#boardwalk empire meta

[starry-sky-stuff]

I'm doing a rewatch of Boardwalk Empire and I'm really struck by the ambiguity of Gillian and Jimmy's conversation in 1x11 when he confronts her about Nucky's role in his conception (ie. the time when Nucky pimped out a thirteen-year-old to his boss to get ahead in his career). Gillian downplays what the Commodore did to her, downplays Nucky's role and makes excuses for him. The show doesn't offer any clear explanation for her motivation. Gillian's spent over two decades living on the goodwill of the men who hurt her most in the world. She had to be compliant, be obsequious, if she wanted Nucky to ensure she had a roof over her head, to keep her son feed, to pay for his schooling in the hopes he might have a better life. Gillian does not have the luxury of confronting Nucky or the Commodore, not yet anyway. But Gillian remembers what they did. She has neither forgiven nor forgotten. And proves it too, when she goads Jimmy into killing the Commodore.

So, if she's merely playing an act, why then does she keep it up in front of Jimmy. Is she so used to the character she's played that she can't tell what's real anymore? Or does she want to prevent Jimmy from getting revenge on Nucky or the Commodore? Gillian certainly knows that Jimmy would do it, but if they're dead she and Jimmy can't get anything more out of them. When Jimmy asks her if she knows what will happen when the Commodore die, I don't believe her when she claims she hasn't. Gillian knows the Commodore's got money, and she knows Jimmy's the only child he's acknowledged.

Because, when it comes down to it, Gillian's a survivor. She'll make nice with the Commodore if she thinks it'll benefit her and her son. She'll even play pretend with Nucky when she knows he killed her son.

But the most interesting part of Gillian's character is that her motivations are probably are mix of all of the above. She's manipulating Jimmy, but she's probably also fooling herself too, because it's easier to believe the lies she tells others than the harsh reality.

[rubecso]

I got a reblog on one of my old Boardwalk Empire posts and it's reminded me what I love about season 1 Charlie and Meyer. Like don't get me wrong, their best scenes are all later in the series, but there's just this specific energy in Season 1. They get their own scenes to shine as the center but so much of the time they're background characters for Rothstein and Nucky. But the cast and any audience members who know the history know they're gonna be important one day, so they're like... spicy background characters.

You've got Vincent and Anatol both reading their characters' biographies, and they're doing the telepathic-glance thing, and they're both just doing their damnest to inject subtextual "We're gonna be the most important people in this world" energy into characters who spend a lot of their time wordlessly reacting to the main characters and carrying their umbrellas.

[via-whitmore]

so with emma and richard, who do you think was closer with their mom or their dad?

So!!! I kind of always saw it as the twins kind of having their own world and very complex relationship and their parents having their own as well. I always saw Ma and Pa Harrow loving their children but really struggling to relate to them as anything other than small adults with the hard nature of farm life. THAT SAID, I do believe that Richard is really close to his father. I feel like Emma really wants to, and often does, just want to be with the two of them. I think relating to her mother is harder for her. Richard smooths the way often between them.

[runn0ft]

Okay. Okay okay okay. I don’t think I’ve seen this mentioned elsewhere in the fandom, but I want to talk about how Nucky and Meyer are actually narrative foils.

When Nucky first alludes to the incident of when he’s robbed of his prized baseball mitt to Margaret in Chalky’s club, he suddenly looks vacant when she presses him further about it only to tell her he doesn’t want to talk about it. It’s only later, in the quiet and privacy of Margaret’s dining room that he divulges any further details. Margaret implores him to confide in her so he does.

“The baseball mitt,” He says. “Some kids stole it, so my father marched me down and made me challenge them to a fight. There were four of them, years older than me. I got beaten unconscious and was in the hospital for eleven days.”

“That’s horrible.” Margaret says.

“Life can be that way.” There are several emotions Nucky is warring with during this exchange, but I think the most palpable of which is shame.

By contrast, in All In, when Nucky asks Meyer to tell him about himself, Meyer offers up a very similar story.

“One day on my way to school, I got stopped by a gang of older boys,” Meyer begins, he looks Nucky in the eye when he speaks, a wry little smile on his face. “The leader said he wanted my lunch money. I told him to go fuck himself. He laughed, said he’d beat it out of me. So I spit in his face. He did beat me, They all did. And they took my money.” He says, momentarily transported, as if he were experiencing it all over again. “Next day, same thing. Again I spit in his face, again we fought. But the third day,” He lifts his chin, a rare genuine smile stretches itself across his face. “The kid asked me to join his gang. He was Charlie Luciano. That’s how we teamed up.” What we see in Meyer’s face as he finishes is unmistakable. Pride.

This is ultimately what separates Nucky and Meyer. Where Nucky sees defeat, Meyer sees opportunity. Nucky is alone at the end of his arc, where Meyer is standing shoulder to shoulder with his friends. This was not an accident.

Anyway, I need to go lie down.

[goatsandgangsters]

Hi! I know you have probably answered this before, but I was wondering how you think meyer and lucky got together (in boardwalk empire)? I think about it a lot, and I just can never fully grasp what I feel about it, especially because this was in the 1920s

yeeeeeeeEEEEeeeeSSSS oh I’m so glad you asked, I’m gonna have so much fun! So YES I do have specific headcanons for how they got together, though I don’t know if I’ve ever actually laid them out explicitly? (also I’m saying “my” headcanons but I wanna acknowledge that they originate from Friend Conversations that happened a number of years ago, to the point where I don’t even know who originally said what but the idea of it is just lodged in my brain now. BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE, I don’t want to present this as This Is The Fanon We Agreed On, Everyone Has To Think This, because fandom should never operate that way. ANYWAY)

TL;DR: I think Meyer’s near-death experience in Emerald City was an instigating event for them to get together, because it shakes them enough to act on their feelings. Plus, it coincides nicely with Vince and Anatol becoming more comfortable around one another as actors in a way that lends itself to that reading. BUT I AM NOT THE EXPERT OR THE ARBITER ON THIS MATTER, and I think any interpretation is perfectly wonderful!

So the headcanon I operate with is that they got together after the near-death experience in Emerald City. That originates from a Watsonian vs. Doylist perspective on Vince and Anatol’s acting. They’re not quiiiiite in sync with each other in the first few eps they share, which I’m sure in actuality is them finding their groove and their dynamic as actors. But from a Watsonian perspective, it’s really easy to read their earlier scenes as pining. Like in their first scene together in Home, they’re both constantly looking at each other, but never quite meeting each other’s eye. It’s like that thing where you have a crush on someone, so you keep looking at them, but oh god they saw me and you look quickly away. And they both keep doing it!

Some of their other early scenes—like with the D’Alessios while Charlie’s playing pool, or that weirdly staged scene earlier in Emerald City where Meyer’s sitting way farther away at the table—they may exchange looks, but there’s a fleetingness to it. But then you watch the scene at the end of season 1 where they’re talking to AR with the umbrellas AND THE PSYCHIC BOND HAS ARRIVED. They are having those telltale Full On Conversations with their glances! They are synced up. They’re a team, they’re a unit, they’ve hit that dynamic that they have for the rest of the show.

And in actuality, probably it was Vince and Anatol finding their footing with each other as actors. But if you read into that textually, they go from “staring at the other but constantly dodging eye contact, like they’re afraid to be caught looking” to “we’re having an entire conversation in one look” and you’ve gotta think: what changed?

Meyer’s near-death experience in Emerald City, conveniently enough, happens in the middle. And I think that works well as an instigating moment for them, because it’s BIG. Meyer almost died, in another state—in goddamn New Jersey!—and that’s enough to make anyone act on things they wouldn’t otherwise act on or reevaluate life and relationships.

In terms of their feelings for one another and when those developed and how, my usual interpretation is that… I mean Charlie was heart-eyes from the jump, but not in a romantic way, whereas Meyer was the first to develop full-on pining feelings feelings. Because obviously Charlie was not like “I have feelings feelings for this tiny child” when they first met, but he DID very much imprint on Meyer like a little baby duckling and was like HEY I LIKE THIS KID, WE’RE GONNA BE FRIENDS, CAN I FOLLOW YOU HOME whereas Meyer was like “um, what the fuck.” Classic “enthusiastic puppy befriends sulky cat” dynamic. But then when the FEELINGS FEELINGS come into it, I think of Meyer as having been harboring feelings for Charlie for a while. (also basically all of this is from @meyerlansky, because we successfully tag-teamed on headcanons by one of us wanting to hyperanalyze Meyer and the other wanting to hyperanalyze Charlie and then we just shared!) I mean, you know, Charlie’s good-looking and they’re friends and Charlie’s so casual about flinging his arm around Meyer’s shoulders or roughhousing with him and Meyer’s insides do a little flip that they shouldn’t be doing, but they’re getting older and Charlie’s starting to sleep around with girls and that stings and bothers him in a way that It Shouldn’t, but also It Is What It Is, there’s nothing he can do about it, they’re friends and they’re business partners and that should be enough and it’s all it’ll ever be so focus on the task at hand and ignore the flip in his stomach.

For Charlie, I’m not actually sure WHEN he realizes there are feelings for Meyer. I don’t have a solid, definitive default interpretation for that. But in early season 1, pre Meyer-getting-introduced, he’s definitely enamored and smitten with Gillian, and he’s similarly moonstruck towards AR. I think that can read as, “trying really hard to distract yourself so you don’t acknowledge that maybe you’re in love with your best friend.” Whether he’s doing that consciously or unconsciously, I could also go either way on that.

A lot of this interpretation is based around the simple fact that Charlie was introduced and established in the show before Meyer, so I wonder how my headcanons would have been different if they’d been introduced together from the start. But with how the show unfolds, the change as Anatol and Vince find their groove as actors, plus a near-death experience to make someone act on something they wouldn’t otherwise act on—it all lends itself nice and neatly to Emerald City being the get-together point.

(I know a number of people have worked that headcanon into their own fics and written post-Emerald City get-together, which I can rec you. Though again, by no means do I want this to come across as “this is what the fandom has decided, you have to think it too” because that’s never how fandom should operate. No one is the arbiter of When Did Charlie and Meyer First Kiss. I love get-togethers in general, so I will always be happy reading any get-together fic that happens at any point in time, with any instigating factor, in any way, because that’s just delightful!)

Here are some get-together and/or pining fics that I can recommend:

born once of flesh, then again of fire, i am reborn a third time (a post-Emerald City get-together)

Contact (another post-Emerald City get-together by @rubecso)

Making Accommodations (by @transdracosmalfoy, the post-Emerald City genre lives on!)

to see God in the skyline (by @lurusciutelumare a sprawling masterpiece of chapters intertwining Charlie and Meyer’s childhood and growing up. It takes a while to reach the get-together point, but the whole thing is well worth the read. The entire fic is set pre-Boardwalk Empire)

beg dead trees for money next (by @meyerlansky, a pre-Boardwalk fic of Meyer realizing he has feelings for Charlie which is one of my faves for a lot of reasons)

(also I’m sorry if I missed anyone’s get-together fic. I tried to wrack my brain but I’ve been in this fandom for, uh, a while and it’s hard to remember back sometimes. Feel free to add yours in if I did!)

Also re: getting together in the time period and how it being the 1920s shapes things, there would definitely be added concerns and dangers, though I don’t think it’s necessarily a black-and-white thing. I don’t think the wider attitudes of society towards queerness would have impacted them as much in comparison to the specific culture of lower Manhattan and the criminal spheres they operated in.

Because on the one hand, in the criminal world in which they were operating, it likely would have been dangerous for anyone to know that they’re queer. It probably would have hurt their business and their reputation among their peers and rivals, and—because of how masculinity and queerness interconnect and operate—would look like weakness to others. But in terms of “well can Charlie make a move, because it’s dangerous if Meyer doesn’t reciprocate or reacts badly” (or vice versa), it would reflect equally bad on both of them? Like, if Charlie made a move and Meyer was like “nah,” he can’t very well go gossiping to the whole Lower East Side about it, because it hurts his reputation too, it hurts his business, and they were also close enough as friends that even if there wasn’t reciprocation, neither one of them would do anything to damage the other’s reputation like that.

As far as how they feel about it on an internalized level, I definitely don’t think they… care from a legal and/or moral standpoint. I don’t think Charlie’s like “oh god I’m going to hell for liking men,” because by the time he and Meyer kiss, he has DEFINITELY KILLED PEOPLE. They already break a lot of laws all the time. So that wider societal stigma from a moralizing perspective probably doesn’t matter to them much, because wider society already thinks they’re an “undesirable criminal element,” they’re already “dangerous immigrants,” so what’s it matter if they also bang on top of doing crimes and killing people? Charlie and Meyer are already outside the Predominant Ethical Framework of Society by virtue of their class background and criminal enterprises (and class and queerness have huge intersections historically in terms of what the experience was like). Being in an urban area in the 1920s (especially New York), queer sexuality is something they would have known about; it probably wouldn’t have been any more shocking than any other “vice” they grew up around in that area.

If they do have any concerns or guilt about what they’re feeling for one another, for Charlie I think it all has to do with masculinity and with the machismo he’s grown up around. It’s also something he’s already touchy about, given the emasculation that happened being called Sal (which, at the time, was common nickname for Sally) and historically he has a history of experiencing sexual violence. So I can see him struggling with conflating that together—as well as worrying that his feelings for Meyer are unwanted and similar to what he experienced. Meyer, I would say, cares less about the performance of masculinity, but I do think he sees himself as an eventual family man in a way that Charlie does not. @meyerlansky also has more thoughts on Meyer + sexuality + being a-spec.

I’M SORRY FOR MY LONG TANGENTS!! I literally do not have the ability to be succinct.

IN SUMMARY, I think Meyer’s near-death experience in Emerald City was an instigating event for them to get together, because it shakes them enough to act on their feelings. Plus, it coincides nicely with Vince and Anatol becoming more comfortable around one another as actors in a way that lends itself to that reading. BUT I AM NOT THE EXPERT OR THE ARBITER ON THIS MATTER, and I think any interpretation is perfectly wonderful!

As for the time period and being the 1920s, it definitely has ramifications on how they conceive of themselves—particularly in relation to their ethnic and class identities—but that also the history of sexuality is very non-linear and I think queerness is less shocking and scandalous to them than it would have been to someone more upper-class who didn’t grow up in the Lower East Side, or to someone more rural, or to someone who was more “inside” the social framework of the time, as opposed to being forced outside of it already by class, ethnicity, and criminality.

Finally, and most importantly, they should KISS!!!!

[fancykraken]

#hoooooooo boy where do i start #look at charlie’s fucking face in those last two gifs #he got what he wanted #which was meyer’s hands all over him #seriously they are inside his jacket on his waist #so jealous #so petty #seriously has anyone else noticed this #GOD #and charlie is just so pleased with himself #they’re both really subtle #they both may as well be screaming *hey we’re fucking* – tags by @runn0ft 

Very scientific closeups of Meyer touching Charlie in Boardwalk Empire, “Ourselves Alone”, s2x02

[meyerlansky]

what if the deal won’t wait?

[streetharmacist]

[meta] What, if any, games, movies, books, tv shows, etc. have you drawn influence from for your character?

[meta] Felix has a few key influences from different places!

So one of the biggest ones and the main thing I was watching when I started to draw up Felix, is the show Boardwalk Empire. I love that show and in particular, the character of Arnold Rothstein. He’s a soft-spoken New York gangster that takes his business very seriously and is super calculated when it comes to making moves. He can also be somewhat unpredictable with acts of violence or cruelty. Rothstein isn’t super violent himself on the show but things sure happen around him. He isn’t super about the party life like some of the other characters or Felix himself but his business sense, as well as capacity for what he’s really capable of and the way he sorta conceals it, is something that was really influential on Felix’s initial development.

As for themes and stuff, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dashiel Hammett and Raymond Chandler novels are pretty big for him too. Felix really started to thrive in the 20s and 30s and the same way that Jay Gatbsy is so entrenched in the past, Felix can be too. Fitzgerald wrote a lot about the unseen troubles of the Jazz Age and how the excess really started to spill over. So carrying that theme over into the 2020s with Felix has been really fun to do. Whereas Fitzgerald talks about the excess and the glamour, Hammett and Chandler are the hard-boiled, grimy, and unforgiving side of the decades that Felix was most successful during. Both can be representative of the sides of excess and crime that Felix has. His drug dealing can be seen as representative of that too, I think! In particular, The Great Gatsby, The Beautiful and Damned, The Maltese Falcon, and The Big Sleep.

Benny Gecko from Fallout: New Vegas is also a character influence, with his wild ambitions and what he’ll do to achieve them. He wants to be at the top and while Felix tries to focus on the smaller steps to achieve the big one, he also wouldn’t mind being at the top. Depending.

Film noir and gangster films are another and instead of going on another tangent lol I’ll list some! Laura, Kiss Me Deadly, Gilda, Too Late for Tears, The Asphalt Jungle, Sin City, Public Enemy (’31).

[bidonicart]

inktober 30: Ra-Ra-Rasputin

It occurred to me to do this drawing because yesterday I saw the third episode of The Romanoffs, where he was played - in the series within the series - by Jack Huston, the same actor who played the half disfigured sniper in Boardwalk Empire. The Romanoffs episode was quite meta, and I wonder whether the fact that Huston really doesn't look like Rasputin is a commentary on how they never cast someone who even vaguely looks like him. It's like they always think the fake beard will fix it.

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[ablebabevintage]

  A delicious hidden gem in Western Colorado; where culture, culinary and the vast beauty of the Mountain/ Desert landscape brings an abundance of vineyards and farms, that both delight the senses and heart..

  Hanging Lake: Glenwood springs, Colorado. Peaks of majestic forest green reflects into turquoise hidden waters.

Now let’s start off with the best of the best. Well to me anyway. I’ll let you decide what part of this journey into my home town you like the best.

I’ve lived here half of my life, a Wyoming native who’s academic interests that brought me to the Grand valley. With this, I instantly fell in love with Colorado and especially this neck of the woods..or umm let’s say high desert hidden on the Western slope of the Majestic Rocky mountains. With an abundance of vast diverse scenery and trails, I found a new love, Hiking, And I’ll tell you the hiking around here is amazing! But that doesn’t touch on this gem hidden valley. We’ve made the map when it comes to our Peaches, Wine, and now Lavender! I’ll feature my favorite local restaurants and must taste items, off their menus!

With mild year round climate, culinary culture, and art that draws people from around the World, you’ll see why I’ve decided to make my home town a must share on my blog destination!

Palisade, Co. Peaches

Cherry blossoms in Colorado

From bare branches to tiny blossoms with a finish of sweet nectar and fruit. Without the Farmer, without the Bee or this harsh high desert sun to soak up the rolling waters off the Rocky Mountains, we wouldn’t get to enjoy in the bounty this Valley brings.

  I often set, or drive, or walk and explore and wonder how did I get so lucky to become a part of this community? A self-proclaimed artist finding oneself in such an artists nook. A girl from Wyoming, whose love for exploration became somehow more fulfilling just living here. And a culture of community diverse enough to accept my odd love for belly dance, nature, organics and farm to table food!  

With that said, I think the first stop on our Western Colorado tour, we’ll travel down country roads to the quaint little vineyards and farms of Palisade Colorado.

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Sprigs & Sprouts   Lavender Farm and Farmers Market

hwy 6, 3669 G road. Palisade, Colorado 81526.  – for tasting room appointment call 970-234-1261 10 am-5pm.

Upon passing their Lavender field many times on our way to Palisade, my sister-in-law convinced the guys to stop. This is a place we both talked about going together but soon realized we had no idea what a lovely little farmers market this was. With a sumptuous culinary taste test embodied with a bouquet of scents and flavors awaiting our arrival.

In good spirits, we hopped out of the mini van into their gravel parking lot adjacent to a field of lavender and large green houses filled with lavender. Excited to be there we all quickly B lined into the market through a pale lavender french door, slightly glancing at the plants of the delicately scented blossoms for sale on the cement porch.

The pungent spicy sweet scent of Lavender filled the air as I entered to a vast array of different local artisan products; candles, culinary, bath and body, organics and more filled the first room. A dazzling painting of the vineyards and Mount Garfield drew my eye to the next room, where prints and more culinary items could be purchased. A comfortable feeling of being in a welcoming familiar place came over me. As we started to peruse the different items and take in the scents and all-inclusive specialty foods, I happened by a taste room. Now this is where this little stop on the country road got unforgettable, prolonged, unplanned, yet savourful! Not a very old place I had no idea this small spot on the map, held a taste of Tuscany, Argentina, Spain and the wilds of Western Colorado all wrapped up into one tiny Lavender farm, on the edges of the farming town of Palisade.

An hour or more of taste testing ensued by a knowledgeable and extremely courteous brunette. The shelves of the tiny taste room filled with dark olive-green bottles gleaming with Gold labels, for Olive oil and Silver for Balsamic vinaigrette. Equipped with gloved hands and french bread, then ending with a drizzle of blends of both oil and vinaigrette on ice cream, we were all delighted, amazed, and simply in love with the display and show of the vast flavours presented. Who knew?!?! flavored vinaigrette and olive oil on vanilla ice cream made it all that much creamier? and perfectly mimicked the flavor of an ice cream syrup, rich with sweetness and sapor.

Spending a lot more time than intended, and yes probably more money than planned, we left with a new must go to market for our future recipes, a small cup of lavender lemon ice cream to share and a couple of brown bags full of the flavorful oil, vinaigrette, and other must have, must try; like their lavender infused, savorous seven dust seasoning, which I’ve found quite pleasing on everything I’ve put it on!

Sprigs & Sprouts   Lavender Farm and Farmers Market #1 on my guide to Western Colorado!

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Go stomp the Grapes!

 Grape-stomping (also known as pigeage) is part of method of maceration; a process in winemaking in which grapes are crushed in vats, leaving the skins in the juice until they have imparted the desired color or the proper amount of tannins and aroma.

One of the earliest visual representations of the practice is a Roman vintage festival that appears on a Roman Empire sarcophagus from the 3rd century CE, which depicts an idealized country scene with a group of Erotes- winged God’s, harvesting and stomping grapes at Vindemia.  

Take in this ancient tradition! Free your schedule, your feet and your palette. Pack your bags, and head to Colorado Mountain Wine festival!

Voted the best in the Nation, Colorado Mountain Winefest,. Founded in 1992.  

A four-day celebration of wine, during harvest in Palisade Colorado wine country. The Festival centers in the Park, taking place on the third Saturday in September. Much more intimate and feature events like Wine Country Bus Tours, chocolate & wine tasting, wine & painting, among others take place during the four-day Festival.

The lazy little farming town of Palisade is set on the edge of the Mountains, Mesa and barren bookcliffs, with a peak named Mt. Garfield. Orchards, vineyards and farms span the distance as far as the eye can see. A handsome little town, with old brightly painted houses lined with trees. Idealistic, yet brimming with character, Palisade features plenty to do. A favorite pastime is bicycling around to one or all of the many attractions; wineries, distilleries, dispensaries or hit the Farmers Market for sweet fresh produce, and local artisan foods and gifts, every Sunday, June 10th to Sept. 16th, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

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Bring in the Peaches!

The high desert brings almost 300 days of sunshine a year to this part of the centennial state. With the sun we get a bountiful harvest of fresh farm to table food, at local farmers markets throughout the Valley.

The summer season ushers in a buzz of talk over the local celebrity, the Peach!

Craving my first taste of the seasons honeyed, mouth-watering peach on the 4th of July, my family and I decided to take our Cousin and her husband, who were visiting the Valley, out to Palisade to experience the local vibe, the abundance of fruit, veggies,  local artisan food, drink…and of course the Peaches!

The energy  in Palisade brings excitement, wonder and beauty, as far as the eye can see, with the peaks of an ancient Volcano; The Mesa, Mt. Garfield, and unbounded orchards and farms nestled below. A lush green landscape with old farm houses and estates lined up in rows and scattered throughout the hills of Palisade, and neighboring, East Orchard Mesa.

Taking a drive on the twisting roads, through the ambrosial orchards and farms, bearing the succulent fruit, can be quite whimsical.

Just passed the bridge, over the Colorado river in Palisade is a local favorite; Clark Orchards. 

Clark Orchards has been growing the famous Palisade peaches for over a 100 years! They  produce their own jams, sauces and other culinary treats.

3929 US Hwy 6, Palisade, CO 81526

Clark Orchards is tucked beneath the Mesa, well-organized and maintained, the rustic fruit stand has a long boardwalk entry, aligned with boxes of freshly picked peaches and whiskey barrels filled with a colorful arrangement of desert blooms. As I approached the open barn wood red  building, the antique bright green John Deere tractor, and various other aged farming equipment blended in perfectly with the scenery, the orchard and the Mesa. 

The view so engrossing, I decide to take it all in, before entering the fruit stand to greet a member of the Clark family standing behind the register. A lovely older lady, with long gray hair pulled back, rosy cheeks and a warm disposition.

“I’m surprised, but happy you’re open on the 4th” 

“Oohhh when there’s Peach’s, we’re open!” she smiled

After chatting with her for a few minutes, I looked around. Shelves of hand-made, bottled, culinary condiments and sauces, all complete by the grower, filled the space with other fresh produce. A simple sign that said “cobblers” hung on the wall. Everything lined up, the organization and cleanliness echoed from the outside. The hard work of these farmers grabbed me. Their sacrifice tangible, more so on this Patriotic holiday, a day of rest, for most..

I decided to join a few of my family members out on the boardwalk porch, where the tasting table was set with freshly sliced peaches, sweet cherries, popcorn, tortilla chips, and an assortment of dips and sauces.

Ah.. the first taste of the seasons peach! Accompanied by the fresh cherries, sweet and tangy. A perfect companion to the savory and sweet dipping sauces set out. With little reserve, I tasted them all in order. Peach salsa, a tried and true favorite, with bright sharp tangy peach, in a thick salsa. Monterey jack con queso dip- the spanish girl in me relishes this creamy, cheesy, spicy dip! A zesty mango lime salsa, the union of citrus and cool creamy mango, was one of my favorite new finds! Tangy Raspberry vinaigrette dressing. A spirited, Five amigos roasted red pepper salsa, with piquant layers of peppers in a thick sauce. The tangy smooth cherry butter, was a perfect ending to this intriguing display of samples. My interests in these local culinary crafters deepens. Not only do I have much respect for these farmers, any the multifarious foods they bring to our table, I’m excited to discover more of the fine local fares, they create!

With dips, peaches and produce for the 4th of July dinner, we set off to discover more food and get a better ‘taste’, of Palisade!

After a quick stop at a lovely little fruit stand with a lot of country charm- Balls fruit.

3806 G Rd, Palisade, CO 81526

I wandered around the shabby whitewashed decor outside , taking photos. The appeal of this little fruit stand isn’t lost! I felt a longing to curl up with a good book, freshly sliced fruit from the orchard, and a cold drink, beneath the tree behind the castaway fishing boat, with pale blue chipped paint.  Hmmm.. yet another wistful thought to make this little town, right up the road, an opportune escape..

Before heading home to prepare our holiday meal my daughter suggested one last stop. Herman produce. A bold old west design on a brightly colored peach fruit stand. Herman’s took my love of jalapeno to a different level. The candied sweet, pickled jalapeno, is perfect, I found here, in cream cheese with chives. The dish was surrounded by travelers and people seeking fresh goodies alike, getting gobbled down on pretzels. Sugary, creamy, with a slight fiery bite. A definite dip on my future recipe list.

I did skip on buying the sweet pickled jalapeno, to give a try on making my own at home, that are Keto friendly.

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  This wraps up the first part of my guide to Western Colorado. I’ll go into hikes, lodging, other local attractions and things to do, on your next vacation, in my future blog posts!

Please feel free to leave comments or send me a message.

Cia for now! Mia

                        Where the desert meets the Mountains: A guide to Western Colorado A delicious hidden gem in Western Colorado; where culture, culinary and the vast beauty of t…

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V svoji knjigi The American film musical (1987) Rick Altman zapiše, da Freda Astaira vsakič, ko začne plesati, ne dojemamo več kot njegov lik, ki pleše npr. v Londonskem parku, temveč kot Freda Astaira na odru, ki mu ga nudi film. Ta filmski element je bil neizogibno spočet skupaj z zvezdniško kulturo in se je od takrat samo še potenciral, rasel kot gliva ter čakal na pravi trenutek, da prevzame industrijo, kot Sauron v Gospodarju prstanov ali Steppenwolf v Ligi pravičnih. Slabo stoletje kasneje je četrti zid že dolgo časa prebit, s histeričnim promoviranjem, steroidastimi napovedniki in družbenimi omrežji (Russelu Croweu in Ryanu Goslingu so studijski šefi težili, da sta premalo tvitala za promocijo filma The Nice Guys): prebit je vsakič znova (vsaj simbolično) še preden se ugasnejo luči v kinodvorani.

Baby Driver, film o zaljubljenem mladem vozniku, ki ga čaka še pregovorni zadnji rop, ne skriva, da je samo film; tega se zavedajo tudi igralci -- Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Don Draper, Lily James in Jamie Foxx. In tudi gledalci vemo, da smo samo v filmu. Glasba v Baby Driverju ne razlaga ničesar, temveč je metronom: uvid v notranji svet ljudi, ki so ves čas priključeni na vseprisotni soundtrack na ulici, v trgovinah, na busu, v telovadnicah, avtosalonih, hotelih, restavracijah, na Facebooku. Baby sicer potrebuje glasbo, da preglasi zvenenje v ušesih, vendar če ne najde pravega komada, ne more voziti. Je otrok patološke obremenjenosti s kostumizacijo življenja. Potrebuje soundtrack za vse, potrebuje dodano vrednost – noben trenutek ne sme biti nepopoln ali neskoreografiran. Življenje likov je mixtape – ob glasbi hodijo, pijejo kavo, menjajo obleko in se streljajo. Streljajo tudi na glasbo, po ritmu. Baby Driver ve, da so pištole, dvocevke, uziji in ostala artilerija že davno postali del soundtracka, začenši s filmi noir pa preko Morriconejeve glasbe za špageti vesterne, in so danes v očeh občinstva le še del beata – tako kot hiperpotenciranjo zapiranje avtomobilskih vrat, tipkanje po telefonu, izstopanje iz vozil in hoja po pločniku. Prav tako tudi ve, da se pravo nasilje in akcija po drugi strani skrivata v čustvih; v hrepenenju, v strahu, v frustracijah in v ljubezni.

Tako režiser Edgar Wright seže preko metafiktivnosti in jo, skupaj s filmskostjo naše realnosti, privzame le za osnovni gradnik svojega filma ter s tem najmanjšim skupnim imenovalcem obenem ustvari formo, ki odlično poganja film naprej ter skupaj z igro poskrbi, da nam ni vseeno za like. Pri tem nemoteno prehaja med diegetsko (Babyjev iPod) in nediegetsko (soundtrack) glasbo – tako kot se pri Fredu Astairu spremeni diegetski svet (bar, park) v nediegetskega (oder), ne da bi to za trenutek nasičilo ali prekinilo dinamiko filma.

Wright se pri Babyju – kot Nicholas Winding-Refn v Drive (2011) – močno naslanja na kultni film The Driver Walterja Hilla (1978), vendar ga ne imitira. Zvest mu ni v formi sami, temveč v pomenu forme, kot to pojmuje Andre Bazin – za svoj čas je tisto, kar je bil The Driver za post-Nixonovsko Ameriko. Njegov film ni tih in ne izgleda kot slike Edwarda Hopperja, ampak deluje kot dvourna glasbena verzija Grand Theft Auto, njegovi liki pa kot izložba New Yorkerja. A njegova estetika ne parazitira sedanjosti z namenom daljšega komercialnega dometa ali pa zaradi pomanjkanja domišljije – njegova estetika je sedanjost. Za najmanjši gradnik ne vzame retra temveč ljudi ki ljubijo retro, hkrati pa glasbo iz druge roke uporablja z minimalnim vsiljevanjem postmodernističnih referenc in pomežikov popkulturi ter se raje osredotoči na popularno glasbo kot že dolgo časa najbolj samoumevno in uspešno gonilo filma.

Studiji so že od šetsedesetih imeli mokre sanje o soundtracku iz popularne glasbe, ki bi promoviral in prodajal filme in plošče. Hkrati pa ta premik ni bil intuitiven samo z ekonomskega vidika: nenazadnje so se nasičeni zvoki orkestra s svojo preambiciozno in shizofreno naracijo le redko izkazali za dostojne spremljevalce filmskemu mediju. Res je, da bi težko prepoznavali King Kongova čustva brez Steinerjeve glasbe, vendar pa pri večini ne-mehatronskih igralcev po tem ni bilo potrebe. Sestavljanje soundtrackov iz že obstoječe glasbe, bodisi popularne bodisi klasične je tako prineslo v film val sodobnosti in tudi intertekstualnosti, obenem pa prisililo opremljevalce in skladatelje, da so začeli prevpraševati kompozicijske pristope. Ennio Morricone, takrat že veteran italijanskih popevk, je bil le eden izmed mnogih, ki se jim je zdel zvok celotnega orkestra prebogat za film; sliko je raje dopolnjeval s kratkimi, prepoznavnimi motivi, streli, pokanjem bičev in električno kitaro, ter prihranil liriko z daljšim razvojnim lokom za le določene prizore – s toliko večjim učinkom.  Uvodna špica z nemudoma prepoznavno, utripajočo in dostopno glasbo je postala stalnica; včasih je bila narejena posebej za film (glasba Johna Barryja za Bonda), drugič vzeta z glasbenih lestvic (”Everybody’s Talkin” v Polnočnem Kavboju (John Schlesinger, 1969))  Filmska glasba je bila od takrat naprej večino časa z eno nogo v popularni kulturi in še ko se je pretvarjala, da se vrača v klasiko (Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman), je imela ponavadi močno v mislih soundtrack kot končni izdelek na prodajnih policah. 

Wright s prodajnim izdelkom nima težav –- filmi že od osemdesetih naprej hočejo biti videospoti (in videospoti filmi). A Baby Driver ni Shakespeare via MTV, ali pa histerično zmontirani družbeni komentar temveč dvourni videospot. Wrightovo izhodišče je, da v izmenjavi film-gledalec na nivoju filmske konvencije že dolgo ni več mistike. Med njim in gledalcem zato obstaja tihi sporazum, da so liki tipski (redkobesedni ultra-talentirani voznik, paranoični agresivni težak, zasanjana natakarica, ki čaka na road-trip svojega življenja, briljantni načrtovalec ropov) – vse, kar je filmski kult že prežvečil. A koga potemtakem še ni prežvečil?

S tem v mislih si Wright, podobno kot je to storil v devetdesetih Wes Craven s Krikom, naloži izziv: dati žanrske karte takoj na mizo, a vseeno izpeljati trik. S popolnim obvladovanjem forme Baby Driver ne zahteva, da se zaljubimo v njegovo glasbo – dovolj je, da nas prepriča, da so vanjo zaljubljeni liki, in da za njihovo tipskostjo tičijo dobri razlogi. Nedomiselnemu režiserju lahko namreč konvencije popkulture prevzamejo vajeti, forma pa postane le predmet otročje fascinacije nad samo možnostjo forme, ki na koncu popolnoma zavira tako tempo kot razvoj filma. V Ligi pravičnih (Zack Snyder, 2017), kjer igralci nočejo priznati, da so v filmu, gre na primer Gal Gadot in Benu Afflecku vseeno polovico časa na smeh, film pa je  ena sama predigra razlaganja, počasnih posnetkov in puste računalniške animacije -- sredstev, ki bi film po ustvarjalni svobodi lahko skoraj približala stripu, a ga namesto tega pokopljejo. Nasprotno od Baby Driverja, ki ob neskrivanju filmskosti s formo prepričuje, Liga pravičnih s formo povzroča nejevero. 

Vendar pa Wright po tem, ko si pridobi pozornost in naklonjenost gledalca, tako kot njegov naslovni junak, vožnje ne zaključi z glavo skozi zid ampak izvede še en zadnji trik -- (SPOJLER) netipičen, skoraj nekatarzičen konec. Baby sprejme odgovornost za svoja dejanja in ker tekom filma odraste, se, za razliko od večine kultnih voznikov, ne odloči pobegniti v uporniško fantazijo, niti ne v mučeništvo: to bi bila lažja, nekonstruktivna pot. Dojame, da je, ne glede na svojo nekonfliktno, nenasilno naravo in dobrodušno naravo, postal del širšega nasilja. Kot bi rekel Michael Pitt v Boardwalk Empire: ' You can't be half a gangster.'  Edgar Wright pa nam sporoča: ‘Ne moreš biti več le na pol pop.’

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How Looking For Alaska Channels (and Doesn't) The O.C.

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We talked to Looking For Alaska creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage about the connections between Looking For Alaska & The O.C.

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Tonally and structurally, Hulu's new teen drama Looking For Alaska and that mainstay of teen television The O.C. have little in common. One is a more grounded coming-of-age drama, the other is a (very good) teen soap. One is an eight-episode limited series, the other ran for four seasons on Fox. One is set in the woods of Alabama, the other takes place on the sunny beaches of Southern California.

But these two projects—one set in 2005 but made in 2019, and the other set in 2003-2007 and made during that same time period—have some fascinating connections that can give the Looking For Alaska viewing experience a meta layer for anyone who was also a contemporary fan of that teen drama classic The O.C. 

Both The O.C. and Looking For Alaska were created by Josh Schwartz (his producing partner, Stephanie Savage co-created the latter). Schwartz was showrunning The O.C. when he optioned the film rights for first-time author John Green's Looking For Alaska, and it's not hard to understand why the manuscript might have piqued 2005 Schwartz's interest: Both The O.C. and Looking For Alaska are stories about (teen white boy) outsiders coming into a tight-knit, privileged community.

Schwartz said that it was Green's writing that initially drew him to the book all those years ago, and the ways in which it allowed him to connect to the characters of Looking For Alaska, which is told from protagonist Miles "Pudge" Halter's point-of-view in the novel. 

read more: Den of Geek's Best Fiction Books of 2017

"Miles aka Pudge, was the guy I definitely identified with," said Schwartz of that initial reading experience. "And I think that idea of everyone has had in Alaska who's come into their life, whether it's been the exact same, it's played out in exactly the same way it did for Miles, but somebody who teaches you... let's just say growth through pain."

The book (and series) follow Miles as he begins his junior year at private boarding school Culver Creek Academy in rural Alabama. In the series, Miles is played by Charlie Plummer (Boardwalk Empire, All the Money in the World). Unlike the novel, the adaptation is more of an ensemble drama, giving just as much narrative space to Miles' roommate Chip "The Colonel" Martin (Denny Love) and object of Miles' affections Alaska Young (The Society's Kristine Froseth), both scholarship kids from working class backgrounds. Miles, Chip, and Alaska's found family dynamic is the basis for the joy, humor, and heartbreak of the story.

"I also thought the book was just really, really funny," said Schwartz, elaborating on what initially drew him to this world. "The relationships that all these kids had with each other. Their nicknames and their codewords and their smoking holes and their ambrosia. It was a whole world that, even though it was loosely inspired by John's experience and obviously by his imagination, I felt like it had happened to me."

Schwartz has evolved professionally since he first optioned the rights to Looking For Alaska 15 years ago. In 2010, Schwartz and Savage formed Fake Empire, a production company for the development of TV and feature films. Fake Empire has made series like Gossip Girl, Chuck, Hart of Dixie, The Carrie Diaries, Dynasty, Marvel's Runaways, and now Looking For Alaska. (They are also behind new CW show Nancy Drew, and are developing a Gossip Girl sequel series for HBO Max.)

read more: Nancy Drew Pilot Review (Spoiler-Free)

Speaking about the difference between making a show about 2005 in 2005 and making a show about 2005 now, Schwartz said: "The O.C. was very much of the time when we made it. It was very contemporary and all of the fashion and the music was of the moment. What the kids were talking about or dealing with... it was very deliberately a show designed to reflect the times that we were living in."

Looking For Alaska, on the otherhand, says Schwartz, is not meant to reflect the interests or anxieties of 2005 specifically, even if it may have some of the aesthetics of 2005.

"We want to looking for Alaska to feel timeless," said Schwartz. "So part of setting it in 2005 [was] because that's when the book was first published. [For] the first generation of readers who read the book, that was the context that they were experiencing it. And the same for us. But [that setting] also allowed the show to have a certain timeless quality. It's not an obvious period piece, but it's the last moment before people got smartphones. There is an innocence and a timelessness to it."

read more: Marvel's Runaways — What Sets This Superhero Show Apart

Fake Empire gets its name comes from a The National song that was featured in Season 2 of Chuck, a nod to how important indie music has been to their success and brand of the company. Looking For Alaska includes many songs that originally appeared on The O.C. or other Fake Empire shows. Savage and Schwartz have brought in frequent collaborator Music Supervisor Alexandra Patsavas (The O.C., Chuck, Gossip Girl) once again for Looking For Alaska.

"Selfishly, it allowed us to go back and pull out our old O.C. playlist," said Schwartz of Alaska's 2005 setting, "and revisit with old friends and listen to some of this music, use some of the music, but then also get these new covers from contemporary artists of those songs."

Not all references are intentional or even objective: When Miles first sees Alaska in the Looking For Alaska pilot, it is through a car window, as he is driving by on his way to Culver Creek. The music swells and time seems to slow down, the rest of the world fading away for Miles, as the two characters see each other for the first time.

read more: Fleabag Season 2 Review

The moment is reminscent of a similar shot in The O.C. pilot, which sees Ryan making eye contact with Marissa through a car window to the dreamy strums of Joseph Arthur's "Honey and the Moon" as Sandy drives him away. (When asked about this shot construction, Savage brings up Serena's introduction in the Gossip Girl pilot, which sees Blake Lively staring forlornly out of the train window to Pete Bjorn's "Young Folks" as she returns to NYC.)

"We like shows where people look out the window," Schwartz jokes before adding more seriously: "When you're a teenager, a lot of the ways you see the world is out the window, when somebody else is taking you somewhere."

In addition to all of these meta moments, The O.C. gets a more explicit shout-out in Looking For Alaska. In Episode 6, Miles and Lara (Sofia Vassilieva) are watching the show on a laptop (they must have the DVD?). It's a tangible connection between the worlds of these two shows: the show that defined—at least pop culturally—what it meant to be a teen in the mid-aughts and the show that is loosely using that setting to wonder what it means to be a teen coming-of-age now, when, perhaps, teenagers are asked to grow up sooner and faster.

While the moment may be an explicit The O.C. reference, it has its own meta element because cast members Froseth and Plummer were watching The O.C. while filming Looking For Alaska.

read more: Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell Review & Discussion

"Kristine Froseth is like, hardcore, the biggest fan of the original show," said Schwartz. "I thought she was joking when we first started talking about it. She watched the show four times in a row, from beginning to end, and then she gave Charlie the show and so he started watching it and then they would come to set with questions. And then Kristine is like, 'Charlie, we just have to watch up until the point where Marissa dies,' and Charlie goes, 'Marissa dies?' She basically spoiled it for him."

Schwartz said that inherent in these conversations was the curiosity from the young stars of Looking For Alaska about what it was like to be a teenager or adult during this just-past time period. (Froseth was born in 1996, and Plummer was born in 1999.) 

"We were being asked a lot 'What were the aughts like like?'" said Schwartz, "which also made us feel very old." It's an interesting question to ponder, though not one that Looking For Alaska spends a lot, if any, time on. This isn't a series about then or maybe even now; it's a story hoping to be about always, about the ways in which those first, unfathomable encounters with devastating loss and grief change us. How they always have and they always will.

All eight episodes of Looking For Alaska are now available on Hulu.

Kayti Burt is a staff editor covering books, TV, movies, and fan culture at Den of Geek. Read more of her work here or follow her on Twitter @kaytiburt.

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Feature

Books

Kayti Burt

Oct 18, 2019

Looking For Alaska

Hulu

Josh Schwartz

Stephanie Savage

from Books https://ift.tt/2MSdCvJ

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Hollywood há 100 anos conta as mesmas seis histórias

M. E. TORRES (El País, 05 SET 2019) escreveu artigo sobre roteiros cinematográficos, tema de interesse para meu curso de Economia no Cinema. Leia mais em: Fernando Nogueira da Costa – Leituras de Cabeceira – Arte do Roteiro

“Críticos culturais, estudiosos da narrativa, professores de oficinas de escrita criativa e demais especialistas no tema não chegam a um acordo sobre quantas são (três?, cinco?, sete?). Mas todos assumem que, ao menos em nosso âmbito, o da cultura ocidental, há uma série de tramas básicas, esquemas narrativos ou meta-argumentos que remontam à noite dos tempos e nos quais se encaixam quase todas as ficções contemporâneas, dos romances ao cinema, passando pelo teatro, as séries e até mesmo a ópera.

Costuma-se acusar Hollywood, não sem fundamento, de usar e reciclar de forma sistemática esses padrões básicos, essas histórias contadas milhões de vezes

Hollywood, em especial, costuma ser acusada, não sem fundamento, de usar e reciclar deliberadamente esses padrões básicos, essas histórias contadas milhões de vezes. Combina-os, amadurece-os, enriquece-os e os serve de novo como se fossem pratos recém-cozidos, e não um guisado rançoso feito de sobras roídas até a náusea. Já os formalistas russos, encabeçados por um dos pais do moderno estudo da narrativa, Vladimir Propp, insistiam em que a frase do Eclesiastes, “nada novo sob o sol”, é tão desanimadora quanto exata. A originalidade é uma pretensão ingênua e vazia. Tudo já foi inventado. Após milênios de tradição narrativa, seja oral, escrita ou audiovisual, todas as histórias essenciais já foram contadas, e a única coisa que resta é combiná-las e refiná-las, se possível de um jeito criativo.

Propp distinguia 31 funções narrativas básicas, ou seja, 31 elementos concretos que, combinados entre si, servem de base ou de estrutura profunda a qualquer narração. Da combinação entre estes elementos sairiam todas as meta-histórias concebíveis. Depois de repassar de maneira superficial o que se escreveu a respeito, chegamos à conclusão (provisória, claro, pois o tema é complexo e não se esgota em um par de parágrafos) que estas seis são as que o cinema em geral, e Hollywood em particular, vem nos contando toda vez, lá se vai mais de século.

Robert de Niro em ‘Touro Indomável’, um exemplo de ‘história de Ícaro’.

1. Histórias de Ícaro

Em que consistem. São histórias de ascensão e queda: como no mito grego do filho do arquiteto Dédalo, que lhe fabricou asas de plumas para que pudesse voar, mas acabou se precipitando no vazio ao voar muito perto do sol e derreter a cera que unia as asas ao seu corpo. Em outras palavras, são narrativas de arrivismo social, de êxito vertiginoso, de vaidade triunfante e, em última instância, do castigo que merece todo aquele que, por ambição, estupidez ou falta de realismo, tenta voar muito alto. Muitas histórias de Ícaro são fábulas morais em que o herói, à medida que ascende, vai se esquecendo de suas qualidades heroicas e renunciando à sua integridade e suas virtudes. Por isso merece ser castigado com uma queda que não é senão um ato de justiça retributiva, um golpe que restaura a ordem natural das coisas e nos recorda como no fundo somos todos insignificantes. Vistas assim, as histórias de Ícaro são uma indução à humildade e ao conformismo.

Tudo já foi inventado. Depois de milênios de tradição narrativa, todas as histórias essenciais foram contadas, e resta apenas combiná-las e refiná-las, se possível de um jeito criativo

Que filmes assim já vimos. Muitos, sem dúvida. Grande parte da filmografia de Orson Welles, começando por seus dois primeiros filmes, Cidadão Kane e Soberba, são clássicas histórias de Ícaro. O mesmo se pode dizer de O Grande Gatsby em todas as suas versões, incluída a (chatíssima) dirigida por Baz Luhrman em 2013. E vale a pena citar também Scarface, Era uma vez… em Hollywood (a recente de Tarantino), Touro Indomável, Sangue Negro e a série Boardwalk Empire, por mais que seus protagonistas, mais que heróis caídos, sejam anti-heróis sem remissão possível.

A série ‘Boardwalk Empire’ está dentro das ‘histórias de Ícaro’, em que os personagens sobem para depois despencarem escandalosamente.

2. Histórias de Orfeu

Em que consistem. São viagens de ida e volta ao inferno, como a de Orfeu, o rapsodo e semideus da mitologia trácia, o sujeito cuja música amansava as feras. Diferentemente das histórias de Ícaro, não acabam necessariamente na derrota do herói, mas costumam desembocar em finais melancólicos, em que o herói volta para casa esmagado pelo peso da experiência vivida. Mais sábio, mais cético e mais triste. Ou tendo perdido de novo o que foi procurar, como ocorria no mito original com o próprio Orfeu, que voltou do inferno inteiro, mas sem sua esposa, Eurídice.

Que filmes assim já vimos. Muitos também. De Rastros de Ódio a Apocalypse Now, passando por O Franco Atirador, Platoon (em geral, grande parte do cinema bélico crepuscular mais ou menos contemporâneo), Taxi Driver, A Lista de Schindler e O Silêncio dos Inocentes.

‘O Silêncio dos Inocentes’, exemplo de ‘história de Orfeu’: viagem de ida e volta ao inferno. (FOTO: CORDON)

3. Histórias de Cinderela

Em que consistem. Na ascensão sustentada de um herói (ou heroína, já que muitas histórias de Cinderela têm protagonista feminina) que parte de origens muito humildes, enfrenta formidáveis obstáculos e atinge a grandeza sem comprometer sua integridade nem renunciar a suas virtudes. Diferentemente do que ocorre nas histórias de Ícaro, não se deixa arrastar pela vaidade e pelo excesso, nem compromete sua pureza, por isso ao final recebe sua merecida recompensa, que é o sucesso, o amor ou a felicidade.

Que filmes assim já vimos. Os novelões turcos e latino-americanos, grande parte da comédia romântica de Hollywood e os melodramas mais voluntaristas e amáveis (porque também existem os descarnados e fúnebres) costumam ser, basicamente, histórias de Cinderela. Uma Linda Mulheratualizou o velho arquétipo há quase 30 anos com uma certa dose de sem-vergonhice subversiva que passou quase despercebida na época. E outros bons exemplos, cada um com seus matizes, mas atendo-se em geral à essência da fórmula, poderiam ser Quem Quer Ser Um Milionário?, Encontro de Amor, Jerry Maguire, Jogos Vorazes, À Procura da Felicidade, Annie e inclusive a (apenas aparentemente) hedonista e cínica A Rede Social, uma crônica da juventude de Mark Zuckerberg em que o fundador do Facebook assume o papel da virtuosa Cinderela que, à base de talento, faz suas malvadas meias-irmãs comerem poeira.

4. Viagens iniciáticas (ou a forja do herói)

Em que consistem. Menos truculentas e trágicas que os órficos descenso aos infernos, costumam ser histórias do trânsito para a maturidade ou a plena realização pessoal de personagens que, por sua juventude ou sua desorientação vital, ainda não encontraram a si mesmos e, para isso, precisam de uma experiência transformadora, uma aventura, um encontro casual na estrada da vida. Obviamente, nem todas as viagens iniciáticas conduzem a finais felizes. Às vezes, a saída definitiva do útero e o mero encontro com as pessoas podem acabar em tragédia.

Que filmes assim já vimos. A imensa maioria dos road movies (Thelma e Louise inclusive, exemplo de viagem iniciática truncada), grande parte do cinema juvenil e adolescente e inclusive filmes de autor contemporâneos e protagonizados por personagens mais ou menos maduros, mas de psicologias tendendo ao infantil, como Sideways, Viagem a Darjeeling, Conta Comigo, Na Natureza Selvagem, Juventude Transviada (algumas viagens iniciáticas não exigem percorrer grandes distâncias), No Decurso do Tempo, Livre, Pequena Miss Sunshine e Easy Rider, para citar apenas alguns quantos, são, cada um à sua maneira e com seus matizes, viagens iniciáticas dotados de maior ou menor carga de profundidade existencial.

‘Thelma e Louise’, exemplo de trama tipo ‘a forja de um herói’: pessoas que necessitam de uma experiência transformadora, uma aventura, um encontro casual na estrada da vida.

5. O objeto mágico (ou a busca do herói)

Em que consistem. O herói permanece afastado do grande mundo, tranquilo em sua rotina e em seu cotidiano, até que encontra algo que será valioso para ele, mas em seguida perde – ou lhe arrebatam – esse tesouro, e ele precisa se mexer para recuperá-lo. Que preguiça. Claro que a forja do herói e a busca do herói são primas-irmãs e muitas vezes convivem em feliz promiscuidade num mesmo filme, até se tornarem quase indistinguíveis. A história do objeto mágico é parte por excelência do grande cânone narrativo ocidental desde Simbá, o Marujo e, naturalmente, trata-se de um padrão tão básico que inúmeras ficções contemporâneas continuam a explorá-la de maneira consciente ou inconsciente.

Que filmes assim já vimos. Da saga Taken, em que o objeto mágico é um ser querido cuja integridade periga e que precisa ser resgatado, a O Mágico de Oz, Indiana Jones e os Caçadores da Arca Perdida, Star Wars, Os Goonies, A Princesa Prometida, O Senhor dos Anéis e um longo etcétera em que o herói reticente se vê forçado, frequentemente contra seus instintos e sua vontade, a se reconhecer herói e comportar-se como tal.

Núpcias de Escândalo’, exemplo de ‘rapaz conhece moça’. (FOTO: CORDON)

6. Rapaz conhece moça (ou ‘sujeito’ mágico)

Em que consistem. Na verdade, uma variação da fórmula objeto mágico muito cara a Holywood e que com frequência incorpora também elementos da viagem iniciática ou das histórias de Cinderela. O esquema é simples: depois de um encontro casual entre dois personagens que se sentem atraídos um pelo outro de maneira instantânea, ocorre um desencontro ou separação, que pode se dever a um sequestro, uma viagem inadiável, uma aparente incompatibilidade de gênios, a intromissão romântica de um terceiro personagem (há quem considere, muito razoavelmente, que o triângulo amoroso, com todas suas possíveis variantes, é também um dos grandes relatos que se infiltram na maioria das ficções) ou qualquer outro pretexto narrativo que possa ocorrer aos roteiristas. Essa separação obriga o protagonista a embarcar em um processo de busca, reencontro ou recuperação de seu objeto de amor ou de desejo.

Que filmes assim já vimos. Todo um gênero, a comédia de enredo romântica, derivado mais ou menos bastardo da screwball comedy clássica dos anos trinta, nutre-se desta batidíssima fórmula. Centramo-nos sobre tudo nestas histórias porque são as que mais se diferenciam das tramas de busca do objeto mágico e, portanto, são mais representativas do “boy meets girl”: Aconteceu Naquela Noite, Levada da Breca, Núpcias de Escândalo, A Loja da Esquina e seu remake Mensagem para Você, Harry e Sally – Feitos Um para o Outro, Amizade Colorida, O Lado Bom da Vida, Amor a Toda Prova… A lista é longa.

Hollywood há 100 anos conta as mesmas seis histórias publicado primeiro em https://fernandonogueiracosta.wordpress.com

[goatsandgangsters]

Top 5 Meyer/Charlie moments in the series!👀 in depth explanations always encouraged 💗💗

oh ANON you FLATTER ME! And you indulge my inability to ever be concise…

1. That ending scene in Friendless Child. This is the pinnacle. The peak. The moment where if I had to show a random person exactly one scene from Boardwalk to prove how married these two are, it would be this one. The warm, contented, lovesick way Charlie is openly staring at Meyer throughout their entire conversation with Torrio. The way they’re so relaxed and at peace, finally. The psychic conversation we watch them have while Torrio is talking. When Meyer reaches for Charlie’s arm. The first time I watched it I thought “oh wow they’re actually going to kiss,” not even in a sdkhfgkjfhd way but just this moment of calm surprise because it looked that much like Meyer was going to grab him and kiss him. THE TENDER WAY MEYER HOLDS ONTO HIS ARM AND STARES DEEPLY INTO HIS EYES!!! THE WAY CHARLIE SMILES BACK!!! WHOEVER IN THE EDITING ROOM DECIDED TO FADE THE SONG IN HALFWAY THROUGH ON THE LYRIC “FOR MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE, THERE’S NO LOVE FOR NOBODY ELSE” FOR THIS. The fact that everyone knew they looked So Absolutely In Love that they had to tack on random women for plausible deniability, but that didn’t even work because Charlie and Meyer barely even LOOK AT THEM because they’re too lost in each other’s eyes. Like WE GET IT!!!! YOU’RE IN LOVE!!!!!!!

they are… incredibly married.

[there were exhibits A, B, and C here but it wasn’t showing up in the tag until I removed them, so thanks for that tumblr] 

2. Speaking of being incredibly married, I love their exchange over the stolen watches. “Might as well set up a pushcart,” “fellas who know what time it is,” the SNARKING AND JOKING WITH EACH OTHER! There’s a lot to unpack in terms of what’s going on off-screen (Charlie’s bloody knuckles and Meyer’s sigh of “I wish you’d stop with this,” like how regularly does Charlie beat someone up and steal counterfeit watches??) But the way they joke with each other and tease each other, it’s so comfortable, it’s so familiar. It’s one of the only times we get to see them alone together and at ease—no high stakes gangster situation, no serious business talk. Just two people who’ve known each other since they were kids, who are totally comfortable around each other, and who joke and tease and sigh at each other like the old married couple they are.

3. The way Meyer grounds Charlie in their finale scene in season 3. The way Meyer’s anger from out in the hallway dissolves as soon as he puts two and two together (and he puts it together way before Charlie does). The intimacy of Meyer’s hand on Charlie’s neck. (And WHAT A CHOICE too. His neck? That’s such an intimate place to touch someone, but when you’re Meyer/Anatol’s height it’s also somewhat impractical, so the fact that they still chose to have him reach up and touch Charlie in such an intimate vulnerable place in order to steady up and stand with him….. WHOOF THE INTIMACY). That moment where Charlie is lost and helpless and angry and confused—and he locks eyes with Meyer and you see him deflate, you see the anger disappear from his eyes and you see the hurt instead. The way he looks at Meyer like he’s a drowning man and Meyer’s the only thing that floats for miles. The way Meyer DOES NOT! TAKE! HIS! HAND! off Charlie’s neck. Even when he has to grit his teeth and disparage Charlie a little in order to save their skin (and you see, oh you see, how bad it tastes in his mouth to have to say any of that), he never takes his hand off Charlie. The way he says with his body Don’t listen, you know it’s not true, you know I’m with you. It’s such a vulnerable scene (side note: that’s something I love and admire about Vincent Piazza’s acting in particular, that he’s never afraid to go really vulnerable with his acting choices, which is an impressive choice for a man who often plays, well, prickly assholes where you wouldn’t expect it). This scene is so powerful and intimate between the two of them. And it’s telling about the strength and importance of their bond that this intimate moment happens in front of AR and Masseria.

3b. It’s not as powerful a moment, because it’s a much smaller scene on a much smaller scale, but for similar reasons I also love the scene at the end of season 2 where Jimmy and Charlie are arguing and Jimmy calls him Sal and—again with the vulnerable acting choices—Charlie’s upset. He’s not angry, he’s upset. And I love how Meyer immediately cuts in with “is THAT the issue” to change the subject. I love how Charlie retreats to Meyer’s side and stands with his back to the room for a moment to collect himself because he’s safe at Meyer’s side, while Meyer is standing there arms crossed and baring his teeth. I love that in the middle of these fraught moments with other gangsters, if Charlie needs him, Meyer’s there. And you can tell how much Meyer makes him feel safe.

4. Shayna punim and try not to sit by the window—or How To Say I Love You Without Saying Those Exact Words. The intent way Meyer shifts his focus to Charlie as soon as he comes in the room. The little nod behind Benny’s back that Charlie wants to talk in private. The total lack of hesitation on “I’ll come with you.” MASSERIA HATES! THAT SHAYNA PUNIM OF YOURS! 💖Just Extremely Platonic Business Partner Things: complimenting his beautiful face in his own language💖 I was also so caught up in the other great lines in this scene that I almost forgot about “this is the problem with you, always very headstrong, good thing I’m hear to talk some sense” and Meyer, through all the tension, laughs. It’s such a familiar way to talk, such a teasing way for Charlie to say, “I am very headstrong and I need you to talk some sense,” but like TEASING HIM ABOUT IT INSTEAD OF SAYING IT OUTRIGHT BECAUSE THEY’RE JUST LIKE THAT. How Meyer can’t even look at him when he says “try not to sit by the window” but how he can’t look away as Charlie leaves, with that look on his face that says I love you so much, please come home safe.

5. I wrote the first four answers immediately and then took a couple days to decide on my 5th one, but I think that I’m going with Their Final Scene ever, even though there’s very little conversation between the two of them. But, you know, OUR FRIENDS, OUR PARTNERS!!!!!!!! The very deliberate choice of our friends = shot of Benny and our partners = shot of Meyer. And OH THAT SHOT OF MEYER, sitting there with the slow blink of a cat in a patch of sunshine who also just killed and ate the canary. Like that smug “mhm, yes I AM the one sitting at his right hand. Not any of you. Me.” That pride. That satisfaction. That “yeah, he’s mine” vibe. Overall, I admit it’s more of a significant scene for Charlie than for Charlie/Meyer necessarily, but I love that it’s been such a big part of Charlie’s narrative, the constantly being told “don’t work with them, you’re one of us, we’re your people, not them,” but then everything culminates in a scene where Charlie says “actually fuck that, it doesn’t matter if you’re Italian or Jewish or Irish #LoveWins,” where he’s got Meyer and Benny beside him and THEN the Italians. The table might be round for a reason, but who’s sitting beside you is still significant, Charlie. Plus, the fact that after the whole table does a toast, the FINAL SHOT OF CHARLIE AND MEYER is them sitting back down and quietly toasting each other. Yes, yes, they did the business bit with everyone else, but this is for them. And even though the audio is soft, the chorus of Italians toasting “salute” followed by Meyer getting the last word for Team NY, toasting Charlie with “l’chaim.”

[halloweendailynews]

Warner Bros. has officially announced that a spinoff of Matt Reeve’s upcoming The Batman film is coming to HBO Max. Read on for the full press release.

HBO Max announced today that it has given a series commitment to an original DC drama set in the Gotham City police department from The Batman filmmaker Matt Reeves, Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter, The Batman producer Dylan Clark, and Warner Bros. Television.

The groundbreaking television series to be written by Winter is set in the world Reeves is creating for The Batman feature film and will build upon the motion picture’s examination of the anatomy of corruption in Gotham City, ultimately launching a new Batman universe across multiple platforms.

The series provides an unprecedented opportunity to extend the world established in the movie and further explore the myriad of compelling and complex characters of Gotham. This marks the first television project for Reeves under his recently announced overall deal with the Warner Bros. Television Group.

Matt Reeves said, “This is an amazing opportunity, not only to expand the vision of the world I am creating in the film, but to explore it in the kind of depth and detail that only a longform format can afford — and getting to work with the incredibly talented Terence Winter, who has written so insightfully and powerfully about worlds of crime and corruption, is an absolute dream.”

“We are so fortunate to have such great partners in Matt, Dylan, and Terry and unprecedented access to a wealth of IP from our partners at Warner Bros. and DC,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max.

“Our collaboration with Warner Bros. and DC allows us to elaborate and grow fan connections across these powerful brands for years to come.  This is Batman as most audiences have never seen before and we know fans will want to spend more time in this new world inspired by the film,” added Kevin Reilly, chief content officer, HBO Max, president TNT, TBS, and TruTV.

Reeves’ 6th & Idaho production company will produce the series in association with Warner Bros. Television. Reeves and Emmy® winner/Oscar® nominee Winter (The Sopranos, The Wolf of Wall Street) will executive produce with Clark (Bird Box, Rise, Dawn, and War for Planet of the Apes). The drama, which is based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, will also be executive produced by 6th & Idaho’s Daniel Pipski (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series) and Adam Kassan (Tales from the Loop); Rafi Crohn (Tales from the Loop) will co-executive produce. Warner Bros. International Television Distribution will distribute the series globally.

Reeves is currently at the helm of Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Batman, which will be released in October 2021. He previously co-wrote and directed War for the Planet of the Apes, directed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, wrote and directed Let Me In, and directed Cloverfield, among other films. Recent 6th & Idaho television series include Amazon Prime Video’s Tales from the Loop, starring Rebecca Hall and Jonathan Pryce; the upcoming Netflix drama Away, starring Hilary Swank; and FOX’s The Passage. Reeves previously co-created (with J.J. Abrams) and executive produced the hit series Felicity, directing the pilot and several additional episodes.

Winter was nominated for 12 Emmy® Awards and won four during his tenure on the landmark HBO drama series The Sopranos, twice for Outstanding Drama Series and twice for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. He created the HBO drama Boardwalk Empire, which ran for five seasons and earned Winter two additional Outstanding Drama Series Emmy® nominations. He was nominated for an adapted screenplay Academy Award® for writing the Best Picture–nominated film The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorsese, who had previously helmed the Boardwalk Empire pilot. He and Scorsese subsequently co-created (with Mick Jagger and Rich Cohen) the HBO drama Vinyl.

Plot details The Batman are unknown as of this writing, but last September, Kevin Smith said The Batman would adapt The Long Halloween, which has surprisingly not picked up much traction but is too good of a reason, even if it’s only possible at this point, for us to keep a close watch as this project comes into light.

The classic 13-issue comic book story The Long Halloween follows a killer named Holiday who murders people on every holiday for a year, from Halloween to the next Halloween, and it also features many of Batman’s iconic villain characters that are now confirmed to be appearing in the upcoming film. Of course, even if it adapts the story it will likely be a “loose” adaptation at best, and may even ignore the whole holiday aspect of it.

Principal photography of The Batman started on Jan. 28, and is currently halted due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

The film is directed by Matt Reeves from a script he co-wrote with Mattson Tomlin, starring Robert Pattinson as Gotham City’s vigilante detective and billionaire Bruce Wayne, along with Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle; Paul Dano as Edward Nashton; Jeffrey Wright as the GCPD’s James Gordon; John Turturro as Carmine Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Jayme Lawson as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; Andy Serkis as Alfred; and Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot.

The Batman is scheduled to arrive in theaters on October 1, 2021.

https://vimeo.com/391277390

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For more Halloween news, follow @HalloweenDaily.

'The Batman' Spin-Off 'Gotham P.D.' Coming to HBO Max Warner Bros. has officially announced that a spinoff of Matt Reeve's upcoming The Batman film is coming to HBO Max.

[meyerlansky]