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seriouslycromulent · 6 years

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Thoughts on Monday Night Raw + possible Shield Dean defection

OK. I’m trying to stay out of some of the infighting taking place here in the WWE-fandom, but some of y’all are making it difficult. So I’ll share my 2 cents on why I’m not in favor of a Dean heel turn, but also why it’s not that big of a deal to me in the end.

It’s about to get existential up in this piece, people. Hold on to your butts...

Right off the bat: Why bring them back together, if you’re only going to tear them apart soon after? The Shield reunion has stalled multiple times over the last year or so, for one reason or another. Then Dean gets injured. Almost dies in real life. Returns to Raw. Kills it at Summerslam. And joins his brothers-in-arms to reform the Shield the following night on Raw ... to what end? To break them up a little over a month later? Seriously? That’s what y’all want?

Dolph’s assertion that Dean was thriving on Smackdown and that he didn’t need The Shield ticked me off. Yes, I loved Dean on Smackdown. It’s literally not been the same since he left. To me, Smackdown has never been able to recapture the same energy it had when Dean was on their roster.

But what Dolph said can easily be applied to Roman and Seth as well. All 3 of the Hounds of Justice have accomplished remarkable things since they disbanded in 2014. None of them needs to be a part of The Shield. But they’re not together because they need to be. They’re together because they’re smart enough to know the benefits of brotherhood.

Also, Dean’s a Grand Slam champion too. Just like Seth and Roman. The only thing Dean hasn’t done is 1) fight the Undertaker, and 2) main event Wrestlemania. [And neither has Seth.] But Dean’s main evented PPVs before, and he even main evented a special televised house show with Triple H and easily held his own against him. So can we please stop talking about Dean like he’s the red-headed step-child in this trio! Hell, he was the first member of The Shield to even hold a title.

Y’all have been clamoring for a heel turn for one of the Shield members forever, and for Dean, especially, since he returned a month ago. I have no idea why so many of you are so eager to see either Roman or Dean to be a heel. I’m not against the idea in general. I just don’t understand the hype.

I’m sure Roman and Dean would kill it as a heel. But as a long time wrestling fan, I know that turning someone heel does not automatically equal character development or keeping the fans interested/happy/supportive of a particular wrestler. I remember just as many instances where turning someone heel did nothing for that wrestler in terms of interest or quality storylines. So I always find it funny when fans, who often like to accuse WWE Creative of “lazy writing,” are so quick to recommend a heel turn for wrestlers as a means to give them something meaty, worthwhile or development in terms of their character. But it is easily the most over-used device in Creative’s arsenal.

The reality is you can create meaty, worthwhile and character development-packed storylines that don’t involve turning someone heel just as easily as you can if you do turn them heel. Personally, I think all heel turns should happen only when the audience least expects them, and never when they’re asking for them. But hey, as usual, I’m in the minority.

With that said, I know Dean would kill as a heel. He would be absolutely fantastic. But the last thing I want for him is to become a heel because he was manipulated by Dolph and Drew like some simpleton who can be easily played like a pipe. So what Dean doesn’t have a title?! He was gone for 9 months with a major injury. It’s unrealistic as hell that he should have a title right now. This notion that Dean is (in real life) bothered by the fact that he doesn’t have a title is purely the fabrication of fans. Sure, use it for the sake of a storyline, but a lot of people seriously think that a wrestler’s value is measured in what titles they have or have had around their waist, and that’s just ridiculous.

Most of the wrestlers we revere from the 70s, 80s and 90s rarely wore a title around their waist as often as this younger generation of wrestlers. And we remember and respect them nonetheless. Dusty Rhodes, Rowdy Roddy Piper, The Undertaker, Macho Man Randy Savage, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, the Hardcore Legend Mick Foley. All of these wrestlers are legends. And they’re remembered for their work in the ring and on the mic. Not for their number of title wins. And I really wish fans today appreciated that more.

In short, turn Dean heel. I really don’t mind. But I hate the idea that they’re making him out to seem like he can be so easily swayed by the words of Dolph and Drew, as if those two can easily create a wedge between Dean and Roman/Seth with just a few words and implications. If Dean is going to turn heel on Ro & Seth, it should be to stand alone. Not with Braun, Dolph and Drew.

I saw someone who’s pro-Heel Dean claim that Dean “needs to get his revenge.” On who? On Roman? What did Roman do to Dean? Are we seriously going to believe that Seth and Roman didn’t text or call Dean all the time when he was away for 9 months? None of us should believe that. Not if we’re genuine fans of The Shield.

Revenge on Seth? Why? Seth apologized for his betrayal in 2014 multiple times. As a matter of fact, we went through an entire storyline about this issue leading up to them becoming a tag team in the first place. And after some groveling and genuflection, Dean forgave him. So why does he need to get his revenge? Shouldn’t we want Dean to forgive Seth if he said he forgives him? Or do we want to respect someone who says they forgave someone, but continues to hold on to a grudge anyway? And wouldn’t taking out his “revenge” on Seth mean that he has to betray Roman in the process? If so, is that what we want for Dean? To betray all the people (not that there’s that many) he cares about for the sake of obtaining a title? Isn’t that just the same storyline Rollins had?

OK. That’s my 2, 3, ... 6 ... 25 cents. Sorry so long-winded, but that’s how I roll in all my fandoms.

I will say this about this storyline: WWE really did a great job at creating a storyline that millions of us are engaged in. So I think it’s fair to give them credit where credit is due.

#wwe #roman reigns #seth rollins #dean ambrose #the shield #monday night raw #fandom #wrestling

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taeguboi · 7 years

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badboy!BTS Headcanons

Request: ‘idk what this thought is but i think you might be able to do somethin with it and i thought of you when you reblogged some stuff tonight: what would bts be like if they weren't in bts and were bad boys? i was just thinking about what they might have done but then i also thought about how good jin would look in a leather jacket and fucking up people's heads like he's a bastard but he's handsomr so it's okay kekeke’

Notes at the end

Rap Monster: bad boy for justice

An afterschool bad boy

keeps to himself at school / work

but as soon as he leaves that building, it’s different:

fag in mouth, shirt loosened up for comfort

and he’s eyeing up any attractive girl that passes by

A gentleman to the ladies

Will drop kick the jerks that break their hearts

Has a surprisingly high set of morals

it just gets overlooked because of his bad boy aura and here’s why

Had his fair share of arrests

but to be fair to him, it’s mostly for a good cause

like he was the one that got provoked in a fight

or that thing he stole was actually something he was getting back for someone

Basically won’t hate you if you’re cool with him though

“Hey, if anyone’s troubling you, don’t hesitate to call me, yeah?”

Brings back a lot of girls to his shared house

everyone thinks he’s a player

“ey up ‘Joon; who’s she this week?”

but it just genuinely doesn’t work out each time

they get put off by his tendency to fight

Until he meets this one girl

she’s feisty and is just as verbal as he is passionate for justice / karma

They’re couple goals

and he proposes to her in a bar

but it’s their bar, it’s where they met and send like half their time together, so it’s romantic

She loves everything about him and rightly so

his passion, even if it may appear as unnecessary anger

his hard working demeanour despite his ‘common’ background

Yeah, he’s a bad boy, possibly only by appearance,

but he’s gonna build himself a good life

Jin: the classic rocker

Let’s begin with that leather jacket

It’s genuine vintage leather

he lets girls wear it in the cold on a night out

and it’s like so heavy but cosy?

Rocker

been to all the concerts

You invite him out to see some unknown local band for their first gig

but somehow he’s already seen them and knows their full set

but he’s also seen the legends in arenas

Can’t forget the festivals

can’t forget the free love and ‘happiness’

Owns all the pubs and clubs by social status

enters the room and it goes silent for a moment

who will say ‘hi’ to him first?

It’s tricky because he’s so fucking magnificent and overpowering

So how did he get to this status?

He knows how to talk

no one makes a fool of him

will put up with 0% of anyone’s shit

gives no fucks when it comes to conversation

Will fuck with your head if you cross him

knows how to wrap people around his little finger

and then can drop them just like that

Sometimes he’ll be extremely witty

but nowadays he can say the pettiest thing and it has the same effect

Pretty much everyone is in his debt somehow

“You need [x thing] doing? Yeah, I know a guy that can sort you out”

So social

but doesn’t even own a phone

he just goes out every night

Has his local bar

his regular clubs

in which he pulls every night

[in each club]

Very sensual

You’re one lucky girl if:

he takes you outside of the club to just talk to you

“You’ve been having a pretty good time in there, huh?”

“I bet you could have an even better time out here with me”

Will fuck anywhere, no matter who might see

and he’s never been arrested for it

because he has his way with words

he can even bribe the police, and nothing

Becomes a bit of a biker

almost forms / joins a gang

but is way too independent to stick to it

Kind of a loner bad boy

Suga: underground rapper

Underground rapper with all the swagger

He does it all

Booze

Cigarettes

at least the occasional sesh

Will fuck many people, boys and girls

and he can do it every night because groupies

but is secretly a sucker for pretty boys

But he knows his bad boy nature can get him what he wants

Bar fights

Gets hecklers at his gigs but he puts them in their place

will jump off the stage to fight you

His regular venue only own 2 beer glasses now

Could have the most supportive audience but will drive away into the night raising a middle finger

Can rock out any look

still looks hardcore that one time he performs in a dress

Barely dies his hair

Tries blonde once but does back to black

because the roots come through in like 2 weeks

and then he refers to that fortnight as ‘that time I almost sold out’

Acts as if he’s the most tortured soul

so you think you have some sort of connection

but fucks you and leaves you lmao

Has a ped

rides around randomly at night

drops off wherever he thinks he’ll get a good story from

write bad ass raps about his experiences

Gets wound up in quite some violent situations

it’s concerning how often he’s been at knifepoint

jumps on random cars

or hot wires then to dump in a lake

because why not

Agust D might never become a national household name

but it’s certainly a name known by everyone in town

J-Hope: wandering skater boy

Sporty bad boy

Footie with his lads

Skateboarding home

flying across busy roads

almost knocking over pedestrians

He’s been stopped by the police for it

but they escort him home and are shook

because his mum is a bad ass, probably worse

Doesn’t smoke

but beer is life

Drunken antics every night

Will do whatever to win a girl over

*leaves her name in massive letters outside her bedroom window*

“Holy shit Hoseok, how did you...”

*police siren*

*gets arrested for pulling down letters of shop signs*

Goes to shops and purchases wrappers

because he’s already eating the food before he’s payed

Graffiti artist

lives for that adrenaline rush

can outrun the cops every single time

because he can jump over everything, get through everything, etc

and can run for hours

Bit of a wanderer

by day, he’s out with his lads

by night, he roams free

He doesn’t need wingmen or clubs to pull

no; he has what it takes

to just approach that lonely girl sat on a bench contemplating life

and no matter how many times his parents insist he bring no one home

there’s always a way to sneak into his room

Sometimes he just roams for days

doesn’t tell anyone

comes back in 3 days with some badass tattoo and some mystery souvenirs

[souvenirs that he smokes in a day lmao]

[low key stoner hahahaha]

Jimin: ladies man aka the biggest flirt

His shirt is on/off like 50/50

Tastefully placed tattoos

that don’t hide too much of his body

simple writing down either side of his abs

[think 2014 mama awards I think]

and a tattoo on his butt that was done for the lols

but it’s a story, like

“I have the illuminati on my butt”

Tongue piercings

which you get to see when he’s flirting

he’ll stick it out sometimes when begin suggestive

House parties always

Like does he even have parents around?

Works every day so he can pay for both bills and booze

He does up cars or something

You can show up and he’s not even at his own house yet 100 other people are

But when he is there to host his own house party, well...

all the bedrooms are occupied

and it’s because he’s got a girl waiting for him in each room

what an exciting game, to see how many he can fuck

before one of them finds out they aren’t the only one

holy shit Jimin there’s 5 bedrooms here how do you even--

*slap!*

that was the sound of a girl’s discovery

he’s used to it though

I think his face has built up a tolerance for the slaps because they happen that often

so he’ll basically grab whoever’s booty he wants

Those beautiful plump lips

they weren’t just made for kissing and eating out though

they were designed for cigarettes

the way the smoke puffs out of his mouth is beautiful

low key erotic somehow?

Oh and the lip biting he does

paired with some smooth flirting

You’ll hear all the rumours about bad boy Jimin

and how you shouldn’t go near him

but you can’t help but give in to him and your curiosity

Honestly, it’s worth it; boy fucks damn well

Girls girls girls

He was that lad in school that the teachers hated

for distracting the female students and making them swoon

Has always been shameless

Like in younger school years it was winking

and outrageous confidence

but then in later high school years

you find him touching you under the table

but was still a prat

always in the head master’s office

or isolation

or suspended

But he still managed to stay in the same school

even after hitting on a teacher

Turns up to prom in his usual leather jacket and jeans

actually, he just turns up anywhere however and whenever he pleases

You just have to let it happen

he never causes any real harm

V: the punk activist

Gorgeous long hair

He’s had it in some bold colours

Fiery red becomes like his identity

the condition of his hair suggests a feminine nature but oh...

He’s anything but that!

His voice is extra gruff and deep

and he knows he can use it to his advantage

to get girls

and to threaten people

99% of the time gets what he wants

Spends a lot of money on piercings

he has all the ear piercings you can think of

snake bites lip piercings

an eyebrow piercing

he has other piercings that he don’t always make use of

and *ahem* some more intimate piercings

Has been known to turn you on

just by telling you about his ‘down there’ piercing

“wanna see?”

fuck me yes I do

and money on tattoos

almost everywhere

tattoos across his torso,

bad ass tattoo sleeves,

his back and up to his neck: still tattoos

and some of girl’s names to win them over

He doesn’t care how she doesn’t mean that much to him

as long as she’ll make a good story

Gets arrested at least once a month

Has some cheesy and heart-felt lines though beneath all that anger

Fucks so many girls but then realizes

he’s hella gay

“Damn, that’s a pretty boy”

Joyriding

but somehow he makes it romantic with another person

like he just parks he car in the middle of nowhere so you can enjoy the moonlight with him

So yeah, he’s poetic it turns out, but

Quite angry

like a Punk Oscar Wilde almost?

Vegan?

Can get political, very opinionated

Passionate for whatever cause he’s taken up this week

Graffiti to make statements

Forms a punk band to make statements

Smashes windows to make statements

but although he can get violent

he knows what he’s talking about and has solid views

Starts movements

Gets called a faggot once with his kinda serious boyfriend

suddenly he’s a huge activist in the lgbt community

Will get full on sexual in the middle of a shop

to prove a point to a stranger who scoffs at him kissing a dude

*grabs his partner’s dick and makes out with him*

it shuts them right up as he starts jacking off the other guy

right there and then

they’re chuckling into each other’s mouths

and oh, he ain’t afraid to finish the job

even if the stranger has long gone

He likes to make headlines in the local paper

no matter how odd or cringy it can get

his purpose is to have a voice

Jungkook: restless muscle pig

Almost bipolar with his personality

New girl in town? There’s a Jungkook for that

Does extra jobs for extra cash

Some jobs are legit overtime work...

...some not so legit

But it gets him by so he can be a new person for each individual

Never fails to hit the gym daily

He’s never not in a vest since he reached his late teens

starts pointless fights

because of this pent up anger

and need for attention on his efforts on his body

but then gets a serious caution from the cops

that if it happens again, he could be looking at more than over night behind bars

so he takes up mma fighting or something

suddenly it’s a semi-professional career

girls love him

but he doesn’t care

He’s still only down for nothing more than sex when it suits him

Loves his hard reputation

It gives him a personality to go by

No one really knows his past

but I think this lack of emotion is something to do with his childhood

as is the anger and need to work out

it was probably just something to do

Cocky

Eventually decides to take some exams and get the qualifications he didn’t bother with as a kid

acts like he owns the college

and actually, he kinda does because of the arrogant mindset

like because he thinks ‘I’m the best’, it is so

the guys don’t fuck with him

he winks at all the girls

and kinda misbehaves with them

“Hey [girl], if I get this piece of paper in the bin in one shot all the way from over here, you can give me your number”

*actually gets the shot and is secretly shook but acts like it was nothing*

Turns out he’s hella intelligent

and understands every little thing instantly

but that doesn’t stop him leaving college

to return to his normal life each evening

or sitting in the back of classes with his feet on the table

and food on his desk

So he’s still a little untamed and out of control

He still causes the odd street fight

almost loses his licence to fight in a ring

and he still trashes places

and he still has no definite personality

But then this one girl at his college

she puts him in his fucking place

He gets paired with her for a project and he’s like

“So, I talk, you type?”

and she is like

“Hell no”

Oh look, he realizes he’s whipped for a girl

because she ain’t afraid to backchat him

Muscle pig but with some weaknesses

Not sure if this has turned out too similar to my Fuckboi!BTS Headcanons but fuck it, there we go! I went by anon’s little thing about Jin as a basis for his hc and they’re not entirely based on what I think the boys would actually be like without BTS... Also for some reason, I feel different sexualities from them with these personalities so please don’t be offended...

...and I’m not even sure they were all entirely bad boy things [esp the gifs they’re just all so soft hahaha] but it’s getting late and this took way longer to think about than expected [oml punk activist Tae with all the tatts and piercings is making my heart flutter so much even though it’s my own creation?]

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recommendedlisten · 5 years

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This week really made us wonder if Lana Del Rey is the real deal as her excellently written and produced new album Norman Fucking Rockwell paints, or if maybe she’s the same confectionery sugar-gazing pop star industry plant we originally met upon entering with Born to Die who is never content even with her praise. Beyond the lives of the rich, beautiful, famous and ungrateful, independent music always comes through, as very exciting new listens out of Brooklyn from experimental noisemakers ESSi, House of Feelings’ new disco prince ANDREW and indie rock thinkers Bethlehem Steel. Yaeji made her first appearance of the week by doing Robyn justice on the beach, Hovvdy had us riding for a better community, and UK hardcore risers Higher Power already gave us one good thing to look forward to come 2020. Right now, though, we’ve got world problems to solve and goth energy in every direction.

Here’s the best of the rest from the week of September 1st, 2019…

Bethlehem Steel - “Govt Cheese” [Exploding In Sound Records]

It was just a sec ago that we caught up with the promising outlier rock of Bethlehem Steel leading into their eponymous sophomore effort, due out on September 13th, with their second single “Empty Room”, and the Brooklyn four-piece already has another to consume in “Govt Cheese”. This one comes with a video directed by co-vocalist Rebecca Ryskalczyk, depicting her and the band’s other voice Christina Puerto in deep choreography with another after their dead stares kills off a dirty looking dude trying to steal their center, and for good reason at that, as the listen -- a hook-heavy jostle between rough, cranking riffs and clean electric solos -- is about pushing away toxic bodies from your life and leaning on the support system of those with only the best of intentions for your personal growth and success in life. “I must take care of myself,” rings out the mantra in its chorus, even if it takes spilling some blood to do so.

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Billie Eilish - “all the good girls go to hell” [Darkroom / Interscope Records]

There was a great discussion started on Twitter this past week by Speedy Ortiz and Sad13′s Sadie Dupuis that stated, “no one seems skeptical about any pop music anymore and it is bizarre.” Through poptimism, pop music has circled back to being what’s on trend while oddly enough, the underground where most innovations in both sound and style tend to spawn first is no longer regarded as the cool place to be. Leading the pack for the next gen of pop stars is Billie Eilish, a Los Angeles rich kid coming from a family with industry ties who this site has actively observed from a distance, but reserved itself from speaking on until we saw how everything shook out for her. Looking past her possible plant status, the thing that’s the most alluring about this teenage prodigy is how she’s bringing goth-pop to the masses with her brother Finneas O’Connell as her right hand in creating beats weird, yet digestible enough to make this bad guy climb to #1. The latest single from her recent breakout debut WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? doubles as a call to arms about the global warming epidemic and coincides with the United Nation’s Climate Action Summit upcoming later this September in New York. In the visuals, Eilish emerges as an oil spill-covered angel walking a scorched earth ominously. There's shade against modern pop here when it strives to be something greater than itself...

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Charli XCX feat. Clairo and Yaeji - “February 2017″ [Atlantic Records]

The long road that has, since 2014, been leading to Charli XCX’s long-awaited third full-length album Charli ends next Friday, and before its drop, she’s hyping it with arguably one of the album’s strongest previews yet. As has been case with its predecessors featuring Lizzo, Christine and the Queens, Sky Ferreira and HAIM, the UK pop star is flanked by two more women making music with the future in mind in lo-fi pop widescaler Clairo and electronic house producer Yaeji. The result is a near-perfect offering of owning up to your fuck-ups while being grown-up enough to ask for forgiveness with “February 2017″. Produced by A.G. Cook and Planet 1999, the song is characteristically carbonated with synth-pop bubbles and soft pink hues abound with the listen breaking off into an island that gives Yaeji her own moment to press her fingerprints all over it with a minimalist scale-back and transforming the context into her own tongue.

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Chelsea Wolfe - “Deranged for Rock & Roll” [Sargent House]

With Birth of Violence, the forthcoming acoustic-laden album from Chelsea Wolfe arriving on September 13th, even the dark spirit songwriter can’t completely escape the heaviness that has devoured her recent works of doom and metallic weight, and perhaps Birth of Violence’s final reveals why. The song is Wolfe’s homage to music -- A tragic love story so to speak in the sense that often times what becomes our passion can become the thing that makes our lives a little maddening. Being a hobbyist music blog is a fine example of that, and as an artist, one can only imagine putting your entire body and soul on the line in your work can be an expression of personal freedom, but also the thing that traps you once it’s put out there in the world to have. In the quiet rapture of the listen’s accompanying visuals directed by Gilbert Trejo, Wolfe plays a performer in the nowhere outskirts dive bar destined to play the same song over and over as revelers coming through for the first time seemingly experience it all as new. You can be complicit to this when Wolfe’s fall tour starts this October.

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Grimes and i_0 - “Violence” [4AD]

Grimes continues to be a baffling enigma who you can’t be too sure if her personal happenings are just a way to fuck with the media or a detachment from reality due to fame and star status, but with a new album on the way called Miss_Anthrop0cene, a new single created in collaboration with producer i_o is at the very least something to talk about when trying to figure out what it exactly it all means in the context of her art. Aesthetically, Grimes -- when she’s not veering into chintzy nu-metal detours -- is a mood when she inhabits the space she’s discovered for herself between the ethereal and virtual, and doing so in the dark night with morbid imagery. “I am like, begging for you baby / Makes you wanna party, wanna wake up / Baby it's violence,” her voice blurs through gauzy synths and digital stardust. “You feed on hurting me, off hurting me.” Whe you take into account the damaged personal relationship here represents that of the Earth and humans, the horror of “Violence” has the power to haunt us all.

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Kal Marks - “Science Is Science” [Exploding In Sound Records]

Like their local peers Pile, who put out a phenomenal effort earlier this spring with Green and Gray, Bostonian subterranean rockers Kal Marks have been keeping the otherwise white, basic and overpriced city surroundings of the Hub weird and loud for the better part of this decade with their own brand of fired up and twisted indie rock. Coincidentally, they’ll be releasing a new EP on September 27th entitled Let the Shit House Burn, and characteristically, it’s filled with grim thoughts from frontperson Carl Shane such as its latest preview “Science Is Science”, which premiered originally on The Alternative. Like Billie Eilish, the climate change chaos is on these DIY scene staples minds just as well, and their song is a heavy-stomping and head-woozy condemnation against those defying the hard facts of our Earth’s sad reality out of greedy motivations. “As the shit house burns down / I’ll be there to fan the flames / Let the record show there’s no sign of hope,” Shane sings. All evidence points to that being true, too.

Let the Shit House Burn Down by Kal Marks

Portrayal of Guilt / Soft Kill Split - “Sacrificial Rite” / “The Foil Drop”

Portrayal of Guilt have not stopped being busy since releasing their breakout debut and heavy listmaker Let Pain Be Your Guide last year. At the end of August, the Texan screamo progressives released Suffering Is a Gift, a six-song bashing of heavy crosses to bear that pushed the abrasive corners of their sound even further out. They’ve already got new music as of this week, though, through a split single alongside the Soft Kill, the long-standing doom pop project of Blessure Graves’ Toby Graves, who released a doubling last year with the album Savior and Just a Body EP, and are setting out on tour soon with VEIN as well as one of this week’s aforementioned highlights, Higher Power. The Venn diagram between these two artists overlaps in the dark, but other than that, Portrayal of Guilt’s offering “Sacrificial Rite” is another smoldering gut punch while Soft Kill’s “The Foil Drop” turns the atmosphere upside and brings the stars down six feet under with dreamy despair.

portrayal of guilt / Soft Kill Split by portrayal of guilt

#the best of the rest #songs #bethlehem steel #billie eilish #charli xcx #clairo #yaeji #chelsea wolfe #grimes #kal marks #portrayal of guilt #soft kill #new music & videos

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smarky-mark · 7 years

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The Roman Reigns Dilemma Pt. 1

HI HI HI! I hope everyone is having a great morning, afternoon, and/or evening! I know this is my first post in a while, and I apologize (two jobs and planning to move across the country are a BIT time consuming) but I'm here to give you part one of my longest and honestly most in depth post ever, and I really hope you guys like it! Even if you're a non wrestling fan I beg you to give it a read as I explained most of the terms used for you. So please like and tell me if you enjoy, it's really motivating! He’s from one of the most highly regarded wrestling families in the world. He’s main-evented three Wrestlemanias in a row. He was part of one of the most dominant factions in WWE History. The man has left a huge mark on the company very early into his career, so why do so many people hate Roman Reigns? Today I’m going to explain this trend by breaking down the Big Dog’s career, and discussing which aspects led him to become this polarizing figure he is today. Roman Reigns debuted waaaay back in 2012, when he, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins at Survivor Series, in which the group from NXT attacked Ryback and threw him through the announce table, allowing then WWE Champion CM Punk to pin an unconscious John Cena and retain his title. The group later revealed themselves as The Shield, a group whose main goal was to deliver justice to the company, obviously by attacking baby faces (obvious good guys for those casual wrestling fans who aren’t well versed in wrestling terms, and for those who follow me out of pity) in hellacious three on one or three on two assaults. The Shield soon became one of the biggest things in wrestling, with Roman and Seth winning the Tag Team Championship at the 2013 Extreme Rules pay-per-view, and Dean winning the United States Championship the same night. Granted, Dean’s United States title reign was long, but boring. But that’s not what this post is about! So the team continues to dominate through all of 2013, and Survivor Series rolls around. The highlight of the match being a five on five tag team elimination match (Five people on each team, each time someone gets pinned, DQ’d, and/or taps out, they are out of the match, this continues until all superstars on either side are eliminated. After nearly a thirty-minute bout, Roman won the match as the last man standing on his team. Roman immediately became the favorite, with his incredible agility and ring mentality, he was a great performer. Then the Royal Rumble came around. There’s a couple of reasons why this event helped Roman out so much. For starters, some poor decisions were made during this time. Daniel Bryan’s Yes Movement had just gotten underway, and the fact he wasn’t even in both the figurative and literal biggest match of the year irked everyone. Batista won the Royal Rumble, which fans didn’t like since he only came back the previous week and entered, which is LAZY storytelling, and fans also didn’t agree with a part timer winning the match. Everyone hated John Cena vs Randy Orton for The WWE World Heavyweight Championship, mostly because it was the 9546th time we've seen the two go at it, and last but not least, this was CM Punk’s last match before infamously walking out on the company later that night, which fans were devastated about. So this whole match is just going haywire, and who should come in to save the day? Roman Reigns, setting a new record by eliminating thirteen people from the match, (In the Royal Rumble, the only way to win is throw your competition over the top rope until you’re the last man standing, note 29 other people are trying to do the same thing.) including future Hall of Famer and everyone’s favorite asshole JBL, current Hall of Famer Kevin Nash, former world champions Dolph Ziggler and The Great Khali, and Roman’s own Shield brothers! This match further solidified a Roman’s spot as a top guy, along with The Shield’s victories over The New Age Outlaws (Road Dog and Billy Gunn) and Kane, three of the biggest names in the late 90’s, and two consecutive victories over the newly reformed Evolution (Triple H, Batista, and Randy Orton), the second victory being a clean sweep in a No DQ Elimination Match. The Shield was on top of the world, and the only thing that could knock them down was a vivacious chair shot. But that would never happen right? Well guess what Seth freaking Rollins did. The night after their last victory over Evolution, Seth betrayed Dean and Roman via steel chair shot from behind, aligning himself with Triple H and corporate figures for success. This is when Roman’s downfall began. It started with character. Seth got his Lunatic Fringe gimmick that people loved, new gear, and new music. Seth became this loud mouth, scheming heel that fans absolutely fell in love with, along with badass music and gear. Roman got the same music minus the opening saying it was The Shield’s music, he kept the same in-ring gear, and got the same entrance from the crowd and over the barricade that separated fans from the ring. See the problem here? Now, I may just be a piece of shit kid from Small Town, USA, but I think it makes more sense to have the guy you want to be your shining hero fight the villain. I’m not crazy for thinking that, right? Next Pay-Per-View is Money in the Bank, Seth and Dean duke it out a bit during the Money in the Bank Ladder match, but Seth snags the Money in the Bank Contract (This contract allows the holder to have a WWE title match whenever they want.) and Roman comes up just short in a ladder match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Next month at Battleground, Seth beats Dean one on one thanks to S H E N A N I G A N S and Roman comes up just short again in a Fatal Five Way Match for the WWE Title. At this point, everyone just assumed the company lost its’ faith in Roman and Dean was the next top guy. Then the next month at Summerslam Roman beat Randy Orton in an OK match, and Seth beat Dean yet again. Now, Seth tries to straight up kill Dean the next night on Monday Night Raw (and by kill I mean stomp his head through a pile of cinder blocks in a gruesome assault that proves to be the most hardcore moment in recent WWE History) and Roman promises his revenge on Seth. So at the end of the month, it’s Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins in a steel cage match for Seth’s Money in the Bank Contract, but on the day of the event Roman suffered a severe hernia, forcing him into immediate surgery and out of action until January (note we’re currently in September of 2014)., and bringing any momentum he had to a screaming halt. And that's part one! Like I said before I really hope you guys liked it, as I tried to be as accurate as possible! Part two is getting worked on as I speak, and while I will of course see this examination to the very bitter end, your guys' feedback is not only appreciated, but really really motivating for me!

#wwe #roman reigns #professional wrestling #mondaynightraw #smackdown live #Tumblr #writing

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landedinaverycommoncrisis-505 · 8 years

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BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW: CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN @ BYRON’S FALLS FESTIVAL

It’s so great to meet and chat to you guys! First of all, how’s the current tour of Australia going?

Van: It has been unreal! I’ve loved every single show! [Compared to] when we play big festivals back in the UK, the shows here seem to be just as relatable and wild. My cousin, who’s our bass tech, was saying it was like Glastonbury when we played [Lorne’s Falls Festival]… the crowd was massive and singing every word. So to come to the other end of the planet and for everyone to know the words… it’s pretty crazy!

Bondy: Yeah, I think Marion Bay is possibly the furthest point we could be from home and to walk out and there’s people as far as we could see and losing their minds… it’s great!

Van, you just touched on your Glastonbury set. You were ecstatic to play that festival, so what’s the mentality like playing a world-famous festival compared to playing a little ol’ Aussie one?

Van: Well when you say [Falls Festival] is a little one, it doesn’t feel like a little one! It feels like Australia’s Glasto, along with Splendour, so there’s no real difference in mentality for us if we’re walking out to 10 people or 10,000. We’re always like “Yes! We get to play!”. We’d say Falls stands up to any other festival we’ve played at.

Bondy: The atmosphere of playing a gig is what we love. We’ve also been pretty lucky with the time slot we’ve got for Falls, the sun just begins to set when we start and then it’s dark halfway through. I always say that slot at a festival is the most atmospheric.

I’ve noticed that most of the night sets here at Byron’s Falls every band has been heckled to do a ‘shoey’, have you guys done one yet?

Bondy: Have you seen The Mighty Boosh?

I’ve seen bits of it…

Bondy: Well, there’s a character called Old Greg and he drinks Baileys from a shoe. A friend of mine had a party for one of his kids and it was an ‘Old Greg’ themed party, so we had to do a shoey of Baileys. So that was the last shoey I did!

Van: I’ve not done a shoey in a while…

Would you be keen to do one tonight?

Van: Oh yeah, I’ve got no issue. But not in these boots, these are felt and are pretty sharp!

Bondy: We had a pretty late night, so could we do a cup of tea or coffee instead?

You guys seem too dignified to drink out of a shoe!

Van: Yeah… we had a rough night last night, so a shoey espresso would be alright at the moment.

(laughs) You guys have done a lot of shows, so what is the craziest crowd participation you’ve seen?

Bondy: We find it hilarious looking out and seeing what people get up to, we did a show in Manchester and we had the whole thing filmed so we could watch it back…

Van: There was this guy in a pigeon mask among other things…

That was for the 7 music video, right?

Bondy: Yeah, it was. I don’t know if it’s the same [in Australia], but is there a trend of sticking flares up at every gig you go to?

Not yet, but maybe some of your hardcore fans will have brought some in for tonight’s set to recreate the video.

Van: Well there’s always inflatable alligators because of [‘The Ride’] album cover, we see people surfing them quite a lot. Bondy and I have also noticed at every Falls show people have been holding up rags that say “TUNE” on them… we like that!

Bondy: I saw a ‘naked totem pole’ too at a gig…

A ‘naked totem pole’? (laughs)

Bondy: Yeah, a naked guy on top held up by his mates on their shoulders…

Getting into your music rather than just your raucous shows, Van your lyrics encompass pretty much every stage of relationships and love. Do you draw from personal experiences or observing others?

Van: I’ve never been too good at writing songs about [observations]. I heard Paul McCartney was able to write a song about nothing, like about scrambled eggs or about his dog or whatever, and turn it into something great! My approach has always been what I’ve been directly involved in, so all the stories are real and all the people in the songs are real.

Y’know the first word of the album [in 7], “Larry”, I was literally two steps away from the guy in the story. Both records are inspired by people close to me and people in my life. One day I’d like to open up and write an I Am The Walrus and not about my life as such…

Maybe take a trip to India for a while…

Van: (laughs) Yeah, and all that stuff. But at the moment it just comes naturally and quickly to speak about people I love.

‘The Ride’ also seems to be more personal lyrically than your breakthrough debut album ‘The Balcony’, did you write both albums around the same time or is there some time between the narratives?

Van: Yeah, everyone says that [it’s more personal] and I don’t know why! Maybe it is… ‘The Ride’ was actually written in four days, the whole body of lyrics and music.

‘The Ride’ was written across a weekend?

Van: Yep, a long weekend. I just brought some ideas to the boys one weekend and it just took another weekend to get it musically together. The lads are just so in my head now that when I bring [them] a song they just know where things should go, and I just stand back and watch!

Due to such an efficient process, does that mean the third album is pretty much ready to roll?

Van: We love what we do, there’s nowhere else we’d rather be than making albums and playing live shows all around the planet. So we’re ready to go every year… we go to the label and management (wanting to release new music) and they say “C’mon lads, give us a moment!”, so we’re being told to hold off to like the end of the year.

Well we can’t wait for another album! The music video for Hourglass features Ewan McGregor seemingly writing the song, only for you to then accidentally steal it in the end, so is there any chance in the future Van and Ewan could do a live duet?

Bondy: On the B-side of that track is Ewan actually singing the song…

Van: So we do have that sort of version out, but we’ll try hard to make it happen!

I guess it’s not easy to line up the band and his schedules, I can imagine you’re both pretty busy!

Van: I think he’s in a different country every day (laughs). He’s still a good friend to us, and he’s been so good to our band and he’s been on the radio back home talking about when he first met us. So yeah, a [live duet] isn’t on the radar but we’d always be up for it if Ewan was!

Bondy, you came into the band in 2014. So what’s it been like in the space of a few years to go from an emerging band to one of the biggest contemporary rock bands in the world?

Bondy: Umm, probably much the same as the other guys. We have very similar backgrounds, like we’ve all done the ‘toilet circuit’ of the UK… and then did it again… and then did it about 20 more times!

When was the moment when you realised there wouldn’t be another ‘toilet circuit’, when the band was going up in status?

Bondy: Probably when I first spoke to Van on the phone, “Do you want to come do this with me?”. Just because of the way Van is, when he said it was going to happen, I was like “yeah, it’s gonna f*cking happen!”.

*Van blushes*

Bondy: There was never really any doubt, and when I joined they were already doing renowned festivals like Reeds and Reading. Playing in front of a packed tent of 5,000 people was an amazing feeling!

I can’t keep you much longer, unfortunately, so I’ve got one more question for you. I’ve voted for your track Soundcheck in my Top 10 for triple j’s Hottest 100, so what are your favourite songs from 2016?

Bondy: Recently we did a Take 5 for triple j… I really love the new Ryan Adams track and Justice’s new album, so I pick Randy from ‘Woman’.

Van: There’s a band called July Talk from Toronto, who came on tour in the UK with us, they’re kind of like Queens of the Stone Age but with Johnny Cash and Carter vocals. They’ve got a song called Beck + Call, which is really good. There’s a guy called Benji Hughes, he’s got a song Freaky Feedback Blues and that’s pretty good too! Oh, there’s a band called Little Comets… they’ve just finished making their next album, which will be out this year, so there’s some even fresher music than 2016 for you!

And to finish off, do you have a message for your Aussie fans?

Van: We love you loads! Keep doing what you’re doing because we love it!

Bondy: It’s only the second time we’ve [toured Australia] and for things to have grown the way they have, it can only be through triple j being so good to us and everyone here diggin’ good music!

Van: If you guys keep coming to shows we’ll keep coming back every year, we’ll come back this year even though we’re here now… what friggin’ year is it?? (laughs)

Source: AAA Backstage | 8th January, 2017

#catfish and the bottlemen #catb #Interview #really nice one

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qweenvamp · 8 years

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Netflix Review Series: Last Shift (2014)

APOLOGIES FOR MY ABSENCE I KNOW I’M A PIECE OF SHIT

Oh hey look! It’s my first sorta official review on this blog! Let’s all pray I don’t fail miserably!

(this first little bit is an intro, if you wanna skip to the actual review a few paragraphs down, I won't be mad. pinky promise).

As a recent college grad with very little semblance of what most would call “a life”, I watch quite a bit of Netflix. While I mainly stick to only 2 genres that the site has to offer (if you guessed horror and anime, good job. you read my ‘about’ section and know I’m an otaku garbage can. gold star for you), my narrow focus has allowed me to dive pretty far into the depths of what’s available in these categories. And man oh man, I’ve seen some shit. One interesting thing about Netflix is that it has no real standards for what they choose to stream. The only non-straight-up-porn movie I’ve ever read about them refusing to carry is A Serbian Film (which is a whole disgusting can of worms I plan on writing a post about later), but other than that, it’s really a scary, scary guessing game in terms of what you’re gonna get. I’m not usually one of those “let’s just give it a chance” kinda movie watchers. I can pretty much tell if I’m gonna like something or not within the first 10 minutes, and if I don’t, it’s immediately on to the next. But to everyone else who has a harder time making up their mind so quickly, it can be a bit confusing, and before you know it you’ve just sat through a two hour fuck fest of terrible writing, horrendous acting, and even worse direction, and you begin to question what exactly it is you’re doing with your life while staring into the empty can of pringles you just ingested all in one sitting, crumbs all over your face and shirt and grease all up on your fingers. Look at you. You slob.

But never fear, this is where I come in to keep this terrifying scenario from happening to you! My plan is to do a weekly (or bi-weekly, if I can manage it) review of the finest, and not-so-finest, Netflix has to offer in horror films and TV. I’m mainly going to focus on movies you may or may not have heard of, as Netflix does, thankfully, carry some of the classics (which if you haven’t checked out, what the hell are you doing here?), but as I said, I’d rather talk about the films you’ve maybe had in your queue for a little while but you’re unsure of whether or not you wanna give it a chance. Because I’m sure you’ve got much much much more important things going on in your life and can’t be bothered to take the hour and a half out of your day to just watch the damn movie and get it over with. Right pringle face? Ok, done rambling. Without further a-do, here’s my very first horror review on this blog!! Oh boy!!!!!!

REVIEW STARTS HERE ***contains some spoilers***

Browsing around Netflix looking for a good horror film to watch can be a bit of an onerous task. Basically, all you have to go off of is their not-so-accurate star rating system, a short, jazzy little description (seriously who the fuck writes those??) and the movie poster, both of which can be entirely misleading in terms of what you’re gonna get. Scrolling around the horror section, the image for Last Shift caught my eye. Netflix was telling me I’d rate it 3 stars out of 5, (you don’t know me like that, Netflix), but I gotta admit, I see some sort of Satanic element like a pentagram or some shit, and I’m pretty much sold. Reading the description, I was also happy to see that the main character was a female police officer, so maybe she’d be a little less stupid and arm flail-y than your average direct-to-DVD horror heroine. I decided to give it a shot.

Basically, the story is that a rookie cop is given the task of babysitting an old police station that’s about to close as things get set up at the new station down the street. The twist is, she’s all by herself and has to stay there throughout the entire night to make sure nothing crazy is happening, and needless to say, crazy things start happening.

My first impression was, “wow, this is a lot like John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13, but with ghosts!” And, as I continued to watch, I began to have more and more of these moments where I would be completely reminded of a device used in another film (for example, the main character walks into a room, then walks out, turns around, and sees all the chairs stacked into a tower on top of a table. Poltergeist, anyone? And, I won’t say who, but another character is revealed to actually have been dead the entire time, but in an entirely The Sixth Sense fashion.) While there’s certainly nothing wrong with paying homage to the horror greats of the past, using these kinds of tricks over and over again to compensate for a lack of originality is a big no-no in my book, and I can certainly imagine that the most hardcore of your horror fans might find it a little distasteful. Did Last Shift 100% without a doubt do this? It’s hard to tell. The whole plot is centered around a very Manson-esque family that’s come back to haunt our lead heroine, so that in and of itself is taking inspiration from an outside source, but I do think the film contained enough creative and disturbing imagery to somewhat satisfy my standards for originality.

For instance, there are some wonderfully tense and downright creepy scenes about halfway through the movie that did mess with my head a little, and a few good jump scares that featured some great makeup work, especially from what I assume to be a lower budget on that front. Now let me be clear, I’m not really a fan of the jump scares. They’re fun and exhilarating in the moment, but throwing them in by the bucket load does not a good horror film make. What I find most disturbing, is when things seem to be out of place, but you can’t exactly put your finger on why. Our brain doesn’t know how to register them, or specifically why they are disturbing to us, and that is what makes them terrifying. I need my horror films to have at least some of this, or I can’t really rate them anything above ‘mediocre’. Last Shift kind of passed the test. I won’t go into too many specifics, but I think this film did a particularly good job of building up the eerie tension in the first quarter or so, and had some very bizarre scenes with a homeless man that will leave you scratching your head, and also a little disturbed.

However, at about the halfway point, you start figuring out the backstory, and things start becoming less mysterious. The film begins to focus mainly on the ripoff Mansons, and the the solid performance put out by Juliana Harkavy in the main role is somewhat overshadowed by over-acting of the “Paymon Family” who are just trying wayyyyyy too hard to be evil, which ends up coming across a little comical. The last half hour or so turns into this very mind-fucky, dizzying labyrinth of ghosts and gore, which, reading that back, sounds fucking awesome, but in the actual movie it just winds up being kinda frustrating. It seemed as though the filmmakers gave up on the plot a little, or just didn’t know how to end it, which was a huge letdown at a moment when I was craving some sort of justice for the main character (who’s actually fairly well fleshed-out and likable) or SOME kind of resolution... and I got nothing. Well, that’s not entirely true. I got an ending that PISSED ME OFF TO NO END. I won’t tell you what happened, but let’s just say I haven't been as angry at a horror movie since I saw 1408, which, if I could erase any movie from my head, it might just be that absolute piece of dreck. Now, this wasn’t quite as bad as the aforementioned film which I do not want to call by name again lest I have terrifying flash backs of how god awful it was, but it was far from satisfying, especially when things up until that point weren’t half bad.

Overall, is Last Shift anything to write home about? No. But is it better than probably 75% of what’s in Netflix’s limited horror selection? I’d say yea, probably. A good acting job from Juliana Harkavy, some very good and gory makeup, and a nice build-up of tension and general creepiness in the first act of the film are almost cancelled out by the film’s so-so second act and the lazy, messy third, but not quite. I’ll sum it all up with what my mom told me after she finished watching it: “It was alright, but why didn’t she ever just leave the damn station?”

3/5 Stars

#last shift #horror #horror movie #horror film #horror review #netflix #horror movie review #horror film review #reviews

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aronsonfilm · 8 years

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vimeo

2016 MOVIE TRIBUTE from Max Shishkin on Vimeo.

Music: Andy Hull and Robert McDowell – Finale (OST Swiss Army Man) Julian Winding – The Demon Dance (OST The neon Demon) Junkie XL – Twelve Bullets (OST Deadpool) Must Save Jane – Free

CLIQUE: vk.com/cliqque Max Shishkin: vk.com/max_shishkin

2014 MOVIE TRIBUTE: vimeo.com/116858291 2015 MOVIE TRIBUTE: vimeo.com/149950166

Movie list: 1. 10 Cloverfield Lane 2. 11.22.63 3. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi 4. 28 Панфиловцев 5. 31 6. A Bigger Splash 7. A Dragon Arrives! 8. A Monster Calls 9. A United Kingdom 10. Alice Through the Looking Glass 11. Allied 12. Always Shine 13. American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson 14. American Honey 15. American Pastoral 16. Arrival 17. Assassin’s Creed 18. Bad Santa 2 19. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 20. Before I Wake 21. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk 22. Bleed for This 23. Blood Father 24. Captain America: Civil War 25. Captain Fantastic 26. Certain Women 27. Christine 28. Daredevil 29. Deadpool 30. Deepwater Horizon 31. Desierto 32. Diablo 33. Doctor Strange 34. Dog Eat Dog 35. Don't Breathe 36. Eddie the Eagle 37. Elle 38. En man som heter Ove 39. Equals 40. Everybody Wants Some!! 41. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 42. Finding Dory 43. Fire at Sea 44. Frank & Lola 45. Free State of Jones 46. Game of Thrones 47. Ghostbusters 48. Gods of Egypt 49. Green Room 50. Hacksaw Ridge 51. Hail, Caesar! 52. Hardcore Henry 53. Hell or High Water 54. High-Rise 55. Hunt for the Wilderpeople 56. Hush 57. I Saw the Light 58. I, Daniel Blake 59. Imperium 60. In a Valley of Violence 61. In Dubious Battle 62. Independence Day: Resurgence 63. Indignation 64. Inferno 65. It's Only the End of the World 66. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back 67. Jackie 68. Jane Got A Gun 69. Jason Bourne 70. Jean-Claude Van Johnson 71. Keeping Up With the Joneses 72. Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV 73. Kubo and the Two Strings 74. La La Land 75. La Tortue Rouge 76. Last Days in the Desert 77. Lion 78. London Has Fallen 79. Loving 80. Luke Cage 81. Man Down 82. Manchester by the Sea 83. Marauders 84. Mechanic: Resurrection 85. Midnight Special 86. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 87. Moana 88. Money Monster 89. Moonlight 90. Morgan 91. Mr. Right 92. Mr. Robot 93. Narcos 94. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising 95. Nerve 96. Nocturnal Animals 97. Now You See Me 2 98. Ouija: Origin of Evil 99. Passengers 100. Paterson 101. Pete's Dragon 102. Planetarium 103. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping 104. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 105. Quarry 106. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 107. Sausage Party 108. Silence 109. Sing Street 110. Snowden 111. Star Trek: Beyond 112. Stranger Things 113. Suicide Squad 114. Sully 115. Swiss Army Man 116. Tenemos la Carne 117. The 9th Life of Louis Drax 118. The Accountant 119. The BFG 120. The Birth of a Nation 121. The Brothers Grimsby 122. The Childhood of a Leader 123. The Conjuring 2 124. The Duel 125. The Finest Hours 126. The Girl on the Train 127. The Girl With All The Gifts 128. The Handmaiden 129. The Huntsman: Winter's War 130. The Infiltrator 131. The Jungle Book 132. The Love Witch 133. The Magnificent Seven 134. The Neon Demon 135. The Nice Guys 136. The Night Of 137. The Shallows 138. The VVitch: A New-England Folktale 139. The Walking Dead 140. The Young Pope 141. Toni Erdmann 142. Triple 9 143. Voyage of Time 144. War Dogs 145. War on Everyone 146. Warcraft 147. Westworld 148. X-Men: Apocalypse 149. Zoolander 2 150. Zootopia 151. Дуэлянт 152. Коллектор 153. Ледокол 154. Ученик

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newsnigeria · 5 years

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Check out New Post published on Ọmọ Oòduà

New Post has been published on http://ooduarere.com/news-from-nigeria/world-news/released-lula-greatest-fight/

Released Lula in for greatest fight of his life

By Pepe Escobar – Posted with permission

Better not mess with the former Brazilian president; Putin and Xi are his real top allies in the Global Left

He’s back. With a bang.

Only two days after his release from a federal prison in Curitiba, southern Brazil, following a narrow 6×5 decision by the Supreme Court, former President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva delivered a fiery, 45-minute long speech in front of the Metal Workers Union in Sao Bernardo, outside of Sao Paulo, and drawing on his unparalleled political capital, called all Brazilians to stage nothing short of a social revolution.

When my colleagues Mauro Lopes, Paulo Leite and myself interviewed Lula at the federal prison, it was his Day 502 in a cell. By August, it was impossible to predict that release would happen on Day 580, in early November.

His first speech to the nation after the prison saga – which is far from over – could never be solemn; in fact he promised a detailed address for the near future. What he did, in his trademark conversationalist style, was to immediately go on the offensive taking down a long list of every possible enemy in the book: those who have mired Brazil into an “anti-people agenda.” In terms of a fully improvised, passionate political address, this is already anthology material.

Lula detailed the current “terrible conditions” for Brazilian workers. He ripped to pieces the economic program – basically a monster sell-out – of Finance Minister Paulo Guedes, a Chicago boy and Pinochetist who’s applying the same failed hardcore neoliberal prescriptions now being denounced and scorned every day in the streets of Chile.

He detailed how the Brazilian right wing openly bet on neo-fascism, which is the form that neoliberalism recently took in Brazil. He blasted mainstream media, in the form of the so far all-powerful, ultra-reactionary Globo empire. In a stance of semiotic genius, Lula pointed to Globo’s helicopter hovering over the masses gathered for the speech, implying the organization is too cowardly to get close to him on ground level.

And, significantly, he got right into the heart of the Bolsonaro question: the militias. It’s no secret to informed Brazilians that the Bolsonaro clan, with its origins in the Veneto, is behaving as a sort of cheap, crude, eschatological carbon copy of the Sopranos, running a system heavy on militias and supported by the Brazilian military. Lula described the president of one of the top nations in the Global South as no less than a militia leader. That will stick – all around the world.

So much for “Lula peace and love,” which used to be one of his cherished mottos. No more conciliation. Bolsonaro now has to face real, fierce, solid opposition, and cannot run away from public debate any more.

Lula’s prison journey has been an extraordinary liberating experience – turning a previously wounded statesman into a fearless warrior mixing the Tao with Steppenwolf (as sketched in Herman Hesse’s book). He’s free like he’s never been before – and he said so, explicitly. The question is how he will be able to muster the organizational work, the method – and have enough time to change the dire conditions for democratic opposition in Brazil. The whole Global South is watching.

At least now the die is cast – and crystal clear: It’s social democracy against neo-fascism. Socially inclusive programs, civil society involved in setting public policy, the fight for equality versus autocracy, state institutions linked to militias, racism and hate against all minorities. Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn, to their credit, have offered Lula their unconditional support. In contrast, Steve Bannon is losing sleep, qualifying Lula as “the poster boy of the globalist Left” across the world.

This all goes way beyond Left Populism – as Slavoj Zizek and Chantal Mouffe, among others, have been trying to conceptualize it. Lula, assuming he remains free, is now ready to be the supreme catalyst of an integrated, progressive, “pro-people” New Global Left.

‘Cocaine Evangelistan’

Now for the really nasty bits.

I saw Lula’s speech deep into the night in snow stormed Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan’s capital, in the heart of the steppes, a land trespassed against by the greatest nomad empires in history. The temptation was to picture Lula as a fearless snow leopard roaming the devastated steppes of urban wastelands.

Yet snow leopards, crucially, are a species threatened with extinction.

After the speech I had serious conversations with two top interlocutors, Bern-based analyst Romulus Maya and anthropologist Piero Leirner, a crack authority on the Brazilian military. The picture they painted was realistically gloomy. Here it is, in a nutshell.

When I visited Brasilia last August, several informed sources confirmed that the majority of the Brazilian Supreme Court is bought and paid for. After all, they de facto legitimized all the absurdities that have been taking place in Brazil since 2014. The absurdities were part of a hyper-complex, slow-motion, rolling hybrid war coup that, under the cloak of a corruption investigation, led to the dismantling of industrial national champions such as Petrobras; the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff on spurious charges; and the jailing of Lula, the work of judge, jury and executioner Sergio Moro, now Bolsonaro’s justice minister, who was completely unmasked by The Intercept’s revelations.

The Brazilian military are all over the Supreme Court. Remember, Lula’s liberation happened after a narrow 6 to 5 score. Legally, it was impossible to keep him in prison: the Supreme Court actually bothered to read the Brazilian Constitution.

But there are no structural changes whatsoever on the horizon. The project remains a Brazil sell-out – coupled with a thinly veiled military dictatorship. Brazil remains a lowly US colony. So Lula is out of jail essentially because this system allowed it.

The military abide by Bolsonaro’s abysmal incompetence because he cannot even go to the toilet without permission from General Heleno, the head of the GSI, the Brazilian version of the National Security Council. On Saturday, a scared Bolsonaro asked the top military brass for help after Lula’s release. And crucially, in a tweet, he defined Lula as a “scoundrel” who was “momentarily” free.

It’s this “momentarily” that gives away the game. Lula’s murky juridical situation is far from decided. In a harrowing but perfectly plausible short-term scenario, Lula could in fact be sent back to jail – but this time in isolation, in a maximum security federal prison, or even inside a military barracks; after all, he’s a former chief of the armed forces.

The full focus of Lula’s defense is now to have Moro disqualified. Anyone with a brain who’s been through The Intercept’s revelations can clearly identify Moro’s corruption. If that happens, and that’s a major “if,” Lula’s already existing convictions will be declared null and void. But there are others lawsuits, eight in total. This is total lawfare territory.

The military’s trump card is all about “terrorism” – associated with Lula and the Workers Party. If Lula, according to the harrowing scenario, is sent back to a federal prison, that could be in Brasilia, which not by accident holds the entire leadership of the PCC, or “First Command of the Capital”– the largest Brazilian criminal organization.

Maya and Leirner have shown how the PCC is allied with the military and the US Deep State, via their asset Moro, to establish not a Pax Brasilica but what they have described as a “Cocaine Evangelistan” – complete with terrorist false flags blamed on Lula’s command.

Leirner has exhaustively studied how the generals, for over a decade on their website, have been trying to associate the PCC with the Workers’ Party. And the association extends to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Hezbollah and the Bolivians. Yes, this all comes straight from His Masters’ Voice’s playbook.

Lula, Putin and Xi

With the military betting on a strategy of chaos, augmented by Lula’s immense social base all over Brazil fuming about his return to prison and the financial bubble finally burst, rendering the middle classes even poorer, the stage would be set for the ultimate toxic cocktail: social “commotion” allied with “terrorism” associated with “organized crime.”

That’s all the military needs to launch an extensive operation to restore “order” and finally force Congress to approve the Brazilian version of the Patriot Act (five separate bills are already making their way in Congress).

This is no conspiracy theory. This is a measure of how incendiary Brazil is at the moment, and Western mainstream media will make no effort whatsoever to explain the nasty, convoluted plot for a global audience.

Leirner goes to the heart of the matter when he says the current system has no reason to retreat because its side is winning. They are not afraid of Brazil turning into Chile. And even if that ends up happening, they already have a culprit: Lula. Brazilian mainstream media are already releasing trial balloons – blaming Lula for the spike of the US dollar and the rise of inflation.

Lula and the Brazilian Left should invest in a full spectrum offensive.

The 9th BRICS summit takes place in Brazil this week. A master counter-coup would be to organize an off-the-record, extremely discreet, heavily securitized meeting among Lula, Putin and Xi Jinping, for instance in an embassy in Brasilia. Putin and Xi are Lula’s real top allies on the global stage. They have been literally waiting for Lula, as diplomats have confirmed to me over and over again.

If Lula follows a restricted script of merely reorganizing the Left, in Brazil, Latin America and even the Global South, the military system currently in place will swallow him whole all over again. The Left is infiltrated – everywhere. Now it’s total war. Assuming Lula remains free, he most certainly won’t be allowed to run again for the presidency in 2022. But that’s no problem. He’s got to be extra-bold – and he will be. Better not mess with the Steppenwolf.

Released Lula in for greatest fight of his life

#Brazil

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lilydoughball · 6 years

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This post has been a long time coming, but better late than never eh?!

Living in Bristol, one thing you will never, ever tire of seeing, despite the frequency at which you spot them floating over the city, is hot air balloons. Having lived here for nearly 5 years, I still do an excited squeak of ‘BLOON!’ and frantically run outside/pull over my car/jump up and down to scramble to take a photo and upload it to Instagram (to add to the relentless feed of balloon photos posted by fellow Bristolians).

During the first half of August, balloon sightings become far more frequent, for one reason only – the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. Situated every year on beautiful Ashton Court Estate, this fiesta, the largest of its kind in Europe, and now in its 36th year, is frequented by non-Bristolians and Bristolians alike. We popped along for the nightglow last year, but have always wanted to attend the 6am ascent the balloons take over the city. So, setting our alarms for 4:30am on a Saturday (!), we popped along to see what it was all about.

Ashton Court looked absolutely stunning in the morning light. That top photo really doesn’t do it justice; the mist was sitting over the hills and the sun was just rising enough to cast a spooky light over the whole scene, it was amazing. If you haven’t been up to Ashton Court it is well worth a visit – pack a picnic and take a bike ride up there, you won’t be disappointed.

Arriving to the fiesta at 5:45am was really weird, the rollercoasters and amusements lay abandoned and the aftermath of the night before littered the ground, it was like something from a horror film. We could hear a bustling crowd up ahead, though, and so not wanting to miss anything, pressed on into the main arena area.

I was amazed at how busy it was. I honestly can’t believe how many people would be so dedicated to seeing balloons that they would sacrifice their time to have an early night on a Friday and get up at the crack of dawn on a weekend. It wasn’t just hardcore balloon spotters either – there were whole families, even some who had packed a morning breakfast BBQ, blokes with their dogs, photographers, and even bleary eyed people like me and Tom, clutching at a Thermos full of coffee. It made the whole atmosphere really special – we were all there to share and marvel in the spectacle of some sacks full of hot air ascending into the early morning sky.

Once the balloons started to go up, I was in full five-year-old-child mode, and had almost completely forgotten that I was awake at 6am on a Saturday. There were easily as many as the nightglow, and to be honest I much preferred the atmosphere already – it was all the excitement of seeing the balloons, but minus all the noise and local radio DJs commentating, and most of the busy crowds. Don’t get me wrong, the nightglow is great – but it’s more for those looking for glamour and spectacle. This was just some people eating bacon sarnies in a field and listening to a man on a bad PA system tell us what type of balloons they all were. I must be turning into an old lady.

The wind was in our favour, and was drifting the balloons right over our heads and over towards the city. I can’t tell you how cool it was. This last chap wasn’t sitting in a basket, but was suspended in a chair-hammock-harness type thing, which made Tom feel a little giddy (afraid of heights), but made me extremely jealous – I still haven’t completed my life goal of going up in a balloon, but I guess there’s always next year’s fiesta!

On the way out, I took this shot of all the little black specks over Bristol, and it reminded me of why I love living in this city so much.

Until next year!

#lilydoughball.com

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sanago · 7 years

Video

vimeo

2016 MOVIE TRIBUTE from Max Shishkin on Vimeo.

Music: Andy Hull and Robert McDowell – Finale (OST Swiss Army Man) Julian Winding – The Demon Dance (OST The neon Demon) Junkie XL – Twelve Bullets (OST Deadpool) Must Save Jane – Free

CLIQUE: vk.com/cliqque Max Shishkin: vk.com/max_shishkin

2014 MOVIE TRIBUTE: vimeo.com/116858291 2015 MOVIE TRIBUTE: vimeo.com/149950166

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theavengingmusicjournalist · 8 years

Text

Get to know about Feb. 12′s Noise in the Attic artists

All artists have been interviewed over social media messaging

Artists will be seen on this page as they are written

Tara Dente

Tara Dente is a 28-year-old folk-driven musician originally from Long Branch. The Nick Drake inspired artist, discusses the nature of her music saying, “I write using metaphors, often about nature and like to sculpt a song using melodies and chord changes that may be unexpected.”

Entertaining her folk-driven sound with percussive elements, Dente says elements of purcussion comes through in her guitar style which includes her finger-picking. The detail orientation of Dente’s influence builds a character in my mind of her musical presence. Her other influences are Celtic, classic country, The Shins, records like the 2007 release by Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and grass-roots singer Alison Krause, Raising Sand, as well as songwriting influences like Brooke Fraser, and personas like Jack White.

The 28-year-old moved to Vermont when she was 26-years-old. “[Vermont] inspired a lot of my newer material. The quiet and timelessness of that region really imprinted itself on my psyche,” said Dente.

Dente says she loves playing live because of how the audience responds. “I’m not a Bruce Springsteen fan, in that I often don’t attempt or expect to get crowd participation,” said Dente, “I personally value introspection and contemplative music.”

With this said, Dente feels most complemented when she has a sense or is told that the audience really sat back to absorb her songs.

In terms of what people should expect on Sunday’s Noise in the Attic, Dente said, “I pick a set list of songs I’m excited to perform at the moment. I rarely do covers when I play, but there’s a song I’ve loved for a long time now that I plan to attempt to do justice to!” Dente is going to play a range of songs from over the last five years and new songs from her yet to be released record.

Tara, thank you so much. I not only look forward to your presence, because you sound like you have a lot of fun in creating, but I look forward to meeting you and listening to your music.

David Hayes

63-year-old David Hayes, has been playing guitar since he was ll-years-old. “I still love it as much or more than I did then.” Hayes is primarily a pedal steel guitarist, also playing in several bands including Country Mile, who is made up of Denise Alfano, who of which will also be playing with Hayes at Noise in the Attic this Sunday.

In addition to Country Mile, Hayes is a pedal steel player for the Cranston Dean Band. He says that he is most passionate about the pedal steel. For a rough visual of a pedal steel guitar, the instrument is conducted of a 10 string guitar neck with reference frets (not actual frets), is placed horizontally, as though a piano, also with foot pedals, used to change the pitch of certain strings.

“I love the pedal steel more than anything I have ever done. I am having so much fun with so many people,” said Hayes, “My main focus is being the best pedal steeler I can be, and bringing that unique amazing sound to people’s music.”

Hayes also enjoys getting up to sing and play on a guitar now and then, but is absolutely excited about what he is working on with Alfano for Country Mile. “It is so much fun to sing a song and hear her harmonies, or provide back up to her unique, amazing style.”

Playing more than he ever has, Hayes says he loves every minute of it. “I am looking forward to the intimacy of The Inkwell environment. I want to thank Ms. O’Shea for having us,” said Hayes.

Thank you, Hayes. Your thrills for the night are contagious. I am certainly excited myself and I really look forward to hearing you play the pedal steel!

Denise Alfano

Denise Alfano of Brick is coming out to Noise in the Attic this Sunday, performing with pedal steel player David Hayes in their duet, Country Mile. Sydney Grimaldi will be joining the two as their percussionist.

“I love music and singing,” says Alfano, “I have been singing for myself all my life, and a few years ago I decided to expand that to singing for other people, and playing with other musicians.”

Alfano goes on to explain that these last few years have been an amazing learning experience, and more fun than she ever knew she could have. “I am lucky to have met and play with some really fine musicians,” said Alfano, including Hayes and Grimaldi as some of these fine musicians.

In terms of working on Country Mile, Alfano admits that it is a lot of hard work, but that the sound is great and hopes that Country Mile can plan some gigs in the next few months. Alfano says, “I love being a part of the great music scene that’s going on locally, and so proud and happy to know and be accepted by these amazing musicians.”

The Brick inhabitant said that like the other local musicians, she does the best she can in the scene and loves the process of making music.

“We are excited and honored to be asked to play for Noise in the Attic to raise funds for Marty’s Place Senior Dog Sanctuary,” said Alfano.

Thank you, Denise! I think it is beautiful that you decided eto expand your love for music to the ears of an audience and towards collaboration with other artists—that’s brilliant!

Devon Moore (of Fun While You Wait)

Devon Moore, 25, from Freehold will be coming to bring you her second performance at Noise in the Attic. “I’m very excited to be back,” said Moore.

A friend of Megan O’Shea, the wonderful human who gets Noise in the Attic rocking and rolling. “She [O’Shea] puts on great events, so I’m always stoked to work with her,” said Moore.

Moore, originally from Fun While You Wait, considerable an indie pop band, was founded in 2014 when bassist of the band, Kevin Newcomb, pitched the band idea to Moore and drummer, Keith Leming. Moore says the group has elements of folk and reggae in their sound.

“The ukulele, trumpet, and funky bass tend to make the songs sound a lot happier than they actually are,” said the ukulele player.

Nevertheless, playing solo for Noise in the Attic, Moore says the audience can expect a lot of covers. Additionally, Moore says that one of her favorite aspects of playing live are meeting other people who are passionate about music. “It sounds corny, but it’s true,” said Moore.

Corny or not, I could not agree more. That’s why I write about musicians… their passion for music is beautiful. Thank you, Devon! I look forward to hearing you perform this weekend.

Ryan Flood

Ryan Flood, is a 25-year-old musician from Monmouth Beach, having lived in Asbury Park, New Brunswick, and now, is a resident in the Highlands.

Flood originally studied journalism but has taken on his passion for music. “Until recently I never played outside the house,” said Flood, “my music is sparse and acoustic based. I try to focus on lyrics and songwriting as opposed to complexity.”

It seems as though music is a great way for Flood to open the book of himself to the world. Lyrics are something that create a story, while the sounds of a melody give you the room to channel that story’s energy.

“My favorite aspect of playing live is being able to open up in a way that I don’t normally. I tend to be really observational so it’s pretty thrilling to put myself out there,” said Flood.

Flood says that it feels great to play at Noise in the Attic. Commenting on the rich history of music at The Inkwell, the Highland’s artist said he always thought the night time coffee house was an incredible space.

“I’m looking forward to seeing some great local musicians. The fact that Noise in the Attic proceeds go to support vulnerable dogs is all the more reason to be amped,” adds the musician.

In terms of what to expect from Flood, he says he will be playing original songs written over the course of a year.

Ryan, I certainly relate to you… maybe it is the journalism connection. Thank you again for the interview. I hope to hear more about you in the coming months. Rock n’roll!!!!

Cold Weather Company

Brian Curry, 26, Jeff Petescia, 24, and Steve Shimchick, 23, all make up the alternative folk band named Cold Weather Company. The band was formed in an igloo a few years back— just kidding. Cold Weather Company came together at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, kicking off their first show together in November of 2013.

With lyrics influenced by relationships with nature and others, the three members create a sound of death metal (not really) with Petescia and Curry both on acoustic guitar, while Shimchick hardcores it up on the piano.

In reality, the band really is in complete cohesion and, without a doubt create, a sound that ensures that their influences of relationships are projected to the listener. This certainly allows the listener to feel the lyrics and, of course, the music. Each instrument, Petescia’s guitar, Shimick’s piano, and Curry’s guitar parts, sing to a different part of the mind and heart.

“The Inkwell crowd can look forward to hearing a lot of our second album, A Folded Letter, as well as some older songs from our 2015 album,” said the band. A Folded Letter was released this Dec. 14 of 2016. A brilliant release into the winter months, the record will certainly warm fans and music lovers beyond and I’m sure create an instant need for many orders of hot chocolate! With this, the band will bring on their banter and some bad jokes, so prepare to chuckle away.

The mentions of death metal and forming from an igloo, are examples of some of the swell jokes that I have implemented into this writing from my interview with Cold Weather Company.

In regards to playing live, the band says, “One of our favorite things about playing live is just never knowing what the music will mean to those listening, since it can mean something different to everyone!” To the band, this is what makes a show unique; due to this, with the bands assortment of songs, allow them to play around with their set according to the space and how the night is going along.

Thank you for your quirk and fun Jeff, Steve, and Brian. I had a lot of fun writing this. really am looking forward to witnessing your performance.

Sydney Lynn Grimaldi

“I feel super excited to play Noise in the Attic,” said 23-year-old Sydney Lynn Grimaldi from Woodbridge. Grimaldi will be performing alongside with David Hayes and Denise Alfano for the evening.

“There is a great line up of bands who are playing and I’m honored to be playing amongst such talented musicians,” continues Grimaldi as she discusses her excitement.

A percussionist, Grimaldi has grown up playing classical and jazz percussions. She says that her style has completely changed since, playing more relaxed and freely compared to the strictness and percision of what she has learned.

Lately Grimaldi has been enjoying hand percussion, more specifically the slap-top cajòn. The slap-top cajòn percussive instrument, that might be better known as just a cajòn. The cajòn, unlike the slap-top cajòn does not have what looks like a table top like surface to drum upon, but rather remains a cube-like percussion instrument. The cajòn instrument originates from Peru in times of slavery in the 18th century.

Grimaldi’s favorite part about playing live is opening her eyes and seeing people in the crowd groove to the music. “Being in sync with everyone who’s enjoying the music really makes playing that much more special,” said Grimaldi. I agree. I think that is such a special moment. When you are able to move people with music, I personally believe you are hitting something meaningful in that person, even if it is just the fun button!

Sydney, thank you for your time. From what I have heard between you, Dave and Denise, I am really excited for your set.

#noiseintheattic #LongBranchNJ #jerseyshoremusic #localmusic #Martysplace #theinkwellcoffeehouse #theinkwell

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kbakba-station · 8 years

Video

vimeo

2016 MOVIE TRIBUTE from Max Shishkin on Vimeo.

Music: Andy Hull and Robert McDowell – Finale (OST Swiss Army Man) Julian Winding – The Demon Dance (OST The neon Demon) Junkie XL – Twelve Bullets (OST Deadpool) Must Save Jane – Free

CLIQUE: vk.com/cliqque Max Shishkin: vk.com/max_shishkin

2014 MOVIE TRIBUTE: vimeo.com/116858291 2015 MOVIE TRIBUTE: vimeo.com/149950166

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eridianshores-blog · 8 years

Text

1 of 2 Awesome Finds: The Black Batman Hot Rod Character Car

Note: Be sure to read my updated edit at the end of this post!

I’m a collector who thoroughly enjoys the hunt. I have about a 40 to 45 minute radius that I regularly make my rounds through - I hit every Walmart, K-mart, Target, Roses, Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble, and mall that I can find. I’ve even made interesting finds at places like Walgreens and Kohl’s. I don’t hit home runs all the time, but the minute differences in inventory from one big box store to another is surprising. Finding the right store can be tough. You’ve gotta hit one that moves enough inventory to regularly bring in new stock, but at the same time, you don’t want it moving too fast because then, well, someone else gets it instead of you!

Some of the patterns that emerge are kinda weird, for example Walmart is best for Star Wars stuff in general, but Target is more likely to carry the newer stuff. Cary in general gets the newest stuff, while the rarer stuff tends to linger in Durham longer. Barnes & Noble may not have the most exhaustive stock, but it’s the only place I’ve ever found a Clone Shock Trooper or the ARC-170 Starfighter. I’d say I’ve found at least 1 cool thing at 90% of the stores I’ve been to.

A couple of nights ago I made my way to Brier Creek, this sort of gray area off Hwy 70 between Raleigh and Durham where a massive strip mall has popped up. Normally I hit up the Walmart and Target and I swing by the B&N and Kohl’s every couple of visits. The Walmart isn’t so great for Hot Wheels cars, but they have been on top of it when it comes to other toys - for instance I got 6 of the Hot Wheels Mandalorian Starfighters back when they were new and they’re tough to find even now. Target can be good for new releases but they don’t have much in the way of a back catalog. Some of the B&N’s stock more toys than others, and unfortunately the one out here at Brier Creek is fairly light. The Kohl’s gets some fun stuff every once in a while (like that Captain America 75th Anniversary 4-pack) but their stock is really, really slow to turn over.

There’s one last place out there worth checking and that’s where this find takes place. If you go about 3 exits past Brier Creek and take that last exit before it becomes a toll road, there’s a little Walmart there on the edge of Morrisville. They’re pretty close to falling into that sweet spot of just enough business to keep fresh stock but not so much that the good stuff disappears as soon as it hits shelves. I even found a Han Solo / Greedo 2-pack, the only one I’ve ever seen in the wild. They’re also good at getting those Walmart exclusive sets of 8, which it seems like my 2 closest Walmarts never get.

Before I get to my first awesome find, I should probably give the car in question a bit of context. If you’re familiar with character cars then you probably know that the 5-packs usually include one exclusive car that you can’t get elsewhere. Well way back, like 2014, Hot Wheels released a DC Justice League 5-pack with a black version of the fairly common blue Batman Hot Rod. Should you attempt to track this down, be careful not to get it mixed up with the other Justice League 5-pack which features a black “regular” Batman car. There’s a plain ol’ Batman Character Car which happens to be black, then there’s the blue Batman Hot Rod, and then there’s the black Batman Hot Rod that was only available in that set. (And then there’s the Armored Batman from BvS as well.)

For whatever reason, possibly because of the black Batman Hot Rod (and probably the Wonder Woman car as well), these 5-packs fetch a hefty price. Normally a 5-pack is like $20 in the store, which means I wouldn’t mind paying $30-ish for it online, particularly those that are out of production. Unfortunately the cheapest I’ve ever spotted one of these sets for is about $60. Crazy, right? I may be able to flip the loose Wonder Woman (I already have one) for $10 or so, but we still end up with a very expensive black Batman Hot Rod. The rareness of the pack is further exemplified by its unavailability - you can’t always find one for sale, no matter what you’re willing to pay. When they do show up on eBay, they can run as high as the $80 mark.

Since I want to be as informative as possible for the aspiring and hardcore character car collectors alike, I took a quick look: 2 of these 5-packs are in stock over at Amazon (3rd party) for $74.95. If you don’t mind damaged packaging, you can snag one for $64.95. You’ll have less luck on eBay right this very second; in fact, the last one to appear on eBay was sold back on October 22nd for $59.

So here am I with every character car in the DCU series except that damn black Batman Hot Rod. I got those 4 new guys, the 3 DC Super Hero Girls, both versions of Man of Steel, the old Wonder Woman, the new Wonder Woman, and so on and so forth...except that damn black hot rod. Should I drop another $60 - $80 to complete my collection...?

Well guess what?

I don’t have to!

Behold, a brand new Batcave trackset featuring the BLACK BATMAN HOT ROD!!!

Ain’t it cool? I found this over at that Morrisville Walmart. I was digging through the regular Hot Wheels in search of any cool new 2017 releases, and looking for the new 2017 Retro Entertainment series, and just as I was about to move on to something else, the new “Hot Wheels Character Cars” logo caught my eye and there it was! I may not end up using the trackset all that much but hey, $20 for my own black hot rod? Yes sir, I’ll take it!

EDIT: Oh crap. As I was putting the finishing touches on this article and putting the pictures in place, I realized that my excitement is short lived - the two black hot rods are in fact different. If you look at the car in the 5-pack, you’ll notice the black body and the gold frame. Now take a look at the vehicle with the Batcave - black body with a silver frame. Agh! On the one hand I did technically find a new character car, but on the other it looks like I still need to get that pricey little 5-pack to complete my collection. Dammit.

#hot wheels #character cars #hot wheels character cars #batman #batman character car #hot wheels batman #batman hot rod #black batman hot rod

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albino-sun · 8 years

Video

vimeo

2016 MOVIE TRIBUTE from Max Shishkin on Vimeo.

Music: Andy Hull and Robert McDowell – Finale (OST Swiss Army Man) Julian Winding – The Demon Dance (OST The neon Demon) Junkie XL – Twelve Bullets (OST Deadpool) Must Save Jane – Free

CLIQUE: vk.com/cliqque Max Shishkin: vk.com/max_shishkin

2014 MOVIE TRIBUTE: vimeo.com/116858291 2015 MOVIE TRIBUTE: vimeo.com/149950166

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franctuntun · 8 years

Video

vimeo

2016 MOVIE TRIBUTE from Max Shishkin on Vimeo.

Music: Andy Hull and Robert McDowell – Finale (OST Swiss Army Man) Julian Winding – The Demon Dance (OST The neon Demon) Junkie XL – Twelve Bullets (OST Deadpool) Must Save Jane – Free

CLIQUE: vk.com/cliqque Max Shishkin: vk.com/max_shishkin

2014 MOVIE TRIBUTE: vimeo.com/116858291 2015 MOVIE TRIBUTE: vimeo.com/149950166

Movie list: 1. 10 Cloverfield Lane 2. 11.22.63 3. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi 4. 28 Панфило��цев 5. 31 6. A Bigger Splash 7. A Dragon Arrives! 8. A Monster Calls 9. A United Kingdom 10. Alice Through the Looking Glass 11. Allied 12. Always Shine 13. American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson 14. American Honey 15. American Pastoral 16. Arrival 17. Assassin’s Creed 18. Bad Santa 2 19. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 20. Before I Wake 21. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk 22. Bleed for This 23. Blood Father 24. Captain America: Civil War 25. Captain Fantastic 26. Certain Women 27. Christine 28. Daredevil 29. Deadpool 30. Deepwater Horizon 31. Desierto 32. Diablo 33. Doctor Strange 34. Dog Eat Dog 35. Don't Breathe 36. Eddie the Eagle 37. Elle 38. En man som heter Ove 39. Equals 40. Everybody Wants Some!! 41. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 42. Finding Dory 43. Fire at Sea 44. Frank & Lola 45. Free State of Jones 46. Game of Thrones 47. Ghostbusters 48. Gods of Egypt 49. Green Room 50. Hacksaw Ridge 51. Hail, Caesar! 52. Hardcore Henry 53. Hell or High Water 54. High-Rise 55. Hunt for the Wilderpeople 56. Hush 57. I Saw the Light 58. I, Daniel Blake 59. Imperium 60. In a Valley of Violence 61. In Dubious Battle 62. Independence Day: Resurgence 63. Indignation 64. Inferno 65. It's Only the End of the World 66. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back 67. Jackie 68. Jane Got A Gun 69. Jason Bourne 70. Jean-Claude Van Johnson 71. Keeping Up With the Joneses 72. Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV 73. Kubo and the Two Strings 74. La La Land 75. La Tortue Rouge 76. Last Days in the Desert 77. Lion 78. London Has Fallen 79. Loving 80. Luke Cage 81. Man Down 82. Manchester by the Sea 83. Marauders 84. Mechanic: Resurrection 85. Midnight Special 86. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 87. Moana 88. Money Monster 89. Moonlight 90. Morgan 91. Mr. Right 92. Mr. Robot 93. Narcos 94. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising 95. Nerve 96. Nocturnal Animals 97. Now You See Me 2 98. Ouija: Origin of Evil 99. Passengers 100. Paterson 101. Pete's Dragon 102. Planetarium 103. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping 104. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 105. Quarry 106. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 107. Sausage Party 108. Silence 109. Sing Street 110. Snowden 111. Star Trek: Beyond 112. Stranger Things 113. Suicide Squad 114. Sully 115. Swiss Army Man 116. Tenemos la Carne 117. The 9th Life of Louis Drax 118. The Accountant 119. The BFG 120. The Birth of a Nation 121. The Brothers Grimsby 122. The Childhood of a Leader 123. The Conjuring 2 124. The Duel 125. The Finest Hours 126. The Girl on the Train 127. The Girl With All The Gifts 128. The Handmaiden 129. The Huntsman: Winter's War 130. The Infiltrator 131. The Jungle Book 132. The Love Witch 133. The Magnificent Seven 134. The Neon Demon 135. The Nice Guys 136. The Night Of 137. The Shallows 138. The VVitch: A New-England Folktale 139. The Walking Dead 140. The Young Pope 141. Toni Erdmann 142. Triple 9 143. Voyage of Time 144. War Dogs 145. War on Everyone 146. Warcraft 147. Westworld 148. X-Men: Apocalypse 149. Zoolander 2 150. Zootopia 151. Дуэлянт 152. Коллектор 153. Ледокол 154. Ученик

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