#while kevin is like. in the medical sense of shock. making plans in his head to change his entire life | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bugheadfangirl · 5 years

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(Thank you so much for the prompt! I absolutely love it and am honored to write it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. )

"You did such an amazing job, babe." Jughead whispers placing a soft kiss on Betty's forehead. Her lips turn upward into a small tired smile as she gazes lovingly in his blue eyes.

"I would have never been able to do it without you." Betty's smile grows before Jughead's lips meet hers. Their lips move slowly, gently as if one harsh movement would shatter them both. They get lost in the kiss, a sweet haven full of love and affection. The chaos that went down moments before vanish away leaving only this perfect moment.

All too soon the nurse's soft voice pulls them back into reality. "Congratulations on your healthy twin baby girls. What would you like to name them?" They pull away from the kiss as a soft pink bundle is placed gently on Betty's chest. "Dad, would you like the hold the other one?" The nurse offers before handing Jughead the other bundle.

Betty glances down to see the soft face and bright blue eyes of her baby girl. The small nose and pale pink lips brings tears to her emerald green eyes. "Juggy, she's perfect. She has your eyes." Betty gently runs her thumb down her daughter's cheek. "I want to name her Juliet. What do you think?" Betty looks over to Jughead who has the brightest smile on his face.

"I love it." His eyes gleam with happiness. "What about Rosaline for this little one?" Jughead looks down at the identical baby in his arms. The baby opens her mouth and smiles revealing her gums to him. "She likes it!" He laughs before gently placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Continuing the theme of Romeo and Juliet are we?" Betty giggles. "Oh, and that's not because she likes it. Babies up until two months smile as a reaction to gas. Maybe you should do your research next time." She teases before nodding her head. "I love it. Welcome to the world Juliet and Rosaline." And with that said, Jughead bends his head down and connects his lips with Betty's.

Two days pass before they are allowed to leave to hospital with their newly born twins. They open the front door of their house as their family and friends pop out of their hiding spots and yell "surprise".

A little yelp escapes Betty's lips as she holds her free hand on her chest. "What is this?" She gasps setting the carseat holding Juliet down onto the nearest chair. She quickly unbuckles the straps and lifts her baby into her arms.

"It's obviously the best surprise party ever. I mean it was planned and decorated by moi." Cheryl appears and gestures to herself.

"Hey! I helped too! Just because you insisted on doing everything doesn't mean I didn't help." Veronica adds cutting into the conversation. Then she notices the baby lying asleep in Betty's arms. "B, she's adorable." Veronica gasps getting closer. "Did you guys decide on a name for them? Where's the other one?" She asks before looking around the room.

Betty nods running her hand through Juliet's soft blonde tuff of hair. "This is Juliet and Jughead has Rosaline. He wanted to keep the Romeo and Juliet theme. But if you ask me, he chose a good name for her." She glances behind her to see Jughead holding Rosaline while talking to Archie.

"Who do we have here?" Archie coos at Rosaline. She stares back with her blue eyes unsure of what to make of the stranger staring down at her. Suddenly, deciding he's a threat, she bursts into tears.

Jughead, trying to hide his panic, starts rocking her up and down. "It's okay Juliet. It'll be okay. Archie is a friend. Yeah, he's a friend." Instead of quieting down, Rosaline screams at the top of her lungs.

"Did he..." Betty stops and stares in shock at Jughead. "Did he just call Rosaline... Juliet?" She shakes her head before walking toward them. "What did you just call her?" She questions hoping her ears have deceived her.

Jughead gives her a weird look in response. "I called her Juliet. That's her name." He responds tilting his head. "Why?"

Betty shakes her head slowly laughing to herself. "You seriously got our babies names mixed up? You're never living this down. Here, hand me Rosaline, take Juliet." She instructs.

"They look exactly the same, of course I'm going to mix them up." Jughead defends as they carefully trade off. "I bet you everyone will."

An evil smirk appears spreads on Betty's face as she slowly starts rocking Rosaline. "Okay, introduce everyone to Juliet while I'm gone. After I get her settled down I'll introduce Rosaline. We'll see if everyone else has your issue. " She gives him a small peck on the check before leaving the room.

"Who's the stupid one now?" Archie playfully teases resulting in a glare from Jughead.

"Like you can do any better." He glares as Juliet wakes from her slumber. "I have to go introduce everyone else to Juliet."

Just as Jughead is about to walk away, Veronica gently takes Juliet away from him. "Look how cute she is, Archie! Isn't Juliet the cutest thing." She coos. "I want a baby!" She grabs Archie's hand. "Please." She begs.

"I'll go get myself a drink, let you two talk about this alone." Jughead awkwardly slides past them and to the table with all the drinks.

A few minutes pass by when Cheryl appears with one of the twins. "Who picked out these clothes? They're so plain. You guys need my help for everything. Good think I have a sense of style to save them. Isn't that right Juliet?" Cheryl smiles at her.

"That's Rosaline! Ha! See Betty! They didn't know the difference either!" Jughead calls out to Betty as she walks toward them baby free.

"Jug, no. She's right, that's Juliet. Why is it that you can't tell them apart?" Betty laughs leaning her head against Jughead's shoulder.

He rubs her back and her eyes slowly close. "You're tired. Go get some sleep. Our friends can take care of them for awhile. You need sleep." Jughead whispers before taking her hand and pulling her into their bedroom.

Betty sprawls onto the bed and passes out immediately. Jughead laughs pulling her body close to his. "I love you so much Betty Jones," he whispers into her ear as he tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. "And I love our baby girls. Their beautiful, but not as much as their mom." He gently kisses her neck before falling asleep with Betty in his arms.

♡♡♡

Betty's eyes slowly open, the light they left on pieces her vision. She groans shutting her eyes tightly to block out the light. Pain pulses through her body from the birth causing her to groan louder. Just then she realizes, her babies. "Jug," she shakes her sleeping husband besides her. "Jug!" She yells louder hoping to wake him up.

"What's wrong?" Jughead's ruff tired voice asks as he lifts himself up in a sitting position. He runs his eyes before glancing over at Betty. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Juliet! I didn't feed her before I fell asleep. She's probably starving. Go get her for me." Betty pleads.

Jughead looks at her a long time trying to process her request. "Why can't you go get her? Why did you have to wake me up?" He tries to pull her closer but she flinches at his touch. "What's wrong?" Concern suddenly taking over him.

"I don't... my body hurts," Betty whines slumping her body over his. "Plus I want to see who you bring me." She teases playfully before placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "Bring me some naproxen they prescribed me for the pain." She whispers before gently getting off him and laying back down on the soft mattress.

He shakes his head, "Only for you, Betty Cooper. Or should I say Betty Jones." He smiles before lifting himself off the bed. He makes his way out the door and into the rest of the party.

Minutes pass in agony before Jughead returns with a bottle and Rosaline in his arms. "Jokes on you, I got the right baby this time." He smiles proudly at himself.

Betty glances up at them and slowly blinks her eyes before laughing hysterically. "Seriously? You... you brought Rosaline. Why is it seriously so hard for you to get them right." She smiles before motioning him to her. "She might need to be fed anyways. It's been a while. Also give me that bottle." She instructs as Kevin bursts through the doors.

"Jughead was bragging how he got Juliet right this time as he was making his way here. I figured you wanted Juliet so I followed him here." Kevin explains before handing Juliet to Betty.

Betty nods smirking. "Thanks Kev," she says before directing her attention to Jughead. "Yeah, everyone will mix them up. " She throws his words back at him sarcastically as Kevin leaves the room.

She takes her pain medication before feeding the twins. Afterwards, she hands one of them to Jughead and they make their way back to the party.

"We're gonna play a little party game!" Betty announces taking Jughead by surprise. "As we all know the difference between Rosaline and Juliet, our entertainment will be through my husband and the father of the twins, Jughead. He doesn't know the difference and it's been two days."

Jughead takes her hand and whispers in her ear. "Can we not? This is embarassing." He looks around the room as all eyes are on him. Laughter flutters through the room causing Jughead's heart to beat faster, his jaw and body tightens. He pushes the desire to run and hide away deep inside of him.

"It'll be okay. You'll see." She smiles and places a kiss on his cheek before continuing. "So, we will hand the babies around and give them to Jug and he will decide who he has. Let's see how long it takes him until he gets it right." She explains before turning to Jughead. "Who do you think you have right now?"

Jughead examines Juliet closely trying to figure out a significant detail that separates them. He glances to Rosaline in Betty's arms. "Rosaline?" He guessing causing the guests to laugh.

"No Jug. That's Juliet. Okay someone take Juliet and pass her around." Betty laughs handing Rosaline to Cheryl.

"Betty," He whispers in her ear sending chills down her body. "Why are you doing this?" He slides his arms around her waist gently pulling her towards him.

She gently places a kiss under his ear. "Let yourself go. Have fun. Plus this is a good exercise for you. Once you get it right you'll understand the difference."

The game continues in multiple rounds each ending with Jughead failing. Finally, when Betty hands him Rosaline, he gets it right. The room engulfs in cheers as the biggest smile spreads across Betty's face. "See, I told you you can do it."

Jughead pulls her towards him and kisses her lips. "I love you Betty." He says in between kisses. Rosaline makes a noise causing Jughead to break away. "And I love you Rosaline. I love our little, perfect family."

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nightmareonfilmstreet · 7 years

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Let's Revisit 1990's FLATLINERS, Shall We?

New Post has been published on https://nofspodcast.com/lets-revisit-1990s-flatliners-shall/

Let's Revisit 1990's FLATLINERS, Shall We?

The upcoming sequel/reboot to Flatliners is due in theatres any day now. Despite not being a huge sequel buff, we’ll likely be front-and-center opening weekend; covering the film for an upcoming episode of our podcast; Nightmare on Film Street.

Before we dive headfirst into reboot territory, I always try to re-visit the original film beforehand. This time around, I figured I’d invite you all to join me. So, while we wait for Ellen Page to give us her best Julia Roberts impression, let’s head back to 1990, with Flatliners OG!

Meet Cute

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Flatliners is a hybrid of sub-genres. It sits nestled between psychological Horror and Science Fiction. The film is directed by Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys, Phonebooth, The Number 23), and written by Peter Filardi (The Craft). The film boasts a pretty all-star cast by the 90’s standards, including many up-and-comers on their way to becoming household names. Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt, and Kevin Bacon make up the core death-defying team.

The film was shot in Chicago in 1989 and released theatrically on August 10, 1990, by Columbia Pictures. It received one Academy Award nomination for Best Sound Editing in 1990 (Charles L. Campbell and Richard C. Franklin). The film currently holds a 49% Not-So-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Synopsis:

An edgy, eerie supernatural thriller about medical students using their skills to try crossing over to the “other side.” After they’re revived, the students are haunted and consumed by what they’ve seen, as their fears, guilt and old memories take root in the physical world. This star-studded film may be remembered more for the tabloid frenzy, upon the film’s release, surrounding actors Julia Roberts and ditched beau Kiefer Sutherland.

Assembling the Team

Flatliners opens with Nelson Wright (portrayed by a mostly post-mulleted Kiefer Sutherland a la Lost Boys) bellowing the haunting first word of the film;

Today is a good day to die.

Hello trailer soundbite. Oozing a kind-of-threatening cool, Nelson convinces his team of fellow medical students to try some Frankenstein worthy experiments; causing medically induced brain death and reviving the lifeless candidate. For some reason, Joe Hurley (William Baldwin), David Labraccio (Kevin Bacon), Randall ‘Randy’ Steckle (Oliver Platt), and Rachel Manus (Julia Roberts) are all on board after some mild protesting.

These grave experiments intend to prove one thing; the existence of life after death. With Randy as their comedic videographer, they intend to replicate first-hand accounts of auditory and visual hallucinations of those that experienced a more naturally induced temporary state of death.

We as the audience are asked to suspend our disbelief a bit. We can either disregard the fact that an official scientific study requires thousands upon thousands of case studies and examples to even be remotely considered worthy of publishing as verifiable evidence.. Or, the film may intend us to be completely aware what they are doing is only under the guise of a ‘science experiment’. An experiment that serves as an umbrella for which they may hide the death-defying stroking of several young egos. I’m in the camp of the latter.

Flatiners Flatline

One after another, our smart-enough-to-induce-death but dumb-enough-to-try heroes all invoke a taste of the afterlife. Each experience something unique and personal to their characters. Nelson sees the vision of a boy he bullied as a child, Billy Mahoney. Joe experiences a more erotic afterlife. David sees Winnie Hicks, who he also bullied when younger. Each time they flatline, our team of medical students get more brazen. They increase the time before they attempt revival. The thrill of the task becomes almost an addiction. The more they defy death, the less they care of the consequences; increased chances for brain damage, expulsion from school, and oh yeah – DEATH.

New candidates hit the gurney. All the while, the previously flatlined begin experiencing very real paranormal encounters. Still a impossibly a child, Billy Mahoney taunts Nelson; finding him in street corners, appearing in his car. He grows more and more real each encounter, able to physically assault and attack him. Joe has an affinity for sexually assaulting women by videotaping them without their consent. His punishment is those very women from his past appearing in impossible places, taunting him while his Fiance remains unawares.

The men opt to keep these strange after-effects to themselves, and Rachel decides to go next. Because they’ve decided to set up shop in what is practically an abandoned warehouse; the power surges. They are unable to revive Rachel with the defibrillators. Time ticks by, and she heads dangerously close towards definitive brain damage. At the last moment they are able to bring back a heartbeat and Rachel survives. Her near-death experience is the most intimately personal. She experiences a vague re-enactment of witnessing her father’s suicide. These visions continue to haunt her even after she leaves the table.

Confront Your Demons

David decides to confront his demons in an effort to put an end to the hallucinations. He tracks down a grown Winnie Hicks and musters up a long overdue apology. David is freed from the taunting visions, a weight lifted. Joe is forced to come clean about his perversions to his fiance Anne, after she comes across his disgusting stash of videotapes. After Anne leaves him, Joe too is freed from his macabre visions. Rachel, consumed by visions of her father’s death, discovers he was addicted to heroin. She is then also freed in learning she wasn’t at fault in some way.

We learn Billy Mahone died as a child. It was directly a result of Nelson’s bullying; he and his chums chased Billy up a tree, where he accidentally fell to his death. In order to make his amends, Nelson flatlines for a second time. He has to apologize to Billy Mahone in the afterlife, for there is no other way to contact him. Alone, Nelson flatlines for 9 minutes as the team race to revive him. In one final attempt, David shocks Nelson – and the machines beep to life. Nelson’s eyes flutter, and he utters “Today wasn’t a good day to die.”

Thoughts on the Film

Flatliners is enjoyable in the nostalgic sense. We don’t get movies like quite like this anymore. (disregard the sequel, people.) The gritty, silly genre-warping films of the 1990’s soon made way for Action Adventure epics like Superhero films and ..are Transformers superheroes? Can they just be lumped into that category? Whatever, point made. Moving on.

Though a successfully executed story from beginning to end, the film has never been among my favorites. It straddles too close to the line of teasing something dark, and being lighthearted and funny. The tone is muddled. And because of that, this film never rose to cult status. It was as if after seeing David Cronenburg’s The Fly, the studio threw The Lost Boys into Telepod 3. Flatliners is the Brundlefly that came out.

Still, after not seeing this film for twenty years, the re-watch was enjoyable. All of the budding actors are climbing to the top of their game, and it’s a role unlike any other Julia Roberts has ever portrayed. Kevin Bacon is also surprisingly not an asshole in it? Which is a nice change after growing up with the weird and slightly-rapey Hollow Man.

A New Generation of Death Defy-ers

In just a few days, a new team will hit the cold slab of death. They will be joined by Kiefer Sutherland, lucidly reprising his role as a doctor – probably providing the young medical students with some ominous (and unheaded) warnings about playing with death. He may even utter an iconic phrase, should the franchise want to retain its iconic level of cheese.

The official synopsis reads:

In Flatliners, five medical students, obsessed by the mystery of what lies beyond the confines of life, embark on a daring and dangerous experiment: by stopping their hearts for short periods of time, each triggers a near-death experience — giving them a firsthand account of the afterlife. But as their experiments become increasingly dangerous, they are each haunted by the sins of their pasts, brought on by the paranormal consequences of trespassing to the other side.

Does that synopsis sound like it could be for the 1990 film to you? It sure does to me. I’ll be interested to see what more they bring to the operating table this go around. They’re going to need to pull something original out of that magician’s cap if this film is going to survive long enough to hit DVD shelves. Without seeing the film, it’s currently sitting on my 2nd most unwarranted film of 2017 list (behind The Mummy, of course). It’ll have to pull some major stunts to top my not-so-negative charts.

But, I wouldn’t hold my breath. (I seriously hope you’re getting all of the Flatline puns in this article.) My best guess is this film is designed with a younger generation in mind. They’re aiming to fill the seats with an audience that has heard of the original, but never watched it. It is likely the studios will throw those of us ‘Loyalists’ a bone with updated CGI effects during the lucid afterlife and the creepy, paranormal spooks afterwards. At it’s core though, I’m expecting the plot to repeat beat for beat. Lets all plan for a bit of a snoozer.

Flatliners, the sequel/reboot stars Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, Kiersey Clemons . It opens wide in theaters on September 29th.

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#ellen page #flatliners 1990 synopsis #flatliners reboot #flatliners recap #flatliners review #flatliners revisited #flatliners revisted #flatliners sequel #flatliners synopsis #horror news #horror review #julia roberts #kiefer sutherland #new horrro #nina dobrev

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weekendwarriorblog · 5 years

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND March 29, 2019 - DUMBO, UNPLANNED, THE BEACH BUM, HOTEL MUMBAI

This is going to be another weekend where I haven’t really seen any of the wide releases except for a few that opened limited first. Next week will probably be the same as I head to Las Vegas for CinemaCon and will miss most of the bigger press screenings.

Sadly, I would have loved to have seen Tim Burton’s DUMBO (Disney) in time to review it for you, as I am generally a fan of Disney’s classic animated movies (vs. the Jeffrey Katzenberg wave from the ‘90s, most of which I still haven’t seen), as I am a fan of Tim Burton and much of the cast of this one. It includes Michael Keaton and Danny De Vito, both reuniting with Burton after Batman Returns, and Eva Green, who has appeared in a few of Burton’s recent movies… AND she once called me a “pervert.” (The story is funnier if I don’t explain why.) But the story of Dumbo is classic Disney in the sense that it reminds me of all the wonders of watching movies as a kid filled with joy and awe… as opposed to now where I always feel a sense of dread, wondering if a movie will be half as good as it hopes. Anyway, I’ll see this on Thursday night and maybe write something Friday if I’m up to it.

I’m less likely to see UNPLANNED (Pure Flix), a movie that I’m shocked even exists, let alone is being released into 1,000 theaters. This is almost like the polar opposite of the great Mike Leigh’s Vera Drake in that it’s a biopic about Abby Johnson, a Planned Parenthood clinic director who was so shaken by witnessing her first abortion (not her own) that she became an anti-abortion activist. Besides sounding like something out of Jordan Peele’s upcoming The Twilight Zone show, it’s also horrifying to think that the Pro-Life crowd is now trying to recruit the Christian Right to their cause through movies, one that received Pure Flix’s first R-rating, no less.

After premiering at SXSW, Harmony (Spring Breakers) Corine’s new movie THE BEACH BUM (NEON), starring Matthew McConaughey and a typically oddball cast including Snoop Dog, Zak Efron and Jonah Hill, will also open wide this weekend. I’ll probably try to catch this just cause I’m so curious about Corine’s oddball auteur sensibilities. Spring Breakers was actually a bit of an anomaly, and it was one of his few movies I actually liked, compared to something like Mister Lonely, which I found unwatchable despite its similarly-odd cast, which included Werner Herzog.

Then there are two movies expanding nationwide this weekend, both of which I’ve seen and enjoyed, the first of them being Anthony Maras’ directorial debut HOTEL MUMBAI (Bleecker Street), a terrific ensemble piece starring Dev Patel, Armie Hammer and Jason Isaacs – three actors I truly love – about the terrorist attacks on the luxurious Hotel Taj in 2008. I was really impressed with how Maras and his cast and crew tell this harrowing story that’s not quite on par as Peter Greengrass’ United 93 but has a similar impact as you watch it and see how these amazing people came together to prevent even more people from dying. I also should point out that the primarily Indian cast beyond Patel are also excellent, showing there’s a lot of talent coming from India that have yet to break out in a big way Stateside.

Focus will also expand Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s drama The Mustang into an unknown number of theaters, and I also recommend this movie if you have an opportunity to see it. It’s a wonderful movie starring Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone) as a convict who finds a way to fight against his anger issues and violent tendencies by training a wild horse in the prison’s program. Since I haven’t seen the other three movies above, as of this writing, I recommend seeking out Hotel Mumbai or The Mustang if they’re playing wherever you live.

LIMITED RELEASES

I was a bad boy this weekend and didn’t watch any of the screeners I was supposed to watch, so that means I’ve only seen one of the movies opening in select cities this weekend, and that was Kent Jones’ DIANE (IFC Films), which played at Tribeca last year where it won two awards. It stars Mary Kay Place as a Massachusetts woman named Diane, who puts most of her time into helping others in her big family over herself while also dealing with her son Brian’s (Jake Lacy) ongoing addiction that has him going in and out of rehab. Personally, I found it a slog when I saw it at Tribecalast year.

Opening in New York (Village East and Alamo Drafthouse, the latter a part of their Drafthouse Recommends series) and L.A. (three Laemmle theaters) is Sophie Lorain’s French coming-of-age comedy SLUT IN A GOOD WAY (Comedy Dynamics), a movie that I haven’t gotten around to watching the screener, as of this writing, but what a great title, huh? It stars Marguerite Bouchard, Romane Denis and Rose Adam as three teenage girls exploring their first taste of freedom, all three of them in love with the guy who works at “Toy Depot” – a sex shop -- where they each apply for part-time jobs.

Also opening in select cities is Alison Klayman’s documentary THE BRINK (Magnolia) which follows former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon through the 2018 mid-term elections as the controversial Breitbart founder tries to reinvent himself by getting involved in the European Parliamentary Elections of 2019 with his “global populist movement.” I’ll be curious to see how this compares to Errol (The Fog of War) Morris’ American Dharma, which premiered during film festivals last September but (as far as I know) still hasn’t been released yet. I’m not even sure it found distribution but Bannon is not a very popular figure among American liberals (for good reason), so I can’t imagine many critics would approve of either film.

This week’s Saban Films’ offering is Sarah Daggar Nickson’s thriller A VIGILANTE, starring Olivia Wilde as an abused woman who sets a course to help victims rid themselves of their domestic abusers while also hunting down her husband, whom she needs to kill in order to truly be free. It will play in select theaters Friday after a month on DirecTV.

Downton Abbey director Michael Engler reunites with Downton writer/creator Julian Fellowes who adapted Laura Moriarty’s bestselling book The Chaperone (PBS Distribution Masterpiece Films). The amazing Haley Lu Richardson (Split) plays Louise Brooks before she became a movie sensation in the ‘20s and is just a student in Wichita, Kansas. When she is sent to New York to study with a dance troupe for the summer, her mother requires a chaperone, a role taken on by the by-the-books Norma Carlisle (Elizabeth McGovern). This witty period piece opens Friday at New York’s Landmark West 57 and Quad Cinema and then expands to L.A.’s Laemmle Royal, Playhouse 7 and Town Center 5 on April 5.

The Discovery Channel is also giving Ross (Born into Brothels) Kauffman’s new documentary Tigerlanda release in New York on Friday just a day before it premieres on the cable channel Saturday. It’s a film about a group of Russians trying to protect the last Siberian tigers from extinction, and it’s produced by Fisher Stevens of the Oscar-winning The Cove.

Cocaine Cowboys director Billy Corben returns with the doc Screwball (Greenwich), another film set in Miami, this one that looks into Major League Baseball’s doping scandal and how it affected New York Yankee’s Alex Rodriguez. It opens in select cities following its debut at TIFF last year.

The makers of The ABCs of Evil, Tim League and Ant Simpson, return with The Field Guide to Evil, a horror anthology featuring short films by eight (actually nine) foreign horror filmmakers telling folktales about myth and lore, including Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio), Can Evrenol (Baskin), Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz (Goodnight Mommy) and Agnieszka Smoczynska (The Lure). I missed this movie at Fantasia last year (‘cause I didn’t go) but it will be opening in most Alamo theaters (about 40 nationwide) on Friday.

This week’s Bollywood release, opening in about 100 theaters nationwide, is Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s thriller Super Deluxe (Prime Media), the second film from the director who won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film at the 59thNational Film Awards in India. It’s a film about how fate messes with the life of a group of people, as fate is wont to do.

Renowned indie distributor Jeff Lipsky’s seventh feature as a director, The Last (Plainview Pictures), will open in New York at the Angelika and CMX New York on Friday, then will expand to other cities including L.A. on April 26. It involves a large Jewish family of four generations learning that their 92-year-old matriarch, a Holocaust survivor (Rebecca Schull) has a secret that shocks the entire family.

Opening in L.A. at the Laemmle Music Hall is the Holocaust drama Sobibor (Samuel Goldwyn Films) from reputed Russian actor/director Konstantin Khabenskiy (he appeared in Timur Bekmambetov’s Wanted and Nightwatch), playing Soviet prisoner Alexander Perchersky, who led a rebellion at the Nazi’s Polish death camp Sobibor in 1943 in order to escape, freeing hundreds of Jews.

As a counterpoint to Unplanned, there’s Josh Huber’s romantic comedy Making Babies (Huber Brothers) about a couple played by Eliza Couple and Steve Howey who spent five years trying to have kids, so they start exploring other medical and spiritual ways to conceive a child. The movie also stars Ed Begley Jr. and the late Glenne Headly and will open in select cities.

STREAMING AND CABLE

Besides playing at the Egyptian in L.A. (see above), John Lee Hancock’s THE HIGHWAYMEN will be available on the Netflix streaming service after playing in select theaters for a couple weeks. I finally caught it last week, and really enjoyed it. It stars Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson as former Texas rangers Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, recruited by the Governor of Texas (Kathy Bates) to hunt down and kill Bonnie and Clyde, whose crime and killing spree has gotten out of hand. Hamer and Gault travel across stateliness trying to find them, following the different clues left behind. This is definitely my kind of movie, not just due to the subject matter, but also seeing such great actors as Costner (possibly the last of the bonafide movie stars?) and Harrelson taking on such great roles to show a different side of the story than the one mostly known from the Warren Beatty movie. I really enjoyed both actors’ performances and the general tone of the film, although I do feel that it was a little too long and drawn-out and not in a good way ala David Fincher’s Zodiac. But it does pay off, and it’s a shame that more people won’t be able to see this on the big screen because the film looks great due to the cinematography by John Schwartzman. I’ll also give a shout-out to my pal Johnny McPhail who plays the farmer who witnesses one of Bonnie and Clyde’s brutal murders. Rating: 7.5/10

Also, Friday sees the return of Santa Clarita Diet for its third season, again with Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant.

LOCAL FESTIVALS OF NOTE

The big festival starting in New York this week is the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s annual New Directors/New Films, which always has interesting stuff although it’s definitely getting more indie and esoteric in recent years. It kicks off tonight with Chinonye Chukwu’s prison-set drama Clemency, starring Alfre Woodard and Aldis Hodge, which recently won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. The festival’s Centerpiece Is Alejandro Landes’s Monos, another Sundance prize-winner, starring the wondrous Julianne Nicholson as an engineer who travels to the South American jungle and is taken captive by teenage guerillas. The Closing Night film on April 6 is Pippa Bianco’s Share– ALSO a Sundance prize-winner! – which deals with sexual assault and the role of the internet, something which seems very relevant and pertinent. There’s a lot of interesting foreign films and a good amount from women filmmakers in this year’s line-up, which you can read more about here.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

This weekend, the Metrograph begins its Total Kaurismäki Show, as in Finish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki, who has been making festival-winning films for almost 40 years and has YET to have a film nominated for an Oscar. This Friday, the series begins with some of the director’s lesser-seen ‘80s movies Hamlet Goes Business (1987),Calamari Union (1985) and Crime and Punishment (1983), as well as Shadows in Paradise (1986), Ariel (1988) and then the 1990 film The Match Factory on Saturday. This week’s Late Nites at Metrograph offering is Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982/2007) and Playtime: Family Matinees (which has become my idea of comfort food in terms of cinema) is showing Abbot and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953). Sadly, I’ll be out of town on Tuesday when the Metrograph is presenting Claire Denis’ The Intruder (2004) with a QnA by Ms. Denis who will also introduce No Fear, No Die (1990) right afterwards. (If you also can’t make this night then never fear as BAM is beginning a full-on Denis retrospective, which you can read more about below.)

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

Tarantino’s reopened rep theater continues to kill it with a single screening of Mike Nichols’ 1966 film Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, on Weds. afternoon. This week’s double features are John Boorman’sPoint Blank (1967) and The Outfit (1973) on Weds. and Thurs., Fellini’sLa Strada (1954) – one of my personal faves – and Il Bidone (1955) on Friday and Saturday, then the ‘30s musicals Dames and Footlight Paradeon Sunday and Monday. The weekend’s one-offs are midnight screenings of Kill Bill Volume 1on Friday and the comedy anthology Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) on Saturday. The weekend’s KIDDEE MATINEE is The Black Stallion (1979) and there will be a special 20thanniversary screening of the Wachowski’s The Matrixon Monday. Tuesday night’s GRINDHOUSE double feature is two directed by Roger Corman -- The Trip (1967) and The Wild Angels (1966).

FILM FORUM (NYC):

Bob & Wray: A Love Story continues with a double feature of Virtue (1932) and Viva Villa (1934) on Weds., a reshowing of Frank Capra’s Lost Horizon (1937) on Thursday as well as a Fay Wray double feature of Once to Every woman (1934) and They Met in a Taxi (1936). Friday sees a reshowing of the double feature of The Mystery of the Wax Museum and The Vampire Bat, both from 1933, and a double feature of Lee Tracy movies, Doctor X (1932) and Carnival (1935). On Saturday, there’s a special screening of the early Fay Wray film The Wild Horse Stampede with piano accompaniment, plus a double feature of John Ford’s The Whole Town’s Talking (1935) and Frank Capra’s You Can’t Take It With You (1938), both written by Robert Riskin. This weekend’s Film Forum Jr. is the Disney animated classic Bambi (1942).

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Besides a Weds. double feature of John Lee Hancock’s new movie The Highwaymen with his 2002 baseball film The Rookie starring Dennis Quaid, the Egyptian begins Noir City: Hollywood – The 21stAnnual Los Angeles Festival of Noir, running all weekend. It begins Friday with the double feature of Trapped (1949) and The File of Thelma Jordon (1950), continues Saturday with Appointment with Danger (1951) and Shdow on the Wall (1950), Sunday is Sudden Fear and The Narrow Margin, followed on Monday by City That Never Sleeps and 99 River Street from 1953 and on Tuesday with Playgirl and Hell’s Devil Acre, both from 1954. (This series will continue next week as well.)

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

On Saturday night, BAM will start a new series called “Beyond the Canon” (pairing a classic with a more recent film which it inspired) with a double feature of Anna Rose Holmer’s The Fits (2015) and Peter Weir’s Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975). At the same time, BAM is kicking off Strange Desire: The Films of Claire Denis, which will run until April 9 and will show some of the French filmmaker’s best films, including Beau Travail (1999), White Material (2009), 35 Shots of Rum and more recent films like her upcoming English language debut High Life, starring Robert Pattinson.

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

On Thursday, MOMI is having a special presentation of Alexandre Rockwell’s 1992 film In the Soup, starring Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, Seymour Cassel, Jennifer Beals, Carol Kane and Jim Jarmusch as part of the 9thAnnual Queens World Film Festival with Rockwell in discussion with former director (and QWFF Spirit of Queens honoree) David Schwartz. To prepare for Mike Leigh’s fantastic new film Peterloo, MOMI is also presenting Past Presence: Mike Leigh’s Period Films, showing the master’s earlier films Topsy Turvy (1999), Mr. Turner (2014) and Vera Drake (2004). It will include a preview screening of Peterloonext Wednesday with Mike Leigh in person!

IFC CENTER (NYC)

I guess Weekend Classics: Early Godard is continuing this week after all with a 35mm print of Weekend (1967) while the winter season of Late Night Favorites ends with Alejandro Jodorowsky’s The Holy Mountain (1973) as well as David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001).

MOMA (NYC):

Modern Matinees: B is for Bacall continues with Douglas Sirk’s 1956 film Written on the Wind on Weds, Vincente Minelli’s Designing Woman (1957) Thursday and Young Man with a Horn (1950) on Friday.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART (LA):

This week’s Friday midnight offering is Mandy director Panos Costamos’ 2010 debut Beyond the Black Rainbow.

Next week, it’s a doozy of an April opener with Warner Bros’ Shazam! taking on Paramount’s Pet Sematary and the STX drama The Best of Enemies trying to pick up any remaining scraps of business. I’ve only seen one of them.

#Dumbo Movies WhatToWatchThisWeekend Unplanned HotelMumbai TheMustang TheHighwaymen Netflix

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robgrayofficial · 6 years

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HAPPPPPPY SATURDAY, PATRIOTS!This is your girl u/IvaginaryFriend here and I'm back at it again with a weeks worth of spice for you lovely Deplorables! (◠‿◠✿)Before we officially get this recap started, if you happened to miss any past recaps you can catch them here!Sunday, June 10th:🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:Fair Trade is now to be called Fool Trade if it is not Reciprocal. According to a Canada release, they make almost 100 Billion Dollars in Trade with U.S. (guess they were bragging and got caught!). Minimum is 17B. Tax Dairy from us at 270%. Then Justin acts hurt when called out!Why should I, as President of the United States, allow countries to continue to make Massive Trade Surpluses, as they have for decades, while our Farmers, Workers & Taxpayers have such a big and unfair price to pay? Not fair to the PEOPLE of America! $800 Billion Trade Deficit... ... ....And add to that the fact that the U.S. pays close to the entire cost of NATO-protecting many of these same countries that rip us off on Trade (they pay only a fraction of the cost-and laugh!). The European Union had a $151 Billion Surplus-should pay much more for Military! ... ....Germany pays 1% (slowly) of GDP towards NATO, while we pay 4% of a MUCH larger GDP. Does anybody believe that makes sense? We protect Europe (which is good) at great financial loss, and then get unfairly clobbered on Trade. Change is coming!Great to be in Singapore, excitement in the air!Sorry, we cannot let our friends, or enemies, take advantage of us on Trade anymore. We must put the American worker first!SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Cultural enrichment as its finestThe version they didn't want you to see.Canada does it: everything is fine. American does it: REEE RACISMWhen you are done making the g7 your bitch and you have to go end the Korean war🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:GLOBALISTS BTFO: "WE ARE THE PIGGY BANK THAT EVERYONE IS ROBBING. THAT ENDS."BTFO SocialistMy eyebrows are real.Just a picture of Ivanka Trump colluding with some RussiansMonday, June 11th:TODAY'S ACTION:President Donald J. Trump Meets with the Prime Minister of SingaporePresident Trump Participates in a 1:1 Meeting with North Korean Leader Kim Jong UnPresident Trump Participates in an Expanded Bilateral Meeting with North Korean Leader Kim Jong UnPresident Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Signs a Declaration of Friendship2018 Singapore SummitSeventeen Nominations Sent to the Senate Today🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:Thank you Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong!SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:‘We’re America, Bitch’THE FIRST HANDSHAKE BETWEEN NK & US LEADERS. HISTORIC!!Kim Jong Un Can't Stop Smiling After President Trump Said They Will Have A Fantastic Relationship Then Kim Shocks The World And Tells President Trump He Wants To Move On From The Past !!HISTORIC!! #MAGAAnother Supreme Court win: 'Supreme Court allows Ohio voter purge'In case you guys were wondering, she's there in case somebody needs to be bitch slapped...especially Fake News!!!PRESS BRIEFINGS, INTERVIEWS, RALLIES:Briefing by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:And right over here we have the fake news. Nobody likes them.NO. FUCKS. GIVEN.Watch the left eat itself.Two terms. Two scoops. Two genders. Two cakes.The Democrat Party is now officially more hostile and dangerous to the US than North KoreaTuesday, June 12th:TODAY'S ACTION:President Trump Participates in a Media AvailabilityPresident Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:Meetings between staffs and representatives are going well and quickly....but in the end, that doesn’t matter. We will all know soon whether or not a real deal, unlike those of the past, can happen!Stock Market up almost 40% since the Election, with 7 Trillion Dollars of U.S. value built throughout the economy. Lowest unemployment rate in many decades, with Black & Hispanic unemployment lowest in History, and Female unemployment lowest in 21 years. Highest confidence ever!The fact that I am having a meeting is a major loss for the U.S., say the haters & losers. We have our hostages, testing, research and all missle launches have stoped, and these pundits, who have called me wrong from the beginning, have nothing else they can say! We will be fine!Just won big Supreme Court decision on Voting! Great News!Our Great Larry Kudlow, who has been working so hard on trade and the economy, has just suffered a heart attack. He is now in Walter Reed Medical Center.SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Troll level - ExpertBREAKING: TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER WANTS CNN REPORTER'S CREDENTIALS REVOKED OVER QUESTIONS DURING NORTH KOREA SIGNINGFake News Jim Acosta justifying his rude questions at the Singapore summit: "Hey if they're not going to let me in the fucking meeting, that's what's going to happen… That's the way it goes, baby."Amazing video Trump showed Kim🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:HAHAFoot. Meet. Mouth.This man is 72 years old and hasn't slept in 22 hours. This is the President I voted for!Someone's JealousCurrent emotion of the leftLiterally Reddit right nowWednesday, June 13th:TODAY'S ACTION:Historic Summit with North Korea is a Tremendous Moment for the World🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:My political representatives didn’t want me to get involved in the Mark Sanford primary thinking that Sanford would easily win - but with a few hours left I felt that Katie was such a good candidate, and Sanford was so bad, I had to give it a shot. Congrats to Katie Arrington!Robert De Niro, a very Low IQ individual, has received too many shots to the head by real boxers in movies. I watched him last night and truly believe he may be “punch-drunk.” I guess he doesn’t... ... ...realize the economy is the best it’s ever been with employment being at an all time high, and many companies pouring back into our country. Wake up Punchy!Congratulations to Corey Stewart for his great victory for Senator from Virginia. Now he runs against a total stiff, Tim Kaine, who is weak on crime and borders, and wants to raise your taxes through the roof. Don’t underestimate Corey, a major chance of winning!Just landed - a long trip, but everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea. Meeting with Kim Jong Un was an interesting and very positive experience. North Korea has great potential for the future!Before taking office people were assuming that we were going to War with North Korea. President Obama said that North Korea was our biggest and most dangerous problem. No longer - sleep well tonight!We save a fortune by not doing war games, as long as we are negotiating in good faith - which both sides are!The U.S., together with Mexico and Canada, just got the World Cup. Congratulations - a great deal of hard work!Oil prices are too high, OPEC is at it again. Not good!So funny to watch the Fake News, especially NBC and CNN. They are fighting hard to downplay the deal with North Korea. 500 days ago they would have “begged” for this deal-looked like war would break out. Our Country’s biggest enemy is the Fake News so easily promulgated by fools!Senator Claire McCaskill of the GREAT State of Missouri flew around in a luxurious private jet during her RV tour of the state. RV’s are not for her. People are really upset, so phony! Josh Hawley should win big, and has my full endorsement.Congratulations to Danny Tarkanian on his big GOP primary win in Nevada. Danny worked hard an got a great result. Looking good in November!Congratulations to @KevinCramer on his huge win in North Dakota. We need Kevin in the Senate, and I strongly endorse him. Heidi voted NO on our Tax Cuts, and always will vote no when we need her. Kevin is strong on Crime & Borders, big on Cutting Taxes!SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Tommy Robinson sent to Muslim Prison, the time to stand up is NOWMike Pence casts tie-breaking vote to allow states to defund Planned Parenthood. Prepare for internet meltdown. SBC18Food Stamp Enrollment Dips to Lowest Level in 8 YearsTrump Nominated For Nobel Peace Price... By NorwayTrump shows off 'The Beast' ( presidential limo ) to Kim during historic Singapore summit🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:POWERFULRare photo of our President shitposting in real timeWhen your attempt at political humor results in a massive redpilling.New "Make America Safe" painting by Jon McNaughton "If we don’t build the wall soon, we’ll be overrun by the weeds."The greatest moment of the Trump Kim Summit...Thursday, June 14th:TODAY'S ACTION:President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:The Republican Party is starting to show very big numbers. People are starting to see what is being done. Results are speaking loudly. North Korea and our greatest ever economy are leading the way!Now that I am back from Singapore, where we had a great result with respect to North Korea, the thought process must sadly go back to the Witch Hunt, always remembering that there was No Collusion and No Obstruction of the fabricated No Crime.So, the Democrats make up a phony crime, Collusion with the Russians, pay a fortune to make the crime sound real, illegally leak (Comey) classified information so that a Special Councel will be appointed, and then Collude to make this pile of garbage take on life in Fake News!The sleazy New York Democrats, and their now disgraced (and run out of town) A.G. Eric Schneiderman, are doing everything they can to sue me on a foundation that took in $18,800,000 and gave out to charity more money than it took in, $19,200,000. I won’t settle this case!... ... ....Schneiderman, who ran the Clinton campaign in New York, never had the guts to bring this ridiculous case, which lingered in their office for almost 2 years. Now he resigned his office in disgrace, and his disciples brought it when we would not settle.Happy 243rd Birthday to the @USArmy! Thank you for your bravery, sacrifices, and dedication to the U.S.A. We love you!Happy #FlagDay🇺🇸SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUR FAVORITE PRESIDENT!!FULL INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT - Ditch the SSRI's, double up on the vaccines and GET IN HERE, PEDES! We're going full autistic on this!STRZOK: ‘We’ll Stop’ Trump Presidency‘Viva Le Resistance’: Mueller Team Attorney Sent Anti-Trump TextsThis is huge. Boston’s BWH Hospital removing images of historic doctors from public view because workers complained they’re all white. First neurosurgeon in the world. Nobel winner for first organ transplant. We should be proud of our hospital’s accomplishments not ashamed of their skin.PRESS BRIEFINGS, INTERVIEWS, RALLIES:6/14/18: White House Press Briefing🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:FBI Director Christopher Wray holds a press conferenceIt’s GETOUS Birthday. Praise Kek, How will you celebrate this holiday. I plan to have the Standard Trump McDonald’s order then Two Scoops of Ice Cream and a Diet Coke while reading the IG reporthmmmmmmm"FBI says FBI is innocent, says FBI."Friday, June 15th:TODAY'S ACTION:A Message from President Donald J. Trump🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:FBI Agent Peter Strzok, who headed the Clinton & Russia investigations, texted to his lover Lisa Page, in the IG Report, that “we’ll stop” candidate Trump from becoming President. Doesn’t get any lower than that!The IG Report is a total disaster for Comey, his minions and sadly, the FBI. Comey will now officially go down as the worst leader, by far, in the history of the FBI. I did a great service to the people in firing him. Good Instincts. Christopher Wray will bring it proudly back!Thank you for all of the compliments on getting the World Cup to come to the U.S.A., Mexico and Canada. I worked hard on this, along with a Great Team of talented people. We never fail, and it will be a great World Cup! A special thanks to Bob Kraft for excellent advice.U.S.A. Jobs numbers are the BEST in 44 years. If my opponent (the Democrats) had won the election, they would have raised taxes substantially and increased regulations - the economy, and jobs, would have been a disaster!Wow, the highest rated (by far) morning show, @foxandfriends, is on the Front Lawn of the White House. Maybe I’ll have to take an unannounced trip down to see them?“Why in the world didn’t Barack Obama fire this guy (Comey)?” asks Mark Levin!(Retweeting Fox&Friends) @jasoninthehouse: All of this started because Hillary Clinton set up her private server(Retweeting Fox&Friends) @jasoninthehouse: Anything Mueller is doing with his investigation is tainted by the anti-Trump FBI agents(Retweeting Fox&Friends) @jasoninthehouse: The DOJ IG report is 562 pages of nothing but bias and animus(Retweeting Fox&Friends) “This is one of the most damning rebukes of the FBI that I think we’ve ever seen.” -@jasoninthehouse(Retweeting Fox&Friends) DOJ IG report finds that an FBI lawyer told a bureau employee “Viva le resistance” after President Trump was elected(Retweeting Fox&Friends) IG REPORT BOMBSHELL: Anti-Trump FBI agent Peter Strzok texted his lover Lisa Page "we'll stop" Trump from becoming president“Donald Trump was 100% right to fire James Comey.” Mark LevinSIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Obama had direct contact with Clinton on private email server: IG reportUnder reported: FBI Agent acknowledges that Hillary's IT Guy "lied his ass off." Did we ever see ANY charges? Nope. Scandalous.Trump: ‘I May Get Involved’ in Justice Department ‘If It Gets Worse’Trump says he will not sign moderate 'Dreamer' immigration billFBI Employee: ‘Trump’s Supporters Are All Poor, Uneducated, Lazy POS…Pence is stupid.’ Another agent called us "retards." I was not even used to being in a cult yet. Fire these morons NOW🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:EverytimeDon Jr. Retweeted it!! Sad Ben Rhodes - Presidential Birthday RemixOoooh Noooo. Paul Manafort’s bail was revoked— he is going to jail.Obama's Left wrist is his foreign policy.Saturday, June 16th:🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Democrats are good at only three things, High Taxes, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad!My supporters are the smartest, strongest, most hard working and most loyal that we have seen in our countries history. It is a beautiful thing to watch as we win elections and gather support from all over the country. As we get stronger, so does our country. Best numbers ever!The IG Report totally destroys James Comey and all of his minions including the great lovers, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who started the disgraceful Witch Hunt against so many innocent people. It will go down as a dark and dangerous period in American History!“Americans must demand their lawmakers support the legislation we need to defeat MS-13 once and for all, and to ensure every American child in every American community can grow up in safety, and grow up in security, and in peace.”SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:NOW WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE!Savage reply by POTUSTHIS RIGHT HERE, this nationally televised display of overt double standard, was the second biggest Red Pill (to date)🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:Weekend Fun Ben Garrison Cartoon The "It Will Make Heads Explode" PrizeFBI: Report Didn't Mention BiasWEEEEW LAD!Without further ado, some jams to help you groove through all this WINNING!!!InvincibleGhost townStarvingAftergoldHard To loveMAGA ON PATRIOTS! #robgray

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designforsocialimpact · 6 years

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18 - now we are serious because we have a tea kettle, citizen participation, ethics and other design lessons

This week Master of Design for Social Impact students explore power relations in urban planning, run prototype workshops, develop future speculation analysis, and start questioning ethics in design. Oh yea, and we finally got an electric tea kettle.

Thanks to Amy we finally have a kettle in our classroom. It was such a sweet communal gesture that it inspired a little sprucing up. Painted a corner shelf, got a lamp, folded some paper cubbies, cleaned with tea tree oil and voila! Come on in to our classroom in room 102 of the Paris College of Art. The space looks warm, friendly and downright hygge. Just in time too - no sooner said than bam! We're in Week 3 of the spring semester and thick into our studies.

We have this brilliant class Mondays and Fridays called Social and Urban Governance. In class we talking about power relations in urban actions and discuss Shelly Arnstein's A Ladder of Citizen Participation. I think back on a college internship on Capitol Hill with Congressman Serrano (NY-D, Bronx). I remember the work I did as a diplomat abroad. I think about governance theory and the fragmented ways in which government systems actually work. In all, I find myself thinking cynically (because I'm old enough to know better) but hoping fervently (because I'm also young enough to believe in change). I hope this class helps me dream about what design can impact in the urban/government sector.

Research and Methodology class in the afternoon turns into another writing workshops so we can develop our thesis outline. This week my research buddy Rica and I scribble all over our outlines. We are trying to make everything clean and easily understood. Our session dissolves into back-o-the-class laughter. Inevitable. I'm lucky to have Rica as my partner because he cracks up all the time. And for someone like me who takes things WAY too seriously it's one of the best reminders to chill out and enjoy the littles of life.

I bustle home in the metro rush hour to skype John Shneider, the cofounder of a company called 3DFuel. They make biodegradable filament for 3d printing from all kinds of bio-waste including beer, coffee, trash and hemp. https://www.3dfuel.com He's classic hipster in a Fargo warehouse. Kind, quick, eager. I'm nervous and I ask too many questions. He links me to a project where the brown coffee filament they make is actually helping to create prosthetic limbs in matching skin tones for kids. I check out the website. There's a lot of good in this world, eh? http://enablingthefuture.org/lend-a-hand/

Tuesday morning I wake up early with my partner's alarm clock. He's off to work. I'm off to the gym. I pump on the stationary bike, catch up on political comedy skits and see all the hype about the upcoming State of the Union speech back in the U.S.A. Political positions fascinate me as a beautiful and inevitable part of identity and culture. I cannot help wanting to know more - especially since I have so many colleagues and friends who continue to work the political/diplomatic ring.

Home again I set up a series of recipes that I'm testing for my edible packaging concept. I'm extrapolating lessons from raw food cuisine dehydrating to design sealable edible food packaging concepts. Some of my designs are downright wacky (check out this lattice weave of a banana peel plate). But that's part of the experimentation phase. I'm hoping to develop a catalogue of my different designs. But I'm certainly no chemist! Let's just see what happens.

By Tuesday afternoon I am back in 3D Lab class practicing new tricks on Rhino. This semester we have three new classmates from the interior design degree and they are wizard-fast with the software. I feel silly with my rudimentary skills in comparison (last semester I barely worked out how to make a box print properly, see Week 14) but the goal is to just keep learning. Alessandro, who teaches the class (and just agreed to be my thesis advisor!) is hella patient. He reminds me that I can only get better.

Tuesday evening I create a photo shoot in my office/spare room and hang paper craft bits for a scene promoting my prototype creations. I spend a happy couple of hours cutting, glueing, arranging and testing the scene ready for the prototype. (It's still baking in the dehydrator.) I need to make a presentation that appeals to both adults and to children, so I decided that paper craft images could be an easy way to entice people into a whole new colorful and playful world. Plus, I can't help myself. It's so cute! Here’s how it turned out in post-edit. Ooh, and check out the facebook event for my upcoming artist residency at Living Lab: http://bit.ly/2DZhjxW

Wednesday morning I open up the dehydrator and pull out the newest prototypes that have been setting and dehydrating for 24 hours. They look good and I pack them into a box carefully and cross the city of Paris via metro to MakeSense headquarters. Once there Solene gives us an update presentation on the ways in which MakeSense is changing due in part from our class experience with their massive open online course (MOOC). They have fortified their programs for each volunteer level of participation.

More interestingly they are trying to reconcile their blursing (blessing/curse) of being a vague international entity. "MakeSense is....tools? a playground? a social thing? a movement?" They've been able to survive on a whole range of descriptions precisely because MakeSense can be different things for different people. But now they are heading into a rebranding to simplify how they present themselves. Good luck, and go make sense of those things.

"Have you eaten yet?.....Would you like to have lunch with me?" Its time for my mid-week, mid-day workshop testing my prototypes in the PCA gallery (aka student union space.) My workshops do triple duty: 1 - test how the packaging holds food 2 - test how the package gets handled by users 3 - compensate my workshop participants (students love free food) And since very few people know what I'm up to - it's a wonderfully confirming moment to watch their shock and surprise when they open the bag and pull out my packaging. Ta-da! It's confirming for me that there is a place for edible, compostable, biodegradable takeaway packaging in lieu of plastic.

Hanna reminds me later that food waste is also a problem that I exacerbate with my designs. And maybe my design is not circular at all since it doesn't become renewable material. She's absolutely right - I'll have to acknowledge that my packaging wastes food. I'll also have to figure out how to explain that it's not circular design, but it does have a circular mentality. I have to be smarter about my designs and keep trying to do better. Maybe there’s a way to use more food scraps in the design of my prototypes? Hmm...back to the drawing board. In the afternoon I head to the pool at Neuilly-Sur-Seine for a lengthy swim to clear my head. The water is heated and laps in the pool feel effortless. I find in France no matter the pool I go to and no matter the lanes I pick (and they have plaques reading from slow to fast), the entire pool is filled with leisure swimmers paddling around. Fascinating but frustrating. I try to leave a gap for the swimmer ahead of me, forget the workout and just enjoy the swim.

In our second SPROUT workshop session with Maurizio and Laureano Thursday afternoon we test our observant eye for signals. "Look at the next image for 10 seconds, no writing and then tell me what you see." And we learn to pay attention to visual information and to categorize and title each with a concept. We’re not trend-hunting here. We’re future forecasting. It goes beyond the "cool" and into future realities with a subjective point of view. One of the 20 slides shows a 3d printed ear floating in a glass cup of pink liquid. Another shows metallic medical tattoos printed on wrists. Yet another features cars that drive you according to your mental state and not your destination. Each slide makes me wonder what I know about the future. Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore.

In Professional Practices later that night we meet Mathieu Merlet Briand, an artist who frames his work around the digital and technological perception of reality. He shows us his portfolio with marbelized glass created by algorithms of digital material [iceberg] to integrated iron sculptures on the loom [Google Dark Matter]. His generic advice "You will find a solution" sounds vague yet true. Sometimes all those questions we have cannot be answered, you just have to trust yourself to overcome that difficulty when it arises. At home again I watch a documentary called Urbanized (2011) as homework while munching dinner. It showcases the plight of urban planners, politicians, residents, city-dwellers, etc. The documentary highlights 12 different cities and the social impact created or ignored based on planning. I think about all the places I've lived in city-wide project launches. Luanda's marginal construction, London's empty olympic city, Buenos Aires 9 de Julio bus. Design is integral to social impact in city planning. It feels more grounded to finally study practical applications that affect people’s day to day lives in an architectural way. Friday afternoon we skype Thomas Watkin for Social and Urban governance class - this time about "What is public?" We compare our insights on the readings/documentaries and then talk about how to make a project public. How do you design a public space that allows people access? Allows them to be an audience? Allows an environment that fosters sharing? Its part of understanding the conditions laid out by Kevin Lynch in building Image of the City. We look at fun graphs showing walking spaces, architectural spaces, and public transportation studies. I leave just a little bit early for a private meeting in the gallery hallway of PCA's entrance. Her name is Emilie Prattico and she clips her words with a slight British accent but has a very down-to-earth conversational speech style. She's our professor for Designer's Social and Ethical Responsibilities. I pose a question to her about how to design without using necessarily Human Centered Design (HCD). To me, HCD doesn't seem to be proactively supporting environmental needs. She pivots my question and asks why not include environment when considering an optimal human experience? I'm intrigued but not convinced I understand. I see so much displacement of nature in pursuit of human interests that I struggle to make sense of what is ok and what is not. And how do we know that we are doing ok when only hindsight is 20/20? More questions, less answers....sigh.

We climb the stairs and enter the classroom. A quick shuffle of papers (we have about 5 minutes between one class and the next in the evenings.) We spend the first rounds of conversation talking about our program, what we're doing and what were are studying. Emilie works full time and she teaches on the side. She confirms that she is passionate - Friday night/Saturday all-day classes means that all of us will have to be committed too. Considering my question earlier, I feel grateful that we’re finally talking about the ethical issues. When class lets out early Rica invites everyone out to eat at a tiny Italian place around the corner from his place. Pizza? Yes. The music bips in the background, sourdough bread wafting, and we wait impatiently for our orders. We scarf down dinner while talking about Palermo, Italy (Hanna has a new job there potentially), New Zealand (Vaila is considering doing some back-packing), and Berlin, Germany (Rica is intending on going straight back to his company who he desperately misses.) I'll be in Paris for the foreseeable future. But you never know where a project might take you, eh? Saturday morning I head to the gym with my partner. I love lifting weights and he's a great gym partner. Doesn't yell, doesn't compete. Just does his bit and helps me when I ask for it. I love working out together. I shower at the gym and then head right back to PCA where we have a second lecture in Designer's Social and Ethical Responsibility. We go through a slide deck, watch a documentary, talk about theory, watch conference lectures on Youtube, talk some more, and of course, have some tea. Here's the quotes I pulled from our conversation in our ethic class: "theory can be a bummer" "your experience of your values is NOT the same thing as your values" "if you blindly accept then you give up your rights" "now you have tools to analyze very complex problems that arrive" "what you do with the lenses is to focus on different parts of the situation" "we generate reason from rational discourse with each other. Doesn't come from on high, doesn't come from a book. Everyone generates it through dialogue that is honest, equal, respectful..."

Afterwards, I walk into drizzles of rain towards the canals of St. Martin. I'm meeting my partner for noodles at Tien Hiangs. This place is always hopping, but class ended early and we're able to make it before the rush comes through at 20h. A vegan bowl of pho, a gorgeous basket of dumplings and my darling partner to share it with! What more can a girl ask for?

Sunday is studying, reading, writing, etc. I jump through 17 new articles related to composting, recycling, packaging, plastic, etc. I'm drowning in sources but I still cannot get enough to capture all the information I'll need. I'm sending in today my first draft of the thesis. I know it will go through many revisions, but I want it to be as close to finished as possible. This whole month of February is going to squeeze us like a sausage factory. Both Social and Urban Governance and Designer's Social and Ethical Responsibility are front-loaded so that we finish the course requirements March-ish. This would give us time to create our thesis and individual projects afterwards, except that due dates are also front-loaded so that our thesis are due in early April. So right now it feels rushed and hectic, but it will slow down as the weather gets better and as the semester winds down. Just gotta keep on track...which reminds me I feel like going for a run. It would be a nice way to rinse out my mind this Sunday afternoon. A long run always feels good. So I head to the neighborhood athletic track with my partner. We bounce on the rubber path and fall into rhythm of step. Just gotta keep on track and moving forward.

SMarti out.

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