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skz-jae-lynn · 10 months

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RE-UPLOAD! STRAY KIDS EXTRA MEMBER AU / JAE-LYNN

pronouns: she/her (but chill with she/they too)

birth name: jae-lynn reyes-wang

legal name: jae-lynn king

korean name: ji-ae (지애)

stage name: jae-lynn / jae

nickname: jae, lynnie, jade, jae-jae, jae-lynn hyung, the american girl doll, the queen (rap persona)

birthday: may 1st, 1999

zodiac: taurus(sun) scorpio (moon) pisces (rising), year of the rabbit

birthplace: east elmhurst, queens, NYC

nationality: american

ethnicity: korean and russian (dad's side), filipino (mom's side)

languages: (fluent) english, korean, spanish, filipino, (learning) japanese & chinese

height: 5'2" / 157.48 cm

group position: main dancer, lead vocalist (vocalracha), songwriter, sub-rapper and visual

instruments: piano, guitar (electric and acoustic), bass guitar, orchestral bass, and learning drums

skzoo character: jade the purple raccoon 🦝

──────── ❝ skills ❞ ────────

rapping: ●●●○○

dancing: ●●●●●

singing: ●●●●○

producing: ●●●○○

song writing: ●●●○○

acting: ●●●●○

──────── ❝ traits ❞ ────────

positive: honest, hard-working (driven), “street smart”, confident when she wants to be, trustworthy, creative, supportive

negative: loner / introvert, blunt (doesn’t ‘beat around the bush’), impulsive, no filter, can be very lazy, idealistic, stubborn

personality type: INFP-T

face claim: Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus (beabadoobee) [I will also be using a variety of pics from an assortment of ig users]

body claim: hannah kim (hannahkae27 (IG))

voice claim: jini, devita, sabrina carpenter

dancing style: Bailey Sok, Jade Chynoweth, Briar Nolet, Autumn Miller

──────── ❝ family ❞ ────────

father - james wang (1979) [deceased]

mother - elessia reyes-torres (1982)

(c. ‘19) step father - richard torres (1980)

older brother - aleksandr "aleks" reyes-wang (1995)

older adopted sister - faith reyes-wang (1998)

little brother - ezra reyes-wang (2002)

baby half-sister - andrea “andie” reyes-torres (2020)

─────── ❝ fun facts ❞ ───────

Born in East Elmhurst, Queens, NY to Elessia and James King in 1999.

Since 2019, her mom has been remarried.

As of 2021, Jae has 4 siblings: Aleks, Faith, Ezra, and Andrea.

Her dad died when she was 9 years old (as stated in Jae’s vlive, he was a cop and got killed on the job)

She began to dance at age 2 (ballet and jazz) and as she got older she took on more styles of dance - her favorites being contemporary and hip-hop.

Her and her older sister (Faith) were in the same dance classes for most of their lives.

She attended PS 329Q East Elmhurst Community School (K-5) and Louis Armstrong Middle School (6th grade)

She moved to Korea at age 12 after getting scouted at her school’s dance competition and completing several at-home auditions.

She lived with her grandmother in Gwangjin-gu when she starting training at JYP Entertainment.

She completed middle school at Shingu Middle School and then transferred to Cheongdam High School to finish out her schooling.

She struggled greatly with her Korean when she first moved into the country.

Her hobbies are: playing video games, watching horror movies, listening to/ playing music, doing makeup, and skateboarding.

She has a Minecraft server (that she runs with her younger brother) where she plays with Stay almost every weekend

She is obsessed with drag race shows (especially Dragula)

She also watches a lot of youtube, mostly Trixie Mattel and Katya, spooky content youtubers (Loey Lane!!!), and gamers :P

She learned how to play the piano from her grandfather and she taught herself how to play the guitar and bass guitar.

She loves snow and enjoys the colder seasons more than the warmer ones.

When she first started training under JYP, her main focus was dance, but she naturally became a rapper.

As time went on, she transformed into a vocalist to fit into Stray Kids.

She was a trainee at JYP Entertainment for 6 years before debut with skz.

She was supposed to debut with Twice in 2015.

Since 2018 she has been in a groupchat called 'ghoulfriends’ that includes idols: Son Chaeyoung (Twice), Rosé Park (BlackPink), Jeon Somi (soloist), Kim Yeri (Red Velvet), Jeon Jiwoo (Kard), Momo Hiari (Twice), Shin Ryunjin (Itzy), and Alexa Schneiderman (soloist)

She was a co-host of Dive Studios’ show 'How Did I Get Here’ with Jae Park and AleXa (late 2020 - June 2021).

She is now a co-host to an all new series under Dive Studios, 'That's Like, Really Crazy', where the co-host that works alongside her changes per-week (the show mostly focuses on foreign members of kpop groups / the idol world, and covers korean/world media news in the form of each week being a new trending topic).

Her rapper persona used to be 'The Queen’, but now she only references the name in present-day work. Now she just goes by Jae-Lynn (/Lynnie) or Jae-Lynn King.

Her role models are Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Prince and Billie Joe Armstrong.

She has two dogs, a golden retriever named Looney and a bulldog named Beaver, that live back in nyc.

She also has one black cat named Brownie.

Currently she has two guinea pigs, Blini and Dulce, and a cat named Naysu.

Her mom co-owns a salon with Jae’s aunt.

She loves spicy food, and has a strong tolerance for it.

She hates aegyo, and refuses to do it.

She has a lot of stuffed animals that she sleeps with, her favorite being a bear her and Bang Chan made at build-a-bear one year (named Roger).

LOVES BUILD-A-BEAR WITH A PASSION

She is a Hufflepuff (Harry Potter house)

Her favorite color is purple.

She has said that if she weren’t in Stray Kids she wouldn’t know what she’d be doing.

She often releases covers or original songs for Stay.

Calls her vlives, ’Jae-Lynn’s weekly date with Stay’ (usually happens every Friday), where she likes to react to new music that had come out during the week and give feedback, and sometimes she practices guitar or dances.

Her, Han and IN shared a dorm room, which she called the 'J³ room’.

In 2020, her and fellow idol, AleXa, moved in with each other into a new apartment, however later in the year, they decided to live separate.

As of 2021, Jae-Lynn now lives alone in an apartment (in the same building as the other skz members).

She has been on 5 survival shows: Sixteen, Unpretty Rapstar 3, Stray Kids, Good Girl, and Kingdom.

She is very close with NCT’s Mark Lee - they have been best friends since they met in 2nd grade.

She has her driver’s license, and drives her grandmother’s old car.

She has 7+ tattoos (& counting) and she also has her nose pierced.

She has said that she doesn’t like to define her sexuality, but if she were to put a label on herself she’d be bisexual.

She collects crystals and incense sticks (has burned sage in the old skz dorm before bc “the vibes are all off”)

She is deathly allergic to strawberries, and is mildly allergic to nutmeg and grass.

Jae-Lynn has several solo mixtape/ep/album releases, and a wide discography (she has around 115 KOMCA credits).

Her motto: “Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great” - Cher

Jae-Lynn’s Type: Jae has said that she thinks all people are beautiful as long as they bring beauty to the world through their actions.

─────────────────────

[post originally from my other page @ignooy-nim. I decided to make a full page for jae-lynn just for shits and giggles, and because I was slowly losing my mind with the amount of drafts I had accumulated on that account LMAO, hope y'all enjoy this, and remember that none of this is supposed to be super serious, and that at the end of the day I AM ot8. this is just meant to be a creative writing project for me on a group I really love, so lets just have fun and create some madness together! - mars]

© ignooy-nim / skz-jae-lynn 2023 - all posts tagged with the ’skz-jae-lynn’ tag on this tumblr account are my genuine work unless stated otherwise. I only post this au on this tumblr account from here on out, so if you see anything pertaining to my work elsewhere, please be kind and reach out to me to let me know. thanks 💞

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alecthemovieguy · 1 year

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40 years, 40 movies: My life through film

On Feb. 16, I’m turning 40. In honor of this milestone birthday, I chose my favorite movie (and a runner-up) for each year of my existence.

Some years were easy, as there was an obvious personal choice. Others, like 1994 or 1999 which are among the greatest years in film history, proved far more difficult.

What I discovered was there’s literally hundreds of movies I love from the past 40 years but my favorites are the ones that made the most impact and I, unequivocally, adore. The results are deeply autobiographical, so join me on a four-part journey exploring the movies that shaped who I am.

COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

1983: “Return of the Jedi”

It was perhaps inevitable that I would become a “Star Wars” fan. I was named after Obi-Wan actor Alec Guinness. As my parents only had a VHS copy of “Return of the Jedi,” it was my first introduction to “Star Wars.” Given the episodic, serialized nature of the movies, I was able to just drop into the next adventure and fall in love with R2-D2, C3PO, Luke, Han and Leia. (Runner-up: “National Lampoon’s Vacation”)

COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES

1984: “Ghostbusters”

“Ghostbusters” remains one of the defining franchises for me. Movies, cartoons, comics, toys, clothes, it has been an obsession since I was a little boy. My baby teeth marks were on the box of the VHS tape my parents owned. My first day of kindergarten became less traumatic when I found two boys playing Ghostbusters and they invited me to join them. They already picked Peter (Bill Murray) and Ray (Dan Akyroyd), leaving me with the nerdy Egon (Harold Ramis). I was disappointed. Now I’m totally Team Egon. (Runner-up: “The Neverending Story”)

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

1985: “Back to the Future”

This is another seminal film from my childhood and typically my default answer for my favorite movie. The idea of time travel sparked my imagination as a child. I used to run around my backyard as a kid, humming Alan Silvestri’s theme, imagining I was traveling through time with Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve watched the film, but the final act still fully engages me every time. (Runner-up: “The Breakfast Club”)

COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES

1986: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

Any child coming of age in the 1980s and 1990s was hugely affected by the teen films of John Hughes, who was able to perfectly capture the angst of growing up. “Ferris Bueller” was the ultimate kid fantasy: Skipping school for a day in the city with your friends. Better yet, Ferris manages to outsmart all the adults, including snooty waiters, parents and the principal. As a kid, Matthew Broderick’s Ferris felt like the embodiment of cool. As an adult, it is undeniable that the anxiety-ridden Cameron (Alan Ruck) is my avatar. (Runner-up: “Labyrinth”)

COURTESY OF MGM

1987: “Spaceballs”

I had a major Mel Brooks phase in my adolescence. I even held a party dedicated to watching Brooks films. I vividly remember my friend Rebecca Howland telling me “The Producers” was good, but not as good as “2001” (the film it beat for Best Original Screenplay). Only four Brooks films have been released in my lifetime. Of those four, “Spaceballs” is the one I’ve revisited the most because its inspired lunacy is perfectly delivered by its cast, including Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis and Brooks, himself, in dual roles. (Runner-up: “The Princess Bride”)

COURTESY OF TOUCHSTONE PICTURES

1988: “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”

This was a mind-blowing film for a kid. It was the first and only time Disney and Warner Bros. characters interacted together. It remains the definite seamless blend of live-action and animated characters. But the biggest mindfreak to my little brain was that Christopher Lloyd, my beloved Doc Brown from “Back to the Future,” was the evil Judge Doom. Years later, while studying film in college, I would write an essay exploring the film’s take on the film noir genre. (Runner-up: “Beetlejuice”)

COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY PICTURES

1989: “Say Anything”

Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a big Batman fan, so it probably seems insane that my No. 1 choice for 1989 isn’t Tim Burton’s “Batman.” Here’s the thing, I’m also a huge fan of actor John Cusack and writer/director Cameron Crowe. If you need any indication of how much I love this movie, “Say Anything” is tattooed on my right arm. “Say Anything” is the definitive 1980s teen romance with Lloyd Dobler being the ideal model of a boyfriend. (Runner-up: “Batman”)

COURTESY OF NEW LINE CINEMA

1990: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”

There was a time when the ninja turtles were my everything. I had a tape with a couple of episodes of the cartoon that featured a trailer for the live-action film. I loved the cartoon but this was different. It was dark and atmospheric like the comic books that inspired the cartoon and toys, and the Jim Henson-created turtles looked real. The film deepened my love. I had a cassette of the film’s theme song, “Turtle Rhapsody” that I danced to constantly in my room. (Runner-up: “Tremors”)

COURTESY OF ORION PICTURES

1991: “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey”

I vacillated on what my first choice and runner up would be for 1991. I nearly chose “Addams Family,” but I prefer its 1993 sequel “Addams Family Values.” Alas, a certain dinosaur movie claimed that year. Ultimately, I went with another sequel that actually improves upon its predecessor. Sequels almost always just repeat the formula of the original, but “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey” largely throws out the time travel antics of “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and goes on a bonkers adventure through heaven and hell featuring evil robots and an alien named Station. (Runner-up: “Addams Family”)

COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT

1992: “Wayne’s World”

On the surface, Wayne and Garth (Mike Myers and Dana Carvey) are clones of the dim-witted headbangers Bill and Ted, but “Wayne’s World” has more of a satirical edge than the “Bill and Ted” movies, with Wayne providing fourth-wall breaking commentary throughout that mocks filmmaking cliches. I’m a big “Saturday Night Live” fan, and this was my gateway to the show. My friend, Caleb Ring, had a camera and we recreated scenes as “Caleb’s World” and “Alec’s World.” Maybe they still exist in a dusty box somewhere. (Runner-up: “Reservoir Dogs”)

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL

1993: “Jurassic Park”

At 10 years old, I remember a mixture of excitement and nervousness about seeing Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Michael Crichton’s sci-fi novel about a dinosaur theme park gone awry. I wanted to see, but would it be too scary? I vividly remember sitting in a darkened theater watching the T-Rex attack. I was scared but also mesmerized by the groundbreaking dinosaur effects. It was also my introduction to Jeff Goldblum, and he has made my life better ever since. (Runner-up: “Mrs. Doubtfire”)

COURTESY OF MIRAMAX

1994: “Clerks”

“Clerks” wasn’t my first introduction to writer/director Kevin Smith (that was 1999’s “Dogma”), but working at both a convenience and video store, the plight of its New Jersey clerks spoke to me. I would even write my own script set in a video store that years later I would convert into a play that was performed in a New York theater festival. Last year, I was lucky enough to interview Smith and tell him that. (Runner-up: “Pulp Fiction”)

COURTESY OF DISNEY

1995: “A Goofy Movie”

Goofy has always been my favorite Disney cartoon character. This movie is significant because it is the first movie review I ever wrote. It was an assignment for sixth-grade English. I received an A, which sent me down the path to where I am today. It still remains one of my favorite movies for its strong father-son story, offbeat humor and the excellent songs by the fictional popstar Powerline. (Runner-up: “Before Sunrise”)

COURTESY OF DIMENSION

1996: “Scream”

Growing up, I wasn’t a horror kid. I was more likely to watch the Muppets take Manhattan than Jason. But by 1996, I was already a fan of Mel Brooks and Monty Python and had a growing understanding of parody. The idea of “Scream” being both a satire and an example of the slasher genre intrigued me. The humor made the scares more palatable and piqued my interest into further exploration of the horror genre. (Runner-up: “Jerry Maguire”)

HOLLYWOOD PICTURES

1997: “Grosse Pointe Blank”

For years, John Cusack was my celebrity man crush because he was the perfect balance of vulnerability, sarcastic wit and nonchalant coolness. All of that is on display here as Martin Blank, a hitman who decides to go to his 10-year high school reunion. Also, I often discover music from movies, and this film’s killer soundtrack (pun intended) introduced me to a lot of great punk and New Wave music, including The Clash’s “Rudie Can’t Fail,” The Violent Femme’s “Blister in the Sun” and The English Beat’s “Mirror in the Bathroom.” (Runner-up: “Good Will Hunting”)

COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT

1998: “The Truman Show”

Like many ’90s kids, I became obsessed with Jim Carrey’s style of comedy. I drove my family crazy shouting catch phrases like “allllll righty then” and “ssssssmokin’.” But ‘The Truman Show” was different. It was still funny, but in a more subtle, satirical way, and showed that Carrey had dramatic range. I was 15 when it came out, and it made me feel clever that I was able to pick up on the film’s commentary. (Runner-up: “The Wedding Singer”)

COURTESY OF FOX 2000 PICTURES

1999: “Fight Club”

My love of social critique and satire continued to grow with “Fight Club.” I clearly remember watching “Fight Club” in a theater and my jaw literally dropping upon getting to the big twist. Not many people saw “Fight Club” in theaters, so my friends didn’t believe me when I said it was great, especially since I couldn’t explain why without spoiling it. It’s a film that not only holds up to repeat viewing but benefits from it as there are Easter eggs hidden throughout. (Runner up: ”Dogma”)

COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES

2000: “Almost Famous”

Around this time, I made a decision that I wanted to be a film critic, so Cameron Crowe’s autobiographical film about a teenage rock journalist in the 1970s hit me in all the right places. The protagonist is an awkward, geeky kid in love with and in awe of the rock world and that was me with movies. When I became a journalist, I only learned to love this movie more for everything it gets absolutely right. (Runner up: “High Fidelity”)

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL

2001: “Josie and the Pussycats”

There are absolutely better films that came out in 2001 but I continue to stand by this silly satire of the music industry and consumerism. I’ve been a defender of this film since it came out. I even had the poster up in my college dorm room. It did not make me cool but, in a just world it would have. The original songs are genuinely great, and the cast, especially Alan Cumming as a villainous record label flunky, is perfect. (Runner up “The Royal Tenenbaums”)

COURTESY OF UNITED ARTISTS

2002: “Igby Goes Down”

Growing up in rural Maine, I didn’t have access to a lot of independent films, but that changed when I went to Keene State College to study film. Keene had two theaters that showed indie films: The Colonial Theatre and the on-campus Putnam Theatre. “Igby Goes Down” was one of the films I fell in love with while at KSC. It’s essentially a modern riff on “The Catcher in the Rye,” but with a more likable lead played by Kieran Culkin. There’s also an amazing supporting cast, including Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Claire Danes, Ryan Phillippe, Amanda Peet and Jared Harris. (Runner up: “About a Boy”)

COURTESY OF LIONSGATE

2003: “Shattered Glass”

While at Keene State College, I was able to go to collegiate journalism conventions. At one of them, there was an early screening of “Shattered Glass,” which tells the story of Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen), a journalist who fabricated dozens of articles while working at The New Republic. The film instilled in me a desire to be an ethical journalist with integrity. It also has one of my all-time favorite lines: “If I were to throw a party where all we did was play Monopoly, would you guys come?” It’s absolutely something I’d say. I just wish that it wasn’t said by Glass. (Runner-up: “Lost in Translation”)

COURTESY OF WORKING TITLE

2004: “Shaun of the Dead”

Edgar Wright has become one of my favorite directors for how perfectly constructed all his films are. His first film, a zombie movie set in England that he co-wrote with star Simon Pegg, is the ideal genre blend of horror, comedy, romantic comedy and drama. This is the first film in what became dubbed the Cornetto trilogy, a trio of genre-bending films directed by Wright and starring Pegg and Nick. While it is mostly played for laughs, the dramatic moments hit hard every single time. (Runner-up: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”)

COURTESY OF DREAMWORKS

2005: “Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit”

I was already a big fan of the stop-motion animation Wallace and Gromit shorts, so I was thrilled the English human and dog duo were making their feature film debut. I was in England getting my master’s in journalism at the University of Westminster when the film was in theaters. I went to visit my friend Natalie Toy in Hull to see it, and watching a film that is so thoroughly British in England is a memory I cherish. (Runner-up: “Batman Begins”)

COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES

2006: “Stranger Than Fiction”

This is a film that takes a high-concept — a man (Will Ferrell) suddenly finds his mundane life the subject of a voice-over narration only he can hear — and executes it with humor, heart and intelligence. A dialed back Ferrell gives one of his best performances, and he’s surrounded by a great cast, including Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Tony Hale and Maggie Gyllenhaal. The film features some of my favorite romantic moments, including Ferrell playing and singing “Whole Wide World” on guitar and giving “flours” to Gyllenhaal’s baker character. (Runner-up: “Little Miss Sunshine”)

COURTESY OF DREAMWORKS

2007: “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”

Tim Burton’s film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical about a vengeful barber (Johnny Depp) and his partnership with the baker Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonheim Carter) was my first introduction to the material. While liberties were taken, Burton was the perfect person to transition it from the stage to screen. I immediately fell in love with it. I’ve since seen it on stage three times and had a Sweeney Todd movie marathon with my friend Brian McElhiney in which we uncovered other obscure versions of the story, including one from 1936. (Runner-up: “Juno”)

COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.

2008: “The Dark Knight”

Christopher Nolan's second film in his Batman trilogy is the strongest and is not only one of the best superhero films ever made but a great film regardless of genre. Heath Ledger’s Joker is an iconic film performance for the ages. His performance is the glue that holds the film together, but the rest of the cast, including Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, and the slick storytelling proved that a comic book movie could and should be taken seriously. (Runner-up “Iron Man”)

COURTESY OF PIXAR

2009: “Up”

Pixar has a history of making animated films that make adults cry, but with “Up” they weren’t messing around. The first 10 minutes, which shows the entire course of a relationship, has the power to crack even the most stone-faced viewer. The rest of the film is the charming adventure of a balloon salesman (Ed Asner) who attaches thousands of balloons to his house so he can fly to the mythical Paradise Falls. This film will always have a special place in my heart because it was the theme of my wedding. Adventure is out there everyday with my wife, Ashley. (Runner-up ”Inglourious Basterds”)

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL

2010: “Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World”

Director and co-writer Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s six-part graphic novel — a pastiche of comic books, video games, anime, romantic comedies, rock musicals, sitcoms, kung-fu movies and even a dash of Bollywood — immediately spoke to me. I became obsessed. I read the books, played the games, bought the toys, listened to the soundtrack and even got a tattoo of Scott Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers. I connected with it in a way that put it alongside my childhood favorites. As I get older, it only becomes more emotionally resonant. (Runner-up: “TRON: Legacy”)

COURTESY OF SONY PICTURE CLASSICS

2011: “Midnight in Paris”

My relationship with Woody Allen films has become a complicated one. What he may or may not have done in his personal life colors his work, but can you separate the person from the art? I have to because so many of his earlier works helped shape me. This whimsical time travel comedy with Owen Wilson hobnobbing with literary and artistic idols in 1920s Paris is Allen’s last truly great film. It is a funny and thoughtful exploration of nostalgia. (Runner-up: “The Muppets”)

COURTESY OF MARVEL

2012: “The Avengers”

Marvel Studios experiment in creating a shared universe of superheroes paid off with Joss Whedon’s “Avengers,” which brought together Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) for the first time. For better or worse, Marvel has continued to further expand their cinematic universe and experiment with serialized storytelling in film, but this first crossover event still holds up and is wildly entertaining. (Runner-up: “Looper”)

COURTESY OF WORKING TITLE

2013: “The World’s End”

This the final installment of co-writer/director Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy, a series of genre homages starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. “The World’s End” lampoons alien invasion films but is also a surprisingly sincere exploration of alcoholism with Pegg’s Gary King trying to recreate the best day of his life: a pub crawl he did with his friends as a teen. This is Wright’s third film on my list. I adore his storytelling and visual style. Everything is carefully constructed and paid off. Plus, I regularly quote the “Let’s boo-boo” line from his film. (Runner-up: “Pacific Rim”)

COURTESY OF FOX SEARCHLIGHT

2014: “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

Idiosyncratic filmmaker Wes Anderson has a style all his own, including eccentric characters, deadpan humor, absurdist flourishes and a mise-en-scene in which everything is framed symmetrically. “Grand Budapest Hotel,” which centers on the misadventures of a hotel lobby boy (Tony Revolori) and a concierge (Ralph Fiennes), is possibly the most distilled version of Anderson’s particular brand of filmmaking. Anderson embraces the ridiculous and finds the beauty in it. (Runner-up: “The Lego Movie”)

COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.

2015: “Mad Max: Fury Road”

Director George Miller returned to the “Mad Max” franchise 30 years after the previous installment, but this is not a shameless cash grab. This is pure action filmmaking of the highest order. “Fury Road” is a visceral, nearly non-stop chase. But this isn’t faceless or mindless action. The film has personality to spare, including a character playing a flame-throwing guitar. As there’s little dialogue, this is also an example of strong visual storytelling. (Runner-up: “Inside Out”)

COURTESY OF SUMMIT

2016: “La La Land”

After coming out of “La La Land,” I posted this on Facebook: “For anyone who has ever created something, done something artistic or has simply been passionate about something, ‘La La Land’ will speak to your soul.” After seeing writer/director Damien Chazelle’s exuberant, funny and ever-so-slightly heartbreaking musical about a jazz musician (Ryan Gosling) and an actress (Emma Stone) trying to find success and love in Los Angeles, I wanted to create. I began rewriting an old script that would eventually be performed in New York City in 2018. (Runner-up: “Yoga Hosers”)

COURTESY OF MARVEL

2017: “Thor: Ragnarok”

This is my favorite film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to director Taika Waititi providing a much-needed tonal shift to the Thor (Chris Hemsworth) character. Waititi is a quirky filmmaker with an offbeat sense of humor that managed to shake things up at a time when the Marvel formula was starting to become a bit too familiar. “Ragnarok” remembers that comic book movies are supposed to be fun. It is colorful, funny and ridiculous, but also has strong character moments. Plus, Jeff Goldblum at his most Goldblumiest.(Runner-up “Baby Driver”)

COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.

2018: “A Star is Born”

Co-writer/director/star Bradley Cooper’s “A Star is Born” is the fourth filmed version of the story of a fading star meeting and falling in love with an undiscovered talent (Lady Gaga), and using what pull he has left to make her a star. The first 30 minutes are pretty much perfect and the rest of the film builds on that promise. I’ve only seen the film once and I can still vividly visualize scenes and the emotions attached to them. (Runner-up “A Simple Favor”)

COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES

2019: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Writer/director Quentin Tarantino is one of my favorite filmmakers. I even taught a class on him for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. “Once Upon a Time,” Tarantino’s love letter to Hollywood in 1969, is basically a hang-out movie centered on a has-been TV actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stuntman (Brad Pitt). In the background, Tarantino offers a revisionist history of the Manson family. It’s rich with location and character detail, and is both hilarious and unexpectedly poignant. (Runner-up: “Booksmart”)

COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.

2020: “Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”

Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn was the best thing in 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” but this film is what made Harley one of my favorite DC characters and led to a further exploration of the character. Robbie is joined by an assortment of strong female heroes, including Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to face off against the sadistic Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). This is the first comic book film directed and written by women, and the strong female perspective makes it unique and vital. (Runner-up: “Freaky”)

COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES

2021: “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”

As previously mentioned, “Ghostbusters” has been a huge part of my life, so I was thrilled when this long-awaited second sequel was announced. (For the record, I do genuinely love the 2015 remake). While the original ghostbusters only make a cameo appearance, this is a loving tribute to the late Harold Ramis (who co-wrote the first two films and starred as Egon) that passes the torch to a group of kid ghostbusters led by the amazing Mckenna Grace. This is nostalgia done right. Plenty of laughs, action and, yes, tears. (Runner-up: “The Mitchells Vs. the Machines”)

COURTESY OF A24

2022: “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

This completely bonkers multiverse adventure is difficult to describe but is a fully engrossing mix of sci-fi, martial arts, comedy and family drama. It is a terrific showcase for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu. Its sincerely sold themes of optimism, kindness and love gives it weight and heart. Quan was in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies” in the 1980s, but hadn’t acted in 30 years. He’s so good here, it makes me sad that we missed on decades of performances from him. (Runner-up: “Glass Onion”)

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everydayesterday · 1 year

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(My favourite films by decade are below the cut)

Tonight, I watched 'Safety Last!'—the slapstick silent comedy from 1923 with the indelible 20-minute clocktower scene—which means that I've now seen at least one film from every year since 1891, shortly after the invention of motion pictures (I've also seen the few recordings that came before that, such as the 12-slide ‘Horse in Motion,’ but there are gaps in the years, and we're talking about film segments that were roughly 2 seconds in length—films didn't even get to 3 minutes in length until 1898; the first hour-long movie was in 1906).

I've got 916 movies on my list (it's probably more than that; my mind has no idea if it's ever seen a sequel). I posted a while ago about only having 600 movies logged; to fill out the list I went through box office charts to identify what I'd likely seen in the 80s, 90s, 00s, etc. but had forgotten about.

I was missing so many from the 90s, when we had our family movie nights. On average, from 1989 to 2000, I saw 28 films per release year. That dropped to 15 once I finished undergrad, and has remained pretty constant. Going by the box office charts, I don't feel I've missed much of what I've wanted to see; there have been far too many sequels and metaverses, which simply don't interest me. Over these COVID years, I've been watching more than just the newest releases, catching up on earlier decades; I've seen 173 that were released before I was born (most pre-1970 releases are from COVID onward).

My favourite films by decade (because I like lists):

1890-99: The Astronomer's Dream (1898). Directed by Georges Méliès; the first film as real artistic production; multiple scenes and stages, special effects, 3 minutes.

1900-09: The Great Train Robbery (1903). The first epic action movie, at 13 minutes. Fantastic production value; it's got better cinematography and editing than a lot of current movies.

1910-19: I'm unsure. ...perhaps The Conquest of the Pole (1912), another by Georges Méliès. I need to see more films from this decade.

1920-29: Wings (1928) and Metropolis (1927), take your pick. One, the Oscars' first Best Picture winner and the benchmark for romantic drama (and with Clara Bow!), the other the most impressive film ever made.

1930-39: My Man Godfrey (1936), my favourite Carole Lombard role (she's a fuckin' hoot!).

1940-49: Citizen Kane (1941), Casablanca (1943) are both fine choices, but my choice would be His Girl Friday, because snappy dialogue is like a hit of cocaine.

1950-59: Roman Holiday (1953). Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck are both so charismatic; the chemistry here is palpable.

1960-69: The Great Escape (1963) is an excellent pick, as is Ingmar Bergman's Persona (1966). I'd take The Graduate (1967); it felt so unique, not your typical love story, and Anne Bancroft's vulnerable seductiveness turn felt so dangerous.

1970-79: This was such a great decade (Harold and Maude, Chinatown, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Up in Smoke) ...but Apocalypse Now (1979) is my all-time top pick.

1980-89: The Gods Must Be Crazy (1984). Timeless. Wholesome. Simple and effective.

1990-99: I'm trying to pick one film out of the 300 that I've seen from this timeframe, so maybe one [Ed. note: or more] per year? Edward Scissorhands (1990), Point Break (1991), Wayne's World (1992), Jurassic Park/Schindler's List (1993), The Madness of King George/The Hudsucker Proxy/Quiz Show/Malcolm X (1994), Babe (1995; yes, the pig movie), The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1996), Life is Beautiful (1997; La vita è bella), ...not sure on 1998...maybe Waking Ned Devine/Pleasantville..., Office Space/Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1999).

2000-09: Gladiator/Girl, Interrupted/American Psycho (2000), Amélie/Ali (2001), Super Troopers/Secretary (2002), Dogville (2004), No Country for Old Men (2007), There Will Be Blood (2008), Dead Snow (2009).

2010-19: The Artist (2011), Argo (2012), Beasts of No Nation (2015), Rogue One (2016), Coco (2017), The Nightingale/Parasite/Knives Out (2019).

2020-23: One Night in Miami... (2020), Nitram (2021).

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for watching. 🎞️

#me #movies #film #cinema #movie night #personal project

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transhorrors · 2 years

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Can i ask 4, 15, and 23 for the horror movie meme? 🦈 💀

i'm so happy all the asks i got included 23 like i am literally gonna answer it every single time

4. what's your favorite decade of horror?

according to letterboxd the answer is either the 1980's or the 1990's, and i'm inclined to say that's correct! we have the best independent films, the best look of film (like, literally. something about the lighting/staging/makeup/literal film being used is just peaked over this 20 year span). rarely any restraint to be found, constantly pushing what's grossest and the most ridiculous and bizzare. i'm counting ginger snaps in this lineup because it was technically filmed in 1999

15. is jaws a horror movie?

YES but more importantly it's about a bisexual (brody), a transfag (hooper) and his boyfriend (quint) who go fishing and have a lovely time :)

23. do you have any controversial horror opinions?

cannibalism (and by extension, vampire) films are only good when they're about queer people (ravenous, silence of the lambs) (bit, interview with the vampire). horror is inherently political but we as a society have also lost so much media literacy that modern "political horror" is just so bad and dumbed down that it makes me want to start running after people with an ice cream scoop. it's been three years since i watched the black christmas remake from 2019 and i'm still writing about it in anger. the best horror films are the messiest ones and i could go on for hours about modern sanitization of horror! because horror is supposed to be so many things, but never safe.

#the 2020's are looking good for horror but they've also literally just started #and i feel like placing it on a pedestal The Day After they/them is announced is like sprinting over a cliff's edge

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c-40 · 4 months

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A-T-4 003 Push The Button

I was out the other day when the lyric to a pop rap song being piped caught my ear, the lyric was Push The Button. The context in this case was pushing a button on a mobile phone, as a subject of pop music the telephone has been around as long as pop music itself. The subject is continually being reinvented for anew generation, for a while in the 1990s I remember it was pagers, and before telephones songs were written about writing letters, there are also plenty of songs about telegrams, all sorts of long distance communication

Pop music records changing times but as with fashion it likes to see itself in the vanguard leading the way, every season a new year in with the new out with the old, but for the last 20-years or so it's tech and gadgets that have been the height of fashion. It was a lot easier to imagine the future of technology in 1984 than it is in 2024, or even 1999 when Nas released Nastradamus in which he predicted (amongst many things) laptops with 100 gigabytes [of memory], my smartphone has more memory than that! Perhaps that's one of the reasons the most streamed song in the UK last year was Miley Cyrus's turn of the century style pop disco track Flowers, you can't argue with the song, no wild predictions here, she will survive and she can buy herself flowers - I remember in the 1980s when women couldn't buy themselves flowers, it shows social progress - or perhaps it's the workout she does in the video like all those Ministry disco-house videos from the turn of the century that's made it so popular

Miley Cyrus's Flowers is retro like pretty much all mainstream pop music is today, is it just nostalgias pendulum? I'm not convinced, this type of disco-pop been out of the charts since the late 1990s. What has changed since then is how we consume music. I enjoy science fiction movies but what makes me laugh in them is no matter how far in the future they are set if the scene is in a bar or club or something the music is 1990s techno or house, maybe bass music for films made more recently. To me it says in the imagination of the film makers music stopped innovating at some point in the mid 1990s. Coincidentally this when neoliberalism peaked and has been limping along ever since

Newcleus's Computer Age (Push The Button) takes Push The Button from another cultural obsession synonymous with the height of the Cold War (pushing THE button) and applies it to computing. Newcleus weren't as niche as you might think, Jam On Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song) peaked just outside the top 40 on the UK singles chart and Jam On It got into the top 100, the album Jam On Revenge getting to 84 on the album chart (Newcleus did even better in the US)

One of the main drivers of innovation in pop music is new technology. Electro-funk of the early 1980s like Newcleus arrived on the back off new synthesisers and drum machines. Has there been any great leaps in music tech since the mid 1990s? Soundcards are better, tasks have certainly gotten quicker and easier, there are MORE software emulators and you can do some of the old tasks on a smartphone now instead of a laptop or desktop. I'm not a musician or studio guy so I can't say for sure if there's been any great leaps in music production in the last 20 years, it looks to me things have just been refined. Oh! of course generative or ai music has come along in the last few years

Which brings us to the lyrical content of Computer Age, for a pop song that is 40-years-old some of the things they are saying about computers are still in discourse today. Newcleus had previously gone by the name Positive Messenger "and were making music that had a purpose, either messages of love or faith or talking about the conditions of the world." Newcleus and Jam On Revenge was lighter and had fun with hip hop but Computer Age sounds like it's a throwback to their roots

"Computer age is now Everyone must have a machine They say it's gonna make life easier, well, I can't stand it...."

You can't argue with the above verse. In the UK there's been several efforts to adopt a computer and for all of us to go online, interactions with local government or banks and all your bills are done via computers now, it easier until it isn't. Here Newcleus decide to ask a theological question which isn't exactly useful, does reliance on computers make us gods or slaves? and Newcleus conclude god is going to be pissed with us if we replace him with a computer

"For here we sit in our easy chairs As our machines decide how we'll fare Who will suffer, who will survive? It's up to the computers"

So in the above verse Newcleus hit one one of the most important discourses around ai/ml computing. Ai/ml has been used to decide who qualifies for parole in the US for a decade now, the data used to make the calculation records many decades of bias against non-white people so when ai/ml was used in the prison system we found the ai/ml reproduced the bias recorded in the data. Ai/ml is being used as giant management tools, making all kinds of decisions that have real life consequences. If a government or business want to make cuts or set tight targets an ai can do this without see people or asking how people will manage?

"It's up to the computers" isn't correct, it could be up to us. Some computer scientists are calling for citizen assemblies to work with ai/ml, more awareness is certainly needed. Right now tech giants are predicting a scary ai future that only they can fix, this isn't true and it gives tech companies with already too much power even more power

I wrote a proposal for a job funded by the CIA once via Cambridge University. They wanted artists to create narratives that challenged the story that an all powerful all knowing ai will destroy humanity so we might have a more sensible conversation

youtube

#1984 #newcleus #electrofunk #hip hop #new york #usa #80s music

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zachafoster · 5 months

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Thoughts On Anger, Greed, and Living Below Human Potential

Some politicians are starting to blame our daily mass shootings on untreated mental health problems. As if we mentally ill aren’t already demonized. Statistically, a very small percentage of violent crimes are committed by mentally ill people. Mentally ill people are far more likely to be victims of violent crimes than neurotypicals actually. I’m convinced it’s because many mentally ill live in poverty. Granted, some people I know claim that no one who has electricity and indoor plumbing is truly poor. Maybe in the 1920s. Today, over 80 percent of the world now has electricity. Of the eight billion people in the world, over five billion now have regular access to internet. I heard one of my elders saying “internet is a luxury” as recently as 2019. In 1999, that was true. A lot has changed since then. When over half of the world’s population has access to free education and news, a large percentage of whom make less than 5 dollars a day, it’s no longer a luxury. People used to think indoor plumbing and even being able to read and write were frivolous luxuries. Elders in ancient Greece used to complain that reading and writing were killing mental power and making people stupid. Things change and stay the same.

I am convinced that people are, by and large, more angry and stressed than we’ve been in living memory. Sure we have a world where 90 percent of the population isn’t starving. But the anger is still there because most people have only recently become aware of what is truly possible. Even a ten-year-old working in a cobalt mine in central Africa for only two dollars a day probably has heard of the Kardashians, Nicola Tesla, and Elon Mask if he has access to a smartphone or tv. Indigenous tribes in New Guinea knew who Neal Armstrong was back in the late 1970s and were asking visitors who was going to the moon next. People are very angry. Not because they are ungrateful, lazy, or not wanting to work. People are realizing how far below our potential we as a species are living. We no longer need wars. Even young men in Russia with their levels of internet and media censorship, realize that fighting a war in Ukraine is pointless and are voting with their feet. Young people in China are “Lying Falt” and “Letting It Rot” because they are realizing there is more to life than working and buying stuff you don’t need to impress people you don’t respect. Brad Pitt was talking this in the 1999 movie “Fight Club.”

I don’t like using the term waking up as the word “woke” has so much baggage in my country. But people, thanks for free information via the internet and universal literacy being a thing in even the poorest countries, are starting to figure out we can do better than we are. It doesn’t matter your race, creed, sexual orientation, age, political beliefs, or even economic ideals, the vast majority of humanity is not benefiting nearly as much from our science, technology, and education as is possible even now. I’m convinced its unrestrained greed that is the root of many of our problems today. I think unrestrained greed has always been at the root of most problems. Greed has been universally condemned by every major religion and legal code since the start of civilization. Greed’s even more dangerous now.

Banning books in libraries and bookstores is becoming more common in my country than I can ever remember in my life. Sure, a lot of literature isn’t age appropriate for grade school children. Then again, neither are most parts of the Bible. Neither are some tv shows. My parents had no issues with me watching war movies like Rambo, War Games, and Red Dawn back in the 1980s. But The Simpsons and Al Bundy were completely off limits. Some states are starting to revoke tenure for college professors and scholars. Others are repealing some of their child labor laws. Some states are banning foreign social media like TikTok. Who benefits from these changes? As far as censorship goes, Martin Luther was excommunicated by the Catholic Church (meaning he was damned to burn in Hell forever) partially because he thought Christians should be able to read the Bible for themselves. Since the printing press had recently been popularized, it was only a matter of time before the Church of that era to lose their monopoly on literacy and information.

What is the internet other than the 21st century’s printing press? The most popular book to be printed on the 15th century printing press was the Bible. The second most popular were manuals about how to spot and persecute those who practice witchcraft and heresy. Some of the early explorers, like Christopher Columbus, were inspired by reading about the travels of Marco Polo. The printing press did lead to mass literacy, mass education, etc. But, problems came too. Some of the bloodiest holy wars, like the Thirty Years Wars (1618–1648) between Catholic and Protestant kingdoms of Europe and the English Civil War probably would have never happened without the printing press. Then again, neither would the scientific revolution, the industrial revolution, rediscovery of mass democracy, rights for women and minorities, end of slavery, etc. Same can be said for the internet. I’m old enough I didn’t get an email account until I was 18. Personally, I love it that children do real time Google and Wikipedia searches if they think an authority figure is talking nonsense. Google and Wikipedia are what old codgers like me use. For all I know, some of these children are using even better sources of information that I am not aware of. Censorship ultimately failed after the invention of the printing press. Censorship will fail even worse now with easy access to information.

As much as I love the internet, it’s only the first of several breakthroughs that will define the 21st century to future historians. Advances that are only in recent years becoming commonplace include artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing, regenerative medicine, renewable energy, etc. are already impacting the world. Just a few days ago, IBM announced they were laying off almost 8,000 employees and replacing them with the AI tech we already have. I’ve been saying this was going to happen since 2013. I am surprised it’s happening sooner than I thought. Naturally, there is no talk about retraining the displaced workers or even providing some kind of safety net while these displaced workers look for other sources of income. IBM laying off a significant chunk of their workforce is only the beginning. I expect headlines like these to become common faster than most people think.

I’m all in favor of allowing machines to take over some work duties as long as the proceeds get passed on to the public at large, whether it’s though reduced prices on robot produced goods and services, taxes on robot labor (which is favored by some tech gurus like Bill Gates), etc. But that’s probably not what’s s currently happening. And it won’t happen in the near term, at least not without serious social unrest. I’m not sure most people realize the parallels between our current Information Revolution and the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. I think we are still in the phase of unregulated greed and ambition. If we as citizens were smart, we would be electing senators and presidents in the mold of Theodore Rosevelt. I’m convinced he did as much to make industrialization beneficial to everyone as any politician of his times. I’m convinced he even saved capitalism from its own excesses. In our current world, we have hit the point where most of the world’s people see the possibilities of better standards of living for everyone regardless of what country they live in.

What’s truly holding us back is plain old-fashioned greed. There is a fine line between self-interest and greed. Unfettered and unregulated greed will do more to kill capitalism and democracy than kids' reading Karl Marx or Mao Zedong. It will also kill life on this planet just as dead as any nuclear war if we don’t reign it in. And we are all guilty of this, not just the wealthy and powerful. Manufacturing wouldn’t have been outsourced or done with slave labor ever if people weren’t addicted to cheap goods. We could make all of our electronics and household items in our own nations if people were willing to pay higher prices and employers more willing to raise wages. Just today I saw an episode of Shark Tank and a young married couple were pitching a product that cost $15 to make with American labor and selling for $24. And it was making decent sales. But the “sharks” were saying they wouldn’t fund this couple because the profit margins were “too low” and they “should move their manufacturing to China.” This young couple was already profitable. It’s not like they were losing money. It just wasn’t enough for the sharks to provide any seed money. Greed caused this project to be held back.

Recently saw lots of articles that a majority of people under the age of thirty have an unfavorable view of capitalism. Naturally, some pundits blamed the education system being communist. But, the only capitalism these kids experienced is seeing their parents lose their jobs and houses in the 2008 crisis while Wall Street got bailed out. They saw a lot of businesses go under during covid. They saw the shortages in grocery stores and retailers with their own eyes. They see the homeless camps every day. They undergo live shooter drills in their schools. They see people carrying firearms in malls and churches. They see people have to file for bankruptcy for having to go to the hospital. They themselves are working more than one job just to afford food and an apartment. They have never seen a world where a father could own a house, two cars, and support six children on only one income from the factory or the mine. They have never seen a world where 80 percent of the population were either farmers or factory workers. They’ve seen their parents factory and office jobs get sent to China because of lower wages, no benefits, and fewer environmental protections. Now it’s automation that’s coming for their jobs. Jobs that employ millions of people like drivers, warehouse workers, accountants, much of legal, etc. are no longer safe from automation. The only reason those aren’t automated yet is because it isn’t cheap enough. Give it a few years. Even cheap labor countries like China are going heavy into automation. Too Big To Fail, profitable companies not paying taxes, state sponsored capitalism (in China), mass layoffs, etc. are these kids experiences with capitalism. They have never seen a world where most businesses were local and large corportate jobs payed livable wages and provided pensions. The Founding Fathers, Adam Smith, F.A. Hayek, and Ludwig von Mises would have argued against this style of capitalism. Even Adam Smith talked about “enlightened self-interest” back in the 1770s. I take enlightened self-interest to mean don’t be a greedy jerk.

Human nature may not be completely changeable, but it can be regulated and restricted. The freest people in human history were Stone Age hunters. But even they had over half of their children die before they hit puberty. Giving up part of our freedom for the prosperity and stability that comes with civilizing ourselves is part of the deal. People today are angry because they know greed is slowing down our progress as a civilization and as a species. The old appeals of nationalism, racial bigotry, ideology, sexism, etc. were losing their appeals even when Carl Sagan talked about them in his Cosmos series in 1980, the year I was born. These are even less appealing to the mass of humanity now in 2023. Things like Occupy Wall Street and The Tea Party protests of a dozen years ago were only the start.

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themadamespod · 3 years

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The Great White Gripe

A lot has been said about the “social commentary” within The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

“Since when is Marvel a bunch of SJWs? I don’t need this shit.”

“All this race stuff feels SUPER forced.”

“Oh here we go Marvel tryin to be all woke to get the libs on board.”

If you personally know anyone who spews this brand of ignorance, we’re sorry.

Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: there is no social commentary on TFATWS. Showrunner Malcolm Spellman and director Kari Skogland simply show the reality of life in America. It’s not their fault that so many (white) people (men) don’t like looking in the mirror.

And some people claim they have no problem with film and television addressing politics and social change.

“Just keep it out of my comic book movies. It doesn’t belong there.”

They could not be anymore wrong, even if Chandler Bing himself was lecturing them.

If you asked 100 people to name the top ten movies of all time, you’d get 100 different lists. But one thing we can all agree on is that film has power. It has the power to move us, to divide us, to unite us. Entertainment can lead to the kind of discourse that prompts action and positive change.

And that’s why The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and the conversations it’s sparking are so important.

One World, One Reality

“Marvel has always been and always will be a reflection of the world right outside our window.” - Stan Lee

There are two takeaways from that statement:

One: Stan Lee didn’t say that in the 1960s, 1970s, or even the 1980s. He said it in 2017.

Two: Our window, not your window, is a subtle but important distinction, particularly as it relates to TFATWS. The Flag Smashers, led by Karli Morgenthau, live by a simple creed: “One world, One people.” The core message of the show is that white Americans and Black Americans experience the world very differently, but there’s still only one world, one reality.

It’s just a matter of people opening their eyes and seeing it.

TFATWS is an extension of Marvel’s early support of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1963, Stan Lee created the X-Men as an allegory for the ongoing struggles of the African-American community. Though he didn’t explicitly base Professor X and Magneto on Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, there are ideological similarities.

Five years later, following the assassinations of Dr. King and Robert Kennedy, Stan wrote the following:

“Bigotry and racism are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today. It’s totally irrational, patently insane to condemn an entire race—to despise an entire nation—to vilify an entire religion. Sooner or later, we must learn to judge each other on our own merits. Sooner or later, if a man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance.”

In 2021, Stan’s words still resonate. Racism in the United States is as virulent and damaging as it’s ever been. Black Americans are facing deadly policing, Jim Crow 2.0 voting laws, mass incarceration, and countless other roadblocks to mobility that most white people have never encountered.

Through the journeys of Sam and Sarah Wilson, Lemar Hoskins, and the heartbreaking Isaiah Bradley, TFATWS shows the unvarnished truth of what Ira Glass might call Black American Life. And through John Walker, the writers nail home the message that’s really making certain people squirm:

White men are the greatest threat not just to Black Americans, but all Americans, because TFATWS is as much an indictment of toxic masculinity as it is of bigotry.

As aggressive racism has spread like wildfire since 2016, so has hostile sexism towards women of all colors. John Walker is the embodiment of the hyper aggression that the Proud Boys applaud. The clearest example of this comes when Walker dares to clap the shoulder of Ayo, one of Wakanda’s Dora Milaje.

Her swift and, ahem, pointed response had women the world over screaming like they’d just won the lottery.

One could also argue that Walker’s dogged pursuit of Karli and displaced peoples supporting the Flag Smasher cause mirrors the Trump administration’s war on immigrants.

There are plenty of parallels to draw. The point is, none of them are forced or manufactured or exaggerated. And whether we’re talking about a fictional road in Latvia or a real street in Minnesota, white Americans need to stop avoiding conversations that make them uncomfortable.

The Politics of Comics

In 1938, Americans were still reeling from the Great Depression. Enter Superman, the everyman hero, who made his comic debut while the nation was facing widespread unemployment, rampant poverty, and blatant corruption at every level of government.

Superman could have faced off against any number of supernatural villains. But Siegel and Shuster went a different route, setting a precedent for comic books that has prevailed to this day:

They got political.

Throughout Superman’s earliest adventures, he fought against evil politicians, apathetic bureaucrats, aggressive police officers, greedy businessmen, and even a Washington lobbyist.

Then in 1941, Joe Simon & Jack Kirby introduced Captain America just in time to fight the nazis and free the world from fascism. A couple decades later, Kirby and Stan Lee would tell the tale of the aforementioned Erik Lehnsherr, who survived the horrors of Auschwitz. These comics endured because their passion and nuance transcended entertainment. So what was the secret sauce?

Like Siegel and Shuster, Simon, Kirby, and Stan Lee were Jewish. Representation matters, folks.

Later on, the X-Men weren’t the only conduit through which Marvel supported Civil Rights. In 1966, on the heels of the “March Against Fear” from Memphis, TN to Jackson, MS, Stan Lee & Jack Kirby unveiled Black Panther. When African-Americans were fighting harder than ever, Black children could suddenly read a comic book about T’Challa, the noble warrior king of a highly advanced African nation.

Marvel has never been shy about critiquing foreign policy either. Tony Stark and Iron Man debuted in 1968 as the conflict in Vietnam was escalating. And let’s not forget, Tony made his MCU debut in a film that is a clear indictment of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We could do this all day, but you get the idea.

Comic books have always reflected the politics of our times, and so has the MCU. Fanboys can’t start crying now just because they’re on the wrong side of history. And when they do, we defer to the great Jon Bernthal when asked about alt-righters appropriating the Punisher symbol:

“Fuck them.”

Life Imitates Art

In 1986, American men felt the need for speed. After Top Gun was released, applications to U.S. aviation forces increased by a staggering 500%.

Two years later, Errol Morris exposed police corruption in his film The Thin Blue Line. The documentary prompted a new investigation that eventually exonerated death row inmate Randall Adams for the murder of a police officer.

That same year, the Polish government ceased all executions after leaders were swayed to do so by A Short Film about Killing.

Following the release of Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine in 1999, Kmart bowed to public pressure and stopped selling handgun ammunition.

And 5 years ago, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif changed the law on honor killings in response to the critically-acclaimed film A Girl in the River.

Like we said earlier, film has the power to spur social change. Even if the effects aren’t always so direct and immediate, television and movies have always contributed to the process in America.

Seeing the Ricardos sharing a bed allowed some Americans to start relaxing their prudish ways.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Maude empowered women as they fought for reproductive rights.

The Jeffersons and Good Times facilitated calmer discussions about race relations.

And The Ellen Show led to greater representation of queer people on screen and greater acceptance of queer people in society. Though Ellen herself has become a problematic figure in the last year, that legacy still remains.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is hardly the first show of its kind. And given the impact film has on society, we believe Hollywood has a moral obligation to produce content that exposes society’s ills and fosters productive debate.

Stan Lee would be very proud of the team behind TFATWS for bringing the stark reality of American life into people’s living rooms. The next time you see someone bitching about it, remind them what Stan himself said just a few years ago:

“Those stories have room for everyone, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or color of their skin. The only things we don't have room for are hatred, intolerance, and bigotry.”

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joezworld · 3 years

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📂

What in the HECK happened with Scotsman, Dominion, and Dwight during the Great Gathering?!

(Also, since Dutchess of Hamilton has also been to the US during the 1939 NY World’s Fair, did she get involved?)

Warning - extremely long post below

So, first of all, Duchess of Hamilton never went back to the UK.

Duchess of Hamilton (6229) and Coronation (6220) had their nameplates swapped by the LMS when an engine was sent over to the US. 6229, in the guise of 6220, went to the US.

Streamlined locomotives were all the rage at the time, and railroads practically fell over themselves to get Coronation (as she was now known) onto press trains. The B&O railroad in particular was so impressed with her capabilities that they extended a formal offer of employment to her for service on their streamlined Royal Blue service. The LMS were surprised to get an offer to "purchase" their locomotive, but accepted nonetheless, as it meant a welcome infusion of cash in the dark days during the beginning of WWII.

Coronation fit right in with the Americans, having only been about a year old when she was sent to New York. Following the end of steam traction on the Royal Blue in the late 40s, (the B&O were early adopters of diesels.) she and her B&O coworkers found good employment on the New York Central, where she still runs to this day.

Since then, she's fully "gone native", marrying a J3 Hudson, (yes one of the streamlined ones) adopting both an American accent and three children, and being fully repainted to NYC silver by 1956. Flying Scotsman met her in Albany in 1970, and neither one of them recognized the other.

Actually, most UK expats don't recognize her, to the point where a common interaction is for her to be held up as an example of "look at her, she's integrated well into the US", only for the British engines to say "that's preposterous, she isn't English".

When it's pointed out that she's still obviously an LMS Coronation, the next response is usually screaming.

All that being said, she has no interest to come back to the United Kingdom, and wasn’t asked by the NRM anyways.

---------------

Second of all, the Great Gathering was... an event.

So, there are (officially) 6 preserved Gresley A4s.

Mallard - static, National Railway Museum (UK). Also an asshole.

Bittern - running, private owner, UK based

Sir Nigel Gresley - running, owned by a trust, UK based

Union of South Africa - running, private owner, UK based

Dwight D. Eisenhower - static (officially), National Railway Museum (USA)

Dominion of Canada - static (officially), Exporail (Montréal)

This is the official list, and for the first 4 engines, it's the truth.

However, things are a bit hazier on the other side of the Atlantic...

-----

So the thing that needs to be made clear right up front that in a sentient vehicle world, museums aren't like the NRM, where locomotives sit static for years on end, although obviously the English have museums like that because of course they do.

Rail museums in the rest of the world are much more like Colonial Williamsburg - a living history center staffed by volunteers who act out a prototypical setting from [insert decade here].

British Rail, being British Rail, didn’t know that and didn’t care.

4496, Dwight D. Eisenhower, having been named after the General-turned-President, had been earmarked for preservation by BR, and was summarily shipped off to the US National Railway Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

In an entirely unintentional move, this donation MONUMENTALLY snubbed the Smithsonian, who refused to have any dealings with BR for decades, even for archival purposes. This, combined with the fallout from Operation Smash Hit, and the fact that the Smithsonian is Petty AF, meant that there was virtually no official trans-Atlantic cooperation between British and US museums for decades.

Dwight hit the shores of the US in 1964 New York City and was greeted by a marching band, a ticker-tape parade, and Presidents Johnson and Eisenhower, who were on-hand to personally make the engine a US citizen.

Always keen to curry favor with the government, the Southern Pacific railroad had a job offer waiting for Dwight right alongside the Presidents and the parade, and when he accepted, he went off to Sunny Southern California - someplace so opposed to Britain the he fell in love with the place immediately and refused to leave!

The ladies may have also had something to do with it as well - while most engine classes fell into a typical 50-50 gender distribution, the SP GS-4 class was all female...

[Pictured above - one of 28 very good reasons to live in California if you're a single British steam engine.]

Dwight does not kiss and tell, but at his wedding in 1974, all 28 GS-4s showed up - and he was only marrying one of them!

Since the 70's, he's become a mainstay in California, having been repainted into Daylight Limited colors in 1969, and retiring from railroad duties in 1999. After that, he went into the movie business, and is currently the head of digital media development at Disney.

His wife Irene (SP 4437) is also an interesting figure as well - following in the wheelmarks of the great female locomotives before her, she had an eye for business and a Stanford education before she married her husband, and was an initial investor in multiple tech companies in Silicon Valley during the 70's and 80's, but stopped doing that after her investment in Apple proved very lucrative. In 1996, she was convinced by a few people in the Stanford Alumni association to invest in another tech startup, this one an "internet search engine" called Google.

So yeah, Dwight Eisenhower kept falling up and up and up all his life, and is now married to the richest woman in the world.

4489 Dominion of Canada was donated mostly by accident, having been forgotten in the back of Darlington sheds until 1966, when she was shipped off to the Canadian Railway Historical Society in Montreal.

As stated elsewhere, the Canadian Government considered any locomotive built in the UK to have UK citizenship, and therefore treated them as commonwealth citizens under existing Canadian law. (remember that Canada was still a colony at that time)

CN, the national rail carrier, was obligated to offer her a job under their charter, and she accepted, moving to Toronto to run intercity trains between Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa.

Within two years she was displaced from those duties by the introduction of a new, shiny, jet turbine powered train, and was summarily demoted to local commuter runs in the Toronto suburbs.

Moving to suburbia did one thing more than anything else - expose her to the people who live there. They all had complaints, they all had problems, and they all had no idea on how to fix them.

Being a helpful sort, Dominion decided that she could help, and promptly ran for Toronto city council in 1974. She won, and has been a fixture in local Toronto politics ever since - she even got to be Chairwoman of Metro Toronto (the closest thing to being mayor because Toronto's governmental structure is weird) until 1998, when Toronto was merged with the surrounding area to create a massive new region.

Having then done everything there is to do in municipal Toronto government, Dominion went on to become the Chief Executive Officer of Metrolinx, the agency that controls almost all of the transit agencies in Ontario, because, as she puts it, "I'm still a commuter engine at heart".

She's now painted in the current GO Transit paint scheme, and still does commuter runs- which is really weird looking now that there are double deck commuter coaches in a push-pull configuration, with a Gresley A4 doing the pushing.

------

Now, I mentioned that those 6 were the only ones officially preserved - there were two unofficial preservations as well...

4486 Merlin was properly Shanghied - he was yanked off the docks in Southhampton by a cargo ship in August of 1965, and was spirited away to parts unknown.

Those unknown parts turned out to be South Korea. There, he was given citizenship by the US-aligned military dictatorship (Korean history is wild) and was employed by the State-run rail operator.

As the military government began a hardcore plan to increase their country's wealth and industrial output, rail lines were being built across the country, and Merlin was soon awarded a position on the fastest train in the network, the Seoul-Busan Saemaeul-ho.

Because of his experience in running high-speed express trains, Merlin not only became the public face of Korean high-speed rail, but also became an "honored elder" amongst the other Korean engines, a position he still holds to this day - as despite being over 70 years old, he still runs daily trains on the fast services, easily keeping time with the Korean schedules as well as training the new high speed trains, including the KTX sets. He's on his 24th boiler by now, and has more parts from Hyundai than Doncaster.

An additional fact - Merlin actually has had a linguistic effect on Korean railroading, as his strange amalgamation of an accent - a strong Yorkshire accent that tried to be Received Pronunciation for 30 years, mixed with almost 50 years of middle-to-upper-class Korean - has filtered down through the ranks of KoRail, because all of his students want to sound like him out of respect. Human British expats in Korea will occasionally hear a locomotive speaking in English, and the engine will sound like a Yorkshireman every time and the Brits cannot handle it.

---------

4495 Golden Fleece is the only A4 to preserve himself - he saw the writing on the wall in the early 60s, and hopped a car ferry to France at the end of 1962. From there, he bounced around Europe for a bit before making it to the United States in the late 70's.

Of the 8 surviving A4s, he's probably led the quietest life of all - he moved to Miami before it got nice, and basically got in on the ground floor of CSX when that merger happened in 1980. He's now the head of terminal operations for the Port of Miami, but he's generally kept a low profile - not even having a chance to meet Scotsman due to his time in Europe.

He's still in contact with Dwight and Dominion, and has no real bitterness over not being "famous" like they are - he likes the quiet, and still lives in a modest house in Boynton Beach with his long-term girlfriend.

----------------------

Soooo... the Great Gathering.

It was supposed to be a meeting of the 6 surviving A4s - a two year event held at the NRM in honor of the 75th anniversary of Mallard's record-setting run.

"Record setting" is a past-tense term here. While there have been no official runs, every single one of the Pennsylvania Railroad's T1 and S1 locomotives claim to have gone faster than 126 without meaning to, and numerous other locomotives on unofficial attempts done late at night on flat stretches of land across the country have hit 130+.

British Expats have also done better than 126 - Coronation claims to have hit at least 140 on a midnight mail train in 1980, and in Korea, Merlin claims to have hit 128 on a test train, although that was judged by timing mile markers as his speedometer wasn't functioning properly.

Problems arose before any of the engines had even reached the NRM, as Mallard's already sizeable ego had swelled to massive proportions, and several engines in the great hall were planning a justifiable homicide.

Then came the time restraints - none of the foreign locomotives were willing to uproot their lives and jobs for two years just to sit motionless in a shed. A two year exhibition was eventually negotiated down to a 6 month gala, much to the irritation and confusion of the NRM, who could not understand that the engines were still in service.

Then came the extra engines - Dwight and Dominion thought that the NRM knew about Fleece, and were quite insulted on his behalf when he wasn't invited - they threatened to not attend unless arrangements were made for Fleece to attend as well.

An utterly baffled NRM agreed, but also tore their record archives apart, as they knew that Fleece had been scrapped. The fact that his picture was plastered all over CSX's Florida Division website was all the more confusing as a result.

Meanwhile in Busan, nobody knew that Merlin had escaped the scrappers' torch and therefore did not invite him. He was only informed after K-Pop star Psy texted him from London to ask if he knew about the event, which was being advertised on television.

Merlin, having missed his friends from the LNER, decided that he would just crash the party, used some of his many vacation days, and took off for England on a cargo ship.

By sheer coincidence, all four foreign A4s hit the dock in Southhampton on the same day, and were delighted to see each other - especially Merlin, considering that everyone else had thought he'd died.

Meanwhile at the NRM, delight was not the word one would use. Befuddled, confused, shocked even, but not delighted. Their plans had revolved around 6 A4s, most of which wouldn’t be running - only to now discover that there were 7, all but one of which were functioning! (Mallard, the star of the show, was the odd one out, and it drove him crazy)

Then they got a phone call from their man at the docks saying that another one had showed up, looking like he’d driven out of a K-pop album cover, and they just gave up and started screaming.

Screaming is also what happened when the cavalcade of foreigners showed up in York - first of all, the quartet of new engines sounded nothing like they had when they left England.

Dwight had willfully unlearned his Upper Crust British accent by 1971, and had fallen deep into a California accent (quite similar to what Scotsman sounds like - coincidence? No.)

Dominion and Fleece hadn’t tried to unlearn their accents, but 40+ years of living in North America can really dilute the Britishness. It doesn’t help that Dominion has developed most Canadian vocal tics eh?

As stated above, Merlin has a weird fuckin accent, and now he speaks English with a strong Yorkshire accent, but will occasionally and without warning drop into a Korean/Yorkshire hybrid accent.

The screaming also happened because the NRM had wanted to repaint the duo trio! quartet?! into LNER garter blue, and were promptly informed that “we’re painted like this for work! Don’t touch it!” (the sole exception was Dwight, who hadn’t pulled a real train in 14 years, but he liked his Daylight Limited paint), so instead of the new arrivals showing up in LNER colours, they showed up looking like THIS:

Having their long-lost siblings show up looking and sounding like THAT had quite an affect on the A4s and the other NRM engines:

Bittern could not believe her eyes - to the point where she actually began making noise about seeing an optometrist

Union of South Africa almost backed through a wall

Sir Nigel Gresley was speechless for two days

Mallard was so angry that he actually chipped a tooth during one of his rants about “the impropriety of it all!!”

Evening Star laughed so hard that he managed to derail himself without moving

City of Truro almost cracked a piston from shock

Alycidon spent the entire gala coming up with more and more laser focused jabs at Mallard - who was so easy to fluster that the Deltic needn’t have bothered

Oliver Cromwell and Green Arrow made fast friends with the new arrivals, and spent the entire time learning ‘Americanisms’ to annoy the other engines with.

But what about Flying Scotsman? Where was he in all of this? He was generally considered to be the “leader” of the NRM fleet (much to Mallard’s annoyance), and was usually who the other engines turned to when things started getting out of control.

Did Scotsman calm things down? Like hell he did. The inmates were running the asylum from the moment that Scotsman saw the other A4s - more importantly saw Dwight - and immediately greeted them in flawless Californian.

This actually set off the building’s security alarm, as Flying Scotsman saying “DUDES! Wassup?!” caused such an uproar that the noise broke several exterior windows.

----

And all of this was in the first few days - there were six months left to go.

There was one railtour attempt. It was supposed to feature Bittern and Sir Nigel running in tandem, but instead featured Dwight and Merlin, mainly because Bittern wanted to see what would happen.

They exceeded the max speed limit for steam traction within 15 minutes, sparked a thorough investigation by the RAIB, and got all future steam powered railtours for the Gathering cancelled immediately.

On the plus side, the two engines did prove that it was still possible for a steam train to hit 100 safely.

One thing that baffled the other engines was the inordinately large number of people who turned up just to see Dominion, and the one person who kept turning up to see Fleece - it took a lot of explaining for them to understand that Dominion had been married three times, and had children (adopted) and grandchildren from all three marriages coming to see her. A similar amount of explaining was required to explain that Fleece’s girlfriend/partner wanted to see him too.

The normally chatty Dwight and Scotsman would suddenly clam up whenever Dominion and Fleece teasingly tried to ask about their love lives, something which wasn’t unnoticed by the other engines, but got similarly nowhere.

The answer to why they both shut the hell up was explained when a lot of shouting broke out in the yard of the NRM one day about a month into the exhibition:

Irene Eisenhower, not content to sit in California and count her billions, quickly grew bored without her husband, and decided to go to England and be with him. The fact that she definitely did not fit the UK loading gauge was never even a consideration, and so she just showed up in York on the back of a lorry, having informed no-one of her arrival, and content to just pay off the requisite people if a fuss occurred.

A fuss did occur, and it was only ended when Scotsman managed to convince the museum’s curator (who at this point in his life was regretting ever thinking of this damned gathering) that Irene was a ‘temporary donation’ to the museum.

[Scotsman, who definitely hid his Cali accent from museum staff the entire time, has one of the best poker faces in the world]

Dwight was overjoyed, and so was Scotsman, for initially unclear reasons. Then Irene managed to grab both her husband and Scotsman, dragged them behind a shed, and [THIS IS A PG13 HEADCANON] the both of [PG13]. Turns out that while Scotsman may have slept his way across the US a few times, he was actually ready to settle down with Dwight and Irene - they were a throuple way back in the 70s, and those passions haven’t faded. When Scotsman reluctantly left the US in 74, a lot of the reluctance was because of those two.

This bombshell of a revelation went over interestingly at the NRM. Some engines (Green Arrow) were happy for them, some were incensed (Mallard - although it was for anti-American reasons, not homophobic ones), and some were intensely curious about what was going on in the outside world (Bittern).

The ‘foreigners’ (as Mallard had taken to calling them), were deeply displeased at how their fellow engines were being treated - while a lot of them were ‘in steam’, some were not and might never be again, something they found abhorrent. Unable to do anything at that time, as the NRM was not a for-profit entity and therefore did not have anyone to bribe, (Irene’s solution to things is to throw money at the situation) the engines started talking about how life was different in the outside world - namely that engines were still working hard, even when they were over a century old and running on steam power.

This was of great interest to engines like Evening Star and (6220) Duchess of Hamilton, neither of whom were likely to be steamed again, and Bittern, who was growing more and more curious with each passing day. Dissent began to slowly build against the NRM curators, and the culture of the United Kingdom in general.

One thing the foreigners did try do something about was Ellerman Lines. The poor bastard had been sectioned to show his inner workings, much to the jaw-dropped horror of the foreign A4s, who made such a stink about it that he was moved outside the museum by NRM staff, who must have thought that the engines lacked object permanence or something, because that didn’t make it better!

Irene Eisenhower, who was beginning to get really sick of the nonsense that the NRM called preservation, (Scotsman was not in running condition, and had been hastily reassembled mid-overhaul in order to be cosmetically ready for the event, and let’s not forget poor Ellerman Lines) elected to bring the event to a close on her own after only three months. She did this by eventually putting her immense wealth to good use, and called for a haulage service to rescue the engines from the NRM without the knowledge of the museum staff. Aside from the A4s, she also took Ellerman Lines, Scotsman, and Bittern (who had asked to go) with her, and only bothered to inform Ellerman and Bittern - she was not about risk Scotsman having another “think of England” moment and staying.

The haulage firm was efficient and the cargo ship was waiting, so the engines were in international waters before the NRM opened the next morning.

Much swearing occurred in England that day, and the NRM’s image has yet to fully recover from the PR story that they had sold Flying Scotsman (and Ellerman Lines) to a reclusive American billionaire.

Privately though, the NRM does not care, as that story is a lot better than “Someone stole our engines and we’re not allowed to get them back because as it turns out we’re slaveowners, so no international court will help us.”

Also, despite their multimillion dollar “donation" from the I. Eisenhower Opportunity Fund, they still haven’t been able to fully pacify their engines, all of whom have somehow gotten the idea that they should be running in main line service like they live on Sodor or something...

--------

Dwight, Scotsman, and Irene all live happily together in the sprawling Eisenhower estate in Malibu. Irene is currently lobbying the California state government to legalize polygamy, with moderate success.

Ellerman Lines, after a lot of therapy and a full rebuild, is now working on a short line in Wyoming. He likes the scenery.

Bittern followed Dwight, Irene, and Scotsman to Los Angeles, and used her ‘connections’ (Dwight) to get a supporting role in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Since then, she’s gotten several roles based on her own merits, including an Emmy nomination for Best Guest Appearance in a Comedy.

Merlin spent a few months in LA before he went back to Korea. He is very thankful that he was able to reconnect with his brothers and sisters, and that his homeland has good internet, as he video calls his family across the Pacific almost every day.

Golden Fleece still lives a quiet life in Florida, but finally decided to tie the knot, and married his girlfriend in 2017. The ceremony was supposed to be quiet, but Irene Eisenhower has no idea what that word means.

Dominion of Canada continues to baffle non-local trainspotters when she runs commuter trains into Toronto. She is now a great-grandmother.

7 years later, and the term “Great Gathering” is still a forbidden phrase in the back rooms of the NRM.

#ask response #long #really long #I wrote this for like me and two other people at most #national railway museum #flying scotsman #Headcanon #ttte #ttte adjacent #bittern #mallard #train headcanon #locomotive rights headcanon #extremely specific headcanon #headcanon

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ignooy-nim · 3 years

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STRAY KIDS EXTRA MEMBER (AU) / JAE-LYNN m.list

Stage Name: Jae-Lynn / Jae

Birth Name: Jae-Lynn King

Korean Name: King Ji-Ae (왕지애)

Nicknames: Jae, JL, Lynnie, Hyung/Noona, The Queen (rap persona)

Position: Main dancer, lead vocalist (vocalracha), songwriter, sub-rapper and visual

Birthday: May 1st, 1999

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Height: 5'2" / 157.48 cm

Weight: 115 lbs / 52.163 kg

Hometown: Queens, NYC, NY

Ethnicity: Korean, Argentinian, Russian

Nationality: American

Languages: Korean, English, Spanish (conversational), Japanese & Russian (both in progress)

SKZOO Character: Borae the purple hedgehog

Instruments: Piano, guitar (electric and acoustic), bass guitar, orchestral bass, and learning drums

──────── ❝ skills ❞ ────────

Dancing : ●●●●●

Rapping : ●●●○○

Singing : ●●●●○

Producing : ●●●○○

Song writing : ●●●●○

──────── ❝ traits ❞ ────────

POSITIVE : Honest, hard-working (driven), “street smart”, confident when she wants to be, trustworthy, creative, supportive

NEGATIVE : Loner/ introvert, blunt (doesn’t ‘beat around the bush’), impulsive, no filter, can be very lazy, idealistic, stubborn

PERSONALITY TYPE : INFP-T

VOICE CLAIM : (singing) - Lilith Czar, Emily Vu, Rei Ami, DeVita (rapping) - Qvenn Herby, BJ The Queen, Delilah Bon, Audrey Nuna

FACE CLAIM : NO:ZE (wayb), IG: @/sora_pppp , IG: @/luv_jayne, IG : @/llillily

BODY CLAIM : IG: @/tulllipe, IG : @/4x2a

DANCING STYLE : Bailey Sok, Jade Chynoweth, Briar Nolet, Autumn Miller

──────── ❝ family ❞ ────────

Father - James King (1979) [deceased]

Mother - Elessia Jung-Torres (1982)

(c. '19) Step Father - Rick Torres (1980)

Little Brother - Ezra King (2002)

Older Adopted Sister - Faith King (1998)

Baby Half-Sister - Andrea "Andie" Torres (2020)

─────── ❝ fun facts ❞ ───────

Born in East Elmhurst, Queens, NY to Elessia and James King in 1999.

Since 2019, her mom has been remarried.

As of 2021, Jae has 3 siblings: Faith, Ezra, and Andrea.

Her dad died when she was 9 years old (as stated in Jae's vlive, he was a cop and got killed on the job)

She began to dance at age 2 (ballet and jazz) and as she got older she took on more styles of dance - her favorites being contemporary and hiphop.

Her and her older sister (Faith) were in the same dance classes for most of their lives.

She attended East Elmhurst Community School (K-5) and Louis Armstrong Middle School (6th grade)

She moved to Korea at age 12/13 after getting scouted at her school's dance competition and completing several at-home auditions.

She lived with her grandmother in Gwangjin-gu when she starting training at JYP Entertainment.

She completed middle school at Shingu Middle School and then transferred to Cheongdam High School to finish out her schooling.

She struggled greatly with her Korean when she first moved into the country.

Her hobbies are: playing video games, watching horror movies, listening to/ playing music, doing makeup, and skateboarding.

She has a Minecraft server (that she runs with her brother) where she plays with Stay almost every weekend

She is obsessed with drag race shows (especially Dragula)

She also watches a lot of youtube, mostly Trixie Mattel and Katya, true crime youtubers (Loey Lane, Bailey Sarian, Corpse Husband), and gamers :P

She learned how to play the piano from her grandfather and she taught herself how to play the guitar and bass guitar.

She loves snow and enjoys the colder seasons more than the warmer ones.

When she first started training under JYP, her main focus was dance, but she naturally became a rapper.

As time went on, she transformed into a vocalist to fit into Stray Kids.

She was a trainee at JYP Entertainment for 4½ years.

She was supposed to debut with Twice in 2015.

Since 2018 she has been in a groupchat called 'ghoulfriends' that includes idols: Son Chaeyoung (Twice), Rosé Park (BlackPink), Jeon Somi, Kim Yeri (Red Velvet), Jeon Jiwoo (Kard), Lalisa Manoban (BlackPink), Momo Hiari (Twice), and Shin Ryunjin (Itzy).

She was a co-host of Dive Studios' show 'How Did I Get Here' with Jae Park and AleXa (late 2020 - June 2021).

Her rapper persona used to be 'The Queen', but now she only references the name in present-day work. Now she just goes by Jae-Lynn or Jae-Lynn King.

Her role models are Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Prince and Billie Joe Armstrong.

She has two dogs, a golden retriever named Looney and a bulldog named Beaver.

She also has one black cat named Brownie.

Her mom co-owns a salon with Jae's aunt.

She loves spicy food, and has a strong tolerance for it.

She hates aegyo, and refuses to do it.

She has a lot of stuffed animals that she sleeps with, her favorite being a bear her and Bang Chan made at build-a-bear one year (named Roger).

LOVES BUILD-A-BEAR WITH A PASSION

She is a Hufflepuff (Harry Potter house)

She has said that if she weren't in Stray Kids she wouldn't know what she'd be doing.

She often releases covers or original songs for Stay.

Calls her vlives, 'Jae-Lynn's weekly date with Stay' (usually happens every Friday) , where she likes to react to new music that had come out during the week and give feedback, and sometimes she practices guitar or dances.

Her, Han and IN share a dorm room, which she calls the 'J³ room'.

She has been on 5 survival shows: Sixteen, Unpretty Rapstar 3, Stray Kids, Good Girl, and Kingdom.

She is very close with NCT's Mark Lee - they have been best friends since they met in 2nd grade.

She has her driver's license, and drives her grandmother's old car.

She has 7+ tattoos (& counting) and she also has her nose is pierced.

She has said that she doesn't like to define her sexuality, but if she were to put a label on herself she'd be bisexual.

She collects crystals and incense sticks (has burned sage in the dorm before bc "the vibes are all off")

She is deathly allergic to strawberries, and is mildly allergic to nutmeg and grass.

Her motto: "Until you're ready to look foolish, you'll never have the possibility of being great" - Cher

Jae-Lynn's Type: Jae has said that she thinks all people are beautiful

─────────────────────

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introvertguide · 3 years

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Star Wars: The Franchise

Back in the mid 70s around Modesto, California, it is doubtful that George Lucas could have imagined that his idea for a space opera would become the second highest grossing movie franchise of all time. There has been some questionable content, however, since the groundbreaking original, and the returns have not been as great. There were also some one-offs that a lot of the younger fans might not be aware of. For my own sanity and organization, here is a listing of all feature length movies in the franchise:

Star Wars IV: A New Hope (1977) -

Definitely the most successful film (heck, one of the most successful films of all time) that made almost a billion dollars at the box office worldwide...in the 80s. Amazing. The story mimics the hero's journey as described by Joseph Campbell, giving it basically the most satisfying story imaginable. Nobody except for friend of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, thought it would be as successful as it was. This kind of popularity meant there was going to be some sequels and, since George Lucas was the man behind the whole thing, only one man was about to get tasked with future success.

Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) -

This was a TV movie that was made to cash in on the massive popularity of the first movie while the second one was in production. It is terrible. I generally try to hold back judgement and point out subjective opinions, but I think I can say that this made-for-TV movie is objectively bad. It is the equivalent of a variety show, a format which was popular at the time, and it was awful. It is widely considered to be one of the worst visual productions of all time. Just to give a hint of its awfulness, the movie follows the adventures of Chewbacca's Wookie family and they only speak in growls with no interpretation or subtitles. Laughably awful.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980) -

Arguably the best of the films as far as story and plot, this film was actually directed by Irvin Kershner with a George Lucas story adapted to the screen by Lawrence Kasdan. This film is legitimately fantastic and not just new and fun. It is so well written and directed with the famous reveal between Luke and Darth Vader. It also is incredibly downbeat at the end that perfectly sets up the next film. I personally think this is the best example of fine film in the franchise, although it doesn't have as much big action and no giant space laser. Well worth watching and makes the third film a must see.

Return of the Jedi (1983) -

Well, not as good as the first two, but still pretty darn good. This film introduced the Ewoks and the Endor moon battle. Many fans thought that the introduction of living teddy bears was a mistake that distract from the story. What really made the film, apparently, was the whole sequence at the beginning that takes place at Jabba the Hut's palace and involves Princess Leia in a metal bikini. We also find out that Luke and Leia are twins, so that kiss in the second film suddenly becomes kind of awkward. This becomes kind of a theme from here on out: should we disavow canon or put in throwaway lines and scenes to cover things that were mentioned in previous movies. It plagues the prequels.

The Ewok Adventure (1984) -

I get a lot of garbage about it, but I love these movies because I grew up with them. They are not that great and the copy that I saw over and over had ads from the early 80s throughout. Heavy nostalgia. Also, some of the Ewoks were played by established actors from what is now called Episode VI, Warwick Davis as Wicket and Tony Cox as Widdle. It was a lot of fun, but definitely a higher budgeted TV movie. It did become so successful that it got a theater release as Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure. This naming style stuck around for the spin off films that were made in the late 2010s.

Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985) -

Hot dang, they made a second one with Wilford Brimley! Both of the Ewok films were thought up by George Lucas and sold to ABC. Both films were also given special Emmy awards for special effects. I can't fault either Ewok film as far as visuals since both got the ILM treatment. I have stated that I liked both of these movies more than some of the prequels, and I stand by that.

The Phantom Menace (1999) -

The next three films followed the first three episodes in the Star Wars saga and are now generally known as the prequels. They are also pretty widely hated. One reason for that was the introduction of young Anikan Skywalker (eventual Darth Vader) and his growing attachment to Lord Palpatine (Darth Sidious). The problem with the prequels is that it was a path leading to a result that had been established over 20 years ago in the first film. They also introduced a character named Jar-Jar Binks who was just awful. There was a great pod racing scene and an epic Sith vs. Jedi battle that really were the highlights of the film. The music was also pretty epic, but the film was otherwise not that great. It was completely made under the helm of George Lucas and fans were suddenly starting to wonder if he was the genius they had thought him to be. What I consider to be the best YouTube deep dive movie review of all time, a group called Red Letter Media made a seven part review that explains why the movie was such a problem. You can watch the first part and it will auto load all seven here:

(1) Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Review (Part 1 of 7) - YouTube

Attack of the Clones (2002) -

Alright, here is where things really start to go down hill. There is a fine actor by the name of Hayden Christiansen that is just awful in this film. He is given nothing to do for the most part. He is supposed to be this amazing Jedi general, but he spends most of his time walking around speaking in a very monotone voice. He does have some fun piloting scenes, but he is written as such a whiny brat. There are two epic battles (the coliseum and Dooku vs. Yoda) and we get to see a bounty hunter in action. It does seem like a lot of fan service glued together by boring politics and horrifically bad acting.

Revenge of the Sith (2005) -

This is widely considered the worst of the prequel movies and generally laughable at some points. There is supposed to be an epic lava battle at the end, but it is just a bunch of screaming about a failed bromance. We get to see the end of the characters in the prequel and set up the original movies...that were now almost 30 years old. It was unsatisfying and not even slightly worth the wait. It was at this time that George Lucas said that there would never be a seventh episode that would follow the original trilogy.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) -

There was a very compelling series of Star Wars shorts in 2003 made by Genndy Tartakovsky that did very well. George Lucas saw this and decided that a lot of the most interesting Star Wars events had occurred during the time between the prequels and the original series. Lucasfilm put out an animated movie to test the waters and it was so successful that 7 seasons of great animated adventures were made to show the epic battles that were supposed to take place between the second and third episode. I honestly believe that this was the very best space action of the entire franchise.

The Force Awakens (2015) -

George Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise over to Disney and fans got a new movie that was never supposed to happen. Once Disney came on board, the brand became much more prolific. Until the pandemic, there were plans to put out a Star Wars movie every year for a decade. The first was episode seven and was made by J.J. Abrams. It was similar to the first film (episode IV) in so many ways that fans started to think it was just a remake. It even had a lot of the characters from the original trilogy. It was much better received by fans following the prequels and introduced a storyline that was not already spoiled by previous movies. There was a lot of unnecessary fan service for those who loved the original trilogy. This makes since because it involved Lawrence Kasdan, who helped with the screenplay for episode five and six from the original trilogy.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) -

A full big budget release of a Star Wars movie that wasn't one of the episodes was an interesting idea. It was an entire movie to explain a throwaway line from the original 1977 movie. I lot of people died to get some plans for the big weapon in the first film and people wanted to know exactly how that happened. Actually they didn't. But Disney thought it was a good idea and it seemed like it would make a lot of money (it did). It gave the producers a chance to make a movie with new characters and only mentions of the famous story (this was important because the other actors where making the next episode).

The Last Jedi (2017) -

This was an interesting change of pace from the rest of the films because it seemed to drop the idea of the "chosen one" and say that anyone could be a Jedi. It is basically one giant escape story and is closer to Mad Max in space than it is to the other Star Wars films. It was given in full by Disney to Rian Johnson and it shows. This was the first episode film that had nothing in common with any of the production group from the original trilogy. No Kasdan, no Kirschner, no Lucas, all Disney. It was not very well received.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) -

The worst performing of any of the Star Wars live action feature length films, this was the story of Han Solo. That's it. There is not a lot of history about the character and he is so cool, fans needed to have a stand alone movie about his youth. That's a lie, Disney wanted a movie to come out between episode eight and nine. This was the best that the suits could come up with and it definitely made money, but it is lame.

The Rise of Skywalker (2019) -

Well, the movie completely helmed by Rian Johnson was not popular enough so there was a total retcon situation and this film basically picked up where episode seven left off. It was the same team from episode seven (since that film was so much more popular) and they made a final film that wraps up with a bow. Sort of. There was definitely room in the film world for more Star Wars movies to be made (it is owned by Disney) and I really don't believe it is finished as a franchise.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just in case there are people who were nervous that this was the end of the franchise, there is currently a stand alone film called Rogue Squadron that is supposed to come out in 2023. Thank goodness. There was also the popular Mandalorian series on Disney +. But the franchise has been making huge films for almost 45 years now, so maybe it is time to stop. We have the MCU that has made almost twice as much money as the Star Wars universe, so most movie goers have picked their setting that they want to see. Maybe there could be a crossover (I am kidding, please no) and it would be the most watched film of all time.

#star wars #franchise #lucas #disney #introvert #introverts #movie franchise

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northoftheroad · 3 years

Video

Dick Grayson timeline

Also known as the list I started trying to get the pictures in my 80-year anniversary video in the right order. I have skipped a lot of video games, and a number of Elseworld comics and I have not included for instance every Teen Titans/Titans title Dick has ever been in. And, of course, it does not include every story arc, retelling of Dick’s history or single issue he’s been in. (This video and timeline are reposted for technical reasons...)

1940. Dick Grayson / Robin debuts in Detective Comics # 38. (April issue, but it was released earlier. I have seen both March 5 and 6 named as release date and I’ve also read that this is an approximation. Evidently, the delivery date varied greatly back in the days.)

1943. Movie serial The Batman with Douglas Croft as Robin.

1943. October 25. Publication start of the daily comic strip Batman and Robin. Ends in 1946.

1945. (March.) Batman and Robin’s first appearance in the radio show The Adventures of Superman, with Ronald Liss as Robin.

1947. (February.) The first Robin solo series starts in Star Spangled Comics # 65. Robin - The Boy Wonder (sometimes with the addition of Batman) would continue in SSC until the title ended in July 1952, # 130.

1949. Movie serial The New Adventures of Batman and Robin, with Johnny Duncan as Robin.

1950. Robin’s first outing as Batman (with a Robin symbol instead of a Bat) in DC # 165.

1952. Superman # 76. The first time Batman and Superman meet in comics (it ends with Robin taking Lois Lane to dinner.)

1954. Batman, Robin and Superman team up for the first time in World’s Finest Comics # 71.

1964. First appearance of what would become the Teen Titans, in The Brave and the Bold #54.

1966. Batman: The Movie and the tv show. Burt Ward as Robin.

1966. May 29. Publication start of the daily comic strip Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder. It ends in 1969.

1966. A manga adaptation of Batman is published in Japan, with Jiro Kuwata as main artist. The manga is published 1966-1967 and adapts Silver age Batman stories.

1966. Teen Titans vol 1.

1967. First appearance of Robin of Earth-Two, in Justice League of America #55. (He was considered to be the Dick Grayson from the ”Golden age” stories. As an adult, he was a member of the Justice Society of America, a lawyer, ambassador, and attorney. He went out as Batman once in his career.)

1969. (December.) Dick moves from Gotham to Hudson university in ”One bullet too many!”, Batman # 217. Bruce and Alfred leaves Wayne Manor. Robin will have sporadic solo stories in the Bat titles until the early 1980s.

1972. Batman and Robin in The New Scooby-Doo movies with Casey Kasem voicing Robin.

1973. The Super Friends, animated television series with Batman and Robin and other superheroes. Produced by Hanna-Barbera. Casey Kasem is voice actor for Robin.

1976 (to 1981). The comic book Super Friends adapted the adventures from the television animated series.

1977. The New Adventures of Batman, animated, with Burt Ward as Robin.

1978. Teen Titans vol 1 ends.

1980. (October.) Dick leaves Hudson university, resigned to the fact that he can’t continue as Robin and keep up with college. In ”The Gotham Connection”, in Detective Comics #495.

1980. The New Teen Titans. (# 1 in November.)

1980. (December.) Dick comes to Gotham in Batman # 330. Bruce is disappointed he has left college.

1982. Bruce, Alfred and Dick moves back to Wayne Manor and the Batcave, in Batman # 348.

1984. Dick decides to stop calling himself Robin in Tales of the Teen Titans # 39 (February).

1984. Dick gives Jason Todd his old Robin suit in Batman # 368 (February).

1984. Dick becomes Nightwing in Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (July).

1985-1986. Crisis on Infinite Earths. Earth-Two is erased from continuity. However, that world’s Dick Grayson (still using the name Robin) and Helena Wayne (Huntress), did not perish with their world since they were in the battle against the Anti-Monitor. They were killed and buried at Valhalla Cemetery on the remaining Earth.

1987. The Crisis catch up with Batman with a new version of how Dick left Robin, and a new origin story for Jason Todd, in Batman # 408 (June).

1989. Batman Year Three. Storyline in Batman # 436-439.

1989. In the story arc A Lonely place of Dying, Dick becomes the new co-owner of Haly circus and low-key supports Tim Drake as a new Robin.

1990. The Batman Murders, a novel written by Craig Shaw Gardner with Dick/Nightwing as a prominent character. It takes place in a timeline similar to the comics at the time, after Jason’s death but before Tim.

1992. There were plans for writer/artist Art Thibert to write a miniseries together with Pamela Winesette that would start around New Titans # 93 and end with Dick and Starfire getting married (in New Titans # 100). An editorial shift in DC resulted in the plans being scrapped.

1992. Batman The Animated Series. Loren Lester as Robin.

1992. The Batman Adventures. Tie-in comic to BTAS. Ends in 1995.

1994. KnightsEnd Prodigal. Dick’s first longer stint as Batman, with Tim as Robin.

1995. TAS game.

1995. Nightwing Alfred’s return.

1995. Batman & Robin Adventures, tie-in to BTAS. Ends in 1997.

1995. Batman Forever, with Chris O’Donnell as Dick.

1995. Nightwing vol 1, a 4 issue mini series.

1996. Dick Grayson is Moonwing, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Bruce Wayne, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Moonwing is an amalgamation of Marvel’s Moon Knight and DC’s Nightwing in the Amalgam Universe.

1996. Shadow of the Bat Annual # 4, a medieval fantasy AU where Bruce is the king hiding in his castle while Dick fights in his place as Batman (and is killed).

1996. Nightwing vol 2. Dick moves to Blüdhaven in # 1.

1996. Kingdom Come. Dick is Red Robin and has a daughter, Mar’i, with Starfire.

1997. Batman & Robin. Chris O’Donnell as Dick.

1997. Batman and Captain America. (Earth-3839)

1997. Nightwing Annual # 1. Dick pretends to marry a woman to investigate if she has murdered previous husbands.

1997. The Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet.

1997. Thrillkiller. Elseworld story.

1998. Batman & Mr Freeze: SubZero. Loren Lester as the voice of Dick/Robin.

1998. The Batman Adventures. The Lost Years. 5 issue mini-series, BTAS Dick leaves Gotham, at odds with Batman, and Robin. He travels the world to learn. When he finally returns, he has transformed to Nightwing.

1998. Batman: Gotham Adventures. Continuing BTAS comic, with Dick as Nightwing and Tim as Robin. Ends in 2003.

1998-1999. Batman: Dark Knight of the round table. Elseworld story.

1999. Dick joins the Blüdhaven Police Academy in Nightwing # 32, planning to fight the corruption from the inside.

1999. Dark Victory.

1999. The Kingdom. Sequel/prequel to Kingdom Come.

1999 (-2004). Superman and Batman: Generations. (Earth-3839 again)

2000. Dick gets a job as a cop in Blüdhaven, in Nightwing # 48.

2001. Dick is Batman (and is killed ) in Superman and Batman: Generations # 2.

2001. Robin Year One.

2001. Dick is adopted in the main continuity, in Batman: Gotham Knights # 21.

2001. JLA: Riddle of the Beast. Elsworld story (a fantasy story where Batman keeps Nightwing’s dead body sitting beside him on the throne).

2001–2002. Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, by Frank Miller and more. Dick Grayson, who used to be Robin but was abused and sacked by Batman, has become a Joker-like character, an insane criminal with a healing factor and shape-shifting abilities. In the end, he is killed by Batman.

2002. Batman: Nine lives. Elseworld story. (Set in Gotham in the 1940s, Dick Grayson is a private detective.)

2002. Nightwing becomes the leader of a new line-up of the JLA in the storyline The Obsidian Age (JLA # 69). The former members have disappeared but Batman had a contingency plan: a new team lead by Nightwing.

2003. Teen Titans (tv). Scott Menville as Robin.

2003. Donna Troy is (seemingly) killed in Titans/Young Justice: Graduation day. Nightwing declares that ”The Titans are finished”.

2003. Dick becomes leader of the Outsiders in Outsiders vol 3 # 1. He’s been persuaded by Roy Harper/Arsenal, who claims this team will not be a family, only co-workers.

2003. Dick is fired from the police force in Nightwing # 83, when Police Captain Amy Rohrbach, Dick’s former partner, realizes he is Nightwing.

2003. Batman Adventures vol 2. New tie-in comic to BTAS, where Dick/Nightwing makes the occasional appearance. Ends in 2004.

2004. DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke.

2004. The Batman Strikes. Tie-in comics to the animated tv show The Batman, where Dick will turn up in 2006 (and in # 29, 2007). Ends in 2008.

2005. First issue of Frank Miller’s All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder.

2005. Year One: Batman/Scarecrow.

2005. Nightwing Year One. Storyline in Nightwing # 101-106.

2006. Infinite Crisis. Blüdhaven is destroyed by a gang of supervillains who drop the radioactive Chemo over the city, as vengeance against Nightwing. There were plans to kill Dick in Infinite Crisis, but DC changed their minds and he was badly hurt instead.

2006. Nightwing starts operating in New York in Nightwing # 118.

2006. Batman/The Spirit.

2006. "Inheritance", a novel by former Nightwing and Batman-writer Devin Grayson. It revolves around three superheroes and their former sidekicks – Batman and Nightwing, Green Arrow and Arsenal and Aquaman and Tempest. (I haven’t read this myself, but from what I’ve seen her take on Dick – and Bruce’s and Dick’s relationship – is pretty controversial among fans.)

2006. Dick makes his debut in the animated The Batman (2004). Robin is voiced by Evan Sabara. In the episode ”Artifacts”, an older Dick as Nightwing is voiced by Jerry O’Connell.

2007. Dick steps down as leader of the Outsiders. Batman takes over and tells him ”Go back to the good fight, Dick. Leave the bad fight to us.”

2008. Tiny Titans.

2008. Justice League: The New Frontier. Animated movie adaptation of Darwyn Cooke’s limited series.

2008. Dick becomes curator of The Cloisters in New York, in Nightwing # 141.

2008. Dick Grayson of Earth-43. (Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Red Rain # 1.)

2009. NightLantern/Hal Grayson, an amalgam of Dick and Hal Jordan in a dream world created by Doctor Destiny. Superman/Batman # 60-61.

2009. Nightwing vol 2 ends. Dick moves back to Gotham after Bruce’s ”death”.

2009. Batman: Battle for the Cowl. 3 issues. Jason wants to take over as a more violent Batman, he shoots Damian and leaves Tim for dead before Dick, who is reluctant to put on the cowl, defeats him.

2009. Batman: The Widening Gyre. 6 issue series that was supposed to have a continuation. Dick is Robin (and younger Nightwing) in flashbacks and Nightwing in the present. An elseworld where Bruce is set to marry Silver StCloud, but the flashbacks borrow a lot from canon stories.

2009. Li’l Gotham.

2009. Dick makes his debut as Batman in Batman #687.

2009. Batman & Robin vol 1, with Dick as Batman and Damian as Robin.

2009. Dick/Robin appears in the episode ”The Color of Revenge” of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Dick is voiced by Crawford Wilson.

2010. Young Justice (tv). Robin is voiced by Jesse McCartney.

2010. Batman: Under the Red Hood. Dick/Nightwing is voiced by Neil Patrick Harris.

2010. Dick appears in the episode ”Sidekicks Assemble” of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Young Robin is voiced by Jeremy Shada, older Robin/Nightwing by Crawford Wilson.

2010. Dick appears in Batman Beyond (with an eye patch), vol 3, Hush Beyond. This Hush turns out to be a clone of Dick, made by Amanda Waller to have someone to replace Bruce as Batman if needed.

2011. Flashpoint.

2011. Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons. A mini-series with an alternate university where Dick ends up as the new Doctor Fate.

2011. Nightwing vol. 3. (New 52) When the series start, Dick has moved to his own place in Gotham after having filled in as Batman for ”almost a year”. (Before Flashpoint, he was Batman for more than a year.)

2011. In Batman Beyond vol 4, Dick has a small part in issue 4. There he goes public with that he was Nightwing and claims he was a paid employee and never saw Batman without a mask. (He is not on speaking terms with Bruce.)

2011. Batman Live, stage show with Kamran Darabi-Ford and Michael Pickering as Dick.

2011. Batman: Arkham City. Dick/Nightwing makes no-speaking appearance in the game.

2011. The Court of Owls, storyline i Batman vol 2 about a secret organization that will later be revealed to have ties to Dick’s family.

2012. Young Justice season 2, Dick has become Nightwing, voiced by Jesse McCartney.

2012. Holy Musical B@man. (March 22-25, at Hoover-Leppen Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.) Nick Lang as Robin.

2012. ”The Gray Son” in Nightwing vol 3 # 9. The Grayson family gets a new origin story with the Court of Owls.

2013. Batman Beyond 2.0, where Dick works with Terry McGinnis/Batman.

2013. Dick moves to Chicago in Nightwing vol 3 # 19, following the trail of Tony Zucco, the man who killed his parents.

2013. Batman ’66, comic book continuation of the tv show from 1966.

2013. Arkham Origins (game). Josh Keaton is voice actor for Dick/Robin.

2013. Injustice: Gods Among Us, a video game, Troy Baker as voice actor.

2013. Nightwing is killed in the game tie-in comic Injustice: Gods Among Us #16.

2013. Teen Titans Go. Scott Menville is voice actor for Robin.

2014. In Batman Beyond 2.0 # 17-24, we get a glimpse of an alternate Dick, in the Justice Lord’s timeline, married to Barbara and where they have a son, John.

2014. Nightwing vol 3 ends.

2014. Forever Evil, where Lex Luthor kills Dick to stop a bomb, wired to his heart, to explode. But revives him (possibly only because Batman attacks him).

2014. Grayson. Batman has (pretty much forced) Dick to pretend to remain dead and infiltrate the organisation Spyral.

2014. Son of Batman (DC AMU). Sean Maher is the voice of Dick/Nightwing.

2014. Earth 2: World’s end. On this earth, Dick and Barbara are married and have a son, John. The world is destroyed and Barbara is killed. Dick, who was a reporter, lets John go so the boy can be saved on a spaceship but Dick eventually ends up with Batman, Thomas Wayne, and gets away from the doomed planet.

2014. Nightwing: The Series, a fan-made live action webb-series produced by Ismahawk, with Danny Shepherd as Dick/Nightwing.

2015. Titans Hunt.

2015. Batman vs. Robin (DC AMU). Sean Maher is the voice of Dick/Nightwing.

2015. Arkham Knight (game). Scott Porter is the voice actor for Dick/Nightwing.

2015. Batman: Arkham Knight. Limited series, a prequel to the game. Dick makes a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance.

2015. Batman & Robin Eternal.

2015. Batman Unlimited, a series of direct-to-video animated films (Animal Instincts (May 2015), Monster Mayhem (August 2015) and Mechs vs. Mutants (September 2016) ) and online-shorts inspired by the action figure line produced by Mattel. Dick is Nightwing.

2015. Convergence. DC event featuring characters from earlier continuities. It consist of a main miniseries as well as a number of 2 issue miniseries. In the main story, Dick from Earth 2 teams up with Batman/Thomas Wayne. When they visit the Batcave of pre-Flashpoint Batman Alfred offers Dick a cup of Earl Grey. After Thomas Wayne hs been killed, Dick decides to continue in his footsteps. This story continues in Earth 2: Society.

2015. Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle. 2 Pre-Flashpoint characters, the story ends with Dick and Barbara marrying.

2015. Convergence: The New Teen Titans. NTT from the time of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Dick is married to Koriand’r/Starfire.

2015. Convergence: Detective Comics. Dick Grayson/Robin and Helena Wayne/Huntress of the old Earth-Two are forced to fight Superman Red Son. The story ends with Dick putting on Batman’s suit. (This Dick and Helena were earlier killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 in 1986.)

2015. Dick is the Batman in Earth 2: Society, a continuation of Earth 2: World’s End.

2016. Batman: Bad Blood (DC AMU) Dick/Nightwing is voiced by Sean Maher.

2016. Batman Beyond 2.0 ends. Dick and Bruce seem to reconcile.

2016. Grayson ends.

2016. Nightwing vol 4 (Rebirth).

2016. Return of the Caped Crusaders. Burt Ward as the voice of Dick/Robin.

2016. Superman American Alien # 4, where a young Dick makes an appearance.

2016. Dick moves to Blüdhaven in (Rebirth) Nightwing # 10.

2016. Batman /TMNT Adventures.

2016. Titans (Rebirth comics, discontinued 2019).

2017. Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (DC AMU). Dick/Nightwing is voiced by Sean Maher.

2017. The Lego Batman movie. Michael Cera is the voice of Dick/Robin.

2017. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II.

2017. Batman: White Knight.

2017. Batman vs. Two-Face. Burt Ward is the voice of Dick/Robin.

2017. Batman and Harley Quinn. Loren Lester is the voice of Dick/Nightwing.

2017. Batman and Harley Quinn. 7 issue comic.

2017. Nightwing: The New Order. Dick and Starfire have a son, Jake, in a future where Dick as Nightwing had used a device to nullify superpowers, believing it was the best way to save humanity.

2018. Teen Titans Go. To the Movies. Scott Menville is Dick/Robin.

2018. Dick appears in Batman Beyond (2016) vol 6 # 25. This is another version than in earlier Batman Beyond, he has both his eyes, a beard and a daughter, Elainna. Dick is the mayor of Blüdhaven.

2018. Batman # 55 (September). Dick is shot in the head and the amnesiac Ric storyline begins. He supposedly tries to build a new life in Blüdhaven, away from the Wayne’s and superheroing, while the name Nightwing is used by three cops and a firefighter; however, Dick is soon out fighting crime again.

2018. Titans (tv). Brenton Thwaites is Dick Grayson/Robin.

2018. Batman Ninja. Daisuke Ono is the voice actor for Nightwing.

2018. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II.

2018. Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. Lincoln Melcher is the voice actor for Dickie.

2019. Young Justice: Outsiders. Dick/Nightwing is voiced by Jesse McCartney.

2019. Richard "Dick" Grayson / Robin, the leader of the Tween Titans and adopted son of Bruce Wayne in the animated show DC Super Hero Girls. Debuted in From Bat to Worse (July, 2019) Voice actor Keith Ferguson.

2019. Batman: Hush. (DC AMU). Sean Maher is the voice actor for Dick.

2019. Batman: Last Knight on Earth (where Dick for a time goes by Talon, because the bats were defeated, and he and Barbara have a daughter, Bryce).

2019. DCeased, where Dick is one of the first to succumb to the virus.

2019. Batman: Curse of the White Knight.

2019. Lego DC Batman: Family matters. Will Friedle is the voice actor for Dick/Nightwing.

2019. Tales from the Dark Multiverse. Teen Titans The Judas Contract. Dick and all the other Titans, heroes and most of humanity (I think) are killed by Terra.

2019. Teen Titans Go! vs Teen Titans. Scott Menville is the voice of both Robins.

2019. Nightwing has a small part in the novel “The Court of Owls” by Greg Cox (Titan book).

2019. The Court of Owls have given Dick false memories after he was shot in the head, and he is dressed up as a Talon for a while in the Nightwing comic.

2019. Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.

2019. Batman: Curse of the White Knight. Sequel to Batman: White Knight

2019. Dick (Brenton Thwaites) becomes Nightwing in the last episode of season 2 of Titans.

2020. In the regular Nightwing title, Dick starts to regain his true memories. However, when this is being written, Coronavirus and DC events make it unsure when we’ll get the real Dick back.

2020, March 18. Robin 80th Anniversary special.

2020. Batman: The Adventures Continue. (The continued adventures of BTAS in comic books.)

2020: Dick appears in Titans: Titans Together, as well as Batman: Gotham Nights. Digital comics that seem to take place outside the main continuity.

2020. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (DC AMU). (Nightwing is killed, Damian tries to revive him in a Lazarus pit but his mind never heals.)

2020. Dick regains his memories in Nightwing vol 4 # 74 (September 8), 720 days after he lost them in Batman vol 3 # 55. He gets back into his Nightwing suit in Batman vol 3 # 99.

2021. In the DC possible future-event Future State (January-February 2021), Dick is in two books: Nightwing and Teen Titans.

2021. Dick gets himself a thre-legged puppy in Nightwing vol 4 # 78. Fans in the USA could vote and she got the name Haley (alias Bitewing).

2021. After the relaunch Infinite Frontier, parts of Dick’s pre-Flashpoint history in Blüdhaven has been restored. He has for instance been a cop, and lives in the apartment building he bought during Nightwing vol 2.

2021. In the title Teen Titans Academy, which seems to be a prequel to Future State: Teen Titans, Dick is one of the mentors for a new generation of Titans. Dick also makes appearances in for instance Future State: Gotham, The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries and has a story in Batman: Black & White (2020) # 5.

2021. Dick is Police Commissioner of Gotham in Batman/Catwoman, a 12 issue Black Label miniseries written by Tom King.

2021. Season 3 of Titans.

2021. Dick is an adorable Robin from an alternate universe in Batman/Robin (2019) # 16–21 plus Annual # 1, written by Gene Luen Yang.

2021, September. Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, comic at Webtoon. A fanon-friendly take where Wayne Manor is filled to the brim with (more or less) adopted junior vigilantes.

2021. Injustice: Gods Among Us animated movie, Dick is in there to die and become the new Deadman, I guess. Voice actor Derek Phillips.

2021. Yoshi Sudarso was supposed to be Nightwing/Dick Grayson in a live-action mini-series adaptation of the fanon-friendly webtoon Batman: Wayne Family Adventures by Ismahawk. But after the news broke, it seemed to be stuck in limbo.

2021. Young Justice: Phantoms. Season 4 of the animated show on HBO Max in October.

2021, November. Robin and Batman, a three issue miniseries written about Dick’s first time as Robin. Writer Jeff Lemire, art Dustin Nguyen.

2021. Batman vs Bigby! A Wolf in Gotham. A Batman/Fables crossover limited series where (as far as I understand) everyone stays as a Robin, including Dick.

2021. DC vs Vampires. A 12 issue limited series. In #6 (2022), Nightwing is showed to be the Vampire king and kills several of his family on panel.

2021, September. Batman: The Audio Adventures. Melissa Villase˜njor is voice actor for Robin.

2021, November. Robins, six issue miniseries written by Tim Seeley, the winner of DC’s Round Robin contest.

2021, November. Dark Knights of Steel, Fantasy AU written by Tom Taylor, art by Yasmine Putri. Nightwing/Dick is one of “Batman’s” Robins in this the world.

2021. Nightwing is annoounced as a playable character in the Gotham Knights game, together with Red Hood, Robin (Tim) and Batgirl (Barbara). Voice actor Christopher Sean. The game was published in 2022.

2022. Dick is Robin in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest, stories from the past that are tied to the current continuity via Batman vs. Robin and Lazarus Planet.

2022. Batman: Beyond the White Knight. Sequel to Batman: White Knight and Curse of the White Knight. It is revealed (unless it was in an earlier book) that Jason Todd was the first Robin and Dick was the second.

2022. In the comic book Future State Gotham, Dick used the enhancing drug Brane to gain an edge in the fight against the Magistrate and assorted villains. It enhanced his intelligence and gave him some precognition. He also started to use a Batman-like suit. In the end (#18), Dick sacrifices himself to destroy the ghost of Joe Chill, who had possessed Damian. (🤷‍♀️ Yeah, I know, I wouldn’t pay to read that...)

2022. Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths # 1-7. The Justice League is presumed dead (Nightwing seems to be sure they will come back) and super criminals attack en masse. Along the way, “the Great Darkness” tries to take Nightwing as its new host but he fights it off. At the end of the event, the Justice League disband.

2022. Nightwing is a character in the third season of the animated Harley Quinn on HBO Max, with Harvey Guillen as voice actor.

2022. Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded city. A tie-in prequel to the video game Gotham Knights.

2022. Titans United: Bloodpact. Limited series, set in its own universe as far as I can see.

2023. Batman: The Doom that came to Gotham. Animated movie adaptation of Elseworld comic book from 2000, that takes place in the 1920s. Jason Marsden is voice actor for Dick Grayson.

2023. World’s Finest: Teen Titans. A spin-off from Batman/Superman: World’s Finest.

2023. Titans, a new comic book about the Titan’s residing in Blüdhaven and functioning as the prime superhero team.

#Dick Grayson #Nightwing #Robin #Batman

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ofhunter290 · 3 years

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Shalimar 1978 Songs Pk

Shalimar 1978 Songs Pk Songs

Shalimar 1978 Songs Pk Subban

Shalimar 1978 Songs Pk Song

This will remove all the songs from your queue. Are you sure you want to continue? Clear currently playing song. One Two Cha Cha Cha(From 'Shalimar') Lyrics. Old songs indeed have an unmatchable aura from the rest of the songs. These songs, with the combination of meaningful lyrics and melodious tunes, helped in creating a great hype for their film. While some songs are famous by their title, some are famous by the cast that performs in the songs. SUBSCRIBE for the best Bollywood videos, movies, scenes and songs, all in ONE channel: On the run from the police, S.S. Kumar, a thief, comes across a private invitation to. About Us Shalamar Hospital is committed in the delivery of its tripartite mission of exemplary patient care, high-impact research and education. Over the last 44 years, Shalamar Hospital has evolved into a premier tertiary care medical facility with 500.

Category :Bollywood Songs

A number of songs about turmoil in relationships have been made in Hindi films. It’s not easy to get back to normal after a split with the one you love. This article showcases a detailed perspective of the best Bollywood Breakup songs and Heartbreak songs.

Parting ways with the one you love is never easy. Not every love story has a happy ending. The sentiments associated with a breakup have been expressed colloquially in Hindi films. Since its early days the Hindi film industry has depicted varied emotions centrifugal to lovers parting ways. Emotional turmoil is an aspect that has been thoughtfully captured through songs in Hindi films. Since the black and white era, songs about breakup and heartache have been exceedingly popular. Songs about lovers parting ways are exceedingly popular with Bollywood aficionados. People are able to relate with lyrics in breakup songs, and that’s why these songs are close to the heart of many.

Listeners are able to connect with emotions and feelings conveyed through breakup songs. Heartache and breakups is a bitter slice of reality that is painful, and it’s this pain that is expressed poetically through Bollywood breakup songs. The Hindi film industry is known for its high caliber lyricists. Lyricist’s give new life and meaning to songs with words. Lyrical melodies in Bollywood songs have charmed audiences in different decades. The warmth of emotion that oozes forth in Bollywood breakup songs has mesmerized audiences belonging to different age groups.

Breakup songs and heartbreak songs are popular with both youngsters and the older generation. While youngsters relate to present day songs, the older generation loves listening to sad songs from the decades gone by. The sentiments expressed through breakup songs in Hindi films have touched hearts. Emotive lyrics in breakup songs bring back memories of the past. Listening to songs about breakups or heartbreak help you deal with life as it comes. While opinions differ in regard with whether listening to breakup songs impact a person positively or negatively, the truth of the matter is lyrics in songs about heartbreak can only make you stronger and move forward for a better life.

The lines below showcase a comprehensive list of the best Bollywood breakup songs.

100 Greatest Bollywood Breakup Songs and Heartbreak Songs

Tadap Tadap Ke- Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)

Jag Soona Soona Lage- Om Shanti Om (2007)

Tanahayee- Dil Chahta Hai- (2001)

Jeena Yahan Marna Yahan- Mera Naam Joker (1970)

Bin Tere- I Hate Love Stories- (2010)

Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil- Heer Ranjha (1970)

Kabira- Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani- (2013)

Tum hi Ho- Aashiqui 2 (2013)

Saathi Re Tere Bina Bhi Kya Jeena- Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978)

Tu Jaane Na- Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani- (2009)

Jaane Tu Meri Kya Hai- Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na (2008)

Agar Tum Saath Ho- Tamasha (2015)

Teri Meri- Bodyguard (2011)

Tujhe Bhula Diya- Anjaana Anjaani- (2010)

Mora Piya- Raajneeti (2010)

Tere Bin- Bas Ek Pal (2006)

Pyaar Hai Ya Sazaa- Salaam-e-Ishq (2006)

Bhula Dena- Aashiqui 2 (2013)

Jab Rulana Hi Tha- Aggar (2007)

Tujhe Yaad Na Meri Aaye- Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)

Pardesi Pardesi Jaana Nahin- Raja Hindustani (1996)

Tujhe Sochta Hoon- Jannat 2 (2012)

Woh Lamhe Woh Baaten- Zaher (2005)

Chaha Hai Tujhko- Mann (1999)

Tune Jo Na Kaha- New York (2009)

Dil Ke Armaan Aanshuo Main Beh Gaye- Nikaah (1982)

Sunn Raha Hai- Aashiqui 2 (2013)

Hasi- Hamari Adhuri Kahani- (2015)

Tere Liye- Veer Zaara (2004)

Zindagi Ka Safar- Safar (1970)

Laal Ishq- Goliyon Ki Rasleela…Ramleela (2013)

Hone So Batuyaan- Fitoor (2016)

Tere Naam- Tere Naam (2003)

Manchala- Hasee Tooh Phasee (2014)

Kaise Main Kahon Tujhse- Rehna Hai Tere Dil Main (2001)

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil- Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016)

Ab Tere Bin- Aashiqui (1989)

Lambi Judaai- Hero (1983)

Main Shayar Badnaam- Namak Haram (1973)

Alvida- D- Day (2013)

Main Tenu Samjhawan- Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014)

Chingari Koi Bhadake- Amar Prem (1971)

Re Piya- Aaja Nachle (2007)

Koi Yeh Kaise Bataye- Arth (1983)

Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi- Aandhi (1975)

Din Dhal Jaaye Haaye- Guide (1965)

Hum Bekhudi Mein Tumko Pukare- Kala Pani (1958)

Jiye Toh Jiye Kaise- Saajan (1991)

Pyar Manga Hai Tumhi Se- College Girl (1978)

Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Hansi Sitam- (Kaagaz Ke Phool) (1959)

Mera Kuchh Saaman- Ijaazat (1988)

Dooriyan- Love Aaj Kal(2009)

Justjoo Jiski Thi Usko- Umrao Jaan (1981)

Teri Galiyon Mein Na Rakhenge- Hawas (1971)

Poochoo Na Kaise Maine- Meri Surat Teri Aankhen (1963)

Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin- Agneepath (2012)

Laayi Ve Ne Gayi, Tey Nibhayi Vi Na Gayi- Chalte Chalte (2003)

Bhare Naina- Ra. One (2011)

Do Pal- Veer Zaara (2004)

Yun Hasraton Ke Daag- Adalat (1958)

Zindagi Mein Koi Kabhi Aaye Na Rabba- Musafir (2004)

Dil De Diya Hai- Masti (2004)

Priya Priya- Dil (1990)

Toote Huye Khwabon Me- Madhumati (1958)

Hum Bewfa Hargiz Na Thay- Shalimar (1978)

Jiyien Kyun- Dum Maaro Dum (2011)

Aaoge Jab Tum Sajna- Jab We Met (2007)

Teri Yaad Aati Hain- Saudagar (1991)

Jeena Jeena- Badlapur (2015)

Jeeta Tha Jiske Liye- Dilwale (1994)

Dil Mera Churaya Kyon- Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995)

Who Shaam Kuchj Ajeeb Thi- Khamoshi (1969)

Mujhe Teri Mohabbat Ka Sahara- Aap Aye Bahaar Aye (1971)

Tu Pyaar Hain Kisi Aur Ka- Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahi (1991)

Zindagi Ke Safar Mein Guzar Jaate- Aap Ki Kasam (1974)

Jaane Kahan Gaye Who Din- Mera Naam Joker (1970)

Koi Hota Jisko Apna- Mere Apne (1971)

Kya Hua Tera Wada- Hum Kisise Kam Naheen (1977)

Shikaayat Hain- Jism (2003)

Sach Keh Raha Hai Deewana- Rehnna Hai Tere Dil Mein (2011)

Aur Is Dil Mein Kya Rakha Hai- Imaandaar (1987)

Chod Gaya Balam- Barsaat (1949)

Banake Kyun Bigada Re- Zanjeer (1973)

Chupana Bhi Nahi Aata- Baazigar (1993)

Mere Toote Huye Dil Se- Chhalia (1960)

Mere Dushman Tu Meri Dosti Ko Tarse- Aaye Din Bahaar Ki (1966)

Mere Piya- Tere Mere Sapne (1996)

Toh Phir Aao- Awarapan (2007)

Shisha Ho Ya Dil Ho- Aasha (1980)

Awaarapan Banjarapan- Jism (2003)

Dil Lagane Ki Do Na Saza- Anmol (1993)

Achha Sila Diya Tune Mere Pyaar Ka- Sanam Bewafa (1993)

Yeh Safar- 1942: A Love Story- (1994)

Mera Yaar Mila Dey Saaiyaan- Saathiya (2002)

Koi Jab Tumhara Hriday Tod De- Purab Aur Paschim (1970)

Aye Ajnabi Tu Bhi Kabhi- Dil Se (1998)

Hum Thay Jin Ke Saharay- Safar (1970)

Ab Naam Mohabbat Ke Ilzaam Yeh Aaya Hain- Ghulam (1998)

Tota Tota Sajan Se Kehna- First Love Letter (1991)

Rula Ke Gaya Sapna Mera- Jewal Thief (1967)

Let us know how you like this article. Like it and Rate it below.

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200 Greatest Hard Rock Love Songs and Rock Ballads

Shalimar 1978 Songs Pk Songs

200 Greatest Classic Bollywood Songs

The repertoire of classics in the Hindi film industry is incomparable. This article showcases a list of best classic Bollywood songs..

100 Greatest Bollywood Dance Songs For New Year Parties

The vibe Bollywood music brings onto the dance floor is like no other. The lines below showcase a list of the best Bollywood dance songs for New Year parties.

Shalimar 1978 Songs Pk Subban

Top 100 Bollywood Dance Songs For Freshers’ Parties

Music and dance is the essence of a freshers’ party. Students like to have a good time dancing to the tunes of different songs at a freshers’ bash.

Post Your Comment

tumbou

Oh my God Tujhey Bhula Diya is my all time favourite. It hits the cord straight of my heart. It's lyrics has so much reality in it. Zindagi Kay safar main guzar jaatay is another reality based song that brings tears

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biju

Music has become an integral part pf our daily life. If you listen music, you would not feel any pain.

Shalimar 1978 Songs Pk Song

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bopinion · 3 years

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Book of the month / 2021 / 08 August

I love books. Even though I hardly read any. Because my library is more like a collection of tomes, coffee-table books, limited editions... in short: books in which not "only" the content counts, but also the editorial performance, the presentation, the curating of the topic - the book as a total work of art itself.

Through a different Lens

Stanley Kubrick (& Sean Corcoran, Donald Albrecht, Luc Sante)

Photography / 1997 / Taschen Publishing House

Every now and then, I sentence the kids to watch movies that I think are relevant - whether from a personal or a cinematic point of view. While my little son tends to be served light fare like "Blues Brothers," my big daughter sometimes has to chew a little harder, as happened the other day with "2001: A Space Odyssey." Her enthusiasm was a bit restrained, even if I exclaimed about 23 times, "That movie is from 1968. There were no special effects then, it's all actually built!".

Even regardless of that aspect, this epic can be considered groundbreaking. From the genre reference of the classical music background and the excellent script, to the technological authenticity and the almost psychedelic color scheme, to the revolutionary camera work. Above all, the visual composition of this film is the true mastery of director Stanley Kubrick, who is not considered one of the most important filmmakers of all time for nothing. Of course, I also have the matching book in my library ("The Making of Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey'", also from Taschen, of course), but this time it's about another work of this visually powerful creator: his early work, photography.

"In the Streets of New York" is the title of the publisher's documentary "Through a different Lens" on the occasion of an exhibition of the same name at the Museum of the City of New York. For it was there that Kubrick, just 17 years old, went on his first stalk of optical impressions. In 1945, he signed on as a photographer for the magazine "Look," for which he photographed stories with a human touch in the streets, clubs and sports arenas of New York City for five years. In the process, he captured with his camera just about everything that made up life in the Big Apple in that era: People in the laundromat, the hustle and bustle at Columbia University, sports stars, showgirls in their dressing rooms, performers in the circus, Broadway actresses rehearsing their lines, cab drivers changing a tire, couples kissing on the train platform, shoe shine boys, boxers reconsidering their career choice in the ring corner, patients in their dentist's waiting room, prominent businessmen, politicians, children in the amusement park, and commuters on the Subway.

Even these photographs from Kubrick's younger years reveal a startling sense of composition, tension, and atmosphere, and seem like film stills to never-shot dramas from the jungles of the big city. "This exhibition reveals how (Kubricks) formative years laid the groundwork for his compelling storytelling and dark visual style. They also show a noir side of New York that's no longer around." (Vanity Fair) "Photography, and particularly his years with Look magazine, laid the technical and aesthetic foundations for a way of seeing the world and honed his ability to get it down on film. There, he mastered the skill of framing, composition and lighting to create compelling images," explains Sean Corcoran, curator of the exhibition "Through a different Lens" and co-author of the book. Apparently, it was clear to the young man from the very beginning where his talent lay and how he was able to hone and master it.

Stanley Kubrick was born in New York City on July 26, 1928, as the first of two children. His parents came from Jewish families, and all of his grandparents had immigrated from Austro-Hungarian Galicia. His early passions were excessive reading, cinema and chess. He was first gifted a camera, a Graflex, from his father when he was 13 years old. And he immediately took off as a photographer for the William Howard Taft High School student newspaper. After graduation, he turned his hobby into a career and at the age of 18 became a full-time photographer for Look, to which he had previously sold amateur photos. As early as 1950, Kubrick directed his first documentary, "Day of the Fight", about life in and around the boxing ring, which he had already explored photographically. Although only 16 minutes long, the film was already considered a sensational study at the time. His future career path was set, the rest is history.

"Through a Different Lens" was an extremely successful exhibition, which subsequently also went on tour. Not only Kubrick fans were impressed by the mastery of optical staging that was already visible at an early stage. Corcoran: "Kubrick learned through the camera's lens to be an acute observer of human interactions and to tell stories through images in dynamic narrative sequences. (His) ability to see and translate an individual's complex psychological life into visual form was apparent in his many personality profiles for the publication. His experiences at the magazine (Look) also offered him opportunities to explore a range of artistic expressions. Overall, Kubrick's still photography demonstrates his versatility as an image maker. Look's editors often promoted the straightforward approach of contemporary photojournalism at which Kubrick excelled. It's clear he always got the photographs that were needed for the assignment, but that he was also unafraid to make pictures that excited his own aesthetic sensibility."

Beyond the 100 photographs in the exhibition, the book presents 300 of Kubrick's images, including unpublished shots and outtakes. Annotated by Corcoran, his colleague Donald Albrecht, and renowned writer and critic Luc Sante, who has published most notably in Interview and Harper's. They place the motifs in their context, refer to stylistic aspects, and thus point to Kubrick's (imminent) artistic career. Above all, in contrast to the exhibition, the book offers all friends of photography - whether fans of Kubrick or not - a rare insight into the proverbial pioneering early work of a brilliant artist. And into one of the most interesting eras of the "city that never sleeps" - yes, even Frank Sinatra was photographed by young Kubrick.

From the extensive, mostly euphoric reviews of the book "Through a different Lens" or the oeuvre documented in it, let's take one example each from a professional and an amateur:

"The man who later led a genre to its lonely high point and at the same time to its final point with each of his films knew already at the age of barely 17, that's how old he was at the time, that expression and form shape every impression." (Die Welt)

"I can't praise this book enough. Wonderful collection and very informative. An absolute must for those wishing to understand more of how Kubrick valued the frame." (Yvi on amazon.com)

P.S.: Just for the sake of completeness, let's mention Kubrick's cinematic output after his breakthrough: 1960: Spartacus / 1962: Lolita / 1964: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb / 1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey / 1971: A Clockwork Orange / 1975: Barry Lyndon / 1980: The Shining / 1987: Full Metal Jacket / 1999: Eyes Wide Shut. No, this is not a selection of greatest hits, this is a complete listing. And thus the proof that he has indeed realized a significant peak in the respective genre. His great influence on the history of cinema is also shown by the fact that he is the only director to appear a total of five times in the list of the 100 films with the best critics' ratings.

In addition, two side notes: Kubrick spent several years preparing a film biopic about Napoleon Bonaparte. The preparations were so far along that he could have started production at any time. However, the release of "Waterloo" (1970) and its poor financial results dissuaded him and the film studio from the project. The project has since been known as "The greatest Movie never made". He also dealt intensively with the subject of the Holocaust. After the release of "Schindler's List" (1993), however, he discarded these plans explaining that Steven Spielberg had already told all the essential.

Stanley Kubrick died of a heart attack on March 7, 1999, in his home at Childwickbury Manor near London, where he had lived in seclusion since the 1960s and had set up studio and editing rooms in the former stables.

Here's a short trailer for the exhibition "Trough a different Lens":

https://youtu.be/EgPlnjeBs7E

youtube

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365days365movies · 3 years

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Western August V: Broken Arrow (1950) - Recap (Part Two) and Review

Where’s Jay SIlverheels, by the way?

This is, like, one of his most acclaimed roles, and he hasn’t shown up anywhere yet. Well, before he does, I should elaborate on why I care so goddamn much.

As I said last time, Silverheels was cast as Tonto in 1949, and became the most recognizable Native American or First Nations face in the United States. At the same time as him, another actor was working. His name was Iron Eyes Cody, and he actually also appears in Broken Arrow...somewhere. Cody made his career as a makeup artist...who specialized in redface. Yeah, that’s a weird-ass thing for a Native American actor to take part in, right?

Silverheels and Cody worked together on Broken Arrow, but Jay thought something was off. Still, the two went on in their respective careers. But they would go in two completely different directions.

During the time of Jay’s rise to fame, the Native American Civil RIghts Movement also began. This culminated in 1969 when Richard Oakes, LaNada Means, John Trudell (pictured above) and the Indians of All Tribes protest group occupied Alcatraz for 18 months. Yeah, the prison in the San Francisco Bay. It was originally native lands, so they took it back...until the government stepped in and ended the protest. But that’s a WHOLE other story. The point is, shit was changing. And suddenly, Jay Silverheels was enemy number one.

Like I said before, Hollywood and Native Americans never had the best relationship. Or even a good one. Hell, there’s a 1915 article written by a film executives that said they stole from film sets, but were trustworthy if provided tobacco and firewater, which is NOT AN EXAGGERATION AT ALL OF WHAT THAT DUDE SAID. And extending to Jay’s role of Tonto, Native American depictions in film were quite stereotypical. Broken and simplified English, savage behaviors and a misunderstanding of Western technology, headfeathers and hollering...you know, real racist shit. And since Jay was kind of the face of that to America...his career didn’t go well. And it REALLY didn’t help that he leaned into it.

youtube

Look, Jay was a massive advocate for the Native American Civil Rights movement, and he made that well-known on every possible occasion. However, he also treated Tonto as more of a parody of himself, performing the role for talk shows and commercials, like this above commercial for pizza rolls. And yeah, people were NOT FUCKING HAPPY about that. Native Americans labeled him an “Uncle Tomahawk”, and he was shunned in the community. Meanwhile, Jay’s career was absolutely tanking, barely getting any rolls after 1970. To make things worse, he has a stroke that year. And to make things EVEN worse...let’s get back to Iron Eyes fucking Cody.

In 1971, Iron Eyes Cody was cast by the Keep America Beautiful organization as the “Crying Indian” in their Earth Day commercial. This is the most successful commercial in the history of television, and it launched Iron Eyes Cody into fame as the most recognizable Native American face in the country, if not in the world. He met three Presidents, the Pope, got a stamp, was nominated for statehood...just, ludicrous amounts of acclaim and fame. When asked what his tribal lineage was, he would claim that he was of Cherokee and Cree descent. Just like Johnny Depp did! Which is fitting, because just like Johnny Depp...

IRON EYES CODY WASN’T NATIVE AMERICAN AT ALL

Born Espera Oscar de Corti, he was an Italian kid from Louisiana. Yeah. This guy, this motherfucking guy, made his career playing pretend as a Native American. Remember when I said he was a makeup artist for films, making people look more authentically redface? Yeah, he did that as his job AND AS HIS LIFE. He would also always wear his Native American costume in public, which even Native Americans thought was fucking weird.

And Jay Silverheels KNEW this, by the way. He found out while the two were working together...on Broken Arrow. Which, of course, is why I brought this up. So this must’ve been a goddamn gutpunch for the poor guy. He’s labeled Uncle Tomahawk, while Cody’s being lauded as the best Native American actor ever, AND HE ISN’T EVEN NATIVE AMERICAN. Jesus Christ, this sucks.

Jay Silverheels died of a second stroke in 1980, at the age of 67. Iron Eyes went on to be on Mister Rogers, got even more film roles, and died a successful man in 1999, at the age of 94. There was an attempt to expose him in 1996, but that attempt got backlash from a fuckton of people, including within the Native American community. Only after his death was he finally revealed as the son of Sicilian immigrants who played a fake Native American for the cameras. And to be fair, he did give to Native American charities and causes, he was an advocate for Native American rights, and he at least raised the awareness of Native Americans to people who may not have known or cared about them otherwise. And yet, despite that...

Fuck Iron Eyes Cody. He’s still a dick.

Time to get back to Broken Arrow, huh? Here’s Part One if you missed it!

Recap: Part 2

After the gross-ass flirtation between the two the next day, Cochise arrives to tell Jeffords that he’ll allow the mail through, but nobody else. Jeffords takes the news back to Tucson, and nobody believes him. He’s given resistance specifically from John Lowrie (Robert Griffin), who bets Jeffords money that five mail riders won’t make it through. Jeffords takes the bet, and Milt Duffield is the first to volunteer to ride.

Duffield and four other riders make it through. But in the process, a military wagon train is ambushed by Chochise and his men and slaughtered. This seeming dichotomy leads the men of Tucson to believe that Jeffords is a traitor and siding with the Apache. In response, after a tence-ass altercation in a bar, the men mob together and IMMEDIATELY TRY TO LYNCH HIM JESUS CHRIST

He’s saved at the last minute by General Oliver Howard (Basil Ruysdael), who asks Jeffords to ask for a meeting with Cochise. He agrees to arrange it, if the peace-seeking General agrees to come alone. He does, as the General is actually a decent-ass dude. He’s not racist, and he believes that the Apache should be allowed their territory as well. Sick.

Also sick is the fact that the romance between Jeffords and Sonseeahray is going ahead towards marriage! Gross! Fucking gross. Cochise approves of this, and arranges it with the parents, despite warning them of the troubles ahead. However, that night, Jeffords is almost killed in his sleep by one of the tribesmen. Jeffords stops it, and Cochise intervenes, ashamed by the actions of one of his people. This is Nahilzay (John War Eagle), a rival suitor of Sonseeahray, and a traitor to Cochise’s word. So, to act upon his honor, Cochise kills him. Whoof.

The General comes for the treaty, while Sonseeahray prepares for their wedduuuuuuchh. Sorry, threw up in my mouth a little just then. Anyway, four days pass, and the men of the Apache Tribes have gathered to attempt a peace negotiation with the General. After a round of questions by the generals, the two Americans leave. And at this point, a dissenting voice rises. This voice does not believe the Americans. He says that the Apache don’t need this treaty, but need a new chief who is not softened to war.

But Cochise rightly notes that the Americans are growing in strength, and the Apache are shrinking. He puts it to a vote, and while some men leave, the majority of the Apache agree to peace. The leader of these men takes a new name: Geronimo (Jay SIlverheels). Sick. Geronimo and his new allies leave, ready to continue the war in the stead of the other Apache. But still, overall, there is a tentative peace that’s been struck.

But, of course, Geronimo doesn’t care about peace. He and his men ambush a stagecoach party, accompanied by Jeffords. But Jeffords is able to put out smoke signals that bring Cochise’s Apache to their aid, chasing off these renegades. Looks like the treaty’s working after all! I’m sure that it’s not gonna backfire even a little bit.

Anyway, the wedduuuuching between Jeffouuuughrds and Sonseeeewahray takes place and I stop myself from vomiting all over my computer. There, a wedding prayer is said, and that prayer has been mistaken for being an authentic Apache Prayer for 71 years. It comes from THIS FUCKING MOVIE.

Sixteen days pass, and the peace treaty is still intact. Jeffords and Sonseeahray wax poetic about their love, and I feel like burying my head in the couch pillows to GET AWAY FROM THIS. But that’s interrupted by the arrival of Bob Slade (Mickey Kuhn), the son of racist farmer Ben Slade. He claims that the Apache have stolen their horses, which Cochise doubts. Still, on Jeffords’ suggestion, they go to investigate. And of course...it’s an ambush by Ben Slade, John Lowrie, and their compatriots.

The men fire away, aiming for Cochise. They miss him, and instead hit Jeffords and Sonseeahray, who tagged along for some reason. Slade is killed by Cochise, who escapes with his life. The men realize how severely they’ve fucked up, and they take off for Mexico. Fuck you guys. Jeffords lives, only to see that Sonseeahray is dead. When Cochise returns to find Jeffords and the survivors, they also notice a still-living settler. Jeffords wants to kill him, but Cochise stops him, now fully believing in peace.

Although he grieves, he also recognizes that Sonseearray was a Girl in the Refrigerator all along, and her death has inspired TRUE peace between the settlers and the Apache. And...that’s it.

That’s it?

That’s...one of the most sudden and anticlimactic endings I’ve seen in a while. I’m a little disappointed, to be honest. But OK, before I get on a tangent, let’s do a full review, huh?

Review

Short preamble! I did like this movie...mostly. It’s kind of haunted by the whole underage love interest and the redface. Hard for me to see past that, BUT IF I TRY...I can acknowledge that this is a good movie. I didn’t even mention that it’s loosely based off of a true story! Yeah! Tom Jeffords and Cochise actually did have a relationship. It’s a VERY different story, but their friendship really did exist.

If I was gonna guess my rating ahead of time...I’ll go with a 76%-80%. But let’s see how that holds up in the breakdown.

Cast and Acting - 7/10: Despite the position he’s in, Jimmy Stewart still turns out a great performance in this movie. Sure, watching him kiss Debra Paget make me cry on the inside and outside, but he was good in the role of Jeffords, especially when up against the racist settlers. Jeff Chandler also manages to be good, despite the fucking redface. And Jay Silverheels...Jay was great, even though I thought his role would be more than a single scene. As for the rest...Paget was bad. She was not good in this movie, sorry. And everybody else was basically just OK. Nothing to write home about.

Plot and Writing - 9/10: This was a solid-ass story, and I liked almost every part of it...save the underage romance. Which, no, I AM NOT FORGETTING ABOUT. Dude, Jeffords didn’t do that in real life. So, for the love of GOD, why make his fictional bride fucking 15? Guys...gross. Really fucking gross, Albert Maltz. Other than that, you did a great job, I just wish that wasn’t a part of it. Ugh.

Directing and Cinematography - 10/10: Yeah, Delmer Daves is a legend. I thought of writing the into to these recaps on him, but I really wanted to talk about Jay Silverheels and Iron Eyes Cody. But I’ll get my chance; Delmer Daves also directed 3:10 to Yuma, so I’ll bring him up one of these days. Anyway, Delmer Daves does a great job with this movie, and it’s gorgeously shot. Ernest Palmer is cinematographer, and he also does an excellent job.

Production and Art Design - 9/10: Sure, the settlers look generic, but the Native Americans? Excellent costume design, with a lot of authenticity packed in there. Credit where credit’s due, here.

Music and Editing - 7/10: Well, the music is great here, if not extraordinarily memorable. Hugo Friedhofer does the composition, and he does a great job. But is it iconic? Eh. Not really. I don’t remember it having a massive impact on me, unfortunately. And the editing...is also OK. That ending is weirdly paced for me, and very abrupt. But J. Watson Webb Jr. does a decent enough job, I think.

That’s an 84%. Huh. Genuinely thought it’d be lower.

This is a good movie, don’t get me wrong. But it’s...complicated. I would recommend it with warnings, I’ll put it that way. Good, great even...but complicated. Outside of that, I have to admire the stance to put Native American tribes on a equal stance, respect-wise. For the time, and for the genre, that’s a rarity. So, as always, credit where credit’s due.

Next up, we continue our foray into the classic Western...but stick with Jimmy Stewart. I wanna give him a second chance. And hopefully, this one doesn’t include a romance with a fifteen year-old. Hopefully.

Next: The Naked Spur (1953); dir. Anthony Mann

#broken arrow #film:broken arrow #broken arrow 1950 #delmer daves #james stewart #jeff chandler #debra paget #jay silverheels #western august #western genre #user365 #365 days 365 movies #365 movie challenge #mygifs #my gifs

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architectuul · 3 years

Text

The Architorture Of The Last Two Decades

In 2014 I wrote a text on the Venice Biennale focusing on reading the historic strata of Kosovo’s cities how multiple layers created as a complex result of historic, social circumstances and even of political systems. It was not hard for me to identify the clear traces of every period.

Read also “Emblem Of A Better Germany?”, “The Invisible Church”, “What Fundamentals? Revisiting Treasures in Disguise: The Ominous Ruins of Montenegrin Modernism” and “Is It Possible To Exhibit Architecture?”

The will of Emperor Justinian who, through the glory of Ulpiana, sought to leave his mark on the lands where he hailed from, was clearly visible, just like the influence of the Orthodox church on the Medieval social order through churches and monasteries. The five hundred years of Ottoman rule left traces in every aspect of life by dominating the outlines of localities with their numerous domes and minarets. The stains of the Austro-Hungarian neo-classicism – regardless how indirectly - they pass hereby and all the way to the post-World War Two Yugoslavia, which extended the slogan of “absolute equality of the self-governing socialist order and uniformity of the masses without social classes” to the city development policies via buildings balanced both in cost and expression.

The most difficult period for me to articulate was largely – and still is nowadays – the one following the recent war (since 1999). This may be so due to its close time distance. After all, it is also a physical rule that one cannot see in broader plane the things that are nearer. From a general perspective I have defined this period as confusing, disconcerted, lacking a clear vision, which is also mirrored in in the same confusing, disconcerted measures and forms and lack of vision in its architecture. I still attempt to clarify it, at least by providing my entirely individual viewpoint, without insisting at all on its absolute veracity.

Right after the war there was a huge boom of construction in Prishtina and other Kosovo cities. Initially, it appeared to be a need for shelter, on the one side because of the devastation of the war, and on the other side due to prohibition of construction during the ten-year regime of Milošević. However, soon enough, from a need for shelter it was transformed into a greed for riches. The city began to be treated as a gigantic construction plot where a building had to be erected on every unoccupied spot. Individual houses and residential areas, built with love in the 1980s, covered by tasteful greenery such as in the quarters of Pejton, Bregu i Diellit, Dodona, Tophane or Emshir, were forced to hive those up to the builders in compensation of some apartments. In other words, plots that once communicated gracefully with the individual houses placed in compliance with their size thus creating a harmony amongst them, were violated by the gigantic multi-apartment buildings. In the absence of cadastral books that were stolen by the Milošević regime while they were leaving Kosovo, various wrongdoers had the opportunity to build on numerous public spaces multi-apartment buildings for commercial purposes only.

Another thing that significantly affected the disfigurement of the city was the way socially owned enterprises were privatised. In most cases, the property of these socially owned enterprises was privatised not to revive their industrial or commercial character but seen through the lens of being attractive plots for construction. The most flagrant case if that of “Fazita” quarter in the heart of Prishtina, which overnight was transformed from an economic area with super low density of constructions to a hot construction area for buildings up to 40 stories tall, without giving a second thought to doing any additional interventions public infrastructure needed!

These three scenarios of the city’s destruction: the assault on the individual residence neighbourhoods, the assault on public properties, and the abuse with the privatisation process were not accidental but rather followed a clear strategy for super-profit for the builders. Cities were treated as construction plots with the purpose of maximal appropriation of riches while forgetting entirely the quality of life of citizens, addressing common needs and in the process also destroying, disfiguring, and neglecting the presence of violent and traumatic past.

Therefore, we would not be able to understand this twenty-year period without looking at how those few public spaces left were treated, such as central squares, promenades, parks, etc., that could not be privatized or usurped. Although they were not privatized it does not mean they were not misused. The powers of this time were very clear about the importance of demonstrating their power by being present in the centre of the public. Thus, despite not making any efforts to create any new public spaces, they made no compromise in being present at all costs in the existing ones. For a few years after the war, to continue nowadays, the public spaces were filled with sculptures depicting the protagonists of the recent war. So far, it is quite understandable. They did not do anything that all powers, at least in the last 2500 years of civilisations around the world did not. What is obvious though is the way HOW THEY DID IT?! This in fact leads us to understand WHY THEY DID IT?!

All these sculptures, erected on all squares around Kosovo can easily be divided into two categories. The first category, the one where sculptures feature severe flaws in proportions, made by amateur authors, and the second, the one where sculptures are made correctly within the principles of the post-World War II socialist realism. The latter, mainly done by prominent sculptors from the Republic of Albania where this style was highly developed, often achieve perfection within this style which yet is insufficient to enjoy the status of an artwork as it disregards the necessary component of WORK – TIME. Therefore, we easily note both in the first and second instances that the arrival of these protagonists in the public spaces more than a sincere willingness to honour their sacrifices is a political will to impose and highlight WHO BROUGHT THE FREEDOM. Thus, the entire artistic focus of these works in on detailing and emphasizing the military weaponry and less the psychology and intellect of the protagonists and not at all their sublime ideal: FREEDOM. So, the hero of our freedom may have an intellectual past, such as Hamëz Jashari – teacher, Agim Ramadani – poet and artist, Edmond Hoxha – student, but cast in bronze they cannot ever appear to be without a RIFLE, as it should be emphasized that freedom was a result of the RIFLE alone and in no way of any other activity. This, including the necessary aesthetic socialist-realist speech that was a result of the explicit request of those who commissioned the sculptures of the incoming political power, which is connected with socialist-realism on the ideological plane, wished to demonstrate their political power in this space, and it had to match the political ideology they represented. This is how they laid the foundations of their political future by manifesting their power in the space.

The last element but maybe the most important one that manifests more clear the objectives of “city-builders” of last twenty years, are the phenomenon of Gated Communities as a satellite neighborhoods around Kosovo’s cities. These walled neighborhoods like in medieval cities, where as kind of "welcome" is the lever where you need to be pre-legitimized and filmed by cameras before you enter, today are the shelters of most of those who have been responsible for making our cities. Politicians, city planners, builders, "all kind of patriots owners of our freedom", have given up from the "quality" they created in our cities and their own comfort they find in luxury villas with pools inside walled neighborhoods.

This is very similar to the content of the movie "Elysium" (2013) by Neill Blomkamp, where those responsible for the quality of life on the planet, having turned it into a source of their own benefits without any condition for normal live, had built for themselves the luxury satellite in space where the living environments were fabulous. Although they claimed to have solved not their only permanent way of living luxuriously at the expense of oppressing the other but even the key to immortality, the end of the film does not show the same.

Finally, I do not know whether 20 years are sufficient to name a period with its own name but if I had to do that, based on the fundamental function of architecture – which is to provide the best living facilities, from what the areas constructed in the last twenty years represents, the name that would best fit it would be ARCHITORTURE.

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VAB 13: Arbër Sadiki

Arbër Sadiki (1977), architect, lecturer, critic. Graduated from Polytechnic University of Tirana, he holds a PhD degree from the University of Belgrade focused to the relationship between social circumstances and architecture in Prishtina between: 1945-1990. Assistant curator of the Kosovo pavilion at the 14 Venice Biennale. Nominee of Aga Khan Award for Architecture, Geneva. Recipient of the award “Annual Prize for Scientific Work in the Field of Cultural Heritage”, 2020, awarded by the Ministry of Culture, for his publication entitled: “Architecture of Public Buildings in Prishtina: 1945-1990, Social and Shaping Factors”.

#vab #venice architecture biennale #cold cases

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