#love that ryan and mark were like. you know what the world needs? more ken

[sleepykittypaws]

Celebrate the Olympic Spirit

Sure, the Olympics aren’t a holiday, per se, but the every-four-year, or two if you count both Summer and Winter editions separately, massive international sporting events sure seems like a reason to celebrate, especially given their recent, unprecedented delay. And what better way to get into the Games mood, than by watching a sports movie?

Here are my favorite motivating, inspirational, and aspirational tales of athletic derring do…

Favorite Sports Movies

The Cutting Edge (1992) - This figure skating romance was released around the 1992 Olympics, and actually name-checks that year's winter host city, Albertville, more than once.  It's not good in the traditional sense of great storytelling or athletic veracity, but I loved it so very much I saw it three times in the theater as a teen. Watching it at some point during every Winter Games is a tradition for me so, yeah, I can’t help it, I love this silly sports movie/romance, which also features a bit of holiday feels.

Wimbledon (2004) - It's a rom-com. It's a sports movie. It's a rom-com sports movie that really should be better known. Notting Hill but set at tennis' best-known event. Paul Bettany and Kristen Dunst have surprisingly great chemistry, and there's more sports-related tension than you'd think.

Friday Night Lights (2004) - A football movie for people who don't really like football. a.k.a. 🙋‍♀️. The TV series it spawned is also brilliant (”Clear Eyes, Full Hearts,” indeed), and well worth a watch, but the original movie, starring Billy Bob Thornton, is, honestly, a masterpiece. Definitely Peter Berg's best work and the original book, written by Berg's cousin, Buzz Bissinger, is a great read.

Muriel's Wedding (1994) - You mean you forgot this Australian export, which made Toni Collette a star, was a sports movie? Yep, one of my all-time favorite movies, of any genre, this absolutely brilliant, ABBA-soaked comedy is not only a girls-night go-to, but also a stealth Olympic sport classic.

Remember the Titans (2000) - OK, football isn't in the Olympics, but it sure does make for a good sports movie setting. Even if this early 1970s-set story is most definitely Disney-fied, Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Ryan Gosling and a baby Hayden Panettiere really sell this sort-of true story.

Invictus (2009)-Rugby isn't an Olympic sport, or even one most Americans know much about, but this Matt Damon-led, Clint Eastwood-directed, based-on-a-true-story tale made me care about a sport I'd only tangentially knew even existed before watching.

Hoosiers (1986)-I grew up in Indiana so, by law, I have to include this basketball classic on any "best of" sports movie lists. Also, it actually is really very good.

Rudy (1993)-Ditto the above. But, again, it's hard not to root for Sean Astin (and Jon Favreau!) in this love letter to the Fighting Irish. Plus, there’s no better scavenger hunt task or TikTok challenge than going into a bar and convincing a patron to allow you to put them on your shoulders and march around chanting, 'Rudy, Rudy, Rudy.' 

Miracle (2004) - Given how much more popular the Summer Olympics are, it's weird that the Winter Games seem to get all the good movies made about them, but this Kurt Russell-led true tale is another Disney sports movie classic.

McFarland, USA (2015) - Disney, and Kevin Costner, just really know how to make a sports movie, damn it! This movie made me care about cross country for which it, too, could have carried the title Miracle.

A League of Their Own (1992)-The best baseball movie ever. Yeah, I said what I said. Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty—even Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell are making it work. 1992 was a weirdly great year for sports movies.

Moneyball (2011) - A movie about baseball, and math, and yet it's also great, I swear. In addition to all of the above, it's also a stealth Christmas movie and maybe Chris Pratt's best non-Marvel, movie role.

Creed (2015) - This surprisingly effective Rocky reboot starring Michael B Jordan as Apollo Creed's illegitimate son has spawned its own movie series which, in many ways, exceeds the original Rocky franchise.

Rocky Balboa (2006) - Maybe it's because I was a toddler when the original Rocky came out, so only saw the ever-worse sequels as a kid, but this mid-aughts return to the character for Sylvester Stallone, as both writer and actor, is a triumph.

Eddie the Eagle (2016) - That Hugh Jackman features in as many movies (spoiler alert) on this list as Kevin Costner surprised me, too. This story of the English ski jumper who became infamous for being, well, less than golden, is one of those non-Olympic triumph stories that really works. If you're going to watch one underdog-at-the-Games movie, I definitely prefer this this to the more ubiquitous Cool Runnings.

Love & Basketball (2000) - Only because I'm an anglophile is this great, chemistry-filled Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps college basketball romance not my favorite sports-movie-meets-rom-com.

I, Tonya (2017) - Margot Robbie and a nearly unrecognizable Sebastian Stan are perfectly cast in this sarcastic, highly stylized look at the Tonya Harding scandal.

Pride (2007) - Apparently I like this swimming movie, which I think almost no one saw, better than critics, but I found this 1970s-set, Terrence Howard-Bernie Mac-starring story of inner city kids excelling in the pool emotional and entertaining.

Field of Dreams (1989) - This Kevin Costner magical realism baseball classic is often goofy and imminently tease-worthy and yet…It also works. Maybe it's no surprise that someone who loves cheesy Christmas movies as much as I do would have a soft spot for Field of Dreams.

42 (2013) - Chadwick Boseman is absolutely fantastic as legend Jackie Robinson. One of those movies that's ostensibly about baseball, but is really about so much more, except not in a pretentious way.

Race (2016) - Before Jason Sudeikis was Ted Lasso, he was famed track coach Larry Synder in this Jesse Owens biopic that is far from perfect, but still important. Plus, I honestly don't think Stephan James got enough credit for his relatively nuanced portrayal of Owens.

Goon (2011) - This overlooked gem starring Sean William Scott as a semi-pro hockey player whose main skill is his ability to take, and dole out, a beating, is surprisingly great.

Real Steel (2011) - This is a robot-boxing movie starring Hugh Jackman that is basically Rocky meets Over the Top—and yet it's actually really good. Yeah, I was surprised, too.

Forget Paris (1995) - OK, so maybe Billy Crystal playing an NBA referee doesn't really make this a sports movie, but it does begin and end (spoiler alert) at real NBA games, and I will die on the hill that this rom-com co-starring Debra Winger is wildly under-rated.

Bend it like Beckham (2002) - This girl-power sports movie has some highly questionable romantic dynamics (the coach is their love interest???) but this Parminder Nagra-Keira Knightley movie is also a heckuva sports movie and an inspiring immigrant story.

Bonus Pick: The Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso is one of the best things I watched in 2020, and I'm sure of that, because I watched it twice since, just to be sure. Jason Sudekis is absolutely perfect as an American college football coach taking over a UK Premier League team. This sweet show with a heart of gold is smart, funny, and absolutely impossible not to love—even for a cynic such as myself.

More Sports Movies Worth Watching

For someone not very into sports, I am, apparently, into watching movies about sports, so while not a comprehensive listing of the entire, vast genre, here are a few more suggestions I personally think are worth watching.

The Miracle Season (2018) - This movie about high school volleyball champs whose star player dies suddenly stars Helen Hunt and is a lot better than you'd think based on its tiny budget and, honestly, fairly small story. Just missed making my Top 25.

The Way Back (2020) - This Ben Affleck as a drunken high school basketball coach movie is a lot better than expected. Released just as the pandemic kicked into high gear, it was overlooked last year, but worth seeking out.

Fighting with My Family (2019) - Does it count if it's a show, not a sport? Either way (but that's why this isn't in my Top 25), this stealth Christmas movie/love letter to the WWE is a lot better than it ever needed to be thanks to some really great performances from Florence Pugh, Lena Headey and directer Stephen Merchant. Even The Rock reins it in.

Warrior (2011) - You couldn't pay me to watch an actual UFC bout, but this Tom Hardy story of (literally) battling brothers is incredibly compelling and well done.

Win Win (2011) - This movie isn't really enough about wrestling, even though its ostensibly centered around the sport, to make it into my Top 25, but it's still really good, and Amy Ryan gives an outstanding performance.

Fever Pitch (2005) - Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon star in this remake of a UK film whose ending they had to shift when the Red Sox unexpectedly won the World Series.

Fever Pitch (1997) - This Colin Firth-starring, Arsenal-centered original is much smaller, more realistic and arguably better than the big budget Barrymore-Fallon redux.

We are Marshall (2006) - A real-life sports tragedy made into a sports-movie tearjerker starring Matthew McConaughy. And my tears were very much jerked by the end.

Coach Carter (2005) - Samuel L Jackson plays real-life basketball coach Ken Carter and, because it's a Disney movie, doesn't use the F-word even once. Now that's a feat worthy of its own sports movie.

Invincible (2006) - Yes, it's Mark Wahlberg, and another based-on-a-true-story, Disney sports movie that hits all the cliches, but dang it, that works on me. It just does.

Glory Road (2006) - If you're sensing a theme with me and Disney sports movies…Well, you're not wrong. This look at the first all-Black starting lineup at the 1966 NCAA Final Four does, unfortunately, center white coach Don Haskins, played by Josh Lucas (though I always mis-remember it as Josh Charles), making the important story it tells less than what it should be, but it still mostly works.

Million Dollar Arm (2014) - Admittedly one of the lesser Disney sports movie entries, and another that centers a white guy in a film mostly about people of color (not a great look), this Jon Hamm movie about a scout seeking an Indian cricket star who can make it in the Major Leagues still mostly worked for me.

The Mighty Ducks (1992) - One of the few movies on this list aimed directly at kids, this beloved peewee hockey saga actually is cute, and mostly does hold up.

Cool Runnings (1993) - Kind of shocked this movie that is part White Savior-movie and part-wacky kids movie essentially making fun of a real group of athletes of color came out in 1993 and not 1973, but the earnest charm of John Candy and a general Disney gloss keep this from being totally unwatchable and mostly just mildly, rather than extremely, offensive. Not really recommending, but feels like it belongs on an Olympic movie list.

Nadia (1984) - This made-for-TV, mostly true biopic, starring Talia Balsam as Nadia Comaneci, was a Disney Channel staple in that network’s early days. 

Munich (2005) - It's a movie with the Olympics very much at its heart—namely the 1972 Israeli athlete hostage tragedy—that isn't really about the Olympics at all, but this Steven Spielberg-directed movie about national revenge is compelling, if problematic if you think about it for too long.

American Anthem (1986) - Is this Mitch Gaylord-Mrs. Wayne Gretzky (a.k.a Janet Jones) starring movie good, realistic and/or well-written? No, no and none of the above. But did I still watch it 8,000 times as a kid on HBO? Yes. Yes, I did.

Men with Brooms (2002) - Once, on a business trip to Canada, my husband was stuck in a hotel that only got three channels, and one of them always seemed to be showing curling, which actually got him weirdly into this obscure sport. This movie wasn't quite as fun as I hoped, but it's still a mostly charming, if slight, Canadian classic.

Unbroken (2014) - The harrowing and incredible real-life story of Louis Zamperini deserved better than this Angelina Jolie-directed movie delivered, but it's still a serviceable version of a worthy tale.

Chariots of Fire (1981) - I remember being bored out of my mind by this movie trying to watch this movie on cable as a kid, but no denying that, if nothing else, the score is iconic and indelibly linked to sports-movie magic.

Without Limits (1998) - Jared Leto’s Prefontaine beat this one to the theaters, but this Billy Crudup-starring film is the better of the two movies about the life of running pioneer Steve Prefontaine. There’s also a 1995 documentary, Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story.

Personal Best (1982) - Mariel Hemingway’s story of ambition at odds with love, is a sports and LGTBQ+ classic. 

Olympic Dreams (2019) - The story of how this small, meandering movie was made during the 2018 Winter Games is, unfortunately, more interesting than the movie itself, but there is some charm in watching Nick Kroll as an Olympic dentist making his way through the real Village, while interacting with real athletes.

Foxcatcher (2015) - This excellently-acted story is more true crime than sports inspiration, but if you're seeking a look at the dark side of the Games—and don’t want to turn on a doc like Athlete A—this is very dark tale indeed.

Seabiscuit (2003) - Every great athlete deserves to have their story told.

Any Given Sunday (1999) - Oliver Stone and Al Pacino take on pro Football. 'Nuff said.

The Replacements (2000) - I mean, the movie isn't amazing, but Keanu Reeves is super charming and Gene Hackman is always worth a watch.

The Program (1993) - Another bit of a dark-side-of-football take, worth it if only for the fantastic cast: James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Eps, Joey Lauren Adams.

Everbody’s All-American (1988) - Not a movie I particularly love, but this Dennis Quaid-Jessica Lange football story that spans decades has always stuck in my memory.

Bull Durham (1988) - Just let Kevin Costner play actual baseball already.

[veronicamarsconfessions]

When Hulu announced it was reviving the cult favorite Veronica Mars for an eight-episode fourth season, the new episodes were initially referred to as a limited series. But in the year 2019, the phrase "limited series" also holds no meaning. If a show is successful enough, a network or streaming service will find a way to bring it back. Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas has been vocal about his desire to continue Veronica's story beyond this new season, which Hulu refers to as Season 4, while series star Kristen Bell would be happy to play the show's eponymous sleuth until "until everyone in Neptune is dead." And for most of Season 4, that felt like a real possibility.

Although the show may never again reach the exciting highs of that first season, for a little while, simply being in Veronica's orbit again was enough to keep viewers happy and entertained. However, in the wake of the shocking, and frankly unnecessary, death of Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring), whom Veronica married in the finale and who was a key part of the show's enduring legacy, it's difficult to see how the show can continue with the same level of fan support that twice brought it back from the dead. And yet, Thomas is still hoping it will.

"The hope we have going into these eight episodes is that we get to do more of them. And my belief is that those will be better with Veronica Mars as the lead of a noir detective series who does not have a boyfriend or a husband," Thomas explained to TV Guide. "In order for us to keep doing these, I think it needs to become a detective show — a noir, mystery, detective show — and those elements of teenage soap need to be behind us. I sort of viewed these eight episodes as a bridge to what Veronica Mars might be moving forward."

Thomas said he wants to continue Veronica Mars as a Sherlock-esque series, one that can hopefully return with new seasons whenever Thomas and Bell can make their schedules align. This hypothetical version of the series would find Veronica solving different cases around the country, and a significant other for the show's heroine apparently doesn't fit into that plan. But the power of the Logan-Veronica relationship and what it meant to fans of the show should not be underestimated. To assume that viewers would even be interested in a Logan-less Veronica Mars almost feels like a fundamental misreading of the fandom.

Of course, this isn't meant to suggest that Veronica Mars cannot exist without Logan — that would be to belittle Veronica and her many achievements; although Logan clearly left an indelible mark on her, Veronica has accomplished plenty on her own without him, and she will no doubt find similar success in the future, especially if she stays in therapy and learns healthy methods of coping with her trauma. But at the same time, Logan is still a major character who was both deeply loved by Veronica and greatly beloved by a number of the show's fans. His sudden death and the reasoning behind it feels like a betrayal that becomes even more painful when you consider Logan's secretive military career would have been an easy way of writing him out of future installments without piercing the hearts of fans everywhere.

Further explaining the difficult decision to kill off Logan, Thomas revealed he worries that whenever a show reaches a romantic conclusion — like, say, a wedding — it also reaches a finale of sorts, and he's not ready for Veronica Mars to be over. This argument not only feels a bit dated, but it also feels a little misguided when a show like Friday Night Lights has already proven that a happy couple in a lasting, loving relationship can make for compelling television, or when series like Bones, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Parks and Recreation have shown us that will-they, won't-they couples can get together without signaling the end of the road.

Knowing this, Logan's death feels needlessly cruel like it was a narrative decision seemingly meant only to further torment Veronica and leave her cold and isolated. While you can argue it serves to once again show just how resilient Veronica is in the face of adversity, how she always gets back up after the world has knocked her down, how much pain and heartache does Veronica have to go through before saying enough is enough? It's honestly exhausting. So, if fans are tired of seeing Veronica constantly having to endure a painful existence to somehow prove she's a great heroine and they choose to no longer watch the show because of this latest development, it's perfectly reasonable. And if fans are angry that Logan is dead and choose to no longer watch Veronica Mars because of this, it is pretty understandable too. However, even if fans can somehow stomach the idea of a Veronica Mars without Logan Echolls, Thomas' vision for the show's future raises more issues. Mainly, new seasons would find Veronica alone, separated from the town she knows and the people who call it home, and this would mean erasing yet another fundamental part of the show.

For four seasons (and a movie), Neptune and its inhabitants have added depth to its rich and rewarding story. Creators love to describe the location of a series as if it's a character in the story, and this is most often a frustrating sentiment that has lost all meaning through overuse, but Neptune is truly an example of a location that has played a major role in shaping not only the show's characters but also its ongoing narrative. Although the town is no longer the same as it once was — the class war and accompanying social commentary that dominated the series from the start is over after these eight episodes, as the town's wealthy elite have succeeded in pushing the working class out — that doesn't necessarily mean the best course of action is for Veronica to skip town and solve cases around the country. Like many shows before it, Veronica Mars is the story of a specific place, and if the show is to continue beyond these eight new episodes, it probably should remain committed to telling the stories of Neptune — at the very least Southern California — if for no other reason than the fact the show owes a lot to the exceptional supporting cast that calls it home and has brought its story to life since 2004.

After all, if Veronica leaves Neptune, where does that leave her father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni)? Thomas said the character may not make an appearance in hypothetical future seasons of the show, and that almost feels incomprehensible. Veronica's relationship with her father is the bedrock upon which the series has rested since the pilot. Even when the show was at its most uneven you could count on Veronica and Keith's powerful family dynamic to ground the story emotionally. And although Veronica is now an adult in her 30s, their relationship is the single most important relationship in her life in the wake of Logan's untimely death. To remove him from the equation entirely threatens to disrupt far more than the status quo, which is what Thomas's intention is by taking Veronica on the road. A Veronica Mars without Keith's stabilizing presence would make for a shell of a series, one that would only be further harmed if Veronica's chosen family — Wallace (Percy Daggs III), Mac (Tina Majorino), and Weevil (Francis Capra) — were to suddenly disappear from her life as well.

Now, the show hopes to minimize this instability by essentially skipping over Veronica's grieving period. As Thomas said, one of the reasons the season includes a flash-forward is so the series doesn't have to spend time actually depicting Veronica's grief. "Our bread and butter is being quick and funny, and I'm not sure it'd be to our benefit to living a year in Veronica's grief on our show," Thomas said, noting that by the end of the season Veronica is actually getting her feet back under her.

But even if Veronica has recovered from her latest trauma, Logan's death is still raw for viewers, and it's painful enough without having to consider that every familiar source of comfort could be ripped away at once in the potential next season. Even beyond the show's core supporting cast, Veronica Mars is home to a memorable motley crew who have brought Neptune to life, and their presence in future installments, no matter how small, would be a cool balm on fresh wounds. Plus, what does the show look like without them? Ryan Hansen's self-centered party king Dick Casablancas, Max Greenfield's charming Leo D'Amato, Ken Marino's skeezy private detective Vinnie Van Lowe, and Daran Norris' reliable public defender Cliff McCormack have all become fan favorites. They each play a necessary role in the show's ecosystem, much like the Fighting Fitzpatricks or the PCHers have done over the years.

Veronica Mars has excelled at building out its little corner of the world by populating it with unique but believable characters, and it's not to suggest that a version of the show that exists outside the world of Neptune won't be able to successfully reach the same depths or recreate that magic in the same way, but it will have to work a lot harder to do it, especially if future seasons once again have a limited episode count. Furthermore, even if new seasons turn out to be good, the truth is that a Veronica Mars outside of Neptune, one without any familiar faces in sight, would feel like a very different show, one that threatens to not feel like Veronica Mars at all.

Veronica Mars helped to usher in the tidal wave of revivals and reboots that is still washing over Hollywood some five years after the fan-funded feature film hit theaters, and when this second revival was first announced last year, I wrote that the show should also be the series that puts an end to that trend too. It was a plea in favor of originality at a time when original ideas felt about as impossible as a unicorn. I still believe this should be the end of the revival trend, but now it's because this is a classic case of the writers thinking so much about whether or not they could do something that they didn't stop to consider if they should. In the end, we got eight more episodes of Veronica Mars, but it came at a deadly cost, and now we live in a world where Logan Echolls is dead and Veronica Mars is leaving Neptune. Was it really worth it?

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #125 - Goosebumps

Spoilers below.

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: Yes.

Was it a movie I saw since August 22nd, 2009: Yes. #381.

Format: Blu-ray

1) I’m going to be honest and face the wrath from all my peers: I never got into the old “Goosebumps” TV show. I scared really easily as a child (still do) and the show just freaked me the heck out. However, that doesn’t mean I am unable to appreciate its influence on this film.

2) The relationship between Zach and his mom is refreshingly healthy, a nice change of pace from the usual “ugh mom” teenager stuff we see in movies. Immediately their relationship is established through strong writing, chemistry between actors, and the playfulness between the two of them these feed into.

3) I do love Jillian Bell but damn if her character is not just so (purposefully) painfully awkward.

4) Jack Black as RL Stine.

R.L. Stine is the real life author of the Goosebumps book series as well as a number of other horror themed content directed at younger audiences, fictionalized for this film by Jack Black and company. Black brings a wonderful sense of crazy to the role, not like Joker craze though in that he’s out there but...I don’t know what to compare him too, actually. He just is humorously abrasive and over the top and just fits with the world of the film so well.

5) Hey look, it’s Vinnie Van Loe!

(GIF originally posted by @marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer)

6) The bromance is strong.

Champ [talking about the school dance, after knowing Zach for two minutes]: “Hey, we should go together! Not together together...although that might work.”

7) Hannah and Zach are performed interestingly enough on their own but really shine in their scenes together. Odeya Rush and Dylan Minnette have a fun sense of humor between them and great chemistry. It’s not the cliche “boy meets girl, girl is super hot and boy objectifies her.�� They actually like each other as PEOPLE! What a radical idea, right!?

The ferris wheel scene where Zach tells Hannah about his late father is also a really nice moment of honesty between the two that makes you understand that they actually really trust each other.

8) Where this film really shines is in its quirky sense of humor. Black as Stine is a perfect example of this, but also characters like Champ and Madison’s police officers are all fun in their own little ways that adds a nice tone to the film.

9) Honestly, can the “my totally trustworthy kid is saying something weird so I don’t believe them,” trope die already? It’s so lazy.

10) Is this cuckoo clock from a book I don’t know about?

11) This right here is why I was never into the Goosebumps stuff as a kid.

Champ: “These aren’t ‘kids books!’ Kids books help you fall asleep at night, these books will keep you up.”

12) The entire idea of each Goosebumps book holding that book’s main monster is such a clever and interesting idea to me. I think it is one of the plot elements which makes the film work as smoothly as it does.

13) The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena is a great first monster to introduce us to, because it is able to be both fun and - when necessary - threatening to our young protagonists.

14) Ryan Lee as Champ is honestly one of the funniest parts of this film. He has some of the best lines.

Champ [upon viewing the snowman’s scratch marks on the wall]: “Do you see the scratches in the wall?”

Zach [looking at Champ like he’s an idiot]: “Yes.”

Champ: “Okay. Just checking.”

[A soda bottle rolls out of nowhere, Champ screams.]

Zach: “Did you scream?”

Champ: “Don’t judge me.”

15) This may be the funniest part of the whole movie for me.

Zach: You're him aren't you? You're R.L. Stine.

Stine: R, L, who? I don't know who that is.

Zach: Oh really? Just as well cause his books suck.

Hannah [terrified]: What are you doing?

Zach: I can't decide which I hate more, 'Monster Blood' or 'Go Eat Worms'.

Champ: I'm so confused

Zach: You see the endings coming from a mile away, its like, stop trying to be Stephen King man...

Stine: [slams on the brakes] Let me tell you something about Steve King. Steve King WISHES he could write like me. And I've sold way more books than him, but no one ever talks about THAT!

Everything about it works for me. How easily Zach is able to manipulate Stine, and of course Black’s blow up at the end. It makes me laugh every time.

16) Slappy!

Slappy is a great villain for a number of reasons. To start, he’s definitely the scariest character from the stories. Even I know who Slappy is and I never watched or read a book. Secondly, those are some great practical effects in an age of digital cinema. It’s simple but totally captivating and you never once feel like you’re watching a prop character. Thirdly is the fact that Jack Black voice Slappy in addition to his portrayal of RL Stine. It creates an interesting duality to the character’s, as Stine did give Slappy his voice when writing him. He’s creepy and a true menace to our heroes.

17) Going to be totally honest: the main reason my mother saw this film with me in theaters was because she has a weird taste for garden gnomes.

I ended up sitting through Gnomeo & Juliet for the same reason.

18) I have so many quips of dialogue in my notes that I loved but I watched this film two or three days ago and still haven’t posted the recap so I’m just going to focus on my favorites.

Zach [after escaping the gnomes]: Why couldn’t you have written stories about rainbows and unicorns!?

Stine: Because that doesn’t sell four hundred million copies.

Champ: Whoa. Domestic?

Stine: No, worldwide. It’s still a very impressive - shut up!

19) I’m assuming there is actually a Goosebumps book about a giant praying mantis out there.

Stine [after encountering a giant praying mantis]: I don’t ever remember writing about a giant praying mantis! [It throws up on the windshield.] Oh...now I remember.

20) The Werewolf of Fever Swamp!

The scene where Stine and company encounter the werewolf in the supermarket scene is a nice addition to the film. It’s able to keep the fun and humor which has been trademark up to this point (especially when Stine is trying to mask his scent) while there are times when the werewolf is a truly threatening and frightening creature. A nice mix of humor and horror, basically.

21) Man, I thought I had WAY more to say about this film but apparently I don’t.

22) The scene where Zach and Stine talk about Hannah and how she’s actually one of his creations (spoiler alert) is an incredibly well done scene from a writing standpoint. It is very honest on both parts, with Stine opening up about his loneliness in a way we have yet to see, while it touches on both his arc and the way Zach is dealing with the loss of his father. In a lot of ways it’s the emotional center of the film.

23) The way Hannah gets so excited just by BEING at a school dance (since she’s pretty much cooped up by Stine all the time) really tells you a lot about her character and is so endearing to watch.

24) All the monsters attacking the school is a scene which I’m sure gives fans of the original Goosebumps stories nerdy joy like when Spider-Man showed up in Civil War for me.

25) Oh Vinnie...

Ken Marnio’s Character (no, I don’t need to know his name) [to Zach’s Mom in a flirty way]: “We’re going to get through this.”

Zach’s Mom: “Not a good time.”

Ken Marino: “Okay.”

26) Man, the duality of Stein and Slappy in the funhouse is some heavy stuff for a Goosebumps movie.

27) Hannah’s goodbye to Zach before all of Stine’s creations (including her) are sucked into the book is actually pretty sad. She KNOWS this is coming and she wants it to happen anyway to save everyone else. She and Zach have a nice parting moment that really touches upon the friendship and chemistry they’ve formed over the past few days, and it even brought tears to the audience’s eyes when I saw it in theaters.

28) Obligatory RL Stine cameo.

Mr. Black: Hello Mr. Stine.

Stine: Hello Mr. Black!

Zach: Uh, who’s that?

Stine: He’s the new drama teacher.

I know it’s probably pretty obvious but I just want to take a second that Jack Black’s character is named after RL Stine and RL Stine’s character is named after Jack Black.

29) I’m glad they brought Hannah back. I want all these guys back in the sequel.

30) I 100% knew they were going to have a cliffhanger ending to this film, because I know a lot of the books end in that way. It’s a trademark of the series! So of course the film had to end that way.

Goosebumps is just a lot of fun, honestly! It’s akin to Jumanji for 2015 in its sense of childlike wonder and adventure but also honest/genuine danger and scares. Black is a kick to watch, the writing is surprisingly three dimensional for what could have been a simple “kids’ movie”, and the humor is spot on. Just a great piece of escapism. If you’re looking for something fun to watch tonight, go put it in.

[jillmckenzie1]

Straight A’s, Zero F’s

In our own ways, we all have power. From petitions, to marches, to your own creativity, everyone has the power to push the needle in a positive direction. Film has a power that’s mighty, and one of my favorite things is championing a film, getting absolutely blissed-out, and transforming into a cinematic evangelist. The right film can open eyes, change a life, and make the unbearable a little easier to bear. But what if you had the power to prevent a great film from becoming a train wreck?

Office Space and Clue are some of the most beloved comedies ever made. They were also disasters at the box office. One of the most frustrating aspects of this job is witnessing a slow-motion cinematic train wreck, particularly when it’s undeserved. If you see enough movies and think about them, after a while you start to develop a sense of when and why certain films tank. Let’s bear in mind that train wrecks come in all shapes and sizes.

Sometimes the problem is with the material itself. Green Lantern is a movie about a cosmic superhero that does everything it possibly can to not be cosmic. A notorious failure, the film had a $200 million budget, only made $219 million worldwide and nearly destroyed the career of Ryan Reynolds.

Sometimes the concept is great, but the execution doesn’t work. Consider the idea of a bubbly high school girl who is destined to be a vampire hunter. Joss Whedon ran with that concept and wrote a script about it. Unfortunately, director Fran Rubel Kuzui didn’t appear to get it, and 1992’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer failed theatrically. Whedon would have to take the idea to television in order to help it bloom.

The worst kind of train wreck is when a movie has a strong concept, solid execution, and it still crashes and burns upon release. It’s a genuinely tragic situation when the talent and passion of a group of filmmakers is met with a collective “meh.” I’m very worried that’s exactly what’s going to happen with the new comedy Booksmart, and it deserves so much better.

Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) are high school seniors who seem to be on the fast track to success. They have been best friends since forever, studied hard, and strategically participated in every elective possible. What’s that relentless focus gotten them? On the one hand, Molly is class valedictorian, and she’s heading to Yale in the fall and the beginning of a glittering career. Amy has plans to help underprivileged women in Botswana. The odds are pretty good that these two are going to make a mark in the world.

On the other hand? Their focus comes with a cost. Molly’s peers view her as a pretentious scold, and Amy’s peers generally don’t know she’s even there. That’s okay by Amy…mostly. One of her classmates is a girl named Ryan (Victoria Ruesga), and Amy nurses a pretty serious crush. Amy’s been out for a few years, but maybe Ryan could be her first love?

It’s the day before their graduation, and the plan is for Molly and Amy to share a celebratory cake, watch some Ken Burns documentaries, and prepare for the rest of their lives. That was the plan until Molly comes to a shattering realization. While her hyper-focus has gotten her into Yale, her less studious peers are still heading for great schools and amazing careers, while still partying up a storm.

Needless to say, Molly is pissed. Now, she’s determined to have one night of hedonism, and she sees her chance. Nick (Mason Gooding) is one of the popular kids, and he’s throwing a massive party on Graduation Eve. All Molly and Amy need to do now is find out where the party is. That’s not going to be easy.

What we have here is a coming-of-age comedy made with intelligence, style, and a relentless sense of humor. What we also have here is what could be viewed as a niche film scheduled to go up against box office juggernauts like Aladdin and John Wick: Chapter 3. Is it any wonder that Booksmart came in sixth place last weekend with a disappointing $6.9 million profit? The accepted wisdom, if you can call it that, is that Booksmart is a failure.

From a directing standpoint, that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is director Olivia Wilde’s first feature film. Do a little research, and you’ll see that she’s been a working actor for several years. She’s also produced a number of documentaries, directed a couple of music videos, and worked on both big studio movies and small independent films. All that experience gave her the training she needed to make a hilarious and smart film with a distinctive voice. From snide quips to the almost Bugs Bunny antics of rich girl Gigi (Billie Lourd), Wilde’s sense of humor is on full display. Plus, in a world where studio comedies are often shot in the dullest way possible, Wilde’s film is colorfully lit and imaginatively shot. A house party feels unexpectedly and appropriately dreamy, and a drug trip features absolutely bananas energy. This is the best-looking comedy I’ve seen since Game Night.

Ordinarily, the presence of five credited screenwriters is a portent of doom. Multiple bullets have been dodged since the screenplay is about more than the hijinks of a couple of teenagers. It’s about two smart young women who have a not-great habit of assuming their peers are completely one-dimensional. The goofball stoner actually has a six-figure coding gig with Google locked up, and the girl who’s been saddled with a slutty reputation is perceptive and Yale-bound. Bound up within the ridiculous situations and plentiful f-bombs is some very strong character work.

The strong script and assured direction are what allows the cast to shine. Beanie Feldstein’s Molly is the showier role, and Feldstein absolutely goes for it. She’s got some serious comic skills, and she puts it to impressive use playing a simultaneously laser-focused and misguided young woman. Kaitlyn Dever’s Amy is the quieter half, yet she makes a meal out of her unrequited crush and quiet mortification toward her best friend’s steamroller attitude. Feldstein and Dever have an outstanding comedic partnership, and they play off each other beautifully.

They say that, in Hollywood, nobody knows anything. Odds are Annapurna Pictures were hoping for something along the lines of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a smaller-budgeted film that survived on positive word-of-mouth and was in theaters for a year. Maybe Booksmart got off to a slow start due to a poorly timed release schedule. Maybe it was unrealistic to assume it would be a $100 million hit.

While I don’t pretend to have any kind of real influence, what I do know is that I screwed up and should have reviewed this film last week instead of the not-so-awesome Brightburn. There’s still time, though. You might be tempted to wait for Netflix on this one. I’m asking you — don’t let this film become a train wreck. Go see Booksmart immediately, if not sooner. I think you’ll love it.

from Blog https://ondenver.com/straight-as-zero-fs/

[funnythingshere0-blog]

It's not just the economy, stupid: Trump and Turnbull know it too well

New Post has been published on http://funnythingshere.xyz/its-not-just-the-economy-stupid-trump-and-turnbull-know-it-too-well/

It's not just the economy, stupid: Trump and Turnbull know it too well

“Well, we have the greatest economy in the history of our country. But sometimes it’s not as exciting to talk about the economy.”

Trump thought it was more exciting to talk about the 15,000 troops he’d ordered to the Mexican border to halt an “invasion” by immigrants.

Illustration: Jim PavlidisCredit:

More exciting to talk about how they might shoot the caravan heading for that border in the event that one throws a rock: “We will consider that a firearm. Because there’s not much difference.”

More exciting to threaten an end to the centuries-old constitutional right to birthright citizenship, which he mocked as “ridiculous”.

And when his party officials proposed that they finish the campaign with ads celebrating the economic “Morning in America”, Trump instead endorsed an untruthful ad demonising immigrants as cop-killers, an ad so incendiary that US TV networks refused to air it.

“They argue it’s ‘morning in America,’ but in their ads, it’s not morning in America,” a San Francisco University political scientist, Ken Goldstein, told USA Today long before the final phase of the campaign. He’d picked up a strong theme of attack ads and negativity in Republican ads earlier and wider than the final abortive effort. In American politics, the phrase about morning recalls the campaign of Republican hero Ronald Reagan, optimist.

But Trump, demagogue, wasn’t content with economic good news. He conjured fear and hate as well.

On the other side of the world, literally as well as figuratively, was Malcolm Turnbull. He had to accept that presiding over an economic boom was insufficient for him to hold the prime ministership.

The former prime minister set out the basics during his appearance on the ABC’s Q&A show on Thursday: “The economy was strong. It’s one of the things I’m most proud of. When I became prime minister, I said I would deliver economic leadership.

“In the 2016 election, I campaigned on delivering jobs and growth. And we delivered both. Record jobs growth. The strongest jobs growth, in fact, in our nation’s history. Strong economic growth – the envy of the developed world.”

The booming economy wasn’t enough for US President Donald Trump or his base.Credit:AP

Australians generally scoff at the notion that their country could be successful, but Turnbull was not making it up. The British magazine The Economist last month published a cover story on Australia under the headline: “Aussie Rules: What the World Can Learn from Australia.”

It said that Australia’s economy “is arguably the most successful in the rich world. It has been growing for 27 years without a recession – a record for a developed country. Its cumulative growth over that period is almost three times what Germany has managed. The median income has risen four times faster than in America. Public debt, at 41 per cent of GDP, is less than half Britain’s.”

Yet here was Turnbull, forced out of the leadership by his own party in the midst of this success. How could they? He professed to be baffled. He shouldn’t have been.

Economic good times have been insufficient qualification for prime ministers to hold their jobs and for governments to hold power in Australia for a decade now.

Beginning in 2007, every prime ministerial coup, every electoral loss in Australia has taken place against the same backdrop of economic success. Until Australia casually discarded the Howard government, the voters had rewarded every postwar government that presided over good economic conditions.

Malcolm Turnbull on Q&A.Credit:ABC

But the longer the boom runs, the less credit governments seem to get. You need to be 45 years old to have any adult memory of a recession in Australia. The median age of an Australian is 36. Economic growth just seems to be automatic, even inevitable.

Economic growth was a golden thread that bound the people to their governments. For the last decade it has remained a credential but a threadbare one. It is necessary but insufficient for political success, even in the most economically successful country on earth. It’s the political paradox of Australia’s prosperity – the more it gets, the less appreciative it feels.

So what happened in America? Trump, it seemed, was responding to the needs of his hardcore supporters, his so-called “base”. A Democrat pollster, Celinda Lake, explained that voters in the president’s blue-collar base “are less likely to think the economy is doing better. The economy doesn’t do anything to energise their base,” she said. Trump promised to bring back the factories and the jobs in rustbelt America. He hasn’t.

So he hit the xenophobia button hard and his “base” responded. He kept their loyalty in the midterms. But this came at a price.

“The problem is Republicans have a good story to tell in the economy, but the Republican with the largest microphone only wants to go on these rants about immigration,” a veteran Republican adviser, Mike Murphy, told The New York Times. In the process, he was “managing to offend every swing voter in the country”.

And these were the voters, notably suburban women, who had supported Trump two years ago but turned against his party this week. As a result, the Democratic Party today controls the House. So the appeal to hate and fear kept the Republican base but lost the centre.

If Trump had accepted Paul Ryan’s advice, would the Republicans have done better? We’ll never know.

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And in Australia? Scott Morrison now confronts the same puzzle that Turnbull confronted. The economy is humming along but the government is behind in the polls. Even further behind than it was under Turnbull.

What should he do? Do as Trump did and hit the xenophobia button? Some among his party’s right-wing realm will urge him to.

But Australia is a very different place. Voting in America is optional.

A US political campaign has two tasks – first it has to win over a voter to political candidate, and then it has to motivate her to actually take the trouble to go to a polling booth on election day. Always a Tuesday, incidentally, to make it even more inconvenient.

That means campaigns need to reach deep into the viscera of the voter. To grab their deep fears or passions, their most powerful hopes and their hatreds.

An Australian campaign has but one task. To win over a voter. Because she’s going to vote in any case. It’s compulsory to turn out to vote. There’s no need for extremes.

Indeed, as the American midterm experience shows, extremes aren’t necessarily guaranteed to succeed even in that country because they can offend as easily as they can inflame. In Australia, an extreme American-style campaign is not only unnecessary. It would most likely backfire badly.

So what can an Australian conservative prime minister do? Is there a way to harness economic success to pull a political wagon? The longtime Liberal polling guru Mark Textor says that for economic prosperity “to have meaning, you have to contemplate its loss. They say in the movie industry you need to have tension. If it’s all love, there’s no tension. If there’s no tension, there’s no drama, if there’s no drama, there’s no memorability.”

The standard shtick is for the Liberals to pretend that a Labor government will ruin the economy. Turnbull ran this one on Q&A: “My concern was to keep Labor out of government and to keep a strong Liberal government in power that was able to deliver on the economic growth, the jobs, the opportunities that I’d promised.”

Yawn. No one believes this tired routine, former prime minister. Labor held power for six years under Rudd and Gillard. The economy continued to thrive. So it has to be something else.

Textor’s advice: “You have to focus on an issue that has meaning. If you want to wedge both Labor and One Nation, you have to have a retail economic issue. The best way to do that is on tax because the Coalition has a good record on tax and tax reform.”

He means personal income tax cuts. He doesn’t mean the $10 a week that Morrison offered in his last budget. He means something bigger, aimed at the middle income bracket inhabited by swinging voters. “Taxation cannot be an ideological issue – it has to be an issue of personal relevance and direct impact.”

And if Labor immediately neutralises it, by matching it, as their would surely do? “Then you have a real tax argument,” Textor tells me. “It’s what Liberals should be about.”

Of course, to offer a reasonably big tax cut would be costly to the budget, and that would immediately jeopardise Morrison’s promise to return the budget to surplus. How to square that circle?

Morrison could consider a broader plan of tax reform that would allow him to improve the whole system – abolish some tax concessions for special interests so he could offer tax cuts for the people, for instance. That was something Turnbull was too frightened to try. That could be exciting.

Peter Hartcher is the political editor and international editor of The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a Gold Walkley award winner, a former foreign correspondent in Tokyo and Washington, and a visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy.

Source: https://www.smh.com.au/national/it-s-not-just-the-economy-stupid-trump-and-turnbull-know-it-too-well-20181109-p50f53.html

[lindyhunt]

TIFF 2018: We Hand Out the Awards You Won’t See at the Oscars

As always, the selection of films at TIFF runs the gamut—from A-lister-packed films like Widows to low-budget indies like Firecrackers; from quiet, reflective sci-fi films like High Life to soaring romances like A Star is Born. That range is what makes TIFF such an exciting festival for film buffs and critics alike, but this year, there did seem to be a bit of a theme: Pretty Damn Dark. Seriously, it’s been an emotionally draining festival, what with young kids OD-ing, people dying (so much dying), and institutional racism ruining people’s lives. But you know what this also means: Oscar Bait. We’ve already done our round-up of the films getting the most awards buzz, but there’s plenty else we felt deserved, um, a different kind of recognition. Here, our favourite moments from the festival that won’t snag an Oscar but did earn some accolades in our book.

So-Good-You-Wished-It-Was-Real Chemistry

The Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper lovefest is one we hope never ends. And we’re not just talking about those hand-in-hand red carpet photo-ops. (Though we’ll definitely take more of those too.) After receiving her second standing ovation of the night for A Star is Born—in which people were brought to their feet mid Q&A solely in recognition of her incredible acting talent—Gaga was left speechless and moved to tears. And even then, in her moment in the spotlight, she talked about Cooper. “I am spoiled,” she said, “I watched [Cooper] work tirelessly on this film, giving it everything. You never stopped.”

To which Cooper said: “I can’t imagine having the courage to do this without her. I knew she was going to give all of herself to me and become the actress she wanted to be, and I would give all myself to her and be the musician Jackson had to be.” I know, we’re crying too.

Most NSFW Scene of the Festival

Not to give too much away—though there’s no way to verbally paint an accurate picture of this highly visual and confounding scene anyhow—but there’s a bit in Claire Denis’ High Life in which Juliette Binoche enters a ‘Fuck Box’ and well, proceeds to help it live up to its name. There’s waist-length hair flying about, pulleys and ropes, and a silver dildo. Need I say more?

Most Jaw-Dropping Visuals

Nope, I’m not talking about First Man, though the claustrophobic camerawork of the film was exceptional. I’m talking about Free Solo, an awe-inducing documentary about Alex Honnold, the first man to scale the 3000ft El Capitan cliff in Yosemite National Park without any safety equipment. Yep, with just his fingers and toes, and a little sack full of chalk to help with his grip. The film’s team of cinematographers and directors are expert climbers themselves, and the sweeping shots of Yosemite, bird’s-eye view of Honnold’s ascent, and close-ups of his intricate movements (that at any moment could send him plummeting to his death) are truly a sight to behold.

Most Unexpected Celebrity Guest

This one was close. The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau showed up at Patria for the First Man post-premiere party, where he shook hands with fellow Internet boyfriend, Ryan Gosling. Iconic? Yes. Strange? Also yes. But having a government official show up to a TIFF party is not nearly as strange as having Paris Hilton show up to a TIFF party. Hilton, Queen of selfies, hotel chains and the 2000s, arrived at Soho House for The Death and Life of John F. Donovan post-premiere party, a film that her Ken doll-esque fiance, Chris Zylka, makes a brief appearance in.

Most Batshit Wild True Story

There are several moments—in fact the entire film is a series of these moments—where you find yourself thinking: this shit is NUTS. It’s unbelievable. It’s surreal. It’s absurd. And you have to keep reminding yourself that it’s all true. Based on the story of a writer, played by Laura Dern, who writes a best-selling series of novels under a pseudonym and then enlists her boyfriend’s sister, played by Kristen Stewart, to play the role of that fictional writer in real life, it’s a wild ride: there are bad accents, bad wigs and hard-to-believe turns of events. Except, again: it’s ALL TRUE.

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Giving us life on #TIFF18 Day 10/11: Kristen Stewart, dressed in head-to-toe couture, crouching in a garden 🌺, looking like the Avenger we wish we had. . Her film JEREMIAH TERMINATOR LEROY (with your BFF Laura Dern) premieres today and you can still snag 🎟s to this and more at tiff.net/available . . . . . . #kristenstewart #lauradern #jtleroy #jeremiahterminatorleroy #avengers #netflix

A post shared by TIFF (@tiff_net) on Sep 15, 2018 at 6:18am PDT

The Big-Hearted Heartthrob

First off, Timothée Chalamet should take home all heartthrob-related awards, from now until eternity. When the Oscar-nominee stepped onto the red carpet for Beautiful Boy, he spent nearly 30 minutes posing for selfies with screaming fans, and entertaining weird requests like signing a burger and a peach. (The latter, of course, in reference to his infamous Call Me By Your Namescene.) Here’s a guy who doesn’t seem to hate the spotlight, and who graciously shows his Chalamaniacs all the love and attention they so desperately desire.

GIF

Most Badass Female Cast

We are conditioned to expect heist movies—or any gritty crime movies, really—to have men at the centre. Which is why this film, directed by Steve McQueen and co-written by McQueen and one Ms Gillian Flynn, is such a breath of fresh air, despite its dark subject matter. Viola Davis is the fierce commander of this ship, which Elizabeth Debicki and Michelle Rodriguez hesitantly climb aboard. It’s rare enough to see a film in which women commit “bad” acts but rarer still to see one in which the women’s guilt, shame or redeeming qualities aren’t needlessly played up. Only complaint? Carrie Coon is criminally (ha) under-used.

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#Repost @ViolaDavis: It was such an honor to join our Director Steve McQueen and this phenomenal cast at the World Premiere of #WidowsMovie. Thank you for having us, Toronto! #TIFF18

A post shared by Widows (@widowsmovie) on Sep 10, 2018 at 3:32pm PDT

Best On-Screen Lewks

There’s some amazing costume design driving some of this year’s best films: Colette’s Belle Epoque-era Parisian flair—especially powerful because it helps underscore Keira Knightley’s character’s own evolution and self-acceptance; the 1990s grunge of Jonah Hill’s Mid90s; If Beale Street Could Talk’s saturated 1970s outfits; and Natalie Portman’s wild, sequinned get-ups in Vox Lux. But Mahershala Ali steals the damn show. In Green Book, he gives us a masterclass in style: from impeccably fitted tuxedos to casual plaid suits to a dramatic gold-embroidered kaftan draped in gold chains. Like I said, lewks.

Photography via IMDB

Most Huggable Hound

A tie between the miniature goldendoodle Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper bring home in A Star is Born—which I have convinced myself is Cooper’s pet IRL—and Ponce, the scruffy mutt that’s dog-napped from Lucas Hedges and Julia Roberts in Ben is Back.

Makes-You-Wish-it-Was-Still-the-90s Soundtrack

Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, Mid90s, had the best—and most nostalgic—soundtrack of the festival. Sadly, the song list isn’t yet available anywhere on the Internet. But here’s what I can tell you: it features Seal and Morrissey, and was composed by the same duo of dudes behind the music in The Social Network and Gone Girl. One Twitter user went so far as to say that the film “literally might have the single greatest soundtrack of any movie ever.” It’s a bold claim, and I can confirm Mid90s lives up to the hype.

Most Stressful Experience

Hotel Mumbai is 125 minutes long, and those are 125 incredibly stressful minutes. Based on the horrific 2008 terrorist attacks on the city of Mumbai, the film fills viewers with dread right from the opening sequence: when the half-dozen terrorists arrive on the shores of Mumbai and immediately begin setting their plan into motion. For the next two hours, aside from the sounds of gunfire, explosions and screams on screen, the theatre was about as silent as during a screening of A Quiet Place. People were literally sitting on the edge of their seats, hands over mouths, shoulders stiff with tension. In other words: this film does its job of depicting a harrowing, terrifying ordeal exceptionally well.

Photography via IMDB

Most Gender-Balanced TIFF Yet

TIFF’s programming team has long been dedicated to creating a more gender-balanced festival, and this year it hit its highest mark yet, with 36 percent of its 2018 slate of films directed by women. The festival’s artistic director, Cameron Bailey, also signed a gender parity protocol during the Share Her Journey rally on opening weekend. This year’s festival also boasted a huge line-up of films with women at the center: from Nicole Kidman in Destroyer and Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me? (both films directed by women) to Natalie Portman in Vox Lux and Julianne Moore in Gloria Bell. Canadian films Mouthpiece and Firecrackers also come from all-women teams, with two female protagonists in each, as well as female directors and cinematographers.

[twistedrope-twine]

Twisted Trash Duty Quotes

Each week, our global staff at Twisted Rope takes turns taking out the office trash. To make things a little more fun, each of our team members also contributes a quote to post on our community board in the Buffalo office.

Here’s a look back at some of our favorites:

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." -Pablo Picasso (https://bit.ly/1U64GPR)

"Don't let your dreams be dreams." -Jack Johnson (https://bit.ly/23Xxu07)

"Give what you have; to someone it may be better than you dare to think." -Chinese Fortune Cookie

"Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today." -Jordan B. Peterson (https://bit.ly/2I7sW7c)

"Design is not art - the end goal of design should be to solve a problem for people." -Tinker Hatfield (https://bit.ly/1LkJGRq)

"How do I get my creative juices flowing? I just let it happen. And if I'm not being or feeling creative, I just let that flow as well because that means its a downloading period. That's a time where I'm not supposed to be creating. I'm supposed to be learning." -Erykah Badu (https://bit.ly/2IaTQv4)

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." –Anonymous

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing." -Annie Dillard (https://bit.ly/2qujNLZ)

"The role of creative leader is not to have all the ideas; it's to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they're valued." -Ken Robinson (https://bit.ly/1MBoiVO)

"Originalidade é para pessoas de memórias curtas." -Grayson Perry (https://bit.ly/1P0LWSj)

"Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist." -Pablo Picasso (https://bit.ly/1U64GPR)

"两个黄鹂鸣翠柳，一行白鹭上青天。 窗含西岭千秋雪，门泊东吴万里船。" -杜甫

"Honesty is the fastest way to prevent a mistake from turning into failure." -James Altucher (https://bit.ly/2utN8uo)

"If something is wrong, fix it now. But train yourself not to worry, worry fixes nothing." -Ernest Hemingway (https://bit.ly/1OjC0iE)

"If you're alive, you're a creative person." -Elizabeth Gilbert (https://bit.ly/2CEaIrf)

"A photograph doesn't gain weight or lose weight, or change from being happy to being sad. It's frozen. You can use it, then recycle it." -Chuck Close (https://bit.ly/1PMDoP8)

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." -William Jones ( https://bit.ly/29ZZQq3)

"Believe you can and you're halfway there." -Theodore Roosevelt (https://bit.ly/1KMx4Qm)

"Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious." -Stephen Hawking (http://bit.ly/1wotoQ4)

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." -Ernst F. Schumacher (http://bit.ly/1t9CR1k)

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." -George Bernard Shaw (http://bit.ly/1LmNp3f)

"To escape criticism: Do nothing. Say nothing. Be nothing." -Elbert Hubbard (https://lnkd.in/gUbYwZj)

"The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today." -H. Jackson Brown, Jr. (https://lnkd.in/g85c_PJ.)

"The question you should be asking isn't, 'What do I want?' or 'What are my goals?' but 'What would excite me?' - Tim Ferriss (https://lnkd.in/gjvCTEb)

"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free." -Jim Morrison https://lnkd.in/d2YyJdS

“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry https://lnkd.in/dGPcq9d

"You cannot build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for his own improvement and, at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be the most useful." -Marie Curie (http://bit.ly/1mBHdZS)

"Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people." -Steve Jobs (http://bit.ly/1BClLwb)

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." -Gandalf (http://bit.ly/2EMoo1q)

"I take the position that I'm always some degree wrong, and the aspiration is to be less wrong." -Elon Musk (http://bit.ly/1IzMjOl)

"Confidence comes not from always being right but not fearing to be wrong." -Peter T. Mcintyre (http://bit.ly/2o1e4wc)

"I don't care that they stole my idea... I care that they don't have any of their own." -Nikola Tesla (http://bit.ly/1LSrTUi)

"You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction." -George Horace Lorimer (http://bit.ly/2EhEzY4)

"Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." -Winston S. Churchill (http://bit.ly/1M4tbKF)

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." -Mark Twain (http://bit.ly/1cnmrSI)

"Giving up on your goal because of one setback is like slashing your other three tires because you got a flat." -Anonymous

"Il vaut mieux avoir des remords que des regrets." -Unknown

"The past is only the future with the lights on." -Mark Hoppus (http://bit.ly/1O8sUpm)

"Fortune does favor the bold and you'll never know what you're capable of if you don't try." -Sheryl Sandberg (http://bit.ly/27zHtNC)

"You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry and be sure to stop to smell the flowers along the way." -Walter Hagen (http://bit.ly/2DBBmhK)

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." -Leo Buscaglia (http://bit.ly/2rCxhbu)

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back." -Maya Angelou (http://bit.ly/1FT64m0)

"The price of greatness is responsibility." -Winston Churchill (http://bit.ly/1M4tbKF)

"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got." -Mark Twain (http://bit.ly/1cnmrSI)

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose." -Dr. Seuss http://bit.ly/1NQ5iIh

"The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese." -Willie Nelson http://bit.ly/1JtsQ3q

"Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative place is where no one else has been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can't get there by bus, only by hard work, risking and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be wonderful: yourself." -Alan Alda http://bit.ly/2FI9UAj

"It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not." - Jean-Michel Basquiat - https://lnkd.in/eTwaVf6

"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but ourselves." - William Shakespeare - https://lnkd.in/eUYKk7k

"No accident ever comes late; it always arrives precisely on time." - Mark Twain - https://lnkd.in/eFW9Q8C

“Every human has four endowments - self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change.” – Stephen Covey (https://lnkd.in/erjWFM8)

“Tout groupe humain prend sa richesse dans la communication, l’entraide et la solidarité visant à un but commun : l’épanouissement de chacun dans le respect des différences.” - De Françoise Dolto

“The question isn’t who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand (https://lnkd.in/eiZFqTE)

"If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse." - Ryan Blair (https://lnkd.in/eHhiMwD)

"The prerequisite of originality is the art of forgetting, at the proper moment, what we know." - Arthur Koestler (https://lnkd.in/eeebqR3)

"Any type of love, it will be shown. Like every single tree, reach for the sky." - Tom DeLonge (https://lnkd.in/ewcN3gW)

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky (https://lnkd.in/eThmeVU)

"If we did all the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves." - Thomas Edison (https://lnkd.in/gBbg-KQ)

"Don't be busy, be productive." - Unknown

"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (https://lnkd.in/gmNqhzn)

"Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses." - Alphonse Karr (https://lnkd.in/e2T2pkx)

"The strength of the team is each member. The strength of each member is the team." - Phil Jackson (https://lnkd.in/ewXY5V7)

"In the depths of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer." - Albert Camus (https://lnkd.in/eCTv646)

"Na konci každé cesty začíná další." - Pavel Kosorin (https://lnkd.in/ewZVsa2)

"The most effective way to do it is to do it." - Amelia Earhart (https://lnkd.in/gf9hCTx)

"Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity."- T.S. Eliot (https://lnkd.in/emDESJ8)

"Curious that we spend more time congratulating people who have succeeded than encouraging people who have not." - Neil DeGrasse Tyson (https://lnkd.in/ecPkExF)

"Unless Someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. - The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (https://lnkd.in/ePr8yW6)

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt (https://lnkd.in/eTT9jRd)

“Life opens up opportunities to you, and you either take them or you stay afraid of taking them.” -Jim Carrey (https://lnkd.in/ezsShUk)

"Don't cry over spilled milk. By this time tomorrow, it'll be free yogurt."-Stephen Colbert (https://lnkd.in/eaFxHyW)

"Life is short, so eat dessert first." - Jacque Torres (https://lnkd.in/eR3ZFWY)

知之者不如好之者，好之者不如乐之者. - 孔子

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." - Henry Ford (https://lnkd.in/dBP-Puv)

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi (https://lnkd.in/d-NV2uA)

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." -Groucho Marx (https://lnkd.in/eRd78SA)

"Every great developer you know got there by solving problems they were unqualified to solve until they actually did it." - Patrick McKenzie

"I choose to believe that I was programmed to believe!" -Superstitious Robot (Futurama - https://lnkd.in/e95gXeB)

"Rien ne sert de courir, il faut partir à point.” - Jean de la Fontaine (https://lnkd.in/eKdCXRs)

"Go as far as you can see, when you get there you will be able to see farther." -Thomas Carlyle

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." -Judy Garland (https://lnkd.in/eMit8Ys)

"A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees." - Amelia Earhart (https://lnkd.in/gf9hCTx)

"Have a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing." - Tilopa (https://lnkd.in/gYk7fxi)

"Create more than you consume." - Cara Madrid (Twisted Rope Graphic Artist)

"Really pay attention to negative feedback and solicit it, particularly from friends. Hardly anyone does that and it's incredibly helpful." -Elon Musk

"It's not the time in your life, it's the life in your time." - Bruce Springsteen

"If your dream doesn't scare you, it's too small." -Mark Batterson (https://lnkd.in/dQhh-u6)

"If you pay attention to the world, it's amazing. If you don't, it's whatever you think it is." -Reggie Watts (https://lnkd.in/dPSGVU4)

"Just cause something' ain't been done, Don't mean it can't be did." -Shel Silverstein

“When you take action, you stop operating from a ‘what if’ standpoint to a ‘what now’ standpoint.” -Edreys Wajed

"If you aren't in the moment, you are either looking forward to uncertainty or back to pain and regret." - Jim Carrey

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." - Colin Powell

"Love yourself as I do - RELENTLESSLY." - Sean Stephens

"These pretzels are making me thirsty!" - Cosmo Kramer

[quizzesnstuff-blog]

How to Find the Perfect Book To Read

Which Genre of Book is Best For You?

Posted on September 15, 2017 by

Quibblo

This quiz is for people who love reading books, but need help figuring out which genre they prefer. We've also compiled some lists to help you decide which book to read next. The quiz accounts for what you are most curious about and how you like to learn. It also will ask you about your personality and what motivates you. Nearly 60,000 people have already taken this quiz - see if you can find new friends interested in the same books as you. Now you can think of Quibblo as your own online book club. If you don't already have a preferred book genre, Quibblo can tell you which type of book is right for you.

Fantasy

There is something you love about "make-believe," like other worlds, or magicical stories. While people often associate fantasy with aliens, this genre is much more diverse than that. Well-known books like J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of The Rings and George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones fall into the fantasy category.

Which Fantasy Book Should You Read Next?

Age of Myth by Michael J. Sullivan

Death's End (Remembrance of Earth's Past) by Cixin Liu

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife (The Road to Nowhere) by Meg Elison

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children) by Seanan McGuire

Historical Fiction

If there is just something about the "olden days" that fascinates you, this is your genre. Historical fiction is classified as realistic stories that are set in the past. These books accurately portray their setting, including small details, to let the reader know the story's time period. Two well-known examples of this genre are A Tale of Two Cities and Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

Which Historical Fiction Book Should You Read Next?

A Column of Fire by Ken Follett

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

The Designer by Marius Gabriel

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzch

Mystery

If you love anything unexpected or mysterious and the suspense of guessing what will happen, mysteries are your books. These are classified by their looming suspense of what the answer to the story's problem will be. There isn't a mystery book out there that can top the fame of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Gone Girl by Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne

Sycamore Row by John Grisham

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

An Innocent Client by Scott Pratt

Memory Man by David Baldacci

Realistic Fiction

You like things about now, and things that could have actually happened, and not some fantasy world that doesn't exist. Perhaps the most popular example of realistic fiction is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. The 2004 film adaptation of the novel stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

If I Stay Collection by Gayle Forman

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikryby Gabrielle Zevin

Non-Fiction

You want the truth, and you prefer to get straight to the facts. Your is valuable, and you don't want to waste it reading a story about a fictional character. Non-fiction books are also fun to read because you can learn so much from them. While some non-fiction books are too dense for casual readers, this list should be a good place to start. First on the list is a book by the well-known Neil deGrasse Tyson. You may have seen his 2014 documentary Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. Give these five titles a try:

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore

Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky

Science Fiction

If you are fascinated by futuristic things, sci-fi is the perfect genre for you. Sci-fi books, like Dragonsong for example, can be difficult to understand at first. However, once you get acquainted with the futuristic or imaginary setting and character traits, you should have no problem following the storyline. It may be discouraging, but keep reading and you'll get it! A few of the best known sci-fi books of all-time are 1984 by George Orwell, Dune by Frank Herbert and Ender's Game by Orson Scott. Many of these books feature incredible dystopian settings that make them more fun to read.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Wool by Hugh Howey

Watchers by Dean Koontz

Miracle Man by William R Leibowitz

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

Check out the rest of our Book Quizzes on Quibblo!