#haven dvd commentaries

[bokettochild]

This excerpt from Cider and Cocoa (one of my ultimate comfort fics) for the DVD commentary ask!! Idk if this is the right number of words because I Could Not count them.

  That night, they curled up on the couch with mugs of cider and cocoa, silently enjoying their final night together.  

  In the morning, Mr. Hero loaded him up with apples and spice, and Ravio scoured his bags for every last trace of chocolate to stock the hero’s cupboards. Neither would last forever, something that niggled the backs of both of their minds, but both sought to drown the thought with checking over house and bags respectively one last time.  

  The goodbye was tearful, both from the princesses and Ravio himself as he flung himself into Mr. Hero’s arms, blubbering and sobbing in a right mess, but Mr. Hero only sighed, shoulders trembling slightly as he’d gently patted his back (arms tight enough around him that Ravio could hardly breathe) the softest of sniffles sounding from his friend as the hero let him cry out all his goodbyes on his shoulder.  

  That night, in the big, stately, but painfully lonely and uncluttered, kitchen of Lorule’s castle, Ravio made apple cider. It didn’t taste quite like Mr. Hero’s, a far cry indeed, but that may have just been the salt in it.  

Honestly, I don't care that much about the word count. You could probably sneak 1,000 in and I'd still just be happy to talk about my fics!

Okay, so, the thing about Cider and Cocoa is that the fic sort of jumped out of nowhere. It's one of the ones that's charm lies in it's simplicity and the fact that there are so few spoken words, and rather the vague impression of speech, which lends it a dreamy, story-book sort of feel (or so I think) that makes it the perfect thing to read to help soothe troubled hearts and ease little sisters down to bed. It's one of @apparitianhanako's favorites to beg me to read to her for that reason, and my main inclination for hoping to one day record read-alouds of the stories, if only so she can always have me reading it to her whenever she wants, no matter what may happen :)

The passage you selected seemed to be the natural progression of the fic when writing it. I wanted to capture that serene sense of slowly warming up to each other, settling into orbit and finding a home where it's not expected. Unfortunately, according to LU cannon, Ravio didn't stay at Link's house, as many prefer to portray it, but instead went home. In the story I was establishing though, it seemed that such a parting would naturally be quite difficult for both of them.

One of the main focus points I had in mind was the severe contrast Ravio would be nearly overwhelmed by from having gone from working (and living?) in a castle, to suddenly being inside this small house with no servants and no silent halls and just... no opulence. Link's house is the picture of simplicity; a little cottage on a hill surrounded by apple trees, a garden and bee hives. The contrast is stark to Ravio, but also a relief; Link's house is a safe haven, both for Mr. Hero and himself, and feels like it's own little pocket of the world, seperate from nearly all else. Link likes it best this way, and Ravio grows to adore it.

Hence why leaving it is such a painful thing.

It's painful for both of them, as they've become awfully attached to one another. It's also why the two of them exchange recipes and why they heap upon the other the necessary tools to make them; both of them know they'll probably never see each other again. However, them being the stubborn bunnies they are, there's a part of them that wants to hold on as fast as possible, to believe that as long as the other one has even just a taste (quite literally in this case) of their time together, that they won't forget them.

Just the same, there's the hope that if they can have that taste of their time with the other, they won't be nearly as lonely once they've parted.

The goodbye itself was interesting to write, because its displays, I think the best of almost anything, the contrast between them. I always enjoy writing a contrast between heroes and princesses that I think I encapsulated best in A Royally Awful Prank, but also touched on here.

Link (Legend) is harsh in his words, in the way he wants the world to see him. It's a mask as we all know, but one raised defensively to protect a tender heart. Ravio, in contrast, has not been faced with the troubles to make him raise such shields, so while Link is trying to remain strong, for not only Ravio but also Zelda, Ravio himself is giving free rein to tears and sorrow.

Ravio sees nothing wrong with expressing himself honestly, whereas Link (Legend) feels the need to be the one offering strength, to bear the burden of the others' hurt as best he can to make their lives and struggle easier. it seemed something the hero would most likely pick up on, and for a hero like the Hero of Legend, who serves not his country, but to help people in need, it seemed in character to make him want to still be strong.

That said, losing Ravio is heartbreaking. Link (Legend) has lost so many people before, but this was the first time he knew it was coming, and knew how it was going to happen. it almost makes it harder because he was mourning it before it ever even happened. So when it does, yes, he's barely holding it together. When he gets home after that scene, he sits himself down in his orchard and just cries.

In that moment though, he's trying to shield his emotions by not speaking too much or crying, but unfortunately, he can't manage to not cling to Ravio for just a moment more, because he too has cherished having someone around in a place that feels like home who just... cares. Link and Ravio may have been using each other to an extant in order to save their homes, but they both knew it all the while and when it comes down to it, they saw all the worst and best of each other in that time. So letting go of the person who sees you for who you are, and not only accepts but cherishes that person, is so, so hard for both of them; Legend physically and Ravio more emotionally.

The last paragraph really focuses on the point I made to open: Lorule castle is big and lonely to Ravio. This is the first glimpse the reader gets of it, but it's a sharp contrast to the cozy home life that Link and Ravio had to share. In the castle, you can miss running into someone on complete accident, whereas the cottage made it to where they could hear each other all the time, no matter where in the house they went. To go from warmth and someone who understands, appreciates and accepts you, to a big, empty place where you're just a piece in a divine chess match is quite painful for Ravio.

Still, our merchant tries to make it a bit more like the house he now thinks of as 'home' by making Link's cider. it doesn't work though, because (as we learn in the next chapter, and as my sister happily brings up every time) Ravio messed up the recipe.

I didn't want to just end it there though, it felt so... disengenuine, so I added the last line.

"It didn’t taste quite like Mr. Hero’s, a far cry indeed, but that may have just been the salt in it."

I remember ditehring over this line for a while. i considered adding more, clarifying that Ravio didn't strait up put salt in cider, that he's crying so hard he might as well be drinking tear-water tea, but the open-ended nature and freedom of interpretation; letting the reader put it together themselves, seemed more appealing. it's not often I can do that without unnecessary confusion, but here I feel like it was well placed and easy to read.

Honestly, this is one of my favorite fics all around, and definitely the one that's stood up the best to time out of all of them. I'm really glad you gave me a chance to blather about it!

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

Want to say a massive fuck you to the couple at the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square last night/early this morning who were sat next to me for the extended edition Lord of the Rings marathon.

Literally for the whole 12 hours, they did not shut the fuck up - I’m not talking whispers, I’m talking full on loud obnoxious next-to-shouting that I could hear over the very loud soundtrack and battle scenes. Every 30 seconds without fail, it was “DAMN”/“god he’s SO fucking hot”/“SHIT”/“FUCK”/“THAS MY BOI” followed by obnoxious laughter. Double the obnoxious laughter whenever there was the slightest mention of weed or leaves (“THATS US!” - shut the FUCK UP). The boyfriend of the couple was also mansplaining the entire trilogy, as if none of us had fucking seen it (guess what, asshat, yes, I do know that Viggo broke his toe kicking that helmet! Every fucker knows that, you are not special!), as well as every 45 minutes getting up and going past him (constantly brushing against my legs because the space is so small) and blocking my view of the screen. Oh and him and his girlfriend were cuddling up and making out throughout it too.

Worst of all though? Them laughing at me and making fun of me for having my Frodo bear; because I was trying to be thoughtful, I didn’t bring any of my usual fidget toys because they’re noisy and I didn’t want to distract people, plus holding something like a bear helps me feel comfortable and it’s also in theme with an OVERNIGHT LOTR MARATHON. I also find it comforting to silently stim by running my fingers over the bear’s fur/costume. Also them making fun of me for crying at several scenes because a) I love this series so much, b) my nan used to watch it with me (even the extended editions) without a single complaint (she was literally the only one) and c) the scenes where they talk about the grey havens/death not being the end etc were very comforting to me when my nan died so those scenes still make me tear up. I didn’t sob loudly, I just let some tears fall - they still made fun of me and called me names, thinking I couldn’t hear their voices over the music but guess what? I could, because they were annoying and loud as FUCK.

Listen, if you want to talk and make jokes during a movie/marathon, do it at HOME. The other 150 people in the room do NOT care about you or your opinions. If I wanted a running commentary of the trilogy for 12 hours straight, I would have just used my DVDs and listened to the cast commentary; I paid £25 just for the ticket because I wanted to see it on the big screen back to back, not to hear people talk the entire way through and mock me. I’ve been a fan of the films for 8 years now, I do NOT need it explained to me because I’m a woman - funnily enough, I’m more than capable of watching a film series and understanding what’s going on.

Never thought two stoner assholes could ruin LOTR for me but here we are. I was so close to just walking out and going home despite paying so much money to go. I would go next week because they’re doing it again, but at this point I don’t know if I should bother.

[brokehorrorfan]

Blu-ray Review: Alone in the Dark

Not to be confused with the 2005 video game adaptation of the same name, 1982’s Alone in the Dark has all the makings of a horror classic. It’s written and directed by Jack Sholder (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, The Hidden), stars screen greats Jack Palance (City Slickers), Donald Pleasence (Halloween), and Martin Landau (Ed Wood), features a special effect by Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th), and was the first production shepherded by New Line Cinema (A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Lord of the Rings). It would be notable for all the talent involved even if it was bad - but it's a genuinely great genre outing. Scream Factory aims to change the tide on the under-seen picture with a Collector's Edition Blu-ray.

The film follows psychiatrist Dan Potter (Dwight Schultz, The A-Team) to his new position at a new-age psychiatric hospital known as The Haven. Its righteous founder, Dr. Leo Bain (Pleasence), uses unorthodox methods to get through to patients - or voyagers, as he refers to them - that other doctors have written off. Potter is stationed on the third floor, where the potentially dangerous individuals are housed: paranoid schizophrenic veteran Frank Hawkes (Palance), pyromaniac ex-minister Byron Sutcliff (Landau), child molester Ronald Elster (Erland van Lidth, The Running Man), and serial killer John "The Bleeder" Skaggs (Phillip Clark).

Under the delirious belief that Potter killed their old doctor and that they are next, the patients plot to kill him first. A power blackout allows them to make an easy escape, followed by riots through the city where they blend in. The last act feels a bit like Night of the Living Dead, as Potter and his family - wife Nell (Deborah Hedwall, Mare of Easttown), liberal sister Toni (Lee Taylor-Allan, Stargate), and young daughter Lyla (Elizabeth Ward) - are trapped in their house with the armed killers lurking outside, then it slowly becomes a home invasion as the madmen make their way inside one by one.

Slasher is the easiest way to classify Alone in the Dark, but that's not entirely accurate. Produced during the subgenre's golden age, the movie certainly contains key slasher elements but also eschews several of its tropes. Notably, it centers on adults rather than teenagers, college kids, or young adults. Coincidentally, it’s set in a town called Springwood (pre-dating A Nightmare on Elm Street by two years) and features a killer donning a goalie mask (arriving the same year Jason Voorhees picked one up in Friday the 13th Part III).

Sholder shows remarkable control in his direction for a feature debut, delivering a tight 93 minutes with a couple of chilling stalk-and-slash scenes. Working with cinematographer Joseph Mangine (Alligator, Q: The Winged Serpent), the film features some beautiful, blue-tinted nighttime sequences. The score, composed by Renato Serio (The Pumaman), is begging to be pressed on vinyl. Its main theme is reminiscent of The Exorcist's "Tubular Bells" with hints of Italian prog rock and John Carpenter influence.

Schultz is considerably more restrained than his over-the-top Murdock from The A-Team, but he’s understandably overshadowed by - and billed below - the bigger names. Palance, per usual, commands attention every time he's on screen. Pleasence’s Dr. Bain is the inverse of his Dr. Loomis from Halloween; one is convinced his patient is pure evil, the other believes they are harmless. Landau adds further gravitas. Brent Jennings (Lodge 49) plays the ill-fated third floor security guard, while a young Lin Shaye (Insidious) pops up as the first inmate Potter meets. Punk band The Sic Fucks appear as themselves, performing the infectiously macabre "Chop Up Your Mother" and more at a nightclub.

Alone in the Dark has been newly scanned in 2K from the interpositive with DTS-HD Master Audio stereo sound for Scream Factory's Collector's Edition Blu-ray. It features reversible artwork with a new design by Hugh Fleming that leans into the slasher elements and the ominous original poster art. A new interview with Sholder is one of the best director featurettes in recent memory. The sharp, 40-minute piece offers detailed anecdotes about the Friday the 13th's inspiration, the original script being set in New York City, how editing The Burning taught him how to make a horror movie, and more.

Sholder's archival audio commentary from the 2005 DVD is also included. A lot of information from the interview is repeated, but the longer form allows him to go into greater detail. Film historians Justin Kerswell (author of The Slasher Movie Book) and Amanda Reyes (author of Are You In The House Alone?: A TV Movie Compendium) provide a new audio commentary in which they analyze the subtext of the film. A new featurette finds former Fangoria editor-in-chief Michael Gingold visiting the New Jersey filming locations (including one later used in Orange is the New Black) as they appear today.

Both new and archival interviews with The Sic Fucks vocalist Russell Wolinsky and back-up singers Snooky Bellomo and Tish Bellomo show the band members taking pride in their small part in horror history. An archival chat with actress Carol Levy is also included; she recounts playing the libidinous babysitter in addition to her work in other productions, then shows off her ability to put her legs behind her head. The theatrical trailer, TV spot, two radio spots, and a gallery of stills round out the extras.

Alone in the Dark is available now on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray via Scream Factory.

[ocw-archive]

TIME Magazine, Feb. 29, 2004

He's With Him

By Joel Stein/Los Angeles;

It's hard to be funny alone. First, who's going to laugh at the jokes? But it's also just not natural; comedy is inherently competitive and interactive. And although the idea of comedy duos seems antiquated — from the black-and-whiteness of Laurel and Hardy to the '60s snobbery of Elaine May and Mike Nichols — Ben Stiller, 38, and Owen Wilson, 35, have resuscitated the concept, playing off each other in a series of six simultaneously smart and stupid films, including The Royal Tenenbaums , Zoolander and Meet the Parents . Stiller, whose parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara were a comedy team in the '60s and '70s, updates Lou Costello with an agitated everyman, while Wilson does the smartest dumb guy ever, thanks to a slacker knowingness.

For their new film, a campy remake of the campy '70s cop show Starsky & Hutch , Stiller and Wilson play their set roles broadly. They sat down with TIME for a chat about the film, the pressures of being a comedy duo and hitting on women. The suitable-for-a-family-magazine parts appear below:

STILLER: I wanted to ask if we might have a cover shot with this.

TIME: No.

WILSON: You did a Miami Vice cover: COOL COPS, HOT SHOW. I loved that show.

STILLER: I was on a Miami Vice episodelate in the series, when they were saying Crockett wouldn't come on the set until Tubbs was on the set.

TIME: Do you guys do that?

WILSON: I like to keep things loose when I perform. Ben has a really different approach.

STILLER: I read the script. Owen likes to use the call sheet as a starting point as to when to show up on the set.

TIME: This is good. You have tension.

Wilson: We're both up-and-down personalities. We've been friends for a long time, and we have a similar sense of humor, but [to Stiller] you're pretty sensitive to stuff. Sensitive to me. On the Zoolander DVD commentary, they start slamming the way I look, saying "What's the deal with his nose?" And I could hear Ben try to defend me.

STILLER: People are obsessed with your nose. I don't get questions about my nose, and I have a huge nose.

WILSON: This whole story was about your sensitivity to me, and now you're talking about my nose?

TIME: When did you figure out that you were a comedy duo?

WILSON: People ask if we have chemistry. You have to wait to see what the public says.

STILLER: I think that's a weird thing anyway, chemistry.

WILSON: Every movie I've been in, they say, "You have great chemistry," whoever I've been with. Sort of the way I've never worked on a movie where the dailies haven't been "incredible." And I always fall for it.

STILLER: Owen describes us as Hope and Crosby without the huge following.

WILSON: Martin and Lewis without the fans. That makes us more authentic, I think. Or more committed to being a duo.

STILLER: I think there are certain similarities to Bob Hope as far as his onscreen persona.

TIME: The nose.

STILLER: Well, the nose. But Owen does that lovably, rascally coward type of guy.

WILSON: Let me refer you to a movie called Behind Enemy Lines . There's a guy who had the chance to run and jump on the helicopter but chose to go back into a hail of bullets.

STILLER: That's when I realized we were a comedy duo, when I saw Behind Enemy Lines . I realized Owen should never be alone.

TIME: Why'd you let Ben drive the car in the movie? He grew up in Manhattan.

WILSON: I was disappointed to show up on-set and see that Ben was doing all the driving.

STILLER: Again, if you read the script, you can see what is actually going to happen in the movie.

WILSON: It was three weeks into the movie before I found out we weren't doing Dukes of Hazzard .

TIME: As kids, when we played Starsky and Hutch, we always fought over who had to be Hutch.

WILSON: I don't know if this is a controversy, but I liked Starsky as a kid.

STILLER: We can't dis David Soul, though. I think they're a duo. When those guys came out to do the movie, they went right back into it.

TIME: Maybe that's because they haven't done other characters since then.

STILLER: Starsky is a director.

TIME: And David Soul made that beautiful song you sing in the movie.

WILSON: Don't Give Up on Us, Baby.

TIME: It didn't sound at all like you were singing that. It sounded as if it had more computer-generated effects than Shrek.

STILLER: It's Owen's voice put through that auto-tunes thing. He broke two of them.

WILSON: They said, "You're going to take some guitar lessons and sing." And I'm not musical at all.

STILLER: That and your predisposition against preparation.

WILSON: I saw the hard work you put into driving the Gran Torino paid off great. You're one of the worst drivers I've ever seen.

STILLER: What did I do wrong? I hit all my marks. I did power slides.

WILSON: Ben always had a technical term for every mistake he made. If he hit the wall, it was a power slide.

STILLER: There's a fine line between aggressive driving and bad driving.

WILSON: Ben and I used to do some brainstorming. You've never heard two guys less interested in another guy's idea. We had a tape recorder. We walked around New York with it. I'd get excited about one of my ideas, and Ben would click it off, like he was worried about using up tape.

STILLER: Remember the girl?

WILSON: We were standing on the corner of the street and talking about our ideas, as a shortcut to avoid working, like we found a way out from having to actually sit down in a room for three months and write. And we see this incredible-looking girl walking her dog, and we both trail off. And after she goes by, Ben says, "I'm tired of letting my insecurities rule me." And I'm like, "I know. Why didn't we say hello to that girl?" Then we both start bucking each other up.

STILLER: We have successful careers. We should be more self-confident. Then she turns and comes around the corner again, and we do the same exact thing.

WILSON: Right after saying that was the last time we'd let that happen.

TIME: You know what? We all feel much better knowing that you guys do that.

[synnefo-nefeli]

I really love the scene in Heard Your Heart Beating when Apollo and Klavier sleep after drinking and Apollo wakes up at some point and looks at Klavier and thinks about him and Daryan and Kristoph. Idk I really like the vibe of it and also Apollo is really fond of him and you can see it lol

This is for the DVD Commentary Author Ask if there is a scene from any of my works you’d like to see a DVD commentary on, send me an ask!

Yesss this one of my favorite scenes so far in HYHB.

So there are two things going on in this scene- one is a payoff moment when Apollo figures out the significance of Valentine's Day is to Klavier, and the other is the emergence of the theme of " Safety". This chapter also functions as a transition point from Klavier and Apollo moving from work colleagues into a closer friendship. There is still a giddy nervousness at the beginning of this chapter that is usually associated with moving to the next step.

I wanted to express that almost frenetic nervous energy when inviting a new friend/date/etc into your personal space for the first time. And Apollo, despite him stating repeatedly that the hangout is platonic/feeling guilty about appearing to move on from Clay /trying to keep that boundary that’s existed so far between them, allows that boundary to fall.

By the end of the chapter there is now a comfort and deeper trust between them so that their relationship can continue to develope organically over the next few chapters without Apollo being constantly flustered every time Klavier teases him or there still being awkward feelings between them. They’re still in the “getting to know you” phase of their friendship but they’re at the point where coffee breaks and after work drinks no longer suffice. They now want to hang out as much as possible.

More under the cut so I don't spoil people for this chapter

Before I get back into the Safety theme I want to reiterate the meaning of the story’s title. It comes from Florence + The Machine’s song, “Cosmic Love”. The lyric goes:

“ I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too-So I stayed in the darkness with you”

This lyric aside from Comic Love being a big mood inspiration for the story, this lyric refers to Klavier and Apollo finding eachother after going through a really shitty and traumatic year and a half.

They recognize that the other is a source of some comfort as each of them understand what the other is going through a little bit better than the others around them.

This scene is the first confirmation to the reader that yes, Klavier is actively seeking out Apollo for comfort.

So far in this story we know *something* is bothering Klavier- he’s actively avoiding someone and he’s been kinda timid in reaching out to people without having his glimmerous persona constantly on. In the following chapter, Klavier mentions that he’s been asked to be in Edgeworth’s wedding.

Apollo attempts to commiserate with Klavier about this as Phoenix has just asked Apollo to be his best man.

Klavier tells Apollo that Apollo shouldn’t be shocked about being asked to be Phoenix’s best man- considering how much Apollo means to Phoenix. He has to point out to Apollo how much Apollo means to Phoenix and Trucy as well as how Apollo impacted Klavier’s choice to return to the legal world full-time.

And while Klavier is honored that he’s been asked by Edgeworth, his being asked is more of a surprise than Apollo being included in the Wright-Edgeworth nuptials. There is no way that Apollo wouldn’t be included after all he’s done for Phoenix and Trucy and how close he is to the WAA. Klavier had a different dynamic with Edgeworth. Part of this because, well, it’s Edgeworth. But Edgeworth has formed close bonds with Gumshoe and Kay...but Edgeworth just spent the last few years chasing down a Phantom Criminal in order to save Simon from Death Row. So Miles and Simon had a closer dynamic.

Klavier unfortunately comes with a lot of baggage-most of it being from things beyond his control. It was his debut that resulted in Miles’ partner from being disbarred and disgraced. There is everything with Kristoph. Combine the canon stuff along with this story establishing that the Gavins and the von Karmas have a bit of a family feud going on, it’s no wonder why Klavier admits to feeling that he’s still needs to figure out if and where he belongs.

He’s always looked up to Phoenix and Miles and wants to spend his career under them, but he thinks he needs more chances to prove himself to rebuild trust.

Of course- the obvious signal Klavier is missing, is “Hi, the Chief Prosecutor has asked you to be in his wedding party. If the grooms didn’t like you, you wouldn’t have been invited let alone asked to be IN THEIR WEDDING PARTY” ...and he misses it right after he’s finished telling Apollo, “how could youthink you’d wouldn’t be included, Herr Forehead. Jeeze.”

Like I said- Klavier is shit at taking his own advice. I’m not being mean to Klavier, but because Klavier is anxious about trusting people and letting people in, he prefers to do things on his own terms and under his control just in case he needs to get out if he gets rejected.

And even though he reached out to Apollo first with his condolences for Clay’s death he didn’t expect anything more than a thank you note, but Apollo not only acknowledging him, hunting him down to his apartment and even offering his company to Klavier, was a happy surprise to someone who has been very lonely.

He’s been wanting to get to know Apollo but he’s felt awkward due to the fallout with Kristoph and the continuing dark age of the law of which he was apart of the two major catalysts.

Apollo over the last few weeks is appearing to be a safe space for Klavier.

However Klavier wants more confirmation and a chance to suss things out (re: Kristoph). So when Apollo says he doesn’t have plans and was oblivious about Valentine’s, Klavier pounces on it. He spent Valentine’s alone the previous year and it spiraled his depression so he was not in the mood to again this year.

This scene was meant to be that very comfortable state between two people with a budding friendship. Once you get drunk with someone while having deep conversations, it tends to push you more into the friendship category.

It was also important to get some of the serious topics out rather than dragging it out. Having this quiet evening is something they both needed, and it allowed them be vulnerable. Especially since Apollo was already upset from the phone conversation he had with the Terrans earlier in the chapter.

Apollo needed a night in with the only person who has never treated him with kid gloves, even before Clay’s death. And Klavier needed a night in with the only person who has never put him on a pedestal.

When discussing Kristoph, it was important to remind the reader that Kristoph is a human being- it’s what makes him a compelling villain and why his betrayal of both Apollo and Klavier’s trust strikes an emotional chord with the player. Before the events of AA4, there was a time where Kristoph gained Apollo and Klavier’s love and loyalty, where he was a normal boss, a dog-dad, a good older brother. There were good times and happy memories- which is why when Kristoph is exposed, Apollo and Klavier are disillusioned- Klavier moreso. But another reason as to why Klavier finds Apollo to be a safe haven, is because, Apollo knew the Kristoph Klavier loved. They both wanted Kristoph to be proud of them. They respected him and wanted Kristoph to be proud of and acknowledge them.

Klavier has been wanting to talk to Apollo about this for awhile and I believe so has Apollo. Apollo is never going to say to Phoenix, “hey Mr. Wright, Mr. Gavin was a good mentor to me too-“ it wouldn’t go over well, even though Kristoph was a good mentor to Apollo-his only flaw was thinking that Apollo would happily be a lickspittle and easy to manipulate. So when Apollo gives Klavier that reassurance that Klavier can talk about those happier moments of his life involving Kristoph, Klavier sees that Apollo wants to take that awkward stress away from Klavier but also Apollo wants to get to know Klavier better.

Klavier is so used to people researching his celebrity persona and forming opinions based off of his former lifestyle, that it’s refreshing to find someone who wants to organically grow their relationship without preconceptions.

Yes, Apollo initially wrote Klavier off as being a fop and glimmorous- but those thoughts were due to Apollo being self-conscious. By the end of Turnabout Serenade, Apollo admits that Klavier is pretty cool and in DD, Apollo remarks that Klavier is different than most prosecutors and how dedicated Klavier is towards his job.

It was also important in this chapter to allow for Apollo to discuss Clay and his relationship with Clay’s family. You’ll notice in this story that Klavier is the only person Apollo will share anecdotes about Clay with and freely grieve about Clay. It’s not that Apollo hides it from The WAA, he does share some things with them, but right now, Klavier is the only close peer Apollo has, and this comfortable vulnerability they’ve trusted eachother with allows Apollo to express himself with out him fearing that he’ll appear fragile. He’s tired of people walking on eggshells around him, but Klavier hasn’t and never will.

Likewise, I made sure to have Klavier fish for information about Apollo. Yes they’ve been hanging out for weeks at this point and worked a case together (sorta), but those coffee dates have been more talking about work, general topics like Trucy’s shows, etc.. they’ve been light in topic. So dinner and drinks at someone’s home gives way to deeper conversations about value-systems, love lives (even though Apollo isn’t entirely truthful lol), etc. And it works really well to the point they get more comfortable than either had anticipated.

I loved writing the discussion about how Klavier will never ever do a performance of “The Guitar’s Serenade” where he’s singing Lamiror’s words. It was such an organic moment while writing too- Klavier just started talking about how he’s feel like an imposter to sing those words because he’s never experienced a lost true love...and he hopes that he’ll never know what that feels like. It’s an honest moment that puts to rest any assumptions Apollo may have had about if Klavier is just a flirt not to be taken seriously in the romance department.

Hearing that Klavier is pretty private in his love life, isn’t a player, and has pretty much admitted that he tries to date with the intention of marriage, shows Apollo more into Klavier’s serious and introspective side. A side that Apollo’s only known in the context of their work. It makes Apollo realize that Klavier is human and is wanting of things like love and companionship. More importantly, Klavier will take those things seriously should he be so lucky to receive them.

There is also a bit of humor here- because c’mon Klavier lives to be playful when he can, and he wants to know more about Apollo’s views on love and relationships. Apollo is adorably flustered because he doesn’t want to admit he’s still a virgin. But in this portion I wanted to start laying down the idea that Apollo is demisexual. Part of the reason he hasn’t fallen in love or felt desire is because he’s fullfilled by his relationships with those he holds dear, but also no one has been interested in Apollo and stayed long enough to bond with Apollo in a way for desire to to bloom.

Because they’re starting as friends-particularly a friendship made as adults- this is going to give Apollo that chance to realize he wants more from Klavier. And for Klavier who wants a true friend and companion after the betrayals he’s suffered, Apollo is a perfect match for him.

The most important thing for me while writing this scene was to show Apollo and the reader that Klavier is suffering and grieving just like Apollo is, (and to establish early that Klavier is super bad at taking any of his own advice) and for Apollo to start drawing parallels to himself while wanting to dig into what’s going on with Klavier.

Apollo is interesting because he’s more likely to say what’s exactly bothering him but fails to realize his feelings about others.

Whereas Klavier is very aware of his own feelings but will hide what’s bothering him from others.

They’re also two people who now need reassurance about where they fit in and how others consider them in their lives.

And if you were wondering: yes, at this point Klavier does have a crush on Apollo haha. So getting invited to sleep over was a bonus for him...despite it being labeled as a “platonic sleep-over”, because at this point in the story, it is a platonic sleep over. Klavier is good at reading the room (even when drunk) to know that Apollo isn’t making a move on him and neither should he.

The comment Klavier makes about Apollo’s bed’s size is a homage to my favorite BL manga, FAKE. In the manga, Ryo who has just started as a detective at a new precinct and met his new partner, Dee- has Dee over that same day for dinner and Dee winds up staying the night. Ryo has a large bed for a single guy (according to Dee) and Dee makes a comment “that’s a big bed you got there, do you have a girl to go with it?” because Dee the little shit that he is, is trying to see if Ryo is single (and yes, they sleep in the same bed that night. How is that fir team building haha...it’s totally platonic. It takes Dee 7 volumes to get that. Please read it it’s a classic). Klavier is totally asking to get a rise out of Apollo because Klavier suspects that Apollo exaggerated his experience because Apollo’s pivot was not smooth at all XD.

Finally the last aspect of showing safety is them sleeping in the same bed together. We know from descriptions of Klavier that Klavier has not been sleeping well. Something is keeping him up at night and his mood has been less glimmerous. When he arrives at Apollo’s that evening; he wasn’t able to really conceal the dark circles under his eyes. Apollo has been missing Clay, who would usually sleep over and share the bed with Apollo,’s company.

Sleeping next to someone, especially falling into a deep sleep in a bed that is not your own, is a sign of trust. Yes they were sleepy from the alcohol, but they went to bed together easily, slept for hours, had brunch, and went BACK to sleep. Neither minded, nor did Klavier feel that he should leave after they ate. They are comfortable and too hungover to even think about anything except getting more sleep XD Also it’s not as if Klavier is in a hurry to get home when he eventually saw the text from his land lady.

Sorry if that was a rambling response but I have a lot of love for this scene in particularly and I’m so excited to give a behind the scenes look at it!

[81scorp]

My top 7 movies of 2016 (and a bonus)

Hey kids! Its that time again! That day you`ve all been waiting for, when I talk about the movies I`ve seen in the cinema and rank them according to my own personal taste and bias!

Except this year there were some... complications. You might have heard about something called the corona virus, a pandemic and stuff like that.

This year I only had time and opportunity to see one movie in the cinema, not enough material to make a list of as you can see. So instead I`ll give you a list of the movies I saw in 2016! Now, if you`re wondering if I`ll do a list of all the movies I saw in 2015 I`ll have to dissapoint you.

I didn`t start keeping track of my movie going experiences until 2016.

(One of these movies came out 2015, and it even came to the cinemas in my country that year but I didn`t get to see it until 2016, so that`s why it`s on this list.)

M`kay? M`kay.

7: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Zack Snyder is good at making a movie look good but he is not a good story teller.

Man of steel had some shortcomings, but surely Snyder would learn from that and do better in the next movie that would help build the DCEU and lead up to Justice league, right?

Nope. Batman kills, Supes is sad, just like most of this movie, and I can`t really take Eisenbergs Lex seroius as a villain.

But atleast Wonder woman is not in the movie long enough for them to screw up her character, so there`s always that.

Overstuffed, not strong enough to live up to it`s own ambitions and uses up all the big guns in it`s climax instead of saving them for later movies. Snyder was not the right guy for these movies. He`s better suited for telling his own stories than others.

6: Suicide Squad

This one gets a better spot than BvS because I like it. I like that Batman was allowed to be Batman this time and not another one of Snyder`s broken antiheroes who are appearently obligated to kill people just because the plot says so. I like that we were introduced to characters that aren`t Batman, Superman or Wonderwoman for a change, the DC comics universe does have more characters than those three after all. I like that they weren`t afraid to introduce magic into the DCEU. I like that Harley Quinn, a character with potential, finally appeared on the big screen.

But the keyword here is "like". Just because you like something doesn`t mean that it`s good.

The plot is admittedly a mess. A mess I could follow, but still a mess. Some consider this movie worse than BvS because that movie at least had ambitions while this does not. Yeah but this was fun, and without ambitions it had one less area where it could fail.

Buut that`s not really an argument in it`s favor.

5: Dr Strange

I feel bad putting it this close to Suicide Squad on the list becuse it is much better than that.

Pretty standard MCU quality. Does not dissapoint but doesn`t excel either.

"Iron Man but on LSD" is an accurate description of the plot but also a very generalizing way of describing the movie. Cool set pieces, original ideas and a clever climax makes it different enough from most of the other chapters in the MCU saga churned out by the giant Marvel movie factory.

4: Star Wars: the force awakens (2015)

I didn`t ask much from the new Star Wars movies. I only wished for two things: Don`t mention Jar Jar or midichlorians.

Besides avoiding those obvious mistakes the movie also had good acting, likeable characters capable of delivering non-wooden dialogue, sets that weren`t completely CGI`d and a pretty engaging scene between Han Solo and Kylo Ren. Sure, it played it a little too safe by borrowing more than a few plot points from A new hope but other than that it did what a Star Wars movie should do.

3: Deadpool

The basic spine of the plot is not very innovative and a little old fashioned: boy meets girl, boy loses girl to kidnappers, boy gets superpowers and rescues girl. But what sets this apart from other movies that have used the same formula is the execution. It has a lot of comedy, raw violence and some self aware fourth wall breaking.

R rated superhero comicbook movies are few and rare. R rated superhero comicbook movies that break the fourth wall are even rarer, and thats what makes this movie intersting.

2: Captain America: Civil War

The MCU has always had a little problem with sequels. A few examples are Iron man 2 and 3 and Thor the dark world. Here`s were the Captain America movies are a golden exception.

Captain America: Civil war did not surprise me as much as Captain America: Winter soldier but it still gave me something to sink my teeth into.

It gives both sides good and understandable reasons to fight for the things they believe in and it introduced two new characters in a way that felt like it helped the plot instead of cluttering it.

It gives you some "Hell Yeah!" moments but also someting to think about.

And now...

Drumroll please.

My number one pick for 2016 iiis...

1: Zootopia

As usual, the movie that gets the number one spot on my list is an animated one that knows how to tug at my heart strings. I like when a movie gets me to feel someting but to get the number one spot on my list a movie needs to do a little more than that, and that`s what this movie did. It made me feel and it made me think.

Some tears, some laughs and a little commentary on todays society.

Here`s where my list would normally end, but this year hasn`t exactly been normal. Before I get to the one movie I actually saw in the cinema this year I`m gonna list some of the movies I planned to see this year but didn`t get the chance to.

Wonder Woman 1984

Onward

Sonic the hedgehog (I did see this one in 2020. On DVD. It was adequate.)

Scoob!

Birds of prey and the fantabulous emancipation of one Harley Quinn

The New Mutants

(Black Widow used to be on this list but since it got delayed to 2021 I couldn`t keep it on my 2020 list.)

And now...

Drumroll please... again.

The only movie that I saw in the cinema in 2020 iiis...

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

It is late world war two, we follow Johannes "Jojo" Bretzler, a 10 year old boy who believes in the nazi ideals so much that he has Adolf Hitler himself as an imaginary best friend.

Just when you think that we have made all the movies we can about WWII this movie shows that there are still are a few angles left that we haven`t tried.

Jojo Rabbit shows us not just how dangerous, but also how immature nazism is. The worst kind of immaturity, the kind that lacks any kind of selfawareness and believes that it is dead serious.

If I could to sum up this movie in three words they would be: Important, serious and funny.

And that`s my list, feel free to disagree.

-----------------------------

Deviation nr: 142

Written Stuff nr: 35 I usually post these lists at the beginning of the new year instead of at the end of the old one. But this year there was no point in waiting for any late December releases (for obvious reasons). I had already seen all the movies I could see. Let`s hope that next year is better.

[littlemisssquiggles]

You know, I can't help but stop thinking about how Cinder's Grimm arm reminds me on Peter Pettigrew's silvery hand in Harry Potter. So... Do you think it is possible Cinder might die (that is, if she dies... Which I just assume since I see now way she can be redeemed anymore) not by Ruby's hand, not by Neo's hand, but instead by her own? Like... Literally. Sorry, I couldn't stop myself from making that pun...

Heyo Seaberry! That’s actually a cool observation. Outside of theconnection to Team STQR, Cinder is sort of like Peter Pettigrew, only minus thecowardice. If anything, LeonardoLionheart was more like Pettigrew in terms of personality and motives fortheir betrayal, at least in my opinion. In regards to your question; not tosound negative or anything like that but if I’m being completely honest withyou fam, this squiggle meister is at a bit of a loss on what the CRWBY Writersare doing with the characters and their respective stories; particularly thevillains.

I was already kind of iffy on their choice last season to bring Neo back intothe story to play pawn to Cinder andher schemes. Even now when we’re nearing the finale of V7, I still personally thinkthat Emerald Sustrai wouldhave been the better candidate to be Cinder’s accomplice while in Atlas. Itstill peeves me a little bit that the CRWBY Writers' rationale for Neo's returnin V6 was because "theythought Cinder having an accomplice to Atlas would've been cool" according to the V6 DVD Commentary.

Even though….Cinder has always had accomplices throughout her whole run in RWBY. In V1, she was Roman's formersidekick before she received a promotion within the PLOT and becameSalem's representative with Neo taking over as Roman's right hand protégée asof V2 while Emerald and Mercury became Cinder's primary two goons.

This dynamic was retained until theconclusion of V5 only for Cinder to wind up on her own after suffering ahumiliating defeat by Raven Branwen. If you’ll allow me to get nit-picky here, I’m still in awe that the Writers believed resurrecting afan favourite character for the sole purpose of slapping her with a new backstory that was never previously established in the main canon, repeatingthe same purpose that she had in prior seasons minus the emotional connectionand history was a quote, unquote, “a coolidea”.

In my opinion, it would've been more compelling towatch Cinder all alone; forced to claw her way out of her rut and find her ownway to Atlas Kingdom by her own devices and naturalcunning. It could’ve also been an appropriatetime for the story to touch base on Cinder’s past and how she became themegalomaniac we see her to be now. But nah, let's do the exact same thing we'vealways done with her character. Give her a pawn to manipulate and get to do herbidding.

But at least with Emerald, therewas the established history and relationship between her and Cinder that’s beenhighlighted since the events of V2. Cinder even once referred to Emerald as her‘apprentice’ or rather her ambition was to mouldEmerald (and by extension Mercury too maybe butthe focus was more on Em) into her perfect apprentice in a similar fashion tohow Salem moulded her.

Emerald being Cinder’s accomplice toAtlas would’ve been a great opportunity to not only flesh Cinder out more as avillain but Emerald as well.

But nah, let's side-line the characterwho was actually built up as a close accomplice and apprentice under Cinder formore than two seasons (both before and during the Mistral Trilogy) and had amuch better chance for development in favour of bringing back a belovedcharacter who had zero connection to Cinder outside of being the boss to herformer boss.

I don't care if Miles and/or Kerrypromised Neo's return from seasons before; given how V5 ended, Emerald should’vebeen Cinder’s accomplice to Atlas, exactly like she’s been for several seasons,more so than Neo. We could’ve had a Claudia from the Dragon Prince moment forEmerald where she refused to believe that Cinder’s dead and out of her loyaltyto her, ups and abandons Mercury and Hazel in favour of remaining in Mistral inorder to track Cinder down.

Imagine if…LittleMiss Malachite and her Spiders had double crossed Cinder---but instead of ratting her out to Neo, theywere going to apprehend Cinder to collect the bountiful reward for her captureas advertised all over Mantle as a result of what happened at Haven.

Imagine if…Cinder found herself cornered by theSpiders only to be saved by Emerald of all people, who instantly made waste of the Spiders. Without hesitation,Emerald kills each and every last Spider who dared try and harm Cinder; furtheremphasizing her loyalty to the Fall Maiden as a means of remaining by her side.Imagine if this move even earns Emerald great respect in Cinder’s eyes.

Instead of using Neo, imagine if …Cinderfulfilled the very desire she voiced back in V3. Back then, Cinder said thatshe desired to become someone powerful enough to be feared by others who stoodagainst her.

Instead of using Neo, picture analternative scenario in which, after Emerald had saved her, Cinder returns thefavour by protecting Emerald in a sense from an enraged Little Miss Malachitewho draws a weapon on her. Picture Cinder unleashing her fury on poor MissMalachite; overwhelming the crimeboss by pinning her down with her Grimm arm while her other hand threatened toburn her face off with her Maiden Magic.

Instead of using Neo, let’s say Cinder used her own powers to intimidate a fear stricken Little Miss Malachite into using her resources toget Cinder and Emerald to Atlas in exchange for spearing her life. Let’s say…forwhatever reason, MissMalachite had Spiders in Argus whocould’ve easy commandeered a Atlesian airship from right under the military’snose for her if needed. So that’s what happens. Cinder and Emerald receive whatthey need from Malachite and as soon as she had served her purpose, Cindereither could’ve killed her to prove her power or…chosen to spare Malachite as auseful ally to her and Salem later. That could’ve been a neat, small littlealternative to what was done in the canon.

I guess what bothered me the most aboutthe decision to suddenly bring Neo back was that you didn’t really need Neospecifically for this role of being Cinder’s accomplice for the Atlas Arc.Personally, I think the showrunners missed a golden chance to further developEmerald. Instead of Neo, I would’ve gone with Em since her connection to Cinderactually ties into her own respective story as opposed to some shared vendettaon wanting to kill Ruby. Not to mention that I believe Emerald’s Hallucinationssemblance would've worked just as well as Neo's Illusions; probably even bettersince Emerald could’ve further messed with a target’s mind similar to what shedid with Yang and Pyrhha back in V3.

Nothing against Neopolitan.I don’t dislike her as a character. I just personally feel like this shouldn’thave been the purpose the Writers brought her back into the main story for.

Youbrought her back to be Cinder’spawn. Not sidekick.Not even apprentice. But her pawn. Her tool. Her little ice-cream flavoured puppet. That’sthe best you got for her? A rehash of her last purpose within the PLOT onlythis time with a character who doesn’t share any kind of emotional bond withher and has a better chance at double crossing her once she’s done using herfor her own personal gain.

The only saving grace for this ideawould be if Neo becomes the General Jinjur of the RWBY story and actuallysomehow winds up becoming an unlikely ally to the heroes once she learns herlesson with Cinder. Either that or my “cracktheory” about Neo double-crossing Cinder firstby pilfering the Relic of Creation for herself

But then again, this is only my opinionand these are only my thoughts and ideas.

In terms of Cinder Fall, I have afeeling that they're going to give her a win this time. I'm more leaningtowards the hunch where Cindersucceeds in gaining the Winter Maiden magic with her sights set on acquiring the Relic of Creation; especiallyin the event that Neo fails to claim the Relic of Knowledge from Oscar and asCinder told her, she needs a relic to basically get back on Salem's goodside.

So if Neo fails in retrieving the lamp,the staff will be Cinder's next best option at redemption in Salem's eyes.

Not to mention that I remember hearingsomething about us learning about Cinder's backstory at some point for thisarc. I know the likelihood of her being killed off is there given the way thePLOT suddenly had her and Neo reappear for this season after the end of V6which reminded me an awful lot of how they handed Adam Taurus last season. Butneedless to say, I think it's safe to assume that Cindermay survive for another season or two.

~LittleMissSquiggles(2020) 

[ameliette]

0: Prologue - or more of a preface

I'm one of those who likes to ramble and publish the ramble without editing it, so these will be messy!

'prologue' Middle English: from Old French, via Latin from Greek prologos, from pro- ‘before’ + logos ‘saying’.

And before anything is said about the book, I want to give context to this all. I didn't participate in the Hobbit group-read - mostly because I wasn't in this fandom at the time - so I'm not 100% sure what everything should be in these posts. Also I'm very bad at doing actual thoughtful commentary, especially on books. It's easier on visual media, but my "commentary" is still usually half sentences that don't make any sense. I have two hobbit trilogies worth of notes to testify that. - Or, like seen here, I read fifteen levels into each word.

Should be mostly spoiler free, since I don't even know what happens past mid-point of The Two Towers in the books.

Reading this with a close eye (I have to, otherwise I might just skim everything), I noticed the wording "seldom now reach three feet". Hobbits used to vary between two and four feet, huh? So even though the films portrayed the hobbits all about four feet tall (Bilbo's listed as being 4'2'' in the art book so I'm going off that), that was more the upper limit for "normal" height. And then a few sentences later there's this: "[Bullroarer] was surpassed [in height] -- only by two famous characters of old; *but that curious matter is dealt with in this book*." I'm probably reading too much into it, but does it suggest that Frodo and Sam are especially tall for Hobbits, even in their time?

On feet: I'm a writer and research random things sometimes. Last night I was reading through nanowrimo's research forum, checking everything that sounded interesting, and stumbled upon a topic on barefoot running. From what I read, it's more likely that hobbits actually walk more on the balls of their feet than on heels, as it's easier on knees and hips. Not a detail that would get much notice in a book, but could be explored in art. (Maybe not so much in film, given the limitation of feet prosthetics used.) Walking like that consumes more energy than walking on heels, so if they're walking tip-toe all day, no wonder hobbits eat more! 

On pipeweed: "tobacco of the Southfarthing play[s] a part in the history that follows" I still don't have the full context for this one (recall my words that I'm in Chapter X of Book III?) but I recall being absolutely confused by this the first time. How could tobacco play a part in world history? Well, I know a bit now, (again, Chapter X) but still not much. (And well I've read portions of the Atlas so that was a few spoilers *shrug* but spoilers are still not full context!)

Given how idyllic the Shire is portrayed in the movies, I'm actually surprised not all Hobbits can read!

"who reached a hundred as often as not" means 50% of hobbits reach 100 years of age, right? I'm no mathmagician, and median is not mean, but does that suggest hobbits have a life expectancy of 100 years? Given the lack of modern technology in Middle-Earth, I'm rather surprised. How long might hobbits live if they lived in modern times? (In visible populations, with modern tech)

On the finding of the Ring: "the party was assailed by orcs in -- the Misty Mountains" nitpicking and grammar-filing, but I actually discussed at length with a friend about the difference between orcs and goblins, since in the Hobbit movies, only the ones under Misty Mountains are called goblins, and Azog and his army are called orcs. Of course it would be repetitive to repeat the discussion here, but I find it interesting that the switch from English 'goblin' to Westron 'orc' was here applied "retroactively" so to speak. (And also, 'goblin' will always say to me 'funny little creature under a mountain', whereas 'orc' is 'dangerous thing do not approach')

"the ring slipped quietly on to his finger" and given what I know of the ring, it was all deliberate by it. Ring wants to go back to its master, and it cannot achieve that goal by staying with Gollum. Making Bilbo invisible will help the ring out of the cave. ... I suddenly wonder if there are fics written in the Ring's POV? (Too bad the ring didn't know Hobbits are not so easily influenced by it) "the ring, secured by a fine chain --" which we never saw in the films! I wanted to see the ring on a chain like a pocket watch!

Regarding the last few sentences of the chapter. (I've quoted so much directly by now that I think I'll pass, esp. for this long an excerpt) I didn't really notice it last time, but this really makes it sound more like a preface to a historical novel than a work of fiction - which was the idea, I suppose, given this is meant to be the English translation of Red Book of Westmarch. In any case, detailing events so far into the book and past the scope of its prose section is certainly a different approach to fiction! (It also explained a few things I was left wondering about regarding movie's Gray Havens scene.)

I also want to detail how I got into this fandom, because it ties into the prologue a bit.

I tried watching the LotR movies back in 2014 (I wanted to watch the Hobbit films, so maybe I could go see BoFA in theatre, but knew I should start with LotR), but kinda fell asleep (or something) during FotR (like I did watch it through but didn't really focus on it) so I let that plan be (even though I had all three films borrowed from the library so honestly I could have just rewatched it the following day), and didn't come back to it until this summer (2016 July in case I someday have a theme that doesn't have time stamps) when YLE (Finnish national radio/tv broadcaster) showed them on tv and they were also available online for a few weeks. Did the traditional method of marathoning all three in a row, didn't finish till 4am. I have a friend who joked about me being the one to learn Sindarin once I'd read the books, but after LotR, I said something to the effect of "well I'm not that much into this" - like, for me, back then, it was still "a film classic I must watch to be a proper young adult" type of deal. 

Then I got the Hobbit trilogy from the library, and this is where I need to get into detail. I had a new computer ("new", it's over five years old, but it used to be my brother's so it's new to me), so I wanted to watch the DVDs on that, but I couldn't find AUJ on DVD in the library so had to take Blu-Ray. I swear this is relevant. DoS and BoFA I did get on DVD. So I watched AUJ on tv screen, and then next tday DoS on computer. And half of BoFA.

... Not because of the movie itself. It was my computer that fucked up. You see, it's that old and has a bad processor, so it couldn't handle me watching 4+ hours of DVD straight. Cut it off twice in the Dale scenes. I got mad and didn't get that it was because the computer was overheating. Anyway, now I'm getting to the point.

I mentioned I got the films from the library? Well, I also got FotR and The Hobbit books at the same time, and because I was still in the middle of BoFA, I started with FotR. Can you see where this is going? Well, I had been spoiled back in 2014 so technically I knew, but I had forgotten it, and then "On the Finding of the Ring" had to mention it. Killed my mood for a while, but I pressed on with the book. A few days later I finished BoFA, dug up the hobbit tags of those I followed, started following more people, read basically all meta I could find, and here I am. I'm still definitely more Hobbit person than LotR person (definitely more dwarf person than elf person!), but that may or may not change during this read-though. I'm in the middle of TTT, (After reading through FotR in a month...) so I don't know if I'll continue with that, or just re-read FotR and then have initial reactions to books 3-6. (I read the appendixes a lot for reference purposes so I don't count them here) In either case, this should be fun! It's sometimes scary to be in this fandom because I'm only a very tiny person who hasn't read everything yet, but frick, fandoms should be welcoming, I doubt you're as bad as the old SW fandom was joked to be. (I recall a text post that listed quizzing on Wedge's shoelaces or something)

Said friend? Well, she wasn't *wrong*... I took up Khuzdul.

[cookiedoughmeagain]

Colin Ferguson, on the role of William in Haven:

“Of all the stuff I’ve done, this role, I think is one of my favourites. Never has a group of writers written so well for my mouth. Everything that I got, I was like; Yeah, I know what to do with that. It was plug and play for me. And it was so much fun. He’s evil but he was fun, such a great character.”

DVD Commentary for episode 5.21 - Close to Home

[brokehorrorfan]

Greenland will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 9 via Universal Pictures. The 2020 disaster movie is available on Digital today from STX Entertainment.

Ric Roman Waugh (Angel Has Fallen, Snitch) directs from a script by Chris Sparling (Buried). Gerard Butler stars with Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Scott Glenn, David Denman, Hope Davis, and Holt McCallany. Basil Iwanyk (John Wick franchise) produces.

Special features are listed below, where you can also watch the trailer.

Special features:

Audio commentary by director Ric Roman Waugh

Humanity featurette

Deleted scenes

A family fights for survival as a planet-killing comet races to Earth. John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin), and young son Nathan make a perilous journey to their only hope for sanctuary. Amid terrifying news accounts of cities around the world being leveled by the comet's fragments, the Garritys experience the best and worst in humanity while they battle the increasing panic and lawlessness surrounding them. As the countdown to global apocalypse approaches zero, their incredible trek culminates in a desperate and last-minute flight to a possible safe haven.

Pre-order Greenland on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon.

[theoriginalladya]

DVD Commentary: We do What Must be Done

from this meme

for this story

oh, wow, you don’t hesitate to pull any punches, do you?!!!  LOL

Okay, let me preface this by saying, I originally wrote that story back in 2010-2011 over on ff.net.  

First off, I absolutely adore Bryce and Eleanor Cousland and I’m devastated every time I play the game and they die.  At the time, there was no information (from Bioware or any headcanons or fics I could find) about them, so I figured, why the hell not?  So I decided to write how they met.

That said, at the time I was playing my character, Kaytaryn DesMarais, over on a Dragon Age online RPG site and when I created her, I developed some backstory.  I realized that she would have been in Ferelden around the same time as Bryce and Eleanor, and she most certainly would be helping Maric reclaim the throne.  Toss in the fact her half brother is the infamous Loup Garou harassing the people of Ferelden, and WHAM!  Idea hit me!  Combine the two!!!!!

So, that’s sort of where the idea came from.  I focus mostly on Bryce and Eleanor, of course, and I developed some of their personal backgrounds.  Being an historian, I have read dozens of books and articles about what life during occupations can be like - simply put, not easy - so, I tossed in more than a handful of angst to go with the romance and adventure.  I knew I wanted them to go through Haven years before the Warden ends up there, as well as have some interaction with Rendon Howe.  

If you want more specifics, pick a chapter and let me know because there is SO MUCH in that story, I can’t put it all here! lol  Suffice it to say, however, it is one of my favorite Dragon Age pieces I’ve written.

[placetobenation]

In my last article, we discussed the Academy Award winning films from 1994. Those were supposed to be the best movies of the year but what about the movies that we all saw? Or at least most of us. What of the blockbusters that made tons of money and had lines of people chomping at the bit to get in? Today, I will be covering the top six highest-grossing movies of the year. Why six? Because I already covered one of these films in my previous piece which can be found here.

PTBN’s Tribute to 1994: A Commentary on the Best Picture Nominees for the 66th Academy Awards

1994 was a good year at the box office as the numbers will show. It’s hard to find a common thread with these six movies. When it comes to legacy, the long lasting impact can be mixed. The movies in question for today are The Lion King, Forrest Gump, Speed, True Lies, The Mask, and The Flintstones. The Lion King just received a remake this year. Forrest Gump and Speed did wonders for the careers of Tom Hanks and Keanu Reeves. The Mask caps off what was an amazing year for Jim Carrey. True Lies and The Flintstones….. exist? But now to dig into the movies that made truck loads of cash for their respective studio.

The Lion King – Worldwide Gross: $763,455,561

The Lion King continued a string of great successes that Disney had with animated films in the 90’s and well before that for that matter. Starting with The Little Mermaid in 1989 and continuing with movies like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, Disney made animated films that were more than just great children’s movies but excellent films in their own right. With solid storytelling, top notch film making, and catchy soundtracks, these movies became the gold standard for movies in the 90’s. The Lion King is no different.

The “circle of life” starts for Simba as it does for all of us with his birth. He is the son of the King Mufasa which means someday he will become the king. Simba “just can’t wait to be king” but his Uncle Scar has prepared other plans. Scar works with a group of hyenas to orchestrate the death of Mufasa and make Simba think it was his fault. Believing he is responsible for his father’s death, Simba escapes to the desert. He is found barely alive by Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and warhog respectively. They take him to the safe haven of the jungle. Simba finds himself a lion with no home so Timon and Pumbaa take him in, teaching him their worry free way of life. Putting the past behind him, Simba live the “hakuna matata” way of life, growing from a cub to a young lion. He is having a fine time drifting aimlessly through the jungle with his friends until one day an old friend of his tries to hunt and kill Pumbaa. Simba runs in for the rescue and this lioness is Nala, to whom he has been promised for marriage. They “feel the love tonight” and then Nala encourages Simba to return to the Pride Lands. Under Scar’s leadership, the Pride Lands have become a wasteland. Simba refuses to return. He is comfortable with his aimless life and can’t face everyone back home after his father’s death. Simba storms off to collect his thoughts and runs into Rafiki, the mandrill who was present at Simba’s birth. Rafiki lets Simba know that Mufasa lives on in him. Simba speaks with the spirit of his father in the stars. Mufasa tells him that Simba must take his place amongst the great kings and unseat Scar. With help from his friends, Simba confronts Scar. Scar tells everyone that Simba killed Mufasa which tears up Simba inside but everyone else has seen enough of Scar’s reign. Simba’s friends take the hyenas but it’s Simba who takes on Scar. Scar has Simba on the ledge exactly like he did Mufasa and can’t help but gloat about the first murder he committed. Simba hulks up and takes down Scar, who begs for mercy, blaming the whole thing on the hyenas. Simba banishes him forever which Scar doesn’t take well. A sneak attack fails and Scar is left to the mercy of the hyenas, who are very hungry. Simba reigns as king, prosperity is restored to the land, and the Circle of Life continues.

At the time, The Lion King was the highest grossing animated film of all-time for Disney. Currently, it is third at Disney behind Frozen and Zootopia. It is the tenth highest grossing animated film of all time and the forty-fifth among all films. The Lion King was nominated for four Academy Awards. It won two, for Best Score and Best Original Song (“Can You Feel the Love Tonight”.) Speaking of songs, the soundtrack sold over ten million copies. That would make it the best selling soundtrack of the year. The awards and accolades for The Lion King are so numerous that listing them here would be pointless and take all day. Needless to say, this movie connected with audiences in a big way. “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “Circle of Life” were played on mainstream pop stations throughout the year. It is fitting that this movie is so remembered for it’s music as The Lion King would be adapted as a Broadway play and become one of the most successful musicals of all time. If you are visiting New York, The Lion King is still playing to this day and is the third longest running show in the history of Broadway. The success of The Lion King led to an afternoon cartoon series starring Timon and Pumbaa called appropriately The Lion King’s Timon and Pumbaa, which ran from 1995 to 1999.

I think many of us will fondly remember The Lion King game which was released on NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis. I played the Genesis version and it’s an infinitely playable game. It’s a side scrolling, platformer which follows the events of the movies from stage to stage. Appropriately, the game has been praised for it’s visuals and music. If you live in Europe, this was the last game released on the NES. During a time when most games based on movies and television shows were epicly bad, The Lion King and the Disney series of games during the 16-bit generation were exceptional. The amount of care put into those games to make them fun and engaging was amazing and something you didn’t always see back then.

The Lion King might be one of the greatest things to ever come out of the House of Mouse and that is high praise. When you watch this movie, keep in mind that it was hand-drawn by people. The only thing they used computers for was the stampede sequence, which took two years to make. The amount of detail and layering that went into creating the animation was impressive on a level that has never been seen before or since by a film created with hand drawn animation. Over 600 artists, animators, and technicians worked on creating this movie. Generally, most people aren’t interested in watching special features on the DVD set but I really recommend you watch some of the documentaries to fully appreciate what went into making this movie. On a film making level, the scope and ambition of the film was simply amazing. I already mentioned the music but it bares repeating that they were on fire when making this movie. Every song fit perfectly into the movie. “Hakuna Matata”, “Circle of Life”, “Be Prepared”, “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King”, and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”, all of them are great songs set to great animated sequences. Even Hans Zimmer’s score was firing on all cylinders. To make sure that this isn’t just nostalgia speaking, I had my kids watch this movie just to see what they thought of it. They loved it. I feel like the movie still holds up and has a timeless quality to it. I can say with confidence that 1994’s The Lion King is a movie that will live forever and people will be watching for many future generations.

Forrest Gump – Worldwide Gross: $677,945,399

I covered Forrest Gump in detail in my previous article. Forrest Gump is about a simple man that somehow finds himself at the center of nearly every significant event of the last half of the 20th Century. Because of his simple nature, he is completely oblivious to the gravity of the events happening around him. The movie was a surprise hit which launched Tom Hanks’ career into a completely different direction than that which it had been on, brought in a ton of money for Paramount, and won the Oscar for Best Picture. If there is anything I failed to mention in the first article, it would be the technical achievement that Forrest Gump was. Industrial Lights & Magic worked on the visual effects for this movie and how much of this movie was created by CGI is surprising. Of course, there are the scenes were Forrest Gump is inserted into archival footage meeting with JFK, Lyndon Johnson,and Richard Nixon. They had to line up Hanks while shooting him against a blue screen and he had to create those scenes with nothing to play off of. They brought in voice actors to record the lines of the Presidents then alter the original footage of the to match the lines being spoken. They then had to find ways to blend Hanks seamlessly into the footage. These scenes all worked for me and still hold up. Another scene that stands out to me is the one where Forrest is rescuing Bubba a napalm strike in Vietnam. I had no idea how much of that scene used CGI. It was an incredibly well done sequence which did an excellent job hiding all the tricks they used to make it looked as those Forrest was running away from an explosion while carrying someone out of the jungle. They used CGI to remove Lt. Dan’s legs and made that look convincing. Some movies have difficulty removing someone’s mustache and making it look good. In the years after 1994, the movie industry will rely more heavily on CGI. There are many movies where the effects are obviously contrived and take the viewer out of the movie with just how bad they look. It takes a level of craftsmanship and care to make the effects look as real as possible and on that level, Forrest Gump succeed. And that’s all I have to say about that.

True Lies – Worldwide Gross: $378,882,411

Harry Tasker, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, lives a double life of secret agent for the shadowy Omega Sector and that of a workaholic family man. He has been lying to his wife for years about what his real job is and she is none the wiser. Helen, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, is tiptoeing around having a possible affair with used car salesman Simon, played by Bill Paxton. Simon is lying to Helen, telling her he is a secret agent to add some spice to her otherwise dull life. Harry suspects his wife may be having an affair so he uses the resources of a quasi-governmental spy organization to find out about what she is up to, harass her would-be boyfriend, and in the process put her in grave danger. In addition to that, they have a troubled teenage daughter played by Eliza Dushku. This ties into a subplot about an Arab terrorist organization that has acquired four nuclear warheads and have some big plans to use them.

True Lies has everything. Heart-pounding action sequences, romance, intrigue, drama, comedy that is well placed and doesn’t take away from the drama, and Schwarzenegger one-liners. So why didn’t I like it very much? This the first time I had seen this movie and I think I was expecting something closer to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a far superior movie in my estimation. I was expecting that Jamie Lee Curtis would be revealed to be a spy as well, for a rival organization, working the same case, adding a level of drama to their already strained marriage. Or that Bill Paxton would be actually working with the terrorists and the used car salesmen ploy was a plot to draw out Harry. But instead they just play it straight as these two people having an affair. Harry using his job as a super secret spy to snoop on his unfaithful wife really doesn’t play well in a now post-9/11 world. With things like The Patriot Act, unwarranted wire taps, and government surveillance on civilians, too much has happened in the last 25 years for this to all be played off as whimsical or endearing. At one point Harry and his partner Gibs, played by Tom Arnold, kidnap Helen and Simon in the back of their spy van. Harry roughs up Simon a little, telling him to stay away from his wife. It comes off as a humorous enough scene even if it is a bit petty and vengeful. However, when Harry and Gibs interrogate Helen in a room with a two way mirror and voice altering technology, it comes off as extremely creepy. Harry’s plan to romance Helen by making her work a case for his spy group is equally creepy. This results in the couple getting taken by the real terrorists and the interesting part of the movie can start again. This middle part of the movie where Harry is trying to unravel his wives affair and play a prank on her drags on way too long. The pacing is off and it really interrupted the flow of the movie. It’s made all the worse when you realize that the terrorists have four nuclear weapons and Harry has no real leads to work off of. Instead of focusing on not letting U.S. cities get nuked, he places his attention on harassing his wife and her friend.

True Lies is a movie that works so long as you don’t spend too much time thinking about it. Dana, the teenage daughter placed by Eliza Dushku is a good example. She is barely in the film. We see her steal some money from her dad and hop on her boyfriend’s motorcycle, a clear sign that something is wrong. We don’t hear from her again until she is kidnapped by terrorists. I forgot she was even in the movie up to that point and it comes off as some sloppy writing. As if the writers planned out some great action sequences but they needed a reason to have them happen so why not have the daughter get kidnapped? I guess the idea is that if Harry saves his daughter it will repair their fractured relationship but is that really how that would happen? At the end of the movie, Helen becomes a super spy too and now the couple work together on cases of international intrigue. But what about Dana? Now both of her parents are gone all the time, jet setting to Monte Carlo while she is left to her own devices. Is her life really better with both of her parents in the spy game? Shouldn’t Harry be fired for misusing company resources. Sure, he saved the day from the terrorists but couldn’t he have prevented a lot of property damage and lost lives if he hadn’t been dicking around looking into his wife’s personal affairs? And why would they make Helen a part of this spy organization? She is a legal secretary. They don’t just pull any schmoe off the streets to be an international person of mystery. Point is, there is a really clever movie just under the surface and if the writing had been tightened up a little, this could have been a much better movie.

Where True Lies excels is in it’s action sequences and special effects. James Cameron is as good as he ever was in this respect. The filming took several months, they threw every idea they had for an action scene up on the screen and it really shows. One example is the opening sequence where Harry sneaks into a dinner party to gain access to some top secret files and sweep Juno, played by Tia Carrere, off her feet. Carrere is looking amazing in this movie although her character could have used more motivation beyond wanting to make piles of money. This opening action scene is very reminiscent of a James Bond movie. Tom Arnold was particularly funny in this part of the film, trying to organize the operation, navigate icy roads, all while Harry guns down bad guys and blows stuff up. All of the action sequences are over the top with lots of big concepts playing out and tons of moving parts. No one can argue that James Cameron isn’t one of the best action movie directors there have ever been. True Lies may not be as visually impressive as Avatar or Titanic but you can see that compared with other movies of the action genre, Cameron is not to be out done.

True Lies would be not only the third highest grossing film of the year but also the third highest grossing film of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career, behind only Terminator 2 and Terminator 3. When discussing Arnold movies with a group, this is one that isn’t going to be brought up much but it did surprisingly well. There was also a video game on the SNES and Genesis for which the mileage may vary but it did quite well on each system. For such a successful movie, it is hard to say what the legacy for True Lies is. Everyone involved in the film were already established entities so it’s not like this did much for the careers of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, or James Cameron other than keep them on the footing they had already been on. Judging from online commentary, the film hasn’t aged well in the eyes of some viewers, many people calling True Lies offensive. It has yet to get a Blu-Ray or 4K release. I would be very interested to hear what The Nation thinks of this film because I have a hard time placing it with other Arnold or James Cameron movies.

The Mask – Worldwide Gross: $351,583,407

The best year of Jim Carrey’s career rolls on. If you were drafting people for 1994, Jim Carrey would be on the top of most draft boards. He starts out the year with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which does fine at the box office but really found it’s audience on VHS. Dumb and Dumber comes out in the middle of the year, taking the momentum from Ace Ventura and launching Jim Carrey to even greater heights. Near the end of the year, The Mask drops and it solidifies Jim Carrey has a major box office draw. It’s hard to think of any actor who has had a year like that. If you would like to hear more about Dumb and Dumber, I would recommend this excellent podcast.

https://ptbnpop.podbean.com/e/laugh-in-theater-6-dumb-and-dumber-with-jennifer-smith/

Stanley Ipkiss, played by Jim Carrey, is the definition of the nice guy who finishes last. He is a low-level bank employee who everyone pretty much walks over except his best friend Charlie, played by Richard Jeni. Charlie encourages Stanley to show some confidence and put himself out there. Their friendship is pretty endearing even if Charlie can come off as a bit of a sleaze. Charlie invites Stanley to the club but he can’t get in because they just don’t want him in there. Stanley stands by his broken down car when he runs into Tina, played by Cameron Diaz, in her film debut. He met her earlier at his bank and was charming enough but locked up like the brakes on his old car. While driving home in defeat, he stalls out on a bridge. While beating up on the car, he spies what appears to be a person in the water. When he dives in all Stanley finds is a mask. Stanley makes his way home where he is harassed by his landlady. He goes to his apartment and eventually puts on The Mask, becoming a living cartoon character. Everything he does is straight out of a Looney Tunes Cartoon. Giant mallets, bombs in his pocket, bug-eyed reactions, his joking demeanor, and so much more makes the character of The Mask wildly different than that of Stanley. So whereas Stanley would have stayed at home with his dog watching cartoons, The Mask heads out on the town, causing mischief. In the morning, Stanley has no idea what has happened and the authorities are asking questions about The Mask. Through the events of the film, Stanley must learn how to show more confidence without The Mask and how to break up a criminal enterprise with it on while being a complete goofball.

The Mask is a wildly entertaining film that still held up for me. While not the deepest film in terms of plot, it’s well structured and holds up well these twenty five years later. Stanley deals with the consequences of what The Mask does during the day while The Mask is tussling with the Mob at night. Edge City is the fictional city in which the movie takes place. I really appreciate the world building and look of this city. It’s a city that is somewhere between the 1930’s and 1990’s. The center of this town seems to be the Coco Bongo Club and the people really like swing music, putting them ahead of that trend by about five years. The world that The Mask occupies at night has a fantasy element to it where as the day time world of Stanley has a crushing modernity, with it’s pollution, over crowding, and hum drum nature. At one point Stanley visits a psychiatrist played by Ben Stein to try and understand what is happening with The Mask. Turns out The Mask only works at night so Stanley ends up looking like an insane person when talking about the issues he is dealing with. Everything about this and the other daytime scenes are grounded in a realism. Stanley gets ripped off and hassled by mechanics during the day, something we can all relate to. At night, he shows up as The Mask and gets a measure of revenge against them while they are sitting around playing cards, a wicked fantasy for sure but one that people with habitually broken down cars can sort of relate to. My question is why are these mechanics hanging out at work into the wee hours of the night? During the day, the police and journalists are on top of investigating crimes involving The Mask. At night, mobster Dorian Tyrell, who looks like he could have been Matthew McConaughey but is actually played by Peter Greene, runs his criminal enterprise with impunity.

The Mask was a huge hit and it’s all Jim Carrey that is the draw for this movie. I remember the movies rendition of Cuban Pete being played as a music video on MTV, back when they used to show those kind of things. The movie lead to an animated series which I remember being pretty ok. Also there would be a sequel starring Jamie Kennedy, which is best left forgotten. It is also interesting that this was Cameron Diaz first movie. She was a natural and had good chemistry with Jim Carrey. Every couple of years there are rumbles about getting Jim Carrey to make a proper sequel to The Mask. I expect it to happen eventually. With Jim Carrey taking a job as Doctor Eggman in the Sonic the Hedgehog Movie, he will probably chase that Mask 2 paycheck before too long. Then we might have a better sense of what the legacy of this movie is. For people who saw it at the time, it is fondly remembered, fun-loving romp. I don’t know that the younger generation has gone back to view this film or what they think of it. Whether The Mask is evergreen remains to be seen, but it will always be remembered as one of the three films from this year that made Jim Carrey an A-Lister.

Speed – Worldwide Gross: $350,448,145

Pop Quiz Hot Shot. There is a bomb on a bus. The bomb is armed once the bus goes over 50 mph. The bomb explodes once the bus goes under 50 mph. What do you do? In terms of trailers, is there anything that has ever explained a movie more concisely and been so effective? I imagine this was also the elevator pitch for this movie. Speed is so much more than just the bomb on a bus scenario but that line was a really good hook to draw in the audience. 1994 was a pretty good year for the action movie. You have the aforementioned True Lies, A Clear and Present Danger, and The Crow. A tier below that you had movies like On Deadly Ground, Surviving the Game, and Beverly Hills Cop 3. Then you were kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel with some of the action releases to theaters, like Double Dragon, The Shadow, Street Fighter, and Blown Away. The point is that the studios thought enough of the action genre to send a healthy number of action movies to the theaters. Speed is a tricky movie to review. I can’t call it exceptional because it relied on quite a few action movie tropes. It doesn’t try to reinvent the genre, most of what happens here is pretty typical for the genre. Best I can say is that Speed is an action movie done right.

Often when a review says a movie is a nonstop thrill ride, that means the reviewer has nothing to say or wasn’t paying attention to the movie. Speed is very fast-paced in terms of the action. It could be called Worst Case Scenario: The Movie. From the first scene where Dennis Hopper’s character, Howard Payne, stabs a security guard in the head. Hopper’s performance is one of the high points of this movie. The character is not at all subtle and the acting reflects that. His dialogue is feels like it needs another polish in the writing but the way Hopper delivers it is brilliant. I wouldn’t change a line. Payne strategically places bombs in an elevator at the beginning of the movie. He then demands a ransom or he will blow up the elevator along with everyone in it. The LAPD is called in to deal with the situation. Our hero Jack, played by Keanu Reeves, makes an entrance like a champ, with his car jumping about 20 feet in the air over a hill on the way to the scene. Jack volunteers himself and his partner Harry, played by Jeff Daniels, for the most dangerous assignment, right on top of the action. If you were drafting people for 1994, Jeff Daniels would be a good mid-round pick. If you are a binge of 1994 movies, you will get to appreciate Daniels acting chops by watching Speed and Dumb and Dumber back to back. You can see that he has a lot of range as an actor. Oddly enough, his character in both movies is named Harry.

This opening scene establishes a few important things. First that Jack thinks fast on his feet as well as outside of the box. Harry is the bomb expert while Jack has the bravery to get up close to the bombs to inspect them. They make a good team. Jack uses a crane from a near by construction site to hang onto the elevator car while the bombs explode the cables. Of course, because nothing in this movie can be simple, the crane starts to give way and they get the hostages out in the nick of time. And because this is Speed, Jack immediately realizes that Howard is in a near by freight elevator. So after a heart-pounding action sequence, we get another heart-pounding action sequence. Harry gets taken hostage by Howard, who has strapped a bomb to himself to ensure his escape. Jack’s solution to the problem is to shoot the hostage, in the leg to be exact. Howard quickly slips away saying “Mwahahah!” as he heads for a parking garage and seemingly blows himself up.

The movie takes a bit of a lull as Harry and Jack are honored for their actions in taking down the bomber. But it is revealed that Howard is alive and well, watching the ceremony on television and applauding their efforts sarcastically. So one morning Jack is out buying a muffin when a bus explodes. Howard calls on a pay phone and lays out the situation for Jack. A bomb is on a bus. When it hits 50, the bomb will activate, when it goes below 50 the bus blows up. Howard tells him which bus and we are off to the races. Meanwhile, Annie, played by Sandra Bullock, gets on a bus with a cast of characters. I didn’t catch the character’s name but one of them is a tourist played by Alan Ruck, who was Cameron in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I prefer to think this is Cameron visiting L.A. Jack hijacks a car and tracks down the bus. He manages to jump on the bus. Everything that can go wrong does. The main plot device is keeping the bus over 50. It certainly builds tension. When Jack writes a note telling them there is a bomb on the bus, the drivers instinct is to slow down. Jack tries to tell the people on the bus what is happening when a criminal gets nervous and shoots the bus driver. Annie takes the wheel and she doesn’t know how to drive. Of course, because it’s L.A., they hit traffic. Having to keep above 50, Annie takes an exit and runs into everything along the way. Now they are maintaining 50 on Western Ave, which as a former L.A. resident, I can tell you is the most unrealistic thing about this movie. The movie keep rolling like this. A complication will pop up, Jack has to find a way around it, another one pops up. The whole time Harry is trying to find out who Howard is. Turns out he used to be former bomb squad. He lost a finger in an accident and got screwed out of his pension, which is why Howard is doing all this crazy stuff.

They get the bus on the yet to be completed 105 Freeway and for a while that solves the problem of having to keep the speed up to 50 mph. Howard is watching the whole thing on the news but he also has a camera on the bus. If they try to get any passengers off, he will blow up the bus. They come up on the incomplete part of the 105 and have to get the bus to move as fast as it can to make the jump, an incredibly exciting part of the movie. Jack thinks fast and gets the bus onto the tarmac at the airport. Now they can keep the bus moving but how are they going to get the people off. Meanwhile, Harry finds Howard’s house and it was rigged to blow up. Turns out, he wasn’t home. He calls Jack to taunt him about it. With the situation getting more desperate, Jack find a way under the bus to take a look at the bomb. Everything with the operation goes wrong and he manages to get back on the bus but not without popping a hole in the gas tank. Time is running out when Jack realizes the reason Howard has been calling Annie ‘Wildcat’ is because of her University of Arizona shirt she has on. They trace the line for the camera and play some footage on a loop. This way they can get the people off the bus and Howard will be none the wiser. Now just Annie and Jack are on the bus. The sexual chemistry starts to heat up and they think of a way to get off the bus without blowing up with it. They find a very suggestive way off the bus but it’s not over yet. The LAPD agree to make the cash drop for Howard. He finds out that the bus has exploded and reacts over the top. He still has a plan though. He kidnaps Annie and makes his way to a train. Jack tracks him down and it’s the final showdown. Let’s just say that Howard doesn’t get ahead.

I love this movie. It keeps on moving. The dialogue is great. Dennis Hopper is fantastic and very enjoyable in this over-the-top performance. Keanu Reeves really came across well in this movie. I have to believe that the success of Speed helped get him cast in The Matrix. Before this, I don’t know that people would have taken him seriously as an action star. Speed did big things for Keanu. I think Sandra Bullock came out of the movie looking good too. She would go on to be in the ill fated sequel, Speed 2: Cruise Control. But mostly she would be the leading lady in many Rom Coms among other things. The writing was very tight. The dialogue was witty but took the situation serious the whole time. Speed was a very ambitious production. On a budget of $30 million, they got every nickel they could out of that money. A lot of these stunts had to be very difficult to pull off. Watching this movie again, I had a greater appreciation for what it must have taken to make the movie. Speed was one of the movies they would use in film school as an example of what to do in action movies. Most movies are happy to have a handful of action sequences as exciting as Speed. Somehow, they kept the story moving with most of the movie taking place on a bus. That is incredibly challenging to do. In addition to that, the action sequences lead one into the next, not leaving the audience much time to breath. You would think that would burn out an audience but it worked really well. Speed is just a fun movie. It won three Oscars, all for editing and sound design. The legacy of Speed will probably be that of the fun, summer action movie that takes audiences by storm. They don’t happen as often as they used to but every now and again one will come along and prove that audience love this type of movie.

The Flintstones – Worldwide Gross: $341,631,208.

I saw this movie in theaters back in 1994 and I will be damned if I can’t say why. I wasn’t that big of a fan of the show. I was speaking with some other people from our generation and it seems like the story is the same. Didn’t really like The Flintstones that much but saw it in theaters anyway. This came out Memorial Day weekend and I suspect that many of our parents sent us to the theaters to be rid of us for a couple of hours. Still, I remember liking the movie back then, even if there wasn’t much I could remember from it aside from Halle Berry. I was genuinely shocked to see how much money The Flintstones made, beating out Dumb and Dumber for the sixth spot overall for 1994. Having watched this movie recently, The Flintstones is a really underrated movie.

The Flintstones greatest feature is how much this feels like the show and how much they got right. John Goodman stars as Fred and he plays it perfectly. I can’t imagine anyone else playing Fred Flintstone this well. The same for Rick Moranis as Barney Rubble. Every character feels like they came right from the television to the movie screen. You can’t take this for granted in an adaptation. A lot of adaptations fail to get anything about the original right outside of the name on the poster and the name of the characters. Every inch of The Flintstones was made with obvious love and care for the show. The production design that takes modern things and remake them in a Stone Age way was impressive. They remake the opening and closing of the original show, complete with the theme song and all of it looks exactly right. The story seems like it could be an episode of the show. A corporate executive needs someone he can pin his crime on as he robs the company blind. So he does this by having all the rank and file workers take an aptitude test. Meanwhile, Fred lends some money to Barney so that he can adopt Bam Bam, who will be his and his wife, Betty’s son. Barney vows to pay back Fred and does so by swapping their tests. As a result, Fred gets the big promotion and now, finally he is going to be a somebody. He’s moving up in the world, making more money, and letting it go to his head. Barney gets saddled with Fred’s test results which were so poor that he got fired. This puts hard times on the Rubble household and they stay with The Flintstones until they can get back on their feet. Well, Fred gets very full of himself and forgets who his real friends are. Half of the quarry gets laid off, making Fred hated among everyone who had been his work mates. This builds to a head where Barney is working as a bus boy at a club that Fred, Wilma, and Betty are attending. Barney gets sick of Fred’s attitude and tells everyone that he swapped the tests. This creates a riff between The Flintstones and The Rubbles. While Wilma doesn’t know what to believe, she is also sick of Fred’s attitude. As we go into our third act, the corporate stooge, Cliff Vandercave, reveals to Fred that he has been playing him the whole time. Cliff flat out tells him that he is being framed with embezzlement. Fred, with nowhere to turn and no one to turn to, goes into hiding. All of the evidence that Fred is innocent is on a Dictabird which recorded every conversation in Fred’s office. Betty and Wilma capture the bird. Fred gets caught by an angry mob and as his friend, Barney gets rounded up by the mob too. Fred realizes that he has been a jerk all along and right before he is taken out by the angry crowd, he apologizes for everything he has done. So just in the nick of time, Betty and Wilma prove Fred’s innocence. With everything revealed, Fred stops Cliff from absconding with the money by accidentally inventing concrete and trapping Cliff in stone. Mr. Slate sees this and offers Fred a big promotion. Fred turns it down because when he finally became a somebody, he became somebody he didn’t like. He just wants to have his old job back along with all the other laid off workers. Fred and Barney are friends again, everything is back to normal.

If you are a fan of the show, The Flintstones movie delivers. From the jokes to the way they are delivered, everything is authentic to the show. It’s hard to say what people who have never seen The Flintstones would think of this movie. I thought it was an enjoyable movie. It is a film that doesn’t get much love these twenty five years later. The follow up prequel released in 2000, The Flinstones In Viva Rock Vegas and the direct to video sequels I believe hurt this film a bit. There are a ton of bad sequels starring different actors and I think there may have been “Flintstones Fatigue.” I would recommend people go back and watch this film. Ultimately, the legacy of this film will be as a surprise hit that was just a product made by a studio for the purposes of making piles of money. There was no higher purpose to The Flintstones. I do think credit should be give to everyone involved for taking the care they did with the source material. The people who were handed this assignment made it with love and it shows.

[chickeninthewoods]

2004 films

| The Bachelor | Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004 (late-nite) | Pulled from the pile of purchased DVDs at the folks'... to great disappointment. This is a bad, bad film, and Chris O'Donnell truly sucks. Phoned-it-in sucks. This explains why he hasn't worked much in the last 5 years - which was a bit of a mystery up until now. Avoid this like the plague.

| Spanglish | Dec. 27, 2004 (afternoon) |

| Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Sunday, Dec. 26, 2004 (late-nite) | Dark and long. The kids are growing up, and the films are, as well. I think my mom is borrowing this from my sister. She has all three, unfortunately mostly in fullscreen.

| Snow Falling on Cedars | Sunday, Dec. 26, 2004 (late-nite) | Fantastic and incredibly sad. This was pulled from the stack of purchased DVDs at my parents' house over xmas vacation (who knows why they buy what they buy).

| Rivers and Tides | Saturday, Dec. 25, 2004 (afternoon, w/ the 'rents) | A gorgeous, nearly-meditative study of the work of Andrew Goldsworthy, who creates sculptural installations in and from nature.

| Seabiscuit | Saturday, Dec. 25, 2004 (w/ the 'rents) | Oddly-paced, but exciting. A book moved to the screen doesn't always work well, though, for the reasons well-illustrated here. The historical snippets might have worked well as chapter introductions, but they make for a confusing set of transitions on screen.

| De-Lovely | Friday, Dec. 24, 2004 (evening) | A mess of a film, though pretty and entertaining. But maybe that was intentional. Porter's life was a mess, albeit an entertaining one.

| Before Sunset | Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2004 (late-nite) | I had planned to watch this on the plane to Indy, but after watching the original last night, I couldn't help popping this one in today before my trip. I'm frustrated as hell by it, and the sudden ending, but I guess that's the reality part.

| Before Sunrise | Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004 (late-nite) | Luminous, like Julie Delpy's skin.

| 24: Season 3 | Week of Dec. 17, 2004 | My current policy is to review television series all at once, rather than a disc at a time, but I wanted to begin by noting that this season does not start out well. The tech is particularly bad, and I don't really care about what happens next.

| The Door in the Floor | Saturday, Dec. 18, 2004 | A little less dark than I thought it might be, and more tangible. I haven't read any Roth, ever, and now I'm prompted to start. I'll have to rent it again to watch the commentary and featurettes -- I'm fascinated by writer/screenwriter collaborations, and the adaptation process (so long as the writers can also talk).

| The King of Comedy | Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2004 | I think it's not possible to watch a film on the recommendation of someone who says its their favorite. I just don't have much to say about it.

| Jersey Girl | Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2004 (afternoon) | Ooh, this was cute! 13 Going on 30 cute, 3 Men and a Baby cute. The kid was great, and the Sweeney Todd bit was cute even in its un-cute-ness. A definite recommendation for parents and families who want to see a decent movie.

| A Home at the End of the World | Thursday, Dec. 9, 2004 | I'll admit, I rented this for the much-anticipated kiss between Colin Farrell and Dallas Roberts. It wouldn't have been worth waiting for, if that's all there was to this film. But all the things I disliked about marginally similar films, I liked about this. Where Forrest Gump was nearly campy, this was understated and honest. Where the Myth of Fingerprints was sarcastic, this was lacking all irony. At the same time, where Big Eden was celebratory and fantastical, this was pretty raw. So I don't know exactly how I feel, but I'm glad I saw it.

| Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004 (afternoon) | Reviews were generally positive, but I had received a recommendation against watching it just a few days prior. I enjoyed it, and would certainly keep it out of the "never again" bin, though it probably won't end up on a best list. As other reviewers noted, its the emotional core that saves this film from a bad sort of quirky, and I did appreciate that. But I felt it didn't go far enough exploring the morality of doing such a bizarre and radical thing. I would have preferred a "what if" movie with a love/life story running through it, to a love/life story with lots of other stuff piled around it. Jim Carrey didn't annoy me, though, and that's a rarity. Kate Winslet is yummy.

| Capturing the Friedmans | Nov. 27, 2004 (afternoon) | Truly one of the most amazing films, ever. While working on a short film about children's pary clowns in NYC, the filmmaker happened upon an extraordinary story of a family caught in an avalanche of molestation charges and media frenzy in the mid-1980s. The film includes footage shot by family members during the time of the arrests and court proceedings, as well as present-day interviews with police and other persons involved. If netflixing, be sure to get Disc 2 as well, as there are hours of additional footage and follow-up interviews with the filmmakers.

| Maze | Nov. 1, 2004 (afternoon) | This scared me off initially, fearing it was a Rob Morrow vanity piece, but then I forged ahead on faith in Laura Linney. And I wasn't disappointed -- the film is quite lovely, surprisingly nuanced, and I forgive Rob Morrow his salary whining in the 90s (Janine Turner, however, is getting her just desserts in dry-eye commercials)

| Ghost World | October 25, 2004 | I held off on seeing this when it was playing at York Sq., but it was fun on dvd. Scarlett and Thora bring so much to the table.

| The Apprentice, Season 1 (all discs) | Oct. 20, 2004 | Addicted to S2, thought S1 might be good. Soapy fun.

| Seeing Other People | Oct. 20, 2004 | Julianne Nicholson is always great, but the movie wasn't my favorite. Vulgar and ultimately a little boring.

| Dopamine | Sunday, Oct. 10, 2004 | I like Sabrina Lloyd, and the story here was interesting, but I didn't ever really latch on to anything in this picture. There was so much unexpected darkness, maybe that pushed me away. | Normal | Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 | I was so skeptical... but this was handled with about as much grace and dignity as I could ever have imagined.

| Uptown Girls | Sunday, Sept. 19, 2004 | Decent fluffy entertainment.

| Dinner for Five: Season 1, Disc 1 | Sunday, Sept. 12, 2004 | Never as interesting as it promised.

| High Art | Saturday, Sept. 11, 2004 | Not as hot on the most recent viewing, but I'm sensing the ambition element more clearly each time I see it.

| Alias, Season 2 (all discs) | Week of Sept. 6, 2004 |

| Tuck Everlasting | Sunday, Sept. 5, 2004 |

Alexis is a wonder, and I'm so glad she has a spot on the WB for a while.

| Charlotte Sometimes | Sometime in September, 2004? |

| 13 Going on 30 | Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2004 | I watched this on the plane, BDL>>DTW, and finished in the wrap place in terminal B. Cute, cute, cute entertaining fluff.

| Mona Lisa Smile | Monday, Aug. 9, 2004 | I don't know why I haven't returned this yet; it was good, though not in the Wonder Boys-kind of way I had hoped. Not much new to say, though it was interesting to watch how the juxtaposition of super-smart-capable and wanna-be-housewifey played out

| Watching You | Friday, July 30, 2004 | This was a set of short films, all lesbian-themed in some way. I got it because I was looking for a short called "travelling companion," which had been on another set of shorts on VHS a few years ago. The quality of gay-themed cinema has come so far in the last few years, though. My favorite ("10 rules") was actually in the "extras" section, though I wasn't sure exactly why there was that division. The title short, "Watching You," was set in Israel (??), though that never was mentioned explicitly.

| The Cucumber Incident | Monday, July 27, 2004 | This was an indie (so indie it's not even in IMDB yet) documentary, viewed on the Sundance Channel's DOCday. It tells the story of a group of three women in a family who basically raped and beat the husband of one of the women, who had been molesting his daughters. It's complicated and awful -- the wife who let her husband back in the house after he'd been to prison for molesting her older daughter, the child protection system which didn't intervene after subsequent charges (and let him back in the house after his imprisonment), the complicated revenge / scare tactics they exacted, and the overwhelming weight of the justice system that fell on them as a result. Everything about this is awful, and though I never felt like we really got to the heart of the women's fury as they prepared to terrorize this guy, that may be as much a result of midwestern stoicism as it is a comment on the film's ability to draw out their story.

| A Mighty Wind | Saturday, July 24, 2004 | I've watched this more than once now - I don't know why, but it's silly and entertaining and even ok musically.

| Travelling Companion | Tuesday, July 20, 2004 | I watched this on an interminable train ride from New Haven to Boston, when the train literally broke down in the middle of rural Rhode Island. Nice.

| Casa de los Babys | Monday, July 12, 2004 | I may need to give this another look before I comment too much. I rented this while my sister was visiting, and I'm not sure we finished it.

| Along Came Polly | Sunday, July 11, 2004 | B+

| Girl With a Pearl Earring | Sunday, July 4, 2004 | Watched this at T's up in New Hampshire -- it was a lovely portrait, and a really creative and daring way to make a film about a painting.

| Dead Like Me (entire first season) | July, 2004 | So bummed I don't get Showtime anymore... rent the dvds if you get the chance, it's almost as good as Six Feet Under (the first year of SFU)SHO

| Things You Can Tell Just by Looking At Her | Wednesday, June 30, 2004 | I watched this in the car, driving from my parents' house in Michigan down to visit my sister in Indianapolis. It's not a bad car-movie (if such a category exists), except that I did get a tad claustrophobic at one intense point. I really thought I had seen this before, but I had only vague moments of deja vu as I watched it. The women were just amazing -- Glenn Close, Callista Flockhart, Amy Brenneman, Cameron Diaz (and more) -- but I was particularly amazed by Callista Flockhart. I don't think it's reasonable to question her talent after watching her work in this film -- something so far from Ally McBeal, so different and difficult. The movie is a set of one-acts, each focusing on a different character. The supporting characters in each act are extremely sparse, though there's a bit of connection woven throughout the film, between the characters. It's important to understand that they're living in the same time, the same world. Glenn Close is an Ob/Gyn with real emotional maturity and intimacy issues; Cameron Diaz is a relatively well-adjusted blind girl whose sister (Amy Brenneman) is taking a backseat; Holly Hunter is a successful, albeit lonely bank officer who reels at the pointed analysis of a homeless woman who buns her cigarettes; and Callista Flockhart is a woman tending to her dying lover (Valeria Golino). There's also a piece with Kathy Baker who infantilizes her new short-statured neighbor, but I found it really odd and jarring compared with the rest.

| Raising Victor Vargas | Tuesday, June 29, 2004 | Watched on the plane from Detroit to Hartford -- though I think I'll want to see it again when I can hear and concentrate better. This would make a great double-feature with "Real Women Have Curves", for the sheer heart of both

| The Banger Sisters | Sunday, June 27, 2004 | Watched mostly on the plane between Hartford and Detroit, and finished up at my parents' house in Michigan -- this was a fun little showcase for a variety of veteran and newcomer talent. Goldie Hawn's butt really is amazing, Susan Sarandon proves she can give up scenery-chewing for Lent, and Eva and Erika somehow manage to look like sisters (though moreso if their parents were Susan and Goldie...)

| Nobody's Baby | Monday, June 14, 2004 | Caught this one on Showtime, found by the Tivo's Radha Mitchell wishlist. I'm not sure what Radha's doing playing these desert waitresses (e.g., When Strangers Appear), but this one wasn't bad. A little anachronistic, maybe, but not awful.SHO

| All the Real Girls | Saturday, June 12, 2004 | Though I really like some of the actors, I just didn't find this movie that compelling. It was slow, and maybe would have been better if I had seen it on the right kind of day (e.g., long, slow, cold and weathery).

| Trembling Before G-d | Saturday, June 12, 2004 |

| Purity | Saturday, June 12, 2004 | I watched this nearly in a double-feature with Trembling Before G-d, and it was so stunning. Clearly bitter and biased, but stunning.

| Saved | Friday, June 11, 2004 | Saw this Heathers-in-a-Christian-High-School in the theatre, opening weekend. Not terribly crowded, which was surprising. The movie was just delightful; funny and interesting and terribly attentive to the details, which was important. It's fun to see someone like Mandy Moore play a character this deliciously saccharine, too. Go see.Orange

| Marathon | Thursday, June 10, 2004 | Caught on the Sundance channel -- and couldn't tear myself away. It's a faux-documentary of a girl who does an annual 24-hour crossword puzzle marathon in NYC -- mostly on noisy subways and buses. The dialogue is minimal, the plot is pretty much nonexistent, and yet its riveting to watch, for some reason. It's one of the few times watching a film where I felt like I was in that zone of a conversation where I was truly getting to know someone.

| Out of Season | Sunday, June 6, 2004 | A surprisingly ok new grrl movie, which is unusual. And since I wasn't expecting anything at all, I was a very thrilled little camper. This definitely goes on the recommendations list, maybe even above 'Go Fish' (though after 'Get Real').| Soldier's Girl | Friday, June 4, 2004 | A really wrenching look at the story of a particular casualty of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (pre-"Don't Pursue," I think). I don't know how close to the truth this story was, but I'm not sure it matters. It was beautiful.

| The Company | Wednesday, June 3, 2004 | I've been dying to see this ever since it came out, but I was a bit disappointed. While the dancing was just out of this world, I had trouble adjusting to all the jumps between performance and slice-of-life/rehearsals and story. I think that was intentional, but it just didn't work for me. I love the Joffrey, though, and it was worth the time spent just to watch them dance. Neve included. While I'm usually the first to scrunch up my nose at something that appears to be a vanity piece, this is most certainly not one of those times. No one hires Altman to do a vanity piece, for starters. For an Altman-esque look inside the ballet, this is what you want. But I still prefer Center Stage for the energy of the dance world (as soapy as it can be).

| xx/xy | Tuesday, June 1, 2004 | I wasn't sure what to make of this -- it sounded too much like that other film with Kathleen Robertson in a menage a trois -- but with Mark Ruffalo, I wanted to give it a shot. It was interesting for the blurriness and for the look at a particular kind of person's behavior in a relationship, but I didn't love it.

[mrmichaelchadler]

Cinepocalypse 2018 Preview

Dark days in the real world often call for an escape into even darker worlds in cinema. As many people are continuously startled by the world around them, from the terrifying increase in school shootings to the atrocities currently happening on the U.S. border, it makes sense that the horror genre feels more vibrant and alive than ever. Two of the most critically acclaimed films of the year—“Hereditary” and “A Quiet Place”—are undeniably horror films, no matter how many people want to claim they’re not, while other genre indies like “The Endless” have also garnered attention. This is all to say that this feels like the perfect time for a horror film festival like Cinepocalypse.

Starting at the Music Box Theatre this Thursday, June 21st, Cinepocalypse employs something of a shock and awe approach to the genre, offering fans an overwhelming amount of content for a relatively-short festival. There are world premieres, retro events, special guests, and horror hits from other festivals. It’s an ambitious slate of (mostly) indie offerings from around the world, most of which have little in common other than the horror brand. As someone who has seen a great deal of this year’s offerings, it’s the range of the programming that’s impressive. There are slasher pics, brutal dramas, relationship nightmares, sci-fi experiments, and even a movie about Nazi puppets. There’s something for everyone. Here are a few highlights, chronologically.

“The Domestics” (June 21st, 7:30pm)

Mike P. Nelson’s brutal vision of a world gone mad feels just right for the first note conducted by Cinepocalypse in 2018. Owing an undeniable debt to “The Purge” and “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “The Domestics” actually reminded me more of post-apocalyptic video games like “Fallout,” imagined futures in which the world is overrun with enemies and formerly safe havens are deadly. Nelson’s vision doesn’t take place in the traditional landscapes of post-apocalyptic horror, which often crib from George Miller or Ridley Scott, working with, well, domesticity as its background. It's more about average American neighborhoods and Midwestern landscapes that have become suddenly, unexpectedly violent. In other words, it's kinda perfect for 2018.

In a future dominated by rival gangs with names like The Gamblers and The Sheets, we meet a couple (Tyler Hoechlin & Kate Bosworth) on the edge of sanity. They had been communicating with loved ones via ham radio but the signal has gone dead and they have decided to now take a road trip through Wisconsin to Milwaukee to see what’s going on. The journey takes them through territories dominated by violent men, many of whom now see people as property. There’s an interesting social commentary simmering beneath “The Domestics” that feels timely (if too underdeveloped), but it’s mostly just a brutal cinematic punch to the face, anchored by genuine performances from Hoechlin, Bosworth, Lance Reddick, Sonoya Mizuno, and more. It’s rough around the edges in certain places, but it undeniably sets the tone for an event like Cinepocalypse. (Get your tickets here.)

“The Ranger” (June 22nd, 2:30pm & June 26th, 9:15pm)

Fresh off its SXSW premiere, comes this throwback from writer/director Jenn Wexler, another film that feels a bit first-draft in places but that struck a nostalgic beat for this viewer. If you’re like me and grew up watching the cheesy slasher pics of the ‘80s, you may feel similarly about this twist on the “cabin in the woods” genre. Instead of teenagers away at camp, “The Ranger” features punk rock kids running from society to a remote locale. And instead of an escaped mental patient, the killer here is an unhinged park ranger, the antithesis of the punk ethos. Some of “The Ranger” feels undercooked, but I have to admit to enjoying seeing a subgenre that doesn’t really exist like it used to and that once dominated the world of horror. Given how much of Cinepocalypse is designed to tap that nostalgic vein, those who fondly remember the slasher subgenre, should probably check this one out. (Get your tickets here.)

“What Keeps You Alive” (June 22nd, 11:59pm)

The talented Colin Minihan (“It Stains the Sand Red”) brings his latest to the Music Box for its Midwest Premiere and it should produce gasps in the Friday night midnight spot for those willing to stay up late. Performances aren’t often the hook to bring in viewers at horror festivals but Hannah Emily Anderson and Brittany Allen are great in this SXSW hit as a couple named Jackie and Jules, who go on a trip to one of their childhood haunts on their one-year anniversary to a remote cabin Jackie went to as a child. From the beginning, something feels off as Jackie seems distant and different. It’s that common point in a relationship when one person reveals something new about themselves through the lens of their past. And what Jackie reveals is shocking. I almost wish I could go down to the MB for when Minihan pulls the rug out from viewers on what they think they’re watching just to hear the gasps. You should be there. (Get your tickets here.)

“Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich” (June 23rd, 11:59pm)

Most people willing to read an article previewing horror films at something called Cinepocalypse probably have seen a “Puppet Master” movie or two (or ten). Starting in 1989, the “Puppet Master” series became a staple in the straight-to-VHS (then DVD) horror market, releasing so many (maybe intentionally) awful sequels to the movie about killer puppets. Well, the era in which nostalgia is king has finally gotten around to those maniacal puppets with a full reboot written by S. Craig Zahler of “Brawl in Cell Block 99” and “Bone Tomahawk” fame, and starring Thomas Lennon, Michael Pare, Barbara Crampton, and Udo Kier. Yes, it’s a cheesy, gorey, insane, ludicrous movie about killer puppets who were trained by the Nazis to eliminate enemies of the Third Reich first, and so that’s what they do at a remote hotel. (The hate crimes aspect of "The Littlest Reich" feels purposefully provocative in a way that horror rarely is nowadays and used to be so often in the '70s.) Lennon is surprisingly flat, playing it a bit too straight, but there’s more than enough to like here for people wondering if this may resemble the brutal insanity of the final act of “Bone Tomahawk” but with puppets as the bad guys. Spoiler: It does. (Get your tickets here.)

“Empathy, Inc.” (June 24th, 5pm)

There are a few films at Cinepocalypse this year that feel inspired more by “Black Mirror” than traditional horror and the best of those that I’ve seen is Yedidya Gorsetman’s “Empathy, Inc.” Zack Robidas plays a venture capitalist who watches his whole world fall apart when a deal goes bad. Forced to move up with his in-laws, he desperately grabs at a lifeline when an old friend (Eric Berryman) comes to him with a new project in the always-hot world of Virtual Reality. The tech is called XVR (Xtreme Virtual Reality) and is the product of a company called Empathy, Inc., which allows users to literally step into the shoes of someone who has less than them. Privileged, well-off people are always talking about the perspective gained by those are further down the social ladder, but what would they do if they could literally live the lives of the less fortunate? The concept of “Empathy, Inc.” is brilliant, and Gorsetman has a strong sense of storytelling, even if the film does kind of write itself into a corner or two in the increasingly crazy final act. Still, it’s the kind of unexpected World Premiere that genre fans hope to find at a fest like Cinepocalypse. (Get your tickets here.)

Retro Titles w/Special Guests!

Threaded through the week-long run of Cinepocalypse, you’ll find a handful of really fun retro titles, selections that reveal the quirky personality that drives this festival. You’ve seen acknowledged classics at the Music Box before at one of their many festivals, but have you seen “Howard the Duck” in 70MM? Have you seen “Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight” on the big screen? What about “Judgment Night”? And the biggest guests of Cinepocalypse 2018 have to be the great Ernest Dickerson, traveling to Chicago to present "Juice" with a Q&A, and the incredible Lana Wachowski, who will discuss the phenomenal "Bound" with Cinepocalypse fans. (Get your tickets here.)

from All Content https://ift.tt/2ytPYBG

[flickdirect]

Los Angeles - The City of Angels..or is it? Statistics show it has one of the highest number of bank robberies in the country. With an average of one per hour, it seems like a haven for those looking to make a lot of cash fast. It is only right then that a movie about a bunch of bank robbers would be set there. Den of Thieves, 2018 Universal Studios feature, looks into one gang of bank robbers and the rogue law enforcement agents set out to catch them. Available on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD and digital download, it is a drama full of suspense and interesting character.

Ray Merrimen (Pablo Scheiber; Orange is the New Black) is a planning genius and a mastermind ex-military thief. He is working with a group of men he has known since his military days and they recruit Donnie (O'Shea Jackson, Jr.; Straight Outta Compton) as he is known to be a skilled driver. This group of bandits have highly choreographed and technical heists planned down to the minute with no room for errors. Merrimen has decided their next heist - to Rob the Federal reserve Building which has the most sophisticated and elaborate security system known.

"Big NIck" O'Brien (Gerard Butler; Olympus Has Fallen) is a Detective on the L.A. Police force. He has a drinking and fidelity problem and can't seem to figure out how to balance his work and personal life. Complicating matters is his obsession to bring down Merrimen and his gang. He leans on Donnie who only gives him minimal details, and on the day of the heist he realizes the LAPD have been duped. However, he manages to catch up to Merrimen and kills him. When he inspects the truck all he finds is shredded bills and realizes he was duped.

While Den of Thieves is not an original idea it does have a few things going for it. For starters, the ending has an unexpected twist which one doesn't see coming. The movie also has a decent cast led by Butler. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson (Get Rich or Die Tryin') once again proves he has some versatility pairing acting with his music career. O'Shea Jackson, Jr. once again turns in a solid performance creating a career that will no doubt carry him forward. Schieber offers an intensity that is only matched by Butler's insanity.

The Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition video, which showcases the various settings. Colors are deep and true even though the overall feel of the film is gritty and a little bit dirty. The DTS-HD master audio 5.1 offers a surround sound experience that immerses the viewer completely from the dialogue to the gunshots. The combo pack offers two versions of the film: Theatrical and Unrated, the latter offering 8 more minutes of action and drama. There are also eight extras including an alternate ending, Alpha Males, Into the Den, Alameda Corridor, Outtakes, Theatrical Version Audio Commentary, Theatrical Trailer #1 and Theatrical Trailer #2.

As mentioned, Den of Thieves isn't a new concept and there have been other films that have done it better. The logistics behind the heist are interesting but there seems to be some confusion as to the backstories of many of the characters leaving holes in their development. O'Brien, however, is an intense, multilayered and flawed character and is a welcome change of pace for Butler. He makes the film more interesting and the intense scenes between him and Schreiber offer breathe holding suspense.

Den of Thieves is a decent film that has some exciting moments but leaves spaces that can make things mildly confusing from time to time. However, it seems there will be more to come as STX entertainment has already announced a sequel is in the works.

Grade: C+

About Allison Hazlett-Rose Allison Hazlett-Rose has always had a passion for the arts and uses her organization skills to help keep FlickDirect prosperous. Mrs. Hazlett-Rose oversees and supervises the correspondents and critics that are part of the FlickDirect team. Mrs. Hazlett-Rose attended Hofstra University where she earned her bachelors degree in communications and is a member of the Florida Film Critics Circle.

Read more reviews and content by Allison Hazlett-Rose.

via FlickDirect Entertainment News and Film Reviews