#this movie is forever iconic and the music is brilliant

[goginaporter]

rina + iconic couples in media

this is my fun way of responding to the alternate universe prompt for @rinaweek <3. rina and their parents in every universe, finding each other and falling in love. alsooo this post was slightly inspired by this absolutely brilliant edit linked here (x) and if you want rinatroyella or rinajacey edits, please lmk and I'll send my favorite ones <3333

troyella

the essays that can and have been written about troyella and rina are extensive (and I'm happy to do a longer form one in a separate post). but from being the new girl x boy who's never moved, girl encouraging boy to audition for the musical and actually commit, kissing in the rain, starring in the school musical together, to making a huge commitment to the other person on a stage in front of a bunch of people, rina is quite literally troyella reincarnated. and yeah, lots of people can argue that troyella is perfect as is, that they didn't need another version. and on one hand, i agree. but the way in which rina takes core parts of troyella's story while standing on their own as a ship is beautiful and truly does justice to the original franchise by anchoring the story around these two, both individually and as a couple, just as was done with troyella in the original trilogy. my favorite troyella parallel moment from s4!

4x01 - ricky sneaking into gina's room just like troy would come into gabriella's room through her balcony

4x02 - the note ricky gives gina in the hallway to meet in their secret staircase is just like the note troy slips in gabriella's locker in hsm to meet on the rooftop. (honorable mention to them auditioning for and getting the roles of troy and gabriella in this ep as well <33)

4x03 - of course, it has to go to their rendition of can i have this dance. their voices sound gorgeous and though the choreo they do has similarities to the original, they've made it their own.

4x04 - this one is kinda reaching but I wanted something for each ep! in hsm2, sharpay forces troy to sing a song with her, one she prepared for the talent show, instead of allowing him to go on a date with gabriella. in a similar vein, though with considerably less scheming from dani's side, dani is selected to replace gina as gabriella because she is so busy with the movie, though this is done behind her back.

4x05 - has to go to the rain kiss obviously. although troy and gabriella only ever kiss under sprinklers, it's the same vibes. there's also a still (not included in the scene) of the rain kiss of ricky holding gina's waist as she throws her arms up that's so reminiscent of troyella in the rain during cihtd.

4x06 - ricky and gina running down the hallway at the beginning of the episode feels like a direct parallel to troy and gabriella running to auditions in hsm. also rina fighting to save the show is super similar to gabriella (and troy once gabriella convinces him) pushing for the theater department to put on a show about them for their spring musical.

4x07 - they're literally playing troyella in this ep so I could say so much. i'll just use this space to talk about how much I love them in a night to remember and how much it looked like they were dancing at their wedding. I will say that terri, gina's mom, telling ricky about gina's movie with a smile on her face, reminds me a lot of gabriella's fans setting troy up to talk shit about her on camera to convince her to focus on the decatholon. also reflects sharpay telling troy about stanford, again with a smile on her face.

4x08 - again, this ep is rife with toryella coding because they're literally playing troyella, but the show goes super meta in having them sing the right here, right now reprise as ricky has just found out that gina is potentially moving across the world to film her movie, just as troy finds out about stanford and struggles with gabriella not being there for the rest of their senior year. on a much less angsty note, ricky singing love you forever to gina has the same vibes as troy choosing gabriella and going to school close to her, not to mention that lines in the song directly reference the song "high school musical" (which you can read more about here <3). gina also deciding to move the movie to salt lake is very much her "I choose basketball but I also choose theater but more than all of that, I choose gabriella" her version is "I choose filming this movie but I also choose theater but more than all of that, I choose ricky" just a beautiful perfect scene all around.

these s4 moments only scratch the surface of the troyellarina tether but i'll stop ranting for now and move on to rina's teen drama parent sets.

jacey

after s1, tim federle did an interview where they asked him about him about the ricky / nini / gina triangle, he directly mentioned dawson's creek in guiding his writing process, stating that at the center of his thought process was "how do I surprise audience members with who they're going to ship?" (x). for those who don't know the jacey lore, to make a long story short, their love triangle centered around joey, pacey, and dawson. joey and dawson were childhood best friends and joey has a crush on dawson. pacey and dawson are best friends and joey and pacey do not get along initially. after events of life, dawson asks pacey to "look after joey" at the beginning of s3, the two get super close and eventually catch feelings for each other and they secretly date as they figure out a way to break it to dawson (sound familiar?). they do break up but come back together at the end of the show and are endgame. the parallels between jacey and rina exist both on and off screen. dawson and joey were the initial endgame for the show, just like rini was the show's s1 endgame. however, electrifying chemistry between katie and joshua (jackson) & sofia & joshua (bassett) in their respective shows changed everything. rina is one of the strongest examples of continuing this legacy of disrupting the initial plans concocted in the writer's room to make way for insane chemistry. some of my fave jaceyrina parallels

rina and jacey having a formative, chemistry presenting moment in a car (rina in 1x05 during homecoming, joey and pacey in 1x during their science project)

the sheer parallels between them in 3x19 of dawson's creek and 3x08 of hsmtmts with their kiss scenes. just watch here (x) and here (x) to see. the "stop me" "wait" parallels actually make me go crazy

joey tutoring pacey in 3x09 and gina (presumably) becoming ricky's tutor after 4x06

i'm rewatching 3x09 in preparation for this and jacey has a scene where dawson catches them talking about pacey helping joey with a ballroom dance scholarship thing in exchange for tutoring and he asks them what no one can find out about and a) pacey sucksssss at improv just like gina it's like that 4x02 scene with rina and ashlyn and b) it also feels like rina with the chocolates, again with ashlyn LMAOOO in 2x04

ALSO in this ep (wow it's a goldmine), when dawson and jen catch joey and pacey ballroom dancing, they're forced to join the class and the instructor psychoanalyzes both couples. for jacey, she mentions that the tension and bickering between them suggests their underlying attraction for one another. this is literally what val (their choreographer!!) does after watching rina perform wdykal in 3x05

too much to explain for the final scene of this episode but i just encourage everyone to watch 3x09 to get the same sense of a major scene in a coat check and an ensuing apology

pacey telling joey he remembers everything in 3x22 and ricky telling gina he's never forgotten a thing she's said in 4x03

pacey telling joey that the simple act of loving her is enough for him and that she's "off the hook" and ricky telling gina that of course she has to go and be a star, as well as singing lyf not knowing that she was staying in slc, so he just wanted to let her know that he loved her for the sake of it, not to convince her of anything

pacey having to tell joey something but lying to protect her (and ricky having something to tell gina but lying to protect her (3x07)

naley

another paragon of teen drama royalty is naley. literally the best people ever and it makes sooo much sense that rina is similar to them because they're actually rina's grandparents. naley birthed troyella, who birthed rina. a beautiful family tree. anyways, naley doesn't seem to, on the surface at least, seem to have a lot of parallels to rina. a shy tutor girl and a cocky basketball player who get married after knowing each other for less than a year? (though I will go down with my headcanon that rina gets married super duper young, will not be taking any arguments). despite this, at their core, naley's love for each other is so reminiscent of rina's love for each other, not to mention some incredibly direct parallels that the two have, listed below:

nathan dropping haley home after a party & ricky dropping gina home after homecoming ("yeah, this is my house" & "so, this is where I live")

connecting over dubious circumstances (nathan requesting haley as a tutor/getting close to her to get back at lucas & gina convincing ricky to stay in the show so she could get gabriella, attending hoco with ej to psych nini out but instead connecting with ricky)

nathan putting haley's hand to his heart after telling her it's racing (it was because of drugs but still, it beats for haley) and ricky putting gina's hand on his heart after telling her that his heart's racing (i'm telling y'all this scene is the same, just with the characters and setting swapped)

alllllll of naley's s2 angst is like the intense and more painful version of rina's angst in s4

naley invented rain kisses (even if they existed before them, no they didn't) and rina obviously does justice with their own rain kiss in 4x05

when nathan proposes to haley (their first proposal), he tells her that "I could love you forever." audience, what's the title of ricky's love song for gina? i rest my case

haley being nathan's tutor and gina being ricky's tutor <3333

nathan sneaking into haley's bedroom to study and makeout and ricky sneaking into gina's bedroom to sing and makeout

nathan and ricky being haley and gina's biggest fans when it comes to their careers, putting their success over their personal feelings (nathan collecting clippings of haley's tour, paying chris to let her record music & ricky decorating gina'ss trailer, encouraging her to go to nz to be a star)

rina served cheerleader x basketball player (though at different times and both were fictional but wtv) just like naley

this was super nonexhaustive as rina also has parallels to jam, mondler, sethmer, romeo & juliet, and so many other ships. however, I'm lazy and didn't want to write all of those out. maybe I'll return to them another time, but for now, pls enjoy this <3333

[sharkneto]

i think someone’s already asked you this, but do you ever get writing inspiration from music? or have certain songs you associate with certain characters?

for me, 39 by Queen, Slipping Through my Fingers by Abba and Asleep by the Smiths are such Five songs!

also wanted to say i love your writing! i think you’re absolutely brilliant, you write in such a beautifully grounded way and i literally want your fics to be made into movies they’re so amazing! i hope your writing brings you as much joy as it does me!

Oh, I don't know if I've answered that specific question. I've talked before about how I write to music/the kind of music I write to (shoutout to my playlist oh for it's sad vibes, it does such heavy lifting). But songs that have inspired scenes...

The answer is definitely Yes, but can I remember them... For the Post-S3 Five And Allison Talk Fic haven't shared, a specific scene of that I haven't officially written vibed hard with The King by Sarah Kinsley (lyrics half fit), although I think that was more I was thinking about it and that song came on and turbo'd it. I think that's the closest one I've got off the top of my head. EDIT: Back to say how the fuck did I forget about Kokomo. Iconic. Included here for Obvious Reasons for any JT readers. The entire goddamn Amanda and Five road trip came from Kokomo coming on in my car during a commute home.

For songs that I associate with characters, absolutely. I've got a whole playlist of Number songs and songs Five likes (made with @non-plutonian-druid, linked HERE and HERE if anyone is curious). I've got my Five and Delores/Five Apocalypse Playlist HERE. You'll notice a theme, here. Gonna go do a listen for the Five Vibes of your recs, can always use more Five Songs. Do I have songs for other characters...? Not... really?

I feel like music is more fic based than character based, I've got songs I associate with fics (from listening to them while writing or vibing about them). Time Is On My Side (Irma Thomas) and Hotel California (Eagles) for Searching for Good Times. Night Shift (Lucy Dacus) for Nice Things Can't Last Forever (They Still End Too Soon) despite those lyrics not really working at all, but the Vibes. The Vibes. This section would be more fun if I could remember more of them right now, but there are three examples rip

And thank you so much for the kind words. This is a low time of the year for me, so your love was really well timed. I'm late to replying to this, but I've come back to my inbox to read them many times. I see my fics playing out in my head like a movie while I have a narration going that is what ends up getting written, so I'm so glad that translates back to you as Could Be A Movie :) My writing brings me so much joy, even when I'm in a little bit of a slump like I am now. I think my favorite thing about getting into writing and sharing is the shared enjoyment of it all - we're all just here having a great time together

[pjstafford]

Keep an eye open for the connections in "What Happens Later" - a movie review.

This is intended to be a no spoiler review.

What Happens Later is a newly released movie starring David Duchovny and Meg Ryan - co-written and directed by Meg Ryan. They each play a W. Davis (Bill and Willa) who, while in college in the 90s, were in a serious relationship. They meet again, all these years later, while stranded in a small airport by the "storm of the century". I saw it with a friend on opening night.

"Are you on a trip or on a journey?" is a question posed to Bill by Willa when they run into each other at the airport. The difference, as she defines it, is that a trip is a destination and a journey is a goal. This movie will either take you on an expected trip or an unexpected journey depending on how you as the viewer approach it.

If you enter the theater with a cynical heart and hypercritical mind, too cool for the world and above it all, you will find the movie to be one you love to hate. It is a dialogue-laden movie with the only action being the storm outside and the only danger being an intensely unpleasant evening reliving a past mistake. Worse, yet, the characters are two aging individuals with small world problems and the ability to annoy one another and, outside of the airport announcer, there are no other characters in the movie. You will likely leave the movie with your opinions validated that your trip to the theater was a disappointment and that the popcorn was overpriced.

if you enter the theater with expectations that you get to see two iconic actors engage with each other in a sparring contest of, do they hate or love one another and will they, won't they be together at the end and you want to laugh and enjoy a little bit of romance, you will be entertained and leave the theater feeling uplifted and might not mind the over-priced popcorn.

OR- you could open your heart to the journey the movie wants you to take with these two characters and find your heart filled and expanded with a story far more than you expected. In that case, you will find yourself pondering the movie the next morning as you awake and wanting to see it again.

it is a visually beautiful movie with metaphors that apply to everyone in the world right now. There is a storm raging outside - the most violent epic of storms. It is scary to look at and you know is bad, but it's OUT THERE and you are indoors, and it seems like it can't touch or reach you for now, but it may signify that the world as we know it is changing in ways we can't control. This is not a simple plot device to strand two people in an airport - a simple snowstorm would have sufficed. This is the scary reality of the world we all inhabit right now. We see Bill doing a bit of doom scrolling, but Willa's phone is dead and none of the power outlets are working, and she is a woman without power who feels as stuck in her life as she is at the airport.

Circumstances are forcing the two characters to STOP. They are still for the moment, present at the airport in a way most of us never are, suspended in time between the past and the future. This creates the urgency - the buy in from the viewer- to keep them interested despite the lack of big action events. The characters have no control even over the music they are forced to listen to and, though, they keep seeming to try and walk away from the other person, the other person keeps coming with them, in the same way they have carried the other person with them forever through-out their life. The real journey comes not on a trip but while looking retrospectively at the past - what you perceived wrong and what you never told the one you loved- and what you hope for the future. Are you on a trip or a journey take on a different meaning when you consider that you might be traveling through life without direction.

The acting is brilliant. The two plays off of one another in a way that immediately forces you into their intimacy and distance. Meg Ryan is as adorable as ever and no actor on earth plays nuanced conflicting emotions better than David Duchovny. Information comes out slowly overtime- first what they perceived and then what was real. First, who they want to pretend to be and then who they are.

Open your heart, find the connections, and journey onward.

[williamscasey27]

"Modern Love, Timeless Stone: Diamonds in Pop Culture"

Diamonds have transcended their geological origins to become cultural touchstones, symbolizing love, luxury, and endurance. These multifaceted gems have captured hearts and imaginations through their presence in pop culture, leaving an indelible mark that continues to sparkle through time.

From dazzling red carpets to iconic movie scenes, diamonds have played pivotal roles in defining moments of fame and romance. The mesmerizing Hope Diamond, for instance, has adorned the necks of royals and graced museum exhibitions, captivating audiences with its deep blue hue and storied history. Its allure extends beyond its dazzling appearance, weaving tales of mystery and intrigue.

In the world of music, diamonds have adorned the fingers and necks of celebrities, becoming synonymous with opulence and success. The engagement ring given to singer and actress Ariana Grande by comedian Pete Davidson featured a prominent Pear-Shaped Diamonds. Singers like Rihanna have even celebrated their allure in song, immortalizing diamonds as both a status symbol and a testament to enduring love. Diamond-studded accessories have graced album covers and music videos, cementing their place as cultural icons.

Cinema, too, has embraced the symbolic power of diamonds. Whether portraying heists, romantic gestures, or tales of triumph, diamonds often take on roles of their own. Who can forget the suspenseful diamond heist scene in "Ocean's Eleven," or the iconic line, "A diamond is forever," which became the cornerstone of De Beers' advertising campaign and encapsulated the eternity associated with these precious stones?

Diamonds also grace engagement rings, solidifying their connection with love and commitment. From classic round brilliant cuts to unique and intricate designs, diamonds reflect personal stories and aspirations. When displayed on a finger, they symbolize a promise that transcends time, a symbol of unity and devotion that has remained relevant across generations.

The enduring fascination with diamonds in pop culture can be attributed to their timeless allure. Diamonds are not just minerals; they embody dreams, aspirations, and the essence of enduring love. In a world of ever-changing trends, they remain a steadfast symbol of elegance and longevity.

As pop culture evolves, diamonds will undoubtedly continue to play a significant role in shaping narratives of love, success, and prestige. Their shimmering presence in movies, music, and iconic events underscores their status as more than just gemstones; they are everlasting symbols of the human experience, encapsulating our desires, dreams, and connections.

[ycscnia]

𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙧

yesenia perez. iconic singer. just a tired woman.

pinterest. established connections. click read more for intro.

STATS.

Full Name: Yesenia Rosa Perez

Age: Fifty-three

Gender: Cis woman

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Height: 5′2

Education: High school diploma

Occupation: Musician: singer/songwriter, producer, dancer

BIO.

Having a normal childhood was not really in the cards for Yesenia when she grew up in Texas. From a very young age, the two were determined to raise a successful star. And so they did. From her doing pageants, to dance recitals, and so on, Yesenia didn’t have much for a life that wasn’t exactly what had been planned.

By the time she was 17, she was recruited by an agent, and shipped out to Los Angeles. The only condition to this new fame was graduating high school, which she just barely managed to do. her late teens were spent recording demo tape after demo tape, being a background singer and dancer for Prince, Whitney Houston, among others.

Finally, she broke out with her first hit single which sent her straight to the top. Creating lush and sparkling pop music that made people want to move, and that was what she became known for for decades to come.

Of course, with fame, comes parties, drugs, sex, everything under the sun, which she did, but with her parents wanting to create an icon, it became clear to keep her reckless behavior in check. Pap picks and rumors of her alcohol abuse were paid off, and as far as people were concerned, she was squeaky clean. Even when she married someone less shimmering, the rumors never transferred  on to her.

Her marriage was messy. They were both in music, both extremely influential in what they did and how people viewed them. Their love was intense and with two big personalities, it saw its issues. They were together for fifteen years, but after a big announcement, they separated  ways, with joint custody of their children.

Yesenia hasn’t put out a new album in a decade, having focused on producing, and helping to lift up the future generations of music. But now she’s at a turning point with her ex-husband running around making the worlds best music, as some people say. So what’s a girl to do?

PERSONALITY.

People often say Nia is hard-working. She is a determined woman that once she sets her mind on something, it’s hard to keep her down from accomplishing it. They often say she has a brilliant mind, able to put together songs that make people move, make people feel, and stick in your mind forever. She is generous, wanting to share her connections and her talents with those who could use a leg-up. She’s maternal, after having her children, finds herself wanting to care for others. She’s charming, knows how to have a fun time when she’s tired of her hard work.

However, people also say she’s withdrawn. She lacks trust from her broken relationship with her husband. She’s perhaps a little too attached to her bottle of wine and it can cause issues. Because she’s so concerned for her image, Nia can become rather intense, and ruin a moment, if she feels that it will harm her image. People say that she’s lost her spark, she’s become a shell of her younger self, from the moment she got married to her ex.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

the ex-husband (listed on main)

the rebound after the husband (probably kind of messy)

those she’s worked on projects with be it for albums or movies

party friends

neighbors

someone her kid got into some nonsense with (the oldest is a teen and very annoying) like breaking property, or some rich kid stuff

a date failure

people always spotted next to each other at fashion week

[nanaminswhore]

music game tag

✨R U L E S✨

You can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to!

Put your playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 songs with no skipping!

Then tag people to also do the challenge!

☀️N O T E S☀️

Thank you to the lovely and incredibly talented @thedreamlessnights for tagging me! If you are as obsessed with Viktor as we are, please head on to their blog from that good, good Viktor sustenance❣️💕

You do NOT need to add your thoughts about the songs like I have! I just had time in my hands and thought it would be fun! 😆

🌙S O N G S🌙

1. “Sensitive” by MOTHICA

Holy shit this song is so good, if you like alternative rock with a synth-pop overtone, please give it a listen. Absolutely nasty electric guitar motifs in it! Not to mention MOTHICA’s voice is so buttery and delicious 😩

2. “Go for It” by Djo

Joe Kerry has made his way into my heart with his 80’s synth pop swagger ways!!

His new album DECIDE truly is such a work of honest and artistic goodness and has been on repeat for me these days! This song is a good one form the album but admittedly not one of my faves! Can’t wait to get my hands on the vinyl of this incredible album!

3. “I Wish” by Hayley Kiyoko

Oh our lesbian queen Miss Kiyoko 🥰 This song used to get me sooo deep in my gay feels when I first really came to terms with my identity. It is so gentle, so soft, and so bittersweetly honest about the feelings of loneliness that often tags along the existence of being queer 💕

4. “Shukumei” by Official HIGE DANdism

Oh this song is anthemic as FUCK❣️ HIGE always manages to get me imagining myself as the protagonist in the fluffy ending OP of a dark-ass anime sksksks

But seriously, the brass instruments 🎺 + modern synth and mixing 🤖 + Satoshi Fujihara’s light tone & scratchy timber 🎶 = lighthearted, hope-inducing goodness!

5. “Baby” by Relient K

Oh god, the “epilogue” song to the song “Savannah,” is truly a work of art. As a stand-alone song it is brilliant. Alongside its sister song, it truly feels like the beginning of a love that lasts forever. Together they paint a picture of affection and devotion so thankful and honest. It get emotional every time I heart it!

6. “If Only My Heart Could Speak” by Cody Fry

I’m a bit in love with romantic music that make me feel like I’m in a dance sequence in an animated / Disney movie with an orchestra accompaniment!

Cody Fry is soooo brilliant at making backtracks for the movies in my head! The swell, the tenderness, the romance of it all! Ahh!! 💕

7. “A-Yo” by SHINee

Oh my god 🥺 My babies SHINee (all of whom are older than me sksksk). Lucifer is such an iconic KPOP album and one that I feel was part of the greater shift KPOP had in the early 2010s. “A-Yo” is so lightly anthemic and is written and mixed with with hip-hop and R&B influences. So sweet, so nostalgic, and so fresh!! ✨

8. “I Hope of You Think of Me” by Lily Williams

Oh my god this song has been in repeat like no one’s business. The sweetest and softest friends-to-lovers song of the century that I use as the background song to my Steve x Y/N and Eddie x Y/N daydreams 🥰

Lily’s voice is the voice of God’s favorite angel, and twinkle of the brightest star. She is so lovely and so is this song 💕

9. “Just the Girl” by The Click Five

This one is a classic of early 2000’s-boy-band-with-a-guy-pining-so-fucking-hard-over-a-girl-way-out-of-his-league sksksksk

This song was popular for the generation before me but god, I’ve loved it with them since FOREVER. Early 2000’s pop rock is sooooo fun and so nostalgic and so recognizable. One of my all time favorites!!

It also makes for a great gay anthem if sung by a girl 🏳️‍🌈❣️💕🥰✨

10. “Split” by NIKI

This song is sultry and melancholic and has an old Hollywood / winter / holiday vibe! Definitely for the days I need to wallow in a mood 🖤

As an Indonesian person, seeing NIKI come into the international limelight has given me so much pride! 🇮🇩💕 She is such a talented individual with so many fuckin’ pop bops!! Please support your POC artists!!

🎶 T A G S 🎶

I tag @kentoswifey • @faeology • @gh0ullie • @playfulcl0ud • and anyone else who would like to do it!

[katierosefun]

i originally had a september wrap-up post queued but then tumblr fucking ate it, which made me very angry because i didn’t want to re-type the whole thing, but i’m procrastinating, so here i am, re-typing the whole thing of all the things i watched/consumed over the month of september, even if it’s a little late: (it’s fine, i didn’t watch a whole ton of stuff except...a lot of kdramas lmao. oh, and visions.) 

k-dramas: 

beyond evil 

okay, so i think this has been on my rec list for literally forever now, but...besties, i’m on my fifth watch of this goddamn show in the span of maybe two months, so if that doesn’t tell you how much this show has been a comfort/eating my brain lately, idk what will. 

i literally never shut up about this show, but if you’ve somehow been missing from my blog for a little bit, a quick summary: lee dong sik (played by the ever-wonderful shin ha kyun) was accused of murder + kidnapping a few young women, including his own twin sister 20 years ago. he’s lived a pretty quiet life on his own, and now 20 years later, his whole world is turned upside down again when hotshot new inspector han joo won (played by the talented yeo jin goo) comes into this little town. when the murders start up again, these two are thrown into a hellishly complex mystery. will throw you in for a hellish loop. i think my thoughts best summarize this show as come for the murder mystery, stay for whatever the hell joo won and dong sik have. 

okay, but all joking aside about how much i love joo won and dong sik (because...i truly do love them), this show was incredibly healing. once again: this show has quickly become a comfort show, basically to the point where i just watch it whenever i feel down (which happens to be a lot these days). idk man. humans aren’t meant to carry burdens on their own and all that stuff. sometimes u just need to remind yourself that. 

the crowned clown 

so, after watching beyond evil the fourth time, i realized that maybe i wanted to watch some of the actors’ other works. that was how i found myself watching the crowned clown, which...is an excellent kdrama now available on netflix (also on viki for free, just as beyond evil is). honestly, it’s been a hot second since i’ve watched historical dramas (saeguks), so i was a little unsure what to expect, but this show. bro. this show reminded me just how much i love historical dramas, because the court politics? the costumes? the music? the acting? fantastic. 

basically, this show is about the young clown (ie. performer) ha seon (played by yeo jin goo) who now has to replace the king, who might be like...two seconds away from snapping (if he hasn’t already). the reason they’re able to do this is because they look exactly identical despite not being related. 

this story is honestly wonderful. i loved it, and it’s an interesting way to look at the story behind the actual king (because. apparently this king was a real person, and i think his story has inspired quite a few other korean movies/shows). i thought yeo jin goo was brilliant in this show, and it’s really no surprise he became the youngest person ever nominated for a baeksang award because of this series. i was truly blown away by just how versatile he proved to be of an actor, and his dynamics with the other characters (the queen, the secretary being my fave, as well as the old eunuch jo), i just...bro. i’ll admit i wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance (don’t get me wrong! it was sweet!), but i think that might have been because this was so court politics heavy, and i adored it for that. if you’ve never watched a historical drama but want to and just don’t know where to start, i highly recommend this. 

d.p. 

bro....this show was dark. i watched it all in 2 days (pretty easy to do, considering it’s 6 episodes and maybe 40-50 minutes long per episode), and i needed to lie down. this is just one of those shows that i feel is...very important to watch, even if the content matter isn’t very bright. 

basically, dp is about two deserter pursuit officers: ahn jun ho (played by jung hae in) and han ho yul (played by koo kyo hwan). deserter pursuit officers are basically people who chase after people who deserted their military post--and for those who don’t know, being in the military is mandatory for men in south korea. this is the result of the armistice between the north and the south--basically, since north korea never agreed to an actual peace treaty, south korea is constantly under threat of war, which is why men need to serve at least a few years. (this is why a lot of actors + kpop band members often take breaks from their careers--to fulfill their military service time. because yup, even celebrities aren’t exempt from service!) 

anyways, this show really doesn’t pull back their punches. major trigger warnings for things like intense harrassment, suicide, domestic violence...it really does capture just how dark life can be, and also how toxic the military can be for men. because of that, i felt this show was incredibly well-crafted, incredibly nuanced, and in the end, i just felt sad. that said though, there was a hopeful ending, and i’m glad that this show was renewed for a second season, as i think this show is just...really important. 

squid game 

okay, so i don’t want to be that person, but your girl was watching squid game right after it came out, so i was here before the hype train--but okay, okay, i digress. (i am glad that this show is getting hype. i feel it’s very important that people watch this show.) 

if you haven’t noticed how squid game’s climbed to #1 on netflix worldwide (i think, anyways), well, then...buddy. squid game is about a bunch of people who have the chance to earn lots of money by playing what seems like innocent children’s games. (spoilers: they are far from innocent.) 

this show scarred me, to be honest. i needed to watch something lighthearted after this, just because it was so intense. lots of trigger warnings for blood and gore, as well as just. losing faith in humanity. but also, like dp, i felt this show was necessary. it was incredibly well-constructed in that it showed just what desperate people will do in order to survive, as well as exactly what a terrible capitalistic society will do to the working class. it’s depressing and sad, but also incredibly chilling because like. you can’t help but watch the characters and think, but would i do the same thing? i just want to pay off my own debt and take care of my family. wouldn’t i do the same thing? 

i won’t say more of this show for fear of spoilers, but. let me just say. that i really am glad this show exists. i hope people actually notice what the fuck it’s saying about our current system too, because hm, maybe i just want to suck the fun out of things, but there’s something very disturbing about how people are already cute-ifying this show (ie. “this is what i would wear to the squid games! :D” and “look at these squid-game inspired cookies! :D”, as if this show didn’t just deliver a heart-crushing message about capitalism + how the wealthy fuck over anyone who isn’t the 1% BUT ANYWAYS) 

tv 

star wars: visions 

lately i’ve been feeling weird about star wars for lots of different reasons which i don’t particularly feel like addressing today, but. visions really reminded me why i fell in love with star wars in the first place. i think for starters, well. it’s no surprise when i say that i felt an intense amount of joy of seeing east asian cultures so beautifully incorporated and respected in this show (no surprise seeing that this show was literally crafted by japanese anime studios), but like. it really was. a beautiful thing. i cried at least once per episode, either because i was so in awe of the animation and the themes or because i was just in awe that this thing exists. 

i think my favorite episode had to be the village bride--there was something so incredibly powerful about seeing someone who looked a bit like me say i am a jedi. what an iconic line. what an iconic story about a sad traumatized gal deciding to step up and fight, actually. peak star wars. 

but besides all that...i really did feel like...this show captured the beauty and essence of what makes star wars actually good. the themes of good versus evil, a lot of stuff between siblings (bro....the twins and lop and ocho FUCKED ME UP), choosing to have brighter and better days ahead (the village bride, the ninth jedi, the duel, tatooine rhapsody)...like, i really loved how each episode really took everything that was good about star wars and just turned it into something even more beautiful. this series will stay with me for a long time, i think--and i am very grateful for the people involved in this project for reminding me why i fell in love with this universe in the first place. :”)

[iamnotawomanimagod]

2021 Year in Review!

I was tagged by the forever-lovely @boomheda (thank you Luce!!) to do our annual year-in-review post. I did this last year (and I think the year before, but I can't find it!) Very happy to keep the tradition going!

Tagging a bunch of people but don't feel obligated!! @dylanobrienisbatman @bombshellsandbluebells @rosealie @laufire @lovelybeautifulpretty @neverwantedsaving @theemptysound @nomattertheoceans @nicoleanell @tolerateit and anyone else who wants to do this!! Please feel free to steal it!!

Under a cut because I've got a lot to say, dammit. I don't expect anyone to read the whole thing, it's mostly for me, haha <3

Top 5 Movies You Watched This Year

I so rarely watch movies, especially since COVID-19 started. So the top 2 of this list are the only "new" ones I watched, and the other three were revisits.

1. Inside (Bo Burnham)

This was such an incredible film experience, one which I think will be remembered as very emblematic of 2020 and 2021. I've kept the music on rotation all year, too.

2. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

I never got around to watching this one when it came out in theaters. I finally rewatched the entire movie series this year, and finished it up with the final film. I think it's a decent adaptation!

3. Josie and the Pussycats

My sisters and I loved this movie when we were younger and watched it over and over again. I was surprised at how much I'd forgotten, and how much of it had gone over my head as a kid. It's very fun and campy and super underrated as a satire of musicianship under capitalism. But it's also a sweet and charming Grrl Power movie, which I rediscovered my love for this year, also thanks in part to...

2. The Cheetah Girls

This was another one that was on constant rotation when I was a kid. So I was especially delighted to share that cheetahlicious love with @rosealie in 2021! The music still slaps, and the looks will never be replicated in terms of iconic early 2000s girl fashion.

1. The Emperor's New Groove

I think I could watch this movie a thousand times and never get tired of it.

Top 5 TV Shows You Watched This Year

TV was soooo good this year, honestly. I had a blast with a bunch of different shows.

5. Season 3 of You -

Especially because I got to watch it more or less in tandem with several mutuals, and seeing everyone react in real time was a delight. It was such an insane season. Really great to watch Love and Joe fully embrace who they were and all of the absolutely batshit choices they made as a result. Penn Badgley and Victoria Pedretti absolutely killed their performances, and really kept the entire season so engaging when it could've been really slow.

I'm still pretty bummed about the ending and not sure if I'll continue on with s4, but s3 was a fun ride!

4. Midnight Mass

I almost gave up on this show, because it really tested even my deep love for long, introspective monologues. And the animal death in the beginning is rough. But once I finished the fifth episode, I was so glad I pushed through. It ends up being one of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching, hopeful meditations on the afterlife and faith and love that I've ever watched.

It's not for everyone. It wasn't much like The Haunting Anthology at all. This is a challenging show on a lot of levels, and certainly not one everyone is going to find value in. But I really loved it, and it only confirmed for me how brilliant Mike Flanagan is at telling dark, human stories.

3. Shadow & Bone

I gained like 3.5 OTPs from this show, lmao. It's a really fun setting, great world-building and magic systems, and the story is pretty good. But I think what really pulled me in and kept me going is how drop-dead gorgeous every. single. character. is.

I don't know what it is about this cast, but they are all my type. Inej, Kaz, Alina, Mal, Nina, Mattias, Anya, Zoya, of course Jesper, even the Darkling - hottest people I've ever seen, never leave my screen, let me feast my eyes on you forever.

2. Squid Game

I managed to sneak in riiiight before the hype really kicked off. I'm glad because I was able to go in with fresh eyes and zero spoilers, plus no real expectations of what I was about to see. I don't know if any show could've lived up to the hype levels this one reached, but damn, it comes really, really close.

Brilliantly acted, well-written, full of twists and turns and crazy suspense, plus enough comic relief to break the tension. Gi-Hun is such a funny, silly protagonist at first, so to see him break down as the violence progresses was so compelling. Big kudos to Lee Jung-jae for making him so layered and human. And of course, my heart was stolen by Sae-Byeok just like everyone else's was.

Visually it was one of the most unique settings I've seen in a long time. It was refreshing to get bright, bold colors and big, hard lines and shapes. Plus it added such a lovely contrast to the horrors of the games. I really liked it, and I'm excited to check out more non-English language shows, because I think there are a lot of really cool stories that don't make it to the Western mainstream often enough.

1. Legacies

Ahh, this dumb, fun, stupid show. I talk about it too much for it to not top my list. It's basically my new The 100, although I'll never let myself get that emotionally invested in a show from The CW again, lmao. And the fandom is clearly a dumpster fire, one I want nothing to do with.

But the show really has my heart!! I appreciate that we're finally coming to some of the consequences we've been building towards for so many seasons - Hope becoming a tribrid and flipping her humanity switch; Landon fufilling his "destiny" as Malivore's vessel and then tragically being killed by Hope; Lizzie becoming a heretic; the whole compelling Hope/Lizzie frenemy dynamic; Alaric coming to terms with his sins in limbo; even Josie leaving to go live her own life. It's all stuff that's been hinted at for so long, it's nice to have some closure. And I've loved seeing Cleo's story progress, and Finch finding a home. Even Kaleb turning into a dragon has been a welcome surprise, albeit a weird one.

I'm a bit anxious about where it'll go from here - I think we've hit the peak now and can only go downhill. They're about to invent more villains and more problems, since the original conflict has now been resolved, and that has never gone well in a TVDU show. But they might surprise me!

Top 5 Songs of 2021

Well the first five are all from If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, so I'm putting them, in order, at #1, lol. Just so there's actually some variety. Taken from Spotify Wrapped!

5. "E-GIRLS ARE RUINING MY LIFE" by CORPSE, feat Savage Ga$p

4. "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" by Lil Nas X

3. "Save That Shit" by Lil Peep

2. "Serotonin" by girl in red

1. "I am not a woman, I'm a god," "honey," "You asked for this," "Bells in Santa Fe," and "Easier Than Lying" - Halsey

Top 5 Albums You Heard In 2021

5. NEED by 3Oh!3

Top tracks: LAST BREATH, I'M SO SAD, LONELY MACHINES

4. Happier than Ever by Billie Eilish

Top tracks: Happier than Ever, Lost Cause, NDA, Therefore I Am, I Didn't Change My Number, and Billie Bossa Nova.

3. Inside (The Songs) by Bo Burnham

Top tracks: All Eyes on Me, Welcome to the Internet, 30, Don't Wanna Know, Shit, That Funny Feeling, Look Who's Inside Again, and Goodbye.

2. MONTERO by Lil Nas X

Top tracks: MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name,) DEAD RIGHT NOW, LOST IN THE CITADEL, TALES OF DOMINICA, LIFE AFTER SALEM, and ONE OF ME (feat Elton John.)

1. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power

Top tracks: Easier than Lying, honey, You asked for this, Bells in Santa Fe, Whispers, 1121, Ya'aburnee, Lilith, and I am not a woman, I'm a god.

Top 5 Books You Read in 2021

I really don't read anymore, unfortunately! So I'm going to make my own category. Feel free to do top books, or my suggestion, or your own thing, or whatever!

Instead - Top 5 YouTube Channels in 2021

5. Binging with Babish is fun, informative, and great for learning about slightly more advanced techniques in the kitchen that the average home cook doesn't consider trying. Getting to see different pop culture foods recreated in a tasty way is really neat!

4. Watcher is where you can find the Buzzfeed Unsolved boys now, as well as their former Buzzfeed compatriot Stephen Lim. Ryan and Shane have come up with a lot of funny, interesting, and spooky new shows, and it's been really fun to watch their channel grow this year. I especially love Are You Scared? and Puppet History.

3. Mila Tequila has produced some of my favorite pop culture video essays this year, especially her takes on The Bling Ring scandal of the mid-aughties, as well as as really sensitive but thorough explainer on Amanda Bynes' tumultuous career. Her relaxed setup is refreshing when compared to so many other incredibly polished YouTubers, and I think she's really talented for an unpaid student, which makes her stick out on this list!

2. Trixie & Katya crack me up beyond belief, I'm so glad I discovered them, even if I'm not all that into drag race anymore. They've really transcended their beginnings and now have so much content, it's sometimes hard to keep up. I'm not complaining though! It's been a great year for them both and I'm excited to see what they do next.

1. The Try Guys are pretty much a daily part of my life, and I enjoy almost everything they produce. They're great role models, funny dudes, and really creative at coming up with new content, even almost seven years into their friendship. They are very much so my comfort show, and I'm glad they've gotten to do so much in 2021, even with the pandemic limiting their production style.

5 Positive Things That Happened In 2021

5. I was fortunate that I didn't get COVID-19, and although I do know a few people who had it, no one I know was permanently impacted or killed by it. I feel very lucky about that and I know what a blessing it is to not be grieving someone or something this year.

4. I visited Albuquerque, New Mexico for the first time and got to see some really cool art during their First Friday Art Walk. It was so refreshing to be around people and art again, and because New Mexico has a mask mandate and we were all vaccinated and this was pre-delta-or-omicron, it felt safe enough to really relax and have fun. It'd be a long time since I'd been able to do something like that and it really helped me feel a lot less restless.

3. Halsey released a truly stunning album this year, alongside a beautiful film. I wasn't expecting another album from them for at least a few years, so it was a really awesome surprise. It's one of my favorite albums of all-time and certainly my favorite in their discography.

2. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and started taking the right medication. I'm working with a psychiatrist that I trust, for the first time in my life, and I'm feeling better than ever. I still have a long way to go, but I'm moving forward for the first time in a very long time.

1. My husband got a job that he's been working towards for at least five years. He's settling into it and is very happy. We're in a more stable place than ever.

***

Overall this was actually a pretty good year for me, personally!! It could've been a lot worse, and I'm grateful things have mostly been okay for me and the people I love. I have no idea what 2022 holds, or really any expectations for what it should be. These days, I'm just happy to be here. And I'm happy you're along for the ride, if you've read this far, or follow me, or are my mutual!

Happy holidays! <3

[adiarosefandoms]

The Billy Joel Concert

This took me forever and three long winded essays full of pandering emotional rants to get out, and now I’m here starting from scratch because I doubt you all want to hear me ramble on (hehehe) about my music obsession and how it came about. So here it is, the Billy Joel concert, one, very long, paragraph.

September 10, 2021 Billy Joel held a concert at the Reds stadium in Cincinnati, which I very luckily got to attend. I have been to concerts before. I saw Sarah McLachlan (Who is the reason I’m named Adia, though nobody I know understands the reason), Twenty One Pilots, and AJR both on their virtual tour in 2020 and also during a brief concert at the ends of a Reds game. But none of them held a candle to the Piano Man. The whole experience was just on a whole other level. I never thought I’d get to see something like this. All my favorite musicians are pretty much 50s-80s in terms of decades and if they are still doing concerts, or alive, it is impossible to get affordable tickets to. But I got to see Billy Joel and I can honestly say, that 72 year old man can bring down the house. Before a concert starts there are like five different light changes that leads the crowd to scream because they think the musician is coming on stage. Every one of those exclamations were louder than the last. And when he finally did come on stage, well... to quote Janice. OH.MY.GOD. I could not stop smiling the whole time. He played all my favorites (except For The Longest Time and Why Should I Worry, which surprised me). These include The Entertainer, Vienna, She’s Always a Woman (it was gorgeous), Only the Good Die Young, We Didn’t Start the Fire and Uptown Girl (both during the encore in which he got up from his piano and started to fucking rock for an old dude), and Piano Man (obviously). That last song is so important to me and my love of music. I remember falling in love with it when I was 7 1/2- 8. And it was the first non kids-poppy music that I liked. Actually, it was the first song I ever fell in love with. It’s a slightly weird song for a seven year old who doesn’t even know what a bar is too fall in love with, but you know, it’s a good song. When he pulled out that harmonica I just knew he was gearing up for Piano Man, I smiled and clapped so loud. The crowd, me included, sang along to every word.

That song just affects me. Every music lover knows what I mean when I say it just filled me up. It touched my soul and my heart (and possibly my tear ducts). It was everything in the world for those four minutes. It just consumed my being in a way only a song like that can. It was one of the songs that changed my life, helped me build this passion and relationship with music. The fact that I got to go still surprises me.

And god, everyone laughed when he said. “Ight. So I don’t got anything new for ya. Just the same old shit.” And the mosquitos were kind of swarming him, so he held a fly swatter in his hand and after almost every song would take a break to kill a couple. Once when he didn’t need the piano he actually swirled it around in his palm while singing like it was a weapon. (Anyone else think that should be Harley Quinn’s next weapon?)

Billy Joel is just iconic. I get nostalgic from his Piano Man album cover (which I always loved), the lyrics and lilts in his voice are just on a whole other level, and his presence in the same arena as me just made me feel like I was on an angelic high. If you ever have the chance to get to see him perform, go. I cannot ever truly communicate to you just how much of an amazing, brilliant, mind boggling, influential experience it was.

So...one paragraph did not work out. I got a Billy Joel shirt with the album covers on it as well as a mug, because if you know anything about me besides my obsession with movies/books/music, it’s that I love coffee. I will be wearing that shirt and using that mug till the day I die. Seriously though, it was just such an amazing concert and if you can get tickets to his remaining shows, do. You will not regret it.

[whitejeweler]

Welcome to Music Monday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam sing about a 14-karat love in their #1 hit from the summer of 1987, “Head to Toe.”

Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Velez) uses jewelry metaphors, pop culture references and what Ad Age magazine called the best advertising slogan of the 20th century to illustrate just how much she cherishes her guy — a guy who used to be her best friend and now is her boyfriend. She sings, “14-karat love, you are my Jewel of the Nile / When we make love, diamonds are forever.”

Penned for a De Beers marketing campaign in 1947 by NW Ayer copywriter Mary Frances Gerety, the brilliant four-word tagline “A Diamond Is Forever” has inspired an Ian Fleming novel, a James Bond flick, an iconic theme song by Shirley Bassey and Lisa Lisa’s “Head to Toe.”

The Jewel of the Nile was a blockbuster action-adventure movie from 1985 starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.

The dance number, which zoomed to the top of the U.S. Billboard 100 chart, is one of the iconic dance tunes of the 1980s. It features a Freestyle vibe seasoned with a generous sprinkling of soul, electro-funk, Latin rhythms and hip-hop. It’s the type of song that would come up on a playlist alongside the early work of Paula Abdul, Gloria Estefan and Sheila E.

“Head to Toe” was composed by Full Force, a long-time production and songwriting powerhouse. According to music trivia website SongFacts.com, the girlfriend of Full Force member Paul Anthony blurted out what would become the song’s catchy hook during their gym workout.

Apparently she was so impressed by his physique that she screamed that “she loved him from head to toe.” Anthony brought that nugget to the rest of the group and, before long, a chart topper was born with the unforgettable hook, “Ooh, baby, I think I love you / From head to toe.”

“Head to Toe” appeared on Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam’s Spanish Fly album, a critically acclaimed work that sold more than one million copies and spawned two #1 hits. The other was the memorable “Lost in Emotion.”

The Harlem-based Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam consisted of lead vocalist Velez, guitarist/bassist Alex “Spanador” Moseley and drummer/keyboardist Mike Hughes. The group was assembled and produced by Full Force, which has worked with a long list of top acts, such as Britney Spears, James Brown, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, La Toya Jackson, Patty LaBelle and Selena.

Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam enjoyed a successful seven-year run from 1984 to 1991. We invite you to check out the official video of “Head to Toe.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Head To Toe” Written by Full Force. Performed by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam.

Head to toe I know

Today started with a crazy kiss On our way home We were in for a surprise Who would have known

Who would have thought that we would become lovers As friends we were so, so tight Can’t help myself, you make me feel so right I got to, got to, got to tell you, darlin’

Ooh, baby, I think I love you From head to toe Ooh, baby, I think I love you From head to toe

I think I love you from head to toe I know

Here today, gone tomorrow It’s possible, but I doubt it His kiss is credit in the bank of love I never leave home without it

He’s different from any boy I know Body supreme Bedroom eyes, head back to the side Please don’t be so mean

14-karat love, you are my Jewel of the Nile When we make love, diamonds are forever Top to bottom I love you, I will leave you never I got to, got to, got to tell you, darlin’

Ooh, baby, I think I love you From head to toe Ooh, baby, I’ve got to kiss you From head to toe

Ooh, baby, I think I love you You got to know Ooh, baby, I think I love you From head to toe

I think I love you from head to toe You can’t hurry love, you got to take it slow But my angel, you forget your wings tonight [Heaven up above] Baby, you got the love

14-karat love, you are my Jewel of the Nile When we make love, diamonds are forever Top to bottom I love you, I will leave you never I got to, got to, got to tell you, darlin’

Ooh, baby, I think I love you From head to toe Ooh, baby, I want to kiss you From head to toe

Ooh, baby, I think I love you You got to know Ooh, baby, I think I love you From head to toe

I think I love you from head to toe I know

Ooh, baby, I want to kiss you From head to toe Ooh, baby, I think I love you You got to know

Ooh, baby, I think I love you From head to toe

Credit: Screen capture via Youtube.com.

Visit our website at whitejewelers.net

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[aion-rsa]

Val Kilmer Documentary Punctures the Actor’s Bad Boy Myth

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Leo Scott and Ting Poo’s new documentary feature, Val, is not a mortality play. It is a rehearsal for an upcoming act. During a tour of his one-man stage show, Citizen Twain, Val Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer. The actor underwent two tracheostomies, and now can only speak while covering a tube. The narration of the new film is thus done by his son Jack Kilmer, allowing the pair to share a non-verbal connection throughout the journey, and through time and expression itself. While there are flourishes of humor, the documentary is a serious study of an artist who has always struggled to be understood, told through the selective memory of Kilmer’s POV.

“I’ve wanted to tell a story about acting for a very long time,” Kilmer says toward the beginning of the documentary. “And now that it’s difficult to speak, I want to tell my story more than ever.” Kilmer is an artist, one who takes his vocation very seriously and introspectively. An actor’s voice is more than a tool, it is their primary source of communication. Non-verbal exchanges are important, but dialogue is the primary idea delivery system in staged and filmed works. Surgical procedures have split his throat, shredding the scope of his instrument. In the film, Kilmer is forced to project his story on the empty space between the notes.

Among Kilmer’s many defining roles, the one which appears to ring truest is his encapsulation of Jim Morrison, the poet and lead vocalist of the Doors in Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic, The Doors. The young Kilmer is shown onstage in a small club, lost in the music, awaiting his cue to become one with the mic. Moments in Kilmer’s personal history, like how the actor was tagged with a “difficult” label, are consigned to rests. The most overt reference to Kilmer’s “bad boy” reputation comes from Robert Downey Jr., who smashes the notoriety to bits in a moment of impromptu dismissal.

There is no gossip here. There is no discussion of A-list-bad behavior. Kilmer sees it all as artistic license.  He was searching for honesty, he remembers. Choices like lying on top of a mattress filled with ice in order to feel a real pain during his last scene with Kurt Russell in Tombstone come across as perfectly valid. Kilmer is still bitter over spending four months learning to play guitar for Top Secret!, and his first note informs him the director thinks he looks funnier faking it. There is little evidence of unprofessionalism, only growing pains.

The bulk of Val comes from clips of 8mm home video footage Kilmer has been shooting most of his life. “I’ve kept everything, and it’s been sitting in boxes for years,” Kilmer informs us. The archive was intended to tell a story about “where you end and the acting begins.” We are gifted with moon shots of both Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn, which have nothing to do with the films Apollo 13 or The First.

Early self-directed screen tests provoke a series of what-ifs. A tortuous encapsulation of a Juilliard acting class is a lesson in what-nots. Val’s hand-held approach to The Island of Dr. Moreau is a highlight. The actor respectfully rocks his co-star and idol, Marlon Brando, on a hammock they both wish was strung to John Frankenheimer. Please turn off the camera, the film’s replacement director demands. But Kilmer only hits pause when it’s time to rehearse.

The behind-the-scenes camcorder footage from sets of Top Gun, Tombstone, and The Doors are treasure troves in themselves, and possibly underused. Most of the audience will be very interested in the candid youth and truth recorded over his career. Val uses the archival clips and unearthed b-roll to establish a chronology.

Many videos were made at home in Los Angeles with Kilmer’s younger brother Wesley, who had an epileptic seizure and drowned at age 15. His death casts a mournful pall following the news that Val was the youngest applicant ever accepted as a drama student at Juilliard. Kilmer calls his brother “an artistic genius,” and one of the most revealing things to come out of the documentary is how often Kilmer used this brother’s art to augment the backgrounds of the sets he is living through on film.

Seeing how Stone speaks about Kilmer now makes me wonder if Val would have been able to put in the same performances in his movies if he knew it at the time. In his audition tapes for Full Metal Jacket and Goodfellas, we see an actor who needs to be taken seriously. He flies 6,000 miles to hand deliver his tape to Stanley Kubrick in London.

While he makes no comment, footage reveals Kilmer’s favorite Batman was played by Adam West. “Every boy wants to be Batman,” we hear, and see the Caped Crusader in every era of Kilmer’s life. A short, animated film he and his brother made with what looks like crayon is a Batman spoof. He still glories in the moment he got deposited behind the classic TV series’ iconic wheels as a youngster visiting the lot. It appears Kilmer still can’t pass a grocery store Batmobile without feeding it quarters. He wears the classic blue Halloween ensemble expecting tricks and treats as a kid, and as a daddy with his kids.

Don’t expect to see Kilmer wearing his cinematic puffed rubber suit at home, and it’s not because he left it at the dry cleaners. Footage old and new, homemade or professionally recorded, presents the Batsuit as an albatross. Heavy rests the cowl. He has to be lifted from chairs, deposited on marks, and his only identifying feature on the set of Batman Forever is a chin and bottom lip. Anyone could have been behind the mask, and the human superhero envied the subhuman villains. Kilmer comes across as quite happy Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones are able to create fully formed performance art in their portrayals. But he wanted to play with those toys.

“Batman Forever,” Kilmer laments, “whatever boyish excitement I had going in was crushed by the reality of the Batsuit. I realized it was just my job to show up and stand where they told me.” As the captured past footage is juxtaposed with modern sequences, we get an unfiltered glimpse of how little this has changed. The sequence of Kilmer at the Comic-Con autograph booth is wrenching. He initially didn’t want to take the part of Iceman in Top Gun because he felt it glorified the military. So many fans ask him to sign “You can be my wingman” on their souvenirs. It turns his stomach. He throws up in a garbage can and wheeled through hallways with a blanket over his head. Trouper that he is, he returns to the booth to finish out the signatures.

Kilmer blurred himself into the role of Mark Twain. There is a beautiful sequence where the actor walks through town to the beach, in full stage makeup, dressed in the signature white suit and long mustache of his character. It is extremely telling when Kilmer tells the camera it’s hard enough writing a good screenplay, much less a great one, which itself doesn’t even match what he feels he needs to bring to a script of a film version of Citizen Twain. Kilmer sold his ranch in New Mexico to finance the project. The documentary only captures some of the frustrations.

Most of the anecdotes are guarded, and all the admissions are part of a subjective narrative. Kilmer’s arc has rough edges, these tales are too smooth, and leave little room for impressionistic interpretation. Kilmer met his former wife, Joanne Whalley, when she was starring in a West End play directed by Danny Boyle, but he didn’t approach her.

“She was brilliant, and I was in town making fluff,” Kilmer concedes. It’s all about the art, even appearances. The documentary hints that Kilmer’s dedication to character did the most damage to their relationship. Wearing the same pair of leather pants for nine months could almost be on the books as probable cause for divorce in Hollywood.

Similarly, Kilmer’s Christian Science upbringing is brought up, and dropped. There is a loving but ambiguous undertone to Kilmer’s relationship with his once-rich-and-powerful father, who put his son in debt after trying to become a southern California land tycoon. But a sequence on his Swedish mother which juxtaposes a car ride he took with her when he was a child with one of being driven to her funeral speaks volumes without words.

Val is about the next step. “What’s past is prologue” William Shakespeare wrote in The Tempest. Kilmer pondered the “too, too solid flesh” while rehearsing Hamlet, and the documentary opens after the actor faced his own mortality. Kilmer swears he feels better than he sounds and, while he finds little to regret in his memories, he expects less in the ones he has yet to create.

Val can be seen on Amazon Prime Video.

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The post Val Kilmer Documentary Punctures the Actor’s Bad Boy Myth appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[jmsa1287]

The 10 Best Films of the 2010s

my 2019 pick has already changed since this published lol oh well! 

Compiling a list and picking just 10 films to represent the 2010s is extremely difficult if not nearly impossible — it's hard enough picking a handful of movies for lists that sum up a single year. Films change as the years pass; something you adored in 2011 may not hold up on a re-watch in 2019. Maybe that's because so much has changed in the world this decade, or you've experienced a personal philosophical shift, or a film is tied to a certain experience and emotion that has since soured. And, of course, the opposite can happen. A film you didn't respond to five years ago may have become a new favorite.

This list is a bit of a cheat — or a break — from the typical best films of the decade lists you may have seen online. It will have 10 films representing the best film from each year this decade (2010 through 2019). Though easier, making this list was still difficult mostly because there were so many brilliant and exciting films that were omitted (masterpieces like "Tree of Life" and "Gravity," for instance). Below, find the films that did make the cut and a brief blurb as to why they belong in the cinema hall of fame.

2010: "Black Swan," directed by Darren Aronofsky

Obsession and perfection are two ideas that were constantly explored this decade, thanks to the rise of social media. (There was even a horror movie released on Netflix this year called "The Perfection," starring Allison Williams.) In Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan," a young ballet dancer named Nina Sayers (played by an outstanding Natalie Portman, who won the Best Actress Oscar for the role), slowly detaches from reality as she prepares for the lead role in a production of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake." The film's sound design is unlike any other film this decade. With each bone crack, nail clip, and flesh wound, Aronofsky makes "Black Swan" a social psycho drama melded with body horror, which also features a wild Winona Ryder performance.

2011: "Drive," directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Nicolas Winding Refn's movies aren't for everyone but his neo-noir hyper-violent "Drive" is an undeniable classic and game-changer. Starring Ryan Gosling as an unnamed stunt driver and for-hire getaway driver, "Drive" sparked a sea change in cinema, spawning an aesthetic that featured synth-pop bangers (glittery songs by Chromatics and a pulsating score from Cliff Martinez) and neon lighting. "Drive" tells an age-old story in a new and fresh way that audiences hadn't seen before, going beyond its ultra-cool style, to show a classic L.A. noir tale of betrayal and heartache. NWR also uses Gosling in the best way; boiled down to a few emotions, putting the handsome Hollywood hunk in a twisted role you'd never expect. Oh and Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, Bryan Cranston and Albert Brooks show up!

2012: "Spring Breakers," directed by Harmony Korine

"Spring Breakers" might be the best prank this decade. An arthouse film disguised as a sexy college romp, Harmony Korine's film features young college students — played here by Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson — desperate to venture from their Christian college and indulge their wild side during spring break in St. Petersburg, Fla. There, they meet Alien (James Franco), a local rapper and drug dealer who Korine uses to show the dark side of unbridled partying, sex and excessive drinking. Intense dubstep, closeups of fleshy bodies doused in alcohol and an iconic rendition of Britney Spears' "Everytime," "Spring Breakers" has gone on to become a twisted cautionary tale and also put the indie distributor A24 on the map.

2013: "Her," directed by Spike Jonez

If "Black Mirror" shows us the evils of technology, Spike Jonez's melancholic love story "Her" is the other side of the coin. It's a warm and strange film where Joaquin Phoenix delivers a breathtaking performance. As does Scarlett Johansson, who voices Samantha, an A.I. a la Siri but begins to form a romantic relationship with Phoenix's sad-sack Theodore. "Her" is more than a movie about technology; it's an emotional film about change, loss and what it means to be alive that is tucked inside a fully realized not-too-distant future L.A. with a brilliant aesthetic.

2014: "The Wind Rises," directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki has made some of the most successful and culturally significant films since the 80s, including "Spirited Away" and "My Neighbor Totoro." But his so-called last film "The Wind Rises" is an impeccable emotional epic based in realism that is a gut punch to the soul. It's a devastatingly beautiful movie that is half dreamlike and half haunting. It is undoubtedly the most moving film on this list.

2015: "It Follows," directed by David Robert Mitchell

If Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive" started a new wave of cinema, David Robert Mitchell's retro throwback "It Follows" is the epitome of it. With a vibrating score from video game composer Disasterpeace, DRM's film winks at slasher films of the 80s, most notably "Nightmare on Elm Street," but dials the aesthetic up to an 11; it's got nothing on "Stranger Things." In this brooding film, a young woman named Jamie (a wonderful Maika Monroe) is cursed after she has sex with her boyfriend, who ties her to a chair and warns her he's passed "it" on to her. "It" is a sinister force that inches itself closer and closer to Jamie in an attempt to kill her. Many saw "It Follows" an allegory to HIV/AIDs or STIs and a commentary of female characters in 80s horror films. It's the film's open-endedness and reinvention of tropes embedded into American cinema that make "It Follows" one of the most thrilling and fascinating films of the decade.

2016: "La La Land," directed by Damien Chazelle

"La La Land" may forever be tied to one of the Academy Awards' biggest blunders in the institution's history, but Damien Chazelle's love letter to the Hollywood Musical is an impressive feat of filmmaking. A romantic saga with musical numbers that don't shy away from its influences (the MGM musical and the Technicolor delights of yesteryear), "La La Land" is an earnest if not corny film. But its Chazelle's impeccable craftsmanship that makes his movie soar while it tells a modern love story about when two figuring out if their passions are more important to them than a future together.

2017: "The Lost City of Z," directed by James Gray

James Gray's mind-blowing epic "The Lost City of Z" will go down as this decade's most under-appreciated film. Like many of the movies on this list, it is a film about obsession, perfection and family trauma. Based on a true story, "Lost City" follows British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) over several years on his plight to find an alleged hidden city deep in the Amazon jungles. There's a World War I sequence and Tom Holland shows up as Percy's son, who is eager to follow in his father's footsteps and head to South America with him. It's devastating and moving in that Gray way even though it is his first movie not set in New York. "Lost City" perfectly melds the personal with human history, resulting in a film that is technically impressive and emotionally shocking.

2018: "Hereditary," directed by Ari Aster

Somewhere in the late 2010s, the term "elevated horror" became part of Film Twitter's lexicon. It's used to described artful films that are grown from horror tropes, most notably "The Witch," "Get Out" and Ari Aster's masterpiece "Hereditary." And though it is definitely a scary movie, labeling it an "elevated horror" film or a horror film, in general, doesn't feel quite right. It's a family drama about trauma that is demented in the same kind of tone of an Edward Albee play. It's more visceral than the late playwright's work, to be sure, and at the center of "Hereditary" is a career-defining performance from Toni Collette. She plays Annie, a grieving mother who is haunted by deep loss and grapples with keeping her sanity and her family together. Aster's film explores family relations and how tragedy can infiltrate the cracks in relationships unlike any other movie this decade.

2019: "Parasite," directed by Bong Joon-ho

"Parasite" is the summation of Bong Joon-ho's work. The Korean filmmaker has long made movies about marginalized folks navigating their way through certain systems. Unlike some of his movies, "Parasite" is rooted in reality; there's no giant elephant-pig or mutated sea creature here. The evil lurking in "Parasite" is privilege and capitalism and if that's not the biggest theme of the late 2010s I'm not quite sure what is. The film is a genre-shifting story told by an expert, who has made a few near-perfect films ("Memories of Murder," "Mother"). When "Parasite" begins to unfold and show its cards, you know you're in the hands of a master and that it won't go off the rails. Here, Joon-ho successfully tells his story with effortless dynamic filmmaking and ease that is completely hypotonic and engaging while being unnervingly gripping and universal.

[asher-jones]

&. BASICS

Full Name: Asher Jones Nicknames: Ash Age: 24 Sexuality: Homosexual, Homoromantic Date of Birth: July 25th Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York Species: Demigod of Apollo

&. MORE BASIC INFO

Languages: English, French, Spanish, Godspeak Religion: Atheist Education: BFA in Acting Occupation: Actor & Director (Aspiring Producer) Drinks, Smokes, & Drugs: Drinks, Recreational Marijuana user

&. SEXUAL PREFERENCES

Position: Verse-Bottom Kinks: Dirty Talk, Fighting for Dominance, Teasing, Oral, Spanking, Biting, Light Bondage, Sex in Public places Anti-Kinks: Watersports, Humiliation, Feminization, Bloodplay

&. PERSONALITY

Zodiac Sign: Leo MBTI: ESTP Likes: Writing, Guitar, Old Movies, Swimming, Running, Dancing, Cooking, Shopping, Sleeping Dislikes: Camping, Rock Music, Singing in front of people, Airplanes, Cleaning, Snow, Blood Bad Habits: Interrupting People, Sarcasm Secret Talent: Singing Hobbies: Writing, Watching Movies, Playing Guitar, Hosting Fears: Claustrophobia Five Positive Traits: Charismatic, Cunning, Intuitive, Passionate, Loyal Five Negative Traits: Impulsive, Irresponsible, Proud, Temperamental, Stubborn

&. FAMILY INFORMATION

Parent Names: Apollo and Julia Jones Parent Relationship: Never met his father, but has always looked up to his mother, she has and will always be his biggest role model. Though there has always been a sense of separation or distance between them. Julia Jones has never been the affectionate type. Sibling Names: Alexander Jones (twin brother) Pets: Has a dog, Benji, that lives with his mother

&. BIOGRAPHY

Julia Jones. Quite frankly, everyone who is anyone knows who Julia Jones, the legendary Broadway Actress is. She has been in almost a dozen Tony Award winning shows, won almost as many awards herself. She is an icon in the Broadway community. So one can imagine the buzz that went around when the iconic Miss Jones had gotten pregnant by a mystery man. Even when she had her sons, Asher and Alexander, nobody knew just who the man was, and to be honest, neither did she really. If she was telling the story, she met him during a Tony Award after party. A mysterious and charming man that whisked her off her feet and changed her life.

Growing up, the brothers, well Asher at least, lavished in Miss Jones’ spotlight. He watched with wide eyes as his mother strutted out in glamorous gowns with exquisite suitors/ He marveled at her skill on stage as she commanded an adoration of her audience, and Asher couldn’t help but crave that attention. Even as a young boy, he showed signs of his mother’s innate gravitas. Unlike his brother, Asher thrived when he was surrounded by people. So when he was old enough to choose a profession, of course he would follow in Julia’s footsteps, to become a performer, an actor, a musician, a star. Everything he tried, it felt as if it came natural to him. School, socializing, talking, singing, it was like second nature to him. It came as a shock to no one when he was accepted into Columbia Univeristy as a Performance major. He was his mother’s son after all, and he made sure everyone knew about it.

College, as it so happened, was a lot more complicated than even Asher had anticipated. Everyone was on a much higher level than they were in high school, they didn’t rely on their parents laurels like he had been accustomed to. It took him a while, but even then, Asher was able to find a spot for himself. He started dating his freshman year roommate, auditioned into the theater program, even started networking in the theater world to get a name for himself. Everything seemed to be going right, until his junior year of college, when everything started to become less like a fairytale, and hardened into the harsh reality of adulthood.

Up until his junior year, things had come easy to him. Competition started to steepen, stakes were risen, and people started to take him more seriously. It was his Script Analysis professor, Professor Danes, that changed it all for him. An older, more experienced, and impossibly charming man that seemed to look past his mother’s name, and see the struggling young man beneath. He saw Asher for who he was, his passion, his drive toward greatness. It was an instant chemistry, and as far as Asher was concerned, inevitable. He inspired Asher in so many ways. Danes was brilliant, he was handsome, he was charismatic, he was supportive, but the gag was, he was married with children.

Any descent human being would have told the man to fuck off. They would have broken things off as soon as they found out, and called it a day. Apparently, descent was a little too generous for Asher. As terrible as it might have been of him, the rush, the danger, passion behind being the “mistress” in an affair with someone like Professor Dane’s overrode his conscious. He spent a year in that torrid affair, learning and ravishing his mentor at any moment he could. But like anyone in the public eye, secrets didn’t last forever. Out of everything, it was Asher’s mother’s friendship with the professor that outed them. A rogue journalist caught the Asher and Danes in the midst of a secret tryst, and before long, the entire upper east side knew that Edward Danes had been caught with one of his students, cheating on his wife.

Asher had never seen his mother cry until that moment. To be clear, the tears weren’t from the fact that her son was gay, they weren’t from the fact that he was dating an older man, they weren’t even because the man was married. She was crying because her son had single handedly destroyed their family name, her reputation, everything she worked so hard for. Asher had never felt more ashamed of himself, never hated himself on the level that he did in that moment. For a boy who grew up only ever wanting to make his parent proud, the fact that he humiliated his mother that way, it destroyed him. His last year of college, to be fair, was a blur. Drinking, partying, wallowing in his self loathing and using that for his creative expression didn’t produce his best work, but it got him a diploma, and at least a few offers.

An Ivy League performer, and the son of Julia Jones should never have any trouble getting in the door of any theater, and truth be told, he didn’t. Within just a few months of auditioning after college, he had been cast in a handful of rolls in off Broadway shoes. Still, most of those roles were small, minuscule compared to what he was used to. As hard as he worked, and as talented as he thought he was, he could never earn the respect of the people who knew who he was, what he did. That deed had been plastered on his name, as if the scarlet letter had been painted on his chest. For the longest time he felt stifled, he felt lost, until someone came to him that would change his world forever.  

[tellthemhowihope]

hello friends! i recently hit 500 followers!!!! i never, ever thought this would happen but i love you all so much and i’m so grateful to have made some really wonderful friends here. you guys are just the sweetest people ever 🥺💜

to celebrate, i thought i would do some blog rates! (this is lowkey a selfish ploy for human interaction please forgive me)

here are the rules:

you must be following me - it’s hard for me to compliment people i don’t know!

reblog this post so that i can keep track of all who enter (but not like the government - @ the nsa agent in my computer, who’s probably considered an essential worker, don’t worry buddy i’m not coming for your job)

likes will be considered bookmarks

send me ♕ or ☾ for a blog rate (format under the cut)

also - send me anything else, if you like: music/movie/podcast recs! recipes! fav books! top 5′s! quotes/poems you like! your favorite emoji! tell me about your day or the new hyper-fixation getting you through quarantine! send me pics of your pets! 

or - ask me something random and i have to answer

blacklist #nina’s 500 celebration if you don’t want to see it! 

it’s also critical to note that i CANNOT make headers but decided to try anyway (please ignore it - i did my very best with my one brain cell)

♕ BLOG RATE

icon: a baby!! | SO PRETTY | i’m obsessed | literal perfection | i’d kill for an icon like this | CLARA OSWALD

theme: lovely! | v aesthetic | LOVE IT!! | may i have it please | it looks,,, so nice,, i’m crying | ROSA DIAZ

url: nice | awesome! | brilliant!! | G O A L S !! | who’d you sell your soul to? | ARTHUR PENDRAGON

posts: not my thing but live your best life | fantastic!! | iconic,, ur mind | all my fav things | i’ve been scrolling for 72 hours now | SARA LANCE

overall:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | SAM WINCHESTER

following? no but i love you | i am now!! | forever and ever and ever!

compliments: just let me say nice things about you please i have been forced to say too many nice things about myself this week yes i am begging

☾ AESTHETIC BLOG RATE

planet: mercury | venus | mars | jupiter | saturn | neptune | pluto (it’s still a planet in my heart, okay?)

location: seaside | mountains | city | countryside | forest

season: winter | spring | summer | fall 

element: fire | water | earth | air

time of day: dawn | morning | midday | afternoon | evening | night

Hogwarts house: slytherin | hufflepuff | gryffindor | ravenclaw

creature: mermaid | angel | fairy | witch | werewolf | vampire | ghost | dragon

compliments: no one can escape the compliments, sorry 🥰

tagging a few mutuals, if y’all don’t mind: @thefandomsinhalor​ @fierydeans​ @gomez-michelle​ @mrrmiracle​ @demondeals​ @episode-rants​ @wanderingcas​ @rauko-is-a-free-elf​ @pray4jensen​ @jaredpalalecki​ @stardustsam​ @peanutbutterandgrapejelly​ @lovedsammy​ @until-it-kills-you-both​ @fierydeans​

[brindaneer]

Inspiration and positivity are what the entire human race is in dire need of during these uncertain times. The present blog acquires additional importance for us because the film it deals with is possibly one of the most motivational motion pictures produced by the Hindi movie industry in the past few years. Penned by the inimitable Javed Akhtar, and directed by Farhan Akhtar, Lakshya showcased the progression of Karan Shergil from an aimless, albeit good-hearted soul drifting through life into a dutiful officer of the Indian Army. Karan's path of self-discovery was not merely an entertaining watch; it was also about the vital role that initiative and determination could play in our lives. Thrown in the midst of a world pandemic after a hundred years, most of us have lost these amazing qualities up to some degree at least, which is probably why pondering over this film in particular seems to be a productive job at the moment. Ironically, a film that several people have drawn inspiration from over the years (people had actually joined the Army after watching Lakshya) had been declared a 'box-office flop' during the time of its release. In that aspect, Lakshya resembles classics like Kaagaz ke Phool, Mera Naam Joker, Pakeezah, Jane Bhi Do Yaaron, and Andaaz Apna Apna, all of which failed to take the box-office by storm, but went on to obtain cult status among viewers later. Astounding? Definitely. Great films sometimes fail financially without rime or reason and unfortunately, the same fate befell Lakshya.

At its core, Lakshya was Karan's story and not a war film. The war and Indian Army provided a perfect setting for Karan to find his true calling. Nevertheless, intricacies of the Kargil war along with the destruction, desolation and pain that accompanied it, and which are also inevitably associated with all international armed conflicts in general, were far from being neglected in the story. A great writer is able to strike a balance between various dimensions of a plot without compromising on his actual intention, and who better than the legendary Javed Akhtar to achieve that? He was complimented by his talented son, the captain of this ship, who ably steered the film into a direction his father had envisaged while writing the script. Karan's metamorphosis from a lazy, casual college-going boy, perpetually confused about what he really wanted to do with life into a mature and responsible man was laced with humour and drama in equal measure, a strategy Farhan had previously employed while depicting Akash's journey in the epic 'Dil Chahta Hai'. Yet, the real genius lay in how different these two journeys actually were. Nobody could accuse Farhan of repeating what he had already done in his debut directorial venture.

Moments such as Karan listing his engagements of the day to Romi's (Preity Zinta) father upon being asked about his future plans in life and then literally hijacking that man's opinion on the importance of giving the best, no matter what the job was, to pacify his own father were examples of the witty humour we were talking about earlier. Of course, the actors took these scenes to a different level altogether. Hrithik’s delivery of ‘Main ye sochta hoon Dad’ after Karan had just rattled the ‘achcha ghaas kaatnewala’ lecture, and Boman Irani’s (Karan’s strict father) poker faced ‘Thik sochte ho’ in return have never failed to elicit roars of laughter from viewers till date. This wit pervaded most of the film’s first half as Karan continued his antics- the expression of his eternal confusion through the iconic ‘Main Aisa Kyun Hoon’ (apart from displaying Hrithik’s insane dancing skills through the choreography of the one and only Prabhu Deva, this sequence also aptly conveyed Karan’s inherent dilemmas), his decision of joining the Army only because another friend had promised he would come too, his disappointment upon being dumped by that friend, his ‘unconventional’ marriage proposal to Romi and his characteristic callousness as well as indolence even during his stint at the IMA were hilarious to say the least. Hrithik’s comic timing was pitch perfect in every scene, and perfectly suited for the nuanced, elegant genre of comedy that the script had aimed at.

Just when we thought Lakshya was a hoot, Farhan introduced the dramatic element in it; and he did so with such subtlety and ease that the ensuing sequence of events seemed to be the only natural course for the film to take. The scene where Karan fell into the pool by sheer unmindfulness during one of his drills and got punished by his commanding officer was somehow able to generate a strange mixture of sympathy as well as laughter amongst the audience and proved to be one of the watershed moments in Karan’s story. Hrithik’s masterful portrayal of humiliation as Karan knelt in front of his fellow cadets engendered such palpable discomfort within us the first time that re-watching it remains difficult even now.

The Karan that emerged on the other side of this event was somewhat different. Staying true to his fickle-minded nature, he jumped the wall of IMA and fled home. Nevertheless, regret could clearly be observed on his countenance as he sat with his parents, head bowed in shame, forced to accept defeat in front of his father- a man, who had always underestimated him. The grievance in his eyes upon over-hearing Mr. Shergill's unfavourable opinion of him hinted not only towards Karan's underlying strong ego, but also revealed his latent desire to prove himself. The hurt ego, along with his heart, was eventually completely shattered when the one person who had genuinely believed in him refused to be a part of his life anymore. Romi, played by Preity Zinta with her usual vivacity and boldness, broke up with Karan at the same place where she had once agreed to marry him because he had failed to live up to even her expectations. For Karan, someone who had probably harboured feelings of inferiority ever since childhood because of incessant comparisons with his brother, this became the ultimate betrayal. As viewers, it was our interpretation that he never really understood Romi’s point of view; he only attributed one primary meaning to her actions- her belief in his worthlessness. Looking at this entire sequence from a neutral perspective, one might say that both Karan and Romi deserved some empathy from each other. Karan’s lack of conviction in everything he did naturally upset Romi to a point where she could not imagine spending the rest of her life with him. Can we really blame her? As far as Karan was concerned, he had to bear rejection from someone, who, he had hoped, would never judge him like his dad. Before this, he had been able to bear the brunt of his father's expectations because of the security that his relationship with Romi provided him. However, when she pushed him away, he truly hit bare ground, with no one to break the fall. The scene that followed the break-up will possibly remain one of the best pieces of emotional acting in Hrithik’s career forever. As easy as it might seem, crying your heart out on screen can actually be very difficult in practice. Hrithik obviously nailed the sobs, but more importantly, he conveyed his character’s rancour towards Romi most effectively through the unspoken hurt in his eyes, thereby suitably justifying the transition Karan would undergo next.

With no comfort zone left for him to turn to, Karan did what his parents, especially his father, and Romi had always wanted him to do. He grew up. He could have sulked like a petulant child and continued to live a directionless life like he had done previously. Instead, he chose to prove himself to Romi and made that his life’s goal. Ironically, Romi had disapproved when he insisted on joining the army earlier because she felt he was doing it to rebel against his father. But this was a different Karan. He was not rebelling anymore. He was trying to show Romi that he could be much more than what everyone thought about him. Sub-consciously, it was not just she who was the reason for this transformation; rather, it was both his dad and her.

Karan’s second stint at the IMA provided viewers with some of the finest moments in the film. His dedication towards learning and training, initial isolation and finally, amalgamation into the student community were fascinatingly depicted through the brilliant title song ‘Haan yahi rasta hai tera, tune ab jana hai, Haan yahi sapna hai tera, tune pehchana hai, tujhe ab ye dikhana hai......Roke tujhko aandhiyaan, ya zameen aur aasmaan, payega jo lakshya hai tera....Lakshya ko har haal mein paana hai’. Now, let us take a brief moment to acknowledge the terrific music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy which truly set the mood for the film. This song in particular struck a chord with us because of the simplicity and eloquence with which it expressed the inherent message of the story. The picturization was top-notch with several nuances throughout. Few moments stand out even now such as Karan passionately screaming ‘Dhawa’ during his drill, something he had been completely casual about earlier, Hrithik’s unflinching eye-contact with the CO who had previously punished him indicating that Karan was a changed man now, and Karan’s increasing camaraderie with his batch mates.

The song was followed by two important sequences, superb for the understated nature in which they expressed first Karan’s unspoken resentment towards his father, and then, his blatant grievance against Romi. In the first, Karan’s mother informed him that his dad had wanted to attend his graduation ceremony but could not ultimately, and in the second, Karan himself called Romi to inform her that he was finally a lieutenant of the Indian Army. At this point of time, talking about Hrithik’s acting probably seems redundant. So, we apologize for the redundancy (What? Did you think we would stop talking about it? 😱😱). Karan’s casual brushing away of his mother’s statement about Mr. Shergill conveyed volumes about how he had ceased to expect anything from his father; it also revealed the disappointment he felt, courtesy of Hrithik’s amazingly layered performance. Similarly, his delivery of ‘Saare faisle tum nahin kar sakti Romi’ was spot-on. It was optimally hurtful, just like it was supposed to be.

As his job brought Karan to Kargil, Ladakh, and he met his commanding officer, Colonel Damle, played to usual perfection by the enigmatic Mr. Bachchan who managed to captivate the audience completely during the few brief moments he had in the film, as well as other colleagues, the lines between proving himself to the two important people of his life and finding his true ‘Lakshya’ began to blur. By his own confession, he had never thought about the significance of being an ‘Indian’ until his senior colleague Jalal Akbar (a brilliantly natural Sushant Singh) took him to the border (pretty prophetic that Hrithik himself went on to play a different Jalal Akbar later in his career, right?). In all honesty, a considerable section of the audience probably felt the same too. The stunning Trans-Himalayan locales shot so artistically definitely added to this feeling, although any border area is usually capable of engendering such thoughts. The landscape of Ladakh has a strange haunting quality about it, and that played a substantial role not only in making the film a visual treat but also metaphorically with respect to Karan’s journey.

As he truly began to love his job, Karan realized that he was finally ready to let go of his ego as far as Romi was concerned. Unfortunately, Romi, after a lot of thought, and pining for Karan, had decided to move on with life, much to Karan’s shock and dismay. The scene where he stood outside the venue of her engagement and watched her laughing with her fiance was one of a kind for the lack of melodrama that usually accompanies such sequences. Its speciality lay in the director’s nuanced handling of emotions and the actor’s terrific portrayal of subtle poignancy.

Run down and broken by the trials of his life, Karan returned home to his parents, only to receive news that his leave had been cancelled, and that he was urgently required to return to base. The moment where he bid goodbye to his parents was the first time when his father openly expressed love and concern for him, although not exactly in those words. The visible tension on Mr. Shergil’s face as he lost his cool and asked Karan to tell the complete truth was a testimony to his worry for his son who was about to go to a border area amidst serious disturbances. The part where Karan hugged his mother and left with just an uncomfortable glance towards his dad was another of those amazing subtle moments which characterized Farhan’s direction for this film. Hrithik’s discomfort and Boman Irani’s disappointment were both heart-rending to watch and as a viewer, one really wanted to reach out and give both of them hugs. A special thanks to Farhan and whoever was in charge of casting for signing Boman Irani in this role. Hrithik and his scenes were like mini acting classes that aspiring actors could take tips from.

Sometimes, it is difficult to get on with life, more so after losing one’s love forever like Karan had, but military training had instilled a sense of duty and discipline in him that was impossible to ignore. Of course, he had already begun to find a deeper meaning in his life through his job, especially after spending time with his superiors and colleagues. And, so he marched on. Had Romi seen his sense of responsibility even during a time when his personal life was in turmoil, she would have been proud. However, the realization that this was his true calling was probably yet to come to Karan. It did, in phases as he learnt about the war situation from Colonel Damle, and then embarked upon it.

If two people are destined to meet, even the universe conspires to bring them together. The same thing happened with Karan and Romi as they crossed paths unexpectedly in Kargil, of all places. The scene where they saw each other amidst a convoy of army vehicles is absolute poetry. Kudos to Preity for being so natural with her expressions always; she was brilliant in every scene, and especially here as Romi’s eyes changed from pure surprise on finding Karan there to a subtle melancholy and probably hope ( ?) at the thought of their future interactions. Hrithik, as usual, was spot-on with Karan’s ‘seeing a ghost’ expression as he moved past her, without getting an opportunity to satisfy his curiosity regarding her presence there.

Their next exchanges were laced with intense angst, but not of the typical Bollywood kind, rather much more controlled and nuanced. The part where Karan, after knowing about the demise of his good friend Abir (from the IMA) found his other pal Saket (Abir’s closest friend) venting out at Romi requires special mention because of the seamless manner in which it shifted from a discourse on the necessity and morality of war to a fantastic interaction between the lead couple, their first face-to-face conversation since the break up. It was formal, yet intimate; mundane, yet special; filled with hope for more on Romi’s part, and discomfort as well as suppressed anger on Karan’s. This scene was followed by his a little mean ‘pata nahin’ when Romi asked him if he had decided whether they should meet or not, and his angsty ‘congratulations’ for her engagement. Of course, the poor guy had no idea that she had broken it off after finding out that her fiance who was apparently a highly motivated successful individual was also a narrow-minded chauvinist. The irony of life! Once again, kudos to the genius of Farhan Akhtar. Without even mentioning it, he managed to point out the difference between Karan and Rajeev, and it was clearer than ever why Romi loved Karan. Remember ‘Maine aj tak tum mein koi choti baat nahin dekhi’ ? However, Romi obviously did not explain the truth to Karan. It was truly frustrating at times to see these two souls so much in love with each other, and yet unable to let go of their stubornness. Nonetheless, the frustration could be borne because of the brilliant intensity of their scenes and the wonderful chemistry these two shared. Truly, we do not talk enough about Hrithik and Preity’s amazing on screen bonding. We really should!

Karan eventually found out about Romi’s broken engagement from a letter his best friemd Ashu had sent him a while back. Hrithik’s expression of shock portrayed the extent to which the news had unsettled Karan. Incidentally, just when love had given him a second chance, Karan encountered death more closely than ever. After an initial victory during the first battle (the one in which he had saved the life of a senior officer, and killed opponents for the first time; also possibly the one where he began to realize that serving his country had started becoming his passion), Karan and his battalion were massively defeated in the second and several lives were lost, including his close colleague, Captain Akbar’s. The scene where Akbar succumbed to his injuries in front of his best friend, Dr. Sudhir (played by the late Abir Goswami, may he rest in peace too) who tried desperately to resuscitate him while motivating the gasping man with remarks such as ‘aam khane jana hai na’ can make people cry anytime without manipulating their emotions or forcefully tugging at their heartstrings. In fact, this was true for every battle sequence in Lakshya, which made it one of the best war movies Bollywood had ever made. Notably, the script treated every character with sufficient respect including even the ones who had screen times of just a few minutes. Everyone had a well-crafted story arc, however small it might be but integral to the movie. Most importantly, not for one second did we feel that Karan had taken up the screen space of others.

The best example for this was provided by the great late Om Puri ji, who played the role of Subedar Pritam Singh. Of course, if you have the privilege of casting an actor of his calibre, your can rest assured of the outcome. Acting is at its best when it does not feel like enactment, and not many actors are more natural than Om Puri ji! Appearing on screen for not more than four to five scenes, he delivered some of the most profound dialogues in the film. He explained to Karan how a soldier knew better than anyone about the destructiveness of war; yet he had no other option but to be a part of it. When Karan asked why wars took place, he pointed out that human greed had drawn boundaries upon the earth’s surface and if it were in their hands, men would partition the moon too. How true it rings, especially now. People are actually talking about ‘making life interplanetary’. If it ever happens, countries are going to fight about demarcating territories there.

Moving on! Excuse the length of this blog please! A film like Lakshya has so many subtle intricacies that it becomes impossible to leave out scenes. But don’t be impatient please. We have almost reached the end of our ‘Lakshya’. A few sequences still deserve mention. First, the iconic ‘Tum kehti thi na Romi meri zindagi mein koi lakshya nahin hai?’ The defeat accompanied by the loss of close friends and colleagues had augmented Karan’s determination to win but our hero had also finally discovered his passion, his true calling. In moments when such epiphanies occur, is there anything else left to do other than crying? Probably not. That was exactly what Karan did. As usual, Hrithik’s performance elevated the quality of this scene, like so many others. The part where Karan pledged to Colonel Damle that either he would execute the mission successfully, or he would not come back alive was again equally impactful because of both Hrithik and Mr. Bachchan. The way Colonel Damle looked at his officer after this momentous declaration conveyed the immense pride, gratitude and grief he felt at that moment. Truly, Mr. Bachchan needs no dialogues to express emotions. His eyes do it all. And the same is true for Hrithik too.

Now, its time for our favourite scene in the movie. You guys must be thinking that we agree on everything. Well, we do agree a lot, but disagreements occur too. However, there was no disagreement on this one. We think its a lot of other people’s favourite too. You are right! We are talking about the scene in which Karan called his dad. This was on the night before the final mission- a mission that was near suicidal. Upon seeing his colleague Vishal take off his engagement ring and put it in an envelope, Karan finally acknowledged what he was running away from; something that he had buried deep down in his sub-conscious- his conflicted emotions towards his father. The knowledge that he might no longer be alive for a resolution made Karan pick up the phone and dial his number. Here is an anecdote in this context. When Boman Irani started shooting for his part in this sequence, Hrithik’s lines were being read by an AD, and Mr. Irani could not get his shot right because he was not able to get the proper feel. Acting is a lot about reacting, and the non-impactful delivery by the AD hampered Mr. Irani’s shot. Finally, the person in charge of the sound came to his rescue and Hrithik’s dialogues were played in audio (Hrithik’s part had already been shot by then) to which Boman Irani reacted. And what an outcome. This is the true mark of a great actor; he not only excels himself but helps others soar too. And what an honour to have helped an ace actor like Boman Irani! The performances by both in this scene were superlative and manage to leave us with lumps in our throats even today.

In his first ever heart-to-heart with his dad, Karan confessed that he had always disappointed his father and told him that he was aware of it. In return, his dad who initially had thought Karan had called his mom, finally told him how proud he was of him. A salute and heartfelt gratitude to all the parents out there who send their children to serve in the security forces so that civilians can live in peace. The smile on his son’s face was proof that he could die happy. The tears in both their eyes expressed the craving they had towards each other; the dejection that Karan had always felt upon being ‘ignored’ by his father was replaced by the understanding that his father had always loved him; the pain on Mr. Shergill’s face portrayed his disappointment for waiting so long to convey his love to Karan- so long that there was a chance he might never see him again.

Having poured his heart out to his dad, Karan finally set out to achieve his Lakshya of recapturing Point 5179 and hoisting the Indian flag on it, but not before a much needed conversation with Romi. What an amazing bond these two shared. Karan did not need to tell her explicitly that he knew about her broken engagement; she did not have to tell him that she still loved him. They just knew. Her ‘to phir main zindagi bhar intezaar karungi’ was far more intense than a conventional ‘I love you’. The beauty of this scene lay in the complete lack of melodrama which one usually associates with Bollywood scenes of this kind. No over the top background score, no hysterics, not even a hug! And the fact that they wanted to hug, but could not (because Karan’s seniors were waiting) made this moment even more poignant. Hrithik and Preity were the epitomes of subtlety here. The frustration of not even being able to touch each other before Karan left for a life threatening assignment was so tangible that even the audience imbibed it. Seriously, why did not Hrithik and Preity work more? They were so attuned to even each other’s silences!

The final mission proved the truth of Romi’s words. ‘Jis din usne decide kar liya ki use kya karna hai, aap dekhna wo kahan se kahan pohochta hai’. Indeed, Karan reached the peak of success, literally and metaphorically. The mountain-climbing scene deserves a special mention here. It was so perfectly done that the only comparison that comes to mind is the famous rock-climbing sequence in ‘The Guns of Navarone’ by the iconic Gregory Peck. And in all fairness, Captain Mallory only climbed a cliff; Captain Shergill had to climb a peak of the Trans Himalayas! Jokes aside, both scenes shall forever remain goosebump- inducing. Karan, obviously hoisted the Indian flag, and just in time. Boy, did he make Colonel Damle proud or what?!

Thanks to our friend Mita for this wonderful VM .

There is a saying that everything works out in the end, and if it does not, it is not the end. It indeed did happen that way for Karan. He found his goal, and achieved it too. As he walked out of that elevator, and hugged his dad finally, we surely did feel contented. And who said Mr. Shergill did not know his son? Well, he might have taken time, but now he understood him better than most. When Karan’s mother asked if they could go home, he objected. Go home? What NO! Karan had to go and fulfill his other 'Lakhshya’, right?

How wonderfully thoughtful of Romi to stand at a distance from Karan’s parents, wanting to give them the private space that they needed! Actually, kudos to the director for his sensitivity; such subtlety is not something that we frequently see in Bollywood. So thank God for ‘Lakshya’. Just like Karan’s story ended on a positive note as the camera focussed on him and Romi, holding hands, finally embracing each other, ready to step in to a new chapter of their lives, we also end this blog with a bit of optimism.. Let us all hope and pray that ‘Hum Jeetenge Ye Baazi’ (modifying Javed Akhtar’s line a bit) on behalf of every Indian, and every person in the world dealing with this pandemic.

P.S. This blog is dedicated to all the front-line workers (doctors, nurses, other medical personnel, medical suppliers, delivery executives, grocery storekeepers, and all other emergency personnel) who put their lives in danger everyday so that we may survive. Please know that you are always in our prayers. Also, let us all hope that no one remains shy of masks and vaccines anymore. Those are the most effective ways of countering this virus. Stay safe everyone!

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Favourite Films from 2019

1. Portrait of a Lady On Fire Directed by Céline Sciamma

A gorgeous, gripping, and emotional vision enough to reduce me to tears. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is so may things all at once, it’s hard to pin it down. It seems on paper to be a romance, but as you get into it, the atmospheric tension conveys a sense of gothic horror. It leaves you uneasy but also enraptured, yearning but also soothed. A movie about art, love, depression and self-actualization that manages to blend them all seamlessly and elegantly. The cinematography, editing, performances, production design are all incredible, coming together under Sciamma’s hand to create a masterpiece of cinema. AND. That final scene is an absolute thrill ride.

2. Jojo Rabbit Directed by Taika Waititi

Taika Waititi might just be the best writer/director working today, and this is evident in everything he does, from the MCU to The Mandalorian to Jojo Rabbit. He demonstrates so well how he can work under a major studio and direct a blockbuster, but also direct a film that is so personal and meaningful. And the most incredible thing about Jojo Rabbit is that it isn’t some small indie film he made for himself. It’s a movie for everyone, under a major studio, for a wide audience. This is so integral to the message of this film. It’s one that everyone should be able to watch and yes, enjoy and laugh at, but also feel uncomfortable, emotional and cripplingly saddened by. It’s the most important movie he has made, one that we should all be grateful for. 

3. Parasite Directed by Bong Joon-Ho

The movie that finally gave Bong Joon-Ho wider attention, and rightfully so. His usual themes of social class and the degradation of civility are portrayed so effectively and empathetically in Parasite. Instead of the insane atmospheres of his earlier genre films, Parasite is about such a mundane situation that is put on a slow burner, simmering and bubbling to a chaotic crescendo. The emotional journey of watching this film in cinemas was incredibly rewarding, as I laughed alongside an audience- at first in good humour, then uncomfortably, and then silenced with baited breath, gripped with tension, shock and horror.

4. Extra Ordinary Directed by Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman

Totally and unfairly flying under the radar, Extra Ordinary was the funniest movie I saw last year. The multiple hilarious references to classic horror films, the self-mocking use of genre tropes, and one brilliant performance from Will Forte had me in stitches the whole time. At its heart, its a simple emotional story, enough to be not just funny, but also undoubtedly charming.

5. The Last Black Man in San Francisco Directed by Joe Talbot

Its incredible that in Joe Talbot’s directorial debut, he crafted a film so  singularly artistic. Jimmie Fails’ story is one that is so beautifully poetic, and the film plays out like dream. It’s a story that is culturally relevant, undoubtedly, but also innately emotional and moving. Themes of race, masculinity, art and architecture are woven together cohesively in this exquisite film.

6. Booksmart Directed by Olivia Wilde

Speaking of impressive directorial debuts. Olivia Wilde breathes new life into raunchy coming of age tales with Booksmart. While this film has consistently been compared to Superbad, it should be clear that it is infinitely better than it. Booksmart is not simply a lewd comedy, but one with a strong understanding of it’s heart. It convinces us an audience to buy into the lead characters, root for them, relate to them, and yes laugh at and with them. 

7. Avengers: Endgame Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

It cannot be understated just how monumental this film is. Kevin Feige and the team at Marvel Studios have achieved an impossible goal, and in only ten years. They have brought superheros out of the fringes of pop culture and made them immediately relevant and alluring. Avengers Endgame is an incredible celebration of the MCU, with moments of fan service that at times might seem pandering, but mostly tasteful and joyous. Endgame’s references to the past are filled with a self-aware sense of humour, and respect for its humble beginnings. Marvel forever changed theatre-going experiences to not just watching a movie, but sharing in a cultural event. And Endgame is a touchstone in cinema history. A shared experience amongst fans. And while it might not be proper to call it art, maybe it doesn’t need to be, because it stands apart nevertheless. 

8. Toy Story 4 Directed by Josh Cooley

I really liked it okay? On paper, this movie seemed like a bad idea, as Toy Story 3 was so incredible and I couldn’t imagine a better ending. But as I got into Toy Story 4, I see it’s importance to the story. It truly delves into the minds of these characters, and questions what happiness means to them. Tom Hanks brought to life a piece of my childhood (and indeed many childhoods like mine), and this film allows us to see Woody off to his cathartic destiny. 

9. Rocketman Directed by Dexter Fletcher

Unexpectedly brilliant, Rocketman sets itself apart from most formulaic biopics. It leans into the fantasy of Elton John’s music, and carries us trancelike through his life. Taron Egerton’s powerhouse performance fills in the nuances of Elton’s emotions. In the most gregarious bits of showmanship, to the darkest pits of despair, Egerton ensures that we empathize with, relate to, and celebrate the life of Sir Elton.

10. Little Women Directed by Greta Gerwig

Following the success of Lady Bord, Little Women is a daring choice for a second film. But Greta Gerwig proves that her prowess as a director has only gotten sharper. Her adaptation feels immediately compatible, honing in on the heart of the novel, and concisely translating it to a film that is funny, charming, and moving. Gerwig once again brings out the very best in Saoirse Ronan- her Jo March is equally headstrong and gentle, and every bit the iconic character that has been celebrated for decades. Timothee Chalamet really rocks it too. 

Honorable Mentions:

Blinded by the Light (Directed by Gurinder Chadha), Knives Out (Directed by Rian Johnson), Dolemite is My Name (Directed by Craig Brewer), John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (Directed by Chad Stahelski), The Lighthouse (Directed by Robert Eggers), The Irishman (Directed by Martin Scorsese), Ford v. Ferrari (Directed by James Mangold)