#yes this is what the movie shawshank redemption is based off

[have-you-read-this-short-fiction]

#yes this is what the movie shawshank redemption is based off #novella #novellas #rita hayworth and shawshank redemption #stephen king #20th century literature #american literature #english language literature #have you read this short fiction? #book polls #completed polls

[adhoption]

The whole complaint about there being too many comic book movies is weird when you think of it as a medium rather than a genre - it's like complaining about there being too many novel adaptations, or films based on a true story.

Actually, come to think of it, it does feel like we've had enough films based on video games or musical biopics recently, but that just means that comic book adaptations are hardly the problem. It's all unoriginal, just chasing trends and following certain formulae, all latching onto recognisably IP and milking it until it curdles.

Relative to an industry dominated by films based on toys and household objects and spun off of TV series, even cannibalising other films into unwanted remakes and reboots and sequels and prequels, somebody adapting an actual story, with new characters, that has not been previously adapted to film, is like a breath of fresh air.

Within that medium, there can still be great diversity of genre. It used to be that we could distinguish between film noir and heist capers, between space operas and spy thrillers, but now if they were originally comic books it's all the same. It feels like lumping The Shawshank Redemption and IT together as 'Stephen King movies', or Twilight and The Godfather as 'novel movies'.

Yes, there are a lot of Marvel stories being produced all at once, but that's because they have half a century of content to catch up with, with thousands of comic editions to sift through and adapt. It's no different to what they'd do with anything else, and if anything I think they're being more discerning than the way they drag out some of their other source material.

You think they wouldn't have made 30 Harry Potter films if there were enough books? They added some extra ones as it was, and now they want to do a TV series. They turned a couple of Jurassic Park books into six films and counting. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings became twenty hours and a TV series. If the Marvel canon offers a whole untapped universe of hundreds of characters to explore, what do you expect them to do?

'There are too many Marvel movies', sure, but there are too many everything movies. Every single smidgeon of IP will get exploited until all of the flavour runs out. This year alone we have John Wick 4, Rocky 9, Scream 6, Fast and the Furious 10, Evil Dead 5, Magic Mike 3, Transformers 7, Indiana Jones 5, Insidious 5, Mission Impossible 7, The Equaliser 3, The Expendables 4, The Exorcist 6, Saw 10, Trolls 3, Hunger Games 5, and Ghostbusters 5.

At the same time, we have films based on Super Mario Bros. and D&D and Gran Turismo and Five Nights at Freddy's and Teen Wolf and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Paw Patrol, biopics about George Foreman and the origins of Tetris and Air Jordans, remakes of Children of the Corn and The Colour Purple and White Men Can't Jump and Haunted Mansion, live action adaptations of The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan and a Willy Wonka prequel for some reason.

I feel exhausted just reading through that list. How many of those films were actually needed, or even wanted? How many are an obvious cash grab from a studio bereft of any original ideas, a forced extension of a franchise which should have been left to rest where it was? I don't understand all of the criticism focusing on the fact that there are three MCU films, when surely they are no more tired than any of the alternatives?

If you ignore the cross-over events, and look at Guardians of the Galaxy 3 or Ant-Man 3 as the conclusion of a self-contained trilogy, resolving various character arcs and introducing an engaging villain which an established history and background in the source material and an actual plotline planned out and executed, I don't know how you can say they aren't stories at least as worth telling as the umpteenth phoned-in sequel being drawn out of every popular film, with no plan other than to try to copy what was good in the original, to increasingly diminishing returns.

Next year we're going to get Planet of the Apes 4 (itself a reboot of a reboot), Godzilla/Kong 5 (itself the latest in a long line of reboots) Mad Max 5, Kung-Fu Panda 4, Transformers 8, Mission Impossible 8, Despicable Me/Minions 6, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, a musical biopic of Bob Marley, a live action remake of Snow White, another Garfield film, a prequel to the Lion King remake, and sequels to Dirty Dancing, Gladiator, and Beetlejuice.

I'm not looking forward to Thunderbolts, Captain America 4 or the Blade remake, but I don't think they're less original than almost any other film being released, and I don't understand why people are acting like Marvel are doing something particularly boring or cynical when they are still largely adapting original material and still have untapped stories to tell, which is more than can be said for most of these zombie franchises staggering on long after they should have ended.

#mcu #marvel #film

[ghostlywhiskey]

0, 15, 19, 39, 41,43

Didn't wanna overstep any boundaries, but those are what I've got if you wanna answer <3

You own a special part of my heart bc I kid you not I'll be going about my day and as soon as I get a notification from your blog I'm elated. You’ve become the best part of my day.

-🤎

0: Height → 5'3

15: Favorite movie → i'm terrible at picking one so i'm naming a few off the top of my head that i have rewatched multiple times - remember the titans, shawshank redemption, top gun (pre top gun maverick hype yes i'm being annoying and mentioning that), die hard, the best of me & when harry met sally

19: A fact about your personality → dark humor is pretty common with me and sometimes i don't read the room OOP

39: My favorite ice cream flavor → chocolate or cookies & cream

41: Where I want to be right now → on a lake - i think they are better than beaches fr

43: Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately → brain immediately went to barry sloane but thats because he's such a hyperfixation right now - but him, travis kelce, joe burrow, & this i feel is very specific but christopher meloni (elliot from law and order SVU)

and you are sosososo sweet!! i love you fr<3 you make my day when i see my inbox with a message from you MWAH

bored ask me questions based off these

#ask #anon ask #get to know me tee hee #🤎

[party-lemon]

This is gonna be another long post so...yeah. Do with that what you will.

A List of My Top Ten Favorite Movies (So Far) And Why (In No Particular Order)

#1: Juno

Released: December 5, 2007

Cast: Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, J.K. Simmons

The rest of these aren't in order but this is my favorite movie. I've literally only watched it twice but I absolutely love it. It is so beautifully written, the cast is amazing. Every character is amazing and amazingly written. Juno is the perfect main character and is so likeable. And the soundtrack!? Perfection. Honestly, I just love everything about this movie. Literally everything.

#2: Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

Released: July 26, 2019

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Dakota Fanning

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, only because it took so long for it to get to the final scene. I don't want to call it boring, but for lack of a better word...it was boring. There were hints about what was going on throughout the entire movie and it builds and builds and builds and then we have this insane final scene. What's even better about it is that it's based on something that happened in real life, it just has two characters thrown in, making it never happen. It's such an interesting movie and waiting for it to sort of get to the point is worth it.

#3: Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Released: June 11, 1986

Cast: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Gray, Jeffrey Jones

A classic. This movie is so quotable and so fun even though the concept is, really, pretty simple. Cameron is one of my favorite movie characters ever. I love Matthew Broderick. Sloane is gorgeous. It's just a really fun movie and one of my go to's for every mood.

#4: Signs

Released: July 29, 2002

Cast: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones

This movie is so creepy, mostly because I believe that aliens exist so it isn't like a regular horror/thriller movie because I feel like this is so real. But this movie is so good. The cast, including the kids, is phenomenal. (Yes, unfortunately, even Mel Gibson.) It plays around with so many questions: are aliens real? What if they were? What if signs are real? What if there aren't signs, only coincidences? I'm a fan of M. Night Shyamalan and this is my favorite of his films.

#5: Stranger Than Fiction

Released: November 10, 2006

Cast: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman

I literally bawl my eyes out every time I watch this. Oh my gosh. So let's start with the fact that this is a more serious role than Will Ferrell usually does, and I love when actors that often just star in comedies pull a, "Hey, I can do this, too!" Harold is such a compelling character, you're just rooting for him the whole time. Every character's interactions with each other are amazing. It's such a sweet story and I really love it a lot.

#6: This is Where I Leave You

Released: September 19, 2014

Cast: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Corey Stoll, Rose Byrne

I just watched this recently and I instantly loved it. I talk about casts a lot but this one is absolutely star-studded and it works so well. It tackles the mourning process well and all of the character's interactions are great. I especially love Rose Byrne but I also just really like Rose Byrne in everything I've seen her in.

#7: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Released: December 25, 2013

Cast: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt

I was obsessed with this movie in junior high! I watched it all the time and it still holds up. I love the whimsical fantasy it has to it from time to time and Walter's compelling search for the last photo. This movie is ridiculous sometimes and it knows it and it owns it.

#8: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Released: September 21, 2012

Cast: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Mae Whitman, Paul Rudd

I read the book and, while the movie isn't completely accurate, it holds up better than most book to movie adaptations. I absolutely love Charlie. Don't get me wrong, Sam is great, Patrick is lovely, but Charlie is amazing, mostly because I relate to him so much in so many ways. The soundtrack to this movie is great, also, and the tunnel scenes are just *chef's kiss* Such a brilliant book and movie.

#9: The Truman Show

Released: June 5, 1998

Cast: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Natascha McElhone

Another example of a comedian playing a more serious role. Throughout this whole movie, you're just waiting for Truman to find out the truth, for his life to change because the more you watch it, the more you come to love this character. Or, I guess, person. You want the best for him, you want him to break free from this literal cage. It's captivating and angering because this lovable character's entire life is a lie. It's such a brilliant film and I feel like it should get more attention.

#10: Alice in Wonderland

Released: March 5, 2010

Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter

Where do I start...this movie is so weird. Which is kind of the point and that's why I love it. The main character doesn't even know what's going on sometimes. Once you figure out what's going on, this movie is just really fun. Kind of. I don't know how to describe this movie, I really don't. But I just love it a lot. There's a dragon and castles and weird creatures and talking animals. Everyone does an excellent job, especially Johnny Depp. I would kill for the Mad Hatter. It's such a weird movie and I can't put my finger on why I love it so much, but I do. I also really like Tim Burton.

Honorable Mentions:

Jojo Rabbit

Crazy Stupid Love

Spider-Man: Homecoming

The Shawshank Redemption

Coraline

Again, if you made it this far, thanks for reading. And, again, 11/10 would recommend all of these, including the honorable mentions.

#movies #juno #once upon a time in hollywood #save ferris #ferris bueller #ferris buellers day off #signs #m night shyamalan #stranger than fiction #this is where i leave you #the secret life of walter mitty #walter mitty #the perks of being a wallflower #the truman show #alice in wonderland

[mrs-han]

Play You For It

My piece for @juminfanzine ! I was so honored to be a part of this amazing project, and I appreciate all the hard work of everyone involved!

—

The following story endowed by Mrs. Han herself explores the private lives of the Executive Director and the RFA Party Planner weeks before their wedding. According to Mrs. Han, the then-engaged couple had a small dispute over which colors to have displayed on the day they would finally speak the words, “I do.”

—

“Okay, tell me again why teal, mint green, and creamy white are an ‘ordinary’ choice, Jumin.”

Jumin swirled the dark red wine in his glass tentatively. “Don’t get me wrong, darling. They’re fine colors, it’s just… wouldn’t you prefer something bolder?”

The brunette faced her fiancé and cocked a brow. “Like royal purple and midnight black?”

“Those are only two of the colors I chose,” Jumin hummed. “You forgot to mention silver.”

“Those colors are too heavy, Jumin. Besides, you wear them every day, aren’t you tired of them?”

Jumin took a sip. “Not at all, my love. These colors are clean and professional.”

“Yes, which is one reason I have a problem with them. They’re just… too gothic-looking, and I don’t want our guests to feel intimidated.”

Jumin reached over and grabbed her hand. “Mm… I hear you. Why don’t I adjust one color from royal purple to lilac?”

She tried to force a smile as her eyebrows scrunched together and her hand balled into a small fist against his palm. Without so much as a glance at her, he knew she didn’t like his proposal.

“I’m not… I’m not feeling it, Jumin.” She moved her hand from his and pushed the bedsheets away. “Purple just does nothing for me.”

“All right.” Jumin pulled his hand to his lap and cleared his throat. “You have thirty seconds to tell me why teal, mint green, and creamy white are the perfect color choices.”

She scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes. “You aren’t seriously going to time me, are -”

“Twenty-seven seconds.”

“Oh. Oh, okay, um, well, they complement each other, and… and they’re inviting… they aren’t gothic, they’re stylish, and ah… they… ah…”

“Twenty seconds.”

“... I don’t know, what do you want from me?”

Jumin smiled mischievously. “You haven’t convinced me, my precious princess.”

She bit her lower lip. “Tell you what, Jumin. I’ll play you for it.”

“... You’ll play me for it?”

“Yes.”

“Darling, this is our wedding. I figured you’d be a little more serious about this.”

She grabbed a quarter from her drawer. “Do you have any other suggestions?”

“... What game did you have in mind?”

“A simple one. Heads or tails, Jumin?”

“Mm… hm. Heads or tails.” Jumin squinted. “There are two sides of the coin, which makes the probability of landing on either heads or tails one half for each side. However, heads are the popular choice because it is the heavier of the two, with it having a 51% chance of dominating. There may also be faults on the coin itself, considering coins are a currency people handle. People aren’t perfect, they consistently drop their things, including their coins. But based on the mathematical probability...”

“Jumin, dear lord, please pick one.”

“... Heads.”

She tossed the coin and slapped it against the back of her hand. “Tails.”

“The coin must be damaged,” he said nonchalantly.

She giggled. “You’re only saying that because you lost! Well, that’s that then!”

“Now, wait a minute, hold on. Best two out of three, dear.”

She raised her brows. “You are awfully persistent about this, aren’t you?”

“This time, I’ll toss it and you call it.” Jumin grabbed the coin from her and threw it up.

“Tails,” she said.

The coin landed in his palm and he slapped it against the back of his hand. “Heads.”

She grabbed the coin from him. “Best two out of three, remember? You haven’t won yet. I’ll toss it this time.”

“Fine.” Jumin watched her carefully. “Tails.”

Rather than slap the coin on the back of her hand, she threw it up and let it fall onto the bedsheets. “... Heads! Hah! I won! Do you see that?!”

Jumin tipped over and looked at the coin.

“Hah! Well, it looks like my pretty, classical colors will be on display on our wedding day!” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Good night, Jumin!”

“... No. Another game.”

Just as she pulled the bedsheets over her body, she heard her fiance’s firm insistence. “Jumin, we need to be up early tomorrow. You lost. No more games.”

“One more.” he opened his left palm and made a fist with his right hand. “Ga-wi, ba-wi, bo, eh-seo hana-bbagi-il.”

“Jumin, really?” She pushed the sheets back. “I need to be up in four hours, and you need to be up in three.”

Jumin grabbed her wrist. “While that is the case, our wedding is four weeks away, and we are still arguing about colors.” He resumed the hand position for the Korean-style of rock, paper, scissors, a determined look on his face. “I insist.”

“All right. Best two out of three again.”

“Ga-wi, ba-wi, bo, eh-seo hana-bbagi-il.”

“Again, Jumin.”

“Ga-wi, ba-wi, bo, eh-seo hana-bbagi-il.”

“... One more time, I promise.”

“Ga-wi, ba-wi- bo, eh-seo hana-bbagi-il.”

“... I don’t like this game, Jumin.”

Jumin smirked smugly. “Now, as I remember you telling me earlier, ‘You’re only saying that because you lost’. I won. You must give up your position as the victor and push your colors aside.”

“No way! We won one game each, isn’t it fair we have a tie-breaker?”

“... We should have drafted up a contract.” Jumin grumbled.

“I know what we can do. Video games. ‘Combat for Mortals.’ Three rounds.” She jumped out of bed and rushed towards the Greystation. “This will be our tie-breaker.”

“Dear -”

As soon as the Greystation hummed to life, Jumin closed his eyes and rested his head against the baseboard of the bed. “All right. Three rounds. But I insist we draft a contract before we engage in combat.”

“No need, this will be fast,” she handed him a controller.

“Oh? What brought you to that conclusion?” Jumin murmured inquisitively.

“Jumin, I mean, no offense, but I’m good at this game. I will destroy you.”

“Is that so?”

“Choose your warrior!”

___

“I win.”

“Jumin, all you did was spam the same attacks on me. I want a rematch.”

“I only, as you say, ‘spammed’ the same attacks because you kept trying to back away from my character.”

“Yes, because you kept ‘spamming’ the same moves!”

“All right, if you want a rematch, then I would be happy to oblige.” Jumin took her hand and delicately kissed a trail from her wrist to her forearm. “I would do anything to make you happy.”

“Ah, Jumin…” her lips pecked his cheek and traveled to his ear. “... then agree to my colors.”

“Now, now…” Jumin pushed her hair back. “Let’s not be rash, dearest.”

“You think I don’t see what you’re doing, honey bunny? Your flattering words won’t work with me. Not this time.”

Jumin stared at her for a moment… then grinned playfully. “It was worth a shot. Come, let’s play another round.”

___

“I win.” Jumin tossed the controller onto the couch.

“You don’t win a fight if you keep spamming the same buttons.” MC huffed and threw the controller off to the side. “This isn’t working. Let’s try something else.”

Jumin hummed softly. “I know what we can try. Trivia.”

“Trivia? Wait for me then.” She untucked her legs and made her way to the kitchen. “Brain games require coffee.”

“Make me a cup too, if you please,” Jumin called out.

“Sure! As long as you agree to my colors!”

Jumin surged towards her and gathered her in his arms from behind. “You’re a sneaky little devil, aren’t you? I’ll make my cup, thank you.”

“It was worth a shot,” she smiled.

___

“You included math questions within the deck?”

Jumin shuffled the trivia cards. “Is that a problem?”

“Eh, a little. You know I’m not good at math, you’re automatically putting me at a disadvantage.”

“Is that so…?” Jumin droned, his hands still busy shuffling the cards. “See now, if we had drafted and signed a contract, I would have considered your mathematical disability.” He glanced up at her. “We don’t have to do this. You can give up.”

“No way,” she grimaced. “I will do my best.”

“That’s my girl,” Jumin rubbed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “Stubborn to the end.”

“Psh,” she huffed playfully. “Who goes first?”

Jumin adjusted his sleeves. “Well, since I won ‘Combat for Mortals,’ it’s only fair I go first.”

“You don’t win by spamming,” she said under her breath. “All right, fifteen seconds on the clock. Ready?”

“Yes,” Jumin nodded.

“Olympia is the capital of which U.S. state?”

“Washington,” Jumin answered.

“Correct. What is Shawshank in the movie ‘The Shawshank Redemption?’”

“The prison itself,” Jumin responded.

“Correct. What is Naan the Persian -”

“Bread.”

“Correct. If letters were numbers a=1, z=26, how much would Wayne Rooney -”

“160.”

“Time.” MC reached down and stopped her timer. “You got… all of them right. No surprise there!”

“Your turn,” Jumin reshuffled the cards. “Fifteen seconds. Are you ready?”

“Wait!” she reached out, sipped her coffee, and nodded. “Ready!”

“What is the second largest country by land mass?”

“Second… Canada!” She shouted.

“That’s right. In which ocean did the Titanic sink?”

“Titanic… oh! The Atlantic ocean!”

“Be more specific.”

“The uh, the… North Atlantic ocean?”

“Correct. A student’s math scores are 98, 87, 82, 95, 93, 81, 100. What is the average?”

She froze. “Uh. 98… 95… one… 93?”

Jumin shook his head. “No, 91. What is the world’s smallest -”

Jumin stopped his timer as it went off. “Time is up, dear.”

“You threw a math question at me, that’s not fair!”

“It’s more than fair, dear, trivia games include math questions.”

“Let’s play another game.”

Jumin squinted his eyes. “You realize you’ve lost two games in a row now?”

“I didn’t lose the combat one, Jumin.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Spammers don’t decide who wins or who loses.”

Jumin huffed. “Well… what other games did you have in mind?”

“... I bought marshmallows the other day. Let’s play chubby bunny.”

“Chubby what?” Jumin watched as his fiancée made her way back to the kitchen.

“Chubby bunny! You stuff as many marshmallows in your mouth and say ‘chubby bunny’ after every marshmallow.”

“... Dear, that sounds dangerous -”

“I’ll start!” MC’s hand ripped the bag open, and she pushed a marshmallow in her mouth. “Chubby bunny!”

Jumin watched her, grabbed a marshmallow, and timidly pushed it into his mouth. “Ch… Chubby bunny.”

She clapped for him playfully and pushed another marshmallow into her mouth. Jumin snickered as he watched her; she had only gotten two marshmallows in, and it looked like she was having a hard time keeping them in.

“Chu… chub… mm… chubby bunny!”

Jumin swallowed his marshmallow and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. With a squeak, she jumped up, ran to the kitchen, and coughed the marshmallows into the trash bin. Jumin, not too far behind her, rubbed her back and stroked her hair.

“I told you it was dangerous.”

“Hah… you were right…” she panted. “But that… was only because you… haah…”

Jumin pulled her against him, turned her around, and held her chin in his hand. “Because I…?”

Flustered, she tried to look away from him, but he lightly pressed his fingers against her skin. “Look at me, darling.”

Her eyes slowly met with his. A soft, intimate beat of silence passed between them when Jumin’s eyes sparkled.

“I have an idea.”

“O-Oh?”

Jumin pushed her hair behind her ear and took another step closer, closing the gap between them. “Hazel... and gray. These can be our colors.”

“What…? Where did you…” As soon as she looked into his eyes, she knew. His thoughtful, polished metal gray eyes were peering back at her… just as her autumn-hazel eyes were peering at him.

“I think… that’s a fantastic idea,” she smiled.

“Mm…” Jumin beamed. “... do you really think so, dear?”

“I do. Then… that’s that, isn’t it? Those are our colors…!”

Jumin kissed the tip of her nose. “Those are our colors.”

An unsettled expression graced her features. Jumin’s eyebrows scrunched as he observed her. “What’s the matter?”

“I realized something, Jumin. We didn’t decide on a flavor for our cake.”

“Hm? We visited the pastry chef two weeks ago. We decided on the vanilla filling.”

“Vanilla?” She frowned. “I didn’t agree to vanilla. I wanted chocolate.”

They stared at each other. A sigh escaped her, and she gripped his hand. “I’ll play you for it. One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war.”

“Before that, I need to schedule today off. You should do the same, my love.”

#mystic messenger #jumin han #jumin x mc #juminfanzine #mysme fanfic #I met a lot of amazing people because of this project #I’m so proud of its success! #FOR THE HAN

[theyearoftheking]

Book Twelve: Different Seasons

“The only reason anyone writes stories is so they can understand the past and get ready for some future mortality; that’s why all the verbs in stories have -ed endings...The only two useful artforms are religion and stories.” 

Guys... this is not an exaggeration/hyperbole/overreaction... Different Seasons is officially my current favorite Stephen King book. To hear Steve describe it, “...a book with stories in it about an off-beat prison-break, an old man and a young boy locked up in a gruesome relationship based on mutual parasitism, a quartet of country boys on a journey of discovery, and an off-the-wall horror story about a young woman determined to give birth to her child no matter what...” 

The first novella is Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption; which of course the iconic movie is based off of. Despite the fact the narrator in the story is a white guy, I couldn’t help but hear Morgan Freeman’s voice. The movie holds pretty true to the story, but the extrapolations are all well done, and make for a more robust movie. 

The second novella is Apt Pupil; which was horrifying. I remember seeing the movie when it came out, and there was a particular scene where Todd makes Dussander dress up in a Nazi uniform and march around the kitchen for him. I remember getting actual chills during this scene. The book had the same effect. 

One fun thing about these novellas, they sometimes reference back to each other. At one point, Dussander tells Todd, “Stocks I picked up after the war under yet another name. Through a bank in the State of Maine, if you please. The banker who bought them for me went to jail for murdering his wife a year after I bought them...” Yes, that banker was Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption.

There were a couple of notes I jotted down while reading Apt Pupil, “The only thing scarier than a Nazi who tortured and killed six million people, is a kid fascinated by him...” and “How well do we really know our own kids? Todd’s parents were convinced their son was smart, athletic, and a great kid. Meanwhile he was off killing vagrants, and helping his Nazi friend bury bodies in the basement.” Apt Pupil was my favorite novella in the collection, it was haunting, and the end was chilling... and unfortunately still relevant. 

The third novella was, The Body, better known as Stand by Me. 

Despite the fact the boys are on a mission to see a dead body, there really isn’t a whole lot of horror (psychological or otherwise) in the story. The most terrifying thing was the reference to Cujo, “Chopper was- at least until Joe Camber’s dog Cujo went rabid twenty years later- the most feared and least seen dog in Castle Rock.” Yep, the story is set in mythical Castle Rock. Which, while we’re on the subject, gets ridiculed, along with one of my favorite actual towns in Maine- Saco! “Lots of real towns sound stupid... I mean, what about Alfred, Maine? Or Saco, Maine? Or Jerusalem’s Lot? Or Castle-fuckin-Rock? There ain’t no castle here. Most town names are stupid...”

What the story lacks in horror, it makes up for in quality writing. There were paragraphs that made my heart squeeze a little. Maybe it’s because my daughter is almost the age of the boys in this story, and I know how formative these years are. Maybe it’s the nostalgia of the movie (wittle bitty Cory Feldman!). Or maybe it’s just recognizing beautiful writing when you read it. Either way. Take this gem, “The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you’ve said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it...When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.” 

In the afterward, Steve gives his iconic declaration that his work is the literary equivalent of a Big Mac. I beg to differ, friend. 

But the end of the story, “Me? I’m a writer now, like I said. A lot of critics think what I write is shit... I sold the book and it was made into a movie and the movie got good reviews and it was a smash hit besides... the second book was made into a movie as well, as was the third...Meantime, my wife doesn’t seem to mind having me around the house and we have three kids now...” I can’t help but wonder how much of this story is cribbed directly from Steve’s life. 

The final story in the collection is The Breathing Method, and it’s the weakest of the four. It’s a strange story about a woman who is decapitated on the way to the hospital to deliver her baby, and despite not having a head (or an intact spinal cord), she’s able to give birth, and then dies immediately after thanking the doctor for his help. It was stupid. But the glory of the three previous stories more than make up for this idiotic one. 

We had one Wisconsin reference in The Breathing Method, “It made me think for the first time in years of the winter nights in the Wisconsin farmhouse where I grew up...” 

We also had one Dark Tower reference in Shawshank Redemption: “Sometimes they have to be hauled down to the infirmary and sedated a couple of times before they got on the beam.” All things must serve The Beam! 

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 13

Total Dark Tower References: 8

Book Grade: A+

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books

Different Seasons: A+

The Shining: A-

The Stand: A-

The Dead Zone: B+

‘Salem’s Lot: B+

Carrie: B+

Creepshow: B+

Danse Macabre: B-

The Gunslinger

Firestarter: C+

Cujo: C-

Nightshift: C-

Next up is Christine, another book I’ve never read before. I have the distinct pleasure of driving to and staying over in Iowa this week, so I hope to finish it quickly. Hoping the book is more interesting than the entire state of Iowa...

Until next time readers, Long Days & Pleasant Nights,

Rebecca

[inspiringwhilerespiring]

Yall know i love this survey shit<3

1. List 5 things you want to do before the year ends.

-finish 5 books

-lose 20 lbs

-produce more art

-travel out of the state & country

-heal my heart and love myself a lil more

2. What color are your pants?

not wearing any

3. Favorite motivational quote.

damn, there’s A L O T. prob something simple and to the point. I like “proud, but never satisfied” and “the distance between your dreams and reality is called action”

4. When was the last time you drank coffee?

yesterday; got a new french press for christmas<3

5. What was the last thing you ate?

lmao the weirdest shit. hot cheetos, some hummus, and a bar

6. Favorite animal.

soo many; always been fascinated by sharks. Elephants are up there too.

7. Favorite song.

currently anything Kid Cudi - he soothes my soul

8. Last movie you watched?

National Lampoon family vacation I think?

9. Any turn ons?

of course; im one of those gay people who gets turned on by having an emotional connection first and foremost; but if were strictly talking physical shit - any neck action is sexy af. or just taking breaks to make eye contact.

10. Any turn offs?

bad breath lol and just being a dick in general or inconsiderate

11. List 4 big words off of the top of your head.

cognizant; superfluous; compelling; anguished

12. What are some meaningful movies?

First ones that come to my mind that left an impact or a meaningful message are Shawshank Redemption, Avatar, Wall-E (lol), Forest Gump

13. 2 most important people in your life right now?

Myself honestly 

14. What are 3 things you want to do before the month ends?

Find a desk, order a blender, and form a morning routine

15. When was the last time you read a good book?

Currently reading Michelle Obama’s -Becoming; before that I read the Alchemist and it was good

16. How long do you study for usually, if you study?

I don’t

17. Do you have any nicknames?

Pollo, Hayls

18. Favorite kind of perfume? (fruity, alluring, etc.)

Viva la Juicy, but honestly all of them - been sticking to essential oils or all natural shit lately - anything with Amber is good.

19. Do you have any international friends / friends who live out of state?

yes<3

20. What is something unique that you do every single day?

lol shower? I dont really do anything special i dont think?

21. If there was a movie based on your life, what would it be called?

“Becoming” lol because I feel like I am always growing and changing and adapting and learning and ill never just be one thing

22. When was the last time you bought a gift for someone?

Recently - christmas time

23. Are you a shopaholic?

no - but i just got an amazon prime account and thats game changer fa real

24. What are some songs that always make you feel better?

Love - Kid Cudi, 

25. List 3 activities that you can only enjoy by yourself.

Sitting in the tub (otherwise that shit is too crowded lmao)

Reading a good book

Masturbating prob?

26. If you could live in any biome (and survive) which biome would you live in?

Tropical island

27. How do you like being roused in the morning?

cuddles and soft music (prob reggae) and if i aint got shit to do a bluntttt fam

28. How was your day? What did you do?

it was ok - fighting some inner demons lately and feeling really low :/ but i got a little bit done so im giving myself a break

29. What did your last text message say?

“bye”

30. Do you respond to texts quickly?

depends on who it is lol

31. Who was the last person you called?

my mom

32. List 5 things that are on your wish list.

i wanna learn another language

I wish to be able to see more things change for the better in our world

i wish to skydive

i wish to live in another country for a while

and i wish to love myself

33. If you were famous, what do you think you would be famous for?

maybe being a host of a talk show lol

34. Winter or summer?

both

35. What is a quality that all people should have?

empathy

36. If you could have a large collection of one item, what would that item be?

my inner white girl and materialistic ass says shoes - but idk i think it would also be cool to have a collection of books or photographs - ya know that sentimental shit i be on

37. What have you been thinking about lately?

wow so much - a lot of reflecting honestly about who i have been and how i’ve treated others and how i am trying to change myself - so ironically enough, i’ve also been thinking about the future and trying to focus on who i want to be and where i want to be

38. What is the secret to a happy life?

taking it day by day im sure

39. What are some phrases you say often?

“nice” lol to my clients a lot

40. Favorite food?

lately its been asian - like thai and vietnamese. fuck now i want some dumplings and curry and egg rollllz

41. List 3 wishes.

already fuckin diiiiiddd fam

42. What are some of your greatest fears?

memory loss, dying, losing others

43. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer?

idk whats app prob

44. Most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen (in real life)? 

machu picchu

45. Spicy food:Like or dislike? 

LOVE

46. Scary movies:Like or dislike?

Depends

47. Do you like to travel?

Do you know me lol

48. Any regrets?

yeah always, but i try to live my life without any and honestly id never go back and change em

49. Do you like rain?

obsessed; fav weather actually

50. What do you spend most of your money on?

food

51. Would you rather visit the past or the future?

past bc im a sentimental person; future is exciting and i like surprises and the unknown and dreaming about that shit - id rather not know.

52. Favorite clothing store?

depends - urban outfitters is my style but i like goodwill just as much

53. What is the best advice you can give to those who are feeling down?

this too shall pass

54. How often do you think about your future? Does it scare you?

honestly not often enough, i try not to over think things or it tends to give me anxiety. why worry about things that are far out of our control? I just take shit day by day

55. What angers you the most?

ignorance. and rude ass people. when someone isnt being genuine

56. When was the last time you got majorly angry?

yesterday

57. When was the last time you got really sad?

today

58. Are you good at lying?

im sure everyone is to some degree

59. What foreign language would you like to learn?

spanish

60. How many languages can you speak and what are they?

just one - semi fluent in spanish

61. How often do you go to parties? If you don’t, what do you do instead?

lol 

62. What books do you plan to read this year?

not sure! I have a couple but we shall see

63. Do you have breakfast every morning?

yes i try to - its my fav meal

64. Tell us a secret.

then it wouldnt be a secret

65. How many concerts have you been to?

a few

66. Last hug?

wasnt long enough

67. Who knows you better than anyone else?

myself

68. Baths or showers?

ooooooh damn, depends

69. Do you think you’re ambitious?

i could be a little more

70. What song is stuck in your head?

lmaooo wake up in the sky by gucci mane and bruno - thats been my shit lately

71. Countries you’ve visited?

Peru, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Caymans, Philippines

72. What do you most value in your friends?

Communication and laughter

73. What helps you to sleep better?

putting my got dang phone away from me

74. What is the most money you have ever held in your hand?

prob like 2 grand or some shit

75. What makes you nervous?

when i over book myself or take too much on and have a lot on my plate - so time management i suppose

76. What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

to live in the present moment; and to take care of myself 

77. Is it easier to forgive or forget?

forgive for sure - i dont really ever forget

78. First mobile phone?

ayyy a flip phone and it was see thru and lit up and had a walkie talkie!

79. Strangest dream?

lmao ew no im so ashamed

80. Best dream?

flying or something

81. Who is the smartest person you know?

my grandpa it seems

82. Who is the prettiest person on tumblr?

idk

83. Do you miss anyone right now?

very much, always

84. Who do you love? Why?

everyone, because life is too damn short for hate

85. Do you like sharing?

yeah lol bc i expect ppl to share w me in return

86. What was the last picture you took with your phone?

idk actually

87. Is there a reason behind everything that happens?

yeah id like to think so

88. Favorite genre of music?

i was raised on hip hop so i feel like that is my go to but honestly i love reggae, alternative, a lil bit of electro chill shit, R&B, oldies, jazz, anything 

89. If you had one word to describe yourself, what would it be?

Understanding

90. Describe your life in 5 words.

roller coaster. fun. emotional. loving. growth.

91. Describe the world in 4 words.

crazy. beautiful. strong. vast.

92. Craziest thing you’ve ever done?

skinny dip?

93. First three songs in your favorite playlist?

cocaine model - zhu

is this love - bob marley

tadow - masego

94. Are you more creative or logical?

def without a doubt 100% creative/emotional/empath/sensative/does things based on feelings rather than reason type person lmao

95. Would you rather lie or hurt someone with the truth?

truth always

96. What are you most proud of?

my ability to communicate and understand people

97. What personality trait do you admire in other people?

strength/humility 

98. When you imagine yourself as really, really relaxed and happy, what are you doing?

smoking a fat ass blunt doing yoga on a sunny day while its 68 degrees out and im on a beach 

#survey #ask me anything #ask #questionaire #questions #haylee #get to know me

[guardianlost]

MODERN VERSE INFO

LAUFEY/ FAYE LUNDSTRÖM

NAME : Faye. MIDDLE NAME : N/A LAST NAME : Lundström.   AGE : 41 GENDER : Female. SEXUALITY : Pansexual. FAMILY : husband: Kratos, son: Atreus/Loki.  BIRTHPLACE : Sweden. HOMETOWN : undivulged, if asked will joke about being from ‘Narnia’. CURRENT LOCATION : varies, usually in the middle of nowhere in Scandinavia, in American Gods verse will have come to the States to keep tabs on Odin. NATIONALITY : Swedish.  ETHNICITY : ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ SPOKEN LANGUAGES : Swedish, Finnish, English, Gaeilge, Greek. RELIGION : None, but respects the Valkyries; has been known to invoke Eir for healing. HEIGHT : 6′10″ BODY TYPE : Somewhat athletic. HAIR COLOUR & TYPE : Dark brown with red tones, often braided and/or tied back up out of the way. EYE COLOUR & TYPE : Cobalt blue, turns gold when using magic. TATTOOS : Intricate pattern down the column of her throat, several elder futhark rune tattoos that translate as blessings or boons. PIERCINGS :  Two in each ear lobe, rarely worn. SCARS : Facial scar below right cheekbone, other miscellaneous ones from various accidents but nothing significant. EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND : Has a formal university education but is mostly self taught. PETS : A gyrfalcon named Jöphie. CAREER : Technically none, lives a fairly self-sufficient existence more or less ‘off the grid’ and if she needs anything she trades favours and goods with neighbours or friends in a small local town. Does some casual linguistics teaching and translating services online. SOCIAL MEDIA USED : FB, twitter and insta probably. SMOKING : never / occasionally / party smoker / often / in the past DRINKING : never / occasionally / party drinker / often / in the past DRUGS : never / tried it a few times / occasionally / often / in the past IF THEY DO DRUGS, WHAT KIND? : Smoked weed in the past but gave it up for good before getting pregnant. ATHLETICS THEY ENJOY? : Hiking, sparring, and does tending a garden count when it’s practically a small farm? HOBBIES : Reading, translating things, painting, spending time in nature, being with her family, teaching her son. VIRGIN? : yes / no. IF NOT, HOW OLD WERE THEY WHEN THEY LOST THEIR VIRGINITY? : 17. FAVOURITE DRINK : Wine, whiskey, blueberry juice, hot chocolate. FAVOURITE FOOD : Fresh fruit, baklava, venison. FAVOURITE MUSIC :  Anything she can sing along to. FAVOURITE MOVIE : The Shawshank Redemption, followed by John Wick and most disney movies. FAVOURITE TV SHOW : Round Planet, The Great British Bake Off. FAVOURITE BOOK : Black Beauty - Anna Sewell, Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte. CLOTHING STYLE : A lot of plaid shirts, hoodies, scarves and jeans, comfortable and warm things are the priority unless there’s an occasion to dress for. UNDERWEAR TYPE : Varies based on her mood lol.

TAGGED BY : stolen from @phoenixcursed TAGGING:  @revasulahn @theharellan @ofrevas @theshirallen @daelgar @haevatein @spartanraged (and if you’d like to be tagged in things like these, smash the heart on this post over here!)

#`❅▐▒░「dash games」 #`❉▐▒░ | ᴏɴ sᴏʟɪᴅ ɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ |「modern」

[rupesh1280-blog]

The Shawshank Redemption

"The Shawshank Redemption" is a movie about time, patience and loyalty -- not admirable qualities, perhaps, but they grow on you during the subterranean progress of this story, which is about how two men serving life sentences in prison become friends and find a way to fight off despair.

The story is narrated by "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), who has been inside the walls of Shawshank Prison for a very long time and is its leading entrepreneur. He can get you whatever you need: cigarettes, candy, even a little rock pick like an amateur geologist might use. One day he and his fellow inmates watch the latest busload of prisoners unload, and they make bets on who will cry during their first night in prison, and who will not. Red bets on a tall, lanky guy named Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), who looks like a babe in the woods.

But Andy does not cry, and Red loses the cigarettes he wagered. Andy turns out to be a surprise to everyone in Shawshank, because within him is such a powerful reservoir of determination and strength that nothing seems to break him. Andy was a banker on the outside, and he's in for murder. He's apparently innocent, and there are all sorts of details involving his case, but after a while they take on a kind of unreality; all that counts inside prison is its own society -- who is strong, who is not -- and the measured passage of time.

Red is also a lifer. From time to time, measuring the decades, he goes up in front of the parole board, and they measure the length of his term (20 years, 30 years) and ask him if he thinks he has been rehabilitated. Oh, most surely, yes, he replies; but the fire goes out of his assurances as the years march past, and there is the sense that he has been institutionalized -- that, like another old lifer who kills himself after being paroled, he can no longer really envision life on the outside.

Red's narration of the story allows him to speak for all of the prisoners, who sense a fortitude and integrity in Andy that survives the years. Andy will not kiss butt. He will not back down. But he is not violent, just formidably sure of himself. For the warden (Bob Gunton), he is both a challenge and a resource; Andy knows all about bookkeeping and tax preparation, and before long he's been moved out of his prison job in the library and assigned to the warden's office, where he sits behind an adding machine and keeps tabs on the warden's ill-gotten gains. His fame spreads, and eventually he's doing the taxes and pension plans for most of the officials of the local prison system.

There are key moments in the film, as when Andy uses his clout to get some cold beers for his friends who are working on a roofing job. Or when he befriends the old prison librarian (James Whitmore). Or when he oversteps his boundaries and is thrown into solitary confinement. What quietly amazes everyone in the prison -- and us, too -- is the way he accepts the good and the bad as all part of some larger pattern than only he can fully see.

The partnership between the characters played by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman is crucial to the way the story unfolds. This is not a "prison drama" in any conventional sense of the word. It is not about violence, riots or melodrama. The word "redemption" is in the title for a reason. The movie is based on a story, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, by Stephen King, which is quite unlike most of King's work. The horror here is not of the supernatural kind, but of the sort that flows from the realization than 10, 20, 30 years of a man's life have unreeled in the same unchanging daily prison routine.

The director, Frank Darabont, paints the prison in drab grays and shadows, so that when key events do occur, they seem to have a life of their own.

Andy, as played by Robbins, keeps his thoughts to himself. Red, as Freeman plays him, is therefore a crucial element in the story: His close observation of this man, down through the years, provides the way we monitor changes and track the measure of his influence on those around him. And all the time there is something else happening, hidden and secret, which is revealed only at the end.

"The Shawshank Redemption" is not a depressing story, although I may have made it sound that way. There is a lot of life and humor in it, and warmth in the friendship that builds up between Andy and Red. There is even excitement and suspense, although not when we expect it. But mostly the film is an allegory about holding onto a sense of personal worth, despite everything. If the film is perhaps a little slow in its middle passages, maybe that is part of the idea, too, to give us a sense of the leaden passage of time, before the glory of the final redemption.

[amongthegraham]

Spending Your Pennies Wisely

 Habitually, I am not a fan of remakes. However, when Hollywood decided to “Do ‘It’ Again” – to quote Steely Dan, RIP guitarist, bassist, and cofounder Walter Becker who passed away on September 3, 2017 – I have to admit my interest was piqued.

No, I have not read Stephen King’s illustrious novel “It,” but I would like to someday. I need to put down the musician biographies for a change and commit to tackling all 1,138 pages of the horror novel. I have read “The Stand” and loved it so I must give “It” its due.

Ove the years, many of King’s stories have been adapted to movies. “Cat’s Eye,” “The Mist,” “Carrie,” “Christine,” “Silver Bullet,” “Firestarter,” “Pet Cemetery,” “Misery,” “The Shining,” “Shawshank Redemption,” “Stand by Me,” and yes, even “Maximum Overdrive” are just a few of my favorites. However, the one that left me unimpressed was 1990’s “It” miniseries. “It” was more unintentionally funny than scary, and even though the majority of fans praise Tim Curry’s portrayal of Pennywise, that didn’t really do a whole lot for me either. His depiction of the Lord of Darkness in Ridley Scott’s “Legend” is far more menacing.

Although fans were content with the only “It” adaptation available, the newly conceived feature from filmmaker Andy Muschietti demonstrates it’s possible for a remake to best the original. In 2017, Horror/Stephen King fans finally have a proper “It” adaptation.

The new “It” is more than just a fantastic remake and excellent addition to the Horror genre, at this point in the year it’s my favorite film of 2017. Aside from being legitimately scary, “It” has a plethora of comedy provided by the talented young cast, and since the time period was shrewdly changed from the 1950s to 1980s, their storyline feels like a modern “Goonies” except malevolent.  However, instead of searching for One-Eyed Willy’s lost treasure, in “It,” The Losers Club, a group of outsider teens that are bullied by peers, band together to face a deadly evil that has plagued their town for years.

The premise of “It” opens on a moment in time, October 1988, when the evil figure, in the form of a dancing clown known as Pennywise, murders a little boy named Georgie. It’s eventually discovered that the deadly being awakens every 27 years to feed and then returns to a period of hibernation. Georgie’s older brother, Bill (played by Jaeden Lieberher), has never given up hope that his brother is still alive, but after he and the rest of The Losers Club start being tormented by the creature they coin “It” (since It takes on multiple forms to prey upon each of their individual fears), Bill sets out to avenge his brother and his friends accompany him to end its reign of terror.

While “It” is most certainly a Horror film, it’s also a heartwarming tale of kids with difficult home lives bonding together in the vein of another King masterpiece, “Stand by Me.” For instance, the only girl in the group, Bev (Sophia Lillis), is abused at home by her abhorrent father, but finds peace among the welcoming adolescent boys. Other members of the club, like Mike (Chosen Jacobs) and expletive-flying Richie (played by “Stranger Thing’s” Finn Wolfhard), are neglected at home, while the short kid of the group, the obsessive-compulsive Eddie, suffers at the hands of an overprotective mother who has convinced him he’s sick and requires unnecessary medication (Munchausen syndrome by proxy).

With all the children being perfectly cast, the pivotal role of Pennywise was going to make or break the remake. Although he comes from a famous family of actors, 27-year-old Bill Skarsgård had yet to have his breakout role when he was announced as the main character. Thanks to his truly unnerving performance in “It,” expect to see Skarsgård popping up everywhere, including your nightmares. His expressions and sinister smile completely sell Pennywise’s ability to evoke fear, and when you factor those characteristics in with his physical performance, Skarsgård created one of the most terrifying figures in Horror history. The actor was worried he would never be able to match Tim Curry’s “It,” but he totally surpassed him in every conceivable way.

As if I needed any more reasons to slobber over “It,” the film further won me over with excellent utilization of The Cult, The Cure (amazing scene), and not one, but two Anthrax references. Anthrax’s inclusion was especially important since they never get enough recognition, and have penned several songs based on Stephen King’s works. Therefore, the nods to the thrash legends were long overdue.

Furthermore, it was a brilliant idea to make this chapter of “It” solely based on the childhood years of the characters squaring off against It. Though the 1990 version was a two-part miniseries with a running time of four hours, it still felt overstuffed. There’s simply far too much material to cover in one installment and I eagerly await how the adult years will play out in the sequel.

Also, focusing just on the adolescent years has most certainly helped contribute to the film’s unprecedented success. Thanks to audience’s thirst for nostalgia, “It” not only reminds you what it’s like to be a scared kid, it reminds you what it’s like to be a kid in general.

#tim curry #it #it 2017 #it 1990 #stephen king #pennywise #bill skarsgard

[junker-town]

What was most popular the last time the Chiefs and 49ers won a Super Bowl

The last two times these two won the Lombardi Trophy, things were pretty different.

It’s been quite a long time since the Kansas City Chiefs won a Super Bowl. In fact, it’s been a whole 50 years — the Chiefs won Super Bowl IV in the 1969 season. Kansas City had the fourth-longest active drought without a Super Bowl appearance until it earned a bid this season.

The San Francisco 49ers, on the other hand, have won a championship more recently. Their last Super Bowl win came in the 1994 season, when the Steve Young-led 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers in Miami.

This year’s Super Bowl is also in Miami, but that’s about all that remains the same. A lot has changed in the world since the last time these two won championships.

Let’s take a look at what was happening in sports, TV, movies, pop culture, and technology the last time the Chiefs and 49ers won the Super Bowl.

1969 vs. 1994 in sports

1969

The New York Mets won the World Series, 4-1, over the Baltimore Orioles. Nicknamed the “Amazin Mets,” the victory was one of the biggest upsets in World Series history. The Mets it had a losing season each year before that.

The Boston Celtics were the NBA champions, as they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. We saw the Celtics-Lakers rivalry heat up during this decade, and the two played in the finals six times — Boston won them all.

In college football, the Texas Longhorns won the national title, beating Notre Dame, 21-17, in the Cotton Bowl, and thus, Texas was truly back. What’s also interesting about this season is after the Longhorns defeated No. 2 Arkansas in December earlier that season, President Richard Nixon presented Texas with a plaque claiming the Longhorns to be the No. 1 team in the land.

1994

Major League Baseball strike: 1994 was a chaotic year for the MLB. Owners wanting to implement salary caps led to a players’ strike in August. It didn’t end for 232 days, the longest stoppage in MLB history, and there was no World Series. The strike cost management close to $1 billion, and players lost millions. It effectively ended Michael Jordan and Bo Jackson’s MLB careers, too.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers won the college football national championship by beating then-No. 1 Miami in the Orange Bowl. It marked head coach Tom Osborne’s first national title, though he’d go on to win two more in the 90s.

The Houston Rockets won their first-ever NBA championship, taking the seven-game series against the New York Knicks.

The O.J. Simpson chase: During Game 5 of Knicks-Rockets, NBC’s telecast was interrupted for the police chase of Simpson in his white Bronco:

Tonya Harding won the U.S. Figure Skating Championship. As you probably know, that was before she was later stripped of her title for her role in the attack on her competitor, Nancy Kerrigan, which happened that same year.

1969 vs. 1994 in music

1969

The Billboard No. 1 song in 1969 was “Sugar, Sugar,” by a cartoon band named The Archies, from the animated TV show The Archie Show. Yes, this is incredibly weird to me, too.

Other big hits during this year included “Honky Tonk Women” by the Rolling Stones, “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” by the 5th Dimension, and “I Can’t Get Next To You” by the Temptations.

The Woodstock music festival was held in August 1969. More than 400,000 people gathered on a farm in New York to see artists like Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Grateful Dead, and Janis Joplin.

Photo by John Dominis/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

The festival is known as one of the biggest and most important music events in history, lasting four days (it was originally supposed to be only three) while heavy rains caused delays of several acts.

The Beatles recorded their final album together, Abbey Road, which included classics like “Here Comes the Sun” and “Come Together.” That year, the group gave its final live performance, which took place on the roof of Apple Records.

1994

The No. 1 Billboard single for 1994 was “The Sign” by Ace of Base, which was the title track of the Swedish group’s debut album. This one was an absolute banger:

Other hits like “Don’t Turn Around” and “All That She Wants” were on this album.

Some other popular songs from this year included Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do,” and Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love To You.” This year Mariah Carey released her Christmas album, which is the greatest holiday album in history. I’m not 100 percent sure about that fact, but I’m right, OK? Hootie and the Blowfish’s Cracked Rearview Mirror album was released, though it became more popular the following year in 1995.

This was a pretty big year for debuting artists. Some of the more notable ones, to name a few: Weezer, Outkast, Beck, Notorious B.I.G., and Oasis.

Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain sadly died in April 1994.

1969 vs. 1994 world events

1969

One of the biggest moments in both the U.S. and the world history was the Apollo 11 mission, which successfully put the first-ever man on the moon. The mission, led by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, launched on July 11, 1969, and landed on the moon on July 20.

Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

On July 18, 1969, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy drove his car off of a bridge in Chappaquiddick, which resulted in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, a former campaign worker of Robert Kennedy’s. Although the news made headlines in the beginning, it ultimately was largely overshadowed by the Apollo 11.

President Richard Nixon was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 1969, for his first term.

On Dec. 1, 1969, a draft lottery was reinstated, for the Vietnam War. It was the first since World War II.

1994

Bill Clinton was sued for sexual harassment by Paula Jones while serving his first term as the President of the United States. The accusations Jones brought forward were allegedly from when Clinton was the governor of Arkansas in 1991. Judges allowed Clinton to avoid trial for the lawsuit until after he left office. Jones later settled her lawsuit in November 1998 after Clinton won the 1996 election.

The Republicans took control of the House of Representatives after Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America. Before Republicans took control. Gingrich signed the contract which laid out legislation that would be passed within the first 100 days of Congress.

Nelson Mandela was elected as South African’s president, in the country’s first-ever democratic election. The elections marked the end of apartheid in South Africa, and Mandela later established a commission to investigate human rights and political violations that happened during apartheid. Beyond his time in office, which lasted until 1999, Mandela is considered to be one of the greatest champions of peace and social justice, both in South Africa and around the world.

1969 vs. 1994 television and movies

1969

The No. 1 grossing movie was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. It later won four Oscars, including for Best Original Screenplay.

The children’s television show Sesame Street debuted on PBS in 1969. Sesame Street is still airing new episodes on TV to this day!

Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was the most-watched TV show, a sketch comedy show hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. The show featured actresses like Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn as performers, too.

1994

Seinfeld was the most-watched television show, while Friends and ER premiered this year. Nearly 22 million people watched the Friends premiere, and ER had over 23 million viewers. All three shows were the anchors of NBC’s Must-See TV lineup.

Disney’s The Lion King was the top-grossing movie that year, and other greats like Forrest Gump, Shawshank Redemption, and Pulp Fiction were released.

Frasier won its first Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. It went on to win 112 Emmys until it last aired in 2004.

1969 vs. 1994 celebrities

1969

Celebrities born this year included: Brett Favre, Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd (who’s a huge Chiefs fan), and Jennifer Lopez, who coincidentally is performing the halftime show at Super Bowl LIV.

Dwight D. Eisenhower and Judy Garland passed away. Eisenhower died of congestive heart failure. Garland was just 47 when she died of a barbiturates overdose.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney both got married this year, McCartney to Linda until her death in 1998, and Lennon to Yoko Ono until his assassination in 1980.

1994

Lisa Marie Presley married Michael Jackson. The marriage lasted two years before the couple filed for divorce.

Time to feel old! Celebrities born this year include Justin Bieber, Harry Styles, Dakota Fanning, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid.

Richard Nixon and Jackie Kennedy both passed away. Nixon was 81, and he died after suffering a stroke. Jackie O passed away of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at just 64 years old.

Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley divorced after 10 years of marriage. Brinkley was said to have partially inspired Joel’s hit “Uptown Girl.”

1969 vs. 1994 Technology

1969

The first-ever ATM was installed in the U.S.: On Sept. 2, 1969, the ATM became available to the public at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York.

This one could only give customers cash, though more ATM advancements came soon after.

Televisions looked a lot different!

On July 3, 1969, the internet’s first message was sent from UCLA: Two machines on campus that were linked together through ARPANET. There was an attempt to send “login” over the network to a group of Stanford students, but the program crashed after “l” was typed in.

1994

DirecTV’s first satellite digital television service launched. That year, there were just 320,000 subscribers.

Something called “Netscape Navigator” was the leading web browser at the time. I am 27 years old, and have no idea what this thing is:

Screenshot via Wikipedia

The IBM Simon debuted as the first-ever “smartphone” for sale: Thank God we have iPhones now.

Via Microsoft

There have been many changes in the 25 years since the 49ers last won a Super Bowl, and in the 25 years before that, when the Chiefs last earned the Lombardi Trophy. Fans of both teams are hoping they won’t have to wait as long to see them play in the Super Bowl again. But if they do, one thing’s for sure: the world will look a lot different.

[tvwolfsnake]

can you think of any relatively recent Good Films that have flopped financially, i hear "make good movies" said a lot as an anathema to financial failure, even tho lotsa bad films manage to succeed. nowadays with review aggregate sites people tend to think if its good theyll hear about it and itll succeed. do you think the flop-then-classic still exists?

(finally finished my response to this. had to let it sit in my drafts for a few days because it got unmanageable. sorry for the wall of text)the answer is: yes, but I understand what you mean about it being...different.

first off, I just gotta say: I hate “make good movies”. it’s one of the most ignorant statements I’ve ever heard about the commerce of art, especially the film industry, and it just keeps coming up. thank you for bringing it up in this context because I’ve been meaning to yell about it for ages. I have problems with current hollywood, yes—I’ve listed them out enough—but the answer is never as simple as “make good movies”. so much, so goddamn much of the film industry is based in pure luck. bad movies can make a lot of money and good movies can bomb. it’s timing, it’s environmental factors, bad ad campaigns, uncommunicative titles, lack of stars, presence of overexposed stars, too funny too serious too light too heavy too long too short too trivial too dense, and you can guarantee that hollywood will take the exact wrong lesson from its failure, compounding the problem. it’s likely that probably everyone reading this post has a favorite film or two that they don’t realize flopped massively at the box office. and it’s shocking, oftentimes! I think the shawshank redemption is probably one of the most popular “favorite movies”. I liked it okay, but a lot of people clearly consider it the best film they’ve ever watched, based on imdb ratings alone. (not, obviously, that this is an indication of the film’s relative merit, just an aggregate of a certain segment’s opinion on its merit.) and it bombed. barely made half of its budget.(a quick primer on what constitutes a profit on a film, since I know it’ll get asked otherwise: yr easy rule of thumb for american films is that 50% of the domestic gross goes to the studio. it’s less well-defined for international box office, but a rule of thumb I’ve seen floating around is ~33%. so if ½ of the domestic box office and 1/3 of the international don’t add up to a number greater than the budget, yr film likely didn’t make a profit. it probably didn’t anyway, because advertising budgets are not counted in the film budget but are expected to be recouped through the gross. some people have said that marketing budgets can typically be estimated as equal to the budget of the film. I don’t think this is always true but regardless, it is there. this, yes, is how BvS made ~$800 million and still probably failed to make money. to say nothing of hollywood accounting.)all this and I haven’t even gotten to the real meat of why this meme sucks: ARTISTIC QUALITY IS NOT MEASURED BY PROFITABILITY. I KNOW IT’S IN RESPONSE TO HOLLYWOOD LAMENTING THE POOR PERFORMANCE OF CERTAIN FILMS AT THE BOX OFFICE BUT THE POPULAR DISCOURSE AROUND FILM IS INEXORABLY TIED TO FRAMING BOX OFFICE PERFORMANCE AS A WIN/LOSE NARRATIVE AND WE NEED TO BREAK AWAY FROM THIS AS A CULTURE, HOLY SHIT.anyways the phrase is just so self-congratulatory. “yes. I have solved the problem of you sucking so much. have you considered…sucking less? take a moment to bask in my genius.” always doubt oversimplifications. I’m a much bigger fan of the phrase’s more thoughtful cousins where people actually take a second to come up with potential solutions to the problem that don’t involve sticking to the same old thing. I mean, I’m skeptical, because hollywood is notoriously risk-averse and has built up a culture where, for once, they do have a sure thing on their hands, thanks to how they’ve stacked the deck, but regardless, “how about making more films that don’t center a white cishet male default” is an actual worthwhile suggestion. that film can still bomb, sure, but audiences do not just crave familiarity. they crave a fresh outlook too. and when it comes to artistic merit, better an interesting film that bombs than a boring film that makes a couple mil. but hollywood, unfortunately, is purely profit-driven gambling. they have many directions they could experiment in that they just won’t.(until, of course, one person tries it and succeeds, and then suddenly it’s the norm, we need twenty of that, option every script even remotely related, quick, quick!)aaaaanyways, in answer to the actual question: this is a hard one, because flop-then-classic often requires time for the film to pass through the “cult” stage and it’s difficult to gauge audience consensus. in general I think it’s too early to tell, but I will hold up pacific rim as a potential example. it’s an easy one because in at least the online popular consciousness there was an immediate outcry over its box office performance. unlike most flop-then-classics, where the word-of-mouth style “did you hear this film you missed is actually really good?” moves slowly and can take decades, the theatrical release of pacific rim was a constant litany of “you need to see pacific rim, here’s why”. I’m not saying it’s a modern classic, but films need time to reach that point anyways. what it is is a popular movie on home video and VOD. here’s how I know: studios don’t typically give sequels to films that didn’t make their money back unless they think they can reach a bigger audience thanks to success after the theatrical run.in response to yr first, slightly different question about what I’d consider to be good recent films that didn’t make their money back: also difficult. a lot of what’s been great in the past decade or so has been smaller fare, not necessarily the wide release stuff, and there’s definitely a subculture hyping up certain indie films, which is great but makes it easy to forget that many of them fail. so here’s a mix of studio fare and indies with a wide release that I thought were good and did not make money: speed racer (I know), green room, scott pilgrim, the nice guys. edge of tomorrow famously underperformed to the point that they renamed it for the home video release. pop star: never stop never stopping is underrated as hell. I dunno if operation avalanche really counts, because lionsgate buried it and botched the release besides, but it’s damn good. finally, I liked man from uncle a lot. in a decade full of films with “high stakes” that are no stakes at all, it established emotional stakes and even gave itself permission to have a little fun. and not marvel’s focus-tested quippy fun. fun.

#ironiconion #film

[genderfluidgothwitch]

@blacksteeldrake okay here’s the ice cream one!

chocolate: when was your first kiss?

I was fourteen, it was when my best friend was sleeping over. We were kind of experimenting...

french vanilla: how old are you?

I’m twenty! So boring, being twenty. 

cotton candy: three places you want to travel to?

Mississippi (one of my mutuals knows why and he can fight me), Great Britain, and Maine. I’ve already been to two of those places, but whatever. 

strawberry: a language you wish you could speak?

Italian. I already know Spanish and ASL, on top of my native English, and I’ve been writing a character who speaks Italian with his mother, so I’m already sort of learning. I can call people “fucking morons”. 

coffee: favorite cosmetic brands?

Um... Black eyeliner can be bought anywhere, and that’s pretty much all I wear. I’m a guy, you think I pay attention to that shit?

mint chocolate chip: indoors or outdoors?

I think each has a time and place. If I had a whole day where I could go to the beach, or the river, or something nice like that, I will enjoy it immensely. But I’m also happy to sit inside and read. 

cookie dough: do you play any instruments?

I played violin when I was in elementary school, and now it’s just the guitar.

rocky road: favorite songs at the moment?

Fuck you lol. I can’t pick! I have a playlist of over 1500 songs that I’ve labeled “favorites”, and I don’t even have close to all of the songs I want. Assume many of them are by the Eagles. But I suppose if you check the “lyrics” tag on my blog you’ll find a good portion. 

butter pecan: favorite songs for life?

Anything by the Eagles. That’s quite literally the only band I’ve listened to since birth. 

cheesecake: what's your zodiac sign?

I’m a cancer.

toasted coconut: the beach or the pool?

Beach! 

chocolate chip: what's your most popular post?

Um... I don’t really know. Wait, yes I do. It’s a headcanon post for my favorite TV show (House MD)

bubblegum: books or movies?

Books, by far.

pistachio: manga or anime?

Neither? Sadly, I only really got into one manga/anime but I never got a chance to finish it.

salted caramel: favorite movies?

Repo! The Genetic Opera, Harry Potter, Shawshank Redemption, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Dead Poet’s Society... A lot of Robin Williams movies... I think that covers it.

birthday cake: favorite books?

TOO MANY TO NAME

moose tracks: favorites for manga?

Fruits Basket.

orange sherbet: favorites for anime?

Fruits Basket and Ouran High School Host Club.

peanut butter: favorite academic subject?

Science. I loved physics and anatomy & physiology.

black raspberry: do you have any pets?

See Previous Ask Prompt Answer

mango: when and why did you start your blog?

Well, I’ve technically had this blog twice. I started it the first time in high school because everyone else was doing it. Second time, I made it because I needed a place to vent and just collect my thoughts. I’ve had it for three years total. 

mocha: ideal weather conditions?

Warm and rainy.

black cherry: four words that describe you?

Sarcastic

Asshole

Loving

Caring (I know these all contradict lol but it’s true)

neapolitan: things that stress you out?

Life. My anxiety disorders. 

raspberry truffle: favorite kind of music?

Classic rock, but I really just listen to what I like. I have almost everything on my computer (I really don’t listen to rap, that’s about it)

chocolate marshmallow: favorite brands of candy?

Just give me all of the Hershey’s chocolate. Now. 

toffee: a card game that you're good at?

Phase 10 and Garbage. I think that’s what the second one is called. Well, my dad and I play it. 

lemon custard: do you eat breakfast?

Nope. I can’t eat too early, otherwise I get sick. 

dark chocolate: turn ons?

Clean: respect, playfulness. Dirty: some serious dirty talk, dominance (I’m a serious submissive), and bondage. I wouldn’t quite say I’m into BDSM but I’m up there. 

fudge: turn offs?

Call me a bitch and I will kick you to the curb so fast you won’t remember what I’m wearing. 

peach: how do you relax?

I... don’t?

praline: a popular book you haven't read yet?

I haven’t read Lord of the Rings and I’m ashamed.

superman: do you like sweaters?

I do! So much!

cherry: do you drink tea or coffee?

Coffee. Bean juice is the superior of plant based drinks. 

dulce de leche: an instrument you wish you could play?

I think it would be awesome to know more piano than I do. I can do the basics. That’s about it. 

blackberry: have you ever laughed so hard you cried?

Oh god yeah. A lot of the times I hung out with my best friend. 

ginger: a new feature you wish tumblr could have?

Functionality. 

blueberry lemon: favorite blogs?

@thethirdencore, @just-hilson-things, and my mutuals. 

almond: favorite mean girls quote?

“Get in loser, we’re going shopping.” I say it all the time whenever I’m picking up one of my friends. 

butterscotch: what color are your nails right now?

No color. If they’re ever painted (which is super rarely) it’s black. 

cinnamon: have you ever been confessed to?

Yeah. 

blue moon: have you ever had a crush on someone?

*glances at heart* unfortunately.

cappuccino crunch: do you take naps?

Hell yeah. I’ a college student with a job. Naps are my life. 

mint: the most embarrassing thing you've ever done?

In second grade, I kissed a girl on the cheek for opening my snack when I couldn’t. In a full cafeteria. 

brownie batter: do you like sushi?

I’m literally eating some as I answer this lol.

key lime: where do you want to be right now?

With someone...

red velvet: do you wear prescription glasses?

Yeah. I need new ones though.

green tea: favorite flavors of ice cream?

Chocolate and Cookies and Cream. One time my favorite brand came out with a chocolate ice cream with oreo cookies in it and it was literally the best thing ever but they discontinued it or something because I can’t find it anywhere now.

And there you have it! Thanks again for asking so many, so, so many questions. 

[canadian-buckbeaver]

Berry Good Teacher - Edgeberry!

Based slightly off of @buttercupsticksnlicks Underuniversity AU.

If you liked what I wrote, leave me a kudos or a comment on my Archive page: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10283741 Or buy me a coffee:  http://ko-fi.com/A476NAZ Wrote this while studying for an anatomy and pathology exam! (and then they didn’t test us on skeletons…)

Berry hummed a cheerful little ditty as he hung up his poster on the bulletin board outside the biology classroom before taking a step back to admire his work.  The light blue coloured paper stood out from the rest of the other flyers.  The boring, white sheets of paper advertising trades or offering textbooks.  The orange pages, advertising the various fundraising attempts by the university.  This bulletin board in particular had the most traffic, which is why Berry was hanging his own here.

The main problem with university, as much as Berry enjoyed it, was that it was dreadfully expensive and, even with his hefty scholarship and loan, he was bound to run out of money eventually… especially with that student loan hanging over his head.  And, as ridiculous as the thought was, the Magnificent Sans could not afford the time to work.  With the course load that he was required to do just to maintain his scholarship, it was often considered a miracle that he had time to do his homework, study for a bit, eat, and perhaps even sleep.  Thank the stars he had discovered a taste for ‘coffee’.  Where, amongst this scheduled mess, would he find the time to work a mentally and physically exhausting job and still maintain his grades?

Thus, his brother’s brilliant idea was nothing short of a godsend.  “why don’t you tutor some of the other students of your year?” the lanky skeleton had asked him over the phone.  “you’ll be able to study while you work, make some money, and perhaps even get to socialize a little.”  Stars how he missed his elder brother, even if he was a lazy, narcoleptic, and a bit of a drunk most of the time.  Papyrus had raised Sans on his own since their father had abandoned them as young monsters.  He had stayed behind in Snowdin when Berry had gone off to the capital’s university, more than content to sleep at his sentry post or even at his hot dog stand, and drink until he had passed out at Muffet’s.  They were lucky enough to be able to talk on the phone every other day, but it just wasn’t the same.  Berry wasn’t able to keep an eye on him or hug him. Stars how he missed his brother’s hugs.  He hoped the house was still in some form of working order too.

“WELL, WELL RUNT…  I WAS WONDERING WHEN YOU WERE GOING TO COME AROUND THIS NECK OF THE WOODS…” a coarse voice chuckled, causing Berry to squeak and whip around, already feeling his skull flush slightly.  That voice… that would belong to the other problem at the university. It was Edge.  Handsome, tall and seemingly made up of all sharp corners.  They had shared several classes together within the year, this semester it being English and Biology.  Berry knew him personally and how well, or, more accurately, how unwell, he did in classes.  A bit of a surprise for being the eldest son of the famous Dr. F. Gaster, the supreme Royal Scientist to King Asgore.  But he had found his niche first with the basketball players, then with the football and then the wrestling team.  Meaning that, in addition to being the school’s local sport hero, he was also wealthy… and that had long since gone to his head.

“I WAS SURE THAT IT WAS YOU PASSING ALONG THESE FLYERS.” He continued, waving a slightly crumpled one, much to Berry’s irritation.  Those copies cost five cents in the library.  A small fortune for someone without any foreseeable work.

“You know you could have just asked me, Edge,” Berry replied, reaching for the precious paper in the hopes of salvaging it and rehanging it, “I would have told you it was me.”

Edge raised the poster up to his eye lights and reread the page while Berry fumed.  It was so unfair that he was just so short.  He barely stood level with the bottom of Edge’s ribs and Edge had to pull this crap?  “SO HAVE YOU HAD ANYONE INTERESTED YET?” asked Edge, an odd glint to his eye.

Berry shook his head.  “Not yet.  I just put the posters up though so hopefully I’ll hear back from someone soon.”

“WELL THEN I SHALL TAKE THIS ONE.” said Edge, shoving the paper into his textbook.

“You know, I specifically designed it so that you could pull off a copy of my number or you could even add to your phone.  There is no need to take the whole poster.”  Berry folded his arms and glared at him, annoyed at the chuckle he got in return.

“PERHAPS YOU DID,” Edge said, “BUT I WOULD PREFER TO SHOW MY FATHER THAT IT IS A… ‘LEGIT’ OPPORTUNITY.  HE HAS DECIDED THAT I REQUIRE A TUTOR TO BRING MY GRADES UP, OR I WOULD BE FORCED TO GIVE UP SPORTS.  IF WE DO CHOSE TO GO WITH YOU, YOU’LL BE HEARING FROM US.”  Edge said drolly as he walked away from the confused skeleton.  Well, it sounded promising, like he might actually have someone to tutor… But why, of all the times, was Dr. Gaster now coming down on his son?

* * * * *

The small buzzing sound jarred Berry from his thoughts on his essay.  Searching through the jumbled mess of papers on his desk he finally found his cellphone and flipped it open, relieved that it wasn’t another dick picture.  He had thought that putting his cellphone number on the poster had been a smart idea. That way, people could contact him whenever they needed any extra help, it would be very convenient and easy to get a hold of him.  Of course, assuming that the monsters attending school here were adults was a little too much to ask of them.

“Hello?” he asked, relieved to have a small break in the identifying the symbolism of the sewer and the disgusting ‘water’ in the human’s classic movie ‘Shawshank Redemption’.

“Hello.  Would this happen to be Berry?  Berry offering the tutor services?” a crisp, professional voice asked him.

Berry gulped.  “Yes it is,” he responded, trying hard to stifle his nerves.  “Can I ask who this is?”

“My name is Wallace Gaster, you may know my son, Edge, as you both attend the same university and apparently some of the same classes as well.  He speaks quite highly of you.”

Berry bit back a startled gasp.  This was the famed Dr. W. D Gaster!  There was no doubt about it.  “Ah yes,” he said, hoping his excitement didn’t creep into the phone to much, “Edge had said that you might be calling.”

Gaster did not sound the least bit perturbed by this information.  “Good.  So my son knows that I finally mean business.  I want you to tutor him in Biology and in English as to raise his mark up by at least thirty percent so he can pass into the next year.”

Berry could not hide his gasp.  “But sir!” he tried to protest, “that is…” “A very large and almost impossible task, I know.” Gaster answered smoothly.  “However if he wishes to continue on, and not to be expelled and thus left behind, there is no other choice.  Therefore I am going to offer you a special deal.  I see on your little flyer that you are asking for only seven dollars an hour… why so low?”

Berry rubbed his nasal bone.  “I figured that it would attract more students to me, and not discourage them if they couldn’t afford to pay me a lot of money upfront.”

“Good idea.” Gaster said, a lighter tone of voice.  It was like he had passed some sort of secret test.  “However, if you agree to tutor my son, and only my son, I will give you fifteen dollars an hour, with an added monetary bonus for each grade he increases by.  This will include any assignment, quiz, test or anything that the teacher passes out.  Are we clear?”

Berry felt his pupils shining bright.  This is way better than he could have asked for.  “Yes sir!” he said eagerly.  He found that he wasn’t just excited for the money but excited to have been given the chance to hang out one-on-one with Edge too.  He had a feeling that Edge and him could be good friends if they tried.

He was going to turn Edge into an academic star!

* * * * * “Come on Edge,” he whined loudly, causing other monsters to look up in irritation from where they were in the library, “you at least have to try and write this essay on your own.  I can’t just do this for you.  That’s cheating.  I’m only here to help, not to do.”

It had been a week and a half since he had agreed to help Edge with his grades.  And a week and a half of torture it had been.  Was it really only a week and a half?  It seemed like forever ago.  Edge it seemed could be less inclined to do anything school related and more inclined on trying to use his father’s bribe in order for Blue to do the work for him.

Edge looked up from his phone.  He had already informed Berry that he had a ‘dope-ass party to get to’ and was informing his friends he would be late.  Sighing dramatically, he put his phone away and leaned on the circular table.  “YOU SURE ENJOY MAKING THIS DIFFICULT FOR ME… DON’T YOU?” he asked, staring up at him with a devious smirk.

Berry pouted as he tried to ignore the slight blush on his cheekbones.  Edge making such deliberate eye contact with him rattled his bones.  “It’s not that like that, and this really isn’t that hard Edge!  Look here.  A free example for you.  The only time that they use any colour, in the entirety of this film, is on the girl’s red dress.  It is to draw your eyes to it and to her.  To make you remember the girl!  It makes it personal for you when you see the red coat later in the movie…” he stopped, seeing Edge’s eyes unfocused and staring blankly at him.  “You… you didn’t hear a word I said just now… did you?” he asked.

The lanky skeleton just stared at him, not saying a word.  He didn’t even move a single bone or blink his sockets.  Convinced that Edge had fallen asleep with his eyes open, Berry began to pack up his things and go.  This wasn’t worth any type of money.  A brick wall would be more exciting to talk to… Edge suddenly grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back towards him.  Berry briefly struggled against his hold but froze when he thought he felt Edge gently trace his ribs with one hand.  As he shuddered, Edge pressed gently on his chin, forcing him to look up at him.  

Edge finally looked serious.  “THE WORK PAPERS.” He said.  “ARE SYMBOLISM, BOTH FIGURATIVELY AND LITERALLY, OF THE CONTROL THE NAZI’S HAD OVER THE CAPTIVE JEWS.  THOSE WERE THEIR LIFE LINES.  WHO WAS ALLOWED TO LIVE?  WHO WAS WORTHY TO WORK?  WHO WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE THAT FATE THAT SO MANY OTHERS WERE NOT…” Edge swallowed hard, against a lump in his throat.  Even though he and Berry were monsters and had no ties with the great human tragedy, to imagine the horror that other humans had gone through… it was unthinkable.  “WHEN THE MAN HAD HIS PAPERS AND SHOWED THEM TO THE OFFICER ON THE TRAIN, IT WAS A SIGN THAT HE WAS BECOMING ACCUSTOMED AND PREPARED TO WHAT HE WAS FORCED TO GO THROUGH TO SURVIVE.” He finished, looking down at Berry.

Sockets widening, his pupils turning into stars, Berry stared up at him.  In that self-absorbed, sport obsessed, bone-headed skull there was a brain after all.  Not just any kind of brain.  An incredible one.  “Wowie…” Berry said.  “I didn’t even think of that one.  That’s awesome Edge.  You need to use that one!  I guarantee that it’ll be the only one in class used.  You’ll graded for uniqueness for sure.  Quick, before you forget, write it.”

“PERHAPS AFTER THE PARTY…” mused Edge.

“Now!” Berry demanded, settling down on the chair beside Edge and sliding the laptop over to him, crossing his arms.  Edge always seemed in such a hurry to get away from him.

Sighing dramatically, Edge looked over the small skeleton.  “IF IT’LL MAKE YOU HAPPY…” he said, turning away from him and already beginning to type.  Berry murmured and watched him type…

Missing the small smile on Edge’s skull.

* * * * *

“He just makes me so irritated, Papy!” Berry was pacing around in his dorm a couple days later after the library incident.  That night he had finally convinced Edge to write out the essay, change a few sentence structure errors and finish it before he headed out to his ‘party’.

Berry continued ranting.  “He doesn’t take me seriously unless I’m angry or about to storm out on him.  That’s when, and only when, suddenly he’s involved with the lesson.”  He decided to leave out the soft touching.  That had to be his imagination.  His ridiculous crush on Edge, playing with his mind.  Those long, searching looks.  That hidden smile.  Berry was naïve but not stupid.  Those were reserved for anime or romantic-comedies.  Not real life.

Papyrus chuckled on the other end of the phone.  “sounds like he isn’t interested in his studies, B.” he said, a readjusting sound heard in the background.  “are you sure that his grades are as bad as you say they are?  it seems to me that he is smarter than he lets on.”

“I’ve seen a couple of his papers myself,” sighed Berry.  He paused.  “Though… now that you say that it seems more like… more like he gets bored or gives up.  He usually starts out really strong.  He has some topic that is insightful and incredible, and then, by the end of it, it’s more like a two-year old made it.  Mistakes, grammar, spelling and all.”

His brother paused.  “perhaps he needs less tutoring per say,” he started gently, “but more like someone to encourage him.  so he knows his ideas are validated.  there are people and monsters out there that are incredibly smart but, since school or tests bore them, they end up failing.  or even if you tried a new way of ‘teaching’ him or helping him retain the information…”  

Berry paused.  That… that made sense.  How many times had he went to hand in an assignment or test and there was Edge, staring out the window or at a wall? Countless.  Maybe even all of them.  He constantly fell asleep in class, never turned in the assignments but, on the rare chance that he was called on during class, he always answered correctly.

There was a knock on his door.  “I got to go Papy.  He’s coming over for a last cramming session.” Berry said as he opened the door, urging Edge through.

“alright.  let me know how things go.  miss you B.”

“Miss you too, Paps.” Berry said as he hung up the phone.  Turning back to his guest, he was surprised to see Edge stretched out on his bed reading the biology book…

Upside down but it was a start.

Berry pulled up his desk chair, deciding against saying anything about Edge laying down on the job.  “So!” he said brightly.  “Should be an easy test!” he said, flipping his textbook to the skeleton diagram.  “We almost have an unfair advantage, don’t we?”

Edge just sighed.  “LET’S JUST GET ON WITH IT.” he muttered darkly. Berry blinked.  That wasn’t a good sign.  “Is something wrong Edge?” he asked. Craning his head to look at Berry he snorted.  “MY GRADES AREN’T RISING FAST ENOUGH FOR MY FATHER’S LIKING.” He said.

This took Berry’s self-confidence down a peg.  He had thought that Edge had been making wonderful improvements.  Sure in biology he had only received grades in the 70s since they had begun their little sessions but it was better than the failing grades he had been getting.  And his last few English papers had been damn near perfect.

“Well, we just have to keep trying.” He said, looking positively.  This would be the first real test Edge would be facing since they had begun working together.

 Time to show Gaster what they could really do!

Snorting, Edge replied, “YOU DO REALIZE THAT IF I DON’T DO WELL ON THIS TEST THAT MY FATHER IS GOING TO BE LOOKING ELSEWHERE FOR TUTORING?  ONE THAT CAN PERHAPS DO THE JOB THEY ARE BEING PAID TO DO?”

Berry slammed his textbook shut.  “If you were more receptive to me, you would be doing leaps and bounds better than you already are!” he snapped.

To his credit, Edge didn’t even jump.  Instead he chuckled, placing the open book on his skull he said, “I’M GOING TO TAKE A NAP, BABY BLUE.  PERHAPS I’LL ABSORB IT BY OSMOSIS IF YOU READ IT TO ME.” he sighed, as if getting comfortable.

Fuming Berry, stared at the skeleton.  He still wasn’t taking this seriously!  Not one bit!  What was it that Papy had said?  Change up the learning type?  Make his lesson different and exciting? Berry could do that.

In a moment he was straddling Edge’s rib cage and pushing the textbook from Edge’s face.  “HEY!” he sputtered, but froze when Berry moved himself up, settling himself on his upper ribs.

He opened his jaw to say something else but flushed when Berry began to stroke his skull.  “Do you know what the main purpose of the skeletal system is, Edge, specifically for fleshy monsters?” he asked, almost dreamily. Edge stared up at him.  For a moment he gaped at Berry.  “Support?” he finally answered.

Berry nodded.  “It provides support of soft tissues and attachment points for tendons.  It also works at providing protection for organs from injuries, assistance in movement, mineral homeostasis or equalization, blood cell production, or, triglyceride storage in the yellow marrow…

“And the skull is so interesting!”  Berry continued stroking it, noticing Edge leaning into the touches.  “It looks like solid bone but is actually a several of bones, mashed into one.  The frontal bone, think forehead, orbital of the eyes, temporal for temples and the mandible and maxilla of the jaw.  Then we need to talk about its joint.  A special joint too, of the fibrous family.  A suture joint, named for the sutural ligament that it is made up of.  Shock absorption.  Originally formed in the womb, it is the original soft spot on the head.  Through synotosis in aging, the sutures are replaced by bone and become the immoveable joint we see today.”

Berry’s hands moved down, his inner self being thrilled to discover that it caused Edge to give a muffled moan.  “Cervical vertebrae,” he said, before tracing the front of Edge’s shirt.  Scowling, he gave a pull on it.  No go.  Sharper fingers overtook his and gently unbuttoned it, laying free the expanse of white bone.  Berry gave a bright smile at the skeleton underneath him.

As he stroked down the front of his ribs, Berry sat back a ways.  “Sternum,” he said as he gently stroked where the true ribs joined, “where the ribs come together to provide support and protection for many of the squishy monster’s important organs.” Edge groaned and began to pant, clearly enjoying the attention.

“The ribs located higher are known as true ribs,” Berry said, “they are thicker and stronger than the other ribs, and where the important organs such as the heart and lungs are in fleshy creatures.  Floating, or false ribs, are located further down, and do not directly connect with the sternum.” He made sure to trace the bone’s movements.

Edge’s only response was to pant.  So Berry continued with his lesson. “Clavicle leads to my brother’s favourite bone, the humerus, which then leads in to the radius, think radical outside, and the ulna, under.  The carpals,” he said, kissing Edge’s wrist, “is where humans suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome due to repetitive movement. They connect to the metacarpals and then phalanges.” He said, dropping a kiss to Edge’s fingertips.

“Thoraic vertebrae,” Berry said, “makes up the vertebrae in the chest.  Think of the human’s superhero Thor.  Thor has a big chest, thoracic.  They lead in to the lumbar spine which connects to the illium.” He said, tracing Edge’s curves of his pelvis.  Berry took his time with these.  They were finer and more graceful than his.

“Do you remember what the tailbone is referred to as?” he asked suddenly. Edge gasped as Berry pinched his crests. “COCCYX!” he said.

Berry shot him a giant grin.  “I knew you were smart Edge!  Now the illiac leads into the sacrum, where we like to view all those sacrum lacing pictures,” he grinned as Edge flushed, naughty thoughts tripping through his skull, “which leads into the coccyx.  The pubis, or pubic bones, connect near the tail bone on the ischium loops, and under that is the pubic symphysis.  Make sense?” he asked running his hands to the pubis and tracing the joint there, teasing at the ischium.

Edge nodded.  “PUBIS TO ISCHIUM TO PUBIC SYMPHYSIS BONES.” He gasped.

Berry grinned again.  “You so have this Edge! Now after the pubis is my brother’s second favourite bone for his ridiculous puns, the femur,” he said, pressing down on the thick heavy bone through Edge’s pants.  “That leads to what is commonly known as the knee, or patella, the synovial joint of the leg, which leads down into the lower leg bones. Tibia on the inside, fibula for the outside, talus and metatarsals for the ankle and then phalanges for the toes.”

Edge was a flushed, sweaty mess now.  He stared hard at Berry, his sockets glassy.  Through his dark jeans Berry could see bright red magic gathering for him.   Deciding he had teased Edge enough Berry hoped off of him.  “There we are!” he said.  “I think you’re ready for that test tomorrow!”

Edge gaped at Berry as he grabbed his phone.  The taller skeleton looked like he was going to say something.  Instead he said nothing, with a deep scowl and flush he grabbed his textbook and left Berry’s dorm room, his pelvis still glowing. Berry watched him leave before giving a sigh of relief.  He looked down at his own pants, glowing bright blue but mostly hidden by his similarly coloured shorts.

* * * * *

When Berry’s phone rang the next day he was expecting it.  He had suspected that Edge had failed the test or that he himself had taken things too far with his ‘tutoring method’.  There was a line of professionalism and he had definitely leaped over that, right into the deep pool of misconduct… What would his brother say?

“Good afternoon Gaster,” he said, checking the caller ID.

“Berry…. I don’t know how you did it but I just got notice from your teacher that Edge not only passed the test, but also received a hundred percent on the test.” Berry was floored.  Perhaps his brother knew what he was talking about after all.  “Glad to hear it!” he said, and meant it too, “perhaps we can continue this streak?”

“I do hope so.  For Edge’s sake,” said Gaster, but there was no heat to his words.  “If you could continue tutoring him Blue, I would most greatly appreciate it.”

“I would be honoured to sir.”

“Very well.  I leave him in your capable hands.” Gaster said before clicking off. Berry let himself give a loud victory giggle.  He knew that he and Edge could do it!  Sure he was a little worried at first but there was nothing that they couldn’t do if they put their minds to it!

A loud knock startled him from his thoughts.  Hopping off his chair he unlocked and opened the door to see a familiar figure standing in his doorway.  “Ah

Edge!” he said, “I just got off the phone with your father!  That is terrific news!” Edge flushed pink and gave a small smile as he stepped inside the room.  “ALL THANKS TO YOU BERRY.” he said, looking around the single room.

Berry just smiled.  “So what brings you here today Edge?  Have anything in particular you want to go over?” he asked.

The tall male nodded.  “I WAS LOOKING AHEAD IN THE TEXTBOOK AND WILL NEED A HAND WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER.” He admitted sheepishly.

Nodding, Berry reached for his own textbook.  “I can do that.  I haven’t read ahead on it myself.  Do you remember what it is on?” he asked.  His dorm room momentarily blurred in front of his sockets and Berry found himself flipped onto his bed, on his spine, staring up at Edge.  “Edge?” he asked as the tall skeleton pressed himself closer.

“THE NEXT UNIT,” Edge began to untie the blue bandana around Berry’s vertebrae, “THE NEXT UNIT IS ON REPRODUCTION.” He smirked as Berry let out a little squeak.  “WHAT DO YOU SAY TEACH?” he asked huskily, starting to grind down on Berry’s pelvis, “UP FOR SOME PRIVATE LESSONS?”

#us!sans #us!papyrus #uf!papyrus #uf!gaster #university #skeleton biology #heavy petting #no smut #almost sexy times #edgeberry

[benjaminsmith1999]

Does Film affect People for the Better or for Worst

Benjamin Smith

English 2010

Fish Burton

Does Film affect People for the Better or for Worst

To the Board of The Motion Picture Content:

           I have had 21 years on this beautiful green earth, some of my earliest memories as a child consist of movies and tv shows. What would my parents do when young me was having a nightmare, they would turn on my favorite show, what would we do to make time pass on long car rides turn on a show, what would we do every Friday night growing up, I bet you guessed it, turn on a show. I want to take a shot in the dark and say that this is a similar upbringing to most children, who have this privilege. Film and Cinema have been woven into our society as one of its staples, something that takes our minds off of the real world, something that gives us hope of a new tomorrow, or brings us to tears of laughter, or brings us to tears of sadness. We have been honored with performance and films that have truly moved us, whether it was Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta acting as Italian Gangsters in “Goodfellas”, Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh acting as lovers in “Gone With the Wind”, or Rim Robbins and Morgan Freeman acting as prison mates made friends in “Shawshank Redemption” something all these films have in common, along with thousands of others, is their ability to positively affect and change one’s life. But with all things in life there typically is an opposing side, and though films can bring out the best in people they also the ability to do the opposite. And over the last 16 weeks that is exactly what I have been researching, do films positively or negatively affect certain people.

           So how I got to thinking about this is a question, as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I had the opportunity to live with people who would be considered the “lower class” these people lived in the inner city, and much to my surprise were the nicest and most genuine giving people I have ever met. But they had similar characteristics when it came to how they acted and thought. And as observed that interesting fact for 2 years, it led to wonder what is it that causes people who have similar upbringings to act the same and have a similar thought process. And as I pondered on this question, an additional thought came to mind, “Should movies and films shoulder any of this responsibility”. And that is how I got myself into researching this topic. There has been much debate over the years whether or not, movies have a more positive or more negative affect on people.

Many as I have said, argued that movies have the ability to numb individuals to violence, rape, murder, theft and many other things. And with those heinous God forsaken acts, they to a certain sense can be introduced to this rising generation, and then normalized in different forms of cinema (1). Surveys and tests are showing that younger and younger crowds are being flocked to the latest blockbuster regardless of the ratings and content of the film. And unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, these younger ages are being exposed to content that is not helpful nor healthy for a growing and maturing mind (2). The normalization of murder may single handedly be one of our fastest growing issues here in the USA, especially with cities like Chicago, Kansas City, or LA that have constant deaths from gang related activities. To add onto what has already been discovered, researchers are showing that there are also lasting negative psychological impacts that movies leave on their viewers specifically increased amount of anxiety, violence, and aggression all due to desensitization that happens when one views something that either first, releases endorphins, or normalizes violence (3). So needless to say, those are issues we deal with in our society, and if we know that part of what is causing those things to happen are violent and not uplifting films, why do we continue to make films in that genre. Continuing on, we aren’t here to debate whether or not films are impactful, we all agree that films can carry a message that no words could ever deliver. Some of the evilest men to walk the earth, were aware of the power film could carry. Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin are among 2 of these dictators that used film as propaganda to sway large populations to believe in their ideology (4).

Other argue the negative effects movies have on the physical health of people in our society, we do live in a country of consumerism and capitalism, one of the largest things we consume is food, and the food industry fortunately does very well. And unfortunately, we have paid the price with the highest amount of obese people in the world. Now I only state that because, yes food is the reason a majority of Americans can’t see their toes, but some argue films and media are the reason why people still can’t see their toes, because it’s easy to sit and watch your favorite tv show, while you eat big mac. Some have gone to the extent to call it “Fattertainment” (5). “Sit Time” a study conducted by Harvard University, followed a group of children and a group of adults, and found the more time spend in front of the TV, the higher chances they had of becoming obese. A study followed 50,000 men and women over a six-year period, and those who watched more than 2 hours of TV a day had a 23% higher risk of becoming obese and 14% higher risk of developing diabetes (6). So needless to say, there is exponential evidence showing that there are negative affects media has on our society, and culture.

Now there is obviously the opposing side of it all, and I would say it more of conventional approach to this. Movies and media do have the ability to positively affect and change people’s life’s, and the consensus is that more lives are changed than negatively impacted. I believe there are multiple areas that movies increase our livelihoods, the first being our mental and psychological health. Gary Solomon (Ph.D., MPH, MSW) write about how some therapist will prescribe “Cinema Therapy” it can give the viewer a new way of viewing trials or tribulations, it can give us a new outlook on certain aspects of our lives, and in short help deal with life’s ups and downs (7). Dr. Solomon continued to list off a few other mental benefits film and media can produce

1.     Encourages emotional release

2.     Sad films can make us happier, and more grateful for what we have and the people in our life.

3.     We can make sense of our own life, and clearer direction in where we need to go. Which releases unneeded tension

4.     They bring us a sense of relief from crippling stress or anxiety, due to the releasing of cortisol and dopamine.

(7)

Some other arguments have been put in place stating that some movies can act as a history lesson, and greatly inform us on our past and where we came from. They also help us understand ancient cultures and gain an appreciation for what modern technology we have in our world today (8). Movies also bring in billions to our economy, (well not right now) but typically the movie industry provides hundreds of thousands if not millions of jobs for people. (9) (10).

                       “Watching movies can help us make sense of our own lives. For thousands of years, knowledge and wisdom have been passed down through the art of storytelling. Stories offer us different perspectives and help us understand and make sense of the world. And movies are stories.” (8)

           “Even though it’s called ‘the seventh art’, cinema is surely the most influential art form.” (8)

A study that was conducted at Berkeley University, some researches decided to stop looking for the negative effects but start discovering the good. And they were surprised at what they found. Studies have shown that people who enjoy positive media are more prone to help others be “prosocial”, the researcher said “we’re beginning to understand its potential to spread goodness on a wide scale” Studies are showing that “elevated” media has the potential to shift our perception of the world to a “Kind-world syndrome” (11). So, researchers are obviously realizing the much good that comes from movies and media.

           So, to this point, it seems to that the positive impressions that movies leave behind are in abundance. It seems that it can affect almost every stage and aspect of life. Movies boost the economy, they give thousands of people’s jobs, movies inspire and lift up the oppressed, they can affect our mental and physical health in many ways, they show us that there is a better way to live and inspire others. In short, I believe they affect nearly every aspect and stage of our lives.

Now with nearly 16 weeks of research all jumbled in my head, it’s really obvious to me what effect movies and media have on our societies. My argument and opinion are based off of what I have read and studied but more centered around how I have felt and what I have gained in my lifetime from movies and media. If you recall what I said in the beginning of this paper, I gave experiences as young child in how movies positively influenced my life. And I believe with moderation, and age appropriate entertainment, movies can greatly enhance one’s life. I look back at each stage of my life and there is a movie or TV show that is affiliated with that time. Whether it was Spot the Dog, Tarzan, Brother Bear, Finding Nemo, or more grown up films. Over my twenty years of life I can remember at least 18 of those years being filled moderately with age appropriate movies that have inspired me and assisted in living a more beneficial and generous lifestyle. Now I understand, that I’m symbolically double dipping between the two arguments, and I could see that as an issue, the critics could say “you need to pick one side or the other”. But the reason I stand more on the side of movies being more uplifting, and inspiring is even in the darkest and most violent of movies there typically is underlying message that typically if taken the right way can instill some level of hope for a better tomorrow. Some of these films I am thinking of are John Wick, The Joker, Rambo, The Hateful Eight, or even dare I say Inglorious Bastards. Now I would argue alongside saying that many of these movies are dark, gruesome, maybe even evil. But some of the messages I have gained from these films, is evil will never prevail, there is a need for checks and balances or bad people can get out of hand, or that mental health treatment in our country needs to be readdressed, and those in unfortunate situations need our help. So, yes, I do believe that movies and media regardless of the content inside of them have a message for us, and it’s up to us to find it.

I shared an experience in my opinion series essay about an emotional moment I had watching “Just Mercy”, I wrote about a moment when it hit me that there are many African Americans in our justice system that are wrongly convicted just because of the color of their skin, and that caused me to be overcome with emotion. Now I first off have a better grasp on a social issue we struggle with as a country, and second since my eyes are open, I can look for ways and people that can directly affect this issue, and hopefully change It for good. One more personal experience, I was attending the movie “I Still Believe” with my fiancée and in the end the main characters wife passes away from cancer, and in that moment I realized I needed to show more appreciation for my fiancée and show more love towards her. So, my reason why I believe movies are beneficial to our society is because they can cause change and ignite people to live better lives, and create a better tomorrow for all of us, and a better future for the generations to come.  

           As I was saying critics will refute what my stance or argument is, I think moderation is vital if you are going to do anything in this life. But the critics will say regardless of the movie or media, it still is an enabler or reason for millions of Americans to be lazy, and be couch potatoes, and my answer to that would be moderation. Or critics will say that the violence found in movies outweighs any positive message left to be found, and I to certain degree I believe that. But I also believe we as people get out what we want, so if we want to enjoy a good old fashion Rambo movie, just because we love watching people get killed, then that is probably all we will get. But if we go into watching a good old classic Rambo movie with an open mind, we can learn about the Vietnam war, learned about courage, heroism, and also watch some bad guys get cut in half, or watch their hearts get cut out. At the end of the day, we get what we are looking for.

But I believe the best course of action is finding a happy medium, and what I mean by that is, yes, I do agree that some movies lack any uplifting or positive message. I stand by my belief that horror movies should be eradicated, I can’t think of much good they do, other than the pumping of adrenaline and an increased heart rate. But based off of my research I believe that nearly every genre of movie, minus horror, has the ability to positively impact and change people’s lives for the better, and could possibly alter man kind and propel us all to a better world.

Bibliography

1.     https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/how-has-rape-become-such-a-common-trope-of-television-drama/article31931181/

2.     https://www.namibian.com.na/134800/archive-read/The-Negative-Influence-of-Movies

3.     https://www.apa.org/action/resources/research-in-action/protect

4.     https://www.ourmovielife.com/2017/01/15/how-do-movies-affect-society/

5.     https://www.obesityaction.org/community/article-library/fattertainment-obesity-in-the-media/

6.     https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/television-and-sedentary-behavior-and-obesity/

7.     https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-watching-movies-can-benefit-our-mental-health/

8.     https://www.ourmovielife.com/2017/01/15/how-do-movies-affect-society/

9.     https://piracyleash.com/jobs-movie-industry-create/

10.  https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-22278100

11.  https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_positive_media_can_make_us_better_people

[dweemeister]

Blog introduction for newer followers

Especially those who started following around the holiday season or after, I just wanted to say thank you for following this small blog of mine. Good day to you, and I hope that -- in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic -- you are all well, in addition to those elders and the immunosuppressed in your life. The name is Eric and, I suspect many of you have gotten the gist of what this blog is about, but if not, read on!

And -- oh boy -- I have some unpopular opinions to share with all of you under the cut!

What’s the point of this blog?

Well, you are following a blog that concentrates on classic movies, mostly made before 1980. I specialize in Old Hollywood (silent era-late 1960s), but you will see plenty of American and international animation (from the earliest works to our globalized present), Japanese cinema (post-WWII films in particular), and the staples of European cinema (the French masters, Ingmar Bergman, the Italian greats, etc). Musicals, American Westerns, and science fiction are my favorite genres. South Asian cinema, African cinema, and Latin American cinema make appearances on this blog, but I don’t know as much as I would like. I’m an omnivore, as I’ll watch mostly anything (very select subgenres of exploitation film - like slasher - are a hard pass). The closure of American theaters is definitely going to prevent me from seeing a lot of 2020 releases this year.

For followers who are in their twenties like me (or perhaps younger), these classic movies that dominate the blog are new movies to all of you. If you’ve never seen, say, City Lights (1931), it would be a newer movie to you personally than a Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) or Frozen (2010).

Since this blog’s creation in August 2012, I have written and published 680+ movie reviews, tagged “My Movie Odyssey” (which refers to movies that I have just completed and had otherwise never seen before in their entirety). The most recent review was on The African Queen (1951). You can find an index for all movie reviews I’ve published here - films that I’ve written on are as recent as the most recent batch of Oscar-nominated short films and as far back as 1914 (for now). The Movie Odyssey write-ups have been drying up lately, but with this COVID-19 pandemic and other developments in my life, there’ll be more time for reviews. Keep your eyes peeled!

The queueing schedule of this blog is significantly - but not entirely - based on Turner Classic Movies’ (TCM) daily North American schedule. When tumblr banned adult content in December 2018, it also knocked out a lot of blogs that I reblogged from from tags that I search in order to queue the blog. Since then, it has been more difficult to queue this blog - ESPECIALLY in terms of more obscure older films - but on this blog continues.

Is there any non-film content to be aware of?

Well other than the COVID-19 posts that’ll be around for a bit, I like to feature an occasional Peanuts comic around once to thrice a week if I remember to queue them. I’m also a huge soccer fan - Arsenal, LA Galaxy, and the US national teams - so those get featured, too on occasion (there’s no sports for the foreseeable future though). On Sunday mornings (recall I’m from Southern California), there’s a piece of nature photography posted around 7:30 AM Pacific Time.

And oh man, with Star Trek: Picard nearing the end of its first season... watch out. Yes, I’m a Trekkie. You’ll see the odd television posts too - mostly from the Star Trek franchise and M*A*S*H.

You’ll also notice, on occasion, I post/reblog a “nightcap” - a piece of music that strikes my fancy for whatever reason.

Do you post any objectionable content?

All posts with what I deem to portray graphic violence and nudity (I’m such a prude, I guess) is tagged “nsfw” for those of you using tumblr savior. Those posts, however, are very rare, and this is not a nsfw blog. If you consider socially liberal, economically left-center politics objectionable, you might want to know I didn’t vote for Bernie though Warren was my second choice #Byedon2020, don’t worry because this isn’t an overly political blog. However, my politics should be very obvious if you follow me for a while and read certain Movie Odyssey reviews closely (again, those reviews don’t get explicitly political but I could never deny that my political views do influence what I write sometimes).

Some news articles I post can be distressing, and I’m not afraid of writing (whether through personal posts or in my movie write-ups) on heavier issues and themes.

What else?

More info about me in the about section, I guess? Thank you for getting this far and I hope you are entertained and intrigued by this blog (and perhaps you’ll learn some new things, too)!

I hold some rather unpopular opinions about films old and new too that might sound scandalous (it’s all under the cut):

Emotional manipulation, taking the neutral sense of the word “manipulation”, is a necessity in film. I do watch films to have my emotions manipulated (in the neutral sense), but there is a line between emotional manipulation and exploitation. It’s the latter you should be wary of.

I think the Academy Awards/Oscars are meaningful. Principally, it is the Academy’s major fundraiser for the year. On a daily basis, the Academy maintains a vast film library (from all eras, nations, genres, lengths, you name it) and preserves films for posterity. They also have tons of initiatives in helping young filmmakers and fostering film education. The Oscar ceremony also shows us where the tastes of a select group of people (industry insiders) lied at a point in time. I could talk your ear off about this.

How Green Was My Valley is a fantastic film. If you transported me back to the 1940s, I might very well have voted for it over Citizen Kane at the time.

I can’t stand how modern film score composers are trying to make their scores sound as much like Hans Zimmer’s as possible. Most of the time, they are Zimmer’s ghostwriters and acolytes.

I’m a big fan of Disney Animation, but I am very suspicious about the artistic direction of the studio (live-action remakes, the Pixar brain drain, overreliance on meta humor to put down the earlier Disney classics) and the Walt Disney Company’s attempts to buy essentially all the IP they need.

I have a rather low opinion about the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with the exceptions of the first Iron Man, first Captain America, and Black Panther. By the mid-2010s, I was watching MCU movies only because friends asked me if I was interested in going.

For superhero movies (in general), I’m a little scared about how much air and attention they have taken away from other, smaller films in the last decade and how they have shaped audience perceptions about what a movie should be. Most notably: low- and mid-budget dramas don’t need to be seen in a theater and you should stream them instead.

The conventional wisdom is that Marlon Brando and James Dean transformed acting in the 1950s. I vehemently disagree and contend the latter’s tragic death has created a legend that has overshadowed an incomplete film career.

I appreciate the French New Wave, but I don’t love it. I would grit my teeth to recommend anything other than The 400 Blows to anyone.

Isao Takahata has the most fascinating and accomplished filmography of any animation director I’ve seen the films of. Where Miyazaki is more influential because of his mostly fantastical films, Takahata pushed that envelope about what animated film could be.

I appreciate the films of two directors that are the favorite of a certain demographic: David Fincher and Christopher Nolan (hey, I’m actually in that specific demographic). But I’ve never particularly enjoyed their films.

The Shawshank Redemption is #1 on imdb’s Top 250 movies of all time. It wouldn’t come close to #250 if you asked me to make such a list. Please don’t ask me to make such a list.