#i get the emotion behind this scene on joe's part (and it is portrayed very well). i get that he probably is suddenly being confronted

[piraticaltwit]

d.i chandler + Judy's pregnant ! / 3.02 ↳ i don't know how i'm going to cope with a baby again at my age. and a girl too. what do i know about girls? the only girl i know is him.

[malarkgirlypop]

Goody Part 3 (Joseph Liebgott x Fem!Reader)

Dude, this part is steamy. IDK if I should post this to tumblr, like I feel like I will get arrested or something. This is my first ever like proper smut scene, so be nice. AH I'm nervous. No one judge me alright! Bahaha omg ok here we go, this is part three. This is based on the HBO show and the actors who portray the characters no hate to anyone involved.

I lie in bed dozing, I ruminate on the last conversation I had with Joe. My head swirls with emotions, I’m happy I apologised but I’m sad at how he took the apology. He was so cruel. I have known Joe for a long time, yes he is annoying and rude but always in a playful manner. When I spoke to him before I left he was malicious. I huffed rolling over and pulling the covers under my chin. My plan for today is to do nothing. None of the others are off, so I can be lazy and spend all day in bed, moping. I hear heavy footsteps run up the stairs, my back faces away from the bedroom door, I hear it creak open. “Mary, I’m not doing a shift, this is my day off!” I say before she can speak. I hear the person panting. I still, is it not Mary. I roll over, my eyes widen in surprise. There in the doorway is a breathless Joe. I sit up, then pull the covers up to hide my pj’s I wear. I don’t have a bra on. 

“Joe, what on earth are you doing here?” I query. “Did you run here, you shouldn’t run yet, what about you injury.” I ramble on. He chuckles, catching his breath. 

“They discharged me.” He reports, straightening. He walks further into the room, looking awkward. I watch him curiously. 

“What are you doing here?” I ask him. He moves forward, taking a seat at the bottom of my bed. He wrings his hand together looking sheepish. 

“I wanted to apologise to you. I didn’t mean what I said. I forgive you.” He mutters, looking down at his hands. 

“Oh, well thank you.” I say confused, he ran all the way here to forgive me. I furrow my brow watching him. 

“What?” He says looking up at me. 

“Nothing.” I say shaking my head, “Well I guess this is goodbye then.” I extend my hand for him to shake it. He glances from my hand to my face. He shakes his head. I blink at him confused, I lower my hand. 

“Oh no, Goody, you can’t get rid of me that easily.” He smirks at me, but it’s different, there’s intent behind the smirk. My breath catches in my throat, as my heart beats faster, unsure of what he means. I stay still, as he stands from his position, and makes his way further up the bed, he sits down right beside me. My breathing quickens as I gulp, the butterflies in my stomach do somersaults. I bite my lower lip, waiting with anticipation. His eyes darken as his hand reaches out, removing my lip from my teeth with his thumb as he cups my face. Goosebumps arise on my skin from his touch. A shiver runs up my spine. I hold the cover closer to my chest, trying to hide the fact I’m not wearing a bra. He glances from my lips back to my eyes. I keep very still, not wanting to make any sudden movements, like he is a wild animal and one move will send him back into the woods. 

I glance at his lips. He slowly moves forward, I feel his breath on my face. I’m desperate for him to close the gap. I do it myself, finding his lips with my own. A rush of adrenaline shoots through my body. I kiss him harder, dropping the covers I cling to myself, leaving me in just a t-shirt and my underwear. I pull him closer, grabbing at his neck and shoulder. His hands find my waist pulling me flush with him. His fingers travelled under my shift gripping at my hips. I moan from the contact. He pulls back smiling at me, “You like that huh?” I don’t answer him, smashing my lips back onto his. 

I need him closer. I open my mouth as his tongue darts out wetting my lip. He takes my bottom lip in between his teeth, biting softly. I gasp, as he lets it go, kissing me again, his tongue exploring my mouth. The heat in between my legs is growing, as fingers drag down my back under my top. I tilt my head back as he kisses my neck. I pull his jacket off his shoulders. I can feel him grinning into my neck. I pant, needing him more. I undo his buttons, struggling a little, his hands leave my back to help me with his top. He gets up from the bed, leaving me sitting on my knees. I watch him as he pulls off his tops, exposing his bare chest. I grin at him, “You like the show?” He asks, raising his eyebrows. I nod, grinning at him. I cover my mouth with my hand as he undoes his belt buckle with one hand, then undoing his pants. He pulls them down leaving him in his underwear. 

I squeal as he marches forward, picking me up from the spot I watch him from. He sits down on the bed placing me on top of him. I straddle his lap. Feeling his hardness pressed against me. I lean in to kiss him again but he stops me with his hand around my neck. He tsks, “One of us is wearing too much.” I nod, just wanting his lips on mine again. His hand leaves my neck, pulling off my top. I cover my arms over my chest, suddenly aware of how exposed I am to him. His gaze meets mine, full of lust and need. “I don’t want you to cover yourself around me, Y/N.” His tone low. I lower my hands exposing my chest to him. He takes me in, “You’re beautiful.” He whispers, pulling me closer to him, so that his chest is flush with mine. 

He kisses me hard, I return the kiss. My fingers tangling in his hair. His hands run up my sides, sending shivers around my body. I gasp into his mouth as he takes the soft flesh of my chest into his hand, squeezing it gently. His fingers pinching my erect nipple, causing me to groan in pleasure as I arch my back for him. His mouth quickly latches onto my other nipple, his tongue swirling around it sensually. “Oh god!” I mutter looking down to watch him. I run my fingers through his hair tugging it softly, causing a groan to leave his lips, I shudder as it reverberates throughout my body. 

I grind my hips into his, causing him to gasp. His hands landed on my waist, stilling me. I laugh as he flips us over, so that he hovers over me. I watch him through heavy lids, as he kisses his way down my torso, looking up at me as he goes. He drags his lips over my waist and hips, causing me to squirm under his touch, he grins tickling me with his lips. I still when he kisses me just above the waistband of my underwear. I pant watching him with anticipation. He grins at me, knowing he is teasing me. I lift my hips for him to pull the fabric down but he holds me still. “Joe.” I plead, wiggling my hips. He presses kisses to the insides of my thighs, driving me insane, getting closer with each kiss, but just as he is about to kiss where I want him too he moves away. 

“Stop teasing me.” I whine. 

“Ask nicely.” He looks up at me from between my legs. 

“Please Joe.” I say. 

“Please Joe what? Use your words, Y/N.” He says in his husky voice. 

“Please Joe, please remove my underwear and kiss me… kiss me down there.” I mutter embarrassed. He smirks at me. Lifting my hips and pulling down the fabric, exposing me to him. I wait patiently, watching him take me in with his eyes. 

“So wet for me.” He says, his breath fanning on me. I sigh in content, leaning my head back. I gasp when his lips find my core, my back arching. His tongue swirls over my bud of nerves, sucking and licking. I bit my lip, trying to keep quiet. A loud moan falls from my lips when his finger slides inside of me. I reach down gripping onto his hair, my other hand grasping at the sheets we lie on. He hums in satisfaction, at my noises. I gasp feeling it on my core. “Oh my god, Joe!” I pant. He pushes me close to the edge. Sliding another finger inside of me, I feel myself clench around him. As his mouth continues to pleasure me. The noises from my lips are a mixture of groans and screams. He puts more pressure on my core with his tongue, moving faster in and out of me. I arch my back further as I try to wiggle out of his grasp, nearly over the edge. He holds me still, looking up at me from between my legs. His gaze finally pushed me to my finish. I close my eyes, throwing my head back. My toes curl, as I grip onto Joe’s head, worried I will explode from my orgasm that rips through my body, causing me to shake. I finally come down from my high. I lay there spent, Joe still resting in between my legs, just smiling at me. 

I pull him up to me, crashing my lips into his. Tasting myself on him, “I need you.” I whisper into his ear, as my lips run down his neck. “Greedy?” He says pulling me back, to then kiss my lips again. I nod, kissing him hungrily on his lips. I can feel his smile under my lips. I smile back coyly, “Please.” I look up at him through my lashes, pouting my lips slightly, really putting on my puppy dog eyes. His smirks at me, chuckling. He kisses the tip of my nose. “If you look at me like that I won’t ever leave this room.” He warns, I grin nodding my head. I reach down pulling at his waistband, I tug them down. 

I bite my lip as his dick springs free. I reach down, taking him in my hand, he groans burying his head in my shoulder. His breath tickling my neck. I move my hand up and down his length. “Fuck.” He mutters into my skin. I grip him harder, causing him to moan. I move my hand again. “If you keep doing that, I’m not going to last much longer.” He kisses my cheek. I stop my movement, and grin at him. He bites my lower lip, releasing it again from his teeth. “That's mine, stop biting it.” He growls. I nod, giving him a cheeky smile. 

He watches me, I return his gaze. I don’t notice him moving, until he slips inside of me. I gasp, as he watches me with a smirk on his face. I look down at our bodies connected together. I clench around his length, as he moves slowly in and out of me. I watch his face, he closes his eyes, sighing as he rocks back and forth. I place a kiss on his lips. He opens his eyes, looking at me lovingly. He kisses me gently, picking up his pace. I pant into his mouth as he continues to kiss me. I moan as he rams into me. “You feel so good, Joe.” I whimper, gripping at his back, running my nails down his skin. One of his arms holds the head board above us as the other cups my cheek, his thumb stroking my flesh. We continue to stare at each other, I watch him enjoy me as he does the same. He removes his hand from my cheek, snaking it down between my legs. I cry out as his thumb rubs circles on my bud of nerves. “What do you want Y/N?” He asks in between pants. “I want you Joe.” I moan. He presses into my core as he moves faster in and out of me. The sound of panting, moans and skin slapping together fill the room. He calls out my name, as I do the same. 

“Please Joe, don’t stop.” I beg him almost over the edge. He kisses me hard. Going deeper inside of me, I whine into his mouth, as he groans in mine. We climax together. I feel my body shake under his as my walls clench around him. I feel him finish inside of me as he moans into my hair. He lowers himself down to lie on me. We lie together, panting, coming down from our highs. I hugged him tightly to me as he stroked my hair. We don’t move or pull away from each other basking in each other’s bodies. He pulls back enough to look at my face, he smiles warmly at me, kissing me softly on my lips. “You know what?” He says. 

“What?” I ask brushing the hair off his forehead, grinning at him. 

“I don’t think I hate you.” He states, making me chuckle. 

“Well I hope not.” I say between laughs. 

“No, I think I love you.” His eyes meet mine, as he takes me in. 

“I love you.” I whisper, kissing him gently. He kisses me back lovingly. 

[coletteuwu]

helllo hello hellooooooo~

today i have decided to rank my favourite starkid+tbc musicals :)

now please keep in mind that these are based on my opinions & you have every right to agree/disagree, just don't be a dick to anyone and enjoy

(i havent seen ani, starship nor mamd, so these wont be included here)

#10 The Trail To Oregon!

nothing wrong with it, just not my cup of tea

good idea tho

your wagon is on fiREEE is iconic

humour was inconsistent and overall a bit too childish for my taste

boring

#9 Twisted

this is really controversial, but i practically fell asleep while watching it (maybe because i didnt grow up as a disney fan in a post-communist country)

dylan saunders did an amazing job and i love his singing and he kinda was carrying the whole show (yikes)

costume design was on point tho

also "no one remembers achmed" is one of my fave starkid songs

#8 Holy Musical B@man!

i actually dont have any criticism for hmb, because i think its very well executed and jokes are... good... i guess...

a pretty neutral one, bc the songs were kinda mediocre and so was the humour but i really liked joe walker as batman and nick lang as robin

batman has a cool plane

#7 Black Friday

the new style of the lang brothers is very cool and exciting

the plot was very well written, but it felt a bit,,, rushed?

like they were trying to cram tons of information into one play and for that reason i dont really come back to watch it

and at the same time the pace was a little too slow for my liking?

idk it felt a little off

but characters were iconic, acting was 12/10 (especially joey, lauren and dylan)

#6 Solve It Squad

ACTING ON POINT

comedy was well timed and relevant

brosenthal's scene where he plays all the hotel staff just left me like this -> :o

one of joey's best roles

lauren too

#5 AVPSY

the thing is, initially i wanted to put all the avp parts together but that would have been hard to catch so i guess we're doing this

t h e s o n g s (❤️❤️❤️❤️)

AJ delivers such a good lockhart

joey's sidekick is just mwah

the songs are just so fcking good ahh

they got the real luna!

really emotional

the best ending to the trilogy

in the middle i kinda skipped some scenes bc i got a little carried away

but the ending is just so GOOD

everything has an end.... (i cried a lot guys)

jeff's spider was i m m a c u l a t e

both brians & joe walker 😳❤️

i didnt like the scripts for the first 10 seconds but then after that i didnt even notice them

#4 AVPS

one of the best intros in starkid (if we cannot move forward, why shouldn't we move back? gives me chills everytime)

lucius malfoy is so hot and terrifying at the same time idk if im scared or turned on

story was a little inconsistent and i missed quirrell and the lack of brian rosenthal, but thats okay i can settle for a seamus finnigan

JOE WALKER IN A DRESS. THATS IT THATS THE TWEET.

ron is canonically bicurious????

comedy on point

the best soundtracks in starkid, come @ me im not scared to fight

like for real who wrote the music i just wanna hug them and give them every penny i got to work with them

#3 The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals

lets get the criticism out of the way first

i see that they tried to write the music in the same theme, but some songs were repetitive and jeff's falsetto screaming kinda got boring

not your seed is not that good of a song

corey got me in the fEELS

joey's homeless man was iconic

first i didnt like paul's acting but it grew on me and now i love it

LET IT OUT IS THE BEST SONG OF THE PLAY. PERIODT.

the best written starkid show :)

comedy was, again, relevant and well timed

overall, i loved the simplicity of the design

prof. hidgens = hips™

#2 AVPM

i may be biased bc of nostalgia and bc it was the first starkid musical i ever saw but idc

not that well written, but its just so damn entertaining

QUIRRELMORT

different as can be is just chef's kiss

the chemistry between brian and joe is so good

I CAME HOME

*soft boi brian in a jail dress with a fist in his mouth*

everything just started from there

red vines

snape <3

STARKID POTTER, MOONSHOES POTTER

a gift that is lauren lopez as malfoy

the funniest starkid show idcidc

i was a huge potterhead growing up and hp is so important to my life -> thats why the avp trilogy means so much to me

#1 Spies Are Forever

i saw it recently and im mad i didnt watch it earlier

joey is so hot with a british accent

the history behind all of the show just makes it so good, 1950-60 was the scariest time to be gay and it portrays everything about living in the shadows of the cold war perfectly

choreo on point (thank you lauren)

mary kate as tatiana is very dangerous for my weak bi heart

good music

VERY WELL WRITTEN (PROPS TO BRIAN, COREY AND JOEY)

i really like spy movies so

the whole ordeal that is baron von nazi played by brian rosenthal, a jew

wizz waffle fries

glitter waka waka

i just really love brian rosenthal

the ending :'((((((

torture tango and one step ahead = thats some good shit

joe walker as deadliest man alive oh boy oh boy let me tell you about how much of a latte hottay he is in saf

i LOVE that tati and curt are in a platonic relationship, it just throws the stereotypes out of the window

the whole scene where joey and curt fight

[twentiethcenturymoviesandtv]

The Goonies: Facets of Film

A film isn’t ready for shooting the minute the script has been written and the parts have been cast.  

This is pretty obvious: there’s a lot of steps to go through before a project can fully become a film: cameras, lighting, music, sets, special effects, costumes, and tons more that have to go into piecing together a coherent narrative in a way that makes sense using editing and other filmmaking tricks, turning filmed sequences into scenes that tell a story.  This is a usage of the production design of the film: using the elements at the filmmaker’s disposal in order to build the ‘film world’ and make it realistic enough that the audience buys it for a while.

This is where the production team comes in.

The job of the behind-the-scenes crew, everyone from the director to the production assistants, is to create this ‘film world’, in any way they can, using cinematography, costuming, special effects, lighting, and everything else at their disposal to convince the audience for a brief period that what they’re seeing is real.  These elements, when used well, can capture the attention of an audience and turn a ‘good’ film with a solid story and characters and turn it into a cinematic classic, all through the clever use of movie magic.

And, of course, aside from looking good and being believable, these ‘facets of film’ are also used to tell the story.

These elements, cinematography, sets, etc., are used to highlight the plot and characters to the audience in the most efficient way possible.  Although it’s true that some films accomplish this better than others, the best films use these ‘facets of film’ wisely, conveying information to the viewers in ways that make sense, making a film more understandable and enjoyable.

In other words: today, we’re going to talk about what makes The Goonies a movie instead of just a story, and asking ourselves one simple question:

Does The Goonies use its ‘movie magic’ well, or not?

Let’s take a look, starting with something that can seem kind of simple: cinematography.

The Goonies isn’t exactly an ‘arthouse’ film.  By that, I mean that to the average movie-goer, there’s not much in artistic shots: the movie is focused on getting to the point.  But that doesn’t mean it can’t look good while doing it.

Cinematography is a hugely important feature of film, one that is often overlooked.  Audiences tend to underestimate the value that a camera, the ‘eyes’ into the film world, actually has: how the camera ‘looks’, and therefore allows us to look at a scene can be hugely impactful.  Such is the case for The Goonies.

There are a few shots within The Goonies that everyone just remembers.  The first time the kids lay eyes on the pirate ship, their final goal, is a hugely memorable moment, when the camera switches from the open-mouthed, awed expressions of the Goonies to the hugely impressive pirate ship, entirely built as a set for the film.  Other shots, like the reveal of the bone-organ, or the first shot of Sloth from behind, his chained hands held up against the light, stick in people’s minds: or the simple but effective shot moving to focus on Mikey leaning over his porch railing.

These shots are certainly strong and memorable, but they also convey a lot of interesting information to the audience all at once, which is very important.  In one split second, the viewers understand the magnitude of the discovery of One-Eyed Willy’s pirate ship, the terror of the dead body in the freezer, the miraculous recovery of the jewels to save the Goondocks, the relief of Mr. Walsh tearing up the contract and throwing it into the air.

These shots are designed to evoke emotions in their audience, giving us a perfect viewing point into the film’s world, allowing us to ride alongside these characters and experience what they’re experiencing: the fear, the joy, the laughter and the excitement, and the camerawork more than achieves its goal.  The cinematography is effective without being showy, showing off when it needs to, and being simple and small when it fits the tone better.

A big portion of the film’s appearance is for sure in the cinematography, but honestly, there’s not much point to good camerawork if there’s nothing to shoot.  Thankfully, the production design of The Goonies doesn’t disappoint.

Every setting in this film feels solid and lived in, from Mikey’s house to the beat-up old restaurant, to the caves, and, of course, the pirate ship.  Richard Donner and Steven Spielberg (Director and producer of The Goonies, respectively) had, at this point, a bit of experience with the special effects department, and it shows in the film’s final look.  Spielberg’s iconic Indiana Jones style sets and effects are echoed here in the cave sequences, with booby traps, skeletons, and the claustrophobic, dirty caverns convincing the audience effortlessly of their authenticity.

The entire film is a visual delight, with the production design clearly putting forth a lot of effort into making the movie look good, from the pirate ship to the prosthetics on John Matuszak to bring Sloth to life.

Despite the magnificent sets, there isn’t actually much in ‘visual effects’ in the film itself (especially once the octopus scene was cut), besides the prosthetic effects used for Sloth (very impressive in their own right).  There are a few notable scenes: the floor dropping out from underneath Mouth (achieved by attaching a cable to Corey Feldman’s belt and collapsing the set floor underneath) being one of the more impressive of the various Rube Goldberg booby-trap setups throughout the entire film, and the cave collapsing prove to be a few of the most visually impressive effects in the entire film, furthering the story along and making it look believable.

There are other important visual things too: the costumes on the characters (Brand’s exercise wear, Data’s big, baggy trench coat with his inventions underneath, Mikey’s jean-jacket, Mouth’s Purple Rain t-shirt and Chunk’s Hawaiian shirt) all serve as legitimately distinct clues to tell kids apart in clumped together shots, but also works well as character building, coding in different outfits that match personalities, and even the props that kids have with them are hugely telling.  These include Mikey’s inhaler, Mouth’s comb, and, of course, Data’s inventions, all elements that immediately tell the audience something about their personality without having to come out and say it in words.  

In short, the visual storytelling of The Goonies is pretty darn competent.

But the visuals can only do so much.

The score of The Goonies (by Dave Grusin) works perfectly to form the backbone of every scene, from the merry tune that plays over Data’s inventions to the thrilling soundtrack that plays over the Fratellis’ escape at the beginning of the film.  Every scene hits its mark thanks in no small part to the music in the background: reflecting character emotions and putting the audience right in with them, emphasizing huge moments like One-Eyed Willy’s pirate ship and playing up to smaller scenes, like the wishing well.  

It also serves perfectly to underline what’s really important: the performances.

There’s more to a great movie production than sets, special effects and music.  In the end, no matter how impressive, the production of a film doesn’t really amount to anything if the characters aren’t believable.  The movie really rests on the shoulders of the performers: it’s on the actors to try to sell not only their surroundings and story, but the characters themselves, making an audience buy into the fact that they are real, and going through these experiences.

In The Goonies?

The entire cast steps up to the plate.

Sean Astin’s performance as Mikey is 100% wholehearted and earnest, genuine and inspiring.  He is believable as the leader, and as a child with big dreams and big ideas, without being so wide-eyed as to be unrealistic, with a realistic way of talking that siblings around the world recognize.  Jeff Cohen as Chunk is larger than life, over-the-top for every moment of screen time, constantly energetic in both terror and excitement, convincingly portraying a kid who’s scared out of his mind, but sticks it through for the sake of his friends.  Ke Huy Quan easily persuades an audience of Data’s intelligence and charm, quirky behavior lining up with a ‘boy genius gadgeteer’ personality that is tempered with moments of irritation and frustration, as well as a gutsy streak that gets a little overshadowed by the antics of the others around him.  Corey Feldman as Mouth is similarly believable as a snarky kid with too much attitude.  Despite every character’s flaws, each actor manages to make each performance overall likeable and charming.  Thankfully, this doesn’t stop with the kids.

Josh Brolin is believably exhausted and somewhere between childish and grown-up as Mikey’s older brother, Brand, pulling off an even mix that makes him believably grounded, but still able to be swept up in the adventure.  Kerri Green as Andy isn’t given a lot to do, but she’s still entertaining and charming with the material given to her, much like Martha Plimpton as Stef, who delivers her snarky, sarcastic dialogue extremely well.

The heroes aren’t the only ones turning in great performances.  Anne Ramsey is incredibly, and memorably, threatening as Mama Fratelli, and Robert Davi and Joe Pantoliano are entertainingly intimidating as Jake and Francis Fratelli, bickering amongst each other and getting smacked around with utmost believability, despite the ridiculousness of the situation.  John Matuszak is wonderful underneath the prosthetics as Sloth, who, while never a villain, doesn’t officially become a hero until further into the film.  Aside from these, the movie is full of little performances from other players, and everyone fills their part remarkably well.  

Every character in The Goonies comes across exactly as they should: as characters in a kid’s adventure story.  Each performance is perfectly suited to each character: not at all subtle, but energetic and entertaining.  They are kids on a mission, with complete sincerity and consistency in their performances that help the audience to pretend that this is all real.  

These performances are the cincher, the final step, the part that people remember and the element that solidifies this film as a family classic, continuing to entertain people over thirty years later.  

In short?  With people like Richard Donner and Steven Spieberg working behind the scenes, it’s not much of a surprise that The Goonies was an example of efficient filmmaking and visual storytelling.  It’s a fast paced adventure story, a roller-coaster on film designed to take the audience along for the ride without asking any questions, and in that, it greatly succeeds.  

The Goonies seemed destined for greatness from the moment it first released, with all of its ‘facets of filmmaking’ falling into place to create the perfect family adventure film, but, of course, that wasn’t an accident.  Every movie is the result of a lot of hard work from a lot of different people, and The Goonies is no exception.

Thank you guys so much for reading!  Join us next time where we’re going to be discussing the behind-the-scenes story of The Goonies in ‘Facets of Filmmaking’.  I hope to see you there!

[aion-rsa]

Mortal Kombat: Why the Movie Created New Main Character Cole Young

https://ift.tt/3rEA11N

To become a leading martial arts movie star, you must fight your way to the top. And Mortal Kombat star Lewis Tan has paid his dues. He’s a second-generation Hollywood martial artist, with his father Philip Tan being a British Taekwondo champion who’s been acting and working in stunts since the 1980s, eventually rising to be a distinguished action director in his own right. It gave Lewis an early start.

He was only three when he appeared in his first film, China Cry: A True Story. He grew up in the business. His father set him on the martial path too, teaching him how to fight at an early age. Outside of acting, Tan competed as an amateur fighter in Muay Thai and trained in Kung Fu, Jiu-Jitsu, and Japanese sword. Due to his lifelong dedication to the martial arts, he insists on doing his own fights and stunts, just like Jackie Chan did when he was younger. 

Tan’s fighting skills also caught the attention of the martial arts fandom in Netflix’s Iron Fist. The Netflix series was berated for its lackluster fight choreography, especially because the titular character was supposed to be a martial arts expert. However, Tan’s guest appearance was exceptional. Tan portrayed Zhou Cheng, a drunken Kung Fu master, and his fight scene was the only one in the entire series worth watching. Tan followed that with another appearance in a Marvel project with Deadpool 2 where he played the short-lived character of Shatterstar. 

Tan soon really started to show his stuff in two martial arts driven TV shows though. Into the Badlands brought top-notch fight choreography with a Hong Kong approach with veteran martial talent, including Daniel Wu, Stephen Fung, Huen Chiu Ku (a.k.a. Master Dee Dee) and Andy Cheng. In Netflix’s Wu Assassins, Tan landed the lead role of Lu Xin Lee. That series’ cast was also stacked with martial arts actors, including Iko Uwais, Celia Au, Mark Dacascos, Juju Chan Szeto, Katheryn Winnick, and more. A feature length film follow up titled Fistful of Vengeance is premiering later this year. 

In Mortal Kombat, Tan takes on the role of Cole Young, a new addition to the massive fighting game franchise.

“We felt it was okay to have a new character in a game that brings out new characters all the time,” explains director Simon McQuoid. The character serves as a device to introduce the world to a new audience. According to McQuoid, Young’s role is “so anyone who’s not a Mortal Kombat scholar or doesn’t have a PhD in Mortal Kombat like a lot of people do, they’ll be able to enjoy it as well.” 

This puts a lot of burden on Tan. Not only must Tan carry the central role dramatically, but he must also deliver on the fight scenes. After all, Mortal Kombat is first and foremost a fighting game. It’s one of the greatest fighting game franchises of all time, in fact. McQuoid insisted that the fights be as authentic as possible. “From the get-go, I said to Kyle [Gardiner], the stunt coordinator, and Chan [Griffin], the fight choreographer, I want these to feel real and I want to be just there with them. Don’t get too foxy or fruity, or crazy, and I don’t want loads of slow-mo. We’ve got to use slow-mo really carefully. Let’s just see it happen.”

Den of Geek caught up to Tan to chat about his role as our eyes and ears into the world of Mortal Kombat. 

Den of Geek: This is a dream role for you, isn’t it? 

Lewis Tan: Yeah, it’s a dream role for so many different reasons and on so many different levels. For me, personally as an actor, it’s a dream role because I’ve been working for 20 years to get to a place where I can showcase my skills as an actor and as a martial artist at the same time with a project that I like, and with a story that I like, and with a character that has a clear arc, and that it is of value. To have this as my first big leading role introduction is truly incredible.

And then there’s a level of pride as a martial artist that I get to showcase and perform all my fights on a huge scale with a big budget and a big studio behind it. That hasn’t been done in many years. I can’t even think of the last time that that’s been done. Then obviously as an Asian actor, to get to lead a film like this and to see not just myself, but many Asian faces and many diverse castmates being looked at as heroes, that makes me very proud. I think that it’s helping push the boundaries and break stereotypes, and it’s very timely considering what’s happening.

We saw that Mortal Kombat billboard on the side of a building that you posted on your social media. How does that make you feel to see your face as tall as a skyscraper? 

It felt good to see. But at the same time that I was scrolling through that, and I was looking at that poster, I was then also looking at the news about people targeting Asians and the violence towards the Asian community. The contrast of that was very emotional for me. It was a very emotional experience to look at that and to feel the energy of the time and how I can be a part of that. I don’t want to say destiny or anything like that, but it’s just like, it lined perfectly with something that I care so much about. And I don’t know what that is, whether it’s fate or destiny or whatever, but it’s important and I’m happy to be here and I’m grateful for it.

You played the game, right? Who did you play? 

I played the game when I was a kid, played the game with my brothers, played the game with all my friends. I was playing the game since I was 12. I’ve played with every different character, but I played a lot with Kung Lao, a lot with Smoke. I played a lot with the robots, Cyrax. I played a lot with Raiden, Kitana. I played with everybody really, but my favorite character would be Kung Lao and Smoke, besides the obvious two favorites that everybody plays with. I was one of those kids that was like, “I’ll find a different character. Everyone keeps playing with Scorpion.” So, yeah, man. I loved the video game. It’s part of my childhood. Now it’s part of my career.

Cole Young is the only character that wasn’t predefined. How was it for you to find that character?

It was not hard to find the character. It was hard to make the character worthy of being in this world, and make the character stand out because all these other characters have such clear and in-depth backstories, and they already have a big fanbase. So I’m kind of going in against the grain here, fighting against the waves. But that’s nothing new for me. I enjoy this type of challenge.

So I was respectful of how fans were going to feel about having a new character in the movie, but at the same time, there’s been a lot of new characters in Mortal Kombat since the game first came out. Now we’re at like 80 different characters, and I felt like if I earned my spot, then I would be very proud of that. So hopefully I did it enough justice to earn Cole’s place in the Mortal Kombat world.

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How was it to work with all those special effects?

It was great, man. There were not too many visual effects. There was some stuff with Goro obviously, and there was some stuff with different sets, but for a movie of this caliber and where it is, and how it takes place and the fantasy world behind it, there was very little green screen, very little VFX. A lot of it was done practically. A lot of the light effects, a lot of the different special moves that happen. A lot of the lights and everything is all happening on set done by our genius photographer, Germain McMicking, and obviously our director Simon McQuoid. So yeah, it was cool to see.

I liked the idea of doing things a little different than what these big action blockbusters have been doing. They set out to make it more authentic, more grounded, more violent, more realistic, and I think they did a really, really good job. Then the VFX that we do have are really incredible, and those could make or break a project.

I am always nervous about that because I don’t know what it’s going to look like. You know what I mean? So to see it finally on the big screen—when I saw Goro jump up, I was like, “Oh my Lord.” I was so happy. He looks ferocious and our VFX team has done such an incredible job. So yeah, I’m really happy with the work that they did. I’m working with super talented people and that made me confident to take the role.

You’ve had the luxury or privilege to work with several great teams of martial artists before. And here in this film, you’ve really leveled up. Can you speak to that a little bit?

Man, I’ve been so fortunate to get to work with crazy legends from Andy Cheng and Master Dee Dee, and Daniel Wu on Into the Badlands, to Iko Uwais from The Raid. When I was growing up, I was training with guys like Chad Stahelski, who is [now] directing John Wick, and my father who’s a national champion, and many, many, many different people, even champion UFC fighters. All sorts of different people, I’ve trained with in my lifetime. I’ve been so fortunate. To then get to work on this set with someone like Joe Taslim or Hiroyuki Sanada, who are not only incredible artists and actors, but incredible martial artists as well. 

I feel like a lot of people, they get this thing mixed up where it’s like, “Oh, well, he’s a martial artist. He’s not a real actor.” No, no, he’s a real actor. And he can kick your ass. It’s both. And if anything, it’s like even more of a testament to how talented these guys are because they’re performing with every part of their being. 

When you watch Joe Taslim play Sub-Zero, you see his performance. If you put it on mute, you will see his emotion in the character, and that’s the goal. That’s what martial arts is. It’s an expression. It’s a truthfulness. So it was an honor to work with them, and my trainer Nino Pilla, who is a student of Dan Inosanto, who was a student of the great Bruce Lee, and all of these legends have taught me and have a piece of that performance. Some of that performance is dedicated to them.

Mortal Kombat premieres in theaters and on HBO Max on April 23, 2021.

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The post Mortal Kombat: Why the Movie Created New Main Character Cole Young appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[howaminotinthestrokesyet]

Behind The Album: St. Anger/Some Kind of Monster

St. Anger

Metallica‘s eighth studio album was released in 2003 produced for the last time by Bob Rock. The record has largely been seen as the worst one ever released by the band. Some very troublesome issues led up to the making of this release beginning in January 2001 when Jason Newsted quit the group. He had come to the other band members as they began talks about a new album with the request to wait a year, so he could work on his side project band Echobrain . James Hetfield flatly refused in not allowing this to occur. He was rumored to say this at the time of Newsted’s request. “When someone does a side project, it takes away from the strength of Metallica", and that a side project is "like cheating on your wife in a way.” The bassist argued that Hetfield had contributed to the South Park film’s soundtrack, as well as to Corrosion of Conformity albums. The singer responded by saying that he never included his name to those titles and absolutely did not try to sell it. On January 17, Jason Newsted released a statement resigning from Metallica. He was quitting for “private and personal reasons, and the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love.” Years later, Lars Ulrich would say in an interview that unfortunately Newsted had to be sacrificed in order to save the band. There existed deeper issues between himself and James Hetfield that still needed to be addressed. He further said that the band as it exists now is how they should have existed when Newsted was a member of the group.

Metallica still decided to proceed with a new album anyway as they hired Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofski to document via film the entire recording process. Three months later James Hetfield put the entire project on hold as he entered rehab for alcoholism and other addictions. He would get out of rehab in December 2001, but the band would not enter the studio until April 2002. Upon his return, he was only allowed to work four hours a day because the rest of his time was to be spent with his family. Due to Metallica‘s internal issues along with Hetfield’s return from rehab, the band hired a personal enhancement coach by the name of Phil Towle to work through their issues. For his part, Newsted would make the comment that the decision to hire a therapist was "really fucking lame and weak.” The day that he actually quit came after a 9.5 hour band meeting that would be the first one with Towle. All of this would be documented in the film Some Kind of Monster, which depicts Metallica almost breaking up in the most honest music film probably ever portraying an actual train wreck happening in front of your eyes.

In May 2002, the band actually sat down and started recording the actual album at what is called HQ, their own studio in San Rafael, California. The decision was made to have Bob Rock play bass on the album instead of hiring a new person immediately. They would record the record, then look for someone after the fact. James Hetfield would say this about the record. “There's two years of condensed emotion in this. We've gone through a lot of personal changes, struggles, epiphanies, it's deep. It's so deep lyrically and musically. [St. Anger] is just the best that it can be from us right now." From the outset, the group wanted to create a very raw type of sound to symbolize the state of their emotions over the previous couple of years. The album also represented another major departure for the band as they embraced aspects of nu metal, speed metal, and alternative metal. They worked with Rock to make an album that embraced an unpolished sound, which meant he barely mixed the recording at all. He would elaborate on the entire thought process of St. Anger’s production. “We wanted to do something to shake up radio and the way everything else sounds. To me, this album sounds like four guys in a garage getting together and writing rock songs. There was really no time to get amazing performances out of James. We liked the raw performances. And we didn't do what everyone does and what I've been guilty of for a long time, which is tuning vocals. We just did it, boom, and that was it." Another fateful decision came in the fact that Kirk Hammett did not play any guitar solos on the album. He would later say in an interview that they tried to use some, but it kept sounding like an afterthought rather than an organic part of the song. The biggest criticism of St. Anger represented the drumming of Lars Ulrich, who made the decision not to use a snare on his snare drum. Ulrich said, "One day I forgot to turn the snare on because I wasn't thinking about this stuff. At the playbacks, I decided I was really liking what I was hearing—it had a different ambience. It sang back to me in a beautiful way." This makes the drumming sound include a giant ringing noise throughout the 75 minute LP.

Metallica would release the new album in June 2003, but they did so five days ahead of schedule due to their ongoing battle with Napster. They did not want any songs to be illegally downloaded and leaked ahead of time. The release debuted at number one on the Billboard chart selling 417,000 copies in its first week. The lead single “St. Anger” would go on to win a Grammy for Best Metal Song. Three other singles were released with the second track “Frantic” going all the way to number two on the mainstream rock charts. Reviews by critics were mixed over the band’s new sound. They liked the raw passion found on the album, but they continually commented that it sounded terrible. Adrien Begran of Pop Matters had this observation. “While it's an ungodly mess at times, what you hear on this album is a band playing with passion for the first time in years." Other reviews remained positive like Rolling Stone praised the band for stripping down metal to its bare essentials without the need for solos, choruses, and any kind of structure whatsoever. Other critics were not so complimentary of the record. Pitchfork had this to say about it. Ulrich was “playing a drum set consisting of steel drums, aluminum toms, programmed double kicks, and a broken church bell. The kit's high-end clamor ignored the basic principles of drumming: timekeeping. Hetfield and Hammett's guitars underwent more processing than cat food. When they both speedstrummed through St. Anger, and most other movements, [Hetfield and Hammett] seemed to overwhelm each other with different, terrible noise. Also the duration of most songs made it boring to hear them." Ouch. Years later, Lars would still stand behind his decision about the snare drum on the album. James Hetfield also agreed that he would not change it, but did note that production mistakes may have been made. “St. Anger could use a little less tin snare drum, but those things are what make those records part of our history."

Some Kind of Monster

The minute the filmmakers came in around April 2001, Metallica seemed to be slowly imploding. There existed a definite tension between all the band members as they were struggling to come up with new ideas for music, while at the same time wanting drastically to get away from one another. One issue became an even greater snag when Hetfield left for rehab, but they continued to film Hammett and Ulrich’s therapy sessions. Berlinger would say this about filming those meetings. “Lars felt the therapy sessions were actually enabled by the presence of the cameras. He felt the cameras forced them to be honest." Upon Hetfield’s return from rehab, the singer wondered whether they should even continue filming the sessions, but changed his mind once he saw the raw footage. Elektra Records now began to become concerned over the rising cost of the filming and wondered whether they should turn it into a reality show. Metallica told them that they had envisioned a documentary film, so they bought the rights to it for $4.3 million. Hetfield continued to have some misgivings about various scenes included in the film. For example, Lars and his wife sell an art piece for $13.4 million at an auction, which he thought was “downright embarrassing.” The drummer would not relent on this saying that his passion for art is a vital piece of his personality. “If you're going to paint a portrait of the people in Metallica, that has to play a role, because that is who I am."

The documentary’s plot also included some very strange and surreal scenes. For one, Lars interviews Dave Mustaine of Megadeth asking him about the past. Another scene shows all three band members attending a live concert by Newsted’s band Echobrain, where you can see Lars complain about not being able to keep his own band together. As recording begins, Hetfield and Ulrich go to war with one another. The singer demands the conditions that any recorded material can only be discussed in his presence. The drummer comes back at him saying that he is too controlling which led to a major confrontation. Hetfield then says to the camera that his need to control everything probably stems from his fear of abandonment in childhood. For his part, Kirk Hammett always remained calm no matter what does to a lesser extent complain about the complete absence of guitar solos. Gradually, their chemistry begins to improve as they work toward the finished product. They begin to work a lot of their problems out by writing lyrics to individual songs. Ulrich is able to release some feelings about the Napster lawsuit by writing the lyrics to “Shoot Me Again.” As the band begins to get along much better, they stop listening to any advice from Towle. The group thinks that he has become too much a part of their inner circle, so the need arose to distance themselves from him. The therapist becomes very defensive when they approach him about restricting access. Towards the end of the film, they hire Robert Trujillo as their new bassist because they were scheduled to perform on MTV Icon. A bone of contention over the years was the fact that Trujillo’s $1 million signing bonus was included in the film. Upon the movie’s release, Some Kind of Monster received mostly positive reviews by critics earning an 89 on Rotten Tomatoes. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly said this, “One of the most revelatory rock portraits ever made."

Lars Ulrich would say upon reflection that it was one of the first times that the band had actually communicated with each other without the assistance of alcohol. Dave Mustaine caused a little bit of drama as he denied the band from using any footage of his interview with Lars in 2001. They still included the footage because he had previously signed a release giving them access and the right to use it. The Megadeth singer would call this the “final betrayal” until six years later when they reconciled during a concert. At the time, Ulrich responded by saying this about Mustaine. “So put these three facts down, he was in our band for a year. He never played on a Metallica record [official release], and it was 22 years ago. It's pretty absurd that it still can be that big a deal."

[andrewthoughtsbombdiggity]

Gay Me Up “Zaddy”

As a practicing Catholic, born and raised, these last two weeks have been… jarring to say the least. I have no problems with gays, in fact one thing about these movies that makes me sympathize with the characters is that they cannot be accepted or must keep who they are hush-hush and under the table. I take a stance that one should hate the sin and love the sinner, and for future reference maybe have a few Christian movies to dissect after the LGBTQ Movie Unit? Prince of Egypt (2000) was a phenomenal movie as well as The Passion of the Christ (2004). I detect the pushing of one side and not the other and even though this may not be the intention, I still feel it. But not to mention in a world where open mindedness is key, one can parallel that Christian movies as well as gay movies are not given a fair shot in mainstream cinema. So why not expose us to some hidden gem Christian movies as you’ve done with these LGBTQ movies? Maybe we ought to change that. Another thing I am not overall happy with is the fact that these movies are not available on streaming services, however they were for the most part very well made and a lot of care went into making them. That being said the old soul in me is also a little miffed that I had to rent Call Me By Your Name for $3.99, in other words, I paid 4 dollars to watch a kid masturbate with an apricot (1:36:00 – 1:37:31).

I understand teenagers/young adults are hormonal, horny monsters that would bang anything pulse optional, but NO ONE DOES THAT EVER, and if they do… in the words of my friend Elyse, “Do you boo” (I want my money back). A humorous question does pop up in my head; do LGBTQ people get grossed out at straight people make out and sex scenes? Or do they not really care? Just some food for thought, and in the spirit of these humorous/philosophical points can we say that there is a definite style of gay movies, a “Queer style” if you will? I do not believe there is a queer visual style as after reviewing these movies they seem to be filmed, as any other film would be. Scenes such as Elio in Call Me By Your Name courting Marzia (1:08:20 – 1:09:45) are filmed the exact same way (in daylight and moonlight scenes) as scenes between Elio and Oliver’s (55:30 – 57:20) courtship/blossoming relationship. The way the relationship between Elio and Oliver and the relationship between Elio and Marzia is filmed, specifically how the camera captures it (not the writing or emotions the actors portray) is not stylistically different from each other and therefore at least for this movie does not show any “Queer Visual Style”. I also believe that a queer visual style takes away from the fact that queer, gay, trans, and lesbians are people just like you and me and a stylistic difference in visual portrayal could alienate them and make them seem all too different from regular people. Take Moonlight for instance, that movie is beautifully shot, and although scenes such as his struggle to play soccer with “the boys” (13:51 – 16:51) exemplify that he isn’t soft but something inside Chiron (his gay orientation) lurks behind and gives everyone the impression that there is something different about Chiron and that gives them the impression of him being soft. I see no difference in the visual style of that and say the shot of him learning about the pangs of becoming older and realizing one’s wildness in youth must give way to becoming what he wants to be (19:40 - 21:17).

In my opinion there is no difference in visual style whether the movie is queer or hetero-normative. Hollywood, in particular a good story has always had the ability to change my mind about many things. And how, you ask yourself, how can a movie “queer me” and surprisingly, Brokeback Mountain did just “queer” me a little. The deep friendship, bond, and further relationship bond made me see that two men can truly love each other and despite all the norms and tradition they break, still have that fond and unbreakable connection 20 years later (The movie starts in 1963 and ends in 1983). It reminded me of my friend Joe and I, and no we aren’t involved like that but I do consider him a second brother and my closest friend. Where I draw the parallel is that despite being hours away from each other they have managed to remain close just like me and my friend Joe have despite me moving some three years ago. 

No scene shows this excitement and happiness more than their first meeting after the stint on Brokeback Mountain (1:03:45 – 1:04:25) 

and this scene really shows us as the audience the attachment these two feel for each other (even though it completely doomed Ennis’s marriage but we are not focusing on that). Throughout the movie they meet up throughout the years, their passion still lively as ever, and throughout the movie, even though I am not gay or bear romantic feelings towards my best friend Joe, I kept thinking to myself… “Are me and Joe going to be this close with me in a few years…? Am I? I wonder if we’ll ever go on guys’ trips and do some cool shit before we settle down. And that’s the magic of Brokeback Mountain, it humanizes us and most importantly for its time humanized relationships that were unconventional. And for those who aren’t gay, it made me think about my relationships with my family and friends and how close and tight I am with them, and again even though my feelings aren’t of the sexual or romantic kind towards them… I’m still able to sympathize, empathize, and relate to the story of two dudes separated by time and distance never skipping a beat and having a grand ole time. Of course I acknowledge that they had tension in their relationship especially due to the urging of Jack “Fuckin’” Twist to have them leave their lives behind and start anew together and Ennis rejecting the notion due to a past witnessing of a hate crime, however I am choosing to focus on the closeness and bonding aspect and how people gay or not gay can relate to that and relate it to all their relationships. To quote the character Mr. Bucci from Call Me By Your Name (58:38) “Cinema is a mirror of reality and it is a filter”, LGBTQ people have always struggled for acceptance of who they and this is portrayed in movies such as Brokeback Mountain, Call Me By Your Name, and Moonlight among others, without alienating themselves in a distinct visual and rather being filmed as people like you and me, cause again they are people like you and me, they just vibe a little different.

[taronunwin]

Can you rate everything that Taron has been in from your most fave to least fave? And giving your reasonings why for each eating. I know this might be hard to do since all of his work has been exceptional. I’m asking just because I need more Taron content to watch!

OH GOODNESS. Anon, this is a bit cruel, like making me pick my favourite children. Except I have no children. And I do not like children. I digress. I’ll do my best.

I haven’t seen most of the voice projects Taron’s done so I’ll just list what I have seen and I’ll rank it by things I love/need to watch vs. things I’m okay with watching less often, sort of thing. This is mostly spoiler free but there are a few things that dance on the line. I’m sorry, but it’s really hard not to explain what I love without getting into that territory.

Deep breath. Here goes.

1: Rocketman

When I watched Rocketman for the first time, it was one of the last of Taron’s films I had yet to see because I was the least interested in it. I wasn’t an Elton fan, I don’t care for musicals usually, and I’m not really keen on movies set in the 60′s. So there were three strikes against it and I honestly expected just to start it, click through, and move on because Taron didn’t look hot (I thought then). But by the time he got to the ‘My name is Elton Hercules John’, I was invested. Wholeheartedly. Even when Taron wasn’t on screen, I cared deeply for the young Elton. I was rooting for him, grieving with him, and feeling his pain and triumphs. That movie is an experience unlike any other and by far the best movie I have ever seen in my life. The pure joy that radiates from it… it’s hard to explain.

2: Kingsman: The Secret Service

I’m not a Bond fan myself, I’m not really an action spy genre fan, so, again, I didn’t really think I was going to love this movie. But when Lee Unwin jumped on that grenade, I sat up in my seat a bit. That wasn’t the beginning I expected. And then when his son showed up later, stuck in a life that was so miserable and far from what he wanted, my heart broke. Eggsy had so much depth and went so far beyond just a ‘kid from the wrong side of the tracks’ kind of backstory. The details about him being in gymnastics and giving it up because his mum had married a good-for-nothing creep who influenced him more than he wanted to admit, being borderline brilliant and doing so well in school, only to give that up, too, because what was the freaking point in even trying when he was stuck in a world he wanted desperately out of. And then, when that opportunity presented itself and he was able to join the Marines, the first time in his life he really felt like he had some control and could follow in his dad’s footsteps, his mum wouldn’t allow it because she couldn’t bear the thought of losing him. So Eggsy was utterly stuck. Until…

3: Robin Hood

Oh, Robin. I think we all have a very special soft spot for the first character we fell for in an actor’s filmography and Robin is it for me. I had seen Testament of Youth in early 2019 with my teary eye on Kit Harington but I loved Edward. However I had no idea that Robin was Edward when I started watching, I just like historical movies and thought Robin Hood looked interesting. When I started, I was pretty smitten by Rob right away but as the movie progressed and the story got more convoluted, I became less interested and actually turned it off. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Robin. So I started watching it again and boy did I fall hard. The movie itself? A stupid, fun, absolutely enjoyable ride. Robin? Well, that beautiful boy is the love of my life.

4: Billionaire Boys Club

I’ve seen a lot of negative things about this film, not just in regards to a certain cast members, but in general and frankly? I don’t get it. I know I’m probably watching it through rose-coloured glasses but honestly, I really, genuinely love this movie. I love Dean’s charisma and charm, how much he loved Joe and wanted the best for him—for both of them. I love Dean’s darkness and how his character gradually yet drastically changed over the course of the film; how he started as just a passionate, excited, enthusiastic young man and ended in such a different place, even willing to give up something and someone that meant so much to him because desperation drove him to do something he would have never imagined himself doing in the beginning. I loved watching the relationships fray and bonds dissolve and I especially loved watching Taron play Dean’s darkness so realistically, paying special attention to how he portrayed Dean’s growing drug addiction. Also? Dean is really hot. There’s no way of sugarcoating that.

5: Kingsman: The Golden Circle

I love Eggsy Unwin. I mean I love him. Like I-would-take-a-bullet-for-him kind of love. And though the charm of the first movie being his transformation from street kid to Kingsman isn’t really in this film, it’s still such a fun ride. My favourite parts are mostly the quieter moments, the little scenes where we see Eggsy, less as a Kingsman and more as himself. His struggles, his doubts, the times where he’s shaken and isn’t really sure of anything anymore. But what I love about Eggsy is how fiercely he gets back up every time. Doesn’t matter what is thrown at him, he will take it all and become stronger.

Also… “Let’s make this fair,” Eggsy says, tucking his right arm behind his back and effectively evening the playing field with his one-armed opponent before he engages in a to-the-death brawl with the man he trained with until snapping his neck with one. hand. still. tucked. behind. his. back.

6: Testament of Youth

I hate this movie so much. But I also love this movie so much. Edward is one of the sweetest angels there ever was and I adore him with every fiber of my body. And watching his story… well… it makes me more unhappy than I’ve ever been. Does that stop me from watching it? No. But it does limit the number of rewatches. It’s one of those movies that’s so perfect for a sad mood. Like when I need a good cry, oh my goodness, I need look no further. But looking beyond just the emotional nature of the movie, Taron’s performance is so so beautiful. Watching Edward’s boyish innocence peeling away to show the more hardened, deeply hurt and disillusioned young man as the war’s grip on him tightens? Honestly, it’s stunning.

7: The Last of the Haussmans

A play? Really? What’s that doing on this list? Well, let me tell you. Taron’s character, Daniel, affected me very deeply and I’m not even being silly. This list is already too long so I’ll spare the details but Daniel… he got me. He’s such a sweetheart, so genuine and pure and good and earnest and wonderful and the kiss scene, well, I don’t even know how many times I’ve watched it. The tenderness he displays, the sweet uncertainty and awkwardness yet visibly bolstering himself so he can do what he’s so unsure about… oh, Daniel. For it being one of his first public roles, I am consistently amazed by how good Taron is. Daniel’s awkwardness does not feel like Taron’s discomfort. Daniel is entirely his own person with his own story and struggles and watching his story unfold is a really lovely thing.

8: Eddie the Eagle

This sweet, fun, encouraging, uplifting, charming movie, oh, how I love it. Though I have to be honest, it isn’t one of those movies I just need to watch like every month or two. I love enjoying it with other people and seeing their reactions but it’s not one that I crave at any given time. Even still, Eddie is a pure sweetheart and I love him and his heart-filled, passion-fueled, wonderful story.

9: The Smoke

I’m actually kinda surprised where this landed on the list, but let me explain. Dennis Severs is so much like Eggsy in terms of being a very layered, three-dimensional, incredibly deep and fascinating character. I love him. Nay, I adore him. I loved watching his ups and downs, his gut-wrenching revelations and triumphant success as he strove hard to free himself of the bondage of his past. But the show itself? It’s, same as Eddie, not something I feel drawn to watch at any given time. It’s intense, very intense, and asides from Dennis’ story, I didn’t really connect with any character, other than Kev. So in terms of watchability and enjoyment of the project overall, this ranks lower, but in terms of Dennis and his importance to me? Well, he ranks much higher ❤

10: Legend

So the first time I checked out this movie, I skipped through, searching for Taron. Next time, I skipped through again. Then I bought the movie and actually watched it, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Ignoring the obviously impressive feat that was Tom Hardy playing both main characters, I loved the relationship between Reggie and Frances and found myself caring quite a lot for them. I don’t know that I’ll ever watch it in full again but I do skip through every so often for Teddy and thoroughly that little psycho.

11: Sing

I’ve mentioned that I don’t really watch much of Taron’s voice work because I find it annoying to hear him but not be able to see him. That’s my ultimate problem with Sing. While a very enjoyable movie and one I’ve watched a few times all the way through, I don’t necessary care enough about the other characters to want to watch it from start to finish. I’m happy just skipping through for Johnny’s story, but there’s always that nagging feeling of knowing Taron is back there somewhere, looking breathtaking, and I can’t see him. And for that, I must place this sweet movie at the bottom of this list.

This honestly took hours for me to write and perfect but I think I’m good with it now. Phew!

I’m so sorry, anon, I’m absolutely certain you were looking for like two sentences to explain what I liked or didn’t like about each of these but instead you got a mini review. Whoops.

[growingpaynes-art]

The Lion King 2019 Review: What I Liked, What I Didn’t, and How It Compares to the Original

Non-spoilery overview and note to anyone debating watching this- 

If you’re looking for this film to give you something that the original didn’t, you will be disappointed. This is a nearly shot-for-shot exact recreation of the original for most of the movie. There are some minor changes, but no major differences in plot. 

However

It’s definitely worth seeing- once on a matinee ticket at the very least- if you enjoyed anything about the original. It’s pretty faithful to the source material and the hyper-realism of the animation really is best viewed on a big screen. The comedy is solid, the changes they made to the story and characters were good decisions, and as a guy that was literally raised on the original movie and grew up loving every part of it, i did legitimately enjoy seeing this remake with my mother (who introduced me to the original when I was very little) and getting to share this story that I loved with my younger sister for the first time.

If all you are here for is the “Let’s Go Lesbians” guy you will be satisfied

Spoilers under the cut

What I Liked:

The visuals of the opening sequence alone are worth the price of admission. They’ve lovingly recreated the iconic intro nearly frame for frame in astounding detail. It really succeeded in taking me back to my three-year old self seeing the original for the first time on my family’s little box tv, captivated by the visuals and score. 

Timon and Pumbaa were legitimately funny and are stronger characters than in the original.

They kept the aspects of Scar that made him sinister, conniving, and creepy without stepping into queer-coding territory. They also didn’t apply racial coding to him in the overt way they did in the original.

At first I was disappointed by Rafiki’s lack of a staff in the opening, but I was later pacified by its appearance for the final battle. I would however, have liked to see the “oh yes, the past can hurt” bit between him and Simba, which was absent in this version.

I felt that the introduction of the hyena characters in the elephant graveyard was stronger in this version, but i do wish that the chase scene had gone on for longer. It’s significantly shorter than the original, and the cubs don’t fight back like they did in the original.

The hyenas played a larger role where they had much more agency, and the relationship between them and Scar was on more equal footing. Shenzi was an especially welcome change, presenting a truly chilling presence easily rivaling Scar’s. Florence Kasumba’s performance really stands out. Additionally Eric Andre and Keegan-Michael Key’s hyena characters served as quality comic relief without any jokes straying into possible able-ism.

The ‘pinned-ya’ scenes were re-choreographed to be more like two kids wrestling and didn’t have the awkward sexual implications some people point out in the original.

This version offers a quick explanation as to why Scar is living with the pride despite the typical customs of real lions

The mouths were really animated very well, and were for the most part very expressive. They were a bit hard to track during the songs, but generally words were formed pretty believably in their mouths and expressions such as smiles or grimaces were rendered very clearly without looking foreign on an animal face. This was by far best achieved on Timon and the hyenas, but was decent on the lion cubs, Scar, and most of the minor characters as well. The other adult lions weren’t as expressive, but they’re weren’t terrible either.

The animation of Timon, Pumbaa, and the hyenas continually impressed impressed me throughout the course of the film. They were simultaneously the most consistently realistic looking and the most expressive. I honestly don’t understand why some people are coming for Pumbaa and saying he’s ‘nightmare fuel’, his design was both very friendly looking and accurate to real warthogs. He and Timon seemed to be the favorites of both the kids and adults in my theater. 

The short scene where adult Simba gleefully pounces after a pair of butterflies and invites a scared Hartebeest hang out, oblivious to his own  status as a carnivore, was pretty adorable.

Timon and Pumbaa were more or less confirmed to be a gay couple, and are shown with their own piglet during the ending sequence. This isn’t lingered on for longer than necessary, just long enough for you to appreciate how adorable the little striped piglet is, and thus it comes off as more genuine than performative allyship (it’s definitely better than Beauty and the Beast’s “exclusively gay moment” or Endgame’s Gay Joe Russo). It also helps that Timon isn’t being portrayed by a straight guy leaning as hard into the camp gay stereotype as possible. It was a moment that I, as a queer person, actually enjoyed.

What I Didn’t: 

I felt that the musical score wasn’t as strong as the original. I wanted that first note over the sunrise to shake the theater, to bang across the screen in brilliant gold, and when it didn’t, I was disappointed. I felt this way regarding the score and soundtrack for much of the film.

While much of the dialogue matched the original nearly word for word, the delivery of most of it was much more subdued. I understand that they were going for a grittier tone that was less cartoon-y, but a lot of Scar and adult Simba’s lines seemed like they were mumbled off at the end of a work day and they’d just given up on trying to get a better take. Donald Glover seemed to teeter between Marshall Lee and complete disinterest a lot of the time. 

I would have liked to have seen more of Rafiki than what we got, and I’d been hoping for an expansion on his role from the original rather than a reduction. 

The “I killed Mufasa” bit was done very well- Chiwetel Ejiofor’s delivery of the line was chilling (although not as much as Jeremy Irons’), the expression in Scar’s eyes was very sinister, the light of the fire hit him just right. The following revelation of this truth to the lionesses however was bumbly, and seemed like it was originally written to be longer but was quickly and awkwardly condensed. It really didn’t flow as well as the original.

The end battle between Scar and Simba was anti-climactic. The choreography and visuals were much more creative and suspenseful in the original. The blows didn’t really have much weight or ferocity to them, and they didn’t coincide as well with the score. There also was no sick kick move, Scar literally just accidentally rolls off the cliff. The showdown between Nala and Shenzi is far better- it’s vicious and animalistic, with a few shots having them silhouetted with fire roaring behind them, Nala’s massive teeth shown off impressively in profile. 

From the very first introduction of Scar, it’s strongly and very overtly implied that Sarabi is the one that gave him the scar after he attempted to advance on her despite her rejecting him. This is revisited again when he commands Sarabi to be his queen upon his assuming of the throne. She again rejects him. With this moment being played twice, I expected this to be a plant for a later third scene of Sarabi temporarily putting Scar back in his place, or at least threatening to take his other eye, to replace the scene from the original where he slaps her across the face. Scar and Sarabi do eventually come to blows as Simba and Nala return to Pride Rock, but it’s very brief and sort of just a clumsy grapple without a clear winner, and with no reference to their apparent backstory. This comes off as a case of planting without payoff. I expect that either a scene such as the one i described was originally planned and cut for time, or it was thought that the implications of such a scene might bring the film up towards a PG-13 rating.

I wish that in the more harrowing sequences, such as the elephant graveyard chase and the stampede scene, that we could see some real fear on the character’s faces. There’s some really good tensing of the body and some bared teeth, but there’s not much in the eyes. I feel the emotion would have been communicated better if the pupils were dilated, if the eyes were darting back and forth with the whites showing at the edges occasionally, the ears flattened down hard against the head.The child actors put forward some really believable fear and sadness through their voices, but the faces just didn’t quite match it. I do however understand that this is a kid’s film, and that showing a hyper-realistic lion cub gripped with sheer terror or coming to the understanding of the gravity of death is probably too much for most young kids. I personally just prefer to have truly heartwrenching, impactful, and emotional scenes in the media I consume, and I often walk away unfulfilled in this respect (although, i admit i am very difficult to please in this area- i’ve been a die-hard mcu fan for the better part of a decade and i left my first watch of infinity war almost completely unaffected.)

Continuing from the last point- The eyes on most of the characters were very static. They rarely blinked, only really looked straight ahead and lacked any range of expression beyond neutral and slightly squinted. The expression of emotion could have been greatly facilitated by the use of the brow muscles, dilating and contracting of the pupils, more squinting and widening, some side-eye or eye-rolling, etc. Even using some more body language would have made a world of difference (for example- an excited cub wriggling with excitement, his paws shifting and his little butt scooting in the sand because he just can’t contain himself, his shoulders shaking with high-pitched giggles) Emotion was delivered quite well through the mouths, but almost not at all through the eyes. This made the scene where Simba discovers his dead father especially awkward looking. JD McCrary delivers some heartbreaking cries and a few tear-choked lines, and the little cub body shakes and cowers, but Simba’s cgi face retains a completely neutral expression. Its a very cute, and perfectly realistic face for a lion cub, but it’s a face that feels inappropriate for this context. Adult Simba and Nala are the worst offenders in this respect. Simba looks almost like a plush doll, almost never changing expression at all. Nala looks superbly hyper-realistic, but... too realistic. She’s as perfect of a cgi lioness model you could possibly ask for, but because of this, there’s no intelligence in her eyes for some of the shots. It’s strange and distracting to hear a human voice come out as her mouth moves realistically while the eyes retain a vacant animal stare. This is really weird to me as there are multiple moments in the film where they absolutely nail the eyes- the sequence where Simba chases Rafiki through the dense jungle, several shots of Nala sneaking away from Pride Rock by moonlight, the close-up of Scar as he reveals to Simba that he killed Mufasa. The commonality between these shots seems to be strong directional lighting, where light from the moon or a fire can catch the irises and make the expression in them really pop. Closeups of Mufasa’s face showed that they had unprecedented control of the facial muscles- they moved with intricate complexity under the skin and fur- and yet the eyes were blank. It’s disappointing that they clearly had the capability to get the eyes right and apparently just didn’t allow the cg artists enough time to apply this consistently.

The slow motion zoom away from Simba’s face as he watches his father fall from the cliff face is admittedly ridiculous looking in cgi. This “long live the king” doesn’t come anywhere close to the original. Mufasa’s climb up the cliff is pretty good, but the fall feels flat and unemotional. 

The sequence tracking the wad of Simba’s hair went on for too long.

The story seemed much faster paced than the original, and each scene seemed to be too short, leaving me wanting more. Some of the scenes feel awkwardly chopped or condensed, and some of the dialogue is a bit bumbly. This movie kinda relies on you being very familiar with the original. 

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of November 27th, 2019

Best of this Week: Batman: Creature of the Night Book Four - Kurt Busiek, John Paul Leon and Todd Klein 

Kurt Busiek is amazing at humanizing and retelling the stories of our favorite heroes.

He managed to do so during his tenure on The Avengers and even more so on his breathtaking Superman: Secret Identity. He delves into the mindsets of characters and creates an emotional attachment between them and the reader that draws you into their individual struggles and his work on Creature of the Night is no different. He manages to juxtapose the story of Batman from the perspective of a fan of Batman in the "real world" and despite the long wait, it proves more than worth it.

Batman: Creature of the Night follows the life of Bruce Wainwright, inheritor of the Wainwright family fortune and company after their murder by a home invader. Throughout the series we see him deal with his family's death by doing his best to live up to their ideal, making the City of Boston better through philanthropic pursuits and smart business decisions. Though, he has a dark side to him, believing that he's managed to conjure an actual Batman-like protector for the city and believes it to be his stillborn brother, Tommy.

The last book saw Bruce obsessed with the origin of The Batman, how he was able to solve crime and how his company was succeeding because of the various arrests and takedowns, finding out that "Batman" had been the cause of everything. He had gone after Bruce's business opponents, exposed their wrongdoings and essentially cheated their way to the top. This sends Bruce on an unfortunate Spiral, thinking that all of Boston was corrupt and that maybe the other business people and Bruce's own allies might have had something to do with their deaths.

This issue begins with a splash page of a page from Batman; specifically where Thomas and Martha are killed by Joe Chill. It's also taken extreme damage likely from the Batman entity that Bruce believes to exist. This shows just much Wainwright's own parents deaths has affected him and his mindset. We also get a few shots of Bruce's messy office. John Paul Leon makes sure to draw the readers attention to just how much Bruce's life is beginning to spin out of control. His floor is full of trash, booze and even a bra from who knows and Bruce himself is found by his assistant Robin, passed out among the mess.

In his stupor, he asks her about coffee before flinging himself off of the roof, turning into the Bat entity himself. Robin isn't surprised and we learn that she's known about Bruce's supposed abilities since the first time she and Mr. Jepson, one of Bruce's employees (his Alfred so to speak), saw him transform two years prior. If I remember right, the moment when Bruce was on the roof was when he found out about what Tommy had done and it's implied that Bruce was up there alone the whole time.

Unfortunately, Jepson suffers a heart attack after seeing his boy like that and is admitted to a hospital in and out over the next few months or years. Jepson's failing health leads Bruce to continue winding down, violently stopping crime while knowing that it's not actually doing anything better. At the same time, Robin is tasked with taking care of him by Mr. Jepson as she's been with them both for a very long time, Bruce even played her way through college. When Bruce goes to jail over a bar room brawl that left the other guy hospitalized, Robin bails him out. 

These scenes are grim and paint Bruce at almost his lowest, drinking in some decent looking bar and getting angry at even the smallest of slights. A man bumps him and Bruce decides to make a big thing of it, so they take the fight outside and Bruce gets his ass kicked while being watched by a small crowd. As it goes on, the Bat entity, or at least what we perceive as the Bat Entity from Bruce’s perspective, emerges and begins to absolutely wreck the other man. Leon uses minimal, flat colors for the entire issue and these pages are some of the more dynamic of them. Leon makes Bruce look animalistic and his eyes are colored red, signaling the change and after his arrest, he’s unshaven and looks like a mess.

Bruce and Robin’s relationship together serves as the main crux of the book with her watching him as he goes down his dark path and doing her best to get him back on track. Bruce, however, is still caught up in his parents murder and the continued injustices that Boston is home to every night. Both of them are fighting losing battles and growing darker with each passing day. Their relationship reaches a particular low after a still drunk Bruce plants an unwanted kiss on her after she picks him up from jail. This is particularly horrible because of their aforementioned history together. She tells him that he needs to see a therapist or help of some kind.

Initially, he thinks that he might disagree, but says yes and explains what he’s been going through to his doctor. It seems like a very cathartic moment for him, getting everything off of his chest and eventually being prescribed antidepressants. For a while, he returns nearly to his normal self. Jepson and Robin are happy for him, but we learn later on that he feels like the antidepressants make him feel sludgy and confused. He feels like he needs to wean himself off of it for a little while, having had fear that they would break his connection to Tommy or kill him. 

Bruce immediately begins to become more paranoid, asking why someone would want to kill Tommy. He starts to believe in some grand conspiracy to ruin him and his family and he decides to go to a private room in his company’s offices. Leon colors this scene with a light cool blue, giving off the feeling of Bruce’s cold “logic”, though the reader can likely also interpret this as Bruce turning inward to himself. He’s lonely and with only Tommy to really talk to, he’s not exactly the most reliable of narrators. He truly believes that everything that’s happened to him, including Jepson’s sickness, has been part of a carefully orchestrated plot to plunge Boston into darkness.

In an amazing reference to when Dick Grayson first discovers the Batcave, Robin opens the door to find Bruce alone in the room. Framed against his immensely large connection board, Bruce kind of looks like a crazy person. He berates her for not respecting his privacy and asks what could possibly be so important for her to find him before she informs him of Jepson’s passing. What was initially small paranoia morphs into FULL conspiracy paranoia with Bruce being absurdly sure that someone is targeting him for getting close to the real culprits behind his parents death. Robin tries to comfort him, but he tells her that she needs to run for a little while and she calls him delusional and pleads with him to get help. 

Unable to handle the truth, Bruce flies away and later has a hallucination of Batman’s greatest villains surrounding him, telling him to take the pills. Joker, Catwoman, Two Face, Penguin and Riddler surround and taunt him. Leon makes sure to draw them as normal, potentially actually being there, but as Bruce’s mental state continues to unravel, they begin to deform and swirl into a mass of laughter and color/ As they begin to overwhelm his senses, Bruce tosses his antidepressants off the roof of the building as the background is colored a bright white - a clearing of the head in a way. 

Bruce returns to his board and begins to connect the dots, trying to find out who benefits the most from the deaths of his parents. He notes local politicians and other people he couldn’t hurt as Batman and then has an epiphany. He goes to confront Detective Gordon Hoover, the man who had been in charge of Bruce’s and various other related cases before his retirement. He destroys one of Gordon’s walls when confronting him and soon after, Robin arrives and checks on the detective. He tells her that Bruce has gone insane and that all of this was coincidence at best before telling her where he went. 

Concerned with his continuingly deteriorating state of mind, Robin ventures to Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo, a place very near and dear to Bruce as his family had a huge stake in it when Bruce was a child. He’s absolutely destroyed the entrance way and is in the Bat exhibit when Robin finds him having a complete mental breakdown. Leon absolutely smashes the art in this sequence, portraying Batman as fighting back against his enemies. They swirl around him in the same mass as earlier (with Ra’s al Ghul thrown into the mix for whatever reason) and Bruce says that he has to tear Boston down to make it better.

Robin, having had enough and sensing that Bruce might do something he’ll regret, asks him if that’s something that Batman from the comics would do. This manages to snap Bruce out long enough for Robin to reach him. She asks him who he’s talking to, who he’s fighting against and Bruce struggles to answer, seeing Batman’s Rogues gallery slowly swept away by the mass of bats around them before disappearing himself. Much later, we pick back up with Bruce who’s dating the girl he met in college way back in Book Two. He’s back on his medication with a modified dosage and Robin is doing well too. He realizes that there was no conspiracy and that he’d been holding on to his pain, causing him to almost have a psychotic break… though he still maintains one really important familial relationship.

Though the gap between Books Three and Four were absurdly long, the quality of the story was well worth the wait. Kurt Busiek doesn’t write as much as he used to, but with this book, he shows that he hasn’t lost a single step along the way. This was an amazingly character driven story that kept me interested throughout. John Paul Leon’s art was a big part of that as well with just how beautiful it was. Together, they managed to craft an underrated masterpiece. I loved the story of obsession and inspiration and how Batman can influence just about anyone. Bruce Wainwright turned out to be a really interesting character, both because he was very much inspired by Batman so much so that he modeled his life after him and because of his mental illness.

I can only hope that this book succeeded well enough that Busiek and Leon come back for another book together or Busiek does a third of these with Wonder Woman as the hero inspiration. Overall, high recommend.

[breakfreefromyourlies]

With a taste of your lips (Part 1) – Reader x Gwilym Lee

Summary: You landed your first pretty big job on the set of the BohRap movie, what could go wrong? Except your feelings?

A/N: Ok so this is my first fanfic ever. I love my baby Gwil so it had to be for him. I don’t know what to think about it. This is the first part so if you like it there’ll be other parts. Don’t hesitate to tell me what you think of it. And remember that English is not my first language so I’m sorry if there are grammatical mistakes.  

Pairing: Gwilym Lee x Reader

Words count: 1k

« Shocking! » You let out, a little louder than expected.  

« What’s shocking, darling? » Rami asked turning to you.

« You. The boys. You are them, you are Queen and that’s shocking » You replied, eyes wide opened. “Look at you talking like Freddie, Ben being practically Roger’s son and don’t get me started on Gwilym. He is not portraying Brian, he IS Brian” you exclaimed.  

“Thank God we are” Joe said, laughing.  

You had been on set for a few weeks now but this was the first time you saw the boys in full costumes all together and ready to film the “Live Aid” performance.

Working for “GK Films”, the production company in charge of operating “Bohemian Rhapsody”, your job was to make sure everything was going smoothly and that included the off-screen relationship between the boys. Luckily, they bonded pretty much instantly and very soon included you as a part of the group.

“Wait Gwil! You have a misplaced curl” You shouted, heading towards him.

“Don’t stand too close to him Y/N, you’ll only make him more nervous” Ben scoffed as you adjusted Gwilym’s wig.

“Oh shut up Ben. You’re the one wishing I was this close to you” You replied, avoiding Gwilym’s gaze.

The boys always teased you when it came to Gwilym. Your relationships with all of them were very diverse. Joe was the one you shared many laughs with, Ben liked to start fights with you for nothing just to annoy you, Rami was like a big brother taking care of you, but Gwilym… it was different. From the beginning you immediately loved being around him, he was gentle and laid back but you could also cry from laughing because of him. He always tried to include you as much as possible in the making of the movie, asking for your advice on his acting, rehearsing his lines with you and even letting you adjust his precious “Brian wig”. In a few weeks he became the best friend you never had but the boys liked to imply that something more was going on. Of course you had already thought about it. Gwilym was exactly the type of guy you could fall for, well any girl could fall for him but it was impossible for you to even think that he could fall for you.  

“Thanks Y/N/N, we wouldn’t want a wig disaster during Live Aid” Gwilym said, chuckling.

You stepped backward trying not to let him notice how anxious you also were. This movie was the first very big project you worked on. You wanted everything to go well and starting with the most important scene of the whole shooting was definitely not something small.

“Go kill ‘em boys. Kill ‘em, kill ‘em.” Brian May cheered to the boys. You could see the emotion in his eyes while he looked at them and more precisely to the younger version of himself. Living the experience all over again was such an emotional moment for him but it also was for everyone on set.

It was time, the cameras were rolling and the boys were about to enter the stage to give the most important show of their career. You felt your heart pounding in your chest.

-----

A few hours later, the filming was over and wouldn’t start again until the following day. The boys came backstage still very euphoric of what had just happened.    

Gwilym immediately ran towards you when he saw you. “So how was I? What did you think of it?” he asked with the biggest smile on his face.

“Well if someone showed me your performance and the original one, I’m not sure I could distinguish the real and semi-fake Brian May” You said jokingly.

“I think that’s the wig” He added.

“Yeah, that’s definitely the wig. I’m not sure you truly were for something in it” You said, winking at him.

He immediately bumped his shoulder into yours.

“Of course you were amazing. I knew it from the beginning Gwil that you would kill it. But keep that same energy for the rest of the shooting, it’s only the beginning” You added.

“Thank you Y/N for always bringing me back down to Earth” He said putting his arm around your shoulders.

“Come on lovebirds, we are toasting to the first and very special day of this great journey” Ben shouted while opening a bottle of champagne.

Those words made Gwilym remove his arm from your shoulders and lay down his eyes before walking towards Rami.  

You guessed he reacted that way because he didn’t like when Ben teased you both for this. Who liked that? Especially when the person is not attracted to the other. And why would you even try to understand? You did not like Gwilym like that either. So why did you feel this thing in your chest?

“Y/N/N? Do you want a glass of champagne?” Joe asked, getting you out of your thoughts.

“Sure, thank you.” You said smiling. “You were incredible earlier. I was feeling like I was at the actual Live Aid.” You added, reminiscing what you lived today.  

“I know right? I can’t wrap my mind around it. I’m still feeling all the chills in my veins” Joe said wiggling his arms. “Thank you for being here Y/N, you’re one hell of a support out there” he added, coming in for a hug.

You immediately felt Gwilym’s gaze on you while you were hugging Joe. “Thanks to you for being so nice with me since the beginning.” You replied, smiling.

“Well we all love you very much Y/N. Some even more than others.” He said chuckling and winking at you. You didn’t have time to fully acknowledge what Joe had just said as he left you to talk to Lucy.

What does that even mean?

“Cheers to the beginning of something magical” You heard from a voice behind you. You turned around and saw Gwilym with his drink up. “Thank you for putting up with me and all the attention I demand during the filming” He said while biting his lower lip.

His wig was still on but you could see how handsome he looked even as a younger version of Brian May. You could look at his beautiful blue eyes for hours and caught yourself starring at his lips.  

“Hum, yeah, you know, don’t worry. I’m happy to help.” You mumbled, lowering your eyes. Fuck Y/N get your shit together.

“Don’t tell me you are already tipsy from one glass of champagne?” Gwilym said, laughing.

“No” you laughed, “Just tired. But I’ll sleep when I’m dead right? Or at least when the shooting will be over.” you said while taking a sip of your glass.

“Well I am definitely not looking forward to ending it. I love being on set with the guys, with you.” He said, softly looking at your lips.

“Come on guys! Let’s all take a picture to remember this day forever!” Ben shouted while running between Gwilym and you putting up his phone, leaving you unable to answer.  

Gwilym placed his arm around your waist as you all looked toward the camera. 

This was definitely the beginning of something you would remember your whole life.

Part 2

[grigori77]

2019 in Movies - My Top 30 Fave Movies (Part 2)

20.  FROZEN 2 – so, another year, then, and once again Disney doesn’t QUITE manage to net the animated feature top spot on my list, but it’s not for lack of trying – this long-awaited sequel to the studio’s runaway hit musical fantasy adventure is just what we’ve come to love from the House of Mouse, but more importantly it’s a most worthy sequel, easily on a par with the much beloved origin.  Not much of a surprise given the welcome return of all the key people, from directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (who also once again wrote the screenplay) to composer Christophe Beck and songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, as well as all the key players in the cast.  It’s business as usual in the kingdom of Arendelle, where all is seemingly peaceful and tranquil, but Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) is restless, haunted by a distant voice that only she can hear, calling to her from a mysterious past she just can’t place … and then she accidentally awakens the four elemental spirits, sending her homeland into mystical turmoil, prompting her to embark on a desperate search for answers with her sister Princess Anna (Kristen Bell), ice harvester Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his faithful reindeer companion Sven, and, of course, living snowman Olaf (Josh Gad). Their quest leads them into the Enchanted Forest of Northuldra, a neighbouring kingdom, ruled by simple, elemental magic, that has remained cut off from Arendelle for decades, where they discover dark, hidden truths about their own family’s past and must make peace with the spirits if they’re to save their home and their people.  So, typical Disney family fantasy fare, then, right? Well, Frozen 2 certainly dots all the Is and crosses all the Ts, but, like the original, this is no jaded blockbuster money spinner, packed with the same kind of resonant power, skilful inventiveness and pure, show-stopping WOW-factor as its predecessor, but more importantly this is a sequel that effectively carves out a fresh identity for itself, brilliantly taking the world and characters in interesting new directions to create something fresh, rewarding and worthwhile on its own merit.  The returning cast are all as strong as ever, Menzel and Bell in particular ably powering the story, while it’s nice to see both Groff and Gad getting something new to do with their own characters too, even nabbing their own major musical numbers; there’s also a welcome slew of fresh new faces to this world, particular Sterling K. Brown (This is Us, Black Panther, The Predator) as lost Anrendelle soldier Mattias and former Brat Pack star Martha Plimpton as Yelena, leader of the lost tribe of Northuldra. Once again this is Disney escapism at its very best, a heart-warming, soul-nourishing powerhouse of winning humour, emotional power and child-like wonder, but like the first film the biggest selling point is, of course, that KILLER soundtrack, with every song here a total hit, not one dud among them, and there are even ear-worms here to put Let It Go to shame – Into the Unknown was touted as the major hit, and it is impressive, but I was particularly affected by Groff’s unashamedly full-bore rendition of Lost in the Woods, a bona fide classic rock power ballad crafted in the fashion of REO Speedwagon, while the undeniable highlight for me is the unstoppable Show Yourself, with Menzel once again proving that her incredible voice is a natural force all in itself.  Altogether, then, this is an absolute feast for the eyes, the ears AND the soul, every inch the winner that its predecessor was and also EASILY one of Disney’s premier animated features for the decade.  So it’s quite the runner-up, then …

19.  ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD – since his explosion onto the scene twenty-seven years ago with his runaway smash debut Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino has become one of the most important filmmakers of his generation, a true master of the cinematic art form who consistently delivers moving picture masterpieces that thrill, entertain, challenge and amuse audiences worldwide … at least those who can stomach his love of unswerving violence, naughty talk and morally bankrupt antiheroes and despicably brutal villains who are often little more than a shade different from one another.  Time has moved on, though, and while he’s undoubtedly been one of the biggest influences on the way cinema has changed over the past quarter century, there are times now that it’s starting to feel like the scene is moving on in favour of younger, fresher blood with their own ideas.   I think Tarantino can sense this himself, because he recently made a powerful statement – after he’s made his tenth film, he plans to retire.  Given that OUATIH is his NINTH film, that deadline is already looming, and we unashamed FANS of his films are understandably aghast over this turn of events.  Thankfully he remains as uncompromisingly awesome a writer-director as ever, delivering another gold standard five-star flick which is also most definitely his most PERSONAL work to date, quite simply down to the fact that it’s a film ABOUT film.  Sure, it has a plot (of sorts, anyway), revolving around the slow decline of the career of former TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo Dicaprio), who languishes in increasing anonymity in Hollywood circa 1969 as his former western hero image is being slowly eroded by an increasingly hacky workload guest-starring on various syndicated shows as a succession of punching-bag heavies for the hero to wale on, while his only real friend is his one-time stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), a former WW2 hero with a decidedly tarnished reputation of his own; meanwhile new neighbours have moved in next door to further distract him – hot-as-shit young director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha), riding high on the success of Rosemary’s Baby, and his new wife Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie).  Certainly this all drives the film, along with real-life events involving one of the darkest crimes in modern American history, but a lot of the time the plot is largely coincidental – Quentin uses it as a springboard to wax lyrical about his very favourite subject and pay loving (if sometimes irreverently satirical) tribute to the very business he’s been indulging in with such great success since 1992.  Sure, it’s also about “Helter Skelter” and the long shadow cast by Charles Manson and his band of murderous misfits, but this is largely incidental, as we’re treated to long, entertaining interludes as we follow Rick on a shoot as the bad guy in the pilot for the Lancer TV series, visit the notorious Spahn Ranch with Cliff as he’s unwittingly drawn into the lion’s den of the deadly Manson Family, join Robbie’s Tate as she watches “herself” in The Wrecking Crew, and enjoy a brilliant montage in which we follow Rick’s adventures in Spaghetti westerns (and Eurospy cinema) after he’s offered a chance to change his flagging fortunes, before the film finally builds to a seemingly inevitable, fateful conclusion that Tarantino then, in sneakily OTT Inglourious Basterds style, mischievously turns on its head with a devilish game of “What If”.  The results are a thoroughly engrossing and endlessly entertaining romp through the seedier side of Hollywood and a brilliant warts-and-all examination of the craft’s inner workings that, interestingly, reveals as much about the Business today as it does about how it was way back in the Golden Age the film portrays, all while delivering bucket-loads of QT’s trademark cool, swagger, idiosyncratic genius and to-die-for dialogue and character-work, and, of course, a typically exceptional all-star cast firing on all cylinders. Dicaprio and Pitt are both spectacular (Brad is endearingly taciturn, playing it wonderfully close to the vest throughout, while Leo is simply ON FIRE, delivering a mercurial performance EASILY on a par with his work on Shutter Island and The Wolf of Wall Street – could this be good enough to snag him a second Oscar?), while Robbie consistently endears us to Tate as she EFFORTLESSLY brings the fallen star back to life, and there’s an incredible string of amazing supporting turns from established talent and up-and-comers alike, from Kurt Russell, Al Pacino and a very spiky Bruce Dern to Mike Moh (in a FLAWLESS take on Bruce Lee), Margaret Qualley, Austin Butler and in particular Julia Butters as precocious child star Trudi Fraser.  Packed with winning references, homages, pastiches and ingenious little in-jokes, handled with UTMOST respect for the true life subjects at all times and shot all the way through with his characteristic flair and quirky, deliciously dark sense of humour, this is cinema very much of the Old School, and EVERY INCH a Tarantino flick.  With only one more film to go the implied end of his career seems much too close, but if he delivers one more like this he’ll leave behind a legacy that ANY filmmaker would be proud of.

18.  CRAWL – summer 2019’s runner-up horror offering marks a rousing return to form for a genre talent who’s FINALLY delivered on the impressive promise of his early work – Alexandre Aja made a startling debut with Switchblade Romance, which led to his big break helming the cracking remake of slasher stalwart The Hills Have Eyes, but then he went SPECTACULARLY off the rails when he made the truly abysmal Piranha 3D, which I wholeheartedly regard as one of THE VERY WORST FILMS EVER MADE IN ALL OF HUMAN HISTORY. He took a big step back in the right direction with the admittedly flawed but ultimately enjoyable and evocative Horns (based on the novel by Stephen King’s son Joe Hill), but it’s with this stripped back, super-tight man-against-nature survival horror that the Aja of old has TRULY returned to us. IN SPADES.  Seriously, I personally think this is his best film to date – there’s no fat on it at all, going from a simple set-up STRAIGHT into a precision-crafted exercise in sustained tension that relentlessly grips right up to the end credits.  The film is largely just a two-hander – Maze Runner star Kaya Scodelario plays Haley Keller, a Florida college student and star swimmer who ventures into the heart of a Category 5 hurricane to make sure her estranged father, Dave (Saving Private Ryan’s Barry Pepper), is okay after he drops off the grid. Finding their old family home in a state of disrepair and slowly flooding, she does a last minute check of the crawl-space underneath, only to discover her father badly wounded and a couple of hungry alligators stalking the dark, cramped, claustrophobic confines. With the flood waters rising and communications cut off, Haley and Dave must use every reserve of strength, ingenuity and survival instinct to keep each other alive in the face of increasingly daunting odds … even with a premise this simple, there was plenty of potential for this to become an overblown, clunky mess in the wrong hands (a la Snakes On a Plane), so it’s a genuinely great thing that Aja really is back at the height of his powers, milking every fraught and suspenseful set-piece to its last drop of exquisite piano-wire tension and putting his actors through hell without a reprieve in sight.  Thankfully it’s not JUST about scares and atmosphere – there’s a genuinely strong family drama at the heart of the story that helps us invest in these two, Scodelario delivering a phenomenally complex performance as she peels back Haley’s layers, from stubborn pedant, through vulnerable child of divorce, to ironclad born survivor, while reconnecting with her emotionally raw, repentantly open father, played with genuine naked intensity in a career best turn from Pepper. Their chemistry is INCREDIBLY strong, making every scene a joy even as it works your nerves and tugs on your heartstrings, and as a result you DESPERATELY want to see them make it out in one piece.  Not that Aja makes it easy for them – the gators are an impressively palpable threat, proper scary beasties even if they are largely (admittedly impressively executed) digital effects, while the storm is almost a third character in itself, becoming as much of an elemental nemesis as its scaly co-stars.  Blessedly brief (just 87 minutes!) and with every second wrung out for maximum impact, this is survival horror at its most brutally, simplistically effective, a deliciously vicious, primal chill-ride that thoroughly rewards from start to finish.  Welcome back, Mr Aja.  We’ve missed you.

17.  SHAZAM! – there were actually THREE movies featuring Captain Marvel out in 2019, but this offering from the hit-and-miss DCEU cinematic franchise is a very different beast from his MCU-based namesake, and besides, THIS Cap long ago ditched said monicker for the far more catchy (albeit rather more oddball) title that graces Warner Bros’ last step back on the right track for their superhero Universe following the equally enjoyable Aquaman and franchise high-point Wonder Woman.  Although he’s never actually referred to in the film by this name, Shazam (Chuck’s Eugene Levy) is the magically-powered alternate persona bestowed upon wayward fifteen year-old foster kid Billy Batson (Andi Mack’s Asher Angel) by an ancient wizard (Djimon Hounsou) seeking one pure soul to battle Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), a morally corrupt physicist who turns into a monstrous supervillain after becoming the vessel for the spiritual essences of the Seven Deadly Sins (yup, that thoroughly batshit setup is just the tip of the iceberg of bonkersness on offer in this movie).  Yes, this IS set in the DC Extended Universe, Shazam sharing his world with Superman, Batman, the Flash et al, and there are numerous references (both overt and sly) to this fact throughout (especially in the cheeky animated closing title sequence), but it’s never laboured, and the film largely exists in its own comfortably enclosed narrative bubble, allowing us to focus on Billy, his alter ego and in particular his clunky (but oh so much fun) bonding experiences with his new foster family, headed by former foster kid couple Victor and Rosa Vazquez (The Walking Dead’s Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans) – the most enjoyably portions of the film, however, are when Billy explores the mechanics and limits of his newfound superpowers with his new foster brother Freddy Freeman (It Chapter 1’s Jack Dylan Glazer), a consistently hilarious riot of bad behaviour, wanton (often accidental) destruction and perfectly-observed character development, the blissful culmination of a gleefully anarchic sense of humour that, until recently, has been rather lacking in the DCEU but which is writ large in bright, wacky primary colours right through this film. Sure, there are darker moments, particularly when Sivana sets loose his fantastic icky brood of semi-corporeal monsters, and these scenes are handled with seasoned skill by director David F. Sandberg, who cut his teeth on ingenious little horror gem Lights Out (following up with Annabelle: Creation, but we don’t have to dwell on that), but for the most part the film is played for laughs, thrills and pure, unadulterated FUN, almost never taking itself too seriously, essentially intended to do for the DCEU what Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man did for the MCU, and a huge part of its resounding success must of course be attributed to the universally willing cast. Eugene Levy’s so ridiculously pumped-up he almost looks like a special effect all on his own, but he’s lost none of his razor-sharp comic ability, perfectly encapsulating a teenage boy in a grown man’s body, while his chemistry with genuine little comedic dynamo Glazer is simply exquisite, a flawless balance shared with Angel, who similarly excels at the humour but also delivers quality goods in some far more serious moments too, while the rest of Billy’s newfound family are all brilliant, particularly ridiculously adorable newcomer Faithe Herman as precocious little motor-mouth Darla; Djimon Hounsou, meanwhile, adds significant class and gravitas to what could have been a cartoonish Gandalf spoof, and Mark Strong, as usual, gives great bad guy as Sivana, providing just the right amount of malevolent swagger and self-important smirk to proceedings without ever losing sight of the deeper darkness within.  All round, this is EXACTLY the kind of expertly crafted superhero package we’ve come to appreciate in the genre, another definite shot in the arm for the DCEU that holds great hope for the future of the franchise, and some of the biggest fun I had at the cinema this past year.  Granted, it’s still not a patch on the MCU, but the quality gap finally seems to be closing …

16.  ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL – y’know, there was a time when James Cameron was quite a prolific director, who could be counted upon to provide THE big event pic of the blockbuster season. These days, we’re lucky to hear from him once a decade, and now we don’t even seem to be getting that – the dream project Cameron’s been trying to make since the end of the 90s, a big live action adaptation of one of my favourite mangas of all time, Gunnm (or Battle Angel Alita to use its more well-known sobriquet) by Yukito Kishiro, has FINALLY arrived, but it isn’t the big man behind the camera here since he’s still messing around with his intended FIVE MOVIE Avatar arc.  That said, he made a damn good choice of proxy to bring his vision to fruition – Robert Rodriguez is, of course, a fellow master of action cinema, albeit one with a much more quirky style, and this adap is child’s play to him, the creator of the El Mariachi trilogy and co-director of Frank Miller’s Sin City effortlessly capturing the dark, edgy life-and-death danger and brutal wonder of Kishiro’s world in moving pictures.  300 years after the Earth was decimated in a massive war with URM (the United Republics of Mars) known as “the Fall”, only one bastion of civilization remains – Iron City, a sprawling, makeshift community of scavengers that lies in the shadow of the floating city of Zalem, home of Earth’s remaining aristocracy.  Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) runs a clinic in Iron City customising and repairing the bodies of its cyborg citizens, from the mercenary “hunter killers” to the fast-living players of Motorball (a kind of supercharged mixture of Rollerball and Death Race), one day discovering the wrecked remains of a female ‘borg in the junkyard of scrap accumulated beneath Zalem.  Finding her human brain is still alive, he gives her a new chassis and christens her Alita, raising her as best he can as she attempts to piece together her mysterious, missing past, only for them both to discover that the truth of her origins has the potential to tear their fragile little world apart forever. The Maze Runner trilogy’s Rosa Salazar is the heart and soul of the film as Alita (originally Gally in the comics), perfectly bringing her (literal) wide-eyed innocence and irrepressible spirit to life, as well as proving every inch the diminutive badass fans have been expecting – while her overly anime-styled look might have seemed a potentially jarring distraction in the trailers, Salazar’s mocap performance is SO strong you’ve forgotten all about it within the first five minutes, convinced she’s a real, flesh-and-metal character – and she’s well supported by an exceptional ensemble cast both new and well-established.  Waltz is the most kind and sympathetic he’s been since Django Unchained, instilling Ido with a worldly warmth and gentility that makes him a perfect mentor/father-figure, while Spooksville star Keean Johnson makes a VERY impressive big screen breakthrough as Hugo, the streetwise young dreamer with a dark secret that Alita falls for in a big way, Jennifer Connelly is icily classy as Ido’s ex-wife Chiren, Mahershala Ali is enjoyably suave and mysterious as the film’s nominal villain, Vector, an influential but seriously shady local entrepreneur with a major hidden agenda, and a selection of actors shine through the CGI in various strong mocap performances, such as Deadpool’s Ed Skrein, Derek Mears, From Dusk Til Dawn’s Eiza Gonzalez and a thoroughly unrecognisable but typically awesome Jackie Earle Haley.  As you’d expect from Rodriguez, the film delivers BIG TIME on the action front, unleashing a series of spectacular set-pieces that peak with Alita’s pulse-pounding Motorball debut, but there’s a pleasingly robust story under all the thrills and wow-factor, riffing on BIG THEMES and providing plenty of emotional power, especially in the heartbreaking character-driven climax – Cameron, meanwhile, has clearly maintained strict control over the project throughout, his eye and voice writ large across every scene as we’re thrust headfirst into a fully-immersive post-apocalyptic, rusty cyberpunk world as thoroughly fleshed-out as Avatar’s Pandora, but most importantly he’s still done exactly what he set out to do, paying the utmost respect to a cracking character as he brings her to vital, vivid life on the big screen.  Don’t believe the detractors – this is a MAGNIFICENT piece of work that deserves all the recognition it can muster, perfectly set up for a sequel that I fear we may never get to see.  Oh well, at least it’s renewed my flagging hopes for a return to Pandora …

15.  AD ASTRA – last century, making a space exploration movie after 2001: A Space Odyssey was a pretty tall order. THIS century, looks like it’s trying to follow Chris Nolan’s Interstellar – love it or hate it, you can’t deny that particular epic space opera for the IMAX crowd is a REALLY tough act to follow.  At first glance, then, writer-director James Gray (The Yards, We Own the Night) is an interesting choice to try, at least until you consider his last feature – he may be best known for understated, gritty little crime thrillers, but I was most impressed by 2016’s ambitious period biopic The Lost City of Z, which focused on the groundbreaking career of pioneering explorer Percy Fawcett, and couldn’t have been MORE about the indomitable spirit of discovery if it tried.  His latest shares much of the same DNA, albeit presented in a VERY different package, as we’re introduced to a more expansive Solar System of the near future, in which humanity has begun to colonize our neighbouring worlds and is now pushing its reach beyond our own star’s light in order to discover what truly lies beyond the void of OUTER space.  Brad Pitt stars as Major Roy McBride, a career astronaut whose whole life has been defined by growing up in the shadow of his father, H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), a true pioneer who led an unprecedented expedition to the orbit of our furthest neighbour, Neptune, in order to search for signs of intelligent life beyond our solar system, only for the whole mission to go quiet for the past sixteen years.  Then a mysterious, interplanetary power surge throws the Earth into chaos, and Roy must travel farther than he’s ever gone before in order to discover the truth behind the source of the pulse – his father’s own ill-fated Lima Project … this is a very different beast from Interstellar, a much more introspective, stately affair, revelling in its glacial pacing and emphasis on character motivation over plot, but it’s no less impressive from a visual, visceral standpoint – Gray and cinematographer Hoyt van Hoytema (who, interestingly, ALSO shot Interstellar, along with Nolan’s Dunkirk and his upcoming feature Tenet) certainly make space look truly EPIC, crafting astonishing visuals that deserve to be seen on the big screen (or at the very least on the best quality HDTV you can find).  There’s also no denying the quality of the writing, Gray weaving an intricate story that reveals far greater depth and complexity than can be seen at first glance, while Roy’s palpable “thought-process” voiceover puts us right into the head of the character as we follow him across the endless void on a fateful journey into a cosmic Heart of Darkness.  There is, indeed, a strong sense of Apocalypse Now to proceedings, with the younger McBride definitely following a similar path to Martin Sheen’s ill-fated captain as he travels “up-river” to find his Colonel Kurtz-esque father, and the performances certainly match the heft of the material – there’s an impressive collection of talent on offer in a series of top-quality supporting turns, Jones being just the icing on the cake in the company of Donald Sutherland, Liv Tyler, John Ortiz and Preacher’s Ruth Negga, but the undeniable driving force of the film is Pitt, his cool, laconic control hiding uncharted depths of emotional turmoil as he’s forced to call every choice into question.  It’s EASILY one of the finest performances of his career to date, just one of the MANY great selling points in a film that definitely deserves to be remembered as one of the all-time sci-fi greats of the decade. An absolute masterpiece, then, but does it stand tall in comparison to Interstellar?  I should say so …

14.  BRIGHTBURN – torpedoing Crawl right out of the water in the summer, this refreshing, revisionist superhero movie takes one of the most classic mythologies in the genre and turns it on its head in true horror style.  The basic premise is an absolute blinder – what if, when he crashed in small-town America as a baby, Superman had turned out to be a bad seed?  Unsurprising, then, that it came from James Gunn, who here produces a screenplay by his brother and cousin Brian and Mark Gunn (best known for penning the likes of Journey 2: the Mysterious Island, but nobody’s perfect) and the directorial big break of his old mate David Yarovesky (whose only previous feature is obscure sci-fi horror The Hive) – Gunn is, of course, an old pro at taking classic comic book tropes and creating something completely new with them, having previously done so with HUGE success on cult indie black comedy Super and, in particular, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and his fingerprints are ALL OVER this one too.  The Hunger Games’ Elizabeth Banks (who starred in Gunn’s own directorial debut Slither) and David Denman (The Office) are Tori and Kyle Breyer, a farming couple living in Brightburn, Kansas, who are trying for a baby when a mysterious pod falls from the sky onto their land, containing an infant boy.  As you’d expect, they adopt him, determined to keep his origin a secret, and for the first twelve years of his life all seems perfectly fine – Brandon’s growing up into an intelligent, artistic child who loves his family. Then his powers manifest and he starts to change – not just physically (he’s impervious to harm, incredibly strong, has laser eyes and the ability to disrupt electronic devices … oh, and he can fly, too), but also in personality, as he becomes cold, distant, even cruel as he begins to demonstrate some seriously sociopathic tendencies.  As his parents begin to fear what he’s becoming, things begin to spiral out of control and people start to disappear or turn up brutally murdered, and it becomes clear that Brandon might actually be something out of a nightmare … needless to say this is superhero cinema as full-on horror, Brandon’s proclivities leading to some proper nasty moments once he really starts to cut loose, and there’s no mistaking this future super for one of the good guys – he pulverises bones, shatters faces and melts skulls with nary a twitch, just the tiniest hint of a smile.  It’s an astonishing performance from newcomer Jackson A. Dunn, who perfectly captures the nuanced subtleties as Brandon goes from happy child to lethal psychopath, clearly demonstrating that he’s gonna be an incredible talent in future; the two grown leads, meanwhile, are both excellent, Denman growing increasingly haunted and exasperated as he tries to prove his own son is a wrong ‘un, while Banks has rarely been better, perfectly embodying a mother desperately wanting to belief the best of her son no matter how compelling the evidence becomes, and there’s quality support from Breaking Bad’s Matt Jones and Search Party’s Meredith Hagner as Brandon’s aunt and uncle, Noah and Meredith, and Becky Wahlstrom as the mother of one of his school-friends, who seems to see him for what he really is right from the start.  Dark, suspenseful and genuinely nasty, this is definitely not your typical superhero movie, often playing like Kick-Ass’ deeply twisted cousin, and there are times when it displays some of the same edgy, black-hearted sense of humour, too.  In other words, it’s all very James Gunn. It’s one sweet piece of work, everyone involved showing real skill and devotion, and Yarovesky in particular proves he’ll definitely be one-to-watch in the future.  There are already plans for a potential sequel, and given where this particular little superhero universe seems to be heading I think it could be something pretty special, so fair to say I can’t wait.

13.  STAR WARS EPISODE IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER – wow, this one’s proven particularly divisive, hasn’t it? And I thought The Last Jedi caused a stir … say what you will about Rian Johnson’s previous entry in the juggernaut science fiction saga, while it certainly riled up the hardcore fanbase it was at least well-received by the critics, not to mention myself, who found it refreshing and absolutely ingenious after the crowd-pleasing simplicity of JJ Abrams’ admittedly still thoroughly brilliant The Force Awakens.  After such radical experimentation, Abrams’ return to the director’s chair can’t help feeling a bit like desperate backpedalling in order to sooth a whole lot of seriously ruffled feathers, and I’ll admit that, on initial viewing, I couldn’t help feeling just a touch cheated given what might have been if similarly offbeat, experimentally-minded filmmaker Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed, Jurassic World) had stayed on board to helm the picture.  Then I got home, thought about it for a bit and it started to grow on me, before a second viewing helped me to reconcile all everything that bugged me first time around, seemingly the same things that have, perversely, ruffled so many more feathers THIS TIME.  This doesn’t feel like a retcon job, no matter what some might think – new developments in the story that might feel like whitewash actually do make sense once you think about them, and the major twists actually work when viewed within the larger, overarching storyline.  Not that I’m willing to go into any kind of detail here, mind you – this is a spoiler-free zone, thank you very much.  Suffice to say, the honour of the saga has in no way been besmirched by Abrams and his co-writer Chris Terrio (sure, he worked on Batman V Superman and Justice League, but he also wrote Argo), the final film ultimately standing up very well indeed alongside its trilogy contemporaries, and still MILES ABOVE anything we got in George Lucas’ decidedly second-rate prequels.  The dangling plot strands from The Last Jedi certainly get tied up with great satisfaction, particularly the decidedly loaded drama of new Jedi Rey (Daisy Ridley) and troubled First Order Supreme Leader Kylo Ren/Ben Solo (Adam Driver), while the seemingly controversial choice of reintroducing Ian McDiarmid’s fantastically monstrous Emperor Palpatine as the ultimate big bad ultimately works out spectacularly well, a far cry from any perceived botched fan-service.  Everyone involved was clearly working at the height of their powers – Ridley and Driver are EXCEPTIONAL, both up-and-coming young leads truly growing into the their roles, while co-stars John Boyega and Oscar Isaac land a pleasingly meaty chunk of the story to finally get to really explore that fantastic chemistry they teased on The Last Jedi, and Carrie Fisher gets a truly MAGNIFICENT send off in the role that defined her as the incomparable General Leia Organa (one which it’s still heartbreaking she never quite got to complete); other old faces, meanwhile, return in fun ways, from Anthony Daniels’ C-3PO FINALLY getting to play a PROPER role in the action again to a brilliant supporting flourish from the mighty Billy Dee Williams as the Galaxy-Far-Far-Away’s own King of Cool, Lando Calrissian, while there’s a wealth of strong new faces here too, such as Lady Macbeth’s Naomie Ackie as rookie rebel Jannah, Richard E. Grant as suitably slimy former-Imperial First Order bigshot Allegiant General Pryde, The Americans’ Keri Russell as tough smuggler Zorii Bliss and Lord of the Rings star Dominic Monaghan as Resistance tech Beaumont Kin.  As fans have come to expect, Abrams certainly doesn’t skim on the spectacle, delivering bombastic thrill-ride set-pieces that yet again set the benchmark for the year’s action stakes (particularly in the blistering mid-picture showdown between Rey and Kylo among the wave-lashed remains of Return of the Jedi’s blasted Death Star) and awe-inspiring visuals that truly boggle the mind with their sheer beauty and complexity, but he also injects plenty of the raw emotion, inspired character work, knowing humour and pure, unadulterated geeky FUN he’s so well known for.  In conclusion, then, this is MILES AWAY from the clunky, compromised mess it’s been labelled as in some quarters, ultimately still very much in keeping with the high standards set by its trilogy predecessors and EVERY INCH a proper, full-blooded Star Wars movie.  Ultimately, Rogue One remains THE BEST of the big screen run since Lucas’ Original Trilogy, but this one still emerges as a Force to be reckoned with …

12.  JOKER – no-one was more wary than me when it was first announced that DC and Warner Bros. were going to make a standalone, live-action movie centred entirely around Batman’s ultimate nemesis, the Joker, especially with it coming hot on the heels of Jared Leto’s thoroughly polarizing portrayal in Suicide Squad.  More so once it was made clear that this WOULD NOT be part of the studio’s overarching DC Extended Universe cinematic franchise, which was FINALLY starting to find its feet – then what’s the point? I found myself asking.  I should have just sat back and gone with it, especially since the finished product would have made me eat a big slice of humble pie had I not already been won over once the trailers started making the rounds.  This is something new, different and completely original in the DC cinematic pantheon, even if it does draw major inspiration from Alan Moore’s game-changing DC comics mini-series The Killing Joke – a complete standalone origin story for one of our most enduring villains, re-imagined as a blistering, bruising psychological thriller examining what can happen to a man when he’s pushed far beyond the brink by terrible circumstance, societal neglect and crippling mental illness. Joaquin Phoenix delivers the performance of his career as Arthur Fleck, a down-at-heel clown-for-hire struggling to launch a career as a stand-up-comic (badly hampered by the fact that he’s just not funny) while suffering from an acute dissociative condition and terrible attacks of pathological laughter at moments of heightened stress – the actor lost 52 pounds of weight to become a horrifically emaciated scarecrow painfully reminiscent of Christian Bale’s similar preparation for his acclaimed turn in The Machinist, and frequently contorts himself into seemingly impossible positions that prominently accentuate the fact.  Fleck is a truly pathetic creature, thoroughly put-upon by a pitiless society that couldn’t care less about him, driven by inner demons and increasingly compelling dark thoughts to act out in increasingly desperate, destructive ways that ultimately lead him to cross lines he just can’t come back from, and Phoenix gives his all in every scene, utterly mesmerising even when his character commits some truly heinous acts.  Certainly he dominates the film, but then there are plenty of winning supporting turns from a universally excellent cast to bolster him along, from Zazie Beetz as an impoverished young mother Arthur bonds with and Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under, American Horror Story) as Arthur’s decidedly fragile mother Penny to Brett Cullen (The Thorn Birds, Lost) as a surprisingly unsympathetic Thomas Wayne (the philanthropic father of future Batman Bruce Wayne), while Robert De Niro himself casts a very long shadow indeed as Murray Franklin, a successful comedian and talk show host that Arthur idolizes, a character intentionally referential to his role in The King of Comedy.  Indeed, Martin Scorsese’s influence is writ large throughout the entire film, reinforced by the choice to set the film in a 1981-set Gotham City which feels very much like the crumbling New York of Mean Streets or Taxi Driver.  This is a dark, edgy, grim and unflinchingly BRUTAL film, frequently difficult to watch as Arthur is driven further into a blazing psychological hell by his increasingly stricken life, but addictively, devastatingly compelling all the same, impossible to turn away from even in the truly DEVASTATING final act.  Initially director Todd Phillips seemed like a decidedly odd choice for the project, hailing as he does from a predominantly comedy-based filmmaking background (most notably Due Date and The Hangover trilogy), but he’s actually a perfect fit here, finding a strangely twisted beauty in many of his compositions and a kind of almost uplifting transcendence in his subject’s darkest moments, while his screenwriting collaboration with Scott Silver (8 Mile, The Fighter) means that the script is as rich as it can be, almost overflowing with brilliant ideas and rife with biting social commentary which is even more relevant today than in the period in which it’s set.  Intense, gripping, powerful and utterly devastating, this truly is one of the best films of 2019.  If this was a purely critical Top 30 this would have placed in the Top 5, guaranteed …

11.  FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS HOBBS & SHAW – summer 2019’s most OTT movie was some of THE MOST FUN I had at the cinema all year, a genuinely batshit crazy, pure bonkers rollercoaster ride of a film I just couldn’t get enough of, the perfect sum of all its baffling parts.  The Fast & Furious franchise has always revelled in its extremes, subtle as a brick and very much playing to the blockbuster, popcorn movie crowd right from the start, but it wasn’t until Fate of the Furious (yup, the ridiculous title says it all) that it really started to play to the inherent ridiculousness of its overall setup, paving the way for this first crack at a new spin-off series sans-Vin Diesel.  Needless to say this one fully embraces the ludicrousness, with director David Leitch the perfect choice to shepherd it into the future, having previously mastered OTT action through John Wick and Atomic Blonde before helming manic screwball comedy Deadpool 2, which certainly is the strongest comparison point here – Hobbs & Shaw is every bit as loud, violent, chaotic and thoroughly irreverent, definitely playing up the inherent comic potential at the core of the material as he cranks up the humour.  Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham take centre stage as, respectively, DSS agent Luke Hobbs and former SAS black operative Deckard Shaw, the ultimate action movie odd couple once again forced to work together to foil the bad guy and save the world from a potentially cataclysmic disaster.  Specifically Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), a self-proclaimed “black superman” enhanced with cybernetic implants and genetic manipulation to turn him into the ultimate warrior, who plans to use a lethal designer supervirus to eradicate half of humanity (as supervillains tend to do), but there’s one small flaw in his plan – the virus has been stolen by Hattie Shaw (Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s Vanessa Kirby), a rogue MI6 agent who also happens to be Deckard’s sister.  Got all that?  Yup, the movie really is as mad as it sounds, but that’s part of the charm – there’s an enormous amount of fun to be had in just giving in and going along with the madness as Hobbs and the two Shaws bounce from one overblown, ludicrously destructive set-piece to the next, kicking plenty of arse along the way when they’re not jumping out of tall buildings or driving fast cars at ludicrous speeds in heavy traffic, and when they’re not doing that they’re bickering with enthusiasm, each exchange crackling with exquisite hate-hate chemistry and liberally laced with hilarious dialogue delivered with gleeful, fervent venom (turns out there’s few things so enjoyable as watching Johnson and Statham verbally rip each other a new one), and the two action cinema heavyweights have never been better than they are here, each bringing the very best performances of their respective careers out of each other as they vacillate, while Kirby holds her own with consummate skill that goes to show she’s got a bright future of her own.  As for Idris Elba, the one-time potential future Bond deserves to be remembered as one of the all-time great screen villains ever, investing Brixton with the perfect combination of arrogant swagger and lethal menace to steal every scene he’s in while simultaneously proving he can be just as big a badass in the action stakes; Leitch also scatters a selection of familiar faces from his previous movies throughout a solid supporting cast which also includes the likes of Fear the Walking Dead’s Cliff Curtis, From Dusk Till Dawn’s Eiza Gonzalez and Helen Mirren (who returns as Deckard and Hattie’s mum Queenie Shaw), while there’s more than one genuinely brilliant surprise cameo to enjoy. As we’ve come to expect, the action sequences are MASSIVE, powered by nitrous oxide and high octane as property is demolished and vehicles are driven with reckless abandon when our protagonists aren’t engaged in bruising, bone-crunching fights choreographed with all the flawless skill you’d expect from a director who used to be a professional stuntman, but this time round the biggest fun comes from the downtime, as the aforementioned banter becomes king.  It’s an interesting makeover for the franchise, going from heavyweight action stalwart to comedy gold, and it’s a direction I hope they’ll maintain for the inevitable follow-up – barring Fast Five, this is THE BEST Fast & Furious to date, and a strong indicator of how it should go to keep conquering multiplexes in future.  Sign me up for more, please.

[pennylanefics]

“Why do you hate me?” - Ben Hardy | part 4

this is sort of a filler chapter. nothing major will happen until part 6 :/

Warning: making out? i got a little carried away 😂 nothing too dirty, but it does get ‘steamy’

Ever since that day, you and Ben have spent every single day together. Whether it was on set, during breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or at night in his trailer, you were always by his side. The others caught on to how you were acting towards each other, but you didn’t care. You had feelings for Ben, and you weren’t going to push him away because people told you to. You went with your heart after seeing how sorry Ben was about everything, and you didn’t regret it.

Three months later, filming was coming to a close soon. Everything was turning out great, the boys doing such a great job portraying the band, and you couldn’t believe how amazing the Live Aid shot turned out. Although you weren’t needed on set anymore, as you had finished all of your filming, you stayed to hang out with everyone. Specifically Ben, Gwilym, Leila, and now Joe

One day about a month after you and Ben made up, you were sat in his trailer, cuddling and helping him run through his lines for the day. His arm was resting around your waist, lifting your shirt up slightly so he was stroking your skin, his large hand bringing warmth throughout your body. Your head rested on his chest, the script held in his other hand as you two looked at it. Without knocking, Joe stormed in, telling Ben they were ready to start shooting for the day.

“Uhm, what’s going on?” Joe asked, dumbfounded at the site in front of him. You blushed a deep red and stared at your hands.

“She was just helping me with my lines,” Ben muttered, glancing up at Joe shyly. Joe crossed his arms, a bored look on his face that said ‘oh really?’

“When I run lines with (Y/N) we don’t cuddle.” Ben sighed and looked to you for help, so you told him everything.

“Ben and I have feelings for each other. About a month ago, he sent me roses with a sweet note, and I came here. We walked around for about ten minutes before he led me back here. His bed space was converted into a fort, he eavesdropped my conversation with Leila over what my perfect date looked like, and copied it exactly. We watched movies, talked, and cuddled. He asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes, but the next day we both decided it was too rushed. So, we agreed to wait until after filming is finished to start a relationship.” Joe listened closely and brought you in for a hug, shocking you at first.

“I’m so sorry for telling you how to live your life. I just didn’t want you to get hurt. I now see how much Ben means to you, so I will support whatever decision you two make. I want you to be happy, and if you’re happy with Ben and forgiven him, then I’m happy.” A smile broke out onto both yours and Ben’s face, thanking him for being so understanding.

Since then, Joe has kept quiet about your guys’ choice. But now, you didn’t care who knew about your feelings towards Ben. You guys were always together, it was obvious there was something going on between you two. You were always flirty towards one another, sometimes obvious, sometimes low-key. Gwilym would always catch you guys hugging, and it was actually starting to annoy everyone at how close you had become. They just wanted you two to date already. But, Ben kept his promise and has continued to wait for you. He knew you wanted to get to know each other a lot more, so you spent every single night for the last three months in his trailer; yours was eventually taken over by some other minor character since you were released from filming, and you had essentially “moved in” with Ben in his. You would either sit in his trailer when he was filming, or you would join him and the others on set. Every single night after dinner, you two would talk for hours, eventually falling asleep in each other’s arms. You were so happy with how understanding and patient Ben was with this.

Today was the last day of filming, so you of course were going to accompany the cast on set with them while they filmed the final scene. You woke up in Ben’s trailer alone, a little piece of paper resting on his pillow next to your head.

I let you sleep in, we don’t begin filming until 12, but I had to be there early. You looked so peaceful and beautiful, I didn’t want to wake you. Come see me when you get this.

Love you lots,

Ben ♡

Your heart soared as you read through the note over and over. You checked your phone and saw it was 11:45, fifteen minutes until they began filming. You jumped up and quickly got dressed, staying in your sweats, but changing your shirt to one of Ben’s laying around. You also slipped on a hoodie of his, since they had become your favorite thing in the world. You grabbed your phone and ran out the door, making your way to the set. Today, they are filming the scene where Freddie first joins the others and they perform Keep Yourself Alive for the first time with him. So, the set was some tiny space transformed into a dingy-looking bar, the fake stage placed ten feet away from the makeshift bar.

You arrived in less than five minutes and made your way over to Ben. He had his back turned to you, talking to Gwilym, who noticed you right away. He kept a straight face, focusing back on Ben. You slowly crept up on him, placing your hands on his waist. He jumped a little from the sudden touch and turned around to see who the culprit was. A smile lit up his features when he noticed it was just you, bringing you in for a hug. Your arms were still around his waist, softly rubbing his back.

“Last day, are you ready?” You asked when he pulled away to get a good look at you. He was decked out in an early 70s Roger look, which was a very tight, red patterned shirt that defined his muscles, especially his biceps, and a pair of black pants. His wig was switched out for one that was straighter, a little bit longer, and darker than the one he had worn for the majority of the film.

“Yeah, very. I’m so ready to be done so everyone can finally see and enjoy it. Although I am nervous about what people are going to think of me as Roger. Because-” You reached up to cover his mouth and shook your head.

“We’ll talk about that later, alright? Focus on finishing everything and celebrating with everyone on your guys’ success.” He nodded and hugged you again, continuing to rub his back knowing it calmed him down a lot. You knew something had been off with him recently. You pushed your thoughts away and left Ben for a second to talk to Gwil and Joe for a little. Ben couldn’t stand being away from you for too long, so he of course joined, this time resting his hands on your waist as he stood behind you. He didn’t join in the conversation, but instead admired how well you got along with them.

The director announced it was time to start, so Ben leaned down to press a kiss to your cheek before strolling over to his drum set. You stood in the same spot, a blush creeping up your neck as you then moved out of the way to a small isolated area. You could seen Ben at his drum set clearly, which made you happy because you love watching him play. He told you the many stories of him practicing hard for the part, of course after he lied about being able to play them. He literally spent weeks preparing for the first day, locking himself in his trailer for six hours to practice.

The cameras started rolling and everyone took their places. “ACTION” was yelled, so Gwilym started the scene with his line.

“We have some new fresh faces. This John Deacon, our bass player. And our new lead singer, Freddie Bul-bulsara. Freddie Bulsara.”

“That’s right,” Rami nodded.

“And Roger, of course. Biggest member of them all.” Ben smirked at the crowd, catching your eyes. You didn’t want to sound selfish or crazy, but you could’ve sworn that it was directed at you. They continued on, beginning to play Keep Yourself Alive. You tapped your foot along to the beat of Ben’s drumming, staring straight at him the entire time. You always knew how handsome and cute he was, but dressed as young Roger Taylor, damn, he was attractive. He played through the song, giving Rami weird looks as he changed the lyrics like he was scripted to. He rolled his eyes at one point, and you couldn’t handle it anymore.

You still wanted to wait to start a relationship, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t kiss him, right? The shooting continued with ease, going through it a couple more times to perfect it. The four were starting to get anxious to finish, so when the final shot started, they put their all into it and tried to make it their best.

“AND CUT! THAT’S A WRAP EVERYONE!” The director yelled, causing everyone in the small set cheer loudly and celebrate, including you. Ben left his drum set quickly and pulled the other three into a huge hug. They all stood there for a few seconds, probably talking privately to each other and let out their emotions. You stayed put, letting them have a moment, they all have grown so close these past six months. They broke apart and went around, hugging and shaking hands with members of the crew, and finally Ben spotted you, a grin on his lips, running towards you immediately.

He reached you and picked you up, spinning you around as you giggled loudly. He set you down, the grin still on his face, his hands resting on your waist again.

“I’m so proud of you, Ben. You did it!” He chuckled and nodded.

“I’m proud of you as well. You were so amazing for your first movie.”

“It was the smallest part. I was only in two scenes. And I didn’t have any lines,” you shook your head.

“Hey, love. Look at me,” he lifted your chin with his finger so you could look into his eyes.

“Weren’t you saying months ago you’d be happy if you were an extra in the crowd?” He whispered. You nodded a little, still looking into his eyes.

“What happened then?” You shrugged, finally averting your eyes to the floor.

“How about we go back to my trailer and just talk?” He suggested.

“Isn’t everyone going out to celebrate the end of filming?” You knew they were supposed to, and you didn’t want to take him away from the group.

“It was changed to tomorrow, we figured everyone would be exhausted after today, and switched it.” You nodded and grabbed his hand, asking him if he wanted to meet with anyone else before you left. His eyes widened and apologized, saying something about forgetting to say goodbye to one of his favorite crew members who helped him with his drums.

While you were waiting, Gwilym and Joe came up to you. You congratulated them both, giving them hugs and talking for a few. Ben soon returned, interrupting your conversation. You said bye to the two and left with Ben on the way to his trailer. He dropped you off and quickly ran to change out of his costume. You made yourself at home, lying back on his bed and closing your eyes, enjoying the peace for a few moments. You must’ve dozed off for a little and when he finally returned, he immediately started apologizing on how long it took. He stopped once he noticed you cuddled up with his pillow, light breaths escaping your lips. He smiled and kicked his shoes off, unzipping his jacket, which left him shirtless. He tried not to wake you as he laid down next to you, but he failed when you stirred and sleepily looked up at him.

“How long was I asleep for?” You whispered, moving to cuddle into his chest.

“Not long. You must’ve fallen asleep while I was changing out of my costume. I’m sorry it took so long, I got carried away talking to the crew there, thanking them for making me look my best,” he joked, wrapping an arm around you.

“Ben?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you scared people aren’t going to like you as Roger?” You asked, bringing up the comment from earlier. He sighed, his chest rising with the action.

“We look completely different. Gwilym is literally an exact copy of Brian, there’s only a few differences between John and Joe, and Rami played Freddie so well, there were times I actually thought it was him. But me? I have such broad shoulders, my thighs are huge, my eye shape looks nothing like his, and our voices, don’t get me started. And I couldn’t even play the drums. I bet drummers all over London and America auditioned, probably look more like him than me. I-”

“Ben, shut up! There’s a reason they chose you to play him. They thought you looked the most like him out of anyone that auditioned. Sure, there are some appearance differences, but there are some with the whole cast and the band. Well, except for Gwilym because he really is an exact copy, it’s scary.” He laughed lightly at your comment and stared into your eyes. He still didn’t say anything, so you continued.

“But, there were times you looked just like Roger. Like during Doing All Right, when Smile performed, you looked exactly like Roger, it was crazy.” He gazed at you lovingly, his green eyes sparkling in the sunlight beaming through the windows.

“I love you, (Y/N),” he whispered.

“I love you too, Ben.” You leaned up and your lips quickly met. He sighed softly as he had been thinking about kissing you all day. Little did he know, you were thinking the same thing.

His tongue slipped past your lips, meeting yours as the kiss deepened. He moved his body so he was now above you, his forearms laying right next to your head, and your hands trailing up his back. He put so much passion into the kiss, you didn’t know why but you didn’t care. He pulled away, breathing heavily, but continued. His plump lips traveled down to your neck, pressing soft, open-mouthed kisses all over. He stopped at one spot to suck lightly, which of course left a mark.

He made his way back up to your lips, proud of himself for ‘marking you.’ You two made out for a little while longer before he finally pulled away. Your tried catching your breath as Ben continued to press small, light kisses all over your face.

“You’re being very affectionate tonight,” you commented. You two have never kissed for this long before, it was always short and sweet kisses, usually before you went to sleep.

“Just wanted to show how much I care about you, and always will. No matter what. I promised I would wait until you’re ready to start a relationship, and I wanted to remind you again that I intend on keeping that promise.” Your eyes watered a little as you looked up at him. He was staring at you so tenderly, which made you melt.

“I know, I trust you. I love you, and I’m so thankful you are willing to wait,” you breathed out, your hand reaching up to stroke his cheek.

“You’re worth the wait, love.”

part 5

[frederator-studios]

Graham McTavish: The Frederator Interview

At the moment, Graham McTavish is in Malta getting his head torn off by a Werewolf. Jack Bauer once rammed a fire poker through his chest then slit his throat. He’s been set on fire, drowned, strangled, stabbed, speared, knifed, shot - not to mention, kneed in the balls, punched in the face, even slammed over the back with a log by an over-eager young performer. All in a day’s work for the Scottish actor, who’s played the baddest of baddies on a slew of excellent dramas-with-a-twist, from Preacher to Outlander, 24 to Castlevania. But Graham himself doesn’t view his characters as ‘villains’ - just passionate, complex people, of which Dracula (though he’d resent to be called “human”) is the embodiment. Read on for Graham’s take on playing one of literature’s most iconic, dangerous anti-heroes—from the relative safety of a recording studio.

Are you in LA long?

I’m flying out tonight actually, back to New Zealand. My kids are there, so I split my time. I’m doing Lucifer at the moment for Netflix as well as Castlevania, so I had to come back for a day, yesterday - I flew back just for that. (wow whaaa?) Yeah. I do a lot of traveling, but even for me that’s insane! It’s also unusual for the scheduling to work out perfectly, which it does the next few months. I have an episode gap now, then in October, I do a film in Malta, and the day that wraps, come back to LA to finish Lucifer, and the day after that, fly to Canada to do a film with Willem Dafoe about the Iditarod. I’ve got to learn how to mush a dog sled.

That’s awesome. It’s like getting sponsored to learn a cool obscure skill.

It’s definitely a nice side effect of being an actor. What other job would allow you to learn how to mush a dog sled, unless you were actually becoming a professional dog sled musher? It’ll be great.

How is it for you to switch between characters, with so little time between roles sometimes?

It really depends on your approach to acting. I approach from the point of view of a child. I have two young children, and the great thing about being that age, is they can switch from one thing to another in an instant. Very fluid. I think because I’ve never trained as an actor, I can see work as play. Some actors live as a cobbler for 5 years to play a cobbler, and that’s what works for them. Personally, I pretend. When I'm mushing dogs, I will give the illusion that I really know what I'm doing. That’s what acting is: an illusion that the audience willingly participates in. And everybody is complicit.

You didn’t have professional training?

No. I used to write comic sketches at school with a friend of mine, and we didn't trust anybody else to perform them, so we did. The Drama teacher at school asked me on many occasions to be in a play, but I always said no. Then on one occasion, he asked me to step into a play called “The Rivals” by Sheridan, filling in for an actor who’d fallen ill three days before the production was due to be performed. I said yes. To this day, I have no idea why I agreed. But I did the play, and was of course bitten by the acting bug.

After that, a local Dramatics company asked me to join them, so I did amateur theatre for a year. Then I attended Queen Mary College London University and majored in English literature. I was lucky enough to have a professor who loved Shakespeare and Jacobean drama, and he cast me in all of those plays. As an English Lit major, I was doing two or three Shakespeare plays a year, performing roles that I never would have been given if I'd been at Drama School. I'm not against it, but I don't think it's for everyone. I got my union card in Britain after doing a Beckett play, and then just started working professionally. I also did a lot of Repertory Theatre in the UK, which I think is a great training ground for actors. So it was all slightly accidental, the case with a lot of people.

How did you choose to play Dracula? What about that part compelled you?

I played him onstage once, a great experience. Dracula is the sort of character people love guiltily. If you get the opportunity to play that, it's a no-brainer. Just reading Bram Stoker’s book, your sympathy is with Dracula, in many ways. You live the story through him. It's such a wonderful ride to be playing a man whose been alive for hundreds and hundreds of years. Dracula plays to our secret desires, our secret fears. I think in all of us, there is a fascination with the idea of living forever. Fear of living forever, and fear of death; the Dracula myth plays on that edge. It’s so powerful because it takes something that we all have to face one day and says, what if you didn’t? But in gaining immortality, you lose something very important. Dracula is very enviable in some ways, but is also deeply sad and tragic.

How is it, playing tragic characters?

Among the few advantages of getting older is you have more life experience, including with tragedy. It’s inevitable. And you can draw on those memories. But you can also draw on your fears as well. I did a scene in Outlander, toward the end, where my brother is dying. I thought of my own father, and all the things I never said to him. Those emotions definitely informed that scene. When tragedy and death and loss touch your life, you carry those feelings into your future.

Are you an animation fan?

I love animation, I grew up with it. Along with books, it was my first experience of storytelling. Cartoons, as we called them; they fired my childhood imagination. It’s like how we were talking earlier, about children, and the profundity of animation to them. The first film I saw in a theatre was Walt Disney’s Peter Pan. I was five and had no question that those characters were real. To such an extent that when they took the posters down at the cinema, I got upset. I was like, “But where’s Peter? Where’s he gone?” Because I thought Peter lived in the cinema. I still get absorbed into great pieces of animation, when the artistry is powerful, and it’s part of my attraction to doing animated work. And this show, Castlevania, is particularly beautiful.

How were you introduced to the project, and did you have expectations going in?

I knew it was going to be great. I was recording Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when the Voice and Casting Director, Meredith Layne, pulled me aside. She said she was on a project and couldn’t tell me much, but she thought I’d be a fit, and would I like to be considered? Meredith has great taste, so I said “Of course” and sent in a tape. And when I heard that Warren Ellis was the writer, that was a huge attraction. I love his comic book work, and fiction as well. The Crooked Little Vein is one of my favorite books. Really, it couldn’t not be great, and the more I learned of the creative team behind it, the more sure I was. Everything put into the show - the casting, directing, producing, animation - elevates it so hugely above anything comparable. I love that it occupies this unique space.

What do you feel Castlevania’s Dracula uniquely brings to the character?

It’s his being human that makes it so interesting. When I portrayed Dracula onstage, there was no suggestion that that version of him felt love, or experienced empathy. But in this production, a woman, Lisa, takes him by surprise. She makes him feel, and turns his life around. I love that, because everybody can relate. You think your life is one way, then you meet someone who changes everything, opens your life up, makes you think about it differently - and makes it more enjoyable to be alive. And since Dracula is essentially dead, that irony is very clever.

Do you have a favorite representation of vampires in Media?

I'm a little biased, but I love the portrayal of Cassidy by Joe Gilgun in Preacher. It’s so unconventional. Herzog’s Nosferatu springs to mind, just incredible. Gary Oldman’s Dracula is wonderful. And I loved Let the Right One In, the original Swedish version. It’s genius. It took something familiar as a vampire story and gave it a whole new spin.

You work so much in the fantasy genre - is that purposeful?

Oh yeah. I love the variety. I've been a Viking, a Roman - twice - after always dreaming of playing one, I got to be one for a whole year. Growing up in the UK, you never imagine yourself getting to be a cowboy. On the first season of Preacher, there was a scene I rode into a western town: the whole duster coat with the Stetson guns, surrounded by horses and wagon trains, all the paraphernalia. I had to look cool and unbothered. I wanted to jump up and down in excitement. I was so, pathetically excited. I did a season of 24, and I’d been a huge fan. Every day I’d go up to the producers telling them I was a huge fan. After a while, they’d say, “Yeah, great, we get it. You like the show. You’re in it now, so if you could just be the character that’d be great.”

And I still get a pathetically childish enjoyment out of playing Dracula. What kid doesn’t want to play Dracula?! I once talked to Lance Henriksen, and he said one of the reasons he went into acting was to be thousands of people. You get to be a cowboy and a vampire and a dog musher and a Highlander in the 18th century and a dwarf in Middle Earth. I'd definitely rather do any of that than put on a suit and do a courtroom scene. Not that I wouldn’t! I’ve just never been asked. No one’s ever looked at me and said, “Let’s cast him as The Dad.”

Have you ever played a “Castlevania” game?

I am a terrible game player.

But, but - your voice is in like every game of the past decade!

Yes, I have done loads of video games. I did a franchise called “Uncharted”. Award-winning; incredibly popular. Never played them. I played one game years ago with my friend, called “Gears of War”. I was so bad at it. I'm the guy that shoots in a circle around his feet. I’m useless at them.

Your character's bad-assery makes up for it. Anything to say to fans of the show, in advance of season two?

I just really hope you enjoy it and get carried along with the story and and want to see more. That’s always the greatest thing, if you can get the fans to clamor for more ❀

Follow Graham on Twitter and Instagram

Thank you for the interview Graham! Without a doubt, you’re the kindest chronic bad guy I’ve come across. 

- Cooper ❀

(Craving another CV interview? Read Richard Armitage’s here.)

[themightofmovies]

“Avengers: Endgame” Film Review

Overall score: 9.5/10

The climactic film of Marvel Studios’ 23-film series known as the Infinity Saga doesn’t disappoint. Fans will be incredibly emotional, surprised, and happy with the references to comics. (Quick note: those who have just started watching the MCU shouldn’t watch this movie yet) The parts of the film which stood out to me the most were the performances (particularly the original 6 Avengers), the screenplay, and the direction.

The 6 original Avengers (portrayed by Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner) have undergone a 7-year journey together (11 if you count the in-universe years), and their sense of kinship really shines in the film, particularly in the final quarter. Of course, in the events of the prior MCU film Captain America: Civil War, Steve Rogers (Evans) and Tony Stark (Downey, Jr.) display hostility towards each other, and their memorable performances really brought to the audience their transformation from teammates, to foes, to teammates once again. The other four inaugural Avengers also stand out, of course, and each in their own unique way.

In the case of Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner), it is shown he’s become a vigilante (at the beginning of the film) in the wake of the traumatic events at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. He’s ruthless, but once he encounters Black Widow (Johansson) in Japan, it becomes obvious that he has remorse for his actions, and that he’s simply doing it out of despair from inexplicably losing his family. He reconciles with Black Widow, and the emotions that ran through the characters at the moment effortlessly emanated to the audience. He doesn’t want to be the way he was; he wants to be purer. And by the end of the film, it is obvious that he achieved his goal.

With Black Widow, it is necessary to recall that she was a former Russian spy who eventually came to the USA, seeking to wipe the red from her ledger. In becoming an Avenger (way back in 2012), it can be argued that she accomplished this goal. Her other goal, which is more pathos-fueled than dealing with her ledger, is to find a family; trustworthy people to surround herself with. And the cruel genius of Endgame is that her arc comes to a close when her life ends; it was apparent that Hawkeye (and the other Avengers) were her family.

In the case of the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), his arc surprisingly concludes near the beginning of the film. Throughout the course of all of his films, he has been trying to find a way to get rid of the Hulk; however, he then decided to start embracing his alter ego. Thus, the amiable Professor Hulk was created, and a lot of time is saved by simply mentioning his process of transformation rather than showing it.

Thor’s arc is actually a much shorter one: from Infinity War to Endgame. He had failed in the task of successfully killing Thanos, but he actually kills Thanos near the beginning of Endgame. Despite finally succeeding in his task, he becomes depressed and drunk, made obvious in a 5-year transition. However, by the end of the film, he is able to shape himself up, and go off with the Guardians of the Galaxy; he feels that being king is too much responsibility for him.

In terms of the screenplay, I felt that Endgame was quite unique. Some might interpret the plot’s use of time travel as a deus ex machina, but let it be known that they still struggled during their Time Heist. The characters’ dialogue (particularly that of Thanos) felt genuine and powerful. And of course, we can’t forget the two masterminds behind this whole project: Anthony and Joe Russo. The ability to coordinate so many people (not just actors!) on the job is very difficult, and I really respect the Russo brothers for being able to make Endgame that enjoyable.

The only complaint I have about the film is that the runtime stands at 3 hours and 2 minutes, which is about 22 minutes longer than Endgame’s prequel. Even though the film was overall exciting, I think that Endgame might have received even better reviews if they had shortened some of the smaller-scale battle scenes.

If you’ve seen Endgame in theaters, but haven’t on DVD or streaming, it is highly advisable that you purchase and watch it as soon as you’re able to.

It surely is a mighty movie!

[ohscorbus]

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Saturday 1st September, 2018

Another one of my ‘better late than never’ recaps! I did actually write this a few days after the show but then life got in the way and I haven’t had chance to edit/post it until now.

But happy (belated) 1st September, everyone : ) Enjoy the following: Albus feels, left handed Scorpius confirmation, general Draco flailing, and Jonathan being Jonathan. If that alone doesn’t sell it to you then nothing will.

Act One, Scene Two

“Okay, then. Bye.” - Albus was so awkward before and after the hug with his dad on the platform. Not in a way ‘I don’t want to do this’ kind of way but in a ‘this is goodbye and I’m not sure I’m ready but I’m going to act like I am’ kind of way. But he was the one who gestured to his dad that they hug. Which was nice. Then after he’s hugged both his parents he turned back and placed his hands on his trolley and let out a big breath and awkwardly waved goodbye before leaving. He’s so nervous...

Act One, Scene Four

While Harry and Albus are arguing here it’s easy to forget the people walking around them. But then I spotted Delphi. She was walking past behind them and then just before she got to the wings, she looked back at Harry and Albus (still arguing) and she smirked before she walked off out of sight. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of moment but it was a reminder that she’s watching. That this plan has been in motion before Albus decided to jump off the train. 

“Is there anything...?” - Before he said this, Albus started to reach over as if to go for Scorpius’s hand but stopped himself just before he did. His hand just kind of lingered there in the space between them for a split second before he pulled it back. It broke my heart. You see, this is Albus Severus Potter. He doesn’t know what to do but he does knows he wants to comfort his best friend. Words fail him but he could do this. He comes from a very tactile family, it’s evident in the scenes before first year and after they’ve reunited in Godric’s Hollow. Albus is physically comfortable with the people he’s close with. So this moment here showed us just how close he’s become with Scorpius. I think the only reason he hesitated was because he didn’t know how Scorpius would react, and Scorpius’s need is more important to him than his own need to comfort him. What was interesting is that Scorpius then did the exact same thing before his “and be my good friend” line. They’re both reaching out for each other, quite literally, and failing to connect. It’s awkward and full of uncertainty and yet their need for each other can still be seen from space.

Lily ran over to Gryffindor and straight to James once she’d been sorted and I’ve never noticed their high five before? Or special sibling version of it anyway. It was super sweet. It says a lot about their relationship and the kind of family this version of the Potters are. It fits so well with Jamie’s ‘cool dad that’s actually super embarrassing but endearing’ Harry.

At one point, I think it might have been as he walked off stage before the wand dance in this scene, Scorpius turned and flicked his robe back as he disappeared into the wings and it was so Draco it was unreal. James literally does the same thing. I was cackling. Although on the surface, Draco and Scorpius may be miles apart, they’re actually really not. Oh these Dramatic Malfoys...

Act One, Scene Seven

Albus here usually plays with or unfolds the blanket here. I like the symbolism of it. Albus pulling apart his dad’s past. But today Albus was spinning the folded blanket between his fingers and this was even more fascinating because the spinning reminded me of the Time-Turner, and how he will go on to once again hold his dad’s history in his hands and turn it. It’s all right there. In the frustrated spinning of a boy who’s struggling to connect even though it’s all within his reach. I really hope Joe keeps doing this!

I saw flashes of anger on Albus’s face after his dad said that line today. Not unusual for an Albus, but it is for this Albus. Joe’s Albus is never so visibly crushed as Theo or defensive as Sam. He internalises the hurt and masks his reaction with this false confidence. He knows it’s true and calls his dad out on that. Those lines, ‘yes you did’ and ‘you meant it dad’, are said as a statement. Not a question or a worry he needs his dad to contradict.

Act One, Scene Ten

Albus pushed Scorpius forward towards the window and Scorpius immediately fell straight back into him because there’s no way he’s climbing out of that window thank you very much is still A+. I really love Albus realising he’s not going to move and then moving him out of the way, telling him to “just wait” and “just watch” and then moving his robe out of the way and climbing up himself. He doesn’t need to look back, he knows Scorpius will follow.

Act One, Scene Sixteen

This might be a weird thing to notice but I love that both Joe and Jonathan are playing the Polyjuice transformation scene with a numb tongue once they’ve drank it. It reminds me of that feeling you get when you eat/drink something that makes your tongue go all tingly. Plus it’s hilarious to watch. Albus is trying to talk through it, while Scorpius ended up just shaking his head with his tongue kinda hanging out. Honestly... :’)

Act Two, Scene Six

You know, I hadn’t actually cried at this scene yet with this cast. Then today happened. As soon as I saw those tears in Joe’s eyes the second he was on stage, I knew I was a goner. He seemed to have it under control until Scorpius started to awkwardly admit he was a tiny bit scared. There was this pause after and then the tears fell. He sounded so choked up as he said ‘you’re my best friend too’. It broke my heart. I’ve never seen Joe’s Albus so emotional. Watching him having to wipe away the tears falling down his face had mine falling just as fast.

Act Two, Scene Seven

So during the first task, a few of the other students (*cough* the Slytherins *cough*) boo when Bagman announces Harry. This instantly caused a reaction in Albus which I’d never seen to this extent before. He stepped forward and looked round at them all, his feelings of anger quite evident from the frown on his face. It was super interesting because while he’s still mad at his dad he clearly didn’t want or like other people disrespecting him. That’s his dad. Someone shouting ’scar head’ seemed to be the last straw for him. His expression darkened further and then a strange look crossed his face as he shrunk back into the crowd alongside Scorpius. I wonder if that ‘Harry Potter’ illusion fractured for him in that moment. Albus obviously knows his dad’s story, but I wonder how much he knows. Seeing his dad be subjected the same bullying he endures daily seemed to shake him. I hope they have a conversation about this at some point later. That’s the kind of thing Albus needs to hear from his dad, not how great Hogwarts was for Harry Potter. It’s a bit like how knowing his dad was almost sorted into Slytherin too would have helped!

Act Two, Scene Eight

Albus sat up as soon as he woke up in the hospital wing and Harry was there immediately. He stood next to his bed and shhh-ed him as he rubbed his back to try and calm him. It says a lot about what state Albus is in to allow that and also, more importantly, what their relationship used to be. That was a father instinctively calming his child. Like a young Albus waking up in that manner from a nightmare or illness was something he’s dealt with many times. He knows how to comfort him and even now, does not hesitate. I loved it.

Have I mentioned how Jamie B imitates Madam Pomfrey’s voice as he says ‘most contrary of directions’? I love it. He’s not mocking her, but simply using humour to deal with the situation. Very Albus.

I can’t remember exactly which line it was, but at some point during this scene once they start to disagree, Albus threw the chocolate his dad gave him towards the end of his bed and looked pointedly at his dad. It felt like a rejection of Harry, a petty one, but it was effective. Well, for what you’d expect from a teenager anyway.

Act Two, Scene Thirteen

“What did I miss?” - Draco and Harry simultaneously pointed at one another and gave her a look that said they shouldn’t even need to explain because the person they were pointing at was enough of an answer. It was hilarious and had a childish quality to it. It really suits the tone of this scene and it’s like they’re teenagers again. But worse. It’s the best.

Act Two, Scene Nineteen

If you get to see this cast, I beg you, don’t take your eyes off Joe in this scene. He does so many little things that are 1) great to watch, and 2) tell you so much about his Albus. His reaction to Scorpius realising why they’re there is golden. He’s so proud and as someone who loves Albus, it’s always great to see him be happy at Hogwarts and proud of something he’s achieved. Although the moment is gone in a flash when he realises Scorpius is about to call Myrtle ‘Moaning Myrtle’. He tries to stop him but doesn’t and then he just cringes but also didn’t seem the least bit surprised as Myrtle goes on the defensive and Scorpius fails to regain control. He does try and save him though. While Myrtle is repeatedly asking Scorpius what her name is, Albus is silently mouthing ‘Myrtle’ over and over again at him behind her back. He’s even swiping his hand across his neck to emphasis not including the ‘moaning’ part. Poor Scorpius must be awful at charades though because he just copies the gesture and panics as he tries to understand. Fear not, it takes him a few seconds but he does get there in the end. Have I said yet how much I love this duo? Not just Albus and Scorpius but Joe and Jonathan too. We’ve never had such a double act before. From their first scene together to their last, they portray the familiarity of friendship in such a real way. That’s what you do with your best friend. You communicate in your own language. (Figuratively speaking.) Joe and Jonathan show that beautifully. It’s in every scene.

Act Three, Scene Seven

“You’re constantly surprised by it” - When Scorpius was telling Ron and Hermione about them being in love in the other reality, he had his hand on his heart and his expression and tone was pure awe. His heart was melting. It was just so painfully obvious he adores the fact they love each other and are meant to be together in every timeline. Scorpius loving love is beyond sweet and all I want to talk about. We asked Jonathan about it afterwards and he said Scorpius loves romance and most definitely wants it for himself. (*Clutches chest* My heart.)

Can we also talk about how Scorpius reads Rita Skeeter’s book about Ron and Hermione? Does he know the differences because their story is so well known, or does it know it so well because he’s read the same book back in his reality? That’s the real question here. Actually, you know what? That sounds like something Scorpius would absolutely do, if he wasn’t so upset over Albus and stressed about his situation of course. He’d totally be in the library, re-reading all the books he knows off by heart just so he could see if there are any differences. Nerd.

Act Three, Scene Ten

You know who I love in this scene? Draco Malfoy. The range of moments that cross his face while no one is looking go from one extreme to the other. He’s young teenage Draco levels of smug as McGonagall tells Hermione off. Then when McGonagall mentions how stupid she’s been for keeping the Time-Turner, Draco looked down and ashamed, like he was the one getting told off. I’m sure even though he knows her words weren’t aimed at him, they must stick with him long after he’s left her office.

Then when McGonagall says Christmas is cancelled, he’s shocked and heartbroken. That smirk is gone in an instant. You can see he so desperately wants to interrupt her the second she says it. He genuinely seems upset here, over both his son’s happiness and his own. (The prospect of facing a Christmas alone must be awful.) The worried look on his face says he’ll plead his case to get his son back with him. It’s interesting because you’d expect him to demand it, but his body language didn’t say that at all. He’s a Malfoy, yes, but this is McGonagall. You know what, can we talk about that actually? About how much respect Draco has for McGonagall all the way through the play. It’s in the little things like his polite nod in acknowledgement when they pass each other in the Ministry meeting. Or how he uses his foot to sweep the mess from the Floo after he’s come through into her office each time. I love seeing these things. Every single time. But anyway, back to my point. Draco hides what’s going on inside so much, that to see him relax that a bit here is interesting. It also goes to show how much stress he was under. Yet now he’s got his son back safe and sound (and the trio are getting a telling off - bonus!), you can see the difference that weight being taken off his shoulders has made. 

Act Three, Scene Fourteen

“Then you can help me destroy this” - As soon as Albus saw what Scorpius had, he got up and walked away from his bed and faced away from Scorpius. He forced himself to breathe out while he had his hand on his heart and was patting it frantically, as if mimicking it’s erratic beating in this clearly stressful moment. It was funny but also a brilliant insight into the Albus that has to deal with Scorpius. Not in a bad way, but in that ‘my friend is insane’ kind of way. You know, the kind of people you have in your life that you love and wouldn’t change even though you’re sure they’ll be the death of you one day :’) He see that a lot with Joe’s Albus and it’s brilliant. It was also great to see Albus using the same breathing techniques he’s used with Scorpius before to help him breathe through overwhelming situations.

Act Three, Scene Nineteen

So April’s Delphi is so vicious and genuinely the most terrifying Delphi we’ve ever had. Whenever I hear she’s on I look forward to the pain she will inevitably cause me (and Albus and Scorpius) in this scene. She does this really cool thing where she kneels behind Albus (who’s sat on the floor) and she holds him from behind whilst aiming her wand at Scorpius. So from Albus’s point of view, it looks like he’s the one aiming his wand at Scorpius. She’s done this with both Theo and Joe, and they’ve both tried to look away but she holds their heads, forcing them to look at Scorpius who’s still on the floor opposite them. It breaks Albus every time. He’s never looked more pained than he does in that moment. Then she lets go and he crumbles. That moment really shatters something inside Albus. It’s all there in front of him in black and white. It’s his fault. Time. Craig. Scorpius.

Act Four, Scene Two

The shared confusion on Albus and Scorpius’s faces at the station master is second only to the calm that overtakes Albus’s when he decides to ‘let’ Scorpius deal with it. He gives him a little “go on then” as he motions for him to go. The best part? Scorpius just goes. It’s not until he’s walked a bit away and already got the station masters attention that he looks back at Albus with utter panic anyone with social anxiety would understand. Except Albus by this point had turned his back and while it appears he’s left his friend in the lurch, he is actually listening and trying to decipher what’s being said. It means once Scorpius has failed to deal with it and the station master then approaches Albus, he’s a little bit prepared. Such a Slytherin move. I’m also laughing because all I hear when I watch them do this in this scene is Draco saying how his son is a follower and not a leader. That statement has never been more true than with this Scorpius. There’s so much blind trust in his relationship with Albus. Luckily he’s invested that in the right person. No wonder Draco was afraid. Someone could easily abuse that power. 

Act Four, Scene Five

There are a few things that will always melt my heart. Babies. Small animals. Small, baby animals. Oh and Scorpius Malfoy aww-ing over a baby. Samuel’s Scorpius did this once and I feel like I’ve only just recovered from it. So thanks Jonathan. Thank you for acknowledging how adorable baby Harry is and not being afraid to show it. Because even if Albus didn’t join in, I did.

Act Four, Scene Eleven

Fun fact: Jamie B is my favourite Harry. I adore him. But please, for my sake as well as his, somebody get him to stand a little bit further away from the flames in St. Jerome’s. He’s practically stood on top of them and it causes me great distress every single time. Maybe it’s because I saw the show where they accidentally dropped the bench on Harry so I know things can go wrong in this scene... *sigh* Look, Jamie B, you may be Harry Potter but you’re not flame resistant. I should not be spending my evenings looking up what to do if someone accidentally catches fire. (STOP, DROP, AND ROLL, POTTER.)

Act Four, Scene Fourteen

Albus doing air quotes as he talks about the walk and it being a bonding thing is such an Albus thing.

Scorpius hesitating over Rose strolling over is funny, what’s hilarious is how Albus pushes him forward (and essentially down the stairs to his doom) with a silent, “go on then”. (One day he’s going to do an ‘Anthony’ and actually fall here and I think it’s going to cause me more harm than Jonathan.)

Act Four, Scene Fifteen

“That heart is a good one” - It was this line and all that it implied that finally made Albus crack today. He turned away and walked away for a second and tried to regain some composure. Joe’s Albus showing that level of emotion is not good for my own emotional wellbeing. Thanks Joe.

Additional (but super important) points:

You’ll be glad to know we have another left handed Scorpius!!! (Bless you, Jonathan.) That’s four out of the six confirmed. (The London casts anyway.) It’s such an unusually high number that I’m absolutely convinced it’s a Scorpius thing. The boy is just suppose to be left handed. Thankfully it’s something the actors also believe to be true so I hope you all accept and embrace left handed Scorpius into your lives. You’ll be better for it. Think about it. The elbow wars and ink smudges... such a suitable disaster. 

Talking of hands. Finger guns. Albus is a very big fan of them. What a nerd. I love that about him. He judges Scorpius but he’s just as bad, if not worse sometimes. I’m torn between the idea of it being a Scorpius thing that Albus has subconsciously picked up. Or it being completely an Albus thing and it slowly becoming something Scorpius picks up. Draco would be horrified. Or better yet, he’s not and he picks it up too. Or at leat does it to embarrass his son haha.