#imperialdreams

[cir]

It wasn’t planned, at all, really. 

Somehow, somewhere down the line one thing had led to another, and now they were spending Halloween together. Maybe Ryujin had hinted passively that her friends hadn’t made any plans, and maybe Minhyuk had just as casually mentioned that he hadn’t had any to begin with. Or it could have been that the plan was to spend it together from the beginning, obvious in the way Ryujin arrived at Minhyuk’s place with matching costumes, a bag full of candy, two boxes of chicken and two cans of beer. 

“Your big butt’s taking up the whole couch.” Ryujin comments, the grin reflecting into her voice. She plants herself a little more into the seat, purposefully nudging over at Minhyuk besides her. His weight shifts a bit more into the corner of the couch as Minhyuk murmurs something at her. 

“What’d you say this time?” 

“Nothing.” 

Ryujin slips her elbow right to his side, putting enough pressure there till he caves in with the smallest smile she barely manages to catch a glance of. “I said... better than having none and not taking up any.” 

“Your insults have really leveled up after hanging around me, I’ll give you that.” She looks over at him, but is quick enough to not let him distract her from the screen. They’re head to head on Mario Kart, constantly switching between first and second place depending on the next turn on the race track. 

“Are we still playing Among Us after with your other friends?” 

“I... only could get like three of them to respond. Not sure how fun a five person game of Among Us would be.” It’s a half-lie. She’s trying to read him, but not read too much into him. “I was thinking we should just stick with playing with each other for tonight?” Sometimes he’s an open book and other times he’s good at keeping himself closed off, but it just gives her more of a reason to try a bit harder at understanding him. “Unless you’re upset about losing out on the chance on meeting others girls, then—” 

Minhyuk cuts her off, immediately so. “No, that’s not the reason I—” 

Ryujin sees her chance and takes it, using the moment of his distraction to make it count and run ahead of him on the last sprint of the last lap. She mimics her character on the screen, standing up to copy the same victory dance. She doesn’t waste another minute in grabbing at the princess dress sprawled on the chair beside her, waving it in the air. 

“Looks like you’re gonna be the princess tonight!” 

@imperialdreams

[yeunder]

@imperialdreams​, for haseul

“...”

“hm?”

“i forgot my chopsticks again...”

technically they’re on lunch break-- well, yeeun’s on lunch break. haseul, on the other hand, is wordlessly sliding over an extra pair of utensils while she continues to scribble into her notebook. the sign on the door is enough to keep anyone from wandering in, giving her the opportunity to fiddle with the volume knob until it jumps past the halfway mark. from the speakers, jung seunghwan’s mournful voice drowns out even the construction that’s going on outside, somewhat offset by yeeun’s enthusiastic attempt at transforming 너를 사랑한 시간 into a duet. 

“i’m standing right beside youuuu-” the rest of the lyrics get lost in translation because the chopsticks are now caught between her teeth while she wrestles with the lid of the bento box. once she manages to get a piece of tofu, a moment of peace allows for seunghwan to continue singing (alone). 

“you know, i’ve always wondered...” with her elbows propped on the countertop, she pokes around until a fish cake emerges from her densely-packed layer of rice. “do people like him go through all sorts of horrible relationships? 'cause the best songs are the sad ones.”  

haseul hasn’t touched her food yet so yeeun finds another piece and lets it hover in front of her mouth, prompting her to take a bite. “maybe i should put myself through a few bad flings and become a ballad singer.”

[lojowerkz]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tim Long (@lojowerkz)

JOHN BOYEGA - IDENTITY DISCOVERED! I’ve been following the brilliance-factory known as London’s IDENTITY SCHOOL OF ACTING for about 7 years, waiting for the day they opened a branch of the school/agency in the USA. ITS FINALLY HERE!!! The school that brought us John Boyega is now accepting applications for their first term in the new LOS ANGELES BRANCH of IDSA, beginning this fall! ASPIRING ACTORS looking to plant their gifts in the most nurturing of soils in the industry need to APPLY NOW! identitychoolofacting.com (I edited this vid and 3 others to help spread the word, please feel free to share!!!!) @identitydrama_ @JohnBoyega @MrFemiOguns @starwars @starwarsmovies #LoJoWerkz #LoJoWerkzDailyDope #DAILYDOPE #TuTchT #JohnBoyega #IdentitySchoolofActing #IDSAinLA #IdentitycomestoLA #IdentityAgencyGroup #Finn #StarWarsTheForceAwakens #StarWarsTheLastJedi #PacificRimUprising #AttacktheBlock #MyMurder #Detroit #ImperialDreams #TheCircle #TopBlackActors #LoJoFav #youngblackhollywood #identitydiscovered

[natalialopezart]

BAMBI

acrylics on paper

February 2017 

[jacquelinescottramos]

“Imperial Dreams” - the name itself captivates you, and is what drew me in my search of the next flick to absorb on Netflix. It centers on the life of 21yo Bambi (played by John Boyega), a rose born outta concrete, with roots so deep--he was bound to make the earth shake--just so he could flourish. Bambi returns home from jail, reunites with his son and through the power of his pen--is determined to leave the streets behind and tell his story to preserve the future of his son while lifting the shadow of others. Yet anything of substance comes with a fight, and we see him battling opposition of the temptress’ plight to “steal, kill, and destroy.” Will he falter or will he rise? Be another statistic or kill the course of demise? Catch it on Netflix to find out. [Directed by Malik Booth]

[classic-vision]

Deep, emotional, brilliant, and above all, poetic

[thrututchteyes]

I remember back when I used to shout about the jaw-dropping talents of my favorite young Brit actors like John Boyega and Malachi Kirby who were virtually unknown here in the States. How dope is it that I don’t have to say anything more than the name now? My fellow Americans finally know. In fact, the entire intergalactic population of the Universe knows. John has a string of much-buzzed-about projects coming our way soon. Next month’s “Detroit” promises to be as lit as it is timely. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” written and directed by one of my favorite Neo-Noir screenwriters, Rian Johnson, drops on Dec 15, and “Pacific Rim: Uprising” in which he stars AND produces, will follow in 2018. And if you haven’t seen his acclaimed performance in “Imperial Dreams” on Netflix, why are you wasting time reading this? Swipe on over and click it out! (As always, gotta Shout Out the man, Femi Oguns who has nurtured Mr. Boyega’s talent and shepherded his career from his early teen years in London. God has smiling broadly on your efforts, sir. Born to it!) @johnboyega @mrfemoguns @identitydrama_ @starwars @starwarsmovies #TuTchT #TuTchTIMAGING #ThruTuTchTEyes #johnboyega #starwars #thelastjedi #femioguns #identityschoolofacting #identityagencygroup #finn #boyega #detroit #upperroom #legendarypictures #pacificrimuprising #imperialdreams #topactorsofcolor #intergalactictalent #barrierbreaker #oscarworthy

[tomorrowedblog]

First look at Imperial Dreams

A new trailer has been released for Imperial Dreams, which is set to release February 3, 2017.

Filmed on location in the Imperial Courts projects outside Los Angeles, Imperial Dreams is a gangster fairy tale about a father’s struggle to build a better life for his son. A Netflix original film starring John Boyega, streaming globally on February 3.

[thaahum]

The inspirational stories keep coming! From Fairy Thuggin' with @diandrajanelle, to now Imperial Dreamin' with co-executive producer of the @netflix film starring @johnboyega, Imperial Dreams, @bobbyyayyayjones! Click on the link in the comments to hear my interview with him, exclusively on @occhimagazine! And I have to give a huge shout out to @ericka.simone for making this link happen so I can present this brother's story to you! #media #netflix #journalism #blogger #writer #entertainment #inspire #ImperialDreams

[therebelbasehub-blog]

Happy Birthday to Finn (John Boyega!) #finn #therebelbasehub #provolone #preservethestairs #johnboyega #starwarsbirthday #theforceawakens #thelastjedi #pacificrim #imperialdreams #attacktheblock

[cir]

💝 "75. our muses make a snowman together and name it."

There are only so many parallel universes that concern him.

He thinks maybe in another universe, he’s colder and she’s warmer. And then in the other, she likes the right side of the couch and him the left. In the next, he’s the one to grab his hand first when they walk somewhere, and she’s the one who matches his steps to hers. And in this universe, she shows him the seasons for what they can hold, and he can’t remember why he’s hated winter all his life.

They’re at the park near the river, with a field of snow surrounding them in every direction. Others would call it a snowstorm, but Haseul calls it home, and Lucas deems it so. They walk towards a part of the park that has been untouched, without footprints and without anyone else.

“Maybe it’s childish, but…” Haseul begins, as she pulls him up a hill. Lucas stares at her, because it’s all he knows to do. He sees the faintest of a blush on her cheeks, but doesn’t dare to attribute to anything but the weather. “…we should build a snowman!”

Lucas nods in response. When they get to the top of the hill, he stops her for a moment. Haseul turns around to him, and he takes off his beanie to pull it over her head, until her ears are covered. Only then does he give a grin, as if satisfied. Haseul gives him a half-pout, but Lucas sees the corners of her lips struggling to keep themselves from lifting.

“I can’t get cold, silly. Just like you don’t feel the heat.”

“I know… but I still don’t like the thought of you getting cold.” He mumbles, even knowing it was fully near impossible.

“Thank you.” Haseul says, while she too, leans over to grab his wrist. She brings it up only to pull his mittens down, to fully cover his hands, on both his right and left hand.

Before her hand gets too far, Lucas grabs it to lead them to another part of the hill. 

The snowman they end up building isn’t too tall, and rather weird looking. It tilts on one side and they aren’t able to find anything but a single rock to make an eye, and some branches to give him arms. When they finish, both of them take a step back and place their hands on their waist and tilt their own heads to admire it. They’ve got the same dumb grin on their faces.

“He’s handsome.” 

“Mmhm.” He muffles his answer, as if it’d hide his tinge of jealousy.

“What should we call him?”

“Hm…” Haseul sees the gears turning in Lucas’ head, and notes the way he’s focusing. His brows furrow, and his face folds up without knowing. She slowly moves towards the ground, a hand extended towards the snow and grabbing a handful. When she’s got enough to form a ball, she recklessly throws it to him, and it, by sheer luck, lands straight on Lucas’ forehead.

Lucas freezes, and it’s not Haseul’s doing. “Seul…”

He shakes off the snow from his face, and searches for her eyes. When their gazes meet, there’s a bit of tension there for a moment, both of them completely still before they both break out into a fit of laughter. Haseul starts running first, towards nothing but just to get away from him. She’s clearly slower than him, but Lucas’ steps always lag behind a beat, purposefully and with clear intention to let her escape his grasp.

@imperialdreams

[yeunder]

@imperialdreams

Minjae had snuck off from his parents’ home to hang out at a PC café earlier in the night. It was a great evening of playing games and eating some snacks—that was until he was kicked out for changing some of the networks and agitating the manager. “I’ll see you later in the week,” he taunted, waving to the cashier and the rest of the staff that knew him well enough to guess they’d see him on another Friday night.

From there, he wandered into a park, avoiding a few couples here and there while he stared down at his phone and played an idle game that he had been neglecting that week. Eventually, he grew tired of walking around the same path over and over and sat himself down on the bench, his eyes glued to the white light of the screen. While he was immersed in his own world he thought he heard steps, but he didn’t heed the sound too much, figuring it was another passerby. It was then that he saw a few messages pop up from his mother, asking him to not cause too much trouble and to call his sister the next day. He swiped them away, returning to his game until he heard a voice, a girl’s voice, from above.

“D’you think the ducks get cold at night too?”

He ended up muttering, “Probably,” before glancing up at squinting, unable to see the face of the person due to the street light. Whoever it was, he hoped that his earbuds were a sign to let him be, but he feared that his bewildered expression would not give that menacing of an aura. “They have fat on them, so they’ll be fine.” Or so he supposed. His phone screen timed out, shutting off the screen and the music of the game muted. It wasn’t that cold out, but it was certainly dark. “If you’re so worried, why don’t you go find them?”

two and a half bottles in, yeeun concludes that she’s terrible at holding her liquor. for what was supposed to be a casual outing, she’s already dangerously close to toeing the line between sober and very, very tipsy. jinhyuk makes an offhanded comment about her cheeks matching the color of the tent, prompting a clumsy swipe at his arm. (she misses.)

by the fourth, she feels uncomfortably bloated-- a combination of the now-empty plates stacked ominously in front of them and the bottles of soju they’ve cleared in a blink of an eye. it takes an extensive amount of persuasion, but soon enough she gets jinhyuk and the rest of the crew to cram into the back of a taxi. she amicably waves away their concern, escaping before they can tell her for the umpteenth time that night to call her if she needs help.

a walk around the park seems like a good idea; she ambles peacefully along the circular path, letting the evening air cool her face. gradually the world stops spinning, though her heartbeat still feels irregular and loud, so loud she wonders if everyone else can hear it too. (logically speaking, that’s absurd, but she’s not in a position to argue with herself right now). an incoming text causes her phone to buzz in her pocket, which she ignores in favor of gravitating towards a small pocket of light up ahead. it’s accompanied by the silhouette of a boy, so engrossed in his game he almost doesn’t notice her.

“d'you think the ducks get cold at night too?“ that’s definitely the alcohol still talking. for some reason, tipsy/drunk/not-so-sober yeeun’s determined to conclude the night on an entertaining note. “i would, but...” definitely not sober. “they’re usually under the bridge, and there’s no lights there...and my phone’s probably going to die soon. can you help me?”

[msblackriver]

Imperial Dreams

Bambi Jones is a forgotten everyday hero.  In this coming of age story the main character has to separate who he was from who he wants to be.  I first heard of the movie at work, or I should say overheard.  The prep in the kitchen was telling the other prep that he should watch it.  “Yeah it’s about a kid that lives in Watts, and he’s a writer”.  The prep he was telling also lived in Watts.  Then a few days later I was at home looking for something to watch on Netflix, and “Imperial Dreams” popped up.  I decide to watch it.  It’s one of those movies that is good from the very start.  Bambi comes home from jail and it seems his son doesn’t recognize him.  His girlfriend and mother of his child is in jail.  His mom is a drug addict and he has to stay with his Uncle Shrimp for a while.  It’s easy to understand his environment is polluted and not really one he can flourish in.  His uncle asks him to drive some Oxycontin up to Portland for 4 racks, but really it’s a demand disguised as a question.  He later tells him that if he doesn’t do it he can not stay there.    He leaves reminding us that we always have choices and the choice he makes is homelessness.  Him and his son Day sleep in his old broke down car.  

Throughout the movie you see that Detective Hernandez and his partner are always on his back,  They keep a close eye on him, their presence being shown throughout the movie.  Their comments and sarcastic remarks giving off the impression that they expect him to fail.  

He reads to his son in the car pages of words that he wrote, he is working on a book loosely based on his life.  While he was in prison he got a short story published in “McSweeney's”, his brother proudly asks him to sign his copy for him  His cousin Gideon in an emotional moment telling him “When you write about this make sure you keep it 100”, placing on him the responsibility of giving a voice to the voiceless, one that Bambi accepts.  Just 21 himself he has a strong sense of purpose in one scene he states “I’m tryin to be a writer to teach these kids not to make the same mistakes I did”.  He had been in and out of jail since he was 12 he says that he had to write to stay sane.  HIs cousin believes in him so much that he excitedly gives him a laptop.  Bambi spots 2 gunmen and they have to run dropping the computer.  His cousin is killed possibly for the death of a 10 year old boy that caught one of his stray bullets in a shoot out.  The scene is all too real not overly dramatized like we are used to seeing.  He gets shot multiple times, the streets are silent the sound of the gunshots and the sound of feet running on the dirt are the only sound that you hear.  Bambi protects his son as he holds him covering his head with a t-shirt.  The gunmen move in silence not saying a word.  His body drops to the floor, he is dead instantly.  The shooters quietly wave over their driver the only other sound you hear is the car engine and the sound of the car screeching off.  

After the death of his cousin he spends the night up in his car, his son sleeping.  Him sobbing in a state of paranoia and rage expressing deep desires of revenge.  The next day his uncle in mourning his son’s death seeks retaliation.  He asks Bambi to help, he politely tells him that’s not who he is any more.  Once again solidifying his new identity in a challenging moment and true test.  

His brother Wayne asks Uncle Shrimp for a loan for college.   Which he is not interested in giving unless he makes a run for him.  His mother in a sad attempt to help her kids and be motherly offers him a different type of arrangement.  He asks her to take off her shirt.  (This is his uncle on his father’s side by the way.)  Bambi is sucked back into his old life, in a moment that is all too tempting.  In a split second reaction of instinct met with learned behavior.  In an effort to protect the one that did not protect him.  He pulls her shirt back down and he punches his uncle in the face.  He grabs the guns and points one at him struggling with conflicting feelings of wanting to pull the trigger and nervously fighting those feelings.  He empties out the bullets and he runs off.  He caved, he was not strong enough yet.  His strength was tested and he reacted in fear, but he did not shoot the gun.  As long as he was around this crowd, going down his desired path would be almost impossible.  Watching it I just felt like he had to get away from these people.  His uncle was a piece of shit, he did not have his best interests at heart.  He has outgrown his old life.  He wants to move away to Victorville.  This movie is about choices and choosing a better life, when it’s not always the easy thing to do.  Writing gives him hope but he needs a regular job.  Which we see is very difficult.  He needs a driver’s license but in order to get one he needs to pay off his debt to child support.  He just got out of jail and has nothing, it’s a system set up for him to fail.  

Child services take his son away because they find out they are sleeping in his car, he is devastated.  He knows living in his car is not good for his kid, but he naturally trusts himself with his kid more than foster care.  This all right after the good news that his manuscript had been sent to agents from the publishing company.  In an earlier scene he walks into a publishing company charming the girl at the front desk.  Apparently he left an impression on her, with her giving his pages amongst a pile of never ending work  a 2nd look.  The movie has a hopeful ending him and his brother visit his son.  In the final scene you see him and his son swimming in a pool, laughing, being happy.  Considering his unwavering stance in previous situations, you get the sense that things are going to work out.  He’s not going back to jail, he will find work, he will continue writing.  He has passed all the tests and that’s what brought him this far.

Quotations:

Bambi: You call your son Angel Boy cos in the bricks, the softer the name, the harder the man. But Gideon was hard. And you were hard. And your daddy was hard. And look at us. Deceased, derelict, departed. And you swear, Angel Boy won't end up a savage. Dead, smiling on a T-Shirt. He won't work the corner. He won't work the curb. He won't want to be the emperor under this dark Imperial highway. Because monarchs are not elected around here. They're made with a gun. And they reign only until it rains... all over.

Bambi: In the hood you carry truth in your heart while reality stays stashed outside. Your heart says, "Don't kill." The hood says, "Kill." Your heart says, "Think before you act." The hood says, "React." But you're all alone when one of those reactions lands you behind bars, going over every little thing in the darkness. And it's easy to recognize your truth in retrospect. What's hard is being true in the moment. Even if it kills you.

Bambi: He was on the way from church, five years old, when he saw his first dead man. A loud deacon. He knew everything about Jesus and nothing about blackjack. Then suddenly he was Sunday quiet. "See how easy it is to change things?" my uncle said to him. "This is power, my boy." He knew then that no daddy was Superman. And no baby mama was Wonder Woman. That shit was bullshit.

[soularsoulja-blog]

This part was heart wrenching. I been trying to get a laptop so I can do business and write more just like in this series. Brother gets shots due to his past. #ImperialDreams #Netflix

[mattshk]

#Movie Imperial Dreams. De Malik Vitthal. "Life In The Projects"....quelle vie cruelle, quelle société cruelle, quelle réalité cruelle... 😔 #JohnBoyega est "impérial". Quel film triste. Une fin poignante. #ImperialDreams #Netflix #MalikVitthal #LifeInTheProjects

[thrututchteyes]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TuTchT IMAGING (@tutchtig)

JOHN BOYEGA - IDENTITY DISCOVERED! I’ve been following the brilliance-factory known as London’s IDENTITY SCHOOL OF ACTING for about 7 years, waiting for the day they opened a branch of the school/agency in the USA. ITS FINALLY HERE!!! The school that brought us John Boyega is now accepting applications for their first term in the new LOS ANGELES BRANCH of IDSA, beginning this fall! ASPIRING ACTORS looking to plant their gifts in the most nurturing of soils in the industry need to APPLY NOW! identitychoolofacting.com (I edited this vid and 3 others to help spread the word, please feel free to share!!!!) @identitydrama_ @JohnBoyega @MrFemiOguns @starwars @starwarsmovies #TuTchT #TuTchTIMAGING #ThruTuTchTEyes #JohnBoyega #IdentitySchoolofActing #IDSAinLA #IdentitycomestoLA #IdentityAgencyGroup #Finn #StarWarsTheForceAwakens #StarWarsTheLastJedi #PacificRimUprising #AttacktheBlock #MyMurder #Detroit #ImperialDreams #TheCircle #TopBlackActors #TuTchTFav #IDSATuTchT #youngblackhollywood #identitydiscovered