#you know that quote from the last black man in san francisco

[maddy-ferguson]

byler tumblr is a crazy crazy place because why do people get booed for disliking some stuff in canon. isn't that idk normal in fandoms

[waitimcomingtoo]

In Case You Don’t Live Forever

~chapter two rewritten~

Pairing: Peter Parker x Venom!Reader

Synopsis: you are Peters greatest love and Spider-Man’s greatest enemy

Masterlist and Series Masterlist

Moving and finding an apartment can be an incredibly long and stressful process. Unless you’re you, and life likes to throw a lot of curve balls at you for the utter hell of it.

Your dad dropped dead three weeks after you told Andy you were moving to New York. Coincidentally, right in the middle of you trying to find a place to live. He drank himself to death. Figures. You doubted you’d ever had a conversation with him that he was sober enough to remember. His untimely demise was unfortunate for him, because he died or whatever, but very fortunate for you. As his only child, you got his apartment in Queens and all his smelly hoodies.

You said your goodbyes to Andy and Dani after a night out in the streets of San Francisco. You had originally moved there after high school to start your show, The L/n Report. San Francisco was known for its crimes against the homeless population and you wanted to start with a story on that. You ended up interviewing Andy at the police station while investigating a missing person, and dated him for two years. Now, you were spending your last few hours in San Francisco with the very boy you once loved and the very girl he now did.

“Are you all packed?” Dani asked you, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Pretty much. I gotta put my toothbrush and hairbrush in my suitcase in the morning. Other than that, I’m good to go.” You answered her. She smiled fondly at you as she linked her arm through yours.

“Hey, I’m really gonna miss you. More than that guy over there.” You whispered, nodding towards Andy, who had his head buried in his phone. Dani laughed and nodded in agreement as you continued to walk.

“I’m going to miss you too. You’re my best friend here.” She sighed sadly.

“I’m glad we’re friends. Most women in our position would hate each other.” You thought out loud.

“Uh uh. You’re thinking of women in films. It’s 2021, baby. Women support women. You and I are two talented, smart, beautiful women who would never be caught fighting over some boy. Especially not one who can’t take his eyes off his phone for two seconds.” Dani said loudly and smacked Andy’s arm. You laughed at the domestic moment but couldn’t help feeling a pain in your heart knowing he used to be that way with you.

“What, sorry?” Andy looked up. You and Dani looked at him before looking at each other and laughing.

“What’s funny?” He asked, growing annoyed.

“We’re laughing at you babe. Put your phone away. It’s Y/N’s last night here.” Dani scolded playfully. Andy sighed and reluctantly put his phone in his pocket.

“Right, sorry. And it’s not her last night here. She’s coming back. You are coming back, right?” He asked you. You nodded, though you weren’t entirely sure.

“Of course I’ll be back.” You shrugged. “I just want to experience something new for a while. I’ve done a million pieces on homelessness and poverty. I want to see what fresh stories New York has to offer.”

“You’re quoting the Daily Bugle, aren’t you?” Dani teased you.

“That is verbatim what they said to me.” You admitted with a laugh. “But hey, it worked. As of tomorrow, I’m the Daily Bugle’s newest investigative reporter.”

“Who are you reporting on anyway?” Andy showed a rare interest in your work.

“Some guy named Cletus Kasady.” You answered. “He’s some hot shot serial killer down in Queens. No one knows how he’s hiding his victims bodies. Apparently none have ever been close to being found.”

“And they want you to write the story on him?” Andy raised an eyebrow, always with the condescending tone.

“Well they heard about the whole Carlton Drake situation and decided I hadn’t been through enough trauma in my career.” You replied, earning a laugh from Dani but not Andy. You and Andy had already broken up by the time Carlton Drake contracted a symbiote and tried to kill you and Venom. You stopped him before he could hurt anyone and wrote a career defining article on his lethal human experiments. You managed to leave out all information regarding symbiotes from the article, so your secret was still safe. You were a fairly well known reporter since the incident and your next job was waiting for you in New York.

In the morning, You and Venom got on a plane and made your way to New York. Being on a plane with Venom turned out to be the equivalent to traveling with a toddler. You tried to sleep, but every two seconds you had to stop Venom from getting into trouble. She kept trying to open the window, even after you explained to her that everyone on the plane would die horrible death if the window were to open.

“Stop that.” You whispered when you noticed a black tendril creeping towards the window. The lady in the seat next to you shot me a look of confusion. You gave her a fake smile and turned back to the window, doing your best to conceal the small black tendril that was coming out of your body and fidgeting with the airplane window.

“We want it open.” Venom replied telepathically.

“Do you also want us to blow out of the plane and into space?” You said through my teeth.

“We didn’t anticipate that but it’d be appreciated.” Venom answered, making you groan. The rest of the plane ride followed in similar fashion.

Seven hours later, you arrived at the apartment building. You had never been to your dads apartment, you didn’t even know he had one. You wondered what happened to your childhood home as you looked around the place. The apartment wasn’t too small but not too big either. The rent was practically nothing compared to how expensive San Francisco was, and The Daily Bugle offered to cover your expenses until the story was done. You figured after some redecorating and moving in, it would make a fine new home.

The first seven days in the apartment went by smoothly. You unpacked, with little to no help from Venom, and set up the furniture. On the eight day, you sat on the couch, aimlessly flipping through channels in the TV when you had a thought.

“Oh shit.” You said out loud.

“What?” Venom, who was curly nestled around your neck like a neck pillow, asked.

“I forgot mail exists.” You frowned. “We better go check the mailbox before it overflows.”

You and Venom grudgingly walked to the mailboxes and back again. No one was around, so she manifested herself and rested on your shoulder as I looked through the mail.

“Oops. I grabbed someone else’s mail too.” You clicked your tongue when you read a strangers name off the envelope. “I gotta find them.”

“Let’s go.” Venom said and pulled you towards the front door.

“Sorry, babe. This is a me thing, not a we thing. You know I love you but I don’t want to scare our neighbors. Not yet anyway.” You reasoned. Venom grumbled and went back inside your body.

You checked the address of the envelope and discovered that it belonged to the apartment directly across from you.

You knocked on the door and patiently waited for someone to open it as you mindlessly cracked your knuckles. Just as you were about to walk away, the door opened.

“Hi, are you May Parker?” You asked right away. You looked up from the envelope and your face instantly flushed. The person staring back at you definitely wasn’t May Parker. It was a boy around your age, maybe a little younger. He had soft brown eyes and wavy brown hair. It was gelled back loosely and you could see the outline of soft curls. To your surprise, he was just as flushed as you were. You stared at each other for a moment, no one wanting to be the first to blink.

“Yea. I’m May Parker.” The boy said finally. He shut his eyes in embarrassment and shook his head.

“I mean, no I’m not. But that’s my Aunt. May is my Aunt but I’m not May. That’s my Aunt May. I’m her nephew…obviously. Aunt May is my Aunt May. I…what?” He stumbled over his words and somehow turned even redder. His blush reached all the way down his neck, to his blue jumper that read “Midtown Tech” in yellow letters. You recognized the name of one of the most prestigious high schools in New York, already impressed with your new neighbor.

“Well hello, not May Parker. I’m also not May Parker. But I seemed to forget that when I grabbed your mail this morning. Sorry about that.” You said sheepishly as you handed his mail to him. The boy rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at it and attempted to redeem himself.

“It’s not problem. She and I always forget to check the mail so you actually helped us, um, whoever you are.” He smiled weakly. His voice was cute. He had that Queens accent that the people of San Francisco lacked, for obvious reasons.

“Oh, right.” You laughed in embarrassment. “I’m Y/N L/N. I just moved here from San Francisco. I live across the hall.”

You pointed to the door behind you as if he didn’t know what “across the hall” meant. You didn’t know what was wrong with you. You were never this awkward.

His eyes lit up a bit once you told him where you lived.

“Really? I thought that smelly guy lived there.” The boy said and you stifled a laugh.

“That smelly guy was my father. He died a little while ago so I live there now.” You told him, malign the boys eyes widen. They were so brown. Like little pools of honey. Or little pools of the Hudson River. You had seen a million pairs of brown eyes before, but none like his. They were quite distracting to be honest.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry! I had. I had no idea-“ he began to frantically apologize but you cut him off.

“Don’t worry about it. We never got along. And you’re right, that man stank.” You chuckled. It was the first thing you said that felt like your old self. You hadn’t really talked to anyone since moving to New York, with the exception of Venom and the occasional phone call from Andy or Dani. You liked talking to this boy, though you still had no idea who he was.

“Oh thank God. I thought I screwed this up before it even went anywhere.” He immediately turned red when he heard his own words. You saw the regret in his eyes and decided to throw him a bone.

“Well it certainly can’t go anywhere until you tell me your name.” You flirted. Again, he relaxed. You felt a surge of confidence knowing he wanted this to go well.

“Parker. I’m Parker Peter. I mean, Peter Parker.” He fumbled over his words again, making you smile fondly.

“We like him. He’s cute.” Venom said telepathically. You looked down at my shoes and blushed, knowing you liked him too.

“And he looks delicious.” She added, ruining the moment.

“It’s nice to meet you Peter Parker.” You gave him your best smile. “I’m glad there’s someone my age around here. Everyone I’ve met so far is either an old bitty or a creepy uncle type.” You regretted it as soon as it left your mouth. You didn’t know what his sense of humor was like and he might not find you the slightest but funny. Andy always told you you were bad at telling jokes, and you feared he might be right.

Lucky for you, Peter burst out laughing.

“Ah. I’ve seen you’ve met Henry.” Peter pointed a finger down the hall. “Yeah, I’d stay away from him. He asked me if he could have pictures of my feet once. He said he’d “pay me handsomely” for it too.”

“Damn. So he beat me to asking you.” You pretended to be upset, which made Peter laugh again. The sound of his laugh made your heart pick up speed. You weren’t used to feeling like this. Boys rarely impressed you, Andy was just lucky you liked a man in uniform.

“Yeah. You better stay away from him.” Peter advised.

“It might be hard.” You clicked your tongue. “Our mailboxes are pretty close. I’ll make a mental note to never check my mail while wearing flip flops, though.”

Peter smiled at your joke. He had the kind of smile that you would make the person laugh just to see it again. It was brilliant.

“Well my mailbox should be directly above yours. So don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” He grinned, and you grinned back.

“My hero.” You gushed as you put your hands over your heart. The tips of his ears went pink, like he was shocked that you said that.

“I’m no hero.” He sounded almost panicked, like you touched a nerve or something.

“We’re hungry. We need to eat.” Venom interrupted abruptly, causing you to jump. Since Peter couldn’t hear her, he looked at you strangely, not knowing the cause of your sudden jolt.

“Sorry, I uh, I thought I saw a spider.” You lied.

“If there was a spider, we’d eat it. We need food. Now.” Venom demanded.

Peter looked up at his doorframe for the imaginary spider.

“Yeah, New York is full of them.” Peter said skeptically. “Not that full, though. And some spiders are nice. One might even call them friendly.”

“Right.” You laughed at his strange wording, unaware that you were both keeping a secret.

“Would…” Peter began but trailed off, seemingly mulling something over in his head. “Would you like to eat dinner with my Aunt and I? I remember when we first moved in, it took us a while to get into the swing of things and make dinner every night. If you like, you could join us. And, you know, we could get to know each other.” He offered. It all came out in one breath. You could tell he was nervous and that only drew you in more.

“I’d love to Peter.” You said, and he smiled in relief.

“Great.” He gave an awkward thumbs up. “We usually eat around six so maybe come around then? She’ll be so happy to meet you. She loves cooking and she always tries to get me to learn but I once burnt cereal and I still don’t know how.” Peter began to ramble. He cut himself off and shook his head again. “Sorry. I’m rambling.”

Then, you did something stupid. You put your hand on his arm like the dumb bitch you were. You barely knew this guy. Who the hell were you to touch him? He must’ve been thinking the same thing, since he instantly froze under your touch and stared at your hand on his arm.

“Don’t apologize. I can’t cook either. Unless you count making tater tots as cooking. Then I’m Gordon Ramsey.” You assured him, feeling him relax under your touch.

“You’re just gonna mention tater tots without warning us first? Our mouth is watering. Can we eat Peter?” Venom asked, making your eyes widen.

If it was socially acceptable to scream at your symbiote in public, you would’ve yelled “NO, WE CANNOT EAT PETER” from the top of your lungs. But since you didn’t want to scare Peter and the rest of the neighbors away, you merely smiled and made another mental note to smack the shit out of Venom later.

“I love that man. “Where is the lamb sauce?” Peter mimicked in a bad British accent. He had no right being as charming as he was.

“No no no.” You shook your head. “His best line is “I’ll get you more pumpkin and I’ll ram it right up your ass. Would you like it whole or diced?”. He’s said some pretty wild things but that one makes me cry.”

Peters laugh rang through the halls. To be the cause of that laugh was a feeling like no other. You stood there for a while, just looking at each other. His eyes grazed down your body, but not in a crude way. You berated yourself for not dressing better when going to meet the neighbors, clad in nothing but a grey hoodie and some leggings. Peter looked cute, but you had a feeling he always did. His jumper was pretty baggy and you could see a collared shirt poking out the top. He was dressed almost professionally and you found it incredibly endearing.

You wanted to know more about him. You wanted to know his secrets and his hobbies and what makes him itch. You wanted to see if he dresses this way on weekends too or what his summer clothes looked like. Your gawking was interrupted by Peters phone ringing. He broke out of his trance and answered it quickly.

“Hi, Mr. S. No I’m not busy. I mean, I’m super busy but I can totally make time for you. Yea, Happy talked to me. Okay. Okay. Where? Okay. See you in a bit.” Peter hung up and looked at you apologetically.

“That was my job. I have to run but I’ll be back in time for our dinner. I live at…you know where I live. I’ll see you then. Don’t be late.” Peter called as he ran down the hallway, towards the elevator.

“I won’t. See you later.” You called back.

You went back to your apartment and like a kid, broke out into a happy dance.

“Venom!! Did you see how cute he was?” You gushed. “And how funny he is? I have to get ready for tonight.”

Venom manifested and swirled around my arm.

“Someone has a crush.” Venom smirked. Well, as much of a smirk as she could muster with that huge mouth of hers.

“I don’t have a crush. I just think he’s cute okay?” You replied coyly. “Cute. And funny and sweet and charming and amazing. But that’s it.”

“We can feel your heart beat.” Venom reminded you. “It was going ten miles an hour. What would Andy say?”

You had been rummaging through your closet and stopped in your tracks. With Peters new inhabitance in your mind, you had forgotten all about Andy. You moved to New York to avoid his wedding and his moving on, and you might’ve succeeded.

“I don’t care what he’d say.” You decided. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“But we want him to be.” Venom insisted. “We want him back, remember?”

“I don’t know what I want.” You answered honestly. “I just want to get ready for tonight.”

“Why are you getting ready now? You have 5 hours until you have to be there and it’s right across the hall.” Venom teased.

“Only 5 hours?” You sighed. “We better get moving.”

[lokiondisneyplus]

NEVER BEFORE has the exposition been so engaging.

In Loki’s season finale, “For All Time. Always,” Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his multiversal “variant” Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) arrive at the end of their journey to meet the puppet master of all puppet masters. He doesn’t have a name; he has several. We only know him as He Who Remains, played by a mischievous Jonathan Majors. With bites of an apple and sips of tea, He Who Remains embodies all the tropes of a quintessential comic book mastermind. He isn’t imposing. He isn’t demonic nor robotic. His lair, with its scenic window view of the edge of time, is tastefully decorated with a radiant fireplace.

As Sylvie points out, he’s just a man. “Flesh and blood,” he replies.

In all 45 minutes of the Loki finale, Jonathan Majors undeniably stole the series in his role that comic savvy readers know is, or will be, the villain Kang the Conqueror. (Listen closely for “conqueror” uttered twice.) What’s more: The role exists purely to dump comically complicated explanations about timelines and the multiverse, playing devil’s advocate to the protagonist’s proclamations of free will and fate. But through the irresistible charisma of Majors, He Who Remains succeeds in defiance of his thankless functions.

WHO IS HE WHO REMAINS?

Best Quote: “You know you can't get to the end until you've been changed by the journey.” Known For: Showing up out of nowhere The Scene-Stealing Episode: Season 1, Episode 6, “For All Time. Always” (Loki) Super Power: Knowing More than you think, Knowing less than you expect Their Scientific Element: Neon. Like a neon sign, He Who Remains signals what’s ahead while coming and going. Walk-up Song: “My Ordinary Life” by The Living Tombstone

A genuine surprise at the end of Loki, Majors’ involvement is juicy regardless of one’s grasp of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its campaign for dominance of the cultural consciousness. For most, he was nothing more than a pleasant weirdo at the end of a strange saga. For the hardcore, however, he was a jaw-dropping surprise, and proof the future of the MCU is now.

In 2020, when he was killing it in the HBO series Lovecraft Country, a pulp horror set during Jim Crow, Majors was reported to join the MCU as Kang, a nemesis to the Fantastic Four (yet to join the MCU themselves) in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It was all quiet on the Kang front until rumors of a surprise debut for Kang bubbled in the fringe spaces of fandom. Then came the end of Loki, with Majors’ Kang/He Who Remains sitting legs akimbo in a regal purple robe. It was like he was waiting for us the whole time.

There’s too much about the comic origins of Kang to succinctly recap. All you need to know is casting Majors was an unusual choice. Normally depicted as a purple alien, it would have been typical for Marvel Studios to cast a white British thespian and cover him in prosthetics. But you don’t cover an actor like Jonathan Majors in polyurethane.

The actor, whose career began in 2017 with the ABC series When We Rise — where Majors played real-life gay activist Ken Jones — has quickly earned acclaim for his talents. He’s academically trained (he graduated with a MFA from Yale in 2016) but a difficult upbringing involving abandonment by his military father and arrests for shoplifting in his youth provides a rare kind of insight into the human condition. Even when he’s acting as someone from the 31st century, he can still play grounded and worldly.

Majors is an expressionistic performer capable of communicating the unspoken words and feelings between lines and beats. He demonstrated this aplenty in films like 2019’s The Last Black Man in San Francisco, a dreamy ode to changes both internal and external, and in Da 5 Bloods, as the son of a traumatized Vietnam veteran. In this year’s The Harder They Fall, a masculine Majors plays real-life ex-slave turned cowboy Nat Love, a role that demands absolute cool in his character’s feverish quest for revenge.

Majors was born to play He Who Remains. Who else can accomplish verbalizing out-there concepts like timelines and Multiversal Wars and still feel human? “Flesh and blood,” remember.

A guarantee of the MCU is that characters are never gone. Even his “death” at the hands of Sylvie doesn’t feel close to an end. He says as much in labored breaths: “See you soon,” like it’s a promise and a threat. And yeah, there’s still a whole Ant-Man sequel for him to star. But like Loki, it’s not hard to imagine a spin-off chronicling the Multiversal War. While the idea of a show replete with Jonathan Majors clones is absurdly amusing, one can’t deny Majors could pull it off.

The surprise introduction of He Who Remains is peak TV in 2021. Marvel Studios is serious about the interconnected relationship between its movies and TV shows. Now, audiences have too. The barriers separating movie and TV are a thing of the past. He Who Remains is its future. Even when he’s brought to an end, one can’t shake the feeling they’ve only seen the beginning.

LOKI IS STREAMING NOW ON DISNEY+.

SCENE STEALERS is a countdown that salutes the unforgettable small-screen characters of the year. He Who Remains is #11.

[qqueenofhades]

if you’re taking prompts (and from that September list which is GREAT) maybe #4 for the lovely immortal husbands? love your magical AU for them btw!! and DVLA of course!

Once again, I must note that I am not actively TAKING prompts, lol, and I reblogged that list several months ago (though yes, it is great). But also... flattery will get you everywhere?

Joe is innocently minding his own business – sitting on the balcony of their rented flat in one of the endless grey tower blocks, gazing out over the hazy skyline of Kyiv with its spires and tangled wires and hills and trolley cars, sketching in his notebook – when the door opens behind him and someone steps outside. He doesn’t look up for several moments, concentrating on shading in the green domes of St. Andrew’s Church just right, until he is prompted by a delicate cough. “Well, my heart? What do you think?”

Joe glances up – then drops his pencil and nearly knocks over his coffee cup (which would be a waste, since it is hard to get most things in 1986 Ukraine). “Ya Allah, Nicolò,” he stammers in Arabic, every other language momentarily driven out of his head by the magnitude of the horror before him. “What on earth have you done to yourself?!”

Nicky smirks at him. “What? Don’t you like it?”

Joe’s mouth is still open, so he shuts it, and concentrates on studying his lover in increasingly aghast fascination. Yes, well, Nicky’s hair was getting long and rather shaggy, since personal hygiene hasn’t been high on their list of priorities while working backbreaking, filthy, days-long shifts to help in the continuing evacuation of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and the clean-up and seal-off of Reactor Number Four. They’re taking a rest break in Kyiv right now, but they bus out to Pripyat again next week, and given the gauntlet of real horrors that they are elsewhere running, Joe would not have imagined that Nicky had the desire to inflict this monstrosity upon himself in their precious off hours. It’s a mullet, in other words. And it’s a very bad one. In Joe’s completely objective opinion, Nicky is the handsomest man alive, but even he can’t pull this off. The stringy bits on top, the badly shaved sides with a plastic razor – and that is not even to mention the mustache, often favored by gentlemen in explicit 1970s films. Joe keeps staring like a deer in headlights, in the crosshairs of a barreling fashion calamity. Finally he manages, “Nicolò, absolutely not.”

“Oh come on.” Nicky’s slightly wicked grin broadens. “You haven’t even seen the tighty-whitie shorts that go with it.”

This is admittedly an interesting bribe, though not enough to overlook the – everything else. “What?” Joe repeats faintly. “You want to look like Eurotrash out at the discotheque?”

“When in Rome…” Nicky remarks archly. “What? I said nothing when you had that Afro last decade, remember?”

“That,” Joe says with immense dignity, “is completely different. I am from Africa, so by any measure I have the right to wear an Afro. You are not a creepy extra in a Richard Simmons workout video. And we were working with the Black Panthers, so obviously – ”

“Exactly,” Nicky says. “Just fitting in to the local culture.”

Joe continues to sit there like a goldfish, still shaking his head in numb disbelief. “I can’t sleep next to you like that, Nicolò. It will give me nightmares.”

“Really?” Nicky crosses the balcony and perches on the arm of Joe’s chair, thus to let him appreciate it better at close range. “Isn’t every good relationship about making sacrifices?”

“Love has two faces,” Joe shoots back. “One of them is the face of devastation.”

“Mmm.” Nicky leans in. “Are you quoting Abu Nuwas again, my heart, or just being a drama king?”

Truly, this man knows him far too well. “You’re messing – ” Joe stares at him accusingly. “You are messing with me.”

“No,” Nicky pronounces, face completely straight. “No, not at all. I love it. I think I’ll keep it like this.”

Joe opens his mouth, about to say something else despairing, but stops. Yes, the mullet is an abomination of God’s earth (along with most hairstyles of the 1980s), but if Nicolò wants to wear this idiot look for a moment of levity in what they are otherwise faced with, what harm, truly, will it do? There were four horrible days after their first round of cleanup shifts, where even they were sick as dogs as the radiation worked its way out of their bodies, and the way Nicky looked then – Joe can still see it whenever he closes his eyes, so that mullet-related nightmares might be far preferable. Besides. He is very well aware that right now, there are other gay men losing their partners to a mysterious and unstoppable scourge, that in San Francisco and New York in America especially, the disease now called AIDS (but first known as GRID, Gay-Related Immune Deficiency) is ravaging entire communities while President Reagan sits idly by. Suddenly needing to make sure that any of that is very far away, Joe reaches out convulsively, catches Nicky’s head (stringy bits and all) and kisses him. “I don’t mind,” he says, just in case Nicolò thought he was actually serious. “I may have to wear a blindfold when we make love, but – ”

Nicky starts to answer, but is interrupted as the balcony door opens, Booker starts to come out, sees that the lovebirds are occupied out here, and beats a smart retreat. Even this, however, is not enough to stop him shouting, “Nicky, what the hell is that?”

“See.” Joe looks at his lover with wounded vindication. “I’m not the only one who has questions. Many questions.”

“Mmm,” Nicky says again, sliding into Joe’s lap. “Say that you love it.”

“No.”

“You do love it.”

“I love you, Nicolò. Not the mullet.”

“Shh.” Nicky leans in, and as they kiss, Joe can feel him smiling. “Just go with it.”

(Joe grumbles, but kisses him back, and doesn’t say anything else, and they go back inside as Andy returns from what can optimistically be called a shopping trip, and make dinner. Nicky entertains the entire team with jokes at his own expense as they eat, and Joe looks at him and understands exactly why Nicky did it, made a fool of himself to help them laugh, help them think about something else than radiation poisoning and piles of shot animals, and he loves this man so much that he can barely stand it. And so they go to bed that night after Nicky has removed the scissors and razor and sent the mullet and pornstache to their well-deserved grave, and love does indeed have two faces, and the other one, as always, is forever.)

[princessconsuelapark]

my ultimate Sam and Dean are soulmates playlist | 61 songs, 3 hr 59 min

I started putting this together over my summer SPN re-watch, and I thought I'd share it with you all, so we can all cry over our Wincest feels together. It has all the usual cliché songs, and some of my own favourites. (Very country-heavy, so if that's not your thing proceed with caution.) I'm a writer, so lyrics are very important to me - I linked them for every song. All songs are individually YouTube linked, alternatively you can find the Spotify version above. I included some comments and explanations for all my choices, as well as quotes from the show. Happy listening! | Last updated: 18 November 2020

Carry On My Wayward Son by Supernatural: The Musical Cast // lyrics // Cliché and all that, but a good place to start.

Somewhere Only We Know by Lily Allen // lyrics // Even as children - as tumultuous and layered their relationship has always been - it was just the two of them, alone, in their own little world. I Found by Amber Run // lyrics // I found love where it wasn't supposed to be.

Fade Into You by Mazzy Star // lyrics // Unhealthily codependent Weecest vibes.

I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys // lyrics // Secrets I have held in my heart / Are harder to hide than I thought. Something's Gotta Give by Christian Kane // lyrics // Wanting to get out of town as a metaphor for Dean wanting to act on his feelings for Sam? Yes, please. Christian Kane being a country god? Absolutely. The fact that this man was actually on SPN as Dean’s freaking love interest, and Jensen and him got to sing together still makes me the happiest person on this planet.

Don't You Wanna Fall by Frankie Ballard // lyrics // So, I love the lines Fall down here where an angel should know better than / To walk around this world with me, because god, Dean so often thinks he belongs in Hell, and is terrified of forcing his little brother into anything he doesn’t want. But still, he can’t stop himself: Don’t you wanna fall? (Shoutout to any Destiel shippers out there, because what a perfect song for you guys too, wow.) Thinking of You by Christian Kane // lyrics // Dean, just before Sam leaves for Stanford. (Link is for the Leverage version, because I love that show, and because Eliot Spencer is an angel. Funnily enough, Alona Tal was actually in that very episode, and did actually sing this song - you can find that here.) Hold On by Limp Bizkit // lyrics // I'm waiting for you, I know you're leaving / I'll still adore you, you never need me. LOST BOY by Troye Sivan // lyrics // Thinking about little Sammy’s stolen college admissions guide. Arms of a Stranger by Niall Horan // lyrics // Some jealous!Dean, while Sam is at Stanford angst.

Walking Away by Lifehouse // lyrics // Silence is all we have to give / And the memories of a life I wish we'd lived.

San Francisco by Niall Horan // lyrics // Listen, it’s a song about pining and not being able to let go and love in San Francisco. I mean, where do you expect my mind to go? Stanford Wincest all the way. How Did You Know? by Jedward // lyrics // I don’t wanna hear a bad word about Jedward, they are good lads. It’s a cheesy song, but hey, I love it. Sam comes back. Well, here I am / I couldn't stay gone. Drive by Halsey // lyrics // All we do is drive / All we do is think about the feelings that we hide. And the California never felt like home to me line! So perfect. "We made a hell of a team back there." (01x01 Pilot) Belong by X Ambassadors // lyrics // This is where Sam belongs, really. Riding shotgun, in his brother’s car, on the open road. Link is a fanvid that makes me feel things. Go and watch it, because it’s everything.

You Could Be Happy by Snow Patrol // lyrics // “Sam, you were right. You gotta do your own thing. You gotta live your own life.” (01x11 Scarecrow) Do the things that you always wanted to / Without me there to hold you back, don't think, just do.

Big Black Car by Gregory Alan Isakov // lyrics // "Who was that?" "My brother." "What did he say?" "Goodbye." That soft, disbelieving, confused look on Sam's face when Dean tells him he's proud of him. When it turns out Dean loves him enough to let him go. It should make him feel happy and free, it should make him loathe his childhood, defiance should fill him to the brim. Instead it makes him run straight back to Dean. (01x11 Scarecrow) Hey Brother by Avicii // lyrics // Faith. (01x12) Link is a fanvid, because reasons. Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you / There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do. Sober Me Up by Frankie Ballard // lyrics // Sam always seems to make the world all fall into place. (Sort of 02x03 Bloodlust vibes?) But baby when you kiss me all the demons seem to disappear.

Always Gold by Radical Face // lyrics // “Killing this demon comes first, before me, before everything.” “No, sir. Not before everything.” (02x07 The Usual Suspects) And they said you were the crooked kind / And that you'd never have no worth / But you were always gold to me. Sold My Soul by Zakk Wylde // lyrics // Bit on the nose, but my god, how fucking real. (02x22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 2) Let Me Sign by Kirk Matthews // lyrics // "Well, then let it end!" & "I'm gonna take care of you." (02x22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 2) Follow You by Bring Me The Horizon // lyrics // “I mean, you sacrifice everything for me.  Don’t you think I’d do the same for you? You’re my big brother. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” (02x22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 2) Say Something by A Great Big World // lyrics // "I just wish you'd drop the show and be my brother again. Cause... just cause." (03x07 Fresh Blood) Take Me To Church by Hozier // lyrics // “This obsession to save Dean? The way you two keep sacrificing yourselves for each other? […] Dean’s your weakness. And the bad guys know it, too.” (03x11 Mystery Spot) Outlaws of Love by Adam Lambert // lyrics // "You're my weak spot. And I'm yours." (03x16 No Rest for the Wicked) Everywhere we go we're looking for the sun / Nowhere to grow old, we're always on the run / They say we'll rot in Hell, but I don't think we will / They've branded us enough, "Outlaws of Love". Wanted Dead Or Alive by Bon Jovi // lyrics // Well, I had to include this one, for obvious reasons. (03x16 No Rest for the Wicked) In Other Words by Ben Kweller // lyrics // Dean's going to Hell. Sam's not okay. In his eyes I see the fear. Real With Me by Cady Groves // lyrics // Dean is not dealing well with remembering Hell. Sam is upset that he's not opening up. And it was never about what you were not / But I don't know how much longer I can hold on. Devil's Backbone by The Civil Wars // lyrics // None of it matters. Leaving for Stanford, choosing Ruby, the demon blood, that he’s Hell’s chosen. Dean will always come for his brother, no matter what.   Stay by Florida Georgia Line // lyrics // Sam leaves. It's fucked up. "Hey, you, uh... wanna take the Impala?" Dean doesn’t trust him, not like he used to, but he would say anything to make him stay. (05x02 Good God, Y’all) Hotel Room by Calum Scott // lyrics // They die in a motel room. They find out they share a Heaven. Sam can't find the words to explain. He wishes Dean would just give him time. (05x04 The End) So I kind of wrote a ficlet about this...? Read it if you fancy. Here Tonight by Brett Young // lyrics // The Wincestiest Wincest song to ever Wincest. The lyrics! Sometimes they can just take a minute to sit on the hood of the Impala and watch the stars, Apocalypse be damned.

I Hold On by Dierks Bentley // lyrics // “Sam, it’s okay. It’s okay, I’m here, I’m here. I’m not gonna leave you.” (05x22 Swan Song) Dean believes in his brother, and I’m a sucker for pick-up truck metaphors Lifeboats by Snow Patrol // lyrics // The look on Dean's face when he hugs Sam, when he realises that Sam's back, that he's alive. (06x01 Exile on Main St.) Potentially also some Purgatory vibes. Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones // lyrics // The moment Sam turned up on his doorstep, there was no question he'd choose him. Choose him over Lisa and Ben. Choose him over everyone. “But the minute he walked through that door, I knew. It was over. You two have the most unhealthy, tangled-up, crazy thing I've ever seen. And as long as he's in your life, you're never gonna be happy.” (06x06 You Can’t Handle The Truth) Heavydirtysoul by twenty one pilots // lyrics // “Pick one... Sam’s soul or Adam’s.” “Sam.” (06x11 Appointment in Samarra)

H.O.L.Y. by Florida Georgia Line // lyrics // Oh, this song. A bit of religious irony and whatnot, but my god. The lyrics are everything. You're the healing hands where it used to hurt immediately makes me think of how Dean helped Sam turn the pain from his scar on his palm into “stone number one, and build on it”. (07x02 Hello, Cruel World) I mean, Sam can't even tell what's real anymore, but he trusts his brother. Blindly and with everything he has, because that's who he is. But then there’s also Dean making his promise in the church, and Sam choosing him over dying in 09x01 (I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here). God. Just. I love this song for Sam and Dean.

Through The Dark by One Direction // lyrics // "We'll figure it out, okay? Just like we always do." (08x23 Sacrifice) Leave Out All The Rest by Linkin Park // lyrics // Sam is okay with sacrificing himself. He is ready to die. When my time comes / Forget the wrong that I've done. Demolition Lovers by My Chemical Romance // lyrics // “There is nothing, past or present, that I would put in front of you... I need you to see that." (08x23 Sacrifice) Okay, but look at the lyrics, and try and convince me this song is not about Sam and Dean. Love Will Tear Us Apart by Fall Out Boy // lyrics // "You wanna know what I confessed in there?" (08x23 Sacrifice) TALK ME DOWN by Troye Sivan // lyrics // The look in Sam’s eyes changes, his face falls. "How do I stop?" He chooses Dean like he always does. (08x23 Sacrifice) Brother by Kodaline // lyrics // “Come on. You and Dean? That’s something special, don’t you think?” (09x08 Rock and a Hard Place) Link is a gorgeous fanvid, go watch it and cry. Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons // lyrics // Dean really messed up this time. Gadreel fall out stuff. Sam breaks up with him in a motel car park in Wisconsin. (09x12 Sharp Teeth)

better off by Jeremy Zucker & Chelsea Cutler // lyrics // "Something's broken here, Dean." (09x12 Sharp Teeth) & "No, Dean, I wouldn't." (09x13 The Purge)

I Can't Go On Without You by KALEO // lyrics // Sam taking Dean’s body home, laying him on his bed, drinking by himself in the dark. (09x23 Do You Believe in Miracles) I Won't Give Up by Noah Guthrie // lyrics // "I am going to save my brother." (10x01 Black) Sam never gives up on Dean. Brother by NEEDTOBREATHE ft. Gavin DeGraw // lyrics // “I never even said thank you, so…” “You don’t ever have to say that, not to me.” (10x04 Paper Moon) Link is another beautiful fanvid, because I can’t help myself. Sittin' Pretty by Florida Georgia Line // lyrics // Sam's sunshine and he’s endless planes of warm skin, soft long hair, and sometimes Dean looks at him. Really looks at him. (No, okay, but the Chevy line really made it for me.) Blood Brothers by Luke Bryan // lyrics // "I don’t need a symbol to remind me how I feel about my brother.” and "The two of us against the world!” "What she said.” (10x05 Fan Fiction) I don’t know, country songs just make me think of Sam and Dean, okay.

I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Daniela Andrade // lyrics // “This is my life. I love it. But I can’t do it without my brother. I don’t want to do it without my brother. And if he’s gone, then I don’t…” (10x18 Book of the Damned)

Golden by Fall Out Boy // lyrics // Dean is so so broken. “No, there is no other way, Sam. I’m sorry.” (10x23 Brother’s Keeper)

Church by Fall Out Boy // lyrics // This whole song screams Sam and Dean to me, and initially I thought of Sam’s Wall breaking down, but then I got stuck on the lines And if death is the last appointment / Then we're all just sitting in the waiting room / I am just a human trying to avoid my certain doom and that’s so clearly Dean killing Death, unable to murder his little brother in the end, because his devotion to Sam runs too deep. (10x23 Brother’s Keeper) In which the SPN writers and Pete Wentz really should get together and discuss over-the-top religious imagery. You are doomed but just enough. Right Back Home by Lifehouse // lyrics // “We are home.“ (11x04 Baby) Be There by Seafret // lyrics // "Bring him back. Bring him back and take me instead." (11x17 Red Meat)  You're my way out / You're my way through / And I can't, I can't / Be without you.

Only the Brave by Louis Tomlinson // lyrics // “I need him, he needs me.“ (11x23 Alpha and Omega) With or Without You by U2 // lyrics // The absolute poetic tragedy of 12x09 (First Blood). The way they don’t even have time to really look at each other after six weeks apart, that they are both ready to die for each other without a moment of hesitation.

I Won't Mind by ZAYN // lyrics // “I'm good with who I am. I'm good with who you are. Because our lives? They're ours and maybe I'm too damn old to want to change that.” (14x13 Lebanon)

Fine Line by Harry Styles // lyrics // "Just us.” (15x19 Inherit the Earth)

[undertheinfluencerd]

https://ift.tt/2X2MXow #

After making her screen debut in 1989, Sandra Oh has enjoyed a remarkable career in both film and television. Although the versatile talent and 12-time Emmy nominated actress is best known for her iconic roles as Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy and Eve Polastri on Killing Eve, Oh has also worked with some of the finest movie directors, including Alexander Payne, Steven Soderbergh, Mina Shum, John Cameron Mitchell, and more.

RELATED: Killing Eve – 10 Best Quotes From The Show

As fans continue to enjoy Oh’s new hit Netflix sitcom The Chair, it’s worth recollecting her best movie moments for those who want to see more of the talented actress on the big screen.

10 Defendor (2009): 6.8

Peter Stebbings’ dark offbeat superhero comedy Defendor stars Oh as Dr. Ellen Park, a psychiatrist who gives hilarious facial and verbal reactions to the outlandish story relayed to her by Arthur Poppington (Woody Harrelson), an ordinary man moonlighting as a vigilante crime fighter.

Cut from the same genre-bucking, irreverent cloth as James Gunn’s Super, once Arthur confesses his secret life to Dr. Park, she convinces the judge to go easy on him and allow him to continue his heroic activity. When tragedy strikes, Oh shows how much heartfelt pathos she can portray by attending a touching ceremony for her patient.

9 Under The Tuscan Sun (2003): 6.8

Written and directed by the late Audrey Wells, Under the Tuscan Sun is a delightfully uplifting rom-com about Frances (Diane Lane), a writer who ups and leaves her life in San Francisco to live in Tuscany after discovering her husband’s infidelity. Oh plays Patti, Frances’ best friend who encourages her to travel to Italy.

RELATED: Sandra Oh – 10 Best Roles, Ranked (According To Rotten Tomatoes)

In addition to the gorgeous locations, breezy tone, and rich cinematography, Oh adds complexity to the story as Patti, a lesbian expecting a child even after her lover Grace (Kate Walsh) has left her. It’s Patti’s visit to Tuscany when she’s nine months pregnant that helps Frances find the courage to pursue true love despite the painful past.

8 Double Happiness (1994): 7.0

Oh made her feature film debut in Mina Shum’s must-see coming-of-age tale Double Happiness, in which she plays the lead role of Chinese-Canadian Jade Li. The intensely personal semiautobiographical drama shows how divided Jade is between her traditional Chinese upbringing and her modern Canadian lifestyle.

With a natural performance by Oh matched with the authentic, well-observed writing of Shum, the movie is a universally relatable tale of a person grappling with their own identity while trying to appease the expectations of loved ones. In her first film performance, Oh won the Genie Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, proving what a titanic talent she has been from the start.

7 Rabbit Hole (2010): 7.0

John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole is a bruising account of a family dealing with the death of a young child at the hands of a teenage driver. Nicole Kidman gives a memorable and towering performance as Becca, a mournful mother who begins to find solace by interacting with Jason (Miles Teller), the driver who accidentally took her son’s life.

Although she has a smaller supporting role, Oh plays Gabby, a fellow grieving parent who helps Howie (Aaron Eckhart) deal with his loss at the group therapy sessions he and Becca attend. With profound empathy for Howie, she becomes instrumental in his healing process.

6 Meditation Park (2017): 7.1

Twenty-three years after working with Mina Shum for the first time, Oh reunited with the filmmaker for the sweet-natured drama Meditation Park in 2017. The story concerns Maria Wang (Pei-Pei Cheng), an aging woman in the throes of an existential crisis upon suspecting her husband’s infidelity. Oh plays Maria’s daughter Ava, a mother of two who encourages Maria to reconcile with her estranged brother ahead of his wedding and break free from her husband’s hold.

RELATED: Asian-American Movies to Watch If You Loved Crazy Rich Asians

As another trenchant glimpse at the immigrant experience and a statement about the importance of women finding their own voice, Shum’s film is tender, touching, and triumphant.

5 Hard Candy (2005): 7.1

David Slade’s Hard Candy is a deeply unnerving glimpse at a predatory pedophile (Patrick Wilson) getting his just deserts when a teenager (Elliot Page) tricks, traps, and tortures him in his apartment. Oh plays the man’s neighbor, Judy Tokuda, admitting she only took the role due to her working relationship with Page, a fellow Canadian she worked with on Wilby Wonderful the year prior.

With most of the action set inside the inescapable apartment, the visceral terror of the violence that Hayley (Page) exacts on Jeff (Wilson) is met by the suffocating sense of claustrophobia, making for a really upsetting experience. However, the hugely satisfying conclusion helps atone for the squeamish and uncomfortable moments of carnage.

4 Last Night (1998): 7.2

The most unheralded of Oh’s top films happens to be Last Night, a mordant pitch-black comedy about the impending apocalypse and the rag-tag band of Canadians with differing views on how to react. With the end of the world set to strike at midnight, Sandra (Oh) tries to make it out of her stranded position in Toronto and reunite with her husband, Duncan (David Cronenberg). One bad thing after another ensues.

Weird, wild, and ultimately winning, Last Night boasts writer/director Don McKellar’s signature brand of dark humor and anarchic energy. As such, the film has become an unforgettable cult classic among those who’ve seen it.

3 Raya And The Last Dragon (2021): 7.4

With great respect and honor for the rich historical traditions of Southeast Asia, Raya and the Last Dragon is one of Disney’s most beloved recent animated movies. Sandra Oh lends her voice to the commanding role of Virana, the Fang chieftess and mother of Raya’s main rival, Namaari (Gemma Chan).

RELATED: Raya And The Last Dragon – What The Voice Actors Look Like In Real Life

With a moving story, spellbinding animation, and characters never before seen, Raya and the Last Dragon continue to soar in the hearts and minds of viewers.

2 Sideways (2004): 7.5

Directed by her then-husband Alexander Payne, Oh demonstrated her hilarious comedic chops in the indie darling Sideways, a character study of a failing writer at an existential crossroads. The boozy road trip follows Miles (Paul Giamatti), an uptight novelist, and his lecherous pal Jack (Thomas Hayden Church), as they hit Santa Barbara wine country on a tasting tour.

Praised for its excellent performances and light tonal touch between comedy and drama, Oh gives a standout turn as Stephanie, a cool sommelier who has a steamy love affair with Jack (whom she does not know has a fiancee). When she finds out, she goes absolutely ballistic in one of the movie’s funniest moments. The story is so sharply penned that it won an Oscar for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay.

1 The Red Violin (1998): 7.6

Despite playing a bit role as Madame Ming in the fifth and final chapter of The Red Violin, the ambitious epic ranks among Sandra Oh’s most well-received movie to date. The film traces a famed 17th-century Violin from its creation in Italy to its auction in modern-day Montreal, and all that the instrument endured in creating some of the most beautiful music the world has ever heard.

Praised for its sumptuous set decorations and costume designs, Oscar-winning original music, intelligent story, and a throwback style of filmmaking that calls to mind the grand epics of the past, the resonance of The Red Violin is still felt today.

NEXT: Steven Spielberg’s 10 Best Historical Epics

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The post Sandra Oh’s 10 Best Movies, Ranked (According To IMDb) appeared first on undertheinfluencerd.net.

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[southwalessubculture]

Hydrangeas

Got inspired to write a companion piece to Floral, a lovely new piece by @wresimagines, which I’m REALLY excited by. Definitely check them out, their stuff is SO good!

To quote my exact pitch for this idea: “flower shop!Tim [Thatcher] who looks super tough and intimidating but just wants to talk about his hydrangeas, with tattoo artist!OC that has two full armsleeves and looks like they could kill a man.” So, y’know, if that’s a concept you’re into...

Two o’clock, the most boring hour of the day. Your appointments are usually either early in the morning or late in the evening, so it’s rare that anyone but you and the other artist is actually in the shop. Which is cool, you two get along great and it’s nice to have some downtime between appointments, but today you were just bored out of your mind. You’d spent an hour picking at the tape that you’d been using to hold down a tattoo design you were working on, until there was nothing but a bare sliver holding your paper to the counter.

“Fuck this, I’m going out for a few minutes. I can’t wait around for the next three hours like this.”

Pete, the other artist on shift today, watched with an amused expression as you threw yourself off of the stool that you’d been sitting at behind the counter, coming around the edge of the cases toward the door.

“Little restless today?”

“Just call if someone actually shows up today, okay?”

He nodded to you before looking back down at his phone and smiling, surely watching one of the many videos of his daughter that he keeps saved. You stepped outside, hissing a little bit as the harsh sunlight hit you, bringing your hand up to block out the sun. Your shop was on a relatively bare street of San Francisco, which housed a small restaurant that you often ordered from at night, a bookshop that you once bought a book for your brother from, and a flower shop that you...had admittedly never been to. It looked pleasant enough, though, with roses and daisies lining the windows, and you felt captivated enough to start down the sidewalk toward it.

As you approached the entrance, you were surprised to see that it was apparently empty. There was no sight of a person in the windows, nobody behind the counter as you walked in. You started to wonder if maybe the place was abandoned, but surely not, for there to be so many beautiful flowers in bloom. You started to run your hand across a shelf, fingers catching on handwritten nametags. Common daisies, stargazer lilies...

“What are you doing here?”

You looked up, eyes landing on a tall man in a black shirt, standing in the frame of what seemed to be a back room. He was quite attractive, but he also seemed very intimidating.

“I work at the tattoo shop next door, I thought I’d come and look around since I had some free time. If that’s okay with you, of course.”

He burst into a toothy grin (minus the ones that were missing), and you couldn’t help but notice that he looked quite boyish and handsome like this.

“Absolutely, yeah! Did you have any questions?”

You looked quickly to the labels, searching for anything to ask about, anything to keep him talking. His voice was kind and warm, a surprising juxtaposition to his physique and general demeanor, and you wanted to hear more.

“So, flowers have different meanings, right? Like, roses are associated with love and whatnot. So...what do-” you looked down at the label under your finger, “hydrangeas mean?”

He quickly rounded the counter, grabbing a small black journal as he made his way to you. He turned to a page with several detailed drawings of flowers, finger hovering over a neatly written list of colors and flower names.

“It depends on what kind you’re talking about, different colors have different symbolisms. As an example, blue hydrangeas refer to apology and regret, while white ones have a meaning of boastfulness.”

“What about those?”

He looked from your pointed finger to the pink and purple flowers at the top of the shelf, and he reached up to pull them down, holding them in front of you.

“The pink,” he pressed the flower into your still-open hand, “symbolizes heartfelt emotion, something like love. The purple, on the other hand, represents a desire to know someone, to understand someone.”

You looked at the two flowers in your hand, and he stretched behind him to grab one more that he handed to you slowly. 

“And as a little bonus, this is a lavender rose. These represent enchantment, blossoming romance...love at first sight, basically. If you believe in that kind of thing.” He looked down, voice dropping to a whisper. “Which you probably don’t, but...”

You smiled, placing two fingers under his chin and tilting it up.

“What makes you think that I don’t believe in love at first sight?”

He gestured to you, eyes widening a bit.

“You look so tough and strong, not at all like someone that would be romantic, especially not right when you meet someone.”

You laughed a bit, touched but also a little saddened that he seemed to think that you wouldn’t be interested in love.

“One last question,” he nodded his head as a sign to continue, “are there any flowers that represent ‘let’s go out for dinner sometime?’“

He smiled again, nodding his head for a moment, before his gaze screwed up in confusion.

“Not quite, but daisies do represent desire to be in a relationship.”

You looked over as you set the other flowers on a blank space on the shelf, reaching into the vase and gently pulling out a white daisy, offering it to him.

“Well, then? If you’d like to?”

[nicholasbritel]

Top 20 (or 10 if 20 is too much work) movies you feel are a must watch? Can be any genre (though preferably not horror), any year, anything you want 🌻

giving movie recommendations is always making me feel like that robot from the simpsons movie who couldn’t handle the pressure of his job and shot himself jdffgd so i just want to say that these recommendations are based on how emotionally attached i am to these movies. like, objectively pulp fiction is a better movie than easy a, but will i watch easy a over pulp fiction? probably. most definitely. yes. so now that i got that out of the way here it is, including my pointless thoughts which you’re more than welcome to skip-

joe versus the volcano - i was going to say you’ve got mail but it’s pretty popular anyway and i feel like this is the one tom hanks and meg ryan movie that is being overlooked. it’s funny and super relatable if you’re at this stage in your life where you’re trying to figure out what you want and don’t really like your job. also it’s probably one of meg ryan’s best comedic performances, she’s wonderful in this one. 1917 - i genuienly love the story and the characters so much. everyone talk about the cinematography in this and rightfully so, it’s a beautiful movie in so many aspects and there’s something so haunting about it. easily one of my favorites of the year (technically it came out last year but i’ve only seen it in january so) columbus - it’s beautiful and intimate and personal. just one of these movies that get to you in their quiet way. eddie the eagle - this movie is just... the sweetest, most optimistic and fun movie you’ll get to see. it’s the ultimate feel good movie, really. taron egerton is adorable in this, i always have a blast watching this one. amelie - i feel like this movie captures what it’s like in the brain of someone with social anxiety who longs to do things anyway but is sticking to fantasizing instead. i don’t know if you can say that a movie is kind, but it feels like it is, in a way.  paper moon - i talk about this one a lot but it’s so incredibly good. the father-daughter relationship in this is delightful. it’s kind of a found family except none of them will admit they actually care about each other.

victor victoria - ‘a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman’ (a direct quote from the movie that basically sums up the plot). this is a musical with julie andrews, so if you like the genre i think you’ll really enjoy that one. first of all, it’s julie andrews in a suit. it’s very witty, very colorful and very gay. but it also isn’t. you’ll get it when you see it. the last black man in san francisco - it only really got to me the second time i watched it, but it’s a really beautiful movie about home, indentity and toxic masculinity. there’s great music and beautiful shots of san francisco, and there’s something about this movie that feels really personal and tender. some like it hot - it’s a wild ride from start to finish. i’ve watched it many times and it never gets old. mad max fury road- on top of being badass and visually awesome, the story is so good and powerful. it’s got badass ladies and tom hardy doing what he does best- making you like his character despite having 2 lines and grunting the rest of the time. pride and prejudice (2005)- everyone loves p&p, i don’t even need to expand on that. forrest gump - it’s beautiful, it’s optimistic, it’s heartwarming and funny and sad and it’s got tom hanks in it. loving vincent - i only watched it once, but it’s so unique. it’s basically about van gough, but is told from the perspective of several people who knew him. think ‘i, tonya’ in terms of the unreliable narrators, only with a completely different tone. the real star of this movie is the animation (if you can call it that)- every single frame was hand-drawn to look like a van gough painting. takes a little time to adjut to the style, but it’s a very unique movie. modern times - i don’t remember if that was the first chaplin movie i’ve watched, but i definitely had a serious charlie chaplin fase after watching this. it’s my favorite movie of his. what we did on our holiday - criminally underrated on this website and in general. the writing is so witty and the actors are wonderful (and very scottish) but the real stars of this movie are the kids. the best part is that they weren’t even written as the super mature kids you usually see in indie films, they’re just being really honest and weird in the way that kids are and it’s brilliant. monsters inc - mike vasovski. that’s it, that’s why you should watch it. the skeleton twins - it’s one of those depressing indie movies that are so easy to love. my emotional support depressing indie movie, if you will. there is that one dancing scene though....it’s the best thing you’ll ever see. mulan - ‘make a man out of you’ is the best disney song and that is that. portrait of a lady one fire - the romance!! the friendship between the 3 women!! the aesthetic of the beach and the painting and the orpheous-eurydice parallels! captain fantastic - i exhausted myself at this point but mmm i’ll say it really reminds me of what we did on our holiday and little miss sunshine in terms of the tone. it’s all about family, about being close to people and learning to let them go when you need to.

[typingtess]

NCIS: Los Angeles Season Eleven Rewatch:  “Watch Over Me”

The basics:   The murder of an FBI agent while tracking an undercover FBI Agent has the team searching for the undercover agent.

Written by:  Kyle Harimoto wrote “Omni”, “Merry Evasion”, “Chernoff, K”, “Command and Control” (episode 150), “Granger, O.”, “Ghost Gun”, “Kulinda”, “767”, “Se Murio El Payaso”, “Assets”/“Liabilities”, “Venganza”, “Superhuman”, “One of Us" (with Bill Goldberg), "Let Fate Decide" (season 11 premiere), "Decoy" (with Bill Goldberg) and "Answers".  He co-wrote “Three Hearts”, “Leipei”, “Humbug”, both ends of the “Matryoshka” two-parter, “Smokescreen” part two and "Searching" (with Bill Goldberg).

Directed by:  Dan Liu, his first episode.

Guest stars of note: Bill Goldberg returns from “Search” in early season 11 as DOJ Agent Lance Hamilton.  Caleb Castille as FBI Special Agent Devin Roundtree, Alexander Bedria as FBI Special Agent Randall Cejudo, Evander Holyfield as NCIS Special Agent Sutherland, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow as FBI Special Agent Mia Calvillo, Patrick Hume as Willy, Becky Wu as EMT Saito and Amani Atkinson as Owen.

Our heroes:  Find a new buddy.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen:  Possibly “the man”. Sam:  Knows Michelle would be proud of Aiden going to Pensacola for pre-flight school. Kensi:  Firestarter. Deeks:  Working with LAPD today. Eric:  Seems something in common with Roundtree. Nell:   Willing to look for Anna again. Hetty:  Calling the FBI to let them know about dirty agents.

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen:  Living in the danger zone with his fast food love. Sam:  Sparring with Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield, whoops, Agent Sutherland. Kensi:   Hanging with Agent Hamilton again. Deeks:  Absent. Eric:  Sparring with Sam. Nell:  Having dinner with Eric – a big bowl of Ramen in Little Tokyo. Hetty:  Absent.

Who's down with OTP:  With Deeks working with LAPD, no Kensi and Deeks moments.  A good Eric and Nell hour as he works well despite the similarities between Roundtree’s situation and his in San Francisco.

Who's down with BrOTP:  Sam was being a good father.

Any pressing need for a young FBI Agent:  Only needed to be found.

Who is running the team this week?  Good question.

Fashion review:  Callen wears a dark blue button-down shirt.  Sam starts the episode in black gym clothes.  Wears a black long-sleeve tee later.  Kensi is wearing a grey turtleneck sweater with a red and white band just above and chest and on the turtleneck.  There are also white stripes between the red and white band and the top of the sweater.  Deeks is wearing clothes I’m sure at LAPD.  If he was naked, there would have been a joke or two.  Eric is wearing a grey sweater over a dark blue dress shirt.  Nell wear a denim blouse with dark blue jumper.

Music:  “Boogie Mama” by Jay Ramsey is playing as Callen and Fatima approach the house boat.

Any notable cut scene: Not today.

Quote:  Callen:  “Look, your camera may have picked up something that's relevant to one of our cases. We're wondering if we can come inside, take a look at the footage from last night.” Willy:  “Ooh. I don't know if I want you on my boat. I mean, that doesn't sound like a good idea.” Fatima:  “Why doesn't it sound like a good idea?” Willy:  “I'm just not comfortable around the Man. No offense.” Fatima:  “Oh, well, none taken.”. Callen:  “Okay, I'll tell you what, why don't you just... could you e-mail us the footage?” Willy:  “E-mail it?” Callen:  “Yeah.” Willy:  “Why would I go through all this trouble to live off the grid and then set up an e-mail account with... “ Fatima:  “The Man?  Yeah, I get it.” Willy:  “Yeah, you do get it. Rad. All right, you know what? Come on, I'll show you the video. What the hell?” Callen:  “Great.” Willy:  “Uh, uh, just you. Just me?” Callen:  “Just her?” Willy:  “Yeah, sorry, you look like you could kind of be a little too much like, uh...” Fatima:  “The Man?” Willy:  “Yeah.” Fatima:  “Well, I'm also not even a man, so there is that.” Anything else:  The previously-s are Callen seeing Anna in Barcelona, Callen’s pool table reunion with Anna, the Callen-Anna working things out conversation in wardrobe, Anna hiding in Callen’s apartment; Nell telling Deeks Fatima is missing at the bar, Fatima being beaten while a hostage, the hostage video, the rescue; Lance Hamilton with Kensi and Nell sharing dinner.  Like a 90-seconds of previously-s.

In a closed for the season business at the marina, two FBI agents – a male and a female - are looking at a boat.  They are discussing someone who they believe is on the boat – a rulebreaker who doesn’t do things by the book.  The agents are also not 100% sure the person they are looking for is on that boat.  The male agent gets a text message – Special Agent in Charge Atkins is on the line looking for an update on Roundtree.  The female agent wants to know what her partner plans to tell Atkins.  The male agent asks if he should tell the truth – they lost Special Agent Roundtree.  The agents are supposed to be his lifeline.

The male agent calls Atkins, who is loudly not pleased with the news.  As the male agent walks away for a little privacy, the female agent makes her way to the boat where she believes Roundtree is hiding.  With her gun drawn, she walks through the boat, which looks to be going through repairs.  

The male agent returns to where they were watching the boat to find his partner – Agent Calvillo – gone.  Seeing her on the boat, he runs across the marina.  As Calvillo climbs to the top of the boat, she is shot several times.  Her partner is on the dock making his way to the boat when the shots are fired.  Calvillo falls into the water as a shadowy figure on the boat watches.

The following morning in the office, Callen is looking at the FBI BOLO on Anna.  Nell arrives, asking about Anna.  Callen plays dumb – Anna went back to work with Joelle and the CIA.  Nell would be happy to search for her but Callen says no but thanks Nell for the offer.  “Don’t mention it, it’s kind of what we do.”

Sam is sparing with Agent Sutherland, who looks a lot like former heavyweight boxing champ Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield.  Eric walks in and wants to try to hold the boxing mitts while Sam punches.  Sutherland mentions he’s calling Sam’s punches, not holding the mitts while Sam punches.  Eric is fine with that – calling the punches is just like counting.  It’s not but Sutherland surrenders the mitts.

Noting the mitts are like big mittens – “Duh, that’s why they call them mitts” – Eric is ready to help Sam.  Unfortunately, Eric doesn’t know how to call punches, just count.  Sam is calling his own.  The first punch nearly causes Eric to punching himself with the mitt but he and Sam find a rhythm.  Until Eric’s phone chirps – then Eric moves and nearly gets punched in the face by Sam.  They have a case.  Eric thinks boxing is like pattycakes for adults.  Sam assures him it is not.

As Sam is about to put away his boxing gloves, Aiden calls.  Aiden is in LA for a few hours and would like to see his father.  Talking to Callen, Callen insists Sam see Aiden.  “If he didn’t want to see you, he wouldn’t have called.”  The team is covered.  Fatima is back in the office.  Hetty asked the Director to add Fatima to the team as a permanent change of station.  Sam thinks it is where she belongs.

Up on Ops, Eric, Nell and Fatima are waiting.  Not only is the team down Sam, LAPD called in Deeks that morning.  Kensi is on her way in.  Nell reports on the death of FBI Special Agent Mia Calvillo who was working with her partner Special Agent Randall Cejudo – both based in the Seattle office – providing back-up for an undercover operation.  Special Agent Devin Roundtree is working undercover for a man named Brendan Spitz, a man who runs a high-end business moving people in and out of the country undetected.  

Spitz has been missing for a week and is considered a person of interest in Calvillo’s murder.  The thought is Spitz believed he was under investigation, saw Calvillo and killed her.  Callen asks if Roundtree’s undercover assignment has been burned.  Nobody knows.  For three-days, Roundtree has missed all his FBI check-ins.  NCIS was asked to be part of the case because Spitz has a connection to Ryan Usman, a top recruiter for Al-Shabaab in Los Angeles.  Spitz is believed to be moving people for Al-Shabaab.  If NCIS can bring in Usman, Usman can give them Spitz.

Callen asks if the team is in contact with Agent Cejudo.  They are but Nell has news that Lance Hamilton is going to be part of the investigation.  Sending Kensi and Hamilton to meet with Cejudo, Callen is going to the crime scene with Fatima.  He also asks Eric and Nell to coordinate everything with the FBI.

In a huge truck, Lance Hamilton arrives to meet Kensi outside the boat shed.  Kensi’s hair is much shorter than when we last saw her talking about parenthood with Deeks.  Joking that the guy at the rental counter tried to put him a MiniCooper, Kensi and Hamilton hug,  “Deeks-less” for the case because he is back with LAPD – a drug case includes an old dealer he arrested.  Kensi notices a team yoga mat in Hamilton’s car.  He does it for anger management.  Kensi laughs.  No, he really does it for anger management.

With scrapes and cuts on her face from her time in Egypt, Fatima gives Callen a rundown on the boat owner.  After starting repairs on the boat, the owner left for Hawaii and hasn’t returned.  There is enough trash – bottles of water, bags of fast food - in and around the boat the someone has been living there.   Fatima doesn’t really think of it as food.  “Says Miss Beverly Hills,” says Callen as he defends fast food.  Fatima sees it more as a healthy food thing and not a Beverly Hills thing.    

On the boat, Callen notices that there is a jacket hanging on the back of a seat in boat’s cockpit with two bullet holes.  Calvillo shot at the jacket.  Moving outside of the boat, Fatima think the chair looks like a man wearing a jacket.  At that point, the shooter kills Calvillo.  There are no shell casings – they could have fallen into the water with Calvillo.  Callen and Fatima think Calvillo walked into a trap.

Cejudo is in the main section of the boat shed, feeling some guilt for Calvillo’s death.  “She was sure Agent Roundtree was on that boat.”  Missing three-days of check-in was not like Roundtree.  Cejudo thinks they have to find him.  Kensi asks about Roundtree’s background – this is his first assignment.  Cejudo starts coming up with “what if’s” but Hamilton stops him.  “It turns your mind real dark, real fast.”  

In Ops, Eric has dozens of camera angles from the marina but no clear look at the shooter.  There was no footage of anyone leaving from the docks or the parking lot.  The traffic cams across the street are far away but Eric is working on them.  The harbor-cams had no boats leaving in the time around Calvillo’s death.

Looking at Spitz is a dead-end.  The FBI has almost nothing on Spitz – that’s why Roundtree is undercover.  Eric feels for Roundtree who is alone with his back-up agent being murdered.  Nell is worried about Eric and what he went through in San Francisco.  Eric is fine.  “I knew if I just held on, you, Callen, Sam, the whole team would be there for me.”  Roundtree has no idea anyone is coming for him.  

Noticing a big split in Fatima’s lip, Callen asks if she is alright.  She claims she’s good.  Callen wants her to take time off if she needs it.  Fresh air, being busy and working with the team works for her.  Looking around, Callen realizes the shooter could have jumped from boat to boat to avoid being seen by the cameras and leaving by a different dock.

Kensi and Hamilton are watching Cejudo speak with his boss.   Cejudo really wants to be a part of Spitz’s arrest.   There is still no word on Roundtree or Spitz.  Finding Usman is their best bet.  Kensi has intel Usman flew to Paris and back with a fake passport.  Pressuring Usman could get them Spitz.  Looking at the wave runner in the boat shed, Cejudo wants to know if anyone uses it.  Sam takes it spearfishing at night.  “In the middle of the ocean, at night, alone?”  Cejudo does not see that as fun.  Hamilton agrees, he’s more of an elk hunter.  Also not fun for Cejudo.

Nell pops up on the plasma.  Two SUVs for companies with Ryan Usman as an investor are in the West LA area.  Nell is tracking them.  Kensi, Hamilton and Cejudo are on their way.

At the marina, in a less than desirable dock, Callen sees an old camera on an even older boat.  The boat owner arrives – loud music playing in the ship’s main cabin.  The boat owner, Willy, just Willy, swears he’s up to date on his rent and maintenance fees.  Assuring Willy they don’t work for the marina, Callen asks if the camera works.  Willy doesn’t think it is a good idea to have “the Man” on the boat.  Callen asks Willy to e-mail him the footage.  If Willy is living on a boat to stay away from “the Man”, why would he open an e-mail account to be monitored by “the Man”.  Fatima plays along.  Callen does not.

Playing along gets Fatima invited on the boat.  Not Callen.  He looks too much like “the Man”.  Not being a man, Fatima goes inside.  Willy’s computer monitor is circa 1998.  There is footage of a man in a grey hoodie running to a high fence at the end of the marina.  The man is over the fence quickly.  Fatima records it with her phone from Willy’s monitor.

Eric and Nell are able to pull a license plate number from a grey pick-up the shooter used from Willy’s video.  Nell notices how fast and athletic the runner is – “crazy jumping skills.”  Nell gets a hit on the license plate and sends the address to Callen and Fatima.

Kensi, Hamilton and Cejudo pull up to the two SUV’s they were tracking.  They are parked in Ryan Usman’s driveway.  Not knowing if Usman is in the house or how heavily armed he may be, Kensi wants Usman outside.  She has a plan.  

Looking at the shooter’s truck, Callen and Fatima approach with their weapons out.  The engine is cold – it has been parked for a while.  Callen thinks something is wrong.  The shooter would not have parked the truck on a local street.  Certainly not if he was going underground with Spitz after killing Calvillo.  They are in San Pedro – not close to LAX or any trains.  Callen wonders if Spitz was even involved in the Calvillo’s murder.

Sam and Aiden are walking on the beach.  They’re discussing an ice cream shop in Flatbush that also sells high-end clothing.  Aiden is spending a lot of time in Brooklyn with his girlfriend Amanda.  She’s working full time and goes home to work on her own clothing line.  Sam admires Amanda’s drive.  Wondering about their future, Sam asks Aiden if he’s putting in for a station in New York once he graduates.   He’s not.  Aiden sees the beach in his future.  Not LA, though.  Sam stops.  “You heard back?”  Aiden heard back.  He’s going to Pensacola – six weeks of pre-flight school followed by 22-weeks of flight school at a different location.  Aiden is flying Navy jets.  

While Sam is sorry they had lunch at In-and-Out – they should have eaten someplace better to celebrate.  Aiden loves In-and-Out, none of those back east.  Sam jokes that Callen is going to start calling Aiden ‘Maverick’.   Pre-flight school is not “Top Gun”, Aiden wants Sam to tell Callen.  Beaming, Sam tells Aiden “Your Mom, your Mom would be proud.”  The two men hug again.  

Walking up to the SUVs, Kensi goes to the one nearest the door while Hamilton and Cejudo are by the second vehicle.  Pouring some lighter fluid on the hood of the SUV, Kensi lights a match and sets a fire.  She knocks on the door to tell the home owner about the fire.  Three men – none Usman – try to put out the fire.

With Eric and Nell checking out the shops and businesses near the abandoned grey pick-up – no break-ins, no thefts – Callen and Fatima are walking the residential streets in San Pedro looking for the shooter.  With all the food, which Fatima still doesn’t consider food, and water in the boat, maybe the shooter wasn’t waiting to kill Calvillo, maybe he was hunkered down and Calvillo just showed up.  She winds up getting shot.  The shooter is probably doing what he did on the boat – finding someplace quiet to hunker down.  Checking nearby, there is one house for sale.  The owners moved out two-weeks ago – it is vacant.  Callen thinks they found the shooter’s location.  Callen and Fatima are on their way.

While Kensi and Hamilton are with the fire outside of the house, Cejudo is making his way into the back of the house.  Once the fire is out, Kensi and Hamilton identify themselves as federal agents and take the men into custody.  Shots are fired in the house, Hamilton stays with the three men while Kensi goes inside.  Making her way to the kitchen, Cejudo is standing over Usman’s dead body.  Usman tried to get the jump on Cejudo, who fired in self-defense.

At the for-sale house, Callen finds the real estate agent’s key box lock discarded in a flower bed.  Callen breaks a window to get into the side of the house, Fatima walks into the front door.  Fatima takes the second floor, Callen is downstairs.  As Fatima checks a bedroom, the man in the grey hoodie jumps down the stairs.  He races through the house.  Callen tries to tackle him but the man is able to get right up.  Callen and Fatima chase the man who is too fast and able to jump around and over obstacles.  Callen and Fatima think they have him but he jumps on a car being towed and makes a getaway.  They see the man they were chasing is Roundtree.

Eric and Nell confirm it is Roundtree on the towed car.  Tracking the tow truck, Roundtree jumped off at some point and made a run for it.  Callen was able to tag Roundtree with overwatch spray when he tackled Roundtree in the house. With Eric is looking for Roundtree, Nell checked into his background – financials are good, no issues with drugs or gambling.  With no red flags, there has to be some reason Roundtree is hiding from the FBI and running from NCIS.  Fatima notes that Roundtree had a gun but didn’t shoot at Callen or Fatima.

Offering one of the men in Usman’s house a deal for info on Spitz, Kensi is told she’s insane if she thinks any of them are talking about Spitz.  The man tells Kensi he’s stunned they killed Usman “after everything we did for you.”  Kensi is confused – does the man think she’s working for Spitz.  He does.  Cejudo walks over to Kensi and asks about Spitz.

Eric is having no luck finding Roundtree with overwatch.  Going through his family records, Nell finds Roundtree has a sister at UCLA.  “If Spitz learned that Roundtree was an undercover agent,” Eric thinks Roundtree’s sister could be in danger.  Nell is sending a few agents to protect her.  Eric’s beeping tablet means they located Roundtree in a recently closed supermarket.

A secured text from Kensi tells Nell and then Callen that Cejudo may be working for Spitz. Nell sent the supermarket address to Kensi, Hamilton and Cejudo before she got Kensi’s text.  Callen tells Nell that he and Fatima are on their way to the supermarket.  Reversing what they think happened originally, Calvillo could have gone on the boat to kill Roundtree.  It explains why he ran.  Callen wants Hetty to talk to Roundtree’s and Cejudo’s boss about their theory. When she can, Callen wants Kensi to get away from Cejudo to contact him.

At the supermarket, Kensi is alone.  Hamilton and Cejudo are doing a sweep of the area around the supermarket.  Kensi’s isn’t sure if Cejudo is dirty though he was alone when he killed Usman.  If Cejudo is working for Spitz, he knew that Usman was going to be their connection.  

When Hamilton and Cejudo return, Cejudo does not want to wait the two minutes it is going to take Callen and Fatima to join them.  He wants to go into the supermarket alone and he does.  As Callen and Fatima pull into the loading dock, Cejudo goes in.

Both Cejudo and Calvillo have off-shore bank accounts with lots of money – too much for FBI agents with their salaries.  Nell calls that info into the team.  Sam joins Callen, Kensi, Fatima and Lance as they enter the supermarket.  The supermarket is a mess with flickering florescent lights making things dark and then light and then dark again.  Gunshots are fired from the freezer section.  Sam and Hamilton make their way to the freezer section with the rest of the team in tow.  

After more shots are fired, Callen announces that they are federal agents there to get Roundtree out of the supermarket safely.  Fatima makes her way to the stockroom.  Sam finds Devin hiding between two display racks.  Roundtree isn’t sure he should trust Sam – he’s exhausted with a gunshot wound in his left arm.  Cejudo tells Roundtree Sam is there to kill him.  Callen tells Roundtree they know Calvillo and Cejudo took money from Spitz.  NCIS can get him out safely.  Sam tells Roundtree that if they wanted him dead, Sam could have killed him already.

When Roundtree surrenders to Callen and Sam, Callen moves in.  Cejudo opens fire as a team of shooters join Cejudo to take out Roundtree and the team.  Lots of shooting ensues, including Roundtree shooting Cejudo before Cejudo can shoot him.  In the end, the hired shooters are under arrest and Cejudo is shot but not dead.

Roundtree is about to go to the hospital when the tells the EMT he wants to talk to his new friends – Callen and Sam.  After a few jokes, he’s grateful.  He has a thumb drive with photos and documents that incriminate Calvillo, Cejudo and Spitz.  Sam is impressed by Roundtree’s investigative work and how he kept himself alive.  Roundtree sent his sister on an early spring break to make sure she was safe once he knew the FBI was dirty.  He just needed to find someone he could trust with the thumb drive.  Sam give Callen a knowing look – they may have found their agent to train.

Roundtree doesn’t know how to thank Callen and Sam.  “Beer” and the good stuff – the stuff that you buy when you’re celebrating an importation event, like lifesaving beer.  The stuff they sell at the Beverly Hills Hotel.  Roundtree wants to go to the hospital.

Leaving Ops, Eric is impressed by how Roundtree kept himself alive.  Nell thinks it takes someone pretty special to keep themselves alive until the team can save them.  They share a smile.  Nell wants to grab a bite – Syd is in physical therapy after a dance class related knee injury.  Nell wants Ramen noodles, Eric knows a place in Little Tokyo.  They are on the landing of the staircase when Eric gets a text message.  His friend Max from San Francisco started a company with two friends.  They were just fully funded by a venture capatolist.  Eric has been offered a partnership.  Nell thinks the offer is great.  Eric isn’t so sure.  They’re going to discuss this over a big bowl of Ramen.

Hamilton was happy to work with the team once again.  He’s not flying home – he rented a place in Malibu.  Kensi thinks that rather bougie of Hamilton until she learns it includes a private lesson with a world-class Muay-Thai coach.  Kensi is glad he’s getting the training – she’s sick of protecting him in the field.

Callen arrives with news about Devin.  The gunshot wound is a through and through – he should be released later that night.  Kensi and Fatima are going to pick him up at the hospital.  Callen and Sam may join them.  To kill some time before the hospital trip, the team with Lance is going for dinner at the beach.  Hamilton living in a land-locked state makes that a treat.  He’ll even pay for Kensi and Fatima but not for Callen and Sam.  Sam asks him not to be cheap.

What head canon can be formed from here:  Roundtree.  This is the introduction or Roundtree and the return of Fatima to the team fulltime.  There is also Eric and Nell’s future.  

Episode number:    This is episode 17 of season 11, 257 overall.

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❍❍❍ TV MOVIE ❍❍❍

The first television shows were experimental, sporadic broadcasts viewable only within a very short range from the broadcast tower starting in the 1930s. Televised events such as the 1936 Summer Olympics in Germany, the 19340 coronation of King George VI in the UK, and David Sarnoff’s famous introduction at the 1939 New York World’s Fair in the US spurred a growth in the medium, but World War II put a halt to development until after the war. The 19440 World MOVIE inspired many Americans to buy their first television set and then in 1948, the popular radio show Texaco Star Theater made the move and became the first weekly televised variety show, earning host Milton Berle the name “Mr Television” and demonstrating that the medium was a stable, modern form of entertainment which could attract advertisers. The first national live television broadcast in the US took place on September 4, 1951 when President Harry Truman’s speech at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco was transmitted over AT&T’s transcontinental cable and microwave radio relay system to broadcast stations in local markets. The first national color broadcast (the 1954 Tournament of Roses Parade) in the US occurred on January 1, 1954. During the following ten years most network broadcasts, and nearly all local programming, continued to be in black-and-white. A color transition was announced for the fall of 1965, during which over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color. The first all-color prime-time season came just one year later. In 19402, the last holdout among daytime network shows converted to color, resulting in the first completely all-color network season.

❍❍❍ Formats and Genres ❍❍❍

See also: List of genres § Film and television formats and genres Television shows are more varied than most other forms of media due to the wide variety of formats and genres that can be presented. A show may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documentary, news, and reality television). It may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television films), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional MOVIE). They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows.[citation needed] A drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures. Before the 1980s, shows (except for soap opera-type serials) typically remained static without story arcs, and the main characters and premise changed little.[citation needed] If some change happened to the characters’ lives during the episode, it was usually undone by the end. Because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order.[citation needed] Since the 1980s, many MOVIE feature progressive change in the plot, the characters, or both. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of the first American prime time drama television MOVIE to have this kind of dramatic structure,[4][better source needed] while the later MOVIE Babylon 5 further exemplifies such structure in that it had a predetermined story running over its intended five-season run.[citation needed] In “DC1&”, it was reported that television was growing into a larger component of major media companies’ revenues than film.[5] Some also noted the increase in quality of some television programs. In “DC1&”, Academy-Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh, commenting on ambiguity and complexity of character and narrative, stated: “I think those qualities are now being seen on television and that people who want to see stories that have those kinds of qualities are watching television.

❍❍❍ Thank’s For All And Happy Watching ❍❍❍

Find all the movies that you can stream online, including those that were screened this week. If you are wondering what you can watch on this website, then you should know that it covers genres that include crime, Science, Fi-Fi, action, romance, thriller, Comedy, drama and Anime Movie. Thank you very much. We tell everyone who is happy to receive us as news or information about this year’s film schedule and how you watch your favorite films. Hopefully we can become the best partner for you in finding recommendations for your favorite movies. That’s all from us, greetings!

Thanks for watching The Video Today. I hope you enjoy the videos that I share. Give a thumbs up, like, or share if you enjoy what we’ve shared so that we more excited.

Sprinkle cheerful smile so that the world back in a variety of colors. Thanks u for visiting, I hope u enjoy with this Movie Have a Nice Day and Happy Watching :)

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Work of art in the form of a series of live images that are rotated to produce an illusion of moving images that are presented as a form of entertainment. The illusion of a series of images produces continuous motion in the form of video. The film is often referred to as a movie or moving picture. Film is a modern and popular art form created for business and entertainment purposes. Film making has now become a popular industry throughout the world, where feature films are always awaited by cinemas. Films are made in two main ways. The first is through shooting and recording techniques through film cameras. This method is done by photographing images or objects. The second uses traditional animation techniques. This method is done through computer graphic animation or CGI techniques. Both can also be combined with other techniques and visual effects. Filming usually takes a relatively long time. It also requires a job desk each, starting from the director, producer, editor, wardrobe, visual effects and others. Definition and Definition of Film / Movie

While the players who play a role in the film are referred to as actors (men) or actresses (women). There is also the term extras that are used as supporting characters with few roles in the film. This is different from the main actors who have bigger and more roles. Being an actor and an actress must be demanded to have good acting talent, which is in accordance with the theme of the film he is starring in. In certain scenes, the actor’s role can be replaced by a stuntman or a stuntman. The existence of a stuntman is important to replace the actors doing scenes that are difficult and extreme, which are usually found in action action films. Films can also be used to convey certain messages from the filmmaker. Some industries also use film to convey and represent their symbols and culture. Filmmaking is also a form of expression, thoughts, ideas, concepts, feelings and moods of a human being visualized in film. The film itself is mostly a fiction, although some are based on fact true stories or based on a true story. There are also documentaries with original and real pictures, or biographical films that tell the story of a character. There are many other popular genre films, ranging from action films, horror films, comedy films, romantic films, fantasy films, thriller films, drama films, science fiction films, crime films, documentaries and others. That’s a little information about the definition of film or movie. The information was quoted from various sources and references. Hope it can be useful.

❍❍❍ TV MOVIE ❍❍❍

The first television shows were experimental, sporadic broadcasts viewable only within a very short range from the broadcast tower starting in the 1930s. Televised events such as the 1936 Summer Olympics in Germany, the 19340 coronation of King George VI in the UK, and David Sarnoff’s famous introduction at the 1939 New York World’s Fair in the US spurred a growth in the medium, but World War II put a halt to development until after the war. The 19440 World MOVIE inspired many Americans to buy their first television set and then in 1948, the popular radio show Texaco Star Theater made the move and became the first weekly televised variety show, earning host Milton Berle the name “Mr Television” and demonstrating that the medium was a stable, modern form of entertainment which could attract advertisers. The first national live television broadcast in the US took place on September 4, 1951 when President Harry Truman’s speech at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference in San Francisco was transmitted over AT&T’s transcontinental cable and microwave radio relay system to broadcast stations in local markets. The first national color broadcast (the 1954 Tournament of Roses Parade) in the US occurred on January 1, 1954. During the following ten years most network broadcasts, and nearly all local programming, continued to be in black-and-white. A color transition was announced for the fall of 1965, during which over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color. The first all-color prime-time season came just one year later. In 19402, the last holdout among daytime network shows converted to color, resulting in the first completely all-color network season.

❍❍❍ Formats and Genres ❍❍❍

See also: List of genres § Film and television formats and genres Television shows are more varied than most other forms of media due to the wide variety of formats and genres that can be presented. A show may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documentary, news, and reality television). It may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television films), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional MOVIE). They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows.[citation needed] A drama program usually features a set of actors playing characters in a historical or contemporary setting. The program follows their lives and adventures. Before the 1980s, shows (except for soap opera-type serials) typically remained static without story arcs, and the main characters and premise changed little.[citation needed] If some change happened to the characters’ lives during the episode, it was usually undone by the end. Because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order.[citation needed] Since the 1980s, many MOVIE feature progressive change in the plot, the characters, or both. For instance, Hill Street Blues and St. Elsewhere were two of the first American prime time drama television MOVIE to have this kind of dramatic structure,[4][better source needed] while the later MOVIE Babylon 5 further exemplifies such structure in that it had a predetermined story running over its intended five-season run.[citation needed] In “DC1&”, it was reported that television was growing into a larger component of major media companies’ revenues than film.[5] Some also noted the increase in quality of some television programs. In “DC1&”, Academy-Award-winning film director Steven Soderbergh, commenting on ambiguity and complexity of character and narrative, stated: “I think those qualities are now being seen on television and that people who want to see stories that have those kinds of qualities are watching television.

❍❍❍ Thank’s For All And Happy Watching ❍❍❍

Find all the movies that you can stream online, including those that were screened this week. If you are wondering what you can watch on this website, then you should know that it covers genres that include crime, Science, Fi-Fi, action, romance, thriller, Comedy, drama and Anime Movie. Thank you very much. We tell everyone who is happy to receive us as news or information about this year’s film schedule and how you watch your favorite films. Hopefully we can become the best partner for you in finding recommendations for your favorite movies. That’s all from us, greetings!

Thanks for watching The Video Today. I hope you enjoy the videos that I share. Give a thumbs up, like, or share if you enjoy what we’ve shared so that we more excited.

Sprinkle cheerful smile so that the world back in a variety of colors. Thanks u for visiting, I hope u enjoy with this Movie Have a Nice Day and Happy Watching :)

[typingtess]

NCIS: Los Angeles Season Eleven Rewatch:  “Commitment Issues”

The basics:  The team investigates the murder of a Naval Warfare Engineer at a poetry reading.

Written by:  Jordana Lewis Jaffe wrote or co-wrote wrote or co-wrote "Honor", "Patriot Acts", "Dead Body Politic", "Paper Soldiers", "Unwritten Rule", "Big Brother", "Iron Curtain Rising", "Exposure", "Savior Faire", "Beacon", "Defectors", "Exchange Rate", "Black Market", "Payback", "Battle Scars", "Mountebank", "Vendetta", "Where Everybody Knows Your Name", "Pro Se" "Heist", "Born to Run" and "Provenance" (the episode that introduced Katherine Casillas).

Directed by:  James Hanlon who directed "War Cries", "The Grey Man", "Kolcheck, A", "Driving Miss Diaz", "Command and Control" (number 150), "Angels and Daemons", "Where There’s Smoke", "Black Market", "Tidings We Bring", "Can I Get a Witness?", "Cac Tu Nhan", "A Diamond in the Rough", "Into the Breach" and "Human Resources".

Guest stars of note:  Moon Bloodgood is in two episodes in a row as Katherine Casillas, Marsha Thomason returns from last season’s holiday episode “Joyride” as NCIS Special Agent Nicole DeChamps and Dawn Noel returns from “Provenance” as LAPD Officer Jessica Cole.  Phillip Garcia as Miguel Vela, Rima Rajan as Daisy Patel, Mary-Pat Green as Carla and Angela Trimbur as Janice Eckhart.

Our heroes: Should have figured this out earlier.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen:  Looking for Anna and some help from Nell. Sam:  According to Katherine, likes Katherine.  A lot. Kensi:  Strategically moving a knife fight into a pool. Deeks:  Loves salty bookstore lady Carla. Eric:  Bad at social cues. Nell:  Willing to help Callen look for Anna. Hetty:  Not today.

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen:  Having a moment with Nell until Eric showed up. Sam:  Finds social clubs pretentious, complete waste of money and time. Kensi:   Would like all their cases to start in pleasant situations like poetry readings and cello concerts. Deeks:  Feels he should be offended by Carla’s anti-hippie feelings. Eric:  Ruining the Callen-Nell moment. Nell:  Having a moment with Callen ruined by Eric. Hetty:  Nope, not today.

Who's down with OTP:  The OTP of note in this episode was Sam and Katherine.  There were some bumps along the way but things were better at the end.

Who's down with BrOTP:  The real BrOTP here was DeChamps with the team – she is a great recurring character with real chemistry as a friend with Sam.  

Any pressing need for a young FBI Agent:  Only of DeChamps wanted a partner for the day.

Who is running the team this week?  Callen.  On and off the books (with Nell).

Fashion review:  Blue button-down shirt for Callen.  Black tee for Sam.  Kensi has a white tee-shirt under an olive-green zip-up sweater.  Deeks is wearing a blue henley under a tan suede trucker jacket with a shearling collar.  Red pullover sweater for Eric after wearing a dark blue tee and black work-out shorts to start the day and for his mid-day workout.  Blue and red floral blouse with a dark green jumper.

Music:  “The Number 4” by Khruangbin is playing at the poetry reading.

Any notable cut scene: No.

Quote:  Katherine:  “I'm just glad you didn't show me any special treatment there today.” Sam:  “Special treatment. And why would I go and do that?” Katherine:  “Oh, because you like me.” Sam:  “Do I?” Katherine:  “ A lot.” Sam:  “Oh, really?” Katherine:  “Definitely. I can see it all over your face.” Sam:  “Oh. Is that so?” Katherine:  “Like, all over it. And you want to know if I'm free for dinner.” Sam:  “For dinner. When is that? “ Katherine:  “Tonight.”

Anything else:  The previously-s are Callen and Sam talking about Anna, Callen finding Anna on a security camera, Eric under attack in San Francisco, Sam meeting Katherine.  A busy previously offering.

At a poetry reading in a bookstore, one of the poets finishes her reading and makes her way to the back of the store.  There is a long, long line for the restroom.  The poet, Janice Eckhart, is talking with those waiting.  But she really needs to use the restroom.  After knocking on the door, she lets herself in.  A man on his knees is bent over the toilet.  He’s not vomiting, he’s dead, strangled.

Early the following morning, Nell is burning files in the burn room.  Callen joins Nell, asking what’s she doing.  She’s evasive.  When Nell asks why Callen is in early, he’s evasive.  Callen thinks Nell is trying to blow him off.  “Because I am.  I definitely am.”   Not taking the hint, Callen asks for a favor.  Nell has had her quota of burning incriminating evidence. 

Callen asks Nell to help him find Anna.  There was a triple homicide in Barcelona.  Assuring Nell Anna wasn’t a victim, he wants to make sure she’s OK.  And maybe not involved.  Nell is on-board but worried that she may not find Anna.

Since it is leg-day, Eric is in early to work out.  He broke up the Callen-Nell moment and feels badly about it.  Eric’s watch starts beeping.  Saying he doesn’t want to ruin the moment the three of them are having, Eric isn’t answering.  Callen assures Eric the three of them are not having a moment, Callen and Nell were, one he “clearly murdered.”  They have a case.  Admitting he’s bad at social cues, Eric is going to gather the team.

Kensi and Deeks arrive in Ops.  When Eric sets up the case at a poetry reading, Kensi wishes all their cases started at poetry readings of cello concerts – something pleasant.  “Oh, wait for it,” Nell says.  “And we’re back,” Kensi and Deeks say simultaneously when they learn about the murder.  The dead man is Michael Carpenter, former active-duty Naval Warfare Engineer, current private sector software engineer at Go-Go-Go.  They don’t have much else on Carpenter.  

Nell goes off script.  She learned Go-Go-Go is funded by the same Chinese Shell Corporation that was behind Logic Wide.  Eric is nervous suddenly, though he keeps saying “cool.”  With Callen and Sam going to Go-Go-Go, Kensi and Deeks are on their way to the crime scene.  Nell apologizes to Eric.  She wasn’t sure how to tell him – she found out during the briefing – and decided to just rip the Band-Aid off.  

At Go-Go-Go, there is a very open office design.  A number of people are working at desks, non-office chairs, a beanbag and a couch.  Miguel Vela, the man in charge, is willing to speak to Callen and Sam.  He orders his staff to go outside for while – “get your vitamin D and gets those 10,000 steps in” – while he talks to NCIS.  Callen says they are there to talk about Michael Carpenter.  Vela calls him the “punk” who skipped work.  When Callen explains why Carpenter skipped work, Vela is stunned.  

Callen asks about what Carpenter was working on at Go-Go-Go   Vela said nothing, same answer for what they do at Go-Go-Go – nothing.  Sam pushes.  Vela talks about algorithms but goes back to nothing.  Pointing out the large office space they’re in and nice offices in Venice along with the VC funding from China, Sam thinks it is something.  Vela assures them his company is building a better search engine.  “He didn’t die because of us.”

At the poetry book store, Kensi and Deeks introduce themselves to Carla, the bookstore manager.  She is not a fan of the poetry reading.  Or the people at the poetry reading – “pretentious hippies with tattoos in languages they don’t speak.”  Deeks gives her the eye, asking if any of the poets seemed capable of killing Carpenter.  No, they lacked the original idea to kill someone and “the cajones to take someone’s life.”  Kensi asks Carla for an alibi.  Offended, she tells Kensi she was working crowd control – “you can never trust a hippie.”  Deeks feels he should be offended.  She also has a security tape that will prove her innocence. As they walk to the security area, Kensi doesn’t know what to make of Carla.  Deeks loves her.

Callen asks Vela how is what Go-Go-Go doing that’s any different than Google.  Vela tries to pass it off as subtle and highly technical – things Callen and Sam wouldn’t understand.  That’s fine with Nicole DeChamps as she joins the conversation.  Callen and Sam are pleased to see her.  Vela is not when DeChamps says the search engine is probably what got Carpenter killed.

Moving their conversation from the work area to a conference room, DeChamps explains what Vela was doing.  Project Dragonfly was being built by Google for the Chinese government.  Was being the key word since it was being built to give the Chinese government the personal data of every person doing a search.  Looking up the wrong information could get a citizen arrested – or worse.  Protests against Google because of their cooperation with the Chinese government caused the company to kill the project.  China is paying Go-Go-Go to pick up Project Dragonfly’s work.  Vela wants to talk to his lawyer.  Sam thinks that because he doesn’t want to “Go-Go-Go to jail.”  Sam couldn’t help himself.

While Vela goes to call his lawyer, DeChamps tells Callen and Sam she got the info on Go-Go-Go from a DoD connection.  She was able to trace the funding from China to Go-Go-Go.  She probably isn’t the only person to figure out the connection.  That may be what got Carpenter killed.  Vela, on hold, assures NCIS he did nothing illegal and his company did nothing Illegal.

Eric has switched from leg day to “everything must hurt day” when Nell finds him in the gym.  He’s riding an exercise bike like Lance Armstrong because “I’m dealing with stuff now.”   Nell thinks getting the bad guys may be the best way to work through stuff.

Callen, Sam and DeChamps get some lunch from a food truck.  She hasn’t seen them for months but they say nothing new is going on.  Figuring she can’t get them to talk about themselves, she asks Sam about Callen.  Callen is trying to commit to something for once.  Sam says a sports team so DeChamps knows that means a woman.  Asking Callen about Sam, Sam announces it is time to go back to the case.  Callen agrees.  

DeChamps wants a rain check on all things Sam Hanna.  She was working the connection between Go-Go-Go and the Chinese government when she heard about the murder so she drove up from San Diego.  Sam wonders if some of the Google protestors figured another march wouldn’t work with Go-Go-Go and took out one of the engineers.  If Carpenter told the wrong person about what Go-Go-Go was doing, that person could have killed him or told someone who killed him.  While the Go-Go-Go search engine would be illegal in the US, it isn’t illegal to build it for China.

While Kensi reviews the security video, Deeks asks Carla how many books does she read a week.  Since this is a criminal investigation, Carla isn’t comfortable answering a personal question.  Deeks asks for a guestimate.  “Four or five a week if my allergies are in check and there’s a new John Oliver waiting for me back home.”  If the Dodgers are winning, she’s flying with six or seven books along with the return of both the McRib and her estranged daughter.  Less than three, her mother-in-law is in town.  Kensi is listening to all this, entertained and appalled.

Carla points herself out on the screen, walking through a “hotbed of stoners, hippies and CBD enthusiasts.”  The three sees Carpenter walking in with a woman.   All agree he doesn’t fit in with the stoners, hippies and CBD enthusiasts.  Deeks and Carla say at the same time “and who is that girl he’s with?”  Deeks makes a face, Carla says she reads a lot of mystery novels.

When Callen, Sam and DeChamps walk into Ops, Nell has the driver’s license of Daisy Patel up on the big screen.  Callen asks about Eric who is “feeling big feelings in the gym,” according to Nell.  Sam bring DeChamps up to speed with Eric’s problems.  Nell reports that Patel is a dental hygienist by day, environmental activist by night.  DeChamps thinks she’s the wrong kind of activist may have branched out or spoke to other activist friends.  Kensi and Deeks have Patel in the boat shed.

Reviewing her Facebook posts, Kensi knows Patel cares about the planet.  Patel is teary-eyed as she is being questioned.  Deeks reviews all her protesting and organizing activities.  She is worried that activism is why she’s in the boat shed.  “I thought I was helping you figure out who killed Michael.”  She’s angry she’s a suspect because she cares about the environment.

Deeks asks what Patel knows about Carpenter’s work.  She knows nothing.  There were non-disclosure agreements making his work confidential.  What she does know is that Carpenter was proud of what he was doing.  He worked long hours and worked hard – he believed in what they were building.  

Leaving Patel in interrogation, Kensi and Deeks have a conversation in the hall.  They find it odd that Carpenter believed in denying Chinese citizens basic human rights.  Patel, they believe, is not involved in his death.  Talking to Callen, Sam and DeChamps on the plasma, Kensi and Deeks review what they learned.  Sam is eliminating Vela, who seemed genuinely upset that Carpenter was killed.  Nell arrives with news of a Go-Go-Go advisor – Katherine Casillas.

Enjoying her midday coffee and what looks like a mimosa at a fancy social club, Callen Sam and DeChamps join Katherine at her large corner table.  Sam is anti-social clubs.  DeChamps is entertained by the Sam and Katherine show.  Callen introduces “insurance magnate and apparently the most connected person in the world” Katherine to DeChamps.  

Confirming she sits on the board of Go-Go-Go, she thinks she’d be a bad board member if she didn’t know what they were doing for China.  Vela called her about the murder – a murder Katherine isn’t sure is connected to his work.  Raising her voice, DeChamps disagrees.  When Katherine asks DeChamps to lower her voice, DeChamps gets louder �� there is nothing to hide, after all.  Katherine stands behind what the company is building 100%.  Sam is really disappointed.

Eric is bench pressing when Kensi and Deeks ask him to help in them in Ops.  “I’m not really in the headspace for this.”  Kensi calls him a narcissist who is neglecting his job.  He stinks, literally.  Eric finally agrees.  Kensi yells “get!” and Eric gets to the showers to clean-up and go to work.  Deeks tells Kensi he doesn’t like it when she talks to people like that.  She’s surprised.  He asks her to tell him to shave and cut his hair.  When she does, Deeks tells her “I freakin’ love it.”

A distracted Sam tries to push away his relationship with Katherine. As Callen gets the car, DeChamps wants to know why Katherine disappointed Sam.   Sam was bothered that Katherine wasn’t the person he thought she was. DeChamps said that’s the problem with their jobs.

In Ops, Eric is brought up to speed just in time for a 9-1-1 call to come across their computers from Go-Go-Go.  Eric updates Callen, Sam and DeChamps.  At Go-Go-Go, the place has been trashed, several staffers roughed up.  LAPD tells Sam that a masked, armed man and woman raided the offices.  They stole all the hard drives and kidnapped Vela.  Carpenter’s death, now Vela’s kidnapping – this is just the beginning.  DeChamps can’t wait to hear Katherine’s story.

In the boat shed, Callen is willing to interrogate Katherine but Sam is up to it.  DeChamps really wants to do it but Sam turns her down – she can’t have all the fun.  Callen thinks if DeChamps had all the fun, she’d never leave.  She isn’t leaving San Diego for LA.  Callen and Sam go in together.

Talking to “Agent Hanna”, Katherine thinks NCIS isn’t seeing the whole picture and she isn’t doing their work for them.  She gives them the runaround and Sam isn’t having it.  The case is bigger than the three people in the room.  She wants them to see the forest for the trees.  Callen and Sam leave.

Walking with Kensi and Deeks, Nell has done a deep dive on Katherine, Miguel and the rest of the Go-Go-Go staffers.  Nobody has any connections or sympathies for the Chinese government.  Kensi thinks greed is a good reason.  Nell looked into the money – it isn’t much.  There is funding but it is “child’s play” compared to what everyone was making at their old jobs.  People took pay cuts to work at Go-Go-Go.  They have no equity in the company either.  Everyone knew each other in the company – grad school or past employers.  They are all connected.

In Ops, Eric has security footage of Miguel’s kidnapping.  He was stuffed into the trunk of a Lexus SUV registered to an Abdul Khan, a Saudi national.  

DeChamps joins Callen and Sam in interrogation.  After calling Saudi Arabia “a little too hot and socially repressive” for her,  Callen asks Katherine what she knows about the kidnapping.  Sam pushes Katherine to tell the truth.  She states clearly the company did nothing wrong.  The Chinese spoke to the Saudis about the search engine.  The Saudis wanted in but Go-Go-Go said no.  They were threatened but kept saying no.  Sam is furious – she should have told them.  She promises Sam she has her reasons and that they’re “legit.”

Callen, Sam and DeChamps think Katherine’s story makes sense.  Explains why Carpenter was killed.  And Sam knows once Vela explains how the algorithm works, he’s of no use to the Saudis.

Kensi and Deeks are chasing the Lexis SUV.  This is high end SUV chase action.  At one point, Kensi loses the SUV.  Deeks is about to lose his lunch as Kensi makes some wild turns to find the Lexus.  Eric is tracking it for them.  Nell takes over the directions, finding a way to cut off the Lexus.  Kensi does, causing the Lexus to flip.  The driver and his passenger are dead, no Miguel.  

Nell finds Khan owns a home in Hancock Park.  Vela could be at the home.  The team is meeting at the house to see if Khan is there.  Satellite heat sensors are not registering anyone in the house but as Kensi picks the lock on the front gate, the team hears people talking.  Getting on the property and to the house, Callen and Sam go to right as Kensi, Deeks and DeChamps go left.  Callen and Sam see several people dunking Vela’s head into the swimming pool.

DeChamps followed by Kensi climbs over a wall to get to the other side of the pool.  They can hear Khan’s men demanding the software.  Callen sees a pair of guards not far from the pool. On his command, the team starts the rescue.  Deeks gets a runner.  Callen and Sam fight with the disarmed bodyguards.  As Kensi starts to pat down the sole woman, the woman pulls a knife and starts fighting with Kensi.   Deeks watches as the two go into the pool.  A sleeper hold in the pool ends that fight in Kensi’s favor.

With both Kensi and Vela wrapped in towels, Vela confirms Go-Go-Go is working for China.  They are likely taking dirty money.  He knows it looks bad but it wasn’t illegal.  Katherine knows that.  The technology is fake – it does not work.  When Google shut down Project Dragonfly, Vela knew China wasn’t going to stop.  Putting together a group of people he knew he could trust, Vela underbid his competitors and got the contract to build the search engine.  Everything they’ve built for China doesn’t work unless you’re searching from a government IP address.  It looks to the government as if Go-Go-Go’s search engine is legit but it isn’t.

Vela couldn’t tell anyone because he hasn’t delivered the software to China yet.  They have to keep up the façade until they make the delivery.  “Michael Carpenter died a hero,” Callen tells the others.  Vela agrees.  Sam asks about Katherine.  The idea for doing all this was hers.

The team is at the bar with DeChamps toasting doing good work, using technology for the right reasons and the best team in town.  DeChamps asks Sam to dinner.  Just as he’s about to politely decline, she tells him to leave and go after Katherine.  Nell pulls Callen aside.  The triple homicide in Barcelona is connected to several other killings across Europe.  Reviewing the footage, Nell isn’t sure it is Anna in the surveillance tape.  Callen is.

At the boat shed, Katherine is in the main room being watched by a guard.  Sam relieves the guard.  Katherine and Sam apologize at the same time.  She is grateful she was not shown any special treatment.  Sam doesn’t understand why Katherine would think she merited special treatment.  “You like me.  A lot,” is her reply.  She sees it all over her face.  Also all over her face – that he wants to take her to dinner.  Sam thinks this is his lucky day, with a hint of sarcasm.  “We’ll see about that,” Katherine tells him.

What head canon can be formed from here:   The case of the week here would have been more interesting if the team would have figured out that a Navy Warfare Engineer with an environmentalist girlfriend, a handpicked group of friends working with Sam’s soon to be girlfriend probably weren’t selling out the human rights of a nation.  They seemed almost intentionally clueless about the case.

Mary-Pat Green, salty bookstore manager Carla, is something this show does well.  They find an actor who can take their part and make it something more.  She was there to move the storyline along.  The writing was fine but she sold the hell out of it.

Episode number:  Episode 14 of season 11, 254th overall.

[televisedbirdwatching]

Forgotten Portland History: Guild's Lake and the Murder of Ervin Jones

On the night of August 20th, 1945, three plainclothes Portland police officers shot and killed Ervin Jones, a Black man, in his own home.

----------

Jones lived in a home at Guild’s Lake Courts, a wartime housing development in Northwest Portland. Jones’ family was one of many Black southern families that moved to the Pacific Northwest to find work in the shipyards. During the war, the Housing Authority of Portland (HAP) constructed and operated the largest public housing portfolio in the country, with 18,504 units. Across the Columbia river in Vancouver, Washington, the Housing Authority operated 12,389 units, for a combined total of 30,000 units in the metro area. For comparison, New York City’s housing authority operated 13,173 units at that same point in time [1].

The Housing Authority of Portland achieved these numbers through two large development projects: Vanport (see here) and Guild’s Lake Courts. The developers wanted to attract agricultural workers from Northern states (read as: rural Whites), so they built electrified units featuring refrigerators, heaters, and lights. At this time, only 33% of American farms were on the electric grid, and the promise of good paying jobs and modern living brought many new workers to Portland.

This aerial photo from 1945 shows the Guild Lake housing project at its peak. Forest Park is off to the north of this image, and Downtown is to the south. For more like this photo, the best collection I've seen has been preserved on this website here.

Construction began on the electrified units at Guild’s Lake Courts sometime in 1942. Oregon Congressman Clark Foreman had passed a state housing policy which mandated that local architects be hired to work on any federally-mandated housing projects in the state. The local architects hired for the project included Pietro Belluschi, designer of the Commonwealth Building (the first aluminum-clad office building in the US), and Morris E. Whitehouse, a Portland architecture all-star who designed Temple Beth Israel, the Gus J. Solomon United States Courthouse, both Jefferson and Lincoln High Schools, the Keller Auditorium, and more.

Top: The Commonwealth Building, 1944, designed by Pietro Belluschi, photo wikipedia. Middle: The Gus J. Solomon Courthouse, designed by Morris E. Whitehouse, 1933, photo wikipedia.

Bottom: The Morris E. Whitehouse-designed units at Guild's Lake. As far as I know, there are no photos of the Pietro Belluschi-designed units.

In a country still 10 years from Brown v. Board, and 23 years from the desegregation of Federal housing in 1968, remember that the Guild’s Lake development would have been strictly segregated. “By the time construction started on the units dedicated to African American residents,” writes Dr. Tanya Lynn March, “it was clear that all the electricity that could be spared to operate mechanical refrigerators, hot plates, and electric heaters was going to be absorbed by the round-the-clock operations of the war industries, so homes offered in the black section of Guild's Lake Courts lacked these amenities and were rudimentary in contrast to Portland's existing housing stock” [1]. All of the best land had been used for the construction of the White-designated homes, and the Black-designated homes were built on the marshy land that was left over.

This photo from Dr. March's website shows children playing in sand, but this is not a playground! Since the housing development was built on a marsh and the budget was low, they just filled the area in with sand. This was actually someone's front yard.

On the one hand, it makes sense that as the war continued, supplies grew scarce and the quality of housing suffered. However it’s not a mere coincidence that the same enthusiasm that went into attracting white residents to Guilds Lake did not extend to the Black residents. Without exaggeration and quoting verbatim, Portland Mayor Earl Riley said: “Portland can absorb only a minimum of Negroes without upsetting the city’s regular life” [2]. By 1944, no longer were famous Portland architects involved in Guild’s Lake. The housing was clad in tar paper for weatherproofing. No longer were the homes single-family, detached units. Now, there were 4-plexes and 6-plexes.

This photo shows the condition of the houses in 1946, when HAP began dismantling units. Photo from Dr. March.

--------- In 1945 the Jones family home would have been full to the brim. Ervin Jones lived there with his wife Elva and their two children. Two of Elva’s sisters and both of their husbands lived in the home, making seven people in all. On the night of the shooting, the other men were working the night shift at the Kaiser shipyards, so Ervin was home with his wife, children, and sisters in law. [3]

Earlier in the night, there had been a domestic disturbance at a house down the street. A man, Scott E. Thomas, shot and killed his girlfriend, Beatrice Terry, in an argument. Police found out about the shooting and received a tip that Thomas was hiding out in the home of Ervin Jones. At 2 AM on the night of August 20th, three plainclothes officers of the Portland Police Bureau made a plan to take Thomas into custody.

Two officers moved into position at the front of the Jones house, and one went to the backdoor. Ervin Jones heard the rustling of the officers and their muffled voices and assumed he was being robbed. He woke up his sister-in-law and his wife to warn them, and then grabbed his gun to protect his family.

The police were looking for Scott E. Thomas, a white man. Instead, they looked inside and saw Ervin Jones, a Black man, with a gun. Detective Purcell, the one at the back of the house, shot him.

Nevermind that Detective Purcell didn’t have a warrant to enter Jones’ home. Nevermind that he didn’t even have a warrant to enter Scott E. Thomas’ home, down the block. Nevermind that Ervin Jones, a black man, did not at all match the description of the suspect, a white man. Nevermind that the actual suspect, Scott E. Thomas, was found later in the night, readily admitted to the crime, and turned himself over to the police without incident. Nevermind all this because it was too late for Ervin Jones, killed in front of his family.

--------- Historian Rudy Pearson writes, “The prejudice [Black families] encountered in Portland surprised many of the newcomers, who could not hide their astonishment at Portland's segregated facilities and the hostile attitudes of many Whites. Before coming to Portland, for example, Bobbie Nunn and her husband had been stationed in army camps in Alabama, Georgia, and Texas. As they moved north, they expected to encounter more liberal attitudes than they had experienced in the South, but they quickly learned that prejudice had no regional boundaries, and Portland seemed like the southern cities they left behind.” [2]

White Portlanders begrudgingly accepted the influx of Black workers for the war effort, no doubt thanks to wheels greased by patriotism and nationalism, but also operated under the assumption that the Black workers would leave once their labor was no longer needed in the shipyards.

Kaiser Shipyards. Henry J. Kaiser is also the founder of Kaiser Permanente hospitals, along with many other ventures. Consider the following link propaganda but read more about Kaiser's choice to circumvent organized labor in order to hire non-white workers, here. Photo wikipedia.

“The Portland area grew from 501,000 to 661,000 in between 1940 and 1944. One could safely assume, in the war years, that every third person standing in line for the bus or a double feature was new to town.” [4]

“From the beginning, HAP officials made it clear that the agency had no obligation to respond to racial discrimination,” continues Pearson. “HAP was simply an ‘agent of private enterprise whose sole function was to manage wartime housing projects and dispose of them as soon as practicable.'" To that end, HAP began dismantling units in 1946. HAP was even offered money to purchase the land required to save some of the units as permanent affordable housing, but declined to do so; hoping that the poor and Black residents would leave and they could sell the land to other landowners in the future. “In some cities, privatization of Defense-era public housing enabled Blacks homeownership opportunities, as in Bayview-Hunters Point, in San Francisco. However, any chance to remain in the Guild’s Lake District and create a coalescent community was unimaginable in Portland, the Jim Crow city of the west,” writes Dr. March [1].

HAP made their priorities clear: their racist calculus led them to conclude that it was better to turn away free money than it was to provide homeownership opportunities to Black residents. And since HAP made the rules, they got their way. The last residents of Guild’s Lake left in 1952, and industrial uses quickly took over the site.

The only urban remnants of Guild’s Lake are two streets: NW Luzon Street and NW Guam Streets (shown above on the map in yellow), which were given Pacific Theater names as a wartime nod. I have heard that both these streets were part of the Black section of housing. As you can see, the area was an advantageous site for industry, but it's depressing to think about what could have been if the housing had been saved.

----------

After her husband was shot and killed by Portland Police, Elva Jones moved back to Louisiana. The Portland Chief of Police launched an investigation into the three officers involved in the shooting and quickly exonerated them of any wrongdoing. Attorney Irvin Goodman and the NAACP worked hard to bring the case to trial, requesting an official coroner’s inquest. In a moment of inter-racial solidarity, the majority-white Portland Council of Churches raised the money to pay for Elva’s travel expenses to Portland for the trial [3].

The six-person jury was all-white. Goodman requested that he be allowed to question the jurors before the trial in order to determine any racial biases, but the judge denied the motion. Next, Goodman argued that because Jones lived in a Black neighborhood, a “jury of his peers” should include at least some Black jurors. Again, the judge denied the motion, and the trial continued.

Elva Jones, her sister Susi, and the next door neighbor testified that the plainclothes police officers never identified themselves as such: confirming that Jones had no way of knowing whether the intruders were police or robbers.

Officer Purcell’s own testimony in the courtroom did not match the testimony he gave on the night of the shooting only two months prior. Purcell framed Jones as an aggressor, saying he was loading a gun and holding the door closed so that the officers could not get in. Police Chief Fleming testified that Scott E. Thomas had in fact been hiding in the Jones’ home, even though he was directly contradicted by Scott E. Thomas himself who testified that he had never been in the Jones’ home, and in fact did not even know of Ervin Jones until after the shooting.

Despite these inconsistencies, the jury exonerated all three officers. The Oregonian reported that the jury found Purcell justified “in performance of duties and in protection of himself and fellow officers. Adding insult to injury, the Portland City Council used taxpayer money to pay the legal expenses for Officer Purcell and the other officers involved in the shooting.

----------

After the Ervin Jones coroner’s inquest, “The NAACP and Urban League suggested city officials adhere to police training recommendations set forth by the City Club detailed in their recently published ‘Negro in Portland’ report (published 1945). Maude B. Leas, secretary of the YWCA, believed law enforcement could eliminate tensions if the police were trained in racial tolerance. However, they continued without that training.” [2]

Last June, I attended a public zoom forum with Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, Portland Commissioner Jo Anne Hardesty, Urban League of Portland Director Nkenge Harmon-Johnson, and representatives from the Portland NAACP. Discussion topics included racial bias training and other attempts at police reform. Harmon-Johnson was exasperated that the elected leaders in the room continued not to acknowledge the policy reform proposals set forth by the Urban League. It had been 75 years since the 1945 policy recommendations were furnished to police in the wake of Ervin Jones’ murder, and yet conversations in 2020 revolved around the same topics.

I began writing and researching this article back in September of 2020. At the time, I was thinking about the similarities between the story of Ervin Jones in 1945 and Breonna Taylor in 2020. In both cases, the police failed to announce themselves as police, so the residents believed that the intruders were robbers. Both cases resulted in the shooting deaths of innocent Black people.

Tonight, after the murder of Daunte Wright in Minneapolis, 2021, I was reminded of the murder of Oscar Grant in Oakland, 2009. In both cases, Black men were killed when they were shot by police who "accidentally" reached for their handguns instead of their tasers. This isn’t something that should have happened once; and now, 11 years later, it’s happened again.

History is a wheel, and we continue to watch as the lives of innocent Black people are lost, while the gears of our policing and housing machines continue to churn: machines that those with their hands closest to the levers claim they are powerless to stop.

Sources:

[1] Google Site: Guild’s Lake Courts https://sites.google.com/site/guildslakecourts/

[2] "A Menace to the Neighborhood": Housing and African Americans in Portland, 1941-1945, by Rudy Pearson, published in the Oregon Historical Quarterly https://www.jstor.org/stable/20615135

[3] On this we build

[4] Carl Abbott, Portland in three Centuries, p119

Click "keep reading" for the liner notes.

Liner Notes

This article would not be possible without the work so so many people have done, and all of whom seem to be connected to Portland State University. Particularly I’d like to thank Dr. Tanya Lyn March for the incredible resource that is this google site about Guild’s Lake. There is so little information about Guild’s Lake and Dr. March has done incredible work compiling it. If you’re at all interested in primary sources or digging deeper into Guild’s Lake, please please poke around on this website, it’s truly incredible.

I was introduced to the case of Ervin Jones thanks to the book “A Hundred Little Hitlers” by Elinor Langer. This book provides a history of white supremacist groups up and down the west coast and their particular convergence around the murder of Mulugetu Seraw. Her history of the Portland Police Bureau as it appears in this book is part of what got me interested in Ervin Jones’ story.

There have been a number of articles I’ve read that have really given me perspective on the history of civil rights activism in Portland.

I want to call particular attention to "On This, We Shall Build: the Struggle for Civil Rights in Portland, Oregon 1945-1953”, by Justin LeGrand Vipperman. Vipperman’s account of the actual details of the Ervin Jones shooting were incredibly helpful in piecing together a coherent story from a few different sources. Vipperman’s essay is incredibly thought provoking and also a strange reminder of the cyclical nature of history.

More thank you’s and recommended reading: "A Menace to the Neighborhood: Housing and African Americans in Portland, 1941- 1945” by Rudy Pearson.

I cannot recommend enough reading “Portland, Oregon's Long Hot Summers: Racial Unrest and Public Response, 1967-1969” by Joshua Joe Bryan. While this essay did not end up directly relating to what I’ve written here, it has been hugely informative for fleshing out my understanding of the history of racial justice protests in Portland.

There is some really interesting reading to be done in the City Club of Portland’s “The Negro in Portland, 1945” report. This document presents the results of research into available job opportunities across different industries and unions in the city. Results are grim. It’s a document referenced by almost every text dealing with civil rights in the 1940’s in Portland, so if you’re interested in diving into this rabbit hole it’s required reading.

“Vanport Conspiracy Rumors and Social Relations in Portland, 1940-1950” by Stuart McElderry is another great article. You can learn so much about a social climate from the myths and urban legends that circulate within it.

And finally, I’d like to recommend Carl Abott’s book “Portland in Three Centuries.” Over time it’s proved to be an incredible resource, and it’s brimming with crazy and interesting jumping off points for further research.

My deepest thanks to the Multnomah County Library for giving me Jstor access and for loaning me so many books.

[filmforwomen]

I love the quote in your bio from Phantom Thread so much 🌹🌹 do you have any other movie quotes you think about sometimes? Love your blog 🥰

ahh thanks! and yes! some of my favorites are:

the one i’m using right now as my bio: 

“When the child was a child, it was the time of these questions. Why am I me, and why not you? Why am I here, and why not there? When did time begin, and where does space end? Isn't life under the sun just a dream? Isn't what I see, hear, and smell just the mirage of a world before the world? Does evil actually exist, and are there people who are really evil? How can it be that I, who am I, wasn't before I was, and that sometime I, the one I am, no longer will be the one I am?“

and: “ It happened once... It happened once, and so it will be forever. “

both from wings of desire (1987) one of my favorite films ever

"He remembers those vanished years. As though looking through a dusty window pane, the past is something he could see, but not touch. And everything he sees is blurred and indistinct."

in the mood for love (2000)

"you dreamt of me?"

"no. i thought of you."

portrait of a lady on fire (2019)

"How could I have known this city was big enough for love? How could I have known you were a perfect fit for my body?"

hiroshima mon amour (1959)

"I believe if there's any kind of God it wouldn't be in any of us, not you or me but just this little space in between. If there's any kind of magic in this world it must be in the attempt of understanding someone sharing something. I know, it's almost impossible to succeed but who cares really? The answer must be in the attempt."

“Isn't everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?”

before sunrise (1995)

also from before sunset (2006):  “Baby, you are gonna miss that plane...” ugh!!!

"I don't see very well, but I see you."

faces places (2017)

“Let us give each other the courage to see beyond the stories we were born into!”

the last black man in san francisco (2019)

“Now I'm yours. For ever and ever.”

cold war (2018)

"It's that thing when you're with someone, and you love them and they know it, and they love you and you know it... but it's a party... and you're both talking to other people, and you're laughing and shining... and you look across the room and catch each other's eyes... but - but not because you're possessive, or it's precisely sexual... but because... that is your person in this life. And it's funny and sad, but only because this life will end, and it's this secret world that exists right there in public, unnoticed, that no one else knows about. It's sort of like how they say that other dimensions exist all around us, but we don't have the ability to perceive them. That's - That's what I want out of a relationship. Or just life, I guess. “

frances ha (2012)

“I cannot make speeches. If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. But you know what I am.”

emma (2020)

i could go on forever lol but these are some of my favorites <3

[mattbrothersscriptwriter]

My Top 20 Films of 2019 - Part Two

I don’t think I’ve had a year where my top ten jostled and shifted as much as this one did - these really are the best of the best and my personal favourites of 2019.

10. Toy Story 4

I think we can all agree that Toy Story 3 was a pretty much perfect conclusion to a perfect trilogy right? About as close as is likely to get, I’m sure. I shared the same trepidation when part four was announced, especially after some underwhelming sequels like Finding Dory and Cars 3 (though I do have a lot of time for Monsters University and Incredibles 2). So maybe it’s because the odds were so stacked against this being good but I thought it was wonderful. A truly existential nightmare of an epilogue that does away with Andy (and mostly kids altogether) to focus on the dreams and desires of the toys themselves - separate from their ‘duties’ as playthings to biological Gods. What is their purpose in life without an owner? Can they be their own person and carve their own path? In the case of breakout new character Forky (Tony Hale), what IS life? Big big questions for a cash grab kids films huh?

The animation is somehow yet another huge leap forward (that opening rainstorm!), Bo Peep’s return is excellently pitched and the series tradition of being unnervingly horrifying is back as well thanks to those creepy ventriloquist dolls! Keanu Reeves continues his ‘Keanuassaince‘ as the hilarious Duke Caboom and this time, hopefully, the ending at least feels finite. This series means so much to me: I think the first movie is possibly the tightest, most perfect script ever written, the third is one of my favourites of the decade and growing up with the franchise (I was 9 when the first came out, 13 for part two, 24 for part three and now 32 for this one), these characters are like old friends so of course it was great to see them again. All this film had to do was be good enough to justify its existence and while there are certainly those out there that don’t believe this one managed it, I think the fact that it went as far as it did showed that Pixar are still capable of pushing boundaries and exploring infinity and beyond when they really put their minds to it.

9. The Nightingale

Hoo boy. Already controversial with talk of mass walkouts (I witnessed a few when this screened at Sundance London), it’s not hard to see why but easy to understand. Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) is a truly fearless filmmaker following up her acclaimed suburban horror movie come grief allegory with a period revenge tale set in the Tasmanian wilderness during British colonial rule in the early 1800s. It’s rare to see the British depicted with the monstrous brutality for which they were known in the distant colonies and this unflinching drama sorely needed an Australian voice behind the camera to do it justice.

The film is front loaded with some genuinely upsetting, nasty scenes of cruel violence but its uncensored brutality and the almost casual nature of its depiction is entirely the point - this was normalised behaviour over there and by treating it so matter of factly, it doesn’t slip into gratuitous ‘movie violence’. It is what it is. And what it is is hard to watch. If anything, as Kent has often stated, it’s still toned down from the actual atrocities that occurred so it’s a delicate balance that I think Kent more than understands. Quoting from an excellent Vanity Fair interview she did about how she directs, Kent said “I think audiences have become very anaesthetised to violence on screen and it’s something I find disturbing... People say ‘these scenes are so shocking and disturbing’. Of course they are. We need to feel that. When we become so removed from violence on screen, this is a very irresponsible thing. So I wanted to put us right within the frame with that person experiencing the loss of everything they hold dear”. 

Aisling Franciosi is next level here as a woman who has her whole life torn from her, leaving her as nothing but a raging husk out for vengeance. It would be so easy to fall into odd couple tropes once she teams up with reluctant native tracker Billy (an equally impressive newcomer, Baykali Ganambarr) but the film continues to stay true to the harsh racism of the era, unafraid to depict our heroine - our point of sympathy - as horrendously racist towards her own ally. Their partnership is not easily solidified but that makes it all the stronger when they star to trust each other. Sam Claflin is also career best here, weaponizing his usual charm into dangerous menace and even after cementing himself as the year’s most evil villain, he can still draw out the humanity in such a broken and corrupt man.

Gorgeously shot in the Academy ratio, the forest landscape here is oppressive and claustrophobic. Kent also steps back into her horror roots with some mesmerising, skin crawling dream scenes that amplify the woozy nightmarish tone and overbearing sense of dread. Once seen, never forgotten, this is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea (and that’s fine) but when cinema can affect you on such a visceral level and be this powerful, reflective and honest about our own past, it’s hard to ignore. Stunning.

8. The Irishman

Aka Martin Scorsese’s magnum opus, I did manage to see this one in a cinema before the Netflix drop and absolutely loved it. I’ve watched 85 minute long movies that felt longer than this - Marty’s mastery of pace, energy and knowing when to let things play out in agonising detail is second to none. This epic tale of  the life of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) really is the cinematic equivalent of having your cake and eating it too, allowing Scorsese to run through a greatest hits victory lap of mobster set pieces, alpha male arguments, a decades spanning life story and one (last?) truly great Joe Pesci performance before simply letting the story... continue... to a natural, depressing and tragic ending, reflecting the emptiness of a life built on violence and crime.

For a film this long, it’s impressive how much the smallest details make the biggest impacts. A stammering phone call from a man emotionally incapable of offering any sort of condolence. The cold refusal of forgiveness from a once loving daughter. A simple mirroring of a bowl of cereal or a door left slightly ajar. These are the parts of life that haunt us all and it’s what we notice the most in a deliberately lengthy biopic that shows how much these things matter when everything else is said and done. The violence explodes in sudden, sharp bursts, often capping off unbearably tense sequences filled with the everyday (a car ride, a conversation about fish, ice cream...) and this contrast between the whizz bang of classic Scorsese and the contemplative nature of Silence era Scorsese is what makes this film feel like such an accomplishment. De Niro is FINALLY back but it’s the memorably against type role for Pesci and an invigorated Al Pacino who steals this one, along with a roll call of fantastic cameos, with perhaps the most screentime given to the wonderfully petty Stephen Graham as Tony Pro, not to mention Anna Paquin’s near silent performance which says more than possibly anyone else. 

Yes, the CG de-aging is misguided at best, distracting at worst (I never really knew how old anyone was meant to be at any given time... which is kinda a problem) but like how you get used to it really quickly when it’s used well, here I kinda got past it being bad in an equally fast amount of time and just went with it. Would it have been a different beast had they cast younger actors to play them in the past? Undoubtedly. But if this gives us over three hours of Hollywood’s finest giving it their all for the last real time together, then that’s a compromise I can live with.

7. The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Wow. I was in love with this film from the moving first trailer but then the film itself surpassed all expectations. This is a true indie film success story, with lead actor Jimmie Fails developing the idea with director Joe Talbot for years before Kickstarting a proof of concept and eventually getting into Sundance with short film American Paradise, which led to the backing of this debut feature through Plan B and A24. The deeply personal and poetic drama follows a fictionalised version of Jimmie, trying to buy back an old Victorian town house he claims was built by his grandfather, in an act of rebellion against the increasingly gentrified San Francisco that both he and director Talbot call home.

The film is many things - a story of male friendship, of solidarity within our community, of how our cities can change right from underneath us - it moves to the beat of it’s own drum, with painterly cinematography full of gorgeous autumnal colours and my favourite score of the year from Emile Mosseri. The performances, mostly by newcomers or locals outside of brilliant turns from Jonathan Majors, Danny Glover and Thora Birch, are wonderful and the whole thing is such a beautiful love letter to the city that it makes you ache for a strong sense of place in your own home, even if your relationship with it is fractured or strained. As Jimmie says, “you’re not allowed to hate it unless you love it”.

For me, last year’s Blindspotting (my favourite film of the year) tackled gentrification within California more succinctly but this much more lyrical piece of work ebbs and flows through a number of themes like identity, family, memory and time. It’s a big film living inside a small, personal one and it is not to be overlooked.

6. Little Women

I had neither read the book nor seen any prior adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel so to me, this is by default the definitive telling of this story. If from what I hear, the non linear structure is Greta Gerwig’s addition, then it’s a total slam dunk. It works so well in breaking up the narrative and by jumping from past to present, her screenplay highlights certain moments and decisions with a palpable sense of irony, emotional weight or knowing wink. Getting to see a statement made with sincere conviction and then paid off within seconds, can be both a joy and a surefire recipe for tears. Whether it’s the devastating contrast between scenes centred around Beth’s illness or the juxtaposition of character’s attitudes to one another, it’s a massive triumph. Watching Amy angrily tell Laurie how she’s been in love with him all her life and then cutting back to her childishly making a plaster cast of her foot for him (’to remind him how small her feet are’) is so funny. 

Gerwig and her impeccable cast bring an electric energy to the period setting, capturing the big, messy realities of family life with a mix of overwhelming cross-chatter and the smallest of intimate gestures. It’s a testament to the film that every sister feels fully serviced and represented, from Beth’s quiet strength to Amy’s unforgivable sibling rivalry. Chris Cooper’s turn as a stoic man suffering almost imperceptible grief is a personal heartbreaking favourite. 

The book’s (I’m assuming) most sweeping romantic statements are wonderfully delivered, full of urgent passion and relatable heartache, from Marmie’s (Laura Dern) “I’m angry nearly every day of my life” moment to Jo’s (Saoirse Ronan) painful defiance of feminine attributes not being enough to cure her loneliness. The sheer amount of heart and warmth in this is just remarkable and I can easily see it being a film I return to again and again.

5. Booksmart

2019 has been a banner year for female directors, making their exclusion from some of the early awards conversations all the more damning. From this list alone, we have Lulu Wang, Jennifer Kent and Greta Gerwig. Not to mention Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers), Melina Matsoukas (Queen & Slim), Jocelyn DeBoer & Dawn Luebbe (Greener Grass), Sophie Hyde (Animals) and Rose Glass (Saint Maud - watch out for THIS one in 2020, it’s brilliant). Perhaps the most natural transition from in front of to behind the camera has been made by Olivia Wilde, who has created a borderline perfect teen comedy that can make you laugh till you cry, cry till you laugh and everything in-between.

Subverting the (usually male focused) ‘one last party before college’ tropes that fuel the likes of Superbad and it’s many inferior imitators, Booksmart follows two overachievers who, rather than go on a coming of age journey to get some booze or get laid, simply want to indulge in an insane night of teenage freedom after realising that all of the ‘cool kids’ who they assumed were dropouts, also managed to get a place in all of the big universities. It’s a subtly clever remix of an old favourite from the get go but the committed performances from Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein put you firmly in their shoes for the whole ride. 

It’s a genuine blast, with big laughs and a bigger heart, portraying a supportive female friendship that doesn’t rely on hokey contrivances to tear them apart, meaning that when certain repressed feelings do come to the surface, the fallout is heartbreaking. As I stated in a twitter rave after first seeing it back in May, every single character, no matter how much they might appear to be simply representing a stock role or genre trope, gets their moment to be humanised. This is an impeccably cast ensemble of young unknowns who constantly surprise and the script is a marvel - a watertight structure without a beat out of place, callbacks and payoffs to throwaway gags circle back to be hugely important and most of all, the approach taken to sexuality and representation feels so natural. I really think it is destined to be looked back on and represent 2019 the way Heathers does ‘88, Clueless ‘95 or Easy A 2010. A new high benchmark for crowd pleasing, indie comedy - teen or otherwise.

4. Ad Astra

Brad Pitt is one of my favourite actors and one who, despite still being a huge A-lister even after 30 years in the game, never seems to get enough credit for the choices he makes, the movies he stars in and also the range of stories he helps produce through his company, Plan B. 2019 was something of a comeback year for Pitt as an actor with the insanely measured and controlled lead performance seen here in Ad Astra and the more charismatic and chaotic supporting role in Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.

I love space movies, especially those that are more about broken people blasting themselves into the unknown to search for answers within themselves... which manages to sum up a lot of recent output in this weirdly specific sub-genre. First Man was a devastating look at grief characterised by a man who would rather go to a desolate rock than have to confront what he lost, all while being packaged as a heroic biopic with a stunning score. Gravity and The Martian both find their protagonists forced to rely on their own cunning and ingenuity to survive and Interstellar looked at the lengths we go to for those we love left behind. Smaller, arty character studies like High Life or Moon are also astounding. All of this is to say that Ad Astra takes these concepts and runs with them, challenging Pitt to cross the solar system to talk some sense into his long thought dead father (Tommy Lee Jones). But within all the ‘sad dad’ stuff, there’s another film in here just daring you to try and second guess it - one that kicks things off with a terrifying free fall from space, gives us a Mad Max style buggy chase on the moon and sidesteps into horror for one particular set-piece involving a rabid baboon in zero G! It manages to feel so completely nuts, so episodic in structure, that I understand why a lot of people were turned off - feeling that the overall film was too scattershot to land the drama or too pondering to have any fun with. I get the criticisms but for me, both elements worked in tandem, propelling Pitt on this (assumed) one way journey at a crazy pace whilst sitting back and languishing in the ‘bigger themes’ more associated with a Malik or Kubrick film. Something that Pitt can sell me on in his sleep by this point.

I loved the visuals from cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema (Interstellar), loved the imagination and flair of the script from director James Gray and Ethan Gross and loved the score by Max Richter (with Lorne Balfe and Nils Frahm) but most of all, loved Pitt, proving that sometimes a lot less, is a lot more. The sting of hearing the one thing he surely knew (but hoped he wouldn’t) be destined to hear from his absent father, acted almost entirely in his eyes during a third act confrontation, summed up the movie’s brilliance for me - so much so that I can forgive some of the more outlandish ‘Mr Hyde’ moments of this thing’s alter ego... like, say, riding a piece of damaged hull like a surfboard through a meteor debris field! 

3. Avengers: Endgame

It’s no secret that I think Marvel, the MCU in particular, have been going from strength to strength in recent years, slowly but surely taking bigger risks with filmmakers (the bonkers Taika Waititi, the indie darlings of Ryan Coogler, Cate Shortland and Chloe Zhao) whilst also carefully crafting an entertaining, interconnected universe of characters and stories. But what is the point of building up any movie ‘universe’ if you’re not going to pay it off and Endgame is perhaps the strongest conclusion to eleven years of movie sequels that fans could have possibly hoped for.

Going into this thing, the hype was off the charts (and for good reason, with it now being the highest grossing film of all time) but I remember souring on the first entry of this two-parter, Infinity War, during the time between initial release and Endgame’s premiere. That film had a game-changing climax, killing off half the heroes (and indeed the universe’s population) and letting the credits role on the villain having achieved his ultimate goal. It was daring, especially for a mammoth summer blockbuster but obviously, we all knew the deaths would never be permanent, especially with so many already-announced sequels for now ‘dusted’ characters. However, it wasn’t just the feeling that everything would inevitably be alright in the end. For me, the characters themselves felt hugely under-serviced, with arguably the franchise’s main goody two shoes Captain America being little more than a beardy bloke who showed up to fight a little bit. Basically what I’m getting at is that I felt Endgame, perhaps emboldened by the giant runtime, managed to not only address these character slights but ALSO managed to deliver the most action packed, comic booky, ‘bashing your toys together’ final fight as well.

It’s a film of three parts, each pretty much broken up into one hour sections. There’s the genuinely new and interesting initial section following our heroes dealing with the fact that they lost... and it stuck. Thor angrily kills Thanos within the first fifteen minutes but it’s a meaningless action by this point - empty revenge. Cutting to five years later, we get to see how defeat has affected them, for better or worse, trying to come to terms with grief and acceptance. Cap tries to help the everyman, Black Widow is out leading an intergalactic mop up squad and Thor is wallowing in a depressive black hole. It’s a shocking and vibrantly compelling deconstruction of the whole superhero thing and it gives the actors some real meat to chew on, especially Robert Downy Jr here who goes from being utterly broken to fighting within himself to do the right thing despite now having a daughter he doesn’t want to lose too. Part two is the trip down memory lane, fan service-y time heist which is possibly the most fun section of any of these movies, paying tribute to the franchise’s past whilst teetering on a knife’s edge trying to pull off a genuine ‘mission impossible’. And then it explodes into the extended finale which pays everyone off, demonstrates some brilliantly imaginative action and sticks the landing better than it had any right to. In a year which saw the ending of a handful of massive geek properties, from Game of Thrones to Star Wars, it’s a miracle even one of them got it right at all. That Endgame managed to get it SO right is an extraordinary accomplishment and if anything, I think Marvel may have shot themselves in the foot as it’s hard to imagine anything they can give us in the future having the intense emotional weight and momentum of this huge finale.

2. Knives Out

Rian Johnson has been having a ball leaping into genre sandpits and stirring shit up, from his teen spin on noir in Brick to his quirky con man caper with The Brothers Bloom, his time travel thriller Looper and even his approach to the Star Wars mythos in The Last Jedi. Turning his attention to the relatively dead ‘whodunnit’ genre, Knives Out is a perfect example of how to celebrate everything that excites you about a genre whilst weaponizing it’s tropes against your audience’s baggage and preconceptions.

An impeccable cast have the time of their lives here, revelling in playing self obsessed narcissists who scramble to punt the blame around when the family’s patriarch, a successful crime novelist (Christopher Plummer), winds up dead. Of course there’s something fishy going on so Daniel Craig’s brilliantly dry southern detective Benoit Blanc is called in to investigate.There are plenty of standouts here, from Don Johnson’s ignorant alpha wannabe Richard to Michael Shannon’s ferocious eldest son Walt to Chris Evan’s sweater wearing jock Ransom, full of unchecked, white privilege swagger. But the surprise was the wholly sympathetic, meek, vomit prone Marta, played brilliantly by Ana de Armas, cast against her usual type of sultry bombshell (Knock Knock, Blade Runner 2049), to spearhead the biggest shake up of the genre conventions. To go into more detail would begin to tread into spoiler territory but by flipping the audience’s engagement with the detective, we’re suddenly on the receiving end of the scrutiny and the tension derived from this switcheroo is genius and opens up the second act of the story immensely.

The whole thing is so lovingly crafted and the script is one of the tightest I’ve seen in years. The amount of setup and payoff here is staggering and never not hugely satisfying, especially as it heads into it’s final stretch. It really gives you some hope that you could have such a dense, plotty, character driven idea for a story and that it could survive the transition from page to screen intact and for the finished product to work as well as it does. I really hope Johnson returns to tell another Benoit Blanc mystery and judging by the roaring box office success (currently over $200 million worldwide for a non IP original), I certainly believe he will.

1. Eighth Grade

My film of the year is another example of the power of cinema to put us in other people’s shoes and to discover the traits, fears, joys and insecurities that we all share irregardless. It may shock you to learn this but I have never been a 13 year old teenage girl trying to get by in the modern world of social media peer pressure and ‘influencer’ culture whilst crippled with personal anxiety. My school days almost literally could not have looked more different than this (less Instagram, more POGs) and yet, this is a film about struggling with oneself, with loneliness, with wanting more but not knowing how to get it without changing yourself and the careless way we treat those with our best interests at heart in our selfish attempt to impress peers and fit in. That is understandable. That is universal. And as I’m sure I’ve said a bunch of times in this list, movies that present the most specific worldview whilst tapping into universal themes are the ones that inevitably resonate the most.

Youtuber and comedian Bo Burnham has crafted an impeccable debut feature, somehow portraying a generation of teens at least a couple of generations below his own, with such laser focused insight and intimate detail. It’s no accident that this film has often been called a sort of social-horror, with cringe levels off the charts and recognisable trappings of anxiety and depression in every frame. The film’s style services this feeling at every turn, from it’s long takes and nauseous handheld camerawork to the sensory overload in it’s score (take a bow Anna Meredith) and the naturalistic performances from all involved. Burnham struck gold when he found Elsie Fisher, delivering the most painful and effortlessly real portrayal of a tweenager in crisis as Kayla. The way she glances around skittishly, the way she is completely lost in her phone, the way she talks, even the way she breathes all feeds into the illusion - the film is oftentimes less a studio style teen comedy and more a fly on the wall documentary. 

This is a film that could have coasted on being a distant, social media based cousin to more standard fare like Sex Drive or Superbad or even Easy A but it goes much deeper, unafraid to let you lower your guard and suddenly hit you with the most terrifying scene of casually attempted sexual aggression or let you watch this pure, kindhearted girl falter and question herself in ways she shouldn’t even have to worry about. And at it’s core, there is another beautiful father/daughter relationship, with Josh Hamilton stuck on the outside looking in, desperate to help Kayla with every fibre of his being but knowing there are certain things she has to figure out for herself. It absolutely had me and their scene around a backyard campfire is one of the year’s most touching.

This is a truly remarkable film that I think everyone should seek out but I’m especially excited for all the actual teenage girls who will get to watch this and feel seen. This isn’t about the popular kid, it isn’t about the dork who hangs out with his or her own band of misfits. This is about the true loner, that person trying everything to get noticed and still ending up invisible, that person trying to connect through the most disconnected means there is - the internet - and everything that comes with it. Learning that the version of yourself you ‘portray’ on a Youtube channel may act like they have all the answers but if you’re kidding yourself then how do you grow? 

When I saw this in the cinema, I watched a mother take her seat with her two daughters, aged probably at around nine and twelve. Possibly a touch young for this, I thought, and I admit I cringed a bit on their behalf during some very adult trailers but in the end, I’m glad their mum decided they were mature enough to see this because a) they had a total blast and b) life simply IS R rated for the most part, especially during our school years, and those girls being able to see someone like Kayla have her story told on the big screen felt like a huge win. I honestly can’t wait to see what Burnham or Fisher decide to do next. 2019 has absolutely been their year... and it’s been a hell of a year.

[valkerymillenia]

Umbrella Academy

Season 2, ep 1

Might as well put all my live blogging in one post to avoid the spam.

HERE WE GO!

Ben and Klaus! My babies!

Curse of the Undead in theatres?

1960...

Ben and Klaus together: "Shit". ahahah, yeah, boys, not a good time for either of you.

Allison in 61 and caught on camera.

Curse of the Werewolf in theaters (what is it with all the classic monster flicks?)

"Whites Only". Poor Allison...

Luther. 62. Also caught on camera.

Diego. September 1st, 63.

Only one that lands without getting hurt. Superhero landing dude! Also on camera.

JFK on TV on the mindfront... Parallel with Vanya in s01e01?

Vanya on Oct 12th, 63. Ouch, that landing certainly woke her up.

Kiss of the Vampire in theaters.

Aaaaand she immediately gets hot by a car. Girl can't catch a break.

And here's Five on Nov 25th, 63! In that epic war scene from the promo!

VANYA BEING SUPER BADASS!

KLAUS AND THE GHOSTS! I get the soldier ghosts but who are those lady ghosts?

LUTHER! PROTECTING HIS BROTHER! Confident in his body! Also, he shaved xD

BEN BEING A CORPOREAL BADASS!

ALLISON'S POWERS WENT FROM PERSUASION TO REALITY ALTERATION! BLEW YOUR MINDS! Comic references!!!!

TELEKINETIC DIEGO!!!!

HAZEL AND THE TERMINATOR REFERENCE!

THE MATCHING SUITS!

THE UMBRELLA MUSHROOM CLOUD!

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Awww, Agnes died... But they were together 20 years, that's so sweet...

Ok, first thing about the Swedes- what's up with the clothes? Something is very off there. A couple of them look like they just came from the wild west.

NO!!!!! HAZEL!!!! 😭

Welp, that briefcase is fried.

Ahah, "bulletproof briefcases" would be even heavier, Five, but you are right as always.

And there's the surveillance photographer... Convenient for Five.

Finally a good cup of coffee, apparently. XD

Ooooh, alien conspiracy theorist. This is going to be fun!

Did Five just quote X-Files? 😆

Anal probes 🤣🤣🤣🤣

"Big sensitive one." Ah! Poor Luther...

I like you, Elliot.

Wait a second!!! Diego gets arrested as a "disturbed man"... What did this dumbass do now?

Ah, Diego's face in group therapy with the universal expression for "please don't call me out, please don't call me out, pleased don't call me out. Fuck, you called me out".

"last week you talked about your father and how your childhood felt like an experiment" "it was an experiment" "or did it just feel like an experiment?" "No, it was literally an experiment" why is this exchange so funny?

Poor Diego.

Ah! Luke Skywalker! Yeah, Diego, that IS an excellent reference.

Well, at least the therapist isn't a stereotypical monster.

I already love the Diego-Lila dynamic.

Oh, Diego... Why did you have to mention the JFK assassination? You idiot, this is why you're in a mental institution.

Oh, it was. CALLED IT!

Hero complex. Ah! You have no idea, doc.

That pen is going to come in handy.

Bead bracelets... Awww, you could make some for your siblings, Diego.

Shoe bacon... Ok, Lila is nuts. I love her.

"I'm a lone wolf. I don't run with a pack" AHAHAHAHAHAH, Diego, baby, darling, sweet summer child, you are literally the beta of a 7 person pack, just embrace it.

"you look good in white", good parallel for the "at least I'm wearing black" of the first episode.

Wait... Diego tried to get Lee Harvey Oswald? Oh, you dumb fuck. You're the one that will cause the war, aren't you?

Shaving down the bars? Dude, you have a literal teleporter in front of you???

"so it worked?" Diego... Five literally just said that saving the president would cause a nuclear war and the end of the world. What part of that don't you get, you hero complex dumbass? Your therapist is actually right. How refreshing.

"this is why you don't have any friends" The same applies to you, Five, you dick.

Oohhh, not needles! Poor Diego...

So Sissy's kid's name is Harlan! Is... Is he autistic? Oh, please, please, give us good autistic rep...

Ok, I don't like Sissy's husband 😒

Klaus and Ben!!!!

"ghost bitch" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

What's in San Francisco? Is it the cult?

Wait... Ben is ENCOURAGING Klaus to go back to the cult? And why is he so invested...? Please tell me Ben isn't falling in love in this season too...

Ahahah, loving the little sibling wrestling in the middle of the road. So cute.

Those shoes are no good for walking long distances, Klaus.

Ugh, that beard is really gross, Klaus.

Poker? This will either go really bad or really funny.

Klaus... Don't antagonize the homophobes, please. Then again, please do, it's hilarious.

Bad it is, then.

Ben, that was really mean.

"Nah, I'm good." 😆

"I bet you're loving this." "I'm not hating it." 😆😆😆

Ahahahahah omg, 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

My love for Klaus and Ben just skyrocketed. Goofballs. Chaotic sibling energy.

Awww, Raymond is adorable.

"From Earth to the Moon" by Jules Verne? Um... Dude, that was a... Not great choice.

Luther! Dude, you're supposed to have super strength, why are you bleeding?

Guess Luther took Al's advice, huh?

There's the super strength! Fixed fights, dude? Really?

Hm... It's this boxing or kick boxing? Still, those were some smooth moves, Luther.

Why doesn't Allison have a scar?

GO ALLISON! Do not mess with my girl! Kick that racist's ass!

"Men have sides, women have secrets." Nice quote, Sissy.

Oh Vanya... That chemistry!

Poor Diego. Excellent music choice though.

Did Reginald teach Diego escapism? Namely, how to get out of a straightjacket by dislocating his shoulder? Because in season 1 I suspected he taught them how to handle torture too (because of how Klaus resisted Hazel and Cha-Cha). There's a lot of levels of pain in their training, isn't there?

A shotgun? Really? Nothing quieter to infiltrate a locked facility at night?

Lila! She's so much fun!

The music, man, the music! 👌👌👌👌

Lila's got skills! "My mother", yeah, we know mommy dearest 😏

Luther goes from a virgin in s1, to working at a burlesque bar every night in s2. 180°, dude.

WAIT, JACK RUBY? THAT'S LUTHER'S BOSS? The guy that killed Lee Harvey Oswald? The guy involved in the JFK assassination? Oh, I like where this is going!

Five... Flirting with the girls? Ahahah, you are epic, dude. "She's too young for you." 😂

Ah, Five, you and your talent for dramatic speeches...

Ah, Klaus got arrested. of course he did.

Luther doesn't give a shit? Oohhh, that's new.

Ok, for a first ep? FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC!

I'm screaming. I need more!!!

I'm speechless, I have no idea what else to say except HOLY SHIT!!!!!