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jadelotusflower · 1 year

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Obscure Christmas Movie Rewatch: Mrs Santa Claus

Are you looking for a feminist, multicultural, pro-union movie to watch this Christmas? Then Mrs Santa Claus is for you!

Not only does it star the late great Angela Lansbury, it features some catchy showtunes composed by Broadway great Jerry Herman, choreography by musical stalwart Rob Marshall, and costumes by the legendary Bob Mackie.

The story behind this one is also pretty interesting! According to this retrospective on Dame Angela Lansbury (RIP), much like she was a champion for older actors to guest star on Murder She Wrote to keep their SAG cards, she was also the driving force behind this tv movie in order to honour her friend Jerry Herman. While he’d had great success as a lyricist and composer for such seminal Broadway shows such as Hello Dolly!, La Cage Aux Folles, and Mame (the latter staring Lansbury), he was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1985 and by the mid-90′s needed a project to focus on. Enter Lansbury stage left, who had a deal with CBS for a number of tv specials, and pitched this film together with Herman.

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Here’s the perfectly simple premise: It’s seven days until Christmas and the magnanimous Mrs Anna Claus sends all the elves home since they’ve finished the toys early. She also tries to improve Santa’s navigational route and wants to help him with his mail, but is utterly underappreciated by her husband (Charles Durning).

Lansbury brings her distinctive voice to her pleasant I Want song - “I've been manning the business and planning each holiday plan/And I'm tired of being the shadow behind the great man”.

She takes the sleigh and reindeer, but due to bad weather emergency lands in New York City, meeting Italian stable boy Marcello (David Norona) who shows her the immigrant melting pot via the song and dance number Avenue A (well, the Italian-Irish-Jewish pot at least). There’s tap and joyous dancing, all culminating in a Consider Yourself-esque street celebration extolling the “great kaleidoscope called Avenue A.”

There's also a cameo from Jerry Herman, suitably playing a piano.

We meet Sadie (Debra Wiseman), a young Jewish woman and Suffragette, with whom Marcello is in love with from afar, Sadie’s mother Mrs Lowenstein (Rosalind Harris, who memorably played Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof) who fears the police after fleeing pogroms in Europe, local gossips Mrs Shaughnessy and Mrs Brandenheim, and Nora (Lynsey Bartilson), a young Irish girl who works at child labor factory Tavish Toys. Nora's Irish accent is...look, I'm not here to rag on child actors. She tried her best.

Our villain is Augustus P Tavish, played by Broadway veteran Terrence Mann, crooning that his toys “Only have to last till Christmas.” If you want to hear his voice used to full effect however, check out the original Broadway cast recordings of Cats (Rum Tum Tugger), Beauty and the Beast (The Beast, particularly If I Can’t Love Her), and The Scarlet Pimpernel (Chauvelin, particularly Falcon in the Dive).

Mann is delightfully hammy in the role, in spats and spinning a cane, delivering every line on pitch as if it’s a song. It's CAMP and I love it. The movie's worth it for his dulcet tones alone.

Mrs Claus (taking the name Mrs North), is employed at Tavish Toys as a supervisor, singing and dancing around the factory floor, improving morale but aghast at the working conditions and poor quality of the toys.

Meanwhile, back at the North Pole, Santa only notices his wife is missing because his cocoa hasn’t been made right (ugh). It’s up to head elf (there’s always a head elf) Arvo is tell Santa she’s gone and deliver Santa some home truths.

Arvo is played by Michael Jeter, one of those delightful character actors with so many credits it’s impossible to identify where you would know him from (for me it’s Father Ignatius in Sister Act 2).

Santa bemoans that he can’t bear to think of Anna about her out there “alone and helpless.” Smash cut to:

What is it about Victorian/Edwardian garb that just feels like Christmas?

Sadie is literally on her soapbox (a manifestation of the trope), and Anna asks her advice about industrial action for the factory. In return, she gives Sadie advice for persuading other women to her cause, utilising the soft power of persuasion rather than shouting slogans. They go a recruiting through song, culminating in a suffragette march where they are joined by Nora, Mrs Shaughnessy, Mrs Brandenheim, and Marcello. I really like this one! It’s uplifting and upbeat, if a sanitised depiction of the struggle for women’s suffrage.

It musically echoes the opening number Mrs Santa Claus, even repeating lines that Anna sung for herself, now applied the the community of women who have embraced her: "We've planned our strategy and our flag is unfurled/For we have gifts of our own to offer the world."

Anna and Nora bond over missing the people they love - Anna her husband, and Nora her mother and little brother who are still back in Ireland (her father is working double shifts to raise the money to bring them over). It’s time for another song and dance number, Whistle - a tribute to vaudeville. This one is a bit overlong and unnecessary, the kind of number that works on stage post-intermission to ease the audience back in, but isn’t needed onscreen.

At the North Pole, Arvo and the Elves try to cheer Santa up by dancing to the tune of We Need a Little Christmas (first composed by Herman for Mame), but he remains sullen. Honestly, this Santa really sucks. He bemoans his predicament, and Arvo has to prod him to write down what his wife means to him. Of course he does it through song, promising to change but it’s a very shallow mea culpa.

Meanwhile Anna plays matchmaker, setting up local policeman Officer Doyle and Mrs Lowenstein, overcoming her fears when Doyle assures her he won’t be taking Sadie away for exercising her free speech. Mrs Lowenstein finally unpacks the bag she’s always kept ready in case they needed to flee again, including her grandmother’s silver candlestick - the matching one being lost when they fled the old country.

Marcello invites Sadie to the Policeman’s Ball, and they sing We Don’t Go Together At All, a pretty song I unapologetically love. However it does end with a trope I absolutely hate - where Marcello taps his cheek but when Sadie moves in to kiss it, he turns his head so she kisses him on the lips. It’s all played very sweet, but probably not something you’d see if the movie was made today.

At Tavish Toys, Anna leads the kids in a work slow down, and then a city-wide strike and boycott. Because this is fantasy world, this immediately leads to the mayor declaring that no child will again work under such conditions, and a call for child labor laws. I think its no coincidence that this passion project of Lansbury's deals with issues such as women's and worker's rights - however santitised. We must assume the elves have union benefits back at the North Pole!

At the policeman’s ball, Mrs North gets to wear this absolutely banger outfit, and gets toasted as “the Mrs Santa Claus of Avenue A.” Lansbury was 71 when she played this role, and all credit to Bob Mackie for dressing her not only with a stylish vibrancy in the earlier scenes, but putting her in a gown like this and going for glamour rather than the dowdy Mrs Claus cliche.

You may also recognise Nora’s outfit recycled from A Little Princess.

I also appreciate that Sadie hasn’t been overtly softened in her relationship with Marcello - she’s the one who gives the speech, engaging in some self-deprecation in decrying herself “the biggest mouth on Avenue A” and wearing a beautiful dress, but not torn down or diminished because of her activism - but rather celebrated and validated by the very people who used to deride her. She's learned the art of pitching your message to the audience rather than riding roughshod over them, but isn't any less of an activist.

But while Anna has finally been given the recognition and appreciation she’s craved, for some reason she misses her dropkick of a husband. “He Needs Me” is a nice song but undercuts the message a bit as she decides that “I need him much more”. You really don't Anna, go that extra step and stage a Santa coup - you deserve more than playing second fiddle to a dude who took two days to even notice you were gone!

She hurries back to the reindeer but is prevented from returning by Tavish, who has implausibly figured out who she is, and wants to stop Christmas so people will have no choice to buy toys from him again. It’s neatly and swiftly resolved by her recalling that as a boy the toy bear he’d received from Santa was stolen by his brother, and Mrs Claus gives him another one. Okay then.

Meanwhile, Santa is still sulking over his bad cocoa. WHY DON’T YOU TRY AND FIND HER YOU USELESS SACK OF SHIT?!? AREN’T YOU OMNIPOTENT? GET OFF YOUR ARSE AND DO SOMETHING!

This is a real false note for me - yes Anna has the sleigh and reindeer, but there is no way out of the North Pole other than that? He just sits and waits for her to come home - I suppose this gives her the agency, but it does feel like she is ready to return to her old life of being unappreciated, instead of going home to demand that he treat her right.

However Santa is slightly redeemed in that he declares that he will use her new navigation route, and also that she can join him in the present delivery duties. She also gets a new cape.

In New York, her friends also get their heart’s desire - Mrs Lowenstein her grandmother’s missing candlestick, Sadie and Marcello each other, and Nora the arrival of her mother and baby brother.

Overall I think this mostly holds up and deserves to be in the Christmas movie rotation. It’s a very female-focused piece - Mrs Claus is in the role of guardian angel, improving the lives of everyone she meets, but her solidarity is with Nora and worker’s rights, Sadie and women’s suffrage, and Mrs Lowenstein and her generational trauma.

It’s a charming little musical with a quintessential performance by Angela Lansbury and a nice parting message:

“As long as you love one another/You’ll have the best Christmas of all.”

#obscure christmas movie rewatch #christmas #christmas movies #mrs santa claus #angela lansbury #rewatch #movie musicals #jlf posts #jlf rewatch

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vegaseatsass · 12 days

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Rewatched My Stand-In eps 2 and 3 tonight, and I'm definitely newly fascinated with Ming POV/Ming's internal concept of what was happening between him and Joe that entire time. I forgot just how much we got of Ming's home life and family in episode 2, and my brain is abuzz trying to connect all the dots. His relationship with May is so interesting. She clocks that he and Joe are together on Christmas, and is immediately careful to conceal it not just from their parents but from Tong. May and Ming have this "us against the world" vibe where they protect and cover for each other, going back to May giving herself pneumonia saving Ming from drowning. I absolutely believe there's more going on in their family than mom pressuring Ming to marry women any time he goes home - I actually suspect things about his family are being obscured for future painful reveals - but May is a safe space for him. Until Tong is added into the picture, and Ming has to flee the country for four years to get away from his big feelings. It's just kind of bonkers to me that he had this intense, safe and presumably very grounding relationship with his sister, but made his obsession with a random movie star the centerpiece of his world instead. Why did he imprint on Tong? Is it really just Joe's sexy back muscles that drew him in? Did he think if he could land a famous movie star his parents would accept him being with a man? Was it subconscious self-sabotage of his only safe relationship lol? I genuinely have no idea!! What I am stuck on though is when he told May he was working through something, and would tell her when he was ready, but he promised he'd get through it. On rewatch, it seems very obvious that what he's talking about is the torch he's carrying for Tong, so to me that's a reveal that he's deliberately trying to move on with Joe - not using him as a sex doll replacement, but throwing himself into something real. (What's messy obviously is that Ming started this for the proxyfucking, but I think overhearing Joe confess his love for Ming to Sol is when Ming started making a determined effort to choose Joe.) There's also his reaction to Joe's Christmas gift where the watch becomes a metaphor for Joe himself (vs. Tong): Ming doesn't need the "top" one, why can't he want the "normal" one?

The first time I was watching this, I assumed that Ming just has no internal awareness of how important Joe is to him, he just feels pure need and acts very very normal when his emotional support stand-in is ripped away. I assumed Ming believes he's in love with Tong and thinks he's just passing some time with Joe. It doesn't help that every time Joe presses him on anything emotional Ming shuts him down or outright negs him lolllll

But like for example, in the scene where they're shopping together and Joe gets excited about the couple mugs, first Ming snaps "What makes you think we're a couple?", then he tries to mitigate his slip by playing it off: "after living with me, you'll realize you don't want me as a boyfriend." His kneejerk impulse to shut Joe down and say cruel things is imo a defense mechanism, a really maladaptive one that helps convince Joe later on that there was never any love there, but I'm starting to think it's triggered in response to actually wanting the intimacy and primacy that Joe is pushing for, and being terrified of that.

It would make so much sense for somebody who is terrified of needing anybody else, of being vulnerable or feeling anything real, to decide they're in love with a complete asshole movie star who uses their family for money and them personally for favors, and shape their life around that. Especially now that I understand how young Ming was when he first fixated on Tong (17ish??), I just feel like that entire imprinting is your classic teenager-who-is-not-ready-to-be-in-a-real-relationship parasocial spiral. I used to do it with male celebrities too!!! (I am a lesbian. lmfaooo)

It's interesting because while there's something conceptually romantic about the back Ming first got obsessed with being Joe's all along, it ultimately doesn't really matter to me WHO the onscreen person that he fixated upon was. What matters is how ill-equipped Ming has proven to handle real feelings for a real person in front of him, and the journey he has from here to learn how to human. I can't wait. P.S. Other thing I forgot happened in episode 2: - Ming made drunk!Joe sleep on the floor of Joe's own home - BEFORE Ming moved in or had any claim to the space - AFTER Ming told Sol he would take "really really good care of Joe" as a way of trying to claim Joe in front of the competition His journey to human is going to be a loooooooooooooooooong one, methinks... 😈

#this post is huge but i am also fascinated by tong and his possessiveness over joe as his stand-in #and manipulation of everyone around him #and expectation that joe is with ming for the same reason tong would be with ming #(the reason tong is with may):#opportunism #it also makes me wonder what tong's like with may and if he CAN act for more than 5 minutes at a time when motivated #but he really brings out ming's worst and it's soooooooo interesting that ming is afraid for TONG to know what he has with joe #(and that tong does immediately try to use that. IMMEDIATELY)#my stand in #dear diary #mingjoe

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not-alien-girl-v · 11 months

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Never Be (Rory Keaner)

warning: me being lonely so i include too much detail of readers life and friends and beautiful house and neighborhood so i don’t feel as bad about my own ugly life <33 escapism?? i think so

note: here’s the song of the day / song to listen to while you read. or don’t. i can’t tell you what to do

⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

Something about an elephant, a warehouse, and a blond head of hair. These were the only major parts of your dream that you could remember before the doorbell is suddenly ringing rapid-fire. You're awakened by it, however, you close your eyes to see if your parents are going to answer, but you spring into action the moment you remember your current situation.

Your parents are out of town for the weekend, so unfortunately, it would have to be up to be you to answer the door, which also meant you would have to leave your insanely comfortable bed. Curses.

The hardwood floors are ice cold even through your fluffy socks, and the t-shirt and pajama pants you wore to bed do nothing to make you any bit warmer.

You twist your hand around the banister of the staircase as you make your way downstairs, shivering at the lack of heat in the house, and you stop at the door to glance through the peephole. Through the small hole, you observe the same blond head of hair you had been previously dreaming about, and suddenly, the notion of leaving bed on such a cold day doesn't seem all that bad.

You twist the lock open and swing the door on it's hinges, smiling at the boy standing before you, joined with 4 of your best friends trailing behind, being Ethan, Benny, Erica, and Sarah.

If it weren’t for his vampiric endurance, he’d be panting out of breath at your doorstep, but he’s completely perfect as he stands before you and grins widely. By your arm, he pulls you into a tight hug that you’re glad you didn’t have to ask him for.

Erica pushes past you with a huff, not genuinely upset, just her natural peeved state, “get a room, you two.” You know she is going straight for your bedroom to raid your movie collection.

“This is my house,” you counter but it falls on deaf ears as she’s already most of the way up the stairs when you say it.

Rory’s still holding you tightly as you pat his back to let him know to let you go and he does, reluctantly, his touch lingering on the curve of your shoulder while he slips past you into the house.

It’s Benny and Ethan’s turn for a greeting now, and Benny holds up two of the latest installments of the Scream franchise, the 3rd and 4th movies, he waves them in one hand in front of your face.

“It’s your lucky day. Someone,” he points to himself, “figured out the basic spell of persuasiveness and got the deal of a lifetime over at Blockbuster. Two movies for the price of free!”

“The price of free?” You question. Him, Ethan, and Sarah follow you into the house and you close the door behind them, locking it.

“The price of free! It’s too bad the spell calls for such obscure ingredients, else I’d be able to do it all the time. How hard is it to find an albino dragon’s tongue, anyway?”

“Pretty hard. There’s only ever been 2 sightings of it in history and one of them was you last Christmas,” Ethan corrects.

“Hey it’s not my fault Rory’s so pale and knows how to fly! He’s practically translucent, reflective in the moonlight!”

“Is that, like, a vampire thing?” Ethan asks.

“Nope, just a Rory thing,” you answer, and lead rh all to the couch, seeing that Rory has collected a number of snacks from your kitchen, along with a plethora of pillows and a variety of blankets, and he’s thrown them loosely over the couch in front of your TV, which Erica is fussing with, inserting the fourth Scream movie, which has only just came out, and the 6 of you have been rewatching the previous one over and over in preparation for this release. Why did they have to wait 11 years in between 3 and 4?

Benny shovels handfuls of cookies into his mouth, soon becoming a game by the addition of Ethan, trying to see who can fit more in one’s mouth at a time without choking.

Rory’s about to jump out of his seat on the couch when you plop down next to him. He blushes at the closeness.

“Good morning,” you say to him, wondering if it’s too late now to say it.

“Good morning. Are you excited for the movie? I heard the cast is super good this time!” His step is too peppy for so early in the morning, maybe he stole some of his fathers coffee before he left home this morning.

His home, there’s something so wonderfully cozy and peaceful about his home. He has a mom, a dad, an older sister and a younger brother, and an orange cat named Garfield.

His house is the warmest home in the winter, his bed the softest, you wish you were over there instead of here, but you still have him by your side, so you’re not complaining too much.

You look at his face closely, “hey, remember when you used to wear glasses?”

He laughs, “heck yeah, I remember. My frames were so heavy, they recommended physical therapy for my entire face to support the weight of them.”

You scoot in, half because Sarah’s taken a seat next to you and half because you want to cuddle with your boyfriend. You lean into him, and let his arm fall around your shoulder, throwing one leg over both of his.

When Benny is distracted beefing with Ethan, you steal a cookie from the jar he’s clutching tightly in his hands. Breaking it in half, you hand one over in Rory’s direction only to find him waiting with an open mouth, and you gigglingly place it in his awaiting mouth.

Sarah is the designated ‘remote man’ and she’s not letting anyone else steal the duty from her, it’s hers and hers alone.

The group of you settle into your spots as the opening scene begins of the 3rd movie.

After an hour in, you begin to get restless, and you combat it by excusing yourself to walk out back, exiting through the back gate.

Your backyard is scenic. The ever green grass is lush within the confines of your back fence, but once you exit and continue further, there is a quaint little creek that flows right by.

When you were little, you and Sarah used to hunt for crawdads and give them names. It wasn’t until the 3rd grade that you learned some of the crawdads were boys and they shouldn’t all have been given girl names, but it was too late at that point. You wonder if Sarah still remembers it as vividly as you do.

You wonder if in 100 years, all your immortal friends that were once little children alongside yourself will have forgotten these humble roots from which they grow.

Rory, Sarah, Erica, they will go on being eternal teenagers, and you will grow old and gray and one day you’ll die and you hope for the sake of yourself, they won’t stick around that long to see the worst of it.

And Rory, he’s only 15 and he will always be 15. To start out with, you were already a year older than him, then a year of vampirism passed and you turned 17, things will only get worse the longer you hold things off and choose not to talk about these very real and serious issues.

You’ve resorted to sitting on a large, stable rock down by the creek to temporarily sort out your thoughts.

“Y/N?” You hear him call, he’s at the top of the small hill of your backyard, you’re far down below, and when he spots you there, he easily descends the trail of shaky shifty tiny rocks with ease, unlike your wobbling endeavor.

You glance up at him, “hey.”

He’s concerned, he comes and pushes you to the right to make space for him on the rock you sit on. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” You play dumb, and a lot of times, it works with him.

“You know what I mean.” Ugh, you hate when he gets reasonable. It’s awkward and uncomfortable, seeing him so grave and severe when he talks about the things that bother you. It’s good that he doesn’t take your issues lightly, but it’s still odd to see him so committed to something in this way.

You huff out a sigh and lean into his side. He lets you. “What are we even doing?”

“Oh, well we’re almost finished with the movie in there, but you and I are sitting at the creek.”

“I mean like, in the long run. Like, in 10 years? I’m gonna be… 27. And you’ll be 15. I’ll be too old to be this in love with you but I don’t think I can just stay friends. Maybe with Sarah and Erica, but not you, never you.”

“So what are you saying?” He’s pretty sure he knows but he wants you to elaborate anyway, last time he assumed he knew what you were thinking, he found himself waking up in the trunk of the principal’s car. It’s a long story.

“I’m saying that I’m going to die. I have about 70 more years, maybe less, then I’m out of here. Forever. And in those 70 years, you’re just going to be, what? My 15 year old friend? How are we supposed to keep going like this? Even in a few years, I’ll already be a grown adult, and I can’t expect you to string me along on your eternal teenage shenanigans. I’ll have my own life to live.”

“But don’t you want that? Didn’t you always say you wanted to live your life?”

“Only if it’s with you. It’s not living if it’s not with you.”

He turns and takes both of your hands in his and he holds them like you’re a fragile insect to his predatory species, which there is truth in, in this case. “Just tell me what to do.”

“I can’t tell you what to do.”

“Just tell me how I can fix this. For you, what can I do to fix this?”

Air puffs out your mouth like it’s a statement in itself, like a simple sigh will tell him there’s nothing you can say to him, that it’s his decision, if he chooses to make it. You haven’t spoken about this part before.

Frogs croak behind bushes and crustaceans wade in the shallow water that rushes past in a sauntering manner.

“I’ll become human again. I’ll find a way, go to the ends of the earth. Is that what you want? Do you want that?”

You aren’t sure what to say. You never are, but especially not now.

“I could turn you. We could be this way forever, but together. Nothing would have to change too much.”

“But is that what you want?”

He shakes his head confused. When is he not confused? “It doesn’t matter what I want, you’re the one who’s unhappy, it’s my job to fix that, I’d do anything-“

“But it shouldn’t be all about what I want, this has to do with you, too. It’s your decision to make.”

He stands up suddenly, pacing around. “So it’s on me to decide? I have to make the choice?”

You just nod.

“I can’t do that, I can’t- why can’t things just stay the way they are? Things are good. I like this, why do we have to change?”

“Because we can’t go anywhere!” You don’t mean to snap at him. You’ve never done that before, never had a reason to and never even had an urge to, but it truly just slipped out, without any control.

And you wish you could control the way he feels, but as tears start brimming his eyes, you know you can’t, you never can.

“I’m sorry, I just, I need to go,” you speak to him and swiftly scale the hill up the creek, hopping on your bike leaning against your back shed, and you take of speeding down the deserted suburban street you live on.

⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

#rory keaner #mbav #my babysitter's a vampire #rory mbav x reader #mbav fanfic #mbav stuff #rory keaner fanfiction #rory keaner x reader #rory keaner fanfic #angst #fluff #fanfic #my babysitters a vampire x reader #my babysitters a vampire fanfiction #vampire #vampires

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rallamajoop · 5 months

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Happy new year, everyone! Surprising probably none of you, I spent the week before Christmas bashing out a last-minute yuletide treat for yet another semi-obscure very-gay-vampire-canon ‒ the wonderfully ridiculous, wonderfully 80's movie, The Lost Boys.

NC-17, 6,828 words

"You can't beat Max with his own blood in your veins," says David, beginning to close the distance between them once more. "So you do it with mine." This makes no sense to Michael. "Bit late for that, isn't it? His blood's already in me." "Not," says David, "if I suck it all out of you first." In his voice, this reasonable suggestion sounds positively filthy.

I wasn't organised enough to actually sign-up for Yuletide this year, but having rewatched the film lately (and come away with a whole new appreciation for it), seeing so many Yuletide requests was the perfect excuse to write something! I mean, sure, no-one had exactly requested the further-adventures-of-perpetual-half-vampire!Michael-fic or the Michael/Star/David threesome-that-is-really-all-Michael/David-fic that I already wanted an excuse to write (terribly inconsiderate really!) but... huh, csi_sanders1129 has a request for something about Michael willingly giving in to the vampires? I might just have an idea for how to make that happen... >D

#The Lost Boys #Lost Boys #fic #Michael Emerson #David #you can tell it's a small fandom because they don't even have a shipname #yuletide #yuletide 2023

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world-cinema-research · 2 months

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The Green Knight (2021)

by Jacob Christopher

The movie I chose to rewatch for week one of class is The Green Knight (2021) directed by David Lowrey, a cinematic readaptation of the 14th century poem of the Arthurian tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The story follows that of the nephew of King Arthur, Sir Gawain played by Dev Patel, and his quest for honor in order to please his lineage. Accepting the challenge of the mysterious Green Knight on Christmas day to strike him with a blow, on the condition that Gawain must seek him out a year later to receive an equal blow in return. The film explores themes of honor, destiny, and mortality as Gawain embarks on a perilous journey filled with encounters that test his character and courage. It's praised for its stunning visuals, atmospheric storytelling, and thought-provoking exploration of the human condition. The impact left on me was more so the curiosity left from the end of the film, left wondering what it was that captivated my attention.

The indie film is a financial success considering the budget of 15 million compared to the grossed 20 million worldwide and 3 million in the home market. Arguments can be made looking at the box office opening night of just under 7 million isn't considered an impressive metric. However looking at the historical context, for an indie movie to be released during the covid-19 pandemic many restrictions for public safety were still implemented. To add inclination for people to view the film the production studio known as A24 acts as a seal of theatrical approval for audiences. Despite being based on a pre-established text, the obscurity of it’s age doesn’t exactly tempt the audience with it’s popularity. What differentiates The Green Knight from prior medieval films is the usage of it’s psychological horror and abstract cinematography to add a sense of surrealism to it’s story. A24 before releasing the film released a video on YouTube titled as An Oral History of the Green Knight to engage audiences as well as act as a guide for background and historical context for the film. The critical response for the film has remained the same with the film’s popularity peaking during it’s theater release.

Only adding to it’s strength, the unconventionality of the film drew in many to witness and marvel at the almost confusing film.Rather than focusing solely on chivalry and heroism, the film delves into themes of mortality, honor, and the nature of destiny, offering a more introspective take on the Arthurian legend. Combined with director David Lowery's visual storytelling, blending elements of fantasy and realism, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that sets it apart from typical historical dramas. Taking a non-linear approach to storytelling, often meandering through dream sequences and nonlinear timelines for a muddied lens of fantasy and realism it challenges that of conventional narrative structures. Instead embracing ambiguity and symbolism, leaving much more to be open to interpretation. The meaning of certain events and characters is left intentionally vague to invitie viewers to engage in deeper analysis. This movie has it all, etching itself into the A24 vault as arguably one of their most fascinating films.

My first viewing of this film I was puzzled and amused by the creativity and storytelling capabilities expressed. I watched half of it, rewinded it, went to bed and watched the rest in the morning with my roommate with bowls of cereal in hand. By the ending scene I was left in awe of how well written it was, and when the credits had started rolling the two of us sat in silence for what felt like minutes. Before my rewatching of the film once more I had done more research on the intricaciesof the film and the Arthurian poem of Sir Gawian and the Green Knight. With one of the bigger questions of the purpose and symbolism of the Green Knight himself being answered by one of the commonly agreed on interpretaions. Being the Green Knight is an embodiment of Nature and the cycle of life itself, and the actions Gawian takes againt the Green Knight exposes his human nature and all of it’s blemishes. The poem is a much more cheery tale of bravery and the heroics of what is expected of a knight.

The quote I chose to embody the film is by Essel, a woman from the lower class of society as well as the lover of Gawain, asking Gawain before his venture to find the Green Knight and seek his fate, “Why Greatness? Why is goodness not enough?” It is within this dialogue we find the message of the film. What is honor if not an excuse to run from your own humanity?

youtube

#Youtube

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banananutmilk · 2 months

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The Green Knight (2021)

by Jacob Christopher

Link to Trends

Only adding to it’s strength, the unconventionality of the film drew in many to witness and marvel at the almost confusing film. Rather than focusing solely on chivalry and heroism, the film delves into themes of mortality, honor, and the nature of destiny, offering a more introspective take on the Arthurian legend. Combined with director David Lowery's visual storytelling, blending elements of fantasy and realism, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that sets it apart from typical historical dramas. Taking a non-linear approach to storytelling, often meandering through dream sequences and nonlinear timelines for a muddied lens of fantasy and realism it challenges that of conventional narrative structures. Instead embracing ambiguity and symbolism, leaving much more to be open to interpretation. The meaning of certain events and characters is left intentionally vague to invitie viewers to engage in deeper analysis. This movie has it all, etching itself into the A24 vault as arguably one of their most fascinating films.

youtube

#Youtube

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intothewickedwood · 11 months

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Tagged by @priscilla9993 via my blog @wicked-storybrooke. Thank you so much!

Three favorite ships: My top 3 pretty much stay the same, so I'll say some newer/more obscure ones.

Holy Ghost from Starkid's Nerdy Prudes Must Die - Grace wants to get rid of Max because she's attracted to him and unmarried, and he called her bath water dirty girl soup in her fantasies. He dies due to her actions (debatable if that was her intention) and becomes a vengeful ghost who wants to kill nerdy prudes- which should include Grace but doesn't because he likes her. A match in only the buck wild things starkid could come up with a.k.a. heaven <3

Claire x William from Stay (2017) - I know, I know. There relationship is messed up. I kinda ship them, I kinda want her to kick his ass. But this is what happens when you watch Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas on repeat as a kid and think it's the main film. I like twisted dynamics in fiction. It's interesting to explore.

Cairo x Riley from We Are the Tigers Musical - I may have mentioned them before in one of these tag games. I am still obsessed with We Are the Tigers and can't stop watching and listening to it. I still wanna do an in-depth analysis of all the characters but omg "Wallflower" is so interesting, especially now I know it's canon that Cairo had a crush on Riley at some point. She took Riley under her wing from a young age. They've been best friends since, but they're totally co-dependent. Cairo feels like she has to protect Riley and her image because she can't mentally handle stress and it's pretty obvious she can't. But she thinks Riley owes everything to her and that Riley would be nothing without her. But Riley equally knows she needs Cairo and kinda hates that, trying to elevate her status so she'll feel less dependent on Cairo. If Riley's plan was to kill everyone disrupting the team then Cairo maybe should have been the first person on her list because she antagonised the most people, but Riley never even entertained that idea until she had completely broken down because she needs Cairo and knows she would do anything for her. She's even seems to be jealous of any partner Cairo has. It's so unhealthy. I love it! *heart eyes* xD. I will never be over the utter heartbreak shown on Cairo's face when she finds out what Riley did.

First ship: I can't remember for sure but I think it was Cinderella x Prince Christopher from Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella 1997. I used to watch that movie a lot as a kid. It was one of my favourite movies growing up and still is. I'm so excited that they'll be returning in Descendents 4. I still can't believe it. Cried happy tears when I found out. And they had a kid!

Last movie: Stay (2017). I just found it 2 weeks ago and I am a little (okay, a lot) obsessed. Highly recommend if you like psychological stuff like me. It's a feature-length indie film about a man holding a woman captive in hopes that in time she will fall in love with him. It has some clear Beauty and the Beast symbolism and is kinda a twisted version. Dude gave me a lot of Jefferson vibes. Things didn't get...umm... explicitly sexual between the characters, which I found refreshing in a movie like this. But yeah, I'm very obsessed and I wish there was a fandom for it.

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Currently reading: I pretty much exclusively listen to audiobooks due to reading difficulties, but Charlie Bone and the Hall of Mirrors, Keeper of the Lost Cities: Exile and I just finished Fraternity by Andy Mientus. I've been a fan of his from his musical theatre career and I was pleasantly surprised he was such a fantastic writer. The book is wonderfully queer and supernatural and set in the 90s with an engaging storyline and characters. I couldn't recommend enough. One of the best books I've ever listened too.

Currently watching: Rewatching Let's Play Witches by Hatsy on youtube for the first time in years. It's probably the most engaging sims 4 let's plays I've seen. It has really creative world-building. Agatha is the loml and her speaking voice is indescribably unique and beautiful.

Rewatching That's So Raven with my Mum. We need a laugh right now and this show never fails to get us cackling.

Once Upon a Time season 5 with a rewatch group! Has been very fun watching the show with them. Makes season 5 not as bad as I usually find it.

I've been wanting to watch other things but I've been so fussy lately. Everything that peaks my interest ends up going down the road of horror and/or graphic violence, which is not fun for me at all. So if anyone has any recs lmk! I like psychological, musical, supernatural or superhero (not too keen on Marvel stuff, unless it's X-Men related).

Currently eating: Nothing right now but the last thing I had was a nacho bean veggie burger for breakfast. It was calling to me.

Currently craving: Sleep, lol. Puppy parenting is rewarding but, oh gee, Sarai is a little rebel. Love her, but by golly do miss sleep. RIP to every sock in the house also lol

And freedom from these huge-ass, thick spiders that keep breaking and entering. Please grant this wish, oh tag game gods.

This got long but it was fun to ramble!

Tagging: @darkpoisonouslove @emmaswcns @lizardthelizard @lacebird @emilyrox @believingispowerfulmagic and anyone else who wants to. But no pressure to do it!

#tag game #that's so raven #stay #stay 2017 #rodger's and hammerstein's cinderella 1997 #r&h cinderella #we are the tigers spoilers #watt spoilers #npmd spoilers #Youtube #am*

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bizarrelittlemew · 1 year

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tagged by @skysofrey (love you!!!)

3 ships:

-3. Ed and Stede (i'm a simple girl with a simple mind only brainspace enough for one (1) ship in these difficult times)

First Ever Ship: this may be obscure but Aaron Yan from Fahrenheit and Hebe Tian from S.H.E

Last Song: Do You Really Wanna Know? by Sea Girls (it's very Stede-coded tbh)

Last Movie: Klaus on netflix! It's soooo pretty and i cry every time at the gift for Margu 😭

Currently Reading: "Ved Nytaarstid i Nøddebo Præstegaard" by Henrik Scharling (1862) - could be translated to "Around New Year's in Nøddebo Vicarage", it's a cozy story and i read it every year around or after christmas

Currently Watching: rewatching my fav episodes of Skam (original)

Currently Consuming: tea! ginger and lemongrass

Currently Craving: a zest for life

tagging @scary-flag and @stedebonnit if you haven't done it already!

#tagged #tag game

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maudeboggins · 2 years

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Can anyone recommend good old hollywood era christmas movies? Esp more obscure ones. I’ve seen most of the basics and im going to rewatch bachelor mother

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mbrainspaz · 1 year

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one of the strangest memories I have is from when I was nearly dying of salmonella from a bad bottle of tartar sauce on my family's living room couch. It was just before Christmas in Germany, so mom had put on the TV and I was alone for most of the day. I half-woke from a fever dream to see this haggard witch woman dressed in wolf pelts, standing in a snow storm on a mountainside. I think she was putting a curse on some guy. There were a lot of trippy overlay and fade effects and possibly some wolves? I don't remember the rest of the movie now but that one scene is still so vivid.

Anyway, I have no idea what obscure 2000's german TV movie that was but if anyone has any ideas I'd love to find it and rewatch it someday while not dying.

#german kid things #illness #food poisoning #merry christmas #auf deutsch #german movie #guess the movie #things that happened

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pardontheglueman · 4 months

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Rewatching It's A Wonderful Life

Not a year goes by without a nationwide re-release of Frank Capra’s festive classic It’s A Wonderful Life (1946). Over recent years, the film has regularly been screened by mainstream cinema chains in Wales as well as independent venues like Chapter and Tramshed in the capital. This year’s most imaginative showing will take place at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea. With a musical adaptation by Paul McCartney and Lee Hall (Billy Elliott & Rocketman) seemingly set to bring this magical tale to a whole new generation of fans, Kevin McGrath takes a look at the unique story of how a movie that flopped at the Oscars and which barely made a dent at the box office somehow became an enduring part of Christmas for so many.

Frank Capra’s post-war masterpiece It’s A Wonderful Life has rightly gone down in film history as one of the greatest feel-good movies of all time. From its humble beginnings as The Greatest Gift, an unpublished short story that author Philip Van Doren Stern turned into a 24-page pamphlet-come-Christmas card, it has become the most cherished of all movies, regularly figuring in best picture polls either side of the Atlantic. For many in America, Christmas simply isn’t Christmas without the family gathering around the TV to watch this incredibly affecting festive tale. And it was TV, of course, that had rescued the film from relative obscurity when its copyright was allowed to lapse in 1974. By 1984, The Wall Street Journal discovered, 152 public stations and 175 commercial stations had taken up the rights to broadcast the movie).

The reason that It’s A Wonderful Life continues to stand the test of time today must surely be attributed to the flawless filmmaking of its visionary director Frank Capra. Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War (during which he made the exemplary documentary series, Why We Fight), Capra had established himself as one of Hollywood’s premiere directors, with a string of box office smashes to his name. The most notable of which, 1934’s romantic comedy It Happened One Night, became the first film to win all five major Academy Awards picking up Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay and, of course, Best Director. Capra had become a master craftsman and a master storyteller, specialising in crowd-pleasing ‘moral fables’ about the honest Joe, the American everyman, who stands up for ‘liberal’ ideals and values against corrupt businessmen and politicians.

Screen giants like James Stewart and Gary Cooper had turned in widely acclaimed performances in Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and Meet John Doe respectively, and it was to Stewart, his most trusted actor, that Capra turned when casting the part of quintessential nice-guy George Bailey. Stewart, one of the few major stars to enlist in the war against fascism, had been away from Hollywood for the best part of five years, and was in anguish about resuming his acting career when Capra called to offer him the role, that ultimately, film critics would regard as the finest of his distinguished career. Luckily, the director was able to talk Stewart around, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Stewart’s nuanced portrayal of the decent, unselfish, yet ultimately tormented Bailey, offers us a masterclass in screen acting. It’s as if Stewart had never been away as he plays through a succession of comic, romantic and dramatic scenes with absolute confidence. Stewart is able to convince us of George’s good heart and of his deeply felt moral opposition to scurrilous Banker Henry Potter, whilst also capturing the frustration eating away at his character’s soul as he sees life passing him by and his friends making their own mark on the world. George Bailey is a man desperately divided against himself, as Stewart’s reflective performance gradually makes clear.

Thankfully, his fellow actors are equally as good, with Lionel Barrymore proving to be an inspired piece of casting in the role of Potter, the Dickensian villain who tries to drive the Bailey family business into ruin in his quest to monopolise the wealth of Bedford Falls. (Capra had surely noted Barrymore’s legendary portrayal of Scrooge for the Campbell Playhouse dramatisation of A Christmas Carol, broadcast each Christmas Eve since 1934). And, as the years have gone by, it’s become impossible to imagine anyone other than the whimsical Henry Travers as the very special emissary Clarence Oddbody, whose celestial mission it is to save George Bailey from the tragic fate that awaits him on Christmas Eve.

The movie begins with George’s family and friends frantically seeking divine intervention to help him through a spiritual crisis at Christmas and uses the device of extended flashbacks to tell the tale of a young boy/college student determined to travel the world, all the while threatening to “shake the dust of this crummy little town off my feet”. He subscribes to National Geographic magazine and spends his days dreaming of “going out exploring someday’. A family tragedy and financial difficulties combine, though, to ensure George’s ambitions are thwarted at every turn, as he finds himself trapped into running the family Building and Loan Company, the only institution in town not owned by slum landlord Potter. George is loved by the whole of Bedford Falls for standing alone against Potter time and again, and, in a crucial scene which illustrates Capra’s humanitarian message, Bailey challenges Potter over his scandalous business practices –

‘Do you know how long it takes a working man to save five thousand dollars? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, this rabble you keep talking about…they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn’t think so. People were human beings to him’.

Stewart is acting out of his straight-laced skin here, violently trembling with anger. For me, it’s one of the most genuinely moving scenes in film history.

Though George has quietly transformed the lives of all those who reside in Bailey Park, he is unable to find consolation in his own achievements. He simply cannot free himself from the resentment he feels, as first his younger brother Harry takes up his place at College, and then as his old friend Sam Wainwright cuts a dash through the business world. Drunk and despairing on Christmas Eve, he wishes he’d never been born.

Throughout the film, Capra remains in complete control of the story. Each scene plays perfectly, the transition between episodes is seamless and the script cohesive from start to finish. This is all the more remarkable given the number of writers involved in developing a screenplay that proved almost impossible to knock into shape. Whilst the final screen credit went to husband and wife screenwriting team Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, as well as Capra himself, there were already three fully developed scripts in existence when Capra bought the property from RKO in 1945.

Three of the biggest names in the business had failed spectacularly in adapting Van Doren Stern’s quirky fantasy. Neither Marc Connelly, the Pulitzer winning playwright and fully paid-up member of the Alongquin roundtable, Dalton Trumbo (an Oscar winner for The Brave One) or Clifford Odets, the left-wing firebrand whose work with the Group Theatre had revolutionised Broadway in the thirties, found a way to incorporate the various fantasy/reality elements of the plot into a coherent whole.

While Connolly and Trumbo’s contributions were dismissed out of hand by Capra, some key scenes from the Odets script were retained. According to Jeanine Basinger, curator of the Capra archives, his scripts “bring into focus the elements found in the final movie: the accident on the ice in which Harry nearly drowns; the Gower drug store sequence and George’s marriage to Mary.” It’s worth noting that at this stage the Potter character simply did not exist. The dramatic conflict in each of these scripts was between a good George and an evil George.

None of this turmoil is reflected in the finished movie itself. Capra was able to unfold his story with clarity, balancing the requirements of the plot with his need to convey an uncompromising message to the audience. In the same way that Dickens, who was on a lifelong crusade to improve the conditions of the poor, wrote A Christmas Carol to try and progress social change in Victorian England, so Capra, who was just back from the Second World War, his film cans stuffed with footage of the horrors of the concentration camps, passionately wanted to tell a story that would make a serious statement about the times in which he lived.

Dickens’ plea to his readers was for them to follow the example of a reformed Scrooge when, at the novella’s end, he pledges to “honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year round”. Capra’s motivation was equally straightforward. He had in mind a reaffirmation of John Donne’s view of the human condition

“No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main”

Still haunted by a war, in which Historians currently estimate, up to 70 million people died, Capra was at pains to point out how one man’s life touches another. His Christmas message was for us all to extend a helping hand to the next fellow.

When I went to see It’s A Wonderful Life at my local cinema, last Christmas, the usherette, on taking my ticket said: “I hope you’ve brought a supply of hankies”. Indeed, I had. I can never get past that early scene in Gower’s drugstore, where the distraught and drunk chemist brutally slaps a young George Bailey around, without breaking down. And, of course, the famous finale with George, having escaped from his nightmare existence in Pottersville, charging joyously through the snowy streets of Bedford Falls on Christmas Eve, wishing everyone and everything a Merry Christmas, has me in floods of tears every time I have the privilege of viewing it.

Watching It’s a Wonderful Life every Christmas, making it a part of the ritual and tradition of the festive period means it can be hard to be wholly objective about the film as a work of art. For good or bad the film comes imbued, perhaps even burdened, with our own memories and associations. In the darkness, as the credits begin to roll, we suddenly sense The Ghost of Christmas past sitting next to us in the cheap seats.

For others, Capra is too sentimental and the derogatory term “Capra-corn” applied by some cynics to his films has stuck over the years. Look beyond the joyous, feel-good message at the centre of It’s A Wonderful Life though, and there is a real darkness rooted within the heart of small-town America. Capra, having witnessed at first hand the atrocities of a World War, knew all about the evil ordinary people were capable of but remained an optimist and a believer in the brotherhood of man, nonetheless.

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jadelotusflower · 2 years

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Obscure Christmas Movie Rewatch: A Mom for Christmas

Tired of your yearly watches of Love Actually and Muppet’s Christmas Carol? Underwhelmed by the churn of Netflix/Hallmark Christmas movies that have approximately three plots and only two titles?

Well this year welcome to my Obscure Christmas Movie Rewatch, where I revisit corny tv movies from my childhood, often available in terrible potato quality on YouTube!

First up it’s A Mom for Christmas! Made in that glorious year of fashion and good taste 1990, with a girl who wants (guess what), an Australian mannequin who wants to be real girl, and a witch who brings them together for Christmas.

Meet Jessica Slocum (unclear if she has a blue-haired English Aunt obsessed with her pussy):

Believe it or not, the messy braids/floppy hat combo was peak fashion at this time (look up Blossom if you want to know more).

Jessica’s idea of a good time is to wander around a department store looking forlornly at the other girls shopping with their mothers, to the angelic voice of the late great Olivia Newton John singing “what if?”

Meet Philomena (Doris Roberts, also late and great), a witch who for some reason works in a department store even though she can grant wishes. She also saves mannequins from trash compactors and encourages people to pick up litter. I kind of wish the movie was about her.

She grants Jessica’s wish of a Mom for the holidays, and bring one of the store’s mannequins to life in the form of Amy Miller. Now, ONJ was always a better singer than an actor, and maybe it’s just the childhood nostalgia talking, but she’s exceedingly charming in this.

Jessica’s dad is this dweeb Jim Slocum (Doug Sheehan), who allows her to move in after she shows up at the door claiming to answer an ad he placed for childcare. You can see where this is going.

There’s a wiff of Xanadu about the whole thing, except instead of a Greek Muse awoken from a painting, this time ONJ is given human form from plastic, and sadly there are no roller-skating musical numbers.

What follows are various Born Yesterday tropes, including Amy cooking chicken noodle soup for breakfast, reading Jessica’s diary and inviting her crush over, and trying to put out a fire with eggnog. Jess learns that having a mother comes with conflict, and Amy learns to cry, as another ONJ song plays in the background.

There’s also the drama of taking one of the store’s cars to go tree shopping (driven by a mannequin chauffeur), and Jessica needing to remember her lines for the school Christmas play (the Santa mannequin helps her out).

There is however a genuinely hilarious moment as Doug sits in the aftermath of the Christmas tree fire, surrounded by burned family photos of his dead wife. Amy pops her head around the corner and chirps: “Are you sure you don’t want some gazpacho?”

There are three different shades of pink in this outfit - the early 90′s, everyone!

Since it’s all very low stakes, we need a villain in the form of mustachioed Jacob Carter Mr Morelli (Carmen Argenziano), the store’s security chief who hates Christmas and (for some reason) mannequins, and wants to bust Amy for shoplifting the clothes she left the store wearing when she came to life.

There’s also a subplot about how the mannequins with no faces or souls are replacing the “real” mannequins, treated 100% seriously, accompanied by creepy music.

Was this some kind of social commentary about department stores losing their vibe and becoming mass-commercialised and soulless rather than retaining customer-focused charm, told through the lens of mannequins who come alive at night vs those who don’t? Probably not. This has no bearing on the actual story other than the threat that if Amy turns back into a mannequin she’ll be replaced and destroyed. But this remains unresolved at the end as we can only assume Amy’s mannequin friends, not so lucky to become human, will shortly be relegated to the trash compacter Philomena saved Santa from in the opening sequence.

Amy has the power to bring other mannequins to life, but they all cheer her off at the end instead of asking her to wake them up so they can stage a mass breakout and save themselves. Way to pull the mortality ladder up after you, Amy.

Kids, the 90’s was nothing but hats and scrunchies. It was a simpler time.

And side ponytails. So many side ponytails.

Amy and Jim fall for each other blah blah blah, Jessica has to confront losing another mother so soon after finding her, but at the end of 90 minutes all is well, Jess and Jim’s love for Amy turn her human forever, Morelli gets almost mown down by the mannequin chauffeur and probably has a break from reality, Philomena continues doing her witchy thing, and a Mom for Christmas becomes a Mom for life.

Look, this is not a good movie. There’s only so much work the nostalgia filter can do, and there is a huge amount of schlock and cringe in this. But Olivia Newton John (RIP) is charming, Doris Roberts (RIP) gives an empathetic performance worlds away from Marie Barone, and it’s inoffensive, family fare.

Should your interest be piqued, it can be watched here:

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#christmas movies #obscure christmas movie rewatch #a mom for christmas #olivia newton john #90's movies #christmas #rewatch #my childhood #nostalgia #jlf rewatch #jlf posts

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fortysevenswrites · 3 years

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You obviously gotta do Peter and Olivia on the "who does what" ship questions. :D

Ughhhh yes! My universe(s) saving couple of badasses. Which, of course, I saw a commercial on my Amazon Prime recommending I start rewatching Fringe again, which like, yes, but also...I just rewatched the whole show like...3 weeks ago.

Gives nose/forehead kisses - Peter, because it’s canon and it’s ADORABLE. And like...Olivia really isn’t the MOST affectionate of the two but Peter so is, and it’s just such a great dynamic.

Gets jealous the most - I don’t think either of them would be, now that they’ve gotten their shit together (twice over). Olivia went through all of that with Alt-Livia, in season 3 and once she and Peter get past that, I really don’t think jealousy becomes an issue. Sure, Peter was a little jealous of Olivia’s relationship with Lincoln in season 4, but that got wrapped up quick. It also helps that Lincoln ended up with an Olivia of his own in Alt-Livia (which I think is both adorable AND hilarious)

Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive - On the rare occasion that Peter and Olivia get shmammered, I think they’d A, do it together, and B, just take a cab home.

Takes care of on sick days - Peter takes care of Olivia, full stop. Olivia is 1000000% the type to overwork herself to the point of exhaustion. Peter is a close second, but he has more of an understanding of what his limits are, and does take breaks (whether they’re Walter wants a snack-induced or it’s time to flirt with Olivia induced). When Olivia gets sick and the combined efforts of Peter AND Broyles to take a break, then, with reluctance, Olivia lets Peter take care of her.

Drags the other person out into the water on beach day - Peter 10000%. Olivia is 10000% the more serious of the two, and on the rare occasion that they take time off from trying to save the world, Peter would definitely be the one to drag Olivia away from the shelter of the reports she snuck into her bag to review while at the beach.

Gives unprompted massages - Peter, definitely. Especially after he and Olivia get together (both times) and they have the opportunity to be tactile with one another, Peter DEFINITELY takes advantage of it. Like, they were suuuuuper touchy from day 1, but now that he has permission? It’s cuddle time ALL the time (when they’re, you know, not trying to save the world)

Drives/rides shotgun - Olivia drives every time they have the opportunity, and especially when they’re working. Peter doesn’t mind being chauffeured around, since he does all the driving he can when he’s in the car with Walter (unless Walter’s having one of his self-actualization moments)

Brings the other lunch at work - Astrid. Someone has to keep her scientists and FBI agents healthy and functioning, and it sure as hell is not going to be Peter and Olivia (and, of course, Water).

Has the better parental relationship - Well....that’s a tricky one. I think Peter gets this one by default once he and Walter clear up all the nonsense and Peter acknowledges Walter as his dad and Walter decides to finally start treating Peter as his son. Obviously it’s not perfect. I also LOVE the relationship Peter has with Elizabeth from Over There, what little we see of that, and that’s definitely functional, all things consider. Olivia’s relationship with her mother from Other there was a lie, and of course her step-dad was a piece of shit. So, goes to Peter.

Tries to start role-playing in bed - I don’t think either would, really. Olivia had to pretend to be Alt-Livia and isn’t a fan of putting on a persona, especially not in bed with Peter, and Peter is happy to follow her lead.

Embarrassingly drunk dancer - They’re both pretty decent dancers, and Olivia isn’t the type to let loose and be ridiculous, let alone Peter. I would say, of the two, the answer would probably be Walter.

Still cries watching Titanic - Neither. Olivia doesn’t have time for movies like that, and as much as Peter enjoys a good classic, he’s not the type to get emotional about movies.

Firmly believes in couples costumes - Walter, of course. Peter isn’t here for it, and Olivia is probably slightly more inclined to humor him.

Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas - Peter would. He’d find something sweet and obscure that Olivia would love, but she would definitely make a stink about the price tag.

Makes the other eat breakfast - Well, when it’s not Walter making frittatas naked on Tuesdays, it’s Peter. Olivia is the type to have dry cereal and whiskey for dinner (see: season 1), so Peter is the one who makes sure she’s fed and healthy.

Remembers anniversaries - Olivia has a photographic memory, and she and Peter like to acknowledge important dates from both the Blue ‘Verse and the Amber ‘Verse.

Brings up having kids - Well, it was Olivia in canon, so yeah, Olivia. Which, is actually the more left field of choices between the two, imo, but I like it, because it makes for a TON of character growth for Olivia, who was this crime-solving robot when the show started, and now she’s looking forward to the future and having a family with Peter, and that’s just adorable as hell.

#asked and answered #ship asks

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kingofthewilderwest · 4 years

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princesstokyomoon replied to your post ... ... ... can we see the list?

kovu was the first crush baby me ever acknowledged i had, so seeing simba on this list is very validating lol

[high fives] Disney made those lions way too hot for their own good. Kovu would probably be on my list if I had watched the second Lion King movie more recently. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but I remember being gripped by him when I was younger. So if he magically appears on that list later...... a rewatch happened.

writingstellar replied to your post ... ... ... can we see the list?

-is queer -has a type -that type involves dark hair and eyes ...my dude do you also like them kinda damaged? Because I think we have the same taste lmao

Bruh. Bruh. I wasn’t going to admit it in the tags, but TOTALLY. When they’re damaged is when my heart melts. I relate to their struggles and issues, I yearn to care for them, I feel for them, I love them. [high five on the same taste]

maski1 replied to your post ... ... ... can we see the list?

"Elizabeth Hawkeye" ? I think it was stated her name really is "Riza" ? When I watched ATLA when I was little I didn't like Zuko. Now he's my favorite character XD Gotta watch The Dragon Prince but before, I have to watch TLoK (and before that, read the chapters that were never adaptated). I'm curious, why Aladdin? Linguini is underrated

I started replying to you in the comments of the original post, but you always have such fun conversations, so I had to hop onto here and expand!

1. Regarding how I present the names on my list, I try to give a character’s full name, so long as there is strong evidence-based canon that gives or implies their name. In a few rare cases, like Elizabeth Hawkeye, there are fans who would dispute me on this, but I can give a very good account based deeply in canon for why I have the name listed as it is. If people want to agree or disagree with me at the end of the day, I don’t mind either way.

Regarding Riza... there are two types of scenarios she is called “Elizabeth” in Arakawa’s writing. One scenario is when everyone in Team Mustang is given code names. I imagine zero fans care about that as evidence. Havoc’s code name is Jacqueline, and that obviously isn’t his real name. Riza being called “Elizabeth” on the phone when Roy is disguising his operations by fake flirting doesn’t count for proof by itself. But the other instance is Roy calling her “Elizabeth” to Madame Christmas. I think most fans read that as Roy simply extending the code name for anonymity reasons. However, given Madame Christmas knows a ton about Roy’s emotional investment in Riza, and I’ve encountered some..... translational difficulties that the official English versions have with names... I think the latter’s a good cue.

Riza in older English translations and older merchandise was legitimately named “Liza,” and Liza is a common nickname for Elizabeth (especially for the time period Fullmetal Alchemist is roughly evoking). I talk about the translation weirdness here in much better depth. As you may know yourself, given your own language background, this would not be the first time the English translators made stupid mistakes with FMA names. Viz Media initially gave Xerxes the clusterfuck spelling ‘Cselkcess’ before they realized what the word was supposed to be. Ling Yao’s name has danced between Ling and Lin, despite Arakawa herself putting the Romanized spelling of his name in some drawn panels. I have seen Ranfun, Ranfan, and Lan Fan all within official FMA merchandise. Viz Media couldn’t even get a kid’s name “Kyle” down right in their translations... originally he was called “Khayal,” because at that point in time, they didn’t have a good grasp of the world (and ergo name base) that Arakawa was drawing from. Jean Havoc’s name should have been given a French pronunciation rather than sounding like ‘Gene,’ and if you wanted to Anglicize his name one step further, you could’ve named him John Havoc more accurately than what we got in the anime dubs.

With all that said and done, a character named Liza who is sometimes referred to as “Elizabeth” seems to me a logical enough indication she would have been born as “Elizabeth Hawkeye.” In any other circumstance, if I met someone who was called Liza but at one point got called “Elizabeth” by people who knew her in her past, I would conclude she was named Elizabeth. So yeah. Some people may disagree with my logic, but that’s the short of why I have it. XD

If other people are curious: another character whose name might disputed on my list is Rufus from Deponia. There’s some information in the obscure Deponia roleplaying book that says his father used to be named Landgull. Rufus was offended when his father changed his name from Seagull to Landgull to distance himself from Rufus (ergo, it wasn’t a first name change, which would’ve been irrelevant to disowning your blood relation to someone); Captain Seagull was always referred to by a title which usually goes with a last name; and ergo it’s likely Rufus could’ve grown up as Rufus Landgull. Even though the games never ever ever actually call him that.

2. NOW GOING ONTO THE ZUKO THING. Dude, I feel you. When I watched Season 1 of ATLA, I hated Zuko. By Season 3, I loved him and he was my favorite character. They did a magnificent job not just creating the character and giving him an arc, but allowing his personality to be increasingly revealed to us as audience members.

3. Why Aladdin? As a kid, I was obsessed with Aladdin. Now that I’m older, I still think his cheeky, adventurous, charming, but genuine yearning spirit are appealing. And he has sUCH pReTTy eYeSSS!!! So yeah.

4. Linguini is VERY underrated. What a dear.

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letterboxd · 3 years

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How I Letterboxd #9: Julie Collette.

Christmas movie lover Julie Collette tells Jack Moulton all about her seasonal movie habits, the best big screen Santa Claus of all time, disability visibility in festive films, and some of the weirder holiday picks.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: when Letterboxd members turn to the Neverending Christmas List to help plan their Christmas movie viewing. Arrange it by highest rated, arrange it by newest release, or by popularity—any which way, there’s something for everyone, from corny TCM romances to obscure seasonal horrors.

Created six years ago by Canadian member Julie Collette, the list runs to more than 4,300 titles, and contains the word ‘Christmas’ 1,837 times at last count. Julie and her husband are die-hard Letterboxd fans, having allegedly used the platform every day for the past nine years. She’s logged every film she’s seen in theaters since 1996.

A message from John McClane in ‘Die Hard’ (1988).

What inspired your Neverending Christmas List? Can you please explain the minimum requirement for eligibility? My husband had told me about a list on Letterboxd of Every Horror Film Made from 1895–Present and that gave me the idea to start the neverending Christmas list. My eligibility rules are not strict at all. It can be a film that centers on or around Christmas time. Even New Year’s counts in my book—as long as there’s a moment in the film that has a Christmas song, a Christmas scene, or Christmas decorations. Die Hard is definitely a Christmas film. First of all, it takes place on Christmas Eve at an office Christmas party. There’s that great note that John McClane sends to Hans Gruber on a dead guy’s shirt: “Now I have a machine gun, ho-ho-ho.” Now that’s Christmas! There are a couple of titles that test my relaxed requirements. Examples would be Psycho—there are a few Christmas decorations at the beginning [and Bryan Fuller agrees]—and the documentary Beauty Day by Canadian director Jay Cheel, which has Christmas lights at the end.

And what percentage of the films have you seen? As of right now, I've watched 20 percent—that’s 882 of the 4,322 films on the list. I’ve got a lot of homework to do. Here’s a few hidden gems I recommend: Mon oncle Antoine, Holiday Affair, Remember the Night, Olivia, On the Twelfth Day…, Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas and One Christmas, which is Katherine Hepburn’s last role.

David Bowie and Bing Crosby sing ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ in ‘Bing Crosby’s Merrie Old Christmas’ (1977).

When does your Christmas movie viewing season start? I usually start mid-November to try to keep up with the TV rom-coms because they start to air even before Hallowe’en. This year on Hallowe’en night we rewatched The Night of the Hunter and I had forgotten that there was a sequence that was set at Christmas time. It was a perfect segue between Hallowe’en and Christmas, so I started November 1st. As far as how I pick what to watch, I go through my list and randomly pick some. I try to watch as many first-time watches and mix up the genres. But the closer I get to Christmas, the more I want to watch my favorites—for the most part I go with the flow. Christmas Day is usually a day of family time, but I try to sneak in one favorite if I can.

What was the first Christmas film that got you into all of this? I’ve always loved Christmas and growing up I watched the yearly airings of vintage Christmas cartoons and A Muppet Family Christmas. When Home Alone came out it was an instant obsession, then Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was just as good. Even now it’s our yearly tradition for my husband and I to watch the Home Alones while we decorate the Christmas tree.

If not Home Alone, what is your all-time favorite Christmas film? It’s a Wonderful Life is up there for me. Partly because growing up I watched it every Christmas Eve and kind of forced my dad to watch it with me. I think he secretly didn’t mind. As a kid, I didn’t dwell on the sad parts of the story, I just wanted to go to that candy shop and run in Bedford Falls like George in that beautiful thick fake snow. Now as an adult, I appreciate the story about a small town coming together to support a man at his lowest of lows more. Jimmy Stewart is amazing as George Bailey and we can all see ourselves at some point in his journey in the film. The chemistry and comedic timing between Stewart and Donna Reed is one of the best. Every time they sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’, I always get a bit misty-eyed.

メリークリスマス Japanese style, in ‘Tokyo Godfathers’ (2003).

What have you noticed about the ways in which Christmas films have changed over the years? In classic Christmas storytelling, there are a lot more religion-centered ones like The Bishop’s Wife and It’s a Wonderful Life. The ’80s and ’90s were about the blockbusters that the whole family could enjoy; Batman Returns, Home Alone, and The Santa Clause. The last twenty years have brought us a lot of different movies, but I do find that the start of the 2000s had a better crop of Christmas movies; Love Actually, Elf, Tokyo Godfathers, Far from Heaven, Bridget Jones’s Diary, About a Boy and so many more. The last decade has been saturated by the rom-coms of Hallmark, Lifetime and their imitators, but from the last five years, a few stand out that could be destined to become Christmas classics: Carol, Little Women and The Night Before.

The best, most rewatched Christmas stories tend to be remade. Do you have a classic Christmas story that you always love, no matter who’s telling it? Hands down Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. From my favorite—Scrooge—to The Muppet Christmas Carol, to Scrooged. Growing up, I had the book of Mickey’s Christmas Carol and I loved the cartoon adaptation. I love to see the different actors’ excitement and elation at the end when Scrooge wakes up on Christmas Day. My ultimate favorite is Alistair Sim in 1951’s Scrooge. He’s so jubilant asking the maid what day it is and wishing himself Merry Christmas in the mirror. It’s a bit darker than others. When I was a kid, the intro with Jacob Marley and the build-up of the chains scared me, but I couldn’t stop watching. Patrick Stewart’s Ebenezer [in the 1999 TV movie] is also great for his relief that he survived the journey through time. What an actor! An honorable mention to The Shop Around the Corner, In the Good Old Summertime and You’ve Got Mail, which are all based on [the 1937 Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László].

A Christmas Treat in ‘Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square’ (2020).

Treat Williams stars in not one but two of this season’s films (who knew he could sing?!). Which actors bring that special spark to festive films for you? Yes, and boy can he sing! Another actor who can sing and puts me straight in the Christmas mood is Bing Crosby. Those classic songs in White Christmas and Holiday Inn are favorites of mine. Jimmy Stewart is an obvious one. He has that charm that’s perfect for Christmas movies, especially in The Shop Around the Corner.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure on the list? Why do we love cheesy movies so much?! Every year I watch TCM’s Classic Christmas marathon [but I also watch] the Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas rom-coms. For me, I love them partly because there’s always a happy ending. I love to see all the decorations and all the cute small towns—some I wish existed so I could visit them because they’re so darn cute! Another reason I love them is the nostalgia, as some of the better ones star TV actors from the ’90s and ’00s like Candice Cameron Bure, Lacey Chabert, Jonathan Bennett, Adrian Grenier, Mario Lopez, Alicia Witt, Alison Sweeney and so many others.

One of the other great Christmas-themed lists on Letterboxd is the one about Christmas movie posters with white heterosexual couples wearing red and green—though many members pride themselves on having seen none of them. I like those movies because I can zone out and enjoy the predictable Christmas ride. However, like other Letterboxd members, I know that these aren’t Oscar-caliber films—though some are better than others! I’m glad that the powers that make these movies are starting to be more inclusive with more POC and LGTBQ+ characters. As a wheelchair user with a physical disability, I was happy to see that Lifetime has an upcoming one called Christmas Ever After, starring Ali Stroker.

Ali Stroker finds love in ‘Christmas Ever After’ (2020).

Indeed, our Make the Yuletide Gay list is an attempt to highlight queer festive films, but the pickings have been slim. Yes, very slim. There’s been queer characters in Christmas films but it’s your stereotypical gay friend or something like that. This year I feel there’s a shift in the air to be more inclusive. My favorites this year so far have been the star-filled lesbi-rom-com Happiest Season, The Christmas House—featuring a landmark first gay couple in a Hallmark festive film, Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square and Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey—with Ricky Martin! I’m looking forward to checking out A New York Christmas Wedding, The Christmas Setup and Dashing in December.

What is the scariest Christmas film that your horror-loving husband has made you watch? The best one is Black Christmas. I love that it’s female-centered and ahead of its time in their portrayals. The killer’s POV really gets me into it and still to this day puts me on edge, so much so that an ornament fell off our tree while watching it this year and it freaked me out!

Also, should we be watching The Nightmare Before Christmas on Hallowe’en or on Christmas? I watch The Nightmare Before Christmas on both holidays so you get the best of both worlds—the ghoulishness of Hallowe’en and the merriment of Christmas!

What other films on your list show Christmas in an unusual light? The first weird one that popped to mind is The Star Wars Holiday Special. That was weird! Also, from what I’ve watched I would say Eyes Wide Shut, The Ref and 3 Godfathers are not your usual Christmas films. I do have quite a few on the list I have to watch that seem weird and unusual like Elves, Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

[Editor’s note: Previous How I Letterboxd interviewee Dave Vis urges you not to watch Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny under any circumstances.]

Which actor is the quintessential Santa Claus? For me, it’s the Santa in Miracle on 34th Street, played by Edmund Gwenn. He truly embodied the part in the way he plays Kris Kringle. The gentleness and innocence he shows throughout the film is magical. It’s no wonder he won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance.

Gunn Wållgren in ‘Fanny and Alexander’ (1982).

Of course, so many films in the Christmas canon are American films. What are some of the best Christmas films from around the world? This question makes me realize I haven’t watched enough Christmas movies from around the world. With that being said here’s a few; A Christmas Tale from France, A Child’s Christmas in Wales from the UK, Tokyo Godfathers from Japan and Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander from Sweden. Mon oncle Antoine is a great Canadian film set in a small mining village during Christmas. It reminded me of the stories my mom and grandma talked about their Christmas traditions in their small village.

Are there any overrated classics you want to protest? I didn’t watch A Christmas Story growing up, so when I finally did watch it as an adult, I didn’t connect with it. The iconic scenes are funny and all, but it’s just okay. Now I’ll be on my hubby’s naughty list!

Does the film marathon continue through that purgatory week between Christmas and New Year? Do you have any film-related traditions to ring in the New Year? It does continue during that week to a certain extent. Some years after Christmas I’m done and what I haven’t watched goes to the following year but other years I can watch a few more and not feel overwhelmed. On New Year’s we have no traditions per se, but this year we might do a Tarantino marathon.

Christmas season is also synonymous with awards season. You keep track of a lot of Academy Awards history. How are you feeling about the awards season this year? First off, like many others, I haven’t even set foot in a theater this year and that is sad. I hope that the theater-going experience is not irreparably damaged. One good thing that came from the pandemic is film festivals streamed online and we were fortunate to watch some great titles from TIFF from the comfort of our home in September. I saw Nomadland, and it’s going to be a frontrunner for many of the main categories. I hope Regina King’s One Night in Miami gets some love. Miranda July’s Kajillionaire script is so unique—Evan Rachel Wood and Richard Jenkins should be contenders. I haven’t watched a lot of docs yet but Boys State stands out. I’m also eager to see First Cow, Minari, Ammonite, The Truffle Hunters, Soul, Mank, The Father and Promising Young Woman.

This Christmas is going to be weird for a lot of people. What’s one film you’d recommend for a guaranteed happiness injection? Weird indeed. If I have to pick just one it would be John Favreau’s Elf. Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf instantly brings a smile to my face. You can feel his joy for Christmas from start to finish. From the classic claymation, to New York City at Christmas, to eating all that sugar, to that hilarious scene with Peter Dinklage—it’s Christmas gold!

And finally, are there some other Letterboxd members you recommend we follow? Emily, Flurryheaven, Guyzo997, Peter Spencer, Michael Dean, Brent Vanhomwegen, Ara Hiddleston and also some more Christmas lists.

#letterboxd #how i letterboxd #letterboxd community #letterboxd culture #letterboxd members #christmas #christmas films #christmas movies #holiday movies #holiday films #jack moulton

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loumauve · 4 years

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I was tagged by @bardaholic

Rules: tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better eff the rules

Top 3 ships: is there any harder question to ask a fandom person? I think not. I guess I’ll just list the less obscure (and less crossover-y) ones I’ve been reading lately that still hurt my heart when I think about them:

Blue Coulson/Karin Parke - Hated in the Nation (Black Mirror S03E06) Jesse Faden/Emily Pope - Control (the 2019 video game) Darlene Alderson/Dominique DiPierro - Mr. Robot

but also Root and Shaw, Bering and Wells, and Cara and Kahlan, because eff the rules, my heart is bigger than this. I can have all the ships I want. I have an armada of rowing boats and canoes and submarines. (and this is just the tip of the iceberg. once we get into shipping side characters from tiny films with other side characters from even more obscure films then we’re approaching the place where I live and thrive)

Lipstick or Lipbalm: lipbalm for the every day, lipstick for when I inevitably get bored and dress up at home Last song I listened to: We are the People - Empire of the Sun

Last movie: The Half of It

Reading: reading three books atm, and as always a lot of fanfic on ao3. anyway, here goes:

Reasons to Stay Alive - Matt Haig (been rereading his ‘Notes on a Nervous Planet’ a lot, too) The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel van der Kolk (I call it research, for my own therapy bs, but really I just read it, relate, cry about it and then stick in a little marker to mark the line that really got to me) Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered - Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark (because I’m here for this. for their podcast. and for all the other murderinos. this is the only guilt-free thing from my last relationship that I’ve kept)

Watching: watching as in TV? I cancelled my tv-contract-thingie so nowadays it’s all youtube, twitch, and online streaming. but I guess I watch a lot of Bernadette Banner making things, because I just think she’s neat. the last tv series I watched (and rewatch the heck out of) tho was Mr. Robot. [also, I have serious feelings for an episode of Love Death + Robots - Sonnie’s Edge, but not everybody is gonna be into that one] [[also: Hated in the Nation, because Black Mirror has a lot of good episodes, but I still think this is my favourite one, and I’d happily rewatch it every year for Christmas or on New Year’s Eve or for my birthday]]

TAGGED: not gonna do that because I haven’t been around much lately, and I don’t wanna bug anyone. but if you follow me and I follow you then feel free to use this as an excuse to ramble on for a little while.

#meme thingie #bardaholic #about this gal #this got a lot longer than I meant for it to be but whatever #I'll just resume the rest of my day by watching more Simone Giertz videos bc it's been that kind of a day

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