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#featuring such iconic elements as how soon is now by the smiths as the theme
hmslusitania · 3 years
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have you ever watched charmed?
that depends entirely on whether you mean the currently (?) airing reboot, which I have not seen, or the late-90s early-00s version, which I binge-watched the first six seasons of the summer before my senior year of high school while I was supposed to be doing health class online so I could graduate early and then never actually got around to finishing.
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brokehorrorfan · 5 years
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Blu-ray Review: Invasion of the Body Snatchers
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Jack Finney tapped into something special when he wrote The Body Snatchers, which was originally serialized in Colliers Magazine throughout 1954 before being collected and released as a novel in 1955. The influential science fiction/horror tale has been adapted into a film for every generation since. It takes little effort to modernize the story, as its core themes remain effective and relevant.
The first film adaptation of The Body Snatchers came in 1956 - just a year after the novel's publication - under the title Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It was later made as 1979’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1993’s Body Snatchers, and 2007’s The Invasion. Despite Finney's denial that his seminal work is a social commentary on communism and/or McCarthyism, each film version reflects a sociopolitical strife of the time.
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While the '78 adaptation starring Donald Sutherland is perhaps the most iconic take on the story, it owes a great deal to the '56 iteration, as it’s as much a remake as it is an adaptation of the novel. The inaugural film is a relatively relatively faithful adaptation, though there are some significant deviations, deftly directed by Don Siegel (Dirty Harry) and written by Daniel Mainwaring (Out of the Past).
Although the title brings to mind cheesy B-movies embracing the era's common alien invasion trope, Invasion of the Body Snatchers was so named to avoid confusion with Val Lewton's 1945 film, The Body Snatcher. In a time when sci-fi was almost exclusively aimed at the youth demographic, Body Snatchers offered a more sophisticated take on the genre in addition to modest-but-effective special effects.
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In the film, Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy, Innerspace) returns home from a medical convention to find his quaint hometown of Santa Mira, California (the fictitious town that Halloween III: Season of the Witch would later borrow for its setting) ostensibly unchanged. However, he soon learns of a purported mass hysteria in which townspeople of all ages believe that their loved ones are not really themselves.
The imposters look, sound, and act like their real counterparts, right down to their memories, but those closest to them notice that they lack their true emotions. After witnessing an identical doppelganger growing in one of the townspeople's homes, Bennell finds himself uncovering a clandestine alien invasion that's rapidly replacing his neighbors and friends with indistinguishable "pod people." Evoking a paranoia similar to John Carpenter's The Thing, neither Bennell nor the viewer knows who has been overtaken.
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers benefits from its brisk pace, particularly when comparing its 80-minute runtime to the '78 adaptation's 115 minutes. McCarthy carries the film with a fine performance. Dana Wynter (Airport) co-stars as Bennell's love interest, while Carolyn Jones (The Addams Family), Larry Gates (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Virginia Christine (The Mummy's Curse), Dabbs Greer (Little House on the Prairie), and a young Sam Peckinpah (director of Straw Dogs and The Wild Bunch) are among the townspeople.
The first cut of the movie featured comedy, but distributor Allied Artists Pictures edited it out in fear that it wouldn't mix with the genre elements. The studio also insisted on including a prologue and epilogue, which finds Bennell recounting his story to a psychiatrist (Whit Bissell, Creature from the Black Lagoon) while being held at a hospital. The framing elements are entirely unnecessary, but I can't help but think the studio was right to remove the humor, which likely would have undercut the impact of the story.
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers has been newly restored in high-definition for a Blu-ray release via Olive Films, with its black-and-white photography looking pristine. Part of the Olive Signature line, the release is limited to 5,000 copies. It comes housed in a slipcase and includes a booklet featuring a scholarly essay by author/film programmer Kier-La Janisse about how the concept of identity crisis is reflected in the movie.
The disc itself is loaded with special features, both new an old. There are two audio commentaries: an insightful track by film historian Richard Harland Smith, and a friendly chat between McCarthy, Wynter, and filmmaker Joe Dante (Gremlins). A two-part visual essay features an excerpt from Siegel's autobiography, A Siegel Film, read by his son, Kristoffer Tabori, followed by Tabori speaking in his own words about his father and the film.
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Dante and fellow cult filmmaker Larry Cohen (who conceived the story for 1993's Body Snatchers) are interviewed to discuss the film’s influence. Two other featurettes - one an appreciation of the film, the other exploring its legacy - offer never-before-seen interviews with McCarthy and Wynter, along with filmmakers John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Mick Garris (The Stand), Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator), and more.
Walter Wagner biographer Matthew Bernstein discusses the controversial producer’s life and career. Extras are rounded out by an interview with McCarthy by Tom Hatten from 1985, an exploration of the filming locations, a featurette about the movie's title, a gallery of production documents (including an unproduced opening narration to have been read by Orson Welles), and the theatrical trailer.
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Although the verdict is out on whether it was intentional, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is often seen as an allegory for Cold War fears. Parallels can also be drawn to conformity and indoctrination. Given the current political climate, a modern rendition would likely resonate with viewers. Meanwhile, the original adaptation holds up over 60 years later as an intriguing, well-told story that provides shocks and thrills for younger viewers as well as thought-provoking content for adults.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is available now on Blu-ray via Olive Films.
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jeremystrele · 3 years
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11 Affordable, Emerging Painters You Should Know!
11 Affordable, Emerging Painters You Should Know!
Art
by Sasha Gattermayr
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‘Her psychologist would call this an escapist fantasy’ by Louise Tate. Photo – Matthew Stanton.
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Left: ‘Garden of no time.’ by Louise Tate. Right: ‘They’re not sure what she was looking for.’ by Louise Tate. Photos – Matthew Stanton.
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Left: ‘She wondered when her life had become such a vast accumulation.’ by Louise Tate. Right: ‘Too many choices.’ by Louise Tate. Photos – Matthew Stanton.
  Louise Tate
Louise Tate’s dreamy oil paintings are self-referential, drawing on her own life experience to illustrate themes relating to care, women and the natural environment. Her canvases depict an imagined utopian world, where nature and the human body flourish symbiotically. There are obvious parallels to draw between her compositions and the sunshine-hued Impressionist paintings of Monet and Bonnard, but with a thread of magic woven through its realism. Disembodied hands edge into scenes, or a pair of singlet straps dance in mid-air by themselves, hinting that the paintings occupy a a playful, otherworldly realm.
‘I often feel as though I’m nourishing the land of my paintings with my hands, just like a gardener who tends to the soil,’ Louise says. In addition to her Impressionist influences, Louise’s stories and characters are inspired by figurative artists Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Toyin Ojih Odutola, as well as Zadie Smith’s fiction and Olivia Laing’s philosophy. Her detailed, intricate works would be in good company amongst these visionary thinkers!
Price point:
$800 – $5,000
Where to find it:
Louise’s new solo exhibition titled Flowerings will be exhibited at Jan Murphy Gallery in Brisbane from 16th March – 10th April.
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Left: ‘Retro Picnic.’ by Bethany Saab. Right: ‘The Neighbour’s Shallots’ by Bethany Saab. Photos – Claire Williams.
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Left: ‘Garlic and Plate from Benna’ by Bethany Saab. Right: ‘Shadows on the Round Table’ by Bethany Saab. Photos – Claire Williams.
Bethany Saab
Looking at her work, it’s hard to believe Bethany Saab only picked up a paint brush for the first time last year. With an established career in psychology, a floristry business and three kids, it’s fair to say that util now, she just didn’t have the time! But to dwell on her lack of formal art training belies Bethany’s obvious talent. The emerging artist is already represented bye and staged her first solo exhibition in January this year – a huge feat in the first twelve months of her practice.
Bethany paints mostly still-lifes using acrylic paints, translating scenes from her home to her canvas with tight, detailed precision. She positions everyday household objects against bold-high contrast backgrounds: the fold of a Kirsten Perry ceramic against a striped table cloth, or a tangerine segment placed on a checkered platter. She often includes the shadows and reflections of objects to create tension and convey mood. Her inspirations span centuries and hemispheres, from Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele to Margaret Olley and Arthur Streeton.
If this is what Bethany’s work looks like just a year into her practice, things are looking bright!
Price point:
$1200-1600
Where to find it:
Michael Reid galleries. Her next solo show is at Michael Reid Northern Beaches in October.
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Photo – Tamas Keefer.
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Amalia Keefer. Photo – Tamas Keefer.
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Photo – Tamas Keefer.
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Photo – Tamas Keefer.
Amalia Keefer
Abstract art can be alienating for some people, but Amalia Keefer makes it all seem so easy. Her big, bright canvases are a symphony of colour and movement, inspired by static moments in her day. She captures feeling and emotion with ease, using colour combinations to express the things words often fail to articulate.
After living in Melbourne for years, working in hospitality and studying textile design, Amalia moved home to Queensland at the beginning of the pandemic. Only then did she have the time, space and financial security to properly turn her attention to painting and focus on honing her style. And how it has flourished!
Price point:
$400 – $1,200
Where to find it:
DM her here on Instagram.
See our full profile on Amalia here.
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Left: ‘Cockhead’ by Mia Boe. Right: ‘Locked Up, Lockdown’ by Mia Boe.
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Left: ‘The New Normal’ by Mia Boe. Right: ‘Anonymous’ by Mia Boe.
Mia Boe
Mia Boe is a descendent of the Butchulla people from K’gari (Fraser Island) in Queensland. Her compositions are politically charged, often depicting Aboriginal bodies in jail or beside slogan-like text, literally spelling out a call for action on racial injustice. 
Though frank about the bleak reality of Australian racism, her paintings are colourful and surreal, depicting scenes without a recognisable time or place. Black bodies populate these landscapes, with long fingers, swollen faces or distended bellies. They are drovers, police, bushrangers and prisoners, constantly locked in states of survival. 
‘All I know is that these strange swellings and stretchings have formed part of my response to the events of 2020, from the bushfires to the movement for black lives to the global pandemic,’ Mia says. She is inspired by iconic artist and Western Arrernte man Albert Namatjira and the ‘gaunt stockman’ typical of Robert Drysdale’s work. She is about to embark on a Masters of Contemporary Art – so watch this space!
Price point:
$1000-$2000 for smaller works, $3000-$6000 for larger works.
Where to find it:
Sunday Salon or on her Instagram here.
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Left: ‘A Leg Up’ by Georgia Spain. Right: ‘Fruit Pickers’ by Georgia Spain. Photos – Jennifer Leahy.
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Left: ‘Reaching out’ by Georgia Spain. Right: ‘Great Outdoors’ by Georgia Spain. Photos – Jennifer Leahy.
Georgia Spain
Georgia Spain thinks her style is always changing but describes her textured, energetic compositions as ‘loose, intuitive mark-making’. Though obviously figurative, her style is almost impressionistic – devoid of hard lines and structured, demarcated bodies. Colours bleed into one another and the boundaries of each figure are only approximate, allowing the people in her paintings to fuse into each other and their surroundings. 
The result is hazy but intoxicating. Shapes spill forth easily from her arrangements, like a flower blooming in fast-motion or metallic oily swirls moving across the surface of a puddle. 
Based in Tasmania, Georgia is currently displaying work in an online exhibition at Egg & Dart called Both Ways Is The Only Way I Want It and preparing for a show through artist-run gallery Good Grief from march 12th – April 1st. 
Price point:
Varies depending on size
Where to find it:
Currently online at Egg & Dart
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Left: Dusk Range. Photo – Jacqui Turk. Right: Painting in Ruby Gap.
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Left: River Red, Study – Dusk. Photo – Jacqui Turk.
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Amber Rendezvous (triptych). Photo – Penny Clay.
Emily Imeson
Emily Imeson’s soaring red landscapes are at once vast and intimate, beckoning the viewer closer and offering moments they might have missed. A recent recipient of the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, Emily’s paintings of the intense Australian wilderness are dynamic, combining deep ochres with burnt orange and pops of pink and blue.
Before travel restrictions were in place, Emily worked on the road, using the side of her four wheel drive as an easel and even hanging rolls of painted canvas from tree branches. This nomadic way of life gives Emily’s paintings a sense of momentum, with movement often crystallised in a single gliding bird or an ambling car which appears diminutive against a glittering inky sky. 
With an appearance at Sydney Contemporary this year, a solo show at Edwina Corlette in August, and a collaboration with social enterprise Two Good Foundation on the artwork for their second cookbook to be released in October, Emily is well on the way to moving into the ‘established artist’ category!
Price point:
$1,200 – $9,000
Where to find it:
At Saint Cloche and online at Art Annex
Read our feature on Emily here.
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‘Polka Face’. Photo – Sunday Salon.
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‘Hot Breakfast in Avalon’. Photo – Sunday Salon.
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‘VB in Palm Cove’. Photo – Sunday Salon.
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Photo – Ben Hosking,
Wes Waddell
Wes Waddell paints abstract artworks largely inspired by elements of Australian culture. Drawing on influences like Ken Done and Euan Heng, his ‘landscapes’ are snapshots of mundane Australian life: cracking a Victoria Bitters on the beach in Palm Cove, or having sunnyside-up eggs on toast for breakfast in Avalon.
Wes will be part of a group show at Brickworks Gallery Castlemaine in March.
Price point:
Varies depending on size.
Where to find it:
Sunday Salon or reach out on Wes’ Instagram here!
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Left: ‘Lamia’s Super Deli’ by Luciana Smith. Right: A new painting soon to be on display at Saint Cloche. Photos – Claudia Lowe for Saint Cloche.
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‘Cat Daddy’s Intuitive Wisdom’ by Luciana Smith. Photo – Claudia Lowe for Saint Cloche.
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Left: ‘Grazie Milione’ by Luciana Smith. Right: ‘Concrete Lawn’ by Luciana Smith. Photos – Claudia Lowe for Saint Cloche.
Luciana Smith
Since she can remember, Luciana Smith has always been drawn to art-making, but it wasn’t until she discovered the vivid works of Sidney Nolan and Jean-Michel Basquiat in high school that she thought painting could be her medium. The surreal settings she creates now contain echoes of these original influences, searching for ways to express the absurdity and contradictions of everyday life through colour and scene. 
‘I’m interested in lived-in spaces, objects, antiques, the absurd, the human, the unseen, the overheard,’ the artist says, outlining the way she seeks out tension in fictional settings to examine the strangeness in our real world. ‘My style is a combination of what I’ve been collecting visually and mentally to create dream-like environments.’
Price point:
$600 – $3,500
Where to find it:
A solo show containing Luciana’s new work will be exhibited at Saint Cloche from April 19th.
Contact Luciana at her website here.
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Left: ‘Your presence is like a warm hug’ by Ella Dunn. Photo – Ella Dunn. Right: ‘I see the ocean from the headland’ by Ella Dunn. Photo -Ruben Bull-Milne.
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Left: ‘Fragile’ by Ella Dunn. Photo -Ruben Bull-Milne. Right: ‘A man and his dog’ by Ella Dunn. Photo – Jonathan Rands.
Ella Dunn
Ella Dunn grew up on a rural property on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, where she turned an old caravan into a darkroom and spent most of her teenage years honing her first artistic passion: photography. Though she discovered painting in her first year at art school, Ella’s experience with a camera proved to be invaluable training for her eventual return to the medium.
‘My paintings are often narrative based, gestural and figurative,’ she says. Now wielding a brush rather than a camera, the artist seeks to distill humorous or absurd moments in familiar everyday settings. Ella’s predilection for storytelling leads her to look outside her medium for inspiration, turning to artists like Bob Dylan and Helen Garner for new types of narrative.
Price Point:
From $500-$3000
Where to find it:
Sunday Salon
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Left: ‘Black Velvet Nasturtiums II’ by Anh Nguyen. Right: ‘Primary Colours and Mirror’ by Anh Nguyen.
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‘John in his studio II’ by Anh Nguyen.
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‘Man and Son’ by Anh Nguyen.
Anh Nguyen
Anh Nguyen has been painting since childhood, slowly honing her style over years and years of practice. The absence of formal art training is perhaps what makes her work so distinct, learning about perspective and perception from studying the work of other ‘painters who engage with the everyday and the world around them, who look at the world with feeling and curiosity’ rather than theory.
Anh’s impressionistic style is rooted in drawing and sketches, a format which allows her to play with light and colour easily. Her paintings encompass anything from tabletop still-lifes to domestic scenery.
Anh has an exhibition at Michael Reid Studio Direct coming up and in a stroke of luck, pre-sales open today!
Price point:
$300 – $3,000
Where to find it:
On Anh’s website or via Instagram DM.
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Alicia Bilyara Finlay Bennett is a Barkindji artist and doula based in Sydney.
Alicia Bilyara Finlay Bennett
Alicia Bilyara Finlay Bennett is a Barkindji artist and doula based in Sydney. With no formal art training, she paints intuitively, with a strong emphasis on storytelling.
Alicia paints with predominantly earth pigments and acrylic polymer on linen or plywood. With bold brushstrokes and sparse, monochromatic palettes, Alicia depicts stories of Country, landscape and Dreaming.
Price Point:
Varies depending on size.
Where to find it:
DM Alicia on Instagram here!
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aion-rsa · 3 years
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Doctor Who Holiday Gift Guide: A Holiday in Who-ville
https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
The Doctor is in, and it’s about time. Although, it should be noted that the Doctor is also in a maximum-security prison, and time is running short for Earth with the return of the Daleks. Thankfully the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, has her Companions, as well as the newly returned Captain Jack Harkness, on hero duty on our little planet.
That is all happening on New Year’s Day in the Doctor Who holiday special, “Revolution of the Daleks.” Debuting on BBC-America at 8 p.m. ET, the January 1 episode picks up from the action following the twelfth season of the revived 56-year-old series, which aired this year from January to March.
Just to recap, that canon-shaking season brought The Master back, regenerated once more as a male human; traveled to Gallifrey, reduced to ruins (again); introduced Time Lord Cybermen, aka CyberMasters. The season ended with the whopper that the Doctor is the Timeless Child from another realm – with a lot more regenerations than previously confirmed — and that she is a being from whence all Time Lords emerged, thanks to DNA splicing. And all that happened before the cliffhanger of the Doctor being imprisoned for life by those intergalactic rent-a-cops the Judoon.
So yeah, a lot happened, and that doesn’t even cover the epic decade in the making surprise return of John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, who is back again for the holiday special.
With so much happening in the world of Doctor Who, it seems like a great time for a themed holiday gift guide, a season in Who-ville, if you will. The items that follow are perfect goodies to wrap up, and stuff in a TARDIS-sized gift bag (bigger on the inside, of course) for all the Whovians in your life. And if you shop for something for yourself, that’s ok; just say you got it for one of your other regenerations.
David Tennant Does A Podcast With … Jodie Whittaker (Free)
You don’t need to spend money to let the Whovian in your life know you’re thinking of them this holiday season. And trust me, if they don’t already know about David Tennant’s podcast, they’ll be thanking you. Tennant, aka the Tenth Doctor, is a delightful human being, and a genuinely engaging conversationalist. And in his podcast – which just wrapped a second season – he converses with famous friends, costars, and newsmakers, such as Neil Gaiman, Ian McKellen, Billie Piper, and Stacey Abrams. His episode with Jodie Whittaker in February 2019, following her first full season as the Doctor, is a special treat. The two discuss getting to know one another on Broadchurch, but also discuss the unique role on Doctor Who – and what it was like for her to be the first woman to step into the part.
Listen to the podcast episode here.
Thirteenth Doctor Mug ($8.95)
Blue shirt, rainbow stripes, and suspenders. If the Whovian in your life is like me, occasionally you want your fandom served up simple along with a cup of coffee. This orb-like mug captures the essence of the Thirteenth Doctor’s outfit with a few basic elements immediately recognizable to other fans. And it looks like it holds a lot of coffee, which is a perk.
Buy the Thirteenth Doctor Mug on Amazon.
Big Finish Audio Plays ($9+)
“I don’t want to go.” These last words of the Tenth Doctor are relatable for most Who fans when they see a character depart from the show, but thankfully there is Big Finish Productions. For more than 20 years, the company has produced Doctor Who audio plays starring cast from the show, including six of the nine living actors to have played the Doctor (with Christopher Eccleston set to reprise his role as the Ninth Doctor in stories to be released in 2021). In addition getting more adventures from favorite characters, Big Finish also has characters collide who never met on screen — such as Missy and River Song, played again by Michelle Gomez and Alex Kingston, in The Diary of River Song. And while Captain Jack Harkness may only be returning to Doctor Who for the holiday special, John Barrowman voices the character in more than two dozen Big Finish dramas.
Listen to the audio plays here.
Doctor Who Face Mask ($12)
Bowties, fezzes, Stetsons; the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) was especially known for his pursuit of the cool fashion – and a lot of hats — and 13 seems to be keeping the pattern going (see the tuxedo and ear cuff listings below). But if it’s one thing that’s cool in 2020, it’s face coverings, and it would not at all be a surprise for the Doctor to exclaim, “I wear a mask now. Masks are cool.” So this item from Liesl Schulz of Sewn by Liesl on Etsy is a timely entry for the Whovian on your gift list. They can also feel like a Time Lord out to protect humanity and can do so with the most minimal of effort by sporting a TARDIS-blue mask emblazoned with 12’s quote.
Buy the Doctor Who Face Mask here.
Thirteenth Doctor Action Figure with Red Top ($13)
I remember the moment we were all treated to the first look of Jodie Whittaker as the doctor in her cool coat, and that blue shirt with rainbow stripes. But by the third episode of Season 11, “Rosa,” the Doctor had switched things up with a red shirt. Even though this wardrobe change is a bold choice — considering red shirts are just bad luck in other sci-fi universes – I’m more partial to Jodie’s crimson shade. As such, this 5.5-inch Doctor action figure with bum bag and sonic screwdriver is a cool collectible for Whovian fans who like a different color on 13. (Although you can get the figure in blue as well, and a TARDIS playset she can fit in.)
Buy the Thirteenth Doctor action figure on Amazon.
Doctor Who Psychology: A Madman with a Box ($15)
What makes an ancient time-and-space traveler tick? How does an immortal deal with death? And why did he once say she “got on very well” with Freud? This book edited by Travis Langley, Ph.D., the fifth in the psychology professor’s “Popular Culture Psychology” series, explores the minds of the Doctor, her Companions, and villains. And while you may not think the Whovian in your life has a lot in common with a Time Lord, Madman delves into what Doctor Who says about human nature, and humanity. Full disclosure: I am a contributor to the book, which contains my interviews with Matt Smith, and David Tennant.
Buy Doctor Who Psychology on Amazon.
Thirteenth Doctor TARDIS Distressed Rainbow T-Shirt ($16+)
Combine the Thirteenth Doctor’s TARDIS, her signature rainbow (which doubles as a symbol for pride and acceptance), with a distressed design, and you have this happy, colorful shirt from Hot Topic. It feels like a retro design out of the 1970s (back when some older Whovians were watching the show on PBS) but celebrates the new Who. Just looking at it puts me in a better mood.
Buy the TARDIS Distressed Rainbow T-Shirt here.
Doctor Who 13th Doctor 3 Piece Gift Set – Journal, Mug & Superbitz Plush ($16.99)
This officially licensed trio of goodies packs a lot of holiday cheer for less than $20. The Thirteenth Doctor Superbitz plushy collectible is incredibly cute, while the 16-page lined journal features a rainbow striped hard cover with the phrase “The Future Is Not Written.” Meanwhile the “13 Is My Lucky Number” sporting a golden TARDIS graphic rounds out this happy little set.
Buy the 13th Doctor 3-Piece Gift Set on Amazon.
Doctor Who Friends and Foes of the 13th Doctor Set B ($25)
Nearly as soon as the Doctor regenerated into 13, she began gathering a family of four with Bradley Walsh’s Graham, Tosin Cole’s Ryan, and Mandip Gill’s Yaz. Yet, in a November interview with the BBC, Jodie Whittaker revealed “the fam as a four is no more,” and that Walsh and Cole would be leaving Doctor Who after the holiday special. But just because Graham and Ryan’s adventure on the show is coming to an end doesn’t mean their characters have to leave the world of your Doctor Who fan. Instead, if you picked up the Doctor 5.5-inch action figure above, you might as well couple it with this “Friends and Foes” set with all three of 13’s original companions.
Buy the Friends and Foes of the 13th Doctor Set B on Amazon.
Ian Leino Doctor Whoville T-shirt ($25)
Artist Ian Leino’s Doctor Whoville tee has been an evolving work for several years now. His Seussian design of all the regenerations of our favorite Time Lord gathered around a holiday TARDIS initially ended with Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor. But over time, he has included John Hurt’s War Doctor, Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor, and now Jodie Whittaker joins the Whos for a snowy celebration. Full disclosure: Ian has become a friend because I love this nerdy mash-up design so much, printed on a high-quality Bella + Canvas shirt. The design is likewise available on a hoodie, and holiday greeting cards.
Buy the Doctor Whoville T-Shirt here.
Hero Within TARDIS Woven Shirt ($45)
Across the globe, the TARDIS is more recognizable as the Doctor’s ultimate companion more than the police call box it’s disguised as. It is iconic and serves as a great inspiration for creative fans. Enter Hero Within, the apparel company that has been killing it with officially licensed, and well-made, nerdy fashion. Currently celebrating its new Doctor Who license, Hero Within has recently unveiled this woven TARDIS button-up shirt that calls to mind a work shirt while unmistakably inspired by the best ship in the universe.
Buy the Hero Within TARDIS Shirt here.
John Barrowman Cameo ($125)
There are few entertainment spectacles quite like a John Barrowman panel at a comic con. The man is a showman, and truly one of the funniest people to encounter at an event. Unfortunately comic cons are on hold at the moment, and the Doctor Who fan in your life might be craving the con experience — and jonesing for John. Thankfully, Barrowman is on Cameo, where he delivers pep talks, sends well wishes, and even sings a tune. And a custom message from Captain Jack Harkness himself is a great way to prepare for the New Year’s Day Special.
Subscribe to John Barrowman on Cameo.
Doctor Who Galaxy Single Ear Cuff ($150)
Jodie Whittaker is not only the first woman to play the Doctor, she is also the first to wear an earring. And what a great earring she debuted with! Designed by Alex Monroe, and available for purchase, the Galaxy Single Ear Cuff is a sterling silver piece that begins on top with a cluster of shooting stars, connected to a 22ct gold plated hand grasping another in harmony. The elegant design conveys much about the Doctor’s philosophy, but this jewelry is striking even absent any knowledge of the show. Monroe likewise created a Doctor Who Companion single stud earring of clasping hands, and a Galaxy necklace to complement the other pieces.
Buy the Doctor Who Galaxy Single Ear Cuff here.
The Thirteenth Doctor’s Tuxedo ($247+)
When Doctor Who returned for its twelfth season earlier this year, the Doctor sported a tuxedo that evoked the wardrobe of her previous generations, and basically had fandom freaking out with excitement. The outfit was likewise a nod to James Bond for the “Spyfall” espionage episodes. Well, Tamsin Hartnell of the “The Ultimate Guide to the Fashion of Doctor Who” has done an impressive job assembling the items for the Doctor’s tux for those who might want to recreate it. The Doctor’s double-breasted opera coat by Paul Smith runs for about $1450 alone (if you can find it). However, Tamsin helpfully suggests alternatives to creating an everyday cosplay of the outfit starting around $160, with the official black and gold bowtie by Blue Eyes Bowtie costing about $87. This will take some work to put the look together, but it’s time well spent. Also, take a look around the Ultimate Guide blog as it is chockful of interesting Doctor Who fashion info.
Assemble the Thirteenth Doctor’s look with this guide.
GeekOrthodoxArt TARDIS Stained Glass ($750)
For a thousand years the art medium of stained glass has been used to honor iconic figures and commemorate grand moments of historic and religious significance. And in the 21st Century, pop culture institutions can hold near religious importance, and are worthy of representation in this art form. So why not take your giftee’s Doctor Who fandom to the next level? This custom-made TARDIS stained glass artwork uses the medium’s traditional copper foil method and is composed from over 75 pieces of hand-cut glass. Crafted by GeekOrthodoxArt, the piece measures 12″ x 24″. The stained-glass design is likewise available as a $20 high-resolution professional grade vinyl window cling. (Also, if you want to make this gift even cooler for your Who fan, you can let them know that John Barrowman loved it so much, he bought one at the Pensacon event in 2018.)
Buy the TARDIS Stained Glass here.
TARDIS ($5800+)
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Much to this writer’s dismay, there is no pre-owned time machine lot to buy a working TARDIS for the Whovian on your gift list. But you can get pretty close. Iconic Studio Creations can build a custom, officially licensed, full-size TARDIS replica (well, technically, it’s a replica of the TARDIS in the guise of a police call box, thanks to the craft’s chameleon circuit). While not bigger on the inside, this is as close to the real deal as you can get, and ISC has worked with the BBC in building these babies. Sure, it’s a little expensive, but you can’t put a price tag on love – or time traveling ships. Iconic also creates replicas of Daleks, and a remote-controlled K-9, who would fit nicely in a new TARDIS. And if you prefer your time machine to have more practical applications, you can always get a DeLorean for your giftee.
Visit Iconic Studio Creations here.
The post Doctor Who Holiday Gift Guide: A Holiday in Who-ville appeared first on Den of Geek.
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teachcmb56 · 6 years
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One of the first literary elements that students understand as they begin to read is character.  They learn that a character is a person, animal, being, or thing moving the story along a plot line. Many of the characters in books they can read independently have recognizable traits:
The Pigeon in Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is always stubborn and demanding;
Horrible Harry of the Horrible Harry Series is always rebellious.
Jack Smith of The Magic Treehouse Series is always smart and courageous.
Judy Moody of the Judy Moody Series is always determined and…well, moody.
The characters in series books at these elementary grade levels (K-3) are predictable. Students are able to practice reading because they are familiar with characters such as Ramona, Dog Man, Nate the Great, Captain Underpants, Amelia Bedelia, and Frog and Toad.
These characters’ thoughts and feelings may shift when they react to different problems or conflicts. But these characters do not change. They are static; they are not complex characters.
The dominance of static characters in the elementary grades can be an issue when students are faced with an assessment question:
“How did [the character] change? What caused this change?”
This particular question comes from the Teacher’s College Grade 3 Reading Units of Study, but other literacy programs also ask about character change.
It is important to understand that the word “change” is synonymous with a radical, transformative process. The etymology of the word change (c.1300) is “to undergo alteration, become different.” The Collins dictionary defines change as:
1. to put or take (a thing) in place of something else; substitute for, replace with, or transfer to another of a similar kind
2.  to give and receive reciprocally; exchange; switch
3. a. to cause to become different; alter; transform; convert 
    b. to undergo a variation of
The kind of change in character that matches this transformative meaning is difficult to find at the lower reading levels. A well-crafted character who “converts” or “alters” in a low-level text is unusual for any combination of reasons including choices in brevity, vocabulary, and text structure.
For most students who are reading at or below a Grade 3 reading level, there are few complex texts that they can independently read to determine a character change. Instead, the characters in the book series that are favored by students such as  Geronimo Stilton, The Boxcar Children, or Ivy and Bean, are intentionally crafted by authors so the characters remain the same while the plot or the settings change.
There are exceptions, of course. The Grinch in Dr. Seuss’s classic story (not film) The Grinch that Stole Christmas undergoes a transformational character change, but at the Lexile 731/level P,  the book is most often used in the classroom as a read-aloud. There are few mentor texts like the Grinch that can give students the opportunity to practice for an assessment on character change.
The limited number of stories with complex characters at the lower grade levels means that students do not have enough independent practice on their own with this concept. The leap from the predictable characters in a series (Babymouse, Henry& Mudge, Little House on the Prairie) to the kind of complex character change that is found in Maddie in Eleanor Estes The Hundred Dresses or in Jonas in Lois Lowrey’s The Giver can be a high bar for many elementary or even intermediate readers.
So, why ask students at the lower elementary levels about character change at all? The phrase “character change” does not appear in the ELA Common Core State Standards (CCSS) until Grade 6 when students should:
“…describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. (RL.6.3)”
Instead, the CCSS states students in grades 3-5 should be able to:
describe characters (traits, motivations, or feelings) and “explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events” (RL.3.3 )
describe character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text ( a character’s thoughts, words, or actions (RL.4.3)
compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (RL.5.3)
Maybe the intent of asking students at the lower elementary levels about character change is to prepare students for the complex texts they will read in the upper grades. If this is the case, there should be some consideration of what resources could be used to support this kind of character study, especially as most books in elementary reading libraries feature characters that are purposefully crafted to be static. The characters are designed to be familiar to allow students to practice fluency and accuracy. Asking students to find evidence to show a character change when there is no change is an inauthentic exercise.
There is also a danger in assessing a student’s understanding of character change too soon in their literary lives. Teachers also should be careful not to elevate what is a shift in a character’s attitude to be equal to a  change in character. Guiding elementary students to answer “character change” by using evidence that shows how a character may think or feel differently can muddy a later understanding of what character change really means.
Students should not have to answer assessment questions that ask for evidence of character change where there is none. Instead, at the lower grade levels, students should be ready to answer assessment questions that draw attention to the differences in a character’s attitude, thoughts or feelings:
“How did the character react to the problem?”
“What caused the character’s reaction?”
“What are the character’s thoughts and feelings now?”
“Does this character have a different attitude?”
Most of the books in elementary school libraries can support these kinds of questions, which are closely aligned to the ELA CCSS for grades K-5. Finding the evidence that shows a difference in a character’s attitude, thoughts, or feelings is a task that elementary students can do in both mentor texts and in their leveled reading.
Identifying a character’s shift in attitude can also help students better understand the theme or message of the book, for example:
“Yes, this is where I want to be! The Circus is the place for me.” –Put Me in the Zoo. 
“Pete, you don’t need magic sunglasses to see things in a new way! Just remember to see the good in everyday!” Pete the Cat and the Magic Sunglasses
“And for all I know he is sitting there still, under his favorite cork tree, smelling the flowers just quietly. He is very happy.”-The Story of Ferdinand
Of course, there are those iconic characters who have been designed to be so static that a question about a difference in attitude, thoughts or feelings is pointless. Just ask Max of Where the Wild Things Are.  He is still in his wolf suit when he returns home “where he found his supper waiting for him and it was still hot.”
Is a Question about Character Change in Elementary Texts Worth Asking? Part 1 One of the first literary elements that students understand as they begin to read is character.
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allineednow · 6 years
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<p>How Sweet Home Sparked Resident Evil & the Survival Horror Genre</p>
This article originally appeared at Den of Geek UK.
Ring, Audition, Dark Water, Onibaba, House, Kuroneko. . . Ask a prominent horror to be named by movie fans, and one of those names would likely come up. Ask most video game fanatics to mention a Japanese horror game, and they'd probably reply with Resident Evil, Silent Hill, or, when they are feeling a bit retro, Splatterhouseor Castlevania.
There's one name that almost certainly will not come up in conversations about either category: Sweet Home. Yet this 1989 horror, and the video game of the same name released with it, unintentionally helped define an entire genre - and even spawn the Resident Evilfranchise, that is still going 20 years later.
The Sweet Homemovie is a curious genre mishmash with an impressive pedigree. It was written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, a filmmaker who would earn much broader critical attention for such movies as Pulse(2001) and Tokyo Sonata (2008). Its special makeup effects were created by Dick Smith, who made Linda Blair look possessed in The Exorcist, and famously awakened heads in David Cronenberg's Scanners. Sweet Home's manufacturer was Juzo Itami, in the late-80s well known for his "ramen western" Tampopoand as an actor in such movies as Lady Snowblood.
Sweet Home's fashion, which echoes everything from Italian bloodbath epics of the 1970s and 80s to Robert Wise's The Haunting to Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist, almost borders on pastiche. Its story sees a group of filmmakers - plus the director daughter, Emi, who is along for the school holidays - enter a deserted mansion to make a film about a famous artist's work. The artist's mansion is said to contain one of the last frescoes, and present it to the public for the first time and the team are determined to clean the painting up. But the filmmakers awaken the ghost of the artist wife, by poking around the old building that is crumbling, and her supernatural shadow has a deadly effect on anyone it reaches.
Acted and directed with the tone of a horror-comedy, Sweet Home shortly switches gear once the supernatural events kick in: the ghost's shadow is capable of burning and dissolving mortal bodies, with spectacularly gruesome results. In one scene, a cameraman's lower body is reduced to a streak of goo. In another, an old man (played by manufacturer Juzo Itami) is stripped to his bare bones. That is apparently because Itami and he fell out while the movie was in production if the minimal fashion of Kiyoshi Kurosawa seems missing. Itami, a manufacturer, altered Kurosawa's cut considerably, and had his own ideas as to what the film should look like.
Kurosawa's fingerprints can nevertheless be found in Sweet Home's more vivid moments, however. The sequences where his characters flee from enormous, finger-like shadows are wonderfully eerie, and the final third, where TV manufacturer Akiko (Nobuko Miyatomo, the manufacturer's wife) faces the mansion's demonic forces alone are really effective - all Poltergeist-fashion optical effects and loathsome prosthetics.
Sweet Home could be considered a fun yet insignificant footnote in Western cinema - or at any rate a relic from Kurosawa's earlier career that he might prefer to forget - were it not for its revolutionary ties with the video game firm Capcom. Games adapted from movies were common in the 1980s, but Sweet Home was different, in that the game and the film were developed in tandem and released almost at exactly the exact same time. While Itami and Kurosawa created the film, designer Tokuro Fujiwara worked on the video game - a top-down action RPG set in the very same haunted mansion.
Fujiwara was already an established creative force at Capcom by 1989, having directed or produced classics of the era like Ghosts 'n Goblins (a platformer with a comic-horror theme) and Bionic Commando. Sweet Home, however, was far slower-paced and story driven than most of his earlier titles, also, because it was designed for the Famicom - Japan's version of the Nintendo Entertainment System - it could be given far more depth than the quick-fix arcade games of the era.
Itami and Kurosawa appeared to have a bit of input since they are credited as the designer and manufacturer respectively. In an interview with Japanese magazine Continue, Fujiawara also recalls that he was permitted to go to the movie's studio and "use the movie as reference."
"I must see the movie and have a tour of the film studio," Fujiwara said, "and use whatever character I thought would work in the game. I carefully considered the way to go about bringing elements from the movie to the game screen."  
It is also among the most console names of its era while the game departs from the movie in some ways. The characters in the film appear in the game, each with their own specific abilities - the director has a cigarette lighter, the art restorer carries a vacuum cleaner - that come in handy at particular moments of the game. Randomly-spawning monsters replace the deadly shadows of the film, but an air of dread tension still remains. When a character dies, they're gone for good, and the game's ending changes depending on who makes it out of the mansion alive. Some of the set-pieces of the movie remain including the cameraman who is cut in half and the old man that is melting that is incredible.
See related 
Resident Evil 7's Haunted Homecoming
Clock Tower: The Unsettling Horror Game Inspired by Dario Argento's Phenomena
Despite being one of the more powerful RPGs available for Nintendo's console, Sweet Home was never released outside of Japan - possibly due to its fairly extreme moments of gore, which would have had Nintendo of America running for the hills. All of this might indicate that, like the film, Sweet Home could have been categorized as a curio in the 8-bit era, were it not for its direct influence on one of the main horror movies of all time.
Four years after he made Sweet Home, Fujiwara and his colleagues at Capcom started to look at Sony's first foray into the console market, the PlayStation, and what they might be able to develop for this.
"Once the PlayStation was released," Fujiwara recalls, "conversation turned towards the notion of starting an original franchise. The basic assumption was that I'd be able to do the things that I was not able to include in Sweet Home. It was about the graphics front that my frustration had been building up. I was also convinced that horror games could become a genre in themselves."  
Shinji Mikami, who would direct under Fujiwara's guidance, recalls that he was certain that a horror title would be a sales success.
"[Fujiwara] stated that he wanted us to make a horror game using systems from Sweet Home, which was a horror game for the Famicom that he'd directed," Mikami informed Gamespot  at 2016.   "I was actually a big fan of Sweet Home, and he was a person that I really respected, so I was excited about the job from the beginning. But I was a bit worried about how well a horror game would really sell."
Fujiwara's PlayStation horror game was originally intended as a direct remake of Sweet Home, before the decision was made to spin it out into its own separate entity known as Biohazard- or Resident Evil, because it would soon become known in the west. While much changed during Resident Evil's development, using a first-person viewpoint explored before a third-person perspective was selected, much stayed from Sweet Home. The action takes place mostly in a mansion, it features multiple endings, and Mikami notes that even a number of the thing management systems are closely modeled after those in Sweet Home. Resident Evil's designers also toyed with a similar, supernatural threat to Sweet Home in an early build, before incorporating the now-iconic zombies to the mix as the game developed. Resident Evil started to enormous acclaim in 1996 and, with that, the survival horror genre has been born.
While other games had an undoubted influence on Resident Evil - Alone in the Dark gave Mikami and Fujiwara the notion of having a fixed camera, for example - that the Capcom classic owes a considerable debt to Sweet Home. Indeed, it's somewhat sad that both the game and the film are so vague in the west. The game is generally considered an interesting bit of trivia in Resident Evil's early history by gamers, while the film is, in turn, obscured by the game.  
Up to now, Sweet Homehas never had an official DVD release, likely due to the bad blood between its producer and director. Sweet Home can be viewed in decidedly unofficial form, either on famous streaming websites or by ordering a DVD from this website, but the muddy, low-definition transfers are far from perfect. As for Kurosawa's first cut of this film - well, that's likely in a record somewhere, waiting to be rediscovered.
Kurosawa is now one of Japan's most respected directors, and his most recent film, Creepy, is an effective return to the horror genre he lit up so disquietingly with Pulse. Sweet Home might not be a film he is especially proud of - hailing as it does from the stage in his career when Kurosawa was creating low-budget erotic and gangster pictures - but it remains a fascinating entry in the Japanese horror genre.
Like the gothic house in its center, Sweet Home was shunned for nearly three decades, but it remains the dark seed from which the survival horror genre first emerged.
Read the full Den of Geek NYCC Special Edition Magazine right here!
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