#he is an exception just like Grabber and Mr Gold

[jokeringcutio]

All you clown lovers send in your Buggy x Reader wishes. Imagine prompts are welcome

[karolinesvrsion]

just this once, okay? | bruce yamada x fem!reader

part one part two part three part four part five part six

y'all i actually love this chapter sm

taglist: @bettyssneaker @ellemfaoh @finneysbaseball @urfavkorean @retirement-home @sweetrabbit @inumakihearts

when a crushing and helpless bruce yamada seeks aid from an unaware and breezy y/n, he suggests they fake date in order to make his crush jealous. what could go wrong? they were friendly, and y/n was beautiful. bruce’s plan is fool proof. at least that’s what he thinks.

a/n: for the sake of the story, everyone is the same age (16-17) and in junior year of high school, except gwen, who is a freshman. and the grabber doesn't exist because i said so.

❦

everyone who had been sick the week prior was finally feeling better. the majority of the students who were out sick were back at school, thriving. bruce had taken a little longer to get back to class, solely because he had taken longer to accept that he was sick and stay home for a couple more days.

you were walking alongside donna, on your way to your shared english class. donna's birthday was coming up and she was beyond thrilled. "can you believe it, y/n/n? i'll be seventeen this saturday!"

finney, who had just tagged along, spoke up. "yeah, don, it's all you've been talking about for weeks now!"

"finn, don't kill her mood." you bossed, making him chuckle. "what're you gonna do? you gonna have a party?"

donna perked up at this. "yep!" she chirped, popping the 'p' loudly. "i haven't told anyone though, you two are the first people i wanted to tell, obviously."

"oh, wow, i'm touched." finney teased, ruffling her hair gently. "out of all of your friends, we're the first to know?"

"yeah, duh." donna quipped, slapping his hand. "so, it'll be on saturday, at around eight o'clock, and you can bring whoever you want, as long as they don't do anything stupid, y'know?"

"ooo!" finney sang, nudging your shoulder. "you can take your perfect little boyfriend to donna's party!"

you rolled your eyes at him as the three of you walked into mrs. jameson's english class. "i was planning to, finn."

"i hate people in happy relationships." donna grumbled, taking her usual seat in front of you.

finney smirked. "y'know they're not actually—"

"shut up, finney!" you scolded, kicking his shin roughly to ensure he'd keep his trap shut. he squealed like a child, holding his knee up to his chest.

"you two have such a weird friendship." donna shook her head, placing her supplies on her desk. she was always so prepared for everything, which was the main reason you two had become friends so quickly.

"we know." you and finney laughed in sync.

as the three of you trudged to your next class, finney asked a question. "hey, y/n/n, d'you think you could help robin and i with some of the calculus work later?"

"i don't know, finn, the only reason i'm passing calculus is because bruce always gives up on trying to explain the problems to me and just does them himself." you laughed, adjusting your bookbag.

"that's weirdly adorable." donna snickered, fidgeting with the flashy gold watch on her wrist. "it's so gross how adorable your relationship is, y'know?"

"oh, yeah!" finney exclaimed sarcastically. "their relationship is just adorable! super duper real and adorable!"

you gave him a sharp glare, and he immediately stopped teasing you. donna noticed this and furrowed her eyebrows. "he's just jealous of you and bruce, y/n/n, don't listen to him."

"like you're one to talk." finney mumbled so only donna heard it, and she shoved her elbow into finney's abdomen, earning a loud groan from him. "jeez, donna, chill!"

she straightened up quickly, changing the subject. "so, you two will be at my party this saturday, right?"

"yes, i will be there, don," you reassured, "and finney will be there too, even if i have to drag him out of bed myself." the pair laughed loudly at this, the small dimple on finney's cheek peeking out.

"perfect!" she giggled, linking her arm with yours. "hey, if it's not too much to ask, d'you think you could help me set up some stuff?"

"yeah, of course, i'll be there at six!" you responded. you didn't have any other plans for saturday, so if there was anything you could do to help, you'd do it.

"but, just you, okay?" donna muttered, hesitating a little bit. "i mean, bruce is welcome to come to the party, of course, but for before, i have to talk to you alone, okay?"

this worried you to some degree. donna looked somewhat pale, and she was as serious as you've ever seen her. "oh, yeah, okay."

the rest of the week went by swiftly. bruce had gone over to your house two days during the week, meaning he had met your dad. the whole situation was quite awkward, to be frank.

bruce showed up at your house on saturday evening. as usual, he knocked three times, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets right after.

when you opened the door and saw him— and his gorgeous smile— standing there, you almost slammed the door right in his face. instead, you blurted, "what are you doing here!?"

"i- isn't donna's party today?" bruce questioned, his smile faltering a bit.

"yeah, at eight o'clock!" you laughed, opening the door a bit wider to invite him inside. "it's only five-thirty, we can't show up already!"

he walked in, taking off his jacket and putting it up on the coat hanger. "okay, well, can we hang out, then?"

"i have to help donna set up for her party soon, bruce," you informed, sending him an apologetic look, "and before you ask, no, you can't go with me."

"what, why not!?" he scoffed. "i'd be great help!"

"i'm sure that you would, bruce, but, donna said she had to talk to me about something." you clarified, making him slump his shoulders.

allie was running down the stairs as you said this, grinning brightly when she saw bruce was there. "bruce!" she exclaimed, running over to him, giving him a bear hug.

bruce was quick to react, swooping her up. "allison, my favorite l/n!"

"hear that, y/n/n?" she boasted. "i'm his favorite l/n!"

you shook your head at her behavior. "i'm gonna go to donna's and help her set up. i will be back as soon as we finish."

"hey, bruce, do you want an ice pop?" allie blushed.

"i would love one, allie." bruce smiled. "i just need to talk to y/n really quickly, okay?"

"okay, i'll go get them ready!" allie squealed, running into the kitchen for ice pops. "i'll get you a blue one!"

you looked at bruce with admiration in your eyes. "if she's getting you a blue one she must really like you, y'know?"

"i have that charm on people, you know that." bruce smirked.

"you're so annoying, i hope you know that." you teased, shoving his shoulder.

he grinned, brushing his knuckles against yours. "go help donna, i will be right here, doing the unicorn puzzle with allie for the ninth time and eating ice pops!"

you laughed at this, running a hand through your hair. "i'll be back soon, i swear!"

"it's fine, y/n/n!" he assured. "take your time over there, i am about to eat the best ice pops ever, with one of the most hyper kids i've ever met, we will be fine!"

"okay, see? now, i feel bad!"

"get out!"

"you can't kick me out of my own house!"

"yes, he can, i said so!" what the fuck, allie?

the two of them teamed up and pushed you out of the front door, giggling loudly.

"what the fuck?" you whispered to— well, no one, really.

you and donna were almost finished setting everything up for her party. she set up a drink station, which as of right now only had soda and red solo cups, but knowing the teenagers of denver, someone would probably sneak in booze.

you helped her set up the snack station, which included an assortment of candies, many different chips, and like five different types of cookies.

"d'you think it's enough? i mean, i invited a lot of my friends and they probably invited some of their friends, but i learned at a young age that it's actually really rude to do that, so—" she rambled, pacing back and forth.

"donna!" you interrupted, placing your hands on her shoulders gently. "it's more than enough, i promise."

"yeah?" you nodded with a smile. "okay! well, i should probably start getting ready or something, i mean it's almost eight o'clock, and— oh!"

"what? what is it?" you asked, worried that she might have forgotten about something.

"oh, i just remembered that i also invited you over so i could tell you something." she said, walking over to you.

"right! yeah, i forgot about that." you admitted, making her laugh. "sorry, should i be prepared? i mean, is it something bad?"

"i guess if you see it that way, but it's really not." she began growing nervous, you could tell in the way she started pulling on her fingers and twisting her rings.

"hey," you soothed, "d, what is it?"

donna breathed in deeply. "you remember when everyone thought finney and i liked one another?"

"yeah, i mean, everyone talked about it for like, the entire year." you said. "even i thought you two were a thing."

"but, we didn't! i mean, i didn't!" donna croaked, her usually soothing voice going up an octave. "i liked finney, but just as friends, because, well, i had a thing for someone else."

"you did?" she nodded. you were growing more confused as to where this was going. "well, who was he? do you still like him?"

"it wasn't a 'he', y/n/n. it was a 'she'. and she was vera kennedy!" donna shrieked, her hands shaking. "i had a crush on vera from science class, okay!?"

you stayed silent, not knowing what to say. donna was crying silently, probably cursing herself for the way she told you.

"i didn't know, d." you wrapped your arm around her shoulder, allowing her to silently sob into your shoulder. "god, if i had known, i wouldn't have teased you about finn so much, im sorry."

she laughed lightly at this, rubbing her now swollen eyes roughly. "it's okay, y/n/n." she paused. "you don't hate me, do you?" she mumbled, her eyes glossy with tears.

"hate you?" you scoffed, placing your hand on hers. "why would i hate you just because of who you wanna make out with?" donna smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "i love you, d, you're my best friend. of course i don't hate you."

donna grinned widely, throwing her arms around your neck. "thank god, because i don't know if i could handle finney on my own."

the two of you laughed, and you reassured her multiple times that you'd always be by her side, no matter what. you told her that you had to go change into nicer clothes, and in a way, pick up bruce.

"sounds good, i'll see you two later!" donna smiled brightly, and you wondered how long she had wanted to tell you this.

"love you, d, i'll be back soon!"

after you left, donna felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. the truth was that she wanted you to be the first person she told, but she could never gather enough courage to tell you. the only reason she told finney first was because she knew that he had a crush on her, but she didn't want any miscommunication between the two of them.

thank god you were so accepting, because she didn't know what she would do without you.

when you and bruce arrived at donna's party, there was loud music and bright led lights that you didn't remember putting up.

"woah, this is," bruce trailed off, "wow!"

"well, 'wow' is one word for it." you retorted, feeling bruce tense up beside you. "hey, you okay?"

"yeah, fine, i'm just, well, i didn't expect donna's party to be so movie-like."

"yeah, me either, and i was here less than an hour ago." you said, squeezing his hand comfortingly.

"okay, let's go!" bruce dragged you inside, and the two of you immediately got tangled in the mess of teenagers in donna's house.

you spotted donna over by the snack table, and tugged on bruce's hand, signaling him over. he caught on and you two made your way over to her.

"donna, i didn't think it would be this big!" you yelled over the deafening music.

"i didn't either, but i guess word got around quickly!" she was definitely panicking.

"well, on the bright side, you're getting more presents than usual!" bruce attempted to lighten her mood, shooting her an award-winning smile.

donna's mouth opened and closed a couple times, but she shrugged. "yeah, i guess so."

"oh, hey, there's violet and luke!" bruce grinned. "wanna go say hey to them?"

you looked at donna, who smiled at you knowingly, and nodded. "yeah, let's go."

the two of you joined lucas and violet, who were quick to greet you. violet began some awkward small talk at first, and then you two soon found out that you actually had a lot in common.

bruce leaned over, tapping your bicep to get your attention. "you okay here?" he asked, wanting to make sure you weren't uncomfortable around his friends.

"yeah, i'm okay, don't worry." you replied, turning back to violet. in the few weeks you and bruce had been fake-dating, he noticed a lot of things about you. he knew you didn't like being around a lot of people you didn't know, and that your favorite shirts were band shirts, even if they were bands you didn't listen to. boy, was he in love.

"so, have you told her yet?" lucas asked him quietly.

"hm?" bruce snapped his gaze away from you and your shimmery eyes, plump lips, and—

"have you told her how you really feel?" lucas smirked, a knowing expression on his face.

"are you kidding? of course i haven't!" bruce scoffed, leaning against the pillar. "and shut up, man! we're not talking about this right now, okay, she's right there!"

"you're so dramatic, dude!" lucas shook his head. "the two of you are so clearly in love, and you haven't even told her?"

"would you shut up?" bruce whisper-shouted, almost spilling his drink on lucas.

"fine, i'll shut up about it for now." lucas chuckled, earning a glower from bruce, which was an unnatural look on his face since he was basically a ray of sunshine.

violet had gone off with one of her other friends, so you walked over to bruce, who looked like he might've been blowing air out of his ears if he wasn't such a bright person.

"are you okay?" you questioned, making his eyes switch over to you.

"lucas is kind of an ass, y'know?" he waved his hand, earning a laugh from you. god, if he could listen to your laugh all day, he would. "no, i'm serious, i mean he's so aggravating, and just— oh, crap."

you furrowed an eyebrow. "what? what is it? what did you say 'oh, crap.' for?"

"do you remember crazy carly from eighth grade?" bruce asked, scratching the back of his head.

"oh, yeah! carly the one who told people that you two were soulmates?" you giggled. "i remember her, she was like, crazy in love with you!"

"she's still crazy in love with me!" bruce groaned, throwing his head back. "and she's here!"

"she's here?" your eyes bulged slightly. "as in here? as in donna's party here!?"

"yes! she's over by the sink, look!" bruce was turning a bright shade of red, something that happened when he was either flustered or nervous. you chose the latter.

"okay, well, it's okay, maybe she won't see us!" you tried to calm him down. it worked for a total of two minutes, until his eyes practically popped out of his head.

"crap, she saw me!" he blurted. "do you trust me?"

"what?"

"do you trust me?"

you were confused. "i- yes, i trust you, why?"

"don't freak out, okay?" he placed his hand on the side of your face and leaned in. you could feel his breath on your face before he stopped, asking, "can i kiss you?"

"yeah," you breathed, and in that moment, you almost melted into a pool of nothingness right then and there.

he kissed you. it was soft and tender, giving you goosebumps all over your arms. the two of you found yourselves melting into the kiss, as if it was something common and natural. your lips moved in sync, giving you both a warm and fuzzy feeling in your stomachs.

with no idea how long the kiss had lasted, the two of you pulled away for breath, hearing loud whistles and cheers from the crowd that had gathered at one point. seeing the many people watching you two made your face turn a bright shade of pink.

"gross, man, next time get a room." vance grumbled, shoving his way past the two of you. "honestly, making out just like that? in front of everyone? jeez."

you and bruce were left dazed after all of the commotion died down. the rest of the night, the two of you seemed to be in a trance, likely bewildered that the kiss even happened.

robin and finney started teasing you, saying things like "we told you!" and "you two are totally in love." even billy had walked over and given the two of you a shit-eating grin.

you stepped outside to catch your breath after what had just happened, sitting on the rusty swingset in donna's backyard.

what you least expected was for clara to walk up to you. her short brown hair was curled neatly, and her bright hazel eyes shined in the fancy lighting of donna's house. "you two make a cute couple, you know?"

"oh, thanks, clara." you said, smiling politely.

she sent a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, making it look ingenuine. "you two seem really happy together."

you nodded, gazing above at the stars.

"are you?" she began.

"hm?"

"are you two happy?" you didn't know clara was so nosy.

you pondered the question for a moment. "yeah. yeah, i think i'm actually the happiest i've been in a while."

while this was a true statement, it scared you. you and bruce's relationship was only temporary, but he made you happy, and you weren't ready to give that up yet. neither of you were.

clara's small smile faltered, and she sniffled a little. "that's good, um, that's great, actually."

"are you okay, clara?" you asked.

she fixed her slumped posture quickly. "yeah, yeah, i'm okay! i'm actually gonna head back in, so, i'll see you."

"okay," you nodded, "bye, clara."

you didn't know how long you had been out there, but it must've been long enough for bruce to go looking for you. "hey, there you are!"

"bruce, hey." you greeted, a warm smile finding it's way onto your face.

"i'm sorry if that was too much, or something, i didn't mean to freak you out." he apologized, holding out an m&m cookie. "i got you this, i thought you'd like one."

you gratefully accepted, your smile growing. "you didn't freak me out, bruce. i just kind of, panicked, i guess."

he furrowed an eyebrow. "why?"

"i don't know, actually." lie, of course you knew, but you wouldn't be caught dead confessing your feelings to bruce yamada. "i think it's because of all the people watching."

he nodded in understanding. "yeah, that's my bad."

"it's okay, though." you said, taking a bite out of the large cookie. "i've been out here looking at the stars, and it's very much comforting."

"oh, well in that case, i'll go get more snacks, and we can watch the stars together." he offered, wrapping his jacket around your shoulders.

"that sounds like fun, let's do it!" you jumped up, taking one of the blankets you had stolen earlier and spreading it out onto the grass. "and don't forget to get drinks!"

"i won't!"

well, thank you, carly.

[dweemeister]

2020 Movie Odyssey Awards

Because the 2020 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song final was extended, the 2020 Movie Odyssey Awards themselves are late once more - and all because of me this time out (oops). As you may know, this is the annual awards ceremony to recognize a year of films that I saw for the first time in their entirety in the calendar year. All films featured - with the exception of those in the Worst Picture category - are worth seeing.

The full list of every single film I saw as part of the 2020 Movie Odyssey can be seen in this link.

Best Pictures (I name ten winners, none of which are distinguished above the other nine)

The African Queen (1951)

The Haunting (1963)

The Irishman (2019)

A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

Mädchen in Uniform (1931, Germany)

Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

Ordet (1955, Denmark)

Parasite (2019, South Korea)

The Shop on Main Street (1965, Czechoslovakia)

The Trial (1962)

Seven of these films received 10/10 ratings. The others received 9.5/10 ratings. This Best Picture lineup were the ten best films I saw in all of 2020. The African Queen is a rollicking adventure film with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn that took me by surprise (I was long put off from the film because of its reputation). It displays some of the most charming moments that only Golden Age Hollywood can offer. Golden Age Hollywood horror may not be scary to viewers; but what it lacks in elicited screams, it makes up in goosebumps. The Haunting is one of the great haunted house movies of all time with its thick atmosphere, fantastic production design, and spectral ambiguity. Watch it in the dark, if you dare.

Two gangster epics with a mournful disposition are also here in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America. The former sees Robert De Niro seeking absolution despite personally not being fully regretful; the latter sees a regretful Robert De Niro seeking not absolution, but peace.

Made in Weimar Germany in the years just before the Nazi takeover is a classic of queer cinema, Mädchen in Uniform. Beyond its LGBTQ themes, it is a tale of young women finding friendship amongst each other. On the other side of Europe after its Nazi takeover is The Shop on Main Street - which switches gears between drama to lighthearted comedy to tragedy so nimbly. Another film exemplifying mastery in tonal shifts was the headline-grabber Parasite - an explosive, justly historic movie.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s A Letter to Three Wives is a suburban feminist ensemble piece, reflecting on the martial anxieties of women questioning their spousal bliss. The ending there, though not quite storybook, is poignant. Questions of faith, too, are asked in Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Ordet - not in others, but in God. The film, one of the greatest films ever made about religious faith, ends impossibly, provocatively.

Best Comedy

The Battle of the Century (1927 short)

Best in Show (2000)

Elmer, the Great (1933)

It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)

Klaus (2019)

One Hour with You (1932)

The Princess and the Pirate (1944)

Road to Utopia (1945)

Soul (2020)

Three Little Girls in Blue (1946)

Now I typically give this category to the film that elicits the most belly laughs from me. None of these comedies did that for me this year. So I went with Ernst Lubitsch’s One Hour with You - starring Lubitsch regular Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. It is what some folks might call a sophisticated comedy. But if you read between the lines, this pre-Code romantic comedy was probably one of the raunchiest things I saw all year.

For example:

POLICE OFFICER: Come on, come on. Where do you think you are? What are you doing? What’s going on here? ANDRE BERTIER: The French Revolution! [resumes kissing Colette] POLICE OFFICER: Hey, you can’t make love in public. ANDRE BERTIER: I can make love anywhere! POLICE OFFICER: No, you can’t! COLETTE BERTIER: Oh, but officer, he can! ANDRE BERTIER (joyously): Darling!

Otherwise, runners-up included It Happened on Fifth Avenue and Best in Show.

Best Musical

Blue Hawaii (1961)

Flower Drum Song (1961)

Hamilton (2020)

The Magic Flute (1975, Sweden)

My Dream Is Yours (1949)

New Orleans (1947)

New York, New York (1977)

One Hour with You

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947)

Three Little Girls in Blue (1946)

You know, if Hamilton was an original musical and not a filmed version of the original Broadway run, it would certainly threaten in this category. Instead, it rounds things out. Martin Scorsese’s New York, New York - as a deconstruction of the mid-century MGM musical - wins out not only its strong soundtrack, but glossy aesthetic that one would not associate with Scorsese. Runners-up are Flower Drum Song (the last movie with at least a majority Asian-American cast until The Joy Luck Club thirty years later and Crazy Rich Asians after that) and Bergman’s adaptation of Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute.

Best Animated Feature

I Lost My Body (2019, France)

Klaus (2019)

The Last Unicorn (1982)

Mad Monster Party? (1967)

Marona’s Fantastic Tale (2019, France)

Melody Time (1948)

Saludos Amigos (1942)

Soul

Weathering with You (2019, Japan)

Wolfwalkers (2020)

Perhaps the least known animated feature of these nominees takes the prize. Anca Damian’s Marona’s Fantastic Tale is gorgeously animated, attempting to tell its story through the point of view of its small canine protagonist. The film appears as a dog might understand the confusing mess that is humanity. Close behind is Cartoon Saloon’s Wolfwalkers and Pixar’s Soul.

Best Documentary

Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment (1963)

Diego Maradona (2019, United Kingdom)

Elvis: That’s the Way It Is (1970)

The Eyes of Orson Welles (2018)

The Great Buster: A Celebration (2018)

I Am Not Your Negro (2016)

I Am Somebody (1970 short)

The River (1938 short)

The T.A.M.I. Show (1964)

Tokyo Olympiad (1965, Japan)

This was the best year for documentaries in a year’s Movie Odyssey for a long, long while. As a part of the tradition of Olympic films, Kon Ichikawa’s Tokyo Olympiad is a chronicle of the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The film resembled nothing like the Olympic documentaries before it - choosing not to concentrate on just gold medalists and reportage, but a story of Japan’s reintroduction to the Western world and the pains of the many also-rans in any Olympics. I also considered Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment (a JFK/RFK real-time documentary on the racial integration of the University of Alabama system), Elvis: That’s the Way It Is, The River (a New Deal-funded documentary short about the importance of the Mississippi River - narrated in free verse!), and The T.A.M.I. Show as potential winners, but nothing could eclipse Ichikawa’s monumental effort.

Best Non-English Language Film

The Cave of the Yellow Dog (2005), Mongolia

Emitaï (1971), Senegal

Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), India

Olivia (1951), France

Ordet, Denmark

Parasite, South Korea

Persona, Sweden

The Shop on Main Street, Czechoslovakia

Sleepwalking Land (2008), Mozambique

Tokyo Olympiad, Japan

My god, this is always a stacked category. So why do I even bother? Because non-English language films - though they shouldn’t be ghettoized and considered a specialty - are nevertheless ghettoized and considered a specialty in America. This sort of category also gives some attention to a few films that don’t make much of an impression in other categories (namely the wondrous Sleepwalking Land and stunning The Cave of the Yellow Dog). But it is Ordet the reigns supreme here, edging out The Shop on Main Street, Parasite, and Kaagaz Ke Phool for this prize.

Best Silent Film

The Battle of the Century

Body and Soul (1925)

Bumping into Broadway (1919 short)

The Dragon Painter (1919)

I Do (1921 short)

Next Aisle Over (1919 short)

Ramona (1928)

The Scar of Shame (1927)

Shoes (1916)

Young Mr. Jazz (1919 short)

Lois Weber was as instrumental to shaping early American cinema as D.W. Griffith or Cecil B. DeMille. And in Shoes, she brings her sense of social righteousness and cinematic innovation to the fore. It is one of her best feature films, and its release came at the height of America’s Progressive Era - a time of greater awareness of industrialization and unregulated capitalism’s ill effects. Distant runners-up are new National Film Registry inductee The Battle of the Century (a Laurel and Hardy film with one of the best pie fights you will see) and Body and Soul (Paul Robeson’s theatrical debut). 

Personal Favorite Film

The African Queen

The Cave of the Yellow Dog

The Haunting

A Letter to Three Wives

Marona’s Fantastic Tale

McFarland, USA (2015)

Murder Most Foul (1964)

Stars in My Crown (1950)

Three Little Girls in Blue

The Trial

An understated but nevertheless eloquent screenplay, light humor, and careful attention to all three of its lead actresses roles define A Letter to Three Wives. It is one of the best exercises of empathy I saw all year, amid its tremulous and anxious narrative backdrop. We like to deride post-WWII American film as depicting an idyllic suburbia that never existed... but not here. Byambasuren Davaa’s The Cave of the Yellow Dog captured my heart, too. The film, from Mongolia, was one of the gentlest movies I’ve had the pleasure to see in the longest time. McFarland, USA revived memories in me of high school cross country days; Murder Most Foul was a Ms. Marple whodunit that cements Margaret Rutherford as one of my favorite actresses; the homespun Stars in My Crown is Americana at its finest.

Best Director

Ingmar Bergman, Persona (1961, Sweden)

Carl Theodor Dreyer, Ordet

Guru Dutt, Kaagaz Ke Phool

John Huston, The African Queen

Kon Ichikawa, Tokyo Oympiad

Sergio Leone, Once Upon a Time in America

Joseph L. Mankiewicz, A Letter to Three Wives

Leontine Sagan, Mädchen in Uniform

Ousmane Sembène, Emitaï

Orson Welles, The Trial

Dreyer is in command of the film’s mise en scene from the beginning - culminating in breathtaking scene set-ups for conversations spoken in hushed tones. The style is never oppressive, never showy, and just right for a deeply introspective movie of tried and troubled faith.

Best Acting Ensemble

Edge of the City (1957)

Gosford Park (2001)

The Irishman

A Letter to Three Wives

Little Women (2019)

Marriage Story (2019)

Once Upon a Time in America

Ordet

Parasite

Stars in My Crown

Subtract any one actor from Parasite and the film cannot work as well as it does. Perhaps Song Kang-ho has the best performance in the movie, but that isn’t possible without his fellow cast members putting out the incredible turns that they offer. Ordet is a close second. Behind by a country mile are Gosford Park, A Letter to Three WIves, and Little Women.

Best Actor

Humphrey Bogart, The African Queen

Maurice Chevalier, One Hour with You

Guru Dutt, Kaagaz Ke Phool

Jozef Kroner, The Shop on Main Street

Alan Ladd, This Gun for Hire (1942)

Joel McCrea, Stars in My Crown

Paul Robeson, Body and Soul

Howard Vernon, Le Silence de la mer (1949, France)

Jon Voight, Deliverance (1972)

Denzel Washington, Malcolm X (1992)

Arguably Denzel’s finest. He inhabits Malcolm X - the bravura, the attitude, the pastor-like (and occasionally incendiary) rhetorical devices, the early rage, the standoffishness. It is a magnificent performance. Just behind is Bogart and the irresistible Chevalier.

Best Actress

Bibi Andersson, Persona

Edwige Feuillère, Olivia

Helen Hayes, The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)

Katharine Hepburn, The African Queen

Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story

Ida Kamińska, The Shop on Main Street

Liza Minnelli, New York, New York

Lucia Lynn Moses, The Scar of Shame

Madhabi Mukherjee, The Big City (1963, India)

Waheeda Rehman, Kaagaz Ke Phool

As Ms. Lautmannová, Kamińska - in the autumn of her career - gives us a portrait of devout religiosity, elderly naivete, and otherworldly trust. She and co-star Jozef Kroner play off the other’s performance, one benefitting from the other. It is a delicate, heartbreaking performance. Some ways away are our two Indian actresses, Madhabi Mukherjee and Waheeda Rehman, as well as Bibi Andersson in the dizzying Persona.

Best Supporting Actor

Stephen Boyd, The Man Who Never Was (1956)

Haren Chatterjee, The Big City

James Edwards, The Steel Helmet (1951)

Moses Gunn, Aaron Loves Angela (1975)

Victor McLaglen, The Princess and the Pirate (1944)

Victor Moore, It Happened on Fifth Avenue

Sidney Poitier, Edge of the City

Song Kang-ho, Parasite

Richard Widmark, Kiss of Death (1947)

James Woods, Once Upon a Time in America

For the sixth straight year, Best Supporting Actor - a category almost always filled to the brim with villains - goes to an actor playing a menacing villain. That smirk, that creepy laugh. Holy crap. Widmark knocks it out of the park as the psychopathic Tommy Udo in his debut role. The role, taken by some the wrong way, inspired Tommy Udo frats in American colleges and universities (their central premise: male chauvinism and anti-feminist beliefs). Who else did I consider for a win here? Victor Moore, Sidney Poitier, Song Kang-ho, and James Woods (before he became a twitter conspiracy theorist).

Best Supporting Actress

Tsuru Aoki, The Dragon Painter

Ethel Barrymore, Pinky (1949)

Ruby Dee, Edge of the City

Laura Dern, Marriage Story

Nancy Kwan, Flower Drum Song

Maggie Smith, Gosford Park

Genevieve Tobin, One Hour with You

Emilia Unda, Mädchen in Uniform

Ethel Waters, Pinky

Dorothea Wieck, Mädchen in Uniform

Emilia Unda beats out fellow co-star Dorothea Wieck as the headmistress of the boarding school featured in Mädchen in Uniform. As the strict, uptight disciplinarian, one can see hints behind the facade she displays in front of the girls at the school. Nevertheless, yet another antagonist takes home this award. Also contending are Nancy Kwan and Ethel Waters.

Best Adapted Screenplay

John Huston, James Agee, Peter Viertel, and John Collier, The African Queen

Ladislav Grosman, Ján Kadár, and Elmar Klos, The Shop on Main Street

Steven Zaillian, The Irishman

Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Vera Caspary, A Letter to Three Wives

Christa Winsloe and Friedrich Dammann, Mädchen in Uniform

Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini, and Sergio Leone, Once Upon a Time in America

Samson Raphaelson, One Hour with You

Carl Theodor Dreyer, Ordet

Teresa Prata, Sleepwalking Land

Orson Welles, The Trial

And unlike the mistake the Academy made in just giving the Oscar to Mankiewicz back in the day, the award also goes to his co-screenwriter, Vera Caspary.

Best Original Screenplay

Juan Antonio Bardem, Death of a Cyclist (1955, Spain)

Ousmane Sembène, Emitaï

Julian Fellowes, Gosford Park

Jérémy Clapin and Guillaume Laurant, I Lost My Body

Everett Freeman, Vick Knight, and Ben Markson, It Happened on Fifth Avenue

Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won, Parasite

Ingmar Bergman, Persona

Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, Road to Utopia

David Starkman, The Scar of Shame

Delphine Girard, A Sister (2018 short, Belgium)

This is Sembène’s first Movie Odyssey Award, and I think he was probably one of the most overdue. As one of the fathers of African cinema, Sembène’s movies are colored by politics, specifically anti-colonialism, racism, tribal relations, and the destruction of traditional Senegalese life. His biting work to Emitaï is an excoriating piece, and essential to anyone seriously wanting to learn more about movies. No real challengers, in my mind, but the next ones up would have been Bergman and Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won.

Best Cinematography

David Schoenauer, The Cave of the Yellow Dog

Michel Remaudeau, Emitaï

Davis Boulton, The Haunting

Rodrigo Prieto, The Irishman

V.K. Murthy, Kaagaz Ke Phool

Norbert Brodine, Kiss of Death

László Kovács, New York, New York

Tonino Delli Colli, Once Upon a Time in America

Kazuo Miyagawa, Shigeo Murata, Shigeichi Nagano, Kenji Nakamura, and Tadashi Tanaka, Tokyo Olympiad

Edmond Richard, The Trial

The Trial unfolds and is shot as if it was a nightmare, albeit a nightmare without any dreamlike elements. With Dutch angles and unconventional use of focus, it is a remarkable film to look at. Having the soon-to-be Orsay Museum as an interior certainly helps. The Cave of the Yellow Dog, The Haunting, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Once Upon a Time in America, and even Tokyo Olympiad would have been worthy winners too.

Best Film Editing

Don Deacon, Born Free (1966)

De Nosworthy and Nicholas T. Proferes, Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment

Tom Priestly, Deliverance

Ernest Waller, The Haunting

Barry Alexander Brown, Malcolm X

Nino Baragli, Once Upon a Time in America

Yang Jin-mo, Parasite

Ulla Ryghe, Persona

Tatsuji Nakashizu, Tokyo Olympiad

Yvonne Martin and Frederic Muller, The Trial

Best Adaptation or Musical Score

S.D. Burman, Kaagaz Ke Phool

José Feliciano and Janna Merlyn Feliciano, Aaron Loves Angela

Nat W. Finston, Woody Herman, Louis Alter, and Edgar De Lange, New Orleans

W. Franke Harling, Oscar Straus, Rudolph G. Kopp, and John Leipold, One Hour with You

Maury Laws and Jules Bass, Mad Monster Party?

Joseph J. Lilley, Don Robertson, Hal Blair, George David Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, Sid Tepper, and Roy C. Bennett, Blue Hawaii

Alfred Newman, Flower Drum Song

Edward H. Plumb, Paul J. Smith, and Charles Wolcott, Saludos Amigos

David Raksin, George Gershwin, and Ira Gershwin, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim

Harry Warren, Ralph Blane, and Howard Jackson, My Dream Is Yours

Oh geez what a line-up. But this category favors original musicals above all. And though some might hesitate to call it a musical, Kaagaz Ke Phool’s soundtrack - in its melding of dramatics and music - is as cinematic as they come. As opposed to the let’s-just-put-a-song-here-to-kill-free time attitude of some of these musicals, Kaagaz Ke Phool uses its songs purposefully. In other words, with feeling. Alfred Newman’s adaptation of Flower Drum Song was probably up next.

Best Original Score

John Barry, Born Free

Elmer Bernstein, The Comancheros (1961)

Akira Ifukube, Destroy All Monsters (1968, Japan)

Zdeněk Liška, The Shop on Main Street

Toshiro Mayuzumi, Tokyo Olympiad

Ennio Morricone, Once Upon a Time in America

Alfred Newman, The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)

Leonard Rosenman, Edge of the City

Virgil Thomson, The River

John Williams, Empire of the Sun (1987)

This is not a sympathy prize for the recently-departed Italian composer. The key cue is the second one featured, "Deborah's Theme" and, when you listen to it, I think it tells you all you need to know about this movie. It's deeply expressive. And in the movie, it's allowed to be prominent. I've seen people say the late Morricone considered this his best score, but I can't find any official word of that anywhere. It is tremendous work, with Bernstein, Newman, and Thomson just behind.

Best Original Song

“Angela”, music and lyrics by José Feliciano and Janna Merlyn Feliciano, Aaron Loves Angela

“Can’t Help Falling in Love”, music and lyrics by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss, Blue Hawaii (1961)

“Dekhi Zamaane Ki Yaari / Bichhde Sabhi Baari Baari”, music by S.D. Burman, lyrics by Kaifi Azmi, Kaagaz Ke Phool

“(Do You Know What It Means to Miss) New Orleans”, music by Louis Alter, lyrics by Edgar De Lange, New Orleans

“Farewell to Storyville",  music by Louis Alter, lyrics by Edgar De Lange, New Orleans

“Happy Endings", music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, New York, New York

“Here They Come (From All Over the World)", music and lyrics by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, The T.A.M.I. Show

“Is There Still Anything That Love Can Do?", music and lyrics by Yôjirô Noda, Weathering with You

“Theme from New York, New York”, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, New York, New York

“Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam”, music and lyrics by S.D. Burman, Kaagaz Ke Phool

Thank you to all of those who participated in the 2020 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song!

Best Costume Design

Uncredited, The Duke Is Tops (1938)

Irene Sharaff, Flower Drum Song

Jenny Beavan, Gosford Park

Jacqueline Durran, Little Women

Henry Noremark and Karin Erskine, The Magic Flute

Ruth E. Carter, Malcolm X

Marcelles Desvignes and Mireille Leydet, Olivia

Gabriella Pescucci, Once Upon a Time in America

Travis Banton, One Hour with You

Bonnie Cashin, Three Little Girls in Blue

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Daniel C. Striepeke, John Chambers, Verne Langdon, Jack Barron, Mary Babcock, and Jan Van Uchelen, Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

Sallie Jaye and Jan Archibald, Gosford Park

Judy Chin and Fríða Aradóttir. Little Women

Uncredited, Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)

Uncredited, The Magic Flute

Marietta Carter-Narcisse and John James, Malcolm X

Michael Westmore, Christina Smith, Mary Keats, June Miggins, and Sydney Guilaroff, New York, New York

Carmen Brel, Simone Knapp, Jean Lalaurette, and Maguy Vernadet, Olivia

Ben Nye, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim

Ben Nye, Three Little Girls in Blue

Best Production Design

Norman Reynolds and Harry Cordwell, Empire of the Sun

Alexander Golitzen, Joseph C. Wright, and Howard Bristol, Flower Drum Song

Stephen Altman and Anna Pinnock, Gosford Park

Elliot Scott and John Jarvis, The Haunting

Bob Shaw and Regina Graves, The Irishman

M.R. Achrekar, Kaagaz Ke Phool

Henny Noremark, Anna-Lena Hansen, and Emilio Moliner, The Magic Flute

Harry Kemm, Robert De Vestel, and Ruby R. Levitt, New York, New York

Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales, 1917 (2019)

Carlo Simi, Once Upon a Time in America

The production design, or the haunted house, was a character. Nothing else in this category could compare.

Achievement in Visual Effects (all are winners because it would be unfair to compare the visuals of 1917 against When Worlds Collide)

Babe: Pig in the City (1998)

Destroy All Monsters

The Irishman

1917

Red Dawn (1984)

Plymouth Adventure (1952)

War of the Worlds (2005)

When Worlds Collide (1951)

Worst Picture

Age 13 (1955 short)

Fireman, Save My Child! (1932)

Frankie and Johnny (1966)

The Greatest Story Ever Told

Red Dawn

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Fuck Fallen Kingdom.

Honorary Awards:

Colored Players Film Corporation, for its thematically courageous race films, tackling issues neglected by Hollywood

Harold Michelson, for his contributions as an illustrator and storyboard artist (posthumous)

Lillian Michelson, for her dedication as a film researcher and archivist

Tadahito Mochinaga, for achievements in stop-motion animation with Rankin/Bass

Floyd Norman, for his pioneering career in cinematic animation

FILMS WITH MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS (excluding Worst Picture... 57)

Ten: Once Upon a Time in America Nine: Kaagaz Ke Phool Seven: New York, New York; One Hour with You Six: The African Queen; Gosford Park; The Irishman; Parasite; The Shop on Main Street; The Trial Five: Flower Drum Song; The Haunting; A Letter to Three Wives; Mädchen in Uniform; Ordet; Persona; Three Little Girls in Blue; Tokyo Olympiad Four: Edge of the City; Emitaï; The Magic Flute; Malcolm X; New Orleans; Olivia Three: Aaron Loves Angela; Blue Hawaii; The Cave of the Yellow Dog; It Happened on Fifth Avenue; Marriage Story; The Scar of Shame; The Shocking Miss Pilgrim; Stars in My Crown Two: The Battle of the Century; The Big City; Body and Soul; Born Free; Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment; Deliverance; Destroy All Monsters; The Dragon Painter; The Greatest Story Ever Told; I Lost My Body; Kiss of Death; Klaus; Mad Monster Party?; Marona’s Fantastic Tale; My Dream is Yours; 1917; Pinky; The Princess and the Pirate; The River; Road to Utopia; Saludos Amigos; Sleepwalking Land; Soul; The T.A.M.I. Show; Weathering with You

WINNERS (excluding honorary awards and Worst Picture; 28) 3 wins: A Letter to Three Wives; Ordet 2 wins: The Haunting; Mädchen in Uniform; Once Upon a Time in America; Parasite; The Shop on Main Street; The Trial 1 win: The African Queen; Babe: Pig in the City; Blue Hawaii; Destroy All Monsters; Emitaï; Gosford Park; The Irishman; Kaagaz Ke Phool; Kiss of Death; Malcolm X; Marona’s Fantastic Tale; New York, New York; 1917; One Hour with You; Red Dawn; Persona; Plymouth Adventure; The Shocking Miss Pilgrim; Shoes; Tokyo Olympiad; War of the Worlds; When Worlds Collide

92 films were nominated in 26 categories.

[myeclecticcollectorblazeus]

France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, hit back on Thursday at mockery of her age and appearance on Jair Bolsonaro’s Facebook page amid a war of words between the Brazilian president and her husband that has left £18m in emergency funding for the Amazon in limbo. Her comments came as Mr Bolsonaro, accused by critics of allowing tens of thousands of fires to rage unchecked in the Amazon rainforest, announced a two-month ban on fires deliberately started by farmers. Critics have accused the Brazilian president of allowing farmers to start fires in order to clear forest for crops or grazing. Mrs Macron, 65, did not mention Mr Bolsonaro by name, but implied that the 64-year-old president was out of tune with contemporary attitudes to women.  Mrs Macron thanked the thousands of Brazilians who had offered apologies on social media for their president’s approval of a post deriding her for being nearly 25 years older than her husband, Emmanuel Macron, the French president. The post implied that Michelle Bolsonaro, the 37-year-old wife of Mr Bolsonaro, 64, was better looking than the French first lady. Mrs Macron said: “Times are changing. There are those who are on the train of change, women are there with you, like you, you’ve almost all understood, gentlemen. Not everyone, some are still on the platform and I’m sure they will soon get on the train.” A fireman works to extinguish a fire at a forest near Porto Velho, Brazil, 28 August 2019 Credit: REX Her comments won sustained applause as she inaugurated a newly refurbished museum devoted to the Battle of Agincourt at a ceremony with the British ambassador, Edward Llewellyn, at the site of the 1415 English victory over the French in northern France. “It’s not just for me, it’s for all women,” Mrs Macron said. “Things are changing and everyone must realise it.” The diplomatic clash between the French and Brazilian presidents came as Mr Macron tried to lead international efforts to help Brazil put out the fires, which he sees as a global problem because the world’s largest rainforest produces 20 per cent of its oxygen. Mr Bolsonaro, whose critics have labelled him “Captain Chainsaw” because of what they say is his disregard for the environment, rejected £18 million in aid from the G7 announced at a summit hosted by Emmanuel Macron, the French president, in the coastal resort of Biarritz at the weekend. But he has accepted a separate £10m offer of assistance from the United Kingdom. State governors and agribusiness leaders from the Amazon region have implored Mr Bolsonaro to accept financial aid from the G7, fearing that continued tensions could harm Brazil’s exports. Mr Bolsonaro has now outlawed all uses of fire in the region except for farming in indigenous communities, but he stressed that the ban was only temporary. “The people there set these fires, it's a tradition,” he said. Data from Brazil's Institute of Space Research has shown the increase in fires this year is linked to a rise in deforestation, with illegal land grabbers clearing areas of virgin forest in order to sell to agribusiness firms. Under domestic and international pressure, the government is expected to launch a series of environment-related measures next week including curbs on deforestation and gold panning. Local media have warned of a new Amazon gold rush stemming from relaxed oversight and poverty. On Wednesday, Donald Trump lent his support to Mr Bolsonaro. “I have gotten to know [Mr Bolsonaro] very well during our dealings with Brazil”, Mr Trump tweeted. “He is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil.” Mr Bolsonaro thanked him, saying that the “fake news campaign built against [Brazilian] sovereignty will not work.”

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2HyqB3R

[supertrendingnewsarticles]

France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, hit back on Thursday at mockery of her age and appearance on Jair Bolsonaro’s Facebook page amid a war of words between the Brazilian president and her husband that has left £18m in emergency funding for the Amazon in limbo. Her comments came as Mr Bolsonaro, accused by critics of allowing tens of thousands of fires to rage unchecked in the Amazon rainforest, announced a two-month ban on fires deliberately started by farmers. Critics have accused the Brazilian president of allowing farmers to start fires in order to clear forest for crops or grazing. Mrs Macron, 65, did not mention Mr Bolsonaro by name, but implied that the 64-year-old president was out of tune with contemporary attitudes to women.  Mrs Macron thanked the thousands of Brazilians who had offered apologies on social media for their president’s approval of a post deriding her for being nearly 25 years older than her husband, Emmanuel Macron, the French president. The post implied that Michelle Bolsonaro, the 37-year-old wife of Mr Bolsonaro, 64, was better looking than the French first lady. Mrs Macron said: “Times are changing. There are those who are on the train of change, women are there with you, like you, you’ve almost all understood, gentlemen. Not everyone, some are still on the platform and I’m sure they will soon get on the train.” A fireman works to extinguish a fire at a forest near Porto Velho, Brazil, 28 August 2019 Credit: REX Her comments won sustained applause as she inaugurated a newly refurbished museum devoted to the Battle of Agincourt at a ceremony with the British ambassador, Edward Llewellyn, at the site of the 1415 English victory over the French in northern France. “It’s not just for me, it’s for all women,” Mrs Macron said. “Things are changing and everyone must realise it.” The diplomatic clash between the French and Brazilian presidents came as Mr Macron tried to lead international efforts to help Brazil put out the fires, which he sees as a global problem because the world’s largest rainforest produces 20 per cent of its oxygen. Mr Bolsonaro, whose critics have labelled him “Captain Chainsaw” because of what they say is his disregard for the environment, rejected £18 million in aid from the G7 announced at a summit hosted by Emmanuel Macron, the French president, in the coastal resort of Biarritz at the weekend. But he has accepted a separate £10m offer of assistance from the United Kingdom. State governors and agribusiness leaders from the Amazon region have implored Mr Bolsonaro to accept financial aid from the G7, fearing that continued tensions could harm Brazil’s exports. Mr Bolsonaro has now outlawed all uses of fire in the region except for farming in indigenous communities, but he stressed that the ban was only temporary. “The people there set these fires, it's a tradition,” he said. Data from Brazil's Institute of Space Research has shown the increase in fires this year is linked to a rise in deforestation, with illegal land grabbers clearing areas of virgin forest in order to sell to agribusiness firms. Under domestic and international pressure, the government is expected to launch a series of environment-related measures next week including curbs on deforestation and gold panning. Local media have warned of a new Amazon gold rush stemming from relaxed oversight and poverty. On Wednesday, Donald Trump lent his support to Mr Bolsonaro. “I have gotten to know [Mr Bolsonaro] very well during our dealings with Brazil”, Mr Trump tweeted. “He is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil.” Mr Bolsonaro thanked him, saying that the “fake news campaign built against [Brazilian] sovereignty will not work.”

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2HyqB3R

[morningusa]

France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, hit back on Thursday at mockery of her age and appearance on Jair Bolsonaro’s Facebook page amid a war of words between the Brazilian president and her husband that has left £18m in emergency funding for the Amazon in limbo. Her comments came as Mr Bolsonaro, accused by critics of allowing tens of thousands of fires to rage unchecked in the Amazon rainforest, announced a two-month ban on fires deliberately started by farmers. Critics have accused the Brazilian president of allowing farmers to start fires in order to clear forest for crops or grazing. Mrs Macron, 65, did not mention Mr Bolsonaro by name, but implied that the 64-year-old president was out of tune with contemporary attitudes to women.  Mrs Macron thanked the thousands of Brazilians who had offered apologies on social media for their president’s approval of a post deriding her for being nearly 25 years older than her husband, Emmanuel Macron, the French president. The post implied that Michelle Bolsonaro, the 37-year-old wife of Mr Bolsonaro, 64, was better looking than the French first lady. Mrs Macron said: “Times are changing. There are those who are on the train of change, women are there with you, like you, you’ve almost all understood, gentlemen. Not everyone, some are still on the platform and I’m sure they will soon get on the train.” A fireman works to extinguish a fire at a forest near Porto Velho, Brazil, 28 August 2019 Credit: REX Her comments won sustained applause as she inaugurated a newly refurbished museum devoted to the Battle of Agincourt at a ceremony with the British ambassador, Edward Llewellyn, at the site of the 1415 English victory over the French in northern France. “It’s not just for me, it’s for all women,” Mrs Macron said. “Things are changing and everyone must realise it.” The diplomatic clash between the French and Brazilian presidents came as Mr Macron tried to lead international efforts to help Brazil put out the fires, which he sees as a global problem because the world’s largest rainforest produces 20 per cent of its oxygen. Mr Bolsonaro, whose critics have labelled him “Captain Chainsaw” because of what they say is his disregard for the environment, rejected £18 million in aid from the G7 announced at a summit hosted by Emmanuel Macron, the French president, in the coastal resort of Biarritz at the weekend. But he has accepted a separate £10m offer of assistance from the United Kingdom. State governors and agribusiness leaders from the Amazon region have implored Mr Bolsonaro to accept financial aid from the G7, fearing that continued tensions could harm Brazil’s exports. Mr Bolsonaro has now outlawed all uses of fire in the region except for farming in indigenous communities, but he stressed that the ban was only temporary. “The people there set these fires, it's a tradition,” he said. Data from Brazil's Institute of Space Research has shown the increase in fires this year is linked to a rise in deforestation, with illegal land grabbers clearing areas of virgin forest in order to sell to agribusiness firms. Under domestic and international pressure, the government is expected to launch a series of environment-related measures next week including curbs on deforestation and gold panning. Local media have warned of a new Amazon gold rush stemming from relaxed oversight and poverty. On Wednesday, Donald Trump lent his support to Mr Bolsonaro. “I have gotten to know [Mr Bolsonaro] very well during our dealings with Brazil”, Mr Trump tweeted. “He is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil.” Mr Bolsonaro thanked him, saying that the “fake news campaign built against [Brazilian] sovereignty will not work.”

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

[tendance-news]

France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, hit back on Thursday at mockery of her age and appearance on Jair Bolsonaro’s Facebook page amid a war of words between the Brazilian president and her husband that has left £18m in emergency funding for the Amazon in limbo. Her comments came as Mr Bolsonaro, accused by critics of allowing tens of thousands of fires to rage unchecked in the Amazon rainforest, announced a two-month ban on fires deliberately started by farmers. Critics have accused the Brazilian president of allowing farmers to start fires in order to clear forest for crops or grazing. Mrs Macron, 65, did not mention Mr Bolsonaro by name, but implied that the 64-year-old president was out of tune with contemporary attitudes to women.  Mrs Macron thanked the thousands of Brazilians who had offered apologies on social media for their president’s approval of a post deriding her for being nearly 25 years older than her husband, Emmanuel Macron, the French president. The post implied that Michelle Bolsonaro, the 37-year-old wife of Mr Bolsonaro, 64, was better looking than the French first lady. Mrs Macron said: “Times are changing. There are those who are on the train of change, women are there with you, like you, you’ve almost all understood, gentlemen. Not everyone, some are still on the platform and I’m sure they will soon get on the train.” A fireman works to extinguish a fire at a forest near Porto Velho, Brazil, 28 August 2019 Credit: REX Her comments won sustained applause as she inaugurated a newly refurbished museum devoted to the Battle of Agincourt at a ceremony with the British ambassador, Edward Llewellyn, at the site of the 1415 English victory over the French in northern France. “It’s not just for me, it’s for all women,” Mrs Macron said. “Things are changing and everyone must realise it.” The diplomatic clash between the French and Brazilian presidents came as Mr Macron tried to lead international efforts to help Brazil put out the fires, which he sees as a global problem because the world’s largest rainforest produces 20 per cent of its oxygen. Mr Bolsonaro, whose critics have labelled him “Captain Chainsaw” because of what they say is his disregard for the environment, rejected £18 million in aid from the G7 announced at a summit hosted by Emmanuel Macron, the French president, in the coastal resort of Biarritz at the weekend. But he has accepted a separate £10m offer of assistance from the United Kingdom. State governors and agribusiness leaders from the Amazon region have implored Mr Bolsonaro to accept financial aid from the G7, fearing that continued tensions could harm Brazil’s exports. Mr Bolsonaro has now outlawed all uses of fire in the region except for farming in indigenous communities, but he stressed that the ban was only temporary. “The people there set these fires, it's a tradition,” he said. Data from Brazil's Institute of Space Research has shown the increase in fires this year is linked to a rise in deforestation, with illegal land grabbers clearing areas of virgin forest in order to sell to agribusiness firms. Under domestic and international pressure, the government is expected to launch a series of environment-related measures next week including curbs on deforestation and gold panning. Local media have warned of a new Amazon gold rush stemming from relaxed oversight and poverty. On Wednesday, Donald Trump lent his support to Mr Bolsonaro. “I have gotten to know [Mr Bolsonaro] very well during our dealings with Brazil”, Mr Trump tweeted. “He is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil.” Mr Bolsonaro thanked him, saying that the “fake news campaign built against [Brazilian] sovereignty will not work.”

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2HyqB3R

[lovehardenemycollector]

France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, hit back on Thursday at mockery of her age and appearance on Jair Bolsonaro’s Facebook page amid a war of words between the Brazilian president and her husband that has left £18m in emergency funding for the Amazon in limbo. Her comments came as Mr Bolsonaro, accused by critics of allowing tens of thousands of fires to rage unchecked in the Amazon rainforest, announced a two-month ban on fires deliberately started by farmers. Critics have accused the Brazilian president of allowing farmers to start fires in order to clear forest for crops or grazing. Mrs Macron, 65, did not mention Mr Bolsonaro by name, but implied that the 64-year-old president was out of tune with contemporary attitudes to women.  Mrs Macron thanked the thousands of Brazilians who had offered apologies on social media for their president’s approval of a post deriding her for being nearly 25 years older than her husband, Emmanuel Macron, the French president. The post implied that Michelle Bolsonaro, the 37-year-old wife of Mr Bolsonaro, 64, was better looking than the French first lady. Mrs Macron said: “Times are changing. There are those who are on the train of change, women are there with you, like you, you’ve almost all understood, gentlemen. Not everyone, some are still on the platform and I’m sure they will soon get on the train.” A fireman works to extinguish a fire at a forest near Porto Velho, Brazil, 28 August 2019 Credit: REX Her comments won sustained applause as she inaugurated a newly refurbished museum devoted to the Battle of Agincourt at a ceremony with the British ambassador, Edward Llewellyn, at the site of the 1415 English victory over the French in northern France. “It’s not just for me, it’s for all women,” Mrs Macron said. “Things are changing and everyone must realise it.” The diplomatic clash between the French and Brazilian presidents came as Mr Macron tried to lead international efforts to help Brazil put out the fires, which he sees as a global problem because the world’s largest rainforest produces 20 per cent of its oxygen. Mr Bolsonaro, whose critics have labelled him “Captain Chainsaw” because of what they say is his disregard for the environment, rejected £18 million in aid from the G7 announced at a summit hosted by Emmanuel Macron, the French president, in the coastal resort of Biarritz at the weekend. But he has accepted a separate £10m offer of assistance from the United Kingdom. State governors and agribusiness leaders from the Amazon region have implored Mr Bolsonaro to accept financial aid from the G7, fearing that continued tensions could harm Brazil’s exports. Mr Bolsonaro has now outlawed all uses of fire in the region except for farming in indigenous communities, but he stressed that the ban was only temporary. “The people there set these fires, it's a tradition,” he said. Data from Brazil's Institute of Space Research has shown the increase in fires this year is linked to a rise in deforestation, with illegal land grabbers clearing areas of virgin forest in order to sell to agribusiness firms. Under domestic and international pressure, the government is expected to launch a series of environment-related measures next week including curbs on deforestation and gold panning. Local media have warned of a new Amazon gold rush stemming from relaxed oversight and poverty. On Wednesday, Donald Trump lent his support to Mr Bolsonaro. “I have gotten to know [Mr Bolsonaro] very well during our dealings with Brazil”, Mr Trump tweeted. “He is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil.” Mr Bolsonaro thanked him, saying that the “fake news campaign built against [Brazilian] sovereignty will not work.”

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/2HyqB3R