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#it was just dykes going and not to play into a cliche here but i think thats beautiful
mccoalminer · 2 years
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Alison Bechdel
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pencilscratchins · 3 years
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whats ur favorite love song
fantastic and impossible question, im gonna give you my top 5 (of right now, at least)
dolly parton "old flames can't hold a candle to you" dolly writes the best love songs of all time, come on. this is a deeper cut, yes, but its so honest and sweet... i love her.
melissa etheridge "come to my window" look im a dyke, this is the first love song that i ever saw myself in as a 13 yr old and its still really meaningful to me. also "i need you in my blood, i am forsaking all the rest just to reach you"?? melissa.
joni mitchell "a case of you" i dunno if this is like... a cliche pick but this song makes me crazy a little bit. the lyrics and her voice.... i feel things.
ornella vanoni "l'appuntamento" my grandpa would play this song so this is mostly nostalgic, i admit, but its also so... hardcore? its like "i dont care what anyone thinks- without your love, i would not exist" basically. every italian singer from the midcentury had a cover of this
the proclaimers "i'm gonna be (500 miles)" this is in no way ironic. this is gonna be my first dance song at my wedding, to me there is nothing more beautiful than saying "wherever you go, whatever you do, i am going to be the person with you and at the end of the day, my home is you." its genuinely beautiful and i wont apologize for its place here
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leverage-ot3 · 3 years
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since I can’t find my original post about songs to make leverage edits to, here’s another one
[note: some of these are ot3 centered songs, others can be applied to the team as a whole!]
Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes)
leverage? you mean a series of competence porn? of the entire crew being badass?
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen an eliot edit to this song floating around on youtube, but I still think it could be fun to have more vids focusing on the whole team to this song. idk, I just think it’d slap
Freak Show (Ingrid Michaelson)
we all know ingrid from the parachute ot3 fanvid, admit it. it has 108k views. we’ve all seen it, don’t lie.
but let’s talk about freak show and how the lyrics perfectly encapsulate the special and unique love parker, hardison and eliot share:
When you wake up and you're all alone || And the bed's too big for one || Well, you're not the only weird one || Here, let me show you where I'm from
y’all can’t convince me that the romance that these three weird criminals wouldn’t vibe with this song. they’re weird. they’re freaks. but they’re who they are, together
Must Have Done Something Right (Relient K)
We should get jerseys cause we make a good team || But yours would look better than mine, cause you're outta my league || And I know that it's so cliche to tell you that everyday || I spend with you is the new best day of my life || Everyone watching us just turns away with disgust || It's jealously, they can see that we've got it going on
If anyone can make me a better person you could || All I gotta say is I must've done something good || I came along one day and you rearranged my life || All I gotta say is I must've done something right || I must've done something right
“We agreed we'd all change. Better or worse. We'd change together.” THEY SAID THAT BITCHES
they make the world a better place, and through that, they find each other and create a love that is truly unparalleled by any other
Whatever It Takes (Imagine Dragons)
Whatever it takes || 'Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins || I do whatever it takes || 'Cause I love how it feels when I break the chains || Whatever it takes || Yeah, take me to the top, I'm ready for || Whatever it takes || 'Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins || I do what it takes
I could literally put the whole song down but we get it. the vibe for this one is kinda self explanatory. we all know the song, it played on the radio forever. I just think it gives leverage crew vibes doing whatever it takes to make the world a better place
Flaws (Bastille)
All of your flaws and all of my flaws || They lie there hand in hand || Ones we've inherited, ones that we learned || They pass from man to man
There's a hole in my soul || I can't fill it, I can't fill it || There's a hole in my soul || Can you fill it? Can you fill it?
You have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve || And I have always buried them deep beneath the ground || Dig them up; let's finish what we've started || Dig them up, so nothing's left untouched
All of your flaws and all of my flaws, || When they have been exhumed || We'll see that we need them to be who we are || Without them we'd be doomed
leverage is all about flawed people coming together to do the right thing. their flaws make them who they are and make them excellent at what they do
I think of this as the ot3 completing each other but this could be seen as gen leverage team too!
Alone Together (Fall Out Boy)
I don't know where you're going, || But do you got room for one more troubled soul || I don't know where I'm going, || But I don't think I'm coming home || And I said, I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead || This is the road to ruin and we're starting at the end
another ot3 song, surprise surprise. but come on, it hits. I can see a good fanvid to this song
Rather Be (Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne)
now, I have sense8 to blame for this. if any of you have seen the show to the end, you know that the finale special ended with a thank you letter to the fans with this song backed by bts footage of the cast as they filmed all over the world. someone could make an edit for leverage of bts and gag reel footage as a leverage tribute to the cast OR the fans, but either way, it’s cute and heartfelt
(I totally didn’t cry watching the fans tribute for sense8. I’m also not totally a lying liar who lies.) (I totally cry every time I watch it.)
I’d Love To Change The World (Jetta, Matstubs remix)
Everywhere is freaks and hairies || Dykes and fairies, tell me where is sanity || Tax the rich, feed the poor || Till there are no rich no more?
I'd love to change the world || But I don't know what to do || So I'll leave it up to you
another sense8 song? from me? who would have guessed?
nothing much else to say except these funky queers change the world
edit: if anyone wants to make a fanvid using any of these, PLEASE TAG ME. I live for content
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What I should be doing; Updating my current BFU/GoMens fanfic
What I am doing instead; drafting an entirely NEW BFU/GOMens fanfic
Here it is;
Story Idea:
BFU*Good Omens, but make it scary.
The Unsolved Crew are trying to return to the airport after a successful hunt in London. Shane suggests they follow a scenic route of no discernible town. They somehow find themselves in a town that is not on the GPS maps with weird vibes and, surprise surprise, their rental breaks down. They have all watched enough horror thrillers to know all the cliché-est plot points. What lives in Devil's Dyke? Are the Them serial killers? Is Warlock going to betray them? Shane and TJ are probably going to die. But most importantly; What does it all have to do with Ryan?
-This is Shyan centric. On their way back to the airport, Shane suggests the crew take a scenic route down South Downs on their way back from London with the promise of a beautiful lake. The London shoots had been rife with sexual tension, and Shane does not want the moment to end.
-They find themselves driving into a town instead, suburbania and quaint. The townsfolk frown at them as they pass by. RP Tyler straddles his barking poodle. They obviously don't like newcomers.
-The rental breaks down. The cliche Ness starts to dawn on them
-"Hahaha, next we'll find out this place doesn't have line!"
-There is no line. They all glare at Mark.
-In a fit of nervousness, Ryan starts offline vlogging. Shane suggests they go into town to ask for someone to call the two service and find someplace with line. Surely SOMEONE will recognize them.
-But strangers look away and walk faster away when they approach. Whoever they manage to start scowling or fidgeting, and none of them seems to recognize the duo. Some even claim to know only faintly of YouTube. It's getting unreal. They do not seem to be joking, and get only more upset whenever the Crew tries to convince or tell them otherwise. It is finally pushing dusk. The Crew stops by a beautiful park. There is no one around, but a young boy, who has a look in his eyes they find relief in: recognition.
-His name is Warlock Dowling, and he showed them a copy of his birth certificate to prove it, claiming that it happens often enough that he has to resort doing so. It's so fucking cliche it hurts. Ryan hates this movie already.
-But Warlock is the son of an American Ambassador who lives in the UK, and thus, likely the only child who seems to recognize them and their YouTube Channel. He is not a big fan, but it's a whole site better than literally everyone else. South Downs is a bedtime story, he claims. It's perfect in the way all the towns in children storybooks are perfect. Nobody plays the internet in a storybook town. It is not a prank. Devon is skeptical.
-Warlock invites them to go to the Ambassador's house a little ways down the airbase near the back of the town, (what kind of horror path will they take? Thought Ryan. Both feel like equally bad ideas.) but they decide to go tomorrow. He directs them to a bed and breakfast instead. All the rooms look the same. The lady barely looks up as she hands them their keys. There is electricity in the rooms, meaning they could charge their appliances. For naught of anything better to do, they are filming this entire experience. They somehow convince themselves that Shane is going to die because Ryan is evidently the Protagonist, and since Shane is his Best Friend, he is either going to betray them or die in a heroic act sacrificing himself for Ryan. In a fit of panic, Ryan tells Shane he has a crush on him. Which is great and sweet and all, but now REALLY seals the deal in because now Shane is a love interest instead. Hasnt Ryan heard of the bury your Gays trope?
-"I knew you guys were gonna end up gay" "what why." "they have to kill SOMEONE off and none of us are black and Ryan s the protagonist."
-They don't find Warlock in the park the next day, and are forced to look for him themselves. Walking of course. They find out about the satanic nunnery that caught on fire on a cafe because the waitress explains that they have to pass through that and the abandoned airbase in the back of the town to get to the villa on foot. They all sigh in exhausted manner, not much in the mood for dying.
-Trudge they do anyway. Nowhere out but through.
-The old satanic nunnery is....not abandoned
-They rush inside and find that it is a company teamwork support organization, and they give out paintball sessions. There is electricity. There is a line, even if the company wasnt currently in season. They try to find a worker.
-They find her. Sister Mary is haggard and busy running an entire company and booking sessions all by herself. She is in turns dismissive and annoyed to moderately tolerant....up until she learns of Ryan's name
-She suddenly wants nothing to do with any of them, practically shoving them out her door and face sheet white, mumbling about being busy and how it wasn't personal. The door slams in their faces. Ryan looks like he is about to cry. Shane snaps.
-He breaks the door down, to the shouts of surprise from the rest of the crew, and announces, with the loud, arrogant nonchalance of a white man, that he is not going to budge until she tells them everything they want to know about Lower Tadfield, the South Downs and yknow the fuck what? Neither will Ryan. The rest of the Crew follow his example and dig their heels in, pretending to film her for good measure. They are counting on the fact that she does not have security, and that even if she calls the cops on them, the building is far too suburbania to find very quickly. Mary looks absolutely terrified, and refuses to look Ryan in the eye. She eventually gives in, on the account that they will soon leave immediately.
-The find out that she was an ex convent of the Chattering Order of St. Berryl's, a satanic nunnery. She came back because she had been born here, and oddly enough, the convent meant something to her. A good dozen of the Satanists died due to a lightning storm catching the nunnery on fire the night two babies had been born, and three left through the gates. She's never been afraid of Lower Tadfield. Nothing ever happens here. They don't buy it, but it's apparent she believes what she is saying.
-They demand to use the present line to call for another rental, cancel their airport tickets, etcetera etcetera, emphasizing that they are excited about leaving just as much as she does. With this promise, she allows them to do so.
--They manage to get their raw footage to Cloud and cancel their tickets but just as they are about to call for a new car, the lights start flickering. The building rumbles. Mary looks straight at Ryan and tells them to run. They grab each other s hands and does so.
-There halfway down the road when TJ yelps, and Devon announces they are being chased by something. They decide to run into the woods down further down south to lose it.
-It is dusk. Nobody is happy. At least everyone is alive though, which is something. Ryan remarks that the chase scenes in the movies are exactly as tiring as they make it out to be.
-Mark hears running water, and the Crew finds an occupied cottage on the shoreline of the sea. Their sighs are loud; both relieved and annoyed. Mark starts chanting/praying that they are not serial killers. Shane announces that everyone must be ready to leave at a moments notice, and sleep in the woods of they must, to everyone's agreement.
-The man who opens the door wears glasses and low slung jeans, eyebrow raised rudely. His husband, blonde and plump, tells him to let them come in, and that it is nearly dinner. They are gracious hosts-old enough to be someone's grandparents. Cute and domestic as well. Shane goes strangely quiet when the couple dances in the living room, and Ryan chalks it up to their romantic relationship, for which they share talks. There are unoccupied rooms they could bunk in-five; each of them reserved for the couple's godkids. Despite getting their own rooms, Ryan cuddles with Shane. He is oddly tense, at least until they start making out.
-Ryan wakes at night to voices in his ear, and decides to get a glass of something to drink. Shane is out cold. He finds TJ in the kitchen, looking at his phone. It is a picture of his family-Kate and their daughter. This is hugely concerning, as it is a surefire telltale that TJ might not make it. Ryan promises him they'll get back home. TJ clasps him on the back and tells him not to make promises he can't keep.
-Shane wakes the crew at 4 am and tells them, quietly, to pack up and leave for town. He had found a map, and determined the way to navigate. They are confused but obliging. They do not wake their hosts-in fact, Shane seems to want to make sure they leave without their knowledge. They find their way back into Tadfield by 8.30 am, and it is only as they are having bfast that Shane tells them that there is no tech but the radio-which isn't plugged in. The water runs, but the pipes underneath the sink are not attached to anything. Crowley does not eat, and his eyes were....weird. Too many red flags. And as he searched the room for maps before Ryan came into his room the night before, he had found a crumpled poker card of the Antichrist, and Devon admits to finding one of War, a horseman of the Apocalypse, in hers. Mark taps his fork anxiously, and his eyes spell out what they all could tell. The climax is soon.
- It is not until Ryan walks and spots a bespectacled child of Warlocks age that he realizes he has barely seen any children in this town, and suggests that they follow him to ask whether he knew Warlock. The rest of the crew return to the BnB for some well deserved rest, but Shane and Ryan pursues the kid....into the forest.
-They lose him until HE found THEM. He immediately recognizes Ryan, who had to introduce his best friend Shane. Two other kids appear from between the trees. One of them, a girl, has a large wooden sword. They are surrounded. Shane grips Ryans hand, and asks, half jokingly, is they are serial killers, and if they are intending to kill him.
-The Them claims that it happened like, one time, and they do not plan to kill Shane, but their smile looks too wide to be genuine, like they are sharing a personal joke. The boys start walking away. The Them follows. Ryan asks if they know Warlock. They stop, sharing looks. Brian asks how they met Warlock. Ryan refuses to tell them . The kids get defensive, the way 13 year olds tend to get when they are about to justify doing a notable offense, like staying awake past bedtime The wind picks up, and the kids get visibly relieved. Brian tells them that Adam is coming, in a way that makes them feel like they definitely do not want to meet Adam. They scram it.
-They are being chased again. This time, when Ryan looks back, he sees what looks like a dog but isn't-like something is badly wearing the skin of a dog, like it has too many limbs to fit into four legs, a slobbering maw and hellfire eyes.
-They manage to leave the woods, and almost get hit by a three wheeled blue car. Shane bangs on the door and it opens for them, and Ryan shouts at them to step on it. It is only when they get to a quaint little cottage at the other end of the town do they acknowledge their saviours-a bespectacled, brown skinned woman and a jittery boyfriend.
-The woman is American. She recognizes them immediately, and says that she is a huge fan of True Crime. It is the most mundane , normal conversation they have for all of 2 days. They enter Jasmine Cottage. Shane slumps.
-there is a horseshoe above the door, and runes etched into the wood. The smell of incense burns strongly, and a redlined conspiracy board in a corner of the kitchen.
-The woman calls herself a professional occultist. A witch, basically. Which is...fine. She is at least honest and blasè about it, which made someone in this godforsaken town at least. Shane spots a picture of the Antichrist on her pinup board, the same one as seen in the poker card he's found in AziCrow's cottage. Anathema notices, and admits that it's complicated. They are confused, angry and terrified, and mentions their encounter with Adam, and everything else they'd had to suffer through as they are stuck in the village. Her facial emotions change from shock, to calculating, to confused, to skeptical, before finally ending In blank. She claims that it is very unlike Adam, as he usually does not go about scaring people from out of the village. He had welcomed her in just fine, and the town had followed short after. Shane asks about the Antichrist and Horsepeople symbolism. She waves that one away, claiming how it wasn't important and that 'They wouldn't believe her anyway.' She offers Meet to drive them back to their Inn, and they accept.
-They get back to the village; as they open the door to their rooms, knowing that the rest of the Crew is waiting for them, Warlock is also there. He takes a single look at them, and raises an eyebrow. They tell him what happened. Warlock frowns. Tells them the only reason they'd been hounded In such a way if Adam wants something from them, and TJ puts his face into their hands.
-They ask if they should lock the door. Warlock tells them not to bother-it won't stop him anyway. Devon asks the possibility of leaving this very night. Warlock shakes his head, but looks contemplating.
-That night, Shane gets kidnapped.
-Ryan doesn't see the culprit, but something tells him it's the Them, and the Hound, and Adam. He runs into the woods. The night is cold and still, but the trees shake like they could be alive. Ryan yells angrily into the void, asking Adam what is it that he wanted, that it's him they actually want, to let Ryan go. He faces the Hound, a slobbering, monstrous nightmare. Ryan thinks he is going to die. There is a boy sitting in a dilipidated throne above a chalk pit with blood red eyes.
-Two headlights pierce through the gloom. The trees still. The hound sits, and Crowley steps out if the Bentley.
-Aziraphale is in the car. Warlock peers over his shoulder. Crowley stomps over and tells Adam to come down-that his game is over, and it stopped being funny for quite some time. Shane stumbles out of the woods, dazed and terrified, and Ryan traps him into an embrace.
-After some chastising Adam admits that he's made a bet with Greasy Johnson in school that Demons and Ghosts are real, and that the Them had managed to convince him that it lives in the woods. He had not believed them, and made them bet that if it was really haunted, Paranormal Investigators would come and make a whole documentary about it. Warlock had showed him a few episodes of BFU, and Adam thought it perfect.
-Crowley scolds him, telling him against manipulating and keeping the Crew here against their will, and Adam looks appropriately chastened. Dawn breaks. The crew emerges from the Inn in a state of panic. Crowley pat's the van twice and it comes to life.
-Someone asked Crowley if the kids really HAD killed people. Crowley waves it away, claiming that it isn't important. In the light of morning, the kids and the dog almost looks normal.
- They decide not to prod any further. Aziraphale apologizes one last time, and tells the that they are welcome in Tadfield if they choose to come again. Ryan and Shane emphasizes that they absolutely will not, ever. Aziraphale nods like he understands. They pack the equipment and leaves the town, possibly England, forever.
-In a few days time, Adam gets an email- a video titled The Horrors of Hogsback Woods, and he grins cheekily to himself.
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ryanmeft · 5 years
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Mary Poppins Returns Movie Review
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Of all the words I thought I might end up using to describe the new Mary Poppins film, “cynical” was not one. Yet here we are. It is a very pretty thing, engaging the use of many very talented people, that nonetheless feels like it was assembled by a marketing department. What you do to get a movie like this is realize no one’s cashed in on a beloved property in quite some time, see dollar signs, snag some well-respected actors and a musician to give the thing the illusion you cared about it, then sit back and rely on the fact that you’re Disney and everyone is in goddamn love with you to avoid having it criticized. A quarry of sugar wouldn’t help here.
The plot barely needs mentioned. Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) Banks are all growed up, and Michael is having trouble making ends meet after the death of his unseen wife. He still lives in the same house, but has three children of his own, who with one exception feel they have had to grow up quickly in the absence of a mother. Michael very much needs to find proof he owns stock in the bank to prevent them foreclosing and wait just a damn minute here. Disney, we had this conversation, back when you decided to give the Mad Hatter depression: do not inject real-life problems into settings that depend entirely on being ridiculous to work. I do not care about the stocks, and neither does anyone else, especially when you utterly waste Colin Firth on the role of a villainous banker so entirely cliche he could have been lifted straight out of It’s a Wonderful Life. Then Mary Poppins shows up, played by Emily Blunt, and this is the point where the movie should finally wake up.
It does, for a bit, despite the insistence on saddling her with the most cliche plot device possible: Michael and Jane refuse to believe her childhood magic feats were real. I propose an instant punishable-with-lashings moratorium on this most tired of family film developments. But let me take a breath. The shoes of Poppins are switched from the feet of Julie Andrews to those of Emily Blunt, who is a more than satisfactory pick for the role. She wears an updated costume that is either meant to show off Blunt’s figure or does a good job of it entirely by coincidence, has a slightly sharper edge to her sarcasm and the hinted-at presence of such a human emotion as sadness, and in general has been upgraded just enough to capture the rapt attention of modern five-year-olds without sacrificing a bit of the old-school charm that has made the character a classic. She is just a little flirtatious, just a little prideful, and still as inexplicable; my personal theory is she’s some kind of pagan god, but that just opens up a wormhole we probably don’t need.
Speaking of entrances, she insists this time she will not go until “the door is open”. It’s an effective bit of mystery that occasionally hints at more plot than the movie needs, but is resolved in a sweet and touching way. She has the movie’s one truly attention-grabbing musical number, “A Cover is Not The Book”, in which all those strange feelings young you (admit it) had about the character as you approached teenagerdom are made as explicit as a family film can make them. It includes a verse about a tree and its roots that is so obvious to any adults in the audience I’m frankly shocked it made it past the censoring. It’s a raucous, Moulin Rouge-style number in which Poppins-Blunt dons a sensational purple outfit, lets down her practically perfect hair and goes full vaudeville, and the one point in the entire film where it effectively stamps out a distinct identity from the original (the animation it is accompanied by is delightfully throwbackish). Blunt was just about sculpted for this role in every way.
Indeed, perhaps in too many ways, because in nearly every scene where Poppins is not the center of attention, the film rolls over and dies. The original movie is well-known as one of Disney’s best musicals, leaving this one a lot to live up to. A wonderfully unreal song set in the ocean finds the right tone, with the perfect sort of unreality to the special effects that we’ve come to lose appreciation for in the age of computers, but sadly these are the only two memorable numbers. The rest, which include a soporific thing about London’s gas lights and a blatant-but-unsuccessful shot at recapturing that wonderful chimney sweeping routine, were in desperate need of the masterful touch of Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Hamilton mega-star is for some reason in the movie as a somewhat effective replacement for Dick Van Dyke’s Cockney working man, but didn’t get so much as a verse on the soundtrack. That’s incredibly puzzling, given Hamilton was such a sensation it actually got me into a non-movie theatre, and his work on Moana made it the only modern Disney musical with a soundtrack entirely worth having. I don’t see a lot of (read: any) Broadway, so I can’t say if Marc Shaiman and/or Scott Wittman are otherwise worthy as composers and lyricists.
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I can say I’m thankful most of their numbers are merely forgettable, because then there’s the tragic case of “Turning Turtle”. This is clearly meant to fill the same hole as “I Love to Laugh”, but fails utterly, with a cringe-inducing cameo from Meryl Streep, doing a horrific Russian caricature that brings any momentum the movie had built to a thunderous halt. It’s a mystery why it, and Streep, are in the movie, especially considering Disney can’t appear to stop paying her despite her arrogant and unfounded rant a few years ago about their founder. That would be fine if she were doing good work, but even the Academy would have to stretch to justify nominating her for this, and that is saying something. Not-so-special appearances from Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury are equally groan-inducing, forced into the film in order to get bonus credit from long-time fans rather than because they actually work. In one respect and one respect only is the film a total success, and that’s visually. Depression-era London (it’s the Great Slump to them) is handled gorgeously, like a fine China vase with almost nothing in it.
The rest of the film, somewhere between unbearably dull and oh-so-brief flashes of brilliance, is a muddled stew of homage, preferring to wink and nod at the audience when a beloved scene is given tribute or an old character is seen (portrayed by a new actor); rather than invent a new ride for us to go on, it is content with slapping different branding on the old one. Most of the film isn’t outright offensive, just horribly dull, and if your standards are somewhere around “anything will do as long as the kids sit still for a few hours”, this is your movie. The trouble with holding onto the past is that, even if you do it well most of the time, the slightest misstep can capsize you. In a time when the Paddington movies have claimed the Mary Poppins magic for themselves, this is a relic already.
The ultimate question concerning this sequel, directed possibly under duress by Chicago helmsman Rob Marshall and written by David Magee (Finding Neverland, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day), is why? Why, if it is neither going to take the property anywhere new nor effectively pay homage to the original, does it need to exist? The obvious answer is money, which it is sure to have thrown at it in oceans. If you want a movie that’s worth the increasingly asinine price for a ticket, though, this, as Mary would say, will not do. No, it will not do at all.
Verdict: Not Recommended (1 and 1/2 out of 4 Stars)
Note: I don’t use stars, but here are my possible verdicts.
Must-See
Highly Recommended
Recommended
Average
Not Recommended
Avoid like the Plague
 You can follow Ryan's reviews on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/ryanmeftmovies/
 Or his tweets here:
https://twitter.com/RyanmEft
All images are property of the people what own the movie.
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Hey honey!! I hope you are doing okay but if you aren’t I’m sending you positive energy and hoping you feel better. So since I’m finally back I wanted to ask who your favorite youtubers are? because I saw you mentioned youtube rewind earlier, which I honestly thought was a big mess. Also if you could give me some song recs because I wanna know what you enjoy and to see what we have in common!! I also just wanna find new music and maybe find new youtubers to watch.❣️🖤
okay this is gonna be rlly long probably bc im gonna put everything into sections so im gonna do a cut thingy and also tag it as “long post” for those who dont wanna scroll thru it all sdgfhjkl
so for youtubers i watch a lot of them bc i dont watch normal tv nor do i have netflix/hulu.
gamers: markiplier, jacksepticeye, pewdiepie, crankgameplays, captainsparklez, cinnamontoastken, dan and phil games, cryaotic
commentators: pyrocynical, memeulous, imallexx, willne, anything4views, inabber, cody ko, adoseofbuckley, yoel rekts!, chris ray gun, h3h3productions
political/social issue/news commentators (time to get controversial): blaire white, hunter avallone, shoe0nhead, anthony brian logan, lauren southern, jaclyn glenn, ready to glare, philip defranco, rebel media, lauren chen, milo yiannopolous has a youtube channel but hes… a lot rn, stevencrowder
spooky guys nd gals: rob dyke, cayleigh elise, reignbot, mrcreepypasta, creepsmcpasta, theres more i just cant think of names
muas: james charles, jeffree star, glam & gore, madeyewlook, gabriel zamoa, nikkietutorials
education: vsauce, scishow, game theory, film theory, kati morton, psych2go, cg kid, asapscience
etc: rusty cage, idubbbz, filthy frank (rip), maxmoefoe, myah alanna, boyinaband, brandon rogers, hope for paws, colleen ballinger, miss london, kalvin garrah, st0rmryan, sam collins, trisha paytas, good mythical morning, the try guys, jacksfilms, josh peck, first we feast, kurtis conner, shane dawson, jenna marbles, roly, rosanna pansino, supercarlinbrothers, ryland adams, tana mongeau, eugenia cooney, gabbie hanna, joe santagato, drew monson, garrett watts
OKAY NOW FOR MUSIC and its only gonna get longer and worse from here. also different formatting. ur probably like “pls perish i regret sending this ask”. im gonna try to stick with 10 songs max for each genre and if you wanna skip this section all together my spotify is hatefuckz.
rap/hip-hop/anything else in this similar genre:
monz - real one (ft myah)
myah - throwin paper. all her other songs are amazing too
anything by lil peep !!
lil xan - far
rich brian - glow like dat
joji - bitterfuck
joji - pills
all of post malones stuff is rlly good
xxxtentacion is good depending on what ur into. if ur into like,, heavier rap check out his older stuff but if ur into more emotional tracks his newer stuff might interest u
emo shit:
falling in reverse - sink or swim
fall out boy - sugar were going down swinging
hawthorne heights - silver bullet
bring me the horizon - shadow moses
panic at the disco - lying is the most fun a girl can have
hawthrone heights - ohio is for lovers
everything by pierce the veil is amazing
fit for rivals - damage
country:
rascal flatts - life is a highway
carrie underwood - before he cheats
blake shelton - honey bee
miranda lambert - kerosene
laura bell bundy - giddy on up (giddy on out)
jake owen - barefoot blue jean night
jason aldean - my kinda party
trace adkins - honky tonk badonkadonk
metal (or just rlly hardcore stuff idk nobody come at me its 3am):
rings of saturn - natural selection
bring me the horizon - alligator blood
motionless in white - immaculate misconception 
white chapel - the saw is the law
attila - middle fingers up
attila - party with the devil
suicide silence - fuck everything
chelsea grin - playing with fire
slipknot - disasterpiece
acoustic punk:
mischief brew - gimme coffee, or death
human kitten - i dont want to be sad
sledding with tigers - that one limp bizkit song
neck deep - december
a day to remember - if it means a lot to you
ajj - brave as a noun. also all their other stuff
literally everything by crywank
just nick - cliche filler punk song
one night stand in north dakota - suicide is painful
panuccis pizza - i killed arbor day for you
if you want any specific genres or anything just send another ask nd ill gladly give u more stuff
also obviously i listen to nd adore 1d nd some other artists i forgot to add. flatsound being another.
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inacciaio-archive · 6 years
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@killersoflycans​ Emily drabble
It was the second half of her senior year, going back from break. Today was gonna be great, the eighteen-year-old Emily told herself. It was springtime and she would be glad to go back to track, back to softball, back to swimming. She was close with her teams, but not many other people. The popular kids thought she was a nerd and a lesbian, which she supposed was true on both accounts. Though she didn't need to confirm them; Emily didn't want to be labeled a stereotype. She was somewhat girly in what she wore, she just really liked sports, and liked the friends and the adrenaline rush they gave her. As for being a nerd, she couldn’t help that either. She loved Star Wars, her Nintendo and her GameBoy too much to ever give it up. 
Though she was relatively happy, she felt like she didn’t quite belong. She didn’t want to be a walking 80′s underdog cliche, but sometimes it felt like she just wanted to be somewhere else. Somewhere more exciting, grander, more of a purpose and welcoming. Emily craved more in life but wasn’t exactly sure of what that was. 
She got dressed in her usual style; two butterfly clips on either side of her short red hair, her choker necklace, some jeans, a t-shirt, her pair of Heelys and her denim jacket. She packed her swimsuit, her track uniform, and her softball uniform. She wasn’t sure of her schedule yet, but she wanted to be prepared. In her clear backpack, she also packed her GameBoy, and her Tamagatchi that she was way too attached to. As for the more necessary things, she packed her running shoes, her pencil case, some CD’s so she could listen to her music at lunch, her lunch packed in her Tron lunchbox, her folder and notebook, and her Blockbuster dvds of Galaxy Quest and Austin Powers that she had to return after school. She lifted her heavy backpack and put her portable CD player in her large jeans pocket, along with her Nokia and wallet in another pocket. 
Emily went out that morning, smiling and greeting her parents as she grabbed her bagged breakfast before saying goodbye and leaving. As she went outside, she saw a few friends from her softball team outside, all carpooling in their one friend who drove. “Hey guys!” Emily beamed, happy to see her friends again. 
“Yo Ems!” one of her friends greeted and moved over so she could sit next to her in the back of the Jeep. 
Emily pulled out her headset and plugged it into her CD player, placing the headset around her neck. She then ramped up the volume to as loud as it went, so she could hear it blast from the speakers without having to put them to her ears. 
School was average that day, the typical ‘welcome back’ stuff and assignments. P.E was where it was at for Emily. They were practicing baseball that day, well baseball for guys and softball for girls. P.E split up the two genders when it came to this. 
“Lame-o here likes this game way too much.” one of the other girls said as she walked past Emily. “You and your dyke friends should be playing so we don’t have to. I mean, you’re on the team.”
“Yeah, I am on the team.” Emily responded. “One you’d never make. You couldn’t pitch a softball if your life depended on it.” 
“Duh, only boys and dykes like you do that. I’m a cheerleader, which is far more than you’ll ever be.”
“Hey, cheerleaders cheer at our games. You’re nothing without us.” Emily scoffed.
“Yeah right. We should be cheering the guys, and mocking you girls.”
“Why, because we actually have skills beyond flipping our hair and doing cartwheels?” 
“No because you weirdos either wanna be a boys or wanna go all lesbo on each other. Either way, you’re all freaks.”
“Yeah whatever, get over it, Cindy.” Emily huffed and walked off, leaving that conversation that was going nowhere. Her mom insisted if she didn’t want to deal with the harassment, then she should wear more feminine clothing. Blouses, tight jeans instead of the ones for guys, maybe some skirts once in a while. It just wasn’t her style, and she knew what it looked like to other people but frankly, Emily didn’t care. 
The P.E coach split them up in two teams, thankfully Cindy wasn’t on her team and thankfully some of her friends from softball were. They had a pretty good chance of winning. The game went on for most of class time, Emily’s team winning with a bit of ease due to Rachel’s killer pitch and Emily’s speedy base running. 
Overall, despite the bad Emily tried focusing on the good. She liked her teams, she liked her friends and her teachers were alright. Her favorite thing about school though was definitely track. After school hours, she would always run a lap on the track field. It was technically not allowed, but she never got caught. 
Tonight was one of those nights. She set aside her bag, it was 7pm, and knew Blockbuster was open until 11 that night. She’d have time to return the dvds. 
Emily jumped the fence of the track field, which was always lit up. It was a small town, so it was relatively safe to be here and keep the lights on. Knowing no one was around, she changed into her track uniform, a red and white tank top that had her school name on the front, her jersey number 5 on the back, with matching red and white running shorts. Her running shoes were red and white to match. She pulled her short hair back into a ponytail with a scrunchie, taking out the four butterfly clips and putting them in her bag with the rest of her clothes. She began her run, sprinting off as soon as her feet touched the field. Feeling the wind whip past her was amazing. She smiled to herself, feeling free as she ran. Everything always felt perfect when she was just running. 
Her perfection was halted that night. She heard a crash through the fence, along with growling. Sudden yelling, screaming out in pain and Emily stopped running and whipped around to face what was going on. What she saw barely seemed real. A giant wolf, one that looked vaguely human... attacking it was a woman in all black with a sword. She had kicked him into the fence so hard that he ripped through it like nothing. With him laying on the grass of the field, the woman had been swift to slit his throat with the silver blade. Emily watched, eyes widened.
The woman then turned to her, seemingly expecting a horrified reaction. She was about to speak when Emily interrupted her. 
“Oh my god, that was so flipping awesome! Wow, you’re totally rad! Oh wow...” Emily exclaimed with a huge smile. “You just like, slayed a werewolf! Was that a werewolf? Who knew, werewolves are real. Oooh, or maybe is it a wolf from like, an evil laboratory? One that like, had some genetic mutation?”
The woman looked at the excited girl in amazement. The woman’s name was Semira, and she was an officer in the vampire army. She knew that this human girl couldn’t have seen this, especially with how excited she was. She would tell people, she would tell other humans. She quickly approached Emily then, looking at her sharply.
“You have two options here.” Semira snarled softly. “I can kill you, or I can turn you.”
Emily was wary, but not scared. Obviously this was a crazy woman who was really into LARPing, right? 
“Um... okay, yeah, turn me!” Emily spoke with a grin. “I mean afterall, that wolf or werewolf looked dangerous, so you basically saved my life like a mofo!”
Semira looked at her with confusion. “Do you know what I’m turning you into?” she asked.
“Um... I’m guessing either like... a vampire or a witch or something.” 
The dark haired woman raised a brow. “No, not a witch. A vampire. You’re... perfectly alright with that?” she asked. “Leaving behind your entire life, never returning to it?”
So that’s what the woman was offering, Emily thought. To be honest, it sounded like a cool adventure. And she knew it was crazy, even this crazy woman thought it was crazy that she’d be so willing. But when she really thought about it, her friends were great but they’d be fine without her. Everyone else at school would definitely be fine without her. As for her parents, she loved them but they were judgmental, and she knew they would never accept her as Christians once they found out she was gay. 
“Sure.” Emily spoke, grinning again. “I’d like that.” 
“Alright then.” Semira spoke. “Are you ready?”
“Go for it!” Emily responded cheerfully and was less cheerful as soon as Semira bit into her neck. “Aa! Ow ow ow, okay you meant literally...” her words were cut off soon though by pain and seeing blackness. Could she be a literal vampire? Maybe. It was certainly exciting to know that vampires and werewolves existed. 
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relax-o-vision · 7 years
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Okay, so here are some of my first impressions of Mass Effect: Andromeda. Not very spoilery, mostly because in the 14 hours I’ve played so far not a lot has happened. Put under a cut anyway, just to be sure.
I’m going to list some good, some bad, and some ugly. Like I said, however, these are only first impressions. I’m 17% in, so a lot can still happen.
Some good:
- I like the profile system, and the fact that I’m no longer restricted by a starting class. The variety of abilities to choose from is a little overwhelming, but that’s just what happens when you start a new rpg. I’m still learning.
- I like that weapon stats are back and more detailed than ever.
- the crafting system looks intriguing, though I haven’t gotten the chance to get into that, yet.
- Vetra. Big heart eyes. I’ve complained in the past that bioware has the habit of creating super goody good male characters and forcing them onto me like I have to care about guys, while mostly trying to make female companions “controversial” to some degree. Garrus and Varric come to mind. With Vetra it seems I finally got the female super good character, who gets to be funny and smart and attractive and strong and cunning and loyal all at once. That’s what I always wanted and I’ll be sure to drag her everywhere with me, always.
- tiddy plates are mostly gone! I mean, Cora still looks like shit but at least my protagonist gets to look like an actual human being.
- the soundtrack is not as memorable as in other Mass Effect games, but I enjoy it quite a bit.
- the dialogue wheel fulfills its purpose fine. it’s mostly clear what the character is going to say after choosing an option, and on the whole dialogues seem much more organic than they did in previous mass effect games
- non-squad members get banter and even though I strongly dislike the no-homo squad rule mass effect has I do not feel like Suvi and Gil are less important than the squad members.
Some bad:
- the story is extremely slow. I can’t even say anything more because after 14 hours I know as much as I knew before starting the game: I’m here to look for a place to stay. and I guess family stuff?
- we left 7 (?) races behind in the milky way and only got 2 as replacements. as a result I can go for seemingly miles and miles on planet surface and only encounter bugs. it’s like no man’s sky except that I get to laugh in that game when I see a giant buttplug hop past me
- the map. the nomad. hazzards. fights in hazzards. hello darkness my old friend. they give me vast places to explore, and then they actively discourage me from exploring.
- timed missions. they come out of nowhere and then it says: “you now have two (2) minutes to drive like a maniac through the desert and if you don’t make it people die.” wtf. I hope this was an exception.
- the characters are mostly flat cliches and for the first time in a bioware game I find myself skipping dialogues. everybody (with the exception of Vetra who is perfect) is kinda nice and kinda funny and kinda has a short temper but nobody means bad. it’s like I’m in a cheap action-comedy with seven bud spencers and a religious lesbian. kill me.
- additionally to the last point: they were aiming for a mature rating but then wrote dialogues clearly targeted at teenagers. no adult person talks like these adult characters. some lines made me physically cringe.
Some ugly:
Shall I say it? Homophobia and misogyny.
When the character creator was first shown off I was disappointed that hair was yet again genderlocked. Clearly you can categorize men and women by how we wear our hair????
Turns out that was just the cherry on top of the shit-cake.
I don’t even know where to start? I’m traveling with three straight men in my squad, as well as three female characters who are available to straight men.
Don’t want to piss off the people who send threats to your developers, huh? I’m sure they’re your best customers and should be catered to.
Of course in the far future we as people have evolved to the point where you don’t have to say the words gay and lesbian anymore and we defy stereotypes with hyperfeminine lesbian side characters, character, singular, one lesbian in the galaxy. But we can’t have dykes and fags running around on missions with the real people.
Or show too much PDA.
My biggest surprise perhaps was that with Andromeda I have found the first female companion who I dislike.
What is up with Cora? She comes along with her libfem kweer undercut and tells you (not directly but by context) that:
a) your relationship to your father is not as important as her relationship to your father
b) she as a human is the true asari on board (what a disgrace; though I’m having the impression that the writing team didn’t really read any asari lore for this game; either that or they really fucking hate them)
c) straight girl whines about being different and feeling unaccepted. in a game that sidelines gays and lesbians. that barely shows any same sex pda and does not feature a single m/m squad romance.
“boohoo I have space magic.”
Somebody needs to stop straight people or I’m using my space magic to open a breach, walk into the fade, and tear down the veil so the spirits of our fallen gay ancestors can come back and give you a reason to be so dramatic.
---
Homophobia makes me angry.
Anyway.
Overall I’m having moderate fun. I’m still looking forward to romance Vetra and getting to know Peebee and Suvi more. And I do see improvements made to dialogues, customization options, and combat in comparison to previous games.
I also think that my impression might be more positive if the game didn’t throw Dragon Age references in my face, thus making me compare the game to Inquisition (which so far is the better game), and if I had not just finished up Horizon Zero Dawn, which was spectacular and does make Mass Effect look last gen. But that’s how competition works. Someone else delivers what you promised and that makes you look bad.
Mostly, and this was very bizarre, I found myself looking for the old gang before remembering that I won’t be seeing them again. I miss the DS9 vibe from the old games. I miss visiting my favorite arsehole on Omega. I miss being part of a multi-cultural intergalactic space adventure.
As of now Andromeda seems pretty large and pretty empty.
Like I said, first impressions.
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worldbestlawyers · 7 years
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New Post has been published on World Best Lawyers
New Post has been published on http://www.worldbestlawyers.com/crime-fiction-ten-cliches-to-avoid/
Crime Fiction - Ten Cliches to Avoid
Crime fiction is big business at the moment, but there are certain situations that have been overplayed so much that they have become genre cliches and everybody knows what to expect next. Here are ten cliches you should try to avoid and thoughts on how to subvert the cliches if you do decide to use them.
Cops and Doctors
You can find this perennial favourite in both crime and historical fiction. You’ll see it in ER, NYPD Blue and in cross -genre shows like the X Files. The doctor says “OK but only for a minute” or “It’s touch and go. The next few hours will be crucial” or “It could be minutes, it could be days… you never know with coma cases” The policemen usually say nothing. They just stand around and chew the scenery in frustration.
Mulder and Scully actually spend a lot of their time hanging around in hospitals but you don’t notice so much because the patients aren’t your run of the mill criminals or witnesses.
And that’s the way to get around this one. Get a new twist and add some tension. Maybe the patient is related to either the cop or the doctor. Or maybe the doctor is an amateur detective and knows better than the cop? But beware of the “Dick Van Dyke” syndrome… that leads you into a whole new area of cliche
The New Partner
In this scenario a veteran cop has to get a new partner after the death of his old one. The rookie is either keen as mustard and eager to please, or burned out from personal problems. It’s probably best known in modern times from the Lethal Weapon movies. Screenwriters tried to add some tension early in the series by having Mel Gibson as a borderline suicide case, and that gave the first film an edge; but it was lost in later instalments. By the time the fourth movie came came along they had fallen so deeply into a buddy movie relationship that all drama was lost in favour of light comedy.
You need to do some serious subverting if you want to use this situation. People have tried having a dog as the buddy in K9, having their Mom as the buddy in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, and having foreigners as the buddy in big Arnie’s Red Heat.
Outside the strictly police procedural we’ve also had the robot buddy in Robocop, the ghost buddy in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), the alien buddy in Alien Nation, the magician buddy in Jonathan Creek, the ex-serviceman buddy in both Sherlock Holmes and Poirot. The list just goes on and on.
However you do it, filling in the blanks is easy in this scenario. What you need is something new. How about having the cop being given a politician doing a meet-the-people stint. Or, on a completely tasteless but might be funny level, how about the schizophrenic cop who is his own buddy?
The Rookie in the Morgue
Once only the province of young students in Quincy, this one now turns up on TV in the CSI franchise or Crossing Jordan and in print in the Kay Scarpetta books. There are usually two ways this one can proceed. Either the young cop rushes out, hand at mouth, or he stands still, icily cold and detached, as the autopsy proceeds.
Inspector Morse tried to subvert this situation by having the old timer as the squeamish one, but how about having the rookie as the pathologist?
Whatever you do, try not to give the pathologist a chance to be smug and patronizing while explaining large chunks of the plot. In the UK, this is overdone in Silent Witness and Waking the Dead, and is just a lazy way to advance the story.
The Cantankerous Lieutenant Chews Out The Cop
In films and television shows this happens to every protagonist, and Clint Eastwood for one must be tired of it. In the Dirty Harry series he was rarely out of his boss’s office.
It usually ends up with the lieutenant and the cop snarling at each other, so how about having one of them being completely calm and laid back? Or how about having one of them being deaf?
And if you must write this scene, please don’t use lines like “I’ll have your badge for that”, or “I’m not covering for you this time”
The Slimy Defence Lawyer
This one was a hot favourite on NYPD Blue and was guaranteed to get right up Sipowitz’s nose. Once you’ve introduced the sharp suit, the slick hairstyle and the briefcase, this guy will inevitably say, “My client has no further comment,” or “You had no right to talk to him without me there.” Everybody knows the rest.
Again, serious though is needed to bring a new twist to this situation. Your lawyer could be an ex-cop who knows all the moves, or a relative or lover of one of the cops? How about a lawyer defending himself? Or a counter-culture lawyer covered with tattoos and piercings?
Whatever you do try to come up with some creative invective. Slimeball, sleazeball, reptile and shyster have all been overused.
The Car Chase
Bullit and The French Connection set the standard, and Gone in 60 Seconds brought it into the 21st Century, but this situation has mostly become tired. There are only so many little old ladies to avoid, so many road signs to hit, and so many police cars to trash before your audience becomes jaded.
Over the years the Bond movies have used up just about all the possible permutations, so you’ll struggle to come up with something new. It would be better to add tension in another way.
In a bid to appear fresh, the chase element has sometimes been dropped altogether in favour of the race against time as in Speed or Die Hard With a Vengeance. To succeed you’ll need a good reason for the journey to take place, a disastrous outcome if it’s not successful, and some good near misses on the way.
But beware. Too much carnage and your readers will start thinking of The Blues Brothers. And please, don’t have your protagonist drive the wrong way down a one-way street.. it’s been done far too often.
The Shoot Out
Raymond Chandler’s advice to crime writers still holds. “If your plot is flagging, have a man come in with a gun.” You’ve got to be careful though. Too many people still transfer scenes from old cowboy movies almost verbatim into modern cop scenes.
Probably the best recent shoot out was in Michael Mann’s Heat. You cared who lived or died, and there was excitement and tension. Therein lies the trick. Make your readers have an opinion, not just about your hero, but about the other characters as well. At the end of LA Confidential, we knew all of the people involved in the climax, and it made it more satisfying to watch who lived or died. Lining one-dimensional people up just as cannon fodder might work in a Saturday night popcorn movie, but we should be aiming higher than that.
Shoot outs work well on film, but they can be a drag in print. Some writers tend to slow things down, especially to have a close look at the wounds. Unless you’re careful it can read like a medical textbook.
And, please, don’t have heads “exploding like ripe watermelons.”
The Cop in The Cafe
This was used in Chips in every episode, giving them an excuse to show a motorbike speeding from a car park with loose gravel flying.
It’s also a favourite in most of the aforementioned buddy movies, and especially in Starsky and Hutch. They’ll be in a cafe, musing over the chewing out they’ve had from their boss, when a call comes through. The radio buzzes, giving them a chance to attach a flashing light to the roof of their car and head off to a car chase, closely followed by a shoot out. See how it’s possible to run one cliche into another? Pretty soon you’d have a whole plot, but would anybody buy it?
One way of changing this scene might be to have an alternative means of the cops getting the message. You could have them hearing something on the Television? Or how about on a cell-phone or laptop… there are multiple opportunities for foul ups, misunderstandings or criminal actions there, and they haven’t been overdone… yet.
Good Cop / Bad Cop
The good cop / bad cop interview became a cliche almost as soon as crime fiction began. A fine example, nearly seventy years old, can be seen in The Maltese Falcon. By now everybody knows the moves, and your readers will be bored long before the interview is over. Unless you’re being self-referential and ironic, as in LA Confidential you’ll never pull it off.
Cracker tried to subvert the interview situation altogether by having it performed by a psychiatrist who played both cops in one. In The Rock, Sean Connery as the prisoner told Nicholas Cage which questions he should be asking. You’ll need to find something similarly innovative if you’re going to make it work.
How about having two good cops? Or two bad cops? Or maybe there is a new computer system designed by psychologists to ask the right questions in the right order? How would your cops and your prisoner handle that?
The Estranged Wife
Why do all fictional cops have relationship problems? This scene always goes the same way. The wife says, “You never see the children anymore.” The cop doesn’t say anything, because his mobile phone interrupts. You know the rest.
Cracker is again a good case in point as he went through this scene in almost every episode. Pacino played a variation of it with his girlfriend in Heat.
Not only does Cracker have a failed marriage, but he’s also a gambler and a drinker. In recent years people have been giving cops more and more problems to overcome, culminating in Denzel Washington’s paraplegic investigator in The Bone Collector. I wouldn’t even try to top that.
Why not be original. Make your cop a healthy, stable, happily married man. Now there’s a challenge.
Conclusion
The next time you read or watch a police drama, notice how many of the above are still in use. All of them can occur in any one story, and frequently do… just shuffle the paragraphs, add a murder or two and you have an instant plot.
But unless you can subvert some of the cliches, don’t expect anybody to buy it.
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nettvnow-blog · 7 years
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Chlue Curran | ADVOCATES
You might recognize her name from previous works with AfterEllen and her current work with LOTL and Curve, but Chloe Curran is making headlines this time in her web series writing debut with ADVOCATES. The series is brutally honest and plays on some of the LGBTQ's more famous tropes. A series featuring queer characters played by real queer actors, this series is sending an important message to Hollywood. Read more below and be sure to check out ADVOCATES today.
netTVnow: You’re gearing up for the premiere of your first web series, ADVOCATES, how does it feel?*
Chloe Curran: I’m stoked! This is my first show and it’s been- to be utterly cliche- a learning experience. From conception to rewrites to casting to pre-production to post production, we’ve taken a lot of time to make sure ADVOCATES is as good as possible. I’m excited to share it with the world.
NTN: What’s the quick and dirty synopsis of the series?
CC: Satirical workplace comedy set in a LGBTQ nonprofit called GULPTAB* (Gay, Unidentified, Lesbian, Pansexual, Transgender, Asexual, Bisexual, Asterisk). It follows a witty lesbian, Iris, a opinionated gay man, Adrian, and their silly but sincere interns. ADVOCATES is about queer people making fun of themselves, and everyone else while they’re at it.
NTN: Where did the concept of the series come from?
CC: I was hanging out with Bridget McManus, the incredible actress and comedian who plays GULPTAB*’s President, and she encouraged me to write a web series. I had just finished writing a pilot and was contemplating my next project. I wanted to write about gay people and thought a LGBTQ non-profit would be a funny setting where everyone would reasonably be queer. I knew I wanted it to be a comedy, and I didn’t want to write something we’ve seen a lot of. No coming out stories or angsty love affairs or groups of hot lesbians dating and doing dyke drama.
At that point I’d been writing for AfterEllen for several years, and I’d been exposed to all these interesting aspects of LGBTQ culture that most of my non-internet dwelling friends didn’t know about. Good stuff, bad stuff, and weird stuff. I wanted to write LGBTQ characters who didn’t depress me and who weren’t one dimensional. Then I came up with different scenarios inspired by different aspects of subcultures in our community.
NTN: What was the writing process like for you? What surprised you most about writing for this medium?
CC: Rewrites. I did so many rewrites. I’ve actually written an entire season of ADVOCATES and I’ve re-written and read through and added and honed every damn word. Here’s the surprising thing about rewrites: they genuinely make a script better. I actually threw out the first episode of ADVOCATES I wrote. In hindsight, it was crap. I started again and the next try was better, although obviously I rewrote that a dozen or so times.
I think of a lot of my favorite jokes or bits while driving. I frantically scribble them down as soon as I get to my destination and try to work them in the next day. I also pull a lot from conversations, online and in person. I take something real that I find funny or interesting and then I heighten it as much as it can be heightened.
NTN: You mentioned that every queer character in the series is played by a queer person, how important was that for you in casting?
CC: So important. If you look at the majority of LGBTQ characters in film, TV, and a good chunk of web series, they are played by straight actors. Especially lesbian characters. And then we’re supposed to fawn over them and say, "Oh how brave you are Mitzy, thank you so much for representing my community.” My community can represent itself.
When you cast a straight actor in a LGBTQ role, several things happen:
The part is not given to a LGBTQ actor, who is also probably being passed up for straight roles because they’re too gay, resulting in very few famous LGBTQ actors in Hollywood
The actor pulls from stereotypes, tropes, and bad gay cinema to create a likely one-dimensional character similar to all the other one dimensional gay characters played by straight actors
The press and conversation around the film focuses on a straight celebrity rather than gay character
LGBTQ people are depicted through the lens, face, and voice of a straight person, warping our existence and identities to appeal to straight audiences.
Hollywood needs to stop straight washing. Stop casting straight women as lesbians, straight men as gay, and really stop casting cis actors as trans.
NTN: What are some things audiences can look forward to in the series?
CC: Sweetness to go along with the snark.
NTN: Tell us more about the series’ leads. How do they fit into this fictional GLAAD-type organization?
CC: First of all: GULPTAB* is not GLAAD. Any resemblance to any organizations is purely coincidental, fictional, etc. You could perhaps draw similarities between the two, but that’s you darling, not me.
Iris, the lesbian lead, is GULPTAB*’s Director of Communications and Adrian is the social media manager. Iris is funny as Director of Communication because she’s always having to curb her communication skills as they’re a little too real for most people to handle. She’s a young, confident, ambitious lesbian looking to climb the career ladder, but she’s not always impressed by her tasks at GULPTAB*. Social Media Manager is an important but also kind of ridiculous job, and Adrian slacks his way through it.
They’re buddies, not classic heroes but good people none the less who like to mock their surroundings.
NTN: I like that you picked some of the more popular tropes within the LGBTQ community and bring a satire feel to it, why was that something you wanted to focus on?
CC: Tropes are cliches, and cliches are ripe for mockery. I’m also incredibly bored of tropes because I’ve watched so much tropey gay content I sometimes want to scream. Sometimes I do scream.
Sometimes LGBTQ people and institutions take themselves very, very seriously. I wanted to add a bit of levity. Other minorities make fun of themselves. Straight people absolutely make fun of themselves. Why shouldn’t we? What are we so scared of? That we’re going to write a couple unsympathetic gay characters or crack a couple jokes at our own expense and they’ll take away our rights? A little confidence, please.
NTN: Which character is your favorite? Why?
CC: I have no favorites. They are all my demon babies. Not because they’re demons, but because I’ve worked so much on them I feel like a mother who really, really wants her children to move out.
Every character has a bit of me. Some good bits some bad bits some weird bits. But there’s a tiny part of me in each one. Iris most of all, I suppose.  It took a lot of work, but I think each character could have a stand alone episode or plotline. They are distinct, interesting people.
NTN: Reflecting on your experience with the series, are there things you would have done differently? If so, what and why?
CC: Maybe there are a few lines I would have tweaked, or a few shots I would have set up differently. I wish we could have shot more episodes, because I think the other episodes could be even better. The series really fleshes out and gets juicy as it progresses. But we did the most we could with the money we raised.
NTN: Do you have any upcoming projects to share or anything else to add?
CC: Right now I’m working on a rom com. I guess I’d say watch, subscribe, and share ADVOCATES! And if you really like it and want to see more episodes, let us know. I appreciate you all. Over 170 people donated to make this happen. I really hope they like this. Their generosity and faith means so much to me. I’ve carried that every step of the way. I want to give my community the show they deserve. Something different.
*Note: This interview took place prior to the series premiere
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madpicks · 7 years
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New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/nba/giannis-antetokounmpo-dream-becomes-reality/
The Giannis Antetokounmpo dream becomes reality
The Greek phenom is becoming what we hoped he might be right before our eyes.
BOSTON — It was early in the NBA tenures for both Brad Stevens and Giannis Antetokounmpo when the Celtics’ coach first laid eyes on the Greek phenom. Scanning the court, Stevens took in all 6’11 of the skinny teenager and thought, “Holy s.” (In the retelling of this story, Stevens really stopped short with the letter S, being the considerate Hoosier that he is.)
“He does some things,” Stevens said. “That’s the best way to put it.”
Giannis does indeed do many things. He’s not really a point guard, per se, but he brings the ball up the floor on occasion and initiates the offense. More often than not, the Bucks run their system through him in the high post, making him more of a point forward. Even that relatively modern designation isn’t exactly right because our terminology has yet to catch up to Antetokounmpo’s game.
In the open court, Giannis is breathtaking. He barely needs but a dribble or two to transverse the length of the court and his liftoff area begins around the free throw line. “Him in transition,” Stevens said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone like him.”
He is also good for a dozen holy shit (sorry, Brad) plays a night. Some of these wind up on the nightly reel of gifs and highlights. Many of them, however, are subtle, fleeting moments. A behind-the-back pass here, an altered shot there. You simply can’t take your eyes off him at any moment and expect to get the full show. Blink and you’ll wish you hadn’t.
Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Giannis’ rise has been both steady and spectacular. He was a curiosity as a rookie, a phenom as a sophomore, and an intriguing talent in his third campaign when the Bucks began tilting their offense more and more in his direction. The wins, however, remained stagnant. The Bucks were a playoff team in his second season and a disappointment in his third, not that either were directly attributable to him. For the first three years of his career Giannis was a big part of a large ensemble, but not quite the man yet.
That’s all changed. What has elevated Antetokounmpo from the ranks of the young phenoms into a full-blown All-Star has been the melding of his phenomenal talents with a keener understanding of the game. That he has not had to sacrifice any of his spectacular gifts to reach this point makes him one of the most exciting prospects to come into the league since … ever, really. There is no precedent for a hyper-athletic 7-footer who plays like a forward and commands the game like a guard.
In his fourth season Giannis has experienced the biggest jump of his career. Everything is up, from scoring and shooting to playmaking, steals, and assists. Most importantly, the Bucks are winning games and their trajectory is once again pointed in the right direction. As we head down the stretch of the regular season, they are the most dangerous low seed in the entire bracket and the one that makes potential opponents in the East wary.
All that, and Giannis is still just barely 22 years old.
“I know for you guys it’s different, but when you see him in the gym every day and you see the work he puts in, it’s not really a surprise,” Greg Monroe said. “He’s never tired. Ever.”
18-year vet Jason Terry compared his work ethic to that of Dirk Nowitzki and marveled, “He has so much more basketball to go.”
His coach Jason Kidd attributed Giannis’ growth to his ability to listen, which sounded like a perfunctory compliment at first but made sense in the reasoning.
“He wants to be great,” Kidd said. “He thrives in the challenge of us putting more responsibilities on him, but I would say his ability to listen and digest what we’re saying (and then) to translate it onto the floor. To be given the ball at 21 years old at 7-feet tall, to run the offense and understand what we’re trying to do. There’s going to be some good and there’s going to be moments to learn from. He digests not just the good, but the bad too.”
Giannis himself echoed that refrain when asked the same question, reinforcing the messaging that his coach is providing.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“Listening,” he said. “That’s the most important thing. Usually when you’re this young you think you know everything but really you don’t know nothing. You got to keep listening.”
Even as he grows into his featured role, Antetokounmpo remains an unabashed delight. He is young and fun, commanding the post-game DJ role with glee. His English is fantastic and his manner is playful. He has not yet been beaten down into giving cliched, canned answers, bless his heart.
Responding to an on-court altercation with Celtic provocateur Marcus Smart that led to a flagrant foul on Smart, Giannis noted: “I thought he just flopped a lot. I wasn’t even mad about him tripping me. I touched him but I thought he oversold it. He’s a smart player. That’s why his name is Smart.”
On 24-year-old teammate Malcolm Brogdon, who it must be noted is two years older than Antetokounmpo: “He’s not a rookie in my eyes.”
Told that Stevens had made a similar comment, Giannis didn’t miss a beat: “Great minds think alike.”
Giannis can be charming and goofy and the stories of his early indoctrination into American culture were both hilarious and endearing. But as he told SI’s Lee Jenkins earlier in the season, “I’m not really that kid anymore.” Where once he was a League Pass fever dream, now he’s a legitimate franchise player.
That’s the biggest development of this Milwaukee season. With Giannis leading the way, the Bucks have suddenly become a very good basketball team even without injured scorer Jabari Parker. They have the best record in the East since the All-Star break and were tied with Portland for the most wins in the month of March with 13 heading into the weekend. While not particularly proficient on either end of the floor statistically, they have become a solid proposition each night with players sliding seamlessly into roles that work for them.
Much of that has to do with the return to form of Khris Middleton, a wonderfully underrated player who can shoot, score, and defend. Middleton has brought balance to the Bucks, providing a secondary scorer whenever Giannis is on the court and a primary option when he gets his rest. Kidd has made a point of staggering their minutes so that one of them is always on the floor.
With Middleton back in the lineup, there’s ample shooting around Giannis and dependable size down low, thanks to the revitalized play of Monroe, who should get Sixth Man of the Year consideration. Veteran characters like Terry, Matthew Dellavedova, and Tony Snell provide steady shooting and interchangeable versatility. Brogdon, the aforementioned old rookie, has been both consistent and a revelation all season.
Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
What makes the Bucks unique is they have so much length. Even when they go “small” they are still enormous. All that speed and wingspan creates a chaotic match-up nightmare and all that comes back to Giannis.
Consider the game against the Celtics, who used no less than four different players from all the major position groups to guard him. First it was Al Horford, who at least had the length and savvy, if not the speed. Horford’s other talents directing the defense were wasted on the match-up, however, and after Giannis popped a couple of threes and the Bucks raced out to a 10-point lead, Stevens turned to Jae Crowder. What he gave away in length, Crowder made up for in strength and quickness. The two battled for most of the game, with Smart and Avery Bradley also taking their turns.
As is typical with Smart’s brand of brutalist defense, his encounters with Giannis helped make it a tight, tense contest. It was not the kind of game that lends itself to heroic maneuvers or breathtaking aerial ballets. Rather, it was the kind of game for a young team to prove itself on the road, which Milwaukee did. The Bucks held off a couple of Boston rallies in the fourth quarter and emerged with an important win on the second night of a back-to-back.
Giannis was tremendous, if not dominant, going for 21 points with nine boards, along with three assists, three steals, and three blocks. It’s the kind of line that shows up only a handful of times during the course of the season, made the all more extraordinary by how casual it all was.
In the joyful din of a jubilant young locker room, Giannis offered one more possibility forture.
“Hopefully one day I can be able to lead this team deep into the playoffs,” he said. “And hopefully to the Finals.”
Of such pedestrian pursuits are the most epic tales of Greek mythology born. Giannis Antetokounmpo is crafting his own legend and he’s still just 22 years old. Holy shit.
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junker-town · 7 years
Text
The Giannis Antetokounmpo dream becomes reality
The Greek phenom is becoming what we hoped he might right before our eyes.
BOSTON — It was early in the NBA tenures for both Brad Stevens and Giannis Antetokounmpo when the Celtics’ coach first laid eyes on the Greek phenom. Scanning the court, Stevens took in all 6’11 of the skinny teenager and thought, “Holy s.” (In the retelling of this story, Stevens really stopped short with the letter S, being the considerate Hoosier that he is.)
“He does some things,” Stevens said. “That’s the best way to put it.”
Giannis does indeed do many things. He’s not really a point guard, per se, but he brings the ball up the floor on occasion and initiates the offense. More often than not, the Bucks run their system through him in the high post, making him more of a point forward. Even that relatively modern designation isn’t exactly right because our terminology has yet to catch up to Antetokounmpo’s game.
In the open court, Giannis is breathtaking. He barely needs but a dribble or two to transverse the length of the court and his liftoff area begins around the free throw line. “Him in transition,” Stevens said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone like him.”
He is also good for a dozen holy shit (sorry, Brad) plays a night. Some of these wind up on the nightly reel of gifs and highlights. Many of them, however, are subtle, fleeting moments. A behind-the-back pass here, an altered shot there. You simply can’t take your eyes off him at any moment and expect to get the full show. Blink and you’ll wish you hadn’t.
Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Giannis’ rise has been both steady and spectacular. He was a curiosity as a rookie, a phenom as a sophomore, and an intriguing talent in his third campaign when the Bucks began tilting their offense more and more in his direction. The wins, however, remained stagnant. The Bucks were a playoff team in his second season and a disappointment in his third, not that either were directly attributable to him. For the first three years of his career Giannis was a big part of a large ensemble, but not quite the man yet.
That’s all changed. What has elevated Antetokounmpo from the ranks of the young phenoms into a full-blown All-Star has been the melding of his phenomenal talents with a keener understanding of the game. That he has not had to sacrifice any of his spectacular gifts to reach this point makes him one of the most exciting prospects to come into the league since … ever, really. There is no precedent for a hyper-athletic 7-footer who plays like a forward and commands the game like a guard.
In his fourth season Giannis has experienced the biggest jump of his career. Everything is up, from scoring and shooting to playmaking, steals, and assists. Most importantly, the Bucks are winning games and their trajectory is once again pointed in the right direction. As we head down the stretch of the regular season, they are the most dangerous low seed in the entire bracket and the one that makes potential opponents in the East wary.
All that, and Giannis is still just barely 22 years old.
“I know for you guys it’s different, but when you see him in the gym every day and you see the work he puts in, it’s not really a surprise,” Greg Monroe said. “He’s never tired. Ever.”
18-year vet Jason Terry compared his work ethic to that of Dirk Nowitzki and marveled, “He has so much more basketball to go.”
His coach Jason Kidd attributed Giannis’ growth to his ability to listen, which sounded like a perfunctory compliment at first but made sense in the reasoning.
“He wants to be great,” Kidd said. “He thrives in the challenge of us putting more responsibilities on him, but I would say his ability to listen and digest what we’re saying (and then) to translate it onto the floor. To be given the ball at 21 years old at 7-feet tall, to run the offense and understand what we’re trying to do. There’s going to be some good and there’s going to be moments to learn from. He digests not just the good, but the bad too.”
Giannis himself echoed that refrain when asked the same question, reinforcing the messaging that his coach is providing.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“Listening,” he said. “That’s the most important thing. Usually when you’re this young you think you know everything but really you don’t know nothing. You got to keep listening.”
Even as he grows into his featured role, Antetokounmpo remains an unabashed delight. He is young and fun, commanding the post-game DJ role with glee. His English is fantastic and his manner is playful. He has not yet been beaten down into giving cliched, canned answers, bless his heart.
Responding to an on-court altercation with Celtic provocateur Marcus Smart that led to a flagrant foul on Smart, Giannis noted: “I thought he just flopped a lot. I wasn’t even mad about him tripping me. I touched him but I thought he oversold it. He’s a smart player. That’s why his name is Smart.”
On 24-year-old teammate Malcolm Brogdon, who it must be noted is two years older than Antetokounmpo: “He’s not a rookie in my eyes.”
Told that Stevens had made a similar comment, Giannis didn’t miss a beat: “Great minds think alike.”
Giannis can be charming and goofy and the stories of his early indoctrination into American culture were both hilarious and endearing. But as he told SI’s Lee Jenkins earlier in the season, “I’m not really that kid anymore.” Where once he was a League Pass fever dream, now he’s a legitimate franchise player.
That’s the biggest development of this Milwaukee season. With Giannis leading the way, the Bucks have suddenly become a very good basketball team even without injured scorer Jabari Parker. They have the best record in the East since the All-Star break and were tied with Portland for the most wins in the month of March with 13 heading into the weekend. While not particularly proficient on either end of the floor statistically, they have become a solid proposition each night with players sliding seamlessly into roles that work for them.
Much of that has to do with the return to form of Khris Middleton, a wonderfully underrated player who can shoot, score, and defend. Middleton has brought balance to the Bucks, providing a secondary scorer whenever Giannis is on the court and a primary option when he gets his rest. Kidd has made a point of staggering their minutes so that one of them is always on the floor.
With Middleton back in the lineup, there’s ample shooting around Giannis and dependable size down low, thanks to the revitalized play of Monroe, who should get Sixth Man of the Year consideration. Veteran characters like Terry, Matthew Dellavedova, and Tony Snell provide steady shooting and interchangeable versatility. Brogdon, the aforementioned old rookie, has been both consistent and a revelation all season.
Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
What makes the Bucks unique is they have so much length. Even when they go “small” they are still enormous. All that speed and wingspan creates a chaotic match-up nightmare and all that comes back to Giannis.
Consider the game against the Celtics, who used no less than four different players from all the major position groups to guard him. First it was Al Horford, who at least had the length and savvy, if not the speed. Horford’s other talents directing the defense were wasted on the match-up, however, and after Giannis popped a couple of threes and the Bucks raced out to a 10-point lead, Stevens turned to Jae Crowder. What he gave away in length, Crowder made up for in strength and quickness. The two battled for most of the game, with Smart and Avery Bradley also taking their turns.
As is typical with Smart’s brand of brutalist defense, his encounters with Giannis helped make it a tight, tense contest. It was not the kind of game that lends itself to heroic maneuvers or breathtaking aerial ballets. Rather, it was the kind of game for a young team to prove itself on the road, which Milwaukee did. The Bucks held off a couple of Boston rallies in the fourth quarter and emerged with an important win on the second night of a back-to-back.
Giannis was tremendous, if not dominant, going for 21 points with nine boards, along with three assists, three steals, and three blocks. It’s the kind of line that shows up only a handful of times during the course of the season, made the all more extraordinary by how casual it all was.
In the joyful din of a jubilant young locker room, Giannis offered one more possibility for future.
“Hopefully one day I can be able to lead this team deep into the playoffs,” he said. “And hopefully to the Finals.”
Of such pedestrian pursuits are the most epic tales of Greek mythology born. Giannis Antetokounmpo is crafting his own legend and he’s still just 22 years old. Holy shit.
0 notes