#Mara's Supernatural Song Challenge

[wrenwritesometimes]

Muse

A/N: Here's the second entry of mine to (@mysaintsasinner) Mara’s Supernatural Song Challenge! For this one, it's Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away” with the pairing being: Dean x OC.

Edit, a few days after due date of challenge: I fucked uP and didn't get it in by the due date, but I got too much out of this to abandon it!

Edit, a few weeks after the text above: THEN I got a dose of Typical Teenage Depression and woh where did that one come from.

I'm hoping I'm feeling better, cuz I finally was able to finish this, read through it, and edit it - in one whole sitting!

Edit, a few weeks after the text above this patch: I'm okay! All's okay. This one was a bit of laziness on my part.

Characters: Dean, Sam, Pete (OC), Winnie (OC)

Warnings: Cussing, missing, last one was a typo for kissing but it applies too I guess, underage drinking, bars, I'm just listing normal things by now whoops

Final Warning: this is yet another part one to something because Wrenny couldn't keep it simple

Final, Final Warning: song lyrics are implied text or references, not actual song tidbits

Nights were almost as warm as the days were, around here.

The bars were humid, and the people had a permanent sheen of moisture upon their skin.

There was only one air conditioned bar in the entire town, and Winnie had the pleasure of working there.

She was a pleasant girl, little over twenty-four, and suffered through most anything to get money to feed herself and her brother. She was endeared to the motorcycle gangs that passed through, therefore safe from anything drastic; but despite this, she became quietly haggard and exasperated.

Tonight, she felt particularly numb to emotion, so when a regular seemed drunk from drinking his woes away, she decided she'd rather help him than feel sorry for herself.

“Winnie!” the regular greeted rambunctiously.

“Charles!” She replied as jovially as she could manage.

“Whaddaya doin’ here so late, huh?”

Winnie shrugged, pouring Charles’ usual and setting it before him. He was the only patron at the bar currently… it was 3:14am on a Thursday. “Jen needed this shift filled.”

Charles nodded. “You've been good, doll? It's been awhile since I've seen ya.”

Winnie grinned softly at the rough’n’tough biker that stopped by any chance he had, bandanas, sunglasses, and tans to boot. “I've been as well as I've ever been.” The smile felt heavy on her face. “How ‘bout you, Chuck?”

Charles chuckled and heaved a sigh. “I've been better. I think Kinny left me for good this time.”

Winnie scoffed. “That's a damn shame to hear. But maybe it's for the best.”

When Charles didn't buck up, Winnie settled further onto the bar. “If you don't mind me, the humble barkeep, sayin’ so, Chuck… she was never very good to you.”

Charles’ dark brown eyes were penetrating and resigned as he stared at the bartender. Winnie offered a soft, sad smile before she went to get the dishes from the kitchen to dry.

When she brought the glasses out, Charles was still quiet and contemplative.

“Wanna turn on the news or somethin’, Chuck?” Winnie offered, placing the tub of glasses on the bar with a bit of a struggle.

Charles shook his head, rotating the empty glass of whiskey around its rim. “I'll settle for good conversation with a lovely lady.” He offered a subdued smile that still set his eyes alight with a kind gleam.

Winnie scoffed kindly. “I'm not too good at conversation, Chuck.”

Charles laughed in return. “You know that's a lie, kid.”

Winnie shrugged and set out the glasses in order of height, sighing. “What do you wanna talk about?” she asked, the bags under her eyes feeling like barbells.

Charles shrugged and looked around the bar. His eyes fell upon the barkeep and shrugged as he motioned to her. “I don't know too much ‘bout you, now that I think about it.”

Winnie grimaced slightly. “Well…” she hedged. “Whaddaya wanna know?”

Charles looked at her for a long minute before asking the question she dreaded:

“You ever been in love?”

She was quiet and still for a long time, her ears red under her hair. 

“Once.”

It was the summer after high school that I first met him…

It was a magical atmosphere in my town, the senior class of my school all being friendly and amicably affiliated… there were massive lake trips and large parties that could knock your socks off and your sister up, if you weren't careful.

I hadn't ever really been “attracted” to anyone in my town, so “by definition”, I was either gay or fucked in the head… but truth was, I just really didn't want my cousins screwing me. We were a painfully small town, and if you had actually done your freshman ancestry project (which is precisely what I'd done), you'd know that truly every-fucking-one in this town was related.

It was odd, and gross… and I tried not to think about it too hard.

Anyway. That magical summer time was when I heard it. The roar of her engine...

He called her Baby, but I called her Mustang… since I was dumb enough to have mistook her engine’s tune for one. It wasn't a mustang, but a gorgeous ‘67 Chevy Impala; in stunning shape, too.

I saw her drive past as I worked on cleaning the “patio seating” - or half-rotted wooden picnic benches - at my job at O’Briens’. I was supposed to be a waitress at O’Briens’ Steer N’Styne, but I wound up being a busboy and other grosser jobs as well as hostess and before long… underage barkeep. Too many others were worried about colleges and boyfriends and girlfriends and drugs…

I wasn't going to college. Wasn't smart or rich enough. I just needed money to keep my brother fed and sheltered. Parents weren't in the picture anymore.

It was the day that Chevy Impala revved up the road that I saw him. Jaw that could cut glass and eyes that could pierce the very soul of even the toughest biker chick in this town.

The first thing they did after parking in the motel directly across the way, was stop at O’Brien’s to eat.

The younger boy - I guess, fourteen at the time, I think - was named Sam. He introduced me to his brother, Dean, but not his father. Apparently only Dean and I noticed the hard glare the dark haired man gave his hazel-eyed son.

“Nice to meet y’all,” I had said compliantly. “Do y'all need time with the menu before you decide?”

“I'll just have a coffee, black,” the man grunted.

I nodded and looked to Sam and Dean, my eyes lingering on Dean’s clenched fists.

“Can I have pancakes and milk?” Sam asked.

“Anything you'd like, kid,” I replied with a true smile, one that even released my rarely seen dimple. God, he reminded me so much of my own brother.

“Anything for you, Dean?” I couldn't help the slight twinge of ‘I'm humoring him’ in my voice as I looked at the older brother, and I didn't miss the shift in his expression as he looked up at me with a calm gleam in his green eyes, the skin around them crinkling slightly as he smiled.

“I'll have the same as Sammy,” he said in a voice almost mimicking his father’s, but it was different in some way I couldn't really identify. I laughed as Sam argued that his name wasn't Sammy, and left to give them their drinks.

Needless to say, I liked him and he liked me.

“And what kind of music do you listen to?” He asked, still distasteful, but clearly teasing.

“I love blues… can’t stand anything but,” I said. “Well, except for one more modern band.” I reached for my backpack. “I actually have a tape of my favorite ‘modern band’ with me.”

“Well, pop it in,” he replied after a beat of silence.

Radiohead’s “OK Computer” first track of “Airbag” pumped through the Impala’s speakers.

“Ahh, so nineties rock,” Dean said nodding as if saying ‘typical’.

I socked his shoulder and laughed. “We’re still in the nineties, and I'm still seventeen, so I think I'm safe. At least for another two weeks.”

Dean started to smirk, but he smothered it, shrugging. “I dunno, I think it might be a dealbreaker.”

I playfully gasped, laughing at him immediately after. “Deal breaker, huh? Have you even listened to anything past the eighties?”

Dean chuckled, a breath passing through his nose. The laugh was all in his eyes, though. I knew he was happy.

“I have, and that's exactly why I'm sticking to the eighties. Take this trash outta this beautiful car.”

I laughed again and almost wanted to be mad at myself for laughing too much. I needed to shut up, didn't I? I probably sounded dumb.

“I like your laugh,” he suddenly said, and I only laughed again; quieter, more bashfully and almost nervous.

“Thanks,” I replied uneasily, accidentally releasing an awkward silence to follow my words. “Wanna hear my favorite song on this tape, though?”

Dean seemed to shake himself, and he shrugged nonchalantly.

Fast-forwarding the tape to the sixth track was a familiar action and “Karma Police” started quickly.

“My favorite song on the album,” I said quietly, suddenly self-conscious of everything I, as a person, liked and did in front of Dean.

He was reclined in the driver’s seat, his arms propped up on the backrest as well as the sill of the driver’s window. His left hand had his head propped up and he nodded his head to the beat of the song.

I felt myself biting my lip once. I wanted him to like this song despite evidence showing he wouldn't. I couldn't describe the feeling I was struggling with. It wasn't shyness, I didn't feel small.

There was just tension.

I peeked over to Dean and saw he was already looking at me.

I laughed softly and tried to look back at the dash, but something kept my eyes on Dean.

Casually he scooted from his spot in front of the wheel, to slightly more in the middle; and motioned me to come closer as well. I wanted to stay put; the tension-feeling I felt finally started feeling like it was a rubber band that was threatening to snap at my stomach…

But I moved anyway.

The rubber band snapped as his lips met mine somewhat suddenly. I didn't react for a moment, just stared wide-eyed at his own half-lidded eyes. Then he moved his lips just a fraction, his warm tongue moving gently over my own lips, and I was gone.

We made out in the Mustang to Radiohead.

It was finally my eighteenth birthday.

Dean took me to a tattoo parlor, to my surprise. He took serious a late-night, totally-not-sober conversation to heart.

“What should I get?” I asked Dean, accidentally beaming at him. I did that a lot around him…

Dean grinned down at me, and kissed my cheekbone. “Anything you want. My treat.”

He spooned my back as we stood at the counter; I was short enough to be comfortably under him as he leaned both hands on the counter. It was like I was in a Dean Cave as I leafed through the tattoo art samples.

I liked it. I felt safe.

I actually zoned out and missed a few pages, but I was brought back to attention when Dean’s ringed hand rested on a certain laminated page.

I looked over the designs on both sides and pursed my lips, uninterested in any. It was more metal/punk designs.

I nudged Dean’s hand, signaling I wanted to go on, but Dean’s hand stayed put. I looked up at him curiously, and noticed that Dean had that far off, thinking look in his eye.

“Dean?”

That snapped him out of it.

“What about this one?” He asked, his tone hollow, nonchalant. I looked down his arm to where his finger now pointed.

“A pentagram?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged.

“A pentagram.”

“Yeah,” he repeated, even more hollow and nonchalant sounding.

“Dean, are you okay? You sound weird.”

“I'm fine, Winnie,” he snapped playfully. “I think you should get that one.”

“I dunno…” I hesitantly objected. “I'm not really into that kinda stuff…”

Dean seemed too quiet for a long moment.

Sighing, I made up my mind. “One condition.”

“Anything,” Dean responded, sounding grateful. Why?

“You have to get it too. I'll pay for yours, you pay for mine.”

Dean was silent.

“Shouldn't be too expensive, if we don't get them too fanc--mmph!” Dean interrupted me with a strong kiss.

“I like it.”

“Okay,” I replied laughingly, confused but amused. Bemused.

I couldn't help but feel a bit emotional as I watched Sam and Dean teach my brother how to shoot pool as I worked.

I laughed at first, brushing it off. But when I had a moment to breathe, I found my breath heavy as I looked at them. I found myself smiling big, and I had to sniffle a bit before moving on.

When I finally was relieved of my shift, I joined them at the tables and greeted my kid brother with a playful ruffle of his messy hair, a pat to Sam’s shoulder, and a kiss on Dean’s cheek.

“Hey there, Winnie,” Dean greeted quietly, a flirtatious smirk teasing me.

“Hey there, Dean,” I mimicked, grinning. “Thanks for teaching this kid how to be useful.”

Dean shook his head, chuckling as Pete socked me in the side in response. “No problem at all. Dad didn't want us around today.”

I looked to Sam and smiled warmly. “Need anything to eat, you guys?”

I settled Pete and Sam at one of the tables and Dean joined me in finding the waitress of the section we left them in.

We stayed away from Sam and Pete for as long as we could; as long as until the waitress - Clara - made her way to ‘em.

He held my waist from behind as we waited at the bar, swaying softly to the beat of the shitty country music the owner loved so much.

I felt his warm, calloused hand trail up my forearm and bend my elbow so he could see the tattoo on my arm. He ran his thumb over it.

“What inspired you to get the pentagram?” I wondered out loud, looking up at him over my shoulder.  

Dean shrugged. “Looked cool.”

I snorted. “Okay.”

Dean sighed, but left it alone, turning me around and placing his hands on either side of my jaw. He closed his eyes briefly as he pressed my forehead to his.

I felt my brow furrow. “What's up, Dean?”

He opened his eyes and I was lost in them at this close range.

“Just… nothin’.” He shook his head and created space between our faces. “Clara’s going to Sammy and Pete.”

I nodded and glanced over his shoulder at my friend, but I looked back up at him and held his hands in place.

“Love you.”

Dean seemed to freeze, but I was comfortable with what I had said.

“Now, what inspired that,” Dean asked, his tone sad, but his eyes crinkling.

It’s all in the eyes.

I shrugged with a small, understanding smile. “I guess you're my muse.”

Listening to Johnny Cash was our music medium.

“If I Were A Carpenter” played on a stereo Dean had hauled to the roof for us to listen to.

“You should leave with me,” he said quietly after the song ended. “It could be us against the world… June to my Johnny.”

I got caught up in that goofy smile of his when he made a corny joke and a whirlwind of thought.

I could move from this town.

I could run away with Dean.

I could leave.

I could go.

But... No. I couldn't.

“My brother,” I murmured breathlessly, apologetically.

Dean’s eyes, however, only lit up in understanding and admiration. At least, that's how I read it. I missed one emotion, though; guilt.

“I can dig that,” he said softly, fiddling with my hand. “I wouldn't leave some podunk town if it meant uprooting Sam… he's already uprooted.”

I gave him a scolding glance. “That isn't your fault, Dean,” I defended. Dean knew how I felt about their father. He just shrugged. “Feels like it sometimes. Especially when kids pick on him for not having friends.”

I looked over to him. “That shits’ started again?” Dean nodded, looking ahead at the field my house sat on. “It's been, what… two months?” I asked, beside myself. Dean nodded again. “I swear to god, I hate kids.” Dean’s head swiveled to me, but I kept looking ahead.

“You hate kids?” Dean asked, somewhat confused. I looked to him and shrugged guiltily. “I hate the brats,” I clarified uneasily. “My grandpa had this saying, before he died… he was a teacher for, I think, thirty-eight years. He used to say, ‘Show me deplorable children, and I'll show you deplorable parents’.”

Dean chuckled, taking a swig of the bottle of whiskey I had jacked from the old liquor cabinet in the house.

“I think I'd want kids,” Dean murmured in that gruff way he got when he was serious, offended, or angry. He seemed calm, so I looked over and smiled softly. He offered the bottle to me and I took it. “Maybe one of each… but that won't be for a long, long time.”

I couldn't help but feel sad. He said that so downheartedly...

“I’d want a boy,” I said, taking a swing and settling into his side, his arm going over my shoulders. “I’d wanna teach him how not to be.” Dean chuckled humorlessly. “I dig that.” We were both silent for a moment before he spoke again.

“I’d want a boy to teach him about the impala… teach him how to take care of her. I'd want a girl to spoil. I think I'd like being wrapped around a little girl’s finger.”

I grinned at him and studied him. I found myself doing that recently. I'd just look at his features… take him in.

How green his eyes were, how his freckles showed more at sunset than any other time of day. How blonde his hair could be…

My smile faded, and I felt unafraid all of a sudden. “Dean?” I asked. “Mm.”

“What do you and your father do?”

Dean was painfully silent for a long moment, his eyes moving from me back to the field.

“The family business.”

It didn't hit me until I was smiling in bed, thinking upon my day with Dean.

It didn't hit me.

But when it did, it felt like cinderblocks.

“FuCK,” I hissed as I bolted from my room, barely remembering to grab a jacket, before getting to my truck.

He was leaving today. He was leaving, and I missed it. He didn't say anything explicit to insinuate he was… But why would he ask if I wanted to leave with him? Why would he have given me that serious of a goodnight?

I broke any speed limits in this stupid town to get the the motel they’d made their home. I slammed on my breaks with a cry when I didn't see the impala.

Anywhere.

Ever again.

Charles’ seemed sober now. Sober and somber.

“Sounded like a good kid,” he said gruffly.

She nodded. “He was.” The words sounded soft and sad.

“In another life,” she sighed softly. “I would’ve been his… no broken promises. It would've been good.”

Charles looked sadly at his friendly neighborhood barkeep and laid out money for his drinks, and a good healthy tip.

“You should get home, Winnie,” he said gently. He took her hand and laid a ticklish kiss to her knuckles. “You look very tired.”

Winnie nodded and waved as Charles drove away on his bike.

The bar felt hollow and lonely as she stood there, her hands resting a shoulder width apart.

She didn't collect her money, and she didn't move. She just stood there and stared as the sun rose.

Her eyes slowly wandered down to the pentagram on her arm.

She sniffed, clenched her jaw, collected her tip, and put the rest of the cash in the register.

She went on cleaning glasses until she saw her coworker pull up.

Four Years Later…

Dean never expected to see the the neon green sign of O’Briens’ shining on his hood again.

Memories of driving up flickered through his head like a film skipping in a projector.

He looked over to Sam to see the behemoth looking up at the sign too, a similar look of familiarity on his face.

“Hey, is this where w--”

“Yeah,” Dean interrupted Sam with a quiet sense of finality. He pulled into the motel parking lot and they went in the lobby to check in.

“You'll have room fifteen, right to the left if you walk out the door,” the old man grunted kindly, nodding in the direction he instructed.

Sam thanked him and left the lobby, expecting Dean behind him, but the elder brother lagged, hesitantly approaching the desk again.

“Can I help you?”

Dean nodded distractedly, looking over his shoulder. “Y-yeah… do you know if a girl named Winnie still works over at O’Briens’? Pentagram tattoo on her forearm?” Dean gestured to his his own forearm as he asked.

The motel owner seemed blank-faced for a very long time before he pursed his lips suspiciously. He nodded guardedly and answered with a curt “yeahp”. “She don't have the tattoo anymore, though. Got somethin’ else to cover it up.”

Dean’s face became carefully blank, and he nodded his thanks.

He walked to the Impala but couldn't see Sam in sight. He checked the room, but the door was locked and dusty.

He looked across the street to O’Briens’ and noticed a very tall head of hair walking into the door.

“Ah, shit,” he muttered to himself and was stuck debating whether to follow Sam or to lock himself in the motel room.

The moment he entered the building, the smell of beer, musk, and good food flooded Sam with memories.

The place hadn't changed a smidge in eighteen years.

Sam chuckled in nostalgic disbelief as he took in details he hadn't noticed in the decor and wandered to the pool tables.

“Howdy, sir, is there anything we can get you today?”

The voice was familiar, if not deeper now.

Sam turned and saw her.

She didn't look like a young woman anymore; her eyes looked heavy yet still just as meaningful and kind. She was thin and lean, but she had muscular biceps and more curved hips. Her hair was longer than he remembered, in a long french braid, and a deeper blonde. She had a tattoo sleeve on her left arm now, a flowing visual of a vine of flowers.

“Hello?” She chuckled, snapping her fingers briefly, a brief look of polite concern on her face.

Sam shook himself free of whatever had possessed him to become so still and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Uh, are you… Winnie?”

She furrowed her brow slightly, but smiled nonetheless. “Yeah, that'd be me. Who wants to know?”

Sam smiled softly. “Hopefully you remember me.” He laughed. “I was fifteen when we were here last.”

She smiled despite confusion and shook her head.

“Um, my name’s Sam. Sam Winchester. Brother called me Sammy?”

The smile vanished as soon as he uttered “Winchester”. Her deep blue eyes bounced to over Sam’s shoulder and to the door of O’Briens’ and back.

Sam smiled sympathetically. “Sorry to barge in like this… but we were in town and I wanted to see what was done with the place. Hasn't changed one bit.”

Winnie still just stared.

“You still look as beautiful as ever,” he continued, quiet and genuine.

Winnie shook her head free of her stillness and she brought a hand up to her forehead in silent disbelief.

Finally she managed to speak, croaking, “We?”

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@notnaturalanahi @wordstothewisereaders @violinmyhead

[aion-rsa]

Best Romantic Movies on Netflix

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Romance movies are not that different from horror movies. Both are incredibly hard to pull off, are heavily watched during a cold time of year, and hopefully end with every character covered in blood.

With that in mind we present to you a list of the best romantic movies on Netflix. Because romance deserves it, damn it. Virtually every song ever written is a love song but poor romance can’t get a fair shake at the movies. Whether it be a rom-com or just a straight-up soul-enlightening/crushing romance, our list of the best romantic movies on Netflix will get you back in touch with your cold, dead heart.

Set It Up

Set It Up is Netflix’s most accomplished original romantic comedy yet.

Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell star as overworked assistants Harper and Charlie. Harper is an assistant to Kirsten (Lucy Liu) the woman behind a sports media empire. Charlie works for finance maven Rick (Taye Diggs). Harper and Charlie realize that their respective workloads might lesson if their bosses were more focused on their love life and less focused on work. So they…set them up.

Set It Up is a fun, novel high-concept romance movie positively filled with chemistry on all sides.

Outside In

We embrace every kind of love on our list of the best romance movies. Sometimes that includes some questionable, and some would say “icky” kind of love. So…Outside In is a teacher-student romance. But don’t panic! It’s ok.

Jay Duplas stars as Chris, a man who was wrongly imprisoned at age 18 and who is relased at age 38. When Chris is released, he immediately meets up with his old high school teacher, Carol (Edie Falco), who was his penpal when he was in prison. He wastes little time before he declares his love for her.

Despite its subject matter, Outside In is a mature, well-handled exploration of love and what it means to love someone for themselves as opposed to what they do for us.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

With a name as long as The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, the movie better be good to justify how many times we poor cultural commenters must type it out. Thankfully Guernsey is quite good!

Based on a book by the same name, Guernsey is a historical love story set in 1946. Lily James stars as British writer Juliet Ashton. Juliet begins exchanging letters with residents of the islands of Guernsey, which was under German occupation in WWII (so like two years before the movie starts). While there she meets the dashing Dawsey Adams (Michael Huisman) and romance begins to blossom.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is an excellent, watchable classical romance

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Oh hey! Another Netflix original with a long title based on a book. Like the Potato Peel Pie Society, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is another effortlessly enjoyable romantic romp – this time of the teen variety.

Lara Jean Song Covey (Laura Condor) experiences every young person’s nightmare when private love letters to five boys she has or has had crushes on suddenly and mysteriously become public. But fear not. This is a romance movie, not a horror movie. So this sudden reveal has to go well for Lara Jean, right? RIGHT?!?

To All the Boys P.S. I Still Love You

The To All the Boys team returns for a sequel that teaches kids the harsh lesson that there’s no such thing as happily ever after! OK, so that’s a bit harsh, but To All the Boys P.S. I Still Love You does bring back its characters for another round of romantic angst.

Read more

Movies

To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You Review

By Delia Harrington

Movies

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Review: A Pleasurable Netflix Rom-Com

By Delia Harrington

Lara Jean (Lana Condor) is now officially Peter’s (Noah Centineo) girlfriend. But before they can relax and enjoy their lives together, an old flame of Lara Jean enters the frame. That’s right, John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher) is here and he wants to steal your girl, Noah Centineo.

The Danish Girl

2015’s The Danish Girl tells the story of a kind of love nearly unprecedented for its early 20th century time. Eddie Redmayne stars as artist Lili Elbe, who was born Einar Wegener and is believed to be one of the first individuals to receive sexual reassignment surgery. The film follows Lili’s journey and her love with wife Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander).

When Gerda asks her husband to stand in for a female subject in her painting, Einar does so and quickly comes to terms with the gender identity he’s been suppressing. The newly confirmed Lili and Gerda navigate this new dimension of their relationship and Lili continues her work as a subject for Gerda’s now very much in demand paintings. 

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

Beauty and the Beast

2017’s live-action version of Beauty and the Beast isn’t the best depiction of the classic fairy tale ever but that’s ok. It doesn’t have to be. All Bill Condon’s Beauty and the Beast really needed to be was a fun little dip into nostalgia with sumptuous visuals and a believable romance. On that front, everything goes according to plan.

Read more

Movies

Emma Watson on Beauty and the Beast: ‘I’m Very Grateful That This Character Exists’

By Don Kaye

TV

Beauty and the Beast Disney+ Prequel Series Set with Luke Evans and Josh Gad

By Joseph Baxter

Emma Watson stars as Belle and Dan Stevens is her beast. Belle heads off from her small French town to the Beast’s castle to rescue her father. What follows is Stockholm Syndrome: The Movie. But sexier. Beauty and the Beast really does look good and Watson and Stevens have just enough chemistry to make this a worthwhile romantic experience.

50 First Dates

50 First Dates has a somewhat disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score. Ignore that. It’s probably partially due to many critics’ distaste for at least one of the actors in the above screengrab. Not that they can be blamed. The presence of Adam Sandler or Rob Schneider in any comedy is rarely a good sign. In 50 First Dates‘, however, it’s not an issue at all. 

50 First Dates is a legitimately funny and romantic romantic comedy. Drew Barrymore stars as Lucy Whitmore, a woman with short-term memory loss. Due to a car accident, every day she wakes up believing it is October 13, 2002. Sandler’s character Henry Roth meets her in Hawaii and the two must overcome this bizarre condition to establish a lasting relationship.

Carol

Todd Haynes, director of Carol and Far From Heaven knows longing. And if there’s an element that makes for an excellent romantic movie experience its longing. That desperate sense is baked into nearly every frame of Carol. Based on a 1950s romance novel, Carol is the story of a young photographer (Rooney Mara) and an older woman going through a divorce (Cate Blanchette) undertaking a forbidden affair.

Forbidden because, you know, ’50s. And that’s where the longing comes in. Nothing is more romantic or sexier than a forbidden romance. Carol channels that romantic energy into something mature, fascinating and heartbreaking.

Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook is all about how generally terrible it is to be a Philadelphia Eagles fan. OK, fine – it’s only a little bit about that. This star-studded 2012 film from David O. Russell is more about the challenges in finding love when one isn’t sure they even love themselves.

Bradley Cooper stars as Pat Solitano Jr., a young man with bipolar disorder living with his parents after being released from a psychiatric hospital. Pat is determined to win back his ex-wife and to that end enlists the help of young widower Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence). The two become closer as they train for an upcoming dance competition and share their respective damages with one another.

Silver Linings Playbook works because Lawrence and Cooper have a real crackling chemistry. And they both just happen to be devastatingly, almost supernaturally attractive.

Runaway Bride

From stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts to director Garry Marshall to conspicuous usage of enormous cell phones – Runaway Bride is an intensely ’90s film. And to the rightly organized mind, that just makes it the platonic ideal of a low-stress romantic comedy.

Roberts stars as Maggie Carpenter, an alluring young woman who has made a habit of leaving multiple fiancé’s at the altar. Gere is Ike Graham, a New York columnist seeking to tell the definitive story of this “runaway bride.” Runaway Bride is a charming experience that will make you think long and hard about how you really like your eggs prepared.

Loving

It feels reductive to call Loving a “romance” movie, as its more of a historical exploration of the very real, very tragic legacy of American racism. At its center, however, the film is about love.

Loving tells the story of Richard (Joel Edgerton) and Mildred Loving (Ruth Negga), a mixed-race Virginia couple challenging their state’s law against interracial marriage in the Supreme Court. The details of the Lovings struggle for basic human rights are astonishing. Edgerton and Negga’s empathetic performances make sure the film never loses sight of the humanity at play amid all the legal drama.

Always Be My Maybe

Everyone always talks about “the one who got away”, but what about “the one who was always kind of around”? 2019’s Always Be My Maybe tells of one such story.

Ali Wong (who wrote the film) stars as Sasha Tran and Randall Park stars as Marcus Kim. Marcus and Sasha grew up next door to each other and also embarked on a brief, ill-fated relationship in their teenage years. When Sasha returns to San Francisco to open a restaurant, she discovers that romantic energy remains between her and Marcus. But is that enough to spark love in the busy, chaotic adult world?

Always Be My Maybe has a lot to say about family and growth. It also features a truly winning performance from Keanu Reeves playing…Keanu Reeves.

The Kissing Booth

There’s an interesting dynamic at play in teenage romantic comedies. Oftentimes, the worse they are, the more watchable (and rewatchable) they become. The Kissing Booth is a prime example. Based on a book by the same name from Beth Reekles, The Kissing Booth isn’t exactly celebrated for its realistic portrayal of American teenagers.

Thanks to charming lead performances from Joey King, Jacob Elordi, and Joel Courtney, however, that doesn’t really matter. The Kissing Booth is all about how one girl’s first kiss turns into an emotional minefield of teen angst. That alone is enough to support 105 minutes of pure high school drama…and two sequels!

The post Best Romantic Movies on Netflix appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/38Fd7ho

[hennyjolzen]

What if we’ve been looking at Irish through the wrong lens all these years? Rather than it being a subject that causes heartache in schools might it actually be a periscope into our psyche and our souls? A path towards an entirely fresh way of seeing reality, transforming existence from a predictable and quantifiable 3-D dimension into a vacillating, multi-dimensional realm with the potential of bleed-throughs from other parallel worlds.

First, there are some truths about the language that need to be acknowledged, though the grammarians and language academics might not agree. 1 Irish derives from a world in which the unseen is as real as the seen; 2 it acknowledges the existence of other dimensions; 3 it is based on an understanding that nature and the land are vibrant, sentient beings; 4 at its most potent can be a language of incantation, meaning that it has (or might have) the potential to summon up wishes, behaviours, people and things.

These are bold claims, I realise, and whether any lofty academic linguist would agree is debatable, but let me explain with some examples of the many Irish words and phrases that can upend your way of seeing reality. Words like sclimpíní, for example, which conveys the effect of lights dancing before one’s eyes – either real light or the supernatural; those glimpses we get through the veil of what lies beyond. A single word like this can shift one’s frame of reference radically, to question all one’s assumptions and offering the potential of a more holistic and limitless way of thinking and being.

Cáithnín is another fine example of how a single word can unlock the hidden richness in our lives and landscape. It means a speck of dust, a husk of corn, a snowflake, a subatomic particle and a miniscule smidge of butter, or anything tiny that gets into the eye and irritates it. But, most evocatively of all, it also means the goosebumps you feel in moments when you contemplate how everything is interrelated and how tiny we are in relation to the whole, like that feeling when you realise, or, maybe, remember, that we are all one – all unified.

In this way, cáithnín, becomes like a koan or mantra – a single word that brings you right around the universe from the infinitesimal to the infinite. It becomes a reminder from our past about how we once related to our environment and community, and how we might do so again.

Another example is scim, which means a thin coating of tiny particles, like limewash on a house or dust on a mantelpiece. These are good practical, pragmatic meanings that any lexicographer would be comfortable with, but there are other more nebulous ones which might prove more challenging for the limited claustrophobic way of thinking that we now ascribe to in this age of empirical reasoning and narrow-mindedness. For example, scim can mean a fairy film that covers the land, or a magical vision, or, best and most alluring of all, succumbing to the supernatural world through sleep.

Just consider that notion for a while and you get a sense of the gateways, wormholes and rabbit warrens that the Irish language allows us access to, should we dare open ourselves to it. Might our world in its current state benefit from a language that allows for fairy films that cover the land, a language that offers the potential of being whisked away to the supernatural world through sleep?

Alternate dimensions

Surely children would be more intrigued if, as well as teaching them that ceantar means region or locality, we also teach them its equal and opposite, altar, which means the other realm, the netherworld. After all, this way of seeing the world is instinctive to the young, who have no problem accepting the potential of the alternate dimensions of Narnia beyond the wardrobe or Hogwarts beyond platform 9 ¾ of Kings Cross Station.

Consider the word crithir: its basic meaning is a particle or a spark of flame or light, or the tiniest portion of something, but it has other meanings that can act as a wedge to prise open perspectives that would otherwise remain hidden. For example, it can refer to the vulnerability and insubstantiality of solid objects; such as a swamp, or the trembling of the land in an earthquake, or the crumbling surface of ploughed land when dry after rain. Crithir means all these things.

This notion that our world is not as rigid or dense as we like to believe, has become more relevant with our growing awareness of quantum physics and how electrons are forever materialising, then dematerialising and reappearing somewhere else. All we really know is that our bodies, fields, mountains and stars are elementary particles, vibrating and fluctuating constantly between existence and non-existence – swarming in space, even when it seems that nothing is there. The fact that any solid, dependable mass that starts to quiver or falter can be referred to as crithir makes it an ideal term for the unpredictable and infinitesimal particles that we have delineated as the building blocks of all life.

These concepts are a bit bamboozling to all of us, but they might be easier to an Irish speaker who is already comfortable with the notion that a word like púicín can mean a supernatural covering that allows otherworldly beings appear unseen in this reality (as well as being a blindfold, a goat muzzle and a tin shade put over a thieving cow’s eyes). As an aside, the Irish for bamboozling is meascán mearaí, which also means going astray into other dimensions.

Now, with regard to this incantatory quality that Irish may possess, the best way of seeing it is through the first words ever composed by an Irishman, The Song of Amergin, which our chief poet and druid, Amergin, is said to have recited upon arriving in Ireland on the 1st April 700BC. He immediately begun uttering an incantation, summoning up the world that we intended to create here through his words. Ancient languages, when spoken by shamans and sorcerers, seemingly had this ability to not only describe an item, but help condense it from a parallel amorphous world of potential into a tangible, crystallised reality.

Language of unity

Amergin’s first stanza “Am gaeth i m-muir, Am tond trethan, Am fuaim mara”, (I am wind on sea, I am ocean-wave, I am roar of sea) clarified the interrelation between this world and all other planes of existence – physical and spiritual. It was a declaration of the unity of all things and it’s what, more or less, everything in our lives has been based upon ever since. We’re all here because of Amergin – his incantation summoned us into existence, or at least propelled us forward. And ever since we’ve been here – farming, fighting, mating and, eh, baking.

Yes, baking. As a way of delving deeper into these issues I’ve created a show called Arán agus Im, in which I summon the powers of wild yeasts and invisible bacteria to perform alchemy on milled grain and water, transforming them into bubbly universes of sourdough bread. In the show, which the Abbey Theatre is touring to Limerick, Cork, Galway and Dublin this summer, I’ll be baking bread and delving deep into language issues, while the audience get to perform their own alchemy, creating butter from cream to spread on my fresh bread made of grains grown in Ireland.

The Abbey will also be touring my show Gaeilge Tamagotchi in which I bestow rare and endangered words upon members of the public who agree to nurture and nourish them, words like lóipín, the cloth fixed on a hen’s claws to stop it scratching the earth or the pieces of jute put on a donkey’s hooves to keep them from slipping on frost. Or seithreach, the wistful voice of a mare calling for her foal, or the sound horses make when they meet after an absence.

The truth is that Irish is an ideal tool to help reorientate us back to what we have forgotten about our connection with the world around us. Its arcane structures and lack of clear rules can make it feel chaotic and uncontrollable, but therein lies its power. If we dare to dive in and escape the grips of its more pedantic gate-keepers and spirit-crushed naysayers, there are worlds of new perspectives and experiences awaiting.

[andorerso]

tag games

so i’m just gonna catch up on all the tag games I’ve been tagged in that I haven’t done yet (and there’s a few, some from months ago whoops) and just dump it into one big post because why not

thanks to everyone who tagged me <3

Rules: Answer 21 questions and tag 21 people you want to know better

tagged by @incognitajones and @cats-and-metersticks 

Nickname: Sissi

Zodiac: Sagittarius

Last Movie I saw: Venom

Favorite Musicians: I don’t really have favorites, only ones I really love, like Lana Del Rey, Marina & the Diamonds, Adele, Britney Spears, etc

Song stuck in my head: actually nothing right now

Other blogs: not ones I’m active on anymore

Do I get asks: not that often

Amount of sleep: around 8 hours I get

Lucky number: I don’t really have one

What I’m wearing: black sweats, a black shirt, and a black sweater

Dream Job: author

Dream Trip: France, Italy, England

Favorite food: FRIED CHEESE

Play any instruments: I used to play the flute in elementary school

Favorite song: I don’t know if I have one, it always changes, but right now I’m really into Supercut by Lorde and Shallow by Lady Gaga

Random fact: I love zombie movies even though I’m terrified of zombies

Describe yourself as aesthetic things: Purple candles, red lipstick, dark chocolate, a cup of coffee, book shelves, old castles, rainy weather

Name your top 10 favourite characters from 10 different fandoms and then tag 10 people!  

tagged by @lovethyblakes

in no particular order:

Cassian Andor - Rogue One

Wynonna Earp - Wynonna Earp

Yennefer of Vengerberg - The Witcher

Hürrem Sultan - Magnificent Century

Alice Cooper - Riverdale

Richard Gansey - The Raven Cycle

Rose Calloway - Addicted Series

Anne Boleyn - The Tudors

Katherine Pierce - The Vampire Diaries

Ron Weasley - Harry Potter

Fanfic questionnaire 

tagged by @thestarbirdfromtheashes

1. What was the first fandom you ever wrote fic for? Tragically enough, it was Twilight yikes

2. What was your very first ship? It was either Ron & Hermione or Piper & Leo from Charmed. I’m not sure because it was around the same time

3. What fandoms have you written for, and what were your ships in the fics? Twilight - Alice & Jasper (listen, at least I hated Edward & Bella a LOT) Supernatural - Dean & Ruby 1.0 (because the second Ruby sucked) The Vampire Diaries - Stefan & Katherine (and one Damon & Elena fic which I deny now), American Horror Story - Tate & Violet (this is one I regret now because yikes, they were problematic AF and I was a stupid teen) Reign - Mary & Francis and Kenna & Bash, Pretty Little Liars - Spencer & Toby, The Raven Cycle - Blue & Gansey (and one Ronan & Adam fic), Dishonored - Corvo & Jessamine, Magnificent Century - Nurbanu & Selim, Magnificent Century: Kösem - Kösem & Halime, The Witcher - Yennefer & Triss & Geralt, Game of Thrones - Arya & Gendry, and now Rogue One - Jyn & Cassian

I also wrote a fic for my friend’s OCs once

and wow, I wrote for a lot more fandoms than I would have thought

4. What ships do you tend to gravitate to? I definitely have a few tropes I’m weak for, like: partners in crime, power couple, forbidden love, tragic love, enemies to friends to lovers, couples who make a great team, couples who are opposites but also similar, couples who challenge each other, exes who still love each other

5. Current OTP(s)? Rebelcaptain is the biggest and most important <3 Other than them, Dean & Cas, FP & Alice, and Wynonna & Doc

6. Former OTP(s)? Blue & Gansey - The Raven Cycle, Mara & Noah - Mara Dyer, Spencer & Toby - Pretty Little Liars, Daisy & Ryke - Addicted Series, Violet & Tate - American Horror Story, Katherine & Stefan - The Vampire Diaries, Alice & Jasper - Twilight, Ron & Hermione - Harry Potter

7. What are the ships you will always love? Rebelcaptain, Triss & Yen & Geralt, Dean & Cas, Blue & Gansey, Roy & Riza, Bonnie & Damon 

8. What do you think have been some of your best fic ideas? I really like that one fic I wrote where Jyn and Cassian agree to get married if they survive the war, it would be cool to actually write a follow-up to that one day lmao. I’m sure there were others but I can’t remember right now, especially because my ideas tend to be not very huge or groundbreaking. I usually just want to focus on character and relationship exploration in fics, with no fancy plot.

9. What kind of fic do you most love to write? I love to write heavy angst with a sweet happy ending lmao. I also tend to gravitate towards “taboo” or “dark and fucked up” topics. Even though that’s something I haven’t yet explored with Rebelcaptain

10. What do you dread writing? Definitely action and descriptions lmao. I’m so bad at those. Also fluff, sometimes. That depends.

11. What is a fic you would love to write one day? Ugh so many. For example, I’d love to write a follow up to the marriage pact, and I have a soulmate au in mind but with a twist.

12. What’s a fic you wish someone else would write? I actually don’t know lmao

Get to know me better

tagged by @thestarbirdfromtheashes​

Relationship status: single

Favorite colors: purple, red, black

Three favorite foods: FRIED CHEESE, tiramisu, carbanara

Song stuck in my head: nothing right now lmao

Last song I listened to: Halsey - Devil In Me

Last movie I watched: Venom

Time: 17:33

Top three shows: Wynonna Earp, Magnificent Century, The Good Place

Books that I’m currently reading: none right now, rip

Last thing I googled: bobcats

How many blankets do you sleep with: one

Dream trip: France, England, Italy

Anything you really want: to publish a book

rules: 15 questions, 15 mutuals ~

tagged by @incognitajones

are you named after anyone? nope

when was the last time you cried? I think last night at a fic lmao

do you have kids? no, and I don’t want any

do you use sarcasm a lot? too much

what’s the first thing you notice about people? I have no idea, their hair I guess

what’s your eye color? dark brown

scary movies or happy endings? can’t I have both? (though I don’t particularly like happy endings for scary movies lmao)

any special talents? idk what counts as that

where were you born? Serbia

what are your hobbies? writing, reading, video games

have you any pets? a cat <3

what sports do you / have you played? I hateeeee sports, I used to dance but I was terrible, and I used to go to the gym but we moved and now it’s far away. I do pilates though which is just enough for me

how tall are you? 169 cm

favorite subject in school? history and english (as a foreign language)

what’s your dream job? author

[ccc-sarahjaneseddon]

Week 4 reading 

Important notes, 

Mana

Mana in its broad sense. is a subtle and pervasive influence of supernatural origin that exists throughout the universe.

A sense of mana works to promote qualities such as integrity, dignity and self respect.

Mana profoundly influences the way of being 

It is expressed in authority and leadership that in turn empower others.

It gives a meaning to the powerful, prestigious and governing qualities inherent in the phrase. These expressions of mana may be described as the foundations of authority and leadership for Māori.

Cultural affirmation and acknowledgement of indigenous human rights.

Traditional knowledge   Form of knowledge system that is traditional and  the same knowledge throughout ancestors for example it is a tradition to celebrate Matariki - The Māori new year. 

Mana can be found in many spheres, in the power of creative expression, for example, that has produced the customary and contemporary forms of taonga featured in in E tū ake. 

Mana describes the influence of spiritual powers in their various domains - such as forests, oceans, weather and human relation. 

Mana is something that can be lost when relationships go astray and restored when they are repaired. In the environment sphere, people talk about ‘loss of mana’ when say, a waterway is polluted, overfished or has its essential integrity damaged, degraded or put in someway ‘restoring mana’

I thought about this point and linked it to how the stream in Huhana Smiths video we have watched in class is polluted. Huhana has used Harakeke to clean the water and take the nitrates out of the water so it isn’t polluted. Therefore restoring the Mana of the waterway/stream of the cultural landscape that iwis use. 

Mana can be seen as something that comes from the ancestors for the sake of the present generations, to be maintained, and even enhanced for future generations. It reflects Māori identity and heritage.

Mana can be something that can be passed on. For example, passing knowledge throughout generation to generation from our ancestors to maintain and even enhance future generations.

Originates from ‘not only out human heritage but the heritage of the entire world’

Taonga, in people’s relationships with those taonga and in people’s relationships with each other, their forebears and future generations. Mana reo is the mana associated with an intangible taonga, the Māori language. 

Mana tangata and mana wahine show how mana is expressed through people’s empowerment as individuals and in groups, and in the leadership they exercise. Mana whenua is the mana that derives from an intimate relationship with land.

Mana taonga is an essence that accumulates in the making, owning and handing down of fine woven garments and adornments through the generations.

Examples of different mana mentions

Mana reo = The Māori langague

Mana Tangata = Expressed through people’s empowerment as individuals and in groups.

Mana whenua = Association with land 

Mana taonga = Owning and handing down. = I have a taonga box handed down through my ancestors.

Expressions of mana. The values ethos of any culture are embedded in its language, and the language of culture is central to identity and social well being of its members. 

Māori culture and its transmission is bound up with Te reo Māori. This is the vehicle through which people uniquely express their world view, their religious beliefs, the accounts of their ancestry, the histories of their origins, their songs, their oratory, their wisdom, their humour.

Through the language of their ancestors, children are nurtured in their knowledge of themselves, their relationship with others, and how society works, at home, in the community and in the wider world.

Knowing of language from ancestors has been passed down through whakapapa, generation to generation. It’s if you learn this knowledge of themselves and the world. 

From the 1840′s (Treaty of Waitangi date) - came under pressure from dominating influence of new settlers’ culture and language.

This is when the British colonised New Zealand, they spoke English whereas Māori spoke Te reo, making the language become less used because the english language was around and colonised in New Zealand.

These concerns were often framed in terms of mana; the mana of Māori as the first people of Aotearoa New Zealand; the mana of the language as uniquely and irreplaceably indigenous to this country; and the mana of Māori children, who had the right to learn the language from their ancestors.

Language knowledge from ancestors to children. It’s how you learn to speak growing up. For example, I learned english growing up whereas other people may be taught other languages growing up depending on where they are from and the culture of parents.

Political activism and engagement available to them to ensure the restoration of mana reo and its future as a living language;

Tame Iti talked about political activism and how they were old Tūhoe stories.

Kōhanga reo (language nests) has been key to Māori language revitalisation.

Nationwide and offer programme that reaches young families with children from infancy to primary school age. The retention of te reo Māori is one of the main objectives of the kohānga reo movement.

Are integral to ongoing education and re-edification of te reo Māori, culture and ways of being.

Work to recover te reo, with many Māori across the country involved in revitalising the language. 

This shows how we are more culturally excepting towards Kōhanga reo in schools. During primary school I was taught the basics of Te reo Māori, for example, how to say hello, how to greet someone, how to count and more things to do with Te reo. I also took Kapa haka to get familiar with my culture. In schools we also sung songs to learn about Te reo, for example, as a kid I remember singing a song about colours in Māori. This is educational and has helped me learn Te reo. At college there was also a chance to learn te reo language as a subject.

This is my experience with Te reo, but from Tame Iti’s experience, growing up the teachers told him off for speaking Māori and that he would be punished. Tame Iti used this as a way to test the mana. I think it is unfair that Tame Iti was unable to speak Māori because it is a offical language of New Zealand and is part of Aotearoa and our ancestors who were brought up to speak Māori. If I ever get the chance to I would love to learn more Te reo Māori because I think it is important for Aotearoa. 

Mana reo has been maintained throughout the country on marae (commercial meeting places)

Tūhoe (also my iwi) scholar Dr Rangi Mataamua, challenges the belief that the decline of te reo Māori has been arrested. 

The chapter found that te reo Māori is in crisis. There are only 18,000 speakers fluent today and there is concerns about the quality of language taught in kōhanga reo.

Only in Aoteroa New Zealand is te reo Māori spoken as the indigenous language. It is a unique taonga that deserves protection and nourishment, and it requires the respect and support of the wide. Ancient and rich custom. 

I think after this reading it is important to consider learning the Māori knowledge of language because it is one of our offical languages along with english and sign language. Back in pre 1800 Te reo Māori is the language spoken throughout Aotearoa. And now only 18,000 speakers are fluent. This shows the decrease in speakers because majority of us in Aotearoa have learn’t to speak english.

Iti, Tame (Tūhoe). “Mana: The power of knowing who you are”. TEDxAuckland. Youtube, 17 July 2015.

Smith, Huhana (Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Raukawa ki Tonga). “Mana: Empowerment and Leadership”. E tū ake: Māori standing strong”. Te Papa Press, Wellington, 2011, 92-143

Gilbert, Greg (Canada). "Huhana Smith interview". Youtube. Interview with Huhana Smith, 16 July 2018.

[drakorn]

Get to know me!

Rules: Tag 10 people you want to get to know better

Thank you, dear @rumpelstiltskinned for tagging me in this challenge! I shall immediately answer these questions!

Relationship Status: Single

Favourite Colour: I can’t decide between red and blue

Lipstick or Chapstick: I’m a guy, so neither of them really XD

Three Favourite Foods: Pizza, Steak, The Family Recipe Cake

Last Song I listened to: The Russian Version of Totale Finsternis, Tanz der Vampire

Last Movie I watched: The Disaster Artist

Top 3 Shows: Game of Thrones, Supernatural, Merlin

Books: Currently reading: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, recently finished reading the Mara und der Feuerbringer Trilogy by Tommy Krappweiß

Well, that was fun! Hmm...who do I tag? I don’t really want to tag anyone I know in real life because that would feel like cheating XD Hmm...nope, I don’t know. I am so sorry but everyone seems to have been tagged already XD 

[falkenscreen]

PROGRAM LAUNCH: 25 FLICKS TO CATCH AT THE SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL

If finding the quickest routes from Dendy Newtown to Circular Quay to the State Theatre is a challenge you face yearly, then you’re as excited for the Sydney Film Festival as the hundreds of eager film fans who packed Town Hall this morning for the 2018 program reveal.

Filled with more than 300 flicks from 65 countries including big-ticket previews, Cannes highlights, diverse docos and the decidedly weird, there’s something and then something else for everyone.

Even if you sat in a darkened room, eyelids-ablaze for the entire Festival with two screens playing simultaneously you (probably) wouldn’t be able to catch everything on offer, so here’s 25 picks you may want to lock in tickets for early:

The Breaker Upperers – set to kick off the Festival, this New Zealand comedy centres on two best friends who break up couples for cash. A Flight of the Conchords favourite will also guest-star

Ghost Stories – The eagerly-anticipated hark-back to the spine-tingling thrillers of yesteryear, Martin Freeman and Black Mirror’s Alex Lawther face up to paranormal sightings throughout England

The Seagull – An adaptation of the Chekhov play starring Elisabeth Moss, Saoirse Ronan, Annette Bening and Corey Stoll, this is definitely an early contender for best ensemble

Disobedience – Already a major talking point, Sebastian Lelio’s Disobedience, an LGBTQI love story, stars Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams and follows a return for one character to a religious community that once shunned her

The Miseducation of Cameron Post – A comedy-drama about an orphan and teenager (Chloe Grace-Moretz) who is sent to gay conversion camp – winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize

RocKabul – Australian journalist Travis Beard chronicles Afghanistan’s first and only rock band, District Unknown

Upgrade – Logan Marshall-Green stars as a cyber-enhanced warrior bent on revenge following the death of his wife in this thriller from Australia’s Leigh Whannell – winner of the SXSW Audience Award

Three Identical Strangers – The true story of three identical triplets separated at birth and reunited at 19 – winner of the Sundance Special Jury Prize

You Were Never Really Here – Joaquin Phoenix plays a traumatised veteran tracking down missing girls for a living – winner of Best Actor and Best Screenplay at Sundance

Leave No Trace – From the Writer/Director of Winter’s Bone, the story of a war veteran father and his 13 year-old daughter who live off the grid due to his post-traumatic stress

Juliet, Naked – An adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel, the new indie-rock infused romantic comedy stars Australia’s Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd

The Changeover – A supernatural young adult film set in post-earthquake Christchurch starring Timothy Spall, Lucy Lawless and New Zealand’s Melanie Lynskey, a teenager discovers new abilities which can save her brother’s life

BlacKkKlansman – The highly anticipated collaboration between Spike Lee and Jordan Peele starring David Washington and Adam Driver adapts the true story of an African-American Detective who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan

Aga – The story of an Inuit couple in remote Siberia and the journey to find their daughter – the film’s Director and Producer will be among the Festival’s overseas guests

Number 37 – The Cape Town-set reworking of Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window and feature debut from South African Writer-Director Nosipho Dumisa

American Animals – The story of four boys who planned to heist the world’s most expensive book, for no apparent reason – the Sundance entry stars Dunkirk’s Barry Keoghan

Tyrel – Crystal Fairy and the Magical Cactus Director Sebastian Silva reunites with Michael Cera for this account of Tyler (Jason Mitchell’s) weekend at a cabin in the woods, where tension soon emerges when Tyler finds he’s the sole black man at a weekend of drunken bro debauchery

The Ranger – A park ranger terrorises punk rockers on the run from the cops – screening as part of the annual Freak Me Out strand

Searching – Starring Debra Messing and John Cho and unfolding on smartphones and screens, a desperate father searches for his missing 16 year-old daughter

The Breadwinner – From the Producers of Song of the Sea, this Oscar-nominated feature and solo directorial debut from Nora Twomey follows an 11 year-old girl who is forced to care for her family in Afghanistan after their father is arrested by the Taliban

A Mother Brings Her Son to Be Shot – This Northern-Irish documentary, chronicling a self-policing community in Derry, was shot over five years

[Censored] – A portrait of never-before-seen footage stitched together by Australian filmmaker Sari Braithwaite, the recipient of the 2015 AFTRS Creative Fellowship to create an experimental work on Australian censorship

The Field Guide to Evil – An anthology of 8 films from 9 Directors from across the world exploring myths and folklore – the follow up to The ABCs of Death

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot – Gus Van Sant directs Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara and Jack Black in this story of American cartoonist John Callahan who, paralysed at the age of 21, continues to struggle with alcohol. The story was first brought to Van Sant’s attention by Robin Williams over 20 years ago

Lean on Pete –  Starring Steve Buscemi, Chloe Sevigny (Love & Friendship), Christopher Plummer (All The Money in the World) and Directed by Andrew Haigh (45 Years), an at-risk teen in the Pacific Northwest gets a summer job where he befriends a racehorse

There’s a great deal more features in the program, and no doubt more yet to come as the Festival’s 65th year rolls closer. If none of these took your fancy, given the diversity of the program there’s probably something that will, or better yet, if something pops out, or just confounds you, why not take a chance.

The Sydney Film Festival will take place from Jun 6-17