#the way these two films parallel each other is crazy!!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wibble-wobbegong · 1 year

Note

I wanna hear more about the shed scene 🥺🥺 it’s also my favourite scene

GIGGLES KICKS MY FEET TWIRLS MY HAIR oh my god okay sooooooo

The Van vs The Shed

let’s do a little comparison, shall we >:)

for starters, let’s look at the basic structure of how these two monologues are played out in the show!!

1. both monologues are given in the eighth episode of a nine episode season

2. both monologues are given as emotional encouragement to keep fighting different battles by giving examples of how the other has personally impacted them and made their life better

3. both of these monologues are followed by el’s return and a reunion

4. despite these monologues, the end result is one pushing the other away for el’s sake

obviously, the most important aspect of these monologues is how they’re similar and how they’re different, and there is a lot to cover in that regard. a lot. but i’ll try and make it consumable

Getting the easy stuff out of the way before we bite into the center of this beautiful, sweet, tear-worthy parallel! The lighting in these scenes is so… oh my god. Fair warning that I’m not a film expert, so this is an analysis based on Google and my interpretations!!

The shed scene is Mike-focused, so let’s look at him real quick.

Quick things to note;

It’s completely dark. The only things you can see are Will and Mike. It’s completely absent of anything else in a way no other scenes are, not even the other scenes done in the shed.

Mike’s face has a very, very distinct half-lighting covering the right half of his face in shadows. This is the first time this type of lighting is introduced for Mike, but it certainly isn’t the last. Half-lighting is indicative of someone hiding something or lying, and we know Mike isn’t lying. He just isn’t telling the full truth to us in this scene; there’s something being omissed.

Now, a quick look at Will.

Quick notes;

There are other things in the shot, but you really cannot tell what they are at all. They’re as hidden in the dark as possible. You can only see Will, not Mike, showing that this is meant to be his perspective as the other shot includes his head even though he isn’t he focus.

Will’s face is completely lit. The brightest light is on him, giving some incredibly blatant light symbolism but also showing his honesty despite being literally possessed. His reaction here is his.

The three most important things to note in this scene are that they’re both currently in the dark, surrounded by it, but there is a light. Mike is half in, half out of it. Will is entirely in the light, shining with it. Whatever it is Will is bathed in, Mike is partially hiding from that light. Mike’s speech is entirely honest, as what he’s saying is all supported by what we see in Crazy Together, so his omission isn’t about Will’s friendship being the best thing in his life; there’s more. He’s hiding more.

Will, on the other hand, is completely in the light with nothing to hide. He’s listening to what Mike is saying, hearing him through demons of darkness and the anger of a man who wants nothing more than to control him. He’s hearing what Mike is saying and it reaches something inside him so deep that Henry wasn’t able to repress it or take it away from him. What Will is hearing brings Will into the light and makes everything else disappear.

The light, clearly, is their love for each other. They’re surrounded by darkness, feelings isolated in their feelings. Mike is scared and he’s hiding the part of him that loves deeper, not ready to show that to the world; to Will, who is not only already realized in his feelings and open with it, but he fights past the darknesses literally inside him for that love and thanks to it.

Now, we compare this to the van scene.

Because Will is the one speaking this time, he gets to go first!

Quick notes;

Everything is bright, illuminating the world but glares are added to put special emphatic light on Will.

There’s a slight backlighting, making Will slightly darker despite his surroundings being so bright and despite the glares on the camera. Generally, backlighting is used to create mystery or drama, which is true here, but Will being cast in shadows means more considering the symbolic value of light in this show.

We see Mike in this shot.

And Mike!

Quick notes;

The half-lighting is back, but it’s much less severe. It’s hardly noticeable, and I wouldn’t question it if Will’s lighting wasn’t completely different despite them both being in the van.

Again, everything is still completely bright and there’s nothing attention grabbing in the background. It’s not isolating, but it still narrows your focus.

We see Will in this shot.

The differences and similarities are pretty obvious when you put them side by side like this. Where, in the beginning, there was an ocean of darkness separating them, there’s now light. It’s not bright or intense like it used to be, either. It’s calming now. Comfortable. Familiar and easy.

Mike has grown. There’s still part of him hiding, still a little bit afraid to come all the way out, but that part of him is no longer drowning in the darkness to the point where you can only see him when you look close. Now, you can see him clear as day. Rather than struggling to see the part of him that’s hiding, you struggle to see that he’s hiding at all. He’s stepped so much more into the light that there’s barely anything left to hide in. You’d only notice that fear, that hidden piece, if you looked close. He’s otherwise in the light and familiar with it.

Will, on the other hand, has regressed a bit since Mike gave his monologue. Back then, the light was bright and intense and he didn’t shy away from it. He accepted it with open arms and walked right into it, but over time he’s grown less open with it. That naive and immediate embracement was chipped out, and now he’s got a light shadow over him.

Now, they can’t cover him in darkness, as he carries light symbolism meant to counteract Henry and he isn’t completely in the darkness. He’s just become less trusting, more hesitant, his stance on his love is more mysterious. He won’t stop loving Mike, but what he wants to do about it is less clear: he flirts before the shoot-out, but covers up his raw feelings. He hasn’t had to be open like that a lot, and the last time he had to was the rain fight. It makes sense for him to be hesitant, though not hiding like Mike.

They’ve grown as people, shifted in their individual places regarding their love but they’ve also grown together. This thing between them, it’s not new. It’s not bright and shiny and intense; it’s not something to walk into blind or hide away from. They’ve both gotten familiar with these feelings they have and the way they work together is familiar, even despite the months of distance. Where they sit, individually, is similar and different. They’re both slightly in the dark, just in different ways for different reasons. But they’ve gotten closer to the same page. The difference isn’t so intense at this point (for now).

The lighting stuff isn’t really the thing that ties these scenes together, but rather the lighting is comparable because of what these monologues actually are.

The Meat

Silly name, but that’s what this is. Now, the words themselves aren’t direct parallels, but what they’re saying is reflected in each scene.

Mike’s monologue recalls the memory of meeting Will, but what makes the speech so impactful isn’t the memory but rather what he’s using it to communicate. Look at this line;

“I had no friends and… I just felt so alone and so scared but…“

This bit right here? We see this happening in S4. We see Mike talking about his fears of inadequacy and being left behind, alone, in the van. It’s what triggers Will’s entire confession in the first place.

Mike told Will that he feels alone and scared, but that Will takes that feeling away and it makes him the best part of Mike’s life. We see Will proving this very thing after Mike expresses his fears of no longer being needed, of being abandoned. Will doesn’t know that Mike has been struggling with being alone and feeling like he’s losing his friends since he left for California, but he hears Mike’s fear and treats it just as seriously.

Will’s confession proves the existence of what Mike feels in the most direct manner possible.

In comparison, we have Will’s confession. There’s more being said here, and we could pick apart every little line and find which scene proves what, but Will almost directly references the very monologue I was just talking about.

“You make her feel like she’s not a mistake at all, like’s she’s better for being different… and that’s what gives her the courage to fight on.”

I mean, come on. The shed scene is the one scene we have where we see Will fighting as the focus. The entire point of that sequence was to encourage Will to fight, to break through the possession.

Mike, in his monologue, talks about how Will was just like him — how he was alone too. Loneliness and queerness go hand in hand in this show, and being a mistake is a pretty obvious euphemism for queerness. Mike acknowledges that part of Will and says it was the very reason Mike wanted to be his friend in the first place. Will being alone led to Mike being his friend. Being a mistake and loneliness are both tied to queerness. Do you see what I’m saying?

Mike makes Will feel like he’s not a mistake. That sentiment is what gave Will the strength to pull through and escape Henry’s clutches, even just a small part of him for just a moment. The shed scene proves exactly what Mike is talking about.

Mike’s monologue proves the existence of what Will feels in a connection so direct it’s done in everything but name.

These two scenes prove the existence of the other. They could exist without each other, sure, but they would be more theoretical, they wouldn’t be as strong or impactful. When they go together, though, we can see exactly why they love each other. These pieces are meant to go together and paint a bigger picture.

But it doesn’t just stop there. No, what follows after these scenes play into each other as well.

El Returns

For both S2 and S4, El is physically removed from the equation while Mike and Will are forced together, almost alone, for days on end. When she returns, it’s an emotional thing. She takes the time to go to both Mike and Will.

All of these reunions are platonic. Familial, even. Mike and Will are both important to her, and she’s grown with both of them and we see that between these reunions. El has gone from feeling like she needs Mike romantically wanting him platonically, and is happy to see him both times. El and Will never got the chance to really meet that first time, and they never really knew each other until the move to California where they finally became brother and sister and clearly care about each other just as much as Mike and El care about each other.

That part isn’t really significant though. I just needed to out elmike and willel in here because they’re great :)

More importantly is later on, towards the end of episode nine (funny how these events keep lining up. almost like it’s intentional), we get one of my favorite and simultaneously least favorite parallels.

The end of S2 is the Snowball. I’m sure you can guess which moment I’m about to pull from.

This scene is the moment Mike starts pushing Will away. The whole season we witness Mike pulling Will close, keeping him away from bullies and even friends when he’s scared, and Mike clearly doesn’t want Will to leave if his reaction afterwards is anything to go by. But he does it anyway. He does it because of El.

The timing of El coming back almost immediately after Mike gives that monologue, the one where he first draws the line between Will and the rest of the world, where he admits that Will is the best part of his life, is really Bad for Mike. She goes straight for romance, no ifs ands or buts about it. The last time Mike ever saw El, he promised to take her to the Snowball. It was literally the last thing they talked about before he thought she died.

These feelings Mike is dealing with, that he’s scared and unsure of, are countered immediately by the girl he convinced himself he liked coming back. The girl he promised the Snowball, which ~snowballs~ into a relationship he represses himself in and later can’t get out of.

Mike pushes Will away for El’s sake, ultimately. He tries to fix himself because he’s supposed to be with El and be straight. He’s not supposed to have those feelings for Will. El, at the time, wants this. Not hurting Mike, but a relationship with him.

Over a year later and two break ups later, we see history repeat itself.

After the confession Will makes, he starts pushing Mike away directly into the arms of a girl. Will hasn’t done this before. He’s been there for Mike through his troubles, but he’s never pushed him towards someone else like that.

Mike is confused and doesn’t understand. He heard what Will was saying in the van, even if he wasn’t being entirely honest, just like Will heard Mike in the shed. For him to start pushing wasn’t what he expected from that. It’s the exact same thing that happened at the Snowball. Almost.

Unlike the Snowball, El no longer wants this from Mike. She actively disapproves and wants to get out of it. And that’s the change that was needed for Mike and Will to finally move out of this push and pull stage they’re in and into something more.

El’s romantic independence is Mike and Will’s gateway to their own happiness, seeing as they both care too much about her to prioritize themselves.

ANYWAY, that’s pretty much it for the van/shed stuff. I went a little light on this one because it’s 2:30 am and I still have to do homework but I also desperately need to talk about the shed scene at all times and got sucked in. Hope this is some good food anon :) !!!

#byler #mike analysis #will analysis #if this is a little shotty uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh be niceys and pretend it isnt !

99 notes · View notes

nextstopwonderland · 2 years

Text

Masterlist of Taika/Rhys content I’ve posted on tumblr

Because I do so love archiving things.

(If putting anything on Twitter, especially photo edits/vid compilations please give proper credit)

Videos

Compilations (do not repost without credit)

Us Against the World: Interview compilation part 1

We’re in this Together: Interview compilation part 2

We were there for each other: Interview compilation part 3

We have similar souls: Interview compilation part 4

A Taika gushes over ofmd & Rhys 15 min supercut

Rhys + “the managerial role”

Rhys + “the managerial role” - the WWDITS edition

Rhys & Taika + working together

Taika + Rhys + “perfect”

Taika + Rhys + “great(est)”

Yet another casting related compilation

“Taika and I get each other’s vibe” -Wilderpeople bts compilation

“Do i ever make you laugh that hard?”

“It’s one of my favorite scenes in the film, because of him” - What we do in the shadows directory commentary compilation

Taika + the most fun being with Rhys

“You weren’t acting there, were you?” - in which the FYC q&a is like an established relationship romcom

Clips

“I never want those moments to end”

Rhys and the blackbeard bar & grill scene

“I was doing an erotic dance for my friends” vibes

“It was always the most exciting - for me- when it was just me a Rhys”

“We’re gonna work together forever. I know that.”

“Having Taika there made it easier to do. Because we’re in this together.”

“Put your Kraken arms around me... and take me... and squeeze me”

“This is all perfect” | full version

“The parallel between fiction and fact and life and creativity was so close”

Rhys discussing 2002 Fringe Fest and Taika

“We met on the comedy circuit in New Zealand”

“To trust each other”

“I spoke to you bro!! 🥺”

“He invites me into his special tent” (private 🔒)

Rhys discusses OFMD beginning of filming (private 🔒)

Rhys discusses adjusting to the filming schedule & guest stars (private 🔒)

Compilation of Rhys’s OFMD talk on The Cryptid Factor (private 🔒 )

“When’s the werewolf question coming up?”

“I only come here for the ring toss!”

Wilderpeople Sundance compilation

“One of the reasons he probably said yes is because he was opposite me”

Rhys discusses being cast in ofmd

“Finish each other’s sentences”

“I DO take direction well!”

“We had a each other to lean on”

“There’s just this synchronicity between our brains and the way that we act or improvise where we always seem in tune”

Rhys discussing scenes with Taika and next goal wins

Taika discussing Rhys during Wilderpeople DVD commentary

the FYC private foot tap

“See you in there, babe” - S2 spoilers (BTS footage)

“When I direct him, it’s easy. And when we act together, it’s even better.” - bts interviews, S2 spoilers

“See you in there, babe” - the Samba edition (edit, S2 spoilers)

Other Collabs

Rhys’s part of 2015 Taika directed charity vid

Rhys in Crazy Domains commercials directed by Taika

Audio

“I love how he makes movies, he’s fucking fantastic”

“I always knew i’d end up working with Rhys. I always do.”

Rhys talks being directed by Taika

“We really dig a lot deeper in this show to get into the psyche of these two characters” (Takes place right after the above audio)

“Thanks, Taiks!”

“I love him”

Taika on being able to have fun acting, fanart, and s2

David and Taika discuss the romance aesthetic and the end of episode 1

Rhys discussing his ghost experience at 2002 Fringe fest

Rhys discussing early comedy days with Taika and next goal wins from 2020

WWDITS Australian promo tour compilation

“He’s an amazing artist and I’ve seen everything he’s done”

“We haven’t changed who we are.”

Picspams

Taika and Rhys through the years

Taika and Rhys + Space Waltz (includes link)

Unicorn floats

No thoughts just these photos

WWDITS promotion

Gifs from vids

Find someone who looks at you...

Find someone who… part 2

Taika agrees with the above find someone’s apparently

More press promo tours

Another pic compilation

Taika photographing Rhys for FOTC

Taika + Rhys + hands

Taika + Rhys + beatboxing + heartseyes

FYC q&a stills

Next Goal Wins premiere

Quotes

“It was a pleasure romancing with you, Ed”

Quote compilation part 1 (in which i originally say they met at Fringe in 2002 because Rhys confused me, but in actuality they knew each other before that. Post has since been edited 🤣)

Quote compilation part 2

Pics + Quotes Compilations

“We’re good for each other, so it just works”

“Let’s just have some fun”

“Just Breathe, Rhysie”

Yet another photo + quote compilation

1996 vs. 2002

Rhys once again discussing their chemistry, love, and “magic”

“Rhys is inherently loveable. You can not help but love him.”

Ed + Stede + romance tropes

“I still see within Taika the same alternative comic from the 90s.”

“Taika has obvious sex appeal and I never have.”

“We’ve kind of been taking on the world together”

“I always play the nice guy and he’s always a prick”

“So, all of Rhys’s lines.”

_________________________________

Graphics

Mixes with cover art (Blackbonnet)

Without the one you love

The reason I hold on

The part of me I can’t let go

#taika/rhys #masterposts #masterlists

342 notes · View notes

matan4il · 1 year

Note

I loved your OUAT meta and was curious your thoughts on a different couple. One of my favorite books and movies is Fried Green Tomatoes. Just finished a rewatch actually. It always slaps me so hard that to me Idgy, Ruth and Buddy are Buck, Eddie and Christopher. Was curious if you have read and watched it and your thoughts on the parallels.

Awww, Nonnie! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed my Buddie vs Captain Swan meta! :D

But what are you doing to me, asking me to compare Idgie, Ruth and Buddy Jr. to Buddifer? I love it! I even had to make a whole gifset for it, in addition to a couple of gifs for this post. Okay, fair warning to everyone, there be spoilers under the cut... There’s also a gifset to go with the meta!

I have to admit, while I think the performances in the film are great, I prefer the novel. For one thing, when I first watched the film, I wasn't crazy about adult Idgie falling for her deceased older brother's girlfriend. It just opens up a few uncomfortable questions that the movie never addresses, such as is Idgie just a replacement love for Ruth since the guy she actually wanted died? It’s at least a real possibility due to other changes as well, like how the story about the ducks flying away with the frozen lake is Idgie’s in the novel, but the movie turns it into a story invented by Buddy, so all she ever does is just repeat it, just be a reflection of him. I have to say, the idea of two grieving people comforting each other and falling in love in the process is not awful, depending on how it’s handled it can actually be uplifting, but for that to be the case, this aspect has to be tackled so that we'd know that eventually, Ruth and Idgie's love story will be their own and not just a substitute. But the movie never does broaches this subject. That kinda bugged me the first time I watched it, and still, seeing Idgie and Ruth together is so heartwarming, I ended up embracing them despite having that initial issue.

But imagine my joy when I finally got to read the novel and discovered that Ruth never even met Buddy. When she spends time with Idgie? It's because she chooses to. It’s not some act of charity to help the troubled little sister of a dead boyfriend! In the novel, Ruth realizes that there's no one she wants to be with more than Idgie. And I love that! I think they both deserve that. It also means that when Ruth's son is named Buddy Jr., that can't be interpreted as her never fully moving on from Buddy, she didn’t know him! Instead, it’s a clear reflection of her love for Idgie and the baby being their son. Which to me is really similar to Buck, Eddie and Christopher, who also choose each other and to be a family, again and again.

And in fact, he is recognized as such! Unlike in the movie, where it’s just implied, in the book we have people like Dot Weems who publishes her weekly newsletter and explicitly refers to Buddy Jr. as Ruth and Idgie’s son. Given the very public nature of this, it implies not just her personal acceptance of the three of them as a family unit. It shows the town of Whistle Stop overall must have accepted them. And yes, this is absolutely so much like Buck, Eddie and Chris, who aren’t only a family unit, they’re also pretty much recognized as such. It’s in things like Hen in 317 talking about everyone including their spouse and her including in that Buck inviting Eddie, or the way Chim in 414 talks about Buck being there with Chris when Eddie was shot like it’s a given.

That brings me to another point. The book is much more explicit about Ruth and Idgie falling in love, which is a blessing in itself. It’s also far more mutual. The movie gives us a very clear ‘oh’ moment for Idgie when she’s obviously struck by the knowledge that Ruth is about to get married. Their time together is about to come to an end and realizing Idgie’s about to lose Ruth, something obviously clicks. It’s arguable whether we get one for Ruth. When she says maybe she should move out, the conversation (despite no one else being there) is not in romantic terms, and in fact Ruth suggest that maybe if she leaves, Idgie would settle down (implied to mean she’d marry a man and have kids). Which at least suggests that even within a queer reading, maybe they’re living their lives together simply settling for being life partners, without ever crossing the line into romance, despite being in love. IF we do have an ‘oh’ moment for Ruth in the movie, it’s during the trial, when she seems to maybe reach an insight on the stand and states in front of everyone that she loves Idgie (prefaced by calling her ‘best friend’). This reading can be seen as supported by Idgie’s own shocked expression at Ruth’s words, as if this is something she’s not used to hearing. Since Ruth dies of cancer a short while later, if that was indeed her moment of recognizing her own feelings, it would mean their relationship was only consummated for a very short while, if ever. The novel, however, makes it more evident that they were fully aware from pretty much the start of how they felt, were totally committed to each other from the second Ruth left Frank, and it never gives us any reason to think they didn’t fully realize their relationship. That gives them about 22 years of knowing they were in love with each other, and 18 years to live that love together.

I’m not sure if Buck and Eddie have had their ‘oh’ moment yet, but... If Idgie’s in the film is that panicked realization of possibly losing her other half forever, and Ruth’s in the book stems from the same understanding, I think we see something very similar in the expression on Buck’s face when he is forced to watch Eddie collapsing before him.

On top of that, in the book Idgie's mom not only makes it clear to her kids that Idgie is in love with Ruth, she also says in no uncertain terms that she expects them to treat their sister kindly, basically showing incredible levels of acceptance. I think that's just so freaking marvelous and not at all what I expected for a character realizing that she's raising a gay daughter in the 1930's. Of course, the novel itself was published in 1987, but it also has a contemporary character, Evelyn (whose story begins in 1985) allowing herself to be emotionally detached from her son when it's suggested to her that otherwise, he might grow up to be gay. So that highlights just what an exception Mama Threadgoode was in general, and especially given her time. This very much reminded me of Bobby, and how many of us read him as knowing and approving of Buddie since as early as 201.

In the book, on the day Ruth realizes she's in love with Idgie, there are two things I wish they had kept in. The famous scene with Idgie getting Ruth honey, going untouched by the bees, takes place. First, I wish they had kept Ruth admitting she doesn't know what she would do without Idgie. It gives the whole scene a different, more profound tone IMO. We have Ruth both amazed at what Idgie can do (nicknaming her “the bee charmer”) and terrified over realizing she could have gotten herself killed. This is Ruth’s ‘oh’ moment in the novel, explicitly so. The second thing I wish they hadn’t cut out is the tail of their conversation, when Idgie states that she would kill anyone who might ever hurt Ruth. True to her Christian (and “good girl”) values, Ruth doesn’t like that idea. So Idgie relents and says that instead, she's willing to die for her. But Ruth doesn't believe anyone would ever really put their lives on the line for anyone else. Yet, by the end of the story, we know that Idgie was willing to do just that. Someone else killed Ruth's abusive husband, but Idgie was willing to take the fall for it, quite possibly be sentenced to death for this crime. It's her contribution to what someone else had done to keep Ruth and Buddy Jr. safe from Frank. It’s Idgie fighting for her family and her loved ones, but also proving that she does exactly what she promised Ruth she would. Andit shows that, in spite of Idgie’s wild ways and anti-church stance, she’s that person who actually embodies Ruth’s values.

And I think this absolutely is so very much like Buddie, where we know that they would die for each other. With Buck, it’s been explicitly stated and shown. With Eddie, he knows exactly how reckless and self-endangering his husband can be, and he still goes wherever Buck does. In other words, that daredevil, reckless nature is something Idgie and Buck share, as well as that deep devotion and willingness to fight and to sacrifice for their family. Ruth and Eddie, as their counterparts? Roll their eyes, but clearly also adore and appreciate them, understanding that this stubbornness and recklessness comes from a place of deep caring. Eddie basically says as much in 414, when he tells Buck that he knows no one would ever fight as hard for Chris and that this is exactly what he wants for his (their) son.

Another commonality is that not only do we have two same sex couples raising together the child that one partner had biologically with a former spouse, the kid in both cases has a significant physical limitation (Chris has CP while Buddy Jr. has lost an arm), yet both are explicitly said to never complain, and both sets of parents are very encouraging of their child to live their lives to the fullest in spite of their disability. Fried Green Tomatoes even implies that Idgie is able to be a better parent to Buddy Jr. thanks to being queer, because she too knows what it’s like to be different than everyone else. So we have her, the non-biological parent, fighting for Buddy Jr. to be able to fulfill himself just like all the other kids. That’s exactly like Buck in 312, in direct opposition of Ana’s advice, encouraging Eddie and helping him find a way for Chris to be able to live his dreams despite his disability.

The novel makes it clear just how much Idgie and Ruth loved and missed each other while they were separated. Idgie would drive at least once a month (later once a week) all the way from Alabama to Georgia in order to see Ruth from afar, or even just to see Frank since he was a link to his wife, solid proof of her presence. Meanwhile, the book tells us that Ruth thought of Idgie every single day and missed her to the point of pain. She stayed with Frank even as he turned out to be a violent and abusive husband (to say the least) because she believed he could somehow sense her love for Idgie. Ruth felt guilt over it, and accepted Frank’s abuse as if it were justified by her emotional infidelity. I felt that was very poignant, showing us just how destructive the results of homophobia, including of the internalized kind, can be. And while Eddie staying with Ana is not quite as extreme, there is something about the sense of duty and guilt, the need to do the “right” (i.e socially expected) thing, that kept him there which I think is very reminiscent of Ruth. And it’s also very much like Buck who feels he should be with Taylor given she’s the first girlfriend who hasn’t left him, as if he has also bought into the idea that this is what he’s meant to do in life, find a gf and settle with her even if he’s miserable.

Now, you might notice that for the most part, I’m trying to stick to what is canon in the book, but clearly when adapting it to the screen, they realized they needed to show us a bit more of Ruth and Idgie’s married life ('coz yeah, that is exactly what they were, even if they never got to have a wedding). They’re partners in life and at work. And then we get that scene where they get to be playful with each other as well in the kitchen. Jon Avnet, the director, explicitly said that this scene was meant to be a metaphor for sex. So they take in what that means for Buddie’s own playful scene that starts in the kitchen in 309... we keep saying there is no straight explanation for it, because there literally isn’t!

One last connection, because a geek’s gotta geek. Ruth’s character is obviously named after the biblical one. In the Bible, after Ruth loses her husband, she vows to stay by his mother’s side instead of going back to her own country. She promises Naomi, “Where you will go, I will go and where you will dwell, I will dwell. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. Where you will die, I will die and there I shall be buried. So will Go do to me and so he will add for [only] death will separate between you and me.” (Ruth 1:16-17). In case you think that she’s just being a good (ex) daughter in law, Orpa is also shown to be a good, caring ex daughter in law to Naomi, she cares, she cries when she has to leave. In fact, Naomi states that they were both good daughters in law. But at the end, Orpa does go back home. Not Ruth though, who in verse 1:14 insists on staying with Naomi. That’s where we’re also told that Ruth clung (דבקה) to Naomi. Now what’s interesting about this specific verb in Hebrew is that it only appears in one other place in the Bible: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and he will cling (דבק) to his wife and they will become one flesh.” Yep, the only biblical connotation we have for this verb is one that is explicitly related to a romantic relationship. That’s why there are many queer readings of Ruth and Naomi, who have been adopted by some queer women as biblical counterparts.

Meanwhile, Buck’s birth name is Evan, which is a variation of John. In the New Testament, Jesus has a Beloved Disciple and the most likely identification of that person is John the Apostle (the disciple whom Jesus loved is only ever mentioned in the Gospel of John, and while this person isn’t named, the text states that this disciple is the author of that very gospel). Jesus, knowing he must leave, instructs his mom and the disciple he loves to become each other’s mother and son, effectively turning John into kind of an adopted brother. In the Song of Songs, when the narrating woman can’t openly be with the man she loves, she yearns for him to be like her brother, so she could walk down the street and kiss him without being socially scorned (Song of Songs 8:1). We know John is someone who was asked by Jesus to abandon his bride in order to follow him. There’s a verse (John 13:23) that, if translated literally, states that during the last supper, the beloved disciple was reclining in Jesus’ bosom. On top of all that, the apostles were all prophesied an awful doom. Peter, about learning of his own demise, demands to know what would be the fate of the beloved disciple. Jesus replies, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:22). Did the 911 pilot writers (who are the show creators) intend for this when they chose Buck’s name? IDK, but the queer vibes from Buck go back to 107 at the latest, so maybe it was something that was playing somewhere in the back of their minds. 602 def tells me the 911 writers think long and hard about the names they choose for their characters, even minor ones, and at the very least one of the show creators is Ryan Murphy, an openly gay man, who’s probably been around long enough to be aware of the well known queer reading of Jesus and John.

OK, as a bonus, some tidbits you might not have known! Fannie Flagg, the author, has had long term relationships with women. In writing this book, she was partly inspired by her own great aunt running a cafe with a couple of her friends (it’s still active to this day and you can find it where Flagg grew up, the town of Irondale, Alabama). Fannie was born Patricia Neal. At the end of the novel, a Neal family with their little girl Patsy runs into a character who isn’t named, but is clearly an elderly Idgie (who we know left honey and that loving note at Ruth’s grave in Whistle Stop that Evelyn finds), living with her brother Julian’s family in Florida.

In conclusion, I actually find it fascinating that the movie, which was released four years after the book was published, is a lot more ambiguous. Because at the end of the day, it does expect many, if not most, of its viewers (even back in 1991) to understand the nature of Idgie and Ruth’s relationship, even though it’s not explicitly stated. And to realize just how many of the things we see between these two women in the film apply to Buddie as well, then no wonder that in 2022, we’ve reached a similar conclusion about these two men. It’s absolutely to be expected based on the story 911 has been telling!

Thank you so much for the request, Nonnie. I hope you enjoyed this! If you’re interested, you can find more of my content on my blog. Thank you in advance for any kindness and support! xoxox

#buddie #911meta #buddie meta #911 meta #9-1-1 #evan buckley #eddie diaz #fried green tomatoes #idgie x ruth #ask #anon ask #mm #mbm #mbg #mg #fandom love #911onabc #911 on abc #911abc #911 abc

41 notes · View notes

myoddessy · 2 years

Note

i love ur hawk!reader posts sm!! i was wondering if you could do something in a similar vein but with a knoxville!reader? maybe what it would be like growing up around that kind of energy/(platonic) relationships with the other cast members + knox finally letting u be in jackass forever after years of begging?

i love this idea sm, i hope you like it!! i want to be a part of their little crazy family so bad

KNOXVILLE!READER JOINING JACKASS FOREVER CAST

It would take so fucking long to convince johnny to let you joint the crew. like, i'm talking begging since you were 16 and only had rollercoaster rides, skating, and surfing as your adrenaline rushes.

What finally convinced him to let you join was the fact that he raised you to be stubborn, and he knew that even if he said no, you'd go off and do stunts anyway, and he'd rather have you do dumb shit in a controlled environment as opposed to on your own.

He'd still get very nervous when you're actually doing a stunt, regardless as to whatever he had just done to potentially fuck up his body and brain forever.

You grew up around the jackass crew, and i feel like jeff and spike would be almost as hard to convince as johnny because whenever you were on set as a kid, you'd be sat in a director's chair beside them while the others did their stunts and they were like no way josé 🙅🏻‍♂️🙅🏻‍♂️

Chris and steve-o wanted you to join the cast because it meant that johnny was less likely to run around with a taser (and they also missed spending time with you because you'd barely seen them in the ten years since 3.5 interviews)

I swear it's not just because she's the loml, but i feel like you and rachel would be bffs. but, no matter how great you two are as a duo, it's even better to see the trio between you, rachel, and poopies because you're all some of the most reckless members of the new cast and you have really great chemistry and are really comfortable with each other which makes for great footage.

I can see you three, and maybe zach and eric (andre), recreating a bunch of old jackass stunts that would probably play towards the end of jackass forever (or 4.5, i can't remember which) when they're doing parallels from that movie to the show/earlier movies.

You'd definitely do barrel surfing as a group, poopies would probably do el matador, you and rachel would do the gauntlet while the other three push the weights, and maybe (if you managed to get johnny off set for a day) you'd do roller buffalo.

I feel like jeff would have made sure that the og cast weren't around when you guys redid old stunts and left it as a surprise until the actual premier, and it would be a lie to say that johnny didn't get a bit emotional seeing you do his old stunts.

You and johnny would tease each other a lot, but you always had to be careful what you said because he wasn't afraid to go to any means possible to embarrass you.

He'd probably hold a grudge over it too ngl, like, he'd wait for his revenge if you make jokes about him being old and when jackass filming is 'over' he'd have a small camera on him that he'd use to get footage of him embarrassing you when you were flirting with someone at a restaurant or smth that he'd send off to jeff to be added to the final cut.

He didn't tell you he filmed it.

So you and johnny both got little surprises during the premier, but your surprise for him was a lot nicer.

#johnny knoxville x reader #johnny knoxville #jeff tremaine x reader #jeff tremaine #spike jonze x reader #spike jonze #chris pontius x reader #chris pontius #steveo x reader #steveo #rachel wolfson x reader #rachel wolfson #poopies x reader #poopies #jackass 4.5 #jackass forever #jackass x fem reader #jackass x reader #jackass

108 notes · View notes

afaramir · 3 months

Note

I love your posts about Denethor and Faramir. I'm always glad to see someone who loves both him and Faramir and gets that Denethor being this hugely impressive tragic figure makes Faramir so much better and more interesting. The relationship between them is so complex and I love it so much. The film versions make me angry as well.

oh man thank you so much...i find it kinda crazy that you're saying this to me bc im pretty sure i have a bunch of posts from your denethor tag sitting around in my drafts so i can look back at them later. many days i feel very much like an Amateur Denethor Enjoyer but i am thrilled that me just kind of being unhinged on the dash has brought you joy. and get ready bc here i go again LOL

yeah exactly what you said...denethor's tragedy informs and is informed by faramir so so so much and it's just kind of wild to me that on the tragedy enjoyers website so many people refuse to see it. on the second-best enjoyers website...the guilt-and-despair enjoyers website...the "the unimaginable has happened and i AM going to kill people and then myself" enjoyers website...i could go on! he is literally doomed by the narrative and just goes well ok fuck you i WILL die at the end but it will NOT be in the way the narrative wants me to.

it is truly the relationship of all time. faramir does love his father and yet because of the strength of his principles he is genuinely incapable of showing it in a way that denethor can understand. and denethor loves him too but after a certain point just cannot show it anymore because duty has to take precedence. he's not allowed to give faramir any quarter even in private. and YES that includes anything that would resemble a normal emotion. ngl i wouldn't be surprised if that's the only way faramir is like. LETTING him communicate with him. like i feel like the final assault on osgiliath is not the first time faramir's taken the "if you want to get me to do something you ARE going to have to order me to do it" stance. and yet denethor tries. at the end he takes trying to an unhinged level. idk it often feels like even in the general fandom insistance on one-dimensionally dickish denethor there's somehow also a lack of understanding that it IS a toxic expression of love but that doesn't make it not love. like He's Not Winning Dad Of The Year that is not what we're saying at all. we're saying is "it was born of love. it was a terrible thing yet born of love." thats all! that's why it's so tragic because it's all about love!!! augh...

ok i don't typically put quotations from my own writing in like real posts but also ive been thinking about the faramir goes to rivendell au 24/7 and i just. HAVE to pull this line bc it kind of captures exactly how i feel about the denethor-and-faramir mutual Character Honing.

Yet he [Faramir] cannot deny that each of them sharpens himself upon the whetstone of the other, and it is a debt he loathes to owe and yet cannot hope to repay.

i mean.......like are you picking up what im putting down! like! AAA! both in-narrative and out of it they are always ALWAYS making each other better (or worse. but worse in a More Interesting Way) but AT WHAT COST!!! he loves his father he would not be the man he is today without his father both in a good and bad way he HATES that these two things are true. faramir and denethor are not foils they're parallels they build each other's characters up when you put them next to each other!! faramir is who denethor wouldve couldve been without the war!! hey hang on a second is denethor who faramir would've become if he were the lord steward during the war of the ring? (this is a little reductive i think faramir's susceptibility to despair is quite different to his father's. and i wonder how long his gentleness would've prevailed / worked side by side with his duty instead of being diametrically opposed to it. but anyway. well i'll be thinking about THAT for the rest of the night. i cannot start another au i cannot i cannot i cannot). anyway you can't get one of them without getting the other and that is all...

man i always say like oh don't get me started on movie faramir and denethor and then the don't think of an elephant effect GETS me and it gets me started. last night i genuinely said like "well i won't get into it" and then three hours later it was 2am and it was so very clear that i had Gotten Into It. i had to tell our other roommate like "tell me when ur going to bed i am talking about denethor and i will be yelling." my roommate just came home and i told her about this post and then i had to explain a detail and she SET ME A THREE MINUTE TIMER bc she was like i have to go study. and that's fair

anyway i hope you are having a good night/day/whatever time it is for you. thank you for this ask it is always fun to see you pop up in my notifs whenever im denethorposting lol

#from the inbox #bretwalda-lamnguin #i always get so bitchy when im talking about the popular interpretation LOL #i had to like take some deep breaths and remove The Tone from this post. if its still there thats on me #i feel like you get it #Another 800+ Word Denethor Post From Yours Truly. when u become a denethor girl (gnc) there is truly no going back...#denethorposting

4 notes · View notes

emisirrelevant · 2 years

Text

THOUGHTS ON THE FINALE OF PRETTY LITTLE LIARS ORIGINAL SIN!!!!

*SPOILERS* if you haven't watched the last few episodes yet you've been warned

*TW/CW- mature/sensitive content in this post

I am literally still processing everything but:

Was I the only one who thought the Liars' plan with the blood drive was actually kind of creative?

Ohhh the principal rejecting Tabby's film had me SEETHING. I should have known from that scene he'd be the one behind it all/pulling the strings.

Going back and rewatching the scene where Chip tries to ask Imogen if she wants to go to his place for Thanksgiving is now very uncomfortable. Thank god she had Tabby and her mom!! And that's on the tabogen agenda.

I honestly thought Shawn was going to be a part of the A stuff or the guy who assaulted Tabby and Imogen but he was not. If we get a season 2 though, I'm keeping an eye on him. No offense Noa- but he lied about the pills/drugs. Like I wonder if he really was telling the truth when he said later that he threw them out.

The club scene!! Iconic, but the rational part of my brain also was like "Yes Faran good suggestion- WAIT THEY'RE MINORS THEY SHOULD NOT BE OUT CLUBBING"

When Kelly(?) "said call me Karen" to Greg- HUHHH?

I knew Crazy Joe wasn't A

It felt too much like a red herring to me- too obvious

The Waters' house did give me AHS Murder House vibes- they really nailed the creepy vibe with the set

Yess finally I’m so glad they got the moms to talk about Angela- also the fact that each mom's situation with Angela paralleled the daughters in the present

Noa saying "I can't handle juggling two addicts in my life" SWEETIE no :(((((

FARAN LETTING HER HAIR DOWN!!

I'm glad Henry told Faran about Kelly kissing him and didn't keep it a secret. Maybe there is one decent man on this show??

Also Ben Cook heyyy good for him getting those roles!

Ash just eating the pizza instead of directly answering Mouse's mom HAHA

Tabby's mom going OFF on Wes like that!!!

Faran going off on Sheriff Beasley!! QUEEN!

We got to see Imogen’s dad, interesting.

**The fact that he mentioned that Imogen’s mom stated in her will for Imogen to live with the Haworthes if anything bad happened though- TABOGEN WAS FATED!

Honestly the whole Beasley family situation was really sad- and like the fact that there are some families like this in real life- it was really giving me Melanie Martinez Dollhouse vibes for sure.

Oh I see Kelly x Faran as a potential headcanon.

Oh damn. It was Chip.

The whole scene when Imogen and Tabby confronted Chip though?Wow. Top tier acting from Bailee and Chandler. Powerful.

"This year has made us very, very good liars" ICONIC!

OMG THE FINAL EPISODE THOUGH HHHHHH

So much went DOWN!!

I'm still in shock with A doing that to Davie's body though- Tabby asking if Imogen was okay "Nope. Definitely not"

IMOGEN ADAMS DESERVES THE ENTIRE WORLD!! Fuck A for giving her life long trauma!

Not Angela's brother being named Archie- STOP WITH THE R*VERD*LE REFERENCES

IT WAS THE PRINCIPAL!!!! That was a good twist, I appreciate it.

Omg Kelly's mom stabbing Sheriff Beasley though was another twist I did not see coming.

1000000000+ points for adding a Motley Crue song in there!!

I absolutely LOVED the moment when the rest of the girls immediately stood up when the principal threatened to shoot Imogen and her baby- RIDE OR DIES FOR EACH OTHER YES

**THE FIGHT SCENE WITH IMOGEN AND A!!

MAKING CINEMATIC HISTORY

The camera angles in this show- absolutely DELICIOUS

Tabby being there when Imogen woke up in the hospital GO TABOGEN GO

The scene where everyone was celebrating Christmas together 🥺🥺 (every other ship kissing and then TABOGEN pls SEASON 2 SO WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!)

Also why did I know someone was going to say Die Hard when Tabby asked about favorite Christmas movies and why did it fit Shawn perfectly-

Aww Elodie and Shirley saying they're going to couples therapy GOOD FOR THEM!! (technically they ALL need it lol)

Interesting way to bring back some original PLL with that Aria and Ezra mention.. but when that baby finds out that her parents were in a student teacher relationship-

Overall glad that all those nasty men were EXPOSED. Especially the principal and Sheriff Beasley. Still wondering about Wes though. If there's a season 2 I'm keeping an eye on him too.

So Kelly was Kelly the whole time- I like that there’s a possibility that she stays friends with the Liars in the future- but like what if it’s still Karen? I wanna believe it’s Kelly and that Kelly is good but still.

And finally, Imogen saying she thinks it’s over

But A killed Sheriff Beasley AND came back for Chip-

When I first heard about this show, I was skeptical at first and didn't have many expectations going into it. I never watched the very first Pretty Little Liars series in its entirety, but this spinoff somehow managed to pull me in. Thank you PLLOS Original Sin for everything! What an amazing cast and show. I would definitely recommend this show to others.

SEASON 2, SEASON 2, SEASON 2

#pllos #pll original sin #a pllos review

43 notes · View notes

meme-streets · 1 year

Text

having let it percolate a little, and having read some critiques/reviews of it, i have further expanded my complicated thoughts about dirty harry.

first of all, i definitely pick up a vibe of "harry callahan and scorpio have the same thing wrong with them, scorpio is just worse/has no morals whatsoever." mostly it's the reckless violence and the sadistic streak, but there's something else there too. they've both got the long hair, though scorpio's is longer. scorpio's outright bigotry and callahan's "i should throw a net over the whole lot of them" comment. i could even stretch this as far as some other parallels, like scorpio being a sniper and harry's voyeurism on multiple occasions, the fact there's multiple scenes of each of them getting beaten up/injured (at least once apiece at each other's hands, no less), the soft spoken demeanor (which granted scorpio doesn't show all the time, but the phone calls are the best example), the wild physicality of the chase scenes on both their parts–and, hell, cat and mouse plots always invite comparison, don't they. i definitely see at least a little similarity between the two.

second of all–and i think this is why i had the reaction of "this is so extreme that i really can't believe i'm supposed to think this guy is in the right"–harry callahan being a dirtbag is a pretty explicit part of the text. at the very least there's the voyeurism, which he pays for on both occasions; the accidental one where he's trying to find a suspect gets him mistaken for a regular peeping tom and (rightfully) beat up, and the intentional one where he then fucks up the entire stakeout. chico calls him on it, too, and he gets reprimanded in some form or another for most of his bullshit (hell, even his nickname is an acknowledgement). so there's at least a little acknowledgement.

then there's the whole deal with the arrest. first of all, the scene itself reads more slasher villain than hero–callahan looks fucking deranged, the music is creepy as hell, the camerawork makes him look super threatening. then we find out he didn't even save the girl, and because he broke damn near ever law in the book, scorpio walks. the kidnapped girl being dead definitely makes the violence feel hollow, but it's hard to say if the movie is blaming scorpio's release on harry's behavior breaking the law, or on the criminal justice laws themselves. i honestly think you could read it either way. the fact that the first stakeout going wrong is pretty clearly his fault makes me lean towards the film also portraying this as a callahan fuckup. then again–he seems really bewildered that what he did was illegal, and the "what about ann mary deacon, what about her rights? who speaks for her?" line carries such pathos i find it hard to believe we're not meant to be at least a little in his favor here. he also says "the law's crazy," which is an incredibly loaded statement, but once again i really can't tell if we're supposed to agree with him or not. i will note, however, that the film definitely isn't on the side of the mayor (who's insistent on paying scorpio off). there's definitely a "both approaches to this suck" reading in there, if maybe a shaky one.

for what it's worth, i have read that the director (and writers as well i think) were going for an angle of "blurring the line between cop and criminal," so i think both the parallels between callahan and scorpio + callahan being acknowledged at least a little as a shitty person are definitely intentional. i think the most generous interpretation you can give this is "they weren't outright trying to send a message that police should be above the law." the thing is that scorpio is such an abhorrent person, and that the narrative in the end is constructed in a way that it justifies harry's violent antics as necessary to take scorpio down, that i think in the end it sends that message anyway. and given how influential the film was on the detective fiction that came after it, much of which has carried that message wholeheartedly, i don't think it's really forgivable. or maybe forgivable isn't the right word, i don't know quite how to put it. it's still for the most part a very enjoyable movie if you go into it with the acknowledgement that it's deeply flawed, and with the intention of having a lot of fun watching two really fucked up guys chase each other around in glorious technicolor, but i don't think i'll ever be able to not cringe at the politics of it, however intentional they were or weren't.

#dirty harry #idk. i do feel guilty being so compelled by the movie even if i disagree with its worldview and i'm embarrassed to be posting about it tbh #it strains right up against the limit of 'you can enjoy things critically' for me. but it is well made entertainment imo

7 notes · View notes

denimbex1986 · 3 months

Text

Two of Europe's hottest stars sit in a green leather armchair each between a movie poster adorned with a bouquet of flowers. They look like two carefree unshaven Irish lads who could be on holiday in the sun. Paul Mescal wears a white t-shirt, while Andrew Scott sports a turquoise "No problem" t-shirt emblazoned with pop culture alien ALF, the 80s sitcom character whose name stands for "Alien Life Form" .

Perhaps a subtle reference to their new film, "All of us strangers"? It is certainly not about aliens, but is in any case a cosmic love story about two extraterrestrial aliens who find each other in a lonely world. At the same time, it is a kind of supernatural "ghost story" about a queer son who gets a second chance to talk to his dead parents.

- Although the role scared the crap out of me, Andrew Haigh's script was the most original I've read in ages. Everything in this film is rooted in tenderness and love – and who doesn't dream of going back and redefining the relationship with their parents, Andrew Scott wonders rhetorically, making a gesture where he is given the opportunity to discreetly flex one of his biceps at a zoom screen from London.

For a Swedish audience, he is perhaps best known for the role of the arch-villain Professor Moriarty in "Sherlock Holmes" and "the hot priest" that Phoebe Waller Bridge becomes obsessed with in the second season of "Fleabag".

Andrew Scott believes that "All of us strangers" is the most personal thing he has done.

- I love the mix of naturalism and surrealism in this film, it's completely different from anything I've played before. I've always wished I was in Derek Cianfrance's tragic love story "Blue Valentine" and suddenly I get a chance at a film similar to "All of us strangers". I've never before brought myself into the role in the same way and for once I didn't have to work on my accent, smiles the Dublin-born actor who has long lived in London.

In "All of us strangers" he plays Adam, a gay writer with writing cramp who slowly falls for his mysterious neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal) who lives in the same soulless and deserted apartment complex in London's East End. Parallel to the budding romance, he commutes to his childhood suburb to meet his dead parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) exactly as old as they were when they died in a car accident when he was 11 years old.

Andrew Haigh got the idea from Taichi Yamada's novel "Strangers" from 1987. After much effort and trouble, he managed to transform the rather traditional Japanese ghost story into something more poetic, psychological and personal.

- I ignited this whole idea of meeting his dead parents again and being able to reconcile with his own past in order to help with the future. It was of course crazy risky, but it wasn't about making a traditional ghost story, but about creating something vulnerable, true and honest that would be an emotional experience, says Andrew Haigh.

In the past, he has directed wayward films such as "45 Years", "Weekend" and "Lean on Pete", as well as TV series such as macho "The North Water" and "Looking", which revolves around three gay friends in San Francisco. "All of us strangers" is his most personal film to date. To get closer, he made the main character a gay writer.

- I am gay and this is a story I have wanted to tell for a long time, a film about the experiences of "queerness", non-heteronormativity, and how it can make people feel like strangers in their own family. The concept of going back in time and dealing with the complicated issues of growing up queer within a family has its own challenges. It's also about the difficulty of parenting and saying the right things at the right time, says Andrew Haigh.

- For me, the film is also about the writing process itself. To investigate one's own past through a fictional world. Not that I look back on my upbringing with a desperate sadness, more curiosity, melancholy and a strange nostalgia. But just like the character Adam, I look back on my own life, says Haigh.

For the director, it was also a highly private experience. Among other things, he filmed several scenes in his real childhood home in Croydon, south London, which he left 40 years ago.

- It was a ghostly experience. Like walking into a haunted house, but it was my memories that were the ghosts. We designed it the same way as when I was a kid. When we finished, I closed the door behind me and experienced a catharsis, as if I was free and could move on, says Haigh.

Nevertheless, it is still not straightforward. In the same vein as he was to film a key scene where the grown-up Adam talks to his father, Andrew Haigh visited his father in the dementia home.

- Although I had the same partner for 18 years, he asked me: "Do you have a wife?". My first thought was, "Oh my God, am I going to have to come out again?", but then I pretended it was raining. Oddly enough, I felt a bit terrified about having to tell him I was gay again - even though he was fine with me coming out in my 20s, says Andrew Haigh.

- So that scene with Adam was extremely difficult to write. I wanted to make it a moment that was as simple as it was meaningful. I was incredibly moved, he says.

In many ways, "All of us strangers" is reminiscent of "45 years", which is also a kind of ghost story. A fate-filled drama about a struggling British couple (Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay) who are suddenly haunted by an old love story just in time for the couple's 45th wedding anniversary.

- Yes, I think there was definitely a similarity between the films. But I've always been interested in the past versus the present because that's how we learn throughout our lives. Our first fifteen years have such a dramatic and profound impact on who we become as an adult, he says.

In "All of us strangers" he fills it with pop music from his upbringing in the 1980s; Pet Shop Boys, The Housemartins and, not least, Frankie goes to Hollywood's "The power of love", which becomes a signature song for the entire film and not least its emblematic final scene.

- There was something in that song that spoke to me already as an 11-year-old without me really knowing about it. A bombastic pop song that is loaded with longing. Actually, it was quite subversive to be mainstream, there's a melancholy and darkness lurking beneath the surface, says Andrew Haigh.

Although Holly Johnson's "The power of love" wasn't exactly Paul Mescal's cup of tea, it helped him get in the right emotional mood during the recording.

- Andrew has interpreted the power of love in the most extraordinary way. This is his way of saying that Adam and Harry's relationship is also a grand love story that has its place up there in heaven with all the other heterosexual love stories. I think it's very beautiful, says Paul Mescal who was Oscar-nominated last year for his performance in Charlotte Wells' Aftersun, where he played a tormented father on his first joint charter trip with his eleven-year-old daughter.

He does not think that the self-confident but traumatized Harry is an essential character from father Callum in "Aftersun".

- Harry belongs to a certain kind of family of characters that I have played, but is also completely different. Subconsciously, I'm obviously drawn to this kind of material that deals with tormented masculinity and humanity, smiles Paul Mescal.

Like Andrew Scott, he is a great admirer of Andrew Haigh's films. In addition to the script, Scott was also a decisive factor in his acceptance. Before "All of us strangers", they had admired each other from afar. The recording turned into a bromance in full bloom that ended with intimate scenes where Paul Mescal "went down" on Andrew Scott co-star and licked a kind of cake mix from the co-star's body. In interviews, Mescal has explained that it was such a powerful moment that it almost scared him.

- Yes, there was a special charge between us. We were both very aware of how intense it was and how we were somehow aware of how committed we were to each other. It is very beautiful that the story often lies in the character who is listening, which is quite unusual. The challenge was to tell a story via sexual intimacy. We treated the sex scenes as if they were dialogue scenes, the only thing different was that we were half-naked, smiles Paul Mescal.

Andrew Scott believes that sex scenes between two male actors often tend to be about raw sexuality, but that "All of us strangers" felt radical because it was more interested in highlighting the tenderness between the characters.

- The first scenes when Adam and Harry meet in the elevator and at the front door trigger the film's sexual charge. When they are separated after the slightly awkward meeting, it creates an urge in the audience for them to reunite. When they finally sit next to each other on the couch and they stare at each other, it gets very, uh, sexy. I like the scene where Adam forgets to breathe because he hasn't been with anyone in a long time, says Andrew Scott.

Like the director, Andrew Scott talks about working on "All of us strangers" as a kind of cleansing bath. Before the recording, they both talked about their experiences in the loneliness of growing up queer in the gap between the 80s and 90s.

- Going back in time can be both anxious and nostalgic. For me, the challenge was trying to bring together Haigh's story with my own story, both the pain and the joy, says Andrew Scott the day after the film's Irish gala premiere in Dublin.

Although he was not entirely comfortable with the idea of being in the same room as his parents when they watch the sex scenes in "All of us strangers", he seems to have managed it without a pillow of shame.

- It was a magical evening in my hometown. My family was there and all the other people I love so much. Suddenly it was as if I saw this whole journey that I've been on, realized that this is a deeply personal film that hit me right in the heart. I really love this movie.'

1 note · View note

filmmakersvision · 1 year

Text

Chup Review

November 27, 2022

by Inakshi Chandra-Mohanty

Many films have been made on the film industry. Films that show the intricacies of the process through the eyes of an artist integrated within it. But few have shed light on the tumultuous relationship between a filmmaker and a film critic. The two professions are constantly at loggerheads. It’s a never-ending battle due to the refusal of each to understand the job of the other. Chup uses a fictional tale of a serial killer that targets film critics to comment on the filmmaker-critic relation. This psychological thriller relies less on suspense and more on the interesting characters and passionate story that attempts to burn bridges between the opposing professions.

The strongest aspect of Chup is the intrigue. The buildup of how these four characters and two parallel stories will converge. And the way in which the contrasting elements of the multiple narratives lead to an exhilarating climax. This is further enhanced by its passion for the art of cinema. Writer-Director R. Balki made this film out of a pure love for the process of filmmaking. It is an ode to classic cinema with many references to the art behind old school romance. It specifically pays homage to Guru Dutt and his classic film, Kaagaz Ke Phool, and focuses on the relevance of that film in the filmmaker-critic debate.

Though the film is a multi-starrer, Dulquer Salmaan is the star of the show. Elaborating on the details of his performance would reveal too much of the mystery, but his ability to transfer between the different shades of his character is brilliant. While the remaining actors do well in their respective roles, much of the film’s impact rests on his shoulders.

Where Chup falters, is in its investigative suspense. While the police chase of this brutal criminal is smart, the characters pursuing the case have barely any background or emotional depth. Despite having considerable screen space, Sunny Deol has little to do in the film. Though he and Pooja Bhatt do well in the roles written, they have little impact due to the lack of characterization. Their characters are nothing more than props in the investigation.

Despite these minimal flaws, Chup stands out due to the themes it explores, albeit in a jumbled state.

It is natural for a filmmaker to feel disheartened on reading a scathing review. However, it is also important all types of reviews to exist. Otherwise, there will never be a standard for good cinema, filmmakers will be stuck in the land of mediocrity and no one will aspire for any better.

As a filmmaker and a film critic, someone who has seen both the blood and sweat that goes into the simplest details in a scene and someone who has watched countless films forming strong opinions on them, this divide is something I have witnessed myself. This is a battle I am constantly fighting within. That is why Chup resonates so deeply with me. It is a confused film, one which mirrors my constant confusion between the two worlds. Chup is the product of an artist and a critic, one that cannot differentiate between the two. That’s why the messaging of Chup is so muddled. Because on one hand it puts out valid points in the defense of film criticism and on the other hand romanticizes the life of an artist engulfed by the world of cinema and pained by the words of critics.

Through its confused state, it is not clear whether Chup has a defined message. The struggle between art and criticism will continue to remain. But somewhere in the midst of all the craziness, there is a sense of peace. A calm that sets in only on the union of the critic and the artist. Chup is at its best when the two are together, making their monotonous moments come to life with their common passion for cinema. And that may be the message that the filmmakers strive to convey. That just like Chup reaches its highest peak through the bonding of the critic and the artist, cinema will reach greater heights through a combined effort. Both the critic and the artist are necessary to make great cinema, and neither works without the other.

#bollywoodreviews #chup #dulquer salmaan #sunny deol #shreya dhanwanthary #pooja bhatt #R Balki #zee5 #bollywood #Hindi films #indian cinema

10 notes · View notes

cinemaseeker · 2 years

Text

Multiple Verses on the Multiverse: Everything Everywhere All At Once in the Multiverse of Madness

*THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS AND EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE*

As we find ourselves living out the Darkest Timeline, it’s easy to understand why we’ve been gravitating toward media and movies about the Multiverse, specifically Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Everything Everywhere All at Once. Although these movies represent opposite ends of the Hollywood movie-making machine, the former being a big budget Marvel movie and the latter an original and outlandish indie film, they’ve both managed to touch upon something important we’ve been seeking in our present moment: the opportunity to explore not only different timelines where things are supposedly better, but also answer the question of what we would be like if we had made different choices throughout our lives. This critique will attempt to compare and contrast these two multiverse movies, which will inevitably find themselves in competition with each other, since apparently there can only be one. But instead of crowning a champion, my goal here is to shed some light on some of the meaningful parallels between these two movies, to offer two different paths to the same destination, a feat that would not be unwelcome in either of these cinematic universes. Like any story featuring the Multiverse, it can be quite daunting to figure out where to begin, where to find a proper starting point. After all, the possibilities are literally infinite. But I’ll do my best to find where some of these common threads merge or diverge.

Let’s get started.

Both of these movies use the Multiverse as a means to explore family dynamics and re-establish family ties. In EEAAO, despite all the fantastical hijinks and trippy visuals, it all boils down to a family trying to stay together while it is falling apart: Evelyn’s husband Waymond is seeking a divorce while their daughter Joy is trying to get her family, especially her mother, to accept her sexuality, and Evelyn is doing everything she can to keep the family business afloat while struggling with their taxes and the IRS. In Doctor Strange ITMOM, the core conflict is that Wanda is trying to use America Chavez’s power of creating portals to travel across the Multiverse and reunite with the children she created in WandaVision in order to have the family she’s always wanted.

Unfortunately, Wanda’s actions in her story color her as a villain, maybe an antihero at best, while Evelyn gets to be the hero of her own story, embracing the chance to break free from her mundane, everywoman existence and unlock her full potential as a hero, which is an incredible feat for any character, especially an older woman of color. Although Evelyn and Wanda are both mothers in their own right, Evelyn seems to get much more sympathy from her story than Wanda does in hers. After all, Evelyn gets to win and keep her family in the end, but Wanda (at least the main Wanda we follow throughout the movie) has to give up the thing she wants most and take herself out of the picture.

I wonder if this is because Evelyn is not as inherently powerful as Wanda. After all, Evelyn only gets to be a bad-ass when she blindly follows crazy instructions from Alpha Waymond, a stronger and cooler version of her own husband from another universe. But Wanda comes from a studio that has consistently struggled to include “strong female characters” in their movies in meaningful ways, when they even remember to include them at all.

It feels like Marvel is trying to punish Wanda for being so powerful by putting her in her place, by having the Darkhold’s influence over her strip her of any moral agency, by making her so monstrously powerful that she uncontrollably destroys anyone who stands in her way, driven by the socially acceptable motivation of maternal instinct (can you imagine if she did all this just for herself?), and whose goal can only be achieved through the subjugation of another female character, the symbolically if not-so-subtly named America Chavez. Wanda’s narrative has it set up that the only way to achieve her goal is not to work cooperatively with America, not to ask America for help that she would happily give, but to hunt this girl down, absorb her power and kill her in the process.

Are we starting to see the problem here? Would it be so horrible to have a powerful, morally complicated heroine who is still in control of her faculties and self-assured and confident in herself despite being imperfect? Is that really so much to ask for? Apparently so, according to Marvel movies. And yes, it has already been brought to my attention that having a Mexican-American character whose superpower is essentially crossing borders is definitely a misstep and should be seen as problematic at best and borderline racist at worst (emphasis on border).

On top of female representation and representation of minorities, each movie takes a swing at queer representation, specifically lesbian representation, and while EEAAO hits a solid homerun, Doctor Strange ITMOM manages to feebly take a base after several misses. Doctor Strange ITMOM does show that America has two moms, which is a noticeable step forward for a Marvel movie, but then they are briskly swept aside and never mentioned again, like minorities brought out for the official university photo as a show of representing diversity, so that Marvel can clear its conscious and check off a box just by doing the bare minimum and clearing the lowest bar. On the other hand, EEAAO has Joy, a main character who is a queer woman of color in a happy and healthy relationship that plays an important part in the story, and although she does become the main antagonist, we get to understand why she got there, we get to sympathize with her, and she gets to redeem herself in the end without having to change who she is as a person.

At the end of both movies, I was fascinated to find that both movies take advantage of imagery involving the third eye, albeit in radically different ways. With Doctor Strange, the third eye is a grotesque literal third eye that bulges from his forehead, a price to be paid for messing with the forces of the Darkhold (which is essentially the Necronomicon, which makes this movie a light Evil Dead reboot. I mean, it is directed by Sam Raimi after all, but I digress). In EEAAO, Evelyn’s third eye is a googly eye that she humorously adopts after embracing her husband’s philosophy of kindness and working to make the Multiverse a better place in order to combat the antagonist’s nihilism. At the end of the day, it is kindness that saves the world.

So after all of that discourse, here’s my bottom line: there can be more than one. This may sound shocking, but you are allowed to watch both of these movies and you are allowed to like them both equally, or unequally if you want. In our current climate of conflict and division, it can be easy to forget that we don’t have to live in extremes, that there is still a middle ground. My hope is that this critique will encourage conversation that will keep our minds open and keep us talking to each other.

After all, our clothes never wear as well the next day, and our hair never falls in quite the same way, but hopefully we’ll never run out of things to say.

#everything everywhere all at once #doctor strange #doctor strange and the multiverse of madness

4 notes · View notes

steege-jpt3391 · 4 months

Text

Blog Post #1: I Was Born, But... by Yasujiro Ozu

I was excited when I found out we were watching more Yasujiro Ozu as I’ve heard about his work and seen one of his films already, and after watching one of his early films, I can say that I see the appeal of his work. I Was Born, But… was a decent film filled with both comedy and tragedy lived through our main characters, the two brothers Yoshi and Keiji. The cheeky two deal with the struggles of moving to a new town and dealing with bullies and a new school, but as time goes on they begin to befriend them, hang out at school, and search for sparrow eggs. However, the true conflict does not show itself towards the end of the film where the brothers have questions about their father’s occupation and his overall manhood.

I loved how Ozu explored these themes in the form of a satire by having the story follow the comedic antics of Yoshi and Keiji as throughout the movie, Ozu subtly underlines the greater purpose of the film which I thought to be how the themes of childhood and manhood are nuanced through Ozu’s storytelling. For example, in the scene where the boys have a tantrum after the movie, some might think it’s silly that the boys copy each other's actions of frustration, wail like their leg just got shot off, and refuse to eat the food put in front of them because who hasn’t threatened their parents to run away from home because Mom said no Xbox before? While one can laugh at this scene, others can feel the pain of children being unable to understand why things are the way they are. Why have they moved? Why do Taro’s parents make more money? Why does their dad kiss ass to the boss and make dumb faces on film? Ozu explores the parallel of innocence vs. ignorance when it comes to Yoshi and Keiji and beautifully articulates through satirical means how children think and interact with life.

For a film being made in 1932, it was crazy how Ozu was able to encapsulate so many filmmaking techniques like cuts and pans. One shot in particular I loved was after Yoshi and Keiji left the movie screening, there was a shot of them walking in the dark on a road in the middle of nowhere. It was a super wide shot making the boys look so small.

I thought he may have tried to do this because physically, they looked tiny but in a metaphorical sense it shows how small and insignificant the boys are. They know so little and are so ignorant of what happens in the real world. Also, this shot was directly after the peak of their wonderings and questions regarding their father, so the vastness of the sky tied in well with how much they had to learn. However, at the end of the film, I thought it ended on a positive note with the mother encouraging them to be a better and more successful man than their father as while they might be young and ignorant, it shows how much they have to live for.

#yasujiro ozu #japanese film

1 note · View note

thepalmofyourfreezinghand · 7 months

Note

"I also think it's interesting that IWYW is halfway through the album, and Clean kind of ends that cycle. And there are still a lot of angsty feelings in Clean, you're right. It's more about forcing yourself to get over something you're not over yet, than about truly getting over something."

Yeah that's what I meant! To me (and emphasis on me, I'm hardcore projecting here) I Wish You Would feels like being in the off phase of an on an off, really unstable, relationship. That phase when you're angry, frustrated and just want the person to change and do something (same feeling as YLM bridge "do something babe, say something" but with a little more guilt involved because your heart is still in it) and Clean is the aftermath, the moment you force yourself out of the vicious cycle and embrace whatever comes with it.

To me Now That We Don't Talk will fall right in the middle of these two, like a more bitter version of Clean but a more "tired" and maybe melancholic version of IWYW. I'm not sure if you're familiar with it but in my head it feels like the bar scene in Someone Great (the film inspired by Clean that supposedly inspired DBATC) where they see each other for the first time post breakup or the supermarket scene in Normal People.

And all this analysis reminded me about The Story of Us and these particular lyrics "Now, I'm standing alone in a crowded room and we're not speaking and I'm dying to know, is it killing you like it's killing me?"

Yes, the supermarket scene in NP! That’s such a great parallel!

1989 is so fascinating to me… I think that 1989 Taylor feels like a volcano in the moments before it erupts (this image might not be geologically correct, sorry to all the geologists who are reading my blog). 1989 Taylor feels like she has soooo much stuff bubbling and boiling under her skin, but all that stuff is not yet ready to reach her brain/mouth. Does that make sense? There are a lot of “violent” images in that song (the bad blood, punching a hole in the roof, the lights that blind you, burning’ it down, the stitches in the hospital room, the bullet holes…), there’s so much secrecy and hiding away (IKP, Style, Wildest Dreams…), there’s so much running away from something or running towards something (every MV for that era features a running scene, except for SIO, she’s either running from wolves or running from her co-star or running with her weekend lover in a jokey wish to make him breathless and crazy about her…), there’s so much mention of being crazy…. but all of this feels mitigated, in a way? Because there’s a solution to all of this? The flood comes and takes away the pictures, Taylor walks away from the woods and “saves” her partner, she always come back to her muse even though sometimes it hurts because it’s just the way it is (they never go out of style, their secret hooking up is painted as nbd and as something inevitable, even though those relationships are often hurtful in a lot of ways, see illicit affairs)…

Am I making sense? I don’t think I’m expressing myself so well. But basically in all her other albums her emotions are right on the surface, imo, but not in 1989. And that happened for a million reasons, but in the end the picture the album paints is that of a giant volcano that’s about to erupt and there’s a lot of anger and sadness and desperation but it’s still not quite on the surface yet…

#taylor swift #1989 taylor's version

0 notes

twxins · 8 months

Text

🍊 🍋 THE NOTORIOUS TWINS 🍋 🍊

‘Everyone knows they’re twins’, people say. That is until they see them standing next to each other in person, and then they start to ask questions...

But whether people believe their brotherhood to be blood-bound or not is irrelevant to them. They share a birthday, they share a blood type, and they share a bond. An utterly unbreakable bond. All their lives, the pair have not been separated by more than a mile. Biological or not (✨that is the mystery✨), they are twins through and through.

Although, like all brothers, they certainly do their fair share of bickering!

Growing up in the borough of Newham in a working-class area of London, it didn't take much for the twins to fall in with dodgy crowds. And in conjunction with circumstantial exposure to London's infamous criminal underworld, a certain set of circumstances running in parallel led them to their currently questionable profession: a pair of hitmen for hire. Assassins, if you will. And, to put it bluntly, they have gained a reputation in various international underworlds for being a pair of right crazy fuckers!

Nevertheless, the twins operate exclusively within the underworld and dislike it when the lethal events of their lives cross paths with the innocent. They do not carry out hits on civilians and will go out of their way to keep the blameless at a decent distance from their dangerous shenanigans.

That said, sometimes collateral is simply unavoidable...

Of course, to disclose one's real name in such a profession would be more than foolish. As such, the twins are known to operate under the zesty codenames of Lemon and Tangerine.

🍊TANGERINE 🍊

Likes: Bespoke suits, gold jewellery, (English) football, boxing, being right, expensive apparel, high-end liquor, jazz music, punk music, shitty cigarettes.

Dislikes: Being spoken down to, wifebeaters, racists, feeling underdressed, bratty kids, being micromanaged, being filmed/ having his picture taken.

Feisty and fowl-mouthed, Tangerine is without a doubt the more firey of the two. Fiercely protective of his brother, their rough upbringing has led Tangerine to go through life with his fists up. His coping mechanism with his high-pressure lifestyle consists of cursing and kicking the nearest walls - or any readily available object, to be honest.

However, despite being a bit of a loose cannon, Tangerine is as tough as nails. A scrappy little fighter, he is persistent, resourceful and has a brain like lightning when it comes to thinking on his feet. And his endurance is borderline frightening. He should have been killed at least fifty times by now and yet he keeps on kicking. The guy could smash his head through a thick sheet of bulletproof glass and then be back on his feet and ready to roll in the next five seconds - trust me on that.

Essentials for any mission: Gun (x2 at least), bulletproof vest, favourite set of brass knuckles, pack of cigarettes.

🍋 LEMON 🍋

Likes: Engineering, trains, technology, Thomas the Tank Engine, soft textures, snacks, Tetris, honest people, jazz music, punk music.

Dislikes: Piercingly high-pitched noises, bristly textures, big noisy crowds, different foods touching each other, underhanded people, fake people, diesels.

Lemon would likely be described by many as the more laid-back of the two brothers. Without a doubt, he is far better at keeping a level head than his tearaway twin. That said, though, if you give him reason enough to be wary of you, you may find yourself up against a deeply daunting opponent.

An expert marksman and incomparable strategist, his ability to read people and see through their superficial masks makes him a formidable foe and a fierce friend, depending on where you fall on his alignment scale. A scale which he measures using definitive traits from the characters of his all-time favourite and profoundly philosophical show, Thomas the Tank Engine.

Essentials for any mission: Gun, phone, hydrating beverage, Thomas the Tank Engine sticker book.

#🍋 & 🍊 || A B O U T #(( ;; ooc ;; SAVE ;; ))#(( ;; ooc ~ pinned ;; ))

0 notes

back-and-totheleft · 11 months

Text

Oliver Stone Gets Personal

Chasing the Light, Oliver Stone's newly published memoir of his first 40 years, is a ride as wild as any of his movies. But the scariest part isn't the Vietnam War, where he enlisted after dropping out of Yale (inspiring his Oscar-winning Platoon); nor his stint in a Mexican jail (which influenced his Oscar-winning Midnight Express); nor his druggy, crazy days as wunderkind director of Salvador, JFK, and Born on the Fourth of July. It turns out, as the 73-year-old director and screenwriter tells AARP, that the biggest drama was his own family life.

YOUR TALENT SEEMS ROOTED IN YOUR PARENTS’ PERSONALITIES. YOUR DAD — A CONSERVATIVE, UNHAPPY WALL STREET MAN WITH UNPRODUCED PLAYS IN HIS DESK DRAWER — THOUGHT YOU WERE A RADICAL BUM AND WISHED YOU WERE LIKE YOUR COUSIN, THE MILLIONAIRE HARVARD ECONOMICS TEACHER. AND YOUR MOM? Oliver Stone: Looking back, I can see the patterns of my father's discipline merging with my mother's indulgence. My father — that's where the writing came from. And as a director, you gotta look at my mother, who's a partygoer, a party animal.

THEY BOTH TOOK YOU TO THE MOVIES A LOT, BUT IN A WAY SHE WAS MAKING A MOVIE IN YOUR HOUSE EVERY NIGHT. Yeah. Mom would be the director in me. I think I am the contradiction of those two. I'm double-minded, as Homer said of Odysseus.

YOUR PARENTS MIGHT AS WELL HAVE BEEN IN PARALLEL UNIVERSES. Totally. Many children of divorce will tell you the same thing: It creates this distrust in a child, especially an only child. What a shock that was. You think with your parents, everything's fine. And then you get a call at school, and it's all falling apart. And not only that, your house is gone, your home is gone — there is no family, basically. It's over. It's like death, like they've been wiped out in a car crash.

IT TURNED OUT THEY WERE BOTH CHEATING ON EACH OTHER, IN A WAY LIVING IN A FALSE REALITY. She married a fantasy, like Scarlett O'Hara. You can't live in a fantasy. She tried. She's a fascinating figure. I wish I had finished my movie about her. It's the biggest hole in my life. You know, I should have made a movie about my mother, but I never did. She said, “I wish you'd make a love story.” Well, some love story! It's more like a broken love story.

SOME SAY YOU DON'T WRITE GREAT WOMEN CHARACTERS, BUT IS THAT REALLY TRUE? I have strong women — I did a movie about a strong Vietnamese woman, Heaven and Earth [1993].

YOUR THIRD MOVIE ABOUT VIETNAM, AFTER PLATOON AND BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY. I loved it, it was beautiful, but it didn't score. Joan Allen was strong [as Pat Nixon] in my film Nixon. So is Juliette Lewis in Natural Born Killers and Cameron Diaz in Any Given Sunday. I mean, I love women, but I never did that one story that really connected with the American public.

YOU WERE BLOWN 20 FEET IN THE AIR BY AN ARTILLERY SHELL IN VIETNAM. DID JUNGLE WAR PREPARE YOU FOR HOLLYWOOD? I certainly learned resilience in the infantry. You know how to survive. Keep jungle instincts — that's very important to moviemaking.

LIKE VIETNAM, HOLLYWOOD IS AN OUT-OF-CONTROL WORLD, AND YOU HAVE TO SEIZE CONTROL OF IT OR DIE. That's correct. I'm very good at chaos. In my early days I was known as a chaos guy.

ALSO, YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL PLATOON IS ABOUT THE OLIVER STONE SOLDIER (CHARLIE SHEEN, 54) CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO FATHER-FIGURE SERGEANTS — KINDLY WILLEM DAFOE, WHO TURNS 65 JULY 22; AND BRUTAL TOM BERENGER, 71 — WHO WERE BASED ON YOUR ACTUAL SERGEANTS. WAS THAT CONFLICT INFLUENCED BY YOUR PARENTS’ CONFLICT? You can say my father [and] my mother were a clash, so I was looking, seeing clashes. And I got into trouble. I was always in trouble with authority figures, right? So obviously I had a problem! [Laughs]

WAS IT PAINFUL TO REVISIT YOUR PAST AND SHAPE IT INTO A BOOK? I enjoyed going back. You rediscover, you appreciate those moments that you missed. It was so fast when you live life, you're going like a train sometimes. Thank God I kept a diary. To understand these moments outside time and what they mean. I'm not looking to grind an ax or settle scores. I just wanted to write the truth.

ARE YOU RETIRED? I'm easing into it. I'm semiretired, so to speak. I'm not interested in any script. It's exhausting and the tension levels are very high, and you risk having a heart attack or a stroke or something. Trying to keep up with the latest fad doesn't give me a thrill.

BUT YOU'RE MAKING DOCUMENTARIES NOW, ABOUT PUTIN AND CASTRO. I am keeping my hand in. I've made eight or nine documentaries. I'm almost finished with JFK: Destiny Betrayed, a factual record of what the Assassination Records Review Board found in 1982 to 1996. Before I die, I want a record to come out of what they put out. And then the other one I'm doing, hopefully by the end of the year, is a documentary on clean energy — including nuclear energy — based on Joshua Goldstein's book A Bright Future.

DO YOU MISS MAKING FEATURE FILMS? Frankly, I'm enjoying the memory business. If you can scrape out a book, you can really bring light and consciousness to the planet. No greater satisfaction exists now than a paragraph well-written in honor of something you value — more and more the older you get.

-Tim Appelo, "'Chasing the Light:' Oliver Stone Goes Beyond His New Memoir," AARP, Jul 21 2020

#oliver stone #aarp #chasing the light #divorce #retirement

0 notes