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aion-rsa · 3 years

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New British Comedy TV Series for 2021: BBC, Channel 4, Sky, Netflix, ITV

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An inter-generational zombie horror-comedy, an Alan Partridge-presented travelogue, Rowan Atkinson fighting a bee… 2021 British TV comedy is a broad church, and that’s before we’ve come to all the stand-ups slicing up their Edinburgh shows into streaming half-hours and Daisy May Cooper playing a 17th century witch. Here’s the info about those new shows and more.

This list will be kept updated through the year as new commissions, casting and release dates arrive. Here’s a look back at the new British comedies that arrived in 2020, here are the new British dramas on their way this year, and here are 2021’s best returning British TV series.

And Did Those Feet

In addition to a second series for The One Show-spoofing This Time With Alan Partridge, the son of Norwich is back to poke fun at the history TV genre. With a working title of And Did Those Feet, Steve Coogan’s character will present what Chortle describes as “a Simon Schama-style historical documentary of Britain” for the BBC, directed and co-written by frequent Steve Coogan/Partridge collaborators, Rob and Neil Gibbons.

Baby Reindeer

Here’s a promising commission: stand-up-actor-screenwriter Richard Gadd, winner of the 2016 Edinburgh Comedy Award, is bringing his one-man show Baby Reindeer to Netflix. It won’t be a stand-up special, but a comedy-drama adapted into eight half-hour episodes about the true and revealing story of Gadd’s experiences with his stalker.

Big Boys

Comedian Jack Rooke (above, left) has adapted material from his stand-up shows into six half-hour TV episodes for Channel 4. Big Boys is a university-set comedy about a friendship between shy, closeted student Jack and his boisterous mate Danny. Derry Girls’ Dylan Llewellyn stars alongside Plebs and Pls Like’s Jonathan Pointing.

Bloods

Famalam, Sliced and Truth Seekers’ Samson Kayo has created paramedic comedy Bloods for Sky One. In it, he stars alongside Jane Horrocks as a pair of paramedics working for a south London emergency service. Motherland’s Lucy Punch, Ghosts’ Kiell Smith-Bynoe and The Mighty Boosh’s Julian Barratt co-star.

Buffering

Comedian and TV presenter Iain Stirling, best known as the voice of ITV’s Love Island and for his presenting work alongside CBBC’s Hacker the Dog as well as his appearance on Taskmaster series eight, has co-written a sitcom for ITV2. Buffering is a six-episode coming-of-age comedy starring Stirling, written in collaboration with Steve Bugeja.

Chivalry

A six-episode comedy series promising to “skewer and satirise the complex state of contemporary sexual politics” is on its way to Channel 4. Written by and starring Him & Her and Ridley Road’s Sarah Solemani, Chivalry asks if romance can survive in the post #MeToo era (answer: yeah, of course. Predatory, entitled sleazebaggery has never been romantic). Steve Coogan stars as a successful film producer and womaniser, with Solemani as a writer-director seeking funding for her next feminist project. The two are thrown together and thrash out two different perspectives on gender, sex and romance.

Finding Alice

Keeley Hawes stars in this six-part ITV comedy about a recently widowed woman (Hawes) who’s forced to wade through a mountain of debt and secrets left behind by her husband. Among the cast are Joanna Lumley, Nigel Havers, and Sharon Rooney. It starts on ITV1 on Sunday the 17th of January at 9pm.

Generation Z

Cult British filmmaker and sometime Doctor Who director Ben Wheatley (Free Fire, High Rise, Kill List) is writing and directing a six-part satirical comedy about the generation gap for Channel 4. Using the supernatural premise of a retirement community becoming infected with a toxic substance that turns them all into flesh-eating zombies, Generation Z will see yoots vs boomers over six hour-long episodes.

Lethal

Diane Morgan, star of Mandy, Motherland and Philomena Cunk, has co-written new half-hour comedy pilot Lethal for BBC Two. It’s about a Bolton woman so obsessed with emigrating to the United States that she plans to marry a prisoner on death row to get her Green Card. The pilot was created with comedy producer and co-creator of Holly Walsh secret family comedy The Other One Pippa Brown.

Man vs Bee

Johnny English’s Rowan Atkinson and Will Davies have collaborated on a new comedy series for Netflix. Told over 10 x 10-minute episodes, Man vs Bee is… exactly what it sounds like: the story of a man who does battle with a bee, and causes untold damage to a luxury mansion in the process.

Murder, They Hope

Following on from Death on the Tyne and Dial M for Middlesburgh, Gold’s Jason Cook-written Agatha Christie spoofs starring Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson will be back for a third instalment. Murder, They Hope sees Gemma and Terry chuck in the coach tour business and become private investigators.

New British TV Series for 2021: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky Dramas and More

By Louisa Mellor

Best Returning British TV Series 2021: the Most Anticipated Series Coming Back This Year

By Louisa Mellor

The Baby

Comedy producer-writers Lucy Gaymer and Sian Robins-Grace (Sex Education, pictured) have created an eight-part darkly comic horror series for Sky about a 38-year-old woman unexpectedly landed with a baby that changes everything. “Controlling, manipulative and with violent powers, the baby twists Natasha’s life into a horror show. Where does it come from? What does it want? And what lengths will Natasha have to go to in order to get her life back?” This one’s likely to arrive in 2022, but we’re banging the drum early.

The Cleaner

This six-part BBC comedy is adapted from a German comedy original about a man who works as a crime scene cleaner. Man Down and Taskmaster’s Greg Davies stars in the title role as Paul ‘Wicky’ Wickstead, the cleaner responsible for removing traces of murder from a scene, who meets and gossips with some interesting people on the job.

The Offenders

Stephen Merchant (The Office, Extras) has created new BBC comedy The Offenders about a group of strangers flung together as part of a community payback scheme. Think Misfits without the superpowers? The cast welcomes Christopher Walken to British TV comedy, alongside Merchant, Rhiane Barreto, Gamba Cole, Darren Boyd, Clare Perkins and Poldark’s Eleanor Tomlinson.

The Red Zone

BBC One’s football comedy The First Team may not have set the world alight, but Netflix is trying a different tack with The Red Zone. Created by sports writers Barney Ronay and Jonathan Liew, it’s described as “a comedy about football, but also not about football,” so that clears that up. Casting is tba.

The Witchfinder

On its way to BBC Two from the writer-directors of the excellent This Time With Alan Partridge is historical comedy The Witchfinder. Set in 1647, it’s the story of a failing witchfinder played by Tim Key (stand-up, poet, actor, Side Kick Simon from loads of Alan Partridge shows and most importantly, Taskmaster task consultant), on a horseback road-trip through East Anglia with his latest captee, played by Daisy May Cooper (writer-creator of This Country, the brilliant Kerry Mucklowe on screen and people’s champion of Taskmaster series 10). Six half-hour episodes will air on BBC Two.

This is Going to Hurt

Everybody should read Adam Kay’s excruciating but brilliant and moving memoir of his time as a junior doctor, then they should immediately buy a copy for a friend. If the BBC Two adaptation, written by Kay (he left medicine for comedy writing years ago), is even half as good as the book, it will be a must-see. Ben Whishaw stars.

Toast in America

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Thespian, egotist and voiceover artiste Steven Toast is returning to the screen. Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows) and Arthur Mathews’ Toast in London ran for three series on Channel 4 between 2012 and 2015, following the embittered actor’s career ups and downs, with a host of outrageously unexpected guest stars. Now a spin-off is on its way to a new home on the BBC, tracking Toast’s attempts to break America.

The post New British Comedy TV Series for 2021: BBC, Channel 4, Sky, Netflix, ITV appeared first on Den of Geek.

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jxffhxrdy · 4 years

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Smackdown 5/8/2020

Hey guys! Back again with my opinions (that you didn’t ask for) on Friday Night Smackdown last night- May 8th, 2020. Let’s do it!

Of course, this is the last show to send us into Money in the Bank 2020 and I have convinced myself that whoever won during this show will lose on Sunday. Take that with a grain of salt...

♡ Mandy vs. Sonya (+) (MVP)

So first up, we had the Sonya vs. Mandy fight, which, if I’m being honest, I thought was going to be the sleeper match of the evening. Damn was I wrong. These girls killed it. They both gave super convincing performances and they have amazing chemistry together- you can tell they’re great friends outside of the ring. The Otis storyline is kind of meh for me, but after this match last night, I’m hoping to see more of these two together. This is definitely getting my MVP of the night.

♡ Male 2 Team Tag Match (-)

Okay, yes. I’m giving it a negative. It’s not that it was a bad match; all four of these teams are great! It’s just.... the same match we’re going to see on Sunday. So I’m kinda burnt out at this point. They set up this fatal four way a little early. The only way we can make this different is if Xavier Woods comes back. I don’t know his physical condition, but he has been out for 8 months. I’d love to see him in action. However, despite this, shout out to Lucha House Party and John Morrison for being TANKS in this match. They did great.

♡ Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus (+)

Man, I am so stoked to see Jeff back in action. He’s just as good as he’s always been. Obviously I’m biased (if you can’t tell by the name of the blog), but he’s still such a joy to watch perform. Sheamus’ story arc here kind of came out of nowhere, but I still see what they’re doing. Plus, two “B-list” veterans going head to head is amazing. I’m very looking forward to continuing with this and I wish the match had gone on longer!

♡ Female 2 Team Tag Match (-)

Stop trying to make Lacey Evans a thing, WWE. Please. I’m begging you. I’m so over her random ass character decisions. She just shows up at random times and is randomly angry? I don’t know. Also, I get Bayley is now this cocky stuck-up as her character, but what was that “Give us a break for a second” thing? That was.... weird. Tamina destroyed everyone and I’m really hoping this was a precursor to her getting the title (although I don’t think it is.) This match was boring and I’m kinda over the womens Smackdown division at the moment.

♡ Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt Face-to-Face (?)

I’m putting this has a ? because I really don’t know how I feel. For starters, I think this storyline is past its’ prime. We should’ve gotten it soon after the Wyatt family disbanded. Obviously, they can’t mention Harper or Rowan, so it just feels weird and incomplete in a way. Braun is a cuddly teddy bear to me (I really do love him), but I also know he’s technically not supposed to have the belt right now, so they’re doing things on the fly. That being said, these promos seem... off. Braun is obviously scripted out of his ass and while he plays it off well, he’s teaming with a genius on the mic- Bray Wyatt. Wyatt can sell any promo he’s given and can make it seem like his own words. The Firefly Funhouse is the best thing on Smackdown right now and I think it’s a decent placeholder until Reigns gets back, but I’m still wishing it was just.. a little different. But we got the puppets and that makes me happy.

♡ Male 2 Team Tag Match (-)

Alright. Here’s my issue. The idea of having a Baron Corbin/Cesaro/Shinsuke 3-way tag team makes me the happiest person in the world. Or, an even BETTER idea- Take Sami Zayn off the Intercontinental Title (which they should do anyway...), give it to Corbin, and officially make the Cesaro/Shinsuke tag team. Because they would destroy in that division and Cesaro deserves it. Corbin is great, I love his character, and all 3 of them are amazing fighters. On the other side- Gulak (boring), Bryan (boring), and Otis (again?). The whole trainer/trainee thing with Gulak and Bryan is so boring, I can’t even bring myself to care. Bryan without a crowd is... rather disappointing? I think he depends on that pop from the crowd and obviously, without anyone in the building, it just flatlines to me. I also don’t really care about Gulak. He’s good, don’t get me wrong, but is he the next big thing? No. It’s no secret to anyone that Vince lives in Otis’ asshole, but putting him in this match was a big ol’ mistake. Not only does it 100% scream the end of Heavy Machinery (which should’ve never fallen flat), it takes away many opportunities for other wrestlers to have made their redebut. We haven’t seen Chad Gable since the Rumble and as far as I know, he’s not injured? Or Elias- he has that budding feud with Corbin! So many wasted opportunities. On the plus, the ladder breaking thing with Otis is definite foreshadowing and I’d die on the hill for Cesaro.

♡ Who is the Hacker?

We got another glimpse at the Hacker tonight, which I love. That is such an interesting story and I cannot wait to get that reveal- assuming they do it correctly. I’m seeing rumors flying everywhere that it could be CM Punk. Which, alright, I’ll humor that for a second. If they were to bring Punk back, they would do it for a crowd pop. Never in a bajillion years would they bring Punk back into an empty show. It would be a waste of shock value. Now, if the world lets up and we have a sold out Summerslam... maybe. Maybe I can see that. But also that would be assuming that Vince or Punk would want to work with each other again! My guess is Ali and this is SUCH a great way to bring him back into the picture. I think Ali is a super underutilized performer and this is such a great way to build hype. I don’t think it could honestly be anyone else- unless this is a weird ploy to bring Graves back into the ring (I know he’s training at the moment).

thanks for reading guys and tune in for my thoughts on Sunday’s MITB!

#wwe #wwe smackdown #smackdown #friday night smackdown #mythoughts

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the-beastslayers-queen · 5 years

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A Dangerous Game: Chapter 2

Chapter 2 as promised. Tagging: @queenofthearchitect @biforbecky2belts @writtingrose and @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk If anyone wishes to be added to the taglist for this beauty, hit my inbox or chat.

I was left alone at the bar of the club, Seth having not returned since he left. I was sipping on my cocktail, glancing down at the napkin he gave me. I sighed and tucked it into my purse before working on finishing my drink so I could order another one. I was going to get drunk tonight. I mean, I never asked to be set up with McIntyre and I wasn’t looking forward to what was coming for me. With meeting Seth, I saw that this marriage is not right for me.

“There ye are,” I turned to find Becky coming up to stand next to me, “Finn and Drew asked me to look after ye while ye have some drinks.”

“Oh so Drew can make sure I don’t get wooed by someone else and break off everything,” I replied with heavy sarcasm, “He doesn’t need to worry about me. He just met me and I doubt he’d care if I let loose and get tipsy tonight.”

Seth

I finally made it over to the VIP section where my “dad” was sitting with Bayley, Charlotte, and Paige close by. Sasha stood close by with Ruby, Liv, and Sarah on watch over the girls. At the closest emergency exit Mandy and Sonya stood watch. Dean, Roman, and I circled around to stand behind Hunter, our adoptive father.

“Finn,” Hunter stood up and reached over to shake hands with the shorter Irishman as he came walking up with two guards on his flank, “Thanks for meeting with us. I’m sure your sister is pleased to be matched with McIntyre and I’m honored to be here at the engagement party you’re hosting for her.”

“Hunter,” Finn’s accent was very thick as he greeted Hunter, “I know that alignin myself with McIntyre ruffled yer feathers a little and I wanted to make sure we stay on good terms.”

“I’m sure you do,” Hunter sat back down as Finn sat across from him, “Now I know you are looking for a bride for yourself. I have daughters I am willing to match you with. So pick your bride.”

“I was hoping to have Bayley as my bride,” he replied, “But I am not inna rush to put a ring on her finger. Wit’ your blessing, I’d like to get know all of the daughters ye have to offer for me and get a chance to know t’em before I make my choice.”

“That’s fair,” Hunter nodded, “I’ll allow it. I’m sure my girls will be alright with that. Right girls?”

“Yes dad,” Bayley replied first.

“Yeah sure,” Paige added second.

“Well of course Hunter,” Charlotte replied, “But you’ll also have to meet my dad, Ric, too Finn.”

“I am at yer mercy, lasses,” Finn smiled at my sisters, certainly charming the trio, “Now if ye’ll excuse me, I need to go find my sister. I’ll be in touch.”

With that last remark, Finn left the VIP section and went in the direction of the bar. I went over the couch he was previously sat and took a seat. I had my doubts about this. I had to.

My role in The Authority as The Architect meant I was the go-to hacker for the family business. I had to protect our assets on the internet. I also served as an enforcer with my two brothers, Dean and Roman, as The Shield. We’re tasked with being top security for Hunter whenever he has to go out to conduct family business. Between the three of us, I’m the most level-headed under pressure. I also have the best control on my temper. But the moment you piss me off, I will not hesitate to put a couple bullets into you. Hunter won’t confess it, but I’m his favorite among the three of us because of my talents behind a keyboard for creating my two most famous programs. My first is able to wipe out your bank account and record of your existence from the internet without leaving a trace, which I nicknamed Oracle. My second is a defensive program that will stop any foreign programs that try to get into our servers to steal our money or secrets, which is called Cerberus. I am also the only one with access to either program so I made sure I was too valuable to be disposed of.

“So are we going to maintain alliance with Bálor Club,” I asked Hunter, “Or do I need to send the word out to stay on guard if they decide to start a war with us with McIntyre backing them?”

“We’re going to keep things as they are,” Hunter warned me, “We’re not going to encourage them to start a war after all the help they gave us a couple years ago. For now, we’ll play this out and see if Finn is going to follow through on making our partnership more solid with a marriage to one of your sisters. If McIntyre starts anything, we’ll see if Finn is willing to consider a new match for his sister.”

“Who would you match up with her,” I asked.

“More than likely I’d match up Cesaro or Roman to the girl,” he replied, “As for you, Seth, I’m not ready to match you up with anyone for the sake of an alliance. I’d rather have you find a girl of your own outside the business. Maybe eventually get out of the business.”

“Anyway,” I stood up from my seat, “I’m going to go outside, maybe get a cab home. I’ll see you in the morning for the meeting with the rest of the family.”

I walked out of the club, happy to now be able to hear myself think. As I came out I looked over to find Cat leaning against the wall of the club, typing away on an iPad. I smirked to myself and decided to go talk to her again.

Cat

“What are you done partying already,” Seth smirked as he leaned on the wall next to her, “What are you working on?”

“Just fine tuning a program I’ve been working on,” I replied as I put away my iPad, “I’m not done partying, but I’m heading out to a different bar that is more my speed. You are welcome to join me, if you’d like. After all, you still owe me a couple rounds since we were interrupted earlier.”

“Alright you got me there,” Seth chuckled as he got out his phone, “I’ll get us a cab and you can tell the driver where we’re going.”

“Okay, you can tag along,” I agreed, “But just stick close to me when we get to where we’re going. It’s going to be in a rough neighborhood.”

Seth and I waited for the cab he called to come pick us up. I talked about how growing up in Ireland and the US and he was intrigued by the fact that I’m self-taught in programing and electrical engineering despite majoring in criminal psychology and minoring in accounting. Once the cab finally arrived I climbed in first and gave the cabbie the address of where we were going before Seth could get in and hear where we were going.

“So I don’t get to know where we’re going,” he asked as the cab pulled away from Bullet Club and started heading out of the nice neighborhood we were in.

“Nope,” I replied with emphasis on the “p.”

“Since I’m not knowing where we’re going,” Seth started, “Can I get your number since you have mine?”

“Sure,” I replied as I held out my hand, “Hand me your phone and I’ll add it to your contacts.”

Seth dug his phone out of his back pocket of his jeans and unlocked it before putting it in my hand. I looked down at his phone and saw the background of his home screen was of him and a really pretty girl draped on his arm.

“Is this you and your girlfriend,” I asked him as I opened his contacts.

“My ex actually,” he replied sadly, “I haven’t gotten around to changing it yet. We were going to get married.”

“What happened,” I asked him, hoping I wasn’t hurting him with asking about her.

“She found out about what I did for a living and left me,” he replied, “She didn’t want to be involved in what I did and called it quits.”

“That’s a bummer,” I sighed and grabbed his hand, “I’m sorry she left you. Surely you’ll find ‘the one’ again.”

“Maybe,” he sighed and looked down at our hands, “For now, I just want to go out with you to this surprise place and have a few drinks.”

When we finally pulled up to our stop, Seth paid the cabbie for the fare and climbed out of the cab. He turned around and helped me out of the cab and I led the way inside of my favorite place, The Coup De Grace. I smiled as I saw my favorite member of the Club, Tama Tonga, helping out the bartenders behind the bar. He draped his hand towel over his shoulder and smiled at me as he saw me come in.

“If it isn’t my favorite patron,” Tama laughed as he came around the bar to give me a big old bear hug, “And you brought a date, how cute.”

“Tama,” I smiled and hugged him, “This is Seth.”

“So I take it your brother has no idea you snuck away from your party,” he asked as he led us over to the bar.

“You know for a fact that this old place is more my speed than Bullet Club is,” I told him as I sat down with Seth at the bar, “Besides, I like seeing my favorite Tongan.”

“You’re damn right I’m your favorite,” Tama laughed as he got a glass out from under the bar, “Do you want your usual tonight or do you want me to surprise you.”

“I’ll take my usual,” I replied, “What’s your poison, Seth?”

“I’ll have a whiskey straight on the rocks,” he replied, “If that’s cool with you Tama.”

“You got it brother,” Tama got to work on my drink and on Seth’s whiskey.

“So I got to ask how the hell you found this place,” Seth asked, turning towards me.

“Find it,” I chuckled at his question, “I run the joint. This is basically my bar. I just happen to own it with my brother. He also owns the Bullet Club.”

“Well who’s your brother,” he asked.

“Seth Rollins,” I placed my hand on my chest as Tama placed my drink down in front of me, “You are just full of questions. How about I ask about you first. Maybe the next time we have drinks I’ll answer your question.”

“Then ask away,” he replied before taking a sip of his whiskey.

“So I have to ask you,” I thought it over for a minute, “What do you do for a living your fiancé left you?”

“I’m the IT guy for The Authority,” he replied, “I also keep tabs on the money. I’m Hunters youngest adopted son. I’m also an enforcer and I primarily serve as a guard for Hunter when he’s out on business. I sometimes tag along with my brothers as part of the Shield to be the muscle for Hunter.”

“I can see why she wouldn’t want to mixed up with you,” I took another sip of my drink, “Have you killed anyone.”

“I haven’t yet,” he replied, “But I’ve had to erase people that were taken out by my brothers though. Dean and Roman are more than willing to pull the trigger than I am.”

“I can admire a man with a disciplined trigger finger,” I placed my hand over his, “And I can admire a guy I can talk code and algorithms with.”

“I will not trade secrets with you though Cat,” he replied, “I’m not letting anyone figure out how to trick Cerberus, my defensive program I built for The Authority. That is my pride and joy and I will die before I share its code.”

“That’s fair,” I replied, “I would never ask for the code to the programs you use for The Authority. If I ask about code, it would be suggestions to help me bolster the strength of my programs or to help me build new programs.”

“Now making new programs would be fun,” Seth replied as he finished his drink, “I think I should head home for the night. I’ll text you when I get home. Please text me when you get home, Cat. Maybe we can do this again sometime. I think I’m going to have to hit you up for more drinks. Maybe dinner sometime too.”

“Have a good night, Seth,” I walked him outside and waited until his cab came to pick him up. Once he was on his way, I went back in to continue talking to Tama.

“So does he know about you being in the Club and engaged to McIntyre,” Tama asked as he cleaned some glasses.

“Not yet,” I replied as I continued drinking, “And he doesn’t need to know that yet. I don’t want to push him away yet. I don’t even think I’m going to push him away. He’s charming and we have a lot in common.”

“You are playing with fire, homegirl,” Tama warned, “If Finn or McIntyre find out you’re playing around with Seth, it could start a war.”

“Then I’ll be careful,” I replied, “You forget I can create alibis without breaking a sweat. I’m one of the best hackers in the city.”

“Uh hun,” Tama hummed, “The instant this blows up in your face, don’t come crying to me when Finn kicks your ass for starting a war between us and The Authority and Clan McIntyre.”

#seth rollins x oc #seth rollins fic #seth rollins fanfic #seth rollins fanfiction #wwe fic #wwe fanfic #wwe fanfiction #A Dangerous Game

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ahouseoflies · 5 years

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The Best Films of 2018, Part I

I’ll associate my moviegoing this year with two things: subscription models and superhero films. Realizing that I was the target audience, I signed up for Moviepass in March, then canceled just before they started extorting people in July. (I’ll remember you all semi-fondly, conniving alarmists in the Moviepass Reddit thread.) Thanks to Moviepass, I took full advantage of my free time over the summer, and I found some nice surprises that I wouldn’t have checked out otherwise. From there I joined AMC A-List, which is the rare corporate service that I cannot complain about in any way. Moviepass always felt like some kind of drug deal, whereas A-List is as easy and inviting an experience as possible. I get to seek out Dolby, IMAX, or 3-D showings instead of getting locked out of them, and the electronic ticketing helps with my last-minute availability. (I’ve mastered the art of lovingly putting my daughter to bed, only to desert her and my wife five minutes later. “You know, there’s an 8:10 showing of The Predator, which means 8:30 after previews...”) My overall viewing was up 11% this year, which I have to attribute to these subscriptions. Perhaps I saw too much though. After a self-righteous five-year ban on superhero movies, I caught up in 2019 like the madman completist that I am. On the plus side, I enjoyed Wonder Woman and Guardians of the Galaxy, and I vaguely feel more connected with the culture-at-large. But I could have been more selective. The diligence required to watch X-Men: Apocalypse late on a Thursday night took away from, say, my Orson Welles project or...reading books. To get some of the business out of the way, I haven’t seen Burning, Shoplifters, Destroyer, Cold War, The Sisters Brothers, Tomb Raider, The Wife, or The House That Jack Built. Not all of us get screeners or care about seeing The Wife. Mostly for argument purposes, I list everything I saw and divide the movies into the categories of Garbage, Admirable Failures, Endearing Curiosities with Big Flaws, Pretty Good Movies, Good Movies, Great Movies, and Instant Classics. Hey, speaking of superheroes: GARBAGE

123. Venom (Ruben Fleischer)- Venom was first announced as an R-rated film until it was neutered into PG-13 at some point in the development road. That was the right choice because this is a movie, in all of its broad, careless storytelling, for children. "So he's going to get married to her but then he looks at her email and then he interviews the guy and he gets fired so then she leaves him and he drinks now?" This is a dummy's version of what a journalist is or what a scientist is, and it never shades into more subtlety than exactly what is on the expected surface. I guess that Tom Hardy gets to jump into a lobster tank if that floats your boat, but the story is stuck on fast-forward for the whole movie, never relenting to develop character or do anything other than communicate information that we don't really need.

Venom is almost--almost--interesting as a new branch in the superhero economy. Why shouldn't Tom Hardy and National Treasure Michelle Williams trade the equity they've built for caring about their work into this trash? I don't begrudge them that for a second. I hope they make more money for the sloppy sequels. 122. The Equalizer 2 (Antoine Fuqua)- The first Equalizer was flat and pointlessly long with pedantic dialogue too, but at least it had the Home Depot sequence. This one makes very basic stuff incoherent and dawdles all the way to the end. Your boy is now an expert hacker too? I guess it's too late for Fuqua to start caring about scripts.

121. Mandy (Panos Cosmatos)- I need somebody to explain to me why, dramatically, this is good without something like, "It's so metal! What a midnight movie! Chainsaw fight lol!" If you want to talk about the visuals that are stylized within an inch of reality, then I'll listen. But there's nothing to hold onto dramatically. I think I've developed an overall irritation with revenge films, but this filthy dirge of a movie felt empty and endless by any standard. 120. Fifty Shades Freed (James Foley)- Its intentions are too guileless to upset me, but Fifty Shades Freed uses up the goodwill I sort of had for the first two by tugging the viewer relentlessly through conflict that always seems temporary. Part of the fun has always been how bizarre basic human interactions seem in this universe. (Has anyone ever returned from a vacation to be surprise-promoted?) But this entry expects way too much from its viewer's loyalty. 119. On Chesil Beach (Dominic Cooke)- There's supposed to be a disconnect to the behavior of the couple in On Chesil Beach, a movie that asks us to harken back to a time when newlyweds were so sexually innocent that they had trouble figuring out how to consummate a marriage. Their fumbling seems foreign to us, which is the point. But what's the excuse for none of the behavior in the movie ringing true to any human experience?

I'm talking about Florence refusing to tell her string quartet that she's engaged because she thinks they'll assume that her marriage will break up the group even though she's sure that it won't. I'm talking about her father, who feels the need to humiliate his son-in-law in tennis because that would prove that he's dominant over the boy in some way that being his employer does not already prove. I'm talking about a plot that literally would not exist if the characters had just engaged in one conversation that it seems like they would have had in the flashbacks, which frame them as a kind of open, reasonably affectionate, easy-going couple. But by all means, McEwan, change that whenever it suits you. 118. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (J.A. Bayona)- I reject the whole premise of this deliberate lowering of stakes that never rises above obligation. To paraphrase a Griffin Newman joke, it makes Jurassic Park 4 look like Jurassic Park 1.

While we're here though: Can I have a movie about the guy who compiled the guest list for the dino auction? I want to see a guy looking at a spreadsheet--or is it an Access file?--and getting to, like, Mark Cuban and weighing the options: "He probably has the $27 million to spare on weaponized recombinant DNA. He would definitely appreciate the wow factor of having his own Indoraptor. But is he more of a neutral evil or a chaotic evil? I guess I'll reserve a seat for him and send the invitation. If he says no, then he says no. Okay, we're still in the C's..."

117. Tag (Jeff Tomsic)- Tag is going to show up on a lot of "worst movies to ever win an Oscar" lists when Jeremy Renner wins an Oscar for it. 116. A-X-L (Oliver Daly)- This is a melodramatic movie about a weaponized robotic dog and the dirtbike kid who befriends it. Nothing wrong with that; a ten-year-old boy might like it, and there aren't enough movies specifically for that audience. But what's weird is how nonchalant the main character is about the whole thing. He immediately starts training this one-of-a-kind "war dog" android and imprints it with his DNA like this is a regular Tuesday. It's one of many things that is just kind of off in this picture.

This being a cheap genre film, you do get treated to those L.A. locations that have been around the block. I think the nondescript complex that houses Craine Industries is also the one from Sneakers and The Lawnmower Man. You know, Craine Industries, the company that is working on a $70 million prototype for the military but, because this is a cheap genre film, seems to have two employees.

I do think there's an interesting movie to be made about motocross. The movie kind of works when it's just about an underdog father and son fixing bikes, before it gets into all of the robot stuff. ADMIRABLE FAILURES

115. The Little Stranger (Lenny Abrahamson)- Dr. Faraday: "Wanna marry me?" Caroline: "Maybe. Do you actually love me?" Dr. Faraday: "Probably not." Caroline: "Hmm, I think I would marry you only as an excuse to go to London to get away from my dying mother and this crumbling house that probably has a ghost." Dr. Faraday: "Oh. Well, glad we're discussing it now because I want to marry you specifically to give me a reason to stay in this crumbling house that probably has a ghost. I'm drawn to it for some reason." Caroline: "Is it because you grew up poor?" Dr. Faraday: "Yes. All dry, cold British stuff ultimately comes down to that.

114. Damsel (David Zellner and Nathan Zellner)- Had I done my research, I wouldn't have watched this Zellner Brothers follow-up to Kumiko the Treasure Hunter, one of my least favorite films of that year. Like that movie, Damsel is a story of two halves, punctuated by a shocking moment that happens halfway through. Unfortunately nothing interesting happens before, and nothing interesting happens after. 113. Suspiria (Luca Guadignino)- This is a movie about duality that gets extended. English, German, and just a sprinkle of French. Six parts and an epilogue. A dual role (and a bit part). Personalities that clash until one pulls ahead. There are ideas here. But, especially considering I don't like the original Suspiria, I didn't find much to hold onto as a visceral experience. It's a long, foreboding sit. Guadagnino knows how to end his movies, but he still doesn't have much to say for the long middle parts. Shout-out to Amazon; I hope that, in some circuitous way, betting on maximalist Italians helps them to sell paper towels or whatever.

112. Early Man (Nick Park)- I still love the Aardman aesthetic, but this material was thin. It's too juvenile for adults and too adult for juveniles. 111. Beirut (Brad Anderson)- The screenplay takes an hour to set up what should have taken twenty minutes. Some of that time is dedicated to developing Hamm's burnt-out alcoholic wheeler-dealer, but he's a character we've seen a hundred times before anyway. Some shorthand would have done some good. Once the plot gets going, it's serviceable, but I was bored by that point. Pike and Hamm need to fire their managers. 110. Upgrade (Leigh Whannell)- I'll admit that I owed the film more attention than I gave it since I was nodding off the whole time, but nothing in the gloomy programmer interested me enough to want to go back.

109. Red Sparrow (Francis Lawrence)- Good as a steamy blank check provocation from the director and star--not much else. I'm sure people will take down the easy target of Jen Larry's Russian accent, but they're ignoring just how much she tries in something like this. She is a gargantuan Movie Star who commands the screen, and a lot of that presence comes from the commitment of, say, learning how to ballet dance for what must have been months. She hasn't slept through a performance yet.

I didn't think this endless movie made much sense, especially near its conclusion. Perhaps it's my personal distaste for the way that spy movies introduce major plot points without so much as a music sting to guide you. As soon as anyone says the term "double agent," my brain turns off.

108. Hot Summer Nights (Elijah Bynum)- If you want to direct a music video, just direct a music video. I like all of the actors in this, but the filmmaker has nothing to say. 107. The First Purge (Gerard McMurray)- Even James DeMonaco seems to be admitting that the bloom is off the rose a bit, since he only wrote this entry in the franchise--and his direction is missed in the action scenes. Just enough of the political subtext remains, (The New Founding Fathers get funding from the NRA, and a character uses "pussy-grabbing" as an insult. Thankfully, a Black church getting shot up by men with Iron Cross flags happens off-screen.)

But there are more characters I didn't care about than characters I did care about. Since its prequel setting doesn't reveal much about the world that we didn't already know, the film needed to do a bit more with the survive-the-night scenario that we already saw in the second film.

106. Vox Lux (Brady Corbet)- A movie that, up to and including the last minute, keeps promising something better than it actually is. Everyone here is making...choices… 105. Madeline’s Madeline (Josephine Decker)- I'm glad David Ehrlich liked this as much as he did. There are some intriguing ideas, most notably the suggestion that a mentally unstable person would be better suited for acting than a healthy person. What a debut for Helena Howard as well. But for it to add up to something by the end, I think I needed it to have more dramatic structure--the sort of fall of the Molly Parker character feels invented and insincere--or go all the way into experiment. 104. Shirkers (Sandi Tan)- One of those "you won't believe what happens next" documentaries that positions itself as an example of truth being stranger than fiction. But removed from a festival context, does it ever rise above its logline? Is it really even that odd?

#film #lists #movie reviews

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alexsbrain · 6 years

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Ocean’s 8

The other night my brother and I went to the Carlton in Toronto to catch Ocean’s 8. I had stayed away from the film for a few weeks, I’d caught a few review headlines since it opened, dud, fizzled out, and franchise fatigue had cropped up a few times. When I first saw the publicity still last year, of all the women on the subway, I was amazed that a bunch of my favourite actresses, comedians, and pop singer (Rhianna) were all doing a film together and I put it on my list. I was pleasantly surprised by Ocean’s’8, it was a lot quirkier and funnier than I thought it would be, and occasionally I had to wipe away a tear from laughing.

Early publicity still

The film follows the standard heist format pioneered by post war noir filmmakers. The star, Sandra Bullock, plays Debbie Ocean (Danny Ocean’s sister), and after hatching a scheme in prison for, “five years, eight months, and twelve days,” is released and has to put together a crack-pot team in order to steal a Cartier necklace worth over a hundred-million dollars. There are the typical vignettes of Ocean assembling her team, there’s her former partner turned nightclub owner (Cate Blanchette), the hacker 9-ball (Rihanna), a kleptomaniacal fence (Sarah Paulson), the jewelry expert (Mandy Kaling), the down and out fashion designer (Helena Bonham Carter), and the street wise pick pocket (Awkwafina). Together they execute Ocean’s daring plan to steal the necklace at the Met Gala. There are a few twists and turns in the plot which brings in an insurance agent from England, played by James Corden, to find the jewels. The audience is brought into the action through a series of well timed gags and hair-raising moments of suspense.

Hathaway and Bonham Carter at the Met Gala

I’m a huge fan of heist films, there’s something about the sub-genre that appeals to me. Going all the way back to the Noir heists The Asphalt Jungle, and the French film Rafifi, I’m a sucker for a group of criminals trying to make one last big score. I wasn’t however a huge fan of the original Ocean movies, nor of the Soderbergh reboot. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised that this installment was so good and incredibly funny. It felt like I was watching an old comedy with Carol Lombard or Rosalind Russell, the comedic power of some of these actresses shines through in almost every scene. Helena Bonham Carter has some of the best reactions I’ve seen in years, her subtle head and eye movements executed just at the right time cracked me up, she wears a puzzled look on her face for most of the film which is incredibly endearing. Bonham Carter, being the veteran English actor of the bunch, even knows how to get all the mileage out of a costume during the Met gala, as she moves about in a bizarre outfit in such a way that makes it hilarious. She’s even poking fun at herself as she has been known for some odd fashion choices over the years at red carpet events. Sarah Paulson is very reserved but incredibly funny, her character, a waspy housewife, always seems to be on the brink of loosing her cool façade (she never does), and it’s fascinating to watch her play a mother role in a heist film. Some of her jokes were visual gags that were set up beautifully. The young Awkwafina gets most of the laughs as the street wise hustler, her role had the most potential for comedy, and she relishes every single moment she is on screen. She knows exactly when to hold a joke, letting in linger in the air, something most comedians don’t understand today. It’s not that you have to be funny all the time, it’s that you have to understand the rhythm of a joke. There’s a touch of Leslie Neilson or Bea Arthur in her comedic pauses.

Awkwafina as Constance shines

Anne Hathaway steals some of the show as the vapid gum chewing movie star Daphne Kluger. Her timing is incredibly precise, she uses her gum chewing and big beautiful eyes to really sell her jokes, chewing on her pauses and delivering her lines with surgical precision. I think Hathaway needs to do more comedy outside of the schlocky rom-com type of humour that is ill fitting for her and reboot some the old Carol Lombard type plots that are entirely missing from cinema today.

What was surprisingly nice was that the two headliners, Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchette, never once took the spotlight away from someone else. They played their roles effectively and knew how to share the stage with the supporting cast allowing each of the others to grab some laughs and shine in their roles. If anything, the film was missing one good fight between Bullock and Blanchette. It would have been nice to add just a little tension between the two characters early on in the film, the should we do this scene was flat and self aggrandizing in their sisterly bond.

Ocean’s 8 was co-written and directed by Gary Ross who’s resume includes Big, Pleasantville, and Mr. Baseball (one of my favorite cinematic guilty pleasures). He knows exactly how to set up a joke or a gag and executes it beautifully. What I found interesting is that most of the audience didn’t laugh at some of the funniest moments in the film. It seemed my brother and I, and a group of friends behind us, were the only ones who got the subtle jokes. I think one of the problems is that audiences today aren’t used to the subtly of reactions and visual gags. My favourite moment in the film is when Sarah Paulson’s character is introduced. She is living in the idyll of suburban America and making a healthy green smoothie when Debbie Ocean calls her, her son playing in the background. Answering the phone, she says, “Buddy do you want to stop that,” the threat is implied. Debbie tells her she’s in her garage and when Paulson walks into her garage there are boxes and boxes of stolen goods. It’s such a wonderful joke, that here in this perfect suburban house lies a kleptomaniacal fence. When Debbie asks her what she tells her husband about all the stolen goods Paulson replies dryly and at just the right moment, “eBay,” I couldn’t help but crack up at her delivery.

The perfect life, the perfect house, a life of crime

The other problem plaguing the film is it’s underwhelmingly simplistic visual style. The camera moves and cuts competently enough, but the whole style is reminiscent of a de-contrasted Instagram photo or a mediocre Tumblr mood board. It’s a problem shared with a lot of commercial films these days, lackluster shadow-less vistas of muted colours that lacks any texture or depth. One thing that made last years The Florida Project so appealing was its rich palette and crisp composition, great care was taken at figuring out the mise-en-scène. It’s disappointing that the Ocean’s films, being reboots of the iconic 60’s jet set era, don’t devote more effort to their visual look. There was one sequence in a post-modern airport for a fashion show, and the occasional horizontal venetian blind wipe, but aside from that, the film looks like some washed out mediocre miniseries on the FX channel.

Strong composition, but the lackluster, and washed-out lighting renders the style bland

Ocean’s 8 isn’t pretentious or hokey, it’s just an all female version of a heist film with some incredibly talented actresses. Checking over the box office receipts, the film is doing incredibly well this summer, and along with the Black Panther, is proving to the Hollywood establishment that you can deliver a great product with an all female cast, or a cast of people of colour, or on queer themes, and still turn a tidy sum. People want to watch a good product and they want to see themselves in the characters on the screen. Aside from a few missed opportunities to set this film apart from its predecessors, it’s a fun diversion this summer. If you’re a fan of good comedic pacing, or of any of the actresses, it’s worth the price of admission.

#oceans 8 #awkwafina #sarah paulson #cate blanchett #mandy kailing #sandra bullock #anne hathaway #helena bonham carter #heist films #movies of 2018 #rihanna #women #carol lombard

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eleanormatilda · 6 years

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sennie timeline. ( part one. )

Ok. This has been a long time coming & I’ve been meaning to do it / write this out for YEARS, since @theimpalpable began our journey. But it’s such a long story I wasn’t sure where to begin. For now I’m just going to consolidate things & just map out Season 4/ what happens as far as Sennie is concerned because that for me is Canon and Jaspenor is complete BS/doesn’t happen. :) Samuel doesn’t enter into the picture, until mid-S2 when Len is beside herself and desperately trying to find out who killed their father. After Len’s breakup with Beck, because she can’t ‘quiet the noise’ and James’ suggestion to her about finding something that makes her happy? She enlists his help, to which he does a bit of research on his end, and digs up a contact to a talented hacker who goes by the code name ‘Calix’. Highly intrigued, Eleanor pushes him to gain contact with them in order to gain whatever information she can against her mother or Cyrus or anyone else she suspects is behind her father’s passing. ENTER SAMUEL. The hacker with commitment issues. At first, the pair are at odd ends. It’s merely a business transaction as Eleanor works her way through the ABUSIVE relationship she’s found herself caged within when it comes to Jasper. In S1, he did indeed issue that he had a sex tape, that he’d drugged her, and blackmailed her into sex. What’s more is he also slept with her mother, then in an attempt to return into her good graces, he tried to come clean, as though he had never assaulted her, manipulated her or toyed with her emotions on the daily. Rather than ‘Mandy’ being factored into this storyline however, ( since the showrunner Mark decided to use a bixsexual storyline just to stir the pot for a straight-ship, we’re not going to go there ) -- Jasper attempts to rob the Royal family on his own. BUT. He decides he’s fallen for Len in the long run, or she earnestly believes, and somehow he’s weaseled his way into staying because Eleanor wouldn’t press charges feeling she hasn’t the right to necessarily ruin anyone’s life, no matter how malicious they’ve been ( aside from those responsible for killing her father ). She’s so beaten down at this point, she’s turned greatly to substance abuse ( drugs & alcohol alike. ) So to quickly recap what does happen between Samuel & Eleanor, one drunken night, Eleanor issues a particularly passionate kiss ( in our realm it was on New Year’s ). She uses the excuse of time ticking downward to midnight. Samuel denies her advances and tells her to ‘start the year off right’, basically willing her to go to bed rather than back down the party where she can become further inebriated. The next day, Eleanor asks him to accompany her to a top secret party where she’s been told cryptically to meet up with someone who has information on her father’s killer. There, he ends up saving her life when the scene becomes too rowdy. That night, Eleanor, being a bit too shaken up, asks if she can sleep in the same bed as he. At first, the entire moment is strictly platonic, she just wants him nearby. But soon, curiosity stings every sensation. She wants to know if he remembers New Years, and though they both deny it, she continues on to kiss him, which leads to them sleeping together. This becomes a regular thing. Some nights, Eleanor would merely sleep in the same bed, as he would allow, and others, they would end up wrapped up in each other’s arms. Slowly but surely, they both fell hard for one another. Eleanor, however, was first to come to terms with this. Samuel kept pushing off his ‘feelings’, dismissing them for as long as he possibly could -- to the point, the night he manages to discover who killed Simon. Eleanor admits that she NEEDS him to stay. But, having gotten to know him well enough, she understands it won’t settle well, it would be like a never-ending pang of restless-leg syndrome if he were to stay put. So, she more or less tells him she empathizes and acknowledges his need for freedom. And though her heart aches in the process, they say their goodbyes. Just about two weeks down the line, Samuel returns, just in time for the family to be rounded up, prepared to take Ted Pryce down for his sins -- bringing Season 2 to it’s conclusion, but it’s Samuel that escorts and protects Len. This is a very minimized version of everything that happens, but it gets the gist of it thus far, onward to Season 3.

#long post for ts #this became MUCH longer than I anticipated! lol #theimpalpable #♥ give in & relish every minute of it. ( sennie. )#♥ you touched me and suddenly i was a lilac sky. ( samuel & len. )#( ♡ len & samuel. )#⚜ c'est la vie. ( headcanon. )#( s4 arc. / sennie. )#( s3 arc. / sennie. )#( s2 arc. / sennie. )#au: the one with the hacker with commitment issues.#( SENNIE TIMELINE. )

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gadgetgirl71 · 4 years

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This month reading list contains books from my ARC list with a couple from my GoodReads TBR list. I’m starting to try and make my lists a bit more varied so I not just reading ARC’s all the time.

Don’t forget to pop by again on the 6 November to see what book I pull out of the Random Jar of the Month.

November’s Books

The Rush’s Edge by Ginger Smith, Pages: 328, Publication Date: 10 November 2020

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Lizzie Shane, Pages: 357, Publication Date: 29 September 2020

Piransi (Sample Chapters) by Susanna Clark, Pages: 245, Publication Date: 15 September 2020

Colton’s Salvation (Demented Sons MC #1) by Kristine Allen, Pages: 292, Publication Date: 31 May 2017

A Prefect Paris Christmas by Mandy Baggot, Pages: 378, Publication Date: 3 September 2020

Synopsis: With the help of his commanding officer, a genetically engineered ex-soldier fights back against the government that created him and others like him to be expendable slaves.

Halvor Cullen, a genetically-engineered and technology implanted ex-solider, doesn’t see himself as a hero. After getting out of the service, all he’s interested in is chasing the adrenaline rush that his body was designed to crave. Hal knows he won’t live long anyway; vat soldiers like him are designed to die early or will burnt out from relentlessly seeking the rush. His best friend and former CO, Tyce, is determined not to let that happen and distracts him by work salvaging crashed ships in the Edge. But after a new crewmember—hacker-turned-tecker, Vivi—joins their band of misfits, they find a sphere that downloads an alien presence into their ship…

Let me know if you’ve read or reviewed any of these book, and tell me what you think of them. Or just let me know what books are on your reading list for November.

Synopsis: A delightful holiday romance about a small-town single dad and an animal rescue owner as they try to find forever homes for a dozen lovable pups before Christmas.

Pine Hollow has everything Ally Gilmore could wish for in a holiday break: gently falling snow in a charming small town and time with her family. Then she learns some Grinch has pulled the funding for her family’s rescue shelter, and now she has only four weeks to find new homes for a dozen dogs! But when she confronts her Scroogey councilman nemesis, Ally finds he’s far more reasonable — and handsome — than she ever expected.

As the guardian of his dog-obsessed ten-year-old niece, Ben West doesn’t have time to build a cuddly reputation. But he does feel guilty about the shelter closing. So he proposes a truce with Ally, agreeing to help her adopt out the pups. As the two spend more time together, the town’s gossip is spreading faster than Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. And soon Ben is hoping he can convince Ally that Pine Hollow is her home for the holidays… and the whole year through.

Synopsis: Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

For readers of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane and fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds.

Synopsis: Colton Alcott was a soldier with no family. The Army was not just his career; it was his life and the only thing he felt he needed. When he agreed to go home with his battle-buddy prior to deploying to Afghanistan, he had no idea that a single night with a woman he intended to be a one-night stand would become his beacon in the night. When his career is unexpectedly cut short and his inner demons threaten to consume him, he finds the comradery and brotherhood he thought he had lost with the Demented Sons Motorcycle Club. Stephanie Quinn was focused on her college graduation and the beginning of her culinary dreams. When her best friend, and roommate, dragged her to the big end-of-the-year party, she planned to hang out for a little while and then head home. Alone. What she didn’t anticipate was that the blue-eyed stranger she brought home would leave her with an unexpected surprise. A surprise destined to change both of their lives. Can two star-crossed lovers overcome the obstacles of fate and find one another in the vast ocean of life? Colton’s Salvation is a story of love lost, second chances, and the unforeseen salvation of a single tormented soul by an unexpected, but precious, gift.

Synopsis: United in grief. Pushed apart by tragedy.

Keeley Andrews knows more than anyone that you only live once. So when she receives an invitation to spend two weeks in Paris, all expenses paid, she jumps at the chance.

Ethan Bouchard has had the worst eighteen months of his life. He’s ready to give up on everything, including his hotel chain. So when he meets Keeley, it simply isn’t the right time.

As Keeley and Ethan continue to bump into each other on the romantic Parisian streets, they can’t help but wonder whether this is fate telling them to let go of the past and leap into the future…

Let me know if you’ve read or reviewed any of these book, and tell me what you think of them. Or just let me know what books are on your November reading list.

#ARC, #BookBlogger, #Books, #Bookshelf, #GoodReads, #NetGalley, #NetGalleyuk, #November2020,#November2020ReadingList, #ReadingChallenge, #ReadingList

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lipsglossy · 1 year

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𝗻ew թ𝗼st ⋆ ࣪.🇧🇷 ˒ ꒲ ৶ ꧇ 𑁤 🅲𝕣ᦸᩚ𝗱¡𝘁s 𝕓᪶𝘆ᩚ 𝕞𝗲ᩚ ָ࣪ .

. ' 슪ﾟׅ 𝐥𝕚k̲ᦸᩚ ★𝗿 ꔵᦸᩚ𝗯𝕝𖣠𝗴ᩧ 𖧷 ★̶̲ ⸼ 𖥨 𖣠 ⚽ :: :: ::

˚១ 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭, 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 ! യ₊

{a pedido da @glosshacker }

#aesthetic #with psd #random icons #with filter from pollar #richarlison #richarlison icons #brazil #brazil icons #mandy-hacker ask

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magzoso-tech · 4 years

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New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/iowas-caucus-app-was-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen/

Iowa’s caucus app was a disaster waiting to happen

A smartphone app designed to help announce the results of the Iowa caucus ended up crapping out and causing a massive delay by almost an entire day.

The Iowa caucus traditionally uses gatherings of people in counties across the state to determine which candidates they want to back for the presidential nomination. They use a paper trail as a way of auditing the results. While Iowa may have only 41 delegates needed out of 1,990 to nominate a Democratic candidate, the results are nevertheless seen as a nationwide barometer for who might be named to the ticket.

In an effort to modernize and speed up the process, the Iowa Democrats commissioned an app to speed up the process.

But the app, built by a company called Shadow Inc., failed spectacularly. Some districts had to call in their results instead.

Iowa Democrats spokesperson Mandy McClure described the app’s failure as a “reporting issue” rather than a security matter or a breach. McClure later said it was a “coding issue.” The results had been expected to land late on Monday but have now been delayed until Tuesday afternoon, according to the Iowa Democrats.

Who could have seen it coming? Actually, quite a few people.

“There was no need whatsoever for an app,” said Zeynep Tufekci, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina in a tweet.

Little is known about the app, which has been shrouded in secrecy even after it was profiled by NPR in January. The app was the first-of-its-kind to be used in a U.S. presidential nomination process, despite concerns that use of electronics or apps might open up the process to hackers.

What is known is that details of its security were kept secret amid fears that it could be used by hackers to exploit the system. That’s been criticized by security experts who say “security through obscurity” is a fallacy. Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf said on television Tuesday that the Iowa Democrats declined an offer from the agency to test the app for security flaws. And because of the secrecy, there’s no evidence to show that the app went through extensive testing — or if it did, what levels of testing and scrutiny it went through.

Some say the writing was on the wall.

“Honestly, there is no need to attribute conspiracy or call shenanigans on what happened with the new app during the Iowa caucuses,” Dan McFall, chief executive at app testing company Mobile Labs, told me in an email. “It’s a tale that we have seen with our enterprise customers for years: A new application was pushed hard to a specific high profile deadline. Mobility is much harder than people realize, so initial release was likely delayed, and to make the deadline, they cut the process of comprehensive testing and then chaos ensues.”

Others agreed. Doyon Reuveni, who heads up software testing firm Applause, said the app should have gone through extensive testing and real-world testing to see the “blind spots” that the app’s own developers may not see. And Simone Petrella, chief executive of cybersecurity firm CyberVista and former analyst at the Department of Defense, said there was no need for a sophisticated solution to a simple problem.

“A Google Sheet or another shared document could suffice,” she said. “It is incredibly difficult — and costly — to build and deliver solutions that are designed to ensure security and still are intuitive to an end user,” said Petrella. “If you’re going to build a solution or application to solve for this type of issue, then you’re going to have to make sure it’s designed with security in mind from the start and do rigorous product testing and validation throughout the development process to ensure everything is captured and data is being directed properly and securely.”

The high-profile failure is likely to send alarm bells to other districts and states with similar plans in place ahead of their respective caucuses before the Democratic National Convention in July, where the party will choose their candidate for president.

Nevada was said to be using the app next for its upcoming caucus in February, but that plan has been nixed.

“We will not be employing the same app or vendor used in the Iowa caucus,” the spokesperson said. “We had already developed a series of backups and redundant reporting systems and are currently evaluating the best path forward.”

In a tweet, Shadow Inc. expressed “regret” about the problems with the Iowa caucus, and that it “will apply the lessons learned in the future.”

Why an app was used for such an important issue is a question that many will be asking themselves today. At least on the bright side, Iowa is now a blueprint of how not to use tech in elections.

#Miscellaneous

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suzanneshannon · 4 years

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My Interview and Podcast Production Process on the Hanselminutes Podcast

Hey! Did you know I have a podcast? A few actually but Hanselminutes has been doing for over 700 episodes over 13 years and it's pretty good if I may say so myself. It's a 30 min show meant for your commute. It offers fresh faces and a fresh perspective on lots of topics. While it's often tech and programming-focused, I do often have guests on to talk about less techie things like relationships, mental health, life hacks and more. I model the show after Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

I recently got a tweet from Xi Xaio asking how I host my show. The planning, the content, the restricted timing, the energy, avoiding wasted time and words, etc. Getting a good question is a gift as it leads to a blog post! So thank you Xi for this gift.

If you work for NPR, you're welcome to put all 350 hours of the show on any public radio station. I'm also available to host Fresh Air or, ahem, Science Friday, and I'd do a good job at it.

Here are Xi's questions and my answers. You might also like my article How to start your first podcast - equipment, editing, publishing and more as well.

How do you keep up the number of guests for a weekly podcast?

I haven’t had too much trouble as I just watch hacker news, Reddit, Twitter, etc and if I see someone cool I will invite them. I have 8 guests "in the can"right now so I like to stay a month or two ahead. I also prioritize quieter people. Lots of folks have a PR or press person (I get a dozen pitches a week) but the most interesting people aren't doing podcasts because they are making amazing art/tech. So I like to talk to them. I know I've gotten someone good when their response is "me? Why me?" Well, because you're making/thinking/commentating!

What drives you to keep publishing even when you are on holiday, for the promise of a new episode each week - for better audience engagement, or for the demands of the advertisers?

Consistency is key and king. If you publish regularly people start to (consciously or unconsciously) come to expect it. You can fit into their life when they know your show is every week, for example. Others “publish when they can” and that means their show has no heartbeat and can’t be counted on. Life is a marathon, not a sprint, and step one is showing up. I like to show up every week. When I took a few months off last year to stay in South Africa, I had 12 shows already recorded and scheduled before I left.

You introduce the guest on their behalf. Why not let guests do it themselves?

Because most people aren’t good at introducing themselves, advocating for themselves, or talking about themselves. I like to take a moment, be consistent and talk them up. It starts the show well because it reminds them they are awesome!

You keep the episode length within 30 mins. Guests are different, some keep talking and some are succinct. How do you achieve this goal?

A typical show has 6 bullet points, 5 minutes each, as I plan the content. I'll do a lot of research (think 50 tabs open, etc) and then I work out the story arc (where do we want to take the audience) with the guest ahead of time, and I optimize the show and conversation for that process.

We bounce bullet points back and forth over email for a while or have a preliminary Skype/Facetime.

Would you mind sharing your content producing procedures after recording? I'd love to learn what steps you take from editing to publishing, and tips to be more efficient.

I store everything in a workflow of folders in Dropbox. I have an “input raw shows” folder and an “output produced shows” folder. I use zencastr to record, and the result is a WAV file for each speaker. Then my paid producer Mandy will level the audio, edit and merge them in Audacity, then add the music, produce the MP3, add the ID3tags, and put the result in the output folder. Then she uploads it to Simplecast and schedules the show for Thursday. My custom-built podcast site then pulls the show from the Simplecast REST API and it shows up at http://hanselminutes.com.

In addition to your perseverance, what other recommendations do you have to new tech podcast hosts, like me?

Perseverance is key. No one listened to my first hundred shows. Do this for yourself first, and the audience later.

Also, audio quality is everything. If it’s low or bad or hard to hear you’ll lose audiences. One other tip, as you get better as an interviewer the less you’ll have too edit, which will save you time. If you mess up, stop. Clap, then start again. The clap makes it easy to see the mistake (it'll be a spike on the audio waveform) and then you can do a "pull up" and just elide that portion.

What do you mean by "I optimize the show and conversation for that process"

The point of a story is the story arc. You can't just randomly chat with folks, you need to have a plan and a direction. Where are you taking the listener? How will you get them there? Are you being empathic and putting yourself in the shoes of the listener? What do they know, what do they not know?

How much should you talk?

Less. It's not about me or you, it's about the guest. I play a role. I play the foil. What is a foil?

foil - a person or thing that contrasts with and so emphasizes and enhances the qualities of another.

Here is a real show. I'm in green. I'm there to ask YOUR questions (as you're not there!) and advocate for the listener. Whether or not I know the answer or not isn't important. I'm there to expand acronyms, provide context, and guide the journey.

Do you have a podcast? Leave a link below and share YOUR process!

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My Interview and Podcast Production Process on the Hanselminutes Podcast published first on https://deskbysnafu.tumblr.com/

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philipholt · 4 years