sat ready to take off. _Y/n_ had sold her car when she had moved to D.C. to pay the deposit on her crappy apartment. She had always told herself that she would buy a new car when she had the money. Even though she  had been working on the BAU unit for over a year she had never bought a car. She preferred the train anyway. When the agent got onto the car Morgan smoothly moved out of his spot and into the empty road. _Y/n_ pulled out her phone and texted Spencer back saying, “Sorry you’re still feeling bad. I am going to come over and see if you’re doing okay. Be there in about twenty minutes.” When she finished sending the text she put her phone in her pocket and looked out the front window at the empty road. After a minute Derek commented, “You really like him, don’t you?” The male agent had his big brother voice on when he asked the question. _Y/n_ pulled her hand through her _h/c_ before responding, “Derek you know how I feel about him. You don’t have to interrogate me. But it might be helpful if you didn’t call Spencer my boyfriend in front of him. You know how he gets when it comes to affection.” Morgan smiled. He knew that both agents had spent a good amount of time together outside of work. He thought that they made a good couple, but also that they hadn’t said anything about their feelings to each other yet. Morgan respected that they were moving slowly, that really was more their style anyway. Derek replied, “I get you. Plus, I wouldn’t want to jeopardize any chance you might have in letting him tell you that he likes you.” As he finished his statement the duo pulled into the front of Reid apartment building. She looked over to her friend and said, “You know nothing may happen. If it’s just platonic I’d get it. But I do love him.” Derek smiled at the fact that she had actually said the words out loud. He responded, “Go get him tiger.” She rolled her eyes and stepped out of the car. _Y/n_ leaned back in to say, “If I get anything it will probably be a cold from our resident genius,” before closing the door, waving and walking into the apartment. 

When she was in the apartment she took a moment to enjoy the sleek interior of the building. She was always jealous of the coffee shop that the contained. She had to walk three blocks to get to a coffee shop from her apartment. Secretly she was grateful for this fact, because if her apartment had a cafe she knew she would spend all her money there. She was brought back to the moment when the elevator dinged and opened. The agent waited for the occupants of the elevator to get out, and she stepped in once it was empty. She pressed the cool round metal button that read ‘5.’ The moving contraption stopped twice for other residents to get in the metal box before _y/n_ got out on floor five. When she was outside Spencer’s door she realized that she had never checked her messages before just showing up at his room. She pulled out her cellular device, and saw that he had not responded. _Y/l/n_ thought, ‘Maybe he’s asleep? Or maybe he’s feeling really bad and didn’t want me to come?’ The agent panicked for a moment, considering that Spencer might be too ill to respond. After a moment she calmed down and knocked on the door. It took a minute before she heard light shuffling outside the door. She could barely hear her friend say, “Who is it?” _Y/n_ rolled hey eyes at the question; all he had to do was look out his peep hole. After quietly laughing she said, “It’s _y/n_. Can I come in?” The door opened slightly and _y/n_ could see a small sliver of Dr. Reid. She tried to ascertain his sickness level from the shade of his face. Spencer stood for a minute calculating how risky it would be for him to let her in. He said in a raspy voice, “I might get you sick. You know that 3% of American’s have a 64% chance of getting a  cold during the year.” _Y/n_ smiled and replied, “I’m happy you’re still coherent enough to give me statistics Spence, and if I’m going to get a cold I’d rather it be from you, and not some random person on the street. I’m just here to make sure you don’t stay sick for longer than necessary.” Reid reconsidered the odds. How old _y/n_ was, how active she was and her general health. After he finished his assessment the young man opened the door and allowed his friend in. 

When she was in the apartment the female agent set her backpack by the front of the door. Spencer had stepped back in an attempt to lower the rate of transmission. While he was doing this _y/n_ looked him over. He was paler than usual, and his cheeks were flushed red. His hair was limply hanging around his cheeks that were more sunken in than usual. Even in his comfortable looking Yale sweatshirt and grey shorts, the man looked miserable. _Y/n_ looked at him sympathetically and said, “Maybe you should take a seat?” Reid replied, “Do I really look that bad?” She shrugged her shoulders and sighed, but didn’t tell him verbally that he looked like a kid who had fallen into a swimming pool in his clothes by accident. She walked over to the coach and Spencer followed her. He sunk down into the dark fabric of the couch leaning his head against the back. She pulled a chair up while he was seated and asked, “Can I feel your forehead?” When the words were out of her mouth _y/n_ realized how strange it sounded, but Spencer didn’t seem to think it was weird - maybe because he was slightly delirious - or he just knew to expect strange expressions that he didn’t understand come out form her lips. So he replied, “Okay.” _Y/n_ stood up from her chair and knelt on the couch next to Spencer and lifted her hand. She placed it on his forehead. His skin was hot. For the moment that _y/n’s_ hand was on his head Spencer enjoyed it. The cool sensation of her hand was relaxing. He wished it stayed there for a moment longer. The genius realized that the concept was completely illogical because the heat of his fevered body would simply begin transferring to her hand. It only took a second for _y/n_ to realize that Spencer was still running a high temperature, and even though she didn’t need to, she slipped her hand under his chin to check the temperature there too. She assumed she did this because her mom had done it when she was a kid. She pulled her hand away again for the second time and got up. Spencer leaned his head back to look at _y/n_ as his friend moved toward his bathroom. He heard the tap turn on, and after a few seconds, she returned to his side with a small hand towel. She was holding her hand under it so that it didn’t drip water on his wooden floors. “When did you last check your temperature, and how high was it?” _Y/n_ inquired as she placed the damp towel on his hot forehead. Spencer breathed a sigh of relief at the coolness of the cloth. He then responded, “I checked it two hours ago. I think it was around 100.72 degrees. She nodded at the reply and then asked, “Have you eaten yet today?” The young genius was notorious for completely forgetting that he needed to nourish his slender body on a regular basis. So she could only imagine that while he was sick, food was the last thing on his mind. He gave the response she expected of, “No. I’ve felt kind of nauseous all day, I didn’t think eating was going to help with that.” _Y/n_ rolled her eyes and said, “Have you ever considered that not eating could make you nauseous too?” The young woman got up and went into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and only found a carton of eggs and a few containers of leftovers. She turned to Spencer and asked, “Why don’t you have any food Reid?” Spencer gave a cough before defended himself by saying, “I normally go grocery shopping on Sunday, but I was sick, so I didn’t go.” _Y/l/n_ understood and said, “Okay. Well I’m going to run down to the corner store and make you some dinner. Do you have a favorite comfort food?” Spencer stood and took a few steps toward her and said, “You really don’t have to. I can take care of myself.” _Y/n_ replied, “I know you can Spence. I just want to be here to show you you don’t have to all the time. Especially when you’re sick.’ Reid bit his lip as he usually did when he was thinking. After a moment he strode to his counter and grabbed the keys to his apartment, and car, and tossed them at _y/n_. She quickly shifted left and grabbed the object being flung at her. Spencer said, “I really like grilled cheese sandwiches.” She smiled and said, “I’ll be back in ten minutes.” Before walking out of his living room and into the hall. She locked the door behind her and moved toward the elevator. 

The corner store was limited in it’s selections. But all that really mattered was that _y/n_ had a loaf of white bread, some American cheese, a kind of pathetic looking can of tomato soup, and some orange juice. With these items in her basket the girl moved to the counter and paid for the groceries with cash from her wallet. It wasn’t until she was at the counter paying that she noticed the time. The Digital clock that was displayed behind the cashier glowed in red letters 10:25 P.M. She knew that if she went back to Spencer and made dinner she was going to miss the last train. To the woman it was just a small thought that quickly came and went. She wasn’t going to leave her friend right now. If he was uncomfortable with her staying at his place overnight _y/n_ would get a taxi back to her apartment. Spencer heard the key slide in the door and knew that _y/n_ had returned. He was currently lying down on the couch and didn’t really move that much as she set down a bag on his counter. There was a moment where some glass clinked together, and a second later she was in front of him with a glass of ice water and a glass of orange juice for him. She set them down on the table next to the couch and he said, “Thanks. I’m feeling a little better now.” _Y/n_ smiled and said, “Good, if you want a distraction while I’m making the food you can look over the new case. We’ve been working on it all day and haven’t gotten very far. The files in my bag.” Spencer jolted at the chance of doing something other than feeling miserable, and he got up and found the file in _y/n’s_ backpack. As he walked back toward the couch he noticed that _y/n_ had bought herself a coffee from the shop in the lobby. She shared his taste for sugar filled beverages. Unlike him, she preferred milk in her caffeinated drinks. Spencer grabbed the warm polystyrene cup and took a sip of it while she was digging in his fridge for some butter. Spencer often stole _y/n’s_ snacks or drinks. It was the type of thing that would make her  angry for a second and then she would laugh it off for five more. He would always buy her a replacement item, often he would make it a bigger cup of coffee or bar of chocolate than the one she had before. Spencer knew that the young agent was trying to save up money so she could fly down to her _b/s’s_ college graduation in a month. It was the least he could do. After all living in D.C. could be hard on the bank account. 

It wasn’t until the soup was on the stove heating up, and the grilled cheese sandwiches were in the pan getting melty that _y/n_ started looking around for her coffee cup. After a minute of futile searching she spotted it in Spencer’s hand. She smirked, moving to the back of the couch, she pretended to look over Reid’s shoulder at the information he was examining. When the man removed the cup from his lips and lowered it toward his leg she grabbed it out of his grasp and said, “Really Reid. This is how you repay me for my help.” Halfway through the sentence and she was already laughing at his antics. She glided to a position in front of him and started bringing the drink to her own mouth when she remembered Spencer was sick. She examined the lid of the cup, and obviously some of his saliva was on the rim of the cup. Reid looked up at her and said, “Sorry I also haven’t had any coffee yet today either.” _Y/n_ sighed and handed him back the cup replying, “You know, I fear that if you asked me to murder someone I would consider it.” Spence smiled up at her.  After another five minutes or so the pair were eating a very late dinner at the kitchen table. They were talking about the details of the case. As soon as they had finished eating Spencer asked, “Are you planning on going back to your apartment tonight? The train stopped running a half hour ago.” A blush rose to _y/n’s_ cheeks and replied, “Well. I was wondering if I could just stay here tonight? I need to look through the details of the case again, and do some research. I’ll be quiet.” It wasn’t a super odd request. The pair had stayed up all night before working on cases or having movie marathons, but they had never been at one of their apartments when one, or both of them was going to be sleeping. Spencer looked over to her and said, “Of course you can. I can help you with the research if you want.” _Y/n_ smiled and said, “Thanks for letting me stay. And offering the help, but I think you should get some rest. You aren’t going to get better without sleep.” She smiled at him and began picking up the dishes from their dinner. Spencer helped her put them in the sink and said, “I promise next time it’s my turn to cook. I’ll finish the dishes if you want to take a shower before I turn in.” _Y/n_ considered that she had been in the same clothes for over ten hours and knew that a shower would relax her she said, “that would be great.” She was embarrassed to ask it, but managed to stutter out, “Do you think I could borrow one of your shirts to wear while  I work. These aren’t the most comfortable clothes.” Spencer opened his mouth for a moment at the idea and tried to clear his head of the image of her in one of his shirts. The man snapped his mouth shut and his jawline tightened before he responded, “Um, yeah. In my closet on the left hand side are all my t-shirts and sweaters. You can wear any of them.” She said, “Okay. I’ll just be a bit.” She rubbed her hand over his shoulder as she walked in the direction of his bedroom. After a minute Spencer could hear the water running. 

The lean agent scrubbed down the dishes and put them in the drainer next to the sink. When he finished with the plates and bowls, he sat back down on the couch with the intention of looking at the case again. His thoughts didn’t allow him to. Instead he was considering how he was feeling. He wondered if it was alright to want these kinds of evenings to happen more often. He knew that he wasn’t that good with women. His few attempts to woe the friends and strangers he had been interesting in had usually gone horribly wrong. Yet, unbelievably a friend had come to check up on him, and was comfortable enough to spend the night at his place. He couldn’t figure out if he had done anything differently with _y/n_ than his other friends. He also was unsure if she felt the same way he did. Maybe she was uncomfortable being here and just needed to stay out of convenience. While Reid was considering the current situation _y/n_ was doing the same. She was running shampoo through her _h/l_ hair and musing over what had happened over the last two hours. She had always wanted, hoped, to get closer to Spencer, but she was afraid that if she moved too fast that he wouldn’t be interested, or worse not want to hang around her at all. She and Spencer did share some of the same hobbies but she hoped that she knew him better than that. She knew how he shied away from physical affection, and how he always seemed so happy when she or Jason told him he had done a good job, and how she knew what his shampoo was going to smell like before she even opened the bottle. She really hoped that her presence, both literally and metaphorically wasn’t making him uncomfortable now. When she was finished with her reverie _y/n_ rinsed out her hair and stepped out of the shower, After another ten minutes Spencer looked up to see _y/n_ in another one of his YALE sweatshirt. It was so long on her shorter body that it covered her like an ill fitting dress. However, Spencer thought she could wear a potato sack and pull it off. He quickly looked away from her to hide his blush. 

The duo looked over the cases and _y/n_ hooked up to his WiFi on her computer. After this was finished and _y/n_ had bought herself another coffee (using Reid’s card), she recommended he go to bed. It was already 12:00 A.M. at this point. Spencer relented and headed to his bedroom. Before he went in he said, “Goodnight. If you’ve got any questions you can ask. Just knock on the door.” She smiled and said goodnight back, and told him to sleep well. The agent continued her work for another three hours before she moved to the couch to try and get more comfortable to do her work. The next morning Spencer found _y/n_ laying down on the couch she was clutching a pillow to her chest and had her left leg draped over the blanket she had covered her body with. Spencer dared not walk past her torso in case she was indecent below the leg she had over the blanket. He was feeling much better today, and wished that he could go into work with her, however, it was company policy to wait a full twenty-four hours after a fever to return to work. Spencer knew it was for the safety of his coworkers, but he hated being away from his job. The man knelt down and tapped _y/n_ on the shoulder. She sighed slightly before opening her eyes to see him. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. Spencer quickly averted her eyes as she rose. She looked down at herself and realized that her _f/c_ boy shorts were peeking out from beneath Spencer’s YALE sweater. Her face turned red and she coughed, stood up and pulled the sweater down. She looked at her phone and quietly cursed, “Fuck, I’m going to be late.” Spencer knew that if _y/n_ was fast, and hurried she could catch the train and make it in time. He said, “Go change. If you’re fast you can make the 7:30 A.M. train.” _Y/n_ nodded and grabbed her clothes and ran into his bedroom. She shut the door and didn’t even bother to lock it as she stripped and quickly changed. Reid, who had woken up about thirty minutes before her, and had grabbed some coffee for her and himself. He had meant to wake her up once he had woken up, but he couldn’t disturb her when he had seen her so peaceful. When the woman came out of his room in her usual black pants and satin shirt, she looked ready to fight the crime in the city as she usually did. She put on her shoes and grabbed her things, stuffing them into her backpack. Spencer cleared his throat after she was finished and handed her the coffee. She smiled at him and said, “Thank you so much Spencer, for letting me stay, and the coffee.” Spencer smiled and hesitantly asked, “Would you come back again tonight? In case I need help again. Or feel bad?” It took a moment for the words to register and _y/n_ said “Huh?” And maybe it was because it was from lack of sleep, or her just being awake for five minutes, but the meaning of the words struck her after she had responded. She realized that Spencer wanted, that he really wanted to spend another night like they had had yesterday. She smiled up at him and replied, “Of course I’ll come back tonight Spence. I’d love that.” The word love was not lost on the genius, and he took a minute trying to and express his feeling, saying, “You know I really like you. I mean I appreciate you, or I feel things about you…” _Y/n_ wanted really really badly to hear the words come from him, but she knew that she didn’t have a moment to lose or she would be late. She hated cutting him off, but reluctantly said, “I know Spencer, me too.” 

At hearing this Spencer gave a heartwarming smile and leaned down to hug her. She quickly gave him a kiss on the forehead and cheek. She then let go of him, and ran out the door, shouting over her shoulder, “I’ll see you tonight!”

[aion-rsa]

Oscars 2021 Predictions and Analysis of Frontrunners

https://ift.tt/3s3HJE1

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Oscars 2021 nominations is how unsurprising they were. There were course a handful of snubs, from One Night in Miami and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom being left out of the Best Picture category to LaKeith Stanfield surprising awards watchers with a Best Supporting Actor nod thanks to Judas and the Black Messiah (displacing Chadwick Boseman from Da 5 Bloods). But by and large? Things proceeded the way prognosticators pretty much expected.

With the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences picks in, we can see that David Fincher’s Mank is the technical favorite with below the line voters, pushing the Netflix deconstruction of Golden Age Hollywood to eight nominations. These include major nods for Picture, Director and Best Actor (Gary Oldman) and Best Supporting Actress (Amanda Seyfried), but also a lot of technical recognition too in Cinematography, Production Design, Costume, and Makeup and Hairstyling.

Even so, the obvious frontrunner remains Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland, a beautiful film that turns the tragedy of the Great Recession into a bittersweet celebration of American Nomad culture. The Searchlight Pictures release garnered six nominations, including Zhao in the Best Director category and another for Best Picture. Zhao’s directing nod, alongside Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman, additionally made history with this being the first time two women were nominated in the Best Director category in the same year.

Meanwhile fans still mourning Chadwick Boseman’s tragic loss, as well as celebrating his tour de force final performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, can take some small comfort in the actor being the heavily favored contender in the Best Actor category.

In the end, things proceeded more or less as how the breathless awards race media class hoped it would. All of which raises an interesting question: Will there be any actual surprises then on Oscar night? Well… below is our best, and entirely too early, guess at what will win Best Picture and the other major categories. Be sure to check back here on Oscar night to remind us how wrong we were.

Just for clarity, nominees we want to win will be italicized while the ones we think will win will be bolded. When they’re one in the same, one contender will be italicized and bolded.

Best Picture

The Father Judas and the Black Messiah Mank Minari Nomadland Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal The Trial of the Chicago 7

I’m not sure I can think of a year with a more clear cut and inevitable frontrunner than Nomadland in 2021. There have been other years with dominant frontrunners—almost every year in fact—including several that go on to win, such as Green Book just two award seasons ago. However, there is almost always a counter-narrative that threatens the perceived frontrunner. Sometimes those whisper campaigns unseat the presumptive winner (see La La Land and 1917), and sometimes they don’t. But in the case of Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland there isn’t even a serious challenger.

This in part because Zhao made an extraordinary film which uncannily mixed documentarian filmmaking and its study of real-life American Nomads with narrative storytelling. It’s a trick Zhao has done several times before, including memorably with the Independent Spirit Award winner, The Rider. But here it is done with Oscar favorite in star Frances McDormand, and it draws attention to a whole culture of forgotten (white) Americans. Additionally, Nomadland is opening in a pandemic year where most of the more traditional awards contenders have vacated. The ones that haven’t are mostly being produced by Netflix, including The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Mank. The former might be a real contender for Best Picture under different circumstances, but the Academy is notoriously recalcitrant toward awarding Best Picture to Netflix originals and other streaming efforts. Just ask Roma for more.

Nomadland braved a small theatrical debut ahead of its premiere on Hulu, supporting the theatrical experience during COVID, while Chicago 7 was snubbed a Best Director nomination, suggesting there is some skepticism toward the film among a large wing of Academy voters. Mank, meanwhile, is an acquired taste that appeals to my personal sensibility. But it’s quite cold and less a love letter to the movie industry than a loving middle finger. That fact will probably hurt it in a number of categories, including Best Original Screenplay where it was snubbed today.

Best Director

Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round David Fincher, Mank Lee Isaac Chung, Minari Chloé Zhao, Nomadland Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman

While I would vote another way for Best Picture, I am totally onboard with seeing Zhao pick up the Best Director plaudit. Hers is an entirely unique cinematic voice that has successfully blurred the lines of how narrative filmmaking can be conveyed, and she’s done so while cultivating a great sense of empathy in Nomadland. The picture that finds beauty and resilience in a story that could’ve been a tragedy, memorializing the Americans left behind by the Great Recession.

Her groundbreaking techniques make her stand out in her field. Plus, Academy will be acutely self-conscious this year about the disappointing fact that only one other woman, Kathryn Bigelow, has won a Best Director Oscar. So be prepared for Zhao to make that two.

Best Actress

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman Frances McDormand, Nomadland Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Carey Mulligan is phenomenal in Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman. Acerbic but devastating, guarded but vulnerable, and equal parts righteous and occasionally terrifying, she provides a multifaceted turn unlike anything else we’ve seen from the now twice-nominated actor. Previously she was recognized for her ingénue breakout in An Education, but now as an adult thespian, she’s a true revelation. That narrative will appeal to Academy voters, especially as they tend to favor younger actresses in the lead category. Frances McDormand is a famous exception to that rule, but McDormand has two Oscars already, and one is for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri from only three years ago. Also Mulligan is much more keen on playing the awards season campaign game.

Admittedly, Andra Day won for Best Actress in a Drama at the Golden Globes … but the Globes are always going to be their own thing (ask Jodie Foster for more). And while Day is wonderful in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, that movie’s more meager quality is going to be an albatross.

Best Actor

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Anthony Hopkins, The Father Gary Oldman, Mank Steven Yeun, Minari

In his final performance, Chadwick Boseman is heartbreaking and utterly riveting. All strained bravado and barely masked desperation, his Levee is cool to a tragic fault in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The film he occupies, based on the August Wilson play of the same name, enjoys its contrasts about Black artists navigating white dominated industries. But while Viola Davis’ charismatic turn is above the title, the B-side to her story as embodied by Levee is where the film’s ghosts wait. And they stayed with me long after the Netflix film ended.

Read more

Movies

How Chadwick Boseman Created His Final Performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

By Don Kaye

Movies

Promising Young Woman: Director Emerald Fennell Breaks Down the Ending

By Rosie Fletcher

Boseman deserves a posthumous Oscar for his turn—which would make him only the third performer to win one after Peter Finch for Network and Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight—and he’ll almost certainly get it on Oscar night.

Best Supporting Actress

Maria Bakalova, Borat Glenn Close, Hillbilly Eleg Olivia Colman, The Father Amanda Seyfried, Mank Youn, Yuh-jung, Minari

Conventional wisdom says Olivia Colman will win Best Supporting Actress for The Father. The Academy certainly likes her, having awarded her Best Actress two years ago for The Favourite, and the Academy also has a history of being more lenient on relative back-to-back Oscars in the Supporting category, unlike the historical precedents in the leading actor categories. However, I’m taken by the relative lack of consensus-building around Colman to date. Granted the Golden Globes denied Colman in favor of Jodie Foster, whose performance wasn’t even recognized by the Oscars this year. But the Critics Choice Awards also overlooked Colman while providing Maria Bakalova with a surprise win for Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm.

Precedent should still make me wary of picking Bakalova to win the award. After all, it’s a comedic performance which the Academy usually shies away from. However, this comedic turn was so good, it was able to expose Rudy Giuliani to be a creep with his hand down his pants in front of the world. That will appeal to Academy voters, especially after a year like 2020. Meanwhile my personal choice—Amanda Seyfried’s understated but wholly authentic restoration of Marion Davies’ image after Citizen Kane—may suffer from just a general apathy toward that film’s demeanor, at least from above the line voters. Her snub by her peers at the SAG Awards unfortunately speaks poorly of her chances.

Best Supporting Actor

Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7 Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami Paul Raci, Sound of Metal LaKeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

Daniel Kaluuya’s performance in Judas and the Black Messiah is a sweltering achievement. With limited screen time—despite being the ostensible messiah of the film’s title—Kaluuya is searing as the Black Panther Party Chairman who created the Rainbow Coalition and was hounded to his death by the FBI through illegal means. I’m also partial to Sacha Baron Cohen’s turn in The Trial of the Chicago 7 where he showed a more sardonic range as a counterculture activist in the Windy City. But even I’ll concede his performance isn’t the one folks will probably be quoting for years to come.

Best Original Screenplay

Judas and the Black Messia Minari Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal The Trial of the Chicago 7

Traditionally the Screenplay categories are where Academy voters tend to recognize the more challenging outside-the-mainstream Best Picture nominees they don’t want to give the top prize to. Ergo, it’s a great place for Emerald Fennell to pick up an award for Promising Young Woman. The movie is too candy colored bleak and light hearted in its tragedies to garner enough Academy support in Best Picture, but its originality will be awarded here.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Borat 2 The Father Nomadland One Night in Miami The White Tiger

I suspect the love for Nomadland will continue in the Adapted Screenplay category with Zhao picking up another Oscar. While the screenplay is quite brilliant, I personally feel the movie’s greater achievement is in its visual storytelling and melding of real stories with a broader fictional narrative. Whereas Kemp Powers’ adaptation of his own play is magnificent. There is a fair criticism to be made that Powers couldn’t fully escape the stageniess of his original conceit about spending a night in a motel room with Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown. But the acute intelligence of his dialogue, and the way it cuts to the tensions of Black responsibility juxtaposed with soft American power, is as potent as it is finally exciting.

Best Cinematography

Judas and the Black Messiah Mank News of the World Nomadland The Trial of the Chicago 7

I suppose I’m predicting a sweep for Nomadland, which in some ways will be earned. In others it may not, such as if Sean Bobbitt’s cinematography in Judas and the Black Messiah.

Best Film Editing

The Father Nomadland Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal The Trial of the Chicago 7

Film editing should be the one category Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 has locked up. With a breathless pace executed in nervy style by Alan Baumgarten, The Trial of the Chicago 7 makes dialogue exchanges out to be as exciting as any special effects-heavy set piece.

Best Costume Design

Emma. Mank Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Mulan Pinocchio

I suspect Costumes will be one area where Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom receives some technical applause by the Academy. However, I think the pastel and historically accurate designs in Autumn de Wilde’s meticulously designed Emma. shouldn’t go overlooked.

Best Production Design

The Father Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Mank News of the World Tenet

The amount of painstaking research and effort that went into so minutely recreating 1930s Hollywood in David Fincher’s Mank is undeniable. While I am expecting largely a shutout for my favorite film of last year, this will be one place where Mank will not go ignored.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Emma Hillbilly Elegy Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Mank Pinocchio

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom can win for Viola Davis’ immersive transformation into the Mother of the Blues alone.

Best Original Score

Da 5 Bloods Mank Minari News of the World Soul

It stands to reason that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross will pick up another Oscar for the score of Soul, which will also mark the first one for co-writer Jon Batiste. This would be a happy outcome, but if I’m honest the Emile Mosseri score of Minari touched me more.

Best Animated Feature Film

Onward Over the Moon A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Soul Wolfwalkers

It’s another open and shut year for Pixar thanks to Soul. There’s of course a case to be made for Wolfwalkers, which was a beautiful work of art that’s actually hand drawn. But it’s an open secret that most Academy voters (sadly) do not watch all the animated nominees, and pick solely from the Pixar/Disney catalog. And Soul really is one of the best Pixar films in quite a while so…

Best Visual Effects

Love and Monsters The Midnight Sky Mulan The One and Only Ivan Tenet

There is precedent for the Academy to award less than deserving films in this category simply because the winner is associated with a more popular movie in above the line categories. However, none of the above the line darlings were visual effects heavy this year, and for whatever you might think about Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, there is no denying its visual wizardry is astounding, from the stunt work that sees men bungie jumping upwards to having in-camera effects happening simultaneously in different time streams. So the movie that wanted to “save cinema” may not be entirely overlooked by the industry on Oscar night.

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[everydaymj]

Call You Mine - Peter Parker x Reader - Part 2

“Alright, can anyone tell me why we still study these plays,” I asked, watching several hands shoot up. 

Glancing around I rounded the desk and leaned against it as I went on, “And don’t say it’s because Shakespeare is the world’s most prolific writer, give me a real reason.”

I watched as the majority of the hands went down, the first day of class was always a fun one and these kids weren’t disappointing as I spotted a few nervous hands come back up. Zeroing in on Rosa, who had picked a seat right up front I nodded at her. 

She took a breath nervously but met my gaze as she said, “Because they are still relevant to current issues, the themes are still ones that resonate in the modern world.”

Smiling I said, “That’s part of it, yes, the human race is eternally fascinated with itself and perhaps no other writer captured the essence of humanity as well as Shakespeare.”

Seeing a boy wearing an Omega Delta shirt in the third row roll his eyes I narrowed my eyes as I snatched up a piece of green chalk and started to write on the board.

Large sweeping letters started to come together into a list of emotions. 

Cracking the chalk harshly, I said, “Hatred, something I am positive you’ve all felt at one point.” Pointing to the frat boy that was looking more bored by the moment I asked, “You, what’s an example of hatred?”

Eyes going a bit wide he stuttered out, “Ah I guess when a girl ghosts me for another guy?” 

Grinning at the opportunity he had given me I said, “Ah but is that hatred or love? I think over the course of the semester you will all find they are one and the same.” 

Before I could give an example of this in one of the plays we would be starting next week, Rosa’s hand shot up again so I just nodded at her. 

“But can you really say love and hate are the same? I mean motivations might be similar on the basis of passion but true love doesn’t have space for hatred, there are countless examples of this in the plays. I just don’t believe they are in any way the same Professor Y/L/N,” she said, a great deal of conviction in her eyes. 

Whispers started to circle and I could tell right now that this was going to be a lively class with lots of opinions and that was my favorite kind of class. 

Raising a brow at her I said, “Agree to disagree, love is a game and even when you win you’ll find that you lose.”

Moving on to the next point, I called on a different student and steered the conversation back to different themes. 

This would be an interesting semester to be sure. 

                                                         ~~~

Peter couldn’t help the grin on his face, even if half of the students looked like they were bored out of their minds and wanted to just go home already, he would call this first lecture a success if just for the fact people had actually shown up. 

Should his standards be higher? Probably, but he didn’t really care. 

“So ah, now that we’ve wrapped up this introductory lecture does anyone have any general questions about the material or what we’re going to focus on,” he asked, looking around the large lecture hall to be sure he didn’t miss anyone. 

Listening intently his enhanced senses picked up the mutter of “How does any of this apply to real life,” from the back row.

Deciding not to let it get him down he smiled as he said, “That’s a great question, how does any of this apply to real life? Well, physics is so much more than numbers and whiteboards if you think creatively it can apply to the most base of human actions in day to day life.”

Seeing one of the students in the back duck down, he bit back a laugh and kept going, “You might not believe it at first but even things like relationships and the more abstract concepts of humanity can be broken down if the laws of physics are used.”

In the front row, one of the girls that had actually been taking notes raised her hand.  

“Ah yes, Rosa wasn’t it,” he asked, hoping that he remembered correctly. 

She nodded, giving him a smile. 

“So Professor Parker, you’re saying that even something like emotions can be broken down into the terms of physics,” she asked, watching him intently. 

Thrilled that someone was engaging he beamed at her, wondering in the back of his mind if possibly he had something on his shirt with the way several other students were staring at him. 

“Exactly! Take Newton’s Third Law, even if yo-” 

He was cut off by the tick of the clock signaling the end of class and the shuffle of students getting up to leave. 

“Ah right, have a good weekend, I’ll see you all next week,” Peter said, slightly disappointed class was already over. 

Turning to grab his papers—he would not be losing any more notes from his aunt—he felt a tap on his arm. 

“Ah Professor Parker, do you think you could explain what you were about to say,” asked Rosa, a curious look in her eyes when he turned to face her. 

Putting his bag down, Peter leaned against the desk and smiled as he said, “That was a great question you know, ah yeah, so it’s not a popular theory or anything but personally I like to think so much of humanity and its complexities can be explored through science. Not saying that it can explain everything but it’s a fun way to try and put things together.”

Furrowing her brows, she asked, “So even something as complex as love? Or hate? You think things like that could be taken apart with the laws of physics?”

Already thinking that he would love for her to take his theoretical physics class next semester he rubbed the back of his neck in thought. 

“Well, I’m not sure anything could explain something like love but hatred is an easy one. Before class ended I was going to say that Newton’s Third Law was a great explanation for something like hate, to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In my experience,” he paused, thinking of all the villains he’d fought over the years and the burning hate thrown at him. “I’ve found that it’s almost always an initial action followed by a reaction that causes something like that.  What’s got you thinking about something like that.”

She thought for a moment before saying, “So you wouldn’t say it’s the same for love. You don’t see them as the same thing.”

Confused at the notion of something so outlandish he couldn’t help a laugh. 

“Not at all, I’m not sure there’s any one action that could lead to or cause love. It can be similar I suppose but I wouldn’t call them the same thing at all,” he said. “I mean everyone can have their own opinions on it, but that’s just not how I see it. What got you curious about all this?”

She shook her head, glancing at the door. 

“Just something another professor said in a literature class, this just made me think of it again. It’s sort of funny you would think a literature expert would believe in that sort of thing, not a physics professor. No offense,” she hurried to add.  

Seeing the time he grabbed his bag and said, “Not at all, I’m glad you find the class interesting. If we have time next week maybe we can bring the topic back up for class discussion.”

Waving as she left, Peter smiled to himself, glad that at least one of his students seemed to be really interested in the topic. Starting back to his office, he wondered what kind of literature professor would start a semester off by saying love and hate were the same things. A very bold take if you asked him. 

Lost in thought, it was only his lightning-fast reflexes that kept him from running into the person that rounded the same corner he was turning. Catching them with one arm and bracing against the wall with the other, he found himself looking into the same Y/C/E’s that he hadn’t been able to forget since the last time he saw them. 

Determined not to act like an idiot this time he quickly let go and said, “Ah sorry, wasn’t looking where I was going. That’s on me.”

The hint of a smirk on her face she raised a brow. 

“You certainly were, on me I mean. I’m afraid I’ve really got to be going, I have an evening class in twenty minutes,” she said, brushing back a strand of hair as she started to walk away. 

Calling after her, he said, “You know my name, isn’t it only fair I know yours?”

Stopping, she glanced over her shoulder with a look in her eyes that Peter knew was nothing but trouble. 

“Life isn’t fair Parker, but I’m feeling generous today. Y/N, but you can call me Y/L/N,” she said, turning without another word. 

“Okay Y/L/N, that’s better than nothing,” he muttered to himself as he tried his best not to keep from thinking about how attractive that smirk was as she walked away. 

Watching her go, Peter knew for a fact the smart thing to do would be to stay as far away from her as possible. But he also knew for a fact he would be doing no such thing.

                                                           ~~~

Taglist: 

@annathesillyfriend @daughter-of-the-stars11 @imagine-what-would-happen @r-does-stuff @captainamericasdaughter @fxnfarra @unstablewritings @intoomanyfandomsblognstuff @starlight-starks @glenn-the-cinnamon-roll-rhee @tom-holland-is-spiderman @hello--zuko-here @peterfromqueensny @rubberducky-jrr  @opinions-you-didnt-ask-for @cunaeparker @intoomanyfandomsstuff @thegryffindorstudies @t-monosapiens-h @chaoticpete @myserenewords @appreciating-chase-brody​

If you want to be added or removed just let me know! 

[thestray]

The 62 2020 Movies Releases I Watched During 2020 Ranked

Like the awkward title says, I’m going to rank (and talk about) all the 2020 movies I watched in 2020. This is not meant as any empirical list of what was best, it’s ranked by what I liked the least to the most, and my main criteria is what kind of impact it had on me and/or how much I enjoyed the experience of watching it.

Little bit about myself, I went to art school for animation, then after art school I went to a community college where I studied screenwriting. Never ended up pursuing either thing professionally, but I still write screenplays in my free time and read screenwriting books and listen to screenwriting podcasts. I'm the type of person that loves special features, seeks out behind the scenes information and director interviews, and watch youtube videos analyzing films. I love film, and thinking about film and talking about film and sharing the films I like, and maybe one day making films of my own, who knows.

Ranking and reviewing 62 movies was a more ambitious and challenging task than I anticipated, I rearranged this list swapping titles back and forth so many times, and then I’d remember a movie I forgot I watched and have to add that and figure out where it ranks. I started this on January 1st and am just now ready to post it on the 17th, I was still switching rankings right up until posting this. Even looking at it now there are some kinda want to switch but I’ve accepted that this is more or less arbitrary, lol. 

The more I learn about film and what goes into creating a movie the more lenient I am about them. It’s not like I’m never critical of films, but I try to consider both the good and the bad of a movie instead of thinking in a binary of films are either amazing or trash. Some of these films aren’t great, but I typically still enjoyed them to some degree. Except Mulan, lol. I’m sorry Mulan. Speaking of Mulan...

62. Mulan

I'm going to try to say something nice about all these movies even if I didn't like them at all. So... I like the cast, and there are some nice visual moments. I actually was looking forward to this movie before reviews started coming out, it has 2 of the martial arts G.O.A.T.s in it, Donnie Yen and Jet Li, and also Jason Lee as the bad guy, so I figured it might at the very least have some decent action, but they were all underutilized. There’s not a single moment in the film where I felt anything at all. I think all these Disney live-action remakes are doing is making a case for how effective animation is for storytelling.

61. Color Out of Space

I heard a lot of good things about this movie, and it’s really cool visually, and I love Nicolas Cage always, but I really couldn’t get into it. I guess my main issue is that it starts off already too campy for any of to the Lovecraftian horror to really hit. It felt like a B-movie with great production value, and maybe that’s what they were going for? I really wanted to like this but I really just did not feel invested in anything going on, did not relate to anyone in the family, so I don’t think I got much out of it besides the cool visuals.

60. Bloodshot

I think the main flaw of this movie is that is that Vin Diesel was a producer on it, and Vin Diesel should be kept away from making creative decisions on movies. How Did This Get Made did a great podcast episode on this movie. It’s absolute nonsense, it has a couple of cool sequences and special effects in it, and Lamorne with a British accent is great, he’s the main redeeming value of this movie.

59. The Midnight Sky

It seems like this movie wants to be Interstellar, it’s structured in a very similar way, but it just didn’t quite have that same emotional punch. It looks very good, it’s well-acted, it has it’s moments.

58. The New Mutants

It's not as much of a trainwreck as people make it out to be in my opinion, I think the cast is good and it has some good character interactions, but it mostly suffers from the fact that it's way too predictable, from the beginning you're way ahead of the characters, and it doesn't help that they're in this confined setting so there's not a lot for them to actually do. But I appreciate the attempt at using mutants to do a horror breakfast club thing, good concept.

57. Vampires vs The Bronx

Vampires as a gentrifiers taking over the hood, great idea. Mero is in it, the brand is brolic. It was a fun set up, but it was neither funny enough or scary enough in my opinion. The vampires die so easily it's like okay whatever. It's like a really long Goosebumps episode.

56. Freaky

I don't think the execution lived up to the great concept, but Vince Vaughan was really great in those sincere moments playing a teenage girl. Horror fans will appreciate the gory kills. I'm not going to spoil anything but I do think there are some narrative issues that keep this from being stronger than it could've been. If you made the killer a creepy janitor at the school or even one of the teachers, then I think that would've created more interesting situations.

55. Eurovision

I love Will Ferrell, I even love some of his flops like Casa De Mi Padre and Kicking and Screaming, and even the House I think had a lot of really funny moments. This was definitely one of the least funny movies he's done to me. I think the director David Dobkin couldn't commit to being silly the way Adam McKay can cause there's a lot of this movie that just has no jokes, and the movie is over 2 hours long which isn't normal for comedies so you spend a lot of time watching unfunny scenes and extended musical numbers.

54. The Wrong Missy

I'm not a big fan of most Happy Madison movies, the jokes are very hit or miss for me. I'm a big fan of Lauren Lapkus though so I watched it to support her, and she plays an absolute psycho in this. It's so over the top it's like this character is not a human being, but I have to admit there are a few moments where she made me laugh pretty loud. I'd never watch this movie again, but maybe I'd look up certain parts on youtube.

53. The Platform

High concept dystopian sci-fi horror. Reminds me of the Cube. It's one of those things that makes you think about what you'd do in the same situation. It's a very on the nose allegory, so by the end of it my only takeaway was "Yeah, it really be like that." 

52. Archenemy

Another high concept movie. Joe Mangienello is good in it, but Glenn Howerton and Paul Scheer are my favorite parts of the movie, it's fun to see comedy actors play bad guys. My main problem with the movie was that I did not find the teen character to be interesting or relatable at all, in fact he can be kind of obnoxious. In his introductory scene he's REALLY bothering this random guy minding his own business, not respecting his boundaries at all. Then the rest of the movie is about him exploiting a homeless man and being really pushy for likes on some app, and he doesn't really have a character arc. Also wasn't a big fan of the animated sequences but I forgive that knowing this was a low budget movie and those sequences were done by a team of just 3 people. 

51. Power

Jamie Foxx is great. I think he makes almost anything he's in watchable to some degree. The idea of this movie is fun but I think the action sequences are kinda underwhelming, but Jamie makes it worth watching in my opinion.

50. Birds of Prey

This movie was all style and absolutely no substance. When your main character doesn't have a solid purpose or goal you're really just watching shit happen, and that can be okay if the shit that's happening is occassionally fun or funny, but it doesn't really make for a memorable story in my opinion.

49. Wonder Woman 84

The most panned movie of 2020 maybe? It's got flaws for sure and some narrative choices I just can't understand why they made. It has some fun performances though and I ultimately appreciated that our superhero wins not by using her fists but by appealing to goodness. I feel like you rarely see that kind of idealism any more. It may not be realistic but I think that's one of the things fantasy is good for, showing us a way things could be better to strive for. But yeah, the Steve Trevor things was fucking weird, why'd they do that? And neither Steve or Diana seem concerned with about this random guy's fate. I'd probably rate this film higher if they had Steve simply appear out of thin air, I mean why not? It's magic. But I loved Kristen Wig and Pedro Pascal in this. Pedro is performing with his whole body, did he film this after season 1 of the Mandolorian? Maybe being under that helmet for a season made him want to be really expressive. The films overall kinda campy but I didn't necessarily mind that.

48. Peninsula

Sequel to the already classic Train to Busan, this film decides the up the scale, which is what sequels often do, but I think it was a mistake in this instance. This is more of an over the top action movie than a character-driven horror film like the first. There's a climactic Mad Max-esque car chase scene that is almost entirely CGI. I don't think it was a bad movie, it's an okay popcorn flick, but it definitely doesn't live up to the original.

47. The Old Guard

In terms of action I don't think it did anything interesting, but I like how they explored how horrific and heartbreaking it would be to be immortal. Coming to terms with your own mortality is a tough thing to do, but we often don't consider the idea that death is a blessing we take for granted. 

46. Sputnik

A Russian sci-fi thriller about a young doctor being tasked with trying to figure out how to separate an alien parasite from a Cosmonaut that's returned from earth. Good performances, creepy vibe, and lots of interesting questions about ethics. It has a sort of epilogue ending with a reveal I didn't quite understand the significance to the story, but didn't take away from either. Solid.

45. The Invisible Man

Fun sci-fi thriller about toxic abusive relationships and gaslighting. Elizabeth Moss is great in it and my favorite sequences are before her character actually catches on and you have moments where the camera is just focusing on a random place, very creepy and effective.

44. Sonic the Hedgehog

Personally I would've preferred a fully animated film taking place in Sonic's world. I don't know why they always feel like they need to make these movies about human characters and then spend a lot of time having to hide your CG character and having people do comical reactions to them. It feels very played out to me. BUT Jim Carrey is great in this, of course. Jim Carrey is the reason to watch this movie. He makes the movie. And it goes without saying thank God they changed that character design.

43. 2067

What I liked about this dystopian future is that the cause was basically everything. War, famine, ruining the environment, pandemics, just all our collective fuckery has resulted in a world where the human race is on the verge of extinction, plants are extinct, and oxygen is synthetic. Enter time travel, a young man is tasked with traveling into the future to bring back the solution to saving the human race. Very timely obviously. I liked it.

42. Monsters of Man

Some asshole tech bros let some killer robots loose on a remote southeast asian village as a trial run. It has lots of flaws but I give it some leeway because this is the first film of a guy who wrote, directed and was the cinematographer by himself, he didn't have a huge budget or much experience, so it's hard to expect perfection. My biggest criticism is that the film centers a white guy living in this village and some westerner medics, not the actual Asian people of the village. Could've been so much more of interesting commentary about racism and eurocentrism dropping these robots in a village of brown people no one will miss just for practice. That aside though I think it was a solid enough thriller and the robots looked pretty good.

41. Family Romance LLC

An interesting movie about a Japanese entrepreneur who has a business where he'll play whatever role in your life you need. Father, husband, coworker, etc there's a scene where someone even pays him to be scolded in his place by his boss. The main thrust of the film though is him playing the role of a girl's absentee father, pretends to reconnect with her and take her out on the town for activities. It's shot very documentary style, and there are a mixture of first time actors and non-actors. Sometimes there are long awkward conversations that feel just as awkward as real life. I really liked the premise, and the only thing that keeps it from being higher on my list is it doesn't have a strong enough conflict nor does it really have a satisfying conclusion.

40. Over the Moon

Directorial debut of animation legend Glen Keane, I really liked this visually. It was sufficiently enjoyable, but it doesn't have that emotional gut punch that Pixar or Disney films tend to have. But I guess cartoons don't NEED to make you bawl your eyes out to be good. I think there were some missed opportunities narratively, like I guess this is spoilery so just scroll ahead if you don't want to know, but she gains a step brother that she doesn't like and doesn't want to spend time with, once the adventure starts on the Moon they get separated very early on, and don't ge reunited until towards the end, but she somehow now cares about him and considers him her brother. I didn't feel like that was really earned, they should've been together throughout the adventure getting to know each other. But I otherwise liked the story aside from that nitpick. Loved the colors of this movie, almost everything in the moon world is luminescent which provides some nice visuals. Hope to see Glen direct more in the future.

39. The Croods 2

Nothing revolutionary but it has some solid physical comedy and great voice acting. All of Nicolas Cage's overacting is perfect for animation, and I liked Peter Dinklage as Mr. Betterman as well. There's a lot going on thematically but it all works pretty cohesively.

38. #ALIVE

Another Korean zombie thriller. I really liked this because I felt like as far as zombie outbreaks go this is the most realistic scenario. Once you realize what's going on you will just stay in your house rather than risk going outside and fighting zombies. But that poses the problem of a limited supply of food and water. The main thrust of the movie is not how this character survives though it's about him trying to retain his will to live. It's the perfect pandemic isolation allegory.

37. Love and Monsters

It looked kinda corny but I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I like Dylan O'Brien, I love Tom Holland as Peter Parker but I've always felt like Dylan O'Brien would've been a great choice too, he has a good everyman relatable quality. There's also a dog in the movie that I loved. Put a dog in peril in a movie and I will be on the edge of my seat guaranteed. It's a fun movie with some interesting creatures in it and a solid character arc for our main protagonist.

36. Extraction

I love the trend of stunt coordinators directing films. That's the main reason why the John Wick series is so good, and the reason why this also has some very solid action. Nothing crazy here in terms of story or themes, everything is an excuse for Chris Hemsworth to fuck people up and it delivers on that. There's one scene where he slaps around some kids attacking him that I found hilarious as well. Fully welcoming an Extraction 2.

35. Save Yourselves

A couple decides to take a break from social media and get away to a cabin outside the city. While they're disconnected from the world an alien invasion occurs, furry little basketball sized poofs. This movie was pretty funny. I'm a little ambivalent about the ending but I enjoyed these hipsters arguing about what to do about aliens.

34. Bill and Ted Face the Music

A most bodacious movie. Fun gags and a robot that steals the show. It's not as good as the first 2 but I don't think that's any surprise. I think it borrows a little bit too much from the previous films, like the collecting legendary musicians thing, could've done without that. It was a fun movie though, and the daughters really worked.

33. An American Pickle

Seth Rogen playing an orthodox Jew who's been preserved in pickle juice for 100 years and his modern day app developer grandson. I think this may be Seth Rogen's best acting role, as silly as this movie is he's kind of endearing as this character from 100 years aro, and as the grandson he's a lot more understated than he usually is in movies.

32. Tenet

Tenet! Is it controversial that this is not higher up on the list? I really like Nolan's films, actually been a fan since watching his first film Following in a film class. Nolan likes playing with time in his movies so it was inevitable that he'd do something that addresses it very directly eventually. I love the time travel genre and I think this is one of the most ambitious and unique approaches to it to ever done. I actually braved theaters to see this because I did not want to miss the opportunity to see it on the big screen. I did it as safely as possible and booked a reserved seating theater where I knew I wouldn't be sitting by anyone, had a mask, gloves, antibacterial gell on deck, sanitized my seat with wipes, etc, there only 2 other people in the theater all of us sitting way for from each other. Weirdest moviegoing experience I've ever had but glad I saw it on the big screen because the visual spectacle of this is excellent. The reason it's not higher on the list is because as conceptually cool as it is as I did not feel invested. Just on a story level having a character we know very little about pursuing a goal he knows very little about for no clearly defined reason makes it feel like... we're just watching events unfold as opposed to watching a character-driven story. There's a moment at the end that you can tell was meant to be an emotional moment, but I felt nothing. They try to introduce some emotional stakes with the female character, but idk, since it wasn't tied to the inciting incident it felt more like a b-plot than fundamental to the story. So it was a really fun cool looking puzzle, more like watching a cool Rube Goldberg machine, but not something I really thought much about after it was over.

31. Guns Akimbo

I really have been enjoying Daniel Radcliffe's post-Harry Potter career, he'll do some solid dramas he seems to prefer doing fun weird shit like Swiss Army Man, Horns, his role on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, etc. This is in that vein of fun weird shit, a guy who gets guns bolted to his hands and is running around the city in a robe trying to survive essentially a real life video game. A lot of the movies lower on this list had fun concepts but were lacking in execution, but this is one that is just as fun as the idea sounds, even more fun actually, it's funny, the action is good, and there are some great visuals. I found it all around enjoyable.

30. Let Them All Talk

Glen Close as a celebrated author who invites her nephew and 2 estranged best friends on a cruise with her.  It's a very light-hearted movie with some underlying conflicts that the characters are afraid to address head on. Glen Close is great, obviously, she plays this pretentious self-important woman with affectations but is still likable and warm. It's a fairly pleasant almost slice-of-life until the 3rd act where everything comes together. To me it was a movie about communication, saying what you mean, saying what you feel, and those unspoken assumptions of what those around you are thinking or feeling about you. I know I can relate to the idea of wanting an apology from someone who might not even be cognizant of the fact that you feel slighted by them, or vice versa finding out someone's had a long standing problem with you when you thought you were cool. One sided grudges do no one any good.

29. True History of the Kelly Gang

I've heard of Ned Kelly, but I've never seen the Heath Ledge or Mick Jagger movies about him and I don't know much about him other than he's a famous Australian outlaw and something of a folk hero to some. The performances and cinematography if this are great. George MacKay from 1917 is the lead and he's amazing, sometimes vulnerable and soft, other times a madman. It spends a lot of time in his childhood and the child actor who plays Ned is great as well. It's gritty and sometimes surreal in it's imagery. From what I can gather previous films seemed to focus more on what happened with him and his gang, while this movie seems to focuses more on everything in his life that led up to him becoming who he is and forming that gang. Like a 3rd of the movie is spent in his childhood, and once the gang is actually formed things move at a pretty brisk pace, seemingly skimming over the exploits of the gang to the conclusion. The film feels very raw and gritty and very fuck the police which I always appreciate.

28. Lucky Grandma

A stubborn grandma in New York's chinatown gets her fortunte read and is told that she's going to be very lucky and come into a fortune, she then comes into possession of a bunch of money that belongs to a gang and she decides to try to keep it feeling it's owed to her by the universe. A funny crime drama with the unlikeliest of protagonists.

27. Da 5 Bloods

Spike Lee is an icon but he can honestly be a little hit or miss for me. I don't always enjoy every choice he makes, for instance he uses real footage of war attrocities in this, and it's really upsetting to see REAL people, including children, be killed, when you're not expecting that. I understand it's meant to be upsetting, but it does make the movie something I'll probably never rewatch. Spike Lee's films to me can also feel at times heightened to the point that it feels a little cheesy (Miracle At St Anna), and there moments in this that kinda took me out of it to be honest, but overall I enjoyed it. The performances were great, Delroy Lindo in my opinion is one of the most underrated actors of all time, he's just always good no matter what he's in, everyone else in it is good too, but of course I have to mention Chadwick Boseman who was great. At the end of the day it gave me a lot to think about in terms or race, war, America, forgiveness, trauma and so many other things.

26. The Devil All The Time

There's a LOT going on in this movie, maybe a little too much, it's like 2 or 3 movies smashed into one, but... I really liked it, and that's probably because Tom Holland is so good in it.  Really liked Robert Pattinson in it too. I can’t really think of more to say about it say I won’t. Next movie.

25. Bad Education

A true crime movie about school district officiala who stole from the budget of a highschool. Hugh Jackman is great in this. I loved Jackman as Wolverine, but now that he's done with that I'm excited to see him other stuff cause he's always interesting to watch; The Fountain, Prisoners, The Prestige, he's always solid. I enjoyed this, it was done with nuance, it doesn't let them off the hook for what they did but it doesn't paint them as absolute monsters either. I really have to ask myself, if I could get away with stealing money that no one would miss... I don't know, I think I'd not do it out of fear not altruism, lol.

24. My Octopus Teacher

This is a documentary on Netflix about a diver who immerses himself in the world of underwater life and documents the life of an octopus. It's really beautiful, both in terms of visuals and in content. There's not a lot to talk about because it's fairly straightforward, but it was really fascinating to learn about this octopus and see the bond they mutually formed, and again I can't talk about how great this movie looks, it's like you're in a different world. This is something I could put in and mute while I draw just for the ambiance. 

23. Kajillionaire

A quirky dramedy about a family of really obtuse poor scam artists. As absurd as their behaviour is I can totally imagine a trio of weirdos like this living in Los Angeles ( I can say that cause it's my hometown and where I lived most of my life. It's Evan Rachel Wood's best role, I never would've imagined her doing something like this but she's great as "Old Dolio". It's funny, at time sad but not in a hammy melodramatic way, and I feel it had the perfect ending.

22. The Gentleman

Guy Ritchie doing what he does best. It's fun, stylish, witty, has layers and twists and reveals. Everybody's good in it. It doesn't have anything poignant to say, but it's fun to watch the entire time

21. Run

A thriller about a wheelchair bound teen who suspects her mother is drugging her and tries to get to the bottom of it. You can tell this director is a Hitchcock fan because it definitely has that Rear Window vibe but takes it a step further, and in many ways it's even shot and paced like Hitchcock. The lead actress is actually wheelchair bound herself so it really adds to the realism of all the things she does in this film. Oh, and Sarah Paulson is the mom, when is Sarah Paulson ever not good?

20. Horse Girl

Alison Brie is an awkward neurotic woman getting over recent grief and a history of mental illness in her family, she starts to have weird dreams and then notices people from her dreams in real life, starts blacking out and having gaps in time, and starts to believe it's due to alien abduction conspiracy. Is she losing her mind or is it really happening? Alison Brie is really really good in this, and she co-wrote it too, it has a lot of moments where you really feel sorry for her or scared for her and you start to question what's real yourself.

19. Swallow

I  found this movie really fascinating, it's like what if you turned one of those My Strange Addiction episodes on TLC into a movie. It's about this woman who ostensibly, at least from appearances, has the perfect life (at least by societal standards), she came from nothing and is now housewife to a rich successful man, and behaves almost like a Stepford wife. Then develops a compulsion to swallow inedible things, like marbles and batteries and thumbtacks, which is a real condition called pica. Its the kind of movie that gives you a lot to think about but no easy answers.

18. Time to Hunt

A Korean heist thriller set in the near future. A bunch of childhood friends rob the wrong person and have an Anton Chigurh-esque killer sent after them to retrieve the money and kill them. It's a really tense cat and mouse thriller with good performances. The ending seemed to turn a lot of people off based on a lot of youtube comments I read, but I didn't mind it. My only real gripe is that they set this in the near future but aside from some imagery in the beginning it doesn't seem to come into play that much, this all could've taken place in modern day or even the past with no alteration of the story. I think the future setting was more just for some social commentary that maybe went over my head a little bit because I'm not from Korea, but I think if they were going to do near future they could've added some futuristic weapons or something. But that's just nitpicking, while the future setting didn't add to the story much it didn't take away from it either.

17. Tigertail

As I get older one of my worse fears is making decisions that I will regret for the rest of my life, so this movie really hit home as a cautionary tale. It's a kind of quietly devastating movie. There's no huge tragic horrific even, just a huge miscalculation. Decades of your life of work and unhappiness go by and all you can do is wonder what things could've been. I also especially appreciated the cinematography and music of this film.

16. Mother

It's been a while since I hated a character this much, but this titular mother really pissed me off. She's a neglectful mother who only sees her son as a tool, but he sticks by her cause he loves her. It's definitely not a fun movie to watch, but it made me feel a lot and meditate on the idea of love and whether it in itself has innate value.

15. Call

I went into this movie cold, having no idea what it was really about other than that it was a thriller that revolved around a woman getting mysterious calls. I'm glad I had seen no trailers and did not know the gist of the plot becuase it went places I really was not expecting. One of the most fun thrillers I've seen in a while. So, I'm not going to talk about the movie but what I will say is that Jeon Jong-seo, who played the woman in Burning is in this, she was great in Burning and she's great in this. After watching it I googled her to see what else she's been in that I can watch and this is only her 2nd film. Apparently Burning was her first audition EVER and she BOOKED IT! Like, one a million success story right? But she deserves it cause she's great and I look forward to seeing what else she does.

14. Possessor

This was directed by Brandon Cronenberg, the son of David Cronenberg, big shoes to fill, and I think he's going to fill them fine cause this is already a cult classic in my opinion. The visuals in this, which look like they were mainly created with practical and in camera effects. There is some very graphic very realistic violence in this. The movie is about an assassin who works for an organization and uses some type of scientific process to "possess" people to carry out hits. When she's in a body for too long who's in control starts to blur. It's really fucking trippy, like a fucked up Black Mirror episode.

13. Borat 2

Been a fan of Sacha since the old Da Ali G Show days when Borat was just a side character. I'm amazed with out Sacha can stay in character the way he does, especially when later on in the movie he shelters in place with some Qanon conservatives with who knows how long staying in character. Maybe they'll reveal they were paid actors who knows, but whatever I fucking laughed a lot at this movie. There's a black woman in this movie that I hope to god was not an actress cause I loved her and her reactions so much. It was a breath of fresh air to watch something that's just goofy in 2020 because it wasn't a good year for comedy. As much as I love film sometimes I got a little fatigue from watching so many things with very heavy themes, this also had heavy themes it was satirizing, but also chimp pornstar jokes, so..  a fun time.

12. A Sun

A drama about a family's eldest son going to juvenile detention for his involvement in a violent crime. We see how his father, his mother, his brother and his pregnant girlfriend all deal with this. I found it very engaging. My only gripe is that there are some moments of levity where they use this really generic comedy music score it and it really takes you out of the film. No music at all is better than bad generic music. Other than that I really loved it and the ending is great. I really thought this would end up in my top 10 but the following films just had more personal relevance or were more fun to watch.

11. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

R.I.P. Chadwick Boseman, this movie is like an acting showcase for him, he has so many great monologues here, the ending really took the wind out of me. It's also packed with really still relevant commentary on race.

10. Onward

You already expect a Pixar movie to make you cry, but this came from angle I was NOT expecting and I bawled hard at this. This movie was so applicable to my life experience it's like they specifically engineered it to make me personally cry. Honestly there are better movies lower on this list, but movies are just like any other art, when a song touches you on a personal level it doesn't need to have complex instrumentation cause it's how it made you feel that matters.

09. Palm Springs

A comedy released during a pandemic about trying to find stimulation and meaning when every day is the same thing? Ya don't say! Another take on Groundhog Day, which at this point I feel like it's its on genre with the amount of times the concept has been done, but I'm not complaining, I typically enjoy a good time loop movie (or show; Russian Doll). I don't know what else to say besides that it's really funny and Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are both charming and great in it.

08. Scare Me

This movie was funny, creepy, the performances were great, and it's just really unique and clever. Written, directed, produced, and starring Josh Ruben, who I know primarily does really idiosyncratic "impressions" on instagram. It's 2 people alone in a cabin telling each other scary stories, they don't cut away to the stories you just watch them act it out. 4 people in the cast, one location, and it still manages to be a fun ride of a movie and manages to touch on some good themes in the overall story. I really hope to see Josh Ruben direct more films because I think he's really creative.

07. Ride Your Wave

A romantic comedy about a woman trying to find joy and purpose in her life. I often go into movies very cold, so I didn't know much about what this movie was about, just knew that it was from an animation studio and director that I really respected. It's very beautiful, very grounded, until it's not. Kind of movie that breaks your heart so it can uplift you later.

06. Uncle Frank

I really did not expect a lot from movie, not that I thought it would be bad, I just thought it be your middle of the road movie. It's about a teenage girl who really looks up to her uncle who she learns is a closeted gay man, in an era where that was potentially dangerous to be. They go on a road trip home when his father dies and learn about each other and themselves, it sounds kinda cookie cutter, but it really surprised me. Paul Bettany is so very good in this, and it made me cry. Easy way to get on high on this list is to make me cry lol.

05. Children of the Sea

This film had to be in my top 5 because I'm an animation nerd and this is one of the most beautiful animated films ever. Ever. It's right up there with Akira and the Ghibli catalogue, and the works of Satoshi Kon, and all the Disney movies and everything else. It focuses on details and nuances in a really gorgeous way. The story is VERY ambiguous and gets very metaphysical towards the end, the climax is like watching an acid trip. It's about a girl who meet 2 young boys who have adapted to living underwater, and they form a bond, and then... uh... there's no way I can concisely explain it. The creator has said it's not supposed to be understood logical, instead it's supposed to be felt. There's a lot of symbolism and metaphor, it's very philosophical and explores themes of connection and the cycle of life. It's produced by Studio 4°C, which is my favorite animation studio because they really push the envelope, they're responsible for Mind Game, Tekkonkinkreet, and the recent Mutafukaz, and other, if you've never heard of any of those definitely look them up, they're unlike any anime you've ever watched before. Anyway, beautiful movie and the cryptic plot allows for you to rewatch it multiple times and take different things away from it. I can't wait to own it on blu-ray.

04. 37 Seconds

I saw this very early in the year and love it. It's about a young woman with cerebal palsy who is also an aspiring hentai artist trying to get laid. Her mother who takes care of her like a child smothers her, so it's not only about trying to get laid but trying to have some independence. Firstly the performance of this woman who actually does have cerebral palsy and is a first time actor is so natural and endearing, secondly there are things they portray with an uncomfortable amount of realism and awkwardness that it really draws you in to the nitty gritty of her reality and what it can be like for someone who is wheelchair bound to try to have sexual experiences. I like that there were 2 films this year about characters in wheelchairs that used unknown actresses that face the same things their characters do, it adds to the authenticity of either film. Films like this are why I think diversity in film is not just about doing something for the demographic you're depicting but also giving everyone else not of that demographic new unique stories and perspectives.

03. Soul

I guess spoilers if you haven't seen this because it's easier to talk about why I liked it if I talk specifically about the plot. I wasn't expecting much from this when the initial trailer dropped, it made it seem like it was going to largely take place in this imaginary soul place with these blue things, and for most of the first act it seemed like that's what it was going to be, but when they come back to earth and the story really starts I really started enjoying it. This movie tricks you into thinking the film is about finding or fulfilling your purpose, only to throw a curveball that living life in and of itself is the "purpose", and this movie resonated so much with thoughts that were already on my mind. I relate so much to Joe as a creative person myself with so many unfulfilled dreams, at 36yrs old, having to put many of my goals on the backburner just to survive, and generally having that feeling that I'm still waiting to live life because I'm not fulfilling my "purpose". Sure reaching for goals is great, but I think our culture breeds this idea that happiness is a destination, an accomplishment, a certain amount of recognition, a monetization of your passion. I really loved how the film depicted that there's a dark side to focusing on your passions and how it can become a source of stress and unhappiness. This movie is just about savoring life itself, which people have been expressing through platitudes since forever but this film illustrated it in a way that words fail at, and that's what makes film such a great form of art.

02. Sound of Metal

This movie had one of the best trailers of 2020, I couldn't wait to watch this movie. FIrst of all I love RIz Ahmed and think he's an underrated and underutilized actor, he's fucking amazing in this, he needs an Oscar nom FOR SURE. His frustration is so palpable and he feels so natural in this movie. It follows a metal punk drummer who loses his hearing and goes to stay in a deaf community to acclimate. One thing I think is absolutely brilliant about this movie is the sound design. I'm not deaf so I can't speak from any type of experience, but they try to replicate what going deaf sounds like, what the audiologist tests sound like, what hearing aids and cochlear implants sound like, it's very immersive. I almost think of it like a companion piece to Soul, cause I had almost the same take away, it's just coming from it at a different angle.

01. I'm Thinking Of Ending Things

Okay, so I’m going to have a lot to say about this movie.

Maybe a very controversial pick for my number one because so many people absolutely hated this movie, lol. I am biased given that I'm a huge fan of Charlie Kaufman, he's my favorite screenwriter, and his films have only gotten weirder and weirder, so I know to expect the unexpected when going into one of his films. I can understand how this would be an offputting experience if you're expecting the conventions of normal narrative structure. It was surprising and perplexing to me how this film unfolded but I've watched non-narrative and experimental films before so I was intrigued rather than frustrated. You think it's about a woman who is thinking of breaking up with her boyfriend as they head to meet his parents. Once we get to his childhood home things start getting surreal, and that surrealism just escalates to the point where you realize this film is not at all attempting to depict reality and doesn't even have any continuity. This is the most a movie has ever felt like one of my dreams. I don't know how other people dream but this was so much like every weird nightmare I've ever had where I feel trapped in a situation. 

There's a scene where the family is talking about art, the dad says he hates abstract art because it takes no skill, he prefers paintings that look like photographs because that takes real skill, the son asks why make a painting look like a photograph when you can just take a photograph, the woman states she paints pictures of landscapes and tries to imbue them with a sense of interiority, capturing the way she feels, the dad asks how can a landscape be sad if you don't have a person in it looking sad. I felt like this was a bit of meta commentary on the film itself. After I watched this movies I had my own theories, I watched some analysis videos on youtube that confirmed a lot of my ideas and gave me insight on other parts of the film, I watched the film again and formulated more ideas, it's so dense with things to project meaning onto and interpret it. I went on instagram and ended up having lengthy discussions about what the film meant both with people who loved it and hated it. Everybody I spoke with had slightly different interpretations and takeaways. One woman who initially did not like it came away with an appreciation for it after we had a lengthy discussion about it's meaning. 

All of this is why it's my favorite film of the year, not only did I relate to it on a personal level because I'm in a stage of my life where I'm approaching middle ages and afraid I'm going to end up like the guy in this film, but I can't remember the last time a film led to such meaningful conversation about life, death, love, mental health, loneliness, trauma, etc. So like the scene where they're talking about art, I think this movie is neither intended to be abstract or realistic, it's supposed to be imbued with a sense of interiority. I know I sound way pretentious right now, but I just really appreciated Charlie Kaufman for making something unabashedly expressionist and serving it up to mainstream audiences. I really feel like I grow as a person and an artist every time I watch one of his films.

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So there ya go. That’s it. That concludes this arbitrary exercise in ranking the movies i saw last year, thank you for wasting your time on this, lol. I think it was a very good year for movies. 

If there was a movie you were expecting to see on the list and it’s missing I just didn’t get to it in 2020, I may do an unranked follow up list of 2020 movies I missed in 2020, maybe.

That’s it.

End of post.

Bye.

[justjessame]

A Little Ass and A Lotta Sass Chapter 11:  On the Road...With Negan, and a Raging Case of Boredom...

We’d barely left Alexandria when it became boring to sit quietly with my own thoughts. I wanted, nay, I needed entertainment. And who better to provide it than Negan?

“How long are we going to be in this truck?” I asked first. I wanted a better timeline for the amount of entertainment I would be requesting.

“Depends,” he kept his eyes on the road, a rarity for the daughter of one Rick Grimes. “If we don’t run into a shit ton of bullshit, then hours, if we do-”

He left it hanging, allowing me to fill in the blanks. And I understood. So much in the new crapshoot of our reality was based on “if we don’t run into X then Y”. It gave me what I needed, a gauge of sorts for what kind of entertainment I’d like. Let’s just ease into it.

“Tell me more about what to expect when we get there?” I loved the sound of his voice, so anything to keep him talking. Hell, if we were sitting somewhere with a phonebook, I’d toss it to him and challenge myself to keep my hands to myself for as long as he could read through it. I doubt I’d make it until he was out of the “As”, but I’d do my damndest to try.

Negan, who also loved the sound of his own voice, told me about the Sanctuary. That it was more industrial looking and feeling than Alexandria, taking me back to the time we spent in the prison early on in our journey forward. He told me that his people, those who worked in the Sanctuary and outposts, were not all called Saviors. Just as I suspected, the Savior Secret Service were the elite. And then he told me something that brought me up completely short.

“When we walk in, they’ll all kneel.” He said it like he’d say, ‘when we have to pee, we use the bathroom.’ As though it were perfectly fucking normal for people to just get on their knees around him. Fuck.

“Kneel?” I asked, looking at his profile. He smiled, clearly enjoying the uncertainty of my tone. “You mean, like kneeling, like you’re some kind of-” I stopped, remembering what Carl had told me about that night with Glenn and Abe. And he may have mentioned it about his little self imposed field trip. I swallowed my distaste. This was something I’d agreed with doing. Being with him. Warts and regale aspirations all.

I felt his gloved hand touch mine. Somehow I’d completely gone still and silent, and his face wasn’t my focus any longer. That touch brought me back. “Hey,” his voice was low, like when he’d speak to Judith to keep her calm. “You alright, princess?”

I tried to smile, but I truly couldn’t tell if it worked. “Sure,” I breathed, thinking about walking next to the King here. “Just wrapping my head around-things.”

He chuckled and I shook my head. He was so used to being this, to doing this, that he couldn’t possibly imagine how this felt from my side. Then again, being with him and his overinflated self worth was probably going to be pretty fucking hilarious, if I gave myself time to acclimate.

“Am I supposed to kneel, too?” I asked, watching him intently. I felt, rather than saw, the truck swerve slightly. It was slight, but I noticed it, along with the fact that he’d removed the hand that touched me to join its brother on the wheel. Ah, me on my knees. Hm.. I wonder. “Negan?” I asked, quietly unbuckling the seatbelt he insisted I wear. “Baby, are you going to answer me?” I was waiting, waiting for him to get the image of me on my knees in front of him out of his mind, or at least out of the forefront of his mind.

He cleared his throat, his hands flexing on the steering wheel. “You won’t have to kneel to me,” he answered, his voice deliciously raw. “In public.” There it was, what I was waiting for. About fucking time.

I crawled over the seat and felt him tense up for about a half second. I knew, even if his rear guard was close enough to keep the truck in their sights, there was no way they’d see me doing this. Or even know that I’d left my seat, one of the few perks of being short. Licking my lips, even without him being able to see me do it, I really fucking needed this. And if the strain in his jeans was any indication, then so did he. Unbuckling his belts, fuck that plural belted crap, and unbuttoning and unzipping them, I offered one simple plea. “Don’t fucking wreck us, would you? I’d hate to bite this off, and I definitely don’t want to die before we get to that goddamn bed you keep promising me.”

And then my mouth took him inside for a playdate with my tongue. I know this might surprise a few of you, but Negan and I hadn’t actually spent all that much time on this. Foreplay? Who had the inclination? I imagine that was one of the best parts he hadn’t gotten to, but the fact was, when we’ve gotten naked it seemed like the very presence of the other one was foreplay. While that was amazing in and of itself, a girl needs a little protein now and again, if you know what I mean?

I took my time. I learned every twist and turn, every vein, every spot that made him hiss out a breath, or moan my name. I wanted to know how to please him, how to make him want more, how to make this man, this powerful being come completely undone. After all, he’d said we had hours ahead of us, what better way to entertain myself, then with him?

Too soon for my liking, I felt his thighs strain beneath my fingers. I knew he was about to go off like a firework in my mouth, but I felt like I’d only just begun. I would have pouted, but I knew I needed to focus. Pulling away at the wrong moment would suck, getting hit in the eye with the seed of Lucifer’s spawn would no doubt blind me. I continued my ministrations, taking care to hit every spot that I’d memorized being his favorites, and I was finally rewarded with a more satisfying protein shake than any single one that I’d been convinced to try before all hell broke loose. Who needs spinach and bananas? I’ll take a large Negan to go anytime. I was extremely careful to swallow every single drop, and to make sure that he was completely cleaned. Couldn’t have the fearless leader of the Sanctuary looking a mess upon arrival, could I? I tucked him back into his jeans, buttoned and zipped them up, then buckled up his multitude of belts. I considered, briefly, buckling them up opposite of the right way, but then reconsidered. Our relationship was still in the earliest of phases, I’d hate to be punished right away. Especially since I wasn’t sure what type of punishment Negan would inflict.

I moved back to the passenger seat, rebuckled my seat belt and sat back as though nothing earth shattering had just occurred. I could feel his gaze on me, but I studiously watched out the windshield. Not that the scenery was all that impressive, but I wanted to see what he’d say or what he’d do now. Entertainment, remember?

It was quiet as he drove, passing empty cars, passing cars with the living dead pressing against the windows, passing trees and more trees. I honestly thought that I’d broken his ability to put words together. And it was getting a bit worrisome, let me tell you.

I finally saw, out of the corner of my eye, his hand rubbing across his face. Ut oh. I waited for him to decide what he wanted to say or do. When he reached for the walkie that rested on the dash, I was completely confused.

“We’re going to need a break,” he barked through the walkie, and before any of his people could reply he gave this ominous warning. “Stop right the fuck wherever you are, and rest. I’ll tell you when we’re moving out again.” Then he tossed the walkie back onto the dash and faced me.

The urge to squeak, like a terrified mouse, came over me at the absolute darkness in his eyes. He truly looked like the Big Bad Fucking Wolf and I had a burning flash of realization that I was the tiny pig in this scenario.

“Take off your clothes,” he ordered. And for once, no smart ass comment could be found in my brain. I simply did as I was told. I unbuckled my seat belt and tossed my shirt off, shucked my boots and shoes, and I was completely naked in the seat. “Lay back against the door.” Another order and I realized that Negan really was in charge. Shit. “Spread your legs,” that voice, for fuck’s sake, that voice. “Shit, is this for me, princess?” His gloved thumb swiped the very clear evidence that I was more than excited and prepared for whatever his plans for me were. Tasting the slight dampness he’d swiped from me, he closed his eyes and savored it. Jesus. “I can’t believe that you’d start this shit before we even get there, but then again, you tend to start shit without thinking of the consequences. Isn’t that what you warned me about?” I swallowed and nodded. “You’re about to see the consequences, baby, and I hope they’re worth it.” With that, his head lowered and trust me when I say, it was FUCKING worth it.

[calliecat93]

Top 5 Things I Liked About RWBY Volume 4

(Top 5 Dislikes)

This is going out later than I was hoping, but hey better now that never. Anyways, I honestly think that V4 is a pretty underrated Volume. There’s a lot that I really enjoy about it and after the insanity of V3, I’m glad that we got a more lowkey season that let everyone begin to heal. I’m hoping that RvB18 will follow that path tbh, but that’s not important here. There’s a lot to like, so let’s talk about the Top 5 Things I Liked About RWBY Volume 4!

#5. The Switch to Maya/Improved Animation

For Volumes 1-3, animaiton was primarily done in a program called Poser. This was mainly because it was what Monty liked to use, especially for fight animation. Poer isn’t an animation program, it is a modeling program that Monty was able to work for what he needed, but again it is not a proper animation program. V3 looks amazing, but I think that it was clear that they had reached their limit on how much they could push it. Add that with now having a larger animation staff, and it was time for a change. As such, they shifted to Maya, a common animaiton program in the field, and I am going to say it… it was 100% the right choice.

The animaiton in the Poser Era wasn’t bad, but… there were plenty of times where it felt like expressions and casual movements were very stiff. V4 changed that massively. There is so much more facial expression, but not just that. Take Blake’s cat ears for example. They are SO expressive in every scene that she’s in. Sure it might be because she threw out the bow, but still! I really don’t think that they could have done that in Poser. Animaiton models improved, like Sun’s abs no longer being glued to him for example and his little necklace sometimes daggling about. Environments look more vibrant. Environments have improved. Things like shading look better. And while the fight scenes aren’t Monty-like anymore, they are still really good! Seriously, Qrow vs Tyrian is still awesome~

I know that the shift wasn’t something liked by everyone, though I think that the vast majority have come around since V4. The animaiton has only kept improving after this, and it’s crazy going back to V1 and seeing the difference. But they sold me the second that they released the Ruby Trailer in the lead-up to the volume. Maya has allowed for a lot of improvement and new opportunities, and I believe that RT made the right choice in transitioning over to it. V4 looked so good, especially with how many new locations that it introduced us to, and I freakin’ love it~

#4. Expansion On The World

Volume 4, above all, is a world-building volume. We spent all of our time in the first three volumes primarily in Beacon and the city fo Vale. The only locations that we got a substantial amount of time in otherwise were Mountain Glenn and the Amity Arena for the Vytal Festival. Otherwise, we’ve been stuck in one place despite knowing that there is a much larger world out there. Thankfully though, this volume takes us outside the Kingdom of Vale and finally allowed us to explore the rest of Remnant… well, parts of it. Still, more than the other volumes had.

This was an advantage of using the multiple plotlines.. We got a really good amount of new locations. RNJR was in Anima, which had a lot of Asian-inspired scenery and naming. Yeah, we mostly spend the time on trails and villages, but you can still see the difference between the villages and Vale. Which we got to see what it’s like outside of Vale. Some villages like Higanbana are nice, while others like Shion or Kuroyuri… well… it emphasizes just how bleak the world truly is. Vale was an overall safe place, and even that wasn’t safe. If you don’t live within a kingdom though? Hope that luck is on your side.

We also get to see Menagerie for the first time. Sadly we don’t get to see as much here or in V5, but we do get to see how cramped it is and it overall looks nice. You can see that, as Blake said, they tried to make it a welcoming place for Faunus. We get to see Weiss’ home, which is as empty and cold as you would have imagined it being. It looks grand, but it’s just… empty and quiet with Weiss, more or less, alone aside from Klein. Patch is nice, you can certainly see why Tai would raise his kids there and in contrast to Weiss’ home, it’s small but the peaceful and comforting environment that Yang needed. Salem’s realm is eerie. Oscar’s farm is… a farm. And Mistral? Amazing.

What I’m getting at here is that we learn so much more about the world. Even outside exploring new locations, we learn about the Relics and the God Brothers. We start to get an understanding of the war between Oz and Salem, though of course, we learn the true scale in V6. The volume does a lot to make Remnant feel more like an actual world full of stories, problems, and history. It took us out of the hub that we were used to with Volumes 1-3, and I think that they did so very well. Very much appreciate it~

#3. Yang Plotline

While Yang got the least amount of focus, I… don’t view that as a bad thing. A story can’t be dictated by screentime alone. You have to look at how well they executed what they needed to do in the amount of time that they had. For example, they didn’t do very well with Ruby in V5 with the time that they had, but we’ll save that for the V5 posts. For V4, as I said, Oscar didn’t get the proper development and they didn’t utilize the amount fo time that they had for him well. But Yang though? I thought that they did her very well here.

Yang’s plot is, of course, recovering after losing her arm and getting back into fighting condition so that she can go after Ruby. We see that she has PTSD, having flashbacks and nightmares and her emotional state is… not in the bright place that we’re used to. Chapter 4, the chapter mainly focused on her, shows how concerned she is about taking the first steps of recovery, though we do see her start to laugh and joke around again. With Tai’s encouragement and support, Yang ut son the new arm, trains again and Tai helps her see the disadvantages of her fighting style/Semblance reliance, and opens up to her about Raven. In the end, Yang’s ready to go after her sister. She’s not 100% healed, but she’s got her drive back and is ready to move ahead.

Now again, Yang gets the least amount of focus. She only gets one chapter dedicated to her, and otherwise, her’s appears the least out of the four RWBY girls. But they utilized that time very well. They don’t drag it out or rush through it. They set up Yang’s mental state, show us signs of her PTSD, have Tai give her the proper encouragement, and have her start to get back on her feet. I’m glad that they were just straightforward with it, there was no need to drag it out especially since V5 and 6 show that there are still things that she has to work through. The point for this volume though was to get Yang well enough mentally for her to get back out onto the field, and they did that very well. She was in a positive environment as well, and that probably helped her.

So yeah, when I look back at the Yang plot, I have no issues with it. I think that it was given the amount of attention that it needed. It wasn’t rushed, but it wasn’t dragged out either. Yang didn’t fully recover, but she got well enough to move forward. That was the ultimate goal for everyone’s plotline, and they achieved it here. But I’m gonna leave it at 3 since it is a bit of a bummer that she got limited screentime. But for what it’s worth, they used that time properly and I am happy with the final result.

#2. Weiss Plotline

Out of all the plots, Weiss’ is my favorite and imo, the best one done. This is because this is the conclusion to her three volumes worth of character development. As I said n the V3 Likes post, her plot had her decide to finally cut herself away from her father for good and move ahead with the life that she wanted. Sadly, due to the Fall, Jaques had the perfect excuse to got o Vale and force her to return to Atlas with him. So just as quickly a she was able to embrace her freedom and the choice to never turn back, fate dealt her a bad hand and she was her father’s prisoner once more. Which she literally becomes a prisoner after her outburst at the charity event and gets stripped of her title. It’s just… horrible to watch that scene. Really, any scene with her and Jaques is uncomfortable, especially when he slaps her.

This is when we truly get to see Jaques abuse first hand, and it is as horrible as the previous hints indicated. He’s condescending and passive-aggressive to Weiss. He treats her like she’s a child and an employee more than as a parent. Compare it to Tai or Ghira with Yang and Blake, where they are nothing but caring and supportive to their daughters. Ghira especially welcomed Blake back with open arms despite how she called them cowards in the past and was just glad that she found her way again and was safe. Jaques only cares about Weiss for his image and to use her when it suits his needs, whether Weiss is willing to do it or not. He makes her sing rather than ask her. He refuses to let her out fo his sight during the charity gala. He talks down to her. He tries to gaslight her into everything being her fault and like her outburst was wrong.

Weiss did NOTHING wrong. She, and maybe Ironwood, were the only ones at that charity who gave a damn about Vale. Seeing her in that environment, where people were snobby, argumentative, and only cared about their own petty problems makes you really, really appreciate how much she had grown. She had broken out of that mindset after V1 and when the Trophy Wife claims that Vale deserved what it got, she rightfully calls her and everyone else out on their bullshit and refuses to let Jaques shut her up. Yeah, it ends badly with Weiss losing her title and Whitley rubbing it in. Weiss had no one aside form Klein, who is an actual good person who showed Weiss kindness and care moreso than her own family ever did. When Weiss breaks down, ti just… hurts. But luckily, at her lowest point, Weiss decides that enough is enough. She gets back out Myrtenaster, perfects her Summoning Glyph, and decides to break free once and for all. Klein helps her escape, and she manages to get onto a plane heading for Mistral. Which leads to… more problems, but that’s for the next volume.

Weiss’ plotline was very well done. It gets you to see how far that she’s come since Volume 1. She wanted to break free and become better, and she did. Jaques tries to lock her away again, but he failed. Weiss had gotten a taste of freedom, and she was going to reclaim it. She was going to redeem her family name her way by being a Huntress and no one was going to stop her. As This Life is Mine stated, “I won’t be possessed/burdened by your royal test/I will not surrender, this life is mine.” Yes Weiss, it is indeed.

Weiss was great, but there is one character whose focus I appreciated not just because it was good, but because it saved that character in my eyes.

#1. Ren Becoming a Character

I haven’t talked much about Ren and Nora, and that was because up until now… there wasn’t much to talk about. While I liked them fine enough, in V1-3 they’re just… there. It felt like they existed just because Jaune and Pyrrha had to be part of a four-man team because they’re nothing more than supporting characters there. Nora at least was funny and bubbly so she was at least fun, but Ren? He was just… quiet and the straight-man to Nora’s antics. That was it. He didn’t feel like a character, he just felt like a necessity needed to fill in a spot. My biggest hope with V4 was, now with JNR traveling with RWBYt hey would do something, anything to flesh out Ren and Nora. At least for one of them.

Fortunately, I got my wish.

To be fair, RWBY Chibi had gotten me to warm up to Ren since they got a lot out of him in several of the skits. More than I thought that they could. But I also like Chibi!Neo FAR more than I like Canon!Neo, so that wasn’t saying much. But fortunately, Volume 4 came around! Ren was really great in this volume! He’s still the quiet one, though he gets more here than any other volume. Which is something to note real quick. Neath has done a fantastic job as Ren. I can’t imagine how it had to have felt since he was taking over Monty’s spot. His brother’s spot. But he has done a perfect job since Day One, and I can’t imagine anyone else int he role at this point. He especially shows his range in this volume, and for a guy who had never voice acted until he started doing Ren, he pulls it off perfectly. I love Neath.

Ren is from Anima, but outside Mistral, so he’s of course the most knowledgeable of the area. We get to see more of his tracking and fighting skills, which is as fun to see as it was in Volume 1 which was the last time he got to showcase his fighting style. We get to see him interact with not only Nora, which was really nice especially with Jaune. But most of all, we get to see how Ren’s past affected him. His reaction to the destruction fo Shion perfectly fits due to what happened to Kuroyuri. His refusal to go back there makes sense since… well, no one likes to revisit the source of their trauma. He tells us about Oniyuri, and through him we see just how difficult it is to live outside the Kingdoms. We saw that with what happened to Shion, but Ren is a character that we’ve known for years and we get to see and hear about it through him. Which makes it hit us harder because it affects a character that we’ve known for so long. And when we get to the flashback and see how happy Ren’s life was and how it all went to Hell in just one night? It breaks your heart. We also finally learn his Semblance, which fits him perfectly so that was also appreciated.

But most of all, we get to Kuroyuri, and it’s the first time that we see Ren lose it. He’s always been a very calm, very tranquil person but when the Nucklavee attacks, he is understandably terrified… and then just lose it. We’ve NEVER seen him get angry before, but seeing the monster that ruined his life, killed his family, and destroyed his home? Yeah, that’ll make anyone snap. But thankfully, Nora snaps him out of it and this is when we see just how strong their relationship is. When Ren lost everything, he found Nora who had absolutely no one, and befriended her. They fought together. They survived together. They went through everything together, both good and bad. So fo course Nora could see that Ren was losing it, and she was the only one who could pull him back and stop him before he lost himself I’d still like them to be more clear on if Renora is canon or not cause I still really don’t know. But at least we get to see that their dynamic isn’t just the ‘hyper girl, calm guy’ dynamic. There is a true bond there, and it’s just beautiful.

It ends with Ren suing his father’s knife, the only thing of his family that he still has, to kill the Nuclavee. For his parents. For all the lives stolen. And, of course, for himself. This was him confronting his trauma, and finally putting it to rest and moving forward. That’s the biggest theme of this volume honestly, taking what brought you down, and moving forward. Yang began to stand up again after her trauma. Blake decided to quit running and to rise up against the White Fang once and for all. Weiss broke free of her father despite him trying to pull her back. Ruby saw just how bad the world truly was along with the Fall of Beacon still haunting her, but took ti and strengthened her resolve to be a Huntress and make things better as much as possible. And Ren? He chose to go back to Kurroyuri to save his friends and destroyed the monster that made so many suffer but without giving in to his sorrow. 

The volume just made me love Ren and see him more as a character than I had before. He’s one of my absolute favorites no. I’m hoping that V7 is going to do the same with Nora since at this point, I feel that she’s the most under-developed of the main cast. But we’ll just have to wait and see. Regardless, V4 changed my opinion of Ren completely and his story was done very well. As such, it my favorite thing about RWBY Volume 4.

And another volume done! So… next we get to Volume 5. Ho boy, I haven’t revisited it since it ended and not for the reasons that you think. But we’ll talk more on those posts. For now, thanks for reading everyone~!

[insert-witty-comment]

As much as it pains me to think about, the odds are great that we will have to endure a great loss when July 4 rolls around. I have seen many people talking about who is going to die, if anyone, and I've seen people say Dustin, Nancy, Jonathan, Hopper, Erica, among others. I have also seen people say that "this isn't Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, they're not going to kill anyone major off."I strongly disagree with this statement. Stranger Things has proven itself to be very dark and rather ruthless. We have seen the possession and exorcism of a 13 year old kid, a man devoured alive by interdimensional demodogs in front of the woman who loved him, we've seen the deaths of countless minor characters (Barbara, Benny, and countless unnamed victims of the Demogorgon in Season 1, and the casualties of the attack on Hawkins Lab in season 2), it is evidently clear that death is not something unknown to the show. If minor characters can be killed, then the threat to our main characters is still present. And 3 seasons in, there's only so much plot armor can do to protect the main group.In addition to this, to reiterate what I have said, 3 seasons in I think it is absolutely necessary to bump someone off. Not because it would be fun to see, but it would keep this show grounded in reality. While by no means am I saying that this show is realistic, the experiences and themes of the show are things that we can all relate to. And after two and a half years of this shit, things start to get a little bit silly. My reaction if no one died by the end would be, "damn, no one? Really? They all emerged from the most perilous season yet with just some cuts and scrapes?" No thank you.The slogan of season 3 has been "One Summer Can Change Everything." A statement that I think has been overlooked by this fandom, there is something huge that is going to happen that will change the show, and likely for the worst. And what better way to throw a wrench in then to have someone finally bite the dust?I think Steve will meet his end by the end of season 3. Here are my reasons:His character arc is complete. In season 1, most of us saw Steve had a douchey jock with little regard for others. Even though I was one of the people who advocated that he was actually a good person in season 1, I can see what the issue was there. He was jealous, cocky, a bad influence, immature at times, etc. In season 2, we see him as a loving boyfriend who, initially, has no involvement with the upside down shit that's happening. He goes through heartbreak, and at the same time he's been forced to step up in the biggest way to protect several kids from demodogs, in the junkyard, gets the shit kicked out of him by Billy, and protects the kids as the burn the upside down tunnels. He goes through hell and back, and has solidified his status as a fan favorite by the end. While he has some stuff to do with this season, I can't really see him going anywhere else. There isn't much for him to grow into now that he is the Mom of 6.It would be appropriate for Steve to die in a glorious manner. Steve has become the definition of selfless and protecting. It would totally be in his character to die by throwing himself in front of a bullet for Dustin, or protecting the kids as he swings off herds of upside down baddies with his bat, all while screaming behind him for the kids to run, save themselves. He would die honorably and in a way that would do justice to his legacy, and saving the ones he loves. As much as it would pain me to see Steve go, I think it would be downright beautiful for Steve to run into a group of Russian agents with his bat and fight them all off in an effort to protect the party, but ultimately meets his end. Call it what you like, but that's something I would pay to see.The show won't fail if he goes. The line "If Steve dies, we riot," stems from a line by The Walking Dead fandom as it pertains to Daryl; if Daryl dies, we riot. However, Daryl, is also quite literally the backbone of the show. The big 3 of TWD were (in my opinion) Rick, Daryl, and Carl. Killing Daryl in TWD would be like killing Dustin or Lucas in ST. It's just not feasible. The show would tank. But killing Steve would be like killing Glenn. Glenn, a selfless fan favorite, was killed and even the show did tank afterward, it was not because of this. Steve is Glenn. If Steve dies, the show will continue, but it will just be a really, really sad death. In ST, we still have the kids, Hopper, Joyce, Nancy and Jonathan and plently of other people to keep the show moving. My point is, ST can afford to kill Steve. And it would fit.People like Hopper, Jonathan, and Nancy have enough plot armor to protect them. The other biggest candidates for death are these three to me. But I think that they have enough going for them to be protected another season at least. Hopper is safe for a few reasons. The first reason being is that he is obviously going to be the love interest of Joyce this season. To kill both of Joyce's lovers 2 seasons in a row would be way to repetitive and recycled material. Not to mention we still have at least 2 more seasons of Eleven, and she's gonna need her Dad there. I believe Hopper's death is likely, but perhaps in the final season. Jonathan is safe because he is Will's brother. And lord knows, Will has been through way too much shit in the last couple years, and he is going to going through more this season. Killing of his brother and also father figure would just be way to much. I believe Nancy is safe because I think she still has a much longer way go to in terms of Jonathan, and her relationship with Mike leaves a lot to be desired. With just these three examples, I'm just saying that with all the other characters, loose ends still need to be tied. With Steve, everything has been summed up. Except maybe his potential story line with Robin, but I think that will be a one season thing, I don't really see it becoming a big thing like Jopper or Jancy or Mileven or Lumax, etc.In conclusion, I think it is both likely and appropriate for Steve Harrington to die this scene. His arc is complete and his character, while lovable, relatable, and a fan favorite of mine and many others, has not much place to go. The only place he can go is a to sacrifice himself in the most legendary way possible to save the party with his nail-bat in hand. The armor that exists in the cases of other characters is lacking with Steve, and despite the fact that many love him, the show needs to take a step forward in this direction to keep the story grounded and interesting.Whatever may happen, I hope that season 3 does Steve Harrington well, and if he does pass away, his legacy will live on in our hearts.PS. Thanks for reading all this! This is the second time I've written a post like this, and the last one got over 200 comments. So I thought I'd do another one. I'll be reading all the comments. Cheers :) via /r/StrangerThings

[jimmycarrhairlinesurgery]

hey abby guess what. 1-30

1: Favorite season?

you KNOW you KNOW a softe bitch loves season 5 its just pure and nice and comforting to watch and also has so many goode episodes and macden moments in it... i literally have the url iasipseasonfive saved like need i say more

2: Favorite character?

its mac... like ofc it is ive loved dennis and dee in the past and of course i still have a soft spot for the trash twins esp their childhoods but mac’s coming out arc is just perfect and he just wants to be a happy boye! honestly it might change but my big three are den dee and mac sorry gruesome twosome 

3: Favorite cast member?

i kin glennato and like LOVE his weird music taste but i have 2 say kaitlin olson shes so present on social media and the utter reverence with which the other cast members speak abt her is just. beautiful! she’s credited with literally saving the show by making dee just as despicable as the rest of the gang she’s a feminist queen and also managed to cuff rmacelhenney like kudos girl! angel queen gorgeous etc

4: OTP?

it’s mac and dennis honestly their relationship can get my heart pounding and it was the main reason i was drawn to the show in the first place... kings of being repressed sexually and emotionally and honestly i related to that feeling of being repressed and in love w your best friend like not to project on characters that have nothing to do w me but they rlly helped me work through some issues!!! im not as ride or die as before because theyve already done so much but fingers crossed for s14 lads

5: BROTP?

ooooo this is difficult bc i love charmac but mac and dee is the friendship we deserve.... she could help him get over his raging misogyny and he could introduce her to the gay lifestyle how perfect would that be?? also i just feel like when they r alone they could be so nice to each other and i want that for them

6: NOTP?

one of them raped the other, what more can i say?

7: answered

8: Least favorite character?

it has to be frank like i get so angry thinking about how he abused dennis and dee as children he has almost zero redeemable qualities but like.. i could learn to love him if mfhp was a turning point... i just can’t ever get over the fact that he owned a sweatshop the joke stuff just isn’t even funny to me it makes me feel ill

9: Least favorite episode?

uhhhh if you’ve seen iasip ranked you’ll know that we ranked a cricket’s tale and frank’s brother as the worst but i’d also like to put up there the gang goes on family fight bc dennis’ breakdown is painfullll... other episodes that hurt me personally are the gang broke dee and how mac got fat

10: Favorite crack ship?

deetress started off as a crackship but it’s become honestly very serious and i hold it v close to my heart... if you don’t believe me watch one single minute of the boggs ladies reboot.... honorable mention is charden 

11: Favorite headcanon?

hhmm i think that one of my favourite ones of all time is dennis is the bar like that was inimitable... also like hc that dee is lesbian bc she is

12: An episode you wish you could change?

all lethal weapon episodes... imagine how iconic they could be and quotable as well if they didn’t include blackface :(

13: An episode you wish you could write?

i want to write a vegas ep for sure.... like imagine also i would NOT do it justice but the episode where mac and dennis first get together, oof actually you’d do a better job of it tbh

14: Favorite thing about the show?

it has to be rcg like what other showrunners would care so much about the fate of the show and adapt it so much as time goes on... as much as i slander them on this website they really created one of the best shows to ever air

15: Least favorite thing about the show?

hmmm aside from all the blackface and the fact that they should have hired black writers if they wanted to address race in the show.... the fact that the gang r being so mean to mac and the whole ddl thing it’s a nightmare why didn’t they tell us what was going on with dennis??

16: Favorite running gag?

charlie’s illiteracy......... iconique also repressed mac was a good gag while it lasted i am glad he is out though

17: Best Mac shirt?

BEAST COAST

18: Best Dennis rant?

hnndg im gonna have to say the whole keeping the skin,, skin glass box thing in season 10 i forget the name of the episode but GOD that kills me every time glenn really went to julliard huh

19: answered

20: answered

21: Favorite end credits message?

idk i never watch the end credits messages! send me your favourites if you have any lads :)

22: A character you’d write off the show?

ngl probably cricket... he really bores me and like a cricket’s tale cemented that i think everything they can do with the character they have done but for longevity they have to keep him so he can supplement the gang’s schemes

23: An actor you want to see on the show (bonus points if you can think of a character for them)?

ooooooooo i’d love if dax sheppard came back on the show!! also i WISH lili reinhardt could come on but as betty from riverdale.. like a 30 second betty from riverdale cameo would be so ideal you have no idea it would be so stupid but like... hh

24: Favorite fic?

Yphrum’s Law by @lesbianfreyja chapter one made me BAWL (andchaos on ao3) and also anything by @macfoundhispride (yennefers on ao3)  and also your fics michelle !!! everyone go check her out she’s peraltiagoisland on ao3 

25: Favorite promo shoot?

the fuckign ingrid bergman one for season 8 i have no idea why they would do that but it’s incredible..... so niche i feel like it was glennato’s idea

26: Best Waitress hair-style?

sexeyyy episode charlie and dee find love her hair was so pretty long but also i love it now im glad she went brunette again good for her!! any waitress hairstyle is a good hairstyle

27: Fluffy hair Mac or hair-gel Mac?

FLUFFY HAIR MAC ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?

28: answered in GREAT DETAIL

29: Overrated character?

cricket... not to bash cricket again.... but also frank and charlie are overrated imo i can’t understand why charlie is the show’s darling i’ve never been that interested in him

30: Underrated episode?

the most underrated episode of all time is pop-pop the final solution i love it sm.... GOD it’s so good it truly has everything and like the nazi stuff was well executed.. questions abt life and death,,, deception, ryan gosling? i love it also dennis reynolds an erotic life is amazing 

this took me like an hour and a half michelle i hope you’re happy!! also if you’re still reading thank you for putting up w my bullshit

[nellie-elizabeth]

The Walking Dead: What Comes After (9x05)

Oh boy. That happened.

Cons:

I'm not necessarily complaining about the content of Rick's hallucinations. Obviously it was sweet to see him talk with Shane, Hershel, Sasha... that's all great. But there are two problems. One, why those people? Was it just about who they could get to come and film in the episode? Why Shane, and not Lori? Why Sasha, and not Glenn? Why no Carl? It just felt odd that we'd get these little moments, and they weren't necessarily the the ones that you would think would be Rick's most meaningful relationships. The second problem is... it's predictable. We all knew this was Rick's last episode, and while I'm pleased with the twist they did on that, we still fall back on the predictable aspect of having Rick remember his past and slowly come to terms with his demise. Like I said last week, it would be nice if we could have something shocking every once in a while.

Specifically, I question the moment with Sasha. I don't really recall Sasha and Rick being all that close? It felt odd that she'd pop up to be his... spirit guide? Or whatever? Of all the little hallucination moments, that one just didn't feel appropriate or earned to me.

Another thing that's not necessarily a huge problem, but that I've got my eye on: I'm reallllly not sure I'm going to be in to this whole Judith as a young bad-ass routine. It's going to be a hard sell for me to care about her, after so many seasons of basically ignoring this poor kid. Time jumps are a big risk, and while I would say that this show definitely needs some reinvigorating, I'm not convinced this is the way to go about it. Especially since they've given us an influx of random characters there at the end, and I don't really need to learn about a bunch of random new faces at this juncture. We have enough going on with the large ensemble cast that I barely care about. We don't need more.

Pros:

But I have to admit... this was a much better episode than I was expecting to get. Let's start with everything else, and turn to Rick last.

We see Maggie finally get what she has been wanting - an opportunity to be alone in a room with Negan. She wants to kill him, but what she finds is a broken man, begging for death, so she decides to let him live. This makes sense. As much as it might have been cathartic for me, the viewer, to see Negan die, this was the right move for Maggie. I like that Michonne let her go in there, just hoping that she'd make the right choice, and somehow she did. I wondered if Negan was just acting broken in order to produce this exact result, but the sight of him going obediently back into his cage without struggle seems to enforce the fact that he's really far gone. I wonder how Negan reacts to the news of Rick's "death"? With the time jump, are we going to be able to see that?

Jadis is never going to be my favorite character, but obviously I am now super interested in where that helicopter is going and how this is all going to resolve. If this is the end for Rick, are we not going to see Jadis again either? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope not! I don't care much for her as a character, but the mystery she represents is incredibly intriguing.

So, Rick spends the episode wandering around, badly injured, hallucinating his loved ones, both alive and dead. At the end, as a huge Walker hoard begins to cross the newly constructed bridge, Rick's family shows up - Michonne, Maggie, Carol, and Daryl. All of them are there in time to see Rick take aim at some dynamite that had been left on the bridge. He blows it up, and, ostensibly blows himself up, in order to take out the hoard.

There's just a lot to talk about here. How about that scene with Shane? Man, Shane was the worst. I missed him so much. I like that they didn't go sugar-sweet with this moment. Rick killed Shane, after all, and Shane is Judith's biological father. They definitely addressed that, and they didn't try to brush past it. This moment was just two assholes talking about what assholes they are, and it was so true to their characters.

Hershel broke my heart. They talked about Maggie, Rick apologized for Beth and Glenn, and Hershel just tells him that Maggie is strong, and her son will make her even stronger. I'm all about it. It was so nice to see him. Unlike with Sasha, I feel like this moment was earned, with Rick needing some sort of absolution from a man he looked up to.

The last hallucination is such a brilliant, dirty trick. Rick is facing down an impossible hoard. He's lost a lot of blood, he's helpless. And then we hear Daryl's voice calling out: "Rick!" and everyone's there. Michonne, Maggie, Daryl, Carol, and countless others, rushing past him to take out the Walkers and clear some space. Michonne comes up to him and tells him to keep fighting, that she fell in love with him because he's a fighter. Rick says "this isn't real." Michonne says: "yes it is... wake up." Ouch. Ouch, ouch, ouch. I mean, it makes perfect sense that this was another of Rick's hallucinations, but the moment when you realize that is just so heartbreaking. He's spent the whole episode looking for his family, and then in this moment with Michonne, he knows he's found it.

There's this part of me that wants to complain about Daryl, Carol, Michonne, and Maggie all showing up at just the right moment to see Rick "die." It's a little cheesy, a little too convenient. But honestly, whatever. This hurts so good. Daryl keeps shooting Walkers as they get too close to Rick, even though he probably knows it's pointless. The look on his face when the bridge blows is just pure desolation. And then he just turns and walks away, unable to handle the reality of it. By contrast, Michonne screams and tries to run forward, with Maggie and Carol, both also distraught, holding her back. It's fitting that it would be these four people to be with Rick in the end, or as close as they could be, at any rate. They would have done anything to save him, and Rick knew that.

Rick blowing up the bridge will save people from the hoard, but it also means that the progress that had been made on the bridge will need to be re-done. We're getting a time jump, so some of the sticky political stuff will undeniably have resolved itself by the time we jump back in to the story. It'll be interesting to see if Rick ended up as a martyr, if his death actually did hold things together in a way that even he couldn't do while alive. I keep saying "his death" because even though he's still alive, and we know that, the characters in this world are going to have to operate under the assumption that he's gone forever.

I didn't think there was any way this episode could surprise me. Rick had to die. What other exit strategy is there? And yet somehow they did the unexpected. What they've provided is a way for Rick to be semi-permanently separated from everyone else, whisked off to somewhere where, theoretically, they have things a lot more figured out. At the very least, they have fuel for a helicopter, and the medical acumen to help a grievously injured man. In some way shape or form, Rick can come back to this show, even if it's just a finale cameo. That's so much better than I was expecting, and I'm thrilled!

I'm feeling cautious about this whole time jump business, but I think it's possible for them to pull it off. I want to see how the gang is doing now that we've jumped ahead. How has Rick's death affected the individual people, and the overarching society? We'll find out!

9/10

[kalinara]

So I have now made it to season 4 of the Walking Dead.  I have many opinions.  I like how the show doesn't glamorize Rick, and the other characters, becoming harder and colder.  It's a necessity, and it's satisfying watching them be badass.  But it's sad too that they've become so distrustful and wary.  I was SO relieved when they took in the Woodbury group at the end of the season.  It felt like a move in the right direction.

Though...dumb question.  Why didn't they all go settle in the fortified town instead of the prison?  (I hope they at least went and looted the library.)

I enjoyed Rick's foray into insanity a little too much, I think.  I don't think it was all because of Lori.  He was clearly fraying at the edges at the start of season 3 and it just got worse...a lot worse.

At the beginning of season 3, I was thinking "that man looks like a stiff breeze would knock him over.  He clearly needs to go hide some place and cry for a while."  Then it became very clear that no amount of time in a crying room was going to fix that.

Rick is surprisingly productive and group oriented, even when in the grips of mental illness.  Clearing out a cell block, hallucinating helpful people.  (...I am a little alarmed that season 4 Rick seems to have stolen his three questions from his hallucinations, but okay then.)

That said, I kind of think that there was a point where the others should have been willing to remove him from leadership.  The man has literally broken with reality, Hershel.  Please stop guilt tripping him.  He is sick.  Let him rest!

Also, I honestly expected the Ricktatorship to be more, I dunno, dictatorial?  But it seemed like Rick only made one or two decisions total against the wishes of the group, and at least one of those were when he was seeing dead people.  The rest of the time was basically leading by committee.

(It's actually a really interesting contrast with the Governor.  The Governor wears the title of an elected official but is an autocrat.  Rick claims to be a dictator, but mostly leads according to the group wishes.)

I'm increasingly bewildered at the fics and meta I see that characterize Rick as a "natural leader" though.  Because he is clearly so much happier at the beginning of season 4.  He doesn't even have that "Oops, here I am giving orders again, sorry" that most abdicated leaders have in this sort of story line.  He’s like “Nope.  I’ll help in a crisis but I won’t give orders,  I AM WORKING ON MY CROPS DAMNIT.”  He's a GOOD leader for the most part, (in as much as while he makes mistakes that have consequences, those mistakes are reasonable based on the immediate problem and the knowledge that they have at the time), but he's definitely not naturally inclined to it.

Which leads me to the logical conclusion that Rick Grimes is totally a submissive in the bedroom.  That is a man who is begging someone, ANYONE, to take the burden of decision making away for a while.   

But while he seems happier at the beginning of season 4, and Carl certainly seems healthier, I'm not sure Rick's coping mechanisms are any better.  "No, going outside without my gun is completely reasonable."  It's good to see Rick acting a little less like a feral cat, but sweetie, direct martyrdom isn't a good idea either.

In the end, I didn't hate Lori as much as I expected to.  I actually thought MOST of her behavior made some sense.  There were three big points against her though:  1) Her reaction when Shane wanted to leave in 2x01.  Honey, just let him go.  He's a horrible person.  2) Her reinforcement of gender roles within the camp.  I hate Andrea, Lori, but she's right.  Standing watch is more important than laundry.  Also, you could actually get the boys to help.  I mean, the men are the ones benefiting from the rigid enforcement of gender roles here, but I don't get the sense that it's on purpose.  They probably don't even notice.  I think if you pointed the inequity out to Rick, at least, he'd take steps to try to change it.  3) Her reaction to Shane's death.  Because seriously?!

Now ANDREA was awful.  While I loved season 2 in general, it was a bit painful in terms of the women.  Maggie was great, but Carol and Beth were mostly non-entities, and Andrea and Lori were outright frustrating.  The gender divide in terms of skill sets was annoying too.  Season 3 was a vast improvement on that ground.  We had Michonne.  Maggie and Carol seemed to have taken an upgrade to their skills.  And while Beth seemed to take a more traditionally feminine role in taking care of the baby, she did it in a way that didn't feel like a reinforcement of gender roles.  She just did what suited her best.    I'd like to think somewhere along the way the men figured out that they too can do laundry and everyone is much happier.

Andrea being annoying in season 3 was far less frustrating, because the female characters actually got to do things.

Though one part made me laugh.  When Carol told Andrea what happened to Shane, she just kind of stammers "But Shane LOVED Rick."  And while I actually agree with her, I was amused because I'm not sure when that would have come up in conversation.

I like to imagine that it came up during sex.  "Do you think you could be a little more sanctimonious when we're doing this?"  "Have you considered wearing button down shirts?  You'd look really hot, especially from behind."

(And while I'm pretty sure Andrea meant a fraternal love, I remember that creepy fucking washcloth scene after Carl got shot, so *I* think there was a sexual component there too.)

The show spent a little too much time in Woodbury in my opinion.  Michonne was great, but honestly, the Governor and Andrea were not compelling enough to warrant that much direct attention.  Especially not when compared to what's going on back at the prison.

"Lori's dead!  Carl's becoming a child soldier!  Rick's disassociating and hallucinating!  Maggie and Glenn are traumatized!  Daryl just LEFT!  WHY ARE WE HERE AND NOT THERE!"

Tyreese and Sasha are so great.  It's lovely seeing Michael Burnham in a different kind of role.  It was a little uncomfortable though how the show seemed to have a trend of killing off one black guy just as they introduced another.  T-Dog - Oscar - Tyreese.  I was happy to see Season 4 finally realize that yes, you can have more than one black guy on the show at once.  I hope they don't fuck that up.

They're probably going to fuck that up.

I have mixed feelings about the Maggie storyline in season 3.  I'm not a huge fan of sexual violence storylines in general.  But I will give the show credit for realizing that they can hit all of the important beats of a sexual assault storyline without including a rape.  I feel like too many shows don't realize that.  I wasn't a big fan of Glenn having the bulk of the focus in the aftermath though.  He’d been through a terrible experience too, but I wanted more about HER.

I like Daryl a lot more now than I did at the start.  But I still don't get why he's the fandom favorite.   I still think that a good three-quarters of Daryl's fandom characterization is stolen from either Glenn or Rick.  Which is a shame because ACTUAL Daryl is a lot of fun.  I wish I got to see him more in fanwork.  But I think I've come to terms with the fact that I will never see eye-to-eye with a vast majority of the fandom.

(Also, please tell me Beth-Daryl won't be a thing in the show.  I like their dynamic AS FRIENDS, but she's SEVENTEEN.  He is old enough to be her FATHER.  And while age differences don’t have to be bad, she is literally still a child!)

The Prison is actually looking quite comfortable now.  Plague aside.  I can't wait to see the show ruin it.  :-)

[eternalravendreamer]

Every Voltage MC is Special Now Because I Say So - BMP 1

Note: I am not a master on every character's routes and trivia. I made these up because I’m tired of boring MCs with no unique traits

Wilfred’s MC: Loves camping! She’s very experienced at it, so she would invite him out and totally amaze him. They’d stay in a cabin the first time, to help ease Wilfred into the idea (also because Claude was absolutely scandalized by the idea of his Prince sleeping on the ground, sleeping bag or no). But MC made sure Wilfred got the rest of the big camping staples, like a bonfire, s’mores, nature trails, etc. It’s not exactly his thing, but it makes him happy to see MC so excited. (Also, he totally didn’t stare at her ass when she was setting up the fire, nope)

Keith’s MC: Plays electric guitar! Can shred with the best of ‘em. He’s too stubborn to ask her to teach him, even though he really wants to. She calls her guitar her “baby”, much to Keith’s confusion (”Oh yeah, you haven’t met my baby yet!” “YOUR WHAT”). Sometimes she’ll play some more laid-back tunes for Cathy and he can’t help but fall a little bit more in love with her.

Roberto’s MC: Absolute. Meme. Trash. She tries to act formal towards him when they first meet, because…well, he’s a Prince. But after getting comfortable with him, she accidentally lets a meme slip and Roberto gets fucking WHIPLASH turning towards her. (”DID YOU JUST SAY A MEME” “Oh god what have I done”). He’s so excited that MC’s sense of humor is similar to his!! She knows so many memes!!! He’s more sheltered than he acts, so she has to explain some of them, and even manages to prank him a few times (”Hey Roberto does your kingdom have updog?” “Hmm I don’t know. What’s updog—wait.”). They totally reenact vines with Alberto.

Joshua’s MC: a mural artist! At first he looks down on it, assuming that it’s just illegal graffiti. But when he sees her work for the first time, a project for her college, and he’s astounded. It’s a true work of art, taking up a whole wall, and she’s explaining about the materials she used and what the image is meant to represent, and what inspired it, and there’s so much light in her eyes. At that moment he can’t help but think “this person is amazing”. He commissions a mural for a public building from her soon after.

Glenn’s MC: a hardcore animal lover. She studies animal sciences and dreams of working at a wildlife sanctuary or zoo. At the moment she interns at a small wildlife veterinary center, where her main job is feeding orphan babies. She shows Glenn all her “kids” and he’s amazed how well she handles all of them. She even lets him help with some of the more domestic animals, while she feeds things like bear cubs, wolf pups, and vulture chicks.

Edward’s MC: a stress baker, but not just simple stuff. No, she goes all out. Almond macaroons, red velvet cupcakes, two-layer buttercream cake (with matching fancy piped icing), double-chocolate fudge cookies…she bakes and bakes and bakes until she runs out of steam. Edward walks into the kitchen and doesn’t know whether to be impressed or concerned (in the end he’s both). She goes even more overboard whenever she does it at the castle, and often has to apologize to the chefs for using up an ingredient or two.

Yakov’s MC: dyes her hair all sorts of colors. She takes a gap period between bleaches to let her hair recover, but her hair is dyed for the majority of the year. When Yakov meets her, she’s a redhead. The next month, her hair is purple. He had no idea there were so many varieties of hair dye! And you can even mix them to make different hues! A lot of people give MC flack when she’s pushed into the public eye, claiming her hair is too nontraditional and that it makes her an inappropriate choice for the Prince’s lover. The next day Yakov shows up to a press conference with half of his braid dyed a literal rainbow. They have no further harassment (well, at least not about the hair dye)

Zain’s MC: it freaks him out - his MC has almost inhuman night vision. One night while staying at Nobel Mitchel, she wakes up at like 2 a.m. for a drink of water. Since she can see pretty well in the dark, she doesn’t take a light or anything with her. On her way to the kitchen she freaks out a security guard. In the morning Zain has to deal with rumors of a ghost girl walking the castle halls without a light. MC thinks it heckin’ hilarious

And now the butlers, because DAMMIT VOLTAGE WE WILL PAY YOU SO MUCH MONEY FOR THEM

Butler Luke’s MC (not to be confused with KBTBB’s Dr. Luke): you know those old ladies who always have sweets in their bags? That’s Luke’s MC, only not old yet. She has a seemingly endless supply. Strawberry hard candies? Check. Chocolate balls? Yep. Lollipops? In every flavor! Luke is amazed. This girl has an entire candy shop in her purse, fully stocked. All anyone has to do is mention being hungry, having a bad taste stuck in their mouth, or being sad, and out comes the goodies.

Yu’s MC: to his surprise, she’s a fairly well-known movie and film critic. She writes professional articles, maintains a blog for more casual reviews, and even makes YouTube videos on occasion. Honestly, if it wasn’t for his job making him too busy for movies, he probably would have found MC again years earlier. Movie dates are common, though she makes sure to let him know she isn’t just taking him to movies for her work. He enjoys hearing her talk about the production side of things, and certain plot points. He makes note to buy DVDs of all her favorites for stay-home dates.

Claude’s MC: she makes handmade stuffed animals. She keeps some of them, and originally Claude found her hobby very childish. But the majority of her plushies she donates to charities - hospitals, orphanages, and homeless shelters, mostly. Sometimes she’ll sell a couple of them so that she can donate money to the causes as well. She never keeps the money for herself. Once Claude learns this, he feels bad for looking down on her, and tries to show interest. MC makes him a stuffie of his own after they start dating.

Alberto’s MC: “Uh before I move into the Castle can I go home to get my lizard?” “Your what now.” Yep, Alberto’s MC has a pet lizard, which she loves dearly. He’s confused, to say the least, but at least it’s not messy (until he finds out what it eats). After awhile, he gets attached to the little dragon, too. When the heat lamp needs replacing, he finds the best one for the species. He slips the little pal some treats when it’s been good. MC has to stop him from setting up an elaborate habitat for the smol scaly friend. And if Prince Roberto even tries to take some of it’s crickets for a prank, he will face two very protective reptile parents.

Jan’s MC: beep beep fuckers, this MC has a moped, and Jan unironically thinks that it’s AWESOME. I’m talking those Vespas you see in NYC, like Emmy Altava from the Prof. Layton games had. It’s her main source of transportation, so when she has to live in the Castle, she gets concerned about her ride. Jan asks her to teach him how to ride it, and when he rides passenger behind her on it he makes sure to hold onto her a little tighter than he actually needs to, just to be closer to her. They get matching helmets because they’re cute like that.

Louis’ MC: cutie with glasses! She has poor eyesight, but nothing too serious. Just nearsightedness. Since her lenses aren’t all that thick, she’s able to use cute and stylish frames, though they tend to be cheap and break easily. Louis enthusiastically gushes whenever MC tries on new frames, making sure to detail how they compliment her eyes or face shape. He doesn’t think she’s cuter or prettier with or without them, but rather that MC with glasses and MC without glasses are both uniquely beautiful.

[helloletstrythis]

the greatest play in the English language

Today’s Tuesday Thought is brought to you by too much coffee.

My friend and coworker said to me today...

Omigod you are talking so fast... are you OK?

And the answer is... probably not! 

I was really bored today... I thought that drinking coffee would make me motivated. And I guess it did.

So now I’m going to tell you about the greatest play in the English language.

Hamlet 

ever heard of it?

First of all... if you’ve never seen or read Hamlet. Please do yourself a favor and watch this at least. 

Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet is my favorite. It’s uncut, it’s all about him, and there’s a blatant display of too much set dressing.

Please don’t watch the Mel Gibson Hamlet. Or if you do--only watch the Glenn Close scenes. Otherwise it’s just like a very bad shit show of sadness and misogyny.

Anyway.... People always say that Shakespeare is too hard to read--or worse, elitist. Here’s the thing... I’m not here to say it’s easy to read,  because I had a great friend who explained Merchant of Venice for me, and otherwise I would have been lost. But I am here to say that it’s not for fancy people. And Romeo and Juliet isn’t the only story we can still relate to today.

Hamlet is a bro.

He went to a good school. He’s from a serious amount of privilege, and he’s toying with this poor girl who literally lives in his house, she’s dependent on him and has no escape. Plus she actually does love him. And he like kind of non-committally likes her back until she dies then he’s all like SHE WAS MY LOVE.  He’s the worst kind of bro. 

But that’s the beginning of his story--and he’s just a kid. Who among us right out of college didn’t think we understood the world better than everyone and showed off with fancy Ayn Rand quotes. 

But then his dad dies.

And very soon after-- his mom marries his uncle.

I mean... I’m all about that modern family but I can see where that will take it’s toll.

And that’s where the story begins.

Is Hamlet mad north-northwest (like Kanye’s baby)? Or is it all a show?

This is why it’s the single greatest play in the English language. Shakespeare gave us all the clues. But he didn’t give us the wrap up. You can interpret it either way.

Hamlet is around 30. I’m approaching 30. And I suddenly have an even greater appreciation for his struggle.

You see, much like Hamlet I am starting to realize that I don’t really ever know what the right thing to do is. I don’t know if I’m helping avenge my father’s death--or just killing my college buddies for no reason. 

When you’re young you understand your convictions so clearly, and feel them so strongly. But approaching 30 seems to unveil many shades of... oh god i don’t know how else to say it... SHADES OF GREY BUT NOT SEX STUFF.

i think that was subtle enough, right? 

There are so many ways to interpret the To be or not to be  soliloquy.

To be or not to be that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Or take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing, end them. Everyone always talks about the first part--but I like the second sentence better. Life is like that. We are constantly up and down, and constantly trying to reason why-- and for what purpose do we endure these great heartaches?

But Hamlet wants to know--is it nobler to fight the discourse in our lives even if it ends them.

Do we whether the storm or do we fight the good fight? 

Ay, there’s the rub.

And even though it’s a 400 year old play with some words in it that we don’t quite understand. We are living the same struggle.

Hamlet is ready. He’s a dead man walking at this point in the play. He knows his death is coming soon, and yet he rallies like a boss. He rallies and takes half of Denmark down with him.

This is also great instruction for writing plays. lol.

When you’re character is definitely going to die by the end of the play--girl you better have him HUSTLE through to the end or the audience is going to get bored.

Anyway... perhaps you may think this is a bit high brow for a Tuesday Thought. But it’s what’s on my mind.

Also, if you know of any theater companies interested in casting a female Hammy--shoot them my way plzzzzzzzz.

Also, also: i can’t even begin to think how much Kenneth would HATE this description of his body of work:

this is how sad he would be.

Happy Tuesday y’all...

and remember, ya salty brat, the answer is to be.

Em

[weapon13whitefang]

TWD MidSeason Thoughts

Now that I've calmed down a bit, let me just explain WHY I'm so fucking infuriated.

I'm not just mad at this show. I'm mad at myself!

I know... I KNOW better than to fall for the hype announcement for shows. I have studied how networks like AMC operate. I went to school for theatre and cinema. I studied that shit. I GET how it all works. I understand having a hype man for the shows. Hype sells if you do it right.

The Walking Dead is one of the BIGGEST and most POPULAR shows on TV besides Game of Thrones and Outlander and Supernatural to name a few. It exploded onto TV and has been in the top 20s almost every year since 2010.

Since 2010, they've been hyping the show in one way or another.

I KNOW how this shit works... So you can understand WHY I'm mad at myself FOR FALLING for their fucking "stay tuned and be completely shocked" bullshit hype they threw at us the last two episodes.

I have been watching this show since 2010. Yes, I stopped watching for awhile, but it didn't take me long to get back and catch up again. I know its patterns. I know it's shtick. I know what makes people like it and hate it. I know this shit!

So since I know this shit, I SHOULD NOT BE AS PISSED OFF AS I AM RIGHT NOW.

It's not even about the fact that they're killing Carl off. I am not mad at that and in fact, I get it.

Chandler Riggs is a child actor and we all know - whether you're invested in television history or not - that being a child-star actor and growing up IS HARD. Being a kid on TV is hard. You hardly hear of any child star that didn't go through some real tough shit as they were growing up.

Want an example of some shit these kids go through? Look at all the weird sexual comments around Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things. Want to hear about some shit? Go listen to Lindsay Lohan / look at the shit she went through, or check out Macauley Culkin's stories, or fuck check out all the shit that happened to Gary Coleman! Growing up with a constant fucking camera surrounding you isn't all fun and laughter and games. You're literally under a microscope and have millions upon millions of fuckers watching your every mood and judging you like a science project. It's insane. Even older celebrities struggle with this shit.

Chandler is young. He's just graduated High School. Since he was 9/10 years old, Chandler has been a familiar name and face for every fan of TWD or anyone that picks up a magazine and sees a group photo on it.

The problem with being a child star is the fact that everyone will always see him as that one role. Chandler could've survived through the show until he was like thirty (dear god if the show ran that long...) and then tried to get new work and you know what he'd be known as? Carl Grimes. Not Chandler Riggs the actor. Carl Grimes. Baby-faced, runs away a lot, lost his eye... Carl Grimes.

So Chandler leaving now - IF THIS IS BY HIS CHOICE - isn't a bad idea. Chandler deserves to be able to go to college and experience things at his age he probably didn't really get to do because of being under the spotlight so much. He deserves to be able to try growing up and expanding his acting career. I can respect an actor for wanting to do that. I can respect a kid - a teenager/young adult - wanting to step away and try new things and experience life.

Now if Chandler was just killed off for shock value and didn't WANT to leave the show, then still this isn't bad for him. He can still have a chance. Other actors on the show - the bigger names at least - have been doing alright for themselves. Yeah some of them are not hitting big roles every year and yeah some of them have stepped away from acting for awhile, but they're doing okay. And Chandler was a large main cast member. One of the remaining Atlanta group members (which now it's the Atlanta three, which just doesn't sound as good as Atlanta five then... Sigh). He's got a chance to be a young man and then hone his skill and try jumping into it again. I got faith he can do that.

So I'm not upset that Carl is going to die because... This show has stakes. A favorite character must and will die. Unless you're the real cash cow and favorite *cough*Norman*cough**cough* you can die at any time (That's not me making a mean jab at Norman, by the way, that's just stating what we all know). I'm not upset about him being bitten.

WHAT I'm upset about is that I fucking BELIEVED that this show was going to give me something to ACTUALLY be surprised about. Carl getting bit IS STILL the equivalence of SOMEONE DYING! For fuck sakes, we all know that a scratch or bite from a walker MEANS DEATH. We established that right away with Morgan in episode one. You get bit or scratched up, there's no surviving and coming back. You're fucked.

THAT IS STILL THE SAME AS A MAIN CHARACTER BEING SHOT DOWN OR HEAD CUT OFF OR HEAD BASHED IN BY AN ASSHOLE WITH A FUCKING BAT!

THAT is why I'm mad. I'm mad because I was not "shocked". I was not "in disbelief". I'm FURIOUS and EXASPERATED and ANNOYED.

Sudden death or sudden shot to a character ISN'T SHOCKING ANYMORE ON THIS SHOW.

The only time I have been shocked by a character death was Beth Greene, Denise Cloyd (The way she died shocked me more than her dying), Olivia (that one angered me too though), and fucking Axel in S3. Those are the only times I have ever been shocked by a character dying when they weren't turned into a Walker. Fuck not even Shane or Sophia or Hershel or Glenn and Abraham dying shocked me. I was like "okay here we go" and moved on (Sophia did upset me though because I was hoping they'd find her alive).

I was hoping to see something amazing. Like the Oceanside coming to the rescue (Enid kinda killed that for me), seeing Heath again (okay that wouldn't be too shocking but it would've been better), the Scavengers deciding to stick with Rick and fight the Saviors, or fuck someone we thought dead showing up and causing fuckery for Negan! I don't know! I just was expecting something along those lines or more.

I'm sick and tired and bored of characters just being killed off during midseason finales or the finales in general. I am done with it. That isn't good writing anymore. I took fucking scriptwriting. I MAJORED in scriptwriting. What just happened tonight was bulllllshhhiiitt.

I'm annoyed. I'm still gonna watch the next half and I'm still gonna stay with the show. But my respect for it has dropped down to almost nothing at this point. I'm just... I'm angry. I'm so angry.

[lalka-laski]

The last time you were in the fridge, what were you looking for? Butter for my cinnamon toast midnight snack :) 

Do you like clowns? Uh, that’s a hard nope.

Have you answered all of these questions honestly so far? There have only been two? But yes. I’m always honest here. If I ever encounter a question I don’t feel comfortable answering, I just delete it & move on. 

Are you listening to anything at the moment? Nope, just some white noise from my fan 

Do you twitch when your falling asleep? SO much. It drives Glenn crazy but it drives me even CRAZIER because it makes it impossible for me to fall asleep again. 

Are your dishes in the dishwasher clean or dirty? Clean at the moment. I think?

Are you at home or with friends more often? I’m out with friends a few times a week but that’s plenty for me. Most of my time is spent at work or home though. 

When is the last time you were on a bicycle? It’s been too long!

What have you eaten today? Just a cup of Earl Grey & now a cup of decaf coffee 

Would you date someone 15 years older than you? Glenn is 12 years older than me & I already think that’s slightly pushing it. Not that our age gap poses too many issues but, ya know. 

Do you own a strapless bra? Mhm. Well actually I stole it from my sister but I “own” it now :P

Does the person you like know it? Considering we are obnoxiously obsessed with each other & say “I love you” 12 times an hour, I’d say he knows.  

Did anything brighten up your day today? Every client I’ve interacted with has been chipper & cheerful, which is rare for this facility. So I’m having a good day so far!

How are you feeling at this exact moment? See above

Are you someone who worries too often? It’s my middle name

If you could date somebody who would it be? I’m quite happy with the man I’ve got :) 

Do you ever wonder how other people see you? I worry too much about that. It’s something I’m doing extensive personal work on, actually... 

What is one good thing you’re known for? My kindness/friendliness 

How about one bad thing? My spaciness & flakiness 

Are you taller than most? Most women, yeah

When was the last time you sang an ENTIRE song? Hm, I’m actually not sure

Are you the type of person who likes to be out or home? I’m kind of a social homebody so both? Depending on the day. But if I really had to choose between the two I’d probably opt to stay at home.

What time do you normally go to bed? Usually no later than 11 on work nights. 

What is one thing that is currently bothering you? I’d rather not be at work right now but meh, it is what it is. 

What did you do today? It’s only 9:30 am and I’m just at work. This afternoon I’m going to Barnes & Noble with Glenn and then this evening I’m going to my sister’s place & then the bars with our friends. 

What was the last thing that you drank? I’m sipping a decaf coffee right now

Is anything annoying you now? Honestly, not really. How rare!

Has anyone ever said i love you to you and not meant it? If they have, I don’t need to know. 

Do you realize it when you curse? Not always 

When was the last time you showered? I took a bath yesterday so my last actual shower was a couple days ago. 

Who did you last talk to in person? Kristen 

Do you ever have days where you just don’t do anything? Yeah I have a lazy streak to me. Some days I really just gotta do NOTHING. 

Have you ever been extremely tired but refused to go to sleep? Yes, because evening time is my only true “down time” and I want to extend it as long as possible. I always regret it the next morning though.

What is your favorite episode of True Life, if you have one at all? I watched that show from time to time but I can’t say I have a favorite.

Have you ever experienced something paranormal? Oh yes

What’s the longest amount of time you’ve been stuck in traffic? Like standstill traffic? Maybe 30 min?

Best field trip experience? Going to the one room schoolhouse was really fun for me. I loved dressing up in a dress & bonnet (both handmade by my grandma). And my mom was adorably extra and packed me a time-period appropriate lunch in a woven basket. It was so cute!

Have you ever been to New York City? Just once

If so, is it all its cracked up to be? No, although I was young and maybe I’d have a deeper appreciation for it as an adult. But overall, that crammed, busy city life isn’t for me. 

What is the most amount of money you’ve spent on a meal before? We spent $80 (including tip) on fucking Chinese takeout the other day. I have much regret lol. 

What museums have you visited, if any? Lots. Checking out museums are one of my favorite activiites! 

Have you ever had a group project and one of your partners bailed on you? I often insisted on taking over group projects because I refused to let my grade rest in the hands of slackers or idiots. 

What’s your worst traveling experience? There was this family trip to Florida that will forever live in infamy... 

Sims 1, 2, or 3? Why? I never played any of them. I think I tried to get into it at one point but computer games just aren’t my scene. 

Have you ever dealt with noisy neighbors or roommates? How did that go? My current upstairs neighbors apparently have a fucking bowling alley in their apartment. They are THE. WORST. I struggle every day deciding if I should try talking to them or apartment management about the noise level. 

Who was (or is) the teacher that gave you the hardest time in school? Teachers never really gave me a hard time. Oh wait, there was this social studies teacher in 8th grade who was a complete prick. I once corrected him when he said that Africa is a country and he chewed me out in front of the whole class. I’m still angry about it! 

Best muffin you’ve ever had? Wegmans chocolate chip muffins are ridiculous, man! Ridiculous!  Have you ever taken a woodshop class? Nope. That doesn’t interest me in the slightest. 

If so, was it required?

How much time do you spend on Facebook, if you have one? Probably too much. I’m trying to distance myself from it a bit. 

What area of math are you best at? Worst? All of it. Even very basic addition and subtraction can trip me up. I’ve often wondered if I have the numbers form of dyslexia or something similar. 

How do you feel when you meet someone with the same music taste as you? It HYPES me up like nothing else.

What is the strangest thing you’ve ever seen outside of your house? Our current apartment complex gets frequent visits from the local police & fire departments. At least every couple weeks there’s an incident. Usually just a small fire (burnt food, I assume) or something like that. 

Do you believe in luck? Why or why not? Kind of. You can’t tell me there aren’t people who seem to have everything fall in their lap. 

How often do you “half-ass” things (put little effort in)? Frequently. If there’s a shortcut, I’m taking it. 

Do you ever feel self-conscious when you eat around other people? Yeah for sure. 

How reliable is your internet connection? My cell service at work is pretty terrible. My wifi at home gives me little issue, though. 

Have you ever missed a meeting/event that was required/necessary? Yes

What’s something that makes you incredibly nervous? Life as a whole.

What’s the latest you’ve ever stayed up to finish homework/a project? I was actually good about time management during school. I might be one of the only one of my peers who never pulled an all-nighter. I prioritize my sleep!

If you don’t have glasses, how would you feel if you had to get them?

If you do have glasses, how would you feel if you didn’t need them anymore? I’m looking into contacts actually because I’m sick of my glasses

How many vegetarians do you know? A few, including myself. 

Have you ever considered going to art school? Nope 

Is there anyone in your life who consistently angers you? Yes but I won’t name names 

How quickly can you write an essay? I excel at essays but my process is a sloooow one. 

Have you ever had problems falling asleep in class? I’ve never actually slept in class but I have had issues staying alert and engaged. I’m easily fatigued. 

Have you ever been on the barrier or front row at a concert? Yeah but not any big names

If you have a job, who is your least favorite coworker/manager? Again, I don’t want to name names

Favorite episode of Spongebob? Pretty patties!! 

Do you have any silly/odd emotional connections to anything/anyone? Almost everyone and everything in my life, yeah. 

Are your parents supportive of you? Yes 

How often do you take the train to go places? Only when I’m in Canada. I wish trains were a more common mode of transportation here. 

Do you play with your phone in awkward situations? Constantly 

[robertemeryofficial]

The barefooted Maestro

The journalist Jeremy Clarkson has his gargantuan stomach and the pianist Glenn Gould had his wooden chair. Novelist Mary Shelly (think Frankenstein) wrote with a Boa Constrictor around her neck, and artist Salvador Dalí carried around a piece of Spanish driftwood. Nigel Kennedy performs in an Aston Villa t-shirt and Robert Emery, yes that's me, conducts barefoot.

Most creative people have a little foible or two. But over the years I've had more people ask me about my bare feet than I've had hangovers; and now you know what a large-scale problem this is, I've decided to address it.

Is it because I can feel the music more with my naked skin touching the ground and feeling the vibrations?

No. I'm not that clever. Dame Evelyn Glennie can do this - but even though she is a percussionist, she is actually very clever; and also profoundly deaf, so she had a good reason to learn that skill.

Is it because I connect more with the music?

No. That is just a silly idea and anyone who says that is more pompous than Jacob Rees-Mogg - and that's a difficult task to achieve.

Is it because I get hot waving my arms around, so this helps cool me down?

No. I mean, yes I do get hot, and yes, it probably does keep me slightly cooler than a pair of Church's formal black patent leather shoes with Paul Smith formal black cotton socks - but that's not the reason.

Is it because it's cheaper?

Now we are just getting to the ridiculous; of course having no shoes is cheaper than having shoes; especially Church's - but that's a silly answer to a stupid question.

Is it to gain attention?

No. I can do that without my feet thank you very much. I've never been very good at dancing, and I don't have especially beautiful feet, so I wouldn't naturally highlight them.

At this point, I imagine the hot water is starting to boil in a quest for a simple answer. So here you are:

Back in 2010 I was young and foolish. I was also conducting the Sinfonieorchester Basel. It was three performances of a European band called the Lovebugs, fused with one of the worlds great orchestras, resulting in a hybrid of rock energy with classical and filmic excitement. To make myself comfortable in long, arduous rehearsals, I often took my shoes and socks off; and I'm afraid to say, even wore shorts. I know you're disappointed and can't understand how someone could be so careless, but it's incredible how scruffy and Hagrid-esq performers are when they don't have an audience to play to.

Now, fast-forward to three minutes before making my big entrance in front of a screaming, excited audience who range from the pre-pubescent through to the odd octogenarian. I'm doing my side-of-stage ritual. It's not a superstitious thing, and occasionally I don't need to do this, but sometimes I lack the energy to go and do my job. My theory is that a couple of hours before a performance, my body and mind start to go into a slumber of subconscious relaxation. I don't want to eat. Don't want to talk. Don't want to move. Actually, I don't want to do anything; especially go on stage. And that's the irony - because I love being on stage. I've learned by now that it's just my way of conserving the massive amount of energy needed to perform like a lunatic version of Jiminy Cricket. It's the calm before the storm. And with any storm, there needs some brewing time, like a good cuppa.

My brewing time involves jumping up and down on the spot. Waving my arms in circles, and generally trying to make the stage management as uncomfortable as possible with my psychedelic movements. That puts a smile on my face and also fires up the starter motor for the energy I need.

So back to the side of the stage and pre-pubescent octogenarian folk. I'm waiting to make my entrance when the promotor looks at me with horror. "What on earth are you doing?" he screamed at me. I froze.

For the first time in my life, I thought I was going to be fired. I imagined Alan Trump or Donald Sugar peering around the corner with their wagging finger, but I didn't know why.

"Why are you wearing shoes" barks the promotor. At this point, I'm more confused than my cat, who is called Penguin. "Why am I wearing shoes? Because I'm about to go on stage and conduct the Basel Symphony Orchestra" I retort. And then, he composed the fateful sentence that has plagued me all my career:

"If you conduct in rehearsals bare-foot because you feel most comfortable, why don't you conduct in concerts bare-foot. Isn't it about time concert halls were less formal? Take those shoes and socks off right now and go have fun!"

So I did. I went on stage and had the biggest buzz not only when the mixed-aged audience erupted, but with the second wave of applause that came when they saw my little bare feet. The next day, the front page of the Basler Zeitung had a photo of my feet, with a caption of 'the cool barefooted conductor'.

I had no idea back then that feet were like Marmite. People either loved me conducting barefooted or hated it. There seemed to be nothing in between. Of course the attention it gave me with the second applause and the newspaper cover massaged my ego, so one could say I told a little white lie when I said I didn't do it for the publicity. But scouts honour, I didn't know that publicity would arise from something we all do at least once a day!

Nevertheless, I'm not a fan of stirring up things (unless it's on the last Sunday before Advent), so I've decided, here and now, that I'll stop with the whole barefoot thing in concerts. I can't be bothered with the negativity around what should be a fun, laughable little quirk. So I'll say good luck to Clarkson with his beer-barrel and Kennedy with his football shirt; I hope they can continue with their fanciful follies. As for Dali, Shelly and Gould, it's interesting they are remembered not for their oddities, but for the creations they left us. Perhaps I should have learned from this, but then I wouldn't have been called 'the cool barefooted conductor'; and with all that patent leather and cotton, I'd be too hot.

Book & Music recommendations discussing Conducting & Sinfonieorchester Basel

The Conductor - A fascinating novel; not the story of Shostakovich. This is the story of a man caught in the white heat of obsession. A man who inspired an entire city, much less a ragged orchestra of half-starved musicians, to an act of resistance and hope in a time of war. Karl Eliasberg. The Conductor.

The Great Conductors - Most Popular Symphonies and Orchestral Favorites - A remarkable 30-CD collection brings together 30 world-class conductors representing the cream of crop - including Herbert von Karajan, Arturo Toscanini, Otto Klemperer, Pierre Monteux, Eugene Ormandy, Bruno Walter, Sir Thomas Beecham, Leonard Bernstein, Leopold Stokowski, Sir Georg Solti and George Szell.

Weingartner: Complete Symphonies [Marko Letonja, Sinfonieorchester Basel] - Marko Letonja and the Basel Symphony Orchestra set out on this adventurous journey of discovery with devotion and virtuosic skill over these 7 disks. Felix Weingartner an internationally acclaimed conductor and a highly influential figure in Basel's music world he also bequeathed to posterity an extensive compositional oeuvre marked by timeless freshness.

Stravinsky:Petrouchka [Sinfonieorchester Basel; Maki Namekawa, Dennis Russell Davies] - A beautiful recording of this incredible piece.

Brucker: Complete Symphonies [Tapiola Sinfonietta; Northern Sinfonia; Sinfonieorchester Basel, Mario Venzago] - 10 CD’s and a DVD of Mario Venzago conducting.

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