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bigballofstress · 4 years

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To Share an Armchair (Tom Holland x Actress!Reader)

Description: You and Tom appear on Conan to promote your new movie together, Spider-Man: Homecoming. Little do you know, Tom has a bit more planned than your usual run-of-the-mill interview.

Prequel to The Interview

I took a deep, nervous breath, my hands wringing together as I looked out into the absolutely packed audience.

“You’ll be fine,” a warm, comforting presence appeared behind me. I turned quickly to see my best friend, Tom, smiling down at me. “They love you, and you love them.”

I smiled a bit. He always seemed to know just what to say to make me feel better.

Tom and I had been working together since the filming of Captain America: Civil War, where I’d played another of Tony’s young recruits. Now, with the new Spider-Man movie coming out, we were sent to advertise the release. So, there we stood, on the set of Conan, ready give yet another interview. Except, this time, we’d be promoting the movie by ourselves. “I’m just not very used to going out there without an older cast member or producer or something,” I sighed.

“Just be your usual funny, witty, charming self, and I promise you that everything will turn out well,” Tom reassured me.

I nodded firmly in an effort to strengthen my resolve. “Thanks, Tom.”

“Anytime, sweetcheeks,” he grinned. I rolled my eyes playfully at the cheesy nickname that he had taken to calling me ever since our second week of filming, claiming that my ‘cheeks were too sweet to be called anything else.’

“And now, please welcome Tom Holland and (Y/N) (L/N) to the stage!” Conan shouted. Tom walked out, and I quickly followed. The lights were practically blinding, and my ears were ringing from the very, very loud cheers. I shook off my fears and muscled my way past the almost overwhelming scene to grin and wave with both hands to the audience before moving to take my seat.

The only armchair available was already occupied by a certain web slinger. I pouted and crossed my arms. “I was going to sit there!”

“Well, I’m already here. Sorry, sweetcheeks,” Tom smirked up at me, settling further into the very comfortable looking chair.

I frowned. “Aw, c’mon, Tommy! Pleeeease?” I tilted my chin down and sent him my best puppy dogs.

Tom shook his head. “Hey, you can sit anywhere you want, but I’m not moving.”

My lips immediately quirked upwards. “Ok!” I quickly responded before plopping myself down sideways across Tom’s lap with my legs hanging over the other armrest. His hands reflexively went to my waist in an effort to stabilize me. Tom stared at me in shock, and I just grinned back triumphantly.

I turned to look at Conan, who was watching the whole ordeal go down with an amused smile. “Hi, Conan,” I grinned.

The tall man chuckled. “Hi, (Y/N).”

I had to flip my head upside down to look at Andy, as the armrest that my back was leaning against was the one facing him. “Nothing personal, I just really wanted the chair.”

Andy scoffed in fake hurt. “Yeah, sure. Just pretend you’re not repulsed by me.”

“Well, I am a pretty good actress,” I shrugged, pretending to think it over.

Conan barked out a laugh, and I grinned, straightening back up and settling further into Tom’s lap. “So I guess (ship name) is real?” Conan chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows.

My face went bright red, and I scoffed. “Yeah, just about as real as Candy,” I bit back in an attempt to misdirect from my extreme embarrassment.

Conan laughed his big belly laugh again. “No, (Y/N)’s just unbelievably stubborn is all,” Tom added with a slight shake of his head.

“I’ve heard a few rumors, though, about the two of you,” Conan continued. “A lot of people are talking about a recent incident involving gymnastics?”

I groaned and hid my face in Tom’s chest. “Yeah, she was just so graceful,” Tom chuckled.

I hit his arm with a pout. “Oh, shut up. It really hurt, ok?”

Tom grinned and turned to Conan. “You see, we’ve had a wager going on for quite a while over who was the better actor. So, when we got off set early one day, we decided to prove it once and for all. We each invented a character for the other to play. I was supposed to be a foul-tempered, incredibly avid fan of some sort of predatory bird--”

“The eagles, Tom,” I rolled my eyes. “You were playing a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. Anyways, Tommy here had decided to make me a world class gymnast. You know, because I’m so experienced.”

“Whoever was revealed to be lying about their identity first would lose the bet,” Tom continued. “And he or she would have to do one thing the other asked, no matter what it was.”

“It didn’t go very well,” I sighed, cringing slightly at the memory. “And I still maintain that I won, by the way!”

Tom shook his head. “Not a chance, sweetcheeks. You see, we were talking to a wonderful young lady on the street when I noticed (Y/N) getting a bit excited. Turns out, she’d noticed a Philadelphia sticker on the woman’s bag. So she started raving about how much I loved the Eagles and all of the Philadelphia teams. Naturally, I began talking of her supposed experience in gymnastics. The woman was rather impressed and asked if she could see her do a flip.”

“Meanwhile, I can’t do any sort of gymnastics to save my life,” I scoffed. “So instead of flipping, I asked Tom what sport the Eagles play.” The audience laughed a bit. “He couldn’t respond, and voila! I win!”

“Not quite,” Tom chuckled. “That woman didn’t say a word until you tried to do a flip and landed directly on your bum. She caught you first, pointing out that you weren’t a gymnast. Only afterwards did she say I had no idea where Philadelphia even was.”

I frowned. “Yeah, but she knew you were faking it first.”

“Those weren’t the rules, sweetcheeks,” Tom grinned. I rolled my eyes.

I’d barely taken notice of the loud laughter until Conan spoke up again between chuckles. “Here’s a clip from the new Spider-Man: Homecoming in theaters July 7, check it out!”

While the clip played, Tom grinned and poked me in the side. “You know, I still get to ask you that favor.”

“Fine, I concede. What do you want, Holland?” I rolled my eyes again.

“You’ll see in just a moment,” he answered, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I snorted softly in an attempt not to laugh over the preview being played. “What the heck was that?”

“I was being mysterious!” He defended.

“You looked like you’d lost all control over your facial muscles,” I smirked.

Tom frowned, but before he could reply, the lights came back on. So instead, he turned to look at our host. “Conan, before we go, can I ask a favor?”

Conan nodded. Tom gently picked me up while he stood, placing me back in the seat. He walked towards the edge of the stage. I leaned over to Andy. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?” I stage whispered.

“Yeah, but I’m not telling you. You didn’t want to sit next to me,” Andy responded with a humph, crossing his arms. I laughed at his antics.

Tom had returned by that point. In his arms was the most adorable little creature I’d ever seen in my entire life. “This is Firestar,” he said, holding up the absolutely precious chocolate lab puppy. “She’s incredibly stubborn, so I thought you two might get along.”

“Tom, I can’t believe you!” I squealed, accepting the puppy without hesitation. She immediately started trying to lick my face.

“Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to call in that favor you owe me.” I glanced up at him suspiciously. Tom just smiled. “Go with me to the premier? As my date?” Tom stood before me nervously, his cheeks bright red, while he anticipated my answer.

My eyes widened, and my breath caught in my throat. I couldn’t believe he’d actually just asked me out. Of course I had fantasized about this, but I never actually thought it would happen.

“Say yes!” I random shout from somewhere in the crowd startled me out of my trance.

My face broke out into a huge grin, and I nodded quickly. “Of course I’ll go with you, you big dummy!” I said, hiding my immense excitement behind the small joke.

Tom’s nervousness melted into happiness, and he rushed forward to hug me, taking care not to crush the puppy between us.

“Tom Holland and (Y/N) (L/N), everybody!” Conan shouted above the cheers. “Now officially (ship name)!” The cheers and screams got even louder, and I laughed, almost having to cover my ears. We were both soon ushered off the stage to make way for whoever was next to appear on the show.

When we finally had a minute to breath, I turned to Tom. “I can’t believe you got me a puppy,” I laughed. My smiled was still plastered to my face, and I had a feeling it wasn’t going away anytime soon.

“Everyone gets flowers,” Tom shrugged. I laughed and shook my head. “So there is one other thing I need to know before we can go on a date.”

My brow furrowed slightly, and my smile wavered. “What is it?” I asked warily.

“What color is your dress? I have to know what I’m matching my tie to.”

I pursed my lips in pretend anger, despite the smile that still managed to peak through. “You jerk, you really had my scared!” I hit his arm.

“Ow!” Tom complained. He grabbed my hand as it was gearing up to hit him again and pulled me into another hug, still softly chuckling my hair. I grinned and cradled my new puppy to my chest, who’d already fallen asleep after all the excitement. I was going to go on a date with Tom Holland. Maybe I’ll even get to be his girlfriend!

#tom holland #tom holland imagine #tom holland x reader #tom holland reader insert #tom holland x you #tom holland x y/n #avengers cast x reader #avengers cast #avengers cast reader insert #avengers cast imagine #avengers cast x you #avengers cast x y/n

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weekendwarriorblog · 3 years

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The Weekend Warrior 10/1/21: VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE, THE ADDAMS FAMILY II, THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK, TITANE, MAYDAY, THE JESUS MUSIC

Yeah, so I haven’t had the time over the past couple weeks to write a column, and I kind of hate that fact, especially since I’m coming up on a pretty major milestone for me writing a weekly box office column and reviewing movies. In fact, that milestone comes next week! And once again, I’m struggling to get through the movies I was hoping to watch and write about this week, because I’ve been out of town and once again, very busy over the weekend. Let’s see how far I get...

Before we get to this week’s wide releases, I’m excited to say that my local arthouse movie theater, The Metrograph, is finally reopening for in-person screenings, and they’re kicking things off with a 4k restoration of Andrez Zulawski’s 1981 thriller, Possession, starring Sam Neill and Isabell Adjani, who won a Best Actress prize at Cannes for her performance in the film. I actually saw this at the Metrograph a few years back, and Metrograph Pictures, the distribution arm of the company is now distributing the 4k restoration. There’s a lot of exciting things ahead at Metrograph, including an upcoming four-film Clint Eastwood retrospective, including White Hunter, Black Heart (1990) and A Perfect World (1991) this Friday. Also, Lingua Franca director Isabel Sandoval will be showing her fantastic film from 2020 (a rare chance to see it in a theater and I’ll be there!) as well as program a number of other favorites of hers. Sunday will have screenings of Ingmar Berman’s Scenes from a Marriage (1973) in its full four plus hour glory, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993) and John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness (1994).. In other words, the Metrograph is back!

Moving over to the weekend’s three wide releases, the first one up being Sony’s VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE (Sony Pictures) with Tom Hardy returning as Eddie Brock aka Venom, joined by Woody Harrelson as the psychotic symbiote, Carnage. Taking over the directing reins is Andy Serkis, who has only directed two other movies, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and Breathe, but as an actor, he’s been heavily involved with the CG VFX (and performance capture) needed to bring the characters in this Marvel anti-hero movie to life.

Venom has been one of Spider-Man’s most popular villains and sometimes allies for quite a few decades now, starting out life as a cool black costume Spider-Man found on a strange planet during the first “Secret Wars,” which turned out to be an alien symbiote that had malicious intentions. Spider-Man got the costume off of him but it then linked up with Eddie Brock, a sad-sack journalist whose emotions drove the alien symbiote to become the Venom we known and (mostly) love, thanks to one Todd McFarlane. Venom continued to play a large part in the Spider-Man books before getting his own comics, and not before a super-villain was created for him in Cletus Kasady, a vicious serial killer whose infection by the symbiote turns him into Carnage. And that’s who Harrelson is playing.

Being a sequel, we do have some basis to go on, although the original Venom movie, released in early October 2018, also arrived at a time when it was only the second time the character of Venom was brought to the big screen -- the first time being Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, in which the character was received without much love as Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. And yet, Venom did great, opening with $80.2 million and grossing $213 million domestically, which is more than enough to greenlight a sequel. (It made over double that amount overseas, too.) For comparison, the Wolverine prequel opened with $85 million but at the beginning of summer, so it quickly tailed away with other movies coming out after it. Venom: Let There Be Carnage has to worry about the new James Bond opening a week later, so it very likely could be a one-and-done, opening decently but quickly dropping down as other big movies are released in October (basically one a week).

I’ve already seen the movie, and by the time you read this, reviews will already be up --including my own at Below the Line. Social media reactions seem to not be so bad though, so maybe it’ll get better reviews than its predecessor, which was trashed by critics, receiving only a 30% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But if you look at the fan ratings, they’re higher with 81%, although it’s hard not to be

I’m thinking that bearing COVID in mind and the law of depreciation since the previous movie, Venom: Let There Be Carnage will probably be good for around $50 million this weekend, maybe a little more, but however it’s received, I expect it to drop significantly next week, though a total domestic gross of $135 to 140 million seems reasonable.

Another strong sequel to kick off October is the animated THE ADDAMS FAMILY II (MGM), which is following up the 2019 hit for MGM/UA Releasing with most of the voice cast returning, including Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Finn Wolfhard, as well as Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, and Bette Midler voicing the popular characters from the New Yorker cartoons, a popular ‘60s TV series, and two Barry Sonnenfeld movies from the ‘90s.

The 2019 animated film was a pretty solid hit for the newly-launched UA Releasing, grossing $100 million domestic after a $30.3 million opening, making it one of MGM’s biggest hits since it was restructured under UA and became its own distributor again. Who knows what’s going to happen with Amazon’s plans on buying MGM and whether the latter will remain a distribution wing, but MGM still has a number of movies out this year that likely will be awards contenders. But that doesn’t mean much for The Addams Family II, which will try to get some of those people who paid to see the original movie in theaters back to see the sequel… and if they’re not going to theaters, MGM is once again offering the movie day-and-date on VOD much like they did with last year’s Bill and Ted Face the Music, which opened much earlier in the pandemic (late august, 2020), so it far fewer options to see it in theaters compared to this animated sequel.

It’s highly doubtful that The Addams Family II was going to open anywhere near to $30 million even if there wasn’t a pandemic, and it wasn’t on VOD just because MGM just doesn’t seem to be marketing the movie as well as its predecessor. You can blame COVID if you want, but it’s also the fact they’re distributing the company’s first James Bond movie in six years, No Time To Die, on their own vs. through another distributor, ala the last few Daniel Craig Bonds. But we’ll talk more about that next week, since that’s going to be an important movie to help cover MGM’s expenses for the rest of 2021. (I haven’t had a chance to see this yet, but it’s embargoed until Friday, so wouldn’t be able to get a review into the column regardless.)

We’ve seen quite a few family hits over the past few months even when the movies were already on streaming/VOD, but parents are probably being a bit more careful with kids back in school, many younger kids still not vaccinated, and the Delta variant still not quite under control. Because of those factors, I think The Addams Family II is more likely to do somewhere between $15 and 18 million its opening weekend, maybe more on the lower side.

Third up is THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK (New Line/WB), David Chase’s prequel to his hit HBO series, The Sopranos, which went off the air in 2004 but still finds fans on the new HBO Max streamer. Ironically, this prequel will air on the streamer at the same time as it's getting a theatrical release, which probably won't be a very tough choice for fans.

Chase has reunited with director Alan Taylor, who won a Primetime Emmy for his work on the show in 2007 before moving onto other popular shows like HBO's Game of Thrones. Taylor has had a bit of a rough career in film, though, having directed Marvel Studios’ sequel, Thor: The Dark World, a movie that wasn't received very well although there were rumors that Taylor butted heads with the producers and maybe didn't even finish the movie. He went on to direct Terminator Genesys, which honestly, I can't remember if it was the worst Terminator movie, but it was pretty bad.

What's interesting is that because this is a prequel set in the '70s and '80s, none of the actors from the show appear on it, but it does star Alessandro Nivola, a great actor in one of his meatiest roles for a studio movie. It also introduces Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini (who played Tony Soprano, if you didn't know), playing the teenage Tony, plus it has great roles for the likes of Jon Bernthal (as Tony's father), Vera Farmiga (playing Tony's mother), Corey Stoll (playing the younger "Junior” Soprano), and Lesile Odom Jr, as the Sopranos key adversary, even though he ends up coming across like the good guy of the movie. It also stars Billy Magnussen, who oddly, also has a key role in next week's No Time to Die.

I'm sure there's quite a bit of interest in seeing where Tony came from and to learn more about his family, many who were dead long before the events of the HBO show, but will that be enough to get them into theaters when they already have HBO? I already reviewed the movie for Below the Line, and reviews are generally positive, which might get people more interested in this prequel.

As with most of Warner Bros’ movies this year, Many Saints will also debut on HBO Max and unlike some of the studio’s other 2021 offerings, it will actually make more sense to watch this one on the streamer since that’s how most people watched The Sopranos. That seems like a killer for Many Saints, and it’s likely to keep it opening under $10 million, where it might have done better on a different weekend (like sometime over the last two weeks).

This is what I have this weekend’s top 10 looking like:

1. Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Sony) - $50.4 million N/A

2. The Addams Family II (MGM/UA Releasing) - $16.5 million N/A

3. The Many Saints of Newark (New Line/WB) - $9 million N/A

4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Marvel/Disney) - $7.5 million -44%

5. Dear Evan Hansen (Universal) - $4.1 million -45%

6. Free Guy (20th Century/Disney) - $3.3 million -30%

7. Jungle Cruise (Disney) - $1.1 million -35%

8. Candyman (Universal) - $1.3 million -48%

9. Cry Macho (Warner Bros.) - $1 million -52%

10. Malignant (Warner Bros.) - .7 million -53%

Opening in select cities is French filmmaker Julia (Raw) Ducournau’s TITANE (Neon), the genre thriller that won this year’s coveted Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It stars Agathe Rouselle as a young woman who has an interesting relationship with automobiles, but she also has psychotic tendencies that leaves a trail of bodies behind her. On the run, she decides to pretend she’s the missing son of a fireman (Vincent Lindon), who has been missing for 10 years, and things just get weirder from there.

I honestly wasen’t sure what to expect from this although I do remember walking out of Ducournau’s cannibal movie, Raw, just because it was so gross, even though so many of my colleagues and friends swear by the movie, and this one, for that matter. Sure, there’s a certain “prove it” factor to me watching a movie that wins the Palme D’Or, because it’s very rare that I like the movies that do win that benchmark cinema award.

After a flashback to Agathe’s character Alexia when she was an obstinate young girl kicking the back seat of her father as he’s driving. They crash and she’s forced to get surgery that puts an odd looking piece of metal in her head. Decades later, she seems to be a pseudo-stripper at weird punk rock car show -- I guess they do those things different in France -- and hooking up with a fellow “model” afterwards. Agathe is actually a very popular model/dancer but when one fan gets too grabby, she pulls a knitting needle out of her hair and stabs it through his ear, killing him. Oh, yeah, she then has sex with a car and seemingly gets pregnant, but that only happens later. First, she goes on a bit of a killing spree and then goes on a run and decides that by strapping up her breasts and breaking her nose, she can pass off this fire captain’s son… and it works!

So the second half deals with acting great Vincent Lindon’s absolutely bonkers steroid-addicted man who seems to be sexually attracted to his own son, and most of his fellow firefighters knows that he’s gay but in the closet, but I’m honestly not sure what that matters. He’s a pretty disgusting character whose 70-year-old ass we see way too much of, and even those who might find Rouselle to be quite fetching, there’s a certain point where her nudity is not alluring but quite horrifying.

Oh, and at this time, Alexia (or Adrien, as she’s now going) has also gotten significantly pregnant, but it’s not a normal pregnancy because what should be milk from her breasts seems to some sort of motor oil. That’s because she FUCKED A CAR earlier in the movie!!! What do you expect when you fuck a car and don’t use protection, girlie? The fact Alexia/Adrien is trying to hide the fact she’s a pregnant woman from a station full of men isn’t even particularly disturbing. The part that really got me was when she broke her own nose to pass off as this guy’s son -- I actually had to look away for that part.

Listen I’m no prude, and I think I can handle most things in terms of horror and gore, but Titane just annoyed me, because it felt like Ms Ducournau was doing a lot of what we see more for shock value than to actually drive the story forward. There just doesn’t seem to be much point to any of it, and once the movie gets to the firehouse, and we see her interaction (as a young man) with her “father” and his colleagues, it just gets more grueling.

It’s as if Ducournau had watched a lot of movies by the likes of Cronenberg or David Lynch, or more likely Nicolas Refn or Lars von Trier, and thought, “I could be just as strange and horrific as those men… let’s see what people think of this.” And way too many people fell for it, including the Cannes jury. While I normally would approve of any good body horror movie, especially one with cinematography, score and musical selections as good as this one, I doubt I’d ever want to watch this movie again. And therefore, I don’t think I can recommend this movie to anyone either, at least no one I want to remain my friend.

As far as the movie’s box office, NEON is opening the movie in 562 theaters to build on buzz from various film festivals, including the New York Film Festival earlier this week. I think it should be good for half a million this weekend, although maybe it'll surprise me like NEON's release of Parasite a few years back. I just don't see this getting into the top 10 but maybe just outside it.

And then we have a few more movies that I got screeners for but just couldn’t find the time to watch, but might do so once I finish this verdammt column.

The faith-based doc THE JESUS MUSIC (Lionsgate) by the Erwin Brothers (I Can Only Imagine, I Still Believe) takes a look at the rise of Christian Contemporary Music through artists like Amy Grant and Stryper and everything in between, featuring lots of interviews of the artists’ trials and triumphs. Even though there isn’t much CCM I ever listen to, I’m still kind of curious about this one, since I generally like music docs and this is guaranteed not to be the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll of most of them. I have no idea how wide Lionsgate intends to release this but it certainly can be fairly wide, because the Erwins have delivered at least one giant hit for Lionsgate, and I Still Believe may have been another one if not for the pandemic. It actually opened on March 13, just days before movie theaters shut down across the country, so it's little surprise it only made $7 million domestic. That said, the acts in this one have a lot of fans, and if Lionsgate does release The Jesus Music into 1,000 theaters or so (which is very doable), then I would expect it would make between $1 and 2 million, which would be enough to break into the Top 10.

I haven't seen any of the movies based on Anna Todd's YA romance novels but the third of them, AFTER WE FELL, will play in about 1,311 theaters on Thursday i.e. tonight through Fathom Events, and may or may not continue through the weekend. These movies just kind of show up, and again, having not seen any of them, I'm not sure what kind of audience they have, but this one stars Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes, as well as Stephen Moyer, Mira Sorvino and Arielle Kebbel with Castille Landon directing.

Grace Van Patten (Under the Silver Lake) stars in Karen Cinorre’s action-fantasy film MAYDAY (Magnolia), playing Ana, a young woman who is transported to a “dreamlike and dangerous” coastline where she joins a female army in a never-ending war where women lure men to their deaths. It also stars Mia Goth, Havana Rose Liu, Soko, Théodore Pellerin and Juliette Lewis. It will be in theaters and On Demand this Friday.

The great Tim Blake Nelson stars in Potsy Ponciroli’s action-Western OLD HENRY (Shout! Studios/Hideout) about a widowed farmer and son who take in an injured man with a satchel full of cash only to have to fend off a posse who come after the man, claiming to be the law. Not sure who to trust, the farmer has to use his gun skills to defend his home and the stranger.

The romantic-comedy FALLING FOR FIGARO (IFC Films) is the new movie from Australian filmmaker Ben Lewin (The Sessions), who I’ve interviewed a few times, and he’s a really nice chap. This one stars Danielle Macdonald, Hugh Skinner, and Joanna Lumley, and it will be in theaters and On Demand this Friday. This rom-com is set in the world of opera singing competitions with Macdonald playing Millie, a brilliant young fund manager who decides to chase her dream of being an opera singer in the Scottish Highlands. She begins vocal training lessons with a former opera diva, played by Lumley, where she meets Max, a young man also training for that competition. Could love blossom? This actually sounds like my kind of movie, so I’ll definitely try to watch soon.

The second season of “Welcome to Blumhouse” the horror movie anthology kicks off on Amazon Prime Video on Friday with the first two movies, Maritte Lee Go’s Black as Night (which I’ve seen) and Gigi Saul Guerrero’s Bingo Night (which I haven’t), and actually I’ll have an interview with Ms. Go over at Below the Line possibly later this week. The former stars Ashja Cooper as a teen girl living in Louisiana who has a bad experience with homeless vampires, along with her best friend (Fabrizio Guido).

Also, Antoine Fuqua and Jake Gyllenhaal’s remake of the Danish film THE GUILTY will begin streaming on Netflix starting Friday after premiering at TIFF a few weeks back. I never got around to reviewing it, but it’s pretty good, maybe a little better than the original movie but essentially the same. I’d definitely recommend it if you like Jake, because he’s definitely terrific in it.

Also hitting Netflix this week is Juana Macias' SOUNDS LIKE LOVE (Netflix), a Spanish language romance movie that (guess) I haven't seen!

A few other movies I didn’t get to this week, include:

STOP AND GO (Decal) VAL (Dread) BLUSH (UA Releasing) RUNT (1091 Pictures)

Next week, it’s not time for James Bond, it’s time for James Bond to die… no, wait… there is NO TIME TO DIE! Also, a very, very special anniversary for the Weekend Warrior….

#The Weekend Warrior #Venom: Let There Be Carnage #Many Saints of Newark #Addams Family II #movies #review #box office #reviews #The Jesus Music #Titane

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lov3nerdstuff · 4 years

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... because you're mine.

*Tom Hiddleston x reader*

Oneshot

Words: 4.7k

Summary: Things get steamy between you and Tom after another man asks you out.

Request: I was the actress in Betrayal, but Tom was playing Jerry instead of Robert. As the production goes on, the kissing scenes get steamier (he finds THAT spot on my neck!) until I tell him my feelings, he says he doesn't reciprocate & doesn't do romance in the spotlight. After another man asks me out & I say yes (but don't realize it's a date) he kisses that spot during the performance & whispers that I'm his. 🤯 --> @annwhojumps

A.N.: Prepare for some jealous Tom 😉 also, 'I put a spell on you' can be read as an independent prequel to this, but srsly doesn't have to!

Also check out my Masterlist!

_______________________________

You had absolutely no idea why you had been cast to play one of the main characters in this highly prestigious production of one of your favorite plays… After all, you had only auditioned for fun! As a recent graduate from the school of dramatic arts, your chances really hadn't been all too high, and yet you had been selected for the title role. However the shock of it was only topped off when on the first day of rehearsals, you had discovered that your fellow actors were nothing but the brightest stars of modern age theater… and your scene partner was none other than Tom Hiddleston.

Yet, as surprising as it might have been for everyone in the theater, you and him had connected immediately, on a level neither of you really understood. But you had both been certain by lunch break that you would definitely enjoy being around each other from now on.

The first days of rehearsals went well, to say the least, and every single day you and Tom got closer. You got to know each other better, more than anyone else in the cast, and spent almost every waking minute at each other's side. And once the actual rehearsal period started and everyone got on stage, you found yourself enjoying the whole thing immensely. Acting with Tom was the greatest joy, for he seemed to really enjoy both your general company and your professional work together, and even the other A-listers seemed to warm up to you slowly. Still, nobody had an idea why you had been selected for the role, but honestly it didn't matter much. You fit in so nicely with the more experienced actors that in no time, everyone seemed to have forgotten that this was, in fact, your first real job.

Yet, as rehearsals continued on to a more detailed level, not just the blocking, you found your nerves and stomach in knots as you got ready to start the first real run through the scenes.

In the final act of the play, you would need to not only kiss Tom, but literally make out with him on stage, in front of your colleagues and the audience… The thought of stage kissing alone made you nervous, for it had never been your favorite thing even in school, and the thought of kissing Tom of all people simply had you close to hyperventilating.

The thing was… you wanted to kiss Tom. More than anything, actually, for with every new day you spent joking, bickering, laughing and talking with him, your adoration for him turned into the deepest affection, turned into sincere love. And even worse: Tom was so much more than you could ever have hoped for, and it was simply impossible to not love him more with every fucking day. Yet you didn't dare to confess your feelings. It was unprofessiona l, and you were supposed to work together with him here, not fall for him. If people got to know about your feelings, they surely would call you either starstruck or simply unprofessional, and nobody in the field would ever cast you again. Fuck.

So you ignored your feelings, pushed them away to as much as the by now close friendship you had would allow you to show. It was painful, but necessary. Even more so since he kept being overwhelmingly nice to you, walking the thin line between friendship and something more like it was a freaking highway. You couldn't tell what he felt for you even if you tried… one moment he was just being the dork he really was, and the next he would stand impossibly close to you, looking into your eyes like you were all that mattered to him in this world.

And now that you stood in front of him, looking up into his eyes with all the overwhelming nervousness and tornment, his soft smile and gentle eyes were balm for your soul.

"Relax, Y/n. It'll be fine..." He whispered to you so that the others wouldn't hear, only seconds before his nose brushed against yours ever so slightly, hot breath fanning across your lips as they parted ever so slightly on their own account. Your eyes fluttered shut. This wasn't Tom kissing you… this was his character kissing yours.

Soft, chilled lips connected with the corner of your mouth as his hands grabbed onto your waist, gentle fingers brushing against the small glimpse of heated skin just below the hem of your shirt. Your breathing hitched. His lips ghosted over your jaw as his hands trailed down to your hips, your thighs… you were supposed to push him onto the couch behind him.

Reluctantly, a little too reluctantly even for your character, your palms pressed against his toned chest, curling around the soft fabric of his shirt. He nibbled on your jaw, and you pulled him closer to yourself by his shirt. A low, growling sound escaped his lips as they left a trail of feathery kisses down your neck, and you finally managed to give him a little push that made him fall backwards onto the couch. Yet he held on to your hips tightly, and you came crashing down on top of him, straddling him as your heart threatened to jump out of your chest. A brief glance into his darkened eyes… you gasped, and Tom stared at you like a deer in the headlights. Awe mixed with fear.

"That was amazing, guys!" David, the director of your play, called from the side of the stage, and your breathing hitched yet again as you snapped out of this moment of public intimacy. How the hell were you supposed to do that every day from now on, without giving yourself away?

Rather awkwardly you got off Tom's lap, and forced away the blush as he tried to do the same.

"You, uhm…" Tom spoke up from right next to you, voice hoarse and heavy. "You did really well."

"Oh… thanks." You replied quietly, trying to calm down your racing heart for the next scene. And that hadn't even been a full on kiss to the lips!

_______________

For the next two weeks, David had Tom and you rehearse the scene every day, and every day things got steamier, more raw, more real… At least they switched out the couch thing for you sitting on a counter to be on eye level with Tom, but honestly… that didn't make it any better. Your fellow actors put it off as fabulous acting, but you knew that it wasn't quite the case. Every day, hiding your true feelings for Tom got more difficult, and every day you felt more desperate for a real kiss.

That was until one Friday night, when David made you run through the entire play yet another time. It was already fairly late in the evening, but he'd promised to just have ONE more go before everyone could go home. Everything went well as always, you played your part with the greatest joy and focus, right until it was time for that scene again. It started off like all the times before, Tom stepped closer to you with the most intense energy that alre ady had your skin covered in goosebumps before he even touched you. Gentle hands on your waist, pulling you close as he stood in between your legs… a ghost of a kiss to your jaw, down your neck… your eyes closed as they always did. This time however, be it for the late hour of night or your increasingly shrinking resistance to your own emotions, your hands moved to his neck before you could will them not to, gently tugging on the lush curls in his neck. Almost immediately the faintest sigh, almost a quiet moan, escaped his lips and their loving work on your neck grew bolder, firmer… Until he found that one, secret and crazy sensitive spot that upon the touch of his lips made your back arch towards him and your mind become even more hazed. Now it was you who let out the faintest moan, unable to keep quiet, yet only for him to hear. The grip on your waist tightened ever so slightly, and before you knew how to hide the effect he had on you, he gently bit down on that oh so sensitive spot, sucking and nibbling on your delicate skin.

You felt like exploding, inside out, within your mind and in every cell of your body. Every single nerve of your being was ablaze, the feeling of his lips on your skin, his hands on your body… it all contributed to the hidden coil of pure energy within you that was dangerously close to bursting. If you snapped now, the entire production crew would become an involuntary witness to your impossible love for Tom. And that would be your downfall even before the rise.

But just then the scene continued on, and you were pushed around by other characters, spoken to and spoken for, all until at last, the play ended and the crew applauded, before you practiced who would bow when and leave to which place. Yet, your mind wasn't even in the same theater anymore. Your thoughts were far gone, to a place where only you and Tom existed, a place where you could let yourself love him.

Before you knew, David had finished his commentary of the performance, all the actors had said their goodnights and even the staff had sorted out the last of lighting and audio. Only you were left on stage, frozen in place with only the dim emergency lights illuminating the area around you. The entire audience room lay in darkness, as did the sides of the stage… only the center was lit up so sparsely that it was almost spooky.

"Are you alright?" Tom's voice from right behind you made you jump yet again, and he chuckled upon your flinching.

"God, you scare me!" You breathed, holding a hand over your racing heart. At least, if he could hear your frantic heartbeat now, you had an excuse.

"Nah, you can keep calling me Tom. 'God' is a bit too much." He winked at you with a smirk, and you just had to laugh. Tom was the greatest dork, and you absolutely loved it. "Why are you up here, all alone? Everyone else is heading home."

"I'm not alone. You're here." You smirked at him, wiggling your eyebrows in an attempt to make him laugh. It worked, and even in this minimal light, you could still see his eyes sparking down at you… oh, that darn spell he put on you.

"Wanna tell me what's up?" He inquired, leaning his head to the side.

"Why would something be up?" You frowned, but the slightly too high pitch of your voice gave you away. For an actress, you were horrible at lying. Especially to Tom.

"I can always tell when you're distraught, darling." He mused, then turned around and walked to the edge of the stage, jumping off and vanishing in the darkness of the audience room.

"I'm not distraught!" You protested into the darkness. "I'm just… stressed. Because of the opening night in a week. That's all. And what are you doing over there anyway?"

"Making sure you, my darling Y/n, feel less stressed!" He replied cheerily, and mere seconds later you heard soft tunes coming from the theater's speakers, flowing through the empty room like a soft wind, a breath of fresh air. A smile came onto your lips, and a few short moments later Tom got back onto the stage with you. "They've all gone home, so we shouldn't be bothering anyone."

Again you smiled, resisting the urge to rip your heart out of your chest and tell it to slow the heck down. Tom was ALWAYS around you, wherever you went… this wasn't new. But usually you weren't completely alone, and usually your steamy scene didn't leave your heart screaming and begging for more this badly. For something real.

"Here…" He handed you his phone as he came to stand right in front of you. "Choose a song and we'll dance."

"We can't…" You frowned, but still took his phone upon his request. "This is work, I cannot lose my job, you know that very well, and the theater…"

"Will still be here tomorrow morning just like it is right now." Tom interrupted you with a mischievous yet happily excited smile. "Dance with me? Please?"

Oh, how could you resist those puppy eyes? Never, not in a million years could you refuse that man anything at all. With a sigh you considered your options… it was now or never. This was your chance to tell him, to SHOW him how you felt, despite everything that spoke against it. But he needed to know, and he deserved to know. And thus you made your song choice accordingly.

For a short moment Tom frowned, but once the lyrics started his eyes widened in recognition, and he smiled brightly. "Hey, I actually know a version of this song!"

"Good…" You chuckled, then returned his smile. He took a step towards you, taking your hands in his reluctantly and carefully, but still with that adoring smile. Slowly he pulled you closer to himself while his eyes never left yours, until at last he wrapped an arm around your waist and kept holding your hand in his own.

"Dance with me?" He asked again in a quiet voice that barely stood out over the music surrounding you, and all you could do was nod as you lost yourself in his eyes once more. Only that you couldn't yet say if you lost your bravery or your restraint.

Gently swaying to the music, Tom's hold on you seemed to tighten by the second while your emotions tightened around your throat in a menacing grasp, squeezing until you could hardly breathe anymore. Your hand on his back, clasping his shirt tightly, and your head fell against his shoulder as your eyes closed to the strong beating of his heart. Could he be feeling the same for you? He surely was all about you, every single day… but always reluctant to cross the line of friendship. You had to know, or your mind would tear your soul apart.

He had always been there to comfort you once you had started to doubt your place among the cast, and always pointed out how absolutely amazing you were in his eyes, both as an actress and as a person. And after you had told him about your fear of getting kicked out of the production, he had hugged you tightly and told you that he would make sure that nothing of the sort would happen.

"Oh gosh…" Tom suddenly breathed and you were forced to lift your head again, eyes locking back with his.

"What's up?" You frowned ever so slightly as you spoke, only to find your voice laced with the impossible weight of bottled up emotions.

"I… uhm, your skin…" He started, letting go of your hand in order to touch a gentle finger to the small bruise forming on your neck.

Your breathing hitched as his fingertips traced over that certainly spot once more, but you couldn't bring your eyes to leave his even though they were doomed to darken upon his gentle touch. The song ended, the theater fell quiet but for your shivery breath. Tom's eyes remained on yours, blown and unfathomable in the depth of their ever concealed emotions… his fingers ghosted over the spot on your neck yet again, and you visibly jumped right under his fingertips. His eyes darkened.

And before your mind could come back to its right place in the shadows of worry, your lips were ghosting over his in a gentle brush of reluctant innocence. Careful, asking for silent approval… but it never came.

You took a step backwards, tearing your own heart out in the process, while looking into Tom's wide eyes that were so hopelessly full of mixed emotions that you couldn't possibly tell what he felt. He only stared at you with the saddest face as his chest rose and fell too quickly and the silence between you became unbearable.

"I'm sorry…" You breathed and finally allowed the tears to gather in your eyes, blurring your vision and making it luckily impossible to see the pained expression his own gaze held. "I'm so sorry… I… I love you Tom. I love you… I'm so sorry."

For a few seconds he just stood still right in front of you, the very incarnation of a torn soul, until he finally took a step backwards. Your heart shattered into a million pieces.

"I'm sorry, Y/n…" He breathed with an expression that through your tears looked utterly unfathomable. "I… I can't."

"It's okay…" You smiled through the tears, adding just one more dagger to your already shattered heart. "You don't have to love me. It's okay."

Tom's lips parted immediately as if to reply something he knew he shouldn't, but he closed them again and looked down to the ground with a frown. Silence…

You couldn't bear it any longer, neither the pain nor the sight of his regretful face. It really wasn't his fault that you had fallen in love with him, and it wasn't his fault that he didn't love you back.

"You, uhm… you may not want to kiss that spot on my neck again, in rehearsals. It would be rather painful." You said quietly, as you walked past Tom towards the stage door without another word. And had you turned around only one more time, you might have caught a glimpse of the tears in his eyes.

_______________

You honestly didn't know what you had expected. That someone like Tom would actually love you back? Well, maybe. That telling him would make you feel better? Definitely. But had it? No… it made everything worse, and you could only hope to pick up the pieces now before it would be too late to save the friendship you had established.

And yet, on Monday morning when rehearsals went into the final week before opening night, you couldn't bring yourself to face Tom. Just looking at him, drinking coffee or eating sugar cookies or whatever, it made you want to bawl all over again, despite your attempt to convince yourself that you had run out of tears by Sunday night. And as Monday continued, you did your job and played your part surprisingly well for someone who hadn't slept a single minute in three days. Only that you avoided speaking to Tom despite your heart's ardent yearning to be close to him again… you honestly didn't know what you should've said.

And so the week continued with as much professionalism as you could manage, however the play's happiest scenes seemed a little more dull, like December's prevailing grey, while the sad ones appeared downright tragic in their deep sorrow. Yet, luckily, nobody but you seemed to notice. Almost nobody… for Tom's smile these days seemed to differ not from his character's, fooling even the most watchful eye but yours. You knew him better by now, knew that his honest smile did inexplicable things to you while his feigned one merely served to set lose the smallest butterflies. Or maybe they were moths indeed.

All your energy went into doing the best possible acting job you could, and actually succeeding in it.

Yet, on Thursday night, the second to last day of rehearsals, an event as unexpected as dawn at midnight momentarily lifted you out of your gloom.

"Hey, Y/n?" David called to you once everybody moved to the backstage area to pack up for the night.

"Yeah?" You managed as much as an acknowledging frown, but not a smile.

"Uhm, you know… I was wondering if you would fancy some dinner tonight? Nothing special, really, but there's this nice pub around the corner, and they serve the best burgers in town. I'm paying! Still owe you for that ingenious idea with the counter." He shrugged as he came to stand in front of you with a small smile, looking at your face expectantly.

In all honesty, you were starving. Luckily the first paycheck from the theater had come in, but that had barely sufficed to pay off the debt you'd gotten into over the previous period without work. That still left you with very little money to spend on quality food, and the prospect of both getting something to eat and some distraction from your thoughts about Tom sounded very tempting all of a sudden. And David had said it was nothing special, after all. Only payback.

"Sure, sounds great." You returned a weak attempt at a half smile. "Just let me grab my things and I'm all ready to head out."

He nodded, and you did just as you had said, walking over to the dressing rooms to get your bag and jacket as quickly as you could, for your stomach wouldn't hold up much longer before it would start digesting itself. And yet, just on your way out of the shared dressing room, rounding a corner, you bumped into someone. The someone was Tom.

Your eyes locked with his immediately as they went wide with both surprise and shock, and for a few long seconds you only stared at each other in this unfathomable expression of mixed guilt, sadness, pain and longing. It hadn't even taken one single, broken second however for him to have you under his spell yet again.

As your lips parted at last, in an attempt to force your brain to form sentences, his gaze darkened and he looked away, a deep frown falling upon his face.

"Tom…" You started, but he interrupted you before you could bring out any expression of sincere remorse.

"Have fun with David." Was all he said before he pushed past you into the dressing room and left you standing in the dim overhead lights of the hallway, alone.

_______________

The evening went alright, for you at least succeeded in one thing out of the two you were hoping for, namely getting something proper to eat. Forgetting about Tom however didn't even remotely work out, for David kept going on and on about how amazing the two of you were doing in the play, except for the last scene, which according to him had gotten a little stiff, beginning with this week. You'd agreed of course, but not told him the reason for that, and only promised to do better on Friday.

Yet once Friday afternoon came, and it was time to run through the entire play one last time, you stood on stage chewing on your bottom lip. The first half of the play had gone well, and you used the break in between now to try to gather up some courage to do the scenes with Tom the best you could. David however interrupted your train of thought as he slalomed around your co-actors on stage, towards you. As he politely pushed some people out of the way, you spotted Tom on the other side of the stage, watching you intently.

"Y/n!" David said cheerily as he came to stand in front of you, and you put on a fake smile. "Y/n, I… I just wanted to thank you again for the lovely evening. It was a little… spontaneous, for a first date, but-"

"Date?" You blurted out, interrupting David. Behind him, you saw that Tom was walking away. Damnit. So you focused back on the man in front of you with a blush and an irritated expression. "Uh, I… we… but…"

Recognition flashed through David's face, before a sheepish smile spread on his lips and he chuckled in what you could only call embarrassment. "Well, I see we didn't really have the same idea about last night then… Uhm… I… I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I really didn't mean to. If you'd prefer it not being a date, that's perfectly fine. Sorry."

"Oh, no, I mean yes, I mean… I'm sorry! I kinda didn't get the gist last night, and I thought we were only going for dinner as colleagues, or friends… because that's really all I consider us to be…" You said, feeling a little bad for him. But you really didn't have any interest in him like that, and your mind was entirely elsewhere at the moment. "But you know, it's totally fine… We had a fun evening and now that we're on the same page about that, all is good. Right?"

"Yeah… All's good." David gave you another apologetic smile. "Thanks for being so chill about this… misunderstanding."

"Oh, don't worry… I have enough drama in my life right now to suffice a lifetime. I don't need any more of it." You chuckled softly, and David gave you a thumbs up before making his way off stage to announce the end of the break.

_______________

Something was off. Not only because Tom was actually a good five minutes late for the second half of the play to begin, but also because he refused to even look at you during the first scenes. Your stomach was in knots, as were your nerves. Gods, you missed him...

Then it came to your scene… and Tom's eyes were on yours so suddenly that they felt like a strike of lightning that went right to your core. He had you under his spell again in an instant, and you were lost for the outside world.

His gaze was dark, intimidating… dangerous, as he came walking towards you, and you felt like prey sacrificed to a starving god. The hand that usually fell to your waist in such a gentle manner was replaced by a strong, demanding grip that had your skin covered in goosebumps immediately as he pulled your frozen frame against his own once he stood in between your legs, tightly pressing you against him. Your lips parted.

An inch between your face and his, quivering breath fanning across your skin… the gentlest of kisses on your cheekbone, a ghosting of his lips down your cheek. Your eyes fluttered shut as your head leaned to the side, willingly surrendering to him the most sensitive skin of your neck.

A sigh from the depth of his throat, and your breathing hitched, your hand reaching out to touch him only to halt mid-air in a shiver of reluctance, of remembering… The sweetest of kisses in a torturing slowness down your neck, the tickle of his breath on your skin, and your hand became entangled in his curls without your permission.

A low hum met your ear from the depth of his chest as his lips grew bolder and his hold on you stronger… You pulled him closer to you with the faintest gasp, tugging on the silken strands of hair between your fingers. The echo of his heartbeat in your chest, drumming with your own.

A growl… his lips found your weakest spot where last week's bruise was fading alongside the memory of his touch. A bite. Your quiet moan into the silent room, his name falling from your lips like a silent prayer. You pulled him closer… He stilled. A deep breath.

Tom's lips were on your own in a heartbeat, intense and passionate like licking flames, taking and giving the love previously denied. You gasped, and he took the opportunity to trace your bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, asking, trying… and you allowed him.

Like troubled waters that roughly wave, your mind's twists and turns ebbed down only with the passing storm at last, and finally you could see, could feel, through the sudden regained clearness, to the very bottom of the sea of truth. Tom loved you… he had all along.

Then your thoughts stilled once his lips left a haunting trail of feathery kisses as they moved to your ear, and at last he spoke in a whisper. "You're mine."

______________________________

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I sincerely hope you guys enjoyed this 😊💚💚 I was kinda inspired to write something more steamy both by @hopelessromanticspoonie and @just-the-hiddles , for they just write the greatest steamy stuff 😁 I'm still trying to improve though, so feedback is more than welcome 💗 hugs!

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thoushallnotfall · 4 years

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Hi! Would you say David was obsessed with Michael or had real feelings for him? I saw a girl talking once about how David, even after his brothers getting killed, still talks to Michael to "stop fighting him" and still asks him to join them. I was thinking about that and I wondered if this was just a form to David to tricky him again or he was really trying to convince Michael to give up and stay with him? And if so, would it be because of feelings or because he hates to not get what he wants?

Real talk? 100% honest opinion? David is a repressed bisexual wreck and this movie is as gay as the Fourth of July.

Now I feel like I’ve touched on this a little bit in some of these previous “deep dive” questions (thank you guys so much for continuing to send me these I swear I am on cloud nine right now) but honestly what I personally feel the characters themselves would realistically do/feel/how they would react to things as real beings with complex emotions/backstories, and how this 1h 38m horror/comedy movie treats their reactions are not the same thing.

Look, as much as we love the characters and as writers and fans have expanded on them as much as we can and actually care about them as individual characters with like, actual thoughts and feelings--they’re the monster antagonists of the film. This was also the 80s. They’re not really meant to have complex motivations.

Even when I read the prequel script Schumacher literally cares so little about developing the personalities of the other lost boys that aren’t David he just kind of throws their names in at random when they have to talk, and I know that because at the end when the fifth lost boy that was just in the prequel script had died, they still gave him a line postmortem because they literally don’t care who says the line--they just plug their names in at random.

All the personality we get for the other boys comes 100% from the actors, from how they developed their characters. Yes, they get direction and I’m sure Schumacher had an idea of what he wanted for each one, but I think it was only at a surface level (I would murder someone for a copy of Lost in the Shadow so I could read more about this, but c'est la vie). They’re background props in the movie; I mean I don’t even remember hearing Dwayne’s name in the movie. He’s got like, maybe three lines? One of which we all just choose to ignore as writers because it’s so out of character for him. (I cringe whenever I get to that scene in the movie every. single. time) It took the actors actually caring about their roles and trying to develop them further for us to be able to pick up on all the little things and wring out what personality we can from their performances.

So as far as the David/Michael dynamic. I would say David 100% has feelings for Michael. No doubt in my mind. This movie is gay to the max. I already talked about the reasoning behind David changing Michael in relation to Max. I think he brought him into the cave with the intention of having Michael be Star’s first kill, but I think David and the boys genuinely enjoyed hanging out with/messing with Michael and on a whim David changed his mind and decided to turn him. But if we’re being real I think David was repressing a mad crush he was forming on Michael at the same time.

That is the face of a conflicted bisexual man who’s suddenly realizing, “Oh no, he’s hot.” I don’t make the rules.

Seriously though, I think David genuinely had feeling for Michael. It’s not like David and the boys hang out with other guys on a regular basis aside from each other, and I see their relationship with each other in a more brotherly way rather than sexual, particularly when you look at their relationship from the prequel script (are you guys tried of me talking about the prequel script yet?). So for David, this would be the first time in probably 80ish years that he’s actually just hung out and had fun with another guy that wasn’t one of his brothers. He’s probably feeling a lot of repressed feelings coming to the surface and Michael’s a good time, so why not? Plus he’s a snack. So I agree with the movie on this part, I think David would have gone through with turning him for his own reasons (not because of Max).

But after his brothers were killed I don’t think David would have still been trying to recruit him. I think the movie is sincere in this line though.

I think movie!David is still trying to get Michael on his side, most likely because of Max (again, from my previous post, I really think the secret villain reveal hurt the characters in the movie more than it helped) because Max still wants Michael to join them because he wants Lucy.

I think if we’re being fair to the character though, no matter how heartless people might think David is, even when it comes to the other lost boys, (I’ve talked about that too) he’s not. This is an 80s horror movie, this is before the villains/monsters were allowed to be complex and have real feelings (fun fact: that tear David sheds in the movie after Marko dies and the Frogs/Sam flee the cave? It was actually because the glass contacts Kiefer had to wear. You could only keep those things in your eyes for like 5 minutes before they dried your eyes out really bad, hence the tear; but Schumacher liked that it fit the scene so he kept it in the movie. That’s the only reason we get even an inkling of emotion from them post-Marko death.) so we don’t get to see the complexity of his character as much as we’d like. I do think Kiefer, the absolute king he is, really did an amazing job of trying to throw in a lot of layers to the character.

So to wrap up my rant here, I personally think there are two answers to your question.

I think, in the movie, David is genuinely still trying to get Michael to join him. Whether it be for Max’s benefit or not I can’t say, but I think, for the sake of the movie, yeah, that’s what that scene was trying to do. I think movie!David is totally crushing on Michael and that’s why he turns him, but I don’t think that has anything to do with why he’s still trying to get him to join after the boys are dead. Pretty sure that ship sailed; it’s all business now.

But if this character was allowed to exist outside the sphere of a 90 minute movie? If he was allowed to deviate from furthering the agenda of the “secret villains” plot? No. No way in hell would David still be okay with Michael after what he’d done to his boys. He’d being flaying him alive.

Thank you so much for the question! It was such a good one! ❤️ Feel free to send me any more! I am always down to answer these kinds of questions. (I’m genuinely surprised anyone actually want me opinion on this stuff. It’s bonkers. You guys are amazing.)

-Rachel

#the lost boys #the lost boys 1987 #asks

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annecoulmanross · 4 years

Text

Thoughts on “Terror of the Arctic” (2005), aka, “I listened to the Doctor Who audio drama episodes about the lost Franklin Expedition so that you don’t have to!”

Alright terror-friends, this was not how I expected to spend my day, but I have now listened to all eight episodes of the 2005 Doctor Who Audio Drama series “Terror of the Arctic,” featuring all of the ~ familiar ~ icy ~ boys ~ meeting the infamous Doctor.

With arguably more horrifying sexist/racist content than the 2007 Simmons novel, this audio drama actually predicted a lot of the tropes that Simmons popularized, including ship-board conflicts that escalate to stabbings, the appearance of supernatural creatures from Inuit oral traditions, and even a squick-y romance between Crozier and a much younger Inuit woman.

To clarify, I do not recommend you listen to these episodes. They’re a hot mess, and a really jarring departure from the beauty of The Terror (2018).

HOWEVER I highly recommend you look below the cut for episode-by-episode notes about the first Franklin Expedition adaptation that has well and truly driven me up the wall. So, welcome to the world of “Terror of the Arctic” (2005), featuring:

Crozier, (pronounced "Crow-zee-eyy,”) a polite door-mat of a captain with an agonizing lack of snark and minimal personality beyond “the only white man who can magically fix racism.”

Fitzjames the “proper English officer” who has every prejudice you can imagine – and a couple more you can’t.

Le Vesconte, the irrepressible lad with an inexplicable American accent and extreme boy-scout-gone-crazy energy.

Sgt. Tozer, who has a bad habit of punching people in the face even though his superior officers haven’t yet told him he’s allowed to do so.

Also featuring: Cybernetic Tuunbaq aliens! Complete breakdown of shipboard protocol! Expected amounts of cannibalism! And more! (spoilers, obviously)

Episode 1

– We start with a mandatory brief appearance from the Doctor and his companion Christine. I don’t (initially) hate this iteration of the Doctor – he’s very paternalistic and old-fashioned, but at least the voice actor’s competent. Christine’s voice, tragically, is high-pitched beyond all reason and laced with a variety of odd dialectical features. Some quick research reveals she’s supposed to be a 15 year old from medieval England. She sounds neither like a teenager nor a medieval person. From the very beginning, her character seems very infantilized, and plays into a lot of the Born Sexy Yesterday tropes, even if she and the Doctor aren’t a thing.

– Next, we have Sir John Franklin giving the “we’ve been stuck in the ice for nine months, here’s what you missed” sum-up.

– Sir John’s voice is gravelly 👏 as 👏 fuck; also, I don’t think that the phrase “to sugar-coat it” was a common 1840s expression? Correct me if I’m wrong history folks.

– Crozier shows up to give his “we should start walking out now” speech, minus any passion or conviction whatsoever; he bends immediately to Franklin’s whims. Crozier’s voice is quite high-pitched, and Sir John pronounces his name “Crow-zee-eyy.” (Update: everyone pronounces it this way!!! Uhmmm!) Though I struggle to judge accents, Crozier’s Irish accent sounds... leprechaun-ish. It’s not Jared Harris by a long mile.

– Not gonna lie, I kind of love how much Fitzjames sounds like a posh bastard. He immediately gets into a one-sided shouting match with Crozier and has to be reprimanded by Franklin.

– Lieutenant Irving appears on the scene; I don’t know what Irving’s accent is, but it sure is something.

– All of the officers seem to currently be on the same ship for some reason but I don’t know why. We’ve met Sir John, Crozier, Fitzy, and Irving, and Gore’s been mentioned, as have doctors Peddie and Stanley. And they’re all in the same boat. Guess we’re just ignoring Terror for now?

– Franklin begins narrating as he writes in the log-book: “11th June, 1847.” Oh BOY guess what day it is!!

– RIP Franklin (surprise, surprise). We have no real idea yet how this has happened.

– Fitzjames, talking to Sir John’s mysterious corpse: “Captain, what could have done this to you?”

– Fitzjames: “We have a killer loose on this ship” (Fitz gets ALL the best lines, apparently. Do they make sense? No. Are they hilarious? Yes.)

– Irving is shockingly nonchalant when the Doctor and Christine appear from nowhere out on the ice. Why is Irving so chill when he thinks that these two people are the lone survivors of a DIFFERENT failed expedition?

– Fitz apparently has refused to let Crozier start the walk-out after Franklin died. (Um, that’s not how the chain of command works?)

– We learn that Beechey-boy Braine apparently died of sudden-onset-scurvy. What is sudden-onset-scurvy, you ask? We do not yet know.

– Irving, happily describing their recent course of action: “...Ignoring the advice of our ships’ ice masters...” Oh god Irving don’t sound so happy about that. Blanky’s going to take an ice-axe to your head. (Tragically, Blanky does not appear in this show.)

– Lieutenant Gore has ALSO died of sudden-onset-scurvy. RIP Graham Gore.

– Is the Doctor going to focus on the existence of sudden-onset-scurvy? No, we’re gonna hyperfixate on the high officers-to-crew death rate! And he’s going to infodump about officers’ privileges TO Irving, an officer, and muse about how odd it is that more officers than crew are dying when the officers get all the best food!

– Fitz, the “proper English officer” apparently has managed to get about half the men to refuse to follow the orders of their expedition commander, because he happens to be Irish. Babe, this is a really bad look!

– Irving, our good Christian Irving, just swore “By Jove” in a weirdly sexy voice.

– Tozer has Extreme Deep Voice.

– Irving: “There’s something odd about them I just don’t trust.” Why on earth wouldn’t you trust two strangers who wandered up to you on the ice and asked if you were “human,” John Irving? What’s “odd” about that?

– The Doctor only remembers that he does actually know the events of the Franklin expedition after he reads the entire Victory Point Note.

– Irving has suddenly decided to threaten to shoot the Doctor and his companion. Irving promptly gets attacked.

* jarring transition to triumphant Doctor Who music *

Episode 2

– The ~mysterious~ attack on Irving has left weird wounds on Irving’s neck. I’m calling it, Ice Vampires!

– We have an Edward Little appearance! His voice is so sweet and gentle! And then... “I’ll have Sergeant Tozer shoot you both where you stand!” Okay, maybe not... (Update: Little is, in fact, very awful to several people. As we will see, all of the lieutenants and marines swing between weirdly nonchalant dudes and trigger-happy maniacs.)

– Tozer just punched the Doctor’s lights out, unprompted.

– Crozier: “Good old John Peddie... he’s like a brother to me.” Well THAT’S not a friendship I expected.

– So Dr. Peddie has brought a young Inuit woman in to Crozier’s cabin to have a “lovely chat.” Awkward book!Crozier/Silna energies. The woman’s name is Liak. She speaks with a vaguely Spanish and/or Italian accent.

– Liak: “I have been with my tribe. They would not allow me to come back to see you.” / Crozier: “Why? It’s not because of Fitzjames is it?”

– (It’s not because of Fitzjames. It’s because of evil spirits, obviously.)

– The Doctor, once they get back to the ships, explaining to the higher officers what’s happened: “Mr. Tozer got all excited and could no longer restrain his Neanderthal-like impulse to start clubbing things.” Boy this by show is NOT for Tozer fans. (Note: Tozer is standing right there? In the room? When the Doctor says this?)

– The Doctor just dropped an f-bomb?????????? And not as an expression of shock, but a hard-core sexual use of the f-bomb. Literally, he said “you can let Tozer fuck me again” – did I mishear this????????????

– Irving’s dying words: “I was attacked by a large silver creature with claws!” Wait did Dan Simmons rip off a fan-made 2005 Doctor Who Audio Drama?

– RIP Irving, first confirmed victim of “Tuunbaq the First.”

– Fitzjames is SO racist, throwing around a lot of “savage” and “barbarian” words. Why are you letting this man walk all over you, Crozier?

– Crozier: the first person who has the correct reaction to two weirdos appearing on his boat (aka shock and surprise, rather than worrying nonchalance followed by unprompted extreme aggression.)

– Fitzjames literally laughed after being informed that Irving is dead. (Like Crozier’s bad Raft of the Medusa joke, but SO MUCH WORSE.)

– RIP Ice Master Reid, actual first confirmed kill of “Tuunbaq pre-Tuunbaq,” several weeks ago, apparently??

– Okay so Fitz here is obviously meant to be a horrible person, but I have to acknowledge that he’s making a few good points: (1) the Doctor has admitted that he has a “sailable” ship, and it’s pretty rude of him to not even explain why he’s unwilling to help these dying men, and (2) it’s been bothering me the whole episode that the Doctor hasn’t been calling officers by their titles, and frankly, I do think Fitz is within his rights to demand the Doctor call him “Captain Fitzjames” rather than “Mr. Fitzjames” on Fitz’s own ship. Like, it’s not that hard.

– The Doctor’s first example of “ways the Franklin crew could mess up the time stream” is the insane scenario: “what if one of them married the mother of Winston Churchill.”

– The “Tuunbaq: The Prequel” can talk!!!!!! “Hello meat!!!” it says, gleefully.

– Tozer is just the fucking most. He punched the Doctor AGAIN.

– Crozier just “Mr. Fitzjames”ed Fitz!! And Fitz backed down! Crozier finally grew a spine! Just in time to decide to commandeer the Doctor’s ship.

– The Doctor’s ship inevitably disappears before it can be commandeered. Because of course. (Things and people disappear and get transported to different places and later times all through these episodes for timey~wimey~reasons.)

Episode 3

– A conversation between the two named female characters (Liak and the Doctor’s companion Christine)! What will they talk about? ...Their dead fathers. Ah. Hmm.

– This show is not sophisticated enough to handle a “white man’s disease killed my father” subplot. And yet, Liak’s father died of TB he contracted from the white men. I’m *worried*

– To help Liak overcome the superstitious antagonism of her “tribe” after her father’s death, Crozier apparently gave a bunch of food to the Inuit, which is an... interesting take. (One Irishman’s grand gesture fixes racism!)

– Magical Inuit shaman powers are only inherited through the male line (The racism and sexism in this is palpable.)

– So “Tuunbag Episode I: Revenge of the the Tuunbaq” is actually a larger coalition of aliens, run by a being called “Matriarx.” Can we decide whether woman are powerless victims or power-hungry monsters, please? Both is just greedy.

– RIP Strong (another tragic case of the triple threat: sudden onset scurvy, lead poisoning, AND Tuunbaq attack)

– Wait WAIT the Tuunbaq gave Strong the lead poisoning AND the scurvy by biting his neck and sucking his blood, stealing nutrients and leaving lead in their place: Ice Vampires!! I called it!!!

– Groups of people Fitz has verbally degraded: the Irish, the Inuit, all women, and now “common folk.”

Episode 4

– Le Vesconte’s first lines! He sounds like a Boy Scout, by which I mean he sounds about 16, and has an American accent? Also, Fitz pronounces his name “Leh-vay-cont”

– An AB named “Seeley” is writing an account of the events that are happening, perhaps as this show’s version of Bridgens and/or Peglar? Also Fitz is REALLY opposed to Seeley writing this, because Fitz hates “common folk” that much, apparently?

– RIP Seeley, we hardly knew ye.

– Major episode events: the walk-out begins, leaving Terror and Erebus just as the boats slip into another dimension because of alien reasons (this didn’t age well, now that we have the shipwrecks). Also, there’s an Inuit woman who is in league with the cybernetic-alien-Tuunbaq-vampires.

Episode 5

– As soon as the walk-out begins, the cybernetic-alien-Tuunbaq-vampires begin attacking.

– Boy Scout Le Vesconte: “I have an idea! If bullets won’t stop them maybe an axe will!” I mean, this is stupid enough for our Dundy, but he follows it up with “Murderers! I’ll hack you to pieces!” and rushes them like a child and has to be rescued. (Also Crozier is way WAY more concerned for Le Vesconte than Fitz is, though Fitz leaps into the rescue effort and Crozier... does not do that. He’s doing a lot of standing on the sidelines and bemoaning his dying men.)

– Peddie is basically just Crozier’s all-purpose lieutenant at this point. Little and Hodgson whomst?

– Le Vesconte, Fitz, and Tozer get struck by lightning WHILE fighting the Tuunbaq, and some Frankenstein stuff seems to happen, because Fitz now has the munchies. But like, the ominous munchies.

– Le Vesconte’s in something like a coma. The dumb boy-scout.

– While explaining why the Netsilik have legends about these aliens as “evil spirits,” the Doctor implies that errors in the historical record happen “especially” in oral traditions. Can we stop insulting the Inuit oral historians please?

– The cybernetic-vampire-aliens can mind-control their victims sometimes. Calling it now: Fitzjames is under the mind-control already.

– Liak is revealed to possibly be in cahoots with the aliens, because she has a necklace that her sister gave her that’s actually an alien tracker.

– Fitzjames, upon learning that Liak may be in league with aliens, attempts to physically kill her with his bare hands, and has to be restrained.

– Crozier hears murmurs about mutiny, and assigns this poor Marine named Hopcraft to find out more about the mutiny and report back to him. Next morning: RIP Hopcraft, first victim of the “we’re knifing each other” stage of events (aka this show’s Irving.)

Episode 6

– Lieutenant Little, who got separated from Fitzjames and Crozier, tries to comfort ship’s boy Chambers, whose use of the term “panic attacks” is a little anachronistic; a small gripe in the grand scheme of things.

– The Tuunbaq-aliens attack Little’s camp and wipe them all out, leaving Little to the last. Edward Little, a British Christian naval officer in the 1840s, gasps out “I’ll see you in Hades” as his dying words. (Someone write me Little/Irving neo-pagan fanfic for this mess?)

– The Doctor is playing detective, trying to solve Hopcraft’s death. He finds footprints, and both Liak and Tozer are missing.

– The Doctor calls attention to Tozer’s “enormous feet.” Weird.

– We have our first cannibalism! Perpetrated by Tozer, and uhhhh oh great we’re eating Dr. MacDonald for dinner tonight.

– Le Vesconte woke up from his coma just in time to brain Tozer to death.

– The Doctor: “There were no women’s bones at any of the sites [of the lost expedition remains]” that’s a hilarious comment given that one study suggesting as many as four female skeletons.

– RIP Le Vesconte, from his wounds, offscreen!! Nooo!!

– Tozer (and Fitzjames, and a few others), because they all got struck by the lightning, now have Frankenstein’s cannibalism curse. They all hunger for human flesh.

– Fitzjames is now a sneaky murderer-cannibal who manages to gain Crozier’s trust before turning around and trying to butcher him. As least my evil boy is smart?

Episode 7

– The big bad reveal: it’s Liak’s secret evil sister! (Just like Season 4 of Sherlock!) She’s been helping the Tuunbaq-aliens the whole time because she hates white men! Because they gave her dad TB and one of them broke her heart! Thanks, it’s bad!

– The Tuunbaq-aliens eat Liak’s sister anyway because they do not care.

– Liak, Crozier, the Doctor, and Christine are left to defeat the Tuunbaq-aliens.

– Fitz feels a little bad about eating people I guess? Also Fitz is “weak” and can’t resist his hunger and all those fun tropes.

Episode 8

– Fitzjames gets a redemption arc via heroic self-sacrifice narrative, complete with death via horrid gurgling. “He sacrificed himself in a last act of humanity.”

– The Doctor agrees to give Crozier a lift to somewhere a bit further south, on the assumption that Crozier will settle down with Liak and live with some “tribe” of other Inuit people that neither of them have ever met.

– There’s a parting joke about Crozier enjoying drinking wine that did NOT age well.

And that’s all, folks! Hope you... enjoyed?

#the terror #the terror amc #terrorposting #not putting a dw tag here #because im being really mean about this #and if you're a fan of the dwad i'm sorry #not my jam but whatever makes you happy #franklin expedition fictions #just to be safe #cannibalism cw #murder cw #sexism cw #racism cw #fitzjames abuse cw #they butchered my boy

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thehollowprince · 4 years

Note

Extremely broad question: What's your overall opinion about the X-men movies produced by 20th Century Fox? How do you think they handled the franchise? Which movies did you like and which ones did you hate?

20th Century Fox made X-Men movies?

Huh?

I must have missed that.

(shifty eyes)

No, in all seriousness, I don't like to associate those films with the X-Men in any capacity. Those were not the X-Men. They were like the MCU version of Peter Parker and his friends: completely original characters that utilize aspects of the beloved characters to draw people in with a sense of nostalgia while delivering this weird Frankenstein creation.

If we get right down to it,, there were so many things wrong with Fox's attempt to do an X-Men franchise that its hard to try and narrow it down, but I'll do my best.

1: Those Aren't the X-Men!

I said already that those aren't really the characters from the comics that we know and love. They're caricatures of those characters, with just enough of their core attributes there to trick people into seeing these movies. There is no sense of actual teamwork or a Found Family dynamic, which is an intriguing part of the X-Men narrative. Instead, the X-Men of these films act more like the MCU Avengers, a bunch of casual superpowered acquaintances who tolerate each other for the sake of a common goal.

There is no sense of any actual teamwork and the few times the team work together, they're a patchwork of fan favorites plucked from various different incarnations of the team. At first glance, that would be fine because the Team has been very unofficial. There is no standing roster of "active X-Men" in the comics, because its not a job for them. Its usually whoever is at the mansion or is nearby at the time and can help because the mutants are in danger. In the movies, they just threw a bunch of fan favorites together and said "Yeah, that's good enough." There's no attempt to utilize the relationships between the different characters because aside from one or two characters (usually Logan/Wolverine and Magneto) the movies treat the other members of the team as side characters. Place fillers who don't actually get any real stories.

And then there's the casting.

Casting non-Jewish actors to play Jewish characters (Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender for Magneto/Ellen Page for Kitty Pryde) and then butchering them even further (Evan Peters as Peter Maximoff instead of Pietro). And I don't know what the fascination is with making Professor Xavier British (Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy).

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of these actors, but they shouldn't have been cast as these characters that have decades worth of history regarding their ethnicities and cultures.

The biggest one right now is probably Henry Zaga in the role of Roberto Da Costa (aka Sunspot) in The New Mutants movie that will never actually hit theaters. While they did improve somewhat over the last time they introduced the character (played by a Mexican actor despite the character being Brazilian), they completely ignored the fact that Roberto is black. He was introduced as Afro-Brazilian and, as you can see, Henry is not.

In their defense, I myself forgot that Berto was black, because the more modern comics portay him as lighter skinned

See?

But that's not an excuse, and they should have done better.

And while we're on the subject of Roberto, I want to talk about his portrayal in Days of Future Past, namely the fact that this...

... wasn't Sunspot. The powers this character exhibits is more indicitive of Sunfire, a completely different Japanese mutant. Its not just him, as they've done this before with characters like Callisto and Kid Omega and Psyloche in the disastrous The Last Stand. That's another point in favor of The New Mutants, in that, af least they managed to get the powers right, from what I've seen in the trailers.

Sadly, I'm still probably going to see The New Mutants when it comes out, because that's my favorite X-Team and with Disney buying Fox, its probably the only time I'll get to see these characters on a big screen in a staring role.

2: The Timeline

If you ever decide to watch these movies (assuming you haven't already), do yourself a favor and don't attempt to follow the timeline. Time does not flow the same way in those movies as it does everywhere else.

It was fine, at first, until we got to Days of Future Past, at which point they dabbled in a form of time-travel that just made everything so much more confusing. Reintroducing characters and erasing others and then there's the fact thst that the prequels encompass three decades and yet none of the characters seem to age at all.

It was confusing as hell, especially when you factor in Logan and Deadpool, neither of which seem to take place in the actual mainline X-Men timeline(s).

It honestly hurts my head just thinking about it.

3. Directors

I'm going to be honest and say I really considered just titling that Bryan Singer, because he's reason enough to hate this franchise.

Just in case you don't know, Bryan Singer is a predator and a pedophile, sexually abusing several underage men working on his films. The original actor that played Pyro was seventeen or eighteen at the time of the filming of the first X-Men movie and he filed a suit against several of Singer's cronies.

Then there's the more recent story that, during the filming of X2, he took some sort of narcotic before filming one day and got Hugh Jackman injured.

This man also refused to allow any of the comics to be in set, because why would you make a movie based on a long-running comic series and have the source material there. That's just crazy. Granted, it wasn't just him, as the director of Dark Phoenix (Simon Kinberg) reportedly said he never even read the comics the story was based on.

It makes it all the more infuriating when people praise his X-Men movies as the superior ones.

And then there's Brett Ratner, who outed an eighteen-year-old Ellen Page on the set of The Last Stand, and was just all around unpleasant to work with.

TL/DR - the X-Men movies are rather like the MCU, in that there are occasional gems and great visuals in an otherwise steaming pile of shit. I loved the future sequences in DoFP, and the invasion of the X-Mansion in X2, but there comes a point where you have to ask yourself if its worth digging through the shit to find the few good things. I don't hate them, but I don't love them either. I just wanted... more.

#ask and ye shall recieve #x-men #anti xmcu #anti bryan singer

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a-wandering-ghoulette · 5 years

Photo

Ghost: Tobias finally revealed himself! From MyRock n°57; March/April issue; a FR->EN translation.

Enjoy a 2 page exclusiv interview fully translated from french to english; 3 full-page pics by Amanda Demme and a bitter live report of Zénith de Paris ritual (under the cut at the end of the post)! Note that I’m not perfectly bilingual so any of you who have a better english lvl than me are free to correct any mistake I could have done!

Tobias, master of the Forge

(Translation Note: Yes, we are french and we like dumb puns. So yass, he leads this band, thx)

Few hours before his appearance at Zénith de Paris, Tobias Forge has opened his lodge’s door to us. Decontracted and unmasked, the autoproclamed Ghost’s spokesperson frankly discuss about the band news and about his sudden notoriety.

Interview by Thomas Mafrouche; photos by Amanda Demme.

“In the colllective mind, doing metal is wearing black and shouting in a mic. People believe it’s easy when it’s a music requiring a lot of work and precision.” Tobias Forge

The last time we saw you at Zénith de Paris it was for Slayer and Mastodon’s opening. Tonight, you are the headline and your show is full. You must feel very proud! Tobias Forge: Oh I’m fulfilled! It’s fantastic! I’m very happy with what is happening. Not for the success, but because it allows me to finally have the means to do shows of the scope I always wanted. I always wished Ghost to be big, that our concerts dazzle! There’s nothing which annoyed me more than when you look small on a stage. It’s the case during some opening, or festivals prestations, when we have to play during day time... Ghost isn’t a band built for small stages. It’s a full experience, the spectator must imperatively get what’s coming! But, it’s a monstrous organisation, with a lot of logistical problems to solve beforehand. The more people there are involved in this adventure, the more risks there are for the machine to derailed. But, well, it’s the challenge to achieve when you bring a choir of 40 nuns on stage (laugh). In the end, what matter is that the spectator enjoy it, that they spend a good and phenomenous evening with us.

It is said that you are scrupulous about each detail, even the lights. Is that true? T.F.: Yes... I’m a “control freak”, I must admit it. (laughs) But this hunger for perfection, it’s also what brought me here tonight. This thirst for controling everything, it also came from the fact I’ve often been right by the past, but I was often dismissed... I have long tried to fight against this facet and to let people speak. And in these cases, it often narrowly avoided a catastrophe. So now I assume it. It pisses me off to have become a control maniac, but I’m used to it now, because it’s what’s best for Ghost, and thus, for the public...

Influenced by Candlemass & Metallica

To open your concerts for this tour, you have chosen your fellow countrymen from Candlemass. You’re fan, we guess? T.F.: I’ve been listening to them since I’m eight! They are my heroes! Their album Tales of Creation is one of my cult record! A decade ago, I had the chance to meet them and today we became very good friends. We are often seeing each others, our wifes and children are getting along pretty well too. Candlemass, it’s family! Their music had a direct impact on my way to compose. Plus, there’s all the imagery! I’m not talking about costumes, but the typography and the biblical visuals which always had greatly influenced me. I’ll even confess you something: The first album of Ghost, Opus Eponymous, was written for Messiah Marcolin’s voice [2nd singer of Candlemass, Redaction Note]. At the time, I didn’t wanted to be the singer of Ghost. Then I asked him to join us, but he had declined the invitation, saying he was busy with another project. So, when time has come to sing, I did it with his head voice. Last year, musicians from Candlemass also supported me on stage during Polar Music Prize’s ceremony [Swedish equivalent of Victoires de la Musique, but with guitars, RN (T.N: ouch, it’s a nice shot in our national music award ceremony face, since they never reward rock/metal artists... So yeah, national sized Grammy’s ceremony)]. We covered “Enter Sandman” by Metallica, in front of Sweden’s King and Queen. Robert Trujillo an Lars Ulrich were there as well. It’s an unforgatable memory! My wife and I, we even had dinner with one of Sweden’s princesses, after the ceremony.

Would the princess of Sweden be a metalhead?! T.F.: I won’t go this far, no (laughs). But she was very sociable, we even toasted. It was exquisite!

“Now, I will represent Ghost unmasked. Tobias Forge will be the official interlocutor, the same way George Lucas was the unique spokesman of Star Wars.” Tobias Forge

Speaking of Metallica, you’ll open for them at Stade de France, on May 12th. There, as well, it’s consecration! T.F.: It’s crazy! I’m going to tell you a funny anecdote. I’m not passionate about football, but it turns out that I was in Paris in 1998, during the World Cup. I wasn’t at Stade de France, but I saw pictures in the city, on big screens. And, at this moment, when I saw the final, that you amazingly won, I told myself that one day, I will play in Stade de France as well. It took me 21 years, but this day finally has come! this is proof that you have to believe in your dreams!

Metallica, it’s an institution for many people. For you as well? T.F.: There isn’t a superlativ strong enough to say how much I love these guys! Especially since they became friends. It’s an honour to have been chosen to support them on stage. Notably because they’re one of the reasons which pushed me to do music.

Which is your favorite album? T.F.: Ouch, that’s not easy! From a strictly personnal point of view, I would say Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets. But from a professional one, as a composer, musician and producer, it’s clearly the Black Album. It’s their best record, the most complete. Reaching this level of perfection, it’s any musician’s dream. Everything is here, the writing is bold, with a lot of character, and the producing is impeccable. I know it’s a record which make polemic amongst purists, but objectively, it’s one of these albums which had contributed to forge the metal we know today. In the colllective mind, doing metal is wearing black and shouting in a mic. People believe it’s easy, when it’s a music requiring a lot of work and precision. The Black Album, it’s the result of a huge amount of work, it’s months and months of work!

Papa Emeritus vs Darth Vader

The Black Album is also the record of notoriety, the one which propulsed Metallica with the general/mainstream public. This exposure, it’s something you’re living since the release of Prequelle. Recently, your appearance in the TV show Quotidien created a conflict amongst fans. To have a guitar solo cut during a live stream, is it the price to pay when a metal band enter the great mediatical circus? T.F.: Of course, it’s a sacrifice to do. Let’s say that, with Ghost, our relations with medias hasn’t always been good. I long refused to play their game. For a long time, these mainstream televisions had asked for interviewing Papa Emeritus. I always opposed them a categorical no. You can’t interview Papa Emeritus, the same way you can’t interview Darth Vader. You can meet James Earl Jones, who borrow him his voice, or the actor David Prowse. But Darth Vader, nobody can speak to him. It’s the same for Papa Emeritus. Today, in order to reach the next level, it’s time to play the game, but in our way. Since I can’t relate on Papa Emeritus to do the job, I accepted to do this interview unmasked. The problem is that journalists hadn’t the necessary keys in hands to understand Ghost. Of course, I’m not talking about you, because rock press know very well what we are and who we are. You tell me about Candlemass, about Metallica... It’s something else. You, you know your subject. Mainstream medias, them, what’s interesting them is to make the buzz, it’s to have a bone to gnaw. Sometimes, I wonder why I accepted to do such mediatical things... It’s not like I needed them, moreover my concerts are full! But, well, I decided that now, I will represent Ghost unmasked. Tobias Forge will be the official interlocutor, the same way George Lucas was the unique spokesman of Star Wars. The person you have in front of you today, it’s kind of Ghost’s director.

Otherwise, what are the future projects for Ghost? T.F.: There will be a release before the end of the year, but it will not be an EP of covers like we often did so far. It will be something else, but it’s not done and I can’t tell you about it yet. But I recorded some things... The rest of the year, I will spend it on the road, it will be very long, with, notably, dates in South America. I scheduled to go in studio early next year, to realease an album in 2020. You have to strike while the iron is hot!

(Under the cut you’ll find a semi-bitter live report. Take this line as a trigger warning maybe...?)

Tobias Forge at Zénith?

It took 4 albums, 2 EP and a lawsuit before Tobias Forge, Ghost’s mastermind, offer to the french public an indoor show worthy of the name. The rendez vous is written down for early february, at Zénith de Paris.

Live report by: Roseline Artal.

6 000 persons

Concert: 3/5

Public: 3/5

We was told the show in the capital is full of capacity, but some stands are inaccessible and guarded by vigils. It’s certainly to allow everybody to be dazzled that the band decided to not fill the venue at its maximum capacity, but it’s a shame for those who would have liked to be part of the lucky ones. After a Cigale and an Olympia much comparable to festivals prestations, Ghost decided to put every efforts here. Finally! Candlemass, coming from Sweden, open the ball, remaining on the very front of the stage. Songs flow, some blunders can be heard, notably when the singer Johan Längqvist mix up “A Sorcerer’s Pledge” and “Solitude”, but the crowd seems to appreciate. They rise their fists up in the air when needed, some heads are banging here and there, and we notice a semblance of circle pit down in the front right. However, it’s hard to remain enthusiastic very long in front of the relatively flat performance. Musicians are playing the game and are having fun, which is something at least.

A cathedral stage It’s almost 9 p.m when lights turn off and the black curtains disappear, reaveling the magnificent stained glasses awning over imposing stairs. Such ornated, the Zénith stage is standing out! It’s with “Ashes”, perfect for an appetizer, Ghost offert themselves to their audience, but it’s “Ritual” which receive all suffrages on this show begining. As for “Devil Church”, it end on a duel between guitarists. When “Miasma” first notes resonnate, one question is on everybody lips: “Will Papa Nihil show himself?”. And the answer is yes, for our greatest pleasure. “Jigolo Har Megiddo” is beautifully interpreted acoustically, allowing us to rest down our ears for a short time. Indeed, the sound is unbearable, at least without appropriated protections. Fortunatelly, the view isn’t unpleasant, thanks to a Tobias Forge of many personnalities as funny as worrying.

Papa Emeritus as a mafiosi (well, it’s obviously a confusion between Papa and Cardinal from the reporter here, I’ll correct it for the rest of this paragraphe, T.N) It’s well and truly the last album which is highlighted tonight, which is appreciated by fans. They are indeed ready to sing in unison and turn on there phone on “Life Eternal”, while Cardinal Copia play the romantic mafiosi, all in white dressed, thus marking an end to the first act. 15 minutes of break are offered, without a reason being given. Indeed, when the entract ends, the setting hadn’t change and musicians are wearing the same costumes. What if Tobias Forge became the new Axl Rose with his manic to leave the stage for ages with no valid reason? We’re picky, but these minutes could have been used to play other titles, such as the amazing “Elizabeth” which has disapeared from the setlist for years now... Nothing better than “Year Zero” sing by everyone and the cover of Rocky Erikson’s “If You Have Ghost” in order to put us in a good mood. However, the band found a way to ruin it all by dragging the members presentation out for long minutes. What a shame. “Dance Macabre” and “Square Hammer”, which we all keep loving during live, reconcil us with the swedes, then, without surprise, we’re leaving on “Monstrance Clock”, an ode to femal pleasure. When the lights turn back on, we can’t help but thinking this show was both a success and a disappointment notably due to useless dead calm.

#the band ghost #tobias forge #interview #cardinal copia #Nameless Ghouls #a pale tour named death #prequelle #MyRock #translation #scan

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thenightling · 5 years

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So there are Lucifer fans who want to boycott Sandman preemptively!?

My first reaction was: “Oh, God! They’re starting this crap again!?”

I was hearing this back when Fox dropped Lucifer. It made me leave a bunch of Save Lucifer groups on Facebook.

There were rumors back then that the reason Fox was dropping Lucifer was because they were doing Sandman. Granted this was over a year before anyone actually decided to do Sandman. But back then there were Lucifer fans on Facebook going “If they adapt Sandman, I’m boycotting it!” So they were looking for excuses to blame Sandman even then.

There were even people saying things like “People who read comics aren’t like the people who watch TV.” And “I don’t care about the comic strip.” (Yes, there were people calling it a “strip” not realizing strip means a short comic in the form of a strip of panels in a newspaper, usually telling a brief joke…) and even “I’m glad they changed Death into Azrael. Goths are mean bitches and Azrael sweet!” (If you know anything at all about Death you’d realize how ironic this is. Death is an extremely friendly character. Goth fashion does not mean you are “mean.” That one really pissed me off.)

Anyway, I’m rambling. To get back on track, guys, don’t blame Sandman. Sandman is what GAVE us the version of Lucifer that quit ruling Hell, gave us Mazikeen, gave us Lux, gave us Lucifer playing the Piano, and even large chuncks of Lucifer’s TV show dialogue came from Sandman. At least two conversations Lucifer has in the show are direct dialogue from Sandman.

For example this conversation here with Linda was originally had in the comics with Morpheus (the Lord of Dreams) as Lucifer was shutting down Hell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2or2T62T1I

youtube

Issue 23 of Sandman (storyline Season of Mists part 2) And recreated in Lucifer’s solo comics via flashback.

Here Lucifer talks with Amenadiel about the masochistic soul. Yet again this is word for word a scene of Lucifer talking to Morpheus, The Lord of Dreams. Both Linda and Amenadiel have served as stand-ins for Morpheus in the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-py6PE9mO1A

youtube

Also from issue 23 of Sandman (Storyline: Season of mists part 2)

Sandman isn’t making you LOSE Lucifer, it’s what gave you the version of Lucifer you love to begin with. They have been trying to get an adaptation of Sandman made since 1996 but you didn’t see angry Sandman fans upset that Lucifer got a TV show first, a TV show that strategically stepped around Morpheus AKA Dream of The Endless AKA The Sandman because, at the time, Fox didn’t want him.

Netflix saved Lucifer. Netflix gave Lucifer two extra seasons after Fox had ended it. And, in my opinion, Netflix fixed a lot of mistakes from season 3 of Lucifer and put the show back on track. We should be grateful for what Netflix gave us.

I say this as someone who read Sandman in June of 2017. Lucifer was my gateway drug and the final push I needed to finally read Sandman. And I loved it dearly.

Sandman did not kill Lucifer. Netflix had decided to end Lucifer with season 5 before they were even offered Sandman (if you pay attention to the timeline of events). Had they not bought Sandman, this would NOT have saved Lucifer a second time. The decision that season 5 would be the last for Lucifer was decided immediately after season 4 concluded. Actually it may have been decided even before then. The producers of Lucifer said Netflix season 4 and 5 are the two halves of what they planned to be season 4 for Fox, just broken into two parts. So they always meant for this to be the conclusion, whether on Netflix or on Fox. Netflix gave them the chance to give it the ending the show deserved.

Fantasy TV shows usually only have a three year life expectancy. CW was the first network to break that rule with Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and later Supernatural surpassed all expectations. And game of thrones ran for nearly a decade. But in general most fantasy TV shows are considered successful if they get as far as the third season. Lucifer surpassed that. As a TV show Lucifer had a good, long life.

Netflix decided to conclude Lucifer months before they were even offered Sandman. The deal for Sandman wasn’t even official until June 30th / July 1st.

A character in Swamp Thing (The DC Streaming service series) is also a pivotal character in Sandman.

That character of Matthew Cable becomes Morpheus’ raven. (He chooses to spend his afterlife in the service of the dream lord). But you don’t see Swamp Thing fans blaming Sandman for Swamp Thing only getting one season. No. Instead we kind of view it as a compensation because Swamp Thing (though short lived) had been so good. We just hope Sandman will be just as good.

Sandman didn’t go around murdering Lucifer or Swamp Thing (at least Swamp Thing fans have some sense in this regard!). Sandman (comics) gave us this version of Lucifer. And for that we should be grateful.

Now if you want to read the story that introduces that version of Lucifer, it’s issue 4 of Sandman “A Hope in Hell” (available in the graphic novel Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes.)

If you want to read the storyline where Lucifer quits ruling Hell and we get introduced to Mazikeen it’s the storyline (available in graphic novel form) Sandman: Season of Mists.

If you want to read the storyline where Lucifer owns Lux and plays Piano that’s in the graphic novel Sandman: The Kindly Ones. But I highly recommend giving Sandman a chance, reading all of Sandman, and not skipping anything. I know I didn’t regret it. Instead I fell in love.

The order Sandman should be read in is:

1. The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes 2. The Sandman: The Doll’s House 3. The Sandman: Dream Country 4. The Sandman: Season of Mists 5. The Sandman: A Game of You 6. The Sandman: Fables and Reflections 7. The Sandman: Brief Lives 8. The Sandman: The Worlds’ End 9. The Sandman: The Kindly Ones 10. The Sandman: The Wake The Sandman: Dream Hunters The Sandman: Endless Nights The Sandman: Overture (a very beautiful prequel)

Sandman is not your enemy. It did not kill Lucifer. There are actors on Lucifer (I won’t name names) who have indicated they want to go on to other projects. Do not blame Sandman for Lucifer ending, instead be grateful Sandman gave us Lucifer to begin with. And boycotting Sandman will not suddenly make them reconsider Lucifer for a second time. It will just make you possibly miss out on something amazing.

Tom Ellis and company would NOT be proud of this behavior as they were proud of the Save Lucifer campaign. Instead, I can imagine Tom reminding you, that irrationally hating something before it even starts, and without even giving it a chance is precisely what One Million Moms did to Lucifer. Don’t let yourself become that. Give Sandman a chance, you may find out you love it.

Update: Yet again, no. Sandman did not cause Lucifer to get cancelled. I don’t know how many times you have to be told this.

https://twitter.com/neilhimself/status/1222168160566013953

#Lucifer #Lucifer Morningstar #The Sandman #Neil Gaiman #Neil Gaiman's The Sandman #Netflix #Netflix's The Sandman #Swamp Thing

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aclockworkfilmsnob · 4 years

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Spoiler free review on The Rise of Skywalker

Here we are, the end of the skywalker saga. As someone who has no real investment in the MCU, this was practically my Endgame.

In preparation for this, I revisited every skywalker saga movie excluding the first two prequels. I found myself loving the first two movies even more than I ever have in the past, and being let down by how none of them really lived up to that level afterwards.

That being said, after sitting on TLJ thoughts for years, going back and forth between myriads of praises and criticisms I’ve heard for that movie… I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed it on this revisit. I just thought it was an easygoing experience that explored different lenses of what has always made Star Wars so great, and the very idea that Rian Johnson “hates Star Wars” is ludicrous to me, but that’s a discussion for another day. A solid 7/10, even if it’s not as good as TFA, I think I liked it more.

But in the vocal community I am certainly in the minority there, and Johnson’s subversive vision did not jive with audiences across the board, so financially I guess a whole bunch of backtracking was necessary. It showed in the interviews, it showed in the promotional material… and it shows in this movie.

I did not like Rise of Skywalker. I really really did not like it. It didn’t even feel like a real movie to me, it felt like a fever dream of what a Star Wars sequel is in the mind of a middle school fan fiction writer, and not a cohesive film with a beginning, middle, and end.

Do the actors do a fine job with the material? Totally. Are the effects fantastic? You know it. Is the score effective and fun? Pretty much, yeah. But my fucking God guys… this editing and this screenplay is next level mindfuckery in the worst way I can describe to you.

I have plenty of counter points for the claims that Rey was ever a Mary Sue in TFA or TLJ, ones that I still support passionately. Here though? Jesus Christ. Like… what the actual fuck were they thinking? How she’s able to do some of the shit she’s depicted pulling off is honestly beyond me. They do try to ground her character in the emotional turmoil that was holding her back in the past few movies, but the contrast just doesn’t work. She feels way too overpowered and it seldom, if at all, feels like she got to this point naturally. I fail to see how THIS movie is the product of taking criticisms from the last movies and course correcting, because how they handled Rey is literally the exact opposite of what they should have done. It was like making Anakin even more whiny and annoying in Clones than he was in Phantom Menace.

I don’t consider this a spoiler since it’s in the trailer, but the fact that Leia is here at all was such a bad idea. It’s so obvious that they wrote the script AROUND the remaining footage they had left from TLJ. It’s actually comical at points. It’s like that Rick and Morty episode where Jerry is trapped on a fake earth, and he’s talking to human NPC’s who only have a certain amount of phrases they can say. This movie would have worked so much better if it started with Leia’s funeral or something, because this was just too goofy.

Everything about Palpatine’s inclusion in this movie is bad. Literally, everything. I hated that he was in this movie. I actually couldn’t fucking stand it. I am not kidding when I say it was everything I feared it would be at the very least, because some of it was so bad it floored me. I was in total disbelief that a group of people said that THIS was okay to release in 3,000 theaters across the world. It’s like a practical joke or something.

I love Rey, Finn, and Poe as characters. But I don’t love where they’ve ended up. Their friendship is so forced in this movie, every attempt to expand upon their connection and build their chemistry falls flat. Had it not been for how much I loved them from the first two movies, I wouldn’t really care much at all what happens to them here. Or at the very least, in many respects, they don’t even feel like the same people anymore. Not as if they’ve grown from the last movie, but as if they’ve sporadically changed in artificial ways.

Maybe Rise of Skywalker functions just fine as a dumb, over the top sci fi movie isolated from the connection of this giant franchise. But as a sequel? As a conclusion? This thing is borderline fucking abysmal. The more I think about it, the worse it gets. And I wasn’t even making excuses for it in the theater, or giving JJ the benefit of the doubt, I spent the bulk of the movie frustrated and annoyed. But I think I feel that way even more so talking about it.

They should have given JJ more time. 2 years is just not enough to craft the conclusion to this giant saga. It feels as rushed as it is. I’m not rating it yet, I might actually sit through it again if you can believe I have the patience to do that. But man, God all-fucking-mighty, I do not like this movie at all.

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eldritchsurveys · 4 years

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710.

Do you read and believe your horoscope? >> I don’t read horoscopes, no. I don’t find them useful.

Do you have rules for naming your future children? >> No, largely because I don’t plan on having children.

Why do you think we keep having food recalls? >> I mean, I don’t think they happen quite that often.

Do food recalls prevent you from eating certain items for long periods? >> I’ve actually never heard about a food recall that was for a food I actually ate. The last major rash of them was about romaine lettuce, which I don’t eat, and I think I heard about one for bean sprouts recently? which I also don’t eat. But I imagine if there was a recall for something I eat regularly, I’d be pretty paranoid for a bit afterward.

Is a hair dryer a necessity for you? >> No. I definitely do not have enough hair to warrant using a whole appliance just to dry it.

Which actor, in your opinion, played the best Batman? >> I don’t have an opinion. I’ve only seen the Nolan Trilogy (which I enjoyed, but it wasn’t exactly Christian Bale’s Batman that I enjoyed...), Batman v Superman for some reason (let’s just not even talk about that), and one of the nineties flicks, but that was so long ago that I definitely have no opinion about it now.

Would you stop and ask for directions if you were lost? >> Well, it’s not really necessary these days, I have a smartphone. But if I couldn’t use that for some reason, then yeah, absolutely. Done it before and would do it again.

If you were atop a tall building, would you throw stuff at people below? >> No.

Do you melt when you see gorgeous eyes? >> No???

If Simon rejected you at AI tryouts, would you tell him off? >> It actually took me a few seconds to figure out what this was about, lmao. But I wouldn’t be on American Idol tryouts in the first place, because I really don’t care for shows like that (or competitions, period). And if for some reason I was trying out, I don’t see what purpose being a dick to Simon Cowell would serve except making me even more exhausted than I probably already would be.

Do you believe we really landed on the moon? >> Sure. I can definitely understand how it would seem implausible. It really kind of does, all space travel does. But I wouldn’t go so far as to believe it was staged.

Would you drive "The Shaggin' Wagon" from Dumb & Dumber? >> I... only have the barest recollection of that movie. Was... was it a van that was covered in fur to make it look like a dog? Because that image just popped into my head and I don’t know if it was from this movie or a completely different one. Regardless, I definitely would not drive that abomination.

If a spaceship landed on your front lawn, what would be your 1st reaction? >> “We have a front lawn?” (I live in an apartment complex, lol. But either way, I can’t imagine how I’d react to a spacecraft just. landing outside. That’s beyond my dubious ability to predict my reactions to things.)

Have you ever TURNED DOWN an invite to a wedding? Why? >> I’ve only been invited to three and I went to all three.

Do you believe people should get married in a church? >> Fuck no, I sure didn’t, and neither did the two friends of mine whose weddings I attended. The third wedding I attended was because I was invited along with Sparrow, whose family member was getting married, and that was in a church. It... was surreal, tbh. Not a fan.

Have you stuck your hand up a vending machine to try and get something out? >> Yeah.

Mail letters at the post office or place them in your mailbox for pick-up? >> Put them in the “outgoing” slot in the mailbox.

Ever filled out magazine subscription cards for someone else as a joke? >> No.

What items would you NOT buy from a rummage sale? >> I mean, there’s a lot of things I wouldn’t buy from a rummage sale, just... personal items, I guess.

If there's a food drive, do you start searching for stuff YOU wouldn't eat? >> I haven’t participated in a food drive, but if I did I would definitely not donate food I wouldn’t myself eat. I used to be homeless, okay, and the worst thing is to get food donations and it’s just a bunch of shit you can’t really use or find completely unpalatable.

Does the news depress you? >> I mean, no, mostly because I don’t watch it in the first place.

Name a movie everyone else thought was funny, but you couldn't stand: >> A lot of people seemed to enjoy Superbad but I found it intolerable.

Do you think sets of kitchen utensils should include sporks? >> Not really. But it’s not necessarily a bad idea, either.

Does the mall you go to have an arcade? Do you go in there? >> Rivertown Crossings does, but it’s wack. Nothing like how arcades were back in the day. I stuck my head in once to see if they had DDR (they didn’t) but I wouldn’t go any farther.

What topping do you HATE on pizzas? >> I haven’t encountered a topping that I hated yet, mostly because I stick to the ones I already know I like.

What is your favorite Little Debbie snack? >> I don’t eat them.

Got any interesting wigs? >> I have two wigs, and both are long black-to-white ombre (one regular, one braided). I think they’re very interesting and I love them. Even though the non-braided one is a pain in the fucking ass because it gets impossibly tangled as soon as you even look at it.

You need to go to the bathroom. Finish this first or get up and go? >> If I had to go to the bathroom, I’d probably go before I started.

Do hypothetical situations honestly prepare a person for what's to come? >> No. But at least it gets you thinking.

Can you resist temptation? >> Not always, of course. I’m not a monk.

Do people underestimate your intelligence? >> I don’t know. I assume people aren’t really giving much thought to me or my intelligence level.

Would a credit card get you into trouble? >> I will never find out, because I don’t plan on ever having one. (I doubt I could even get approved for one, which is just fine.)

Truth or dare? >> No.

Do you believe it's okay to tell white lies? >> I think the specifics of the situation and the moral framework of the individual are what determines whether lying is an acceptable action or not.

What Mario game was your least favorite, and why? >> ---

Have you ever been snowed in? >> Sure.

What do you like in your omelettes? >> Veggies and cheese.

Which is more annoying: sequels or prequels? >> Meh.

Do you use rechargeable batteries? >> No. The only things I own that even use batteries are computer peripherals and the batteries need replacing so infrequently that it doesn’t even matter.

Describe the chair you're sitting in. Is it comfy? >> I’m in a bed, and yes, it’s very cozy.

Do you like to drink Jell-o as you're making it? >> No??? I mean, I never considered doing that, but if I think about it, I can see why you would.

What do/did you normally get detentions for? >> ---

Which That 70's Show character would you like to kick it with? >> ---

Does your alarm clock actually awaken you? >> I use it infrequently (so I’m not inured to it) and I’m a light sleeper, so yeah, it usually awakens me instantly when I do use it.

Ever think you might have seen a UFO? >> No.

Does playing games in 2-D bother you because you now play mostly 3-D games? >> Kind of.

Tell the wierdest name of a town/city you've ever heard: >> I’ve heard of a lot of weird ones over the years. I think Britain has some really off-the-wall ones. There’s no way I’d remember the exact examples, though.

Do you know anyone who DOESN'T have a cell phone? >> I don’t think so, but it’s possible.

What would you do if you thought someone was following you? >> I don’t know, I’d need more specifics than that (like where I am, what time of day it is, etc).

Say a superhero like Spiderman saved you. Would you fall in love? >> I doubt even being saved by a superhero would somehow make me alloromantic. Maybe I’d want to be friends. Having a superhero friend could be cool.

#surveys #survey #random survey

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animatronic5 · 4 years

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My Thoughts on the Star Wars Fanbase. Only Read if you wanna read a long rant, and listen to ones opinion on this topic. You won't be judged for your opinion, so keep an open mind if you share it.

So.... This is a scary topic. Honestly, talking about Star Wars NOW is like talking about Ghostbusters in 2016. But WAY different. Personally, I think it's impossible to please the fanbase. It used to be so simple, right!? Everyone loved the OG trilogy. Most people panned the prequels, but there was a select few who enjoyed them, and even grew up with them. Most love Clone Wars, and some are okay with Rebels. But nowadays, everything's changed. Whenever one of the sequel trilogy came out, people got angry. Force Awakens was, "too similar to a New Hope." Last Jedi is, "too different from the other films." Rouge One and Solo, most people agree to disagree on their opinions on it. The Mandolarion is now beloved by so many fans. And now, we're at Rise of Skywalker. The mixed reviews, I think, can be summed up in several phrases. Pick The one that represents you! A. "This film panders to nostalgia, and is an insult to EVERYONE!" B. "I LOVED this film! It had so many new things, and some old things!" C. "Eh, I need to think about it. It was okay, I guess." D. "Wasn't prefect, but I've seen worse." E. "I've seen better, but it wasn't all bad." To me, I think they're all understandable. I personally like EVERY film in this series. But that doesn't mean I'm blind to their flaws. 1. Jar Jar and the politics stuff. 2. Some bad effects and acting. 3. A little too dark at times, and some off acting. 4. Some hoaky acting and writing for its time. 5. Wasn't as beloved when it came out. 6. A little too childish. Rouge One. Bland characters. Solo. Kinda pointless. But I have a soft spot for each film, even the new ones. And it might just come down to the three people I watch these movies with. My dad, my twin brother, and my little sister. My dad was one of the first to see the original Star Wars in the 70's. He's got a huge collection! But, he's not a fan of the prequels. And yet, he loves the newer films, and we have a great time in theaters when seeing them. My brother grew up with the prequels, same as me. But they didn't really like Star Wars until they got older. They like the old films, they're unbiased to the prequels, and they enjoy watching the newer films with us, despite the problems they have with them. And my little sister. She's growing up with these newer films. Watching them with her always makes me cry. Not just the new ones, but ALL of them. Watching them with her, eating snacks and such will always hold a place in my heart. So, with all that said, I always feel a pit in my stomach when discussing these films. To me, small changes could greatly improve stuff from them. Like Rey. Maybe if they showed her becoming exhausted from using the force, showed her training a little more and such, not as many would bash this character. In Last Jedi, maybe if Holdo told Poe that she was afraid a spy was on board, and that's why she doesn't speak her plan, and maybe cut down on the stuff with Finn and Rose, some of the hate wouldn't have come. And now, with the newest film, I think it's clear that it's impossible to make the fans 100% happy. The reviews from early screenings are EXTREMELY MIXED. Some get ticked off by the fanservice and pandering. The only reason they did that was to please fans! So many got pissed with how different Last Jedi was, so of course they're gonna try that! People are ticked off by certain characters. Not all of them are great, but it brings my piss to a boil whenever an actor is attacked for a role they played. Like the actresses for Rey and Rose. Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran were bullied A LOT, for simply playing two characters. Rey is called a Mary Sue, and Rose is called, "worse than Jar Jar." This has happened before. Not just by Star Wars fans, but even Indiana Jones fans! Ahmed Best, Hayden Christianson, Kate Capshaw, Shai Labouf, and now Ms. Ridley and Ms. Tran! Each of these actors have faced criticism. Best almost took his life from the hate Jar Jar got. Christianson didn't get good roles for many years afterwards. Capshaw is rarely in films really. And oh, poor Shia. From Indy 4, Transformers, and "Just Do It!", this guy deserves a break. Anyway, even if you don't like the characters, bullying the actors for it is NEVER acceptable. I'm sorry if some of this seems to go all over the place. But honestly, so does the fanbase. I'm an optimistic movie goer. I've seen much, much, much, much, much, MUCH worse movies than the sequel triology. So I lower my expectations, so I'm either pleasantly surprised, or not let down. So, I'm going to see Rise of Skywalker with my dad and bro this holiday season. I'm not gonna see Cats. God no! I'm gonna lower my expectations, so I can go in with an open mind. I can only hope that I'll walk out of the theater with SOME form of enjoyment. Even if I hate the film, if it managed to entertain me for even a millisecond, it's done SOMETHING right! If you don't like this movie after you see it, that's great! More power to ya! If you love the movie after seeing it, also great! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Just don't go overboard with your emotions. To anyone who reads this long rant, I Thank you, and wish you a good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night. Happy Holidays, and thanks for reading.

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bobafettanthologyfilm · 5 years

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Boba Fett Star Wars Anthology Film Details

Below is a summary of some of the main events that were anchor points in Josh Trank's Boba Fett movie based on the notes provided to us by Lucasfilm. I'm releasing this in hopes that some of the incredible art we developed for months will leak because I really believe the fans missed out on something special.

-The first sequence featured a squadron of mandalorian armored mercenaries storming an Imperial garrison looking to assassinate a yet unidentified imperial commander (likely to be someone for the canon fans, in concept art it was Thrawn). The mercenaries quite easily mow through the stormtroopers until they enter a command station that has Darth Vader flanked by death troopers. Vader mows them all down and force chokes Boba, the last man standing, in the air trying to interrogate him. Boba reveals he was hired by a third party. Vader puts the pressure on and Boba's masks breaks and Vader recognizes the face of a clone trooper right away. He spares him and has the troopers entering the room put him in a detention cell.

-Vader confronts Boba in the cell interrogating him about his past. Vader originally thought he might be a clone from the clone wars but reveals that any surviving clones would be much older than Boba appears to be now. Boba establishes that he is just a simple man trying to make his way in the universe and Vader senses that Boba will do anything for the right price. He offers Boba to hunt down and bring in whomever put out the hit on the imperial commander in exchange for the location and name of the Jedi that struck down his father.

-The seconds act was Boba hunting down the third-party alien that originally hired him. Once Boba finally finds him/her, the alien gets tipped off when Boba starts asking who called in the hit. The alien flees which leads to a speeder bike chase through the streets of malastare. One of the main features of the chase were it finding itself in the middle of a pod race. One of the ideas was to showcase a pod race on a different planet and how this race would suggest that pod racing would vary from planet to planet based on that planet's features. Malastare would feature much more narrow canyons and uneven terrain than the Tatooine race featured causing more issues for Boba to navigate during the chase sequence along with avoiding being killed by the pod racers.

-Boba manages to get a location out of the alien and travels to a tbd rainy jungle planet. He lands far away from where Slave I detects life forms and tries to sneak into their camp. He avoids a series of traps until he is eventually caught in one of them.

-When he comes to he is confronted by a man that looks just like his father, and then several more come to him looking for answers. Boba has come across a large camp of who is left of the surviving clone troopers from the clone wars. The empire is hunting them down as they were able to override their programming and disobey order 66. They now plot and try to find ways to strategically disrupt the power of the empire. They are joined by their ranking general, the jedi master Mace Windu who is scarred and has a metallic arm (concept art which sneakily was put in the Force Awakens concept art book without context). Boba does not recognize him, but Windu is particularly stern to Boba and all the clones in general, so Boba develops a distaste for him. Boba finds out the remaining clone troopers that didn't desert and were accounted for were destroyed when the empire decided to start recruiting civilians.

-Boba assimilates into the group of clone troopers and starts to become one of them. A long time passes and Windu and Boba are sitting around a tented fire, the battle hardened Windu finally opening up to Boba. Windu is about to tell Boba that he killed his father when a sonic boom erupts in the sky. A lone star destroyer peaks out of the clouds of the rainy atmosphere while troop transports come out of the sides. It's later revealed Vader had a placer tracked on Slave I assuming Boba would be killed while looking to collect his bounty.

-It's jungle warfare as the clone troopers fight the stormtroopers for their survival. Midpoint through the battle Windu looks up at the star destroyer and senses "Skywalker." Windu tells Boba he needs his ship to get to Vader and Boba says no one pilots that ship but him. They fly up to the ship together and and Boba supports Windu as he cut his way to the bridge of the ship.

-Windu and Vader face off. Windu defeats Vader. He is going to give the final strike when Vader reveals to Boba that it was Windu who killed Boba's father. Boba has a flashback in which he sees the moment replay of his father being slain. He is taken over by rage and lifts his blaster to shoot Windu. Windu has been in a similar position before and lifts his hand and uses the force to crush Boba's blaster which explodes and knocks Boba back several feet. Boba in a great deal of pain raises his wrist rocket and presses a button on it that is suggested in the first act of the script in a throw away line could be fatal if used as he's not exactly sure what it does. Boba presses it and it discharges a very bright beam that completely disintegrates Windu and several feet of the interior of the star destroyer. The few remaining clone troopers win their land battle, and are spared orbital bombardment at Boba's request.

The media said the reason why the Boba Fett movie got the boot was due to Fantastic 4 tanking and the alleged on set behavior of Trank. This is partially true, but there were so many more issues that factored into this getting canned.

-Disney wanted a strong female protagonist/love interest for Boba which did not come to fruition

-The movie would have featured Samuel L Jackson and Temuera Morrison but there was a large debate about what to do with Boba. Having Morrison in the movie made sense but it would make less sense to have a different young actor to play Boba since we already knew what the young version of the clone looked like.

-The ending was deemed "a major bummer" by Lucasfilm higher-ups

-There was worry about featuring Vader too soon since a common complaint being bandied about online was people being sick of the Skywalker story

-lots of other internal politics that make little sense to even people who work here

-Ultimately Disney could not determine if they wanted to lean into the prequel trilogy in such a prominent way. Very briefly the art team was creating concept art for a potential remake of the prequel trilogy that would happen a few years after episode 9 was completed as an exploratory option just to see what something like that might look like. It would also be a way to continue the big money episodic events and help blow open the almost non-existent Chinese market by "starting over" at the first episode. It was never seriously discussed but it was something that was at least being talked about as a remake of the OT was completely off the table. This movie would have completely pushed out any possibility of that and the success of later movies would determine if they actually needed to consider this a viable direction of the property.

-Many of the ideas being developed for this film got snatched up for use in some upcoming projects, so if a version of this movie ever goes back in production, expect some pretty big changes. Based on what Lucasfilm is currently planning, it's safe to assume the Boba Fett movie isn't coming back any time soon but pod racing on malastare could be just around the corner.

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