#i still have to watch a couple from her filmography but the other two i have watched are split (which :•/) and hatym which i hated :•]

[airenyah]

Your essay on Joong's underrated acting skills deepened my Joong appreciation so much, that I watched Mafia the Series, I'm watching Ploy's Yearbook (even though there is a serious lack of Joong so far), and I'm planning on watching The Warp Effect too. I haven't watched het shows in over ten years, so this is a big deal! 😂 I really liked him with Dunk in their shows, but MTS gave me another facet of him, because he's so timid in it, unlike in SIMM and HA, where he's (seemingly) very cool and in control. So thank you for making me a full time Joong (and Dunk) girl 💜

i saw this message first thing in the morning when i woke up yesterday and it instantly put me in a good mood!!! <3

YESSSSSS I'M SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT

mafia the series might actually be my absolute fave thai het-show, it's just SO funny!!!! and the entire cast is so great, like, not just joong but the entire cast plays off each other SO well. and don't even get me started on gina virahya and her portrayal of anna kondra!!!!

you know, when i went into mafia the series i saw the poster and was like "ughh i really am gonna have to sit through this standard (overly) dramatic mafia show just for joong, huh. the things i do for my boy..." and then. AND THEN. you can imagine my surprise. i was crying tears of laughter throughout the show and i was actually laughing so hard that my mom made a comment about how she could hear my laugh in my room

beam is my loser boy and joong portrays him in such an adorably awkward way, i love it <333

and yes there IS a serious lack of joong in ploy's yearbook so far :((((

it was quite funny tho bc in the one scene where joong does show up i immediately recognized him by the back of his head, like!! i saw this:

and instantly went "OH there's my boy!!!!!" 😂😂😂

and i can't wait to see him with film bc film did extremely well with gun in not me and i feel like film and joong will also work together really well

you know, i'm always happy to turn people into full time joong (and dunk) girls!!!!!!

i've adored them ever since simm which i watched live from ep2 onwards. fun fact, actually: when i started simm i actually had no idea who they were (even though technically i'd seen dunk in bad buddy already, except i wasn't paying attention to the random high school bandmates and so i didn't actually recognize dunk and only realized later on ahahah)

aaaanyway, i had no idea who they were, right? and so in 2022 my mom and i spent two nights in prague during easter and in the evening we were in our hotel room and we were kinda looking for something to watch. and i was like "hey look, gmmtv has a new bl out and it looks kinda cute and fluffy judging by the thumbnails?? and like something that doesn't require too much brain power?? plus, there's also only two eps out so far, so we'll be caught up right away" and so we watched the first two episodes and then the two of us ended up watching every new ep together every week hahaha

i actually didn't really talk about it on tumblr back then and when you go back on my blog you'll see that there are hardly any simm post. but really, with every new simm episode that aired i liked joongdunk more and more. and especially once the characters started dating i was actually so in awe about just how comfortable joong and dunk were with each other and how they absolutely weren't afraid to touch? like, their physical affection was just so casual, like it was the most natural thing in the world to them in an "i'm-not-even-thinking-about-it-bc-it's-so-normal" kind of way and that was just soooo refreshing to watch?? i was (and still am) truly amazed

and when just a couple of months later, at the end of 2022 gmmtv announced joongdunk were gonna get another show together i got SO excited!! and also when it was revealed that simm was included in our skyy 2!!!!

and then hidden agenda started airing and then i was tagged in that tag game and then i went to watch joong's entire filmography and then i ended up falling into a joongdunk rabbit hole and here we are...

anyway, i have multiple agendas and one of them is turning people into joong fans and dunk fans and joongdunk fans sllksdfd

and my other agenda is getting people to watch mafia the series, bc it's truly a gem of a show!!!!

(speaking of agendas: the only thing that's missing in your message is you telling me that you approve of my fight for a sexy joongdunk vampire bl, like... that would have made the message and the influence of my joong/dunk/joongdunk blogging complete 😂😂😂)

[nothingnothingaaa]

Olivia Hussey

English actress Olivia Hussey was the darling of late 1960s/early 1970s frock flicks. After her star-making turn in Romeo and Juliet, the dark-haired, Madonna-faced actress went on to key roles in Death on the Nile and the TV miniseries The Last Days of Pompeii … and then things sort of flickered out. According to a 2018 interview in Variety, it seems to have been just dumb luck. But she has kept working (her last production was in 2015), and she’s very active on social media.

So, let’s appreciate this frock flick as an ingenue and a mature actress!

Romeo and Juliet (1968)

Still a classic, and for a good reason! 15/16-year-old Hussey plays a beautiful, age-appropriate Juliet in the adaptation that actually did historical accuracy (and great filmmaking) right.

Beautiful 15th-century costumes.

Hussey’s HAIR. Is so gorgeous!

A promo for the film.

Look at those sleeves! And the other actress’s hair pearls!

Jesus of Nazareth (1977)

Alright, I know nothing about this period, but this seems plausible.

Gotta have your black-clad weeping women!

Death on the Nile (1978)

This big-budget Agatha Christie adaptation (of a Hercule Poirot mystery) includes Hussey as Rosalie, protective daughter of a dramatic romance novelist.

Set in the 1930s, Hussey CUTS HER HAIR!!

Luckily she looks great with a Marcel wave.

She suits this period beautifully.

The Bastard (The Kent Family Chronicles, 1978)

Is this where things went awry? In the 18th century, a literal bastard (i.e., illegitimate son) goes from France to England to America in search of his fortune. Hussey plays Alicia, one of the love interests.

I have no idea who thought this was a good idea, but I was highly entertained!

I will say she plays against type in this.

She’s back to her long hair (and very few hairpins).

The Thirteenth Day: The Story of Esther (1979)

Hussey plays the title character in this TV adaptation of the Biblical story of Esther, the Jewish wife of a Persian king.

I have my suspicions!

Edited to add:

Ivanhoe (1982)

I CAN’T BELIEVE I FORGOT THIS!!!!

The Last Days of Pompeii (1984)

A major TV miniseries about, you guessed it, Pompeii before the eruption. Hussey plays Ione, “a soon-to-be priestess of Isis; sister of Antonius, and love interest to Glaucus.” We’ve gotta review this sometime, just for the laughs!

Hussey is nicely costumed compared to many of the other female characters.

Okay, I like the drapey tunic and the braided coronet.

I guess this is priestess gear? It seems very Egyptian.

The Corsican Brothers (1985)

A TV adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel, which is about twin brothers from Corsica (shocking, I know) who follow different paths. Both are in love with the same woman, played by Hussey. You know I’m tempted to track this one down for Snark Week!

18th-century feathered bangs!

The Jeweller’s Shop (1988)

A jeweler sells rings to two different couples, and various truths about love and marriage are revealed. I THINK this is period? mid-20th century? But I’m not positive. Hussey plays “Thérèse.”

Right? This looks 1930s or 40s to me.

Quest of the Delta Knights (1993)

I have heard Sarah mention this film so many times as what I think may be the ultimate cheese, but I admit, I don’t really know anything about it! But when I saw it on Hussey’s filmography, I knew I had to include it. Ah, I just saw it was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000, which tells us something. Oh! And it was filmed at our renaissance faire (Black Point), in northern California, which sadly no longer exists but was The Best! Ok, now I gotta watch this.

Per Wikipedia, “The plot revolves around a young boy named Travis who learns from his master that he is the key to saving the world from an evil plot. He joins the secret organization of the Delta Knights and embarks on a quest to attempt to recover the lost treasures inside the fabled Lost Storehouse of Archimedes.” Hussey plays “The Mannerjay.”

SO many questions!

Lonesome Dove: The Series (1994)

A TV series continuation of the ultra-popular 1980s Western miniseries. Hussey is in three episodes as “Olivia Jessup,” and I’m guessing she’s some kind of saloon girl/gambler?

Ringlets, fringe … all very stereotypical!

Hey, her hair’s up!

Mother Teresa (2003)

As, you guessed it, Mother Teresa in what was originally an Italian TV miniseries that was then released as a feature film.

zzz

Chinaman’s Chance: America’s Other Slaves (2008)

What I think must be a low-budget film set in the 1870s, about discrimination against Chinese Americans. Hussey plays “Mrs. Duncan.”

The hair looks VERY faux-period.

What’s your favorite Olivia Hussey frock flick role?

[empty-dream]

Just Watched Suzume no Tojimari

“Ru ru rururururu rururu rurururururu” *shivers*

A high school girl meets a guy who locks doomed door across Japan in order to spare it from devastating earthquakes. He gets turned into a chair and she helps him to finish the mission and find a way to turn him back.

No, I didn't lie. He turns into a chair. A cute chair.

I love that door in the middle of a deserted pond that shows in the promotional material a lot. It gives an eerily beautiful aura. Probably the best one spot in Shinkai's entire filmography.

Story wise, it's a Shinkai story, a Shinkai movie. Similar plot structure, similar prettier-than-real-life animation, that's what you gotta expect. I came to the theater with that expectation in mind.

I feel like it's almost a Tenki no Ko 2.0. Ranking Shinkai movies after 2015 (which all have the same basic plot), I like this movie more than Tenki no Ko though. But personally I still enjoy Your Name the most, both from storyline and the main leads' relationship dynamic.

I don't need to talk about this movie’s animation, though. It's PRETTY.

I like that it turns into a road trip adventure. There is always something heartwarming to know that there are strangers who are kind and willing to help. Like, it's not all "Bystander Syndrome" out there.

SOUTA-SAN! SOUTA-SAN! SOUTA-SAN! (You gotta call him three times) HE IS SO PRETTY. Now if someone falls for him at the first sight (read: Suzume) I'd get it very much. I do, too.

Suzume is really out there crossing half of Japan just to help some guy she finds on the street. Not gonna blame her though. Survivor’s guilt is an actual thing.

I understand Daijin is supposed to be cute but hell if I don’t want to smite him just like Souta. And then the second act comes. Now even I feel a bit sorry for him.

The real MVP is Aunt Tamaki, not gonna lie.

Please give me more of Serizawa's backstory. Like, how did he even become BFF with Souta?

There is a Famitsu article where Shinkai says he is now more interested in exploring other kinds of relationships that's not romance. That's why he gives more depth about Suzume and her aunt Tamaki's relationship, and it shows. I cried twice because of two important scenes between Suzume and Tamaki. Those are just very emotional to me.

Indeed, when you get older, you become more open to new interests and have new perspectives. Like when I rewatched Children who Chase Lost Voices and decided that it was the most interesting Shinkai movie to date (link is spoiler tho).

Suzume and Souta –the main relationship– while definitely not bad, are pretty straightforward. I think it’s because they are respectful and polite to each other, as they both use "-san" towards each other. (As far as I remember, they are the first Shinkai movies couple to do so, and I like it.). But maybe because of that politeness (and their problem is basically the same as many Shinkai couples), it’s easy to think the relationship is rather plain. Funnily enough, even though I also think it’s plain, I can somehow appreciate it. 

The saving graces are Souta is goddamn pretty, Suzume wears different clothing and hairstyles, hurray for THAT height difference, two things.

One, it is explained (or rather, shown) why Suzume says what she says when she first meets Souta. It's not a cheesy one liner. 

Two, Suzume can empathize with Souta’s dangerous missions and says it. I think it is actually a huge thing for Souta himself. I wish it’s more explored, as well as his own story from before he meets Suzume. 

The OST is great, as always. Radwimps is onboard again, this time even stronger!

So imo “Suzume” and “Tamaki” are about, well, Suzume and Tamaki respectively. While “Kanata Haluka” at first glance is for Souta from Suzume, but I think there are 1 or 2 lines that can be interpreted as for Suzume from Souta as well.

Having the theater as my personal stereo to listen to “Suzume” and “Kanata Haluka” is a huge plus. They are definitely gonna end up in my Spotify Wrapped 2023.

TL;DR Apart from the harem, Chairem anime becomes real and in super HD.

[musikat18]

DCEU 10 Year Anniversary: "I Have No Idea Where I Am Going To Be Tomorrow, But I Accept The Fact That Tomorrow Will Come" (Edit-- Tomorrow Is Not Coming I Guess)

The quote in the subtitle for this retrospective comes from Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day. Donna is talking to a concerned Cassie Sandsmark-- old guard assuring the new guard, promising that though the future is inherently uncertain, the important thing is they rise to meet the challenge.

Donna, in Graduation Day, is killed by a Superman robot, and Cassie is ultimately disillusioned and leaves behind her group of inseparable Young Justice teammates.

For a while, it kind of seemed like the DCEU was going the same way.

For some context: I was 13 when Man of Steel, the first movie in the DCEU, released in theaters (and I DID see it in theaters when it came out, maybe a week or two after opening weekend because I was 13 and still in a town where the nearest new releases theater was about half an hour to forty-five minutes from home). As of now (a little over a week after I started writing this post), I'm officially 23 years old-- by the time I'm halfway to 24, the DCEU will officially be 10 years old.

I don't particularly know why this hit me now. Maybe it's because I'm another year older and haven't particularly liked myself for the last few years and wanted to focus my attention on something I did love, or maybe it's because the more I think about it, the less ten-years-old the DCEU feels, OR maybe it's because the DCEU just had a formal set of captains announced in James Gunn & Peter Safran which naturally kind of lends to looking back at what came before to try and figure out, well, where we're going to be tomorrow.

And because that fascinated me, and because we just had the 12th DCEU movie come out (yes I do count Josstice League and ZSJL as two different movies), I felt the need to kind of look back on everything and unpack my feelings on each project.

So that's what I'm going to do.

I did a similar kind of post a couple of weeks ago for Phase 4 of the MCU, but I'm not actually going to rate these movies because I feel like the DCEU movies themselves in comparison to Marvel, my feelings about them are a lot more...complex and not very easy to assign a ranked number to. And I kind of just want the freedom to talk about the movies and how they made me feel and how I feel about them today.

Pop your popcorn and feel free to leave your own thoughts in reblogs and replies.

EDITOR'S NOTE!

Hi, I thought I could just put this post aside for a week and nothing could happen. Anyway, my hubris has become my downfall again and now I guess I have no reason to put this off given that the DCEU as a concept is effectively dead.

I put an addendum in the title to kind of underscore the news out this week confirmed by James Gunn that both the Henry Cavill Clark Kent that kind of encapsulates this era and the larger DCEU in its current form are all but dead, but I think it's kind of...it doesn't REALLY capture the full effect of how I feel about the potential future of DC films, but I'll save that for the end. You're here for tea. It's below the keep reading. I promise.

Man of Steel (06/14/2013)-- dir. Zack Snyder

Now that Henry Cavill is back as Superman (Future Kat: and now that he's been once again cut out of future plans for the time being lolol oops), I feel like it's overdue for me to retrospect his whole run in the DCEU so far, and I feel like over time, I've become...a lot kinder about Henry Cavill's Superman? And I feel like a lot of that is because of my own learning about how the filmmaking process works and what's in the actor's control vs. the directors and writers and producers, as well as kind of just watching other parts of his filmography, especially The Witcher.

I don't mean that in a way of like "wow his Geralt shows how great he'd be as a true modern day Superman" because Geralt and Clark Kent are EONS apart as far as character types and mannerisms. I mean I think it kind of opened me up to what Henry Cavill can do as an actor and even though the Witcher scripts aren't STELLAR, he's an excellent performer.

I kind of remember my very first impression of this movie being a mixture of awe and confusion-- I think the movie was a couple of weeks old, but I'm a DC stan first and a human being second and I was really excited to have a Superman for MY generation. And then I just???? Didn't really like him????? I think Zack Snyder is really good at painting striking imagery and moments, but the script just didn't really hit, now that I'm old enough to look back on it and rewatch it and articulate what I don't like about it. I know the idea is that Snyder's Clark feels kind of detached and is struggling with wanting to be connected to humanity but being inherently stronger and more powerful than them, but that's the SAME thing they tried with New 52 Superman, and it didn't work then, and it doesn't work now. It's not even a concept that doesn't work for Superman in general. DC Comics is very much the company of Gods Trying To Be Human. I just don't think MoS got it across in an effective way that makes US feel invested in Clark.

Also this is an ice cold take but Amy Adams was robbed. I don't know who she was playing in this movie but it was not fucking Lois Lane. Amy Adams was ROBBED.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (03/25/2016)-- dir. Zack Snyder

They Sure Made This Movie Huh.

This is one I actually waited until it came out on DVD to watch, and I do have to say not only is it a slog to sit through-- no matter how many times I try to rewatch it, I can only make it through while streaming it with friends-- but the HARDEST part of this movie comes down to the fact that I just do not buy that Batman and Superman should be fighting.

A good Batman & Superman conflict stems from the difference in ideology of the characters: Batman, while he can be hopeful, ultimately upholds the flawed justice system while claiming to work outside of it, while Superman is generally associated with rehabilitation, compassion, hope, and honesty.

In this movie, though, Clark doesn't get to DO much of anything to differentiate him from Batman because Lex is pulling so many of the strings, and Bruce is just so.......................................The Dark Knight Returns of it all was a mistake and I don't think it did anything to make the conflict between the two engaging. It's not like Superman doesn't want to kill people and Batman (again because of the Dark Knight Returns of it all) is getting Rougher, it's one of those conflicts that could be resolved by like. Having ONE conversation.

I also feel like this movie, as I've said ad infinitum, was just trying to be TOO many things. It was Man of Steel 2. It was Batman 1. It was Wonder Woman 0.5. It was Death of Superman. It was Dark Knight Returns. And because of it, it didn't succeed at ANY of it. There's a lot of WB Fingerprints on the blueprint of this movie, and a lot of Snyder Fingerprints, and also a lot of Man of Steel just...not being a franchise vehicle. It doesn't come off that way when you watch it. It doesn't have the environmental richness needed and works a lot better as a character study rather than a franchise springboard.

I do have to say one GOOD thing about this movie, though, and that is the fact that it contains the FUNNIEST accidental canon contradiction in the world by having Patrick Wilson do a voice cameo as The President Of The United States. Yes I DO have my own personal headcanon for how this works with his OTHER DCEU character. No I will NOT elaborate unless asked.

Suicide Squad (08/05/2016)-- dir. David Ayer

Margot Robbie and Viola Davis deserve awards for carrying this entire movie on their backs-- anyway, now that that's out of the way...

This is another one I waited for DVD for, but that was mainly because I was coming off the heels of a long NYC vacation and school was about to start up again (I think this was the start of my junior year? *does some math* Yeah, I was a junior in high school at this time) and I was a busy busy teen but we don't have time to get into my perfectionism issues and completely-ignored anxiety issues at the time.

This movie is not really...a movie, I think, but more a series of short music videos/needle-drop sequences put together in a way that kind of creates a story? It has a LOT of needle-drop sequences in it. Like, a LOT. So many that when I think of this movie, I don't really think of individual scenes or lines or even characters, even if this movie gave us Viola Davis' STELLAR Amanda Waller. I think of all the musical moments. House of the Rising Sun. You Don't Own Me. Fortunate Son. I don't really think it's very effective to rely on the music to explain (sometimes poorly) to the audience the tone of the scene or inform about the character. That's kind of what you have actors there for.

And I guess we should probably discuss the elephant in the room that is Jared Leto's Joker, even though I really don't want to, but I'll at least give it a mention. I'll keep it brief, though, because a lot of what I have to say has been said to death before-- I don't MIND them trying a different angle with the Joker, I just don't think it landed. And I'll openly say I'm not married to Heath Ledger's preceding Dark Knight Joker (yes his work as an actor was stellar. No I don't think it offers anything particularly innovative and it doesn't always feel like a Joker to me), that was never my problem with Jared Leto. It was a valiant effort, but Leto's Joker really does feel designed to cater to the Edgy Teen crowd and that's not really Joker to me, either.

Again, I think studio fingerprints are all over this film, but I don't think I would have been in love with Ayer's version either, and I don't need to see an "Ayer Cut."

Wonder Woman (06/02/2017)-- dir. Patty Jenkins

I remember seeing this one. I REMEMBER it. And I remember CRYING in the theater. Mainly because 17-year-old me NEEDED this movie. Like, needed it, desperately, but because it just has a lot of heart behind it, and I don't think that's an accident.

You can tell that Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot and the cast and crew have a lot of love for Wonder Woman, both as a character and as a concept. Wonder Woman is historically an arbiter of truth and justice and compassion and all that good stuff, and it really shines through in the movie. So much so that even a lot of its weaknesses I'm willing to forgive.

I do wish Diana had more women to interact with in the film. I get what they were going for here, but it felt so odd to have a film so definitively trying NOT to be "women good men bad" (even if it does kind of feel like it sometimes, I'll get into it in another post maybe if people have interest) where it was so focused on isolating Diana from other women and how much Diana didn't fit into Man's World.

But like, even with the things I didn't like and don't like when I look back on it, this film had a HUGE impact on me. I still have a quote from Diana's climactic "deserve vs. believe" speech at the end in my blog bio. The idea that people should do good and work to make things better no matter how hurtful the rest of the world seems is a HUGE part of my ethos personally, and this movie is almost exclusively what affirmed that for me and set it in stone.

Josstice League (11/17/2017) --dir. J*ss Wh*don

(Yes I know this gif is from the Snyder Cut but if there was ever a movie that exuded I'll Make Tea energy for me it's this one)

I...............................................................................................................

*sighs*

I know the exact moment I knew I was going to hate this movie.

Picture this. You are me. You are at the movies. You are watching Josstice League for the first time. You are having a good time in the first half, because you are really liking the supporting case of the JLA and you loved Wonder Woman and are so happy to see Gal Gadot back and Jason Momoa is so fun as Aquaman and you really like Ray Fisher a lot and are so intrigued by his Cyborg and Ezra Miller's Flash is pretty fun too and yeah Ben Affleck is there and you don't care about Batman but you are having a GREAT TIME WITH YOUR NEW JLA!

And then they lose ONE fight and Batman says "fuck it. We gotta resurrect Superman. We can't do this without Superman. Let's bring him back from the dead."

And you slowly, horrifically realize that this is not, in the end, going to be a Justice League movie. This is going to be a movie where all the fun new friends you just met, most for the first time, try their best but ultimately just sit back and let Superman do all the hard stuff.

I have a lot of problems with Josstice League, and now you're all going to hear about it.

I'm not here to talk about the boob fall scene, or the quippiness of the humor, or the fact that no one here seems to really like each other, or that this is almost basically just Avengers but with the serial numbers filed away and given new ones over it. I'm here to talk about the fact that, at the end of the day, the movie is not about the Justice League.

There is no teamwork in this film. There is no bonding in this film. There are no friendly co-workers in this film. This is not an ensemble movie or even a team movie. This is a Batman movie with some side characters who SHOULD be more important than they are written that is later turned into a Batman/Superman movie with some side characters who should be more important than they are written.

I don't know why WB Studios thought the best move would be to bring Joss Whedon in to essentially remake Avengers and hope it would work, because at the end of the day, the Avengers and the Justice League have two very different dynamics going for them.

The Avengers are a found family, but a very dysfunctional one. They argue a lot. They split into factions a lot. They constantly switch out members because people are always dealing with too many personal complexities to maintain the teamwork. But they are, for all their faults, a family.

The Justice League are a found family, but in a very different way. Yes, they have disagreements. Yes, there are ideological conflicts among members. But at the core, the team is a group of individuals who come from all walks of life and yet all share the same loneliness. Whether it be Clark's alien status on a human planet, or Diana's deliberate separation from all she's ever known, or Bruce's self-imposed isolation out of grief for his parents, everyone on the Justice League has felt loneliness, and they stick together because they realize they are no longer alone and they do not have to be.

You can have them argue and have pet peeves with each other, but they can't not like each other at all on some level. And I did not see anyone on that team who liked each other, not even Diana and Bruce, my poor little WonderBat heart from the JLU cartoon days weeps.

Also, Ray Fisher was robbed. We all knew that, but it bears repeating. He was robbed.

Aquaman (12/21/2018)-- dir. James Wan

I've already talked this one to death so I won't keep you here too long lmaooooooooooooo

No but like for real, I love Aquaman. I love this movie. It's comfort food for me. I have a lot of love and respect for James Wan as a filmmaker, and I do think the smartest thing WB ever did was start hiring horror directors to do their superhero films because horror has SO much creativity in it, historically.

I know when the cast was announced, I was definitely confused because it just seemed like a very eclectic group of actors (Khal Drogo, Ed Warren, Boba Fett, Satine from Moulin Rouge, Ivan Drago, and Norman Osborn?????), but the end result was just so, so good. It explores deep themes if you're willing to read them, but it's also just a lot of explosive (literally) dumb fun.

Also, my blorbo. My special boy. My little war criminal. Mwah.

Shazam (04/05/2019)-- dir. David F. Sandberg

*presses mouth directly to microphone*

Shazam Fucking Slaps.

I think this is probably one of the strongest DCEU films and that's probably because it just lets itself be as bananas and fun as it wants. It really plays with the concept of "Big but it's Superheroes" to the fullest and has the feel of an 80s movie like The Goonies or The Sandlot, which isn't a bad thing at all. It's hard not to love seeing Billy and Freddy run around and geek out over how cool it is to have superpowers, especially because I remember being a kid like Freddy once and it absolutely warmed my heart to see Billy develop his relationships with all of his new siblings and his new family.

I also really love that this movie wasn't afraid to get kind of Dark at times despite having the Shazamily all over it. Again, WB having horror directors like Sandberg do their superhero films was a GREAT choice because of the inventiveness they have and the way it allows for Billy to really have a chance to grow both as Billy Batson and as the Champion and face really ultimately uncomfortable and scary things.

Also I related to Mary a little too hard here. I was like "wow she's just like me" and then I was like "hmmmm i think i have Unresolved Personal Issues."

Birds of Prey (02/07/2020) --dir. Cathy Yan

I-- okay. Okay. Okay. First let me share a fun fact: this movie, I actually saw at an exclusive early screening event WB hosted for my university about two days before the movie released, and also this was the last movie I saw before the Global Panini happened.

Okay, so I think this is a GREAT Harley Quinn movie, especially for the Harley of the current era. I like that it's fun and vibrant and colorful and just lets itself be about women who want to beat people up and do so in the most over-the-top explosive sometimes gross way possible, and I also like that it doesn't shy away from Harley being a bad person in certain moments. Like, sure, she's very much the protagonist of this movie, but she's still kind of an ass to everyone around her, even to the people she likes like Cassandra. Also, again, Margot Robbie is just fun to watch in this role. She's probably one of my favorite actors of the 21st century so far (with I, Tonya being one of my favorite movies ever), and it's clear that she loves being Harley Quinn and has a ton of fun with the role.

As a Birds of Prey movie.....................................................that kind of just isn't what it is at all. I get Margot Robbie's logic from what I understand from the behind-the-scenes development of the movie-- the Birds of Prey from the comics are a group of badass women and they go kind of unsung for the wider audience and she wanted to highlight them, and that's cool and I agree with her-- I just don't think this movie accomplished that with Harley at the center of it.

I think there IS a version of this movie that accomplishes both things, and also lets Cassandra Cain ACTUALLY be Cassandra Cain and not just Pre-Transition Jason Todd, but I don't think that's the movie we got. The movie we got is a lot of fun! I loved it! I think it's fun to watch, it's fun to talk about, I always have a good time with it. But I don't know if I'd call it a Birds of Prey movie.

Wonder Woman 1984 (12/25/2020)-- dir. Patty Jenkins

*blows out a long breath of air*

I have a lot of..................complicated feelings about this movie.

I don't really have a problem with the cheesiness of it all-- like I said above, I think that's been a strong point for a DCEU that has been way more willing to lean into the cheesiness of comics in general compared to the MCU (especially EARLY MCU). It really does seek to emulate an 80s action movie with magic and action and big set pieces, and that's fine.

I also definitely GET what they were going for here. I can see all the moving pieces and the themes and everything, and I don't even necessarily think it's a bad thing or a bad story for Diana's character.

I just-- listen, as much as I love Chris Pine and as much as I loved WonderTrev in the first movie, I...think the BIGGEST mistake of this movie was framing it around WonderTrev.

Steve was a really important part of Diana's life, and I can see her struggling with her grief, but I just do NOT think it works to have Diana feeling isolated and lonely in Man's World SPECIFICALLY because Steve isn't there with her. Double especially because I think framing this movie around a tragic friendship to enemyhood between Diana and Barbara is so much more effective! A lot of the parts of Diana's character and mythos that make her unique and compelling like the Amazons end up lost in the Steve of it all, and that's SO sad to me because the idea of Diana having to contend with the greed and envy and gluttony for power among humanity is a GREAT story! I just wish it had been framed on a different idea.

Also it was lovely to see Lynda Carter in this movie. Fuck, don't show this post to her. I forgot she's here now. Fuck. Oh god the nerd embarrassment is hitting I'm sorry Lynda

Zack Snyder's Justice League (03/10/2021) --dir. Zack Snyder

Okay, so I WAS a Snyder Cut truther from the beginning. Partly for the meme, and partly because I hated Josstice League so much that I needed to believe there was something better out there, and to my credit (and everyone else's), I was right.

Just because the movie is better AS FAR AS THE STORY GOES though doesn't mean it's not full of the ZS stuff that I'm not a fan of, like a lot of the slomo and tacking on the Knightmare future ending at the end-- I always kind of hated the Knightmare concept and I'm glad we'll never get to see it actually. But DUDE this was SO GOOD.

I especially ADORE all the added content with Cyborg. Ray Fisher is a PHENOMENAL actor and Victor's storyline is absolutely the best part of the movie that makes even the slower parts worth it. Actually, let me tell you WHERE you can watch more stuff he's been in because he absolutely deserves a career boost after all the shit WB put him through:

He was in the HBO series True Detective's third season as a main character, which is obviously on HBO Max along with ZSJL.

He had a role in the ABC series Women of the Movement, which is about Mamie Till-Mobley and the murder of Emmett Till centered on her activism right after his murder. This one you can watch on Hulu or the ABC website itself.

He's also GOING to be in Rebel Moon, which is another Zack Snyder film that is (in theory?) going to be on Netflix in 2023, though I know Charlie Hunnam was just injured on set (yikes hate it not a fan) so it might end up pushed back.

Anyway, my point is this was ABSOLUTELY worth coming back and finishing it, and I'm SO glad it got to see the light of day even if it's kind of almost impossible to rewatch.

The Suicide Squad (08/05/2021)-- dir. James Gunn

Okay, okay, not even going to lie, I LOVED this one, and it's what made me so excited to see James Gunn named co-executive of the DC division at WB. I know James Gunn has a very specific style and approach to writing and directing that you either love or hate, so I can understand why this one isn't going to be everyone's favorite, but I for one had a BLAST with it.

First of all, I'm so glad Rick Flag was able to get a little glow-up before his death. I actually almost didn't think he was the same character, and in a lot of ways he really isn't, but a lot of this movie pulls from the older Ostrander run comics, and I can see a lot of that Rick in this Rick.

I also LOVE all the new characters and think they really demonstrate the power of a great ensemble movie. There's someone for everyone to root for and the healthy mix of newer faces and established names makes for a great cast.

Also I think the fact that this movie is SO strong in its writing is what makes Peacemaker work, but I'll talk more about him specifically in a minute. But like Wonder Woman (weirdly), there's an earnestness and heart at the core of the movie that makes the irreverence and more ridiculous elements work-- it has a larger-than-life conflict and villain and sense of style, but at its core it is really about people just trying to not die, both in the middle of battle and in a world that has REALLY shown them no sympathy.

Peacemaker (01/13/2022-present)-- written by James Gunn

James Gunn is really the guy you get to do your show if your first instinct about the main character is "who the fuck wants a show about THAT guy?"

I came into this show really, really, REALLY not sold on the concept, and then in the last episode, I was in TEARS by the end. I think that this show was, in the end, not just a fun little quarantine project James Gunn put together, but it really does provide a commentary and study on how to empathize with people who are NOT like you and who you DO NOT like, especially when they're willing to open that door to understanding and compassion.

Like, everybody on this team is a little bit of an asshole, yes even Leota, and that's why it WORKS. For a very silly show with a very silly premise and a REFUSAL to take itself too seriously, it does feel very grounded and realistic and like you could get a drink with just about everyone it sets you up to root for. We KNOW the Eleventh Street Kids. We ARE, to some degree, the Eleventh Street Kids. It's very cliche but it's also very true.

The core of this show, like many other James Gunn projects of late, is really about empathy over apathy, and that's what I think struck a chord with me. If you haven't given it a shot yet, I really strongly suggest you do.

Black Adam (10/21/2022)-- dir. Jaume Collet-Sera

Oh, FUCK yeah.

This movie reminded me of Aquaman in a lot of ways, in that there's a lot of deeper themes about colonization and the idea of hero idolatry that you CAN read for the film if you want, but it's also a great movie to just turn your brain off to and watch Mr. The Rock fly around and punch people.

Much like Birds of Prey, I don't know if I'd QUITE call this a Black Adam movie because they do a LOT of make him more front-end heroic-- in wrestling terms, the JSA is largely there to play jobber for Adam until things start heating up with Intergang and Sabbac for the main event-- but it is certainly a fun one.

And I do ADORE the JSA in this movie. Pierce Brosnan is a great Kent Nelson, Aldis Hodge is my FAVORITE Hawkman I've ever seen so far (sorry Falk Hentschel I'm sorry I'm so sorry sir but your writing was CW-standard), and I wanted to see a LOT more out of Cyclone. Atom Smasher was there too I guess idk for some reason he didn't really stick out for me but he was a good kid.

Also ADRIANNA TOMAZ IS THE STRONGEST BITCH IN THIS HOUSE. I felt kind of bad watching the movie because I miss Legends so much that I kept calling her Zari in my head, but in her closer-to-source form, she's FABULOUS. I want to be her when I grow up. She is 100% the real star of this movie and Sarah Shahi did an EXCELLENT job.

I think, now that I'm writing this in a post-Henry Cavill Again Superman world, the post-credits scene is unintentionally really really funny, but in the end, I had a good time with it and I'll look back on it fondly.

Conclusion, Literally

There are exactly four movies left to be released in the DCEU: Shazam 2, Blue Beetle, The Flash, and Aquaman 2.

After that, we really don't know what we're going to get. At least until James Gunn makes his early-next-year announcement (I know I will be waiting on the edge of my seat to find out if I am still getting my Black Canary movie).

When I went to finish this post, I added on Tomorrow Is Not Coming I Guess to the main title, but I also said that didn't really capture how I felt about the future of DC films. I don't really see this as the DCEU dying-- frankly, it never really got off the ground to begin with. After Josstice League flopped, the focus was way more on strong solo films than trying to build a connected universe, which I think actually made it stronger.

At the end of the day, this is the chance to put the characters and storytelling at the forefront, and that's why I have so much faith in the Gunn-Safran team for whatever is coming next. Safran has produced some really strong, character- heavy movies with James Wan and WB. James Gunn is a strong writer with a good head on his shoulders for how to best balance creative freedom for directors with not letting their voice overpower every part of the process.

For whatever comes next to work, it HAS to be a collaborative effort on all parts with no one voice overpowering the other. Tomorrow IS still coming. I have no idea what it will look like. But I know that when it comes, I will rise to meet it, and so will whoever is involved in what comes next.

Also James Gunn, if you're reading this, I will write and direct Booster Gold myself. This is not a joke. I am dead serious. I will do it. I have thoughts already and my DMs are open.

Anyway, share your thoughts freely. You know, without being an ass.

[pynkhues]

same anon from the saoirse q ty for thoughtful response :)

i do feel like saoirse was kind of on her own in her age bracket for a while as the "young prestige Oscar-y actress" and florence pugh/zendaya/ATJ/jodie comer have all emerged within that niche recently. i also agree she doesn't choose well/have great instincts for projects and I think the strength of the Gerwig films sort of papers over that in a lot of peoples minds...she also doesnt work a ton at all which i see people praise as selectiveness but i think it works against her when theres more riding on each film and then it flops. I see so much praise for her on Reddit/Social Media and I've always felt not as high on her as others for some reason (obvi she is still very good)

(x)

You're very welcome! Thanks for the ask! It's always fun to talk about these sorts of lulls in established performers' careers. The crop of actresses in their late 20s/early 30s feels particularly stacked at the moment, and so I do think there's definitely a lot of competition for roles. All the ones you've listed are good examples, especially because I think that while their career trajectories aren't overly similar, there's also a lot of crossover like having entered the industry as a child actor in Zendaya's case, and avoiding indies outside of genre indies in Anya Taylor Joy's.

It is interesting that she's so highly regarded by film circles given how patchy her filmography is, but I do think when she shines she really shines (I adored her in Brooklyn in particular) and I think she does have pretty excellent range when she has the opportunity to show it. I actually loved her cameo in The French Dispatch a couple of years ago because it just so much felt like her playing against type, which of course goes to show that she does have a type / can be typecast.

It's had pretty mixed reviews, but I'm looking forward to watching Foe next week. I think Garth Davis is a pretty interesting (albeit flawed) director, and Paul Mescal and Lakeith Stanfield I think are definitely two of the more exciting male actors working right now. It's been a long time (almost a decade!) since Saoirse has done a thriller too, plus it's an Australian film, so y'know. Gotta support, haha.

[celticwoman]

top 5 anya films!

1. marrowbone

2. thoroughbreds

3. last night in soho

4. emma

5. uhhhhh barry?

ask me my "top 5″ anything...

[dexi-green]

Okay so wrap up thoughts for ep. 4:

Where is Zemo? Do not let this man loose. Also bless marvel for releasing the longer cut of Zemo dancing earlier 🙏🏽

We love the Dora. However I wonder if the arm thing was a gag or if it’s going to come back. I could definitely see Buck having some questions and beginning to wonder whether they actually freed them or just put him under Wakanda’s control with a longer leash. He obviously has reason to be skeptical about people’s intention with him (see; how Zemo used him) I can definitely imagine them explaining that it was impossible to wipe out the WS controls but rather they just changed them and just never intended to use them, making him a sort of unintentional sleeper agent White Wolf for Wakanda. He is clearly very thankful and grateful to them, and is very close to the Dora, especially Ayo, so I could see that distrust being a good future character arc. But I stand by that with T’Challa in charge they would never seek to take advantage of Buck in that way. Also I was never a HUGE fan of Stan’s acting, I felt he got too hyped up for just brooding, like he was good but not Oscar worthy as some on here tried to say (you can just say you think he’s hot, you don’t have to lie about his acting to justify your adoration of him and watching his whole filmography, it’s okay I promise), but that scene at the beginning was actually amazing. I love the change between fear to relief and realization. Chef’s kiss.

As I mentioned several times, I love that this show is carefully exploring warring ideals, and actually saying them pretty plainly. It’s giving me what Civil War could’ve been. In Civil War there was just too many blatant misunderstandings and things that could’ve been cleared up if the Avenger’s didn’t share one (1) brain cell and it somehow ended up with Peter Parker who had homework to do. In this show, the ideals come from very understandable different perspectives, different lives lived. I know I want a conversation, but that alone won’t truly solve this like it would’ve in Civil War. It comes from very real criticism of our very real govt and society which I thinks helps cement this so much more in reality in a way that isn’t boring to watch like some other comic things that try to be gritty and realistic. The only part that has taken me out so far was the so very subtle cop scene in the second episode, which leads me into my next point

ISAIAH BRADLEY! Loop his story back in, let’s get some backstory and information and all that good stuff. Obviously Isaiah has made it pretty dang clear he wants nothing to do with any of this but obviously that’s not gonna happen, and it’ll be a tremendous waste of an absolute amazing and groundbreaking story to just bring Eli in at the end in some shoehorned way or something. Isaiah needs to be a part of whatever solution this story/season comes to. I’ve seen a theory floating around about either Isaiah being Wakandan (either like killmonger with one or both of his parents being from Wakanda, or more distantly) or perhaps Erskine’s secret ingredient for his serum was derived from the heart shaped herb (which would’ve made Cap White Panther 😬) which I think would be an interesting way to completely tie in Wakanda but perhaps a little unnecessary, specifically the first theory, we don’t need every future black person in the MCU to be secretly Wakandan. I just need his story to be more prominent then it has so far. It’s very important and not something that should just be a basically D grade side plot at this point.

I feel like we have shifted away from much focus on Sam. But I feel like the focus has pulled more on Zemo, Karli, Walker and Buck. Like Sam is doing what he needs but we aren’t getting as much insight into him as we did in the first episode. Which is why I think I liked his talk so much with Karli. We went back to his history of counseling and got to see how it uses it, how he calms down a situation, and his own insight into Karli’s ideals, he agrees but wants to go about it in a different way. We have constantly seen him offering help to others, but hasn’t really received much in return. I feel like now every time the shield comes up it’s just Bucky being all pissy that Sam gave it away which really turns me off his character. Sam already explained that maybe he made a mistake, but also Buck is so set in his way and his ideation of Steve that he can’t for a second consider Sam’s side. Like at this point it’s getting kind of annoying how Buck is being with Sam about it. I want more insight into Sam’s feelings about Steve, and Cap, and all that. Hopefully these last couple episodes with shift the focus back. At this point I feel I know more about Karli and John as people than I do Sam and that’s not great considering the title of the show. This was one of my earliest concerns for the series when it was announced, that it was going to focus too much on Bucky who has had his story almost front and center for almost all of the Cap films, they almost all in some part revolve around Bucky. Perhaps I need to rewatch and there has been some bits of Sam’s I haven’t appreciated enough, but it feels unbalanced, not in favor of him.

Sharon is being sketchy I fear. I do kind of like the idea that she is the power broker, but it’s hard to wrap my head around her threatening Karli like she has been. I mean she obviously has changed a lot, but if she is the power broker her motives have to be something different than what she is trying to lead people to believe. I think what’s more possible is her working for the power broker or perhaps working for/as the power broker as a cover for Fury or some other person/organization. She’s worked undercover for Fury before, she is obviously loyal to him, which might’ve changed since she talks to much about being abandoned by everyone, but I don’t know. It’s obvious something else is going on with her character, and while I love if she had just pivoted to this crime lord role, I just think of her speech at Peggy’s funeral and her loyalty to Cap and Fury in TWS. It’s possible she flipped on a dime like that because everything done to her and what she’s been through, and it may be too predictable for her to have the exact same storyline as TWS but who knows... that or she’s a skrull, always a possibility, can’t be too careful.

John Walker is clearly becoming the actual Anti-Cap. They are getting storybeats to line up. A ‘good’ soldier, turned propaganda tool, turned govt lap dog, serumed up, best friend dies, then what? Switched on by society? I love the moment with him and the flag smasher. It brought me back to when I was in the theater watching Civil War and I swore Steve was going to chop Tony’s head off with the shield. Steve just smashes the arc reactor of course, but John straight up murders this guy. And people are watching, the world is, people were recording. Definitely some purposeful similarities to our very real recording of police brutality irl. Which makes me think what will the govt response be? Will they spin it and try to get him out of this (which will feel really...weird? With the trial going on rn) or maybe will they abandon him completely and leave him high and dry? Hopefully we will see whoever the current MCU president is (prolly maybe Thaddeus Ross??) speak on it as well as the flag smashers and GRC. Walker is obviously not a good person at heart. I theorized before that he had already been given the serum, which clearly isn’t true so he has just taken it but there is something about his background that needs to be revealed. It has to be more than just “‘we did bad stuff while we were deployed” like... yeah it has a profound and damaging effect on people, but I feel like when he was talking to Hoskins it felt like they were remembering what went down slightly differently. I don’t know why, I’ll have to rewatch the scene. Either way, I think there is some stuff we still don’t know about Walker, something so terrible about him that made the serum change him like that. He was already clearly on edge, feeling insecure about people not giving him the respect he thought he deserved just from putting on the suit and carrying the shield, feeling that same imposter syndrome Sam did/does, and his pride was clearly DECIMATED by the Dora. He has this seeming obsession with super soldiers... he’s just giving weirdo vibes.

One thing I noted is that I think this series is taking apart Steve/Cap and spreading him out over several different people, and having them all pick at and dissect what makes/made Captain America the symbol he was, and what happens when you dig a little deeper. Karli seems to be the embodiment of the kindness/concern for others. She is fighting for the people, to protect them, as Cap was. But she is not holding back and is willing to put everything on the line, but where Cap was putting himself in the line of fire to protect people, Karli is putting others. Buck may be the classic idealism and Steve himself, I’m not 100 sure, but he seems to embody the kind of idea that people need something to put hope in, something to lean on, the idea of true good. He always brings up what the shield means and represents, doesn’t ever actually get specific though which is interesting. This may be because Bucky has a hard time separating Steve from Cap, since he saw the two grow up, when he talks about the shield and Cap he IS talking about Steve, there is no symbol or hidden meaning, just the Steve he knew. He conflates it all together. So I guess he represents whether or not the classic ideals can survive, the idea of hope, and Young Steve. Sam I think could be change. Where change is unwavering, like Cap’s fight for freedom never changed, but also where it is inevitable, in Steve and Cap’s place in a time that isn’t their own. How the idea of Captain America needs to be updated for modern times, or whether it should be thrown out altogether. I don’t know this is all ramblings. I though I had something but it’s almost 5am 😩

I believe we have 2 more episodes left so it’ll being interesting to see what they do with it. Fingers crossed 🤞

[bestillmyslashyheart]

Malex Week Day 4: Free Day

+1

Michael was on the couch huddled under Alex’s favorite fleece blanket when Alex walked in the door. They hadn’t had plans and Alex technically wasn’t expecting to see Michael tonight but he wasn’t upset to find him making himself at home in Alex’s house.

“Hey,” Michael greeted. He turned his face up as Alex walked past to the bedroom and Alex obligingly stopped and kissed him hello.

“Hey,” he greeted warmly. He heard the TV unpause as he changed but he paid it no mind. Michael had a varied taste in movies and TV shows that Alex didn’t always agree with but it never bothered him to sit and watch with him. Especially after a day like the one he’d had. 

No, after today, curling up under a blanket with Michael was exactly what he needed. 

Alex took his prosthetic and uniform off before taking a quick shower and changing into sweats. Michael paused the TV again as he came out of the room and a quick glance at the screen gave Alex no hints as to what he was watching. 

“You want something to eat?” Michael asked just as Alex was dropping onto the couch next to him.

“Mm. Maybe later.” Alex untucked one end of the blanket from around Michael and shuffled so they were pressed together, the blanket over both of them. Michael looked over at him, amusement on his face. This time it was Alex who turned his face up for a kiss and Michael who willingly obliged. “So. What are we watching?” Michael didn’t answer. When Alex looked at him, he saw a flush creeping up the back of his neck. “What is it?”

Instead of saying anything, Michael clicked play. A moment later, Alex’s “is that Reese Witherspoon?” had him pausing it again. Alex turned on him. “Are you watching a romcom?”

Michael squirmed. “Maybe?”

Alex looked at the screen. He didn’t recognize anything else about the movie but he wasn’t exactly an expert in the actress’ filmography. “Huh, okay.” He waved at the remote. “Play on.”

Michael sagged in apparent relief. 

“Wait,” Alex said, with Michael’s finger perched over the button. “You know I don’t care if you like romcoms, right? I’m just surprised.”

“Yeah, I know,” Michael replied. “It’s not usually my thing but it was on so I figured why not.”

Alex nodded. “Good a reason as any. What’s it called?”

“Sweet Home Alabama.”

One.

“Okay, okay, okay!” Rosa yelled. She spread her hands wide across the table. “It is my birthday and I can finally, according to whichever calendar you prefer to use, drink legally. However! We all know that’s a bad idea. So. I am nominating all of you to drink for me.”

“Isn’t that why we’re here?” Michael smirked.

Rosa balled up a wet napkin and threw it at him. “21 shots. Tonight. Figure out how without killing yourselves.”

Alex raised his eyebrows. “That’s a lot, Rosa.”

“I’ll be counting.”

“Rosa,” Liz cautioned. “We love you and we are happy to celebrate with you but I’d really like it if we didn’t end up in the hospital with alcohol poisoning tonight.”

“Well someone should since I can’t.”

“Alright, pod squad, with me,” Isobel decided. “We’re splitting it up. 7 each.”

“Hey no-” Rosa protested.

Isobel stared her down. “You said to figure out how. We’re sharing. Deal.”

“Hmph, fine.”

Liz immediately grabbed Alex and Maria. “We’re sharing!” She looked around and grabbed Kyle’s arm. “Him too.”

Everyone laughed and Maria started divvying up the shots. Rosa watched as they all tossed them back, urging them on when they took too long for her liking. After that, Alex sort of lost the plot a bit. All he knew was that Michael was warm and his arm was comfortably heavy around Alex’s back. 

Michael and Maria got into a friendly argument at one point, something about one of them being an idiot? Alex wasn’t really paying attention, if he was being honest.

Then suddenly Michael said, “Honey, just because I talk slow, doesn’t mean I’m stupid.” 

Alex blinked and looked over at him in surprise. First, because Michael had never called anyone ‘honey’ in his life and now was an odd time to start giving Maria pet names. Second, because the words sounded awfully familiar. 

Maria immediately started protesting the pet name, loudly and repeatedly, but Michael ignored her in favor of turning to Alex with a shit eating grin and a wink. Alex blinked, confused, before it hit him.

He groaned and dropped his head onto Michael’s shoulder. “You’re quoting the damn movie now?”

Michael pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head. “It’s a good movie.”

Alex didn’t disagree but that didn’t mean he was about to start quoting it. As he looked at Michael’s face, he could only hope that this would be the only time it happened.

Two

It wasn’t the only time it happened. Since Rosa’s birthday, Michael had found no less than eight occasions to slip in Sweet Home Alabama references.  It hadn’t even been two weeks yet.

No one else seemed to get any of them, if the strange glances Michael got when he let out one of the more obscure ones was any indication, and Alex wasn’t sure if that made him more annoyed or happy. On the one hand he was absolutely suffering alone here but on the other hand, Michael always gave him a conspiratorial look and a wink after one of his references and Alex might actually punch someone if he had to share that. 

Then again, he might just punch Michael if he didn’t stop.

“Alex Manes!” 

Alex stood up slowly and looked out the small window over the sink. Kyle’s mom, the Sheriff, stood outside, hands on her hips and a completely fed up expression on her face. Michael stood next to her, an all to familiar grin on his face. “He just won’t leave, Sheriff!”

Alex dried his hands on the semi-clean rag Michael kept next to the sink and slowly left the Airstream, stepping carefully on those damn steps he hated. “Sheriff,” he greeted. “What seems to be the problem?”

Sheriff Valenti sighed heavily, like she knew this was a waste of her precious time. “Mr. Guerin here says that you’re trespassing and refusing to leave.”

“...he gave me a key. And he hasn’t asked me to leave.” Alex glared at Michael. Michael grinned back.

“Well,” she sighed. “Guess there’s not much I can do then.” She tipped her hat to Michael with a look that could freeze hell. “Have a good day, gentlemen.”

“Wait!” Michael called. “Isn’t there some law against vandalism?” The Sheriff stopped and half turned back to them with a raised eyebrow. “The lyrics spray painted on the side of the UFO Emporium a couple of years back?”

“For fuck’s sake, Guerin!” Alex yelled. He’d been drunk and maudlin on one of his trips home. So not his fault.

The Sheriff closed her eyes. “Too long ago.” Didn’t stop her from giving Alex an evil eye. Alex shivered, not used to Kyle’s mom not loving him.

“Guerin stole Kyle’s hubcaps after graduation!” He shouted as she tried to walk away again.

Michael cursed when she froze. “Too long ago!” He tried. 

She turned around. “Anything else?”

“Alex dropped the water balloons off the roof of the Crashdown last year! Weren’t there like three car accidents that day?” 

Alex gaped. He’d been channeling his inner Peyton Sawyer that day and Michael was not allowed to use it against him. 

“Boys,” the Sheriff pinched her nose. 

“Is there still a warrant out for whoever stole the Sheriff’s truck about ten years ago? Took it for a joyride and brought it back missing both mirrors and a dented wheel well?”

Michael froze. “Oh please. Like I could tip a cow by myself.” He only smirked when Alex stared at him as the full realization of what was happening hit him. “Or steal the Sheriff’s, aka my godfather’s, keys from his desk.”

The Sheriff sighed and pulled out her cuffs.

Later, when they were sitting next to each other in the one cell of the station, Max looking in at them with his disappointed face while Jenna took pictures, Alex muttered, “really?”

“Worth it,” Michael smiled.

Three

Alex was not expecting to walk into the Wild Pony and find his brother standing at the bar. He hadn’t even known he was in Roswell. “Greg?”

Greg turned around. “Alex! Hey!”

Alex stared at him. Or rather, at the small child strapped to his chest. “You have a baby. In a bar.” He immediately closed his eyes when he realized what he’d said.

Michael whooped and kissed him soundly. “I love you.”

Four

“Ugh,” Isobel groaned loudly when the hot woman walked away from her. She turned to Michael and Alex. “Am I doing it wrong?” She shook her head. “No, of course not. Something’s wrong with her.”

“Yes,” Alex nodded sagely. “Clearly the problem is her.”

Isobel glared at him. “I am choosing to ignore your sarcasm.”

“Choose away,” Alex smirked. “Why are you trying to pick up women anyway?”

Isobel slid into the booth opposite them. “Have you heard of a little thing called same-sex sexual attraction? It’s when women want to have sex with other women.”

Michael snorted into his drink. Alex only rolled his eyes. “Yes, thank you Isobel for that enlightenment. I only meant, why are you trying to pick up women here?” Isobel glanced around the familiar walls of the Wild Pony.

“You think I can’t pick up a woman here?” She scoffed. “Watch me.”

And they did. Michael and Alex sat back and watched as Isobel crashed and burned three straight times. Every time, the woman walked back to her very male date, though Alex did note that two of them continued to shoot curious glances Isobel’s way. 

Isobel slunk back to their table and sat down with a heavy sigh. “I’m not doing it wrong,” she defended immediately.

“Oh, why don’t you go to a gay bar?” Alex and Michael exchanged a look when they spoke in unison. 

“Alex…” Michael said, wonder in his voice. 

Alex rolled his eyes. “Whatever. We’re not talking about it.” Michael laughed and kissed him firmly.

“Ugh, you two are so weird.”

Five

“So. Alex.” Liz and Rosa turned eerily identical looks on him that made him take an actual step back.

“What?” He asked warily.

They exchanged a look. “When are you gonna put a ring on it?” Rosa nodded to where Michael was fixing Isobel’s car. He’d lost his shirt at some point but Alex wasn’t mad about it.

“It’s only been a few months,” Alex replied. Really, it was a month shy of a year. Or, twelve years depending on how you looked at it, he supposed.

Maria scoffed. “So? We all know it’s gonna happen. Just a matter of when.”

“She’s not wrong,” Kyle added.

Alex gave him his best betrayed look. “You too?”

Kyle shrugged, unrepentant. “Just saying.”

Alex looked at his friends' faces and sighed. He drained the last of his beer and stood up, fishing the box out of his pocket as he did. 

“Oh my god!” Rosa whisper yelled. “Are you serious?”

Alex grinned and shrugged. “Might as well, right?” He turned around. “Guerin!”

Michael looked over. He was a mess, sweat dripping off of him and matting his hair together, oil streaks on his face and chest. Alex looked at him and his heart nearly burst out of his chest. “Yeah?”

There were some frantic noises from behind him followed by equally frantic shushing. Michael looked at their friends in confusion but quickly shifted his gaze back to Alex when he stepped closer. 

Carefully, Alex crouched down. He couldn’t get all the way down to one knee but he could get close enough. Michael stared at him wide-eyed as he held out the box. “Marry me?” He opened the box to show the ring.

Michael stared at it then at him then again at the ring. He reached out and took it from Alex, one hand helping him stand up. “Michael?” Alex asked, when Michael didn’t say anything.

Michael looked at him, a familiar look in his eyes. “Why would you want to be married to me for, anyhow?”

There was a strangled gasp from behind him but Alex ignored it. Part of him wanted to roll his eyes at Michael’s ridiculousness but more of him was just plain fond so he smiled and said his line. “So I can kiss you anytime I want.”

Michael beamed and kissed him.

“You fucking nerds!” Isobel yelled. “Fucking Sweet Home Alabama quotes in your proposal. I don’t even know you anymore Michael.”

Bonus 

Michael closed his eyes and gently nuzzled Alex's hair. He was half asleep, tired from their busy day and the night's activities, and he was pretty sure Alex was actually asleep, but the thought that had been niggling at him all day would not go away.

"Alex?"

Alex hmm'd sleepily but otherwise didn't react. Michael poked him in the hip. 

"What?" Alex cracked open one eye to glare at him. The effect was utterly ruined by the pure fondness in the look. 

"Did you know," Michael started off, trying vainly to hold the grin back. "I gave my heart away a long time ago." Alex groaned loudly and buried his face in Michael's chest. He didn't let it deter him for a moment. "My whole heart. And I never really got it back."

Alex glowered privately for a moment before rolling off of Michael with a heavy sigh. With his head on the pillow next to him, Alex turned to look at him. "Good," he said. "I'm keeping it."

"You better." Michael rolled over and braced his hands on either side of Alex's shoulders, hovering just slightly over him before Alex grabbed his hips and pulled him down. "Because you're the first boy I ever kissed, Alex. And I want you to be the last."

"I will be," Alex promised. He cupped Michael's face in his left hand, the feeling of Alex's ring on his skin causing his eyes to fall closed, and pulled him down into a kiss. 

[tcm]

A Detour From Lady Lawyers to Bernice Pilot By Theresa Brown

Margaret Lindsay is one of those actresses who always seems smarter than the material she’s given. Well this is no exception in the entertaining drama, THE LAW IN HER HANDS (‘36). In this fast-moving plot, Mary Wentworth (Lindsay) and her gal pal Dot (Glenda Farrell) are “lady lawyers” who go through what every new lawyer does to build up a practice, find office space and scramble for clients...but it all takes money. Of the two women, Lindsay is the senior partner (you know how Hollywood casting goes, while Farrell is the smart aleck-y one), and she comes to the attention of two men on opposite sides of the law: the D.A. and the Mobster.

1930’s stalwart, Lyle Talbot, plays the mobster, Frank ‘Legs’. He’s not a gangster like Cagney, Bogie or Eddie G. No rough stuff. He’s on the smooth side of crime, runs protection rackets. He sees her in court help the D.A. win a case against one of his boys and decides he needs her on his side:

“I’m going to throw her some of my business if she can handle it. She’s a smart dame with plenty of moxie. We could use her.”

And he’ll pay big. Moxie ain’t cheap.

Handsome Warren Hull (what color are his eyes?) plays the assistant district attorney Robert Mitchell. He’s been going after Frank’s operations for a while. He’s also got his eye on new attorney Mary. Twenty-five minutes into the film, he’s ready to marry her. But what about her lawyering? She’s barely cracked the spine on her law books. But his marriage proposal makes a compelling argument:

He: “Mary, the law is no profession for a woman.”

She: “My, but you’re encouraging. Don’t tell me you’re one of those ‘woman’s place is in the home’ men.”

He: “No, I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. But Mary, the legal profession is full of tricks and technicalities. It’s not for women.”

She: “Women have been known to learn tricks.”

He: “Sure. I don’t want my wife to learn too many of them.”

Uhmmmm...we ARE still talking about Law, right?

ADAM’S RIB (‘49) probably owes some its ‘couple in love being on opposite ends of the courtroom trying to best each other’ theme to this film. The plot cogently zips by in a fast 58-minutes, written by George Bricker and Luci Ward, and William Clemens helmed the film in only his second directorial effort. No, he’s not a Wyler, Wilder or Wellman. But, he was a steadily working director, directing three Nancy Drew films and four Falcon movies in his 35-film credits career.

When watching THE LAW IN HER HANDS, I wondered why did the maid in this movie look familiar to me? I know it’s a minor role...for just a fleeting moment, but I always keep my beady eyes on the lookout for African-American actors in the background of classic films. I know who she is! It comes to me now!! During TCM’s June Star of the Month programming, she played Ann Sheridan’s comforting maid in CITY FOR CONQUEST (’40), just before Sheridan begins to spiral downward. Heading over to IMDB, I find her name: Bernice Pilot, and for the life of me I’ve seen her someplace else before.

I did some deep-sea diving into IMDB and saw Pilot made her big screen splash in 1929’s HEARTS IN DIXIE with a leading role in this early talkie/musical. She plays opposite the great Clarence Muse and popular Stephin’ Fetchit in the film that came out three months before its better-known rival HALLELUJAH. HEARTS IN DIXIE was a hit and might’ve seemed the start of a promising career for the young Oklahoman. But she only made 34 films and in all of them she plays the Maid. Pilot had a steady gig in movies but it’s kind of spotty, as she sometimes made 1-4 movies a year. How did this lady survive? She did work back-to-back with Margaret Lindsay in THE LAW IN HER HANDS and PUBLIC ENEMY’S WIFE (‘36). She scored a role in the Penrod movie series and 1938 was a banner year for Pilot, who made 10 films. Although not stunning or pert like Theresa Harris, there’s a mature gravitas to Pilot’s face with an air of don’t-mess-with-me.

As I scrolled through her filmography, it hit me like a ton of bricks where I’d seen her before. She plays the Mom who befriends her son’s playmate, young Bonita Granville, in THE BELOVED BRAT (‘38). She’s got a sizeable part in that film. Her last film is SEA OF GRASS (‘47). I wish she’d done more, but she died in 1947. I can’t find much more on her.

I hope you didn’t mind the detour. Classic films have tentacles that draw you down interesting rabbit holes. The business at hand is THE LAW IN HER HANDS. Do the team of Lindsay and Farrell sell out their ideals for the big pay off? Is a career barely started, to be abandoned for love ‘n marriage? If you know classic films, you’ve seen it before...you know how it ends...but that doesn’t mean you can’t take the ride with this film. It’s a good one.

Hey, it’s better than doing jury duty.

[letterboxd]

Natural Woman.

Filmmaking power-couple Julia Hart and Jordan Horowitz chat to Jack Moulton about exploring untouched female perspectives in genre films, a fateful viewing of Michael Mann’s Thief, the humbling magic of babies on set, and Letterboxd’s small role in their filmmaking process.

I’m Your Woman puts the gangster’s moll, a classically underwritten character, at the heart of the action. We barely meet the gangster himself in this taut, 1970s-set crime thriller from director Julia Hart and her co-writer and producer husband Jordan Horowitz. Rachel Brosnahan occupies a tense and unusual space as Jean, wife of Eddie, a no-good chap who turns up one day with a very young baby then abruptly disappears, leaving her to raise this unnamed child.

In other versions of the story, we’d follow Eddie to a guns-blazing conclusion, but this is a Hart-Horowitz jam, so we’re quickly on the run with Jean and the baby, and we stay with her. I’m Your Woman is a compelling, unsettling twist on the genre. “What impressed me most … was how well it keeps its cards close to the vest,” writes Mikey on Letterboxd. It’s also an empathetic portrayal of new-motherhood in all its exhausting confusion, where getting a baby clean, fed and sleeping is as much a priority as finding the next safe house. “Despite valuing tension quite highly, Julia Hart still has the wherewithal to let it sit in its more tender and thoughtful moments,” writes Paul. “The ending really sneaks up on you in terms of the specific feeling it elicits.”

Marsha Stephanie Blake and Rachel Brosnahan in ‘I’m Your Woman’.

Hart and Horowitz have children, aged two and six, who have grown up around film sets. Before becoming a filmmaker, Hart spent her days with other people’s kids as a teacher; her 2016 debut, Miss Stevens, stars Lily Rabe as a high-school educator, but her follow-up films have been wider-ranging, from Fast Color to this year’s Stargirl. Hart credits this genre-jumping to her absolute love of movies. “I don’t have a favorite genre. I love musicals, Westerns, crime dramas, coming-of-age movies, superhero movies. It was so fun getting to learn about how to create musical numbers in Stargirl and how to direct a car chase in I’m Your Woman.”

Horowitz, meanwhile, is known for producing The Kids Are All Right and La La Land. Yes, he’s the “Guys, guys, I’m sorry, no, there’s a mistake” guy. Horowitz is also a Letterboxd member, and a hunt back through his diary reveals the date he first watched Moonlight, along with his wholesome reviews of Julia’s films. “I always tried to remember to log my movies in so many different ways,” Horowitz explains, “and then once Letterboxd came out it was a very easy solution.”

Jordan Horowitz corrects that famous Oscar mix-up.

Horowitz keeps diligent lists of references for his upcoming films, years before they’re even announced. It’s here that the roots of I’m Your Woman are found, if you’re looking closely: a fateful viewing of Michael Mann’s Thief nearly seven years ago was the primary influence on I’m Your Woman, “especially Tuesday Weld’s character, and the moment where she is basically asked to leave the movie before James Caan burns everything to the ground,” he tells me. “Our hope with this movie was to follow some of the women in those movies that don’t necessarily get the spotlight and shift the gaze of the camera to follow this car as it drives away with her in it, instead of staying with the criminal of this movie.”

Hart picks up the thread, naming Diane Keaton in The Godfather, Ali MacGraw in The Getaway, Theresa Russell in Straight Time. “Those were interesting characters played by incredible actresses but they only have a handful of scenes so I loved the idea of exploring a woman in that world and time but telling the story through her perspective.”

Horowitz defines master filmmakers Sidney Lumet, Martin Ritt and Jonathan Demme as Hart’s “spirit animals”, for their humanist takes in multiple genres. A particular recommendation of a Lumet classic from an Amazon executive changed the way they looked at their writing. “Running on Empty has this great scene where they all sing [James Taylor’s] ‘Fire and Rain’ together. Originally in our script, the ‘Natural Woman’ scene was just [Jean] singing. After watching that movie it inspired us to consider what if the Cal character joins in with her? What happens to the moment if it becomes a bit more of a community moment?”

Bill Heck in ‘I’m Your Woman’.

When talking about their writing process, Horowitz admits that he always has his producer hat handy: “I’m never thinking about writing for the sake of writing. I’m always keeping how we make this thing in mind. Do we have too many extras? Is this location gettable? That can help me when we get into production because I’ve already considered some of those things, but I do wish sometimes that I could just sit down as Julia does and just write.” Once the duo makes it into production, Horowitz admits “[I] definitely put writer mode behind me, to the point where we’ll be on set and someone will ask me something about the script and I’ll be like ‘I don’t know, ask Julia’ and they’ll say ‘didn’t you write it too?!’”

However, Horowitz credits Hart as the “idea generator” of the two. The premise to have Jean struggling to connect with her adoptive baby was always part of the conception of the character, largely based on conversations Hart had with mothers, pre-lockdown. “It sometimes feels like Hollywood sees mothers as a monolith where there isn’t much nuance and subtlety, especially when it comes to negative feelings about motherhood, so they’re often shamed into not talking about them,” Julia laments. “It was really important for me to explore a side of motherhood that isn’t talked about as much and make sure that mothers know that they are seen and heard.”

The decision to have a baby (performed by brothers Justin and Jameson Charles) in almost every scene was a big risk, and not one Hart took lightly. “Movie people can think what they’re doing is very important, but there’s nothing more humbling than when you’re on a whole set with hundreds of people [and] you’re waiting for a baby’s dirty diaper to be changed. It made everything feel so real and immediate, so everyone on set really had to live in the moment and adapt. You prepare, and prepare, and prepare, but you have to throw out so much if the baby is sleeping instead of crying, or crying instead of smiling. I think it’s important to portray babies as real people, because as a society we often forget that.”

Lead actress Rachel Brosnahan came on as a producer many years after the script was already in Hart and Horowitz’s heads, but Hart explains that Brosnahan brought a history and interior life, “more in the wordless moments of acting than in dialogue itself.” Along the way, Jean meets Cal and Teri, who guide her to refuge. They’re the heart of the film, and Hart elaborates on their importance to the narrative: “they have been through the hell that Jean is currently going through and her circumstances force them to go through it again, but this time they have honesty, truth and love on their side. In watching Teri and Cal, Jean starts to understand what real love, family and support are.”

Rachel Brosnahan with director and co-writer Julia Hart.

When you examine Hart’s filmography, it’s impressive how productive she’s been in such a short time, releasing four films within five years, with those pre-schoolers under foot. Horowitz makes a comparison to a prolific filmmaker like Steven Soderbergh, who advises to “fail as fast as you can”. Horowitz acknowledges that “I don’t think we set out like, ‘we’re gonna have two children and we’re gonna make four films in five years.’ If we knew that we were gonna do that we would’ve said, ‘wow, that’s a little bit insane, maybe we shouldn’t do that!’” But they did, and the film world is richer for it.

We always like to ask about the film that made filmmakers want to become filmmakers, and Hart lands on All That Jazz. “I’ve always been a fan of Bob Fosse since his [early] work. How he turned moving your body in a way that people haven’t really moved their bodies before into an empire is very inspiring. [Roy Scheider] is also my favorite actor, which doesn’t hurt. He’s so good.” Horowitz, meanwhile, is a huge fan of Back to the Future. “That was the movie when I was a kid that just opened my eyes to the power of movies, to make you obsess and dream about what other movies could be.”

“I remember going with my parents to see Back to the Future Part II on the Friday night it opened and when we got there it was sold out. We saw some other movie, but I was so upset so all I was thinking about was Back to the Future Part II. As we were leaving the movie theater, I saw through the back little window of the screen where Back to the Future Part II was playing and watched the end scene where Marty is standing in the rain and someone comes and gives him a letter. I did not sleep the entire night. That feeling of anticipation and imagination defines the way I like to look at movies and the way they can make me feel.” A subsequent look at Horowitz’s Letterboxd diary reveals that this conversation perhaps inspired him to take a trip back in time the following day.

Related content

Jordan Horowitz’s list of research for I’m Your Woman

She did THAT!—A list of women who kill

Mothers, Mommy Issues, Moms, Matriarch, Grandmothers

Letterboxd’s Top 200 Crime Films

Disillusionment in Sun-drenched 1970s American New Wave Cinema

Follow Jack on Letterboxd

‘I’m your Woman’ is on Amazon Prime Video now.

[365days365movies]

January 30, 2021: Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

So, now that I’ve gotten through the first of these movies, it’s probably time to talk about the director of all four films, George Miller.

Miller’s an Australian director and medical doctor. Yeah, dude went to medical school, and in his last year there, started getting into filmmaking! Nice. He immediately came off as a budding director, and made his official directorial debut with his first film...Mad Max. Yeah. Very interesting guy. Today’s entry is his second film, and he’s since made films including Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Witches of Eastwick, Lorenzo’s Oil, Babe (yes, the pig one), Babe: Pig in the City (yes, the OTHER pig one), Happy Feet (not the pig one) and its sequel, Happy Feet Two. So, a pretty good filmography!

But throughout it all, Miller’s flagship passion was the Mad Max franchise, continuing with this movie, and eventually ending with Fury Road. And from what I’ve heard about these remaining two films, I’m in for a ride. Pun half-heartedly intended. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

An elderly narrator brings us in, telling the tale of the Road Warrior, Mad Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson). He speaks of the downfall of modern society, punctuated by increased savagery, and the takeover of gangs on the world’s highways. People are ruined and forgotten, and they lose themselves. And these people include Max, who’s wandered out into the wilderness since losing his family. Yeah, Jess from the last movie? Dead. Guess she wasn’t doing so great after all.

Max and his dog are on the roads of Australia, where things have definitely changed. Ho longer around any vestige of civilization, the Road Warrior’s driving the Interceptor, being chased by punks on motorcycles, led by Wez (Vernon Wells), a cray, screaming dude with a bike and a mohawk..

After the chase, Max happens upon a recently-wrecked truck leaking gasoline, a much treasured resource in this post-apocalyptic landscape. Wez leaves, having been defeated, and Max gathers the fuel and goes his way. He drives through the desert until finding a mini-helicopter (a gyrocopter, it’s called), abandoned on the ground. 

After taking care of a carpet python (Morelia spilota; don’t know the subspecies), he finds himself ambushed by the Gyro Captain (Bruce Spence), who holds him up for his fuel. However, using his dog, Max gets the upper hand. Frightened, Gyro tells him of a huge supply of fuel somewhere in the desert. He agrees to show him in exchange for his life. Max agrees, and does this.

Yeah, he tied a string to the trigger of a gun, and tied the other end to Dog’s bone. Fuck yes.

Gyro’s true to his word, and he takes him to an oil refinery in the middle of the desert. It’s being used and guarded by a gang of some kind. Max sets up camp, tying Gyro to a dead tree and spying on the gang. That night, many gang members leave the refinery, and return the next day. I should mention, at this point, that we start to see some of the crazy vehicles I love so much in Fury Road. Which, yeah, HERE for that!

Anyway, the bikers, including good old Wez, go after a guy in a tricked-out buggy, incapacitating him and...taking...his wife. Yeah, these movies are really leaning on that to vilify their bad guys, huh? First it was Toecutter’s gang and the young couple, and now it’s these random people. Not the best gimmick in the world, but...OK?

Well, Max goes down to take their gasoline, and finds that the man has lived. Max brings him back to a small settlement, where they take him in. Meanwhile, a child with a boomerang, called Feral Kid (Emil Minty), watches. Cool.

Max is taken into the settlement, where oil is being refined as well. The settlers definitely don’t accept Max, and are ready to take his car and oust him into the wilderness without fuel. And then, the bikers return. And there are a LOT of them.

These are the Marauders, and they’ve taken some of the settlers captive. They’d gone out, only to be taken captive by Wez and the others. But Wez isn’t their leader. No...no, that would be the Warrior of the Wasteland! The Ayatollah of rock-and-roll-ah! THIS...is Lord Humungus (Kjell Nilsson)!

...Am I in love with this movie? Holy shit, I might be I mean, LOOK at that dude! With his voice and his scraggly-ass hair and Jason mask, he notes that the settlers sent out sentries to find a truck, with which to carry their gasoline and take it out of the desert. And as this is taking place, Feral Kid pops up, throws his steel boomerang, and kills Wez’ right hand man. WHAT

YES. MORE PLEASE. Feral Kid’s boomerang is thrown at him, misses, comes back and severs the fingers of the hand of Humungus’ mouth of Sauron dude, Toadie (Max Phipps). Humungus tries to calm the throngs, Wez included, and ends up putting Wez in a Sleeper. He tells the settlers to “just walk away, and [he] will spare [their] lives. Just walk away.”

...Yeah, I love Humungus. And his inevitable death saddens me more than I can properly say. Anyway, the settlers start debating whether or not they should walk away, and Max uses a little music-maker that he found to befriend the Feral Kid. The leader of the settlers, Pappagallo (Mike Preston) tries to convince them to flee with their fuel to a safe place. They continue to argue, until Max interjects with an offer.

Max can get them the vehicle to carry the tanker of gas that they have, but demands as much gas as he can carry, and the return of his vehicle. They agree to his terms, and Max heads off into the night to get the truck from earlier, with gas canisters and Dog in tow. With a little help from Feral Kid, he escapes the notice of the Marauders waiting nearby.

He catches up to Gyro, who’s managed to break free of the tree (well, mostly), and is quickly caught by Max in order to carry the gas canisters for the truck. They get back to Gyro’s gyro, where someone has died after being bitten by his...nonvenomous snake. Yeah, these films haven’t shown very high knowledge of zoology, huh?

They take to the air in the gyrocopter, and easily fly to the truck from the beginning of the film. They get it started, and Max leaves Gyro behind, although he protests to this, and follows behind in the copter. And then.he drives past Wez, who’s still enraged after losing his partner to boomerang hit.

By the way, I didn’t mention this about the gang, but they’re literally all wearing what looks to me like leather bondage gear? Like...I’m pretty certain that’s exactly what that is; it’s pretty obvious. ESPECIALLY Humungus and Wez’s partner, lemme tell you. Just a note, as this change in visual tone and style is going to carry throughout the rest of the series.

The Marauders run Max down, and Gyro saves the day with his snake, throwing it at one of the cars chasing him. Max JUST makes it into the Settlement, but a couple of the Marauders make it in as well, Wez amongst them. He kills a Settler using his favorite weapon, HIS OWN HEAD (fuck, this movie rules), and makes his was through the compound.

Max climbs the top of the wall, and uses a flamethrower on some of the men. Feral Kid throws a boomerang at Wez, who runs off with the rest of the Marauders. Gyro also arrives, landing in the settlement. Pappagallo, in the process, is shot in the leg with an arrow. Unfortunately, the damage sustained to the truck will take 12 hours to fix.

The Settlers thank Max for his help, but that doesn’t mean he’s staying there. That night, however, Humungus retaliates, and strings up their captured settlers for all to see, torturing them throughout the night. Nobody will make it out alive, by his promise. 

For the time being, Max and Gyro are still in the settlement, waiting for their chance to leave. Gyro tries to sneak away with a young woman, but she opts to stay out of loyalty to the Settlers. Also, her hair looks like a Who from Whoville. It had to be said...it had to be said. Pappagallo berated Max for just leaving, rather than helping the rest of them and driving the tanker. Max shoves aside Feral Kid, and he takes off.

However, this is NOT the best move on Max’s part, as he drives RIGHT THROUGH the Marauder camp, and Wez isn’t far behind him. Using a NOS system (EAT IT FAST AND FURIOUS FRANCHISE), they easily overtake Max and run him off the road, DESTROYING the V-8 Pursuit Special, and injuring Max something fierce. Somehow, though, he manages to escape. But one of them KILLS DOG WHAT THE FUCK MAN

Max crawls away and escapes, but is found by...Gyro! Gyro picks him up with the copter, and takes him back to the settlement. He wakes up in a medical tent, still quite hurt. Pappagallo details the plan: use the tanker as a distraction to allow the others to escape. Max, although still injured, volunteers to drive the tanker after all. He doesn’t say exactly why, but he is now stuck there without a method of egress, and he’s the best chance they have. I’m going to choose to believe that he does it for Dog. JOHN WICK STYLE BABY

The time has come. On both sides, they head for conflict. Gyro’s air support, dropping bombs on them. But he’s quickly shot down. Meanwhile, the settlers get out in vehicles of their own, taking advantage of the distraction of the tanker. And once they’re all out…

Now, all eyes are on Max and the Marauders! With the assistance of Warrior Woman (Virginia Hey), Feral Kid, and a few more settlers, Max tries to outdrive Wez and his group. And a LOT of shit happens here, so do yourself a favor and watch this video!

Rebecca and the other two settlers die, leaving only Max and Feral Kid behind. A LOT of Marauders die in the process, and then Lord Humungus catches up. As they shoot out the tires, Gyro (still flyin’, baby!) and some of the Settlers show up as backup. And...yup, another video. Yes, really.

After ALL OF THAT, Humungus ONCE AGAIN goes the way of Toecutter, and is killed by a head-on collision with a truck. Said truck careens off the road, and Mac and Feral Kid get out. It’s then that we see that the truck NEVER had fuel in it! No, instead it was a decoy! It allowed the vehicles, which actually contained the fuel, to escape to the safe North, away from the gangs.

The Narrator comes back, revealing that he’s the Feral Kid, and that their new leader was Gyro! And the Road Warrior. That was the last they ever saw of him. He lives now...only in his memories.

And THAT...was The Road Warrior, AKA Mad Max 2. WHOOOOOOOO!!! Second verse, same as the first; epilogue at the end of the weekend! LET’S GO PART 3

January 31, 2021: Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2020 - Best Film

Believe it or not, there were movies released last year - 75 of them at the very least, as that’s how many I watched. That’s 30 less than last year, even though I spent approximately 300% more time inside my home, but I’ll cut myself some slack. 2020 may have been a loss, but there were still some real winners to come out of it. Here are the Aarons for Best Film:

#10. The Assistant

It’s a sin of omission: No name is spoken in the film. No crimes are labeled. The towering chair in the middle of the shot sits empty, and yet the dangerous jaw of the doorframe is unmistakable. Kitty Green’s office procedural is made more nauseating in its minimalism; loosely based on the Weinstein sexaul assault scandal, The Assistant counts on a viewer’s familiarity, not just with the broad strokes of abuse, but the minutiae that enables it. By following a junior employee, played by the always tactful Julia Garner, through a series of daily mundanities, Green’s film shifts the spotlight, questioning our collective culpability in creating toxic environments. Every act must be an act of rebellion, the film says, or else we are assisting.

#9. Happiest Season

Happiest Season hit a snag last year: what was set to be a landmark in wide-release studio rom-coms became another victim of a pandemic that pushed people apart for the holidays. The homey movie might have hit harder in its Hulu-Original release though, as a needed reminder of the power of patience during difficult times. Harper (Mackenzie Davis) waits too long after an invite home for Christmas to tell her girlfriend Abby (Kristen Stewart) that she’s not out to her parents, imploring they keep the relationship a secret for the time being. It’s an unreasonable ask, prompted by unjust circumstances. By honestly exploring that conflict in hilarious, heartfelt fashion, Happiest Season was the most wonderful time of an interminable year.

#8. Wolfwalkers

Wolfwakers doesn’t run in a pack with the output of other animation studios, despite sharing a similar gravitas to the best of the Disney Renaissance. The wild style of its swirling sensory colors shed realism for an immersive, uninhibited fantasy world. Formatted like a proper fairy tale, the film centers on a moral: as wolfhunter’s daughter Robyn gains the ability to transform into the animal at night, the film walks viewers through overcoming fear of “the other'' in order to identify the true monsters among us. The howl of its voice actors, backed by a repurposed single by singer Aurora, completes this captivating creation. Released on the Apple TV+ streaming service, the film can rightfully boast of being one of the best of the year, so there’s no need to buy a wolf ticket.

#7. Onward

Onward put Pixar back on a forward-thinking path after a series of skippable sequels. Like director Dan Scanlon’s previous effort, it’s a smaller-scale saga for the studio, riffing on a classic comedic conceit rather than voicing existential crises: in a modernized fantasy world, two brothers take a road trip to locate a mystical artifact that can bring their father back for one more day. The quest is Pixar at its most magical, tweaking traditional tropes and tugging at one’s heartstrings. Despite the pieces being present, the film circumvents the jealousy of “knowledge vs. natural talent” that fueled Scanlon’s Monsters University; its vulnerable, supportive, affectionate sibling relationship made Onward especially moving. 

#6. The Vast of Night

The Vast of Night plays on the vastness of imagination, tracking a young radio DJ and a switchboard operator through interviews that untangle the extraterrestrial events of their small town. In effect, the film is the Super 8 of the podcast world, plugging into the particular power of its medium by way of a retro-sci-fi adventure. For those on that wavelength, the atmospheric indie is an equally eerie and enticing beacon to the thrill of discovery. This audial focus doesn’t come at the expense of its visual format, mind you: the film’s hypnotic hold is only broken once - by the absolutely stunning construction of its midpoint tracking shot, one for the record books. 

#5. Tenet

A question of cause-and-effect: did Christopher Nolan’s newest blockbuster fall into my top five for the year, or was a new Nolan novelty destined to place there before the year even began? His filmography has been on a roll since its inception, and the director keeps that forward-momentum going with the twisty Tenet, a time-bending thriller about agents unraveling a temporal cold war. Any way you look at them, the innovative, physics-based action scenes astound. Meanwhile, the midpoint movement turns on wondrous, child-like glee. With this grand of a scale, it’s a shame that Nolan’s devotion to the big screen despite the pandemic hampered the release; it seems some of the director’s tenets are better than others.

#4. His House

The works of Jordan Peele will likely be at the forefront of a viewer’s mind during His House, but, make no mistake, the film has horrors all its own. It’s a similar set-up to Get Out: a South-Sudanese refugee couple endure the various racist micro-aggressions of trying to assimilate or accommodate to an unwelcoming environment, even before learning their government-mandated housing is haunted. While that’s the foundation, His House’s ultimate form is unexpected, linked not to the guises of progress, but to the guilt of the past. Its supernatural sequences are made more startling by the raw performance of stars Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku; they own His House. 

#3. First Cow

Behind every successful man, there stands a cow. Director Kelly Reichardt continued her career-long deconstruction of the Western last year in her best bittersweet concoction, First Cow. Pioneers Cookie and Lu seek the promise of the frontier in 1800s Oregon Country, sneaking milk from a wealthy land-owner’s cow to start an oil-cake business. The camaraderie is lovely, but that contract is a lie: the truth is a world in which only capital begets capital, where the rich are more concerned with having something than using it. Reichardt doesn’t beef up this drama with overblown conflicts, instead milking the minimalism to ‘udderly’ devastating results: they were the first, but we’ll all be waiting on that Western promise of prospect ‘til the cows come home. 

#2. The Invisible Man

Often, movies will ask viewers to look at their monsters as metaphors; sometimes, they’re just monsters through and through. The Invisible Man, an update on the classic Universal film, polishes up the original’s special effects, but makes its titular character much uglier. Bringing the invasive nature of invisibility to the surface, the film reinterprets the character as a domestic abuser, gaslighting his ex, Cecilia, from beyond his supposed grave. Elizabeth Moss makes it a must-watch, never letting the audience look away from the trauma and terror of that situation. It’s highly-disturbing horror, made more so by an ending that leaves viewers in the dark, and the craft is always phenomenal. Director Leigh Whannell clearly had vision since his very first film project, but after The Invisible Man, everyone will be saying, “Saw who?” 

AND THE BEST FILM OF 2020 IS...

#1. Straight Up

Straight Up? One of the best rom-coms of recent memory, and my favorite film of an odd year. It’s a fittingly off-beat premise after all: a young gay man and an equally-witty young woman, each struggling with intimacy in different ways, explore an unusual romantic relationship with each other. In a time when we were all cut off from connections with other people, Straight-Up reexamined internalized phobias and millennial malaise to forge new ones, uncovering the rare occurrence of a platonic ideal. With whip-smart dialogue, reflective filmmaking, and two star-making central performances, you will surely fall as in love with Straight Up as I did, and that is nothing less than My Hahn-est Opinion.

NEXT UP: THE 2020 AARON FOR WORST FILM!

[tedbecca]

3 Celebrity Lady Crushes — but like. in a very gay way

tagged by @inyoursheets​​ @medievalraven​​ and @bethrio​​ (i think that’s it but i might have been tagged by someone else too?? maybe not. idk! i lost track of my notifs days ago skfdjdfgf)

i agree with jo that it’s a little homophobic to make me narrow it down to 3 women... but anyway here are three from the top of my head

kate mckinnon — i haven’t actually thought about her in a hot minute but i just saw a gifset of her today and yuppp she still does it for me. this pic was my phone background for like. the entirety of 2017. she was just so incredibly sexy in ghostbusters (2016)

kathryn hahn — dear god..... back when i watched crossing jordan i was too focused on jordan (jill hennessy) to really be attracted to kathryn, but i’ve been diving more into kathryn’s filmography these last few years and whewwwww 

melanie scrofano — i’ve met her a couple times over the last few years and have absolutely swooned every single time dsfljkdf she was simply just too cool and funny and i got even more flustered than i’ve been meeting other celebrities (i’ll add a pic of the two of us below the cut. look at how red my face is. embarassing)

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Yzma

I feel like there’s no sense in introducing this one. You know her. I’ve seen all the gif sets, the quotes, the images, the memes… it’s safe to say most every person on the internet is intimately acquainted with The Emperor’s New Groove’s geriatric villainess, Yzma. So, let’s just cut to the chase and talk about why Yzma is a fantastic villain, shall we?

Motivation/Goals: Yzma’s goal is pretty simple and yet also infinitely understandable. She wants to take over the kingdom from Kuzco because, after years of being treated like garbage by the snotty little emperor she likely helped raise, he’s just firing her because she’s old and ugly. Like, it is TRUE, but it’s still incredibly tacky and rude. It’s not hard to empathize with her at least a little bit as she goes to poison the snotty, miserable emperor, though it really does become harder to side with her as the movie goes on and she continues to berate her poor manservant Kronk.

Performance: The legendary Eartha Kitt of Adam West’s Batman and My Life as a Teenage Robot fame gave Yzma exactly the voice she needed to instantly ingrain herself in your memory forever. Kitt was absolutely not afraid to ham it up, and combined with the character design and animation, it makes Yzma a delightfully over-the-top figure that is easy to love to hate. Even better, she has insanely good chemistry with Patrick Warburton as Kronk, and the two play off each other extremely well, leading to Yzma being part of a good 95% of the movie’s funniest scenes. It helps that, while she is definitely very funny, she is more often the straight man reacting to the insanity her compatriot brings to the table, a dark mirror to Kuzco and Pacha’s relationship… well, comparatively dark. These two are a couple of goobers after all. What I think really helps is that, despite being the straight man in a general sense, Yzma is still probably one of the most insane villains in Disney’s filmography, as in literally unhinged, so she is as able to generate laughs as anyone else.

Final Fate: Yzma’s attempts to kill Kuzco backfire spectacularly, and instead of succeeding in any way, shape, or form, she ends up turning herself into a cute little kitty. It’s a marked improvement, honestly. How she changed back to normal for the TV series, who can say? By all accounts it doesn’t make sense. Just don’t think too hard about it, it’s a comedy after all.

Best Scene: Considering how the entire climax of the film is an absolute cavalcade of comedy, we could go with that. Or we could go with her attempts to poison Kuzco at dinner. Or we could go with her interactions with Pacha’s family. The “problem” with Yzma that every scene with her is so great that it’s hard to single out any single one moment as outstanding, because all of them are pretty much on the same level. She’s remarkably consistent with how great she is.

Best Quote: It’s really hard for me to pick just one line (which is something I tend to say a lot, but I mostly talk about good villains on here, so cut me some slack), but I think the combination of the delivery and just how great Kitt’s voice was really helps make her brainstorming ways to kill Kuzco a legendary moment:

“Ah, how should I do it? Oh, I know. I'll turn him into a flea. A harmless little flea. And then I'll put that flea in a box, and then I'll put that box inside of another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself! And when it arrives, AH HA HA HA! I'LL SMASH IT WITH A HAMMER!!! It's brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT, I tell you! Genius, I say!”

The laugh is really what sells it, honestly.

Final Thoughts & Score: Yzma is probably the single greatest Disney villain who doesn’t totally follow the Renaissance villain format post-Renaissance, with only Turbo really being a contender for the crown. What I mean is this: the Renaissance set a serious precedent for animated movie villains going forward. They had to be hammy, have huge personalities, and get their own song. Ratigan was something of a prototype, and then Ursula went and set the standard. Sure, there were exceptions in the Renaissance – Hades is great but got no song, and Ratcliffe is… Ratcliffe, and he has a song – but for the most part the best Disney villains had a clear style. Ursula, Gaston, Frollo, Scar, all of them are some of Disney’s best and all of them stick to these rules.

Yzma came early in the post-Renaissance era so it would make sense for her to fit the bill entirely while they were still experimenting with new styles, but because of the tumultuous production of The Emperor’s New Groove, she ended up keeping the ham while having her villain song cut. And yes, this is a damn shame, since Eartha Kitt was a fantastic singer and the song’s not half bad, but I think the movie as a whole and Yzma herself work better without music. She’s just so funny with how she reacts to and interacts with things throughout the movie, I just don’t think she really NEEDS music to really push her over the top in terms of quality. Like, let me put it this way: I think, without “Be Prepared,” Scar would probably not be quite as impressive. I think with a villain song, Jafar would have been even cooler. Yzma? She’s pretty much perfect the way she is.

I debated a long time on what score to give her, but I frankly think she does deserve a 10/10. I almost gave her a 9 on the basis that she didn’t have a song, but her overall performance combined with my realization she didn’t need her song to be great made me decide to reward her with the highest marks. However, there is one criticism I have that I think stands: she would not nearly be s funny if not for the presence of her faithful lackey. So let’s talk about him, shall we?

Psycho Analysis: Kronk

I put this one to a vote, and it turns out that a lot of people consider Kronk a villain. I guess if we’re being technical he is an antagonist, but a villain? Kronk is pretty much the least evil villain out there. Still, it’s pretty impossible to deny that he’s not exactly a good guy when he’s complicit in an assassination attempt. Kronk’s a bit of a morally gray figure for much of the film.

He’s also, without a doubt, the funniest character in the film.

Motivation/Goals: See Yzma above. He’s just her lackey, so he doesn’t have much in terms of goals of his own. He does, however, have a conscience, as well as numerous skills including some serious culinary skills, including knowledge of fry cook lingo.

Performance: This is one of the roles that really put Patrick Warburton on the map, alongside Joe Swanson in Family Guy. And if I’m being honest, this is the definitive Patrick Warburton role in animation. Kronk is just an absolute delight to watch, since he’s basically the lovable idiot character perfected. He’s a ditz, but he does have a lot of skill in some interesting niche areas, he’s not truly good or evil and has a moral code, he’s very quotable and funny in a pretty natural way… Kronk has got it all! And it’s all thanks to Warburton injecting that Patrick Warbuton-ness we’ve all come to love from his performances. 

Final Fate: Of course Kronk gets redeemed in the end. The dude is the biggest softie on the planet. Maybe Yzma should have thought twice before insulting his spinach puffs.

Best Scene: Kronk has a similar problem to Yzma, where every single scene he’s in is incredibly perfect, but unlike Yzma, there is one scene that really narrows things down and gives you the perfect summation of Kronk as a character: the scene where he is attempting to dispose of Kuzco’s body, does his own theme music, argues with his shoulder angel and shoulder devil, and then ends up saving Kuzco, thus allowing the rest of the plot to happen.

Best Quote: Unlike Yzma, there is no way I could possibly narrow down Kronk’s best quote. Whichever one is your favorite, you’re right. That’s the best one. Everything out of his mouth is gold.

Final Thoughts & Score: Kronk is a very interesting lesson when it comes to Psycho Analysis because, while he is certainly antagonistic, and certainly is a great character, he’s not a great villain, which is what these reviews are for. Like, he is easily the best part of the movie, he is hilarious, his chemistry with Yzma is undeniable, and this is Warburton’s definitive vocal performance in animation… but it doesn’t make Kronk a good villain so much as it makes him a good character. Like there’s no way I can give him below an 8/10, because again, still an antagonistic role, but he can’t score much higher because his personality is just so legitimately NICE that calling him a villain seems really weird (which is why I put it to a vote in the first place).

I really can’t stress enough how much I love Kronk; he’s like in my top 10 favorite Disney characters. But when it comes to villains, I really don’t think he’d make the cut, because even when he is doing something bad it comes off more as misguided loyalty to Yzma than an actual desire to do bad. It’s really telling that it’s the most petty of things that makes him drop Yzma like a hot potato: Kronk was never really a villain, he was a good guy who made poor life choices and had a toxic friend influence. He didn’t really have a character arc where he became a better person like Kuzco did, although Kronk’s ultimate turn to the side of good does somewhat mirror Kuzco’s; he simply realized that the friend in his life he devoted his time to was an awful person and decided to leave her behind, and when all is said and done, that just leaves a big, buff nice guy who likes to cook. And that makes Kronk a truly great, funny, and lovable character.

It just doesn’t make him a great villain.

[judelaw]

Hey! I have two questions for you. Firstly, if you could learn anything about Jude, what would you want to learn? Secondly, how and when did you become a fan of him? Love this page!!

In the early summer of 2010, my mum and I rented a Sherlock Holmes DVD from the store because we had heard it’s a good film and needed something to watch that evening. I already knew Jude’s name and that he’s actor but because I never cared about celebrities (and still don’t care lmao) I didn’t know what he looked like. I had seen A.I. in 2002 but I was like 7 at that time so I was way more focused on the talking teddy bear than the robot prostitute.

I was sitting on the floor in our living room (I suppose because I was cuddling our dog), looked up to the TV, saw this

and thought “Holy shit, so that’s Jude Law, huh?”. I really loved the film and especially Watson so much that I decide to start reading the books, however, because I was too deep into my anime phase at that point, I didn’t start reading them until early 2011. Because so much time had past in-between watching the film and reading the books, my brain created its own vision of what the characters look like - except for Watson. He stuck out to me so much that I was unable (or unwilling lmao) to make up my own version. Reading the books (or the book, I believe I had only read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes at that point) I started to love Watson even more and because I automatically associated him with Jude, I grew attached to him as well (on an artificial level as I only knew his name and what he looked like as Watson). March came and I decided to go to Jude’s Wikipedia page one evening because I was bored. I randomly picked one of his films, Repo Men, watched it online (legallyofcoursecough) and instantly realized I really like him as an actor and as his own person, not just as Watson.

So from that point on I started to slowly make my way through his filmography, watched and read interviews with him, saw Contagion in theaters in October and followed the entire AGOS promo. In November of 2011, my friends and I visited Madame Tussauds in Berlin and in their merch section they had a coaster with Jude’s face on it, so naturally I bought it. It was the first Jude related thing I ever owned and it’s still sitting on my shelf.

I used to say I was only a casual fan of Jude until I met him in 2013 but I came to realize that isn’t actually true. December 2012 I had already followed him enough and liked him enough that I begged my mum to buy me a ticket for Henry V. She agreed but you could only pay with a credit card on the website and we didn’t have one, so I had to text my friend in freaking Belgium, asked if I could use her credit card and then had to go to the bank the other day to send her the money. The ticket was then send from England to her house in Belgium because you had to use the same billing and shipping address and she then had to send the ticket to my house in Germany.

I was so anxious the entire time and feared that the ticket would get lost in the mail so I was basically stressed 24/7 until it finally arrived. And I knew the time would be a nightmare for me and I knew it was a huge commitment to ask my mum for a ticket that literally cost over 100€ for an event that would happen a year later because I technically couldn’t even be sure if I would still be interested in Jude then. Yet I was still willing to go through that so I believe I was already a bit more than a casual fan at that point lmao.

But that’s pretty much the entire story, I guess. It certainly was a gradual process, though. I didn’t love nearly him as much as I do now when I finished watching Repo Men. There where a lot of small moments that lead to this (such as getting to see him perform in Henry V, seeing how happy he was when the play was over and everyone applauded or when he talked about a certain problem he had in an interview that was similar to something I was going to at that time and he offered a solution I literally wouldn’t have thought of myself).

[The last part of this ridiculously long text includes a mention of suicide so if that triggers you, please don’t read any further.]

He has been (and still is) a constant source of happiness for me and had been the only reason for me to stay alive for a very, very long time. My bio may  sound like a hyperbole or overly dramatic but it’s the truth. I absolutely wouldn’t be here anymore if I hadn’t constantly had a new film of his to look forward to and if he hadn’t openly talked about therapy in 2016 which encouraged me to seek professional help as well. When I hit my lowest point on September 3rd, 2018 and actually tried to commit suidice, literally the only thing I was sad about losing was the ability to make it to November to see Fantastic Beasts. But now after 3 1/2 years of therapy I’m finally better, much better than I had felt in over a decade. I didn’t even think of suidice for like 4 months which is a really huge achievement for me. I don’t need him to survive anymore but I’ll forever be grateful for what he unknowingly did for me.

I had mused on how to answer your first question for the past like 12 hours and still don’t think I have a satifying answer. I feel like I’m not entitled to information I don’t already have and therefore don’t necessarily have the desire to get it (except for the names of his cats, he should really drop those).

But I guess I’d like to know if he‘s aware of the huge impact he has on other people. He knows what fiction can do for you from his own experience so I feel like he certainly understand the general concept but I wonder if anyone has ever told about his impact. I've talked to a lot of people who have a similar story to mine and know from the media about other people he helped in some way or another (such as a refugee couple who named their child after him because they are so thankful for his help), so, yeah. Maybe I don’t even want to necessarily know if he knows about it but want to make sure he does know about it.

He has often been reduced to his looks and though it certainly has gotten better over the years, it still happens from time to time. And that rightfully bothers him. So I think it would be great if he knew (or already does know) that he’s so, so much more than that to a lot of people.

[sherlock-is-ace]

1/n Hi again :D I was just scrolling through your blog and OMG?? You like House too? AND you actually know stuff about bollywood and the fact that it's called hindi and not "indian" and you know Ayushmann! I am Indian! asdjdjd and that's the country I was talking about when i mentioned foreigner syndrome! I am all excited but in reality India has sooooo many languages and I'm more fluent in english than hindi (I'm probably just as bad at you at translating hindi 🙈 eeek)

(again I will reply to all the asks in the same post but I will do one by one cause I have the brain of a mosquito and I fear I will leave things unanswered lol)

Hello!! :D I do like House, watched it this year for the first time as parto of my Hugh Laurie obsession phase lol djgkhdkfg I love it so much! :D And I looove Bollywood movies and Ayushmann so much! (I watched his entire filmography, even the not so great movies, in like a week and a half lol). I’ve done so much fan art of him too... it’s even a lil embarrassing how much I love him dkjfhgkf And I’m even learning Hindi cause I love the language so much :’) Tho it’s been a while since I do any revision or any of my “homework” for it... Need to get back to it but I’m sort of busy with Christmas present making rn lol

ksfhgfkg thank you! <3

Yeah Tokio in season 1 was ok, I don’t think I ever liked her, but she certainly didn’t bother me as much lol And yes! the love thing, writers in tv shows and movies are constantly making ever character fall in love and have a partner as if that’s the only thing that would make them interesting... The writers of lcdp sort of speeded the process up a bit lol I actually headcanon the Profe as ace :’) I did since the second he came on screen, and nobody can take that away from me, maybe that’s why I don’t like Raquel, tho I did at first! But I wanted her to stay the “enemy” type charater. I imagined she would be in charge of the investigation for the next heist too, and be sort of like a love-hate, flirty enemies with the Profe. But then they made her join him and to me, they fucked up. I guess it makes sense cause the show was suppose to end there, and season 3 and 4 (and now 5) weren’t on the table when they wrote that...

Oh I love Berlermo! :’D They’re such a powerful, complicated and sad couple, I love it so much! dfkghjdfg I do understand Sergio’s worry about them being together at the same heist, cause like, when the 3 of them were at the monastery, he could keep an eye on them, and make sure they weren’t doing anything too crazy. I think even with the plan, Sergio was the one that kind of brought them back to reality cause if Andrés and Martín were left to their own devices, they would have made such a crazy and non realistic plan, they would have died the second they went in lol. I mean, they are smart, very smart! But they’re also too emotional and get excited too easily, while the Profe is more of a perfectionist and wouldn’t leave anything to chance or to improvisation. Sergio’s plan might have been keeping them apart for the first heist at least, but it backfire a little when Berlín didn’t come out of it, and that sent Martín spiralling down and made him even more emotional and unstable, which wasn’t exactly the best for the second heist kdfjhgdfg

I do think, that if Berlín and Palermo had been together in both heist, first of all, neither of them would have died (at least in the first one, idk what’s gonna happen on this one, i think everyone’s dead but idk lol), and then, yeah, it would have been way more succesfull. Specially cause it would be more difficult for the rest of the gang (and the hostages) to stand up to two crazy bastards instead of just one lol

It makes me happy too! :’D I’m very excited for season 5 but I can feel how painful it’s gonna be lol My theory? Everyone dies. My hope? If they do die, I hope they die at the same time, in like an explosion or something, I can’t bear to think of any of them being aware that someone else is dead. I specially hope this for Palermo and Helsinki, both of them lost so much already, I couldn’t take it if one of them died first, and the other one had to deal with that loss as well, they better die at the same time in a fast and fairly painless way kdfjhgdfg

Yes, spanish is my first language. I can’t say I understand you falling in love with it cause I hate it lol (again, because I’m used to I supposed), but I do kinda get it cause I fell in love with hindi and I’m even going to the trouble of learning it lol which isn’t a trouble at all cause I actually have a lot of fun! And you with the lcdp interviews is exactly like me with any interview with indian actors lol I just go by context, the few english words I can get and the very very few hindi words I do know lol And I understand... nothing dkfjhgdfg

Oh keep them coming ;) I’m having a blast! You’re so very sweet, thank you!! <3 So glad you like my gifs dfkghdfg and yeah, I simply had to gif The Scene™ lol it’s too good not to, and I stopped the gifset before the crying cause my heart could not take it dkfjhkdfg

Hope you have a good day/night/whatever it is when you see this! You are one of the kindest people I talked with in this fandom (probably cause I had a couple of very bad experiences the moment I joined lol but still) <3 <3

🥂💙