#Jake Woolf

[heinfienbrot]

Denny Balmaceda, Peter Zottolo, Jake Woolf and Nick Wooster.

[sabagon]

Jake Woolf

[hypnoticnoir222]

I need a man in my life. I need some love and romance but I cant any guy attractive rn All I can do is simping handsome older actors I hate my mindset. Why teenage boys so silly?

[christiane4c]

[calatia]

turning 19

[margaretthotcher]

Queer Book Recommendations

It's pride season in Wellington, New Zealand and my local library has published its second "Teen Staff Picks" zine! In that spirit, I bring you, a collection of lesser-known queer books featured in the two that have been released so far! I've narrowed the lists down to books that have 1000 or fewer reviews on Goodreads as of posting (though I actually use Storygraph personally). I haven't read most of these, they're new to me as well but looking forward to getting into them.

Sapphic

Trouble Girls - Julia Lynn Rubin

Planning Perfect - Haley Neil

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches - Kate Scelsa

The Meadows - Stephanie Oakes

Never Trust a Gemini - Freja Nicole Woolf

This Is All Your Fault - Aminah Mae Safi

The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet - Jake Maia Arlow

Youngblood - Sasha Laurens

In the Role of Brie Hutchens - Nicole Melleby

Achillean

We Are Totally Normal - Rahul Kanakia

Two Can Play That Game - Leanne Yong

Blaine for the Win - Robbie Couch

I Like Me Better - Robby Weber

The Language of Seabirds - Will Taylor

The Feeling of Falling in Love - Mason Deaver

Charming Young Man - Eliot Schrefer

Emmett - L. C. Rosen

Pages I Never Wrote - Marco Donati

Trans Characters

Across a Field of Starlight - Blue Delliquanti

Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure - Lewis Hancox

The Borrow a Boyfriend Club - Page Powars

If I Can Give You That - Michael Gray Bulla

Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic - G. Haron Davis

Jess, Chunk, and the Road Trip to Infinity - Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Magical Boy - The Kao

Kisses For Jet: A Coming-of-Gender Story - Joris Bas Backer

Between Perfect and Real - Ray Stoeve

Featuring Queer People of Colour

Ander & Santi Were Here - Jonny Garza Villa

The Loophole - Naz Kutub

Spell Bound - F. T. Lukens

Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues - H. S. Valley

Rise to the Sun - Leah Johnson

Never Kiss Your Roommate - Philline Harms

Rainbow! - Bloom & Sunny

Other Ever Afters: New Queer Fairy Tales - Melanie Gillman

Anne of Greenville - Mariko Tamaki

[miss-m-calling]

Catherine Hurlin and Jake Roxander in Wayne McGregor's Woolf Works (American Ballet Theatre, 2024)

Photo by Marty Sohl

[kicksaddictny]

Todd Snyder Teams Up with Sperry for New Boat Shoe Collection

In a marriage of classic American heritage and contemporary menswear finesse, Sperry, the storied footwear brand established by inventor and sailor Paul Sperry in 1935, has teamed up with Todd Snyder, a leading figure in American menswear design. Together, they've crafted a limited-edition, luxurious interpretation of the iconic Authentic OriginalTM boat shoe.

The resurgence of the boat shoe as a must-have item for 2024 finds its pinnacle in this collaboration. Snyder's reimagination of the silhouette arrives just in time for a summer defined by understated luxury. The Sperry x Todd Snyder Authentic Original Boat Shoe boasts premium craftsmanship, featuring meticulously sourced suede uppers and self-matching rawhide laces inspired by Snyder's travels along Italy's Amalfi Coast. Drawing from the rich textures and earthy tones found along the coastline, this collaboration exudes sophistication.

But it's not just about style; functionality meets comfort with the inclusion of a cork footbed, ensuring a blissful experience during the sweltering summer months. Plus, with non-marking Vibram® outsoles, complete with Sperry's signature razor-cut Wave-SipingTM technology, these shoes promise both traction and durability. Each pair is meticulously handsewn in traditional moccasin style, a testament to the dedication to craftsmanship shared by both brands.

Snyder himself reflects on the collaboration, expressing his lifelong admiration for American heritage brands and his desire to infuse his signature design touches into this iconic silhouette while honoring Sperry's legacy.

Jonathan Frankel, President of Sperry, echoes this sentiment, highlighting how Snyder's classic yet modern approach perfectly complements Sperry's timeless appeal, resulting in an instant classic.

To showcase the fusion of heritage and modernity, a trio of New York City tastemakers took the Sperry x Todd Snyder boat shoe for a spin in the Lower East Side neighborhood. Photographed by Jeremy Mitchell, the campaign features Jake Woolf, Brynn Wallner, and Jordan Page, each bringing their unique style to the forefront.

The Sperry x Todd Snyder Authentic Original Boat Shoe will debut exclusively on Toddsnyder.com on May 2nd, 2024, both in-store and online. A wider release is scheduled for May 7th, 2024, on Sperry.com and select retailers. Priced at $220, these coveted shoes will be available in three timeless colorways: tan, gray, and white. Don't miss your chance to step into summer in style with this iconic collaboration!

[talesofpassingtime]

"But when he had heard a score of times how Jakes had lost his nose and Sukey her honour — and they told the stories admirably, it must be admitted — he began to be a little weary of the repetition, for a nose can only be cut off in one way and maidenhood lost in another — or so it seemed to him — whereas the arts and the sciences had a diversity about them which stirred his curiosity profoundly."

— Virginia Woolf, Orlando

[lesbianrobin]

here is my shortlist of potential gay medal of honor recipients:

every drag queen and king ever except for rupaul

virginia woolf

marshawn lynch

judy garland

lil nas x

the entire cast of glee except for the creeps and criminals

bruce springsteen and clarence clemons

tegan and sara

tie dye girl from the parent trap

willie nelson

jake gyllenhaal

the girls in the music video for "girls like girls" by hayley kiyoko

natasha lyonne

the alien from alien

hunter schafer but not for her actual activism and stuff just for being sexy and that one scene in euphoria where she grabs a knife and cuts herself at a party as a show of dominance

unfortunately i do need to put misha collins on this list like there's just no way around it

i know this has been said before but tie dye girl grabbing her bag and effortlessly pulling it out from under a giant pile of bags and hallie saying now that's my kind of woman really truly did unlock something in me and i think there should be some sort of gay medal of honor that we can give to everyone involved

[sabagon]

Jake Woolf

[petewentzworld]

jakewoolf: Today at 7PM EST, tune into @petewentz’s Instagram live where I will be joining him to discuss SEAM. Leave questions you’d like answered in the comments section below. *extremely fall out boy voice* It’s going down, down...(sorry Pete I couldn’t help it.)

[love-love-you]

better version of this incoming but last party & auden if I could tell you

[wildrangers]

Chance Encounter {3} // Jake Kiszka

Jake Kiszka x fem! reader

Word Count: 3K

Summary: After a chance encounter at the bar, what happens when she realizes she now has to work with Jake and the guys?

begin here // continue here

Multi-part, lovers to friends to lovers tale ahead!

Warnings: I don't think any this chapter, let me know if I missed anything!

*18+ only, smut is featured in chapter one and will be back next chapter*

“I think it’s absolutely absurd—let’s do it” Josh grinned and you excitedly clapped your hands before grabbing your phone. You had just pitched his Rhinestoned Diary and he was, surprisingly, willing to give it a go.

“Just say whatever comes to mind and I’m sure it’ll be great or at the least very amusing” you encouraged.

You and the guys fought back laughter as he went on and on for about a minute before he yelled, “Now fuck off!”

Everyone gathered around to watch it and you giggled throughout, “Josh this is perfect, seriously.”

“I mean, it’s a little ridiculous…” Jake argued.

“Just because I’m the center of the attention right now doesn’t mean you have to be rude about it.” Josh replied, rolling his eyes.

“Josh, you are, like, always the center of attention” Jake retorted.

“Boys, stop!” you called as you saw Josh go to snap back at his twin. “You’re on in 30 minutes so let’s not get into a brawl, yeah?”

The two glared at one another before walking off to separate areas of the dressing room. “Do they usually get worked up that quickly?” you mumbled to Sammy, who shrugged.

“It usually blows up and over pretty quickly. They haven’t come to throwing punches in years, so I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“Well, that’s something, I suppose” you mumbled, sitting down to edit Josh’s Rhinestoned Diary before their set began.

***

Jake always forgot how much he loved being onstage until he was back up there. He knew it brought him joy but the magnitude of it always caught him off guard despite all the years he’d been doing it. The next show was back-to-back with this one so everyone was piled on the bus as it rumbled onto the highway.

“Bunks have long been claimed I’m assuming?” you questioned from the couch, Reginald curled up on your lap as Rose rested her head on your feet.

“Everyone always keeps the same one tour to tour but the extra is all yours…here, I’ll show you, it’s right next to Jake’s” Danny offered and you followed him into the back. Shit. He’d forgotten you’d be sleeping right across from him whenever you were all traveling overnight.

He’d been working hard to ignore his accelerated heart rate or nervous stomach whenever you were nearby but he feared they would never totally go away. He kept reminding himself that nothing would ever happen and the fling was a one-off thing. It was just taking his body awhile to catch up to that fact.

Jake glanced at the clock and yawned, deciding to just crash. He said goodnight to the guys and patted Danny on the back as he passed him on his way to the bunks. You glanced up from where you were curled up with a book in your bunk and smiled lightly at him.

“Hey roomie” you greeted and he grinned back.

“Living arrangements okay back here?” he asked, keeping it vague so no one would understand the implied question if they overheard them.

You shrugged, rolling over onto your side to face him fully. “I can’t complain, what with these handy privacy shades” you smirked, drawing the small curtain closed before peaking around the edge to meet his eyes.

He laughed at your playfulness as he settled into his own bunk. “What are you reading over there?”

You reopened the curtain holding up the book for him to read: Sharp Objects.

“It’s just this dark thriller type book, it’s pretty good so far.”

“Hm, that’s surprising. I thought you’d be reading. Virginia Woolf or George Orwell or something” he teased.

You rolled your eyes, “I read enough serious literature in college to last me a lifetime, thank you very much. It’s smut and thrillers for me from now on” you grinned, wiggling your eyebrows and drawing another laugh from his lips.

“Fair enough” he smiled, showing you his own book about New Age religion. You two discussed it briefly before settling into a comfortable silence as you read beside each other. He couldn’t stop himself from glancing over at you occasionally. Each time, your brows were furrowed as you focused entirely on the book before you. You’d tied your hair up and it was the first time he’d seen you bare-faced—your beauty made his heart ache.

Jake wasn’t sure what woke him up several hours later, just as he hadn’t realized he’d fallen asleep to begin with. He surveyed his surroundings, lips quirking up when he saw what had dragged him out of his deep sleep—two light green eyes met his own as Reginald settled into his side. Jake lightly pet between his ears before glancing across the way towards you.

Your book was resting on your chest, your mouth open as you slumbered—looks like he wasn’t the only one to doze off while reading. He took a moment to admire your features and how peaceful they looked while you slept. Moving carefully, so as not to disturb Reginald, he reached his hand across the space between you and grabbed your book. He found a spare book mark, marking the page for you before placing it back in your bunk, drawing your curtain closed to give you some privacy. As he settled back into his pillow, Reginald’s purring sent him quickly off to sleep again.

***

From your spot backstage a few weeks later, you could tell something was wrong. Jake didn’t seem like his normal self and Josh kept shooting nervous glances his way. As their set wrapped, Jake set his guitar down and walked offstage, storming by as if you weren’t even there.

“What was that about?” you asked Josh, who looked concerned as he watched his twin slam a dressing room door shut.

“He messed up some notes early in the set and got mad at himself, it happens a lot honestly.”

“I didn’t even hear that and I listen to you guys constantly” you pointed out, noticing how Sam and Danny went into their own dressing room rather than the spare one Jake had just entered.

“Besides us onstage, I’m sure at most a handful of people here noticed it but that doesn’t stop him from beating himself up. I’ll be grabbing my clothes and heading to the hotel, I advise you avoid him until tomorrow morning.”

You contemplated Josh’s words as the other boys quickly filed out behind him once they’d changed into their everyday clothes. You cautiously walked to the room Jake had gone into, knocking quietly.

“Yeah?” he called out, his voice muffled through the thick door.

You peaked your head in to see him lying face down on the couch. You closed the door behind you before sitting on the floor next to him. “Want to talk about it?”

“Don’t know what there is to say, I fucked up the show.”

“Jake, you did no such thing. I appreciate how you want to give your best each night, but you’re still human like the rest of us. Mistakes happen.” 

“So, you did hear me fuck it up?” he asked, finally turning to meet your gaze.

You shook your head, “No, Josh warned me what had happened. I noticed you seemed upset most of the show but I didn’t understand why until afterwards.”

Jake let out a deep breath as he nodded, “People just pay to see us, you know? I feel so shitty when I don’t play my best.”

“I can guarantee you that no one left tonight thinking anything other than what a great show you all put on” you assured him, gently brushing a lock of hair out of his face. His eyes shut at the gesture and his shoulders seemed to relax the slightest bit. You stroked his cheek with your thumb and he nuzzled into your palm. Silence enveloped the room for several moments as you soothed him.

“If you keep doing that, I’m going to fall asleep on this old, ratty couch.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want that, now, would we? God knows how many people have raw-dogged it on there.”

Jake shot up at your words and you fell back onto the floor at the horror on his face. “What the fuck Y/N? That’s not funny.”

His response only made you laugh harder as you clutched your aching sides. Jake watched in unamusement before finally gesturing for you to take his outstretched hand.

“Come on, you, let’s head out then” Jake said. You took his hand and wrapped him in a hug once you were steady on your feet.

“You’re amazing at what you do, Jake. Even when you feel like you may not be.”  He returned the embrace, nuzzling his head into the crook of your neck. “Come on stinky, let’s go.”

***

Since tour began a couple months ago, you had all settled into an easy routine together. As the bus rumbled along the roadway, you were curled up on the couch with your legs tossed over Josh’s lap.

“No, Y/N, we are not watching that” he argued, causing you to roll your eyes.

“Joshua, we have watched every single Stanley Kubrick film there is, a couple twice now. I promise, The Haunting of Hill House is more than just a ghost show, I really think you’d like it.”

You’d been discussing the matter for a while now, Josh being characteristically stubborn about what you’d be watching together that afternoon. Normally, you let him pick but you felt you’d been generous enough with how much of your viewing together you’d allowed him to choose since tour started.

“And all I’m saying is, if the show is on Netflix there is absolutely no way it’s a worthwhile endeavor.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” you sat up abruptly, causing his eyes to widen. “Are you saying I have shitty taste when you haven’t even watched a single one of my suggestions?”

“I mean, you do read a lot of thrillers…”

Annoyance shifted into anger in your chest but Jake emerged from the back of the bus before you could snap back. “What are you two going on about? I can’t focus on my book back there.”

“Your brother is being a judgmental asshole is what’s going on” you muttered.

“How dare you!” he retorted turning to glare your way but Jake waved his hand between you two, forcing you both to focus on him.

“Is this because you’ve chosen every single movie you’ve watched together and now Y/N wants a chance?” Jake questioned.

“She can still pick, just something else” Josh sighed dramatically.

“I’m just trying to get him to watch one fucking episode than he can veto it if he hates it” you sighed back, earning another glare.

“Josh, you’ve enjoyed having Y/N join you for movies, right? And the discussions you’ve had about them afterwards?”

“Well, yeah…” Josh trailed off, knowing where his twin was going with this.

“Then why don’t you think she’d know you well enough to pick something out that you may like, hmm? I’ll even sit down and watch an episode.”

You paused, watching Josh weigh his twin’s words—he knew he had lost this particular argument. “Fine, load it up. And, Y/N, I’m sorry for implying you had poor taste. You’re the only one besides me on this godforsaken bus that thinks seriously about cinema.”

“Apology accepted” you grinned, stretching your legs back out to settle in for the show.

Within 10 minutes, Josh was hooked, like you knew he’d be, and Jake seemed to be enjoying himself too. You’d seen this show countless times so you shot Jake a text:

thanks for stepping in back there, you probably saved your brother’s life

You watched Jake’s phone light up across the way and saw his face break into a smile when he read your text.

always happy to take your side in any future fights you two may get into

what if I argue that Taylor Swift is a better lyricist than Joni Mitchell?

you wouldn’t dare

***

Jake sat in his hotel room a few weeks later, looking forward to the final show of the American leg of the tour. Sound check was still a few hours off and he lazily strummed his guitar, staring out at the view. A knock sounded from behind him and he opened his door to see your panicked face.

“Are you okay? What’s going on?” Jake said, guiding you into his room with a gentle hand on your back.

“I’m fine! Just trying to wrap up a few things before we head to South America in a couple of days. How many checked bags do you have again?” you asked, foot rapidly tapping on the floor.

“…2 but I don’t believe you. You look totally freaked out, Y/N” he replied, hands gently rubbing your shoulders.

“Great, thanks! That was all—.” Your phone ringing cut you off and you sighed before answering, stepping into his bathroom so you could close the door for some privacy. Jake tried his best not to eavesdrop but your raised voice was hard to ignore, even through the door.

Several moments later, silence filled his hotel room and he assumed you’d hung up the phone. He pressed his ear to the door and could have sworn he heard you sniffling behind it.

“Y/N? Can I come in, please?” Only more muffled crying answered him. “Please, I’m worried, can you unlock the door?”

A moment later he heard the lock click and he cautiously opened the door. His heart dropped when he saw you sitting on the tile, arms wrapped around your legs as tears streamed down your face.

“I’m sorry, this is so unprofessional of me, I’ll leave in a minute.”

“Y/N, stop it, fuck professionalism, you’re my friend. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Your sobs continued in earnest at his words and he sat down, wrapping an arm around you. You rested your head on his shoulder and he rubbed your arm lightly, trying to offer what comfort he could.

“I’m sorry, this trip to South America just got totally fucked up this morning. My one co-worker did the booking all wrong so I’ve been trying to fix it for hours now.”

“Shit, that sounds stressful. How can I help?”

“The funny thing is, everything’s settled now. I just submitted all of our information to the airline so we’re set.”

“Why are you still so upset then?” he asked, confused.

“Well, the thing about me is I’m great at handling things when shit hits the fan but the second it’s done? All the adrenaline just rushes through me and then this happens” you chuckled quietly, wiping the tears off your face. “Super helpful, right?”

“No one’s perfect” he assured you and you pushed him away lightly before meeting his gaze. “If everything’s resolved, who was on the phone?”

“My mother. She tried facetiming me so I could see Reggie before we left the country and I lost my shit on her because I’d already told her I couldn’t talk today given everything.”

“Poor Mama Y/L/N” Jake teased and you laughed.

“I know, I owe her an apology call in a little bit” you reached over to squeeze his hand. “Thank you, Jakey.”

“Nothing to thank me for, I’m always here if you need me. Help me figure out this melody I’ve been working on?”

You nodded eagerly as Jake helped you up, handing you his spare guitar. You settled opposite him on the bed and he started running through some of the ideas he’d had.

He smiled faintly as he watched you roughly strum the guitar strings; you were by no means an expert but, for some reason, he could understand what you were getting at whenever you sat down with him to work through his melodies.  As you went back and forth, a song slowly revealed itself to Jake.  

“What’s going on in here?” Sammy’s voice called from behind Jake, causing you both to jump.

“I know we have each other’s spare room keys but maybe knock next time? You scared the shit out of me” Jake replied, glaring at the rest of the band who appeared behind his youngest brother.

“We tried calling you both like a million times with no answer. Sound check starts in five minutes” Danny explained. Jake felt his shoulder tense as he noted the curious expressions on Sam and Danny’s faces.

“Shit, sorry we lost track of time” you muttered, quickly shooing the guys out the door and down to the waiting car.

***

Later that night, the five of you were celebrating in Josh’s room after the show. Alcohol was flowing freely and everyone was a little unsteady on their feet. You sat on the floor beside Danny, the others strewn about the other chairs and the couch. Everyone was chatting but you were you just soaking up the positive energy and excitement in the room—a welcome reprieve after the crazy day you’d had.

“You know what’s awesome?” Josh asked and your focus shifted to him when you realized he was looking right at you.

“What?” you asked, sure he was about to say something ridiculous. You half debated getting your phone out to film it but resisted the urge.

“How well you’ve fit in with us, it’s like you’ve been here all along.” You felt your heart warm at his words but it quickly sank as he continued, “Especially considering your history with Jake.”

A/N: One more part left, y'all! Thanks for the support and let me know if you have any feedback :)

(also I would fight them to the death that ms. swift is a better lyricist, just felt that needed to be said)

taglist: taglist: @sunshineonkennasshoulders @littlehorrorlover @gretavansteph @peacefulfuckinarmy @greta-van-chaos

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this Week #108 (Year 3 / Week 4):

Un Flic, Jean-Pierre Melville’s last moody flick, a French Heist Noir. With Alain Delon playing the cop this time instead of the crook, and Catherine Deneuve just showing her beautiful self. A minimalist exercise in style and genre. 4/10.

🍿 

7 more by Polanski:

🍿 His genial first film, Knife in the water, as strong as some of cinema’s best debut features (‘Citizen Kane’, ‘Sex, lies and videotapes’, ‘Badlands’, ‘Breathless’, ‘The Iron Giant’, ‘Margin call’, ‘Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf’, Etc). Co-written by Jerzy Skolimowski (Whose ‘EO’ I just saw last week, and whose complete canon I am going to pursue). A very tense psychological power game with only three players, which surprisingly does not end in violence. A terrific saxophone score. 8/10.

🍿 Venus in Fur, a surprising discovery! Featuring only two characters on an actual Parisian stage, a playwright who looks like a young Polanski, and his real-life wife Emmanuelle Seigner, as an actress who shows up late for an audition. it’s an engaging erotic power-play, a masochistic love story, and it deals with repression, domination, role playing, degradation and cross-dressing. A perfectly-dark subject matter for this brooding director. 9/10.

🍿 For his next number, Polanski directed his wife in another tight two-hander, Based on a True Story, with similar slow-burning psychological threats. This time about a depressed writer who is being befriended by Eva Green, a super obsessive jealous admirer. Co-written with Olivier Assayas, with some inside literary throwaway lines about Amos oz , Cormac McCarthy and Don DeLillo. 6/10.

🍿 First watch: The Pianist. I found the first 1/3 of the film artificial and glossed out in the worst-traditional Hollywood way: Everything was ‘too nice’, and too clean, and not horrible enough. Later in the ghetto and toward the end as Warsaw gets destroyed, it became a bit more “real”, if you can call it that. I can’t stand most movies about the holocaust, because they obviously have to smooth things out, make them palatable. Lanzmann’s ‘Shoah’ was an exception. Coincidentally, I saw it on Friday, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

(Also, how did they shave in the holocaust?...)

🍿 Both ‘The Pianist’ from Warsaw and his Parisian The Tenant were made in English, which made it impossible to take them seriously. The tenant is the last of Polanski’s “Apartment Trilogy”, but it doesn’t compare to ‘Repulsion’ or ‘Rosemary’s Baby’. I can’t remember how original were the themes of sexual guilt, anxiety, cross-dressing and paranoia in 1976, but they surely didn’t age well.

🍿 “...It won't hold. I won't build it. It's that simple - I am not making that kind of mistake twice...”

To me, Chinatown is one of the ‘Best films of all time’. It’s like a song I can listen to again and again and again.

The quintessential LA film, the haunting nostalgia to an era that existed only on celluloid. A perfect dark Noir on every level: the perfect screenplay, the masterful sound and score, even the character names are iconic, Lieutenant Lou Escobar, Russ Yelburton, Hollis Mulwray, Noah Cross, Emma Dill. And Jake “Gits” who appears in every scene and gradually being pulled into the tragic mystery together with us, not realizing that he is played for a fool. This film is about duality, (Sister/daughter, money/power, water/drought, the city and the valley) and about ‘Eyes that are Flawed’. Always 10/10.

🍿 I was planning on seeing all of the Polanski movies I haven’t seen yet, but I had to stop after The Fearless Vampire Killers. Good for him for meeting Sharon Tate during the shooting of this lame Central European vampire ‘parody’, but it took me 3 days to finish it, it was so so tedious. 1/10.

If I were to write a new vampire comedy today, I would call it ‘Garlic’.

🍿

“Life is brief; fall in love, maidens, before the crimson bloom fades from your lips . . .”  Ikiru, Kurosawa’s timeless retelling of Tolstoy’s ‘Death of Ivan Ilyich’ about the ‘meaning of life’. A terminally-ill salaryman realizes that he never really lived.

I plan on taking a deep dive into Takashi Shimura‘s vast portfolio. 🍿 

3 with Alba Rohrwacher, 2 by Paolo Genovese:

🍿 The pupils, a short by Alice Rohrwacher (who directed some episodes of Elena Ferrante‘s ‘My brilliant Friend’). A somehow-related topic to ‘Friend’, it tells of a group of young girls at a Catholic boarding school during the war, and stars Alice’s sister Alba as the Mother Superior. The day after watching it, I was surprised to read that it was nominated for the 2023 Oscars!

🍿...”How many couples would split up if they looked at each other’s phones?”...

Perfect strangers is a perfectly acceptable drama about a group of middle class friends who meet during an eclipse of the moon for their regular dinner. But this time they decide to play a game, and leave their phones in the middle of the table. It’s dark, dialogue-rich, witty and intelligent. 7/10.

This movie has a completely unique history though: Since 2016, it had been re-made into 24 versions, in 24 countries - I never heard of any other movie like that!

🍿 Genovese next metaphorical film, The Place, from the following year, had one of the most unusual stories I ever saw on film. It all takes place at a small cafe where an ordinary looking man meets with various people, and grants them any wish they have, if they perform an arbitrary task he assign them. Yes, it’s the story of Faust, and yes, apparently is is based on a concept from an earlier Canadian TV-show, but I found it absolutely fascinating. 9/10. 

🍿 

Another nominee for this year’s Oscars, My year of dicks. A feminist animation short about a 15-year-old girl in the early 90′s who is determined to lose her virginity. Explicit, real talk and original about the first sexual experience from a girl’s point of view.

🍿

2 award-winners from Finland:

🍿 Grand Prix winner at Cannes, Compartment Number 6 is different: It starts in a claustrophobic, uncomfortable and compact sleeping car train, which a Finnish woman has to share with a gruff and unfriendly Russian miner. This is the first film I ever hoped to see from the bleak, arctic desert of Murmansk. It ends up literally at the edge of the world, with wide and endless frozen landscapes all around. 8/10. 

🍿 The White Reindeer, a 1952 folk horror tale about a Sami woman, wife of a arctic reindeer herder, who turns into a witch in order to make her new husband attracted to her. Not too interesting.

🍿

You people, a new rom-com. It started frantically in a upper-middle-class, plugged-in Brentwood synagogue on Yom Kippur with super hipster Jonah Hill’s family that made me wanna throw up. But soon it turned into a super-sweet romance of super-sensitive Jewish Hill who falls for Eddie Murphy’s black daughter, and sometimes-funny update to ‘Guess who’s coming to dinner’ 55 years later. Eventually it fizzled out into a typical Netflix-level sitcom. 3/10.

🍿   

2 unrelated depression musicals:

🍿 "Never again will I allow women to wear my dresses!”

Israel Beilin’s (Irving Berlin’s) musical Top Hat with Frederick Austerlitz (Fred Astaire) and Virginia Katherine McMath (Ginger Rogers). Wonderful high-society dance numbers (mostly in single-shot) in great rooms with 20 ft. ceilings. (Photo Above). 🍿 Re-watching Pennies from Heaven, a strange and uneven musical soap opera by Herbaert Ross. The musical numbers with Steve Martin,Bernadette Peters and Christopher Walken lip-syncing and dancing in Busby Berkeley-style extravaganza, were marvelous. But the depressing drama about a drifting, amoral and horny sheet music salesman who falls in and out of love with a mousy teacher turned prostitute was appalling. It does re-create (nicely, but for no apparent reason) Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks in one scene, and also uses a scene from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’ ‘Follow the fleet’ as background, in another.

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Re-watching the revenge flick Law Abiding Citizen with non-actor Gerard Butler. I remembered it as a technologically-sophisticated ‘fight for justice’ story. But no: It was just sadistic entertainment for sadists, which opened with a brutal child-killing and Clockwork Orange rape, and and continued from there. 2/10.

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Stand up with Jimmy O. Yang: Good Deal. Leaning hard into his hapless Jian Yang character from ‘Silicon Valley”.

Bonus: 25 minutes of The best of Jian-Yang.

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Throw-back to the art project: 

Adora in Chinatown (again).

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(My complete movie list is here)