#Jack Ridley III

[crossovershipstournament]

Crossover Ships Tournament Contestants

Alright, after putting it off for a bit (due to real life being busy and also I got lazy), I’ve finally gone through and prepared the list of ships for the tournament! Congrats to the lucky 64, and apologies to anyone else whose ship didn’t make it in. I did appreciate every single entry that followed the rules, though, and all the infodumps made me smile!

Before the list, however, I wanna say that this post and the eventual bracket matchup post are going to double as places to post your propaganda via replies and reblogs (or even asks). Going forward, I will use whatever propaganda people add to the posts/send via asks with permission to add as propaganda on the eventual bracket matches. By adding any sort of replies/tags/etc to any further tournament-related posts, you are consenting to having that propaganda added into the tournament. If you are uncomfortable with this, please state it outright on any posts/asks you might send.

Also the rule about fanart for the ships still remains; if you send/provide fanart, please also provide explicit permission from the original artist or proof that you made it yourself. Otherwise, I will not feel comfortable using it in the tournament.

With all that said, let’s meet our 64 ships for the tournament! Please let me know if anything is misspelled or any information is incorrect:

Bayonetta (Bayonetta)/Palutena (Kid Icarus)

Beastman (Masters of the Universe)/Lifeweaver (Overwatch 2)

Ben Tennyson (Ben 10)/Rex Salazar (Generator Rex)

Chibiusa (Sailor Moon)/Kid Trunks Briefs (Dragon Ball Z)

Damian Wayne (DC Comics)/Marinette Dupain-Cheng (Miraculous Ladybug)

Dib Membrane (Invader Zim)/Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls)

Dimentio (Super Paper Mario)/Jevil (Deltarune)

Ash Williams (Evil Dead)/Crawford Tillinghast (From Beyond)

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (How To Train Your Dragon)/Jack Frost (Rise of the Guardians)

Isabelle (Animal Crossing)/Wolf O’Donnell (StarFox)

Jake Long (American Dragon: Jake Long)/Juniper Lee (The Life and Times of Juniper Lee)

JD (Heathers the Musical)/Nathan Prescott (Life is Strange)

Jigglypuff (Pokemon)/Kirby (Kirby)

Johnny Bravo (Johnny Bravo)/Samurai Jack (Samurai Jack)

Leonardo Hamato (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)/Yuichi Usagi (Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles)

Michelangelo Hamato (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)/Miles Morales (Marvel)

Reagan Ridley (Inside Job)/Toriel Dreemur (Undertale)

Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera (Ducktales 2017)/Clover Ebi (RWBY)

Gyro Gearloose (Ducktales 2017)/Hazel Rainart (RWBY)

Gandra Dee (Ducktales 2017)/Winter Schnee (RWBY)

Dewey Duck (Ducktales 2017)/Whitley Schnee (RWBY)

Mogar (Xray and Vav)/David (Camp Camp)

Jimmy Neutron (Jimmy Neutron)/Timmy Turner (Fairly Oddparents)

Jane Porter (Tarzan)/Captain Amelia (Treasure Planet)

Max Goof (Disney)/Yakko Warner (Animaniacs)

Huey Duck (Ducktales 2017)/Wakko Warner (Animaniacs)

Dewey Duck (Ducktales 2017)/Silver the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Wirt (Over the Garden Wall)/Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls)

Webby Vanderquack (Ducktales 2017)/Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)

Max (Camp Camp)/Phineas Flynn (Phineas and Ferb)

Sora (Kingdom Hearts)/Jim Hawkins (Treasure Planet)

Angus McDonald (The Adventure Zone)/Shigeo Kageyama (Mob) (Mob Psycho 100)

Anne Boonchuy (Amphibia)/Nepeta Leijon (Homestuck)

Applejack (My Little Pony)/Hol Horse (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders)

Aqua (Kingdom Hearts)/Cinderella (Cinderella)

Commander Peepers (Wander Over Yonder)/Wilt Michaels (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends)

Ditzy Doo (My Little Pony)/The Doctor (Doctor Who)

Jiminy Cricket (Pinocchio)/Timothy Q. Mouse (Dumbo)

Sam Winchester (Supernatural)/Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds)

Bowser (Super Mario)/Dr. Eggman (Sonic)

Kokichi Ouma (Danganronpa)/Venti (Genshin Impact)

Charlie Bradbury (Supernatural)/Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

Alex Mercer (Prototype)/Desmond Miles (Assassin’s Creed)

Adrien Agreste aka Chat Noir (Miraculous Ladybug)/Berry Shirayuki aka Mew Berry (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Pinkie Pie (My Little Pony)/Shockwave (Transformers Prime)

Floyd Leech (Twisted Wonderland)/Kanata Shinkai (Ensemble Stars)

Skales (Lego Ninjago)/Starscream (Transformers Prime)

Selina Kyle aka Catwoman (DC Comics)/Loki (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Phone Guy (Five Nights at Freddy’s)/Wally Franks (Bendy and the Ink Machine)

Megaman (Megaman)/Pit (Kid Icarus)

Merida (Brave)/Rapunzel (Tangled)

Ange Ushiromiya (Umineko no Naku Koro Ni)/Rin Tohsaka (Fate/Stay Night)

Bendy (Bendy and the Ink Machine)/Cuphead (Cuphead)

Luca Paguro (Luca)/Maisie Brumble (The Sea Beast)

Princess Peach (Super Mario)/Samus Aran (Metroid)

Blossom Utonium (Powerpuff Girls)/Dexter (Dexter’s Laboratory)

Daffy Duck (Looney Toons)/Donald Duck (Disney)

Kefer (Egyxos)/Dragon Shiryu (Knights of the Zodiac)

Gaz Membrane (Invader Zim)/Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)

Gregor (Star Wars the Clone Wars)/Harley Quinn (DC Comics)

Sally “Thorn” McKnight (Scooby Doo Franchise)/Skwisgaar Skwigelf (Metalocalypse)

Astro Tenma (Astro Boy (2009))/Wilbur Robinson (Meet The Robinsons)

Apollo (Percy Jackson)/Clark Kent aka Superman (Superman)

Madoka Kaname (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)/Shinji Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

[refined-but-spunky]

[drownersholdmedown]

By Erik Lee Snyder

[weareonlyspiritswhotrytobealive]

Movies watched in February, 2022

FIRST VISIONS:

Twins (1988). Directed by Ivan Reitman

Rec 4 (2014). Directed by Jaume Balagueró

Easy Street (1917). Directed by Charlie Chaplin

The Gorilla (1939). Directed by Allan Dwan

Horrors of Spider Island (1960). Directed by Fritz Böttger

Spider Baby (1967). Directed by Jack Hill

Grandma's House (1988). Directed by Peter Rader

Dream Demon (1988). Directed by Harley Cokeliss

Goodfellas (1990). Directed by Martin Scorsese

Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004). Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Deux hommes dans la ville (aka: "Two Men in Town"), (1973). Directed by José Giovanni

The Deer Hunter (1978). Directed by Michael Cimino

Area 407 (2012). Directed by Dale Fabrigar & Everette Wallin

Dead in Tombstone (2013). Directed by Roel Reiné

Johnny Mnemonic (1995). Directed by Robert Longo

The Horde (2009). Directed by Yannick Dahan & Benjamin Rocher

Hannibal (2001). Directed by Ridley Scott

Hannibal Rising (2007). Directed by Peter Webber

Body Armour (2007). Directed by Gerry Lively

Vanishing on 7th Street (2010). Directed by Brad Anderson

Gangsters, Guns and Zombies (2012). Directed by Matt Mitchell

The Carillon (2018). Directed by John Real

Isolerad (aka: "Corridor"), (2010). Directed by Johan Lundborg & Johan Storm

Public Enemies (2009). Directed by Michael Mann

Shock (1977). Directed by Mario Bava

La bambola di Satana (aka: "The Doll of Satan"), (1969). Directed by Ferruccio Casapinta

I tre volti della paura (aka: "Black Sabbath" - "The Three Faces of Fear"), (1963). Directed by Mario Bava

Hostel (2005). Directed by Eli Roth

Hostel: Part II (2007). Directed by Eli Roth

Tenebrae (1982). Directed by Dario Argento

Una farfalla con le ali insanguinate (aka: "The Bloodstained Butterfly"), (1971). Directed by Duccio Tessari

Hostel: Part III (2011). Directed by Scott Spiegel

Strangers on a Train (1951). Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

The Expendables (2010). Directed by Sylvester Stallone

Play Misty for Me (1971). Directed by Clint Eastwood

The Beguiled (1971). Directed by Don Siegel

The Way Back (2010). Directed by Peter Weir

Gemini Man (2019). Directed by Ang Lee

Fitzcarraldo (1982). Directed by Werner Herzog

Monster Man (2003). Directed by Michael Davis

Southbound (2015). Directed by R. Benjamin, M. Bettinelli-Olpin, etc.

Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021). Directed by Malcolm D. Lee

REWATCHED:

Moby Dick (1956). Directed by John Huston

The Blues Brothers (1980). Directed by John Landis

Kill Bill: Volume I (2003). Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973). Directed by Norman Jewison

The Legend of Al, John & Jack (2002). Directed by A. Baglio, G. Poretti & G. Storti

Small Soldiers (1998). Directed by Joe Dante

Memento (2000). Directed by Christopher Nolan

Dead Silence (2007). Directed by James Wan

Mindhunters (2004). Directed by Renny Harlin

SHOWS:

Drag Race Italia (2021)

Biography: WWE Legends (2021)

TV SERIES:

CHiPs (1977 - 1983)

[stenka-razin]

Everything I watched in 2020

It’s every movie I watched in 2020! Per usual, bold is a first watch, everything else is a rerun. If you're curious, Terminator Salvation was the last film I watched before Covid hit.

Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977, dir. George Barry)

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (“三大怪獣 地球最大の決戦” 1964, dir. Ishirō Honda)

The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019, dir. Chris Renaud)

Invasion of Astro-Monster (“怪獣大戦争” 1965, dir. Ishirō Honda)

To All the Boys I Loved Before (2018, dir. Susan Johnson)

Long Shot (2019, dir. Jonathan Levine)

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (“ゴジラ・エビラ・モスラ　南海の大決闘” 1966, dir. Jun Fukuda)

Dolemite (1975, dir. D’Urville Martin)

Detective Pikachu (2019, dir. Rob Letterman)

What Did Jack Do? (2017, dir. David Lynch)

Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Broken Hearted (1990, dir. David Lynch)

Late Night (2019, dir. Nisha Ganatra)

Son of Godzilla (“怪獣島の決戦 ゴジラの息子” 1967, dir. Jun Fukuda)

Hustlers (2019, dir. Lorene Scafaria)

Miss Americana (2020, dir. Lana Wilson)

Paddington (2014, dir. Paul King)

Destroy All Monsters (“怪獣総進撃” 1968, dir. Ishirō Honda)

Heavy Metal Parking Lot (1986, dir. John Heyn & Jeff Krulik)

Emma (1996, dir. Douglas McGrath)

The Golden Head (“Az aranyfej” 1964, dir. Richard Thorpe & James Hill)

The Terminator (1984, dir. James Cameron)

Kate & Leopold (2001, dir. James Mangold)

All Monsters Attack (”ゴジラ・ミニラ・ガバラ オール怪獣大進撃” 1969, dir. Ishirō Honda)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991, dir. James Cameron)

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003, dir. Jonathan Mostow)

Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019, dir. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter)

Terminator Salvation (2009, dir. McG)

A Little Princess (1995, dir. Alfonso Cuarón)

Step Sisters (2018, dir. Charles Stone III)

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001, dir. Peter Jackson, Long as Shit Version)

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, dir. Peter Jackson, Long as Shit Version)

Godzilla vs. Hedorah (“ゴジラ対ヘドラ” 1971, dir. Yoshimitsu Banno)

Godzilla vs. Gigan (“地球攻撃命令　ゴジラ対ガイガン” 1972, dir. Jun Fukuda)

Come and See (“Ідзі і глядзі” 1985, dir. Elim Klimov)

Blackenstein (1973, dir. William A. Levey)

Godzilla vs, Megalon (“ゴジラ対メガロ” 1973, dir. Jun Fukuda)

Grandma’s Boy (2006, dir. Nicholaus Goossen)

The Crazies (1973, dir. George Romero)

Julie and Julia (2009, dir. Nora Ephron)

Revenge (2017, dir. Coralie Fargeat)

For Your Eyes Only (1981, dir. John Glen)

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003, dir. Peter Jackson, Long as Shit Version)

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988, dir. Martin Scorsese)

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988, dir. Martin Scorsese w/ Commentary by Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, Willem Defoe & Jay Cocks)

Alien (1979, dir. Ridley Scott w/ Red Letter Media Commentary)

The Bling Ring (2013, dir. Sofia Coppola)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916, dir. Stuart Paton)

Chunky Shrapnel (2020, dir. John Angus Stewart) 

Julie and Julia (2009, dir. Nora Ephron)

Dr. No (1962, dir. Terrence Young)

Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001, dir. Sharon Maguire)

Terminator Genisys (2015, dir. Alan Taylor)

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020, dir. Cathy Yan)

Galaxy Quest (1999, dir. Dean Parisot)

Wet Hot American Summer (2001, dir. David Wain)

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (“ゴジラ対メカゴジラ” 1974, dir. Jun Fukuda)

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002, dir. George Lucas)

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020, dir. Nicole Newnham & James LeBrecht)

Enemy (2013, dir. Denis Villeneuve)

Josie and the Pussycats (2001, dir. Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont)

Terror of Mechagodzilla (“メカゴジラの逆襲” 1975, dir. Ishirō Honda)

Zodiac (2007, dir. David Fincher)

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004, dir. Rawson Marshall Thurber)

Blood Rage (1987, dir. John Grissmer)

Cannibal Ferox (1981, dir. Umberto Lenzi)

Liberation Day (2016, dir. Uģis Olte & Morten Traavik)

Ganja & Hess (1973, dir. Bill Gunn)

Before Homosexuals (2017, dir. John Scagliotta)

Can't Hardly Wait (1998, dir. Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont)

The Blues Brothers (1980, dir. John Landis, Unrated Version)

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020, dir. Cathy Yan)

Something Borrowed (2011, dir. Luke Greenfield)

Manifesto (2015, dir. Julian Rosefeldt)

Baby Mama (2008, dir. Michael McCullers)

21 Jump Street (2012, dir. Phil Lord and Chris Miller)

The Limits of Control (2009, dir. Jim Jarmusch)

The Battle of Algiers (“La battaglia di Algeri” 1966, dir. Gillo Pontecorvo)

Hot Pursuit (2015, dir. Anne Fletcher)

Deadly Prey (1987, dir. David A. Prior)

In the Mouth of Madness (1994, dir. John Carpenter)

Ready or Not (2019, dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett)

The Living Skeleton (“吸血髑髏船” 1968, dir. Hiroshi Matsuno)

Buffaloed (2019, dir. Tanya Wexler)

Clash of the Titans (1981, dir. Desmond Davis)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019, dir. Michael Doughtery)

Dune (1984, dir. David Lynch)

The Lovebirds (2020, dir. Michael Showalter)

Step Sisters (2018, dir. Charles Stone III)

Work It (2020, dir. Laura Terruso)

Grandma’s Boy (2006, dir. Nicholaus Goossen)

Grandma’s Boy (2006, dir. Nicholaus Goossen)

Duch, Master of the Forges of Hell (“Duch, le maître des forges de l'enfer” 2011, dir. Rithy Panh)

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989, dir. Stephen Herek)

21 Jump Street (2012, dir. Phil Lord and Chris Miller)

Inception (2010, dir. Christopher Nolan)

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (“ゴジラvsキングギドラ” 1991, dir. Kazuki Ōmori)

The General Line (“Старое и новое” 1929, dir. Sergei Eisenstein & Grigori Aleksandrov)

Romance Sentimentale (1930, dir. Sergei Eisenstein & Grigori Aleksandrov)

Hotel Rwanda (2004, dir. Terry George)

Dragon Ball Z: Burn Up!! A Close Fight - A Violent Fight - A Super Fierce Fight (“ドラゴンボールZ 燃えつきろ!!熱戦・烈戦・超激戦” 1993, dir. Shigeyasu Yamauchi)

Glumov’s Diary (“Дневник Глумова” 1923, dir. Sergei Eisenstein)

Wild Wild West (1999, dir. Barry Sonnenfeld)

No Direction Home (2005, dir. Martin Scorsese)

The Spirit of Christmas (2015, dir. David Jacksen)

M (1931, dir. Fritz Lang)

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019, dir. Tim Miller)

Ginger Snaps (2000, dir. John Fawcett)

The Color of Pomegranates (“Նռան գույնը” 1969, dir. Sergei Parajanov)

You Only Live Twice (1967, dir. Lewis Gilbert)

Thunderball (1965, dir. Terence Young)

Holidate (2020, dir. John Whitesell)

A Christmas Prince (2017, dir. Alex Zamm)

Kuroneko (“藪の中の黒猫” 1968, dir. Kaneto Shindô)

Shrek (2001, dir. Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson)

Vamps (2012, dir. Amy Heckerling)

The Sixth Sense (1999, dir. M. Night Shyamalan)

The Knight Before Christmas (2019, dir. Monika Mitchell)

Je Tu Il Elle (1975, dir. Chantal Akerman)

Mirror (“Зеркало” 1975, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)

Christmas with a Prince (2018, dir. Justin G. Dyck)

The Princess Switch (2018, dir. Mike Rohl)

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2018, dir. John Schulz)

Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell (“吸血鬼ゴケミドロ” 1968, dir. Hajime Sato)

The Lair of the White Worm (1988, dir. Ken Russell)

A Cat in the Brain (“Un gatto nel cervello (I volti del terrore)” 1990, dir. Lucio Fulci)

Blood Feast (1963, dir. Herschel Gordon Lewis)

Highlander (1986, dir. Russel Mulcahy)

The Devil Wears Prada (2006, dir. David Frankel)

Julie and Julia (2009, dir. Nora Ephron)

The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020, dir. Mike Rohl)

A Christmas Prince (2017, dir. Alex Zamm)

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2018, dir. John Schulz)

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby (2019, dir. John Schultz)

Elf (2003, dir. Jon Favreau)

The Santa Clause (1994, dir. John Pasquin)

Last Holiday (2006, dir.  Wayne Wang)

Ashes and Diamonds (“Popiół i diament” 1959, dir. Andrzej Wajda)

The Living Daylights (1987, dir. John Glen) 

[ridleyfm]

luke hemmings. cis male. he/him.  ／  roscoe ridley just pulled up blasting lithium by nirvana  — that song is so them ! you know, for a twenty - three year old musician, i’ve heard they’re really aloof, but that they make up for it by being so ingenious. if i had to choose three things to describe them, i’d probably say overcast days, obscure 90s band tees, and pages of handwritten lyrics stained with coffee rings. here’s to hoping they don’t cause too much trouble ! 

career claim: blackbear 

it is i, sam, and i also write jack ( @devinfm​ ) buuuut here’s another character! he’s brand new and i’m super excited about him. character info under the cut and please message me if you would like to plot!

i. stats

𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚: roscoe melvin ridley

𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨: ridley, ros ( for very close friends and family )

𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣: fife, washington

𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙝: july 16th, 1996

𝙯𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙘: cancer

𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: Bisexual Disaster™

𝙥𝙤𝙨. 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙨: ingenious, unequivocal, fervent.

𝙣𝙚𝙜. 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙨: aloof, censorious, intractable.

ii. history

roscoe melvin ridley was born and raised in the seattle suburb of fife. his mother was a teenager caught up in the wrong crowd and becoming consumed by addiction. one day, she dropped him off at his maternal grandmother's house and...did come back. several times over the years, but she never stayed. she only ever came back looking for money and once his grandmother started refusing her, she stopped coming around.

roscoe ( or ridley, as he would exclusively become known in his teenage years ) was raised on his grandmother's social security checks and what little was left to them by his late grandfather. they struggled a lot, but he was always taken care of.

he went to the local public school and excelled in most of his classes, but music was where his talent truly shone. he started off in choir and playing the piano, but as he got older and discovered the bands and artists that he now cites as his inspiration, he moved on to the guitar and...kinda sucked for a while, but he didn't give up and even got a job so that he could afford lessons ( although it was mainly to help out his grandmother ).

he started writing his own music at the age of fifteen, and so he got some friends together and formed a band but it would quickly become an excuse to spend their afternoons listening to music and experimenting with drugs. ridley didn't mind because he joined in just like his mom oops and quickly decided that the drugs were inspiring him and making him a better musician. sure, jan.

his high school grades were good enough that he probably could have gotten scholarships for university, but instead he attended one or two semesters at the local community college before he dropped out and left his hometown for the first time in his life but he kissed his grandma on the cheek first though.

he wandered a bit, but was in los angeles by the time he was twenty and finally started taking his music more seriously. he posted some of his original stuff to youtube and soundcloud under the name ridley ( stylized all lowercase ) and the official story is that he was an overnight success.

the real story: he gained some buzz off of his first few tracks, but got his record deal from selling cocaine to a big time executive then turning around and threatening to expose the successful businessman's nasty little habit unless he did one little thing for ridley.

as bold of a move as it was, it probably wouldn't have worked if he wasn't actually talented, but the record company wound up liking his stuff. he didn't really care about becoming famous and just wanted the freedom and studio time to work on his music, but it happened anyway. outside of his few songs that have charted on the top 100, he's also gained a MASSIVE worldwide following and bought a new house for his grandma.

iii. extras

yes, he's one of those people who everyone refers to solely by his last name.

really into 90s music, specifically obscure grunge bands from the seattle area.

a total coffee snob who NEEDS like six cups a day to survive. he's always late because no matter where he's going or what he's doing, he /a l w a y s/ stops for coffee first.

blunt and tactless, but at the very least people usually aren't unsure of where they stand with him because he makes it quite clear.

likes to read, possibly even a secret poetry nerd. can often be found with a book in one hand and a coffee in the other.

he often releases music on a whim rather than waiting and putting together an album or even an EP because he doesn't really care about what's more sensible or lucrative. he just likes to make music.

he still does drugs ( mostly cocaine ) but he probably doesn't deal anymore.

so, he's obviously kinda self - destructive. he does drugs, he drinks, he parties. he's probably been in the news a few times after getting arrested for DUIs or street racing or vandalism.

hot girl bummer is his highest charting single to date and it's all over the place right now. even ridley is getting sick of it.

iv. wanted connections

Dudebro™ best friend

non - Dudebro™ best friend

friends ( close friends, friends, friendly acquaintances )

cousins ( most likely from somewhere on the west coast, but otherwise anything goes for this. )

people he used to sell to

street racing buddies

enemies, ex friends, frenemies

pr stunts ( friendships, enemies, relationships )

fwb and one night stands

exes ( perhaps based off of songs from his discography )

[dweemeister]

NOTE: This review contains full spoilers.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

The ninth installment of the Skywalker saga is not only the conclusion to the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but to a decade where the Walt Disney Company has asserted itself as the most powerful entertainment company that has ever existed. The company, led by Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, is unrecognizable from where it was a decade ago, with Walt Disney Motion Pictures dominating, if not outright monopolizing, theater screens internationally. Unlike the movie moguls of yore such as Darryl F. Zanuck (20th Century Fox), Mack Sennett (Keystone Studios), David O. Selznick (Selznick International), or Jack Warner (Warner Bros.), Iger has a business background, not an artistic one. His respective $4 billion purchases of Lucasfilm and Marvel were decisions not made from cinematic considerations, but financial ones. The conservative artistry seen in Disney’s films in 2019 – including that other enormous blockbuster of the year, Avengers: Endgame – has evidenced where the company’s soul is. This is not the House of Mouse of Walt Disney, which ceased to be in 1968 after the final films Walt produced before his death were released to theaters.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams (the other co-writer is Chris Terrio), who directed The Force Awakens (2015). The film goes out of its way to repudiate Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi (2017), which – though valued more than its predecessor by yours truly – unleashed a torrent of intra-fandom acrimony rooted in racism; sexism; and an unhealthy, uncritical merger of personal identity and pop culture franchise. This is not to absolve The Last Jedi of its plentiful shortcomings, but to comment on where the Star Wars fandom is upon the release of The Rise of Skywalker. The Rise of Skywalker is more of a continuation of The Force Awakens, and this includes Abrams’ propensity to craft variations on existing material. Yet even the most creative decisions in this ninth Star Wars episode are hampered by poor filmmaking, two-and-a-half films worth of plot stuffed into one, dreadful writing resulting in thematic inconsistencies and canonical contradictions that will be  explained away in some novel or video game, and an obvious lack of planning. The most concerning thing is that Star Wars’ reputation – despite my description of the series four years ago as, “a pastiche and always has been” – as an innovative force in cinema (even the prequels) has been lost. This is not the Star Wars of George Lucas, which ceased to be after Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm.

Without warning or foreshadowing, the opening crawl immediately states that Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) – who appeared to have died in Return of the Jedi (1983) – has broadcasted an ominous message to the galaxy. This message, which you can hear exclusively on Fortnite (this is not a joke), has caused widespread anxiety but, most importantly, has led Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) to Palpatine’s whereabouts. Palpatine has been orchestrating everything to seduce Kylo to the dark side, also revealing to the erstwhile Ben Solo that he has commissioned a fleet that will bolster the First Order’s by ten thousand-fold – a fleet that will send shivers down the spines of accountants anywhere. Elsewhere, Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher posthumously) is finalizing Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) Jedi training as Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac; whose character is now Leia’s successor apparent) learn of the name of the planet where Palpatine is hiding, thanks to a well-placed spy. What follows is a series of fetch quests with the three central sequel trilogy heroes, accompanied by Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), BB-8 (operated by David Chapman and Brian Herring), and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels).

The film features many others, most notably Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), Resistance ally Jannah (Naomi Ackie), First Order General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson), Allegiant General Pride (Richard E. Grant doing his best Peter Cushing impression), Poe’s friend/acquaintance/Abrams and Terrio’s written excuse to make him straight Zorii Bliss (Keri Russell), and R2-D2 (Hassan Taj and Lee Towersey). Lupita Nyong’o’s Maz Kanata returns in a glorified cameo; a handful of deceased characters make postmortem appearances.

Rose Tico made Kelly Marie Tran the first (and only) non-white actress to play a lead role in a Star Wars film. The character, along with John Boyega’s Finn, was given a poorly-written C-plot in The Last Jedi – Tran (who was subjected to online abuse prior to and after The Last Jedi’s release) and Boyega did their damndest in some of the worst sequences Star Wars has. The filmmakers (it is not exactly clear who is responsible, whether it is the screenwriters or the producers) have capitulated to the online trolls who attacked Tran (and her character) for her appearance, gender, and race. Her exclusion and other decisions in this film dispose entirely The Last Jedi’s antithesis that one need not be from a hallowed bloodline or an exclusive order to exemplify the bravery, compassion, and service to others that is celebrated within and beyond Star Wars. Rose Tico, described as, “the heart of [The Last Jedi]”, is an embodiment of the idea that the consequences of the multigenerational violence initiated or inspired by the Skywalkers – and, by extension, the centuries-old conflict between the Jedi and the Sith – are felt most by those without Force capabilities, military or political power. The Rise of Skywalker, through its treatment of Rose Tico among other storytelling choices, openly rejects this commentary and opportunity to present an untold perspective in favor of dynastic interests and expositional excess.

For Finn and Poe, The Rise of Skywalker represents another missed opportunity for character development. Finn, from the moment he appears onscreen, is too busy speaking expository points. Poe is given a lady friend so that homophobic censors around the world do not give Disney’s distribution managers a difficult time. The interest surrounding Rey (whose arc, as a mythic hero finally realizing her horrible family history as a Palpatine, comes to a merely satisfactory conclusion in The Rise of Skywalker) and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo – and yes, that includes their bewildering relationship that Abrams himself cannot coherently explain – will be endlessly debated in greater detail by others with a greater emotional affinity for Star Wars.

As the embodiment for the First Order for almost all the sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren’s/Ben Solo’s about face to the light after being stabbed in the stomach by Rey is unconvincing. This is a character who has been presented with numerous opportunities to renounce the ways of the dark side of the Force and has spurned each opportunity – even after becoming Supreme Leader of the First Order in The Last Jedi, with no authority figure influencing his conduct, and fully understanding the difference between right and wrong. He has acted predatory towards Rey in the form of physical threats and has demonstrated no willingness to change. Abrams and Terrio’s solution is to have Kylo Ren hallucinate a forgiving Han Solo (Harrison Ford, uncredited) to inspire this change – they might as well have had an angel and devil on Kylo Ren’s opposing shoulders because it would have been just as believable.

Too many aspects of The Rise of Skywalker depend on fanservice. The appearances of individuals like Lando Calrissian and Luke Skywalker’s Force ghost (Mark Hamill) are welcome, but do not add enough to the film from what the filmmakers are intending. The introduction of new characters in the final film of a sequel trilogy is additional bloat that will be better developed in a future Star Wars book, television series, or video game. This is an irritating development, as ancillary Star Wars media is not guaranteed (okay, with Disney’s money it is probably a certainty) and probably will not be consumed by the masses (especially in several decades’ time) – these characters and other subplots should stand independently within the film they appear. Abrams and Terrio’s attempts to provide a morsel of character development to these secondary and tertiary characters should have occurred in earlier films or scaled back for The Rise of Skywalker. Death is apparently a reversible thing, robbing scenes of emotional power and exemplifying how gutless the screenplay is – certain developments in how the Force works have opened dangerous precedents for future Star Wars media, making it resemble more like superhero media (where only Bruce Wayne’s parents and Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben remain deceased). It is further evidence that, as has been widely speculated, that Abrams and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy approved this sequel trilogy without a comprehensible three-part story or, at the very least, a general idea of how to develop a logical story arc for this project.

Other questions raised but not developed across The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi linger. The sequel trilogy dispenses with the tried-and-tested theory of the three-act narrative structure if analyzed from the entirety of the Skywalker saga – a trilogy of trilogies. Films and cinematic trilogies do not always adhere to this paradigm, but given how the previous eight episodes are told and how rigidly J.J. Abrams has kept to this structure in his career, it is stunning how the ninth episode completes the sequel trilogy’s incongruence with all that has come before. Episodes I, II, and III (“Act 1″) are the catalyst: with his fear unchecked and exploited by Palpatine, Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader and the Republic is overthrown by an authoritarian Galactic Empire. The Jedi Order is almost destroyed. Episodes IV, V, and VI (“Act 2″) sees the light confront the dark: Luke Skywalker becomes a Jedi and the Rebel Alliance lands a fatal, but not final, blow to the Galactic Empire. Anakin, “the Chosen One”, fulfills the prophecy of bringing balance to the Force.

Episodes VII, VIII, and IX (“Act 3″) – if we are assuming the traditional three-act structure that Star Wars has adopted in each of its films and the two preceding trilogies – should see how the protagonists create and maintain order leading up to and/or after the fall of the Galactic Empire. Thus, the sequel trilogy should see the reconstruction of the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order. More politics may not be what Star Wars fans want to see, but post-revolutionary/post-war states tend to be unstable politically and militarily. A post-Galactic Civil War period could easily see the violent death throes of Imperial and Sith-y remnants amid the restoration of the Republic. To quote from The Battle of Algiers (1966): “It’s hard to start a revolution. Even harder to continue it. And hardest of all to win it. But, it’s only afterwards... that the true difficulties begin.” Instead, this sequel trilogy is nothing more than a contemporary rehash of the second act. It is another dramatic second act confrontation, an escalation of the second act because we learn little about the post-Galactic Civil War period within the films. Palpatine’s zombified resurrection (Abrams’ responsibility) and defeat at the hands of Rey does not flow naturally from The Last Jedi and makes the final minutes of Return of the Jedi (which it partially copies in its climax) a lot less consequential than it should be. What should be the Skywalker saga’s third act is shoveled into the final ten or twenty minutes of The Rise of Skywalker.

The maximalism of The Rise of Skywalker requires it to juggle too many plotlines for an overlong fetch quest. It is not aided by the editing of Maryann Brandon (2009′s Star Trek, The Force Awakens) and Stefan Grube (The Force Awakens, 2016′s 10 Cloverfield Lane). In a series that has contained remarkable examples of film editing, The Rise of Skywalker is a franchise-worst – even the prequels had the decency to stay on certain shots for a few seconds to allow the audience to bask in the landscape, a certain character or creature, or a lightsaber duel. The film switches cameras too quickly, positioned too close to the characters. It occurs in the film’s quieter moments and during the climactic battles (the gold standard of editing in Star Wars battles is Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi v. Darth Maul in 1999′s The Phantom Menace; note how few cuts there are compared to most of today’s action movies and how Lucas is not afraid to pull his camera to a wide shot to let the scene feel larger than life as well as making spatial sense).

The Rise of Skywalker still feels like a space opera epic, with exciting action sequences abound here and there. The “secret sauce of Star Wars”, George Lucas will tell you, is not in the new worlds and aliens and those who use the Force. It is composer John Williams; The Rise of Skywalker is his final Star Wars score. This is not Williams’ best Star Wars score, but it is a masterful capstone to forty-two years of work. The newest and most fascinating musical ideas are both contained in the cue “The Rise of Skywalker”. Williams, whose motivic-heavy scoring relates ideas and grows alongside characters, provides a general main theme (0:00-0:54) and a friendship motif (beginning at 0:54) appearing in scenes where the bonds between Rey, Finn, and Poe are depicted. These few minutes exemplify how wondrous Williams’ ability to add complex harmonies underneath his soaring melodies is. Few other film composers living, if any at all, can have these two new musical ideas (these motifs are abnormally, but welcomingly, longer than usual for Williams) intermingling and in contrapuntal conversation to such mesmeric heights. 

The Emperor’s theme, as first heard in Return of the Jedi, makes its predictable and always-unsettling return here. But the other major motif introduced for The Rise of Skywalker is “Anthem of Evil”. This, introduced by choir, is expanded upon in “Approaching the Throne” and is befitting a being neither fully alive nor dead. The unsettling bass notes and low choir seem more appropriate for a horror film, but is entirely deserved for this film. One can also find excellent cues online (a favorite is “Falcon Flight”, which demonstrates the best of Williams’ action scoring) as of the writing of this review that do not appear on the initial commercial release album, but an album provided to Hollywood insiders for awards consideration (that album contains the best statement of Kylo Ren’s motif). This is a valedictory score, yet contains some of the best film music work of the year. We will give John Williams a pass if he is in a celebratory mood.

Williams has completed something that, in film history, only one other composer has accomplished. He stands alone with Akira Ifukube. Where Ifukube composed for Toho Company’s kaiju films/Godzilla franchise (from 1952′s Godzilla to 1995′s Godzilla vs. Destoroyah), Williams has composed for a multipart cycle of films released over several decades (nine films, like the nine symphonies of many classical music composers). Williams’ Star Wars cycle is the most popular example of what grand orchestral film music can do – how it lends greater emotional heft to images onscreen, its dramatic versatility, why it deserves a place in the concert hall and classical music history – among today’s audiences. The nine scores will be his defining work, but hopefully posterity will remember and see the genius of his compositions like Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Schindler’s List (1993), and even his strict classical music and jazz pieces.*

Kathleen Kennedy’s mismanagement of this sequel trilogy has been laid bare by The Rise of Skywalker. In four short years, Disney has somehow run one of its most prized IPs into the creative cinematic dirt by attempting to please as broad a base as possible in this ninth installment. The creative choices of the last several years and The Rise of Skywalker alone has made being a casual Star Wars fan exhausting. As someone who did not watch a Star Wars film all the way through until I was thirteen, has it always been this exhausting? One day that exhaustion will make way for relief, but that will be long after Bob Iger is hailed for his supposed moviemaking acumen with Star Wars and Marvel leading the way. Iger, as mentioned previously, has not been visionary but mercenary for the Walt Disney Company, with Kathleen Kennedy and Kevin Feige his enforcers. He will remain in charge of the Walt Disney Company until the end of 2021.

This Star Wars sequel trilogy, popular as it has been, has been an artistic misfire. J.J. Abrams, more of a hype man‡ than the B-director whose has never shaken off his television background, has somehow regressed from the ideologically bankrupt Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) – hey, Trekkies and Star Wars fans have something in common! The filmmakers chosen to bring The Rise of Skywalker and this sequel trilogy were baptized in waters created when George Lucas, Gary Kurtz, and others redirected the flow of film history with Star Wars. Star Wars may no longer be guided by Lucas’ vision, but the artistry that arrived in theaters in 1977 can never be washed away.

My rating: 5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found here.

Also in this series: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017)

* These references to classical music history should not be construed as a claim that John Williams is an equal to Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, or Mahler - they are composing music in different artistic contexts (classical music for music’s sake is different from classical opera and both are contextually different compared to orchestral music written for a film). Instead, it is an acknowledgment that orchestral film music is gaining widespread acceptance as part of the classical music canon. Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1938′s The Adventures of Robin Hood), Alfred Newman (1962′s How the West Was Won), and Max Steiner (1939′s Gone with the Wind) created the vocabulary of film music in the early sound era and have - to varying degrees - been accepted into the classical music canon. The jury is out for the younger composers working in Hollywood in the twenty-first century.

‡ Abrams’ (and others as well) incessant teasing of LGBTQ+ representation resulted in a scene where two women we have no information about kiss in the background for a few moments after the Final Order’s defeat, surrounded by a bunch of Resistance soldiers also celebrating. Given the context, this kiss can be explained away as a moment of platonic affection that went further than it should (hypothetical: it’s nearing midnight at New Years’ Eve and folks are drunk everywhere... what do you think is going to happen?). Let’s not pat ourselves on the back now, filmmakers.

[hypergremlinisation]

101-200

101. Good Time (Ben Safdie/Josh Safdie, USA, 2017) - 8.25 102. Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 1952) - 9.5 103. American Honey (Andrea Arnold, UK, 2016) - 9.25 104. The Florida Project (Sean Baker, USA, 2017) - 9.0 105. Lucifer Rising (Kenneth Anger, USA/UK, 1972) - 8.0 106. Columbus (Kogonada, USA, 2017) - 8.5 107. Perfumed Nightmare (Kidlat Tahimik, Philippines, 1977) - 8.5 108. Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows (Paul Jay, USA/Canada, 1998) - 7.0 109. Beyond The Mat (Barry Blaustein, USA, 1999) - 7.25 110. Logan (James Mangold, USA, 2017) - 7.5 111. Coco (Lee Unkrich/Adrian Molina, USA, 2017) - 8.25 112.  There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, USA, 2007) - 9.5 113. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Martin McDonagh, UK/USA, 2017) - 7.5 114. Chungking Express (Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong, 1994) - 9.0 115. Fallen Angels (Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong, 1995) - 8.75 116. The Disaster Artist (James Franco, USA, 2017) - 7.25 117. Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach, USA, 2012) - 8.0 118. Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig, USA, 2017) - 8.25 119. Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino, Italy/USA/Brazil/France, 2017) - 8.5 120. Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson, USA, 2002) - 8.75 121. Get Out (Jordan Peele, USA, 2017) - 10 122. Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan, UK/US/France/Netherlands, 2017) - 8.25 123. Vixen! (Russ Meyer, USA, 1968) - 7.75 124. Clerks (Kevin Smith, USA, 1994) - 7.0 125. The Shape Of Water (Guillermo del Toro, USA, 2017) - 8.25 126. The House Is Black (Forough Farrokhzad, Iran, 1963) - 9.5 127. Election (Alexander Payne, USA, 1999) - 8.5 128. 10 Things I Hate About You (Gil Junger, USA, 1999) - 7.5 129. Tears Of The Black Tiger (Wisit Sasanatieng, Thailand, 2000) - 9.0 130. Interiors (Woody Allen, USA, 1978) - 7.25 131. Mallrats (Kevin Smith, USA, 1995) - 6.5 132. Belladonna Of Sadness (Eiichi Yamamoto, Japan, 1973) - 8.0 133. Persona (Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1966) - 9.5 134. Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father (Kurt Kuenne, USA, 2008) - 8.0 135. Dazed And Confused (Richard Linklater, USA, 1993) - 10 136. Annihilation (Alex Garland, USA/UK, 2018) - 8.25 137. The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen, USA, 1998) - 9.25 138. The Big Sick (Michael Showalter, USA, 2017) - 7.75 139. Hannah And Her Sisters (Woody Allen, USA, 1986) - 7.0 140. The Edge Of Seventeen (Kelly Fremon Craig, USA, 2016) - 8.75 141. Clueless (Amy Heckerling, USA, 1995) - 8.0 142. Ghost In The Shell (Mamoru Oshii, Japan/UK, 1995) - 8.25 143. Ninja Scroll (Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Japan, 1993) - 7.75 144. Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (Stanley Kubrick, UK/USA, 1964) - 9.0 145. Police Story (Jackie Chan, Hong Kong, 1985) - 7.75 146. City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, USA, 1931) - 8.0 147. The Act Of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, Norway/Denmark/UK, 2012) - 10 148. The Look Of Silence (Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark/Finland/France/Germany/Indonesia/Israel/Netherlands/Norway/Taiwan/UK/USA, 2014) - 8.25 149. Crimes And Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, USA, 1989) - 5.0  150. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, USA, 1990) - 9.0 151. Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson, USA, 1997) - 9.0 152. Waco: The Rules Of Engagement (William Gazecki, USA, 1997) - 8.0 153. Amores perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexico, 2000) - 7.75 154. Stop Making Sense (Jonathan Demme, USA, 1984) - 9.5 155. Motherland (Ramona S. Diaz, Philippines/USA, 2017) - 7.0 156. The King Of Kong (Seth Gordon, USA, 2007) - 8.75 157. My Neighbors The Yamadas (Isao Takahata, Japan, 1999) - 8.0 158. Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick, UK/USA, 1987) - 9.0 159. 8 Mile (Curtis Hanson, USA, 2002) - 6.5 160. Grave Of The Fireflies (Isao Takahata, Japan, 1988) - 10 161. The Tale Of Princess Kaguya (Isao Takahata, Japan, 2013) - 8.75 162. Super Troopers (Jay Chandrasehkar, USA, 2001) - 5.0 163. Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 1997) - 8.75 164. Under Great White Northern Lights (Emmett Malloy, Canada, 2009) - 8.0 165. The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, USA, 2012) - 9.25 166. Un Chien Andalou (Luis Buñuel, France, 1929) - 8.0 167. The Decline Of Western Civilization (Penelope Spheeris, USA, 1981) - 8.75 168. The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (Penelope Spheeris, USA, 1988) - 6.5 169. The Decline Of Western Civilization III (Penelope Spheeris, USA, 1998) - 7.25 170. Pom Poko (Isao Takahata, Japan, 1994) - 8.25 171. The Social Network (David Fincher, USA, 2010) - 8.25 172. The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 2013) - 8.5 173. 1991: The Year Punk Broke (Dave Markey, USA, 1992) - 7.0 174. Hype! (Doug Pray, USA, 1996) - 7.5 175. Singles (Cameron Crowe, USA, 1992) - 7.5 176. The Devil And Daniel Johnston (Jeff Feuerzeig, USA, 2005) - 8.25 177. Game Night (John Francis Daley/Jonathan Goldstein, USA, 2018) - 7.5 178. Girls Trip (Malcolm D. Lee, USA, 2017) - 7.5 179. Some Kind Of Monster (Joe Berlinger/Bruce Sinofsky, USA, 2004) - 8.5 180. This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, USA, 1984) - 7.5 181. Eraserhead (David Lynch, USA, 1977) - 8.75 182. Green Room (Jeremy Saulnier, USA, 2016) - 8.25 183. Purple Rain (Albert Magnoli, USA, 1984) - 7.75 184. Sign o’ The Times (Prince, USA, 1987) - 8.25 185. The Three Caballeros (Norman Ferguson/Clyde Geronimi/Jack Kinney/Bill Roberts/Harold Young, USA, 1944) - 8.0 186. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 2001) - 9.5 187. Hearts And Minds (Peter Davis, USA, 1974) - 8.75 188. The Incredibles (Brad Bird, USA, 2004) - 8.5 189. Space Jam (Joe Pytka, USA, 1996) - 7.5 190. Like Mike (John Schultz, USA, 2002) - 6.0

191. The Double Life Of Veronique (Krzysztof Kieślowski, France/Poland/Norway, 1991) - 9.25 192. The Strangers: Prey At Night (Johannes Roberts, USA, 2018) - 4.0 193. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, USA/Hong Kong, 1982) - 9.5 194. L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson, USA, 1997) - 8.25 195. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, USA, 1974) - 9.0 196. Los Angeles Plays Itself (Thom Andersen, USA, 2004) - 9.75 197. Empire Records (Allan Moyle, USA, 1995) - 5.0 198. Reality Bites (Ben Stiller, USA, 1994) - 5.5 199. Snakes On A Plane (David R. Ellis, USA, 2006) - 6.0 200. Woman In The Dunes (Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japan, 1964) - 8.75

[aion-rsa]

How Denzel Washington Celebrates Thanksgiving in American Gangster

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Denzel Washington’s Frank Lucas in Ridley Scott’s American Gangster is exactly that: an American gangster. The real Frank Lucas was born in North Carolina so dirt poor that he never even attended school. But he could have taught at any business college. His success is the American dream, and he has a lot to be grateful for. Washington’s Lucas is also a traditionalist in the 2007 crime epic, and he celebrates Thanksgiving “the American way.” He throws a family feast, leads his family in grace, and gives out turkeys to the needy and the greedy.

After an introductory and incendiary business lesson, American Gangster opens on Thanksgiving. Harlem Godfather Bumpy Johnson (Clarence Williams III) is standing on the back of a freight truck, giving out turkeys to the less fortunate. The crowds are cheering, and he calls Frank over bask in the loving spotlight. His young protégé demurs, allowing his boss to be the sole beneficiary of the mass gratitude for this act of beneficence. This title tells us this is Harlem in 1968, and the appreciation rising from the streets shows this is true soul food.

The tradition of gangsters giving back to their community is a time-honored one. Chicago crime boss Al Capone personally donated 5,000 turkeys on Thanksgiving Day 1930–although some reports say it was beef stew–through his State Street soup kitchen, the Loop. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Federal Surplus Relief Corporation wouldn’t be formed until October 1933. The first food banks opened in 1967. Mob figures were always ahead of the curve. James “Whitey” Bulger handed out turkeys on the South End of Boston. Lucas also gave them out, as did mobster Raymond Marquez.

In director Mario Van Peeble’s 1991 gangster classic, New Jack City, Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) and his Cash Money Brothers get caught, in part, because of their public shows of festive generosity. Bryan and Slim Williams were so moved by the film they founded Cash Money Records, and also gave away Thanksgiving dinners. Gangsta rappers have continued the tradition. Oakland rapper Stanley Cox, AKA Mistah F.A.B., who even name drops Frank Lucas in “You Got Bodied,” has been sponsoring annual turkey drives for years.

In American Gangster, Lucas drives past rival gangster Nicky “Mr. Untouchable” Barnes’ (Cuba Gooding Jr.) annual turkey giveaway. He doesn’t put in an appearance because he is making a special delivery. Frank normally dresses business conservative, classy but downplayed, but he exhibits conspicuous consumption during “The Fight of the Century.” He shows up at the Ali-Frazier fight wearing a matching chinchilla coat and hat with a combined retail price tag of $75,000. This catches the attention of Special Investigations Detective Trupo (Josh Brolin), who has never even gotten “a cup of coffee” from the successful mobster. “There’s something wrong there,” Trupo says in the film. “Pay your bills, Frank.”

Well, this makes Lucas feel the same way Ebenezer Scrooge felt after a visit from his old partner in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and he responds the same way. Lucas doesn’t scrimp on the prize bird. This is no frozen grocery surplus that fell off the back of a truck. The Harlem gangster delivers a live turkey to the jive turkey. Not wanting credit for his largesse, he leaves the big bird in a cage.

As Trupo is admiring his new feathered friend, Lucas sends his most meaningful Thanksgiving greeting, blowing up the special investigator’s prized Shelby Mustang. “I loved that car,” Trupo would later admit to Frank, who simply and understandably says “I know.” But the gangster does offer some amends. When the detective finds “Blue Magic,” the pure heroin which is being distributed throughout the tri-state area, in Frank and his brother Huey’s (Chiwetel Ejiofor) car, Lucas is still in the holiday mood. “Zip it up, throw it back in the trunk, we’re gonna go home to our wives, have some warm apple pie, apple cider.”

Frank is not ostentatious in his business, his charity, or his presentation. He winds up burning the attention-getting chinchilla coat. Thanksgiving dinner at his mother’s (Ruby Dee) house is elaborate but traditional. Lucas, like Bumpy before him, spends a lot of time with Italian gangsters, and takes their advice and counsel seriously. If this extended to holiday cuisine, the Lucas family would have started with antipasto, followed by a pasta dish, something like stuffed shells, manicotti or lasagna, but baked ziti is perfectly acceptable. Then he would have served the turkey, as well as possibly a ham, and followed that with pastries, espresso, and sambuca.

With a screenplay by Steven Zaillian (Gangs of New York), American Gangster has many parallels to Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, yet also runs counter to the film in important ways. Lucas is portrayed as a ruthless businessman who goes to church regularly, and puts fresh flowers on the grave of Bumpy Johnson with the same consistency. Scott cuts from the family dinner to the junkies who make up the collateral damage of Lucas’ success, but the gangster still comes across as a family man, religious and faithful. He marries Eva (Lymari Nadal) in a church wedding, and his final arrest is a deconstruction of The Godfather‘s baptism scene. While it provides an alibi for Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in Coppola’s film, the church is no final refuge for Washington’s most American gangster in Ridley’s gangster epic.

The Lucas family’s holiday meal is very American. It has all the fixings, and the whole family attends. Frank asks them all to hold hands as he prays to God to “feed our souls with heavenly grace.” But there is one soul who is not graced with a turkey, and he’s the one who could use it the most.

Russell Crowe’s Det. Richie Roberts is not an afficionado of fine cuisine, to put it mildly. Mobsters eat well, from the sloppy sausage sandwiches Sonny Corleone (James Caan) scrapes direct from the pot in The Godfather through the razor-thin sliced garlic on the jail cuisine in Goodfellas, to the sweet Charlotte Russe in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America. In American Gangster, Mafia boss Dominic Cattano (Armand Assante) explains how Frank “upsets the natural order” of things when he monopolizes his brand. But Det. Roberts celebrates Thanksgiving with a tuna sandwich on white bread. He doesn’t even put bread crumbs or mayo on it for binding. He loads it with potato chips. That is an unnatural celebration no one should order.

So who’s the real American that day?

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The post How Denzel Washington Celebrates Thanksgiving in American Gangster appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/32wObLK

[crossovershipstournament]

CROSSOVER SHIPS TOURNAMENT BRACKET

(Please full-screen for an easier time reading)

Finally, the bracket for the Crossover Ships Tournament is here! I'm so excited to finally get this tournament going, so I'll keep this short and get to the match-ups, with a quick reminder that will be included on the polls themselves as well:

That being said, let's get to the match-ups:

SIDE 1:

Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera (Ducktales 2017)/Clover Ebi (RWBY) VS Gregor (Star Wars the Clone Wars)/Harley Quinn (DC Comics)

Dib Membrane (Invader Zim)/Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls) VS JD (Heathers the Musical)/Nathan Prescott (Life is Strange)

Charlie Bradbury (Supernatural)/Rose Tyler (Doctor Who) VS Reagan Ridley (Inside Job)/Toriel Dreemur (Undertale)

Ange Ushiromiya (Umineko no Naku Koro Ni)/Rin Tohsaka (Fate/Stay Night) VS Max Goof (Disney)/Yakko Warner (Animaniacs)

Dimentio (Super Paper Mario)/Jevil (Deltarune) VS Astro Tenma (Astro Boy (2009))/Wilbur Robinson (Meet The Robinsons)

Damian Wayne (DC Comics)/Marinette Dupain-Cheng (Miraculous Ladybug) VS Michelangelo Hamato (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)/Miles Morales (Marvel)

Sora (Kingdom Hearts)/Jim Hawkins (Treasure Planet) VS Jimmy Neutron (Jimmy Neutron)/Timmy Turner (Fairly Oddparents)

Bendy (Bendy and the Ink Machine)/Cuphead (Cuphead) VS Johnny Bravo (Johnny Bravo)/Samurai Jack (Samurai Jack)

Mogar (Xray and Vav)/David (Camp Camp) VS Dewey Duck (Ducktales 2017)/Whitley Schnee (RWBY)

Ash Williams (Evil Dead)/Crawford Tillinghast (From Beyond) VS Skales (Lego Ninjago)/Starscream (Transformers Prime)

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (How To Train Your Dragon)/Jack Frost (Rise of the Guardians) VS Jane Porter (Tarzan)/Captain Amelia (Treasure Planet)

Isabelle (Animal Crossing)/Wolf O’Donnell (StarFox) VS Webby Vanderquack (Ducktales 2017)/Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)

Chibiusa (Sailor Moon)/Kid Trunks Briefs (Dragon Ball Z) VS Kokichi Ouma (Danganronpa)/Venti (Genshin Impact)

Applejack (My Little Pony)/Hol Horse (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders) VS Jake Long (American Dragon: Jake Long)/Juniper Lee (The Life and Times of Juniper Lee)

Princess Peach (Super Mario)/Samus Aran (Metroid) VS Kefer (Egyxos)/Shiryu (Knights of the Zodiac)

Alex Mercer (Prototype)/Desmond Miles (Assassin’s Creed) VS Gandra Dee (Ducktales 2017)/Winter Schnee (RWBY)

SIDE 2:

Jiminy Cricket (Pinocchio)/Timothy Q. Mouse (Dumbo) VS Max (Camp Camp)/Phineas Flynn (Phineas and Ferb)

Wirt (Over the Garden Wall)/Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls) VS Pinkie Pie (My Little Pony)/Shockwave (Transformers Prime)

Daffy Duck (Looney Toons)/Donald Duck (Disney) VS Commander Peepers (Wander Over Yonder)/Wilt Michaels (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends)

Jigglypuff (Pokemon)/Kirby (Kirby) VS Merida (Brave)/Rapunzel (Tangled)

Leonardo Hamato (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)/Yuichi Usagi (Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles) VS Megaman (Megaman)/Pit (Kid Icarus)

Floyd Leech (Twisted Wonderland)/Kanata Shinkai (Ensemble Stars) VS Adrien Agreste (Chat Noir) (Miraculous Ladybug)/Berry Shirayuki (Mew Berry) (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Ben Tennyson (Ben 10)/Rex Salazar (Generator Rex) VS Bayonetta (Bayonetta)/Palutena (Kid Icarus)

Gyro Gearloose (Ducktales 2017)/Hazel Rainart (RWBY) VS Sally “Thorn” McKnight (Scooby Doo Franchise)/Skwisgaar Skwigelf (Metalocalypse)

Blossom Utonium (Powerpuff Girls)/Dexter (Dexter’s Laboratory) VS Angus McDonald (The Adventure Zone)/Shigeo Kageyama (Mob) (Mob Psycho 100)

Selina Kyle (Catwoman) (DC Comics)/Loki (Marvel Cinematic Universe) VS Apollo (Percy Jackson)/Clark Kent (Superman) (Superman)

Aqua (Kingdom Hearts)/Cinderella (Cinderella) VS Huey Duck (Ducktales 2017)/Wakko Warner (Animaniacs)

Madoka Kaname (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)/Shinji Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion) VS Gaz Membrane (Invader Zim)/Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)

Sam Winchester (Supernatural)/Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds) VS Phone Guy (Five Nights at Freddy’s)/Wally Franks (Bendy and the Ink Machine)

Ditzy Doo (My Little Pony)/The Doctor (Doctor Who) VS Anne Boonchuy (Amphibia)/Nepeta Leijon (Homestuck)

Bowser (Super Mario)/Dr. Eggman (Sonic) VS Beastman (Masters of the Universe)/Lifeweaver (Overwatch 2)

Luca Paguro (Luca)/Maisie Brumble (The Sea Beast) VS Dewey Duck (Ducktales 2017)/Silver the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog)

The tournament will begin proper sometime over the following weekend (07/01 - 07/02). I should have a more specific day and time by tomorrow!

[weekendshowcase]

A Future ForesE3n

by Derek Skinner

This is our top 10 best games out of last week’s E3 2018 trade show, ranked all the way up to #1. WARNING: Some of these trailers, like the games they’re promoting, may contain mature content. Parental discretion is advised.

Okay, now that the disclosure’s out of the way, let’s get down to it!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#10) Dying Light 2 (PC, PS4, XB1)      Bringing in new and rich environments, players will have to survive threats during both day and night while at the same time make important decisions that can and will change the world that you live in!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#9) Death Stranding (PS4)      This game was created by the famous Hideo Kojima of Metal Gear Solid fame, and Guillermo Tel Toro (Oscar-winning director of The Shape of Water) and stars The Walking Dead’s very own Norman “Daryl Dixon” Reedus. It simply looks amazing!! Although I’m still excited for the game, the preview still leaves us with a lot of questions. For instance, what is this monster who we can only see the footprints of, and what role does Norman's character’s baby play in all of this?  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#8) The Division 2 (PC, PS4, XB1)      Not set in New York but Washington, DC this time around, The Division 2 looks amazing! I just hope that Ubisoft learned from their previous mistakes in the first game that had turn away a great deal of people who had fun with the game before the constant patch updates.

Check out the E3 trailer right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7P5m9DPtZo

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#7) Gears of War [franchise] (XB1)      The reason I say Gears of War is because its not coming out with just one game, but three!  We'll have Gears of War 5 (now called simply Gears 5), which continues where the fourth installment left off. There’s also Gears of War: Tactics that takes a new turn for the series with turn based strategy, and Gears Pop! on iPhone and Android, based on the iconic POP! vinyl collectible figures. While we don't know much about Tactics and Pop! yet, I think a lot of Gears fans can't wait to get a chance to play all of them when they're finally released!

Announcement footage for Gears Tactics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR5eedO5P-Q

Cinematic trailer for Gears 5: http://youtube.com/watch?v=PlvVs1Z2TUU

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#6) The Last of Us, Part 2 (PS4)      Fans were wondering what happened to little Ellie after the events of the first game. The new trailer shows us a older version of Ellie enjoying a community dance party of some sort, while at the same time showing off some of the survival skills that she learned from Joel, the protagonist from the first game who protected her. It seems that developer Naughty Dog is taking a similar narrative and character growth approach as Telltale Games did with Clementine in the Walking Dead episodic game series, shifting the story’s primary focus to an older version of a previously-established character we last saw as a child.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#5) Fallout: 76 (PC, PS4, XB1)      The newest installment in the long-running franchise - and looking better than ever! Being a prequel to the overall series, Fallout: 76 explains the story of the first people of Vault 76. Set in West Virginia, the game will have a world that is four times as big as Fallout 4, many new creatures and characters... not to mention the biggest new feature: Online play!

Check out the E3 trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9FGaan35s0

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#4) Resident Evil 2: Remake (PC, PS4, XB1)      Capcom finally released some gameplay for this game and it looks great! Long time fans of this franchise will finally be able to enjoy a true re-telling of the PS1/GameCube classic, now with updated graphics and gameplay. Rather than being in third person view like the original version, the game seems to use the over-the-shoulder view that was used in Resident Evil 4 through 6 instead.  And even though we will not get the classic fixed camera views, this new game still looks just as frightening as the original.

Check out the E3 trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtxJtQa6VSw

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#3) Kingdom Hearts III (PS4, XB1)      People have been waiting for this game to come out like Final Fantasy fans for the FF7 remake after all the tie-in stories and re-releases of previous titles We finally get to see a little more as to what's to come from it. There's seemingly resurrected organization XIII members, new worlds to visit such as Frozen, Tangled, and even Pixar worlds like Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. This time out, there are also apparently *two* Rikus and probably the biggest mystery of all: Why does Aqua look like she has been possessed by Xehanort!?

Check out Sora and friends visiting Jack Sparrow, right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn5WNxy-Wcw

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#2) Devil May Cry 5 (PS4, XB1)      Fans of this series have been looking for this game to come out for a long time now. Ever since the reboot that Capcom released back on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Don’t worry though, it’s been a while but the time away seems to be very well spent because this new game looks amazing. Not only do we get the original Dante, but Nero as well,  Although rather than have his Devil Bringer arm from the last game, he now has a robotic arm in place of it.

Check out the E3 trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmLTWYxEI_o

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#1) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch)      Everyone has been waiting in anticipation for news about this game since its initial trailer and we all pretty much lost our minds after finally seeing it. Not only are you getting every single character from the the beginning. I’m talking from 1999′s Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo 64, through 2014′s Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. We’ll also be getting two new characters: Inkling from the 2015 hit Splatoon and Ridley from the Metroid series. The latter of whom was apparently *very* highly requested by fans.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That’s it for now guys, thanks for reading and checking out this week’s post. Check back here later on, and at our main channel on YouTube (http://youtube.com/weekendshowcase) for more cool stuff next weekend! We’re planning different games to stream, and more new full episodes (it *has* been a minute....) We’ll see you then!

[unclescurvy]

2021 FANTASY FOOTBALL CHEAT SHEET

QB

Patrick Mahomes II (KC-12)

-

Aaron Rodgers (GB-13)

Josh Allen (BUF-7)

Russell Wilson (SEA-9)

Kyler Murray (ARZ-12)

Lamar Jackson (BAL-8)

Dak Prescott (DAL-7 INJ)

-

Matt Stafford (LAR-11)

Justin Herbert (LAC-7)

Joe Burrow (CIN-10)

-

Matt Ryan (ATL-6)

Ryan Tannehill (TEN-13)

Baker Mayfield (CLE-13)

Kirk Cousins (MIN-7)

Tom Brady (TB-9)

Derek Carr (LV-8)

-

Jameis Winston (NO-6)

Ben Roethlisberger (PIT-7)

Carson Wentz (IND-14-INJ)

Daniel Jones (NYG-10)

Jalen Hurts (PHI-14)

Jared Goff (DET-9)

Tua Tagovailoa (MIA-14)

Teddy Bridgewater (DEN-11)

Jimmy Garoppolo (SF-6)

Ryan Fitzpatrick (WAS-9)

Zach Wilson (NYJ-6)

Mac Jones (NE-14)

Sam Darnold (CAR-13)

Trevor Lawrence (JAX-7)

Andy Dalton (CHI-10)

Tyrod Taylor (HOU-10)

-

Taysom Hill (NO-6)

Trey Lance (SF-6)

Cam Newton

DeShaun Watson (HOU-10-SUS?)

-

RB

Christian McCaffrey (CAR-13)

Derrick Henry (TEN-13)

Dalvin Cook (MIN-7)

Alvin Kamara (NO-6)

-

Nick Chubb (CLE-13)

Ezekiel Elliott (DAL-7)

Aaron Jones (GB-13)

Saquon Barkley (NYG-10)

-

Jonathan Taylor (IND-14)

Najee Harris (PIT-7)

Austin Ekeler (LAC-7)

Antonio Gibson (WAS-9)

Joe Mixon (CIN-10)

Josh Jacobs (LV-8)

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (KC-12)

David Montgomery (CHI-10)

Miles Sanders (PHI-14)

Gus Edwards (BAL-8)

-

Chris Carson (SEA-9)

Kareem Hunt (CLE-13)

James Robinson (JAX-7)

Mike Davis (ATL-6)

Darrell Henderson (LAR-11)

Raheem Mostert (SF-6)

Michael Carter (NYJ-6)

-

Zack Moss (BUF-7 INJ)

Myles Gaskin (MIA-14)

Damien Harris (NE-14)

Melvin Gordon (DEN-11)

Sony Michel (LAR-11)

Phillip Lindsay (HOU-10)

Ronald Jones (TB-9)

Leonard Fournette (TB-9)

D’Andre Swift (DET-9 INJ)

Chase Edmonds (ARZ-12)

Javonte Williams (DEN-11)

Trey Sermon (SF-6)

David Johnson (HOU-10)

Malcolm Brown (MIA-14)

Nyheim Hines (IND-14)

James Conner (ARZ-12)

Ty’Son Williams (BAL-8)

Tevin Coleman (NYJ-6)

Jamaal Williams (DET-9)

A.J. Dillon (GB-13)

Devin Singletary (BUF-7)

James White (NE-14)

Rashaad Penny (SEA-9)

-

Rhamondre Stevenson (NE-14)

J.D. McKissic (WAS-9)

Mark Ingram (HOU-10)

Marlon Mack (IND-14)

Giovani Bernard (TB-9)

Alexander Mattison (MIN-7)

Boston Scott (PHI-14)

Kenyan Drake (LV-8)

Carlos Hyde (JAX-7)

Jaret Patterson (WAS-9)

Ty Johnson (NYJ-6)

Latavius Murray (NO-6)

Qadree Ollison (ATL-6)

-

WR

Davante Adams (GB-13)

DeAndre Hopkins (ARZ-12)

Tyreek Hill (KC-12)

Stefon Diggs (BUF-7 INJ)

Calvin Ridley (ATL-6)

Keenan Allen (LAC-7)

D.K. Metcalf (SEA-9)

Justin Jefferson (MIN-7 INJ)

-

Mike Evans (TB-9)

Julio Jones (TEN-13 INJ)

Chris Godwin (TB-9)

A.J. Brown (TEN-13 INJ)

-

Terry McLaurin (WAS-9)

Tee Higgins (CIN-10)

Allen Robinson (CHI-10)

CeeDee Lamb (DAL-7)

Odell Beckham, Jr. (CLE-13 INJ)

D.J. Moore (CAR-13)

Adam Thielen (MIN-7)

Cooper Kupp (LAR-11)

Robert Woods (LAR-11)

Diontae Johnson (PIT-7)

Jerry Jeudy (DEN-11)

-

JuJu Smith-Schuster (PIT-7)

Kenny Golladay (NYG-10 INJ)

Mike Williams (LAC-7)

Brandin Cooks (HOU-10)

Corey Davis (NYJ-6)

Jaylen Waddle (MIA-14)

Robby Anderson (CAR-13)

De’Vante Parker (MIA-14)

Brandon Aiyuk (SF-6)

Tyler Lockett (SEA-9)

Tyler Boyd (CIN-10)

Jamison Crowder (NYJ-6)

Darnell Mooney (CHI-10)

Courtland Sutton (DEN-11)

Amari Cooper (DAL-7 INJ)

D.J. Chark (JAX-7 INJ)

Chase Claypool (PIT-7)

DeVante Smith (PHI-14 INJ)

Darius Slayton (NYG-10)

Ja’Marr Chase (CIN-10)

Marvin Jones (JAX-7 INJ)

Tyrell Williams (DET-9)

Michael Thomas (NO-6-INJ 5)

-

Marquez Calloway (NO-6)

Will Fuller (MIA-14)

Russell Gage (ATL-6)

Marquise Brown (BAL-8 INJ)

Henry Ruggs III (LV-8)

Curtis Samuel (WAS-9)

Michael Pittman (IND-14)

Deebo Samuel (SF-6)

Mecole Hardman (KC-12)

Jakobi Myers (NE-14)

Gabriel Davis (BUF-7)

Laviska Shenault (JAX-7)

Nelson Agholor (NE-14)

A.J. Green (ARZ-12)

Jarvis Landry (CLE-13)

Michael Gallup (DAL-7)

Emmanuel Sanders (BUF-7 INJ)

Marquez Valdez-Scantling (GB-13)

Antonio Brown (TB-9)

Christian Kirk (ARZ-12)

Randall Cobb (GB-13)

Anthony Miller (HOU-10 INJ)

Van Jefferson (LAR-11)

Tre’Quan Smith (NO-6 INJ)

Bryan Edwards (LV-8)

Quintez Cephus (DET-9)

-

Cole Beasley (BUF-7)

Adam Humphries (WAS-9)

Allen Lazard (GB-13)

Donovan Peoples-Jones (CLE-13)

Albert Wilson (MIA-14)

Zach Pascal (IND-14)

K.J. Hamler (DEN-11)

Jalen Reagor (PHI-14)

Parris Campbell (IND-14)

Demarcus Robinson (KC-12)

Hunter Renfrow (LV-8)

Desean Jackson (LAR-11)

Sterling Shepard (NYG-10)

Sammy Watkins (BAL-8)

Josh Reynolds (TEN-13)

Kendrick Bourne (NE-14)

Rashard Higgins (CLE-13)

Tim Patrick (DEN-11)

Denzel Mims (NYJ-6)

Dede Westbrook (MIN-7)

Nico Collins (HOU-10)

Kadarius Toney (NYG-10 INJ)

Devin Duvernay (BAL-8)

Preston Williams (MIA-14)

T.Y. Hilton (IND-14 INJ)

N’Keal Harry (NE-14 INJ 2)

-

TE

Travis Kelce (KC-12)

George Kittle (SF-6)

Darren Waller (LV-8)

-

Mark Andrews (BAL-8)

-

Robert Tonyan (GB-13)

Logan Thomas (WAS-9)

T.J. Hockenson (DET-9)

Noah Fant (DEN-11 INJ)

Kyle Pitts (ATL-6)

Jonnu Smith (NE-14)

Dallas Goedert (PHI-14)

Jared Cook (LAC-7)

Tyler Higbee (LAR-11)

Hunter Henry (NE-14)

Gerald Everett (SEA-9)

Rob Gronkowski (TB-9)

-

Tyler Kroft (NYJ-6)

Mike Gesicki (MIA-14)

Hayden Hurst (ATL-6)

Austin Hooper (CLE-13)

O.J. Howard (TB-9)

Cole Kmet (CHI-10)

Eric Ebron (PIT-7)

David Njoku (CLE-13)

Zach Ertz (PHI-14)

-

Evan Engram (NYG-10 INJ) 

 Anthony Firkser (TEN-13)

Blake Jarwin (DAL-7)

Jack Doyle (IND-14)

Dan Arnold (CAR-13)

Donald Parham (LAC-7)

Adam Shaheen (MIA-14)

Will Dissly (SEA-9)

Noah Gray (KC-12)

Cameron Brate (TB-9)

C.J. Uzomah (CIN-10)

Pat Freiermuth (PIT-7)

Tyler Conklin (MIN-7)

Christopher Herndon IV (MIN-7)

Juwan Johnson (NO-6)

-

K

Justin Tucker (BAL-8)

Harrison Butker (KC-12)

Younghoe Koo (ATL-6)

-

Jason Myers (SEA-9)

Rodrigo Blankenship (IND-14)

Matt Prater (ARZ-12)

Tyler Bass (BUF-7)

Mason Crosby (GB-13)

Robbie Gould (SF-6)

Daniel Carlson (LV-8)

Greg Zuerlein (DAL-7 INJ)

Ryan Succop (TB-9)

Dustin Hopkins (WAS-9)

Cairo Santos (CHI-10)

Evan McPherson (CIN-10)

Brandon McManus (DEN-11)

Ka’imi Fairbairn (HOU-10)

Matt Gay (LAR-11)

Jason Sanders (MIA-14)

Greg Joseph (MIN-7)

Chase McLaughlin (CLE-13)

Graham Gano (NYG-10)

Jake Elliott (PHI-14)

Chris Boswell (PIT-7)

Sam Ficken (TEN-13)

Quinn Nordin (NE-14)

Ryan Santoso (CAR-13)

Josh Lambo (JAX-7)

Matt Ammendola (NYJ-6)

Tristan Vizcaino (LAC-7)

Aldrick Rosas (NO-6)

-

DEF

9 Washington

9 Tampa Bay

7 Pittsburgh

8 Baltimore

-

11 LA Rams

14 New England

14 Miami

7 Buffalo

13 Cleveland

14 Indianapolis

-

12 Kansas City

6 New Orleans

6 San Francisco

12 Arizona

7 Minnesota

11 Denver

9 Seattle

13 Tennessee

13 Green Bay

10 Chicago

13 Carolina

10 NY Giants

7 LA Chargers

14 Philadelphia

8 Las Vegas

7 Dallas

6 NY Jets

7 Jacksonville

10 Cincinnati

9 Detroit

10 Houston

6 Atlanta

[refined-but-spunky]

I hope I get to see Drowners live someday.

[drownersholdmedown]

By Erik Lee Snyder

[sfdfmoviereviews]

Upcoming Flicks January 2018

Here are the upcoming films being released in Australia in January 2018, accompanied by my personal thoughts of them.

January 1

·         Pitch Perfect 3

The girls have reteamed for one last hurrah and are on tour with the USO, singing for the troops overseas, along with some other musical groups. Genre: Musical Comedy Director: Trish Sie Stars: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Camp, Alexis Knapp, Ruby Rose Recommendation: I reckon it won’t be worth the price of admission. The first one was a great success. The oddball characters thrown together were comedy gold, but should not have been repeated. The sequel provided nothing new and now I think they are milking a cow that’s giving sour milk. It’ll be aca-crapa.

 ·         Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

After the police fail to solver her daughter’s murder, Mildred Hayes buys advertising space on local billboards slamming the local police. Genre: Comedy/Crime/Drama Director: Martin McDonagh Stars: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Lucas Hedges, Caleb Landry Jones, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage Recommendation: Three Billboards won the People’s Choice award at the Toronto Film Festival, is  being critically acclaimed. There is a fantastic cast with what looks to be a compelling story and characters. I think this is the perfect movie to start 2018.

  January 4

·         All the Money in the World

Inspired by true events, All the Money in the World is the story of the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, whose rich oil giant grandfather doesn’t hand over the $17M the kidnappers are demanding. Genre: Thriller Director: Ridley Scott Stars: Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Charlie Shotwell, Charlie Plummer Recommendation: You may have heard about this movie after Ridley Scott recast and reshot the film with Christopher Plummer after the controversy around Kevin Spacey. Probably a better choice anyway as Plummer would be closer to the age of the tight-arse grandfather. The trailer looks good. It has an intense spy thriller vibe. See it.

   January 11

·         Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour is the war biopic of Winston Churchill as he is sworn in as Prime Minister of Great Britain just prior to the first World War. Genre: War/Biopic Director: Joe Wright Stars: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn, John Hurt Recommendation: See it. It’s a great piece of history concerning an integral person who changed the course of the world. Plus, you cannot go wrong with Gary Oldman.

 ·         The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature

Some animals need to stop a greedy mayor from destroying their bit of nature for an amusement park. Genre: Animation Director: Cal Brunker Stars: Will Arnett, Gabriel Iglesias, Jeff Dunham, Katherine Heigl, Jackie Chan, Maya Rudolph, Isabela Moner, Bobby Cannavale, Sebastian Maniscalco Recommendation: To quote my wife “There was a Nut Job 1?” I’m surprised they made the second. Skip it.

 ·         The Post

The U.S.’s first female newspaper publisher uncovers government  secrets that have spanned four presidents, and seeks to make them public. Genre: Biographical Drama Director: Steven Spielberg Stars: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson Recommendation: Spielberg, Streep and Hanks. The three biggest names in Hollywood comes together to make a hard hitting bio drama. Count me in. Spielberg is my favourite director and Hanks is, in my opinion, the greatest working actor today. You cannot miss this. Also, everything about it screams Academy Awards.

 January 18

·         Maze Runner: The Death Cure

Thomas and his mates must break into the Last City, the deadliest maze of all in the third and final instalment of the Maze Runner series. Genre: Sci-Fi/ Adventure Director: Wes Ball Stars: Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Kaya Scodelario, Katherine McNamara, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosa Salazar, Barry Pepper, Aidan Gillen, Patricia Clarkson Recommendation: At least the Pitch Perfect cow was giving sour milk. This is like milking a dead cow. Critics and audiences agree that the first was average at best, and the second was just plain terrible. May as well complete the trilogy, I suppose. Skip it.

 ·         Swinging Safari

This Australian comedy shows us the sexual swinging 1970s in a small beach-side town. Fearless kids and carefree parenting by day, key party by night.  Genre: Comedy Director: Stephan Elliott Stars: Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue, Radha Mitchell, Julian McMahon, Asher Keddie, Jeremy Sims, Jack Thompson Recommendation: Australian comedies set in the 70s and 80s are hilarious. I loved the trailer for this. Elliott directing Pearce again with Neighbours legend Minogue (I also think she sings) tops it off for me. Julian McMahon… I haven’t seen him since he shimmered out of Charmed. See it.

 ·         The Commuter

Michael, an insurance salesman, is riding the train home when things go amiss. Michael gets caught up in a criminal conspiracy and races the clock to uncover a mystery passenger before it is too late for them all. Genre: Action Director: Jaume Collet-Serra Stars: Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Sam Neill, Patrick Wilson Recommendation: Collet-Serra sure likes to get himself a bit of Neeson. I suppose we are lucky he wasn’t cast in the Shallows or the shark would never have had a chance. It’s weird. The start of the trailer intrigues and surprises me. It mystery aspect has me yearning to see it but then the last half of the trailer makes it seem like a generic Liam Neeson actin flick on a train, which has me yawning, so I’ll give it a 50/50 chance of it being any good.

 ·         The Shape of Water

During the Cold War, a mute cleaner of a top secret government laboratory forms a relationship with their experiment, a creature who looks like should have come from the Black Lagoon. Genre: Fantasy/Romance/Thriller Director: Guillermo del Toro Stars: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, Lauren Lee Smith, Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins Recommendation: This really looks fantastic. I have been looking forward to it for a long time. Coming from the mind of del Toro with this cast and Doug Jones (aka Suru from Star Trek Discovery) as the creature I have high hopes that I’ll be talking about this in my ‘Best of 2018’ list.

  January 25

 ·         Den of Thieves

Den of Thieves follows a group of bank robbers who have their eyes set on the Federal Bank, while the elite unit of cops with unconventional police morals chase them around every turn. Genre: Action Director: Christian Gudegast Stars: Gerard Butler, 50 Cent, Pablo Schreiber, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Recommendation: Skip it. There is nothing new here.

 ·         I, Tonya

If you were curious about the upbringing and what led to Tonya Hardings ice skating success and her attack of a fellow competitor, this is your chance to find out. Genre: Biographical drama Director: Craig Gillespie Stars: Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, Sebastian Stan Recommendation: Who knew ice skating could hold so much potential for a decent crime drama. Surprisingly, I am keen for it. See it.

 ·         Sweet Country

Based on a true story, Sam, an aboriginal stockman, in the Northern Territory in 1929, kills the white station owner in self defence and goes on the run. Sam and his wife flee into the outback only to give themselves up due to the health of his pregnant wife. Genre: Biographical Crime Drama Director: Warwick Thornton Stars: Bryan Brown, Sam Neill, Hamilton Morris Recommendation: Sweet Country looks to be a great Australian western. There is such a rich story to be told here and the trailer has me wanting to see how it all unfolds. See it.

  As usual, January in Australia is mostly biopics and Oscar bait films with a few shit ones thrown in for good measure. My picks for the month are The Post, The Shape of Water and for a good laugh, Swinging Safari. Let us know what you are planning on seeing.

-Terry

[conflictcrafter]

The Humanity of Lord of War

when you make an artwork, you have to figure out your role. being the maker of something is the surface role. and it is necessary. the next step is to pick a shovel and dig. or mine.

we do not determine roles for the heck of it. we do it because it is both the goal and the core. the goal, the core, and the means should align. and when things are in order, beauty emerges, organically, even when the surface looks chaotic.

I.

Andrew Niccol knew what his roles are in Lord of War. one of them is to explore an inquiry: what does it mean to be human?

this question has been explored in many punk films. Ridley Scott and Philip K Dick's Blade Runner films comes to mind. George Miller has also examined the question specially well in the recent Mad Max: Fury Road. these films put humanity in future punks, in a certain point in post-humanity, to hammer the question down.

Lord of War doesnt play with punks (we can call it presentpunk though). the historical events and the political conditions depicted in the film still ring bells. theoretically, the question is easier to grasp since it's set categorically in the present. this film, again, is not a punk where this question of humanity is often explored. but this is why literature or film is so beautiful: narrative elements, in this case the setting, bare different ways to answer the same query. also, familiar settings may bring out the most outlandish of answers.

What does it mean to be human 1: Beware of The Dog

Yuri (Nick Cage), after making his first gun trade, approaches his younger brother Vitaly (Jared Leto) who cooks in their Jewish family restaurant. while Yuri convinces Vi to be his gun trade partner, Yuri notices a poster in the kitchen that says: Beware of The Dog. "We dont have a dog (also why you put that in the kitchen?)," said Yuri. to which Vi responded:

"To remind myself to beware of the dog in me. The dog in me who wants to fuck everything that moves, fight and kill weaker dogs. I guess it's a . . . to remind me to be more human."

halfway through the film, Vi succumbs into cocaine addiction due to Yuri's involvement in his life. it was as though the film was telling us that Vi is indeed a dog. running and fucking around.

but when Vi finally met "a girlfriend," he changes and leaves the cocaine. Yuri comes back into his life and convinces him again to be his partner. in a deal in Sierra Leone, Vi, now sober, witnessed the bloody effects of illegal gun trade to African civilians. 

in an effort to sabotage the deal and potentially save innocent people, Vi is able to blow half of the arms and is consequently killed by the warlords.

Vi dies a martyr. loyal dogs die as martyrs. martyrs transcend humanity.

What does it mean to be human 2: I Won’t Fail as a Human Being

Yuri returns home to his wife Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan) who now knows about her husband's illegal gunrunning business.

Ava is informed by idealistic Interpol agent Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) of her husband's illegal arms activities. he reminds Ava that her parents were gunned by people who got their guns illegally from arms dealers like Yuri.

later that evening, Yuri comes home to a naked wife, unable to wear her silk sleeping dress, unable to lie on their bed, because to her, "Everything’s got blood on it."

she confronted Yuri and he finally confessed to his wife his real occupation. she tells Yuri to stop it since they have enough. but Yuri said he couldnt just quit because it isnt about the money. it is what he is good at.

Ava tells her husband that she "is a failed actress, a failed artist. But she doesnt fail to be human."

while Yuri feels that being human means getting one's dreams, having a lucrative lifestyle, proving to other humans that one is the best; for Ava though, humanity is as simple as not inflicting harm to other human beings.

What does it mean to be human 3: The Reptile Tail

after being confronted by Ava and Vi, Yuri finally decides to go legit. suddenly, he is not an arms dealer anymore, and he got agents confused.

this is the part of the film that youd wish the main character has truly changed, with all the things and relationships he has at stake, youd want the main character to change. Niccol teases us that, that narrative relief. but if you know how plot works, you know Yuri hasnt reached that ultimate fall.

so after going legit, he is pulled back into the arms dealing business by the self-proclaimed president of Liberia, Andre Baptise.

you would want to feel that Yuri would be doing it forcibly in fear for his family's safety. but no. when the scene with him and the Andre cuts, we hear Yuri:

"At four and a half months old, a human fetus has a reptile's tail—a remnant of our evolution. Maybe that is why I could't escape. You can fight a lot of enemies and survive. But if you fight your biology, you will always lose."

Yuri's biological mumbling here is based on the evolutionary development studies of Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) which theorizes that embryonic stages of development reflect the previous adult evolutionary forms of the specie (ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny).

Yuri is basically saying that since humans were previously non-humans, reflected by having actual tails while developing in the womb, humans will always go back in to behaving as animals. and that we can never fight it.

Yuri is wrong. for starters, Haeckel's hypothesis, the Recapitulation Theory, is long defunct.

while embryos have "tails," this does not represent the evolutionary process of a specie.

we don't have embryonic tails because thats how we evolved. we just had tails. that's just it.

thus, we are not echoes of a long evolution of reptiles. and what Yuri is telling himself is merely a rationalization defense mechanism to justify his illegal arms dealing.

and it's completely human to rationalize immoral behavior.

in insisting biology and in exercising rationalization, Yuri has perfectly demonstrated the frailty of human beings: giving intellectual justifications to humans' animalistic tendencies. Yuri has satisfied the id in booming his ego.

but being human isnt only about rationalizing.

being human also means thinking about the welfare of other human beings.

Yuri has become, if not the best, one of the bests in illegal arms dealing. in essence, he has become a superpower in the trade. but Yuri, in Nietzsche's eyes is far from being an Ubermensch.

in Kant's eyes, Yuri has trampled the categorical imperative.

in our eyes, Yuri is not a hero.

and this is what makes him human: his acceptance of life's dramatic irony. he knows, he sees, he "appreciates" the negative implications of what he does, and what's coming. yet he still does it. he is helplessly and happily trapped like all of us.

II.

although we follow closely the life of Yuri, in a "story" perspective, it's Vitaly that ultimately follows the heroic arc. Vitaly is the proxy hero to Yuri, Yuri doesnt undergo metamorphosis. but Vitaly does.

hence the film is a character study of how a human being can become a monster: by allowing and being part of something that is systematically bad and irreversible.

Niccol illustrates the monstrosity of Yuri not by making the character violent. he ingeniously does it by portraying Yuri as a kind and generous person who often describes and treats the people who are really close to him well. he, in his monologues, talks a great deal about them in good terms. yet he never talks about himself in such way. in fact, he never talks about himself at all.

and this where NIccol's genius comes: he makes Yuri seamlessly not talk about himself because in truth, Yuri hates himself. and a monster is a monster is he hates himself.

in the end, nothing is solved. what wins is the human basal instinct to harm others and at the same time, be detached from it. more than a narrative work, the film is a challenge:

how much humanity are we willing to let go to feel human?

III.

the film has managed to be an artwork that also talks about important world issues. and if there is something that an artist should takeaway from the viewing, it should be seeing how art and function can go together neatly.

the only failure of the film, albeit minor, is despite the great research that the creative production team has gone through to parallel real events, it fell short in interpreting Interpol's function properly. Interpol doesnt at all conduct arrests.

aside from that, Lord of War is a solid 9/10 for its take on the question of humanity.

_____ non-film image sources in order of appearance:  1. https://image.slidesharecdn.com/defensemechanism-160520104849/95/defense-mechanism-40-638.jpg?cb=1463741864

2. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/30/22/3b/30223b65bc57c735199209472b57c0b3.jpg 

3. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c0/16/e2/c016e21b69049ab2c7a02caa1bd9e24d.jpg