#Pool restoration NYC

[myarchitectphil]

The Empress has no Clothes!!

The new wing of the Natural History Museum in NYC has opened to rapturous reviews. The interior of this $450 million building is made of shotcrete, which is normally used for swimming pools. People are drinking the Kool Aid, wanting to appear hip. Where would you rather look at dinosaur bones? In a ersatz swimming pool or a glorious hall like the old buildings of the New York museum?

I recently learned that the beautiful Carnegie library in my home town was demolished and replaced by what looks, to all appearances, like a suburban spec office building. I spent my childhood learning to love reading, and, ultimately, architecture, in the nooks and crannies of the old library. How could a child do that in a spec office building?

In the 1950's inumerable historic buildings were defaced with new modern facades to bring them up to date. Many of these, like the Reading Terminal Headhouse, were later restored. Now we are doing this all over again, apparently having learned nothing. When are we going to learn to treasure what we have and resist the urge to follow fashion?

Perhaps never.

[philaretey]

The Empress has no Clothes!!

The new wing of the Natural History Museum in NYC has opened to rapturous reviews. The interior of this $450 million building is made of shotcrete, which is normally used for swimming pools. People are drinking the Kool Aid, wanting to appear hip. Where would you rather look at dinosaur bones? In a ersatz swimming pool or a glorious hall like the old buildings of the New York museum?

I recently learned that the beautiful Carnegie library in my home town was demolished and replaced by what looks, to all appearances, like a suburban spec office building. I spent my childhood learning to love reading, and, ultimately, architecture, in the nooks and crannies of the old library. How could a child do that in a spec office building?

In the 1950's inumerable historic buildings were defaced with new modern facades to bring them up to date. Many of these, like the Reading Terminal Headhouse, were later restored. Now we are doing this all over again, apparently having learned nothing. When are we going to learn to treasure what we have and resist the urge to follow fashion?

Perhaps never.

[indexbloggerspot]

Discover NYC's Best Metal-Free Dental Implants for a Natural Look

Are you a health-conscious New Yorker seeking a natural solution for dental implants? You're in the right place! With advancements in dental technology, metal-free dental implants offer an aesthetically pleasing and biocompatible alternative to traditional metal implants. In this blog post, we'll explore the best options for metal free dental implants in Manhattan, their benefits, and what you can expect from the procedure.

What Are Metal-Free Dental Implants?

Metal-free dental implants, also known as ceramic implants, are made from zirconia—a strong, biocompatible material that blends seamlessly with your natural teeth. Unlike traditional titanium implants, these implants do not contain any metal, making them an excellent choice for those with metal allergies or sensitivities.

Benefits of Metal-Free Dental Implants

Metal-free dental implants offer numerous benefits, including:

Natural Aesthetics: Zirconia closely resembles the natural color of teeth, ensuring a more natural look.

Biocompatibility: Zirconia is non-toxic and less likely to cause allergic reactions.

Durability: These implants are incredibly strong and resistant to corrosion.

Minimal Plaque Accumulation: The smooth surface of zirconia reduces plaque buildup, promoting better oral hygiene.

Why Choose Metal-Free Dental Implants in NYC?

New York City is home to some of the best dental professionals specializing in metal-free dental implants. Here's why you should consider getting your metal-free dental implants in Manhattan:

Expert Dentists

NYC boasts a pool of highly skilled and experienced dentists who are pioneers in implantology. These professionals continually stay updated with the latest advancements in dental technology to provide you with the best care possible.

Advanced Technology

Many dental clinics in Manhattan are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, ensuring precise and efficient implant procedures. From 3D imaging to computer-guided surgery, these technologies enhance the accuracy and success rate of your implants.

Personalized Care

In New York, dental clinics prioritize personalized care, taking the time to understand your unique needs and preferences. This ensures that your metal-free dental implants are tailored to fit seamlessly with your natural teeth.

The Procedure for Getting Metal-Free Dental Implants

Curious about what to expect when getting metal free dental implants NYC? Here's a step-by-step guide to the procedure:

Initial Consultation

Your dental implant journey begins with an initial consultation where your dentist will assess your oral health, discuss your goals, and determine if you're a suitable candidate for metal-free dental implants.

Treatment Planning

Once you're deemed a suitable candidate, your dentist will create a personalized treatment plan. This plan includes detailed information about the procedure, timeline, and cost.

Implant Placement

The actual implant placement involves inserting the zirconia implant into your jawbone. Advanced technology, such as 3D imaging and computer-guided surgery, ensures precise placement for optimal results.

Healing and Osseointegration

After implant placement, a healing period of several months is required for osseointegration—the process where the implant fuses with the jawbone. During this time, temporary crowns may be placed to maintain aesthetics and functionality.

Final Restoration

Once osseointegration is complete, your dentist will attach the final restoration, such as a crown, bridge, or denture, to the implant. This final step restores your smile and functionality.

Preparing for Your Metal-Free Dental Implant Procedure

Preparation is key to ensuring a smooth and successful dental implant procedure. Here are some tips to help you get ready:

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene

Good oral hygiene is essential to minimize the risk of infection and ensure proper healing. Brush and floss regularly, and consider using an antibacterial mouthwash.

Follow Preoperative Instructions

Your dentist will provide specific preoperative instructions, such as fasting before the procedure or adjusting certain medications. Follow these instructions carefully to avoid complications.

Arrange for Transportation

Since the procedure may involve sedation, arrange for someone to drive you home afterward. This ensures your safety and comfort during the recovery process.

Postoperative Care and Recovery

Proper postoperative care is crucial to ensure the success of your metal-free dental implants. Here are some tips for a smooth recovery:

Avoid Hard Foods

Stick to a soft diet for the first few weeks after the procedure to avoid putting pressure on the implant site. Opt for foods like yogurt, mashed potatoes, and smoothies.

Manage Discomfort

Some discomfort is normal after the procedure. Over-the-counter pain relievers can help manage any pain or swelling. Follow your dentist's recommendations for pain management.

Attend Follow-Up Appointments

Regular follow-up appointments are essential to monitor your progress and ensure proper healing. Your dentist will check the implant site and address any concerns you may have.

[sjjnyc]

Swimming in Phoenix + The Bad Ass Swimmers Club

I enjoyed the few times I was able to go swimming in an outdoor pool in Phoenix at Ability360! I loved the heated therapy pool and got a chance to feel my body react to being submerged in water from the shallow to deep end. It's too bad I didn't continue swimming lessons when I was a kid, because then I'd be a part of the Bad Ass Swimmers Club lol (aka all the folks who swim!). I literally feel like taking swimming lessons as a child is one of the best things a parent/guardian can do for their kids; it can be a great advantage to have as the child gets older. I'm learning and accepting it's never too late to start something you really want to do, so I really look forward to swimming more in the future!

The Bad Ass Swimmers Club

I just randomly made up the concept of "The Bad Ass Swimmers Club" to be an umbrella term for all the swimmers I admire. There are folks in my personal life and orbit who inspire me (s/o to Nora Almedia who is an avid swimmer and has a dope project called "Open Waters", and Charmaine Bee who documents their time swimming in the ocean and waterways in/near Bahia, Brazil), and I just feel like swimming journeys are some of the most beautiful unfoldings to witness.

I've also been following two recent river swims:

#HudsonSwim2023 by Lewis Pugh and team!

"On August 13 2023, Lewis Pugh began his 315-mile (507-km) swim down the Hudson River, from its source to its end at New York City. He is doing this to highlight the critical role rivers play in a habitable planet.

Lewis will explore the interconnectedness of rivers and oceans, and stress the urgent need to restore, protect and respect them. “If we want healthy oceans we also need healthy rivers — it’s that simple.”

The end of the swim will coincide with the UN General Assembly Week, Climate Week NYC 2023, and the UN Secretary General’s Climate Ambition Summit".

Agbetsi Living Waters Swim by Yvette Tetteh and team!

"Imagine a future where the beach is clean and the waters clear. A future where fishing nets catch fish, and not trash. A future without discarded clothes washing up along the banks of our rivers, burning on our roadsides, or towering over the homes of thousands of people at the place once regarded as a sacred lagoon. A future where the Korle Lagoon is swimmable…

With the stage set by decades of Waste Colonialism and centuries of extractive and exploitative global trade, this future may seem impossible, but it is the future we are working toward. It is the future we must work toward, breaking down the impossible into its constituent parts, one stroke at a time.

We are excited to launch the Agbetsi Living Water Swim, a month-long exploration of the Volta River System that gives life to millions of people in Ghana and throughout West Africa".

Yvette Tetteh actually joined Lewis Pugh for a leg of the Hudson Swim journey on September 12, 2023!

#REPOST from @lewispughfdn "Wonderful to have our #RiverWarrior @yvette_tetteh join @lewis.pugh on the #HudsonSwim2023 yesterday. Yvette recently swam the entire length of the Volta River in Ghana to raise awareness of the impact synthetic microfibers have on river ecosystems and communities 👏🏊‍♂️ #RiversAreLife"

Hello you swimmers out there! You inspire me! Here's a message for you!

[amberfaber40]

Best Gourmet Getaways // Hotels in Heaven®

Best Gourmet Getaways // Hotels in Heaven®

Michelin star restaurants, incredible locations and celebrity chefs. Here is a top 10 list of the best luxury gourmet getaways.

Jangala Dunhuang - Luxury Hotel in Dunhuang, China

Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik by Goddard Littlefair | Hotel interiors

Goddard Littlefair has completed the restoration of Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik, re-injecting golden age glamour into one of Europe’s most beautiful..

Studio Paradowski nods to Kraków's mid-century architecture in revamped Puro hotel

Bolza family turns 1,000-year-old castle into Hotel Castello di Reschio

All grown up by Sebastian Lee / 500px

Surf Hotel Buena Vista CO - A Full Review of BV's Boutique Hotel

Surf Hotel Buena Vista | Our complete review of BV's Surf Hotel, and what it's like to stay in one of Colorado's prettiest boutique hotels.

DE&DE/Boutique hotel and restaurant design

Executive Lounge, Conrad Hotel by Brewin Design Office | Hotel interiors

Conrad Centennial Singapore was designed by Johnson Burgee Architects (NYC) and completed in 1996, and was part of a larger master plan of buildings that..

Terreo Studio Develops a Classical Yet Contemporary Residential Complex in Tulum, Mexico - Interior Design

Terreo Studio orchestrates every aspect of a classically inspired yet utterly contemporary residential complex in Tulum, Mexico—from the landscaping and lighting to the chill vibe

hotel room

Portofoliu Archive - Zebrano Romania - Luxury Philosophy

Ludovica+Roberto Palomba and GS Collection Transform a 19th-Century Puglia Home into a Boutique Hotel - Interior Design

For well-traveled Italophiles having already summered in the usual hot spots—Portofino, Positano, Capri—another, more remote locale beckons of late: Puglia, at the tip of the boot’s heel. It’s there, in the village of Gagliano del Capo, where the Adriatic and Ionian seas collide, that Palazzo Daniele, an ancient ancestral home transformed into a nine-suite hotel, is constituting a major draw.

Palazzo Dama - Rome's best luxury hotel

The Palazzo Dama luxury hotel is sitting right on the banks of the Tiber River. Vatican, Villa Borghese and Spanish steps are within walking distance. Best of all, the interior design hotel has its own pool.

Nobu Hotel London Portman Square - Make Architects

Make has designed the architectural concept and guestroom interiors for London’s latest Nobu Hotel. Located on Portman Square in Marylebone, the project has refurbished and extended an existing hotel formed of two towers atop a podium. David Collins Studio designed the communal interiors.

The Stratford by Space Copenhagen | Hotel interiors

The Stratford has opened with interiors, bespoke furniture and accessories by Danish design studio Space Copenhagen. The Stratford is a hotel located..

How Much to Tip Hotel Housekeeping

Here’s when, how, and how much to tip hotel housekeeping, according to industry and etiquette experts.

Lake Fuschl: A lakeside retreat in Austria’s Salzkammergut

Where to Stay in Manhattan: The Roger Smith Hotel - Rachel Off Duty

Wondering where to stay in Manhattan? Consider the Roger Smith Hotel in Midtown, an independently-owned property with spacious rooms.

Lasvit

Michelin stars, fantastic views, private locations and delightful delicacies. Are you looking for luxury hotels with incredible on-site restaurants? Indulge in various flavors and tempt your taste buds with the most exquisite cuisines of the planet. Here is our selection of the 10 best gourmet getaways that guarantee a delicious vacation. Share this list with your Friends Soneva Fushi Maldives The Soneva Fushi in the Maldives is well-known for its breathtaking location in the Indian Ocean and incredible restaurants. The ‘Out of the Blue’ restaurant offers an Asian and international cuisine. It includes an extra cheese room, a grill and pizza area. Enjoy one-of-a-kind views over the ocean while indulging in a culinary journey. Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco Italy The Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco is located in Tuscany, Italy. Enjoy a variety of different dining locations or learn how to cook Italian food in the cooking school ‘La Canonica’. The restaurants are nestled in a romantic and cozy spot with fantastic views over the valley. Waldorf Astoria Versailles - Trianon Palace France Michelin-starred dining, classic luxury and palace views. The Waldorf Astoria Versailles – Trianon Palace was built in 1907 and features different on-sites restaurants. Choose between the Gordon Ramsay au Trianon restaurant, La Veranda or Terrasse du Bar Galerie. COMO Cocoa Island Maldives Private dining at the beach, in-room dining or overwater restaurants. The COMO Cocoa Island Hotel offers some of the best dining options in the Maldives. Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley Australia Located in the Greater Blue Mountains in Australia lies this gem – the Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley. The Wolgan Dining Room provides personalized menus with local flavours. The Country Kitchen offers midday snacks or menus. Mandarin Oriental England The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park is sitting between Royal Parkland and central Knightsbridge in London. The hotel runs three restaurants with two Michelin stars. This is for sure one of the city’s finest culinary destinations. The Peninsula Hong Kong Timeless glamour in modern Asia. The Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong is renowned for its restaurant ‘Felix’. The restaurant clearly stands out with the stunning panoramic views of Victoria Harbour and its impressive menu. Marina Bay Sands Singapore The Marina Bay Sands is a landmark in Singapore. Its one-of-a-kind architecture features the world’s largest rooftop pool. The restaurants are well-known for many celebrity chefs, such as Gordon Ramsey, Daniel Boulud or David Myers. Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills Japan Luxury lifestyle in the centre of Tokyo. The 52-story skyscraper impresses with remarkable views of the city and its restaurants + bars. The Siam Bangkok Thailand Spacious suites, unique pool villas and signature dining options – the Siam Bangkok. The Chon Thai restaurant will bring only the freshest, finest local produce to your table. 

[marktorres593-blog]

[crones-trash]

I am so happy you post about Aarika. I want to see what she is up too. I’m glad she has her animals and is gardening to keep occupied. I wonder if she learned to garden when Calvin took it up? I wonder what she will eventually do. I feel like salad bowl gardens would not sustain a living for someone especially in LA. Maybe extra money. I hope she is happy and her heart is healing. She can wipe Calvin off her SM but since he is famous and about to release music I’m sure she will hear stuff

I believe gardening was her idea. I base this on the flimsiest fact that during a pool party after the first front garden was installed, when Aarika served cocktails w/ edible flowers in them, Kaylee said w/ pointed emphasis, "These flowers are from your garden."

Yeah, I did say flimsiest. Maybe the garden was given to her as a gift. Remember how Calvin showed almost daily IG-Stories about watering the garden while she was in NYC.

And it's not about money—I'm still assuming she got handsomely paid off. Making custom Salad Bowl Gardens would give her something to do & a way to meet new people. Small Salad Bowl Gardens are sold for only $20 at garden centers & they have workshops about making your own. I reckon a large one in a fancy ceramic bowl delivered w/ a bow might be worth $100+ to someone in LA. For comparison, 2 dozen roses in a tall glass vase costs $170.

I know I may seem a bit desperate for Aarika to do something. But I see it as part of healing & creating her own identity. I was totally down & out in the early 90s & restored my self-confidence w/ a hobby that developed into my next career. I would like to see her have a similar experience. And, frankly, seeing that would be more important to me than seeing her on a date.

[rabbitcruiser]

Near Bryant Park, Manhattan (No. 3)

In 1983, in an attempt to draw crowds to the park and raise money for continued maintenance, the BPRC proposed leasing Bryant Park from the city, renovating it, and building a cafe in the park. The $18 million renovation was to be executed by an alliance between the BPRC, NYPL, and NYC Parks. The restaurateur Warner LeRoy was to operate the eatery, and he planned to build an 80-foot-tall (24 m), 10,500-square-foot (980 m2) glass cafe on the park's east side adjacent to the library. In addition, the park would include four smaller food kiosks, a reflecting pool and water fountain, and a dedicated security team. In 1984, the state passed legislation to allow the BPRC to lease space for such an eatery. The City Planning Commission also approved the structure the following year. However, the proposed cafe was met with opposition from the public, as it would obscure the library's rear facade. Several park advocates who opposed the cafe argued that the proposed eatery would turn over part of a public park to a private entity. LeRoy withdrew from the project in 1986 due to this opposition, saying that he feared that the constant reviews of the plan would bring the proposed structure to "mediocrity".

The renovation was approved by the City Art Commission in January 1987, though the restaurant plan had not yet been approved. Following LeRoy's withdrawal from the proposed Bryant Park cafe, the BPRC created a new plan with multiple smaller restaurant spaces. The spaces would be composed of two smaller pavilions, each 20 feet (6.1 m) tall with an area of 5,250 square feet (488 m2), flanking the Bryant memorial next to the library. In September 1987 the plans went to another vote before the City Art Commission, with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission taking an advisory role. The redesigned restaurant spaces were also approved by the City Art Commission that December, though the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission registered no official position on the matter. A concessionaire for one of the spaces was found in 1988,and the same year, the city turned over duties of Bryant Park's land to BPRC. Subsequently, the park redesign was drafted by Hanna/Olin Ltd. and Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates; the design preserved many elements of Simpson's design in the 1930s.

The park was closed for renovations on July 11, 1988. The four-year project to rebuild Bryant Park entailed new entrances, repairs to paths and lighting, as well as a redesign of the park's garden by Lynden Miller. Biederman worked with William H. Whyte, a sociologist whose influence led them to implement two decisions. One was the placement of 2,000 movable chairs in the park. The other was to lower the park itself, because Bryant Park had been elevated from the street and isolated by tall hedges prior to the 1988 redesign.The 1988 renovation lowered the park to nearly street level and tore out the hedges, though much of the park was still slightly elevated. The park's restrooms, which had been closed for 35 years, were renovated as well. The BPRC also found that several of the sculptures would need to be repaired, and called on William Cullen Bryant's descendants and other entities to provide funding for the restoration of these sculptures. Landscape architect Laurie Olin of Hanna/Olin recalls that the design process focused on "the different abilities of people that use these spaces...as well as making spaces that people are comfortable being with each other in." The restoration cost $8.9 million, which included $5.7 million of city funding and $3.2 million of private funding.

The renovation took place at the same time as the NYPL's expansion of the Main Branch's stacks underneath Bryant Park. The project was originally estimated to cost $21.6 million and was to be the largest expansion project in the Main Branch's history; it entailed building 84 miles (135 km) of stacks, which could hold 3.2 million books. Construction on the stacks started after the park was closed. The park was excavated and the Great Lawn was rebuilt above it. Once the underground facilities were completed, Bryant Park was completely rebuilt, with 2.5 to 6 feet (0.76 to 1.83 m) of earth between the park surface and the storage facility's ceiling.

Source: Wikipedia

[ladymaigrey]

NYC Midnight 1000-word flashfic comp - Round 2

So - here’s my entry for the 2nd round of the comp:

Genre: Suspense Location: a playground Must contain object: a night light Rated: T Warnings: a bit of horror imagery and the protagonist is a 9 year old girl. Credits: to the Little Monster (that’s my daughter), who gave me an inspirational idea. Make of it what you will. :D

The Trail Back Home

“Here, sweetie, have some more. It’s your favourite. Just how you like it, more cheese than macaroni.” The girl’s mother dipped the stringy goop onto the plate without waiting for an answer, the ladle trembling against the china.

“Sit down, Lorna.” Her dad reproached yet again. “Eat something.”

The movement of his own fork remained sporadic, his eyes fixed on his daughter hunched over in her chair across the table. She looked smaller than she did a week ago, fitting ill into the outline of the carefree child that dwelled in his mind.

“Doc Woodsman gave me a call again today,” he said. “Wanted to know if you remembered anything, sunshine?”

“No, dad. I was just lost. All I remember is lotsa trees, and being real cold and tired.”

She looked cold and tired still, wane and flaxen, as if her natural golden light remained lost in the damned woods, which began just on the other side of the road, beyond the playground.

“Don’t push her, Jeff,” his wife interrupted his fretting. Then she turned back to their little girl. “What would you like for breakfast, honey?”

“I don’t mind.” She shrugged over the still-full plate. “Just not porridge, OK?” Her brown eyes stared into her parents’ drawn faces. “May I be excused?”

----------

She couldn’t stomach her favourite food any more than she could stomach lying to her mum and dad. But in her nine short years on earth (and would she even reach the longed-for double digits?) she grew an instinct on what she could and couldn’t tell her parents. Telling them of that clearing, with its hunter’s shack, in the depths of the forest, was firmly in the “couldn’t” category. She felt it, in their careful voices and their clinging hands, that her disappearance from the playground had shaken the safety of their world. The knowledge of what she saw in that cosy shack - of what she ran from, with sleep in her eyes and feet tangling in the undergrowth – was beyond anything her parents could accommodate without sending her to doctors and shrinks. And, maybe, to the padded shadow-less cells, and jackets with straps.

She wasn’t going to end up there, no matter how many nights she spent staring at the pool of star-speckled blue cast by her night-light, wishing that the intensity of her stare would counteract the paranoid straining of her ears. Yet, they mercilessly picked up the creaks of the chain of the swing in the playground, the scratches against the metal slide, the rhythmic clack and grind of the tiny merry-go-round. It could’ve been the wind playing like a toddler, tossing handfuls of nature’s flotsam, but she knew that, if she could listen just a little bit harder, she would catch the bellow of her stalkers’ nostrils, as they sought the tell-tale signs of her presence.

She had loved that playground. It was the base camp from which all her adventures began. Starting with the treks to the sandpit and the seesaw, then the conquests of the tallest mountains: the monkeybars, the spiderweb. Later still, towards the edge of the woods to explore the wispy paths left by beings unseen and, heretofore, unthreatening.

Mindful of her parents’ admonitions, she had never ventured farther than the reach of voices. Until last week. Until that foolish second, or third, or twentieth turn she took in pursuit of some quarry that she could, now, barely recall. And then she was lost.

And then she was found by a grizzly snout and five curved razors.

The night was here again. She could no longer avoid the rituals of soap and toothpaste and pyjamas, no matter how much she whined to remain in the living room. Her parents were adamant in their hope that a good night’s sleep would restore their joyful golden girl. So, she was back in her bed, with her eyes burning in the night-light’s glow, and dread mixing with the macaroni-and-cheese in her stomach, waiting for the sounds of shuffling and grunting and scratching to return.

When they did, she was empty. The terror had eaten out her insides surer than the monsters would have. There was nothing left now, except hollow determination: her trespass had created the trail back to her, and it was up to her to erase it.

She left the swirl of the calming light behind, as she slipped out the window to drop onto the dirt beneath the starry void. The playground across the road was stark in the absence of movement or sound. It was here though. One of them. A dark mass curled by the slide, its bulk swallowing the forlorn rays that still streaked from the window of her room, begging for her to return.

She approached on tiptoes, legs barely moving. Her voice was even more reluctant to comply, croaking instead of calling.

“Why did you follow me? What do you want?”

The shape stirred and rumbled.

“Look, I am sorry I came into your home. I was lost and tired and hungry. I am sorry I ate your food and broke your chair and slept on your bed. I promise, I’ll never ever bother you again! So, would you please leave me alone now?”

The thing rolled out with a stunning speed and unfurled in front of her, standing on its hind paws, its snout barely level with her chest. Its yellow gleaming eyes looked up at her. The black pebble of its nose twitched and snuffled down her arm to her hand. Then the bear cub sat back on its haunches and mewled like an overgrown cat in need of food and scritches.

“What are you doing here?” Goldilocks said, horror evaporating into lightheadedness. “Are you lost?”

The little bear mewled again, this time in agreement.

Goldilocks smiled and reached down to touch its paw.

“Well, lets first find you some food and, then, the way home.”

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior Is Back!!! Raya and the Last Dragon, Chaos Walking and More

Welcome back to the Weekend Warrior!

This is probably going to be a little different from any of my previous columns, because New York City theaters reopen on Friday, and I swore that once they do, I would be writing about box office again. But this will also essentially be a previous column, so it will include reviews, it will include festivals and repertory series, and basically, whatever the hell I want to write about.

But let’s be realistic here. While there are a lot of movie theaters in New York City, not all of them will open, and they’ll all still have a capacity ceiling at 25% or 50 people in the larger theaters. Many of the larger multiplexes like AMC will be able to show films on two, three or more screenings to be able to make up for the limited capacity, but smaller theaters and those who have been doing well with the virtual cinema may remain closed. I know that the Angelika will be reopening to show some of the indies that haven’t had a theatrical release in NYC yet like Minari, and the IFC Center is reopening but with insanely strict protocols. (Don’t you DARE take off your mask even if you’re watching a three-hour movie! The good news is that they’re showing a lot of great movies on reopening including a comedy series that includes a number of Lynn Shelton movies.)

There’s also the issue of New Yorkers who are still petrified of being out in public, even those who have already been vaccinated and are possibly spending time in congregate settings that are just as likely to cause COVID spread than movie theaters. (I’m not gonna go on a rant about the egotistical and elitist film critics and journalists who have been ranting about movie theaters reopening for the past six months – for some reason, they think they’re as important as essential workers. Guess what, NAME REDACTED, you’re not.)

The big release of the weekend is the Disney animated movie RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, which will hit probably around 2,400 theaters on Friday as well as be available for a premium on Disney+. I honestly don’t know a ton about this premium streaming release, but this is the second one after last year’s Mulan, which came out (better sit down for this) six months ago!

This magical fantasy adventure centers around Raya (a teen girl voiced by Kelly Marie Tran), who is trying to save her world that has been relegated to dust by the destruction of a valuable magical gem that contains destructive spirits imprisoned there by the legendary dragons. When Raya finds the last dragon, Sihsu (voiced by Awkwafina), the two of them must travel across the land collecting the separated pieces of the gem to reassemble them and restore their world.  Raya is thwarted along the way by her arch-nemesis Namaari (Gemma Chan) who wants to reunite the gem pieces to help her own city of Fang.

(Raya is preceded by the animated short Us Again, which is a nice wordless short about a cranky old man who reflects back on his younger days dancing with his wife. It’s okay, nothing particularly memorable.)

Raya and the Last Dragon, on the other hand, is pretty wonderful, a mix of action, adventure, magic and humor, directed by Don Hall (Big Hero Six) and Carlos Lopez Estrada (Blindspotting) in a way that blends those disparate elements in fun ways. I’ll freely admit that I was a little worried that Akwafina’s schtick was going to annoy me, but after a while her wise-cracking dragon grows on you. In fact there are actually so many other funny characters to add to the laughs that the more brought in the mix on Raya and Sihsu’s journey, the more enjoyable the film gets.

One of the reasons the film works as well as it does is that unlike last year’s Onward, it wasn’t just the two characters and what they had to offer but how their situation changes as it goes along and they visit different cities. I was pretty surprised by how well the film keeps you entertained and invested in the journey.

I also absolutely loved the score by Thomas Newton Howard, which may be even better than his score for News of the World, which I honestly think he’ll get another Oscar nomination for. This is a film that explores all sorts of emotions as well as its Southeast Asian myths, so I feel that I was always going to be a complete and total patsy for this movie since it combines a lot of things I like such as fantasy and Asian mythology. In that sense, Raya is also a nice companion to the recent Mulan, which made my Top 10 last year, but sadly never even got a nominal theatrical release.

So let’s talk about box office, something I haven’t done in almost a year. Last weekend, Warner Bros’ Tom and Jerry had a fairly spectacular opening of $13.7 million. Raya is the first new wide release Disney movie since Pixar’s Onward literally a year ago. That ended up opening to $39 million in 4,310 theaters but only grossed $61.5 million domestic after its legs were cut short by COVID one week later. Raya will likely open in about 2,500 theaters by comparison and that’s with limited capacity for safety, but it should fare decently against the second weekend of Tom & Jerry, and I could easily see it bringing in $15 million or even as much as $18 million, but again, we’re in the baby steps part of the reopening, and things are going to start slowly and keep building as the vaccine continues rolling out.

Being released theatrically by Lionsgate this Friday is CHAOS WALKING, the adaptation of Patrick Ness’ future-set young adult novel The Knife of Never Letting Go, which stars Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley. Holland plays Todd Hewitt, a young man living in a world with no women where men’s thoughts can be perceived by everyone around them. One day, he discovers a mysterious girl named Viola (Ridley), when she crash lands on this planet but her very presence puts Viola’s life in danger, so Todd agrees to accompany her to find her own people.

Yeah, where do I even begin with the latest film from director Doug Liman that was probably filmed two or three years ago and was being delayed even before COVID came along? That’s already a bad sign, but when see how “The Noise,” the way that we hear all of characters’ thinking emerges, it immediately feels like it’s gonna be a problem. Sure enough, it’s such an awkward plot device to watch smoke billowing from the heads of the various characters as we hear their thoughts that it takes most of the movie to get used to it, and yet, it’s still so comically inept a concept that you can’t help but laugh when Holland continually rants, “My Name is Todd Hewitt,” over and over to keep Ridley’s Viola to hear his pubescent teen boy thoughts on experiencing his first girl.

The thing is that the scenes with just Holland and Ridley aren’t bad, but when you have a movie with actors like Mads Mikkelsen, David Oyelowo, Demian Bechir and Cynthia Erivo, it’s disappointing that they can’t elevate the movie above anything other than the most obvious sci-fi (and Western) pastiches. Mikkelsen is the town mayor who is so obviously another bad guy, that he doesn’t bother to put too much into his performance cause we’ve seen him do it so many times before.

Liman is more than a competent filmmaker but he clearly is unaware of how watching clouds pool around the heads of characters as we hear and see their thoughts become material, and even the introduction of the particularly silly-looking aliens – called, get this, the “Spackle” -- makes you forget that this is a sci-fi film from the director of Edge of Tomorrow (or whatever it ended up being called). It’s not even particularly surprising when we find out what really happened to the women in Todd’s community.

I have a feeling that the problems within Chaos Walking come straight from the Patrick Ness source material and the fact that he decided to adapt it himself may have made him tone-deaf to how hard it is to make the film’s central premise work without eliciting guffaws even from the most dedicated or devout fans.

This is also opening in IMAX theaters this weekend, and when it comes to New York, that might be the ideal way to see it (if you so choose) since it’s generally bigger theaters with a maximum of fifty people. Honestly, I don’t think Chaos Walking will make more than $5 million this weekend even in what should be over 2,000 theaters and with the presumed star power of Holland and Ripley from their franchise work. This could be seen as counter-programming from the animated movie, although any teens ready to go back to the movies might stick with Raya as well. Honestly, how this didn’t end up getting dumped to streaming compared to some of this weekend’s better movies is beyond me.

Offering a bit of indie counterprogramming for the two (relatively) big studio movies is Eddie Huang’s BOOGIE, the directorial debut of the Fresh Off the Boat producer, being released by Focus Features into who knows how many theaters? (1,000 or less, I’d Imagine.) It’s a coming-of-age movie starring Taylor Takahashi as Alfred “Boogie” Chin, a Queens high school basketball ace who dreams of one day playing in the NBA but whose temper gets him in trouble with the scouts for college where he’s hoping to get a scholarship.

I was kind of looking forward to this one, because I generally enjoy Fresh Off the Boat, and I’m interested in what stories Huang has to offer as a filmmaker. The film has its merits but it’s not necessarily Takahashi, who isn’t strong enough to really keep the viewer’s interest.

On the other hand, Huang was wise to cast the amazing Taylour Paige (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) as Boogie’s love interest and even better than both is Pamelyn Chee as Boogie’s “Tiger Mom” mother who is sugary sweet when it comes to wooing possible recruiters but also is a complete nightmare to his ex-con father (Perry Yung).

Thinking back on the movie, I definitely didn’t hate it as there were character relations and dynamics I enjoyed, but not all of it clicked with me, and it’s hard to imagine this one connecting with audiences as well as some of the other movies out this week, unless you’re into college hoops, which I am not.

As far as box office, I’m not sure this will be in more than 1,250 theaters (if even that) and even if it plays in New York City (where it would normally find its biggest audience), I just don’t think there’s much awareness for the movie out there. In fact, I see it only playing in one movie theaters in NYC, and that’s way up in Harlem, presumably hoping to get the street ball fans, but I’m not so sure too many up there will be interested in an Asian-American story, so honestly, I don’t think this will make more than $500,000 or $600,000 tops.

Besides the reopening of movie theaters, the other big excitement this week is the launch of Paramount+, the relaunch, spin-off, rebranding of CBS All Access that I had also been considering checking out. It will launch on Thursday, March 4, with the animated family movie THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN, which was supposed to be released by Paramount Pictures last year and did get a bit of a theatrical release in Canada while theaters were open there last year. This one involves SpongeBob and his buddy Patrick trying to retrieve SpongeBob’s beloved pet snail Gary, who has gone missing.

I generally enjoyed the first to SpongeBob movies, even though I never watched the show, and the regular creators and voice actors always seem to step up their game in terms of the wackiness whenever they’re given a chance to bring the lunacy to the big screen. In this case, it comes in the form of some of the guests including Snoop Dog and Danny Trejo in an odd Western section complete with musical number or Keanu Reeves introduced in the same section as a tumbleweed named Sage. (Oddly, this also features Awkwafina providing the voice of a robot, and I kind of liked her in more of a subdued role like this.) Although SpongeBob and his friends are CG animated, the movie doesn’t try too hard to integrate the live action in as fluid a way as last week’s Tom and Jerry – live actors just kind of show up – but it’s still pretty darn entertaining to watch another movie in which everyone involved, including director Tim Hill (who shockingly directed last year’s awful The War with Grandpa!), just going about making the movie as crazy and wacky as possible, something that should appeal to kids and… THC-laced adults (preferably not those watching with kids) … to get an overall enjoyable experience. Maybe it’s no surprise that I was particularly tickled with SpongeBob and Patrick’s adventures in Las Vegas.

Along with that, the streamer will have a new animated series called KAMP KORAL: SPONGEBOB’S UNDER YEARS, which is a CG-animated series that focuses on SpongeBob and friends when they were younger, which actually is one of the funnier bits in the movie as well.

There’s a lot of great stuff coming to Paramount+ that should make it a real player in the streaming world, and that includes all of the Paramount movies that will be streaming on it, both those that are getting a theatrical release this year and the studio’s absolutely vast library over the past 100 or so years.

And that’s not all! This weekend also sees the release of the sequel thirty years in the making, COMING 2 AMERICA, which will launch on Amazon Prime Video on Friday (after being sold to the streamer by Paramount, oddly), so yeah, there’s plenty of options to keep people home this weekend even with theaters reopening.

Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall are back as Prince (now King) Akeem of Zamunda and his trusty aide Semmi, and in fact, almost every character and actor from the movie has returned, as the duo return to America to find Akeem’s illegitimate son Lavelle (Jermayne Fowler) in queens, hoping to teach him the Zamundan way so he can take over as King after him.  Unfortunately, Lavelle is joined in Zamunda with his family which includes mother Leslie Jones and uncle Tracy Jordan.

Unfortunately, reviews are embargoed until Thursday, so I’m not sure I’ll get to review this one, but I did like the movie, more than I thought because my rewatch of the original 1989 movie led me to believe there was a good reason I hadn’t watched it in over thirty years. The sequel offers a lot of originality and humor in the forms of Leslie Jones and Tracy Jordan, but that’s all I’ll say about it for now.

Incidentally, you can check out an interview I did with director Craig Brewer over at Below the Line AND I also talked to the film’s make-up team, and after you see the movie, you’ll understand why I’m holding it until after people have seen the movie.

Another movie that would probably have gotten a theatrical release but now will be seen on Hulu is the Joe Carnahan-directed BOSS LEVEL, reteaming him with long-time collaborator Frank Grillo as a man who cannot die, because he’s living in a single day that’s being repeated over and over as he takes on a series of assassins sent to kill him.

This as a really fun action-comedy that never lets down in terms of either half of that genre, and it’s kinda groovy to see Mel Gibson playing a fairly key role since he became the master of that action genre with the Lethal Weapon movies.  But this really is Frank Grillo’s show as a leading man, and while I can understand some thinking him not having enough charisma for that sort of thing, I respectfully disagree.

We get into this high-concept premise pretty quickly as we watch his character, Roy Pulver, take on a string of assassins for his over 100th attempt to do so, and as per the title, it is a lot like a video game where Roy has to defeat all of the assassins on his way to the big boss, Gibson’s The Colonel. Apparently, Roy’s wife Gemma (Naomi Watts) has been killed by the Colonel or his thug (Will Sasso) so Roy is now on a quest for revenge. But first he has to survive the onslaught of killers, all of whom he’s given cute nicknames.

Easily my favorite of the killers is Selina Lo’s Guan Yin, a feisty swordswoman who proves to be the most formidable opponent for Roy. I won’t say how he bests her, but it does involve Michelle Yeoh, who has such a strange nothing appearance in one section of the movie, you wonder what she’s doing there. In fact, the movie does hit a slight lull after the initial concept is introduced, but it

Listen, I’ve long been a fan of Carnahan’s dark sense of humor and to some, it might seem mini-spirited, to me it harks back to one of my favorite movies he directed, Smokin’ Aces, a similar movie with a crazy ensemble cast, though maybe a slightly smaller budget. Still, Carnahan is a terrific action director, which makes this one of the stronger action movies in a while, and he finds a way to take a fairly simple premise and make it bigger in that Roy’s dilemma turns into something where he has to save the world, but also something more emotional and personal as he tries to bond with his son before said world ends. I guess in many ways, it’s hard to put into words what makes Boss Level so special, but I can only hope that Ryan Reynold’s Free Guy is as good as this after being delayed so many times, because this will be a tough act to follow for sure.

Over at the Metrograph, still closed physically unfortunately, they’re doing a series this week called “David Fincher/Kirk Baxter” which looks at the relationship between the director and his frequent editor, showing a series of movies over the course of the week:  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network

The Metrograph has a lot of movies as part of its digital membership (just $5 a month) including Chloé Zhao’s very first film, Songs My Brother Taught Me, which was available to members through Wednesday night. (Sorry, I tweeted about it multiple times if you missed it.)

This week also launches the 26th annual “Rendezvous with French Cinema” up at Film at Lincoln Center, which was actually one of the LAST events to happen up there LAST year. This year, they’re keeping things safe by holding it virtually. It runs from March 4 through March 14, kicking off on Thursday with Sébastien Lifshitz’s Little Girl, which will be released by Music Box Films in the Fall. There’s a lot of fairly recent French films with an all-access pass available to rent all 18 films for $165. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen anything, so can’t really recommend anything but I’ll probably be checking out the free talk “How Music Makes the Film” on Monday, March 8.

Margaret Qualley (Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood) and Sigourney Weaver star in Philippe Falardeau’s MY SALINGER YEAR (IFC Films), based on Joanna Rakoff’s book. Set in New York of the ‘90s, Qualley plays Joanna, a grad school student who dreams of becoming a writer who gets hired as an assistant to literary agent Margaret (Weaver), whose biggest client is J.D. Salinger. Although Joanna’s role is more of a glorified secretary, she gets to go through Salinger’s fan mail from around the world, and she decides to start answering some of the letters to the author, an experience that helps her find her writers’ voice.

I wasn’t sure if this movie would be for me, but I find Qualley to be quite delightful, and this was a light film with a comedic tone from the Canadian filmmaker of the boxing movie, Chuck, and the Oscar-nominated Monsieur Lazhar. I enjoyed its look at the New York literary world of the 1990s, and it kept me quite invested even if I’m not particularly invested in Salinger’s work or an obsessive with The Catcher in the Rye as many are. Weaver is also fantastic as Joanna’s boss – think of a lighter version of Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada – and also enjoyed the tentative relationship between Joanna and her writer boyfriend Don, played by Douglas Booth.

Basically, Falardeau has created another generally wonderful and crowd-pleasing movie that sadly missed its opportunity at a festival run to build an audience after debuting at the Berlinale almost exactly a year ago. Presumably, this will open at the reopened IFC Center this weekend. (In fact, IFC Center released its reopening schedule and it’s a pretty cool mix of IFC Films movies from the past as well as some of the Netflix movies that weren’t released in NYC previously.)

Okay, let’s get to some other releases from the week, beginning with Ivan Kavanagh’s SON (RLJEfilms/Shudder), the latest film from the Irish director of The Canal, a fantastic horror film that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival about seven years back. In this one, Andi Matichak from Halloween plays a single mother whose son David (Luke David Blumm) suffers from all sorts of maladies but when she starts getting closer to a local detective (Emile Hirsch), he discovers that there’s a lot more to her past and to her son’s ailments.

Honestly, I do not want to say too much about the plot, because there are so many shocking surprises in the movie once you think you know where it’s going, although I will say that it has connections to films like The Lodge and shows like Servant, but it also does a good job fucking with the viewer’s head, so you never know what’s really happening and what might be in the characters’ heads.

I will say that the movie is very dark and quite disturbing with lots of gruesome gory sequences, but if you’re a fan of smart horror, you’ll want to check out Son. (I’ll have an interview with Kavanagh over at Below the Line next week.)

Sony Classics is finally releasing Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw’s doc THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS (Sony Classics), which has been playing on the virtual festival circuit all the way back to Sundance last year, so we’ll see how many people are left to see it. It’s set in the forests of Piedmont, Italy where a handful of 70-to-80-year-old men are on the hunt for the rare white Alba truffle, which has resisted all modern science to be cultivated.

For whatever reason, I procrastinated on watching this movie for most of last year, maybe because I’m not that big a fan of cinema verité docs, but this is infinitely entertaining between the various men featured – including a lot of real characters in there – and how the movie shows their close bond with their truffle-sniffing dogs. This is a genuinely enjoyable movie that I feel can appeal to a wide range of viewers, although be aware that is in Italian, so maybe one should consider that even with the cute dogs, this should probably be watched by teen or older rather than small kids. (I don’t remember anything particularly racy, but the movie is Rated PG-13.)

Staying in the dog realm, Magnolia Pictures is releasing Elizabeth Lo’s documentary STRAY on Friday, which documents the life of Zeytin, a stray dog living on the streets of Istanbul, and some of his dog frenemies. Actually, this was a pretty wonderful film that I quite enjoyed, although there were a few dog fight sequences that disturbed me a little bit.  But it’s a great look at Turkey through the eyes of some of the canines on the street, how they interact with the humans around them. Essentially, Stray is the dog version of Kedi, but I’ve seen other similar docs like this including Los Reyes – this one is just as strong as either of those movies, the images of all the beautiful dogs accompanied by gorgeous string music by Ali Helnwein that helps you understand the dogs’ complex emotions.  Seriously, if you like dogs, you can definitely do worse than the previous two movies mentioned. Stray is available via Virtual Cinema, including that of the Film Forum.

Filmmaker and EDM artist Quentin Dupieux (Rubber) is back with his latest, KEEP AN EYE OUT (Dekanalog), starring Belgian comedian Benoît Poelvoorde as police officer, Commissaire Buran, investigating a guy (Grégoire Ludig) who has discovered a dead body in a puddle of blood outside his apartment building. The prime suspect is then left alone with a one-eyed rookie, and if you’ve seen any of Dupieux’s other films, you’ll probably know to expect the unexpected as things get crazier and crazier. (I seem to remember seeing this last year at some festival, maybe FantasticFest, but I’ll have to watch again before remembering if this was one of Dupieux’s movies that I liked.)  This will be available in select theaters and also in virtual cinema this Friday. (Oddly Dupieux’s last movie, Deerskin, debuted at last year’s “Rendezvous with French Cinema” right before theaters shut down for a year, and I don’t want to be superstitious, but yeah, I’m worried.)

Barnaby Thompson’s Ireland-set crime thriller PIXIE (Saban/Paramount) stars Olivia Cooke (Sound of Metal) and Alec Baldwin with Cooke playing Pixie Hardy, a young woman who wants to avenge her mother’s death by pulling off a heist that will allow her to leave her small town. The crime goes wrong, and she’s forced to team up with a group of misfits including Baldwin’s Father McGrath.

Bradley Parker’s action-thriller THE DEVIL BELOW (Vertical) deals with a team of researchers who are investigating a series of underground coal mines in Appalachian country that have been on fire for decades where they discover a mystery. It’s getting a combined theatrical, VOD and digital release Friday.

Phil Sheerin’s directorial debut THE WINTER LAKE stars Emma Mackey (Sex Education) as Holly, a young woman with a secret that’s uncovered by her unstable neighbor Tom (Anson Boon from Blackbird) and the two of them are pulled into a confrontation with her father, who wants to keep the family secret buried. This will be in select theaters on Friday, On Demand on Tuesday, March 9 and then on DVD March 23.

Dylan McCormick’s SOMETIME OTHER THAN NOW (Gravitas Ventures) stars Donal Logue and Kate Walsh, Logue playing Sam who is stranded in a small New England town after his motorcycle crashes into the ocean seeking refuge at a run-down motel run by Walsh’s Kate, a similarly run-down and lost soul. When Sam learns that his estranged daughter Audrey, who he hasn’t seen in 25 years, lives in the town, he starts to learn more about why he ended up there.

Jacob Johnston’s DREAMCATCHER (Samuel Goldwyn) stars Travis Burns as Dylan aka DJ Dreamcatcher who meets up with two estranged sisters at the underground music film festival, Cataclysm, where they become entrenched in 48 hours of violence and mayhem after a drug-fueled event. Sounds delightful.

Some of the other VOD stuff hitting the ‘net this week include: 400 Bullets (Shout! Studios), Sophie Jones(Oscilloscope), Dementer (Dark Star PIctures), Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know (Giant Pictures)

That’s it for this week. Next week, theaters hopefully will remain open, and we’ll have some new movies to write about.

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

Do you know any new good fics?

We are so lucky to have authors post new fics all the time. You should really checkout @klaineadvent and @gleepotluckbigbang for fics and drabbles written for the December 2019 challenge. Below are some that I have enjoyed. They are all completed. - HKVoyage

Express Yourself by Esperanto

When he was 4, he didn’t notice it. When he was 6, he hoped he could outgrow it. When he was 14 he thought he could ignore it. When he was 16, he tried hide it.

When Blaine is attacked for being different, he transfers to a new school where he meets a cadre of misfits called The New Directions, who seem very impressed with his singing and very curious about his past. Blaine just wanted to fit in but maybe he will find something better: his voice.

[A canon-divergent story in which Blaine transferred to McKinley rather than Dalton after being attacked at his old school.]

Sequel:  Love Yourself (WIP. Updated today. Author typically posts a chapter each weekend)

~~~~~

Don’t Do It by @beautifulunseen​

Kurt, who works for a letter-writing service, spends a summer writing emails to Blaine, who thinks Kurt is the guy he’s been dating for the past month. Kurt only has one rule: don’t fall in love. Of course, Kurt Hummel was born to push boundaries.

~~~~~

New Year’s Dreams by WildHurricane

It's New Year’s Eve and Kurt sneaks out the window to spend the last minutes of the year with Blaine, his best friend whom he fell in love with when he was fourteen. He's over him now of course because Blaine never fell back. But when Blaine brings up memories from their teenage years it’s hard to keep everything in the past. He has to though, he is okay with it, he has moved on. But why is Blaine suddenly so nervous?

~~~~~

The Shrike by @scatter-the-stars

When it comes to relationships, Kurt doesn’t believe in them. He’s happy with just sex. Doesn’t need anything else that could come with a relationship. When his best friend asks for a favor after a horrible breakup, he can’t refuse. The cruise was meant to be nothing more than relaxing by the pool and hooking up with whatever cute guy that caught his eye. What he doesn’t expect is Blaine, and being faced with feelings and desires he’s never dealt with before.

~~~~~

The Party Favor by CoffeeAddict80 (@caramelcoffeeaddict​)

After Blaine’s brother ditches him at party where he doesn’t know anyone, he’s approached by Kurt who has a big favor to ask.

~~~~~

Love Me Like a Hufflepuff by kookaburrito

Everyone has warned him about the Beauxbatons boys, how they only break people’s hearts. But Blaine, a Hufflepuff from head to toe, cannot resist a particular Beauxbatons boy. Is it true love or just deceitful veela charms?

~~~~~

An Honest Man by BlurglesmurfKlaine

For nearly the past decade, Kurt Hummel and his best friend Rachel Berry have made their living swindling unsuspecting bachelors. Which proves to be pretty easy on his conscience, considering he doesn’t believe in love anymore. As they always say: “You can’t con an honest man… Good thing they don’t exist.” But their mark for their last con before they go their separate ways—Blaine Anderson—may just prove otherwise, and restore Kurt’s faith in love in the process.

Klaine Heartbreakers!AU, side Finchel, HummelBerry con artist duo

~~~~~

Follow Your Heart (Klaine Valentines Challenge 2019) by morethanwords

Blaine wants to get to know Kurt better. Set in college.

~~~~~

All of Me by Hemingway72

As a young and successful fashion designer living in NYC he shouldn’t have a problem finding a sub. Yet, he has been alone since a college relationship gone wrong. When the Department of D/s affairs proposes that he be a mentor for a college bound troubled sub from Dalton he accepts knowing it will be the right thing to do. What he doesn’t expect is the perfectly submissive Blaine Anderson. Title based off the John Legend song.

~~~~~

A Very Hallmark Christmas by @coffeegleek

Semi-famous actor!Kurt and semi-famous actor!Blaine work the Hallmark Christmas Movie circuit in true B-actor form. Though they’ve worked on the same movies before, this time they land roles that could change their lives forever. Mostly happy fluff, but has some angst. This is Hallmark, so of course it has a happy ending. Many of my favorite tropes have been included: badboy!Kurt who really has a heart of gold and sweetness, famous!Kurt, famous!Blaine, actor!Kurt, actor!Blaine, soulmates, soulmarks, AU Glee, angst with a happy ending, and fluff. There’s also a heavy dose of cheesy Hallmark Christmas Movie writing in both the script and commercials. In true AU form, canon characters abound in various non-canon roles.

Originally this was my Klaine Advent 2018 fic that I brain froze on and knew was confusing because the first 2 chapters were stand-alone, random one shots before I got the idea in chapter 3 for a whole verse. So this is that Hallmark story verse only reworked to make it better and stand on its own. All of the Advent words are included in this fic.

Note: Part 1 of the A Very Hallmark Christmas series

~~~~~

The Elf on the Shelf by kellyb321

The owner at Verve Design has decided the holidays at the office have been way too boring in the past. He's decided to kick it up a notch with a Christmas party, Secret Santas and...and adorable Elf on the Shelf for the office. Kurt might be a little smitten.

My note: The story is completed even though it is not marked off as such.

[nyc-urbanism]

The hidden pool inside the Woolworth Building that once belonged to the building's owner and developer Frank W. Woolworth, was recently restored and unveiled this week! The pool has always been a mystery to skyscraper enthusiasts, sitting drained and abandoned for the last two decades. The 'Cathedral of Commerce" as the Woolworth was known, was built in 1913 – at the time the tallest building in the world – for American retail giant, the F. W. Woolworth Company. When designing the tower, Woolworth and his architect Cass Gilbert planned to include a swimming pool and Turkish bath in the basement, lined with marble. Some accounts say the amenities were actually included to attract tenants to the building at a time when there was a surplus of commercial office space in Lower Manhattan, not for Woolworth's personal use. A prospectus on the building from 1913 lists the pool and bath along with the building's other features. The 15-by-55-foot pool was drained in 1999, only to be recently restored by Alchemy Properties, who has converted the top thirty stories of the tower for thirty-three luxury rresidences. This week we got to visit the pool, which had just received its permits to operate. #woolworthbuilding #woolworthresidences #skyscraper #skyline #hiddennyc #manhattan #newyorkcity #nyc #downtownnyc #parkrow #cathedralofcomerce #alchemyproperties #woolworth #cassgilbert #architect #architecture #urbannism #nycurbanism #nyhistory #nychistory (at Woolworth Building) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3xeyY0nsfX/?igshid=3tbmss1fwzot

[strasticsocial-blog]

The 5 best midcentury modern homes for sale right now

In our House of the Day column, we cover a plethora of gorgeous homes, from elegant Gilded Age mansions to show-stopping new builds. But time and time again, some of our favorite homes for sale are of the midcentury variety.

They range in style and authenticity; some homes built in the 1950s and 1960s have been tastefully updated, while others are time capsules for the midcentury purist. We also write about midcentury modern homes from around the country—not just in ultra-hip epicenters like Palm Springs—and at all price points. Whether you’re on the hunt for a new pad or just like to window shop, here are five swoon-worthy midcentury homes on the market to check out right now.

Guests are welcomed to the Sarasota School home through an interior courtyard with pond. Photo by Glenn Johnson of Coastal Photography

Restored midcentury gem near the beach

Price: $1,695,000

Details: One of the latest Sarasota School houses to catch our eye is this three-bedroom, three-bath home in Sandy Hook, a private beachfront neighborhood on the island of Siesta Key. Siesta Key is packed with gorgeous midcentury architecture by Paul Rudolph, Victor Lundy, and Frank Folsom Smith, but this 2,550-square-foot home was designed by Siebert Architects—Sarasota’s oldest architecture firm.

The 1962 home has all the midcentury details we love, like long horizontal lines, glass walls, clerestory windows, and terrazzo floors. A covered interior courtyard features a pond, skylights, and a large dining table for entertaining, and exposed beams throughout the house contrast with the bright, airy windows. See more, over here.

Designed and built in 1965 by architect Allan Gelbin, the home follows Frank Lloyd Wright’s theories on organic architecture. Photos by Austin Eterno

A Connecticut home by a Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice

Price: $625,000

Details: This five-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home in Weston, Connecticut, was designed and built in 1965 by architect Allan Gelbin. Gelbin was an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin East in Spring Green, Wisconsin, from 1949 to 1953, before establishing his own practice in 1957 in Connecticut.

The focal point of the design is an expansive living room and dining room that features a stone fireplace. Clerestory windows let in light, while wooden ceiling panels and built-in bookshelves add coziness. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows showcase a wraparound deck and views of the 2.25-acre property, and the master suite also offers panoramic views and access to a terrace. You can see more photos, this way.

The A-frame style living room features walls of glass, a fireplace, exposed beams, and amazing ocean views. Photo by Marc Weisberg

Oceanfront home by Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice

Price: $14,900,000

Details: Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice Frederick Liebhardt in 1958, this four-bedroom, eight-bath oceanfront home is located above Windansea beach, an iconic surf spot made famous in the 1960s in Tom Wolfe’s nonfiction collection The Pump House Gang.

Liebhardt designed the home as a personal residence for his mother, and the house has seen two subsequent renovations—one remodel by midcentury modern architect Henry Hester and a more recent one by Hill Construction and NYC designer Eddie Lee. The house is now 6,338 square feet with a stunning A-frame living room. Huge walls of glass provide unobstructed ocean views, and the way the home is situated on its one acre lot means that you can’t see your neighbors. Find more photos, over here.

This Swiss Miss home in Pennsylvania was designed in 1958 by noted midcentury architect Jules Gregory. Michael Hirsch for Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty

Dazzling A-frame in Pennsylvania

Price: $3,495,000

Details: Midcentury modern homes might be known for their butterfly roofs, but the style also popularized the Swiss Miss A-frame. And while you might expect A-frames in mountain towns or midcentury hotbeds like California, check out this three-bedroom, four-bath home in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Built in 1958 by noted midcentury architect Jules Gregory, the low-lying home is bifurcated by a steep, dramatic A-frame roof that rises straight from the ground.

Inside, the A-frame creates a dramatic double-height living room with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto the 1.42-acre property. Recent renovations brought a more contemporary feel to the space; gloss-black hardwood floors contrast with white walls, beams, and counters. Other perks include a 16-foot kitchen island, large closets, and a rear patio with bar, BBQ, fire pit, and pool. See the interiors, over here.

The living room features floor-to-ceiling windows—a Sarasota School trademark—and an Ocala brick wall. Photo by Glenn Johnson, Coastal Photography

Beachfront midcentury time capsule

Price: $1,900,000

Details: This four-bedroom, four-bath rarely seen home was the writer’s studio of Walter Farley—author of the Black Stallion book series—and was designed by Sarasota architecture icons Ralph Twitchell and Jack West. It’s a time capsule in the truest form, with original details like Ocala block construction, clerestory windows, and mahogany louvers that let in the ocean breeze.

 Reference -  https://www.curbed.com/2020/2/14/21136376/midcentury-modern-best-homes-for-sale

[drinkthehalo]

If you love Sleep No More, you must find a way to Shanghai

I haven’t been active on Tumblr for a while, but I’ve just returned from a visit to see Sleep No More in Shanghai, and am here to tell you that if you love Sleep No More and you haven’t been to Shanghai, you really must find a way to go.

It’s so good.

It’s difficult to explain why without spoilers, but trust me. If you don’t see the Shanghai show, you will miss something that you would have adored. I can be incredibly critical of Punchdrunk’s work (see: Kabeiroi) but I promise, Sleep No More Shanghai is worth it.

I last saw the show in October 2017 (write-ups of my various visits are linked here) and it’s changed significantly since then. So much has been added. I will share some highlights to tempt you further, but I actually recommend don’t read this. It’s better without spoilers. Just book your tickets and go.

Why you should go:

Room 802.  It’s the reason I decided to return to Shanghai, and it was absolutely worth it. I don’t want to spoil it. Just trust me. It’s so good. You get to sleep in the McKinnon. It’s far more elaborate that I’d imagined. It’s beautiful, meaningful, thematically resonant, incredibly fun, and just awesome in every way.

Some little glimpses....  

It feels like a creative evolution. Some scenes and interactions are reminiscent of The Drowned Man. Some draw upon content created for McKittrick parties. Some aspects feel like they “fix” or “restore” aspects of the NYC show. It feels too spoilery to say more, but you will experience of lot of things that seem to iterate upon the past few years of awesome work that Punchdrunk has been doing.

The set is so beautiful. The 1930s Shanghai aesthetic. The slivers of film noir lighting in the speakeasy. The surreal rooms in the Macduff suite. The corridor to the rep bar. The bamboo forest.  The spaces are gorgeous beyond words.

A ton of new 1:1s and interactive experiences (2:1, 4:2, etc). This isn’t the point of the show and it’s the luck of the draw what you’ll get to see, but there is so much fantastic new content. I counted more than ten new 1:1s.

The new show within the show. It feels a bit like Punchdrunk found a backdoor way of creating a new show within the context of Sleep No More. There is a whole new story and new characters based on Chinese mythology, and it is wonderful.

The improvements to the main show. There is a lot less downtime where characters kill time. Changes have been made that make more logical sense and have thematic resonance. You can see clearer, more beautiful views of scenes like Witches 1 (the first prophecy) and of Banquo’s murder. If you love the NYC show already, you’ll love this revitalized version of it.

Do you love the Boy Witch and Porter? Did you love the Boy Witch party and The Vanishing Boy? You will find aspects of these alive in Shanghai; that alone is reason to visit.

Incredible performers. Some of Punchdrunk’s best people are there right now. Greats from SNM NYC, like Ching-I Chang (my original Sexy Witch from when I first saw it in 2011!), Nick Bruder, Stephen Apicello, and Tim Heck. A TON of beloved performers from The Drowned Man: Laure Bachelot (as Lady Macbeth!), James Finnemore, Ben Whybrow, Daniel Whiley, Ed Warner, Simon Palmer, and Olly Hornsby-Sayer. Plus wonderful local performers, and new cast members from around the world. 

Improved logistics and crowd control. They are now selling tickets by entry time, reducing the time you have to queue and making it a much calmer experience for the first hour. Also, it’s been running long enough that it’s easier to get tickets, it isn’t sold out every single show, and more people know that it’s not an escape room. They’ve also updated the lift speech to ask the audience to watch from a distance. It’s still crowded, but it really isn’t that much worse than NYC.

It’s not as expensive as you may fear. You can get round trip airfare from NYC to Shanghai for around $800 if you hunt for deals. You can also use airline points (such as 35k points for one-way direct flights from United and Delta). Hotels are much cheaper than NYC, and you can reduce costs by sharing with friends (for example, Hotel Equatorial is around $90/night plus has a great pool, comfy beds, is near the metro, and is walkable to the McKinnon). The metro is so cheap it’s practically free, and is easy for English speakers to navigate. Restaurants are very affordable. Room 802 is expensive, but you can share with up to four people, and it includes two show tickets. Price out a trip and you may be surprised to find that you can do it.

Shanghai is great. It’s vibrant and full of arts and culture. You don’t need to speak Mandarin. There’s lots to see and experience beyond Sleep No More.

In summary: go to China!

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

Exploring NYC: A very unusual fountain at W 155th Street in the Bronx

I visited this neighborhood last week, and immediately gravitated to the tall column with the lovely old lantern on top of it. When I got closer, I noticed what looked like a low pool or a birdbath on one side, in addition to several other fountains. After staring at it for a few moments, I thought ... hang on ... is that a fountain for humans, a fountain for dogs, and a fountain for HORSES???

I took a picture of the plaque on the side of the fountain, and did some research. It turns out that this is called the Hooper Fountain, and it was one of two that was a gift to the city of New York by a man named John Hooper. His will stipulated that the fountains needed to include horse troughs. This fountain was built in 1894, and it had a rough history after it fell into disuse and was later vandalized. It was restored in the 1990s, so new generations can now enjoy this one-of-a-kind historical artifact!

If you’re trying to find this fountain, it’s on W 155th Street, about half way between the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art and Storytelling (that cool black building in the background of the last picture) and the Macombs Dam Bridge.

Learn more about this unusual fountain through these articles and blog posts:

Hooper Fountain and the Restored Brush Staircase

REMEMBER: The Hooper Fountain at 155th

Hooper Fountain

Lovely Fountains For City Horses and Other Animals

Horses Water Once More at Hooper Fountain

You can also learn about this fountain and many more unusual artifacts all around NYC by checking out the endlessly fascinating book Forgotten New York by Kevin Walsh!

[workingonmoviemaps]

Feature Friday

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

When Rachel Chu travels to Singapore with her boyfriend to attend a wedding she learns he comes from an insanely rich family who may not approve of him dating someone like her. Crazy Rich Asians was filmed in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and elsewhere in Malaysia.

The Young family encounters some racist hotel clerks at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang, Malaysia who become concerned when they learn that the Youngs have recently purchased the hotel.

Nick invites Rachel out to eat at the BLVD House in Kuala Lumpur (posing as New York) where has asks her to come to Singapore for the wedding.

Nick is recognized at the restaurant leading to a text thread around Singapore including Merlion Park, Esplanade Park, Gardens by the Bay, and Marina Bay Sands.

Word eventually reaches the woman at book club taking place in the Young hillside villa and Eleanor decides she needs to call her son. This was filmed at the Be-landa House, a unique home built into the hillside for a Dutch family outside Kuala Lumpur.

Rachel and her mother go out shopping for clothes at Musse Boutique in Kuala Lumpur posing as a NYC vintage shop.

Rachel is surprised when Nick and she are personally greeted upon their arrival at the airport. This is Kuala Lumpur International Airport posing as JFK.

Astrid visits a high-end jewelry store to spend exorbitant amounts of money. A restaurant in The St. Regis Kuala Lumpur was transformed into this store.

Nick and Rachel arrive in Singapore’s Changi Airport where they are greeted by Araminta & Colin, the two betrothed.

The four of them go out to the Newton Food Centre where Rachel gets a chance to try Singapore’s beloved food experience.

During their time in Singapore Rachel and Nick stay in the Presidential Suite at the famous Raffles Hotel.

Rachel visits her friend Peik Lin at her eccentric family’s ostentatious mansion located at 4 Cluny Park.

Peik Lin drives Rachel to the pre-wedding party, turning off Eng Neo Avenue onto Fairways Drive.

They arrive at the massive and secluded Tyersall Park, home of the Young family, and join in the festivities. The original Tyersall Park in Singapore has been demolished or fallen into ruin, so the production filmed at Carcosa Seri Negara, a pair of colonial-era mansions that currently house a museum inside the Perdana Botanical Gardens in Kuala Lumpur.

The bachelor and bachelorette parties both depart from a private hanger at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Kuala Lumpur.

The bachelorette party takes place at the Four Seasons Resort on Langkawi island in northwest Malaysia.

Just to the north of the resort in Pulau Gua Bay, Nick and Colin escape the ridiculous original bachelor party to hang out alone and drink beers. While much of this location was real, CG was used to conceal parts of the resort nearby.

Peik Lin comforts Rachel at Humpback after the confrontation with Eleanor during the dumpling making party.

Rachel makes a splash at Colin & Araminta’s wedding being held in Chijmes, a 19th-century church restored and turned into an events venue.

On the way to the wedding, Astrid gets into a fight with Michael and he storms out of the car just before Anderson Bridge.

The wedding reception featuring hundreds of people and fireworks is held in the Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay.

Rachel arranges to meet Nick in Merlion Park to talk about what happened at the reception and leaves after he tries to propose.

Eleanor goes to her regular mahjong game to find Rachel waiting and they have a tense conversation. This is a combination of two locations, the exterior being at the Yen Yakiniku restaurant in Singapore, and the interior is Cheong Fatt Tze (aka The Blue Mansion) in Penang.

Rachel and Nick celebrate the engagement with a huge party on the pool deck of Marina Bay Sands.