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meraki-yao · 4 months

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Translation of a Bilibili Video Analysing the Paris Love Making Scene

HOLY SHIT THIS LITERALLY TOOK ME ALL DAMN DAY

Preface from me: PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT MY ORIGINAL CONTENT! THIS IS JUST MY TRANSLATION OF THE FOLLOW VIDEO MADE BY 搭火箭都要追剧 A CHINESE RWRB FAN. I REPEAT, THE CONTENT IS NOT MINE, I'M JUST A TRANSLATOR (that being said I did a little bit of commentary, anything in brackets is my own thoughts)

All photos are unedited screenshots taken directly from the video

Preface from OP: The content of this video is very subjective and shallow, if it's different from your opinions, you're the right one (a Chinese saying which basically means "this is just my thoughts don't come at me") and it's most likely to be very different from any official BTS.

Didn't translate the first part because 1, I can't really translate it well due to cultural references 2, I... don't really agree with it, but did like 90% of the video

Also since it's about the Paris love-making scene, there's sexual content, you have been warned

For the moment when Alex slips his hand under Henry's shirt

When Alex slides his hand across Henry's naked waist, his fingertips, the most sensitive part of the hand is touching Henry's bare skin and stirring his desires, which is why Alex's body tenses: he clenches his jaw and takes a deep breath in.

In contrast, Henry is absorbed in the romance of it all. He's been in love with Alex the whole time and finally, the man of his dreams is here with him, touching him.

For the couple of shots where they stand naked with Henry touching Alex

1, Close Up Shot of Henry's hand gliding up Alex's arm

Henry told Alex that he's in good hands, therefore Henry's the one to lead this dance and set the atmosphere, so most of the light is on him, with the bright spot being shone on Henry's wrist which leads the audience to focus on that point

He starts with his fingertips running along Alex's vein, but the brightest spot doesn't follow the movement of his hand and stays focused on his wrist and the lower part of his thumb while the rest of his hand is in darker lighting. This is to strike a contrast and to put the focus on Henry's hand and therefore his movement. The reason only part of his hand is illuminated is because his entire hand is lit, the frame's lighting loses its balance and looks abnormal, and won't match the more subtle, softer tones of the romance in the movie

A highly saturated orange/golden light is chosen, which increases the feeling of content and ambiguity (I don't that sounds weird but it's the closest word I can think of, but a more accurate description… Imagine the use of steam in a shower sex scene) which also hints that this is going to be a lovely night

The use of light and the contrast of brightness on different parts also serve to convey Henry's emotions and internal thoughts. Even though their first night in Alex's room and their hook-up during the polo match were both really intense, but it was more about the surging, frantic sexual desire between the two. Now Henry doesn't actually know how Alex will react and is somewhat worried about it, which is represented by his fingers in darker lighting. But at the same time, Paris is the first time Henry can be so physically close with his long-time crush and be extremely honest/vulnerable with him, and later understand and feel each other on a spiritual level (… Woah.). He feels contentment from that, which is what the brighter area conveys.

In this single shot, the bright and dark areas are fairly equal, which also means these two emotions are in equal conflict at this moment

Then Henry's hand slides up towards Alex's shoulder and he switches to touching him with his fingertips, which, with its sensitivity, means Henry can feel any tiny change on Alex's skin. He feels Alex's excitement and comfort, which in turn makes him happy and bolder, which is also conveyed in the change of the light in the frame: the fingertips that were previously in dark lighting gradually shift into the brighter area, representing his worries fading

2, The following shot of Henry facing Alex's camera right, Alex's back against the audience, camera left

The light is still on Henry which means this shot is still conveying Henry's feelings

There's a clear contrast of light on his face which makes his face seem more 3D (again sorry for the weird translation but I can't find any other words) and attracts the audience's attention more.

The contrast is also represented in Henry's characterization. To explain this, we need to understand what a cognitive schema is: cognitive schema is a psychological concept which can be summarized as when a person is exposed to an object, event or person, they will use precious experience and knowledge to make a general judgment and description of them thus predicting their next actions. So in the case of Henry, at first since he's a prince, the audience and Alex, using their cognitive schema will assume he's prim and proper, when in reality he's horny (ha), flirtatious and adorable (so in conclusion, he's actually a babygirl)

Henry then lingers his hand on Alex, and glances at Alex with a flirtatious smile, enjoying Alex's shiver under his touch.

3, Shot of Alex facing audience camera left, Henry back against audience camera right

The light is now mostly on Henry's back, increasing the romantic atmosphere of the shot.

The light is also on Alex's torso and cheek forming a light contrast, which turns the audience's focus onto Alex. The larger dark area indicates he's being led by Henry in this situation, and he doesn't really know what Henry's gonna do, therefore his nervousness is the dominating emotion, represented by the dark area.

But he's also enjoying Henry's touches, which is why the light is still mostly on Henry but also partly on Alex now, almost like an extension of the contentment that Henry feels

The lamp that in-universe is providing the lighting is on the right side of the frame. If a similar light source isn't placed on the left side, the left side of the frame would seem too cold, which would destroy the atmosphere previously created. Therefore a mirror was placed there both for spatial balance and to create a reflection of the lamp's light, creating a small light spot on the left, balancing the coloring and lighting of the shot.

To the right of the mirror where the light can't cover is a small cupid statue. The statue not only adds to the romantic atmosphere but also indicates what's about to happen, as cupid symbolizes love and sex. Cupid is also a mischievous God who enjoys pranks, which also somewhat describe the boys' relationship: cupid shoots out the silver/lead arrow of aversion and revulsion that leads to their misunderstanding and subsequent hatred, but the shoots out the golden arrow of fall that led to them falling in love with each other and living together happily ever after.

Alex keeps watching Henry's hand as his hand slides down and looks back up when Henry touches his chest and takes a deep breath. Henry smiles brightly at Alex's reaction.

Alex then becomes intoxicated by Henry's touch as his sexual desires take over him

When Henry picks up the key that means a lot to Alex, Alex clenches his jaw. The highlight in his eyes allows the audience to immediately catch the change in his eyes that's filled up with lust.

So to conclude this part, a lot of attention was given to the placement of props and the lighting: the saturated golden creates a romantic but steamy/foggy (meraki seriously can't find the right word) setting, which is a filmmaking technique often used by Wong Kar Wai, in fact a similar lighting was used in "In the Mood for Love" (Matthew is a true fan)

For the shots of them kissing on the bed

There's a red mark on Henry's chest which OP explained in an earlier video that would have been caused by Alex grabbing there when thrusting forward

There's another possibility which is Alex getting excited when being behind Henry but he doesn't really know what to do so all he can do is grind against Henry. But Henry feels and sounds divine, and Alex gets impatient so he leaves marks on Henry's arm and chest

To prove her hypothesis op did an experiment with her own arm: she chose her arm because just like the part of Henry's chest that's marked, part of the muscle curves (into the elbow just as the chest muscle curves into the armpit) it's not a easy place for fingers to exert force, thus can draw a closer, more subjective comparison.

Experiment process: open uses her other hand to grab onto her arm and pull backwards forcefully, to 1, observe the shape of the mark and if it's identical to that of Henry's, 2, observe the time needed to create the mark in order to be the same as Henry's

As shown in the photo, the (faint) red marks are approximately the same shape, width and redness as the ones on Henry's chest. It took 28 seconds to reach this. This approximates the time taken by Alex to "do stuff" (I think she means prep?) from Henry's behind

With how loving and gentle Alex is with Henry it's not that likely that he started groping Henry's chest from the beginning, so the conclusion is when Alex was trying to "move forward" when he was behind Henry (I seriously don't know if she means prep or like, doggy style) but doesn't really know what to do and groped Henry in his nervousness, and this failed attempt lasted at least 28 seconds.

OP thinks the failed attempt was done in front of the window with Henry bending over, gripping the back of one of the chairs, and deduced from the DNC scene: the boys were originally chatting in bath robes on the couch with the curtain mostly closed, but when Zahra barged in, the blackout curtain was out, leaving just the mesh layer closed. There was a bathrobe on the far side of the couch and another in front of the window. So presumably after the talk, they went for another round, Henry ditched his robe on one side of the couch and pounced on Alex (similarly to how he did on Alex's couch), they tumbled around and switched position and ended up in front of the window, Alex remembered he failed attempt in Paris and wanted to make up for it so he pulled open the blackout curtain but left the mesh layer closed, and then he got to work. (...tbn personally I think this is a stretch?)

Henry thinks Alex is adorable but he's also really intoxicated and wants to get down to business asap, so he grabs Alex's neck and presses Alex towards him, kissing from Alex's lips to his neck. He kissed Alex's neck because from their first hook-up and the way Alex immediately stretched his neck to give Henry space when he kissed his neck then, that this is the quickest way to stimulate him. Which is why you can see a faint hickey on Alex's neck

As they kiss they walk towards the bed. During their first hook-up, Henry pushed Alex onto the couch, so now it's Alex's turn to pounce on Henry, which is what we see in the shot: Henry falls onto the bed first, then Alex follows. Alex is really happy and a bit proud that he can drive Henry crazy like this, while (and I quote directly) Henry can't think of anything anymore, and has "please hurry up and fuck me" painted on his face

The mark/hickey on Alex's neck takes the shape of an inverted triangle, with the vertical side and the diagonal side (left down right up, in math it's a positive slope) being more red, which means those two points experienced the largest amount of force

Red Mark on Henry's Chest

Screenshot from In the Mood for Love using a similar lighting

Red Mark Result from OP's experiment

Blackout Curtain Closed on DNC Night

Bathrobe (presumed to be Henry's) on the far side of the couch

Bathrobe (presumed to be Alex's) near the window, Blackout Curtain Open in the background

For the process, deduced with the shot of them laying in bed during the afterglow

The trajectory of sweat on Henry's temple runs downward vertically. If he was fucked lying down, the sweat should run into his ear canal horizontally. Which means he was fucked in a sitting position. For example in the polo match hookup, Henry's sweat is visible in the form of drops running vertically down his face. Also in the afterglow, the sweat also seems to be splattered, which required Henry to have vigorously moved either up and down or front and back. So yeah this further proves that there was a cut riding scene.

Alex also has sweat on his face, and his fringe is wet. So riding should have happened right before they lied down and started talking.

So the process deduced by OP is 1, they tried doggy style in front of the window and failed 2, what was shown in the movie 3, doggy style on the bed 4, riding (OP wasn't aware of the details of the extended Paris love-making scene, but all RWRB fans in China know that there's doggy style and riding that got cut, this is OP's deduction of the order)

Even without looking at the sweats and marks, from the way Henry's signet ring is turned in the movie you can tell that something's deleted, since before Alex intertwined his fingers with Henry, the letter H was facing outwards, and when their hands join the movement causes the ring to turn and for the letter to face inwards. But then the next shot with Henry's hand on Alex's shoulder shows the ring worn normally again, which means something in between was deleted or reordered.

Hickey on Alex's Neck

Henry's sweat in the afterglow

Henry's sweat during the polo hook-up

Alex's sweat in the afterglow

tagging @sanneannelies7 and @na-18dia who mentioned wanting the translation in my original post

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sol1056 · 5 years

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EPs: "we chose Netflix to explore things like sexuality" (nothing was explored or was explicit for even 2 seconds) "when they told us u cant kill Shiro, we knew we could push the reveal 4 later" (so nice of them to admit they stopped our rep just to be able to kill him) "when we found out about byg we knew we coulnt kill Shiro & we thought we'll find rep w another character. Then we learned we could go on w/ Shiro as the rep" (theres ANOTHER REP WE DIDNT GET?? Was it vague then erased? Whatt??)

I think these are two separate issues. One is related to who made VLD, and the other is related to the EPs’ ignorance of characterization. The second overlaps with a bunch of asks I’ve recently gotten about race and representation, so here I’m just keeping it to a general discussion of characterization, with Lance as example. And then about Shiro in particular, how the EPs’ statements reveal their lack of thought.

Behind the cut.

remember where these people came from

The team behind VLD is almost entirely formerly Nickelodeon. DreamWorks wanted to break into television on a much larger scale, and since they almost always promote from outside the company, they lured over Margie Cohn from her position as a Nick VP. As VP/exec levels tend to do, Cohn brought a bunch of people with her.

One of those was Mark Taylor, who’d been involved in both AtLA and LoK. Taylor, in turn, brought JDS, LM, and I think one or two of the other producers. Taylor also probably brought over Hamilton, Chan, and Hedrick, as known entities with proven track records.

These are people who — for for the last ten or more years — have swum in Nickelodeon’s considerably more conservative fishbowl. It’s entirely possible (given what people tell me about storylines in HTTYD, and DW’s open support of She-Ra) the former Nickelodeon team automatically downgraded DW’s “go ahead and explore these heavier/darker topics” to mean “maybe kinda mention in passing but don’t be too obvious about it.”

Now, to be fair, the EPs may have pushed for more LGBT+ rep, and their obstacle might not have been DW, but Taylor. It’d explain how the EPs could praise everyone (read: DreamWorks staff) as supportive, yet allso complain about pushback (read: Taylor’s Nickelodeon-influenced sensibilities). Two different parties were calling the shots.

It’s also possible what the EPs saw as ‘rep’ was still considerably toned-down from what DW execs (and the VAs) may’ve expected. After all, that one-minute scene in VLD might’ve required an act of god at Nickelodeon. VLD’s staff may have genuinely considered this scene landmark because even that tiny bit was far more than their previous employer would’ve allowed.

Cue the victory lap and excited chatter, and seeming blindness to Korra being long since surpassed by Steven Universe, Young Justice, Bob’s Burgers, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, RWBY, Rick and Morty, Clarence, BoJack Horseman, Danger & Eggs, Big Mouth, and Summer Camp Island. Remember, it wasn’t until 2016 that Nickelodeon would have a married gay couple (in The Loud House), and they’re not even central characters. The VLD staff may’ve thought itself bold, and unprepared for the reality of modern (non-Nickelodeon) audience expectations.

No, I don’t think that absolves them. It just seems the most reasonable explanation. That is, short of seeing the EPs as so utterly cynical they’d pump up the audience for what amounted to a nothingburger in light of what else popular media now delivers.

and then there’s representation

VLD’s troubles can all be traced to one crucial detail: the EPs don’t understand that characters are the bedrock of stories. And as such, there are no shortcuts.

Ever had the misfortune to catch a home decorating show? Here we have a windowless basement: mock up a mantle from polystyrene, paint the walls gray, put up sconces with flickering lightbulbs… it’s still a basement. It’s just now desperately pretending to be something it isn’t. The bones of the structure are undeniably American Suburbia, not generic castle keep, and those bones are integral to how we experience the space.

The average person isn’t trained to be aware of those bones — the underlying architecture — and its subtle impact on our experience, just as most non-storytellers aren’t trained to see how and where and why characters create plot. I guarantee you, though, you will never mistake a late-century Kmart for the Centre Pompidou or the Forbidden City or Mount Vernon. Just as you would never mistake a beginner’s first novel for Lord of the Rings or Left Hand of Darkness.

That is, the dressed stone isn’t paint and plaster; it’s a core element informing (even dictating) height, width, and depth of a space. Characterization is the same: it must be structural. In turn, characters inform the breadth and depth of the story. If your characterization is shallow, wild swerves and dramatic reveals can make the story fun, but they will never make it deep.

I empathize with the (hopefully genuine) intent to avoid making Shiro’s sexuality a ‘reveal.’ The unfortunate truth is: waiting 60+ episodes to even mention in passing makes it a reveal. It wasn’t structural, or viewers would’ve been sensing it from the very beginning.

This isn’t a haircut or a pair of jeans. It’s a person’s identity, and that has crucial impact on hopes, fears, desires, and needs. It doesn’t start only once the audience is let in on the secret; it was always there. It should’ve informed the character’s actions and reactions all along.

If Lance is Cuban, and the story takes place in a quasi-future America, then to understand Lance’s perspective, we need to ask questions like: is Cuba still under embargo? Is it a free democracy now, or did Lance’s family flee at some point? Is he part of an exchange program, or is there a lottery that let him come to the US for his education? Did he leave his family behind? How young was he, when he left? What was his childhood like, and how does that differ from what he found in America? What was his parents’ relationship like, and how does that influence his expectations for friends and lovers?

Was he fluent in English when he arrived, or did he only become fluent later? Does his Spanish have a noticeable accent, and if so, has he felt isolated from other Latinx at school? Or is he the only Latino at the Garrison? Is he proud of his heritage, or ashamed of it? Did he get bullied for being foreign, and how did that change what he says/does? Even if America is joyfully multi-cultural, he’d still be an immigrant or foreigner, and that’s a different experience from a non-white community that’s multi-generation American. What was his impression of his new life? What compared favorably (or not) to his childhood?

It’s not just, “He’s a boy from Cuba.” You have to think about what it means to be ‘from Cuba’ and how this is different from, say, growing up next door to the Garrison (like Pidge probably did). If you put that much thought into it, if you talk to people who’ve lived that experience, if you push yourself to imagine as deeply as you can how Lance’s life would have shaped him?

By the time you’re done, Lance would never need to say a word.

His reactions, his assumptions, maybe a few mannerisms, his humor, a few throwaway comments about his family or things he did as a kid — and there would be Cubans in the audience going, “hey, wait a minute, he’s just like my cousin.” Or brother or uncle or friend. By the time someone asks at a panel? Half the audience would be saying, yeah, we were right, Lance is totally Cuban.

Or you don’t think about it, and you use stereotypes in hopes that’ll do the work for you. As @sjwwerewolf commented:

Man, I’m ready to rant about Voltron. I’m Cuban. Lance, oh boy, Lance. From season 1 on, he has been written as a huge stereotype. The flirtatious, passionate comic relief character who’s dumb. Like. He’s literally Antman’s sidekick. That character. All you need to make him a full caricature is like, “I have a gangster brother.“

The stereotype is a shortcut. It’s slapping on behaviors without thought for a real person’s experiences or perspectives. VLD is, sadly, full of them: the Latino (wannabe) lover, the big guy who likes food (with only the slightest twist to have him actually good at cooking), the boyish-girl who’s a brain and likes computers more than people, etc.

just pull shiro out of a hat

At some point early on, the EPs said (once again in an interview, not in the story) that VLD is a world without homophobia. The story itself contradicts that ideal, or at least, it emphasizes a certain level of heternormativity over an open embrace of diverse relationships. What’s in our face for six seasons is Lance’s lover-boy stereotype, Allura’s attraction to Lotor, Lotor’s attraction to Allura, Matt’s attraction to Allura, and so on… and the closest we get to anything resembling an alternate attraction is one blush from a servant in a flashback, and Kuron’s startled reaction to Keith’s return.

All VLD had to do was have Hunk mention his moms. Or Coran mention his late husband. Or Lance mention his sister’s wife. Something explicit to offset the heterosexual attractions going on. Frankly, for six seasons it was an open question whether homosexuality even existed in VLD: the absence of a negative is not proof of the presence of a positive.

That absence means we really have no idea how being queer in VLD’s world would affect a character — and it would, have no doubt. Our sexuality affects every single one of us; it’s just that straight people have the benefit of seeing the roadmap of their sexuality played out in a million books, movies, and television shows. If you haven’t given thought to whether this is also true in your world, then you don’t really know how a character could discover, define, and map their sexuality, or how they’d quantify or qualify relationships that overlap their sexual preferences. You don’t understand the structure.

That lack of thought means, nine times out of ten, the creator has said to themselves, “it’s easier to just say this character’s experience of their sexuality is exactly like the one I, as a straight person, vaguely recall having (that I never actually had to question because it was already mapped out for me, everywhere I looked).” That’s not a queer character. That’s a character with a label slapped on their forehead that says here be a queer character. It’s paint, because the structure underneath is straight person.

Which means that of course the EPs could consider making someone else “the rep,” because they really seem to believe this is as easy as removing the label from Shiro’s forehead and sticking it on someone else. And it’s not. People don’t work like that. Sexuality is no more a simple paint-job than race, gender, culture, or dis/ability. Each of these things is etched on our bones, literally or metaphorically, and that changes us all the way through.

The short version, then, is: no, we wouldn’t have gotten any other rep, just as we haven’t truly gotten any rep as VLD was delivered. Shiro has a label on his forehead, but unless and until the canonical story demonstrates this goes all the way down to his bones… he’s just a straight suburban basement with a mediocre paint job and some fake queer columns.

#vld #voltron #characterization #representation #sol thinks about stuff

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mrmichaelchadler · 6 years

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Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: June 7, 2018

10 NEW TO NETFLIX

"Bad Genius" "Blue Jasmine" "The Departed" "Just Friends" "The King's Speech" "Miracle" "National Treasure" "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" "Outside In" "Thor: Ragnarok"

6 NEW TO BLU-RAY/DVD

"Annihilation"

Alex Garland's "Annihilation" is undeniably one of the most "essential" films of 2018. What I mean by that is that it's a film that movie lovers need to see because it created enough conversation about the current landscape of the medium that it's key to understanding it. First, there was the controversial decision by Paramount to sell it off to Netflix in international markets. Then there was the relative box office failure despite rapturous critical praise. Before it even hit DVD, it felt like the film was a beloved cult item, with groups of fans going to see it in theaters before it left. Now it's on Blu-ray, where I have to admit it looks AMAZING. The fact is that it looks better on my 4K player than it did in the mediocre chain theater in which I saw it. And this is the perfect film to rewatch and appreciate in new ways. I have a feeling it's a movie we'll be writing about and considering for months to come.

Buy it here

Special Features Part 1 – SOUTHERN REACH Refractions – See how director Alex Garland created the tone, textures and color palettes for the various film environments on set. For Those That Follow – Listen to the cast's perspective on their roles and learn why they found the story so intriguing. Part 2 – AREA X Shimmer – See how filmmakers transformed real set locations to create the world of Annihilation. Vanished into Havoc – Check out all the action as cast and crew walk you through the mind-blowing stunts and special effects. Part 3 – TO THE LIGHTHOUSE Unfathomable Mind – Learn why the visual effects are integral to achieving director Alex Garland's overall vision for Annihilation. The Last Phase – Listen to the cast and crew share their fondest memories from filming Annihilation.

"Au Hasard Balthazar" (Criterion)

When I was asked a couple months ago to find reviews of films by Roger Ebert that reflected empathy, I considered it a treat to go through so many of his best pieces searching for that theme. In doing so, I came upon Roger's Great Movies review of Bresson's classic "Au Hasard Balthazar." If you have not yet done so, you owe it to yourself to read it. Roger writes, "They regard, and ask us to regard along with them, and to arrive at conclusions about their characters that are our own. This is the cinema of empathy." He then goes into detail about Bresson's approach to cinema, shooting takes dozens of times to drain it of artifice and focus on the action of the moment. Get the new Criterion Blu-ray upgrade, read Roger's review, and appreciate further how Bresson impacted cinema, and how Roger impacted the way we write about it.

Buy it here

Special Features New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray Interview from 2004 with film scholar Donald Richie “Un metteur en ordre: Robert Bresson,” a 1966 French television program about the film, featuring director Robert Bresson, filmmakers Jean-Luc Godard and Louis Malle, and members of Au hasard Balthazar’s cast and crew Trailer Plus: An essay by film scholar James Quandt Cover by Sarah Habibi

"Gringo"

"Gringo" meanders into subplots just when it needs to tighten up, but there's a remarkable ensemble in this mediore dark comedy, which includes fantastic performance from Charlize Theron as an ice queen of a corporation under siege. The problem with "Gringo" is that Theron is so good that she steals focus from David Oyelowo's genial dope, who is well-played but not well-written. Still, they don't make a lot of adult comedies like this any more, and a chance to spend a couple hours with Theron, Oyelowo, Joel Edgerton, Thandie Newton, and Sharlto Copley makes it worth a mild reccomendation for a rental.

Buy it here

Special Features The Making of Gringo - Featurette Who is Harold? - Featurette The Stunts of Gringo - Featurette Filming Gringo in Mexico - Featurette Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature

"Midnight Cowboy" (Criterion)

John Schlesinger's award-winning drama is such a memorable snapshot of an era that it has come to define it. Anyone over 40 can't see a man in a cowboy hat in New York City and not think of Jon Voight, or cross the street and nearly get hit by a car and quote Dustin Hoffman. It's one of those films that really tapped into something not just about the era in which it was made but where we were going as a culture. It's really a modern take on the country mouse in the city, but the city is now deadly dangerous and a place where people can get lost and forgotten forever. Few films have done as remarkable a job of being a bridge from one arguably-naive era to a more cynical look at the future to which we were all headed as this one. It's a movie that always makes me notably sad, despite such great work by Voight and Hoffman.

Buy it here

Special Features New 4K digital restoration, approved by cinematographer Adam Holender, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray Alternate 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack Audio commentary from 1991 featuring director John Schlesinger and producer Jerome Hellman New video essay with commentary by Holender New photo gallery with commentary by photographer Michael Childers The Crowd Around the Cowboy, a 1969 short film made on location for Midnight Cowboy Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter’s Journey, an Academy Award–nominated documentary from 1990 by Eugene Corr and Robert Hillmann Two short documentaries from 2004 on the making and release of Midnight Cowboy Interview with actor Jon Voight on The David Frost Show from 1970 Voight’s original screen test Interview from 2000 with Schlesinger for BAFTA Los Angeles Excerpts from the 2002 BAFTA Los Angeles tribute to Schlesinger Trailer PLUS: An essay by critic Mark Harris

"Thoroughbreds"

Quality Movie You Probably Haven't Seen Alert! Focus kind of bobbled the release of this great little thriller, a movie that should have been a word-of-mouth hit but barely made a dent at all in theaters. If you like dark comedies like "Heathers," this is your jam, a razor-sharp, socially-smart thriller about two young ladies who conspire to kill someone. Olivia Cooke does her best work to date as Amanda, the more sociopathic of the two, and a woman who befirends Anya Taylor-Joy's Lily. They're both great, as is Anton Yelchin in one of his final performances, but this is really startling as a writing/directing debut by Cory Finley. Keep an eye on him.

Buy it here

Special Features The Look of Thoroughbreds - Featurette Character Profiles Deleted Scenes

"Unsane"

Claire Foy's performance in Steven Soderbergh's thriller remains one of the best of the year, and will be so in another six months as well. It's a fearless turn, especially given the fact that he's not allowed many of the tricks and crutches used by actors due to the intimacy created by Soderbergh's iPhone camera. We are right there with Foy as she goes through the psychological and physical challenges of the story of a woman on the edge of sanity, unsure if she's being stalked or going crazy. This is one of many Soderbergh films that I expect time will catch up to, especially as his status as one of the best living American filmmakers continues to rise. Hopefully, at some point in the future, it gets a better Blu-ray treatment than this quickie job by Universal, almost entirely bereft of special features.

Buy it here

Special Features Unsanity - Featurette

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wionews · 6 years

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Whitney Houston, Chester Bennington honoured and other best moments from American Music Awards 2017

American Music Awards 2017 was a medley of stars bringing in their best for the 45th annual music awards.

The show hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross witnessed scores of performances, heartfelt speeches and musical odes to those the music industry lost in the following year.

Jamie Foxx and daughter opened the night by talking about the tragic events of the year, including shootings, hate crimes and natural disasters. He said, "We needed the power of music to help us escape the news of the day we needed the power of music to help us heal." He called it the year that "tested our faith."

Pink and Kelly Clarkson sang together for the first time, performing their version of the popular song "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. They got a standing ovation for the performance.

**Don't try this at home!** @Pink you are a PRO! #PINKxAMAs #AMAs 🎨: @samiarmiger http://pic.twitter.com/znvhUWEDBC

— AMAs (@AMAs) November 20, 2017

Tracee Ellis Ross took the stage in a large ruffled bronze gown. She said it was a special night for her as her mother, Diana Ross was getting a lifetime achievement award. She said, "We are the first ever mother and daughter who have ever hosted the American Music Awards. She did it twice, but there's always next year."

She also spoke about how the night would celebrate Kelly Clarkson, as she sang "A Moment Like This."

She introduced Viola Davis to the stage to honour the 25th anniversary of the film "The Bodyguard," starring Whitney Houston. Davis said, "The movie has become iconic, thanks to its soundtrack, the best-selling movie soundtrack of all time. What a voice Whitney had, what an artist." Davis pointed out that Houston had the most AMAs of any female artist in history: 21.

Houston's family members were at the AMAs to honour the late singer. Davis then introduced singer Christina Aguilera, who sang one of Houston's most famous songs, "I Will Always Love You." Aguilera wore a black dress as she paid tribute to Houston. Later, she sang "I Have Nothing" as a popular scene from "The Bodyguard" played behind her making the audience teary-eyed. Then Aguilera performed "I'm Every Woman." as she said to the crowd: "Come on. This is a Whitney celebration."

.@xtina tells us what it was like meeting Whitney Houston! #WHITNEYxCHRISTINA http://pic.twitter.com/Vhny1ncppc

— AMAs (@AMAs) November 20, 2017

Chadwick Boseman presented the award for pop rock duo or group, which went to Imagine Dragons. Frontman Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons said, "This is a country that I know, which is one of powerful women, talking about our women, talking about empowering our LGBTQ youth. May we continue to progress as a nation toward one of love, of equality, no divide."

Ciara presented the award for rap or hip-hop song, which went to DJ Khaled for his star-studded song, "I'm the One." While performing, he said, "I want to thank my son, the executive producer." Khaled thanked his collaborators and then told his fans, "I'm back in the studio, too. God is the greatest. Fan love, we did it."

He's the one! Congrats to @djkhaled on the Favorite Song - Rap/Hip-Hop win! 🔑 #AMAs http://pic.twitter.com/UwsHi2TOn0

— AMAs (@AMAs) November 20, 2017

Taylor Swift sent a video message to singer Diana Ross ahead of lifetime achievement award, saying, "You have paved the way for everyone who does what we do now, including me, so thank you."

Julia Michaels introduced Selena Gomez to the stage to sing "Wolves." She said, "If you looked up bravery in the dictionary, you would find this next performer's name. I'm so grateful I get to call this beautiful person my friend."

Also Read: Selena Gomez makes her first AMAs performance after kidney transplant, Twitter furious with her lip syncing

Kathryn Hahn and Justin Hartley presented favourite country male artist to Keith Urban. He got a surprise when he hit the stage as he also won best country song for "Blue Ain't Your Color" and best country album for "Ripcord." He gave a special shoutout to his wife, Nicole Kidman, who was in the audience.

Thank you!!! • #AMAs http://pic.twitter.com/t59IUZ3wi6

— Keith Urban (@KeithUrban) November 20, 2017

The stars of "Riverdale" presented favourite EDM artist, which went to the Chainsmokers.

Thank you to our amazing fans for voting for us this year! 2018 is going to be a great year of new music! Get ready! http://pic.twitter.com/lOBtIV8RN4

— THE CHAINSMOKERS (@TheChainsmokers) November 20, 2017

Jenna Dewan Tatum and Billy Eichner presented adult contemporary artist, which went to Shawn Mendes.

Heidi Klum introduced Lady Gaga's performance "The Cure." Gaga performed from Washington, D.C., playing a clear piano and wore a partial mask over one eye. She got up from her piano to sing and dance on top a galactic-themed stage. When she received the award for the pop-rock female artist, Gaga from Washington said, "Just remember, if you feel different or you feel not understood, don't you dare give up on who you are."

.@ladygaga WINS Favorite Female Artist - Pop/Rock! #GAGAxAMAs #AMAs http://pic.twitter.com/oJ5axthsj3

— AMAs (@AMAs) November 20, 2017

Nick Cannon presented new artist of the year, which went to former One Direction member Niall Horan.

YESSS! @NiallOfficial won New Artist of the Year presented by T-Mobile thanks to YOU! 💞 #NIALLxAMAs #AMAs http://pic.twitter.com/mKB849qc0p

— AMAs (@AMAs) November 20, 2017

Laura Marano and Patrick Schwarzenegger presented collaboration of the year, which went to Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber for "Despacito." Fonsi dedicated his award to the people of Puerto Rico.

Collaboration of the Year presented by @Xfinity goes to... @LuisFonsi, @daddy_yankee, and @justinbieber! Give it UP for them. 👏👏👏 #AMAs http://pic.twitter.com/VnSVrfLUTu

— AMAs (@AMAs) November 20, 2017

Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary and Mark Cuban presented favourite alternative artist, which went to Linkin Park. Member of the group Mike Shinoda talked about late frontman Chester Bennington and said, "We want to dedicate this award to him, to his memory, to his talent, his sense of humour and to his joy. Remember you guys, all of you tonight, whether you're a fan or an artist: Take a moment to appreciate what you've got and make Chester proud."

Make sure to send some love to @linkinpark! They won Favorite Artist - Alternative Rock tonight. 😍 #AMAs http://pic.twitter.com/7iC0w2LsTz

— AMAs (@AMAs) November 20, 2017

"We want to dedicate this award to Chester, to his memory, to his talent" Favorite Artist - Alternative Rock goes to @linkinpark! ♥️ #AMAs http://pic.twitter.com/KB0vKXdTJ5

— AMAs (@AMAs) November 20, 2017

The Chainsmokers introduced South Korean boy band BTS. Though the members sang in Korean, many fans in the audience sang along.

Jared Leto took the stage and said, "In challenging times like these we need artists more than ever. Creative revolutionaries remind us of the possibilities of life," as he presented artist of the year. Bruno Mars won the award and though not at the show, he sent a video of his acceptance speech and said he was "a million miles away." He continued and said, "Please forgive me. We will be back together very shortly."

Following that, former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama sent a congratulatory video message to Diana Ross. Mrs Obama said, "Her artistry resonates with everyone ad today her voice is still as pure, her beauty is undeniable and her showmanship is on point."

.@BarackObama & @MichelleObama send a lovely congratulatory message to our Lifetime Achievement recipient, @DianaRoss! #MsROSSxAMAs #AMAs http://pic.twitter.com/OF65Azsedp

— AMAs (@AMAs) November 20, 2017

Singer Evan Ross kicked off a tribute to his mother, Diana Ross.

"What do you get when you cross a chart-topping singer, trailblazing style icon, record-breaking pioneer international superstar and an all-around boss? Everybody you get my mom, Miss Diana Ross," Evan said.

Diana Ross accepted the award and said, "This is all about love. This says it all. This is my family. And I'm sending love out there to all of you each and every one of you, our global family … I feel so humbled by this. I love you so very much."

Your Lifetime Achievement Award winner, @DianaRoss, takes the stage for a legendary performance of her hits! 🎶 #MsROSSxAMAs http://pic.twitter.com/X13oSa0hw5

— AMAs (@AMAs) November 20, 2017

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