#he’s really like ‘Let’s have them wait 13 years and then re-release the film with one scene added in to confuse them”’
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I want your M I D N I G H T S ✨
Dawg with a Blawg: Ed. 1
Taylor Alison Swift (she/her) was born in West Reading, Pennsylvania on December 13, 1989. But that’s a different story.
At midnight EST Oct 21, 2022, the 13-track album Midnights was released to fans worldwide. At 3am EST, Taylor swiftly dropped the 20-track LP Midnights (3am Edition) as a surprise. It gives insight to the sleepless nights of her life with that post-"reputation era” confidence. The weight of the anticipation for TS10 grew exponentially since its official name was released– during her acceptance speech for MTV's Best Longform Video "All Too Well: the Short Film". Do I think there’s an equally high amount of pressure for this album? Absolutely not. This year, she’s released the most personal music of her career with the support of fans (known as Swifties, despite being verbally referred to as such ~1.5 times). Having such a strong fanbase allows her to successfully re-record her masters, finish old song concepts, and release new music she’s made in the meantime. I’m definitely here for Taylor’s newfound confidence in releasing music for Swifties’ sake.
* Disclaimer: this review is intended for all that listened to the album, not just die-hard stans *
To celebrate new releases, normal fans throw album listening parties. I have to read the lyrics during and have ample time alone to contemplate after. I texted my mom the setup, projected the lyrics onto my living room wall, and made fruity “funny drinks” as we call them. A part of me did wish my Mahogany Edition vinyl record came in to complete the sacredness of waiting to flip it over and reading the lyrics. But listening to the album made me extremely grateful. Wearing my folklore cardigan, I thought back to room 515 in McCarty Hall where I listened to the lyrics “this dorm was once a madhouse” for the first time. Today, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on notable moments of select tracks. So let’s get into the tracklist. <3
Lavender Haze
I’m sorry but Track 1 is made for the girls, gays, and theys.
Zoë Kravitz writing credits.
Yes, I’ll take the lavender oat milk latte to go pls.
Maroon
The breakdown in the last chorus/outro really makes the song.
Lots of unique lines in this one.
Clever description of different shades of red felt in different circumstances.
Anti-hero
Playful, simple production from the bassline established in the beginning to the little chimes at the end.
The first part of the intro is a cry for help, then she sings in a more recognizable lower register.
At the end, it sounds like she’s singing to me, just as she did when I first heard “White Horse”. It sucks that she felt alone growing up. Whenever I did, I would listen to her records.
Fun fact: the lyrics “it’s me, hi” and “did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism like some kind of congressman?” both exist on this song.
You’re On Your Own, Kid
Has simple phrases and can be read as a poem telling the story of her life.
Places me in a time where she suffered from disordered eating, as detailed in the documentary Miss Americana.
Taylor is known for her turns of phrase, she often switches things up by repurposing common phrases and circling back to them through the song. The song ends with the nice thought that growing up means facing moments of aloneness but how independence can become a healthy state. It’s much like how leaving for college is a learning curve for many.
My case for Midnight Rain:
When asked after my first few listens, I thought Midnight Rain was my favorite. I love how she sings songs about the pain of a good relationship turning ugly. Each time I listen to this song, I get that familiarity and hear something new. “He wanted a bride, I was making my own name” relates to this album’s themes of others trying to get her to settle down before reaching her aspirations.
Question…?
Casually samples her own track.
I’m a fan of her experimentation with vocal effects, especially the reverb distortion in the line “do you wish you could still touch her?”.
My case for Vigilante Shit:
The first line of the song hits. In fact, hooks in essays or speeches rarely have to be elaborate. “Sharp enough to kill a man” is repeated right before the pre-chorus in “they say looks can kill and I might try” establishing a clear theme of fighting and metaphorical death. Her saying “the lady simply had enough” in that posh, poised voice is juxtaposed with arguably her first mention of Schedule I substance use. This leaves me with all sorts of questions. What were the “white-collar crimes” told to the FBI? Was it a true story? Do the Haim sisters know about it given their “No Body, No Crime feat. HAIM” collaboration? Will there be a Billie Eilish version of this song that is longer than 2:45? I’m hooked.
Bejeweled
To me, it’s about underestimation: how someone mistook her kindness for weakness and now she's over it.
Personally, I’d rather listen to Beyoncé’s Lemonade or Renaissance when I’m in that headspace, but I’m sure it’s all part of Her Plan.
In truth, I wish “Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve” had a permanent spot on the tracklist and made this song a fun bonus track.
My case for Labyrinth:
This is the wild card. It’s also the golden song: track 10, album 10, released in the 10th month of 2022. This is exactly what I thought Midnights to be like. Sets up Karma and Sweet Nothing in a great way. The beginning is very hesitant and the second verse starts with “it only feels this raw right now” showing the growing pains of vulnerability following a traumatic time. It’s heartbreaking because, much like “Sweet Nothing”, it reveals the difficulty in moving forward again.
Sweet Nothing
I love how he kept the pseudonym William Bowery because it keeps the focus on her album, not the relationship she’s in. This is also important given how she used a pseudonym when she wrote the lyrics in her ex’s song “This is What You Came For feat. Rihanna”, detracting from her influence in the project.
It made me cry at the first listen. It was none other than the bridge that got me. After hearing about all the pressures she has, she says she’s “too soft for all of it” but that all he ever wanted from her was sweet nothing! Wedding reception DJs rejoice. Too cute.
Paris
My little sister was born in 2003 which makes the “2003, unbearable” line amusing.
I love her songs about escapism (“I’m Right Where You Left Me”) and keeping her relationship private.
Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve
Such an important song on the topic of unknowingly flying too close to the sun with manipulative abusers.
Given it’s sensitive content and how much I love the 10 min. version of All Too Well, you know why I don’t feel like defending my case for this song being my favorite on the album.
LIVING FOR THE THRILL OF HITTING YOU WHERE IT HURTS. GIVE ME BACK MY GIRLHOOD, IT WAS MINE FIRST!
My stepsister listening in Tennessee said she expected slow songs that one would write at midnight, rather than the “pop-y” songs she previewed. I, too had anticipated some sleepless night, staying up alone storytelling from this album. Not including this year’s re-recordings, we’ve heard heavy midnight in candlelight influences in recent sister albums folklore and evermore. Yet, the album’s lyrics insinuate Taylor’s lighter on the cover art is being used for recreational late-night activities rather than just lighting candles. Her saturated eye makeup also makes me think of midnights under a disco ball or the aftermath of an eventful night.
Honorable mentions:
Her middle part in the music video for “Bejeweled”
The voice crack when she said I really thought I lost you in “The Great War” and No one wanted to play with me as a little kid in “Mastermind”
No deal , the 1950s shit they want from me
Now that I’m grown , I’m scared of ghosts , memories feel like weapons
I searched ‘aurora borealis green’ , I’ve never seen someone lit from within
He stayed the same , all of me changed like midnight rain
Salt streams out of my eyes and into my ears
You said I was freeloading, I didn’t know you were keeping count
No one sees you lose when you’re playing solitaire
Karma takes all my friends to the summit
Xoxo, Millie
Musical notes from a budding musician
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Taylor Swift’s Lyrical Traffic Violations, Ranked
As Taylor Swift continues the slow but steady release of her re-recordings with Red (Taylor’s Version), we’re able to collectively revisit some of her early work through the lens of her discography as a whole. In doing so, there are certain recurring themes or tropes that become apparent, like forbidden romances, colors representing emotions, and the worst driving imaginable. Anyone who’s either a Swiftie or a crossing guard is sure to have noticed just how often Taylor sings about these illegal traffic maneuvers. And after nine albums of this, it’s reached a point where I finally begin to understand why the gay antagonist in “Picture to Burn” didn’t let her drive his “stupid old pickup truck.”
🤧
That being said, when really examining these violations with a critical eye, it becomes apparent that most of them were actually committed by the men driving Taylor around. Amongst this “long list of ex-lovers,” there are some reckless drivers, some who make minor mistakes, and some whose licenses should be revoked. The trend has slowed down as of late, suggesting that Joe Alwyn is a very good, responsible driver, whose time behind the wheel is not interesting enough to sing about — thank God.
Here, we rank every traffic violation in Taylor Swift’s discography, considering factors like severity of the infraction, danger level, and importance to T. Swiftian canon. But much like the way traffic cops do their jobs, the reasoning is mostly arbitrary and made up.
15. “Our Song” (Taylor Swift)
“He’s got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel,
The other on my heart”
The first thing they teach you in driver’s ed is to keep your hands at ten and two, and yet here Taylor is driving around town with a boy who only has one hand on the wheel. Their “song” is going to be the sound of sirens if he doesn’t get his act together.
14. “Red” (Red)
“Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street,
Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly”
Whether it be a new Maserati, or a pre-owned Toyota RAV4, it is never a good idea to take off full speed down a dead-end street. Particularly if it’s not even a cul-de-sac and you’ll have to do a three-point turn to get out. Now, to be fair, there’s some room for debate on just how fast she’s going since it depends on wind speed. The average wind speed in Taylor’s home state of Pennsylvania is 17.1 mph, the highest wind speed ever recorded on Earth is 253 mph, and the speed of “The Wind” by Cat Stevens is 115 BPM. So do with that what you will.
13. “State of Grace” (Red)
“I’m walking fast through the traffic lights”
Traffic lights, per their name, are famously designed for cars — not pedestrians. So Taylor has absolutely no business galavanting through traffic on foot like a regular Kelly Killoren Bensimon.
12. “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” (Reputation)
“Feeling so Gatsby for that whole year”
Much like Taylor Swift’s discography, The Great Gatsby is also about terrible driving, which I assume is why she relates to it. I know this because I not only read The Great Gatsby in high school, but I also saw the Fergie-scored film adaptation. A cornerstone of both versions is vehicular manslaughter.
11. “betty” (Folklore)
“Kissin’ in my car again,
Stopped at a streetlight”
Folklore’s “betty,” “august,” and “cardigan” are a trilogy of songs about loitering told from three different perspectives. The bulk of this love triangle seems to boldly take place in parked cars. In “august” for example, Taylor sings, “Meet me behind the mall,” and I highly doubt that they were grabbing an Auntie Anne’s and hitting up a Macy’s One Day Sale. In “betty” and “cardigan,” they don’t even wait until they’re concealed behind the safety of a closed down DSW, instead opting for a spot under a streetlight of all places.
10. “Cornelia Street” (Lover)
“But then you called, showed your hand,
I turned around before I hit the tunnel”
Given that this song is about a street in one of Taylor’s favorite lyrical neighborhoods, the West Village, it’s fair to assume that the tunnel in question is the Holland Tunnel. Those surrounding roads are a nightmare, so I’m nearly certain that this would have to be an illegal U-turn — which I think is a fair leap to make given her history of vehicular crime. That being said, this might just be the most understandable violation given the choice was between Joe Alwyn and Jersey City.
9. “Fearless” (Fearless)
“I wanna stay right here in this passenger seat,
You put your eyes on me”
Taylor gets a lot of flack for writing songs about boys she dates, but doesn’t get nearly enough heat for distracting them while they’re trying to drive. This is just one of the many times that she prides herself on being more interesting for a driver to look at than the road.
8. “Style” (1989)
“Midnight, you come and pick me up, no headlights,
Long drive, could end in burning flames or paradise”
Thematically, 1989 is an album about Harry Styles being bad at driving. The first of many examples of this is here in his namesake song, where he picks Taylor up with no headlights on. Clearly an attempt to sneak around undetected, it’s actually just a surefire way to hit a deer — ESPECIALLY at midnight of all times. At least Taylor seems to know from the jump the dangers of getting in a car with Harry behind the wheel, understanding that the long drive could potentially end in burning flames.
7. “Cruel Summer” (Lover)
“So cut the headlights, summer’s a knife”
Well it looks like someone didn’t learn her lesson about driving in the dark. Here it sounds like she’s trying to corrupt former frozen yoghurt shop employee Joe Alwyn, instructing him to turn off their headlights to keep a low profile. Still, it’s nothing compared to the far worse crime of this song, which is that it didn’t get a music video.
6. “Breathe” (Fearless)
“Never wanted this, never wanna see you hurt,
Every little bump in the road I tried to swerve”
Roads have a lot of little bumps, and if you’re swerving at every single one you’re a danger to society and your driving is sure to give poor Colbie Caillat whiplash.
5. “Getaway Car” (Reputation)
“You were driving the getaway car,
We were flying but we’d never get far.”
I mean, what is there to say about this? Getaway cars very rarely are known for their safe, law-abiding driving. The song even references other crimes, like putting the money in the bag and stealing the keys (grand theft auto?), mentions of famed criminals Bonnie and Clyde (who tried to steal Moonlight’s Oscar), and worst of all saying “sorry” with a Canadian accent so it rhymes with “story.”
4. “Style” (1989)
“So it goes,
He can’t keep his wild eyes on the road”
Speaking of wild eyes, somebody tell Olivia Wilde to never get in the car with Harry — we still need her Kerri Strug biopic.
3. “Out of the Woods” (1989)
“Remember when you hit the brakes too soon?
Twenty stitches in a hospital room”
As any history buff knows, in December of 2014 Taylor Swift and Harry Styles went on a ski trip to Park City, Utah, with Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. It was on this fateful trip that the One Direction singer and future Cats star got into a snowmobile accident, resulting in Harry getting 20 stitches on his chin. Taylor later told Rolling Stone that she saw her life flash before her eyes, which I can understand because if I were in an accident I would also see Taylor Swift’s life flash before my eyes. The incident is shrouded in mystery, with Taylor urging the witnesses not to tell anyone about it, so we may never know what it was that caused Harry Styles to brake too soon. Perhaps a stray Chelsea boot in need of a home.
2. “All You Had to Do Was Stay” (1989)
“All I know is that you drove us off the road”
Why did this woman continue to let Harry Styles drive her around? What kind of adrenaline-junkie death wish did she possess?
1. “All Too Well” (Red)
“You almost ran the red ’cause you were looking over at me”
Jake Gyllenhaal might as well have been using the scarf that Taylor left at Maggie Gyllenhaal’s house as a blindfold, because this man was NOT looking at the road. When one drives down a little town street, especially with the precious cargo of America’s songstress in the car, it is key to watch where you’re going. Skidding to a halt because you didn’t realize that the light had turned red (the TITULAR color)? Unacceptable, Donnie Darko. The “crumpled-up piece of paper” that he made Taylor feel like was probably a traffic summons. Along with the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), we’re also finally getting the mythical ten-minute version of this song, and I truly shudder to think about what other traffic crimes Jake Gyllenhaal will commit in those extra four minutes and 33 seconds.
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Speed
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Today’s entry will mark the first official 4K home video release I am writing about. I already own a few other 4K UHDs, and a couple of months ago, I watched my first 4K video at home with 2001’s The Fast and the Furious. However, I already covered that movie’s BluRay release here several years ago, so I will not be dedicating another entry for it, other than to say that the 4K upgrade pops and makes it look like a new release. Today’s entry is for 1994’s Speed (trailer). Before diving into this movie, I noticed one of the tracks from this film’s score repeatedly used throughout sounds awfully like one of the main themes I primarily associated with the Metal Gear Solid franchise. I have no idea if this was pointed out before, and I just overlooked it all these years, or maybe I am grasping at straws. Click or press here to take a listen and decide for yourself.
1994 was a hell of a year for Hollywood movies primarily transpiring from a highway with The Chase, Speed, and the OJ Simpson Bronco chase….oh wait (although I highly recommend the ESPN 30 for 30 on it, simply titled: June 17th 1994). The majority of Speed has a straightforward premise: serial bomber and local madman Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) planted a bomb on a bus rigged to explode once the bus drops below 55 miles per hour. Police officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) is alerted to this by the bomber himself to exact revenge on Traven after successfully rescuing hostages from an elevator Payne armed at the beginning of the film.
From there, for the middle hour of this nearly two-hour film, the action almost entirely takes place on the bus. Traven makes a grand entrance onto the bus by commandeering a Jaguar and having its owner (Glenn Plummer) take the wheel so Traven could heroically leap onto the bus and save the day. It would not be that easy of a rescue mission as Payne has eyes on the bus, and Traven has to play by his rules and get him his $3 million ransom to disarm the bus.
Without question, the middle hour on the bus is the best part of the film. The opening half-hour is an excellent appetizer with the elevator hostage crisis that Traven and his partner, Harry (Jeff Daniels), successfully foil. However, once the action shifts to the bus is when Speed takes off. Shortly after taking control of the bus, one of the passengers freaks and inadvertently shoots the bus driver, and a fellow passenger, Annie (Sandra Bullock), takes over the wheel. Throughout the film, Annie and Traven have wonderful chemistry, and I could not help but root for the duo throughout. Every couple of minutes, there is a new potential conflict to overcome to keep the bus going over 55mph. The film wisely peppers in brief dialog exchanges to let the movie breathe just enough before the next hurdle makes itself present.
The film's standout moment is the major obstacle for the bus to overcome when it encounters a stretch of unavoidable highway under construction and missing a hearty chunk of the road. Traven’s solution is that since that stretch of a road is on an incline, they may clear that gap if they build up enough speed! That epic stunt hits all the right notes, and I got goosebumps all over again re-watching it, and odds are, I bet you did too if you have seen this movie. If you have not, then watch this scene and see for yourself by click or pressing here. A lot of the critical discussion in the aftermath of this movie was if that jump was realistically possible. The best thing I can do is to compare it to another film, Road Trip, which is likely a better indicator of what could happen when attempting such a feat.
Once the middle bus portion of the film is over, there are still about 20 minutes left where Traven tracks and chases down Payne in a subway station. The movie felt over once the bus portion had such a satisfying conclusion that it almost feels wrong to keep sticking with the film by this point, but I recommend you do since there is a satisfying payoff in the form of Payne’s demise. I have to share a story now when I first saw this film at around 13 or 14 on VHS. My dad’s VCR had what seemed to me at the time was a revolutionary feature where if I kept pressing the pause button repeatedly, it would slowly, frame-by-frame, play the film in super slow-motion. At that age, I thought this was a fantastic way to get the most out of the biggest stunts in action scenes. My favorite moment exploiting this feature was seeing Traven and Payne wrestle around on the top of a subway train until Payne was not watching his field of vision, and a warning light lead to his sudden beheading. I slow-motion replayed that sequence countless times in my awkward, early teenage years. Suffice it to say, Hopper plays the out-of-his-mind bomber perfectly, going so far as to make sure he receives his appropriate cinematic comeuppance.
The director ensures the many passengers on the bus maximized their minutes to the point I where it feels like you are right there with them!
Two audio commentaries are the only extra features of the 4K disc in this 4K/BluRay combo pack. One is with the director, Jan de Bont, and the other is with producer Mark Gordon and writer Graham Yost. Props are to whoever decided to subtitle the commentary tracks. I very much appreciate it! I first started to bounce back and forth between the two commentary tracks, but Bont was way too relaxed and had too many pauses to hold my attention, and I finished up with his track within five minutes. However, Yost and Gordon are very much engaged from beginning to end and have fun cracking jokes and sharing memories throughout. Some quick takeaways I got from them were how they wanted to film a major scene outside of a sports arena, dealing with critics poking holes at how unrealistic their stunts were, and how watching the movie felt very different at the time of the commentary recording just two months after 9/11.
The BluRay disc contains the remainder of the bonus features. Inside Speed is a four-part feature lasting just under an hour breaking down the visual effects, stunts, and location sequences, but half of it also contains an HBO First Look special hosted by Dennis Hopper that hits all the right kinds of cheesy mid-90s EPK nostalgia that it is worth checking out. Aside from 12 minutes of extended scenes and a Billy Idol music video that seems totally off base with the tempo of the film, there are a couple of Action Sequences mini-features breaking down some of the stunts. I highly recommend watching the one dissecting how they did the bus jump, as it shows raw footage of what really happened when they shot it, and showed footage of some of the specific safety measures they instilled to make that stunt as safe as possible and had some eye-opening interviews with the stunt driver before and after.
After watching that old VHS copy nearly a dozen times, Speed wound up being one of my favorite action films I got burnt out early on and never bothered upgrading to a DVD or standalone BluRay. Watching it again in 4K all these years later breathed new life into it for me. I am not an expert at breaking down video quality by any means, but watching the 4K disc on my 4KTV gave the impression of this having far more current production values. The editors somehow managed to remove all the old film grain defects for a smooth 4K upgrade. If you have not seen Speed yet, then it has everything you could want out of a mid-90s action movie with explosions, gripping thrills and stunts, dramatic rescues, plenty of zinger one-liners…..and a Billy Idol theme song. Pardon me while I attempt my best Dennis Hopper impression here, “Pop quiz, hotshot, which 1994 blockbuster that takes place primarily on a bus is a perfect candidate for beer and popcorn movie night at home?”
Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs
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12 Angry Men (1957)
12 Rounds 3: Lockdown
21 Jump Street
The Accountant
Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie
Atari: Game Over
The Avengers: Age of Ultron
The Avengers: Endgame
The Avengers: Infinity War
Batman: The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: The Killing Joke
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
Bounty Hunters
Cabin in the Woods
Captain America: Civil War
Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Christmas Eve
The Clapper
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special
The Condemned 2
Countdown
Creed I & II
Deck the Halls
Detroit Rock City
Die Hard
Dirty Work
Dredd
The Eliminators
The Equalizer
Faster
Fast and Furious I-VIII
Field of Dreams
Fight Club
The Fighter
For Love of the Game
Good Will Hunting
Gravity
Grunt: The Wrestling Movie
Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
Hell Comes to Frogtown
Hercules: Reborn
Hitman
I Like to Hurt People
Indiana Jones 1-4
Inglourious Basterds
Ink
The Interrogation
Interstellar
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot
Jobs
Joy Ride 1-3
Justice League (2017 Whedon Cut)
Last Action Hero
Major League
Mallrats
Man of Steel
Man on the Moon
Man vs Snake
Marine 3-6
Merry Friggin Christmas
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpions Revenge
National Treasure
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Nintendo Quest
Not for Resale
Old Joy
Payback (Director’s Cut)
Pulp Fiction
The Punisher (1989)
The Ref
The Replacements
Reservoir Dogs
Rocky I-VIII
Running Films Part 1
Running Films Part 2
San Andreas
ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Shoot em Up
Slacker
Skyscraper
Small Town Santa
Steve Jobs
Source Code
Star Trek I-XIII
Sully
Take Me Home Tonight
TMNT
Trauma Center
The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2
UHF
Veronica Mars
Vision Quest
The War
Wild
The Wizard
Wonder Woman
The Wrestler (2008)
X-Men: Apocalypse
X-Men: Days of Future Past
#random movie#speed#keanu reeves#Sandra Bullock#jeff daniels#dennis hopper#glenn plummer#jan de bont
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Happy Halloween Scooby Doo! Review
Muahahhhahahhahahaha! Thanks to the Walmart tradition of stocking movies for sale weeks before the intended release date, I have myself a copy of what claims to be Scooby Doo’s FIRST Halloween adventure!
…in spite of movies like Witch’s Ghost and Goblin King, holiday specials like WNSD’s A Scooby Doo Halloween (which had a haunted Scarecrow too…), BCSD’s EL Bandito (for Dia de los Muertos - obvs not the same, but most companies act like it) and Halloween, The NSDM’s Halloween Hassle at Dracula’s Castle, and the DTV short film Scooby Doo and the Spooky Scarecrow (which, ironically enough, did NOT take the opportunity to feature Dr. Jonathan Crane).
So let us take a look now at Happy Halloween Scooby Doo! and see whether this film will be a graveyard smash of a treat, or a black licorice bomb of disappointment.
Full review (and SPOILERS TO GO WITH IT) are below the cut in my new review format; if all goes smoothly, I’ll go with this for future Scooby films.
WARNING: This review is very long.
One minor note before we begin: the Special Features actually include BCSD’s Halloween, WNSD’s A Scooby Doo Halloween, and PNSD’s Ghost Who’s Coming to Dinner
...so they were AWARE this was not the first Halloween adventure of the Scooby gang, and yet still use that tag line. Hm.
Still, kudos for including them - this’ll help boost the reasons to keep this movie, if it turns out to be a real Milk Dud of a movie *ba-dum tish* :D
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The movie starts off rather abruptly, actually - no slow pan over the setting, just WB Animation credit and BOOM, we’ve cut to a Halloween parade and Elvira is talking.
I’m of a mixed opinion including Elvira on top of having Bill Nye and a Batman Rogue - while she most certainly fits the Scooby aesthetic, it doesn’t feel as grand an impact after her weird little cameo in Return to Zombie Island (ugh) and I’m not sure how well the movie will balance her in wait a minute
wait just a
WAIT A MINUTE
Did - did that parade float skeleton just sing Crystal Cove as the town’s name?
oh no.
Oh No.
....also their song is terrible and they should feel terrible.
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Fred: We got him! Banh Mi Shop, second floor!
me: the heck is a Banh Mi Shop? *mild googling noises*
So I guess Jonathan Crane really had a craving for a Vietnamese sandwich before he enacted his Halloween scheme.
...you think he’s a lemongrass chicken type of guy or a BBQ pork guy? It’s always hard to guess at these things, esp when coffee and pumpkin spice aren’t on the table (as per fanon, of course)
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Velma: We have a flawless track record!
So I guess WB is just gonna ignore the past few DTV retcons established in 13 Ghosts and Return to Zombie Island?
I mean that rather defeats the purpose of them existing at all, but fcuk YEAH I can get behind throwing that retcon garbage out of canon!
And STAY OUT!!
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Shaggy, talking about ghosts being real: I’m like the boy who cried wolf - I keep warning you but like, you won’t believe me until I finally get eaten!
Yet again, Warner Bros makes a wolf reference to Shaggy. Yet again, I am torn asunder between wanting werewolf!Shaggy in a new Scooby property, and fearing for the appearance of werewolf!Shaggy in a new Scooby property.
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Velma: Point is, being afraid is a waste of time!
Scarecrow, LITERALLY EXPLODING THROUGH A BRICK WALL three buildings away:
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He’s floating through the air and t-posing to assert his dominance 🤣🤣🤣
Gods bless animation 😁
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Daphne @ Shag and Scoob locking themselves in the van: Are you serial?
Me: wait, SERIAL? *re-reads captions* yup, that says “serial”.
Is this an editing mistake? I don’t think that works here…unless that’s supposed to be a joke on how they always do this. But then why would that be an irritating surprise, they literally do this EVERY episode 🙄
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Oh hey, Red Herring’s Party Screams truck has Red Herring running out of it
Could this be a hint to how the story goes? The villain appearing on a literal Red Herring?
Naaaaaah, WB’s not THAT smart
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So if we take @captainbaddecisions crack theory on Jonathan Crane being Shaggy’s uncle seriously, does this mean that Jonathan is using magic to fly, float fear toxin orbs around himself, and making things explode, a la the family trait of Crack Theory A?
Logically he’s probs using wires or magnets or some shit, but it’s a fun thought to entertain 😁
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Welp, we finally get the opening credits! … with Jonathan Crane smashing through the Mystery Machine’s windshield, set to a slow poppy song straight from the 60s, and spewing the title of the film out in glittery pink mist.
All the while Scooby and Shaggy throw candy at each other, deliberately obtuse to the cloud of fear toxin enveloping their friends and the townsfolk, the steady destruction of the Mystery Machine they’re laying in as multiple cars crash into it and send it spiraling, and the general mayhem and destruction that Scarecrow is causing
Never change, guys, never change
--------
I just choked on my lemonade
There’s an article plastered to the roof of the Mystery Machine titled “Talking Dog Confounds, Ignites Ethics Debate Over Dog Labor”
ahahahahaha
-------
Annnnnnnnd there goes the Mystery Machine, tumbling in the air and over the roads with Shaggy and Scooby still inside without seat belts. Will they perish in this horrible road accident? Will Death finally come to claim them at last?
Of course not. This is Shaggy and Scooby we’re talking about - I’m almost positive they can survive anything up to and including a nuclear bomb. This is child’s play to them.
-------
So they “capture” Scarecrow… by pinning his cape to a tree with crossbow bolts.
And they do not try to at least tie up his arms or his hands in ANY capacity.
JUST the cape.
...you know, Velma, for a team with a “flawless” track record, you guys are making a hecking TON of mistakes in facing against one of Batman’s ROGUES GALLERY, ESPECIALLY with no Batman in sight, good freakin’ grief. 😩
------
Yaaaaaaaaas, this Scarecrow design is LUSH
He’s got the lank, the height, the BTAS costume colors, the elongated face with beaky nose and pointed chin and angular cheekbones, the eyebags like Gucci, the furrowed brow… honestly the only thing missing is the more reddish color hair, and even that isn’t mandatory. I love 😍
Not to mention the HOT DAYUM voice he has - low and velvet rough and so godsdamned particular in a way that could either tie in to obscuring a southern accent as in fanon or just as a stringent academic, oh my yes. He’s voiced by someone called Dwight Schultz, who’s most well known for playing Captain ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock in the OG A-Team show, and someone called Reginald Barclay in Star Trek TNG and Voyager, if any of y’all know that character in particular.
And of course, the first line he says is a delightfully wry “Oh, but I AM getting away with it,” with the sort of smirk that absolutely lends credence to why he’s a threat to Batman, and not some simpering wimp that can be defeated with some crossbow bolts in a tree.
I think I’m going to enjoy this movie at least somewhat, so long as we get to see him 🥰🥰🥰
(tho on a side note: Daphne why on EARTH are you trying to film Crane saying the meddling kids line? Do you have a video compilation of past villains who’ve done that, and you hope to add his to it? Was your phone damaged when you went up against the Riddler a few DTVs ago and you want a second shot at recording a Gotham Rogue saying it? Bc I don’t think a Gotham Rogue would be too pleased with seeing himself as a Mystery Meme on the Youtubes, you get what I’m saying?)
-------
Okay, so the floating orb things are explained away as fear toxin bomb drones somehow… despite looking nothing like the other drones and being much smaller with no visible propulsion, while also flying unassisted through and around objects to explode against places once flung…
(tho interesting note, none of them are aimed directly at the crowds, just behind them - odd, that)
But how did he heckin’ FLY at the beginning?
Yeah, they show him wearing wrist-mounted grappling hooks at the end of the intro song sequence, but they are NOWHERE IN SIGHT at the beginning - and I do mean in sight, since he emerges against a backdrop of flames. There was nothing there (see the T-pose above for further evidence), and nothing there when he FLEW THROUGH THE MYSTERY MACHINE’S WINDSHIELD AND FLEW BACK OUT AGAIN. And these things are pale silver, which stands out like crazy against the darker backgrounds, so no hand-wavy ‘they were always being used’ bullcrap we’ve seen in other movies.
Hmmm *scribbles in notepad* note to self, add notation concerning Crack Theory A on magic!Shaggy to “Uncle Crane” theory files - evidence denotes that Crane is able to fly (or at least hover in mid-air unassisted) for terrorization purposes. May boost strength of CTA by family association, lending credence to magic inheritance along the bloodline...
------
“Avocado Toast Generation”? Crane, I honestly don’t know if you really mean that, or if you understand just how much that phrase gets under any Millennial/Gen Z kid’s skin. Having seen multiple variations of your character, it really could swing either way (tho kudos on the dead switch idea - very nice 👍🏻)
Although this does lead to an interesting stand-off: Fred, upon seeing the town threatened with 3 days worth of fear toxin, immediately moves to let Crane go, while Velma stops him and refuses to consider compromising if it means Crane escapes. They both look legitimately frustrated at the other for taking the stance they do.
Fascinating~
------
Hmmm
Crane honey, I don’t know if your drones are made of flash paper and hope, or if Scooby and Shaggy are using the reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaally old candy (the stuff made about ~3 years ago most neighborhoods give out to the teenagers that knock around midnight on Halloween) to shoot them down, but either way you may wish to speak with the manufacturer about this
Then again, this IS Shaggy and Scooby - they probably could’ve spat marshmallows at the drones and brought them down with equal success and explosions
(and good on them for shooting those down! Atta boy 👍🏻)
-------
Aw dang it
1. They still have Crane captured and now in handcuffs (despite having… you know… NOT been bound by anything except cross bolts in his curtain cape thing)
2. Dwight Schultz has decided to pitch his voice higher and more nasally than what he has. Hopefully this is more of an incredulous sort of pitch than something that sticks for the rest of the movie, ugh.
Also, I think they’re framing the movie to be more Velma-centric this time around - she’s the one explaining to Crane how they tracked him down, apparently through a piece of fan mail he sent Elvira (is that the only reason she’s there? Also why was Velma examining random pieces of fan mail for toxins, Elvira probs gets hundreds a week irl) and it looks like they’re framing something up on how fear isn’t something you can pretend isn’t there. neat!
------
whajit
53rd?
53rd?!?!
ONLY 53rd?!?!?!?!
Boooo, Scarecrow’s WAY more popular than that! I call foul
---
Okay why is Daphne’s schtick so far to spit laaaaaaame slang after every sentence Velma says
I would rather this not be her schtick
Actually could she go back to filming mystery stuff, bc at least I can pretend it’ll build into the OG Zombie Island Daphne
----
Phew, his voice has returned to its low, raspy goodness
also, Crane needs to learn about personal space, good grief
(interesting clue brought up tho - Crane only steals tech that CAN’T leak his toxin, ergo it can’t be tracked until he releases it. Sensible use, given that Batman probs tracks it if it does.)
----
Velma: I’m not afraid of you, Crane. Fear is an illogical reaction to an imagined threat.
Crane:
-----
Crane: Fearless, then. Intelligent. Proud and stubborn. You remind me very much of the one person in this world I care about.
uhhhhhh
Yourself? Harley? Edward Nygma? Ichabod the raven? Idk, I’m honestly curious as to where this thread will go 🤔🤔🤔
-----
Fred, leaning against the Mystery Machine: Guys, it’s gonna be okay. She told me!
O_o
Fred? Honey? Are you sure you weren’t supposed to join Crane in the transport vehicle back to Arkham?
----
OH SWEET JESUS SHAGGY GREW YAOI HANDS
WHAT THE HECK
THAT’S WAY MORE UNNERVING THEN YOU GUYS NOT BEING AFRAID ANYMORE
(although the fact that they’re both unsettled by NOT constantly shaking or having their heart racing is honestly kind of heartbreaking. Y’all need therapy, good grief)
----
Shaggy and Scooby just chewed up candy (wrapper and all) to make themselves a Halloween costume of… what looks like barfed-up candy (ew)
Before then proceeding to dance so well that everyone around them also starts dancing in a 60s-70s era rainbow light show and giving them candy
I worry for these two sometimes - that kind of power seems to be getting to their head 😬😬😬
---
Oh hey, acid green toxic waste is spilling from an 18-wheeler onto the Fear Toxin drones and emitting a purple pink haze that envelops a pumpkin patch! That won’t do anything suspicious at all I bet!
(wait is Poison Ivy going to come into this at some point)
(also major kudos to the music here - very 80s horror synth, I like)
----
So the Pumpkins have grown faces, limbs, consciousness, the ability to fly and a lust for human flesh
And they appear to be led by the Pumpkin King of the Pumpkin Patch mentioned in the Charlie Brown Halloween special
He’s not as friendly as I pictured him being, sadly 😕
---
Why is this random ass cop coming up to FD&V to say that they’re in over their heads… AFTER the mystery’s been solved?
Like dude, you’re only making yourself suspicious at this point, go home
----
Huh, interesting - the gang are being interviewed for a tv news network while they’re considered the town heroes
Why am I getting bad vibes from this…
Eh, it’s probably nothing
----
Velma: {Shaggy and Scooby} are, um… REALLY into the Halloween spirit.
Shaggy: THIS ISN’T COSPLAY, VELMA!
I’m dying 😂
------
Holy Shit
Velma just snapped and went off on Shaggy and Scooby for acting scared and doing nothing to help wrap up the mystery
(even though these guys are the ONLY reason that the gang didn’t have to choose between setting Scarecrow free and poisoning the entire town for 3 days straight, but hey, what do I know - I’m just writing an in-depth reaction post to this movie and taking note of details like this, clearly I know nothing *eye roll*)
Last time I saw Velma critique the guys’ usual mystery solving shenanigans, it was much more low-key and without knowing they were nearby
But I’m sure that’s just a coincidence
------
What the
Bills?
Bills?!?!
Fred just mentioned that fixing the Mystery Machine was going to leave a hefty bill and that they may need to get dishwashing jobs to earn money
Which is more of a job you might expect a high schooler to get on the go and yet
They actually have to pay bills
How old are they here??!
------
wait a tic
THIS is how they introduce Bill Nye?
He just calls up Velma with no explanation other than Velma saying “Oh hey, it’s Bill Nye!”
I just - what?!?!
How do you know him so well that he can just pull up your number and call you, and then geT YOU A NEW FREAKING CAR LIKE
WHAT?!?!?!?
Was there a Scooby episode with him in the past two years where the fcuk did this come from
------
Also the car is dressed like Bill Nye
And he can talk to the gang directly as the car
So that he can solve mysteries with them whenever he wants
This… this was not what I was expecting to come about from the Bill Nye cameo
(alas, poor predictions of being Crane’s roommate, you will not come to pass this day) 😔
-------
Ooooo, purple haze throbbing on the horizon! That’s always a good sign of things to come! 😀
------
And now Daphne’s… asking Elvira to mentor her fashion wise. And Elvira’s taking her on as her unpaid intern/personal assistant.
Yooo, movie, can you pick a direction and stick with it for Daphne? You’ve gone from her spewing outdated slang to wanting a costume for trick-or-treating, and now this.
-------
Welp, now I can say I saw a giant pumpkin dog vore an old woman
I didn’t WANT to see that mind, but I guess I can say it now 😐
------
OH SHIT NO
IT TURNED HER INTO A FLYING PUMPKIN SHAPED LIKE HER FACE
ABSOLUTELY UNSETTLING, 0/10 WOULD NOT RECOMMEND
-------
At least we get a nice scene of Daphne kicking the pumpkins’ collective butt
Something normal
------
Elvira: WOW! You’re a regular Mary Sue!
*falls over cackling*
------
And now there’s a giant purple fissure opening up in the concrete to swallow the town of Crystal Cove whole
(good, i whisper softly into the darkness of my living room. Let it fall)
--------
Man, I feel so bad for this single father right now
He’s gotten wrapped up in all of this nonsense with his daughter, and he is just Distraught at being chased by Jackal Lanterns, having the town collapsing under his feet, and having to gorge jump in his sedan to get away from the worst of it
It’s okay, Mike Dad - we would feel the same way in your shoes
-------
Hologram Bill Nye is wearing Cat ears and cat whiskers/nose, and is cleaning his hands like a cat cleans its paws
Why was this the movie we found out Bill Nye was a furry
Why Warner Bros
Why would you inflict this upon us in a Scooby Doo-Scarecrow mystery
-------
Hey, can Jonathan Crane return now? The movie needs its dignity back.
------
A clue on the whys here - the town was built on top of a MASSIVE lithium deposit, with the talks to mine it being scrapped due to environmental concerns. That’s actually a decent lead in for why some
-------
Welp
The Jackal Lanterns just went full Mad Max with the Halloween Parade floats and cars
No, I don’t have any idea why either, just roll with it
-------
Nice, they confirmed that Fred’s full name is still Frederick Herman Jones XD
Also a great little action sequence with Daphne - while there’s not much movement, they frame the scene dynamically, with some good quick wordplay. Very nice.
--------
Velma has a mind palace
Aight
--------
Velma: Shaggy, I could kiss you!
Oh, to hear this as a child, when I still hardcore shipped Shelma *sigh*
------
Oh thank gods we’re going back to Scarecrow again
------
Shaggy ate some Scooby Snacks, leapt out of a moving vehicle, and onto the backs of two flying pumpkins that he promptly reined in to fly to Crane’s prison transport
...yet again, I am amazed at the sentences I am led to type for Scooby Doo DTVs
------
Ah, how very Hannibal Lector of you, Jon
Man, he actually looks very meek in normal clothes - red long-sleeved shirt and grey slacks
-----
Hmmm
So Crane ISN’T behind the Jackal Lanterns - in fact he’s outright befuddled by them. This means his whole spiel to Velma earlier about both of them being caught in the same trap was… metaphorical? The breakdown doesn’t actually go into WHY he thinks they’re in the same trap - Crane’s whole schtick is tied to accepting fear, not denying it, so why would they be the same?
Either way, someone is using both him and Mystery Inc to do something to Crystal Cove (please be Red Herring, please be Red Herring, please be Red Herring)
Actually, that reference at the beginning really WAS a red herring - they framed it as being Jon the whole time when it wasn’t. Kudos!
Additional kudos to having Jon be seen more out of mask than in - he is a looker, and I aim to look as much as I can ;)
-------
Annnnd Daphne’s now trying to convince Elvira to switch clothes with her
I don’t get it - how on earth did we get from Daphne trying to find a good costume for trick-or-treating to asking Elvira to switch oh there it is nevermind.
-----
There is literally a scene where a giant buzzsaw is slicing towards Crane
and he just
stares at it
going “huh, that’s different”
And I LOVE IT
------
And here we have another fascinating scene: Velma going to free Crane from his cell, as Daphne tells her to just leave him to die by pumpkin
I’m wondering if they meant to draw a parallel between the two here - Velma starts by reciting a nursery rhyme, then overcoming her fears in order to release madness to take control. It’s not done very cleanly - mainly bc we barely have any time with Crane in this movie - but I wonder if they meant to insinuate that Crane was like Velma once, where he refused to acknowledge he was afraid, which caused him to lose focus on his initial goals
Idk, ignore my ramblings
---
Crane, smirking: I’ll need my personal effects - extenuating circumstances.
Me, fanning myself: I’ll need you to remove yours first
(i am not even kidding, Crane is an absolute DILF in this movie and it flusters me. Stupid sexy animation)
---
YAAAAAAAAAAASSSSS
SCARECROW TO THE MOTHERFCUKING RESCUE BABY, SCYTHE AND FCUKING ALL!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
----
FCUK YEAH THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
HE HAS A DANCE LIKE QUALITY WITH SOME OF HIS FIGHTING MOVES
VIOLENT DANCING BRINGS THE GIANT JACKAL LANTERN DOWN BABY
THEN HE BACKFLIPS AND GYMNASTIC SWINGS INTO THE VAN
ROCK IT SCARECROW FCUKING ROCK IT
(minor note here, but the subtitles show Dr. Crane instead of Scarecrow - unsure if that’s more that the movie calls him Dr Crane or if it indicates he’s acting more heroic than villainous)
---
GODDAMNIT
THE GIANT PUMPKIN SNUCK VINES INTO THE VAN AND STOLE HIM BACK
WHEN CRANE WAS... wearing a seatbelt before, but isn’t now.
...
BOOOOO
---
Yet again, we find a Scooby movie that attempts character development, but with Velma
Unlike Shaggy’s Showdown however, I’m mixed on how successful it is.
For starters, Velma hasn’t been this cocksure in other DTVs we’ve seen, so it’s a bit odd to see it now. While not 100% out of place - after all, the gang DID capture one of Batman’s Rogues Gallery on their own - it still feels a touch forced. Compare that to Shaggy’s Showdown, where Shaggy has ALWAYS been a coward (one that, in more recent years, writers have had willing to abandon his friends for safety), so the character development there feels more natural.
The progression of events with Velma actually work somewhat okay - but again, here’s where past DTVs come to bite them in the ass. The past handful have had the gang be wrong, have had them fail, or catch the wrong guy. This makes Velma’s attitude here at odds with the other films, something that sticks more due to a character that’s appeared in the past few films as a minor inconvenience - a Sheriff who keeps telling the gang not to interfere, they’re doing things wrong, etc. If this had been a character who was completely wrong in the past AND SHOWN TO BE WRONG FOR HIS OPINIONS, while the gang never guessed wrong, this would work much better. Unfortunately, it doesn’t, and here we are.
I think it would have flowed better if Velma’s cockiness came solely from catching Crane on their own. Have a random cop character or reporter or whatever (just not the recurring cop), insinuate that the gang is in too deep with Scarecrow, that he should be handled by the adults or professionals or whatever. Velma could bristle, overcompensate, and THEN fall from her pedestal like we see, reach out to the gang and commiserate over feeling scared, and grow. Again, it’s not too far to reach for, but they handle it poorly; as a result, the outcome feels a little more shoehorned in.
It’s an honest shame, bc we haven’t had a Velma centered story since Frankencreepy, and we all remember what a hideous fcuking mess THAT was *shudders*. Still, it somewhat gets its point across, I guess.
---
Fred why did you rip your shirt off
Actually better question why do you not have nipples
---
Awwwwwww
Velma just apologized to Shag and Scoob for snapping at them earlier, and admits how she doesn’t appreciate how much they make Mystery Inc what it is
Also she eats a Scooby Snack with them and admits they taste pretty good
----
Huh
Velma’s mind palace is the Mystery Machine driving through space
Also Shaggy and Scooby are able to telepathically follow her in and communicate with her
Literally, they actually followed her into her head telepathically, and show her their memories of things she hasn’t gotten to see tonight (while also possibly enhancing her ability to remember things, given how much DETAIL she captures perfectly of things that she would maybe have glimpsed in a millisecond AT MOST)
...another tally for Crack Theory A of magic! Shaggy and Scooby *scribbles*
-------
Fred, be very very thankful that there are no people operating those pumpkins in person cause uhhhh
Those traps would be spraying red instead of orange
------
Another weird music choice - the gang goes up to fight the Jackal Lanterns, but the music is the same 60s bubble we heard earlier
Not terribly atmospheric, really
(wouldn’t a Smashing Pumpkins cover of Scooby Doo be more appropriate, or did you guys spend all your money on hiring Elvira and Bill Nye?)
------
Dang
Velma just admitted her fears and jumped into the mouth of the Mega Pumpkin, before getting Fred to use the app from earlier to shut it down, revealing it to be a giant drone surrounded by smaller pumpkin drones
This feels… counterintuitive, but I’ll try to explain at the end
---
Okay
I’ll admit it
The Whodunnit is actually pretty decent in concept
There was a sprinkling of tidbits that could be assembled for the final conclusion and still make a decent amount of sense, all to find the sheriff doing it
Only he isn’t a sheriff
He’s a former Tech CEO who was also busted by the gang years ago in a case the Sheriff kept bringing up throughout the movie - due to his prison sentence, he lost more than half his wealth and the opportunity to expand it further with the Crystal Cove Lithium deposits
He was also someone who sold tech to Crane for his fear toxin distribution, where he got the idea to frame him for it
(tho on a side note, Crane is an absolute dork and a terrible liar - just look at the email he sent XD and that profile pic, my gods)
He deliberately picked at the gang for the past few DTVs (specifically 2: Return to Zombie Island and Curse of the 13th Ghost) to fracture their confidence, undermine them, etc - all so that in one fell swoop, he could retake his fortune, frighten everyone in town away from the mines so they couldn’t interfere, frighten away the gang (while also ruining their reputation as mystery solvers), and take Crane off the docket so he couldn’t identify the CEO when he pretended to be the sheriff
This… is actually a pretty damn good plan, for a Scooby villain. He was patient, manipulative, and clever, learning how best to tie up loose ends and win back what he lost. A clever revenge story that came so close to coming to fruition, and could have honestly been sold convincingly…
...if it hadn’t been done so much better in Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.
Yeeeaaaah, this movie basically lifts the rough framework up from that one - past mystery villain comes back to attack the gang and ruin their reputation (tho this one decides to also make his fortune back and tie up loose ends with former criminal contacts, a la Crane). Gang is embarrassed in front of the news folk, another villain is framed for it (like Old Man Wickles of the Black Knight fame), and the gang must reconcile to foil the villain for good.
Although it also??? Merges elements of Frankencreepy in it?? The movie is focused on Velma, who is struggling to admit when she’s wrong (which ties into her fear, somehow… I’ll think on that point a little) and things purportedly go haywire when she won’t bend. This… isn’t illustrated as well here, since there’s very little direct cause-and-effect from Velma’s actions that would prove this point - that insisting her way is the right, best, and therefore only way to go ends up making things worse.
As much as I despised Frankencreepy (and I DESPISED IT), it did do that part well - showing that refusing to budge on something can lead to you hurting your friends (literally, in that one), and that admitting you were wrong and need help isn’t the end of the world.
(that movie also had former villains returning to gain vengeance upon the gang using psychological warfare, hm - may need to go over that one again, unfortunately).
It’s a shame, too - the basic elements for this plot are all here, they just need to be polished and reworked a bit to make a really fascinating movie.
------
Anyways, back to the asshat CEO who just… faked being a sheriff. Because white people can get away with that so long as they have the outfit and the car *throws up hands* (the sad part is this is probably something that actually happens)
As he drives away we see a familiar silhouette looming in the cornfields, watching him approach
Velma had Bill Nye on speaker, so he could record the entire confession for the federal officers nearby (who were taking Scarecrow back to Arkham), and track the phone signal to his exact location
And right as his holographic call cuts out, we see the shadow of a Scarecrow looming over him, causing him to scream.
When the feds arrive at his final location, both his body and the money have vanished. The car still sits, engine running, before the crows leering over him from the field vanish into the sky.
-------
Now that he’s dead, the gang walks and finds themselves at a Halloween party, with friendly faces and good food. The mystery is solved, though the culprit may never be found again.
Then Daphne admits to NOT trying to steal Elvira’s costume for Halloween, but instead trying to steal Elvira’s identity and replace her.
Something that she’s apparently nearly gotten away with on past mysteries working with Phillis Diller
*sighs* movie, why couldn’t you just stick to the costume schtick? This is just… so much worse.
-----
From there, Elvira walks off to wrap things up, reveal the monster face on the back of her head sans wig (which was also a monkey), and start the credits, where we see the gang working to bring the Mystery Machine back to its former glory a la Frankenstein pastiche.
This movie… this movie is a hot mess, but at least it’s an OKAY hot mess.
It really does feel like someone started writing a decent Velma-focused movie concerning the Scarecrow and a past Mystery Inc villain interfering, but was bogged down by notes from higher-ups: Wait! Write in Elvira! Also write in Bill Nye! Hey, let’s have a Mad Max car chase with the Jackal Lanterns! And have Daphne obsessed with literally becoming Elvira! Also make reference to things that we’ll insist be explained this way instead of a way that makes sense! Great!
(seriously tho, we never find out who Crane cares about most that reminds him of Velma, what the heck?)
It’s like two or three different scripts were smooshed together without being cleaned up - stuff is said that doesn’t get resolved, the celebrity guests don’t get to breathe much and feel squished together, and the build-up for the villain feels… less impactful, even knowing that he’s been in the past two films.
It might have worked if he’d been in… let’s say like 5 or 6 DTVs in a row, speaking roles for dissing the gang growing in each (ex start with “Good job kids! But maybe next time, leave it to the professionals, okay?” and growing more bitter from there), but only 2 feels kind of meh. Still, I do appreciate the clues we got to collect together, and they all work in the final breakdown of the scheme - some DTVs can feel like they pull stuff completely out of nowhere, so kudos there.
I appreciate what they wanted to do with Velma - give her a character development arc similar to Shaggy’s in Shaggy’s Showdown. Unfortunately, it wasn’t set up quite so neatly: they blended her ‘refusal to admit fear’ with her overconfidence that she was always right, and it led to a weird conclusion. To face her fears, she leapt into the Giant Pumpkin, which… proved that she was right all along about it being fake, and that solves things somehow. It doesn’t address how she can get something wrong sometimes, it doesn’t really address what she’s afraid of (which is honestly quite good: she’s afraid of failing in a way that allows bad guys to escape justice and in a way that hurts her friends), it’s just a bit of a mess. Points for aiming the focus the right way (and in a way that DOESN’T sexualize the underage teenage girl, unlike some DTVs cough cough Frankencreepy cough cough), but it’s very very messy how it goes about it.
The movie actually balanced pretty well for the whole gang - no excessive focus on one leaving the rest in the dust (too much at least - Fred was a touch underdeveloped, but nowhere near as annoying as past iterations have been. Shaggy and Scooby were kind of meh in some places but great in others, while Daphne was just odd. I think they were trying to recapture the BCSD Daphne characterization, but they failed. Still, she did spend some good time kicking ass with the pumpkins, so that was fun.
Now for the Rogue, Jonathan Crane. If you like Crane, this movie gives you: maniacal Scarecrow, calm and creepy Crane, a brief glimpse at fanboy!Crane (he admits in his own awkward way that he’s a fan of Elvira, and later tells her he loves her work - it’s fun), and (best of all for me) a heroic Crane - one who helps the protagonists and ends up kicking ass pretty damn well, brief as it was. And while DILF Crane is always a treat, he feels underutilized in this. In comparison, Scooby Doo/Batman Brave and the Bold really utilized a lot of different aspects of Riddler, to the point he actually does feel pretty menacing by the third act. It’s a shame we don’t quite get that with Crane, but I do love seeing him 1. More out of mask, and 2. Acting as a good guy (in his own way), so he’s enjoyable on the whole.
I kind of wish that the whole movie was spent more with Crane, but again, the script is a bit of a mess on this part - the fact that he’s not completely screwed over is a goddamn miracle.
Elvira was… okay. She didn’t have much of a purpose beyond getting the plot started and giving Daphne some hooks to play off of. Bill Nye (abrupt as his introduction was) did provide some necessary elements to the mystery, as well as the tech; he wasn’t too bad by the end. (still a touch bitter we didn’t get ex roommate Nye, but hey, what can you do)
Humor was… mixed. Some good, some meh, but very few long enough to feel painful. Some bits felt extraneous at times, but they did help to build to the conclusion, so points for effort.
At the end of the day though, I’m probably keeping this more for Jonathan Crane than anyone else. It does have a lot of fanfic potential tho 🤔🤔🤔
That’s all from me tonight, folks! Hope you enjoyed my own little breakdown of the movie.
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June Picks!
And just like that we’re at the end of yet another month. I seriously do not know where these months are going. I think they’re going by faster now since we’ve been socially distant. I hope everyone is staying safe out there and can enjoy the start of summer while also being smart. It’s good to know we can always escape into TV and movies at home. Without further ado, here’s my monthly wrap up.
You know spoilers are coming....
DC’s STARGIRL
I gave some quick thoughts a few weeks back when the first episode of the latest DC TV show premiered on the CW. I really liked this episode and it got me pumped for the series, but since then I feel most of the episodes have dragged for me. Because this show has the DC streaming service feel, it makes you want to binge all the episodes, which is something you can’t do when CW airs it on a weekly basis. Most of the action occurs at the beginning or end of the episode, which serves as a great cliffhanger, which works well in this streaming format. Due to this format, the middle can drag...a lot. Going in I didn’t know much about Stargirl or the JSA. (My main knowledge comes from that special the Justice Society had in that one Smallville special all those years ago. There it was a bit of an overload of heroes, unlike here.) I love Pat and Courtney’s relationship. Every episode they bond more and I especially liked when she was complaining to him about how the other teammates don’t listen to her. He understood that really well. I am also just loving Luke Wilson as Pat. I think he works well for the role. Feels believable. I’m ALWAYS a fan of a new generation of heroes. While it was slower getting the team together, now that we have the core group I am especially excited. The latest episode (6) was one of the strongest for me and I am very excited to see this up and coming team train and get stronger. I’m also interested in learning more about the villains. I think it’s interesting how we are also meeting a lot of the villain’s kids who seem to not know their parents’ true identities. I wonder if we’ll be able to turn any of them. (Feeling it for Icicle Jr.) For our team, I’m really loving how it’s three girls and one boy. I think that’s a dynamic we don’t often see, especially in a group of superheroes. I’m still working out who to ship, but I’m really loving Rick. Can’t wait to continue watching. I hope we get more of these epic stance moments.
LEGENDS OF TOMORROW
Let’s continue on this superhero thread with another one of my favorites, which wrapped up its 5th season (crazy it’s already the 5th!) at the start of the month. I’ve said this before and I will continue to do so, Legends is THE BEST SHOW IN THE ARROWVERSE. It has been the most consistent and that’s not only because of a strong cast, the freedom to do basically anything they want with the plot and also being a mid-season show. I think where the Flash and Arrow often get tripped up is having too many episodes to fill, which forces story lines to be dragged out and filler episodes. With a 13 episode season you don’t get that. WARNING I’m going to jump into season 5 spoilers now!!
So, some of my overall thoughts for this season:
The Wave-rider has always been a revolving door for characters. This show probably has the most turn-over than any other show I watch. And it works, but for this season especially it felt like a lot of coming and going as I look back.
It was sad to see Ray leave. Not only is he one of my favorites, but he was one of the core crew that was left. He brought great humor and heart to the show. I loved his bromance with Nate over the seasons. I wish he could have come back for the finale. While I like that he left with Nora (because they are adorable) it just felt too fast (and that was with me knowing how many episodes he had left).
Charlie’s exit. I know she had a large part of the plot with her sisters, especially in the second half of the season, which means she’ll be missed even more next season. When she said she was staying in the finale I was like WHAT! It just felt so sudden and I didn’t see it coming.
The lack of Sara on the ship this season made me feel like she had other projects in the works. When she became blind I was like op this is it for her character. Now of course, I see how that worked into the overall story line, but with her abduction at the end of the season (meaning another absence) I’m curious if she is working on other things. I do love seeing Ava at the helm though. She makes a great captain. I just wish the two could be co-captains on the screen more often in future seasons to come. It hurt me too much to see Ava’s reaction to when she knew she was going to lose Sara.
At first I REALLY missed the original Zari. She’s the one we knew for a few seasons and now she was gone. That’s the main reason why I had difficulty liking Behrad right away. I do appreciate that they didn’t drag out the plot of discovering something in the timeline had changed. I liked how Nate had some memory and got that message from Zari. When Zari 2.0 showed up I missed our original Zari even more, but the more episodes she was a part of, she grew on me and I suddenly was worried to lose her. I was completely fine with having both Zaris on the Waverider (ha, ha, ha, but seriously). I think Tala did a great job of bringing two different incarnations to the character and seeing how Zari would have grown up if she didn’t have such a tragic backstory.
I can seriously go on and on about this season, but I think it’s best to leave for another post.
THE 100
If you follow me or have read other posts on my page you know I’m a 100 fan. If I’ve had strong feelings about an episode (positive or negative) you will probably see a reaction post. I haven’t watched this past week’s episode yet, so this will mainly relate to the first five episodes of season 7. I’m having a love/hate relationship so far, which honestly I’m not shocked about. The first few seasons of this show were definitely the strongest, but I’ve remained a loyal fan and supported it throughout. When the first episode of season 7 aired a few weeks ago, I instantly felt it wasn’t going to be a strong ending. I kept saying that the true ending happened when our characters went on the ship to look for a new planet and “ended book 1.” Since then the feel of the show has shifted and that’s especially true with this final season. It’s always been a sci-fi show, but now with the anomaly and this jumping multiple portals and planets it feels VERY SCI-FI. Like at times I don’t 100% understand how what they’re doing is possible. But I’m okay with that. I’ve watched Doctor Who and felt the same way and still had a good time. Going into this season, I thought the anomaly plot was going to be the one I disliked the most. But for me now it’s what’s saving this season. I am loving that story line over the one we’re having at Sanctum (where they are FAR too many new characters that I don’t care about). I absolutely LOVED the Octavia/Dioyza/Hope backstory episode. There were so many great parallels to Octavia’s own childhood and I was able to appreciate how much her character has developed. After seeing this episode, I instantly grew to really like ‘adult’ Hope as well as her dynamic with Gabriel and Hope. (It hurt me so much when Echo killed the man who was helping them get back.) I can’t wait for Hope to find her mom. (I saw pictures of the three of them together again, so I know it’s going to happen.) Speaking of not liking new characters, I DO like Levitt so far. That could be mainly for the fact that he’s also a fan of watching the 100. I was NOT expecting to see Bellamy at the end of episode 5. It brought me so much joy. I hope we don’t have to wait so long for the next time. (Because, come on-we know he’s not really dead.) I am upset that Bob is barely in this season. It’s not fair to him or the character. Even thought the Sanctum plot is bothering me I am loving the scenes Murphy is in. Talk about character development. He better make it out of all this at the end. I also enjoyed Raven’s story line with the radiation. I agree with a few people’s posts I saw about her not having a large plot last season and not being the Raven we know. I’m happy to see her being one of the main characters again. We might not get the ending we deserve, but I hope it’s one that isn’t horrible.
MARVEL RE-WATCH
What’s one way to spend your quarantine/social distancing? Why ranking all 22 movies in the MCU and then re-watching all of them (one a day) and re-ranking them with your new thoughts. With seasons ending early and less being on TV now was a fantastic time to do this. (Plus, I knew a few other people doing it so I felt inspired.) For some of these films, I think I had only seen them a few times and it was hard to remember what happened in certain ones over others. (I kept thinking stuff that happened in Captain America Civil War was actually in Captain America Winter Soldier.) I really enjoyed the experience and highly recommend it, whether you’ve watched these movies a countless amount of times or only once. Watching them in order of their release really made me appreciate all the Easter Eggs and planning that went into it. I longed for some movies and was not excited for others (I’m looking at you Guardians Vol. 2). It also made me feel a deeper connection to Iron Man (which made the ending even tougher-and I knew what was coming). The nostalgia was strong and I’m so happy to be a part of this fandom.
Sneak peak at my re-ranking that is still in the process:
Top 3)
Avengers Infinity Wars
Avengers Endgame
Spiderman Far From Home
Bottom)
Guardians Vol. 2
Thor the Dark World
Iron Man 2
AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER
Avatar was released on Netflix this month and something in me said now was the time to watch it. (That’s right, I haven’t watched it before). The hype for this series is crazy! I remember it being on Nickelodeon as a kid, but I had never watched it. I didn’t know much about it other than the main character had an arrow on his head and was the last airbender. (Yep, so not a lot.) Currently, I’m still very early in-I think about episode 9-but I already feel very invested. I like that the episodes are only about 25 minutes long. They’re quick watches, which allows me to watch a bunch without feeling guilty. After watching the first two I already felt like I wanted to learn more about this world and its characters. I think it’s really interesting how the elemental bending is used and how some characters can do it while others can’t. I also like how the avatar gets rotated within each bender and how the one before Aang was a fire bender seeing as how that is our main opponent in this first season. Coming into the show I was told by a friend that this is some of the strongest character development he has seen. That was such high praise and I cannot wait to witness it for myself. One of the reasons I love watching TV/movies and reading is because of the characters. I love bonding with them and feeling like I know them. I can already hypothesize who will change the most (my mind automatically goes to Prince Zuko), but I’ve been really good about spoilers, so that way I can witness it myself. Because I’m still so early on I can’t say much, expect that I’m enjoying it and will keep you posted on how my journey with Aang, Katara, Sokka and Zuko go.
VIOLETTA SEASON 2
I was ECSTATIC when I found out that season 2 of Violetta had FINALLY come to Disney Plus. It had felt like FOREVER since I had finished the first season (of 80 episodes. You know a show is good if after 80 episodes you’re like where is the next season of 80 more episodes!), but it was really only a few months. It feels great to be back at the Studio with Violetta and the crew. There’s a few new faces this season both with the students and the faculty. It always takes adjusting with new seasons/characters, but some of these characters I really don’t like. I know that’s good because you’re not necessarily supposed to like them, but I really want some of them gone. (I’m looking at you Jackie.) But with a show that has so many episodes, a lot of the story lines often get dragged out, so I don’t know when that will be. Again, Violetta has found herself in a love triangle (just like every other teenage girl, lol). This time Diego opposes Leon and is much different than Tomas in season 1. Where Tomas was passive and always wore a face of uncertainty/confusion, Diego is bold and won’t take no for an answer. At times I feel he borders stalker territory.
So far, I’m up to episode 20 and am getting more into it. I was missing out on the performances/ songs and now there’s starting to be more, which has me excited. I’m hoping not to watch this one as fast because I know most people say it is the best one, plus who knows when season 3 would appear on Disney Plus. For anyone unfamiliar with my first post about Violetta earlier in the year should check it out if they’re looking for a telenovela full of drama, misunderstandings love triangles, angst and music that will get stuck in your head. Definitely worth the watch!
WORLD OF DANCE
My favorite dance competition TV show is back and I could not be more excited!! There’s just something about World of Dance that puts me in such a good mood and I can’t wait for Tuesday nights. I’m just upset at myself that I watch the latest episode too soon and then have to wait another week. This season the judges switched it up by coming to the contestants last audition with the producers...or so they thought. I loved seeing their reactions when they walked into the room and Ne-Yo, Jennifer Lopez and Derek Hough were there. It was priceless. While I don’t have a dancing bone in my body, I still am able to appreciate this talent and love watching the contestants perform. What I really like about this show is the range of ages and types of dancers from soloists, duos, trios and groups. I like how each competes within their group until the final episode when they have won their category. The talent is already so strong as they finished the call backs (which was a new feature this season too). Some of my favorites are below. I can’t wait to see what happens for the rest of the season. I just hope the pandemic didn’t interrupt the filming. You can catch up on all episodes by watching NBC on demand!
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST....
BEECHAM HOUSE
Ending strong with yet another Masterpiece Classic, Beecham House. This series, which aired earlier in the UK, premiered about two weeks ago here in the states on PBS. While I’ve heard that there will not be a second season and the outrage of that makes me worried for how this season will end. (After watching Sanditon earlier this year you really don’t know what to expect.) Despite knowing this already, I will continue to watch the show and enjoy what we have. Which I am so far. While only the first two episodes have aired, I already feel very invested. The first episode, specifically, leaves a lot of questions unanswered, which is understandable because they want to draw you in to watch the show. I was making a lot of speculations, but refrained from going into too much spoiler territory. (Surprisingly, I’ve been good! That’s impressive for me!) Some of my questions have already been answered in the second episode (but of course, there are more to go) and I was happy how I guessed. There’s so many characters and it feels like we’re gaining more with each episode. Despite, there being so many, I am able to keep up and like seeing new characters interact with one another. I also enjoy seeing a lot of familiar faces from Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) in a very different kind of role compared to Downton and Leo Suter who has been in a lot of my recent Masterpiece watches (Victoria, Sanditon). I love how he plays such a different character in each project he’s in. Really shows his range. With four more episodes to go I can’t wait to continue learning more about what’s going on in Beecham House and what their futures will be. I don’t know if the US numbers will help a chance for a second season, but I hope so!
Speaking of my previous Masterpiece watches: I really enjoyed World on Fire overall. It ended with some big cliffhangers and I am very excited it got a second season!!
What are you watching? Any requests of what I should tune into next?
#june picks#Monthly wrap up#tv reviews#dc stargirl#stargirl#courtney whitmore#the justice society of america#DC's Legends of Tomorrow#sara lance#sara x ava#zari tarazi#The 100#the 100 season 7#clarke griffin#octavia blake#bellamy blake#raven reyes#john murphy#hope dioyza#we still deserve bellarke#marvel rewatch#the marvel cinematic universe#avatar the last airbender#aang#violetta#violetta season 2#world of dance#beecham house#john beecham
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Dearest O'Malley Chapter 11
Chapter 11
I was soon starting to feel under the weather myself after Joe passed away. I felt weak from being under nitrus for 3 months, just like Jim; Nathan's instructor said. I began to get sick too just like that. Nathan tried to get me running again and grew frustrated. I felt my timing points were off just a little bit and I had to sit for almost 2 months that summer and I dreaded feeling sick for a while. All I could do was rest and as I was napping that afternoon, I had a dream about my father. In my dream, I was a young boy and playing a prank on him. I had sneaked quietly into my father's room and tip-toed to the bed where my dad was sleeping. Then, I tipped the mattress fell on top of him while he was in it. My dad was yelling and swearing in fury, but in the background, I could hear my mother laughing herself silly. My father squirmed effortlessly to get up as he fought through the covers. Once he was out of the cover twists and turns, he pops up trying to breathe and then that's when his face turned angry. He was just as angry as a yellow jacket wasp. He hollered out "Who flipped over my mattress? Whoever did this, better know that I'm out for you, I'm coming! Ya hear! you broke my chassis and my rear view mirror done broke!" I was laughing as my mother came up behind me chuckling as if no one cared. Dad yelled and yelled at my mother that she was in trouble. He yelled as us kids and mother didn't let him get away with it. She yelled at him with the most uncomfortable and longest sentence of swearing I've ever heard. All of us except for me, would start copying mom on her swearing in the background.
I suddenly woke up with a jerk and started to think to myself; 'Did that really happen?'. I remembered my dad was always fussing that he broke something when it wasn't fatal or when it was minor. If he bumped something on an object, he'd make a big scene out of it all. It was embarrassing! I liked to compare my father's personality with the parent from the TV show, "Life of Louie". He was a difficult, caring, comical, and downright paranoid father. After 10 minutes, I already forgot about my dream. I checked the time. It was late in the evening around 6 o'clock and I was beginning to get sweaty from the heat.
That mid-July, Joe fell and hurt his head. He had to go to the hospital in Farmington New Mexico. Carol, his wife couldn't bare to live without him. She was in her chair when it happened because she could barely get around. Then the night Joe was in the hospital, she got depressed and started to be loopy. She was seeing things that weren't there and she called the police because she would imagine that children were trying to steal her medication. Carol; Nathan's grandmother, called the house phone at 1010 late and there was all this commotion that really wasn't necessary. Carol was paranoid the whole time Joe was in the hospital and when Joe was transported to the hospital that was located in Albuquerque that July, she was going downhill fast. Sadly, Joe passed away a few days later. Jan, Nathan, and Natalie all had to pitch in each of their time to help with Carol that included changing her diaper, feeding her, bathing her, and changing her gowns. The care went on for a few more months after she got out of the hospital from an infection. It took several weeks to get Carol out of there, but she was doing fine when she was transported to Good Sams in Aztec. Good Sams was a place where old folks could recover from the hospital, be socialized with others and live there. It was really nice. Carol was doing fine and couldn't wait to be home again. While Carol was at Good Sams, I got bored that day. I headed inside the empty house. It felt cold and drafty because no one was here except for me, Ol' Reliable, and the van. I went into the spare room to go sort out some VHS tapes. I looked under the twin bed and found the box of VHS tapes that was stuffed under there. I pulled them out, took them out to the living room, set the VHS player up to the TV, turned it on and watched. There. On the tape was me. I was a lot younger then...possibly about 13 years old. The camera focused in on my dad. He was putting an old stack of newspapers in boxes ready to shred up in his electric shredder and was listening to a matching song too. He was listening to "Rip it up" in the Bill Haley & His Comets version. I turned the camera on a pipe hose connected to an exhaust pipe to a truck that lead to the window of a room. I was going to have a neighbor floor the gas pedal to release dirty diesel exhaust smoke and fumes through the pipes to smoke my dad out of the room he was in to shred the newspapers. I was fed up of him saying "I'm busy, son" and "Go play outside son." a lot to me. The camera focused on me after it showed footage of what I did and how I was explaining it. As it focused on me, I had this revengeful look in my eyes and said "I'm going to get you, dad" then I was laughing my deep hissing laugh that was weird. I focused my eyes on my neighbor and said "Okay Dan. Move em' out" Then, my neighbor revved up his engine and black smoke flowed through the hose and into the window that I lodged in. Quickly, the room flooded up with black smoke and out came my dad like a raging bull. I could hear him coughing his wheezy cough as smoke poured out like water from a faucet. My dad was covered in a black soot coat and had a death stare in his eyes. He was furious and said "When I breathe, I'mma kill you, boy" but I just laughed my stupid laugh. It was hilarious to watch my dad burst out of the house like if it was on fire and covered in soot.
I had forgotten how funny it was when I recorded my dad being angry with me because I pulled a prank on him and filmed it all on video cassette. My dad looked 50 years younger on this one and his owners had him 8 years with him still running. He was still an errand car till this day.
Next, I viewed another tape dated May 13, 1981 and I couldn't remember what was filmed on the tape. I ejected the tape out, placed it on the living room table and slid the second tape in. I watched and waited to see what came up. I could see it was something to do with my first dance at an Elk's Lodge and I was on a stage singing my first number. Then, it struck me. My father came to see me with my talent aboard to perform at the prom that I volunteered and signed up for at the high school.
I was singing a tune I had selected from my dad's records to show off. I looked dashing with new primer and cloud-white paint up on the stage. I was rocking it out to 'Jailhouse Rock' by Elvis Persley himself for a moment. And just when it was about to get boring, I performed "At the hop" by Danny and the Juniors and that's when everyone got crazy for rock n' roll. You could see square dancing and hooting from the crowd. Everyone was having fun and rocking it out. Then I remembered I was the Disk Jockey singer before people started to use re-mixer equipment and electric bits on their buttons. I remembered as I was viewing this tape I had sung a few more Elvis Persley songs such as "Don't be cruel" and "King of the whole wide world". I remember singing a few more songs by Little Richard too like "Tutti Frutti", "Rip it up", "Long Tall Sally" and "Jenny, Jenny".
Gonzo was even there too watching me with a random band that I had known for only a day that was playing the notes behind me. One of them was a Chevy Impala, two of them were Dodge Cornets, the other one was a GTX that was handling the music key grip. The tape was full of memories and outdid myself. In the tape: I was making my way off the stage when I was all done. The rules were; I had to pick and sing six songs. After my turn was over, they needed to let the next contestant have a turn. I enjoyed the rest of the night dancing with the crowd. I could see Impa and Gonzo in the back of the room. I had weaved through the crowd to come get them so we could party. Impa was in his best dressed and Gonzo was fixed up as if Elvis Persley dressed him up himself and said 'Okay, have a good time. don't get drunk on Greyhounds now' Greyhounds were a type of alcoholic drink that was from the 1960s. It was a tangy grapefruit like drink that wasn't made from any orange juice. We were giving Gonzo a little bit of guff about how he was all fixed up in his duds for a few minutes. Then we boogied until we turned purple to all the great songs and then some with the crowd. It was all fun until I accidentally bumped into a 1968 Plymouth Fury. Right away, I apologized and got her some first-aid care. She told me I was very generous and rare for a gentleman to say anything sorry to. Most men bump into her and not even say their sorry. I had responsibility unlike those jerks she was talking about that she may had encountered.
The tape ended and I ejected it out of the player after rewinding it. I looked at more titles that looked tempting to recall back upon.
I had a lot of fun watching all the VHS tapes that my dad recorded on. Not many of them had Impa and Gonzo on them, but I sure missed him. I knew I got to remember all the things we three boys did together when he was still alive. It was good to see him on the tapes. As I viewed more of the tapes, I was even more taken back to see Gonzo, Impa and I singing at a stage that a bar had around. It was hazy and smoky from all the customers smoking pot and drunks that were bored out of their motors, twisting their beer bottles off the tables as they were getting high on hash. The smoke was making us three high, tired and sound like the California Raisins during our song we were performing. I remembered after that, we were so exposed that we were driving high. We didn't get caught by any police officers and we reached home alright.
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I read that one posts. I agree with Sol. I think it's more likely that Dreamworks crunched the numbers, figured it wouldn't be profitable and just canned the project than them cancelling it because of a very small section of the internet. p1
“p2 Mecha is just a dying genre as a whole. Even in Japan, isekai has taken it's place and there are hardly any new mechas outside of Gundam. That's in Japan! In the west, mecha is even more niche of an interest and general audiences don't gravitate towards it. I don't think that any mecha movie wouldn't do well at the box office. I'm even worried about that Gundam movie bombing at the box office.”
Hi Anon, thank you for the Ask!
Yeah, I agree with Sol too—and at risk of repeating what I’ve said in other posts about the movie thing—it’s really hard to convey just how incredibly unlikely a property like Voltron or Robotech will ever be made into a live-action movie. It really is about the numbers, as it always has been. Since the 80s, there’s this whole persistent and stupid element of the cartoon industry that continues to delude itself that promises or interest from Hollywood will ever pan out. There are so many scripts sitting in production limbo, that it’s almost criminal.
No one wants to risk money on a live-action movie based on children’s media IP that won’t bring in rated PG-13 or R dollars from adults, and no one wants to risk repeating the 80s He-Man film. The exceptions are live-action films made from children’s media IP that are fully owned by the company paying to produce the movie. I’ve got more to say about the complexities of royalties, but that’s awfully long-winded when I get into it, and I’d rather be long-winded about giant robots. (◕ᴗ◕✿)
The topic of mecha genre dying out is what really interests me here. It’s a topic that I think about a lot, as the beginnings of the mecha genre had a lot of deep cultural time-and-place stuff behind it, even if the stories were just kids and teen boys hopping into a giant robot to beat up other giant robots and monsters, in what were essentially 30 minute long toy commercials.
Isekai will come-and-go as all genres do. It’s not a new genre, but right now the types of themes driving the isekai stories being made speaks to a lot of interesting things happening in the youth of Japan’s relationship with digital gaming and role-play escapism. It’s fascinating, even though the focus of the genre as it’s done today hasn’t really grabbed me in the same way that isekai of the 80s-90s did.
Mecha isekai exists, and it’s only a matter of time before someone either remakes Vision of Escaflowne, or does a more mecha-focused isekai story similar to Magic Knight Rayearth. I doubt anyone would revisit Aura Battler Dunbine, or Super Dimension Century Orguss, but an otaku can dream.
Before we can say the mecha genre is dying, let’s briefly skim over the genre trends of the past +40 years. Every decade or era of mecha anime has a trend that reflects cultural concerns built into it, in a way that I don’t think any other genre of animation can touch (until now, with Digital/Virtual/Fantasy RPG World Isekai).
Late 60s-70s was: Super Robot smashes monsters and alien robots
Mid-70s – early 80s was: Combining Mecha Sentai Team Super Robot smashes monsters and alien robots
80s was: Real Robot + “how many sci-fi/fantasy settings can we put a robot into?” + the death-throes of Super Robot (e.g. Dairugger XV, Golion, Baldios, Godmars)
Also 80s: What the hell was Super Dimension Fortress Macross about? Cold war tensions of escalating end-the-world arms race meets an alien species whose only culture is fighting. Where songs about love, and the culture of love, are what win the day, not just transforming robots and big guns. Macross is deeper than it lets on.
Fun 80s: GoShogun happened. The first parody-satire mecha anime that still feels more serious than they intended, but is actually hilarious once you get past the dated gender roles humor (which was also kind of intentional satire).
WTF 80s: Space Runaway Ideon broke everyone’s minds.
Still not done with 80s: Gunbuster happened. The first angst-driven parody-satire mecha anime that blew everyone’s minds.
Late 80s-early 90s OVA mecha was a mix of Serious Cyberpunk-influenced Real Robot for older teens and adults + Mecha with Tits & Tentacles for Adults (see also space elf lesbians).
90s was: The Franchises Will Survive With Prettier Pilots, and Super Angst-Bot That Was Way More Influenced By Drugs And Ideon’s Ending Than Anyone Wants To Admit (aka Neon Genesis Evangelion) + “Since Gunbuster was a success, how many parodies of Super Robot and Real Robot can we do?”
Mid 90s isekai gems: Magic Knight Rayearth and Vision of Escaflowne
Late 90s: Brain-Powerd (not a typo) happened and it’s a shame no one remembers it. I’ve seen it’s influence come up in the 2000s – 2010s.
The 00s seem to be filled with a lot of re-treading of everything that came before but with different cross-genre influences and some of it really damn good but hard to remember because it all kind of blends together.
The 2010s-today: I have no idea what’s happening now b/c I can’t keep up with anything that isn’t Gundam. And why bother when there has been a flood of classic 70s-80s mecha releases—many for the first time in the US—to binge watch?
Knights of Sidonia was cool.
Since I haven’t kept up, I can’t speak to what new mecha anime is like, or why it's less popular (though I have an educated guess). It was gonna happen eventually, and I suspect that the kinds of post-nuclear and Cold War existential dread that informed mecha anime of the 60s-80s has moved on as target audiences grew up. Those lates 80s OVAs, where the stories could be more adult, reflect that growing up (and also Blade Runner’s influence).
I see the 90s as very transitional, includes reactions to the prior eras, but also reflects a lot of angst by Japanese teens and young adults caught up in the after-effects of 80s stagnation, and the constant test-studying to get into the best school to get the best job (if it exists) and figure it all out before you’re 14 so you can pick the best school to test into. Also, salary-man dad works 120 hours a week and is never home. Get in the Angst-bot Shinji.
Excluding the stand-out brands that survived their respective eras: Gundam, Macross, Braves series, Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, Evangelion; there’s not much other ground that can be covered right now that would warrant a series. The franchise mecha shows are grounded in their respective niches. It’s kind of odd that there isn’t an isekai mecha franchise, b/c that’s a niche that hasn’t been owned in the way that the other niches have (unless maybe Machine Hero Wataru is still a Thing?)
It’s worth mentioning that Sport Anime has really been having a moment for almost a decade now, and that’s super interesting to compare against isekai. Isekai about dungeon slimes or whatever vs literal horse-girls racing each other like high-school track. Thanks Japan, are y’all all right over there?
A few last things:
The success of Super Robot Wars tells me that mecha genre isn’t dying. Consider the ages of players. How many of them actually grew up watching Yuusha Raideen (aka Yūsha Raideen / Raideen the Brave)? There is an SRW manga anthology series, and loads of gachapon and collector’s grade mecha figures from old mecha anime get released with regularity. Someone’s buying that all that shit.
SRW is nearly 20 years old now, and they are still making video games that do one thing really well: rotate a 40 year old cast of everyone’s favorite robots into a battle strategy game held together by a duct-tape plot that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The games are fun, and it’s cool to put all these mecha into the same field. It’s really great to see older shows that will never be remade have little cut scenes in a newer animation style that still feels like the originals.
There’s also the old staple that started it all: the tokusatsu genre of live-action Super Sentai shows (e.g. Power Rangers). They’ve been making the Super Sentai Series since 1975, and there’s still fun to be had watching color-coded warriors use special powers/tech to summon forth some combining mecha to do battle with rubber suit monsters from outer-space. The effects are much better these days, but it’s the same formula, year after year and people still love it.
So with respect to mecha, I think what’s died or dying, is that people are afraid to have shameless child-like fun with giant robots. The genre got too serious and too angsty (and too horny without the grown-up edge of 80s OVA Tits & Tentacles mecha). The franchises carved their niches and aren’t going anywhere, while the genre survives in video games and collectables.
A lot of that shameless fun has moved into other genres, because nothing else explains a title like: “Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girl’s In The Dungeon?” or the nearly-ecchi concept behind the sports anime “Keijo!!!!!”. But that kind of fun is less child-like and more self-deprecating or pervy-humor. Both sports and isekai anime have their serious side, but seem to be dominated by stories that don’t take themselves too seriously, or like Yuri on Ice, aren’t afraid to take a concept that no one ever saw coming, and shape it into a good story.
I eagerly await a mecha sports anime (wait, no, I think that already happened), and I’d love to see a knock-out isekai mecha anime again. I think it will happen eventually, but probably not from Toei or Sunrise. If Tatsunoko could get beyond Moe Idols In Space, then the Macross franchise already has everything it needs to do a isekai series. That would be rad.
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Connecticut (Chapter 13)
Warnings Smut
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Photo shoots and interviews filled the beginning of Keanu’s week and then he got the call to say some re-shoots were necessary on “The day the Earth Stood Still” back in Vancouver. He would have to leave the following week for 2 weeks. He called Grace and asked if they might be able to spend some of the weekend alone together if Faith would look after Hannah again. Everything was agreed and Grace arrived at his place late on Saturday afternoon.
Grace dropped her overnight bag to the floor and stepped into his arms.
“Man are you a sight for sore eyes, I’ve missed you!” he said
“I missed you too – I thought I’d see more not less of you once we were back in LA”
“I know, I’m sorry, it’s just been a bit of a crazy week for me”
Truth was, he had had enough free time to see her on a couple of nights but he’d needed time to clear his head after her revelations. He was calmer now and seeing her again reminded him how much he really did love her.
“Come ‘ere. Let me show you how much I missed you” He took her hand and led her to his bedroom.
They started to kiss and were soon aroused and tearing at each other’s clothes. Keanu lifted Grace off the floor and she wrapped her legs around his hips as he pressed her forcefully against the wall grinding his cock against her jeans.
“I can’t wait any more” he groaned and pulled away to rid himself of his clothes. She did the same and he pushed her down on the bed.
“Later, we’ll go slow, OK? I just have to have you now!”
He straddled her and started to play with her breasts, teasing them till her nipples stood erect and Grace was writhing underneath him, pleading him to enter her with her eyes.
He sank into her slowly, groaning loudly then staying completely still, breathing in and out through his nose once he was all the way in.
“You OK?”
“Yeah! Just pacing myself – you reduce my staying power to that of a 15 year old boy you know that?”
He started to move then, all the while murmuring to Grace about how hot and wet and tight she felt to him.
Gradually what had begun as a desire to just fuck her turned into making love as he alternated his pace and the depth of his strokes and the force of his kisses. Grace’s cries were already beginning their tell tale rise in pitch as she clawed at his back pulling him to her. As they rode towards their release, he looked down into her beautiful face and wondered briefly if he’d ever know the joy of making love to her with the chance of making a baby.
The thought was obliterated as the white flash of orgasm took over his brain and hers and they fell into each other’s arms panting.
“Wow! that was intense”
“Mmmm” she replied drowsily, stroking his face, “I love you so much.”
“I love you too!” he murmured back, kissing her neck.
They dosed for a while then got up and decided on ordering in some Thai food for dinner rather than going out. After their meal they sat by the lap pool holding hands and dangling their feet in the water looking out at the lights of the city below.
“So have you had a chance to think any more …….. about us ever having a baby together?”
“God, Keanu, I’ve thought about little else this week if I’m honest with you.”
“And?”
“And …….. I still don’t know if it’s the right thing for us to do. I mean when I think about our chances, I can see all these different scenarios. Only one ends happily and all the rest………….. she broke off looking into his eyes pleading with him to understand.
“They end with more dead babies or both of us at each other’s throats because I can’t conceive. It’s such a huge thing. I don’t know if I can take the pressure… to make your dream come true”
“Would it have to be just my dream, wouldn’t you want my child too as much as I want yours?” he said clearly hurt.
“God I’m sorry, I didn’t mean in that way it’s just I’ve been through all this before. I would love to have a child with you, I’m just trying to weigh it all up rationally as well. The stress of trying for a baby can be huge Keanu you know?”
“But we’d be in it together, supporting each other. And the cold hard fact is, you fell for Hannah without really trying”
“I know, but there are no guarantees that could happen again, it could get rough you know. And what if you’re away filming when it’s time – what are you going to do, fly home for each ovulation?”
“You’re making trouble for us where there doesn’t have to be”
“No, you’re just not listening. It’s like this mother fucking rollercoaster that you get on and then you realise it’s driving you crazy but somehow you can’t get off.”
Keanu could see Grace was working herself up into a frenzy now. He chose not to argue back any more.
“And it’s not just me you’re asking to go through this. You have to ask yourself if you want to take that chance of losing another precious child. I don’t want to be the one that does that to you. And what about Hannah, she’d be sucked into all this too however hard we try to protect her. I have to think about her welfare Keanu. She’s a real child with feelings not just the dream of a child”
Her words sliced through him.
“And that’s what you’re asking me to give up Grace, the dream of my own child” he said, eyes filled with tears at the course their conversation had taken.
He sighed and stood up.
“Let’s just drop it, you’re upset. I… I’m going to go to bed”
Grace put her head in her hands and wept. Keanu walked back into the house leaving her alone on the terrace.
Keanu lay on his bed, reeling still from how the conversation had turned so sour. He squeezed his eyes trying and failing to stop the tears. He knew Grace was scared but he didn’t understand why she seemed to have so little faith in the chance of a good outcome. And why had she made that last comment about Hannah being a real child. Was she trying to push him away?
Two hours ago he’d been in love. Sure of himself and her. Now he was confused and wondering at the choice he felt she was asking him to make - a choice between her and his dream of fatherhood.
Back outside, Grace, was exhausted from crying, though finally dry eyed. She barely knew where all the angst that that had poured out of her came from. It has been so long since she’d been actually lived through it that the emotions had been buried deep within for a long time. If he knew what it was like, she thought bitterly, he wouldn’t ask her to do it again. Maybe he should just move on to a younger model, someone who wasn’t damaged goods like her. She made her decision. There was nothing left to say right now. She went to the hall, picked up her bag, let herself out and drove home.
Keanu heard her go. He almost chased after her but thought better of it. They should cool off. Maybe his trip to Vancouver was the breathing space they needed.
Keanu almost left town without contacting Grace at all, not really knowing what to say, or what he wanted to achieve by saying anything. After all, she knew where he was going and for how long. In the end though his good manners won out and he wrote her a note. A real letter was better, he figured than e mails or sms messages. He kept it short and he was honest when he said he was sorry she was upset. He didn’t mention his own hurt feelings though they would be clear to anyone reading it by the absence of any affectionate sign off.
Grace
I don’t really know what to say about last night. I’m just sorry you were so upset. I’ll be out of town for a couple of weeks at least. Maybe some distance will help us both clear our heads. I’ll call when I get back.
K
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#romance#anguish#miscarriage#stillbirth#grief#anger#friends to lovers#fluff#keanu#keanu reeves fanfic#keanu reeves fanfiction#keanu reeves#keanu ofc#smut
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miss independent
COLLEGE AU DISASTER COMING IN HOT
I want to say that this chapter, even though relatively short and to the point, is a very important one in terms of content for me. Based on a lot of my experiences being a young queer person in activist/”social justice” spaces, and the ways in which people use those spaces for their own needs. This is all a eloquent way of me saying: gay drama, it sucks, and it’s real. The community isn’t a utopia!
So, uh, enjoy!
fic masterpost // last chapter
--
-- Theia The Gayuh: Hey
Read 8:04am
-- Theia The Gayuh: Can we talk, please?
Read 8:13am.
-- Theia The Gayuh: You turned on your read receipts just for this, didn’t you.
Message Delivered.
She sends the messages Tuesday morning, and Liv can’t decide whether she’s angry or thankful she’s left her alone for 48 entire hours. Usually they can’t stand to be upset with each other more than the length of one L Word episode. Oh how the turn tables.
Eventually, though, she does respond. After a whole day of classes, texting Cassandra about everything but the fact that Theia reached out, and seeing Ellinor in passing, walking hand-in-hand with Cullen. She’s glad they worked things out for now -- now being a day-by-day, sometimes even hour-by-hour kind of thing. They survived the first party saga of their respective relationships, and now she sympathizes with Cassandra’s desire for peace and discipline more than ever. Besides, it’s getting to be crunch time in the semester. They should be calming down.
Olivia: Meet me at Johnny’s at 6, then. I can’t stay long. I have to study.
Read 3:17pm.
-- Theia The Gayuh: Sounds good. Thank you.
If she scrolls up just a bit, she can find their last messages from before the war. Memes from gay instagram accounts, short threats of disownment and other heartfelt jokes. It’s not right being on the outs with her, but what can she do? She’s still angry, and that isn’t saying much. Olivia can be angry for years if she deems it necessary.
She touches base with Ellinor, the other half of her brain, before she shows her face at the pizza place they agreed to meet.
-- Ellinor: I don’t know, dude. Maybe she wants to apologize?
Olivia: I hope so because if it’s just more bullshit I’m going to be so mad.
-- Ellinor: Cullen says to hit her with the crushed peppers if she fucks up.
Olivia: 👀
-- Ellinor: Okay I said it
-- Ellinor: He says hope it works out. I said that was boring.
Olivia: Be nice!!
Before she locks her phone she looks back on the last messages Cassandra and her sent to each other from hours prior. They’re perfectly nice and sweet, not paragraph length like they used to be. The more they get to know each other the shorter the answers become and the less stressful it is to come up with what to say. She puts the car in park and turns the key, making one last wish that she won’t have to lose a friendship just so she can have a relationship.
Johnny’s is one of the most college-town holes in the wall there is. But, to be fair, their pizza is also the best in town -- or so Theia and Olivia swear every time they show up for the last by-the-slice orders at 1am. Now, in the socially acceptable hour of dinner for regular people, she’s reliving all the hazy memories when she walks in and sees Theia sitting back at a corner table along the wall, scrolling her own phone.
Ugh. Fuck.
She looks up and sees Liv standing like a scarecrow, and doesn’t smile. She just sits up and takes an anxious breath by the looks of it. Olivia tucks her head and walks over before it becomes a standoff in an old Western film.
“Hey.” Theia says it first as Olivia drops her keys and wallet on the table. She does a subtle head nod in reply and takes her seat. That is more than enough.
“Are you...how are you?”
The sound of her voice is enraging still. Its sobriety and measured diplomacy, too. Where was it when she needed it? When Cassandra would have benefited from it? Oh, that’s right, drowned in a gallon of rum and bud lite.
“I’m good. You?”
“Good.”
She holds back a glare. She shouldn’t be good. She should be far from good. But when she looks up, Theia’s face says as much.
“I...I thought it would be better if--”
“H-how is Josephine?’
Theia gives her a confused look, hands sliding back and into her lap. “Uh...she’s...good. You haven’t been in touch with her?”
“Not since Saturday. I was planning on texting her.”
“Oh. Uh, cool. Yeah, you should do that.”
“Yeah.”
Awkward pause, part one, hits. Olivia’s eyes wander around the place, to the chalkboard signs with the beer tap menu, to the awkward high school-aged boy behind the counter re-folding takeout menus. Man, he still does not look a day over 15 with that haircut.
“Liv.” Theia says it in a ‘let’s cut the crap’ kind of way, but she’s not ready to follow along. But she also can’t divert attention anymore so she keeps her mouth shut.
“Liv, come on.”
“Hm?” she offers, and locks eyes with her. It’s then she notices the coca-cola cup of water and ice she has in her hand, straw by her mouth.
“I know you’re mad at me.”
“Uh…” Olivia can’t hold it back anymore. This baiting and subtle nod to the issue is aggravating her bullshit meter. She smiles with impatience and shakes her head. “Uh, it’s not that I’m mad at you, Theia. It’s that you fucked up.”
“I know that.”
“Do you? Because you seem to be chilling with your ice water.”
“Ah.” Theia sighs, and sets down her cup. “So that’s how this is gonna go.”
So this is how this is gonna go? Ugh, she was right. It’s gonna be more bullshit. Not just the apology and explanation she deserves. No offer to apologize to Cassandra directly. No accountability. Why the fuck did she make this plan? Theia is never going to--
“Look, I know what I did was immature. I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to hurt you.”
“Hurt me? What about Cass? You went full Mean Girls on her. If anyone should be here getting an apology, it’s her.”
“As long as I get one for the hours I spent talking to you and texting you about her when she was pulling her bullshit.”
“That’s not how that works!”
“Well it should!”
“Uh, hey.” From above both their steaming heads, the boy from the counter interrupted, standing like a beanpole with two menus in his hand. He eyed them both with a look not unlike the way the little girl in the movie Matilda looks at Ms. Trunchbull, and sets them down between them. Olivia blinks away her hostility as best she can, but Theia just rolls her eyes and looks away. Classy.
“Thanks,” Liv says, but the boy is already halfway back to the counter. Talk about a way of saying ‘please hurry up with things so you can leave sooner.’
Theia sighs with dread and takes her menu, thumb pressing a corner bend as she stares at the lines of words. Olivia keeps hers flat on the table and retracts her hands, peering over it like a child. Maybe she should pull out a magnifying glass and also search for a will to live.
“I just don’t get what you see in her.” Suddenly, Theia sets down the menu and folds her arms. She’s really ready to be completely obliterated.
Olivia perks up fast, outrage in her posture as her mouth goes open wide. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Theia?”
“It means exactly what it sounds like. I don’t get it. I didn’t get it in the beginning, I didn’t get it at the party, and I still don’t.”
“If you don’t get it, fine. You aren’t in the relationship.”
“It’s not that, Liv. You have always been a certain kind of person, and you have always been outspoken about what it means to be queer. You deserve someone who is as passionate about it as you, who won’t...like, I don’t know. Gentrify it.”
“Gentrify it?!”
The boy came back again. This time with a notepad and pen. Behind him an older man was peeking out from the window into the kitchen looking as if he had bribed him to return.
“I, uh…” Theia said, still mad as she nearly tossed him the menu. “I’ll have the Hawaiian personal, please.”
“Chill,” he replied, sliding the menu under his arm. Then he looked at Liv, one eye twitching a bit narrower than the other. What, was something on her face?
“I’ll have a Margarita. Medium, please...” she looks at Theia when she bends her brow. “I’m bringing back some for Ellinor. I owe her for stealing five of her easy-macs.”
She hands the menu back because the guy looks like he’s being held hostage, releasing him back into the wild. After that she folds her arms and rests them on the table, leaning onto the table.
“Oh. I thought…”
“You thought I was bringing some for Cassandra? What, that she’s waiting outside with sunglasses on and a sniper in case things go bad?”
Theia bites the corner of her mouth and looks away. Her fingers twist together as she takes in the wall painting hanging next to them of the old river bridge just past downtown. College town shops always decorated with images you could see by virtue of a 5 minute walk in any direction. As if it heightened the experience or the pride in a bridge of all things.
“You give her too little credit.”
Theia snorted. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, asshole?” Olivia tilted her head, countering her feistiness. “You know nothing about her.”
“No one does! So she’s gay now. That mean she’s going to stop hanging out with those sexist, stalking assholes in her Bible study? The ones who campaigned for Prop 13 last year?”
“I never saw her out there with them!”
“It doesn’t matter, Liv! She still wasn’t against them!”
“You don’t know that!”
Theia scooted back in her chair but didn’t get up. She rolled her eyes so hard her head went with them, and she locked them on one of the tv’s on the opposite side of the room. Sports, or something, playing on the screen. Olivia stayed where she was, in the exact shape she was, though her flight or fight instinct trampled her willingness to stick around. This was the complete opposite of how she always wanted it to go, of how she always thought it would be. Her life had become a Dr. Phil special where the envious best friend was sat across from the happy but plain looking married couple, begging the best friend to stop egging their cars.
“Is she out to her family?”
Olivia scoffed. “Theia, you’re gatekeeping again.”
“I’m not, I just asked a question,” she corrected, looking back down at her.
“I...I dunno.”
“Really?”
“Probably not. She just came to the conclusion herself. I don’t think she’s had the time or reason to. Not until...well, I don’t know.” She grabbed the straw wrapper leftover from Theia’s drink and began playing with it.
“Pfft. Gotcha.”
“That doesn’t matter, though. Why should it? So she can be the “correct” form of real?”
“Oh, don’t give me that. You know what I’m worried about. The same reason you were concerned when Josie and I got together. The thing you saw fit to bring up that night, in public, in front of everyone. Remember how not-whispery your tipsy whispering is?”
Shit. She hadn’t thought about it like that. At the time, it was an empowering speech-and-run that she made to expel her rage. The kind of tell-off everyone dreams of giving when faced with someone’s traitorous actions. She hadn’t taken into account the volume, or the environment -- had Josephine heard her? Had other people? Oh God, that might have been completely humiliating…
Theia watched her, and shook her head. “Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, and yes, she does know what you said.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, that was a wonderful fight to have at 3am. Thanks for that.”
“Theia, I--”
“Whatever, Liv. You know what I mean when I ask if she’s out. It’s different when we’re kids, when we’re poor...it’s not like that with you. You’re both adults, and she’s rich. What’s stopping her from doing what all those Beauty Queens do making out with our friends in the dive bars then running off to Mommy and Daddy’s house in the Dales?”
“She’s not rich, her fa--”
“Liv.”
Ugh, fuck. She rested back on her chair and ripped the wrapper in two. She caught her on something she would say was bullshit in any other context, and she hated her for it. Wealth wasn’t an individualistic thing, it wasn’t some easily-excluded condition. That was well-evidenced by her continued compliance with her Mom’s antics if it meant getting her tuition bills paid and health insurance secured.
“You’re still being disrespectful and showing your privilege. It doesn’t matter the age of when someone comes out, it’s still difficult and uncomfortable. The fact that she is doing it, and doing it with someone in her life, is brave. And she and her family aren’t white. Neither are Josie’s. We won’t ever know what it’s like to do what they do. Money or no money.” If only you knew what she’s gone through, what she struggles with. Shit, if only *I* knew.
“Ugh, you sound like those women’s studies harpies with all the buzz words.”
“I sound like a compassionate human being. You would do well to try it sometime.”
Theia slurped her water, visibly calmer than she was at the start. Perhaps a little too calm. Her heart was in the right place, if only she would admit she was just feeling protective and possessive of her best friend. Instead she was dunking and deep-frying her concern in narrow-minded visibility politics. Olivia flicked the ball of remaining wrapper onto the table, giving up on it as a plaything. She was looking at the person who helped her come to terms with her sexuality, the person who listened to her cry in the middle of the night after she’d have another fight with her Mom about wanting to cut her hair or have a pride flag in her room when she’d come home in the summer. They had gone through so much, and she wants to hold onto it with the hope that if she can change, Theia can, too.
“Well. I guess I’ll be wishing for her to prove me wrong, then,” Theia allows, shrugging her broad lesbian shoulders with her broad lesbian skepticism. This isn’t the last of it, and she isn’t convinced in the slightest. By the looks of it -- and by the knowledge Olivia has in 2 years of friendship -- she’s choosing not to pick the battle anymore. Relieving, but only to an extent.
“Thanks, I guess. I still think you owe her an apology.”
“Fat chance.”
“Theia.” Olivia notices pizzas being brought out of the kitchen. Perfect fucking timing evaded them this far, why would it start now? “Apologize to her or I won’t let this go.”
“Oh come on.”
“I mean it--” she interrupts herself as the guy approached with Theia’s order and two pizza stands. She’ll have to wait until he’d do the second trip for her own meal. It felt like an hour, their stiff staring down of one another while Chad-Kevin-Trevor-whoever did his thing. Poor dude, he was annoying but he would get a good tip. No one wants to be at the mercy of gay drama. When at last everything was served, and the guy got out with his life, she pulled napkins from the dispenser and continued.
“I’m not going to apologize to someone who proves me right the next day. I’m just not going to have her put a rift between us.”
“You have no faith in her and you don’t even know her!” Her put a rift between us? Her?
“I have seen this happen too many times in this town to blink it away, Liv. I’m not going to watch it happen to you and pretend it’s some big surprise.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
Theia chews away, dropping her slice down on the plate. Her greasy hands ate up the napkin she used to clean them off, finger by finger. “I can’t stop you from dating her. But you can’t stop me from having my gut feelings.”
Oh, fuck all.
After a tense pause, Olivia grabbed the infamous crushed peppers and generously sprinkled them onto her own meal. “You know, maybe it’s for the better. If she were here she’d say she wouldn’t want your apology unless it was sincere. Which, obviously it isn’t, because you are an asshole.”
“Psh. Fine, say it’s that. All I know is I don’t say sorry unless actions prove it warranted. And I trust you enough not to do that thing everyone does when they get together.”
You mean U-Haul and crawl up each other’s assholes never to see anyone else again. Cool, that’ll be fun to attempt, considering I intend to keep you two as far away from each other as humanly possible. For my sake, and hers. Olivia took a large bite into her first steaming slice and, as always, immediately squirmed.
“H-h-haw--”
“God dammit, Liv,” Theia grinned and slid her water to her side, which Olivia took and gulped from the rim. Fuck the straw.
“Gah,” she gasps, and slammed it down. “I’m such a dumbass.”
She met her glance, mouth lined with sauce and balsamic. Theia’s playful expression is her weakness. She chuckles for the first time all afternoon, pressing a crinkled up napkin to her mouth as she did so. Theia follows suit, leaning back and running her fingers through her down-and-tousled hair. She mutters a curse under her breath. It’s like opening a can of soda and letting the carbonation finally release.
“Ugh, Liv, you’re always going to be my girl.” She reaches for the parmesean shaker and began dousing her pizza in it. A Hawaiian pizza with parmesean sounds disgusting, but the way she ogles it with hungry eyes, you’d swear it was the most delicious thing to ever be invented.
Her statement though. Her statement makes Olivia’s heart creak. She wants so badly to nod and smile, fully believing in it as she always had. But the truth is -- and she hated herself for it -- the entire time she sits there she’s missing Cassandra. Missing her, the way she talks, the way she laughs when she had a mouth full of food.
She watches Theia take her first cooled-down and thus safe bite, and for that split second she lets her inner frown weigh on her face.
The pizza isn’t for Ellinor, she confesses in her thoughts, one which she wishes to say out loud. But everything said not to. Everything said it wasn’t safe. And for that, she is at a loss.
--
“Well, fuck her.”
Ellinor, having stolen a slice of the leftovers, thus proving Olivia’s fib somewhat obsolete, is adamant. Cross-legged in old basketball shorts and a tank with flannel on (peak pajamas aesthetic). All the while Olivia paces with a textbook in hand, trying to work out the anxious energy while also getting work done. A futile endeavor, a tale as old as time.
“Ellinor, please.”
“Nah, fuck her. She knows what she did was fucked up!” said with a mouthful of margarita goodness. She gulps it down and then burps like a truck driver twice her age. Olivia has to giggle.
“Ahh, fuck, this hits the spot. What was I saying? Oh, yeah, fu--”
“I get it, okay!” Olivia shut the book and tossed it onto her desk. Huffing with indignation. What bright idea did she have thinking she could just be friends with so many opinionated and crass women? Oho, feminism, blah blah blah, women’s empowerment, blah blah, empowered women empower women, blah blah BLAH.
“Well. Then what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to proceed as planned. Theia doesn’t feed me or pay my bills. Her opinion is purely arbitrary.”
“Uh huh, so that’s why you’re creating rubber burn marks on your carpet.”
“What?!” Olivia squeaked, looking back behind her bare feet. Oh, good one, Ellinor.
“Liv.”
“Oh stop it! I’m doing my best. Theia is one of my first and truest friends. She’s the only one I’ve known as long as you.”
Ellinor slouched and scowled with bitchy apathy -- a talent she knew best. Sliding herself off her friend’s bed, she put her hands on her hips and stood toe-to-toe with her.
“Yeah, Liv, and only one of us isn’t being a dick about something that’s making you happy.”
Olivia frowns and slides her hands into her hoodie pocket. “It’s...it’s not the same. It’s different in the community versus out. I can’t--”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
“Ellinor…”
Ellinor dragged her feet as she headed towards the door. “Last I checked, Liv, there isn’t a Hayley Kiyoko song about being gay meaning you get to step over boundaries like they’re hopscotch squares!”
“Ell--”
“Nah-ah!” she yelled, sliding in through the door’s narrow opening. Her finger went up in the air as she lingered. “I can cite sources, too, Ruth Gay-der Ginsburg!”
“...I hate you.”
From the hall, the same sarcastic voice echoed: “LOVE YOU TOO!”
She’s going to be saying that for the rest of the week. Fantastic. Olivia resigned herself and fell back on her bed, hands across her stomach as she wished to be anywhere else but there. She had always swore she would tape stars and planets to her ceiling but never got around to it. Truth was she wasn’t tall enough to reach, and Ellinor has no advantage in that department, either. But...she could ask Cassandra. She could do that now. She could do a lot of things.
But first, she can do one right thing, for someone who didn’t deserve the heat she got. She unplugged her phone and held it above her head.
Olivia: Hey, Josie. I talked to Theia about the party. I’m sorry I made an ass of myself at your expense.
Read at 8:55pm
-- Josie: It was not the funnest thing. I appreciate your apology, though. Theia was being ridiculous, I’m sorry you had to deal with that.
Olivia: It’s not your job to apologize for her choices.
-- Josie: I know! Is Cassandra okay?
Olivia: Yeah. A lot has happened. I’m feeling really overwhelmed.
-- Josie: Oh, dear. You want to get coffee tomorrow?
Olivia: 😭
-- Josie: Lol, okay. I’ll meet you in the Hub.
#fic update#day & age#friendship fic#college AU#college!ellinor#college!olivia#modern thedas au#hot mess express
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NARNIA FANS, CHECK THIS OUT!
Lend me your ears. This looks like a long post. Please bear with, it’s worth it!
You guys seemed to like my answer to my friend Charlai’s Narnia question earlier, so I wanted to send this to you.
You want some music that reminds you of Narnia? You want nostalgia and magic and good good feelings that are just pure Narnia? I understand and I want to help.
I don’t know why this does not appear to be public knowledge
I was Georgie Henley’s age when the first film came out, and the women in my family had introduced me to the books long before that (though reading them on my own came at 13). With the film’s release came a soundtrack on CD. It’s called Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. We owned this CD and my three siblings and I would listen to it all day. Just that CD. Let me share it with you.
There are songs about all of the books, not just the second one. Not instrumental movie tracks. Songs. With lyrics. About NARNIA. And all of them are preformed and written by Christian artists who loved the story too. This is 2005, girls and boys. The year of films that were just starting to explore CGI magic and music that was hitting its golden stride. The year of TobyMac and Chris Tomlin and Relient K and Jeremy Camp and Kutless and Jars of Clay and Steven Curtis Chapman. I AIN’T EVEN MENTIONED THE LADIES YET.
Here’s the lineup.
Waiting For The World To Fall by Jars of Clay.
This is my personal favorite. It took me a long time to gain a favorite. Ever since I was a kid I loved the sound of it, but as 13 years went by listening to this, I tried to understand what it was about. I’m not confirming anything, but as far as I can tell, it’s about a longing for Narnia, this world Lewis created to tell the truth through fantasy. A longing for Aslan. We want so much to be in that world! But this is the world we’ve been given and put into, and we have Aslan here.
Remembering You by Steven Curtis Chapman.
Some of you guys might remember the old, beloved music video that came with this one? This is not hard to explain at all and it reminds me of Aslan’s camp with all the flutes. It’s extremely straightforward in the lyrics and if you’ve read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, you will probably cry. It captures the story and the Pevensies’ relationship with Aslan perfectly. This was the most-played song in my house from 2005 through 2012. I mean, obviously Mr. Chapman loves the story. You can tell. Good job, sir!
Open Up Your Eyes by Jeremy Camp.
This one is sick. Could be about anything from the Pevensies trusting Aslan and earning their thrones to believing in Narnia and living as like a Narnian as they can. Also, it’s a great Christian song regardless by Jeremy Camp, whose writing is always awesome.
Hero by Bethany Dillon.
Bethany Dillon is no stranger to great lyrics either, and this song is all about Aslan. Or Jesus. Same thing. When she was approached to do a song inspired by Narnia, this is what she came up with. It will make you cry. When I was a kid, I assumed each song was from the perspective of a character (maybe they are in a few cases?) and I always thought this one was Susan’s song. But there’s no reason really to think that. Just a tidbit you didn’t need to know about me!
Lion by Rebecca St. James.
Again, not hard to describe. All about Aslan, definitely from Lucy’s perspective. Captures good and terrible at the same time. Also reminds me of the quote from The Last Battle: “We are all between the paws of the true Aslan.”
New World by TobyMac.
When I was a kid, Toby was all the rage. Big Christian rappers hadn’t shown up yet. This is not a rap song--but it’s definitely a more hardcore interpretation! It’s not for everyone, but it is definitely Narnian. The lyrics are pretty darn cool and the bridge ‘I never dreamed it but I see that he’s alive again/Shaking his mane, he’s just the same as I remember him/The spell is weakening with every breath he’s breathing/And when he roars you gotta know that he’s our King again’ was my favorite thing to hear growing up. I also loved the second verse.
I Will Believe by Nicole Nordeman.
The prettiest, most Pevensie song on the album. From Lucy’s POV, talking of the world in the wardrobe and her siblings and what the Pevensies mean to Narnia. It’s perfect.
Turkish Delight by David Crowder Band.
This is a very dancey song from Edmund’s POV (duh) and though some might think it’s too comedic and lively for a song about Edmund’s actions in the second book, I think it’s lots of fun and sums up how ridiculous and sucky it is that Ed did what he did. But it’s okay in the end, as we all know!
More Than It Seems by Kutless.
This is in my top 3 on the album. It’s a Peter Pevensie song without question, and it’s as Narnian as they come in terms of message.
You’re the One by Chris Tomlin.
This one is for The Magician’s Nephew--no doubt--and Digory Kirke. Even the first line references the creation of Narnia by Aslan, and how it felt seeing it all and meeting him for the first time.
And of course, there are others that have been written.
In Like A Lion by Relient K.
This was written when the band was approached to write a song for the movie, but it never made it onto the album! So Relient K released it on a later Christmas selection. It’s based on Mr. Tumnus’ declaring to Lucy that Narnia is trapped in an eternal winter--always winter, never Christmas. But there’s the hope the Pevensies and Aslan bring, and that’s the point of the song!
The Call by Regina Spektor.
You know this one. It’s from Prince Caspian and it’s sad. I don’t need to say anything else.
This Is Home by Switchfoot.
Ever since I first heard this song when the second film came out, John Foreman’s voice has sounded like Narnia to me. I was 12. That’s how it works. And I love it!
There’s A Place For Us by Carrie Underwood.
You know this one too! From The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader. When the film came out, I loved this song, but now I really don’t like the chorus. Just something about the pride of it all--the Pevensies were only kings and queens because Aslan called them to be. Anyway! It’s pretty and I do enjoy the rest of it. Hope you do too, if you haven’t heard it!
The Ascension by Phil Wickham.
This song was inspired by the last few chapters of The Last Battle--further up and further in! It’s all about Heaven, obviously. It makes me excited listening to it and I often play it while re-reading those chapters. The Last Battle is my favorite book in the series, and who knows? When the film is made, this song may make it onto the album. Thanks, Phil Wickham!
There you have it. Happy listening, Narnia fans! Let me know which one you like best. Or don’t? Sometimes people don’t even read these things.
#narnia#music#the chronicles of narnia#ben barnes#songs#anna popplewell#william moseley#georgie henley#skandar keynes#peter pevensie#lucy pevensie#susan pevensie#edmund pevensie#prince caspian#caspian x#christian music#music life#aslan#the silver chair#the magician's nephew#the horse and his boy#the last battle#the lion the witch and the wardrobe#the voyage of the dawn treader#song lover#narnian#narnia fan#fandom#narnia fandom#narnia soundtrack
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Your Light in the Mist - Chapter 42
We left the Gold Coast on February 13th, returned home for two days, then were off again…first to Berlin for a screening of ‘The Night Manager’ with a Q & A session, then on to Vietnam, where shooting began the day after we arrived. The entire experience there was life-altering, in a way. The people, who were so kind, generous, and welcoming, and the locations, some of which had never before been filmed, were majestic and evocative of a land time had, to our benefit, forgotten…but most of all, the opportunity to immerse myself in a culture I had little knowledge of was humbling, and miraculous, and I made every effort to be out and about with every spare moment I had. When production wrapped in mid-March, Jordan announced that he was planning on relocating to the area, and I found myself just the tiniest bit jealous. There was such a sense of peace there, despite such a tumultuous upheaval in the not so distant past…a testament to the human spirit, our ability to keep pressing onward, to continue to live, and even thrive. A lesson in perspective, I suppose.
Tom was due in Los Angeles on March 20th for a photoshoot, so we opted to go directly there instead of heading home to London and then back out again. The 21st was booked with interviews, which would be followed by the official ‘I Saw the Light’ premiere on the 22nd. This was the first time I’d be walking a red carpet with him, other than the brief appearance at the Cube. Though Tom normally preferred the Beverly Hills Hotel, we were staying at the Loews Hollywood due to its proximity to the Egyptian, where the screening would be held, and Sadie’s Kitchen, the venue chosen for the after party. Our room was on the 15th floor, modern décor in shades of grey, white and burgundy, with a view of the Hollywood sign…currently packed with a team of stylists, garment bags and rolling racks making me feel like a sardine in a tin. Granted, a very lovely tin, but a tin nonetheless. Tom was almost ready to go, his bright blue suit complementing his eyes perfectly, black necktie offering a bold contrast to his white dress shirt. I was still in my skivvies, one of the gals taping me into my strapless bra ‘just in case’. Despite the opportunity it created for an epic wardrobe malfunction, I was totally in love with my gown. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, gradient purple, near black at the top, fading to pale lilac midway down in the front and plum in the back. The skirt was floor length and full, and both a portion of it and nearly the entire bodice were decorated with silver vines and leaves, cascading downward like a waterfall. I’d opted for dark purple heels, on the thick side because I figured there was less of a risk of tripping in front of the press line that way. Around my neck was my tourmaline necklace, and my hair had been pinned up in a loose bun. As I pondered what food choices awaited me at Sadie’s, the gal announced that my tits were secure and I was instructed to step carefully into the gown, zipped up, and released into the wild to fend for myself. Tom’s hands descended upon my shoulders as I inspected the contents of my clutch one final time, making sure I had a room key, my cell phone, tissues and a Snickers bar.
“You look gorgeous, as always.”
I turned my head to meet his gaze. “You don’t look half bad yourself.” He grinned, releasing me, and I spun around to get a better look at him. “Mmm. That is a nifty suit. To the left…to the right…where will…aha, LEFT. What’s that, eight out of ten or something?”
“I didn’t realize we were collecting data. Will the results be in the form of a bar graph or a pie chart?”
“A fifty page thesis, actually. Available for sale on Amazon. I figure we can fund our retirement with it.”
He laughed, interrupted by his phone chirping. “Car’s here. Let’s roll.”
“Walk. I’m going to walk. Probably. Rolling sounds like ‘a YouTube Star is Born’. But I suppose that could fund some shit too…”
We exited arm in arm, piled into the elevator with a bunch of other fancy people I didn’t know, then climbed into the black SUV waiting for us. It was still light out, the day bright and sunny. Our vehicle was sixth in line when we pulled up to the Egyptian Theater, and my jaw dropped at how old-school big-glam Hollywood it looked, the red carpet lining the courtyard, velvet ropes and press wherever I looked. It was far from my first rodeo, but it was the first time I’d be at such an event in the capacity of ‘movie star’s plus one’. A low whistle escaped my lips.
“Wow, so we’re like, really doing this. Surreal, Tom. Sur-REAL.”
He took my hand in his, pulling my attention away from what I could see outside the window. I smiled at the sight of the excitement written all over his face. “It is that, positively. And I’m…I’m…well, I’m like a live wire, Maude. Crackling and vibrating and super charged with energy because I’m not walking this one alone, you’re going to be right by my side and…” He let go of my hand, flinging both his up in the air and waving them around jazz-style as he grinned. “I. AM. UNCONTROLLABLY EXCITED!”
I leaned in to kiss his cheek, quickly wiping the lipstick I left behind away with one of my tissues. “My god you are just too cute. Does this car have a sick bag? Because the cute is going to make me barf, for sure.” I mock-gagged.
He continued to grin like a fool as he pointed to the window behind me. “We’re up! It’s time! Let’s go, my lady. LET’S GO!”
Before I could ask for a moment to get my shit together, he was out of the car, the roar of waiting fans greeting him as he ran around to my side and opened the door for me. I took his proffered hand and stepped out into the daylight, the roars growing louder, our names being shouted above the din by press and onlookers alike. As we made our way down to the entrance, Tom stopped to sign and take selfies as long as time would allow, and then it was time for us to strike a pose. The flashes were the worst part, a ceaseless strobing that made it very difficult to focus, but mid-way through my eyes and brain seemed to adjust and I found myself having a really good fucking time mugging for the cameras with the man of the evening. The interviews were a blast, Tom taking the lead and doing most of the talking, pulling me in here and there when it was someone he’d interacted with on previous occasions or mentioned my name. We were like a comedy improv team that sang on command, and by the time we made it into the actual screening I was totally high on fun. Not exactly the right vibe for such a serious, angsty, sad movie, but in the end I was grateful I went into it with a boost because the ended pregnancy talk scene was difficult to watch even though it was the second time around. There I sat, holding back tears with Tom’s hand in mine, shaking, and me rubbing his wrist with my thumb. As soon as the credits rolled we were ushered quickly to the car, and then it was off to Sadie’s. I was a very intimate setting, the décor an eclectic mix of woods, stones, metals and glass. The food was a bit too micro for my taste, and there were moments when I seriously considered grabbing an entire tray of hor d'oeuvres and making a break for the coatroom. Tom had been indulging in champagne all evening, and Rodney’s band was in the house, so I knew that it wouldn’t be long until an impromptu jam session occurred. I’d avoided going to the bathroom since we left the hotel, and the three sodas I’d guzzled made it impossible to postpone any longer. I kissed Tom on the cheek, leaving him with the drummer whose name I’d been given but could absolutely not recall and headed for the rest room. Fitting into the stall was the first hurdle, turning around was the second, and it actually got more and more complicated every step of the way until my hands were full of fabric and my ass was on the chilly seat. Figuring out how to wipe was the Rubik’s cube of the process, and I stared at the toilet paper dispenser for an untold amount of minutes. I heard the band begin to play Move It On Over, heard them finish, then start up with Long Gone Lonesome Blues. Tom’s yodeling snapped me out of my stupor and I bunched all the fabric in the crook of one arm, tore off the necessary quantity of sheets with my free hand and took care of business like a boss. As I thanked the gods for auto-flush, I unlocked the stall, dropped the fabric back in place and propelled myself outward…right into Lizzie, who was wearing a far more practical dress that wasn’t all floaty and poufy and just waiting for an accident to happen. She grinned.
“So? Enjoying the party? Or did you come in here to hide like, you know, I DID?”
I laughed. “So far, so good. Nice to know it’s not just me who seeks refuge in bathrooms, though. But this time it’s a legit visit. Which was terrifying.”
“Maude, there are more dresses in my closet that I wound up buying because they were unfit to return then I care to count. Wine, toothpaste, hair gel, lipstick, chocolate, things I don’t even know what they are and probably don’t want to…and lemme tell ya, I know all the best bathrooms for hiding in SO many cities all around the world. The private ones with really loud fans are just…” She sighed. “Perfection.”
Washing my hands, I nodded. “Oh yeah. Peace and quiet. If they only came with a Do Not Disturb sign…”
“Oh my GOD, there’s a bathroom in a restaurant in Toronto, I can’t remember the name but I know where it is, I can see it…damn…anyway, they HAVE that.”
“No they do not.”
She nodded, walking to the stall furthest from the door. “Yes they do! Best twenty minutes of my night a few years back.” Turning, she waved. “Okay, I’m goin’ in. If anyone’s looking for me…”
“I have no idea where you are.”
She blew me a kiss. “Bless you.”
As I re-entered the chaos, I was hit with an extra-loud, slightly slurred version of Hey Good Lookin’, and I couldn’t wait to round the corner and see Tom in action. And take a video. Which I’d totally post on Tumblr because surely it was something the entire world needed to see. The band had set up on one side of the dining area, which had been cleared of tables, and they were surrounded by cast and crew, some standing and clapping, others dancing. Tom was easy to spot, and as I worked my way through the crowd, I noticed that there was a woman hanging on him, her arm resting on his shoulder as she shimmied to the beat. She was waiflike, incredibly thin and tall, taller than Tom, even, in her white stilettos, her white mini dress so short I didn’t think it would be possible for her to sit down without putting on one hell of a show. There were triangular cut-outs at the waist, and her platinum blonde hair hung halfway down her back. Her eyes were huge, greenish-grey, and beautiful, the stand out component of her heart-shaped face with its perfect Cupid’s bow mouth. I’d never seen her before and had never asked him to point her out in the film, though I now recognized her from it, and as I registered that it was the woman he was terrified of running into, and that we’d forgotten the possibility of her being there, or at least I had, my heart began to pound in my chest. Claudia. Right there, in front of me, rubbing up against my fiancé.
As the song ended everyone cheered, and she placed her hands on either side of Tom’s head, turned his face towards hers, then kissed him squarely on the lips in far too intimate a fashion and for entirely too long. I heard a few gasps, but they were eclipsed by the roaring of my heartbeat in my ears, and I fought the urge to scream as I watched him gently push her away. He turned back toward the crowd, stone-faced, and when his mask slipped almost imperceptibly I knew he’d spotted me. I wanted to run, flee the scene, disappear into the night but this was a party full of his co-workers, part of the promo, and doing so would certainly hit the gossip rags in a flash and had the potential to damage the success of the film and so I stood, and I faked a smile as he walked toward me with the woman who possessed a cache of sex tapes starring them both at his side. Once they were two feet away, she opened her clutch and pulled out what I knew to be a hotel room key, as it bore the same logo as the one in my own. Her voice was a much higher pitch than mine, volume just loud enough for both Tom and I to hear when she spoke, pressing the plastic rectangle into his hand.
“Here’s my key. Panorama suite two. I’ll see you shortly.” She turned to me, smirking, then back to him, gesturing in my direction with her thumb. “You can bring her too, if you want, even though she’s not exactly my type. That giant cock of yours more than makes up for it.”
She grinned widely at me, then walked across the room, hair swaying back and forth as she rolled her hips, finally vanishing around the corner and into the hall that led to the exit after what seemed like forever. I heard Tom say my name, and I looked up, but I stared at the knot in his tie because I couldn’t look him in the eye. He took my hand in his, which I permitted, and after his first ‘good night’ it dawned on me that one, I should do the same because two, apparently he’d decided it was time to get the fuck out of there. As soon as we rounded the same corner Claudia had minutes earlier, I pulled my hand from his. Neither of us spoke then, and when he began to do so in the car, I silenced him with a terse ‘not now’.
The ban continued as we entered the hotel, and throughout the elevator ride. Once the room door was closed and locked behind us, I held up both hands, palms toward him.
“Tom. I’m going into the bathroom. I’m going to take this dress off. I’m going to take a shower. I’m going to try and calm down and return to some sort of quasi-rational version of myself. You are going to stay out here.” I could feel the rage bubbling up, words I shouldn’t say spilling out of my mouth. “Unless, of course, you’re planning on joining Claudia, which, FYI, I am NOT.” I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for that. That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid. I’ll be out when I’m ready.”
Once safely tucked away, I focused on each individual detail of every task. Zipper down. Dress off. Hang up the dress. Tape off. Bra off. Underwear off. Water on. Test water. Step into shower. By the time I’d dried off, I once again understood that the man on the other side of the door loved me, and that I loved him, and trusted him, and that we needed to discuss what had happened because there was a side to this story I’d yet to hear, and doing or saying or thinking anything without having that knowledge would be unreasonable. And wrong.
He was sitting on the floor, jacket and tie off, shirt unbuttoned ,back leaning up against the bottom of the bed with his knees up and his head in his hands. Hearing me pad across the carpet, he looked up at me, his forlorn expression shifting briefly to one of desire, which baffled me until I realized I was naked. Knowing that he wanted me in the midst of all this was strangely comforting, and empowering. I pulled a robe out of the top dresser drawer, wrapping it around myself as I walked to the bed and sat down, his body to the left of my own. His gaze was cast downward again, and I reached out and began rubbing the back of his neck, speaking softly.
“Will you sit with me and tell me what happened?”
He nodded, rising quickly and joining me on the mattress. His eyes met mine, and he inhaled deeply.
“I had no idea she’d be attending. I didn’t even think to ask. If I’m honest, I hadn’t given her a single thought in months, not until we watched the movie here, and even then the possibility of her turning up didn’t even cross my mind for more than a few seconds…and I pushed it away as me being paranoid. As soon as I started in on Hey Good Lookin’ I felt someone to my left, which wasn’t out of the ordinary as people had been all around me since we began playing, but the someone was incredibly close, and at first I thought you’d snuck up on me and were going to join in, but when I turned to look it was…her. And there I was, in the middle of a song, in front of everyone, and I wanted to stop and get away from her but…”
It was my turn to nod. “In front of everyone. I know that feel.”
He shook his head. “I told myself to remain professional, to keep going, and I thought if I pretended that we were filming I’d be fine. Then she…she…she kissed me in front of everyone, and I just couldn’t believe it and she just kept going and I wanted to shove her off me but that would have looked…and so I did it as normally as I could and the whole time I was hoping you were still in the bathroom but then I saw you…” He paused. “And when I started toward you she came WITH me and then the keycard and what she said…then watching you keep yourself together when I knew you were…I’m sorry. So, so sorry. If that kiss makes it online…my god. I’m sorry.”
His head was in his hands again, shoulders shaking as he wept, and I recognized that this experience had been so deeply traumatic for him that he didn’t quite realize it yet, his unconsciously focusing outwardly serving as diversion. I wrapped my arms around him and held him to my chest, stroking his hair until he quieted enough to listen. When he was able to look me in the eye again, I began to speak.
“Thank you for explaining. That’s essentially what I thought had happened, and, I’m very sorry it happened to you.” His left brow rose. “What she did was so completely inappropriate…I mean, that’s not really surprising, but…yeah. Is it okay if I go through my thought process here?”
He half-smiled. “Yes.”
“Obviously, there’s a component of jealousy. That hit me first. This beautiful woman that’s been intimate with you kissed you right in front of me, and you look amazing together, and she’s tall and blonde and skinny…and the way she presented the keycard to you made it seem like you had an arrangement, a plan in place. Most of way back here all what was going through my mind was that you’d been secretly contacting her and set this all up. But, then I reminded myself exactly who, and what, she was to you, and the jealousy turned primarily to anger, directed at her, but there was still enough jealousy left to generate some serious nastiness on my part directed at YOU. And, like I said before, I wanted to avoid that because it was likely baseless and unwarranted, the jealousy. So I showered, and I listened, and DAMN that anger is way worse now and you should probably keep that room key far the fuck away from me…” I took a deep breath. “Sheese. Again, I’m very sorry this happened to you. However you want to handle it, I’m here to help. Whatever you need, okay?”
He reached out to touch my face, letting his fingertips drag across my jaw and down my neck before grasping my hand.
“I wasn’t even thinking of anything happening to me. I was afraid of what you’d think, and…”
I entwined my fingers with his. “I know. And I appreciate that. We’ve been through some shit, my dude, and I’m a runner. Or, I was. Now…you’re more important than my internal bullshit struggles.”
A smile lit up his face, but it faded quickly, replaced with fear, then sorrow, then anger over the next several silent minutes as he stared at me.
“Maude, all I know in this moment is that I’m finished being afraid of her. I remembered what you said back in New Orleans, our options, and…well, it’s time, I think, for her to know that what she views as having the upper hand…isn’t. Not anymore.” He ran one hand through his hair. “So. I’m going up there, and I’m going to deal with this for once, and for all. Unless you think it’s utter madness to do such a thing.”
My mouth dropped open as my brow rose. “Oh, it’s madness, alright. But I like it. Hmm…”
He laughed, then poked my collarbone softly with his finger. “Ah, a plan is afoot, is it?”
“No. A plan is a plan. Not a foot.” He groaned and covered his eyes briefly, gaze returning to meet mine as I continued. “Okay. Several things to consider here. Ideally, you’d do this alone. Are you comfortable with that?”
“Well, yes and no. Going in, absolutely. But when I visualize reaction scenarios, I am concerned that a situation might arise that would result in an unfavorable outcome.”
I snorted. “Yeah, as in her recording the entire exchange and then heavily editing it to paint you in a…a…let’s go with ‘negative light’.” He nodded. “The hotel security feed would take care of pinpointing when you entered and when you left, but everything in between is up for grabs, and that’s not acceptable. Having a witness seems warranted, but who’s the witness? Am I the witness? Does my bias preclude me from being reliable in reporting the truth?”
Tom nodded again. “Likely, yes. But you’re the only witness available who’s privy to all the details of the history involved, and I wouldn’t trust anyone else to maintain any sort of confidentiality.”
This was something I had zero desire to participate in, for a multitude of reasons. It was pre-Maude, and in that aspect, none of my damn business. But since Claudia’s future actions could significantly impact my life, even if said impact was short-lived, that made it potentially my damn business. Then there was what I knew…what she’d done with him, and, far worse, what she’d done TO him. Unsettling at best, rage inducing at worst…in other words, I’d be walking into a situation wherein keeping myself in check was questionable, but of the utmost importance. And there it was, another lightbulb moment in the life and times of Maude Gallagher-soon-to-be-Hiddleston. I chuckled, and he stared at me, confused, head tilted to the side as he attempted to discern what was amusing.
I patted his knee. “I’m just laughing at my own stupidity, because I totally forgot that I’m a member of your PR team and thus have a rather valid reason to accompany you since part of the discussion will include…PR. And it ALSO gives me a reason to behave myself. Total coup, right?”
His arms wrapped around me, kissing first one cheek, then the other. “Oh, yes. Check mate.”
“No, that’s just the check. The checkmate is me recording the whole exchange on my phone, which will be tucked in my bra. Or somewhere.”
He pulled back, eyes wide. “Isn’t this a two party state? I recall you mentioning that…”
“Yeah. It is. But that won’t stop me from leaking it if the need arises. You know, someone could steal my phone at any given moment. It’s totally possible. I’m forgetful. I leave things behind ALL THE TIME…”
“Maude, you are deliciously fiendish. And I love you so.”
“Aw, thank you, baby. And I’m a total hypocrite, because I just admitted to being willing to do what I believe she shouldn’t. Anyway…criminal prosecution for this sort of thing is very rare. She could sue, of course. But I don’t think I care. Do you care?”
“I do not.”
“Cool. Hopefully we’ll never need to use it.” I rose, both hands finger-gunning in his direction. “Let’s do this.”
He stood, tugging at the fabric of my robe. “Should you dress first, do you think?”
I glanced down at myself. “Oh. Right. This is not one of my ‘don’t fuck with me’ ensembles.”
Snorting, he began re-buttoning his shirt. “Quite the opposite, actually.”
“Thomas. I’m struggling to keep a firm grasp on my professionalism. Cease.”
“Firm grasp, you say?”
I pretended to not hear him and searched my travel wardrobe for something that would work, in the end opting for black leggings, a fluffy, grey, oversize turtleneck sweater and my Birkenstock boots. As I caught sight of myself in the mirror on the way out the door, I decided my choices were just the right mix of business and badassery…but a V-neck would have made hiding the phone a whole lot fucking simpler.
****************************************
There we stood, outside Panorama suite number two, me turned away from the door with my shirt lifted and bra on full display as I wedged my phone into it and hit record. Tom and I exchanged a few words, and then it was Titty Time again. I was relieved to hear the playback was nice and clear and began another session, putting a finger to my lips to let Tom know we were on the record, so to speak. He knocked loudly, then even louder when there was no immediate answer. When he paused, a clicking that could only be high heels on tile was audible, its increasing volume indicating the wearer was travelling in our direction. The door swung inward to reveal Claudia, now clad in white lingerie, a lacy bra, bikini panties, garters and filmy white stockings, all paired with the same white stilettos she’d worn to the party. She placed one hand on her hip, smirking widely.
“Well, well, well. Hello, Tom. I expected you to turn up, but not…” A thumb with a fuchsia fingernail jerked in my direction. “…her. Not exactly a pleasant surprise, but, whatever. Come on in. I’ve gotten off with my vibe three times already but I’m still SO fucking horny. Just one kiss from you, that’s all it takes…mmmm…”
Tom held up a hand, palm towards her. “Stop, Claudia. Right now. Control yourself until we’re behind closed doors, for god’s sake.”
She bit her lip. “Oh my, someone’s feeling forceful. Must be my lucky day!”
We walked in past her, and she followed after closing the door and engaging the slide-bolt lock, stopping in front of the not-so-mini mini bar to face us.
“Anyone else want a cocktail before cock?” Neither Tom nor I replied. “Well I do. I need one. Who wears a turtleneck to a threesome? Christ.”
Tom’s jaw clenched, then released as he spoke. “I’m afraid you’ve misinterpreted the reason for this visit, Claudia. Hint, it’s not for a threesome. I’m only here to have a conversation with you, one we should have had quite some time ago. Maude’s presence is due to the fact that she’s a member of my PR team, and will serve as my advisor if necessary.”
She was stunned, silent, and the fingers she’d wrapped around a bottle of rum went white with the strength of her grip. When Tom noted it didn’t appear as if she’d reply, he continued.
“I’m not going to waste my time re-hashing the past, but I will say this…I made it abundantly clear that we were done when I discovered you were secretly filming our encounters. When I also made it clear that I didn’t love you, and pointed out that I’d never given you any reason to believe our relationship was anything more than purely sexual in nature, you threatened me. You threatened to provide a detailed account of our interactions to my family and friends, you threatened to publish all of the videos you’d made online, and you threatened to ruin my career and make my life a living hell.”
She’d done several double takes during his speech, looking at me, then back at him, then back at me, as if she couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that I might be aware that something had transpired between them. She finally relinquished her hold on the rum bottle, lifting her hands in surrender. “Tom, that was…I was…I just said all that because I was angry. I didn’t mean it.”
He scoffed. “Really? You didn’t mean it? Yet you accepted a million dollar payout from me?”
“I thought we had a future, Tom. Together. The money was like…alimony.”
“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response, Claudia. What I want you to know is that from this day onward, you are to come nowhere near me. If for some reason we find ourselves at the same event or function, don’t approach me. Don’t speak to me. And most of all, don’t fucking TOUCH me. If you refuse to comply, I will not hesitate to file a restraining order against you.” He took two steps closer to her, his face now inches from hers. “Do you understand?”
She didn’t respond, and he repeated the question, his tone far harsher, volume ratcheting up five notches on the dial.
“DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”
Crossing her arms, she sneered at him. “You know, I still have all those videos...it would be such a shame if they went public and Maude found out what kind of person you really are…”
And there was my cue. I pulled Tom backwards and away from her, then stepped in front of him.
“Maude is acutely aware of the contents of ‘those videos’, Claudia.” Air quotes. I felt like an Office Space character for a second, and really, really wanted to tell her that if she would kindly fuck off and die that’d be great. “Opting to publish them is entirely your choice to make.”
Her laugh bordered on hysterical. “So you’re fine with ruining his career and making yourself a laughing stock? That’s cool. I’ll totally publish them then.”
I shrugged. “Be advised that there will be repercussions that will affect you personally and professionally if you choose to take such action.” She opened her mouth to speak, and I held up my hand to cut her off at the pass, my right index finger pointing up toward the ceiling. “First, since you’ll be violating the terms of the NDA you signed, a suit will be filed for breach of contract wherein we’ll be requesting both expectation and disgorgement damages. That means you’ll be on the hook for repayment of the one million dollars you received as a settlement, as well as any lost revenue Tom incurs as a result of the breach. Secondly, criminal charges will be filed under California’s Revenge Porn Law, which defines said revenge porn as the publication of nude photos or videos of a person one used to be intimate with, without their consent, with an intent to cause serious emotional distress. Each video that was filmed in the state of California would incur a penalty of a fine in the amount of $1000 and up to six months in jail…based upon Tom’s estimate as to video quantity, you’d be facing a prison sentence of up to ten years. Thirdly, and lastly, criminal charges and a civil suit will be filed for your violation of the Invasion of Privacy act. California is a ‘two party’ state when it comes to audio recordings of confidential communication in situations and locations wherein there’s a reasonable expectation of privacy. Audio that’s a component of a video is covered under this particular statute, and penalties include a fine of up to $2500 and a year in jail. Long story short, Claudia…do you want to wind up in jail? Because publishing those videos is how you wind up in jail.”
While I spoke, I’d witnessed her face first going pale, then gradually reddening until it reached a final almost-purple hue. She was shaking with rage, and I just stood there, certain she was going to attack me Dynasty lady-feud style. But she didn’t, pausing, instead to digest what I’d said as best she could and find a way around it. Her eyes, now more grey than green, narrowed as she spoke.
“My attorney will drag out your breach suit for years, and if you win, I’ll hide all my assets and file for bankruptcy and you won’t see a dime, ever. As for the rest, there’s no proof Tom never consented to filming. Same with that distress bullshit. My word against his. I’ll take those odds, and when I’m acquitted of all charges I’ll sue YOU guys for damages and take even MORE of Tom’s money.”
Raising my brow, I leaned in a little closer to her. “Tom saved all your texts and voicemails. Every. Single. One. They’re tucked away, safe and sound, on the very phone you sent them to.”
If Tom hadn’t been paying such close attention, the highball glass she picked up and threw would have hit me right in the face. He’d jerked both of us to the side, and the glass shattered when it hit the wall. With me in front of him, he propelled both of us toward the door at top speed, slid the bolt and pushed me out into the hallway, slamming the door behind him in the midst of the sound of more shattering glass and her screams of ‘get out, GET OUT’. We headed for the stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator, rushed back to our room, entered and locked our own door, both of us unsure as to whether we were pleased, frightened, or a bit of both.
I reached up under my sweater to pull out the phone, hitting the stop button to end the recording. Tom placed his hands on my shoulders, eyes on mine.
“Are you all right?”
Nodding, I felt my mouth twist into a half smile. “That went better than I expected, honestly.” I stood on my toes and planted a kiss on his left cheek. “Thanks for rescuing me from death by assorted beverage containers. How do you feel?”
His eyes shifted down and to the side, then returned to my face. “Relieved. Like I’ve gotten some closure, and that I’m no longer at her mercy. The fear, the anxiety in regard to my past actions becoming public…that’s subsided significantly. But there’s trepidation present, resulting from her expression of violence towards you, which I’m not quite sure how to handle.”
I slipped my phone into his pocket as I wrapped my arms around his torso. “She just realized she’s powerless, and she was NOT happy about it. Probably best to let it go and hope she finds a new hobby. Or a good therapist. Or Jesus. Something.”
“Maude, if that would have hit you…”
“It didn’t, though. I’m fine, you’re fine, and…that was over the top, wasn’t it? Was she aiming for me? Or you? Or the wall? Wow, I’m kinda freaked out now.”
He pulled me to his chest, kissing the top of my head. “I’m sorry. I knew her behavior as I experienced it was abnormal, and I shouldn’t have involved you.”
I leaned back, reaching up to caress his cheek. “You realize I knew too based on your description of your experience, yes? I’m glad I went with you. She would have spun that visit in the worst way possible, Tom, if the opportunity presented itself. Now she can’t, and I’m glad for that. As for the rest…we have a plan in place if she releases the videos, and we’ll follow through with it. She knows now that you’re no longer afraid of that happening, and that you’ll fight back, and I’m thinking maybe that will take all the fun out of it for her.”
A heavy sigh escaped him. “I hope that’s the case, my love. Truly I do. And I’m not going to dwell on it, because allowing her to diminish our joy is akin to giving her precisely what she wants, and she’s stolen enough already. This shop’s doors are closed. Permanently.”
“That’s an excellent way to look at it, Mr. Eternal Optimist. The doors are closed and the shop’s in the rearview as we travel the road ahead of us into our future.”
He simply stared at me, a small smile upon his face, his eyes once again full of all those things that made me both weak in the knees and disgusted with my sappy-ass self all at once. I rolled my eyes.
“Man, you’ve gotta lay off that adorable shit. We’ve got three months to go until the wedding and when you look at me like that…I just want to say fuck it and go find a judge and do it, like, right now.” Next came the tears shining, ready to spill over. “No. Oh my god, not helping, Tom. NOT. HELPING.”
He laughed. “I’m not even sorry.”
“Color me thoroughly unsurprised.”
“I’d rather color your inner thighs with love bites.”
“That can be arranged.”
Less than an hour later, we were spooning, and I felt his breathing change as he slipped into sleep. I lay nestled against him, wide awake until near dawn, trying to force myself to stop thinking about Claudia. Her actions seemed, as I reviewed the evening’s events, to indicate she hadn’t quite…let go. Far from it, actually. I wondered what she actually wanted, after so much time had passed. Was it more money? Was it revenge? Was it still…Tom? Was it all three, perhaps? And then I found myself wondering how far someone who behaved as she had tonight was willing to go in order to get it. Whatever it was she wanted. And it shook me, so I sang our wedding song to myself in my head until I calmed down, finally dozing off reminding myself that things which were terribly frightening in the dead of night were often immediately vanquished as nonsense by the light of day.
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180907 NYLON Interview
Cai xukun’s emergence catches the attention of people; he carries with him the innocence of a youth, yet at the same time he carries maturity rarely seen in others his age. After officially debuting, he chose to ‘settle down’ and put all of his focus into making music, proving himself with his works.
“Life is an endless learning journey, I hope to become better by constantly improving myself. Moving forward on the path I’m passionate about, first I have to put in time, then enjoy every second on stage.”
The morning of the photoshoot, cai xukun appeared in beijing 798’s bee hive center for contemporary art wearing a navy shirt. The first thing he did after arriving was head to the filming area and discuss the plans for the day with the crew. While observing the site and the style of the clothes, he thought over on how he should express this photoshoot with his own style later on. After changing into his first outfit, he quickly came to an agreement with the photographer; and without needing too much guidance, he immersed himself in the switching of poses in front of the camera.
It seemed cai xukun only adjusted himself to a state of relaxation after going into the resting room, selecting music to play on his phone. Ever since returning from overseas he’s been constantly preparing for his new album, while flying to different cities and countries. But other than the occasional yawns, you couldn’t see any sigs of tiredness coming from him.
“1”: From nothing to something
We met cai xukun just a week before his 20th birthday. Before this, he never really specially prepared for his birthdays, usually just having a simple meal with his family But this being his first birthday after debuting, turning 20 holds a huge significance to him. He says: “This might be one of the most important birthdays in my life. Because of this album, my 20th birthday has been endowed with significance of many different levels. It’s like a homework I want to hand in to myself, and is also a reciprocation to the long period of accompaniment ikuns have given me. I think the best present I can gift to them are my works. This album will be released for free, (as a gift) to my fans.”
On the 2nd of august, under the anticipation of many, he achieved first place on various music charts with his new original EP《1》. The title of the album holds his experiences and journey thus far, holding the meaning of starting from zero, from having nothing to having something. And the number ‘1’ is special to cai xukun, symbolising a new era as well as his brand new style of music. But cai xukun’s ambitions towards music will not cease after《1》, he says: “《1》will continue to include my original works in the future, and slowly accumulate to become a full and diverse album. I will work hard to express my personal style from its visual, audio to performance presentations.” You can find his traces in every song of his - in its lyrics, style, and tone colour, even each breath was specially designed.
On the day of cai xukun’s birthday, he took first place on sina weibo’s influencing celebrities chart with a high score of 98.51. And before this, he’d already maintained this placing for a long record of 13 weeks straight. It’s because of these high numbers and being the talk of the town that cai xukun has been named as a prime representation of ‘new generation idols’. Facing these endless achievements, cai xukun’s understanding towards the label of ‘new generation idol’ is simple, he says: “I feel that as an idol, the first thing that should be done is to spread positive energy, bring to fans a ‘(hardworking/motivating/)self-improving’ attitude through the stage. Secondly it is to concentrate on your career (the things you are good at), focus on training and learning, and to not be disturbed by the external voices. For myself, this career would be music. I am very willing to obtain knowledge in this aspect (music) and try new styles.”
Throughout the interview, you can easily feel his love and passion for music, towards this, he doesn’t hide anything at all: “I truly enjoy every ‘state’ (that he is in when) at work, whether it is a photoshoot, being on stage or behind-the-scene productions, I am willing to participate in everything. The sense of achievement I receive from the process of participating in all these lets me feel enriched.” Even when he hardly has any time for himself, as long as he is able to squeeze out that little bit of time among his busy schedules, he will use it on composing music. When inspiration suddenly hits, he will immediately record the melody and lyrics on his phone. To him, no matter where he is, the best state to be in when composing is to keep a rash and passionate heart towards music.
The ability of forgetting oneself on stage
The cai xukun on stage perfectly expresses the arrogant aura of a Leo. He carries a trait of being born for the stage, a combination of stability and ‘explosive force’. Unlike having to play out another person’s life when acting, on stage is where he can express his most authentic side, and in his heart the stage is also the place with the most freedom.
In the subject of performing on stage, cai xukun is no doubt an outstanding student with full marks. Every time he performs he is just like a ‘model textbook’, from his movements to the tiny changes in his expressions, it is hard to pick out flaws. This model performance student’s achievements comes from his hard work and practice - it is only through endlessly practicing in the dance studio to engrave every movement in his muscle, can one then shine on stage freely. He admits he is someone with strict expectations of himself, persevering on his own ideas when at work. He has a (measuring) scale in his heart, only deciding what’s most suitable for himself after taking in the different opinions from people around him. After the end of every performance, cai xukun never gives up on any opportunity to review himself, through re-watching his performances repeatedly, he uses the scale in his heart to seek for areas of improvement, to create an even better performance for the next time he stands on stage.
Just like the lyrics cai xukun wrote in <you can be my girlfriend>, “rumours and gossips are just playthings in my eyes” - what can be truly ‘taken into sight’ by him is only music. On his path of becoming a singer, cai xukun has never thought of giving up. Even when he’s asked a hypothetical question of ‘if he can’t sing, what would he do?’, he only smiles and shakes his head, saying: “No, there wouldn’t be a day where I won’t sing.” About how one can stay focused, he shows maturity above that of his age: “I feel you have to ‘settle’ your heart down to learn, life is an endless learning journey. I hope to become better by constantly improving myself. Moving forward on the path I’m passionate about, first I have to put int time, then enjoy every second on stage.” The confidence and charms he exudes now are the best requites from putting in hard work.
Under the influence of his mother and grandfather, cai xukun has started yearning for the stage since he was small, and naturally stepped onto the path of chasing his dreams. On his 10th birthday he once made a wish: “I want to become a singer, and make my own album.” Ten years later today, he fulfilled his childhood dream. Except that, maybe the him back then didn’t expect himself to cause such an uproar with the fulfilment of this dream. (Then what is your next wish?) “I hope to fulfil this dream even better. Other than publishing works, I have to publish good works. I don’t wish to make music following the (current) trends just to ‘be welcomed’ by the (general) ‘market’.” After he debuted, various comments and judgements came with his popularity. Towards this cai xukun chose the best method of responding, and that is to let his works speak for him.
In the eyes of others, perhaps cai xukun’s name blew up overnight, yet this supposed ‘one night’ costed a span ten years. Before the fame, he spent day after day practicing, waiting for an opportunity that belongs to him. When this opportunity arrived, cai xukun calmly gathered all of the lights on stage and created for himself a unique halo of his own, making people unable to ignore his existence anymore.
In this ten years of chasing his music dreams, his journey was not smooth-sailing. But whether it be when he felt lost or faced difficulties, cai xukun’s motivation never extinguished. He turns the strong energy in his heart into chances for himself to improve, and even thank the heavens for the experiences he’s been given. “All the difficulties that I’ve been through while chasing my music dreams are my wealth, they’ve given me a lot of help and even inspiration.” Keeping himself grounded over the years, waiting for that moment to go on stage. His experiences perfectly confirms the old saying: one minute of performance on stage, ten years of hard work off-stage.
“Keeping one’s heart grounded in a world of temptations”, cai xukun’s motto will accompany him on his career for the next ten years, eventually arriving at the ‘other side of the shore’ acknowledged in his heart.
He carries a trait of being born for the stage, a combination of stability and ‘explosive force’. Unlike having to play out another person’s life when acting, on stage is where he can express his most authentic side, and in his heart the stage is also the place with the most freedom.
Q & A
Q What did you eat for breakfast today?
A I didn’t eat breakfast today.
Q How many hours of sleep did you get this week?
A It depends, when I’m busy I get about 5 hours of sleep per day.
Q What do you do when you feel stressed?
A Eat.
Q Your favourite colour?
A I like all colours.
Q The meme you use most often?
A (thinks for a few seconds) I actually don’t really use memes.
Q Do you prefer typing or voice-chatting on wechat?
A Typing.
Q Your pinned contact in wechat?
A I don’t have any pinned contacts right now.
Q The last person you sent a wechat message to?
A My family.
Q What trait of yours do you think is most like a leo?
A It should be when I’m on stage.
Q How do you plan to spend your 20th birthday?
A Play with music with my ikuns.
Q A song you want to do a cover of the most?
A Actually I’ve been preparing a song recently, when it’s done I’ll share it with everyone.
Q The one thing you will definitely do before and after you go on stage?
A Before going on stage I will find a corner to let myself be ‘quiet’ for a bit, after coming off stage I’ll find time to watch my performance.
Q If you could collaborate with one person (regardless of time periods and countries), who do you hope to work with and how?
A I’d want to work with film master charlie chaplin and act in a movie.
Q If you can only eat one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?
A Stir-fried beef with celery.
Q A body part of yours you’re most satisfied with?
A Eyes.
Original article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/tZn0gyYp55mh8rdq1ZYoCA
Full Translations: @02m1lk
Do NOT repost, please take out WITH credits.
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The MCU Generation
So I’ve been thinking about Marvel a lot lately. Specifically Infinity War. And I have some Feelings™, so I just thought I’d share. This is probably going to be long and super inaccurate and cringe-y, I don’t mean to offend anyone, but I just wanted to get it out of my system. BTW there will be lots of spoilers.
Iron Man was released in 2008, and many people including me consider it the true beginning of the cultural phenomenon that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I was eight years old when it came out, man that makes me feel old. I didn’t really know much about/pay attention to/care about superheroes much at that point, but my dad liked those kinds of movies so I had watched things like the Tobey Maguire spider man movies and Christopher Nolan’s batman movies (the first two were out at that time). They didn’t really hold much interest for me at the time. Iron man rolled around and dad seemed excited about it, but it still just seemed like another comic movie that the family would maybe re-watch if it were on TV or something. No big deal, right? Well, time went on and I started to hear talk about a bigger story. Iron man 2 came out when I was 10, and introduced nick fury and Natasha Romanoff. Still, I paid little mind to the film besides casually enjoying it like any other decent action film. Then came Thor. One year later, we got the first taste of the universe outside of Tony Stark, and that universe was much larger than I had anticipated. Looking back, the first Thor movie was definitely not the best superhero film ever made, but it did a lot of things right. Most importantly, it set the stage for more heroes who quickly joined ranks. It’s at this point that I feel the MCU really started to gain traction, at least from what I was hearing. My eleven-year-old self was beginning to view this collection of movies as something with potential, something to get excited about. In that same year, Captain America: The First Avenger hit the big screen. This is where I became truly and totally hooked. I don’t know what did it, but something about the story, the characters, or the message seemed to grab my full attention. This was the movie that had me craving the next installment. It probably helped that at about twelve years old I was starting to enter the social media world, if only in small doses. I discovered Pinterest and quickly realized that other people around my age (maybe a few years older) were talking about these movies, interacting with each other, making jokes and edits and headcanons. If I wasn’t invested in the MCU characters before then, that changed rapidly. Seeing other people’s takes on what the heroes thought or did off camera, speculation about subtext relationships, comparisons and continuations of themes from the comics, all mushed together to bring me closer to this Story than I had ever been before. So I was ready for Avengers. The Big One. The superhero movie that did what no superhero movie had done before. It brought together a cast from multiple movies into one glorious world-saving group. By this point, everyone could see that this franchise would make an impact. It truly was an entire universe, and we had just touched on the surface of this super team potential. Fans were everywhere; people at school, on the street, in commercials had their favorite heroes’ logo somewhere on their clothing or bag. There had never been (or I maybe just never noticed) such a widely spread media infatuation.
Then came phase two. Iron man 3, Thor dark world, captain America winter soldier, guardians of the galaxy, age of Ultron, and ant man. These came out between my 13 and 16th birthdays. In my opinion (back then and now), none of these movies were quite up to par with those of phase one, but nostalgia may have already been clouding my judgement, even after just a few years. However, they did give us more characters to love, and also let us enjoy learning more about our old faves. I think this phase was Marvel kind of trying to find their footing in this huge undertaking they just opened up, trying to figure out how to write their stories now that they had to feel like they were in such a large universe?? I don’t know, it just feels like Phase One took place in a box the size of a fridge, and Phase Two now had to try (or at least start) to fill out an entire swimming pool. I was still excited with every new movie announcement and was happy to watch them, but after age of Ultron I feel like I lost a bit of steam. So much that I didn’t see Antman at all when it came out. It just didn’t seem worth it.
Phase Three. Civil War. I think this movie is the turning point for the MCU, into a much darker and somber tone. Inner conflicts among the avengers that have literally been boiling for years come to a head, we see so many characters in the same place, see their stories starting to turn in different directions from each other and we, as fans, are starting to get torn apart. Team Iron Man, Team Cap, and social media is stronger than ever, and more prevalent in my life. We don’t even get a solution at the end of the movie. It ends with both sides hurt, betrayed, and with no clue where to go from here, just like us viewers. It’s fair to say that I was re-invested in this universe once more. Though it hurt, I think Marvel needed to introduce some real, lasting damage to its characters. I feel like this movie took itself more seriously as well. That was 2016. After that, we got Dr. Strange, GotG volume two, Spiderman homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, and Black panther. While these movies were not perfect either, I think they got a lot closer to what marvel wanted to make their universe feel like. They know what they’re doing now, and we fans got some great new characters out of it, along with a fun new take on some old ones (I’m looking at you, Mr. Waititi). I do want to mention a couple little things about some of these. Spiderman was worrisome for me, because the character had had two separate franchises in the last decade or so. That’s a pretty quick turnover. Let it be known that my fears have been quelled, and Tom Holland is my true Spiderman. (Tobey will hold a special place in my heart though. Sorry Andrew, better luck next time). AND THEN. The sensation that was Black Panther. This was when I was really getting into social media; tumblr, youtube, deviantart, all that jazz. It is also when I started college, so imagine that absolute upheaval of perspective. This movie was so important for minorities, and it caused such a stir just as my life was turned 180 degrees on its head. I didn’t know what to think. But I loved it.
Everything was going good. Marvel was hitting its stride again, life was changing, and my mind was expanding and finding out things that I had never considered before. I was 18 years old.
Then it happened.
The one everyone had been waiting for for several years. “The endgame.”
Infinity War.
Let me tell you what it was like when I sat down in the theater that cold spring day. I had heard whispered rumors. About loss, about death. I brushed them off as speculation, trying not to latch onto any spoilers. I wanted to be totally oblivious as to what was about to happen, so I could experience it as mine and only mine the first time. I sat down in that dark theater with my parents, brother, snacks, tissues, and blanket. Mind you, the tissues were for allergies that had been acting up the past few days. I never cried at movies. Never. The trailers played, my family and I whispered to each other about needing to keep an eye out for this or that film when it came out. Then the lights dropped to almost nothing. We settled in for the long haul as the Marvel logo began to play. You know the one, where it shows clips of the past movies, coming together to form the name of the company? Except this one said “MARVEL STUD10S.” Did you get that? There was a number 10 in the name. I was confused for a minute or so, until it dawned on me that the Marvel Cinematic Universe had been making movies for ten. years. More than half my life. I was still in elementary school when the first Iron Man came out. And now here I was, a year into college, about to watch characters that I had grown up with and come to love, in the movie that people were saying destroyed their souls. At that moment, I knew I was in trouble. I was right. Straight off the bat, we lost my favorite villain who really just needs a hug, one who really was instrumental in bringing the Avengers together in the first place. Loki Odinson, in his own words. Right up till the end, he was a trickster, but he loved his family. He and Heimdall were the first hard losses, though seeing all of Asgard torn to shreds was a wake-up call that no one was prepared for the utter destruction that had been avoided until this film. No more clean Disney kid-friendly-ness anymore.
Throughout the movie, we got to see reunions, long-awaited meetings, even more characterization and growth (geez marvel, how did you even fit that in? This is the endgame movie? How are you still teaching us new things about these people?) torture, fighting. The tension to the final battle was mounting, and at some point it became clear to me that the Avengers would not be together when this threat arrived. And as anyone who has ever seen a horror movie can tell you, splitting up only leads to death.
Now, here’s where my memory gets a little fuzzy. Things were happening so fast, switching from group to group of heroes trying desperately to stave off the destruction of everything we’ve ever known. Things are going wrong all over the place, no one knows where anyone else is or what they’re doing, people we love are fighting each other because they’ve never met before now. What I do remember is when we get to the fight on Titan. Half of the Guardians, Tony, Peter, Strange. Tensions are running high. When Thanos arrives, I have no Idea what’s about to happen. They start fighting, and we finally get a demonstration of some of the more amazing feats the Infinity Gauntlet can pull off. The upper hand swings back and forth so many times, but finally the heroes get their plan to work, they’ve got Thanos on the ground, the Gauntlet is almost off. And Quill… ruins it. What else can he do? He just found out that his love is dead. So he messes everything up. Thanos gets free, pummels everyone into the ground, and then… gets the stone. Strange gives up the stone, even though he swore he would let a child die before he would ever give up such a dangerous object. What the hell Strange???? Was my immediate reaction. I knew it had to be more than just some newfound compassion for these people he met a day ago (was it actually a day?? Has all of this only happened in one short day?) Obviously the doctor has a plan, but this still seems like the worst possible idea.
Now to earth. We get some truly awesome moments here; Bucky and cap’s reunion, Shuri showing off her mad science skillz, epic fight moves against hordes of zombie lizards, Thor’s entrance, his little banter with Steve, “I am Groot” “I am Steve Rogers,” Scarlet Witch dropping in at the last second with that massive power move. Everything seems like it’s going ok, and then suddenly, its not. Everything drops so suddenly into Not OK Town that I can still feel the whiplash. People are scrambling to get to each other, calling for backup, getting knocked down and thrown around, and then Thanos makes his entrance. He practically wipes the floor with our remaining heroes. The only thing standing between the universe and total ruin is Wanda. I’ve been preparing for a scene like this the whole movie, but it didn’t hurt any less to finally see it. Vision begs Wanda to destroy the stone, to destroy him, we all know that she has to give in. That’s what heroes do. So she says goodbye to the man she loves and uses her power on him. Now I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve seen this scenario play out before. I’m expecting someone to get there at the last minute and just fricken’ knock Thanos out cold, or maybe discover that Shuri had enough time to basically detach the stone from Vision, even if it didn’t look like it. But no. Wanda destroys the mind stone and Vision actually dies at her hands. Even after all the death that’s already happened in this movie, I was still surprised and devastated.
But they couldn’t just end it like that, could they? Marvel Studios needs to drink every last drop of pain from their fans.
Thanos moves back the clock. He takes the stone. Vision’s sacrifice was in vain, Wanda had to watch her love die for nothing. Nothing that anyone did made a difference. Since Avengers came out in 2012, these characters have been fighting to keep this evil at bay, to protect the stones, even before they knew it. And now none of it matters. Because Thanos the Mad Titan has all the infinity stones.
It’s all over in my mind, I wait for the quintessential Villain Laugh™, the gloating, and then whatever evil thing Thanos has planned. But wait! Thor to the rescue with his brand-new hammer-axe! My heart leaps as he skewers the big purple raisin. He gets his revenge for Loki, for Heimdall, for all of Asgard, for us. Except. except. “You should have gone for the head.”
Wait,
snap.
.
.
.
My body is rigid and I can only stare unblinking in confusion at the screen. What’s going on? What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?
Thanos disappears. Everything is quiet. “Where did he go?” Steve asks in confusion, mirroring all of our thoughts exactly.
“Steve?”
We see Bucky walking towards us, and then he just…. Dissolves. Into dust. what’s going on what was that My mind is sluggish. I don’t understand.
Wakandan warriors disappear in the wake of the battle. T’challa tries to help Okoye up but then he’s gone. Groot. Wanda. Sam. Mantis, Drax, Quill, Strange.
And oh god.
“Mr. Stark? I don’t feel so good.” Oh god no. “I don’t know what’s happening, I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go, sir, please, I don’t want to go… I’m sorry.”
Gone.
Through this whole thing, it is silent. No music. Just emptiness, confusion, fear.
And that’s where we’re left. The audience is motionless. I do not cry at movies, but my throat is tight like a noose and my sleeves are soaked from wiping away tears.
Like all good Marvel fans, we remain still in our seats. I try to comprehend what just happened to me as the white credits scroll over a void and dramatic music accompanies them. We wait for our first end-credit scene. Instead, what we get is a fading of the music. Avengers: Infinity War shows from the center of the black screen, and a familiar melody plays. A few slow, simple notes on a piano. The triumphant theme of our heroes, earth’s mightiest protectors. It sounds lonely now. The last note plays, and the title dusts. And I almost scream.
If you’ve read this far, wow! Thank you for reading my absolute monstrosity of a garbage post! It’s been a few months now since Infinity War, and I’ve had time to think. What I figured out was this; when I’m older-old enough to be a parent myself-and looking back on my childhood, these are going to be the movies I remember like my dad remembers Star Wars. I was so lucky to be just the right age when this all started to enjoy every single one, and to remember experiencing them all for the first time. I was just the right age to forge a bond with the characters and their world. I think it was a special kind of bond that only occurs when you’re young but not too young, one that weaves webs of innocence and nostalgia through your most transformative years, and grows with you as you become a new person, and stays with you like a friend even as you see things so differently than when you first started out. What I’m trying to say is that I feel like I grew from child to adult just as the MCU did. We grew together. I don’t know if anyone my age feels the same, but these movies feel like the first big mainstream thing that really belongs to my generation. Like they came at the perfect time to shape me. It feels like they were made for me.
#marvel#avengers#mcu#marvel cinematic universe#mcu spoilers#spoilers#sbc talks#not sanders sides#not thomas sanders#iron man#captain america#black panther#thor#black widow#scarlet witch#vision#superhero#movies#tony stark#steve rogers#guardians of the galaxy#t'challa#death#torture#crying#screaming#my own thoughts#super long
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Let’s Try That Again; The 10 Best Horror Movie Remakes
The horror movie remake is a polarizing topic that drives the horror community crazy. You either love remakes, or hate them. Few horror movie re-imaginings have been able to rise above their “remake” branding. Too many fans chalking their existence up to exploiting a film or franchise’s existing fandom, being made purely for profit, being rushed, or re-envisioning iconic characters to a lesser extent.
Despite not being received with open arms, there are a select few remakes that stand above the pack – converting their audiences of naysayers into rabid fans, re-invigorating the franchise they birthed from. Here are our picks for the 10 best horror movie remakes!
10. Friday the 13th (2009)
Against the advice of locals and police, Clay (Jared Padalecki) scours the eerie woods surrounding Crystal Lake for his missing sister. But the rotting cabins of an abandoned summer camp are not the only things he finds. Hockey-masked killer Jason Voorhees lies in wait for a chance to use his razor-sharp machete on Clay and the group of college students who have come to the forest to party.
Alright, I may get a lot of flack for putting this one on the list. But I really do love the Friday the 13th remake. It’s over the top, it’s got everything you want in a slasher, and there’s exactly 13 kills. While it doesn’t hold a torch to the original from 1980, this 2009 remake directed by Marcus Nispel ain’t half bad. There’s some really fun kills and a bit of back story about Jason.
9. Piranha 3D (2010)
Spring break turns gory when an underground tremor releases hundreds of prehistoric, carnivorous fish into Lake Victoria, a popular waterside resort. Local cop Julie Forester (Elisabeth Shue) must join forces with a band of unlikely strangers — though they are badly outnumbered — to destroy the ravenous creatures before everyone becomes fish food.
Piranha 3D is the perfect summer film! The original was released in 1978 and was titled simply Piranha. In 2010 we got a 3D remake that took the thriller element from the original and added way more boobs. And humor. And blood. Piranha 3D is a cheesy gore-fest. Directed by Alexandre Aja, it has an all-star cast including Richard Dreyfuss, Christopher Lloyd and Jerry O’Connell. A great flick to watch in a group while vacationing at a lake. Just make sure to maybe check there’s not another lake under that lake.. filled with ancient piranhas.
8. Quarantine (2008)
Reporter Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman Scott (Steve Harris) are doing a story on night-shift firefighters for a reality-TV program. A late-night distress call takes them to a Los Angeles apartment building, where the police are investigating a report of horrific screams. The TV team and emergency workers find an old woman, who suddenly attacks with teeth bared. What’s more, Angela and company find that the building has been sealed by CDC workers. Then the attacks really begin.
[REC] (2007) is a Spanish found footage film directed by Jaume Balagueró. The film is absolutely terrifying and exactly how found footage should be done. One year later came the American remake Quarantine, directed by John Erick Dowdle. Both films follow the exact same story, so there’s not a lot of surprises watching the American remake. Both films also set up for a bunch of sequels, some of which are really great. The American version stars Jennifer Carpenter in the lead role, who does a great job carrying the story. I won’t say much more because both of these films should be watched with no prior knowledge of the story. The first time I saw the ending was one of the few times I’ve screamed out loud while watching a horror film. I apologized profusely to my neighbors.
7. Evil Dead (2013)
Mia (Jane Levy), a drug addict, is determined to kick the habit. To that end, she asks her brother, David (Shiloh Fernandez), his girlfriend, Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore) and their friends Olivia (Jessica Lucas) and Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) to accompany her to their family’s remote forest cabin to help her through withdrawal. Eric finds a mysterious Book of the Dead at the cabin and reads aloud from it, awakening an ancient demon. All hell breaks loose when the malevolent entity possesses Mia.
Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead was originally released in 1981. A campy, low-budget film that became an instant cult classic. In 2013, Fede Alverez’s re-imagined the beloved story of Ash and his deadites, creating a darker, more sinister interpretation. One of the biggest changes, was opting for an incredible female lead played by Jan Levy. The film is deliciously dark, and only embellishes the silly, zany palate of the Evil Dead Franchise. There’s been a lot of chatter about a sequel being in the works, but nothing concrete.
6. Willard (2003)
Desperate for companionship, the repressed Willard (Crispin Glover) befriends a group of rats that inhabit his late father’s deteriorating mansion. In these furry creatures, Willard finds temporary refuge from daily abuse at the hands of his bedridden mother (Jackie Burroughs) and his father’s old partner, Frank (R. Lee Ermey). Soon it becomes clear that the brood of rodents is ready and willing to exact a vicious, deadly revenge on anyone who dares to bully their sensitive new master.
Willard was released in 1973 and the remake came years later to screens in 2003. It stars Crispin Glover in one of his best roles, and a crap tone of rats. Glen Morgan directed this awesome remake and fills it with everything you’d want in a terrifying situation about killer rats. Glover shines on-screen as a total weirdo and carries the film with perfection. If you weren’t scared of rats before, you will be after this flick ends.
5. The Grudge (2004)
Matthew Williams (William Mapother), his wife, Jennifer (Clea DuVall), and mother, Emma (Grace Zabriskie), are Americans making a new life in Tokyo. Together they move into a house that has been the site of supernatural occurrences in the past, and it isn’t long before their new home begins terrorizing the Williams family as well. The house, as it turns out, is the site of a curse that lingers in a specific place and claims the lives of anyone that comes near.
An American remake from the Japanese original Ju-On: The Grudge released in 2002. The remake, directed by Takashi Shimizu, the same person who directed the original, is terrifying. Back in the early 2000’s it was harder for North Americans to access J-horror and horror audiences were grateful for an accessible remake. Starring Sarah Michelle Geller in the lead role, she carries the story with grace. There’s so many memorable moments and jump scares. While I do recommend The Grudge, I say go crazy and watch both the original and remake one after the other. Have the pants scared off of you!
4. The Fly (1986)
When scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) completes his teleportation device, he decides to test its abilities on himself. Unbeknownst to him, a housefly slips in during the process, leading to a merger of man and insect. Initially, Brundle appears to have undergone a successful teleportation, but the fly’s cells begin to take over his body. As he becomes increasingly fly-like, Brundle’s girlfriend (Geena Davis) is horrified as the person she once loved deteriorates into a monster.
Originally released in 1958, it was a long time before The Fly remake came around in 1986. The original movie was adapted from a short story written by George Langelaan. The remake was directed by the always impressive David Cronenberg and starred Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. Both brought insane performances to this movie which makes it such a great remake. Of course, it is Cronenberg, so…you know…don’t eat while you’re watching it.
3. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
When her husband is attacked by a zombified neighbor, Ana (Sarah Polley) manages to escape, only to realize her entire Milwaukee neighborhood has been overrun by the walking dead. After being questioned by cautious policeman Kenneth (Ving Rhames), Ana joins him and a small group that gravitates to the local shopping mall as a bastion of safety. Once they convince suspicious security guards that they are not contaminated, the group bands together to fight the undead hordes.
The original Dawn of the Dead was a fantastic, beautiful, groundbreaking film from Romero, released in 1978. The remake came in 2004, helmed by James Gunn and Zack Snyder. What stands out about this remake is how far they veer from the source material. But it works! The film boasts a strong cast featuring Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, and Jake Weber, to name a few. There’s also some heart-breaking moments and genuine scares. Oh, and zombies. Lots of those.
2. The Ring (2002)
It sounds like just another urban legend — a videotape filled with nightmarish images leads to a phone call foretelling the viewer’s death in exactly seven days. Newspaper reporter Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is skeptical of the story until four teenagers all die mysteriously exactly one week after watching just such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better of her, Rachel tracks down the video and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery.
Another J-horror American remake. Ringu was first released in 1998 based on the book Ring by Koji Suzuki. In 2002, along came The Ring directed by Gore Verbinski. This was a huge deal for us teenagers in the early 2000’s and made us all terrified of our landlines. The Ring is beautifully shot and colored mystery. It’s a wonderfully done film. It stars Naomi Watts as the mother fighting to save herself and her child, played by David Dorfman.
1. The Thing (1982)
In remote Antarctica, a group of American research scientists are disturbed at their base camp by a helicopter shooting at a sled dog. When they take in the dog, it brutally attacks both human beings and canines in the camp and they discover that the beast can assume the shape of its victims. A resourceful helicopter pilot (Kurt Russell) and the camp doctor (Richard Dysart) lead the camp crew in a desperate, gory battle against the vicious creature before it picks them all off, one by one.
You didn’t think I’d make this list without The Thing did you? Come on! Originally titled The Thing from Another World and released in 1951, the remake was done by John Carpenter in 1982. The Thing is probably the one film everyone will agree on. It’s perfection on-screen. Giant, snowy, cold landscapes filled with unbearable tension and fear. An outstanding performance from all involved – but Kurt Russell stands out on top. Amazing practical effects and a terrifying premise, The Thing is the penultimate remake. They actually remade this again in 2011, but let’s not talk about that..
Those are our picks for the 10 Best Horror Movie Remakes! Are any of your favorites on this list? If not, let us know what your favorite horror remakes are in the comments below, or over in our Facebook Group!
The post Let’s Try That Again; The 10 Best Horror Movie Remakes appeared first on Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews.
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Master List of All My Blogs and the Tags I Use For Them
So I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, since I want to have all my stuff organized and in one place. In this you’ll find a list of all my blogs, as well as the tags I use for each blog, along with other things I feel are important (in relation to each blog, that is). Little disclaimer: this post is really long.
Jak and Daxter Shitposting
Tags:
#jak and daxter
#jnd --Serves the same purpose as the above tag
#precursor legacy
#tpl --Serves the same purpose as the, ‘#precursor legacy’ tag
#jak 2
#jak 3
#jak x
#jak 2 spoilers
#jak 3 spoilers
#not jnd
#reblog --Self-explanatory
#shitpost
#jnd shipping --All of my shippy posts will have this tag; mostly for people who aren’t really into ship-related content so they can filter out the tag if they want
#jakiera --Kiera x Jak posts
#ashejak --Ashelin x Jak posts
#ashetorn --Torn x Ashelin posts
#daxtess --Daxter x Tess posts
#jnd quotes --Quotes that are either taken word-for-word, or paraphrased from one of the games
#veganangst rambles j&d --Literally me rambling about the series
#my jnd experiences
#jak
#daxter
#ashelin
#kiera
#tess
#baron praxis
#erol
#errol
#flock off --Posts having to do with Pecker, since I don’t want to tag any of my posts as, ‘#pecker’
#jnd discussion
#va4 announcements --Usually important news having to do with me and/or the blog itself
Ships/Pairings (Ships that are crossed out are my NOTPs):
Jaxter
Jakiera
AsheJak
Ashetorn
Daxtess
Bio:
So, I’ve been into this series for a little over 12 years at this point, and needless to say, it was literally my childhood. When I turned seven years old, I got my first gaming system -a PlayStation 2- and the first video game I ever owned, Jak 3.
So I fell in love with the game, and I of course sought to own, and play, the whole series (when I was first playing the games, I played the third, fourth, first, and then the second game, in that order). When I was about nine some things went down that caused me, along with my brothers, to have to move out of state to live with our grandparents, thus forcing me to leave my PS2 behind.
So for about eight years I've been waiting to play the games again, and of course, I lost my mind when I heard that they were being ported to the PS4. They're literally the only reason I bought a PS4 to begin with!
I've played all the games in the series except for Daxter and The Lost Frontier (the latter of which I'd only found out about last December, thanks to Wikipedia), but weirdly enough I couldn’t remember much of anything about the games after a year or two of not playing them (until I started playing them again in December 2017, of course!).
Currently, I’ve completed the whole trilogy, as well as X. I'm more than open to discuss any of the three, so feel free to chat with me about them!
Sly Cooper Shitposts
Bio:
I got into the Sly series somewhat recently (July 3, 2018). Since then, it’s been one of my favorite series, and one of the only series I play. I don’t really have much else to add here, other than this: if you’ve never played these games, either play them or watch a let’s play (play them if you can though). The entire trilogy can be found on Playstation Now if you have a PS4 and don’t want to hunt down a PS2 and all the games just to play them.
Ratchet & Clank Shitposting
Bio:
Like the Sly games, I got into this series pretty recently (March 26, 2018). At the time I was looking to try out some PS2-era franchises similar to the Jak and Daxter series, which is why I initially tried these games out. My first R&C game I played was the 2016 reboot, and while the humor, characters and all that weren’t the best, it was really fun to play and got me wanting to play the older games. After a couple months or so I played some of the earlier games on PSN (Quest for Booty, Crack in Time, and Into the Nexus) and enjoyed them a LOT more than the reboot overall (mostly CiT though, since although I played QfB I didn’t especially care about it, and I enjoyed the intro for ItN a lot but got bored with it).
Hamilton Shitposts
Tags:
#not hamilton
Bio:
I’ve known about Hamilton since mid-2016 (thanks to a former friend of mine), but I actually kind of hated it for a while, because of said friend (let’s just say that she constantly shoved Hamilton content in my face without properly introducing me to the musical first).
It wasn’t until last December (December 2017) that I finally got interested in the musical. My brother who lives out-of-state was visiting for the holidays, and he literally blasted Alexander Hamilton and Non-Stop in the house several times during his stay. After listening to them a few times I actually really liked them (especially Non-Stop), so when I got some free time (sometime on 1/14/18, since of course I still remember the exact day I got into Hamilton), I decided to listen to the whole musical, and I loved it.
Now pretty much all I listen to is Hamilton. I know I’m going to say this at the end of all these other bios, but seriously, if you want to talk to me about Hamilton, message me.
Guardians of the Galaxy Shitposting
Tags:
#not gotg --Not Guardians related, but you should probably still see what it is
Ships/Pairings (Ships that are crossed out are my NOTPs):
Starmora (My OTP)
Roquill
Drax x Mantis
Bio:
So to start off, I thought I’d just say that I’ve only ever watched the films, but I have read a tiny bit of the comics as well.
I got into the franchise in early June last year (2017) when I saw Guardians 2 with a friend, and let me tell you, I really wanted to see it, despite not caring about the series at all. If I didn't care about the series at the time, why did I want to see the movie so badly? Well, let's just say that I only wanted to see it for that sweet, sweet "plot" if you know what I mean. 👀 I also just needed something to distract me at the time, since I had been going through some really difficult stuff around that time (I plan on making a post about what happened at some point, so if I do, then you’ll be able to find it here). Once it was over I fell in love with the characters, and the franchise overall, since the second film had not only far exceeded my expectations, but it also helped me cope with the bad stuff that had happened to me not too long before.
Feel free to discuss the series with me, since I’m usually more than happy to talk about it. Thanks in advance!
Ace Attorney Shitposts
Tags:
#not aa
Favorite Characters (Characters that are crossed out are characters that I don’t like):
Apollo Justice
Bio:
I’ve been into this series for about two... actually, almost three years now! (where has all that time gone?).
My brother actually got me into this series! I watched him play Rise From the Ashes one night (I think it was somewhere around March 2015), and I was kind of interested in trying it out after that (although I kept my mouth shut about wanting to try it, since I was really self-conscious about trying new things at the time).
I didn’t get to actually play Ace Attorney until mid-June that year, when my brother one day shoved his 3DS in my hands, telling me to play First Turnabout. After playing through the whole case, I got obsessed, and I was also really excited, since he was going to buy the trilogy for me on our Wii (he didn’t live with us, so he couldn’t let me play the games on his DS). I didn’t officially get into the series until July 2nd that year, which is when I started playing the trilogy on our Wii.
I completed the first game in three days, and I was obsessed with Ace Attorney for about a year and a half after that (I think that’s the longest that any obsession of mine has ever been my, “Main Obsession”). I also had a huge overblown crush on Phoenix most of that time (which is surprising in hindsight, since I couldn’t care less about him anymore).
I’m now just a casual fan of the series, and I’m down to discuss Spirit of Justice any time (since it’s my favorite game in the series), but I don’t really care to discuss the others (not usually, anyways). So anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy my blog!
Pokémon Shitposts
Tags:
#not pkm
Favorite Pokémon (Pokémon that are crossed out are ones that I don’t like):
Vanilluxe
Incineroar
Crobat
Zweilous/Hydreigon
Gastrodon
Skorupi
Magnezone
Scolipede
Glalie
Most of the Fossil Pokémon, honestly
Rayquaza
Kyurem
Zygarde
Charizard line
Talonflame
Swampert line
Decidueye
Greninja line
Mimikyu
Bio:
I’ve been into Pokémon for as long as I can remember. I know that I’ve been into it for at least 13 years, but I feel like I’ve liked it for much longer.
I didn’t start to really obsess over it until the age of 11, after getting Explorers of Sky for my birthday (one of the Mystery Dungeon games). Once Gen. 5 had started, I only got more into Pokémon. I mostly collected the cards, but I did also play a lot of Rumble Blast. And let me just say, I was honestly so into the TCG, that it was kind of unhealthy.
I lost interest in the franchise for a little over a year, starting at the age of 13 (thanks to My Little Pony), but once I stopped liking MLP, I just went right back to obsessing over Pokémon, but with a bit less emphasis on the cards, and more on the games (Who am I kidding? I was still immersed in the TCG world at this time! Just, not quite as much as before).
After about a year of being addicted to Pokémon (again), I started to become more of a casual fan of the series, turning my interest towards other things (i.e., Ace Attorney and Steven Universe).
It wasn’t until I started playing Sun (a month after it released) that I started obsessing over the franchise (for the third time). I became a casual fan again soon after finishing the game, which was somewhere in early March of 2017.
Currently, I’m just a casual fan of the series (aside from my several characters, who I’ve had around for three years at this point). I can’t really suggest you trying to discuss Pokémon with me, since I am just a casual fan nowadays (Unless if you want to know about my characters I mentioned!). Thanks for reading!
Miscellaneous:
Favorite generations: Five and two
Favorite types: Ice, Rock, Electric, Ground, Steel
Favorite Pokémon throughout the years (from oldest to my current favorite):
Pikachu
Drifloon
Cyndaquil
Oshawott
Dewott
Skitty
Archeops
Vanillite
Vanillish
Vanilluxe
The End
You’ve reached the end of this post; congrats! I will be updating this as needed, so check back here as often as you feel like. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day!
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