#th: callum flynn.

[niaxbailey]

Who || @papaflynn Where || Alvaro's Restaurant. One of their new wait staff appeared in the doorway to Nia's office with a somewhat confused expression, 'Nia - there's a guy asking for his usual table and if you were in. Should I say you're busy or...' the young woman's voice trailed off in uncertainty. "Ah, yeah he's a friend. I'll be out in a minute. It's table six, in the corner. I'll grab his drink when I come out so don't worry about it." In a way that very few people could pull her so swiftly from her work Nia was up and walking through the kitchen to the front in two minutes flat. "If it isn't my favorite regular." She beamed at Callum, approaching the table with an iced water for them both. She eased into the seat opposite him, "You have good timing. I might've skipped lunch so I should probably sit and have dinner with you." She didn't need to glance at the menu, knowing it by heart. "To what do I owe the honor of your visiting?"

[emilmoreno]

Emil chuckled, a little relieved that he wasn't alone in how pathetic that sounded out loud. "Yeah, I missed out on the early life training." He joked, having been with his ex-wife through the end of high school, and college. "Well you don't have to worry about me trying to set you up or anything, man. Got enough of that happening to me." In fact, he was pretty sure there was a blind date in his very near future. Emil needed to get better with the word 'no, thank you'. "Yeah, it is. In my case, they also kind of have to deal with my ex-wife... co-parenting." He didn't imagine she'd make it easy on someone, not with the way things had been going. Even if she didn't actively make it difficult, some people just weren't comfortable with having to be around your ex regularly. Which he thought was understandable.

Something told Callum that two single dad's spending their nights together didn't exactly scream Lothario. "Me?" Callum laughed, then shook his head. "I can't remember the last time I went on a date!" It was true. He had been so busy working and taking care of Aoibheann that he had no time for himself or dating. Mari had been trying for a while now to get him out there, but Callum wasn't so sure. It didn't help that any free time he did have he spent it with Mari, the girl trying to get him linked up on tinder dates. Maybe that was part of the problem... Not that Callum cared. He'd much rather hang with someone he knew he would have a good time with than some stranger. "It's hard when you've a kid as I'm sure you know. I want someone who loves Aoibheann and that's a lot to ask of someone on the first date..."

[weepingclwn]

MISHA HSR NPT

[ Requested on Discord ]

︵︵ Names : Cosmo, Nova, Astra, Moon/Moony/Moonie, Dream(s)/Dreamer, Asa, Micah, Luca, Jude, Elias, Owen, Flynn, Jonah, Callum, Asa, Ewan, Orion, Atlas, Stella, Altair, Apollo, Astrophel, Castor, Cielo, Comet, Cupid, Finlay, Eilo, Hesperos, Hoku, Pluto, Pollux

︵︵ Pronouns : H☆/H☆m, S☆/H☆r, Th☆y/Th☆m, Spae/Space, Stelle/Stellar, Astro/Aster, Gala/Galaxy, Star/Star's, 🛎️/🛎️'s, (Be)Bell/Bell's, Bell/Bellboy, 🕰️/🕰️'s, Space/Space's, Comet/Comet's, Super/Nova, Zzz/Zzz's, Dream/Dream's, 💭/💭's, Cos/Cosmic's, Moon/Moon's, Constellation/Constellation's, 💫/💫's, 🌠/🌠's, 🌌/🌌's, 🌟/🌟's

︵︵ Titles : [ Not Sure ]

[thisguyatthemovies]

Austen done right

Title: “Emma”

Release date: In theaters Feb. 21, 2020; on disc/streaming March 20, 2020

Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, Josh O’Connor, Callum Turner, Rupert Graves, Gemma Whalen, Amber Anderson, Tanya Reynolds, Connor Swindells, Chloe Pirrie, Oliver Chris

Directed by: Autumn de Wilde

Run time: 2 hours, 2 minutes

Rated: PG

What it’s about: Based on the 1815 novel of the same name by Jane Austen, a young, well-to-do woman in early 19th century England meddles in the romantic lives of her friends but, saying she is not interested in marrying, can’t see love right in front of her.

How I saw it: “Emma” is short on originality in the story department but long on just about everything else that matters. Director Autumn de Wilde and screenwriter Eleanor Catton mine familiar source material. Jane Austen’s 1815 novel of the same name has been adapted into more than a dozen movie, TV and stage versions, including the hit 1995 cinematic teen comedy “Clueless.” Catton and de Wilde don’t stray far from Austen’s snappy, humorous, multi-layered satirical take on love, manners and the class system in early 19th century England. They breathe new life into it, however, through glowing cinematography, gorgeous period piece costumes and, most of all, perfect casting and spot-on performances from actors who seem like they are having the time of their lives. “Emma” must have been fun to make because it’s so much fun to watch.

In case you haven’t read the book or caught any of the previous adaptations: “Emma” centers on Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy, “Split,” “The VVitch”), a young woman who is “handsome, clever and rich.” She is the lady of the house at Hartfield, an estate in the fictional small country village of Highbury, where she lives with her widowed father, Mr. Woodhouse (Bill Nighy). Emma, because she introduced her governess, Miss Taylor (Gemma Whelan), to the man she is marrying (Mr. Weston, played by Rupert Graves), fancies herself a matchmaker. She is not as good as it as she thinks, however, and her meddling and the nature of romance cause much chaos among the townspeople. Emma has proclaimed herself not ready to get married, though she has a brief flirtation with a wealthy young man who has returned to the village for a visit (Callum Turner as Frank Churchill) and though an older neighbor and estate owner (Johnny Flynn as George Knightley) clearly has a thing for Emma even as he is critical of her.

Austen wove a tangled web of love, and it’s fascinating to watch the story take so many twists and turns that you might need a chart to keep track. Just as an example, take Philip Elton (Josh O’Connor), a young, good-looking vicar who is unmarried early in the story. He seems to be interested in Harriet Smith (Mia Goth), an unsophisticated teenage girl Emma has befriended who has an offer of marriage from Robert Martin (Connor Swindells), a well-to-do 24-year-old farmer. But it is Emma who Mr. Elton wants (he also wants her money), and when he makes a pass at her and is rejected, he goes away and comes back with a bride, Augusta Elton (Tanya Reynolds), a pretentious woman short on manners.

There’s much more where that came from, but the romance bubbling under it all is the one that Emma is too stubborn to see. In the novel, Mr. Knightley is nearly old enough to be Emma’s father, which makes it understandable why he does a lot of what we now call “mansplaining.” Here, Emma and Mr. Knightley seem closer in age (though Flynn is 11 years the senior of Taylor-Joy), and even when Mr. Knightley is being critical of Emma, it is clear that he feels a sense of remorse afterward and is more drawn to her each time.

Their romance blossoms after the centerpiece scene, when most of the main characters go on a picnic. A bored Frank Churchill urges those in attendance to play a game to amuse Emma, who uses the opportunity to insult Miss Bates (Miranda Hart), a talkative, busybody of a woman who came from money but is now living in poverty. Everyone becomes angry with Emma, and Mr. Knightley lectures Emma on her lack of decorum. Emma, perhaps seeing her own shortcomings for the first time, visits Miss Bates to apologize, and that impresses Mr. Knightley. They end up together – as we all knew they would -- and they live happily ever after.

The cast is dazzling from top to bottom. They deliver a witty script with impeccable comedic timing. “Emma” is dialogue heavy (especially, of course, with Miss Bates, and Hart is a hoot playing her), but even when it isn’t, so much of the tone is set through the expressions and body movements of the actors. Little glances, a quick tilt of the head and smirks mean a lot. We also start to get a sense of what is about to happen between Emma and Mr. Knightley during a beautifully filmed and acted dance scene. When the two are wrapping up a dance, the camera moves in on the couple holding hands rested against Emma’s hip. When Mr. Knightley starts to pull away, Emma’s hand reaches for his for just a second, as if she is not ready to let go. It’s a special moment in a film full of them if you pay attention to the details.

“Emma,” because of its engaging story and depth of character across numerous major players, is the type of film that will become only more rewarding with repeated views. And no doubt you’ll want to view it more than once.

My score: 93 out of 100

Should you watch it? Yes. You will enjoy this film even if you aren’t into period pieces and romantic comedies.

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior February 21, 2020 – CALL OF THE WILD, BRAHMS: THE BOY II, THE IMPRACTICAL JOKERS MOVIE, EMMA and more!

After overestimating Birds of Prey… I mean, Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey… it looks like I underestimated Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog… I mean Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik… with Sonic. It truly spanked my lowball prediction in the mid-$40 millions, but I wasn’t alone there at least. Hey, it’s a fun movie and my positive review wasn’t off-base with the critical world at large, so there’s that, too.  (Apparently, I liked both Downhill and Fantasy Island more than most people, including CinemaScore voters who gave the movies a “D” and “C-“ respectively… ouch!)

This is likely to be another down week as neither of the two new movies are particularly strong, which gives me a chance to focus instead on this week’s FEATURED MOVIES! And we have four of ‘em this week, no less!

That’s right. I think it’s time I go back to my previous desire to use this column to focus on smaller movies that you may have missed since very few of the bigger outlets bother to cover them, and there’s a few worth pointing out this week. I’m gonna start with the two foreign films, because hopefully, you’ve listened to Bong Joon-ho and his translator and are not as fearful of subtitles…

First up, opening on Wednesday at New York’s Film Forumis Jan Komasa’s CORPUS CHRISTI (Film Movement), Poland’s selection for the Oscar International Feature category, which was actually nominated for an Oscar in the category in which everyone already knew Parasite was always gonna win! It’s a shame, cause this is a really amazing film with Bartosz Bielenia playing Daniel, a troubled youth just out of juvenile hall who steals the trappings and identity of the youth prison’s pastor and is therefore mistaken as an actual priest when he arrives at a small community village that has suffered a tragic loss. It’s an amazing film about faith and forgiveness and redemption, and how the script came to Komasa from screenwriter Mateusz Pacewic is an equally amazing story. Seriously, if you get a chance, definitely check this powerful drama out, since it’s another fantastic film from a country that has continually been delivering the goods in terms of original storytelling.

I was just going to do three featured movies this week, but a really good German thriller is finally hitting the States, opening at the Quad in New York Friday then in L.A. on March 13 before a nationwide rollout. Michael Bully Herbig’s incredibly suspenseful German thriller BALLOON (Distrib Films USA) is about two families from the GDR (aka East Germany) who try to cross over into West Germany in 1979 using a hot air balloon, over a decade before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Based on the actual events, their story previously was adapted into the Disney movie Night Crossing (which oddly, isn’t on Disney+ yet-- I checked­, but it’s on Amazon Prime if you wanna compare the two movies). The movie doesn’t spend nearly as much time in the balloon as something like The Aeronauts, as the family’s first attempt fails miserably, so much of the film involves them working towards a second attempt, while trying not to be caught.

Balloon is a pretty heavy film (irony?), sometimes a little overwrought with drama but it keeps you on the edge of your seat as it cuts between the families trying to figure out their escape plan and the authorities trying to put together the clues to find these defectors. There’s a particularly amusing man in charge of the investigation, played by the always-amazing Thomas Kretschmann (The Pianist), who is constantly berating his men, something that helps lighten the otherwise heavy tone that permeates the film. This is another fairly low-key foreign film that’s worth seeking out.

Another movie people should make an effort to seek out is Rashaad Ernesto Green’s PREMATURE (IFC Films), an amazing film that follows the relationship between two young people in Harlem over the course of a summer. We first meet Zora Howard’s Ayanna as she’s hanging with her friends kibitzing about boys, as they begin their last summer before Ayanna heads to college. Shortly after, she meets Josh Boone’s Isaiah, and the two hit it off. The rest of the film follows the ups and downs of their relationship including incredibly intimate moments that lead up to Ayanna getting pregnant.

I won’t go through the plot play-by-play style, because it’s interesting to discover the twist and turns in their relationship in a similar way as we do our own relationships. Needless to say Green has a pretty amazing partner and lead in Howard, who co-wrote the screenplay, which is probably why it feels so authentic and real. Sure, there are a few scenes between Howard and Boone, both fantastic actors, that feel a bit too showy dramatically but otherwise, it’s a fantastic second feature from Green who has mainly been directing TV since his earlier film Gun Hill Road. I’ll definitely be very curious to see what Green and Howard get up to next either alone or working together.

Opening in New York and L.A. this Friday but in theaters nationwide on March 6 is the latest incarnation of Jane Austen’s novel EMMA. (Focus Features), this time starring the wonderful Anya Taylor-Joy (from The VVitchand Split/Glass) as the title character, Emma Woodhouse, a 28-year-old matchmaker who prides herself on the relationships she’s put together even while unable to find her own mate.  The film follows as the latter starts coming in the way of the former as she infiltrates herself into things as an “expert on love” who can’t find it herself.

Maybe it’s not surprising that I haven’t read much of Austen’s work and have missed this one altogether, never having seen any of the other iterations, but it’s a fairly wild and witty ride. Much of that is due to the amazing and wonderful cast around the young actor, the most surprising behind Mia Goth, who is in fact three years older than Taylor-Joy, but plays the younger wide-eyed Harriet who looks up to Emma and elicits her advice. Emma basically steers Harriet from the farmer she likes to Josh O’Connor’s Mr. Elton, the wealthy local vicar who is more than a little bit of a dark. This leads to a bit of a revolving door of who is interested in whom, etc especially when Emma’s nemesis Jane Fairfax (Amber Anderson) returns to Hartfield.

Some of the other men in the mix are Johnny Flynn’s dashing George Knightley – the brother-in-law to Emma’s sister – and Callum Turner’s wealthy Frank Churchill, whose attentions lead to more misunderstandings. Both were great but I was more impressed with O’Connor who transforms into a completely other person when Emma spurns his affections and seems like a different person from the way first-time features director (and photographer) Autumn de Wilde shoots him. Of course, Bill Nighy is as great as always as Emma’s father, always feeling a slight draft, but even more impressive is the wonderfully hilarious Miranda Hart (from Spy) as Miss Bates, a woman who gabs at length about how wonderful Jane Fairfax is, much to Emma’s annoyance. As much as Emma. is Anya Taylor-Joy’s show, it’s the ensemble cast around her that makes the movie so infinitely enjoyable, getting better as it goes along.

This is a very good first feature from de Wilde, who has directed quite a number of music videos for Beck, and Emma. seems very different from the movies we normally get from video directors, much of that to do with Austen’s source material and the cast. Either way, how things develop over the course of the film makes it more enjoyable as it goes along. (Although I have never read the book, the film seems fairly faithful to the book’s Wikipedia page, so Austen fans should enjoy it, too.)

I guess we can now get to the wide and semi-wide releases and the rest of the movies – merging my two columns into one means you get more 5,000-word columns, you lucky ducks!

The higher-profile of the two new wide releases is probably CALL OF THE WILD (20thCentury Studios), a PG adaptation of Jack London’s classic novel starring Harrison Ford and the most adorable CG dog (i.e. not real, so back off PETA!) you’ve ever met named Buck! Sure, dog lovers might say, “Why would we want to watch a movie with a CG dog when clearly, a movie with actors in green suits turned into dogs using CG would suffice?” But no, it’s actually a very heavily CG movie directed by Chris Sanders, who directed Lilo & Sitch, the first How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods before giving a go at live action. (Sanders also provided quite a few voices in earlier animated films like Disney’s Mulan and Tarzan.)

A film that already was well into production when Disney bought Fox (now 20thCentury Studios), Call of the Wild also stars Omar Sy (returning for next year’s “Jurassic World” finale), Karen Gillan, Dan Stevens, Bradley Whitford but the real star of the movie is the dog Buck, which is performed by the immensely talented Terry Notary, who you’ll know for his work on the “Apes” movies with Andy Serkis, Kong: Skull Island and some of the characters in the last couple “Avengers” movies.

Of course, opening the weekend after Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog, which has turned out to be a bigger hit than anyone imagined, certainly won’t help The Call of the Wild.

In many ways, this reminds me of the 2002 Disney movie Snow Dogs, which opened with $17.8 million over the 4-day MLK weekend. The combination of Ford (who appears in very few movies) and the adorable dog antics might be enough for the movie to make $15 to 17 million this weekend, maybe a little more, although it only has two weeks to do business before Disney’s next Pixar movie, Onward, takes over, not giving it much time to make bank.

Mini-Review: It’s pretty evident that this exceedingly faithful take on Jack London’s book will not be for everyone. While I personally was mixed, I expect this to be one of the rare positive reviews just ‘cause. Surprisingly, it’s also the most “Disneyfied” movie that could possibly come from the newly-renamed 21stCentury Studios as it’s a movie clearly made for kids and animal lovers even if never the ‘twain shall meet, in some cases.

The story follows a large St. Bernard named Buck (portrayed by Terry Notary – but we’ll get back to that), who begins his life as the spoiled and pampered pet of a wealthy judge in California but is sold to a man who trains Buck with his club sending the dog on a wild journey across the Yukon as part of a dog sled for a pair of Canadian postal workers (played by Omar Sy and Cara Gee from “The Expanse”). Eventually, he’s paired with an alcoholic frontiersman (Harrison Ford) and he finds true love, as the two of them go off looking (and finding) gold.

Some might be surprised that director Chris Sanders (who has an extensive animation background) decided to go for straight-up CG when depicting the animals and some of the environments in Call of the Wild. In fact, it feels almost necessary to make Buck as expressive as he needs to be to carry this film, and that’s where Terry Notary (Andy Serkis’ partner-in-performance-capture from the “Apes” movies) and the CG team comes in handy. Buck is already lovable but being able to make him so expressive doesn’t hurt, and the scenes where he’s interacting with other animals are pretty amazing.

We do have to discuss the negatives, and one of them is the episodic nature of Buck’s story that means that Harrison Ford, other than the narration and a brief appearance, doesn’t play a large part in Buck’s story until about the 45-minute mark. I didn’t think much of the performances by Sy and Gee or Dan Steven and Karen Gillan as the spoiled rich people who buy Buck to drive their dog sled off to find gold. Buck’s experiences as part of the first dog sled is far more positive even though it’s rigorous and it puts him at odd with the dog pack leader. The problem is that most of the human actors don’t come close to delivering what Notary does as Buck, the exception being Ford, but it’s still one of those odd CG-live action amalgations that doesn’t always work.

If you’re fond of Jack London’s Arctic adventures (as I generally am), Call of the Wild offers as much good as it does bad, but it’s worthwhile more for the amazing vistas and terrific use of CG (and Terry Notary’s performance as Buck) than anything else.

Rating: 6.5/10

I won’t have a chance to see the horror sequel BRAHMS: THE BOY II (STXfilms), but I never got around to seeing the first movie either, although this one, starring Katie Holmes, does look kind of fun. 2020 has not been a great year for horror so far with almost a new horror every weekend and few doing particularly well – The Grudge tops the heap with just $21 million and that opened almost two months ago!

I really don’t have a lot to say about this other than the fact that the original The Boy(not to be confused with The Boy, The Boy or The Boy, which are also movies about a different “Boy”), also directed by William Brent Bell, opened in January 2016 to $10.8 million on its way to $35.8 million domestic but it also opened at a time when there were no strong horror films in theaters. Some could argue that there are still no strong horror films in theaters, especially since so many of them quickly lost theaters after bombing. Still, there have been a lot this year already and the most recent one, Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island underperformed this past weekend, so why would anyone want more?

STXfilms’ marketing has been solid even as this moved from its December release to now, but I still think it will be tough for this to make more than $10 million this weekend and probably will end up closer to $8 million or less.

Opening in limited release but also sure to be exciting to the fans of the TruTV hidden camera prank show is IMPRACTICAL JOKERS: THE MOVIE, which brings the hilarious Tenderloins comedy troop – Q, Murr, Sal and Joe -- to the big screen as they go off on a cross-country adventure to attend a party in Florida, playing their usual prank-filled games to see which three get to attend. At this writing, I have no idea how many theaters it’s opening – I’m assuming 150 to 200 maybe? – so no idea how it might do although there are already some sold out showings in my general area (NYC) where the guys are from.

Mini-Review: It feels like there need to be two reviews for this movie – one for those who already know and love the show and find the Tenderloins hysterical (this includes me) —and then one for everyone else.  The former can probably skip the next paragraph.

The Tenderloins are a group of four Staten Island friends (names above) whose antics led to a successful TruTV hidden camera show where they pull pranks and challenge each other to say and do whatever they’re told. The show has run eight seasons, and it’s made the Tenderloins such big stars they regularly sell out enormous venues (like Radio City Music Hall) to perform live for their fans. Considering the success Johnny Knoxville’s “Jackass” show has had in movie theaters where it can take advantage of an R-rating, there’s little reason why the “Impractical Jokers” shouldn’t be able to do the same. (For some context, I watched this movie with a theater full of the group’s friends, crew as well as Q’s firehouse buddies, in other words, 75% of Staten Island.)

The movie, directed by Chris Henchy, long time McKay and Ferrell collaborator – the film is presented by their “Funny or Die” brand –opens with one of a number of scripted/staged scenes to frame the road trip the Tenderloins to attend a party in Miami being held by Paula Abdul. Since they only have three passes, they need to compete in their usual challenges to determine who misses out.

If you are a fan of the show, I’m not going to spoil any of the challenges or pranks they plan on each other, but they generally get better and funnier as the movie goes along, to the point that when it returns to the “story” and the scripted stuff, the movie does falter a little. Although the Tenderloins aren’t the greatest actors, they are great improvisers and you can tell when they’re coming up with lines by the seat of their pants.

The majority of the movie is basically what we see on the show without all of the commercial breaks cutting in just as things start to get outrageous, and as someone who watches more of the show than I probably should admit, I find it hard to believe no one watching the movie will at least get one good snicker out of the movie. There are a few recurring gags throughout the movie as well as a follow-up to a memorable punishment from an earlier season. (Like with the show, you’re likely to feel bad for Murr and Sal, the nicer half of the group who always get the most abuse because of it.)

If you’re already a fan of the Impractical Jokers, you’ll probably like the movie, but if not, you might not get it and there’s just no real use trying. In other words, not a great intro to the “Impractical Jokers” but a fine bit of fun for the already-converted.

Rating: 6.5/10

This week’s Top 10 should look something like this…

1. Sonic the Hedgehog  (Paramount) - $29 million -50% (up $1.5 million)**

2. Call of the Wild (20th Century) - $17 million N/A (up .3 million)** 3. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey  (Warner Bros) - $9 million -48%

4. Brahms: The Boy II (STXfilms) - $7 million N/A (down .6 million)**

5. Bad Boys for Life (Sony) - $6 million -48% (down .1 million)**

6. The Photograph (Universal) – $5.5 million -55% (down .6 million)**

7. Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island (Sony) - $5.3 million -57%

8. 1917 (Universal) - $5 million -38%

9. Parasite (NEON) - $3.6 million -35%

10. Jumanji: The Next Level  (Sony) - $3.3 million -42%

-- The Impractical Jokers Movie (TruTV) - $1.8 million*

-- Las Pildoras de mi Novio (Pantelion/Lionsgate) - $1.3 million*

* These last two projections are made without much info on either movie, including theater counts for the former.

**A few minor tweaks as we go into weekends with actual theater counts, although this weekend will still mostly be about Sonic the Hedgehog. I still don’t have any theater counts for Impractical Jokers on Thursday night so I guess we’ll just have to see if the theaters playing it report to Rentrak and it gets some sort of placement, presumably outside the top 10, on Sunday. 

LIMITED RELEASES

There are lots of other new limited releases this weekend beyond the ones I mentioned above.

On Wednesday night, Fathom Events is releasing Masaaki Yuasa’s new movie RIDE YOUR WAVE (GKIDS) across the nation for one night only in some places, although it will get a limited release on Friday at New York’s Village East and maybe other places, as well. If you’ve seen any of Yuasa’s other films like 2017’s The Night is Short, Walk on Girl or Lu Over the Wall or Mind Game, then you can probably expect this to be another wild ride, except this time it’s on a surfboard. It follows the story of a surfer and a firefighter who fall in love. You can learn more about how to get tickets here.

Like Portrait of a Lady on Fire last week, Una director Benedict Andrews’ SEBERG (Amazon) received a one-week release in 2019 but it’s getting a legit limited release this Friday. It stars Kristen Stewart as French New Wave icon Jean Seberg who came to the States in the late ‘60s and began a relationship with civil rights leader Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie), putting her in the sights of the FBI who were hoping to use her to bust the Black Panthers. The film also stars Jack O’Connell, Margaret Qualley, Vince Vaughn, and Stephen Root, and it’s a pretty solid historical drama, although I haven’t seen it so long I’m not sure I can say much more about that.

I was never a huge fan of Bob Dylan or the Band but I found Daniel Roher’s doc ONCE WERE BROTHERS: ROBBIE ROBERTSON AND THE BAND (Magnolia) (about the latter) to be quite compelling as the story is told by various people who were there, including the film’s exec. producer Martin Scorsese who directed the band’s legendary concert film The Last Waltz. This is also produced by Ron Howard and Brian SGrazer of Imagine, so you know it’s gonna be a quality music doc, and it certainly is, although I’m not sure it will be of that much interest to people who aren’t already fans of The Band.

Opening in roughly 350 theaters this weekend is LAS PILDORAS DE MI NOVIO (Pantelion), translated as “My Boyfriend’s Meds,” a comedy about a woman (Sandra Echeverria) who falls for a mattress store owner who suffers from multiple personality disorder and when they go on vacation… he forgets to bring along his meds! Humor abounds. As usual, this won’t screen in advance for critics.

Tye Sheridan stars with Knives Out’s Ana De Armas in Michael Cristofer’s thriller The Night Clerk (Saban Films), Sheridan plays a hotel clerk with Asperger’s Syndrome who witnesses a murder in one of the rooms but ends up as the main suspect by the lead detective, played by John Leguizamo. The film also stars Helen Hunt and it will be released in select theaters (including New York’s Cinema Village), on demand and digitally this Friday. Just couldn’t into this one, having at least one good friend with Asperger’s, due to the way Sheridan played this often-debilitating disease. (Think Rain Man without the talent of Dustin Hoffman.)

Opening exclusively at theMetrographFriday with an expansion on March 3 is Portugese filmmaker Bruno de Almeida’s Cabaret Maxime (Giant Pictures), starring Michael Imperioli as Bennie Gaza, the owner and manager of the title nightclub specializing in a mix of burlesque, striptease, music and comedy. Bennie is fairly old-fashioned so when a modern day (translation: trashy and demeaning to women) strip club opens across the way, Bennie finds himself pressure to make changes to stay in line as he starts getting pressure from his mobster financer to change. I was kinda mixed on this movie, which delivers another typically great performance from Imperioli but the way it cuts between various acts and disparate scenes that do very little to move the story forward (including the far-more-interesting subplot about Bennie’s wife Stella, a performer suffering from depression, as played by the amazing Ana Padrão). I think one of the reasons I just couldn’t get into the movie is cause a friend of mine attempted a similar film based out of a nightclub and the film never got much traction. De Almeida should have paid more attention developing the storytelling than showing off his talented musical singing/dancing friends.

A second Portugese filmmaker, Pedro Costa, also releases a new film this week.  Vitalina Varela (Grasshopper Film) will open at New York’s Film at Lincoln Center on Friday. The title of the film is also the name of the non-actor who returns from Costa’s Horse Moneyto play a woman from Cape Verdean who comes to Fontainhas for her estranged husband’s funeral and sets up a new life there.

Also opening at the Quad Friday is the latest from the Dardenne Brothers, Young Ahmed (Kino Lorber) about a 13-year-old (Idir ben Addi) who has come under the grips of radical jihadism in his Belgian town, putting him at odds with various factions. When he carries out an act of violence, he ends up in a juvenile detention facility. The Dardennes won the Best Director award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, where their films have been honored with the Palme d’Or twice. I’ve never been much of a fan but what do I know?

Opening at the IFC Center Wednesday is Nicolas Champeaux, Gilles Porte’s documentary The State Against Mandela and the Others, which is built around recently recovered audio recordings of the 1963-4 Rivona trial in which Nelson Mandela and eight others faced death sentences for challenging Apartheid. The film mixes animation showing the trails with contemporary interviews with the survivors including Winnie Mandela, about their fight against the country’s corrupt system.

Another doc I know little about is Andrew Goldberg’s Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations, which will open at the Village East Friday but it includes the likes of Julianna Margulies, Tony Blair and Bill Clinton as anti-semitism rears its ugly head over 70 years after the end of World War II and the Holocaust.

Also opening at Cinema Village is Matt Ratner’s Standing Up, Falling Down (Shout! Studios) starring Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz (the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog!), the latter playing a stand-up comic whose L.A. dreams have crashed and burned leaving him with little money, forcing him to return to Long Island. Once there, he pines over his ex (Eloise Mumford) and becomes friends with an eccentric dermatologist (Crystal) as they help each other deal with their respective failures.

Playing at the Roxy for a one-week run starting Friday is Sam De Jong’s Goldie (Film Movement), starring actress/model Slick Woods as the title character, a teenager in a family shelter pursuing her dreams of being a dancer while trying to keep her sisters together. This premiered at the Tribeca Film Festivallast year.

Oscilloscope (the distributor that brought you the cat doc Kedi) is doing something called “Cat Video Fest 2020,” which will take place at the Alamo in Brooklyn (although the Saturday screening is sold out there) and the Village East Cinema. This screening of pre-selected cat videos is also taking place at other cities throughout the country, and you can find out where right here.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

This Friday, the Metrograph will debut its newest series “Climate Crisis Parabels,” a series of varied future shock films, this weekend with Robert Bresson’s The Devil, Probably (1977), Steven Spielberg’s 2001 film A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke (1999) (hosted by Naomi Klein Sunday afternoon, but also playing as part of the Playtime Family Matinees”) and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner: The Final Cu ton Sunday night. “To Hong Kong with Love” also continues with screenings of Stanley Kwan’s Rouge (1987) and the 2016 film Raise the Umbrellas. The ongoing Welcome To Metrograph: Redux also continues with HarunFarocki’sdocumentary Before Your Eyes: Vietnam (1981).  This week’s Late Nites at Metrograph is another Japanese thriller, Hiroshi Teshigahara’s 1966 thriller The Face of Another, and the Metrograph’s Japanese love continues as Playtime: Family Matinees will also show Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke from 1999.

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE BROOKLYN (NYC)

Tonight’s “Weird Wednesday” is Ken Russell’s 1987 film Gothic, and this week’s “Kids Camp” offering is the 2006 animated Curious George with a special “pick your own price.” In preparation for the release of Emma. On Friday, the Alamo is doing a “Champagne Cinema” screening of the 2005 Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley, which unfortunately, is sold out already. (Waugh Waugh) Monday’s “Out of Tune” is the Prince film Under the Cherry Moon from 1986, which is also sold out. (Hey, Jeremy Wein, why don’t you tell me these things are going on sale so I can go!?!) Next week’s “Terror Tuesday” is the horror classic Candyman (1992), which is ALSO almost sold out and then we’re back to “Weird Wednesday” with next week’s offering, 1985’s soft-core actioneer Gwendoline.

If you’re one of those poor souls living in L.A., you can also go to see Don Coscarelli’s 2002 film Bubba Ho-Tep, starring Bruce Campbell, on Wednesday night or the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors on Thursday at the grand, new(ish) Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Downtown Los Angeles. Saturday afternoon is a matinee of Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight (1998), starring George Clooney and J-Lo and Saturday night, you can see Cassavetes’ Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), starring Seymour Cassel and Gena Rowlands. Monday night is Juliet Bashore’s 1986 Kamikaze Hearts, which looked into the X-rated SF underground of the ‘80s. The West Coast “Terror Tuesday” is Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 film Bram Stoker’s Dracula, starring Keanu Reeves, Gary Oldman and Winona Rider!

THE NEW BEVERLY  (L.A.):

Wednesday’s afternoon matinee is the classical musical The Sound of Music (1965) and then Weds and Thurs night’s double feature is Robert Redford’sThe Hot Rock (1972) and Cops and Robber (1973). Friday’s matinee is the late Tony Scott’s The Hunger (1983) and then the Tarantino-pennedTrue Romance (1993, also directed by Scott), will play Friday midnight and Saturday’s midnight movie is the 1967 film Carmen, Baby. This weekend’s Kiddee Mattine is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). Monday’s matinee is Terrence Malick’s Badlands (1973) and the Monday night double feature is A Man for All Seasons(1966) and The Mission  (1986). Tuesday’s Grindhouse double feature is 1980’s Super Fuzz and 1977’s Death Promise, both in 35mm, of course.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Weds’ “Black Voices” movie is William Greaves’ 1968 film Symbiopsychotaxiplasm, and then on Friday night in the Spielberg Theater, you can see the 1913 film Traffic in Souls with live music as well as a couple shorts. The Japanese horror film Kwaidan(1965) will play in the normal theater. On Saturday, the Egyptian is presenting “Leigh Whannell’s Thrill-A-thon” a series of four films that helped to inspire Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man, which comes out next week with some great options worth seeing, including 1987’s Fatal Attraction, David Fincher’s 2014 film Gone Girl, Rob Reiner’s Stephen King adaptation Misery(1990) and the classic Aussie thriller Dead Calm(1989) starring Nicole Kidman … all for just 15 bucks!

AERO  (LA):

The AERO’s “Black Voices” film for Weds. is the great Stir Crazy, starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, and then on Thursday afternoon, you can see Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 classicDr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb for $8 (free to Cinemateque members!) New restoration of the Russian film Come and See (also opening at the Film Forum in New York) will play on Saturday evening as part of the “Antiwar Cinema” series. Sunday’s double feature in that series is Kubrick’s Paths of Glory (1957) and the Russian film The Ascent (1977). Tuesday’s “Black Voices” matinee is Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust  (1991) and then Greg Proops will screen the 1996 film Ridicule as part of his Film Club podcast which precedes the film.

MOMA  (NYC):

Modern Matinees: Jack Lemmon continues through the end of the month with Mister Roberts (1955) on Weds., Billly Wilder’s Avanti (1972) and the classic (and one of my all-time faves) Some Like it Hot (1959) on Friday. This weekend also sees movies in the continuing “Theater of Operations” series, which will include Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker (2009) on Saturday afternoon and a bunch of docs including Werner Herzog’s 1992 film Lessons of Darkness on Sunday. Weds also kicks off “Television Movies: Big Pictures on the Small Screen” – pretty self-explanatory, I think – with 1953’s The Trip to Bountiful and 1955’s Tosca on Weds. and Sunday, 1967’s Present Laughter Thursday and Tuesday and more. (Click on the link for full schedule!) Following Film Forum’s focus on black actresses (for February, Black History Month, get it?) MOMA begins a  “It’s All in Me: Black Heroines” series with All By Myself: The Eartha Kitt Story and Julie Dash’s Illusions, both from 1982, on Thursday and many more running through March 5.

ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES (NYC):

The Anthology still has a few more films in its “Devil Probably: A Century of Satanic Panic” including Eric Weston’s Evilspeak (1981) tonight in 35mm, but also David Van Taylor will be at tonight’s screening of his 1991 film Dream Deceivers. I’ve never seen either of these, by the way. Robert Eggers’ The VVitch and Alan Parker’s Angel Heart screen one more time on Thursday night, as well. This weekend also begins a new series, “Dream Dance: The Films of Ed Emshwiller” but since I have no idea who that is, I have nothing further to add. (Sorry!)

NITEHAWK CINEMA  (NYC):

Williamsburgis showing David Lynch’s 1990 film Wild at Heart as part of its “Uncaged” series on Friday just after midnight and John Singleton’s Poetic Justice on Saturday morning as part of “California Love.” They’re also showing Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride on Saturday morning for an “All-Ages Brunch Movie.”

FILM FORUM (NYC):

Elem Klimov’s 1985 Russian drama Come and See (Janus) will have a DCP restoration premiere at the Forum and Sunday afternoon will be a screening of the 1953 Mexican film El Corazon y La Espada in 3D. This weekend’s “Film Forum Jr.” is the 1953 pseudo-doc Little Fugitive.  Monday night is a screening of David Rich’s Madame X  (1966) introduced by actor/playwright Charles Busch.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

This weekend’s Weekend Classics: Luis Buñuel is the Mexican film The Exterminating Angel (1962), while Waverly Midnights: Hindsight is 2020s will screen Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Mnemonic and Late Night Favorites: Winter 2020is taking a surprising weekend off.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

Still waiting to see if Pandora and the Flying Dutchman continues through the weekend, as at this time (Monday), there is nothing repertory listed.

BAM CINEMATEK(NYC):

Horace Jenkins’ Cane River continues through Friday. Saturday night’s “Beyond the Canon” is a double feature of Ida Lupino’s The Hitch-Hiker(1953) and Malick’s Badlands (1973).

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

This weekend’s “See It Big! Outer Space” offerings include1974’s Space is the Placeon Friday and 1924’s Aelita, Queen of Mars and the 1980 Flash Gordonscreening on Saturday and Sunday. As usual, 2001: A Space Odysseywill screen on Saturday afternoon as part of the ongoing exhibition.

ROXY CINEMA(NYC)

Weds’ Nicolas Cage movie is Martin Scorsese’s Bringing Out the Dead (1999) and then Thursday is a 35mm screening of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012)!

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART  (LA):

Friday’s midnight movie is Who Killed Roger Rabbit (1988).

STREAMING AND CABLE

Let’s see what’s going on in the world of streaming this week, shall we?

Netflix is debuting Dee (Mudbound) Rees’ new movie THE LAST THING HE WANTED on the streaming service Friday, even though apparently, it opened in select cities last week, including New York’s Paris Theater, although it got such terrible reviewsout of Sundance, maybe Netflix didn’t want any more bad reviews before it begins streaming. Regardless, it stars Anne Hathaway, Willem Dafoe, Ben Affleck and Rosie Perez, and it’s based on Joan Didion’s novel about a D.C. journalist named Elena (Hathaway) who abandons her work on the 1984 campaign trail to run an errand for her father (Dafoe). I guess I’ll watch it when it’s on Netflix just like everyone else but my expectations have been suitably lowered.

The Jordan Peele-produced series “Hunters,” starring Al Pacino, which is about a group of Nazi hunters will hit Amazon Prime this Friday as well, and a new season of the popular series“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” will debut on Friday on Disney+, adding to the amazing amount of content already available on that network.

Next week, Saw and Insidious co-creator Leigh Whannell revamps The Invisible Man for Universal with Elisabeth Moss, and there’s also (supposedly) a movie call The Ride, which I know nothing about. You can guess which movie I’ll be focusing on.

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or send me a note on Twitter. I love hearing from readers!

[emilmoreno]

Isabel went excitedly darting towards the door at the sound of the doorbell, Emiliano dropping a set of barbeque utensils on the kitchen counter to spin around after her. "Isa, sweetie, wait on me - what's the rule about the door?" Still closing the distance across the house she called back, "but it's tío!" With an amused exasperated sigh, he quickened his pace to scoop the nine year old up into his arms before she could reach the door. "I know, but better safe then sorry okay? He's not going anywhere." She pouted at him briefly, but it's forgotten the second Emil puts her steady back on her feet by the door. "Okay, now you can open it." With a nod, Isabel did just that. Jerking the door with such enthusiasm that Emil had to side step as it swung open and a loud bark of laughter escaped him. “Buenas!” Isabel greeted, Emil shaking his head as a chuckle rumbled through his chest. "I swear she's never this excited to see me. You're lucky. Come in, come in."

starter for: @emilmoreno & @papaflynn location: emil's house

"Vamos, niña!" Come on, little girl! Marco called over his shoulder towards his niece. Was the grown man possibly more excited about their 'play date' than his niece was? As he waited impatiently for Gabi to get out of the car, it seemed to suggest he was. Not that Gabi wasn't super excited to hang out with Isa and Avie. She loved their get togethers and hanging out with the other girls. Marco just needed a little testosterone in his life these days with everything he had going on in his life. "Calm down, Tío." Gabi admonished as she hopped out of the car. "They're not going to start without us." Marco chuckled as he shut the car door for the six year old, "Yes, ma'am." he replied, fully admonished. Reaching down, he grabbed her hand as they headed up towards Emil's front door. Picking Gabi up, he held her towards the doorbell so that she could press the button as they waited for the door to be opened.

[the-masters-nook]

THIS SAVAGE SONG (Monsters of Verity 1)

By Victoria Schwab/V.E. Schwab

PUBLISHED:  JULY 5TH 2016 BY GREENWILLOW BOOKS (First published June 7th 2016)

GENRE: YA, FANTASY, PARANORMAL, DARK URBAN FANTASY

MAIN CHARACTERS:  AUGUST FLYNN, HENRY FLYNN, LEO, IISA

         KATHERINE “KATE” OLIVIA HARKER, CALLUM HARKER, SLOAN

 SYNOPSIS

 There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books. Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

RATING:  4.25/5 STARS

REVIEW:  

 Thought I was done with YA because (I think) I’m a little bit old for that, but something deep inside me nagged me to not give up, so that was what I did. I chose Victoria Schwab’s (one of my favorite authors) “This Savage Song” since it’s only a duo logy and just recently concluded.

This Savage Song follows the story of the two main characters August Flynn (South Verity) and Kate Harker (North Verity). Their families have been on truce for a couple of years now but that seems coming to an end.  August is a Sunai, one of the three kinds of Monsters in Verity, who wants to live like humans. Kate Harker is a human who desperately wanted to prove to her father that she is a worthy “Harker” and that means she needs to show that she is capable of ruling monsters just like her father.  

The world where this story was set was dark and cruel. Human violent acts will result in the appearance of monsters (Malchai= bloodsucker; Corsai= monsters with sharp teeth and claws; Sunai= steal souls through music). In this place, people fight or pay for their safety.

I don’t know why other people say this book contains zero romance, but to me August and Kate’s chemistry is so palpable. It is not obvious but it is there and I love it just the way it is.

One of the reasons Ms. Schwab became one of my favorite authors was because of the unique plots of her novels. It is a wonder to me how she came up with those ideas. Each of her novels is unique and unpredictable. They don’t usually focus on romance. They are like a breath of fresh air considering most YA novels today have same ideas and focus on romance. Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against romance but sometimes it becomes the center of the whole story in most YA.

I like the writing style, the book cover (so lovely), the perspective and a couple of characters of this book. I enjoyed this book immensely for sure I will read the last installment as soon as I could get my hands on it.

Dark, cruel and brutal world, likable and charming hero, kickass heroine and (almost) no romance, go ahead and try this one if these things I mentioned strikes your fancy.      

 #I’m back with reviews hope this will continue

#Just because I don’t post reviews doesn’t mean I stop reading….no…I don’t think I would ever stop reading…ever

[niaxbailey]

Nia was stood by him, an empty shot glass nestled between her fingertips and on its way back toward the tabletop to be exchanged for a fresh shot. "Baby boy, you don't even know the half of it." A half-drunk dry laugh parted her lips. "If I had the stomach to tolerate the family drama and flashbacks, I'd take you and that angel of yours to New York for a Christmas. You haven't seen how obnoxious people can get for the holiday until you've been to Times Square." She spoke with the exaggeration of a hand flip, "You know that scene in the Jim Carey Grinch where the one woman pops out this damn machine gun light canon to do up her house? It looks like that, my mom's neighborhood too." Her dad's as well, but her mother joined in on the nonsense and her house now looked like it should be in a Hallmark movie. Or, it had, but Nia hadn't been back since she moved to Briar Ridge. Her only familial connection for the holiday had been a call to her brothers, and then crying into a very expensive bottle of wine.

FIREFLY BREWERY ➟ OPEN

It had been a quiet Christmas at the Flynn household. Callum had woke up early to play Santa and an excited Aoibheann passed out on the sofa after lunch. It was simple but it was theirs. Now it was boxing day and the young girl was at her Grandparents for round two of the festivities, also known as more presents, so Callum had the night to himself. A couple of beers with friends sounded like just what he needed after the tiring first semester and the pressure of Christmas, so that's where he found himself. "You know, you Americans don't do things too differently this time of year, just bigger," the last word also expressed by the man throwing his hands out for emphasis.

[emilmoreno]

A teasing, triumphant smirk settled on Emil's features - a quiet huff of a laugh escaping him. "Alright, alright. One of these days though we're seeing what you're made of on the dance floor." His hands mirrored his friend's, tossed up in playful surrender. "What's not to like? I'm a delight." Emil savored a swallow of his cold beer, attention only briefly adverting from his company to survey the other bar occupants absently. "Yeah, that makes sense." In some small way, he could relate. The drama with his ex-wife aside, Emil would hardly go back and undo the choice to come back to Briar Ridge for his daughter. "Humble is overrated. People just don't like others to know their own worth," he dismissed. Thinking nothing of it. "Yeah right, man. Good luck seeing the day I go down the aisle again. Once was enough." Emil rolled his eyes, needing another drink of his beer to wash down the bitter memories with.

Callum immediately threw his hands up in defence, shaking his head. "No, no...just a joke," he said through nervous laughter. "Trust me, I'm quite happy sat here with you, mate. The people in here have seen and heard enough of me for one night," Callum continued, gripping his beer a little tighter at the mere thought of it. Getting up on stage to sing and strum was all well and good, but serenading? The cringe of it made his skin crawl. "Angelica, huh? She seems to like you," the irishman continued, not letting his friend off that easy. They were both kindred spirits of sorts, and knew that light hearted teasing was all good, but they both never pushed too hard. They preferred to hide out with each other, like the old dad's they were. Callum shook his head as he was sipping his beer, then gave a casual shrug of sorts. That didn't really appeal to him anymore. Most might not be content, but he was. "Nah, brother...I'm happy. Aoibheann has a home here, friends, and her mom's side of the family...I'd never take her away from all that," he shared, then let out a sharp laugh, "Look me acting like I've already had the offer. Humble or what?" His cheeks went a little red at his leap, but he knew if anyone understood it would be Emil. "Besides, I can't commit to anything when I'm promised to sing yours and Angelica's song for your first dance," he quickly added, lightly punching Emil on the shoulder.

[emilmoreno]

A quiet contemplative cringe briefly passed over his features, despite the bitterness between them now it still felt wrong to blatantly speak ill of her - especially with someone who didn't know Amaia. It hardly seemed fair of him, so he let the subject drop with another swallow of alcohol. A swallow he nearly choke-laughed on a few moments later, Emil side-eyed his company with some degree of sheepish hesitance. "Ha." Despite the other's jokes about Emil on the dance floor earlier, he didn't really get around much. Dating had been hard to swallow in recent years. "Not really, nah." Some days he wondered if maybe just having his daughter and his best friend was enough. Especially when he found it difficult to be optimistic about relationships. "What about you, huh?"

Callum was impressed. Emil could talk the whole thing with much more ease than he probably would have been able to. His situation was different, but God it fucking stung to talk about it. Maybe it was the fact that his ex left him with no explanation or closure, but the thought of a custody battle for Aoibheann sounded like hell. "Jesus, she sounds delightful," Callum muttered, shaking his head. He didn't understand why people had to be like that. Although, he wasn't so sure how he'd react if his ex was in town. He sure as hell wouldn't be actively trying to make her life difficult, as he would want to avoid her at every opportunity. "Better in the future I can get down with," he agreed, taking a large gulp from his beer. "Speaking of, anyone in your life at the minute?"

[emilmoreno]

"Don't go saying it if you aren't sincere, I'll pull you out there. Mingling wouldn't kill you." A lopsided grin answered Callum. "Not that you need dance moves when you can just serenade 'em." Emil was brave, he never turned down karaoke but that didn't mean anyone really wanted to hear him sing. No, it certainly wasn't his gift in life. "Huh? Oh. Don't know her. Name's Angelica?" For his teasing, while he went out and was naturally out going he still tended to keep most at arms length when it came to relationships. Turns out, he kind of hated casual dating. "Really? Damn, man. Well there's no age limit on all that, yeah? Maybe some hot shot will come through town and sign you." His momentary surprise aside, Emil knew a thing or two about how quickly plans could change.

A friendly face sat next to him and Callum was happy to see the other man, a fellow young Dad enjoying a night off, he guessed. "A proper one," he confirmed with a wiggle of his brows. "More drinks and maybe more dancing if there's some women around," he joked, never one to really dance, but he had caught a glimpse of Emil in the crowd. "Speaking of...who was that you were swinging around the dance floor, huh?" It was a gentle tease, but Callum was curious. He threw back a swig of the cold beer and nodded, "I guess, yea...I love music," he replied, looking back at the stage. "It's why I moved to the US would you believe...but plans changed," he shared with a chuckle, smiling fondly as he thought about his daughter. It might not have been what he planned, but the young man wouldn't change a thing.

[emilmoreno]

Back home in the wake of a lengthy work project Emil had hardly been up to the solitude of his beach front home with only Hercules as company. Going out for a drink was a much better alternative, embracing the lull of conversation drifting through the establishment and joining a stranger on the dance floor for a good portion of Callum's set. In good spirits he'd brush through the crowd to fall onto a barstool beside the other young man. "Oh-ho a proper night off, huh? Well we might need to get a few more drinks in you then." He grinned, leaning an elbow on the bar as he ordered his own beer. "This your way of letting off steam?" Emil nodded towards the remnants of Cal's setup.

OPEN STARTER ➟ GOLDEN HOUR BEACH BAR (will close after several replies)

The sun was setting on a late spring evening, and Callum was finishing up his set with a rendition of Fast Car, a classic that audiences always enjoyed. It suited the gentle vibe of calm night that was settling in, and he ended to soft applauses. It was an electric feeling to sing in front of people, even if the tone was chilled. He unplugged his set up, simple for ease, and then walked to the bar. "A beer, please..." He wiped his brow and took a seat, then turned to the person next to him. "Here's to a single Dad getting a night off!" It wasn't often, but his daughter Aoibheann was at a sleep over, so a cold beer was long overdue.

[emilmoreno]

A loud, entirely unabashed snort of laughter escaped Emil as he watched his company's expression shift. "It's fine, really - I don't offend that easy man." His amused grin faded into a grimace. "It didn't start out bad. We were high school sweethearts, and I went off to college - we did the whole long distance thing. There were a few jealousy problems at that point but, that seemed pretty normal." A shrug decorated his shoulders. "I gave up my baseball scholarship when I found out she was pregnant, came home... proposed. All that. Then, I guess things went pretty far south a lot quicker then I'd realized. The custody trial after the divorce was brutal." He tried to keep it brief, but it was difficult to explain when they'd been together as long as they had before everything fell apart. "Anyway... these days, she kind of takes every given opportunity to make my life hell." Not that he ever fully understood why. With the topic of his ex-wife on the table, he graciously accepted the fresh round of beers and took a hefty gulp. "Not sure I can claim it's freedom, but ... to better in the future I s'pose."

A friend like Emil was good for Callum, as he had that confidence of an American that the Irishman lacked. It wasn't brash or cocky, but charming, and he would talk about Callum in ways the man himself could never. He was shy to a fault and despite a decade in the states, he was still the little Irish kid who was told not to be bold when he had an extroverted outburst. "Well, you sure do know yours, Mr Delight," Callum remarked with a hint of a grin, letting the other man know he was teasing. "Jesus, that bad?" Callum asked with knit brows, concerned. He had yet to walk down the aisle, so he still romanticised the gesture of it all, and hoped he would find someone he loved that much. "Sorry -- that was insensitive," he quickly added, then ordered two more cold ones. "We need these if we're going to talk about our exes," he said with a chuckle, clinking glass against Emil's. "To freedom, brother!"

[niaxbailey]

Nia silently smirked at his casual 'porno' mention, but decided she'd probably teased him enough thus far that afternoon and the red tips of his ears could use a break before he just dissolved into an awkward adorable puddle under their table. "Ah, well I am a bit biased when it comes to you." Nia confirmed with a nod, " - but I think all my praise is earned. You know, if you let me, I could be an A++ wingman. Trust me. You can ask Niko. I have good tastes in women." A loud, unabashed laugh escaped her as Nia defensively jerked her hand aside with the phone still in her carefully maroon painted grasp. "Alright, easy tiger. I'd never actually do anything to turn you into the butt of a joke." She made a show of relenting the phone, face down on the table with a still lingering amused smirk. "No heart attacks allowed. The guilt would eat me alive. Besides, then whoever am I to torment?" Nia had an automatic counter point to Callum's assurance that he at least knew how to be the one tying someone up in the bedroom, but she let it die on the tip of her tongue. She was not trying to make him feel defensive, and decided that was a sign perhaps her teasing needed a rest on that topic for now. "Ah, well... now you're the one giving me too much credit." Nia fidgeted, finger tips fiddling idly with the napkin for her place setting. "I might be a little bit of a heartbreaker." Not that she'd ever aimed to be, not really.

If there was one thing Callum had learned about Nia, it was that he could not go toe to toe with her when it came to the suggestive banter. She would eat him alive. Figuratively and literally. He would try but his shyness always brought about his failure, and she loved to make him go a shade of red no one else could.

"I think you overestimate me, you know," Callum said with continued laughter, both nervous and amused. There had been times when a single mum had approached him with certain clear intentions, but Callum had no interest in dating the mum's of children in his class. That was messy, and as a parent himself, he knew that it was wrong. The park idea could work, but again, he was too busy worrying and stressing about Avie to be picking up numbers. "Unfortunately those types of things only seem to happen in the movies or pornos," he joked. The reality of a being a single parent was much less fun when it came to your sex life.

Callum only really knew Xavier through Mari and part of him was a little jealous of the other man's title as her best friend. Not in a toxic way, but more of a 'I wish it were me' kind of way. Callum panicked and tried to reach for her phone, "Don't you dare!" He would be mortified. He had gone from flaming red to a deathly purple now. "You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days, Bailey," he said with a glare, but the smile followed. He could never be mad at her. "When did I admit to not having a clue? All I meant was I hadn't been tied up, but doesn't mean I haven't dabbled in the one to do the tying," he fired back, part of him wanting to prove himself to her a little. Sure he was easy embarrassed and shy, but he also knew how to have fun, especially in the bedroom. Talking is where he struggled, but action? He had never struggled with physicality. He knew she was teasing but it was nice to hear the reassurance. "Maybe...but it would be hard to follow an act like you," he replied with a friendly wink.

[niaxbailey]

Nia's playful smirk did not diminish, catching the flush of red and doing a miserable job of not letting a laugh part her painted lips. "I think you'd have much better options at an entirely different sort of store." She winked, taking a drink of her water if only to help not take too much amusement in her friend's embarrassment.

"Oh come on, I'm dead certain you've got plenty of charm. You and that absolute doll of a daughter, come on. How are PTA meetings not just a bunch of moms drooling over you? I refuse to believe you're not innocently out at the park with your daughter, getting numbers from babysitters and hot moms." Nia scoffed, her hand doing a bit of a dismissive wave in the air between them. She's incredibly biased, though.

Nose scrunched, an ungraceful snort of a laugh escaped her - Nia rolling her eyes affectionately. "Oh, okay. Hold on let me text Xavier and let him know you're coming for his title as the town bicycle." In nothing but a sheer dramatic display, she pulled out her phone to pretend to do just that. "You know I adore you to the moon and back, but you were as red as a tomato talking about bondage and admitted not having the faintest clue - so not exactly a bragging point bud." She reached a hand across the table, giving his arm an affectionate squeeze. "I promise, it was a compliment." She knows he was joking, but just to be safe she tacks it on - never wanting her teasing to make him feel self-conscious in any way. "You're genuine boyfriend material, at least one of my ex girlfriends would love you."

The tips of his ears went red at her questions and he looked away with a chuckle. "I can't say I've tried it but there's a first time for everything?" He fired back with a shrug and a shy grin. "Noted, I'll make sure to check that with the fella at the hardware store..." The Irishman shook his head at the thought of it. He'd die from embarrassment. If anyone wants to tie him up they can bring the rope.

"Ah, I see," he Callum nodded, "Like the way being tied up eases my stresses," he added with a wink. He felt safe to be playful with Nia, so he knew he could joke like this. Of course, he knew she was being serious, but he thought he would keep the tone light hearted still to make her smile. He liked to make her smile.

Callum was laughing with her, the two now making a lot of noise, but he didn't care as he was enjoying himself too much. "Jesus, as if I know know really...I think it's just knowing how to charm women, and I for one do not know how to do that," he admitted. "A sappy sort?!" He repeated mouth left open in mock offence. "I'll take the prince comment, but sappy? I'm over here talking bondage and you've me pegged as a sap!" Callum tried to hide his amusement but the grin broke through and he looked over at her for a moment. "Thank you, I know what you meant and I appreciate it."

[niaxbailey]

A low chuckle was muffled into his shoulder, wrapping an arm around him in turn. Entirely unbothered by the display of affection. "Now, now - you know better then to say always. I'd kidnap you in a heartbeat." Nia's back settled against her seat, hand idly reaching for her glass of water. She smiled over the rim across to her friend. "No, I suppose not." She merely rolled her eyes, brushing off his compliment. "Well, I'll take it. It's always good to be remembered." That and, it gave her a good excuse to take a break that otherwise might've been wasted away in her office. She was pensive for a moment, taking a drink of water while they waited for the waiter to get around to them. "Oh you know me, doing circles around everyone. I've been good. Busy." Outside of work there were charity events, training for an upcoming run, and then trying to remember to attend to her social life. It seemed like there was always something. "Going to Hilton Head Island for a beach run in a few days." It was her first time attending that specific event and she was looking forward to it. "What about you? Been breaking any hearts lately?" She teased, making zero attempt to conceal her broad grin. "How's the little princess?"

There were times when Callum wondered why he hadn't gone home. A young man with a new born kid to raise in a town where no one knew him. Who wouldn't pack up their shit and go back to the family that loved him to raise his daughter where he had spent his happy childhood? It probably sounded stupid, but Aoibheann had been born here. The woman who had gave birth to her was from here. The woman he had once loved and who had left them both might come back here... That small hope in the first few years is what made him stick around, even when he knew that he was done with her - he still clung on for his daughter, hoping that her Mom might return.

She didn't.

In those difficult years, he had met Nia, and it was friends like her that kept him from spiralling. A pseudo-sister of sorts. The two bonding as newbies to the town, and now here they were several years later, and he was thankful he hadn't run back to Ireland. As he would never have met her.

Callum jumped up to move around the table and give her a hug. "Get in here you," he mumbled, giving her small frame a squish before he returned to his seat. He had always been overly affectionate with his friends, but when it had been a few months, you got squished. "Fantastic, I'm always happy to share lunch with you," he chimed with a big grin. "Do I need a reason to see my gorgeous friend?" He asked her with a chuckle. He rarely was so open with the compliments but with her he felt safe, so he always lay it on thick. "I was around and remembered you existed and thought I'd grace you with my presence, that's all." He of course was teasing some more and the glint in his baby blues told her as much. "How you been?"