#how to train your Terrifying 8 foot killing machine

[spidermilkshake]

I find the idea of random Umbrella executives and higher-ranked researchers essentially ending up with house-Tyrants or an on-staff trainer and pet Cerberus/Hunter alphas to be very silly... but considering Umbrella and how RE just is in its tone incredibly likely.

As well as the idea that Umbrella staff just give nicknames ranging from intentionally ironic to "we want to sound badass!" to all the projects. I mean... Mr.X. That came from somewhere. Somewhere an individual Tyrant or two got named "Little John" or "Tiny Tim" as a joke. Apparently the Nemesis we see in RE3 is called "the Pursuer", which I don't think the tentacley fella would appreciate such an edgelordy nickname that falls so flat. The Cerberus (t-virus-infected superdogs, distinct from just common zombie-doggos) are stated to have trainers and be fairly intelligent and normal trained dogs when they don't go unfed and unattended for weeks due to an outbreak, so you KNOW some guy was out teaching them tricks and calling them "Fido" and "Bubsy" and other silly-sounding names while giving them giant hunks of raw meat as treats. XD This absolutely fits the universe of Resident Evil.

[yandearest]

May The Odds Be Ever in Your Favor (Hoseok x Reader Hunger Games AU) Chapter 5: Let The Games Begin

Summary - Living in District 4 you never thought you would have to worry about being selected for the Hunger Games. With a training centre right near the dock of the houseboat you lived and fished from, your district was known for volunteers who trained their whole lives for a shot at glory and riches. But at age 18, your name is called and no girls volunteer to take your place. Your devastation is answered when Kim Namjoon volunteers for the males shortly after. Tall, muscular, highly intelligent and charming, the years of diligent preparation have bestowed Namjoon with the expectation of being the next District 4 champion after Finnick Odair last won 3 years ago.

Fishing for a living has granted you skills with a knife but, as your mentor Finnick is quick to describe, your beautiful face may well be your best asset.

Upon arrival in the Capitol you are quickly faced with the reality that Namjoon may not even be the biggest danger inside the Arena. Especially when you capture the obsessive attention of District 2′s own volunteer, and killing machine, Jung Hoseok. Hope soon fades from ‘survival’ to ‘the mercy of a painless death’ but Hoseok certainly has other plans.

Pairing - Hoseok x (fem)Reader

Genre - thriller, angst, yandere

Word Count 6.2K

Warnings - From this chapter onward the characters are in a Hunger Games setting which will involve Graphic Depictions of Violence and Death, Major and minor character deaths (to state the obvious the most important deaths will be in the final chapter), there is also a planned dubcon scene - which will be marked for those who do not wish to read

Fight scenes will involve: knives, swords, bow and arrows, drowning, torture, and possibly others in the future.

PLEASE AVOID READING IF YOU CONSIDER THIS CONTENT UPSETTING

The following is a dark fic featuring a yandere character, violence, obsession, and coercion. By no means does writing about this in a fictional setting condone any of those behaviours, much like Stephen King writing horror doesn’t mean he approves of psychotic killers in reality. Please avoid reading if any of these warnings makes you uncomfortable.

Previous Chapter: 1, 2, 3, 4

Cross posted on A03 so people can subscribe for updates/notifications

From the second your name had been drawn at the reaping, everything since then had led to this moment. Standing in a sterile white tiled room where the only object inside was a tube that would send you into the arena. Of course, from the moment you entered, you had considered trying to fight your way out, but there were armed guards stationed by the doors. Not to mention the underground location would be impossible to escape from, with multiple doors requiring security passes to open. Earlier you had “jokingly” asked Finnick what the guards would do if a tribute tried to run. He had been upfront about the fact the guards were instructed to apprehend, but not kill, anyone that tried. Finnick told you about some stories he heard of kids that tried to escape before the games in the past, none had succeeded. All of them had been recaptured, injured severely in a way that could be covered (such as a shattered kneecap hidden under baggy pants), and then forced into the arena to die in the opening bloodbath. So, when the announcement came for all tributes to step inside their tubes, you reluctantly acquiesced without complaint.

The tube was horribly claustrophobic. It was soundproof so the only thing you could hear was the sound of your heartbeat in your ears and your heavy breathing echoing off the enclosed glass. For a moment you pressed your hand to the glass, one of the identical triplet stylists watching you from the outside much like a fish in a bowl, before the platform beneath your feet suddenly began to rise. You shrieked, adrenaline starting to rush through your veins, and you dropped to a crouch to try and keep your balance.

“Whatever you do, do NOT step off the platform before the countdown finishes,” Finnick had warned yourself and Namjoon during the train ride to the Capitol, his hands making a corresponding gesture of an explosion, complete with his own ‘pow’ sound affect.

You were terrified of over balancing on the moving platform and falling off to your death. You were also terrified of the opening bloodbath about to commence, the prospect of having to potentially kill someone, and the thought of Hoseok waiting for you in the arena. The more you began to think, as the platform kept rising, the more you wondered if stepping off to an immediate death might actually be the better option.

The roof of your tube opened and the light of the simulated sun was as blinding as staring into the real thing. You winced and lowered your head, taking in your first sights of the arena upon surfacing. You had submerged from the ground onto a platform surrounded by large wet rocks. The most eye-catching feature was a giant waterfall about a hundred yards ahead of you. The fall was awe inspiring, easily over fifty meters tall and crashing down into a pool below. The pool was surrounded by rocks, upon which yourself and the other tributes were standing, all equally distanced from the cornucopia at the edge. The rocks were sloped, water from the fall continuing to flow beyond the pool and downwards. There were gaps between the rocks were multiple rivers flowed rapidly downstream. Should a tribute slip and fall it could easily send them to their death before anyone could even start fighting.

You quickly turned your head to see who was beside you, noticing that tributes were not scattered by district order. To your left were only three, before a forest appeared at the edge of the rocks. There was an unfamiliar girl closest to you, Yoongi, and then a young boy you recognized as being from District 11. You didn’t remember his name but he was memorable enough due to his small size and being the youngest tribute. You turned to see who was at your right before a loud noise and sudden ringing in your left ear snapped your head straight back to the left.

Where a small trembling boy had been shaking just seconds ago, was now a sickening display of dismembered limbs, ruptured organs, and blood now mixing into the water. You didn’t know if he had slipped, or done it on purpose, but the boy had fallen off the platform. The vision itself was awful, but what truly made the scene sickening was the scent of burned flesh lingering from the explosion, causing you to gag.

“Tributes are instructed to remain on their platforms until the end of the countdown. Welcome to the 68th Annual Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor”

A robotic voice sounded from overhead – loud enough to be heard over the multiple screams of horror – as a lit 10 appeared on the sky above. Whatever consideration you had given to the thought of blowing yourself up had vanished upon seeing the grotesque reality.

9

You turned back to the right, partially to see who was close to you, but mostly to avoid the sight of 11’s scattered corpse, struggling not to vomit.

8

The boy from 12 was closest to you, his face pale with fright and tears freely falling from his wide shell-shocked eyes, as he outright sobbed.

7

You couldn’t blame him for crying, if anything you were surprised at the fact you hadn’t started doing so yourself. You could hear some of the other tributes were still screaming in fear and you felt a crippling weight in your stomach knowing that nearly all of them would soon be dead too.

6

On the other side of 12 you saw Hoseok, who was eerily calm amidst all of the panic. He stood tall; dressed in a form fitting shirt, cargo pants that cinched his narrow waist, and a pair of black boots. With his hair parted and swept to the side, displaying all the sharp angles of his facial features, he looked like he could have been a model from one of those Capitol billboards you had seen. But the reality was he was a trained killer, obsessed with you, and after the remaining 5 seconds your life was about to be in his hands.

You wondered if the Capitol had a hand in him being placed so close to you right from the beginning. If you really were Snow’s favorite, like Finnick believed, were they entrusting Hoseok to live up to his declarations from the interviews last night?

4

Upon noticing that you were looking in his direction, Hoseok locked in your eye contact. His rich dark brown irises held a magnanimous pull that kept your attention glued to him, instead of looking to see who else was further beyond him or examining the rest of the arena.

3

He tilted his head towards the direction of the cornucopia with an imploring raise of his brow, a clear indication of his intention to follow the career pack’s plan. You shakily nodded your confirmation in return.

2

‘I’ve got you,’ he mouthed slowly, pointing to himself and then to you with his words. Again, you just nodded in reply, not knowing what else to do.

1

The last second was felt like the longest moment of your life, caught in between the security of your raised platform and the imminent danger of your life being up for slaughter. How was it that your group’s plan was to run straight to the center of the chaos? Your survival depended on the promises of people you barely knew, who would eventually have to kill each other anyway. Your only other option would be the forest on the sidelines, with no survival skills, and a target on your head for being separated from the career pack.

A thunderous boom of a canon sounded in the sky to signal the commencement of the games and you took off immediately. Your environment in District 4, living by the sea, gave you an advantage in being able to navigate the slippery surface of the wet rocks. The combat boots the Capitol had provided you with fit your foot perfectly, were lightweight enough to easily move in, and had a solid grip on the sole.

The race to the center was over a surface of uneven rocks that had gaps in between, where rivers of water rushed through – some of which were multiple feet wide and far too big to jump over. You didn’t dare look to the sides, or behind you, to see what anybody else was doing. Your only focus was the cornucopia that came closer with every step. Items were scattered around, with their usefulness depending on the proximity to the cornucopia in the center. You were beginning to pass things like bundles of fruit or a small sack of nuts on the ground, but didn’t stop to consider them for a moment. If your alliance could secure the cornucopia then you would always be able to return for foodstuffs later, and if some other tributes snatched a few things before that then so be it.

This year the cornucopia took the shape of a large rock formation, some weapons were stashed along the bottom, with the more advanced tools up higher, which would require the tributes to have to climb for them. Your lungs were burning, and the rocky surface was now starting to become a lot more uneven, but you forced yourself to concentrate on your destination, which was so close you could almost touch it. You spotted a backpack on the ground; in front of a rock you would have to climb over. You quickly swiped it up and slung one strap over your shoulder, continuing to move forward as you did. You awkwardly shoved your arm through the other strap as you came to a stop in front of a bigger rock. It wasn’t too large, just above your hips, but wasn’t something you would be able to just leap over like some of the others.

You placed your palms on the top of the surface and prepared to lift you weight over, when suddenly you were hit by a colliding weight in your back. You released a sharp cry, a combination of the surprise along with the sharp bruising pain from your hips being slammed into the rock. You didn’t know what had hit you, but it had caused your eyes to catch the glimmer of a knife’s edge that was hidden in a crack. You hurriedly snatched it by the handle, and turned around to face a terrified District 12.

The poor boy was ass down on the wet ground and staring up at you with pure fear in his eyes. You deduced that he had slipped into you by accident on his race to try and reach the weapons before the careers. He was essentially defenseless whilst you now held a knife, the weapon of your expertise, in your grasp. It would be so easy for you to just toss the blade straight between his eyes. After all he had been trying to get to the same weapons in an attempt to kill you. It would just be self-defense wouldn’t it? So why couldn’t you bring yourself to throw it? You knew you were wasting precious seconds, that every moment you stood there with the knife in your grasp, back to the rock and cornucopia behind it, you were essentially making yourself more vulnerable to other attacks. But you just couldn’t bring yourself to end the life of a terrified child. He couldn’t have been any older than fourteen, the pants and jacket the Capitol had dressed him in hung loosely on his underdeveloped frame.

There was something unfair about being eighteen and an adult, but still having to compete in a game with other children. How could you kill a kid? But really you were still just a kid too? Why did you have to die? Why did anyone here?

Your moral crisis was interrupted by a hissing whizzzz beside your left ear and the sight of an arrow embedding itself straight into the eye of 12. He was dead before his body could fully hit the ground.

“YN!” a sharp voice barked from behind you, and you turned to see Hoseok standing on one of the higher points of the cornucopia with a bow in his grip and a quiver full of arrows over his shoulder.

“JUST STAY THERE!” He yelled, before turning to his side and launching an arrow point blank into the forehead of a girl that had started to try and climb for a sword.

You flinched at his second cold blooded kill in less than a minute; clearly, he was not facing the same internal struggle that you were. By now the other tributes (who hadn’t run in the opposite direction at the start) had realized the highest ranked prospect had landed himself a long-range weapon and were starting to scatter in fright, scrambling to pick up any items they could as they made a mad dash over the rocks for the forest. Hoseok showed anyone within his range no mercy, launching another arrow into the back of a young girl, before narrowly missing another target that had been smart enough to zig zag.

You spotted that Krystal, Athena, and Yoongi had found each other and were working at the base to start gathering things they thought they would need, each holding a weapon as they did so, and constantly looking over their shoulders. You also saw that Namjoon had scaled the side of the cornucopia for the sword Hoseok’s victim had tried for. He was now jumping back down with his sight set on a girl at the cornucopia’s edge trying to carry a flint, bat, and a bag of fruit. You quickly looked down – not wanting to witness the slaughter – but you could still hear her petrified scream and the sound of the blade sinking into her flesh.

“YN LOOK OUT!”

You made the mistake of turning towards Krystal’s voice – shouting in warning – instead of the direction of the male tribute from 7 as he tackled you from behind. Unlike the younger kid from 12, 7 was older, larger and his collision into your body was no accident. Though you had been caught off guard you still managed to maintain your grip on your knife as he wrestled you both off of the rocky surface and into the raging rivers below. You sucked in a deep breath before being pulled underwater. The fact 7 had opted for the water strongly indicated that he didn’t have a weapon himself, and didn’t seem to think you had one either. He had dragged you under by a grip around your neck, but he was struggling to hold it, whilst also trying to swim. The water was deeper than your height, something he probably wasn’t expecting, as the currents pushed both of your bodies downstream. His hold was painful and being held underwater was causing your survival instincts to go into overdrive. There was no sense of hesitation when you started jabbing your knife backwards, trying to get him to break his grip.

You could barely hear his gargled grunts above the rushing water besides yours ears, but when one jab landed so deeply that the knife didn’t come back out, he finally broke his hold with a scream. Twisting in the water, you kicked wildly to separate you further, launching your foot off his gut and propelling your body back to the surface.

You gasped for air, coughing out some of the water that had gone up your nose, as you allowed the water to carry you further down the river. Behind you, you could hear 7’s shouting – a combination of pain from the stab wound and frustration at his failed kill. Moving with the current, you swam with the river, kicking your legs behind your body and moving your arms in a freestyle to put even more distance between the two of you. Ahead, the river began to slow in pace, with a rock at the side sticking out that would allow you to grab on to. You adjusted your stroke and managed to catch it pretty easily, pulling your body out of the water.

For a moment you laid on your side, just trying to get your breath back and spitting out any water you had accidentally swallowed. You were grateful – from what you could taste – that the water seemed to be fresh, rather than salt, giving you a drinking source. Not wanting to risk being so exposed in the open for much longer, you pulled yourself up onto all fours. You looked around to see just how far you had fallen and realized you were now further away from the cornucopia than when the games had started. You could still see it, along with Hoseok and Krystal who had been trying to run along the rocks to help – but the currents had been much faster. They were both around a hundred yards away, looking quite small in your eye, until you spotted a third figure. At first you thought it could have been one of the other careers, before realizing that it was Hoseok pulling the boy from 7 out of the river. He must’ve caught onto a rock earlier than you had. Krystal saw you and waved to ask if you were ok – but your eyes were glued to Hoseok as he lugged 7’s body completely from the water as the latter struggled. You could see multiple stab wounds that you had inflicted across 7’s legs and torso, most of them looked like superficial cuts except for the knife that was sticking out of his thigh.

Wondering why you weren’t responding; Krystal turned her attention to your eyeline to watch as Hoseok grabbed a hold of the knife’s handle and twisted the blade in further – causing 7 to let out an agonized scream. You felt your bones chill at the sound, you had been trying to hurt him out of self-preservation but Hoseok was doing this for his own enjoyment. Like a car crash in slow motion you couldn’t look away as Hoseok ripped the blade out by dragging it all the way down to 7s knee, as 7 begged him to stop in strangled screams. But he didn’t listen, instead Hoseok’s long fingers – the same fingers that had held your face in his hands whilst professing his feelings for you – wrapped around his wounded leg to squeeze painfully, earning another pained scream.

The sight was making you sick and you couldn’t take it, hunching forwards you vomited up what little was in your stomach. Krystal, who had previously resumed climbing in your direction had also stopped – feeling paralyzed by the sound. It was like the entire arena had fallen into a stunned silence, as the sound of 7’s screams carried over the rapids and into the trees. Athena, Yoongi and Namjoon had stopped what they were doing on the cornucopia and even the other tributes in the forest momentarily paused at the sound of the noise. Everyone had known to expect death and violence, but this was going beyond into the realm of torture.

“You thought you could take her away from me?” Hoseok seethed, releasing his grip to stand back up to his full height.

7 writhed on the ground, his face scrunched in pain, and it was all he could do to beg.

“I’m sorry,” he sputtered, coughing up blood from the stab wounds in his torso you had inflicted earlier.

7 knew there was no way he could survive anymore. Even if by some miracle someone else could take out 2, there was no way he would be able to find shelter or food. His fate had been sealed.

“Sorry?” Hoseok spat, turning the knife in his hand.

“No, you’re not sorry now. But you will be”

From your position, you couldn’t hear their conversation, but you didn’t need to. You scrambled to your feet and dashed over the last few rocks towards the forest edge, trying to focus on the sound of your feet sloshing against the water of the river bank to drown out 7’s next round of screams.

***

It was customary to wait until the opening bloodbath had finished before sounding the canons that represented the loss of a tribute’s life. After Hoseok finally finished exacting his vengeance on 7, the game makers decided the opening round was over, firing seven canons into the air – the faces and districts of the lost tributes would be revealed later in the evening. Ripping the blade out of 7’s corpse Hoseok turned around, looking for Krystal who had been responsible for tracking you as he took care of 7. He was livid to see her back at the cornucopia without you. He wiped the blood off the knife with his shirt, before slipping it through a belt loop of his pants.

“Where is she?”

Hoseok demanded to know as soon as he rejoined the others, who were standing together at the base of the cornucopia, surrounding a pile of the best supplies they had gathered.

His eyes were narrowed in Krystal’s direction given she was supposedly the one meant to find you. She flinched, after having just witnessed his assault on 7 she wasn’t exactly keen to tell him something he wouldn’t want to hear. Sensing his sister’s discomfort, Yoongi protectively stepped partially in front of her, brandishing the axe he had claimed as his weapon.

“She’s ok,” Krystal began, and Hoseok’s pinched frown eased slightly, although he still looked angry.

“I saw her pull herself up onto a rock near the shore, further down from where you were.”

“So why didn’t you go and get her?”

“Because she saw you. YN saw what you were doing to 7 and she was terrified. She ran into the forest before I could reach her.”

Hoseok exhaled sharply, as he ran his fingers through his hair. He was pissed at Krystal for just letting her go, but he couldn’t take it out on her in front of the alliance. He was also pissed at you for running away. He had done everything that he had to 7 for you, why didn’t you see that? You should be grateful he was inflicting revenge against anyone that dared to hurt you, not hiding from him.

“I have an idea,” Namjoon spoke up, his body weight casually leaning against his sword.

“A lot of fucking help you were. Aren’t you supposed to be in love with her?” Hoseok snapped in his direction.

“You and Krystal were both closer to her than I was when she fell, there was nothing I could have done. You’re the one that let her get away because you chose to torture that boy instead of going after her,” Namjoon coolly replied.

“Anyway, your plan is?” Athena butted in, growing really tired of the arguing about you. As far as she was concerned it was your choice to run off, she didn’t come here to play babysitter.

“We take the best supplies and set up camp on top of the waterfall. We can’t camp here because it’s too wet, there’s nowhere to sleep or make a fire on this rock. We’d also be way too exposed out here in the open. If we get to the top of the cliff, we can find solid ground and also have a vantage point of watching the rest of the arena below us. Those of us with a long-range weapon,” he paused to look at Hoseok, “can keep an eye on the cornucopia from above and shoot down anyone who tries to come back here for the other supplies.”

“What about YN?”

Hoseok was surprised Krystal asked the question before he could.

Meanwhile Athena rolled her eyes at the side. ‘YN, YN, YN, YN this, YN that, Where’s YN? Why was half the alliance so preoccupied by one member? She's not even that special anyway’ But she kept her thoughts to herself, especially after having just witnessed Hoseok’s attack.

“It’s too dangerous to try and follow her into the forest right now. We don’t know which direction she ran and there’s the risk of coming across other tributes instead. I don’t want to just leave her either, but I think we might have a chance of spotting her from up there using a higher vantage point.”

“It’s getting close to the middle of the afternoon,” Yoongi spoke up for the first time. “Any time spent looking for YN is less time spent setting up a camp, and we don’t know what’s going to happen later at night.”

“What if it was me that was missing? Wouldn’t you try to find me?” Krystal frowned at her brother.

“You’re my sister, that’s different. And she’s not ‘missing’ she chose to run away. I’m not letting you risk your life over something that was her decision. You’re setting up the camp with me.”

“I’m going with you too,” Athena agreed, internally cheering over the fact that finally someone else was talking sense.

Namjoon nodded at the three before turning back to Hoseok.

“You can try and find her now, and risk going out there alone, where any group of tributes would be willing to team up together to take you down after what you just did to 7. Or you can come with us, build our camp tonight, and tomorrow we can search together.”

Hoseok raised his brow in Namjoon’s direction. It wasn’t the first time that they had argued over you, and he knew this sure as hell wasn’t going to be the last. Hoseok wanted nothing more than to leave the others and set off into the forest trying to find you, but Namjoon was unfortunately right. He was already the biggest threat based on his performance score, torturing another tribute would only serve to make him an even bigger target for the others. Going into the forest without someone watching his back was practically suicide. He didn’t trust Namjoon to watch out for him as far as he could throw him, but if they went into the forest together it would at least provide another distraction.

So, reluctantly, he agreed.

***

After running into the forest, you changed direction to run along the side of the river, back towards the direction of the cornucopia, whilst staying hidden behind the trees. Your logic was that if the careers were to try and chase after you, they hopefully wouldn’t be expecting you to be running towards them. You also chose to stay close to the river because you figured a majority of the tributes that had ran away would be further inland. And in the case another tribute tried to attack you, you had already survived fighting someone in the water – it was by far your preferred element compared to the woods. Secondly if you were fighting and could get back out in the open, you knew that Hoseok would instantly come running. You supposed there was some kind of irony in running away from a psychotic killer, whilst simultaneously expecting him to save your life if someone else endangered it. Maybe you would have been able to laugh if it wasn’t so sickening.

When you were close enough that you could start to hear the sounds of the career’s voices, you stopped. Ducking down behind a bush, with another tree at your back for cover, you peered through the leaves and watched them gathering items. Hoseok seemed to be the most reluctant and was continuously looking over his shoulder in the direction you had fallen downstream, as if expecting to see you walking back. It wasn’t hard to figure out that they were planning to move. You couldn’t blame them, after all the cornucopia was far too wet to set up camp on.

Exhausted from the earlier fight, and running through the trees, you slumped back against the tree behind you, feeling the bag on your shoulder collide with the bark. You startled. You had been so distracted you hadn’t even realized that you were still wearing a backpack, you were surprised it hadn’t fallen off in the fight. You pulled it from your shoulders, eager to see what was inside. You had picked the bag up on the cornucopia’s outskirts so you weren’t expecting much, but you could still feel a few items inside. Pulling at the zip you opened it up to reveal a bottle of water, a ruined flint, and a rope. You sighed, disappointed that there wasn’t a weapon but at least grateful to have something. Given you had thrown up before, along with the additional running after, you were dying of thirst. Uncapping the bottle, you took a long swig before twisting the lid back on. Even though the river water was drinkable you wanted to save your bottle as long as possible to avoid going out into the open.

You stayed in your little hiding spot for the rest of the afternoon. Cautiously you watched the career pack gather their supplies, and when they made their way towards the forest you felt your heart rate skyrocket. But thankfully they walked in the opposite direction, towards the waterfall. The careers were the only tributes you saw for the rest of the day.

As the sky began to change color in the evening, so did the temperature begin to change as well. For the most part it had been quite warm during the day. The Capitol had dressed you in a pair of khaki cargo pants, brown boots, a dark grey T-shirt and a brown bomber jacket. Despite being crouched behind a bush, it had been warm enough for your clothes to have mostly dried off during the rest of the day. You had taken off your bomber jacket and hung it over your head for camouflage, which had allowed it to dry completely. But as the temperature rapidly began to fall, you were quick to pull it back over your body, zipping it up all the way to the neck. The temperature continued to drop and you soon found yourself shivering as your breath became a visible cloud every time you exhaled. This had to be a twist from the game makers.

You vaguely remembered someone telling you before that hot air rises. You looked at your surroundings, as your body began to shiver from the still dropping temperatures. Not only was your breath becoming more visible with every exhale but it looked like the air was now holding a misty quality. Looking upwards it didn’t seem to be so dense and there were plenty of large trees with sturdy branches around you. You were definitely terrified at the prospect of snakes, bugs and other lethal animals in the trees, however there were bound to be other dangerous species on the ground too. With no way to make a fire, if you stayed where you were it was very possible you could freeze to death before the night’s end.

Climbing a ship, compared to a tree, was incredibly different. Most boats had railings and were much easier to scale. But you found that the leg and upper body strength you had built from a life of hard labor came in handy. You were agile and found yourself capable of pulling your body weight up onto the branches that were above you. You refused to look down the higher you climbed, knowing there was no water below you to break your fall if you lost your balance. There was no point in psyching yourself out; if you fall, you die. If you don’t climb, you die. The only choice left was to keep climbing. When you reached a height where the branch above you began to dip when you applied your body weight to it, you stopped. Still refusing to look down, you sat onto the branch you were currently on, gripping the wood in between your thighs tightly for security. You removed the strap of your bag from one arm and shrugged the pack over your shoulders. Unzipping it at the top you reached inside to remove the rope, before zipping it back up again.

The first thing you did was secure the rope around your waist, looping it twice before securing your makeshift belt in a fisherman’s knot. The trunk of the tree was too wide to reach around with your arms so would have to tie yourself to the branch instead, which would mean looking down. Very carefully you leaned forward to lower your chest to the branch, exhaling shakily as you caught a glimpse of exactly how high up you were for the first time.

Instead of being able to see the floor, all you were met with was the sight of a frosty grey cloud that was covering the entire arena along the lower ground, it was surreal. Not wanting to be facing downwards for any longer, you worked as quickly as possible to loop the rope around your branch four times before securing it with another knot. Relieved that you now had some security, you sat back up to lean against the branch. It would have to be an uncomfortable sleep, but it was better than nothing.

Although you were no longer in the freezing zone, you still found yourself shuddering from the cold. You bundled yourself up into a ball, pulling your knees to your chest and wrapping your arms underneath your legs. Suddenly the Panem anthem began to play and a holograph appeared in the sky. Given the fog there was also a vocal announcement of the tributes who had died, along with the usual pictures being displayed. As you watched the montage of the fallen tributes, you noticed a balloon floating towards you. At first you panicked, thinking it was a bomb or some sort of game maker twist, until you saw the basket with a bundle inside. It was a sponsored gift.

You sat up a little straighter and cautiously reached out to the balloon as it stopped to hover in front of your face. The item was soft and light, as you picked it up feeling confused. The material was too soft to be clothing. Placing it upon your lap you realized that it was a folded camouflage blanket, being held together by a ribbon with a card sticking out. You pulled the card out, flicking it over to read who it was from.

To our darling dove, Stay safe and warm Love always, YN-United.

You had a fan club? Was this a normal thing in the games? You wondered if any of the other tributes had fan clubs too. This definitely wasn’t a common thing within District 4, as you had never heard of civilians pooling resources to be able to donate for your own tributes, so it had to be a Capitol thing.

You were surprised, but not complaining as you undid the ribbon and began to unfold the blanket. It turned out the blanket wasn’t the only gift, as wrapped inside was a stunning ornate knife. You gasped, picking it up to hold in front of your eyes. The handle was white gold and decorated with patterns of flowers and vines, with tiny doves along the base. A ring of diamonds surrounded the top of the handle with a fat diamond attached at the bottom. You felt your eyes watering at how elaborate and expensive the knife had to be. Removing the sheath, your jaw fell open at the sight of the blade. You had never seen a material like it before; it was like an opal had mixed with glass. Stunning colors swirled through the blade, which was opaque enough to partially see through. It disturbed you to think that the people who had gifted you with such a beautiful item wanted you to kill with this thing.

Feeling overwhelmed you returned the sheath over the blade and put the knife down your jacket. The rope around your waist would prevent it falling out from the bottom and you tightened the chords around your neck to make sure it wouldn’t fall out from the top if you leaned forward.

Keeping your knees close to your chest you pulled the blanket over your body, sighing at the instant feeling of warmth the added layer provided. You were still far from comfortable, sitting upright on a tree, but at least you weren’t freezing anymore. By now the sun had completely set and the temperature along with it. You were safe for the moment, but you wondered how the people on the ground were going to cope in the subzero conditions. The only way you could imagine surviving would be through climbing a tree like you had, sharing body warmth with another tribute, or making a fire. Soon you began to start smelling smoke in the air, a clear indication that multiple fires were burning. But fires were dangerous.

***

Across the other side of the river a boy from 3 had set up a fire in desperation. He knew it wasn’t smart to make it obvious where he was, but if he didn’t create a heat source soon he was going to die soon anyway. He could only pray that the other tributes were too distracted trying to avoid freezing themselves to think about hunting others down. Unfortunately for him his prayers went unanswered. The last thing he felt before a canon boomed in his honor, was a blade across his neck as someone slit his throat from behind.

[sebspocketsquare]

Quarantine 8

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader (online)

A/N: Heya guys! Here’s part 8. I hope you like it ;)

Warnings: Flirting, language, breaking quarantine, nerves, feels, fluff, some sad talk, talk of the freight car incident, one single, solitary KISS(I did use a gif from endings, beginnings in here too, at the very bottom.)

Unsteady digits wrap around the door handle, while the other set unlatches your locks. 

The door swings open fast enough to startle J into a standing position, nearly falling over with his back to you.

The first thing you notice is his height, his strong, wide shoulders… and then the way his clothing sticks to his form. He was drenched, as you had feared.

He turns halfway, taking a peek at you through his peripheral vision, as if he can’t believe you just opened the door. Like he can’t believe you’re now standing before him, no barrier between you.

“I-I can’t just let you sit out here.” You try to say, but it comes out a breathless whisper.

That’s when he finally turns to face you, eyes softening and lips curving up when he’s able to really take you in. “Clair.”

The name comes out in a sigh, at the same time that you both move forward for an embrace.

But you stop, just as fast.

The rule.

No contact.

He drops his hands in fists at his side, as do you, and sighs in defeat.

Your next words seem to brighten him up again.

“Do you.. Want to come inside..?”

His eyes land on yours and he looks unsure.

You can read the unspoken question in his gaze, ‘what about the quarantine?’.

“My couch is pretty big. We can stay separated, I promise. No touching.” You hold your hands up in mock surrender, and he smiles for the second time that night before he nods.

“I’d love to.”

It’s strange, watching him enter your apartment.

It was a scenario that you’d imagined many, many times, but never like this.

He kicks his shoes off by your shoe rack and you can hear his socks make a wet slosh against the wooden floors.

He releases a nervous laugh as a slight pink tinge surfaces on his cheeks. “I uh.. I guess I’m a little wet. Could I.. Do you have a towel I could borrow?”

Nodding, you quickly scurry off to your bathroom closet, returning with two fluffy towels for him to use. He’s already shedding his coat, letting it hang from the back of one of your dining room chairs. There are little puddles of water scattered on the floor from every move he’s made, and you can’t help but giggle a little.

He releases a chuckle of his own at the sound, “Are you laughin’ at me, doll?”

“Maybe just a bit.. Here.” You hand him the towels, close enough now to see that even his jeans are colored dark blue from their over moisturization, and a small frown takes over your face.

“What’s the matter, Clair?” He wonders, seeing the crease in your brow.

“You should, um..” You pause, realizing the implications of what you were so ready to ask of him just seconds ago.

He raises his eyebrows, as if to ask, ‘what?’.

Warmth creeps up your neck as the next words come out of your mouth. “You really should let me wash and dry your clothes for you.. once the power comes back on, of course.. You’re going to get sick.”

“Are you..” He clears his throat as a smirk appears on his lips. “You want me to get undressed? On our second date? Clair..” He cocks his eyebrow playfully, and his teasing officially breaks the ice between the two of you, causing you both to erupt into laughter.

Once the sound dies down, you repeat yourself. “I mean it. Get undressed. I have a spare blanket you can bundle up in for now.” You nod to the blanket resting on the back of your couch, and he nods in return. “Yes ma’am.”

You move into the living room and light a few candles, placing his thermos on the coffee table right next to the remote. Trying not to let yourself get too distracted by the fact that J is undressing in the middle of your living room, you light a few more candles while you wait.

He speaks your name once he’s finished, and you turn to find him standing in his boxers with a long sleeved shirt still on. His pants, socks and hoodie are hanging from his fingers and the blanket you mentioned is clutched in his other hand.

“Where’s the washer? I don’t want you to have to do my laundry.”

You lick your lips, picking up one of the candles and cocking your head in a request to follow you through the apartment, and he does, but keeps a distance as he walks behind you.

When you reach the laundry room, you stand in the far corner, watching him toss the clothes into the machine.

“You know.. I.. I meant the shirt, too. That’s one of the things that’s the most wet.”

His hands are still in the machine, and you can see the muscles tense in his back. 

You know he’s uncomfortable with you seeing his arm, the scars and the prosthetic. 

The way the cloth of his shirt clings to his skin makes it look like everything is completely normal to you, but you remember how terrified he was to even tell you about it in the first place.

“I.. I can’t.”

You sigh, wishing you could reach out and place a comforting hand on his shoulder. “If it’s about.. Your arm.. It’s okay, J. I’m not going to judge you.. I told you it wouldn’t bother me.”

It’s his turn to sigh, and he lets his head hang low. “It.. It’s more than that..”

A few moments of silence hang in the air between you, and that's when you decide it’s best to give him a bit of space. “Look.. I’ll go wait in the living room so you can have some privacy, okay? I just.. You should really get your shirt dry too. I’m just worried about you.”

You don’t leave time for him to say anything before you set your candle on the dryer beside him and head back through the dark apartment.

It takes twenty minutes before he joins you.

You’re staring into the candle that rests on the coffee table, so lost in your own thoughts that you don’t hear him come up behind you. When he takes a seat on the opposite end of the couch, you jump and let out a small gasp. “Oh! Fuck, I-I didn’t even hear you come back.”

In the light from the candle, you can see him smile nervously as he adjusts his sitting position. He’s got one of the towels you loaned him wrapped around his shoulders like a vice, and you swear you see a metallic glimmer on his arm before he has the chance to pull your blanket around himself.

“Better?” You ask once he’s settled, staring at the candle you had been watching moments before. 

“Better.”

A silence forms between you.

It’s not necessarily uncomfortable, but you can tell he’s trying to figure out how to tell you something. Whatever it was he couldn’t bring himself to say in the laundry room.

“Clair?” He murmurs. You look up at him in return.

“I.. I need to tell you something.”

“Okay..” Unsure of what he could have to say, you adjust so you’re sitting cross legged, facing him with your hands in your lap.

A sigh leaves his lips, and you can see the inner war he’s waging written on his face.

“I knew I’d have to tell you eventually, I.. I just didn’t think it’d be so soon.. Definitely not today. I hope that when I tell you.. You don’t think differently of me.”

He can’t even make eye contact with you at this point, and your heart drops to your stomach.

“What is it, J?”

“Do you remember… it was a fair few years ago, but.. There was a man who set off a bomb at the UN in Vienna? Killed several people, including the king of a foreign country..?”

You try to think back. The story sounds familiar, but you can’t recall all the details of the event.

“Vaguely.. Wasn’t there a suspect in custody, but it ended up not being him at all? Someone impersonated him?”

J nods, “The suspect was.. Well, they called him The Winter Soldier..”

“Oh! That’s right! James something.. And it was actually some crazy guy who also impersonated a psychiatrist he had murdered. I remember now..”

You wait for him to continue, but he doesn’t at first.

“J.. What does any of that have to do with you?”

He inhales shakily. You can tell he’s trying not to cry.

“In 1944, I was on a mission with my best friend Steve. We were dropping in on this train, trying to get a hold of… someone.. someone bad.” 

He stops, and you start doing the math in your head.. That was 76 years ago, so why is he talking like he was actually there?

“I lost my footing and.. Steve, he tried to save me, but.. I fell from the freight car and down the mountain. I thought I was dead. When I woke up on an operating table, face to face with a man who had used me for his ridiculous experiments when I had been captured before, I.. I wished I had died.”

He pauses to sniffle, and that’s when you realize he’s crying.

This is real to him.

“He said he was helping me. That amputation was my only option.. I-I didn’t realize he was making me into a weapon.. Or that the process had started before I even stepped foot on or off that train.”

He adjusts, and the blanket he kept so tightly wrapped around him falls a bit, revealing a gleaming plate in his left shoulder. You make the decision not to point it out, to let him finish his story, no matter where it leads.

“I spent the next several years.. Brainwashed. They made me do things that I never would have done. Over and over and over again.” The next breath he takes in is more of a gasp than anything. It breaks your heart.

“When the UN was bombed.. I was done with all of that. I wasn’t that person anymore. I wasn’t a puppet.. A monster.. I’ve spent my time since then trying to become a better man, and I.. I’d like to think that I am. I don't do those things anymore, I.. I just help people.”

He finally looks up to see your reaction, eyes shining with fresh tears.

“So you.. You’re.. Him.”

“Yes.”

You release a long breath you didn't realize you’d been holding in.

“So then.. The reason you got weird when I mentioned Sam looking like Captain America.. It’s because..”

“He’s Captain America, yes. You were right.”

Running a hand through your hair, you try to collect your thoughts, “Wow.”

He’s waiting for you to say something, anything, but you remain silent, mind racing.

“Clair?” He finally pulls your attention back to the present moment.

His eyes meet yours and he looks concerned. “Are you.. Are you okay?”

“It’s just…”

“Yes?”

You let out a shuddering breath before speaking.

“There’s an Avenger sitting on my couch and Captain fucking America installed my security system..”

The noise that leaves J’s mouth is somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and he’s got a confused look on his face. “This is not how I expected you to react. Are you in shock?”

“No, it’s just… Well, wait, how did you expect me to react?” You start to explain yourself, but decide to question him instead.

He sighs, and you notice his eyes start to glisten even in the dim room. “Well, I..” 

When he pauses, you instinctively lean forward a fraction of an inch, just wanting to wrap him in your arms.

“I certainly didn’t expect you to stick around, that’s for sure.. This has been my biggest fear about all of this..”

“So.. you thought you’d tell me the truth about who you really are and I’d what? ….run away?” Your voice is soft, an undertone of sadness evident. “J, I.. I got to know the real you, even if I didn’t know who you were. Don’t you see that? We had no choice but to rely on an emotional connection for all those months that we talked, and we still managed to find ourselves here, I.. I guess what I’m trying to say is.. you’re still the same person, to me. It doesn’t change anything about what we’ve been through together, doesn’t change how intensely I feel about—“ 

You suddenly stop, realizing what you almost let slip.

He catches it, the corner of his lip rising to a small smile. 

“How intensely you feel about what, doll?” He murmurs, so softly that you might not have caught it if you weren’t only a few feet away from him.

“How.. How intensely I feel about.. you.”

Once the confession finally leaves your lips, he’s grinning from ear to ear.

It falters for just a moment, “So.. you’re not afraid of me, then?”

“Absolutely not.”

You both spend the next hour and a half talking about his past. 

He lets you ask as many questions as you’d like, and tries to answer them as best as he can. 

He tells you about what life was like as a kid with Steve Rogers, his best friend. He also tells you the grief of losing him just a few years ago.

Since then, Sam has become his closest friend, and someone he can share his loss with as well. 

You were finding yourself thankful that they had each other. 

He goes into more detail of his life as the Soldier, tells you about Hydra and Dr. Zola, the man that gave him the weapon he’s still shielding from your sight.

When you’re finally satisfied with your pestering, you lay your head against the back of the couch, staring at him. He mirrors your actions. 

“What’s goin’ on in that pretty head of yours, Doll?” He wonders after a few minutes.

You smile bashfully, eyes darting to the arm that he’s kept concealed up until this moment. “Well, um.. I was just wondering if since.. since I know about it now if..”

“You want to see it?”

He sounds shocked, and his expression shows that too. Eyes a little wider, jaw a bit slack.

“I mean-No! Not if you’re not comfortable with it, I was just.. curious.” Embarrassed, you try to back out of it. You feel stupid for even asking.

He exhales a small laugh as he sits up straight. “I.. I guess it won’t hurt to show you now.”

He slowly allows the blanket to fall from his shoulders, revealing the navy and golden masterpiece that was his arm and the angry scarring that he’d been so concerned about you seeing. 

Your first reaction is to gasp, but not out of disgust. 

It's his beauty.

Unable to control yourself, you move closer across the couch, until you’re kneeling less than six inches away. Your hand reaches out to touch him, just on the forearm. 

The metal is cool and smooth beneath your touch and has your hand skitters upwards towards his bicep, the plates whir and shift quietly.

Before your fingers can graze the plates of his shoulder, his free hand wraps around your wrist to stop you.

Your name comes out in a whisper and you look up to meet his eyes. They’re glowing, even in the dark, and you can’t look away from him. 

“I thought.. I thought we agreed..” he stops, licking his lips, “No touching.”

Heat surges through your body as you realize what you’ve done, completely invading his personal space.

You start to lean back, but his grip on your wrist merely tightens, pulling you forward until you’re straddling his lap, hands resting on his bare chest,

“J..” the initial comes out as more of a whimper when he brings his hand to cup your jaw, running his thumb across your skin. He touches you as if you’re made of porcelain, delicate and fleeting. 

“So beautiful..” you can feel his words as an exhale across the bridge of your nose, and suddenly you’re wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him into the tightest hug you’ve ever given.

He returns it just the same.

A sigh of relief leaves you, with a few tears following. You hold him even tighter in that moment, and he grips onto you as if he’s afraid you’ll slip away if he doesn’t. 

“Oh, fuck.. you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.” He strokes the back of your head, hiding his face in the crook of your neck as he inhales deeply. It’s like he’s trying to memorize how he feels in your presence; how he feels wrapped up in you.

“I think I have a bit of an idea.” Your voice is trembling, and you press a quick, barely there kiss to the top of his head.

He hesitantly pulls back, just to rest his forehead against yours. Noses brushing together, you both smile when your eyes meet again.

“Hi there.” Your words are quiet, as if you were afraid if you talked too loud, this moment would shatter somehow. 

He merely hums and nuzzles his nose against yours once more.

“I.. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinkin’ about kissing you right now, Clair..”

The thought of such an action has your toes curling and your stomach flipping. “Are you?”

He nods, making eye contact with your mouth. “Could I…?”

You bite the inside of your cheek. Of course you want him to.. but you have to tease him a little bit first.

“I just have one question, first..”

He hums, waiting for you to ask.

“Exactly how old are you, again?”

You can’t help but giggle once the words are out, and he responds with a playful growl.

“So that’s how it’s gonna be, is it?” His smile is enormous at this point, and it grows a little softer when he cradles your face. His thumb gently pulls at your lower lip, eyes meet yours, and then his mouth follows suit.

TAGS: (I wasnt sure who to tag, so if you dont want to be, I’m sorry!! Just trying to get this out there. ALSO if you wanna be tagged INBOX ME! I tend to miss people in the tags :(  ).  @mindingmyownbusiness​​ @plumfondler​​  @buckybarnesappreciationsociety​​ @loricameback​​ @tinaferraldo​​ @geminimoonbeamx​​  @preserumsteverogers​​ @moderapoppins​​ @lowkeysebby​​ @buckyshattergirl​​  @jayattemptstoruletheworld​​    @the-observant-fangirl​​ @moondancewrites​​ @moonbeambucky​​ @trinityjadec​​  @stevieang​​  @bionic-buckyb​​ @eyecandybarnes​​ @propertyofpoeandbucky​​ @promarvelfangirl​​ @ballyhoobarnes​​ @bucky-plums-barnes​​ @cate-lynne​​ @witchymarvelspacecase​​ @imaginingbucky​​ @theimpossibleg1rl​ @babygurl8840 @wonderlandmind4 @buckysthing​​ @formulafun​​ @curvybihufflepuff​​ @fanficsformarvelkillme​​  @shadyskit​​ @lostinthoughtsandfeelings​​ @reading–mermaid @fuckmestan​​ @siliverin​​ @verygraphicink​​ @sallyp-53 @thatsbucknasty​​ @steadyphantomcat​​ @booktease21 @kiki5283 @lostinspace33 @drayshadow​​ @theperditioncrasher​​ @mmyepic​​ @feelmyroarrrr@alien-beans @heartsaved​​ @sideeffectsofyou​​ @dreamingofonceuponatime​​ @just-a-littlebit-of-everything​​ @bluerorjhan​​ @tarynsnotokay​​ @jamdropx35 @turquoisekokiri​​ @pinknerdpanda​​​ @starkrobb​​ @marvelgirl7​ @unscriptedtimetraveler​​ @fangeekkk​​ @wonderlandmind4​ @pinkisokay​​ @mrsdaamneron​​ @rynabarnesrogers​​ @wish-i-had-something-better​ @stanning-seb-stan​​ @oilersgirl35​ @vaisabu​​ @paranoid-borderline-insane​ @bonkywobble​​ @vikki-rogue​​ @witchymegg​​ @a--1--1--3​ @margetastic33​ @stuffandstuff-stuff​​ @broken-hearted-barnes​​ @elementec​​ @thummbelina​​ @booktease21​ @the-murder-strut-murdered-me​ @haileystudy @fanfictiontime​ @afterlaughter27​ @aveatquevale- @cap-just-said-language​ @wastedavenger​ @joseyrw​ @ordinaryweirowithintentions​

[grigori77]

2019 in Movies - My Top 30 Fave Movies (Part 3)

10.  HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD – while I love Disney and Pixar as much as the next movie nut, since the Millennium my loyalty has been slowly but effectively usurped by the consistently impressive (but sometimes frustratingly underappreciated) output of Dreamworks Animation Studios, and in recent years in particular they really have come to rival the House of Mouse in both the astounding quality of their work and their increasing box office reliability.  But none of their own franchises (not even Shrek or Kung Fu Panda) have come CLOSE to equalling the sheer, unbridled AWESOMENESS of How to Train Your Dragon, which started off as a fairly loose adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s popular series of children’s stories but quickly developed a very sharp mind of its own – the first two films were undisputable MASTERPIECES, and this third and definitively FINAL chapter in the trilogy matches them to perfection, as well as capping the story off with all the style, flair and raw emotional power we’ve come to expect.  The time has come to say goodbye to diminutive Viking Hiccup (Jay Baruchel, as effortlessly endearing as ever) and his adorable Night Fury mount/best friend Toothless, fiancée Astrid (America Ferrera, still tough, sassy and WAY too good for him), mother Valka (Cate Blanchett, classy, wise and still sporting a pretty flawless Scottish accent) and all the other Dragon Riders of the tiny, inhospitable island kingdom of Berk – their home has become overpopulated with scaly, fire-breathing denizens, while a trapper fleet led by the fiendish Grimmel the Grisly (F. Murray Abraham delivering a wonderfully soft-spoken, subtly chilling master villain) is beginning to draw close, prompting Hiccup to take up his late father Stoick (Gerard Butler returning with a gentle turn that EASILY prompts tears and throat-lumps) the Vast’s dream of finding the fabled “Hidden World”, a mysterious safe haven for dragon-kind where they can be safe from those who seek to do them harm.  But there’s a wrinkle – Grimmel has a new piece of bait, a female Night Fury (or rather, a “Light Fury”), a major distraction that gets Toothless all hot and bothered … returning writer-director Dean DeBlois has rounded things off beautifully with this closer, giving loyal fans everything they could ever want while also introducing fresh elements such as intriguing new environments, characters and species of dragons to further enrich what is already a powerful, intoxicating world for viewers young and old (I particularly love Craig Ferguson’s ever-reliable comic relief veteran Viking Gobber’s brilliant overreactions to a certain adorably grotesque little new arrival), and like its predecessors this film is just as full of wry, broad and sometimes slightly (or not so slightly) absurd humour and deep down gut-twisting FEELS as it is of stirring, pulse-quickening action sequences and sheer, jaw-dropping WONDER, so it’s as nourishing to our soul as it is to our senses.  From the perfectly-pitched, cheekily irreverent opening to the truly devastating, heartbreaking close, this is EXACTLY the final chapter we’ve always dreamed of, even if it does hurt to see this most beloved of screen franchises go. It’s been a wild ride, and one that I think really does CEMENT Dreamworks’ status as one of the true giants of the genre …

9.  TERMINATOR: DARK FATE – back in 1984, James Cameron burst onto the scene with a stone-cold PHENOMENON, a pitch-perfect adrenaline-fuelled science fiction survival horror that spawned a million imitators but has never truly been equalled.  Less than a decade later, he revisited that universe with a much bigger and far bolder vision, creating an epic action adventure that truly changed blockbuster cinema for the better (or perhaps worse, depending on how you want to look at it), but, with its decidedly final, full-stop climax, also effectively rendered itself sequel-proof.  Except that Hollywood had other ideas, the unstoppable money machine smelling potential profit and deciding to milk this particular cash cow for all it was worth – on the small screen, it was the impressive but ultimately intrinsically limited Sarah Connor Chronicles, while on the big screen they cranked out THREE MORE sequels, Sony Pictures starting with straightforward retread Rise of the Machines and following with post-apocalyptic marmite movie Salvation, while Twentieth Century Fox then tried a sort-of soft reboot follow-up to T2 in Genisys.  These were all interesting in their own way (personally, I like them all, particularly Salvation), but ultimately suffered from diminishing returns and whiffed strongly of trying too hard without quite getting the point. Cameron himself had long since washed his hands of the whole affair, and it looked like that might well be it … but then Skydance Productions founder David Ellison thought up a new take to breathe much needed new life into the franchise, and enlisted Cameron’s help to usher it in properly, with Deadpool director Tim Miller the intriguing but ultimately inspired choice to helm the project.  The end result wisely chooses to paint right over all the pretenders, kicking off right where Judgement Day left off, and as well as Cameron being heavily involved in the story itself, draws another ace with the long-awaited ON-SCREEN return of Linda Hamilton in the role that’s pretty much defined her career, hardboiled survivor Sarah Connor.  I’ll leave the details of her return for newcomers to discover, suffice to say she gets caught up in the chase when a new, MUCH more advanced terminator is sent back in time to kill unassuming young Mexican factory worker Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes).  Of course, the future resistance has once again sent a protector back to watch her back, Grace (Blade Runner 2049’s Mackenzie Davis), a cybernetically-enhanced super-soldier specifically outfitted to combat terminators, who reluctantly agrees to team up with the highly experienced Sarah in order to keep Dani alive. Arnold Schwarzenegger once again returns to the role that truly made him a star (of course, how could he not?), and he for one has clearly not lost ANY of his old love or enthusiasm for playing the old T-800, but revealing exactly HOW he comes into the story this time would give away too much; the new terminator, meanwhile, is brilliantly portrayed by Gabriel Luna (probably best known for playing Ghost Rider in Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD), who brings predatory menace and an interesting edge of subtle, entitled arrogance to the role of Rev-9.  Ultimately though, this is very much the ladies’ film, the three leads dominating the action and drama both as they kick-ass and verbally spar in equal measure, their chemistry palpably strong throughout – Hamilton is as badass as ever, making Sarah even more of a take-no-shit survivalist burnout than she ever was in T2, and she’s utterly mesmerising in what’s EASILY her best turn in YEARS, while Reyes goes through an incredible transformative character arc as she’s forced to evolve from terrified salary-girl to proto she-warrior through several pleasingly organic steps … my greatest pleasure, however, definitely comes from watching Mackenzie Davis OWN the role of Grace, investing her with an irresistible mixture of icy military precision, downright feral mother lion ferocity and a surprisingly sweet innocence buried underneath all the bravado, thus creating one of my favourite ass-kicking heroines not just for the year but this past decade entirely. Unsurprisingly, in the hands of old hand Tim Miller (working from a screenplay headlined by Blade and Batman Begins scribe David Goyer) this is a pulse-pounding thrill ride that rarely lets its foot up off the pedal, but thankfully the action is ALWAYS in service to the story, each precision-crafted set piece engineered to perfection as we power through high speed chases, explosive shootouts and a succession of bruising heavy metal smackdowns, but thankfully there’s just as much attention paid to the characters and the story – given the familiarity of the tale there’s inevitably a certain predictability to events, but Miller and co. still pull off a few deftly handled surprise twists, while character development always feels organic.  Best of all, this genuinely feels like a legitimate part of the original Terminator franchise, Cameron and Hamilton’s returns having finally brought back the old magic that’s been missing for so long. I’d definitely be willing to sign up for more of this – such a shame then that, thanks to the film’s frustrating underperformance at the box office, it looks like this is gonna be it after all. Damn it …

8.  DOCTOR SLEEP – first up, before I say anything else about this latest Stephen King screen adaptation, I HAVE NOT yet got round to reading the original novel yet, so I can’t speak to how it compares.  That said, I HAVE read The Shining, to which the book is a direct sequel, so I DO know about at least one of the major, KEY changes, and besides, this is actually a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s MOVIE of The Shining, which differed significantly from its own source material anyway, so there’s that … yeah, this is a complicated kettle of fish even BEFORE we get down to the details.  Suffice to say, you don’t have to have read the book to get this movie, but a working knowledge of Kubrick’s horror classic may at least help you get some context before watching this … anyways, enough with the confusion, on to the meat of the matter – this is a CRACKING horror movie by any stretch, and, for me, one of the strongest King horrors to make it to the big screen in quite some time.  Of course it helps no end to have a filmmaker of MAJOR calibre at the helm, and there are few working in horror at the moment with whom I am quite so impressed as Mike Flanagan, writer-director of two of this past decade’s definitive horrors (at least for me), Oculus and Hush, as well as a BLINDING TV series adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House for Netflix – the man is an absolute master of the craft, incredibly skilled with all the tricks of this particular genre’s trade, and, as it turns out, a perfect fit with King’s material.  Following on from The Shining, then, we learn what happened to the kid, Danny Torrance, after he and his mother left the Overlook Hotel in the wake of his father’s psychotic break driven by monstrous apparitions “living” in the cursed halls, following him from childhood as he initially shuns the psychic gifts (or “shine”) he was taught to use by the hotel’s late caretaker, Dick Halloran.  It’s only in later years, as he fights to overcome his alcoholism and self-destructive lifestyle, that he reconnects with that power, just in time to discover psychic “pen-pal” Abra Stone, an immensely powerful young psychic.  Which leads us to the present day, when Abra, now a teenager, becomes the target of the True Knot, a group of psychic vampires who travel America hunting and killing young people with psychic abilities in order to consume their “smoke” (basically the stuff of their “shines”), thus expanding their already unnatural lifespans – they’re tracking Abra, and they’re getting close, and only her “Uncle Dan” can save her from them.  Ewan McGregor is PERFECT as the grown-up Dan, delivering one of his career-best turns as he captures the world-weary seriousness of someone who’s seen, felt and had to do things no-one should, especially when he was so very young, the kinds of things that colour a soul for their entire life, and he’s clearly DESPERATE not to become his father; newcomer Kyleigh Curran, meanwhile, is an absolute revelation as Abra, bringing depth and weight far beyond her years to the role, but never losing sight of the fact that, under all the power, she’s ultimately still just a child; there are also excellent supporting turns from the likes of Cliff Curtis as Dan’s best friend and AA sponsor Billy Freeman, Zahn McClarnon (Longmire, Fargo season 2) and Emily Lind (Revenge, Code Black) as True Knot members Crow Daddy and Snakebite Annie, and Carl Lumbly (Cagney & Lacey, TV’s Supergirl), who beautifully replaces deceased original actor Scatman Crothers in the role of Dick.  The film’s tour-de-force performance, however, comes from Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat, leader of the True Knot – they’re an intriguing bunch of villains, very well written and fleshed out, and it’s clear they have genuine love for one another, like a real family, which makes it hard not to sympathise with them a little bit, and this is none more true than in Rose, whom Ferguson invests with so much light and warmth and intriguing, complex character, as well as a fantastic streak of playful mischief that makes her all the more riveting in those times when they then turn around and do some truly heinous, unforgivable things … as horror movies go this is the cream of the crop, but Flanagan has purposefully kept away from jump scares and the more flashy stuff, preferring, like Kubrick in The Shining, to let the insidious darkness bubble up underneath good and slow, drawing out the creepiness and those most unsettling, twisted little touches the author himself is always so very good at.  Intent can be such a scary thing, and Flanagan gets it, so that’s just what he uses here.   As a result this is a fantastic slow-burn creep-fest that constantly works its way deeper under your skin, building to a phenomenal climax that, (perversely) thanks in no small part to the differences between both novels and films, pays as much loving tribute to Kubrick’s visionary landmark as the original novel of The Shining.  For me, this is Flanagan’s best film to date, and as far as Stephen King adaptations go I consider this to be right up there with the likes of The Mist and The Green Mile.  Best of all, I think he’d be proud of it too …

7.  SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME – summer 20019 was something of a decompression period for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with many of us recovering from the sheer emotional DEVASTATION of the grand finale of Phase 3, Avengers: Endgame, so the main Blockbuster Season’s entry really needed to be light and breezy, a blessed relief after all that angst and loss, much like Ant-Man & the Wasp was last year as it followed Infinity War.  And it is, by and large – this is as light-hearted and irreverent as its predecessor, following much the same goofy teen comedy template as Homecoming, but there’s no denying that there’s a definite emotional through-line from Endgame that looms large here, a sense of loss the film fearlessly addresses right from the start, sometimes with a bittersweet sense of humour, sometimes straight.  But whichever path the narrative chooses, the film stays true to this underlying truth – there have been great and painful changes in this world, and we can’t go back to how it was before, no matter how hard we try, but then perhaps we shouldn’t. This is certainly central to our young hero’s central arc – Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is in mourning, and not even the prospect of a trip around Europe with his newly returned classmates, together with the chance to finally get close to M.J. (Zendaya), maybe even start a relationship, can entirely distract him from the gaping hole in his life. Still, he’s gonna give it his best shot, but it looks like fate has other plans for our erstwhile Spider-Man as superspy extraordinaire Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) comes calling, basically hijacking his vacation with an Avengers-level threat to deal with, aided by enigmatic inter-dimensional superhero Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), who has a personal stake in the mission, but as he’s drawn deeper into the fray Peter discovers that things may not be quite as they seem. Of course, giving anything more away would of course dumps HEINOUS spoilers on the precious few who haven’t yet seen the film – suffice to say that the narrative drops a MAJOR sea-change twist at the midpoint that’s EVERY BIT as fiendish as the one Shane Black gave us in Iron Man 3 (although the more knowledgeable fans of the comics will likely see it coming), and also provides Peter with JUST the push he needs to get his priorities straight and just GET OVER IT once and for all.  Tom Holland again proves his character is the most endearing teenage geek in cinematic history, his spectacular super-powered abilities and winning underdog perseverance in the face of impossible odds still paradoxically tempered by the fact he’s as loveably hopeless as ever outside his suit; Mysterio himself, meanwhile, frequently steals the film out from under him, the strong bromance they develop certainly mirroring what Peter had with Tony Stark, and it’s a major credit to Gyllenhaal that he so perfectly captures the essential dualities of the character, investing Beck with a roguish but subtly self-deprecating charm that makes him EXTREMELY easy to like, but ultimately belying something much more complex hidden beneath it; it’s also nice to see so many beloved familiar faces returning, particularly the fantastically snarky and self-assured Zendaya, Jacob Batalon (once again pure comedy gold as Peter’s adorably nerdy best friend Ned), Tony Revolori (as his self-important class rival Flash Thompson) and, of course, Marisa Tomei as the ever-pivotal Aunt May, as well as Jackson and Cobie Smoulders as dynamite SHIELD duo Fury and his faithful lieutenant Maria Hill, and best of all Jon Favreau gets a MUCH bigger role this time round as Happy Hogan.  Altogether this is very much business as usual for the MCU, the well-oiled machine unsurprisingly turning out another near-perfect gem of a superhero flick that ticks all the required boxes, but a big part of the film’s success should be attributed to returning director Jon Watts, effectively building on the granite-strong foundations of Homecoming with the help of fellow alumni Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers on screenplay duty, for a picture that feels both comfortingly familiar and rewardingly fresh, delivering on all the required counts with thrilling action and eye candy spectacle, endearingly quirky character-based charm and a typically winning sense of humour, and plenty of understandably powerful emotional heft.  And, like always, there are plenty of fan-pleasing winks and nods and revelations, and the pre-requisite mid- and post-credit teasers too, both proving to be some proper game-changing corkers.  Another winner from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then, but was there really ever any doubt?

6.  US – back in 2017, Jordan Peele made the transition from racially-charged TV and stand-up comedy to astounding cinemagoers with stunning ease through his writer-director feature debut Get Out, a sharply observed jet black comedy horror with SERIOUS themes that was INSANELY well-received by audiences and horror fans alike.  Peele instantly became ONE TO WATCH in the genre, so his follow-up feature had A LOT riding on it, but this equally biting, deeply satirical existential mind-bender is EASILY the equal of its predecessor, possibly even its better … giving away too much plot detail would do great disservice to the many intriguing, shocking twists on offer as middle class parents Adelaide and Gabe Wilson (Black Panther alumni Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke) take their children, Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex), to Santa Cruz on vacation, only to step into a nightmare as a night-time visitation by a family of murderous doppelgangers signals the start of a terrifying supernatural revolution with potential nationwide consequences.  The idea at the heart of this film is ASTOUNDINGLY original, quite an achievement in a genre where just about everything has been tried at least once, but it’s also DEEPLY subversive, as challenging and thought-provoking as the themes visited in Get Out, but also potentially even more wide-reaching. It’s also THOROUGHLY fascinating and absolutely TERRIFYING, a peerless exercise in slow-burn tension and acid-drip discomfort, liberally soaked in an oppressive atmosphere so thick you could choke on it if you’re not careful, such a perfect horror master-class it’s amazing that this is only Peele’s second FEATURE, never mind his sophomore offering IN THE GENRE.  The incredibly game cast really help, too – the four leads are all EXCEPTIONAL, each delivering fascinatingly nuanced performances in startlingly oppositional dual roles as both the besieged family AND their monstrous doubles, a feat brilliantly mimicked by Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale-star Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker and teen twins Cali and Noelle Sheldon as the Wilsons’ friends, the Tylers, and their similarly psychotic mimics.  The film is DOMINATED, however, by Oscar-troubler Nyong’o, effortlessly holding our attention throughout the film with yet another raw, intense, masterful turn that keeps up glued to the screen from start to finish, even as the twists get weirder and more full-on brain-mashy.  Of course, while this really is scary as hell, it’s also often HILARIOUSLY funny, Peele again poking HUGE fun at both his intended audience AND his allegorical targets, proving that scares often work best when twinned with humour.  BY FAR the best thing in horror in 2019, Us shows just what a master of the genre Jordan Peele is, and it looks like he’s here to stay …

5.  KNIVES OUT – with The Last Jedi, writer-director Rian Johnson divided audiences so completely that he seemed to have come perilously close to ruining his career.  Thankfully, he’s a thick-skinned auteur with an almost ridiculous amount of talent, and he’s come bouncing back as strong as ever, doing what he does best. His big break feature debut was with Brick, a cult classic murder mystery that was, surprisingly, set in and around a high school, and his latest has some of that same DNA as Johnson crafts a fantastic sleuthy whodunit cast in the classic mould of Agatha Christie, albeit shot through with his own wonderfully eclectic verve, wit and slyly subversive streak.  Daniel Craig holds court magnificently as quirky and flamboyant Deep South private detective Benoit Blanc, summoned to the home of newly-deceased star crime author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) to investigate his possible murder and faced with a veritable web of lies, deceit and twisting knives as he meets the maybe-victim’s extensive and INCREDIBLY dysfunctional family, all of whom are potential suspects.  Craig is thoroughly mesmerising throughout, clearly having the time of his life in one of his career-best roles, while the narrative focus is actually, interestingly, given largely to Ana de Armas (Blade Runner 2049 and soon to be seen with Craig again in the latest Bond-flick No Time To Die), who proves equally adept at driving the film as Harlan’s sweet but steely and impressively resourceful nurse Marta Cabrera, whose own involvement in the case it would do the film a massive disservice to reveal. The rest of the Thrombey clan are an equally intriguing bunch, all played to the hilt by an amazing selection of heavyweight talent that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette and It’s Jaeden Martell, but the film is, undeniably, DOMINATED by Chris Evans as Harlan’s black sheep grandson Ransom, the now former Captain America clearly enjoying his first major post-MCU role as he roundly steals every scene he’s in, effortlessly bringing back the kind of snarky, sarcastic underhanded arrogance we haven’t seen him play since his early career and entertaining us thoroughly.  Johnson has very nearly outdone himself this time, weaving a gleefully twisty web of intrigue that viewers will take great pleasure in watching Blanc untangle, even if we’re actually already privy to (most of) the truth of the deed, and he pulls off some diabolical twists and turns as we rattle towards an inspired final reveal which genuinely surprises. He’s also generously smothered the film with oodles of his characteristically dry, acerbic wit, wonderfully tweaking many of the classic tropes of this familiar little sub-genre so this is at once a loving homage to the classics but also a sly, skilful deconstruction.  Intriguing, compelling, enrapturing and often thoroughly hilarious, this is VERY NEARLY the best film he’s ever made.  Only the mighty Looper remains unbeaten …

4.  CAPTAIN MARVEL – before the first real main event of not only the year’s blockbusters but also, more importantly, 2019’s big screen MCU roster, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and co dropped a powerful opening salvo with what, it turns out, was the TRUE inception point of the Avengers Initiative and all its accompanying baggage (not Captain America: the First Avenger, as we were originally led to believe).  For me, this is simply the MCU film I have MOST been looking forward to essentially since the beginning – the onscreen introduction of my favourite Avenger, former US Air Force Captain Carol Danvers, the TRUE Captain Marvel (no matter what the DC purists might say), who was hinted at in the post credits sting of Avengers: Infinity War but never actually seen.  Not only is she the most powerful Avenger (sorry Thor, but it’s true), but for me she’s also the most badass – she’s an unstoppable force of (cosmically enhanced) nature, with near GODLIKE powers (she can even fly through space without needing a suit!), but the thing that REALLY makes her so full-on EPIC is her sheer, unbreakable WILL, the fact that no matter what’s thrown at her, no matter how often or how hard she gets knocked down, she KEEPS GETTING BACK UP.  She is, without a doubt, the MOST AWESOME woman in the entire Marvel Universe, both on the comic page AND up on the big screen. Needless to say, such a special character needs an equally special actor to portray her, and we’re thoroughly blessed in the inspired casting choice of Brie Larson, who might as well have been purpose-engineered exclusively for this very role – she’s Carol Danvers stepped right out of the primary-coloured panels, as steely cool, unswervingly determined and strikingly statuesque as she’s always been drawn and scripted, with just the right amount of twinkle-eyed, knowing smirk and sassy humour to complete the package.  Needless to say she’s the heart and soul of the film, a pure joy to watch throughout, but there’s so much more to enjoy here that this is VERY NEARLY the most enjoyable cinematic experience I had all year … writer-director double-act Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck may only be known for smart, humble indies like Half Nelson and Mississippi Grind, but they’ve taken to the big budget, all-action blockbuster game like ducks to water, co-scripting with Geneva Robertson-Dworet (writer of the Tomb Raider reboot movie and the long-gestating third Sherlock Holmes movie) to craft yet another pitch-perfect MCU origin story, playing a sneakily multilayered, misleading game of perception-versus-truth as we’re told how Carol got her powers and became the unstoppable badass supposedly destined to turn the tide in a certain Endgame … slyly rolling the clock back to the mid-90s, we’re presented with a skilfully realised mid-90s period culture clash adventure as Carol, a super-powered warrior fighting for the Kree Empire against the encroaching threat of the shape-shifting Skrulls, crash-lands in California and winds up uncovering the hidden truth behind her origins, with the help of a particular SHIELD agent, before he wound up with an eye-patch and a more cynical point-of-view – yup, it’s a younger, fresher Nick Fury (the incomparable Samuel L. Jackson, digitally de-aged with such skill it’s really just a pure, flesh-and-blood performance). There’s action, thrills, spectacle and (as always with the MCU) pure, skilfully observed, wry humour by the bucket-load, but one of the biggest strengths of the film is the perfectly natural chemistry between the two leads, Larson and Jackson playing off each other BEAUTIFULLY, no hint of romantic tension, just a playfully prickly, banter-rich odd couple vibe that belies a deep, honest respect building between both the characters and, clearly, the actors themselves.  There’s also sterling support from Jude Law as Kree warrior Yon-Rogg, Carol’s commander and mentor, Ben Mendelsohn, slick, sly and surprisingly seductive (despite a whole lot of make-up) as Skrull leader Talos, returning MCU-faces Clark Gregg and Lee Pace as rookie SHIELD agent Phil Coulson (another wildly successful de-aging job) and Kree Accuser Ronan, Annette Bening as a mysterious face from Carol’s past and, in particular, Lashana Lynch (Still Star-Crossed, soon to be seen in No Time To Die) as Carol’s one-time best friend and fellow Air Force pilot Maria Rambeau, along with the impossibly adorable Akira Akbar as her precocious daughter Monica … that said, the film is frequently stolen by a quartet of ginger tabbies who perfectly capture fan-favourite Goose the “cat” (better known to comics fans as Chewie).  This is about as great as the MCU standalone films get – for me it’s up there with the Russo’s Captain America films and Black Panther, perfectly pitched and SO MUCH FUN, but with a multilayered, monofilament-sharp intelligence that makes it a more cerebrally satisfying ride than most blockbusters, throwing us a slew of skilfully choreographed twists and narrative curveballs we almost never see coming, and finishing it off with a bucket-load of swaggering style and pure, raw emotional power (the film kicks right off with an incredibly touching, heartfelt tear-jerking tribute to Marvel master Stan Lee).  Forget Steve Rogers – THIS is the Captain MCU fans need AND deserve, and I am SO CHUFFED they got my favourite Avenger so totally, perfectly RIGHT.  I can die happy now, I guess …

3.  JOHN WICK CHAPTER 3 – needless to say, those who know me should be in no doubt why THIS was at the top of my list for summer 2019 – this has EVERYTHING I love in movies and more. Keanu Reeves is back in the very best role he’s ever played, unstoppable, unbeatable, un-killable hitman John Wick, who, when we rejoin him mere moments after the end of 2017’s phenomenal Chapter 2, is in some SERIOUSLY deep shit, having been declared Incommunicado by the High Table (the all-powerful ruling elite who run this dark and deadly shadowy underworld) after circumstances forced him to gun down an enemy on the grounds of the New York Continental Hotel (the inviolable sanctuary safe-house for all denizens of the underworld), as his last remaining moments of peace tick away and he desperately tries to find somewhere safe to weather the initial storm.  Needless to say the opening act of the film is ONE LONG ACTION SEQUENCE as John careers through the rain-slick streets of New York, fighting off attackers left and right with his signature brutal efficiency and unerring skill, perfectly setting up what’s to come – namely a head-spinning, exhausting parade of spectacular set pieces that each put EVERY OTHER offering in every other film this past year to shame.  Returning director Chad Stahelski again proves that he’s one of the very best helmsmen around for this kind of stuff, delivering FAR beyond the call on every count as he creates a third entry to a series that continues to go from strength to strength, while Keanu once again demonstrates what a phenomenal screen action GOD he is, gliding through each scenario with poise, precision and just the right balance of brooding charm and so-very-done-with-this-shit intensity and a thoroughly enviable athletic physicality that really does put him on the same genre footing as Tom Cruise.  As with the first two chapters, what plot there is is largely an afterthought, a facility to fuel the endless wave of stylish, wince-inducing, thoroughly exhilarating violent bloodshed, as John cuts another bloody swathe through the underworld searching for a way to remove the lethal bounty from his head while an Adjudicator from the High Table (Orange Is the New Black’s Asia Kate Dillon) arrives in New York to settle affairs with Winston (Ian McShane), the manager of the New York Continental, and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) for helping John create this mess in the first place.  McShane and Fishburne are both HUGE entertainment in their fantastically nuanced large-than-life roles, effortlessly stealing each of their scenes, while the ever-brilliant Lance Reddick also makes a welcome return as Winston’s faithful right-hand Charon, the concierge of the Continental, who finally gets to show off his own hardcore action chops when trouble arrives at their doorstep, and there are plenty of franchise newcomers who make strong impressions here – Dillon is the epitome of icy imperiousness, perfectly capturing the haughty superiority you’d expect from a direct representative of the High Table, Halle Berry gets a frustratingly rare opportunity to show just how seriously badass she can be as former assassin Sofia, the manager of the Casablanca branch of the Continental and one of John’s only remaining allies, Game of Thrones’ Jerome Flynn is smarmy and entitled as her boss Berrada, and Anjelica Houston is typically classy as the Director, the ruthless head of New York’s Ruska Roma (John’s former “alma mater”, basically).  The one that REALLY sticks in the memory, though, is Mark Dacascos, finally returning to the big time after frustrating years languishing in lurid straight-to-video action dreck and lowbrow TV hosting duties thanks to a BLISTERING turn as Zero, a truly brilliant semi-comic creation who routinely runs away with the film – he’s the Japanese master ninja the Adjudicator tasks with dispensing her will, a thoroughly lethal killer who may well be as skilled as our hero, but his deadliness is amusingly tempered by the fact that he’s also a total nerd who HERO WORSHIPS John Wick, adorably geeking out whenever their paths cross.  Their long-gestating showdown provides a suitably magnificent climax to the action, but there’s plenty to enjoy in the meantime, as former stuntman Stahelski and co keep things interestingly fluid as they constantly change up the dynamics and add new elements, from John using kicking horses in a stable and knives torn out of display cases in a weaponry museum to dispatch foes on the fly, through Sofia’s use of attack dogs to make the Moroccan portion particularly nasty and a SPECTACULAR high octane sequence in which John fights katana-wielding assailants on speeding motorcycles, to the film’s UNDISPUTABLE highlight, an astounding fight in which John takes on Zero’s disciples (including two of the most impressive guys from The Raid movies, Cecep Arif Rahman and Yayan Ruhian) in (and through) an expansive chamber made up entirely of glass walls and floors.  Altogether then, this is business as usual for a franchise that’s consistently set the bar for the genre as a whole, an intensely bruising, blissfully blood-drenched epic that cranks its action up to eleven, shot with delicious neon-drenched flair and glossy graphic novel visual excess, a consistently inspired exercise in fascinating world-building that genuinely makes you want to live among its deadly denizens (even though you probably wouldn’t live very long).  The denouement sets things up for an inevitable sequel, and I’m not at all surprised – right from the first film I knew the concept had legs, and it’s just too good to quit yet.  Which is just how I like it …

2.  AVENGERS: ENDGAME – the stars have aligned and everything is right with the world – the second half of the ridiculously vast, epic, nerve-shredding and gut-punching MCU saga that began with 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War has FINALLY arrived and it’s JUST AS GOOD as its predecessor … maybe even a little bit better, simply by virtue of the fact that (just about) all the soul-crushing loss and upheaval of the first film is resolved here.  Opening shortly after the universally cataclysmic repercussions of “the Snap”, the world at large and the surviving Avengers in particular are VERY MUCH on the back foot as they desperately search for a means to reverse the damage wrought by brutally single-minded cosmic megalomaniac Thanos and his Infinity Stone-powered gauntlet – revealing much more dumps so many spoilers it’s criminal to continue, so I’ll simply say that their immediate plan really DOESN’T work out, leaving them worse off than ever.  Fast-forward five years and the universe is a very different place, mourning what it’s lost and torn apart by grief-fuelled outbursts, while our heroes in particular are in various, sometimes better, but often much worse places – Bruce Banner/the Hulk (Mark Ruffallo) has found a kind of peace that’s always eluded him before, but Thor (Chris Hemsworth) really is a MESS, while Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) has gone to a VERY dark place indeed. Then Ant-Man Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) finds a way back from his forced sojourn in the Quantum Realm, and brings with him a potential solution of a very temporal nature … star directors the Russo Brothers, along with returning screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, have once again crafted a stunning cinematic masterpiece, taking what could have been a bloated, overloaded and simply RIDICULOUS narrative mess and weaving it into a compelling, rich and thoroughly rewarding ride that, despite its THREE HOURS PLUS RUNNING TIME, stays fresh and interesting from start to finish, building on the solid foundations of Infinity War while also forging new ground (narratively speaking, at least) incorporating a wonderfully fresh take on time-travel that pokes gleeful fun at the decidedly clichéd tropes inherent in this particular little sub-genre.  In fact this is frequently a simply HILARIOUS film in its own right, largely pulling away from the darker tone of its predecessor by injecting a very strong vein of chaotic humour into proceedings, perfectly tempering the more dramatic turns and epic feels that inevitably crop up, particularly as the stakes continue to rise.  Needless to say the entire cast get to shine throughout, particularly those veterans whose own tours of duty in the franchise are coming to a close, and as with Infinity War even the minor characters get at least a few choice moments in the spotlight, especially in the vast, operatic climax where pretty much the ENTIRE MCU cast return for the inevitable final showdown.  It’s a masterful affair, handled with skill and deep, earnest respect but also enough irreverence to keep it fun, although in the end it really comes down to those big, fat, heart-crushing emotional FEELS, as we say goodbye to some favourites and see others reach crossroads in their own arcs that send them off in new, interesting directions.  Seriously guys, keep a lot of tissues handy, you really will need them.  If this were the very last MCU film ever, I’d say it’s a PERFECT piece to go out on – thankfully it’s not, and while it is the end of an era the franchise looks set to go on as strong as ever, safe in the knowledge that there’s plenty more cracking movies on the way so long as Kevin Feige and co continue to employ top-notch talent like this to make their films. Eleven years and twenty-two films down, then – here’s to eleven and twenty-two more, I say …

1.  THE IRISHMAN (aka I HEARD YOU PAINT HOUSES) – beating smash-hit superhero movies and unstoppable assassin action-fests to the top spot is no mean feat, but so completely blowing me away that I had NO OTHER CHOICE than to put this at NUMBER ONE is something else entirely.  Not only is this the best thing I saw at the cinema this past year, but I’d be happy to say it’s guaranteed to go down as one of my all-time greats of the entire decade. I’ve been an ardent fan of the filmmaking of Martin Scorsese ever since I first properly got into cinema in my early adolescence, when I was first shown Taxi Driver and was completely and irrevocably changed forever as a movie junkie.  He’s a director who impresses me like a select few others, one of the true, undisputable masters of the craft, and I find it incredibly pleasing that I’m not alone in this assertion.  Goodfellas and The Departed are both numbered among my all-time favourite crime movies, while I regard the latter as one of the greatest films of the current cinematic century.  I’ve learned more about the art and craft of filmmaking and big-screen storytelling from watching Scorsese’s work than from any other director out there (with the notable exception of my OTHER filmmaking hero, Ridley Scott), and I continue to discover more about his films every time I watch them, so I never stop.  Anyways … enough with the gushing, time to get on with talking about his latest offering, a Netflix Original true-life gangster thriller of truly epic proportions chronicling the career and times of Frank Sheeran, a Philadelphia truck driver who became the most trusted assassin of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family and, in particular, its boss (and Sheeran’s best friend) Russell Bufalino, particularly focusing on his rise to power within the Philly Mob and his significant association with controversial and ultimately ill-fated Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa.  It’s a sprawling epic in the tradition of Scorsese’s previously most expansive film, Casino, but in terms of scope this easily eclipses the 1995 classic, taking in SIX DECADES of genuinely world-changing events largely seen through Sheeran’s eyes, but as always the director is in total control throughout, never losing sight of the true focus – one man’s fall from grace as he loses his soul to the terrible events he takes part in.  Then again, the screenplay is by Steve Zaillian (Schindler’s List, Moneyball, Fincher’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), one of the true masters of the art form, with whom Scorsese previously worked with on Gangs of New York, so it’s pure gold – tight as a drum, razor sharp and impossibly rich and rewarding, the perfect vehicle for the director to just prep his cast and run with it.  And WHAT A CAST we have here – this is a three-way lead master-class of titanic proportions, as Scorsese-regular Robert De Niro and his Goodfellas co-star Joe Pesci are finally reteamed as, respectively, Sheeran and Bufalino, while Al Pacino gets to work with the master for the first time as Hoffa; all three are INCREDIBLE, EXTRAORDINARY, on absolute tip-top form as they bring everything they have to their roles, De Niro and Pesci underplaying magnificently while Pacino just lets rip with his full, thunderous fury in a seemingly larger-than-life turn which simply does one of history’s biggest crooks perfect justice; the supporting cast, meanwhile, is one of the strongest seen in cinema all year, with Ray Romano, Bobby Canavale, Anna Paquin, Stephen Graham, Harvey Keitel, Stephanie Kurtzuba (The Wolf of Wall Street), Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) and Jesse Plemmons among MANY others all making MAJOR impressions throughout, all holding their own even when up against the combined star power of the headlining trio.  This is filmmaking as high art, Scorsese bringing every trick at his considerable, monumentally experienced disposal to bear to craft a crime thriller that strongly compares not only to the director’s own best but many of the genre’s own other masterpieces such as The Godfather and Chinatown.  It may clock in at a potentially insane THREE HOURS AND TWENTY-NINE MINUTES but it NEVER feels overlong, every moment crafted for maximum impact with a story that unfolds so busily and with such mesmerising power it’s impossible to get bored with it.  The film may have received a limited theatrical release, obviously reaching MOST of its audience when unleashed on Netflix nearly a month later, but I was one of the lucky few who got to see it on the big screen, and BELIEVE ME, it was totally worth it.  Best thing I saw in 2019, ONE OF the best things I saw this past decade, and DEFINITELY one of Scorsese’s best films EVER.  See it, any way you can.  You won’t be disappointed.

[cynfinnegan]

WIP Wednesday

From one of my many Gundam Wing/Harry Potter crossovers...

Gundam Factory, Colony L3-8253, 8 February, AC 195

Trowa Barton was in a state the workers at the Gundam factory were all too familiar with by now.  He was royally pissed off, and from the rumors that were flying around the factory, it wasn't difficult to figure out why.  His new "toy boy" had vanished four days ago, and no one could, or would, tell him where the nameless youth disappeared to.

He went to Nanashi's tiny apartment inside the factory first and found not the boy, but a middle-aged woman now occupying it.  He asked her if she knew where the boy who had lived there was, but she didn't and told him so, peppering her commentary with complaints about all the blood she had to clean up off the floor which, apparently, was a little detail Barton had forgotten about.

He made his way to the Infirmary next, where he demanded information on the nameless youth's whereabouts.  They told him in no uncertain terms that they couldn't give him any information on the boy because they weren't related.

Although he knew he'd never be punished for his crime, Barton spent several long minutes blustering and threatening the doctor and nurses, but to no avail.  He wasn't the boy's family, so they weren't going to tell him a damned thing.

He left the clinic a few minutes later, muttering more threats against them under his breath.  It then occurred to him that "No-name" was probably back at the factory, working on the Gundam that he was soon to pilot.

He rushed to the main part of the factory, hell-bent on finding the cinnamon-haired youth he'd beaten and raped to "teach him a lesson on keeping his mouth shut," but unfortunately, when the sandy-haired man got to where Heavyarms was being built, he overheard Doktor S and another man, one of his many assistants, talking about altering Operation Meteor to only take out OZ and Alliance military targets instead of dropping a colony onto the Earth, destroying them both.  Barton rushed over to confront the pair, his face contorted into a mask of fury.

"WHAT?" he bellowed angrily, clenching his hands into fists. "You wanna target only OZ?  You're changing the plan, old man!"

"If it goes according to plan, Operation Meteor will kill over twenty million people from the onset!" Doktor S replied, just as angrily.  "Isn't that going just a little too far for revenge for Hiiro Yui?"

"Exterminating twenty million leeches isn't going far enough!  This isn't about revenge anymore; this is about who controls the Earth Sphere!  The Colonies have always been meant to rule over the Earthers, with the Barton family being the top dogs! When we finally take control of everything, we'll take humanity to new heights!"

Doktor S sighed, shook his head and retorted with "That sounds like your father, Dekim, talking.  The Colonies still depend on Earth for food and medicine.  We'll be dooming ourselves to slow starvation and disease if we go through with Operation Meteor as..."

"I get it now," Barton interrupted snidely.  "You don't want us taking over the Earth, do you, traitor?!  You're jealous that once we do, the Barton family will be in charge of everything!  I'M TELLING MY FATHER ABOUT THIS!  JUST WATCH!  I'll CARRY OUT OPERATION METEOR BY MYSELF AND THE PEOPLE OF EARTH WILL BE SOR...!"

As the sneering Barton started to walk away, the terrified assistant pulled a pistol from a hidden holster, took aim and shot twice.

Nanashi jumped in shock when he heard the shots; it had been four years since he'd last heard gunfire, and he'd forgotten how incredibly loud it could be in a confined space.  He recoiled in horror when he saw the body of his rapist fall to the floor with two holes in his back, his dead eyes looking at him accusingly.  Next to him, a terrified Harry stuffed one small fist in his mouth and fought the urge to scream as he started to back away from the corpse.

"Now you've done it," they heard Doktor S say flatly.

"I'm sorry, sir," the frightened assistant replied, "but I have family planet side.  I couldn't just let him...!"

Harry felt the heel of his foot catch on his "brother's" toolbox and found himself stumbling backwards towards the edge of the platform.  Nanashi caught him before he could fall over the railing, but not before the little boy jostled the toolbox enough for it to rattle.

"WHO'S THERE?!" the scientist growled menacingly.  A moment later, Nanashi and Harry came out from their hiding place, eyes wide and hands raised, with Harry trying to hide behind the older boy's long legs.

"Who are you?!" the assistant demanded, raising his gun again.

"I'm no one," the youth said to the Doktor and his assistant, proud of the fact that his still raspy voice shook only slightly as he did what he did best, think on his feet.  "You can kill us if you feel you must, but you'll be throwing away an opportunity if you do..."

The assistant took aim, and was about to shoot the boys, when S raised his hand and said "Hold on, Jensen.  The Foundation's going find out about this sooner or later, so we might as well hear the boy out."

"But Doktor...," the nervous assistant, Jensen, said, then reluctantly lowered his pistol.

"I don't want to conquer the Earth," the teen continued.

"What?"

"I don't want to conquer the Earth," Nanashi repeated, his fear dissipating some, "but I can take his name and place as Heavyarms' pilot and carry out the mission to destroy the Alliance and OZ."

"You'll pilot the Heavyarms in his stead?"

"Yeah.  I've grown rather fond of her.  Life on this colony's been good for the most part, but I'm better suited for the battlefield."

That was all Doktor S needed to hear.  He'd been on his way to enlist the boy everyone called Nanashi as a replacement pilot when he found the terrified Harry looking for help after Barton attacked the teen and here he was, volunteering to do it.  Barton had refused to learn how to effectively pilot the Gundam, preferring to spend that time harassing the techs and assistants.  Nanashi had been the latest, and also the last.

"All right, then," the scientist said with a lopsided grin.  "From this moment on, you're Trowa Barton.  We have two months to train you on how to operate Heavyarms and her weaponry."

"I've experience piloting a Leo," the teen replied, his eyes still on the machine.

"Perhaps, but the Gundam's cockpit, AI, and weapons systems are vastly different from those of a Leo, so you'll be starting over from scratch.  Once we launch, you'll be in charge, and you and the others are to carry out your missions as you see fit.  Don't worry about the colonies; OZ and the Alliance destroyed the peace of outer space when they assassinated Hiiro Yui.  This operation is our revenge."

"Understood."

Nanashi saluted sharply.  Harry mimicked his actions, but watched everything with a sense of heartsick dread.  If Triton left the colony and returned to Earth, what would become of him?  Would his aunt and uncle come back to reclaim him, or would they all abandon him to this unfamiliar place?  Gathering his courage, he tugged on the back of the Doktor's smock and asked "Excuse me, sir.  I don't mean to sound selfish, but what about me?"

The Doktor knelt down so he was at Harry's eye level and replied "You'll be going with him, of course.  OZ and the Alliance will never suspect our pilot being one of a pair of brothers traveling together.  It's the perfect cover story."

"You mean lie?" Harry asked, confused.

"No, not exactly, Harry," the youth explained, gathering the still badly-frightened little boy into his arms.  "The Doktor wants us to pretend to be brothers while we're on Earth, but you know what?  Even if we're not related by birth, I feel like we're family.  Does that make any sense to you?"

"Yeah."

Though the newly named Trowa Barton had been Harry's "brother" for only a few days, it was painfully obvious to him that this little boy was starved for simple human affection.

The men and women in the mercenary corps he'd ran with as a kid weren't the most demonstrative bunch of people on Earth.  They were professional soldiers, after all, but at least they'd cared about him a little.  It wasn't uncommon he received a brief hug, a pat on the back, a kind word, or even a small bag of sweets from someone once in a while.

Still holding Harry, Trowa swore to himself that, no matter what he had to do, the little boy in his arms would never want for the love or protection of a family again, even if it was only him providing that love and protection.

[rowan-buzzard-whitethorn]

Guess who’s finally on their computer instead of shitty mobile??

Now I can FINALLY answer all these tags!! BTW, I freaking love being tagged in things you guys, and being sent asks, and messages and I JUST LOVE YOU ALL OKAY?

ALSO, because I’ve been tagged in multiple of those question things I will just answer them all in one go. And because I’m pretty sure most people don’t want to see a post a mile long where I drone on and on about my little life, I will put it under the cut.

LET’S DO THIS.

FYI, I guess I won’t tag people because I feel like I am WAAAYYY too late on this train and that everyone’s already been tagged multiple times and are probably “done” with this tag meme lol

Firstly, I was tagged by @court-of-wildfire AKA the most adorable little sunflower that’s ever existed.

1. What ancient God / Goddess is your favorite, and why?

You know, I don’t remember enough to pick. Which really, I should. In my ancient African history course we talked at length about Egyptian gods, and then in pt 1 of my world history course we talked about Egyptian and Roman gods. If I think real hard on it I remember being the most interested in the ones that rule/ had association with the underworld. Like, Osiris, Anubis, Hades, etc. Huh.  

2. What are five things (tv shows, candy, shoes, etc,) that was popular in your youth that you wish you can bring back today?

Lol I was just talking to my sister about how we wish Goucho pants didn’t go out of style. I wish kids shows were as good today as they were back then. Angry Beavers, Hey, Arnold, AHH Real Monsters. Sigh.

3. Name your top five meme’s.

I don’t really hold onto them long lol I’ll just throw some out there: The willy wonka one, The Boromir one, The little girl unimpressed with going to disney one, back when Leo never won an oscar, etc

4. If you could choose your own 7 wonders of the world what would they be?

Hmmm... I don’t know I think the one’s we’ve got are alright. lol oh god im lame

5. If you could have a mythical animal as a pet what would it be?

I’m sorry, who doesn’t want a pegasus??

6. Pick three artist / bands to compose a score for the story of your life.

M83, Thomas Newman, Flo + the machine

7. If you could only keep two of your five senses which ones would you pick?

sight and touch

8. What is your irrational fear?

Is it irrational? I am terrified of going off a bridge and into water in a car. Like I brace myself for it every time I cross a bridge and I have a tool to break the window in my door lol

9. What rule did you have to follow as a kid that you didn’t agree with?  

My mom was QUEEN of saying I couldn’t go to a friend’s house just “because”. It always just meant she didn’t want to deal with taking me.

10. What are some weird quirks / rituals you do everyday?

lol the only thing I can think of is that I HAVE to pee right before I get into bed. It doesn’t matter if I just went and I only have a drop left, it must happen.

11. What was the weirdest / craziest thing that’s happened to you at work and/or school?

hmm... the only thing I can think of right now is from 3rd grade when I was playing soccer and the kid with the strongest foot punted the ball and it went smack into my face and I flew backward and blacked out. I totally had that playground moment of waking up with the whole student body looking over me and them going “UUUGGHH” when I sat up and bled from both nostrils.

These questions are from the beautiful, the flawless, the perfect, @vukica10. You complete me.

1. If you could go back at any time in history what would it be? (Ancient Egypt, Victorian era…)

By that do you mean, if I could go back and be a man in any time period because let’s face it... I’ve always been really interested in Rome... but I also really like Victorian stuff too.. idk IT’S TOO HARD

2. Fictional world you’d like to be a part of (except for SJM worlds)

Harry Potter duh

3. If you could visit only one country in your life, which one would it be?

France I guess? I’ve been there and I want to go back and stay for like 2 months.

4. Describe your perfect boy/girl

lol well... If we are talking about like the UNATTAINABLE PERFECT then:

Once I get my BSN I will be doing international nursing so I want some badass buff guy who like.. works for the UN, or some nonprofit, or like does security and is mr tough guy. Anyway you probably meant personality. I for sure have a Type, and that Type is confident cocky asshole on the surface with a warm gooey middle. Who knows the times that I just need a big shoulder to lean on and when I need someone to like, call be on my bullshit and be able to read me super well and just pokes and prods all my buttons instead of just sitting there oblivious to everything going on in my head. Those guys that are able to read you immediately and call you on it are super fucking hot.

5. If you could change one thing in history, what would it be

LOL JUST ONE??? I’d say eliminating the Cold War would rid the world of many ills. The US and Russia wouldn’t straight up fuck every other country over in their stupid propaganda war. Can you imagine how different things would be if we had somehow remained allies after WW2??

6. Tell me one embarrassing story

Well the most embarrassed I’ve ever felt was at a friends house when I was in the bathroom for a while and there was no TP, I yelled and yelled and yelled for my friend to bring me some and no one heard, so I walked out and her whole family was out there??? and her mom goes “... wasn’t there no toilet paper in there?... do you need to go upstairs and clean up?” And I was like hey thanks cunt yes I do, excuse me while I go die.

7. What language would you like to know?

I’ll go practical and say Spanish. Just because I keep thinking about how it would help me A TON as a nurse. But I also wish I actually got proficient in French

8. What was the happiest day of your life

I honestly have such a terrible memory for stuff like this. I can’t pick a single day!

9. If you have a chance to meet any celebrity and ask them one question, who would it be and what would you ask?

Pssshhh idk. Maybe Michael Fassbender or Jason Momoa and ask him to marry me??

10. Have you ever done something illegal/dangerous?

Nothing more than some pot and underage drinking. Now dangerous... Idk that’s a flexible term lol

11. What was on the latest photo you took?

My sister and I at a burgers and booze fest

These questions are from @starofvelaris

First of all. OMG I LOVE YOU. YOU’RE ART IS AMAZEBALLS. like how even do you do what you do??? I bought a tablet and i haven’t used it because photoshop is terrifying THANKS FOR THE TAG!!

1. An evil witch casts a spell on you, turning you into a plant. What kind of plant would you want to be?

Hmm... I’d like to be one of those really tall trees in the Amazon or something

2. If you could step into any fantasy world from any book series, which would you visit?

Harry Potter duuuuhhhhhh

3. Would you rather live in the Autumn Court or the Spring Court?

Well, are we talking about with the current people there... or like, if they were gone? Because I would totally choose Autumn

4. What toppings do you order on your pizza?

Pepperoni and Sausage!

5. Describe your ideal Friday night.

Well, if I’m not being a homebody and actually being social for once, then dinner, drinks, piano bar

6. Worst book you’ve ever read?

Frankenstein. I did a Classics binge and I could NOT make it through that one. I tried multiple times. Sorry guys I just DON’T get how that is a Classic other than the “never been done” aspect. Then again, there’s several beloved classics that I hate. Like the Great Gatsby. Ugh. Kill me with a spoon.

7. Night or day? Dawn or twilight?

Day, I can’t go all night I like sleep. Twilight- well it’s funny because I actually really do like nighttime but it’s like... the hours between 4 and 10 are my best hours LOL

[glovenose82-blog]

What is Coming to Crave in May 2019

Photo: HBO

The series finale of GAME OF THRONES will be airing in May on Crave, along with the post-finale documentary GAME OF THRONES: THE LAST WATCH. You can also catch the HBO movie DEADWOOD, the first season of SHRILL and season 3 of BROCKMIRE. Meanwhile, there’s a lot of movies rotating off the streaming service in May, so make sure to catch them before they’re gone.

HBO Programming (Available on Crave + HBO + Movies)

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER, Season 17, Episode 14 (May 3, live at 10 p.m. ET, on demand the following morning at 6 a.m. ET)

WARRIOR, Season 1, Episode 5 (May 3 at 11 p.m. ET)

WYATT CENAC’S PROBLEM AREAS, Season 2, Episode 5 (May 3 at 11 p.m. ET)

AT THE HEART OF THE GOLD: INSIDE THE USA GYMNASTICS SCANDAL (May 3 at 8 p.m. ET)

GAME OF THRONES, Season 8, Episode 4 (May 5 at 9 p.m. ET)

BARRY, Season 2, Episode 6 (May 5 at 10:20 p.m. ET)

VEEP, Season 7, Episode 6 (May 5 at 10:50 p.m. ET)

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, Season 6, Episode 10 (May 5 live at 11:20 p.m. ET, on demand the following morning at 6 a.m. ET)

CHERNOBYL *Series Premiere* (May 6 at 9 p.m. ET)

GENTLEMAN JACK, Season 1, Episode 3 (May 6 at 10 p.m. ET)

FOSTER (May 7 at 8 p.m. ET)

WARRIOR, Season 1, Episode 6 (May 10 at 11 p.m. ET)

WYATT CENAC’S PROBLEM AREAS, Season 2, Episode 6 (May 10 at 11 p.m. ET)

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER, Season 17, Episode 15 (May 10, live at 10 p.m. ET, on demand the following morning at 6 a.m. ET)

MY DAD WROTE A PORNO (May 11 at 9 p.m. ET)

GAME OF THRONES, Season 8, Episode 5 (May 12 at 9 p.m. ET)

BARRY, Season 2, Episode 7 (May 12 at 10:20 p.m. ET)

VEEP, Season 7, Episode 7 *Series Finale* (May 12 at 10:50 p.m. ET)

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, Season 6, Episode 11 (May 12 live at 11:20 p.m. ET, on demand the following morning at 6 a.m. ET)

CHERNOBYL, Episode 2 (May 13 at 9 p.m. ET)

GENTLEMAN JACK, Season 1, Episode 4 (May 13 at 10 p.m. ET)

WHAT’S MY NAME | MUHAMMAD ALI: PART 1 (May 14 at 8 p.m. ET)

WHAT’S MY NAME | MUHAMMAD ALI: PART 2 (May 14 at 9:25 p.m. ET)

WARRIOR, Season 1, Episode 7 (May 17 at 11 p.m. ET)

WYATT CENAC’S PROBLEM AREAS, Season 2, Episode 7 (May 17 at 11 p.m. ET)

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER, Season 17, Episode 16 (May 17, live at 10 p.m. ET, on demand the following morning at 6 a.m. ET)

GAME OF THRONES, Season 8, Episode 6 *Series Finale* (May 19 at 9 p.m. ET)

BARRY, Season 2, Episode 8 *Season Finale* (May 19 at 10:20 p.m. ET)

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, Season 6, Episode 12 (May 19 live at 11 p.m. ET, on demand the following morning at 6 a.m. ET)

CHERNOBYL, Episode 3 (May 20 at 9 p.m. ET)

GENTLEMAN JACK, Season 1, Episode 5 (May 20 at 10 p.m. ET)

WARRIOR, Season 1, Episode 8 (May 24 at 11 p.m. ET)

WYATT CENAC’S PROBLEM AREAS, Season 2, Episode 8 (May 24 at 11 p.m. ET)

GAME OF THRONES: THE LAST WATCH (May 26 at 9 p.m. ET)

CHERNOBYL, Episode 4 (May 27 at 9 p.m. ET)

GENTLEMAN JACK, Season 1, Episode 6 (May 27 at 10 p.m. ET)

RUNNING WITH BETO, (May 28 at 8 p.m. ET)

WARRIOR, Season 1, Episode 9 (May 31 at 11 p.m. ET)

WYATT CENAC’S PROBLEM AREAS, Season 2, Episode 9 (May 31 at 11 p.m. ET)

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER, Season 17, Episode 17 (May 31, live at 10 p.m. ET, on demand the following morning at 6 a.m. ET)

SHOWTIME Programming (Available on Crave)

DESUS & MERO, Season 1, Episode 10 (May 2 at 11 p.m. ET)

BILLIONS, Season 4, Episode 8 (May 5 at 9 p.m. ET)

THE CHI, Season 2, Episode 2 (May 5 at 10 p.m. ET)

DESUS & MERO, Season 1, Episode 11 (May 9 at 11 p.m. ET)

WU TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN *Series Premiere* (May 10 at 9 p.m. ET)

OUR CARTOON PRESIDENT *Season 2 Premiere* (May 12 at 8 p.m. ET)

BILLIONS, Season 4, Episode 9 (May 12 at 9 p.m. ET)

THE CHI, Season 2, Episode 6 (May 12 at 10 p.m. ET)

DESUS & MERO, Season 1, Episode 12 (May 16 at 11 p.m. ET)

WU TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN Episode 2 (May 17 at 9 p.m. ET)

OUR CARTOON PRESIDENT Season 2, Episode 1 (May 12 at 8 p.m. ET)

BILLIONS, Season 4, Episode 10 (May 19 at 9 p.m. ET)

THE CHI, Season 2, Episode 7 (May 19 at 10 p.m. ET)

DESUS & MERO, Season 1, Episode 13 (May 23 at 11 p.m. ET)

WU TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN Episode 3 (May 24 at 9 p.m. ET)

WU TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN Episode 4 *Series Finale* (May 31 at 9 p.m. ET)

Movies (Available on Crave + Movies + HBO)

UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB (May 3)

GOOSEbumps 2 (May 3)

THE NUN (May 3)

CLARA (May 6)

TERRIFIED AT 17 (May 10)

PADRE (May 10)

LUIS & THE ALIENS (May 10)

PEPPERMINT (May 10)

MATANG / MAYA / M.I.A. (May 16)

NIGHT SCHOOL (May 17)

SMALL FOOT (May 17)

THE PREDATOR (May 17)

DOING MONEY (May 23)

THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB (May 24)

THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS (May 24)

AVA (May 30)

DEADWOOD: THE MOVIE (May 31 at 8 p.m. ET)

STARZ Programming (Available as part of the STARZ add-on to Crave)

THE ACT, Season 1, Episode 8 *Season Finale* (May 1)

BURLESQUE (May 3)

IDENTITY THEIF (May 3)

WHITE OLEANDER (May 3)

THE INFILTRATOR (May 3)

SECRETS AND LIES (May 3)

LITTLE WOMEN (May 3)

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (May 3)

HAPPY ENDINGS (May 3)

HOUSE OF D (May 3)

KILL THE IRISHMAN (May 3)

STAGE BEAUTY (May 3)

STIR OF ECHOES (May 3)

AMERICA TO ME, Season 1, Episode 9 *Season Finale* (May 5)

NIAGARA MOTEL (May 6)

OLIVER SHERMAN (May 7)

ONE WEEK (May 8)

CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER (May 9)

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE (May 10)

BLOOD SIMPLE (May 10)

THE ABYSS (May 10)

LA BAMBA (May 10)

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (May 10)

DELORES CLAIBORNE (May 10)

PARIS DAYS (May 10)

MOM’S NIGHT OUT (May 10)

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (May 10) THE COOLER (May 10)

BATTLE ROYALE (May 10)

THE GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING (May 10)

CECIL B. DEMENTED (May 10)

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE (May 10)

HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES (May 10)

HOW TO BUILD A TIME MACHINE (May 13)

DEVIL HORN (May 14)

IN THE WAKE OF THE FLOOD (May 15)

THE DAMN UNITED (May 17)

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD (May 17)

GLORY (May 17)

DOLLY PARTON’S COAT OF MANY COLORS (May 17)

THE LOSERS (May 17)

THE RAID: REDEMPTION (May 17)

WOLFMAN (May 17)

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL (May 17)

THE WAY OF THE GUN (May 17)

3:10 TO YUMA (May 17)

CHUCK & BUCK (May 17)

COP CAR (May 17)

AKEELAH AND THE BEE (May 17)

CRANK (May 17)

CRANK 2 HIGH VOLTAGE (May 17)

ALTMAN (May 17)

PRIDE & PREJUDICE (May 17)

VIDA Season 2 (May 23)

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (May 24)

ABOUT LAST NIGHT (May 24)

SMOKIN’ ACES (May 24)

DARK SHADOWS (May 24)

BELLE (May 24)

DOGVILLE (May 24)

BEYOND THE SEA (May 24)

THE BIG KAHUNA (May 24)

THE NINTH GATE (May 24)

BURIED (May 24)

WARRIORS OF LIBERTY CITY *Season 1 Premiere* (May 26)

STATE OF PLAY (May 31)

THE RULES OF ATTRACTION (May 31)

LANTANA (May 31)

LOVELY AND AMAZING (May 31)

THE LUCKY ONES (May 31)

THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN (May 31)

NEMESIS GAME (May 31)

TRANSPORTER 3 (May 31)

Spotlight on Canada

MARY’S KITCHEN CRUSH, Season 1, Episode 2 (May 5 at 7 p.m. ET)

YOU ME HER Season 4, Episode 4 (May 5 at 11 p.m. ET)

MARY’S KITCHEN CRUSH, Season 1, Episode 3 (May 12 at 7 p.m. ET)

YOU ME HER Season 4, Episode 5 (May 12 at 11 p.m. ET)

MARY’S KITCHEN CRUSH, Season 1, Episode 4 (May 19 at 7 p.m. ET)

MARY’S KITCHEN CRUSH, Season 1, Episode 5 (May 26 at 7 p.m. ET)

YOU ME HER Season 4, Episode 6 (May 26 at 11 p.m. ET)

New Kids’ Programming (Available on Crave)

SUPER MARIO WORLD Season 1 (May 10)

THE DOODLEBOPS, Season 3 (May 17)

107 FACTS (May 24)

SABRINA: THE ANIMATED SERIES, Seasons 1-2 (May 31)

Worth Watching (Available on Crave)

THE NUMBER ON GREAT GANDFATHER’S ARM (May 1)

SHRILL, Season 1 (May 3)

DOOM PATROL, Season 1, Episode 6 (May 3)

BEING SERENA (May 3)

THE GOOD DOCTOR, Season 2 (May 10)

INSIDE AMY SCHUMER Season 4 (May 10)

A DANGEROUS SON (May 10)

DOOM PATROL, Season 1, Episode 7 (May 10)

DRUNK HISTORY, Season 6A (May 17)

DOOM PATROL, Season 1, Episode 8 (May 17)

DARK SIDE OF THE RING, Season 1 (May 17)

BROCKMIRE Season 3 (May 24)

I AM GOING TO BREAK YOUR HEART (May 24)

FAHRENHEIT 451 (May 24)

DOOM PATROL, Season 1, Episode 9 (May 24)

THE TALE (May 31)

DOOM PATROL, Season 1, Episode 10 (May 31)

Last Chance Programming

JACKSON (May 1)

BECOMING CARY GRANT (May 5)

THE ROLLING STONES: STONES IN EXILE (May 5)

BON JOVI: LIVE IN LONDON (May 19)

MORE THAN THIS: THE STORY OF ROXY MUSIC (May 26)

HOMELAND Seasons 1-5 (May 31)

BABY DRIVER (May 10)

THE HOUSE (May 16)

BALLERINA (May 22)

CHRISTMAS SOLO (May 30)

A GIFT TO REMEMBER (May 31)

ALIEN: COVENANT (May 31)

COMPLETE UNKNOWN (May 31)

HER SECRET KILLER (May 31)

LADY MACBETH (May 31)

MAX 2: WHITE HOUSE HERO (May 31)

PHOENIX FORGOTTEN (May 31)

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (May 31)

TREASURE HOUNDS (May 31)

A CRY IN THE DARK (May 31)

A STAR IS BORN (May 31)

ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE (May 31)

ACE VENTURA: WHEN NATURE CALLS (May 31)

ALEXANDER (May 31)

ALONG CAME POLLY (May 31)

AMERICAN HISTORY X (May 31)

ARLINGTON ROAD (May 31)

BECOMING JANE (May 31)

CANADIAN BACON (May 31)

COWBOYS & ALIENS (May 31)

FLAWLESS (May 31)

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (May 31)

I AM SAM (May 31)

MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY (May 31)

MR. TROOP MOM (May 31)

OF BOYS AND MEN (May 31)

ONLY YOU (May 31)

PRINCESS GRACE (May 31)

RESIDENT EVIL (May 31)

SCENT OF A WOMAN (May 31)

SECRET WINDOW (May 31)

SERENITY (May 31)

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (May 31)

THE 11TH HOUR (May 31)

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT (May 31)

THE BEST MAN (May 31)

THE DARK CRYSTAL (May 31)

THE DARKNESS (May 31)

THE GREAT NEW WONDERFUL (May 31)

THE NET (May 31)

THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY (May 31)

TOWER HEIST (May 31)

TRACKS (May 31)

VACANCY (May 31)

WEDDING DAZE (May 31)

WHITE NIGHTS (May 31)

YOU GOT SERVED (May 31)

Source: https://www.thetvaddict.com/2019/04/23/what-is-coming-to-crave-in-may-2019/