Kiss of Death (YouTube)
A 1947 20th Century Fox movie abt Nick (Victor Mature), a low-level thug, who gets arrest on Christmas Eve after participating in a jewelry heist at a fancy building. He's brought up to the Assistant DA and gets an offer of a deal IF he snitches abt the robbery, who was involved, etc.
The Assistant DA mentions the judge that Nick will be facing is v. tough and he'll probably end up with a harsh sentence. However, Nick, who is married and has two little girls, declines the offer. He's cocky abt it too; he'll do the time cuz his lawyer has assured him that he'll get parole v. quickly. So, three years have passed and Nick begins to worry abt his wife and children (whom, the lawyer had assured him, would be taken care of.) It turns out his wife is dead and his children have been sent to an orphanage.
Then, a young woman named Nettie (Coleen Gray) visits him to give him all of the info. Nettie used to babysit Nick's children up until a few weeks before his wife died. Now distressed by everything that's happened, Nick decides to reach out to the Assistant DA for the deal (that'd include him becoming a stool pigeon)...
This is a v., v. noir movie in the sense that main character as well as a lot of the folks around him are part of the criminal underground, it has tons of examples as to how the evil within that world corrupts everything, and there's is the idea of Fate vs. the individual. It's also a fairly realistic movie? Frex, the reason why Nick had been part of the initial jewelry is cuz he'd been turned down while looking for a job because he had some prior (minor) convictions. So the movie does include a tiny social commentary as to what post-incarcertation life is like for ppl. (With the caveat that, even though is situation is quite crummy, it''s less shitty than, say, a Black man with a similar record. IJS)
I liked everyone's casting (for the most part.) Victor Mature's portrayal of Nick is a lot softer than what you'd expect. He truly loves his kids, he cares abt his wife. The Assistant DA picks up on this and tries to use that love as a pressure point to get him to squeal. It looks like Nick's fairly close to agreeing at first before decided to keep his mouth shut. But, after the news abt his wife, he's determined to take care of his children (to the point of hopefully regaining custody of them and all that.) Mature plays it all with a lot of nuance.
One of the most interesting things abt this movie is that this was meant to be a vehicle of sorts for Mature. However, it ended up being a breakout film for Richard Widwark as Tommy Udo, one of the most dangerous criminals I've seen in a movie. Udo can (and does) go off at any moment for ANY reason. And Widmark plays him so well! His presence, physicality, and behavior won't let you take your eyes off him. He's a great villain.
Fun fact: Brian Donlevy who plays the Assistant DA in this movie is the same guy who was the second-in-command in The Big Combo. In this one, he's a lot less dejected, LOL.
Do I have any criticisms?
Colleen Gray as Nettie is a casting that I'm kinda meh abt. When she first appears, she comes across as a 19-y.o. (Gray was 25) and, later on, she still gives off teenage girl vibes. It doesn't help that the costume is extremely youthful. ON TOP OF THAT, Victor Mature (who was 33/34) looks, dresses, and moves around in the movie like someone who is at least 6 yrs old (so abt 40 y.o.)
There's an attraction between them, but her character has such a naive aura all through the movie. It creates this kinda weird imbalance. The one part I 😬 was when, after kissing, Nettie tells Nick something along the lines of "I've wanted you ever since I was a girl long time ago when I used to look at you". All right-y, then. O__o
Do I recommend it?
Yes! It's a quintessential noir that's got some good dialogue, acting, and some intense moments. You can watch it on Hulu Premium, YT Premium, and any of the free movie apps. I'm giving it a 3 out of 5 cuz I was that entertained.
Queerness level: Medium. This movie has two relationships that center Nick as the Subject of Desire. The first one leans more into INTENSE platonic vibes. It's between the Assistant DA and Nick. Especially after the Assistant DA dude makes a point abt how he usually doesn't go to bat for any criminal out there, but there's something abt Nick that has softened him up to him. IDK.
The second relationship is a lot more blatant and it's between Nick and Udo.
FTR, it's super obvious that Nick does NOT like Udo in any way, shape or form. Not as a person, not in a sexually/romantic sense, and not as a fellow criminal. Nick thinks Udo is disgusting. His whole vibe is NO, THANK YOU, UDO. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU. Kudos to Mature for layering his performance in such a way that you can see the contempt Nick feels even while around Udo.
HOWEVAH, that's not the case with Udo. From the start, from the v. second they meet, Udo REALLY LIKES NICK for some "unexplained reason".
Like, to the point that, after not interacting for at least 3 yrs, Udo is ECSTATIC abt running into Nick while at a boxing match with his girlfriend. They go to a jazz club. UDO IS ON CLOUD NINE: he's drinking champagne, listening to amazing live music, and spending time with HIS PAL NICK. FWIW, Nick is playing along (which Udo never realizes) in order to snitch on him.
All of the sudden, Udo tells his girlfriend (who never gets a name) to go home and stay there (cuz he'll go by later) JUST SO HE CAN KEEP ON PARTYING WITH NICK. The gf is obvs upset, but there's not much she can do (because Udo is, again, super volatile and scary). Once she leaves, Udo's like LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT THERE'S TO DO IN THIS TOWN!!! (🥳🥳🥳)
He's totally fixated with Nick in a way that goes beyond being chummy or even criminal pals. It's subtext, but it's THERE. IJS.
FTR, Udo does have a presence from the second he first shows up. However, the movie is abt Nick's ups and downs and so, Udo takes a backseat (plotwise) until a latter part of the film. (Adding this for folks who might want to check this movie out cuz of Foe!Yay reasons).
A 1947 20th Century Fox movie abt Nick (Victor Mature), a low-level thug, who gets arrest on Christmas Eve after participating in a jewelry heist at a fancy building. He's brought up to the Assistant DA and gets an offer of a deal IF he snitches abt the robbery, who was involved, etc.
The Assistant DA mentions the judge that Nick will be facing is v. tough and he'll probably end up with a harsh sentence. However, Nick, who is married and has two little girls, declines the offer. He's cocky abt it too; he'll do the time cuz his lawyer has assured him that he'll get parole v. quickly. So, three years have passed and Nick begins to worry abt his wife and children (whom, the lawyer had assured him, would be taken care of.) It turns out his wife is dead and his children have been sent to an orphanage.
Then, a young woman named Nettie (Coleen Gray) visits him to give him all of the info. Nettie used to babysit Nick's children up until a few weeks before his wife died. Now distressed by everything that's happened, Nick decides to reach out to the Assistant DA for the deal (that'd include him becoming a stool pigeon)...
This is a v., v. noir movie in the sense that main character as well as a lot of the folks around him are part of the criminal underground, it has tons of examples as to how the evil within that world corrupts everything, and there's is the idea of Fate vs. the individual. It's also a fairly realistic movie? Frex, the reason why Nick had been part of the initial jewelry is cuz he'd been turned down while looking for a job because he had some prior (minor) convictions. So the movie does include a tiny social commentary as to what post-incarcertation life is like for ppl. (With the caveat that, even though is situation is quite crummy, it''s less shitty than, say, a Black man with a similar record. IJS)
I liked everyone's casting (for the most part.) Victor Mature's portrayal of Nick is a lot softer than what you'd expect. He truly loves his kids, he cares abt his wife. The Assistant DA picks up on this and tries to use that love as a pressure point to get him to squeal. It looks like Nick's fairly close to agreeing at first before decided to keep his mouth shut. But, after the news abt his wife, he's determined to take care of his children (to the point of hopefully regaining custody of them and all that.) Mature plays it all with a lot of nuance.
One of the most interesting things abt this movie is that this was meant to be a vehicle of sorts for Mature. However, it ended up being a breakout film for Richard Widwark as Tommy Udo, one of the most dangerous criminals I've seen in a movie. Udo can (and does) go off at any moment for ANY reason. And Widmark plays him so well! His presence, physicality, and behavior won't let you take your eyes off him. He's a great villain.
Fun fact: Brian Donlevy who plays the Assistant DA in this movie is the same guy who was the second-in-command in The Big Combo. In this one, he's a lot less dejected, LOL.
Do I have any criticisms?
Colleen Gray as Nettie is a casting that I'm kinda meh abt. When she first appears, she comes across as a 19-y.o. (Gray was 25) and, later on, she still gives off teenage girl vibes. It doesn't help that the costume is extremely youthful. ON TOP OF THAT, Victor Mature (who was 33/34) looks, dresses, and moves around in the movie like someone who is at least 6 yrs old (so abt 40 y.o.)
There's an attraction between them, but her character has such a naive aura all through the movie. It creates this kinda weird imbalance. The one part I 😬 was when, after kissing, Nettie tells Nick something along the lines of "I've wanted you ever since I was a girl long time ago when I used to look at you". All right-y, then. O__o
Do I recommend it?
Yes! It's a quintessential noir that's got some good dialogue, acting, and some intense moments. You can watch it on Hulu Premium, YT Premium, and any of the free movie apps. I'm giving it a 3 out of 5 cuz I was that entertained.
Queerness level: Medium. This movie has two relationships that center Nick as the Subject of Desire. The first one leans more into INTENSE platonic vibes. It's between the Assistant DA and Nick. Especially after the Assistant DA dude makes a point abt how he usually doesn't go to bat for any criminal out there, but there's something abt Nick that has softened him up to him. IDK.
The second relationship is a lot more blatant and it's between Nick and Udo.
FTR, it's super obvious that Nick does NOT like Udo in any way, shape or form. Not as a person, not in a sexually/romantic sense, and not as a fellow criminal. Nick thinks Udo is disgusting. His whole vibe is NO, THANK YOU, UDO. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU. Kudos to Mature for layering his performance in such a way that you can see the contempt Nick feels even while around Udo.
HOWEVAH, that's not the case with Udo. From the start, from the v. second they meet, Udo REALLY LIKES NICK for some "unexplained reason".
Like, to the point that, after not interacting for at least 3 yrs, Udo is ECSTATIC abt running into Nick while at a boxing match with his girlfriend. They go to a jazz club. UDO IS ON CLOUD NINE: he's drinking champagne, listening to amazing live music, and spending time with HIS PAL NICK. FWIW, Nick is playing along (which Udo never realizes) in order to snitch on him.
All of the sudden, Udo tells his girlfriend (who never gets a name) to go home and stay there (cuz he'll go by later) JUST SO HE CAN KEEP ON PARTYING WITH NICK. The gf is obvs upset, but there's not much she can do (because Udo is, again, super volatile and scary). Once she leaves, Udo's like LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT THERE'S TO DO IN THIS TOWN!!! (🥳🥳🥳)
He's totally fixated with Nick in a way that goes beyond being chummy or even criminal pals. It's subtext, but it's THERE. IJS.
FTR, Udo does have a presence from the second he first shows up. However, the movie is abt Nick's ups and downs and so, Udo takes a backseat (plotwise) until a latter part of the film. (Adding this for folks who might want to check this movie out cuz of Foe!Yay reasons).
The Man Who Cheated Himself
A "classy" (yet forgotten) 1950 entry from 20th Century Fox.
San Francisco police Lt. Ed Cullen (Lee J. Cobb) is a grump who has gotten his younger brother Andy (John Dall) as a temporary partner. Ed's also v. secretive abt his personal life; he's been in a v. intense relationship with a rich (and married) woman named Lois (Jayne Wyatt). Now, Lois has what I'm gonna call a high-strung personality. She's in the middle of divorcing her second husband.
One night, while Ed and Lois are spending some time at her place, Lois' soon-to-be-ex-husband shows ups. Lois ends up shooting him dead. Let the troubles begin…
This is a v. solid movie. Tightly plotted, interesting (and doomed) characters, and the underlining theme of possessiveness (specifically from Lois toward Ed). I liked the acting. Cobb was PERFECT as Ed because he's got the ideal kind of taciturn delivery that makes Ed super believable in every situation. You'll feel for Ed cuz he's presented such a hard shell to everyone all of his life. He doesn't allow himself to express a lot of affection for his younger brother (even though we KNOW he cares abt him).
The approach to the idea that some kinds of love are toxic is an interesting one.
Do I have any criticisms?
I was SUPER ANNOYED with Lois. She was NOT my fave. I think part of it is that I never quite understood the attraction between them. For Lois, I could sort of see Ed's reserved personality as a way to keep herself grounded. But I'm confused as to what abt Lois' chaos is attractive to Ed.
OTOH, it's the wrongness of their relationship what kicks off the entire movie so there's that.
Do I recommend it?
I actually do. IMO, it's on the lower side of a B-level movie and that's fine. Sometimes a movie is the way a movie is. I'm giving it a 2.8 out of 5.. Worth watching even if I wasn't super moved by it.
It's on every free movie app. I've also seen it on and off on Hoopla and there are uploads on YT too.
Queerness level: V. low to the point of not being worth watching this movie thru any queer lens.
A "classy" (yet forgotten) 1950 entry from 20th Century Fox.
San Francisco police Lt. Ed Cullen (Lee J. Cobb) is a grump who has gotten his younger brother Andy (John Dall) as a temporary partner. Ed's also v. secretive abt his personal life; he's been in a v. intense relationship with a rich (and married) woman named Lois (Jayne Wyatt). Now, Lois has what I'm gonna call a high-strung personality. She's in the middle of divorcing her second husband.
One night, while Ed and Lois are spending some time at her place, Lois' soon-to-be-ex-husband shows ups. Lois ends up shooting him dead. Let the troubles begin…
This is a v. solid movie. Tightly plotted, interesting (and doomed) characters, and the underlining theme of possessiveness (specifically from Lois toward Ed). I liked the acting. Cobb was PERFECT as Ed because he's got the ideal kind of taciturn delivery that makes Ed super believable in every situation. You'll feel for Ed cuz he's presented such a hard shell to everyone all of his life. He doesn't allow himself to express a lot of affection for his younger brother (even though we KNOW he cares abt him).
The approach to the idea that some kinds of love are toxic is an interesting one.
Do I have any criticisms?
I was SUPER ANNOYED with Lois. She was NOT my fave. I think part of it is that I never quite understood the attraction between them. For Lois, I could sort of see Ed's reserved personality as a way to keep herself grounded. But I'm confused as to what abt Lois' chaos is attractive to Ed.
OTOH, it's the wrongness of their relationship what kicks off the entire movie so there's that.
Do I recommend it?
I actually do. IMO, it's on the lower side of a B-level movie and that's fine. Sometimes a movie is the way a movie is. I'm giving it a 2.8 out of 5.. Worth watching even if I wasn't super moved by it.
It's on every free movie app. I've also seen it on and off on Hoopla and there are uploads on YT too.
Queerness level: V. low to the point of not being worth watching this movie thru any queer lens.
Fannish 50 S2 Post 35: Amnesia and Noir
Nov. 25th, 2024 12:47 pmThe Crooked Way (YouTube)
A 1949 movie from a v. small independent studio.
The movie begins sometime after WW2. A guy named Eddie (John Payne) is told by his doctor at the VA that he's as close to perfect health as possible. However, the doctors were unable to retrieve a piece of shrapnel from an area of Eddie's brain. Unfortunately, this is the area that deals with memory, so he'll never remember anything from before waking up in the hospital. The military documentation strongly indicates that Eddie was born in Los Angeles. So the doctor suggests heading over there after getting discharged from the hospital. This way, he'll have an easier way to reintegrate back into society and civilian life. It seems like a good starting point for Eddie, so he agrees to do just that.
Once he arrives in LA, he's stopped by two cops who pretty much growl at him abt "daring to return to LA thinking he can show up like a big man once again." Eddie is, understandably confused, but he's able to go along with things. One of the cops takes him back to the precinct to meet up with the chief.
Eddie's genuinely at a loss when the chief shows him a file with his photo under a different last name. This other Eddie has a long rap sheet. The cops let him go after advising him to leave the town because he'll be tempted to step out of line. If he does that, they'll send him to jail.
After walking around town, he meets Nina (Ellen Drew), a woman who (the viewer can tell) recognizes him…
It's a pretty interesting story. I like Payne as Eddie. He played a cooler/more aloof version of a gangster in how quick he is in sussing out most situations. It helps that he has an every white man face too for some reason. His relationship with Nina is SOMETHING ELSE. Drew plays Nina as a woman who is tough yet flexible and that's how she's been able to survive. Now that Eddie's back in her life, she has to face some things she'd buried.
The other great interaction is between Eddie and Vince (Sonny Tufts), their backstory is interesting. Tufts' version of villainy is super unpredictable. And that's something that makes him v. fun to watch.
Do I have any criticisms?
Even though the movie is around an hour and twenty, there are moments when the pacing slows down. Some scenes tend to drag a little. Also the last segment goes a bit too long.
Do I recommend it?
I do even though it's not a memorable film nor does it star anyone famous. However, it's a fine movie to check out for free. I did struggled a bit to grade it, so I'm settling on giving it a 2.6 out of 5.
It's available for streaming at all of the free movie apps as well as YouTube.
Queerness level: Low. IF someone tried hard enough, I can see a full Enemy/Enemy thing happening between Eddie/Vince (with the added layer of betrayal as the reason why they "broke up".)
A 1949 movie from a v. small independent studio.
The movie begins sometime after WW2. A guy named Eddie (John Payne) is told by his doctor at the VA that he's as close to perfect health as possible. However, the doctors were unable to retrieve a piece of shrapnel from an area of Eddie's brain. Unfortunately, this is the area that deals with memory, so he'll never remember anything from before waking up in the hospital. The military documentation strongly indicates that Eddie was born in Los Angeles. So the doctor suggests heading over there after getting discharged from the hospital. This way, he'll have an easier way to reintegrate back into society and civilian life. It seems like a good starting point for Eddie, so he agrees to do just that.
Once he arrives in LA, he's stopped by two cops who pretty much growl at him abt "daring to return to LA thinking he can show up like a big man once again." Eddie is, understandably confused, but he's able to go along with things. One of the cops takes him back to the precinct to meet up with the chief.
Eddie's genuinely at a loss when the chief shows him a file with his photo under a different last name. This other Eddie has a long rap sheet. The cops let him go after advising him to leave the town because he'll be tempted to step out of line. If he does that, they'll send him to jail.
After walking around town, he meets Nina (Ellen Drew), a woman who (the viewer can tell) recognizes him…
It's a pretty interesting story. I like Payne as Eddie. He played a cooler/more aloof version of a gangster in how quick he is in sussing out most situations. It helps that he has an every white man face too for some reason. His relationship with Nina is SOMETHING ELSE. Drew plays Nina as a woman who is tough yet flexible and that's how she's been able to survive. Now that Eddie's back in her life, she has to face some things she'd buried.
The other great interaction is between Eddie and Vince (Sonny Tufts), their backstory is interesting. Tufts' version of villainy is super unpredictable. And that's something that makes him v. fun to watch.
Do I have any criticisms?
Even though the movie is around an hour and twenty, there are moments when the pacing slows down. Some scenes tend to drag a little. Also the last segment goes a bit too long.
Do I recommend it?
I do even though it's not a memorable film nor does it star anyone famous. However, it's a fine movie to check out for free. I did struggled a bit to grade it, so I'm settling on giving it a 2.6 out of 5.
It's available for streaming at all of the free movie apps as well as YouTube.
Queerness level: Low. IF someone tried hard enough, I can see a full Enemy/Enemy thing happening between Eddie/Vince (with the added layer of betrayal as the reason why they "broke up".)
Trigger/Content Warnings: One of the main characters has v. intense suicidal ideation. At one point, they self-harm and end up at a hospital. A secondary character pretends to have mental health issues in order to be safe from the villain's reach. Finally, one of the characters is Hard of Hearing and is made fun of abt this by the v. person who made that character lose their hearing.
This post will mention and discuss the main character who is suicidal as there's no way to work around it without making this post sound unnecessarily convoluted. Skipping this post if any of those things are triggers for y'all is A-OK.
The Big Combo (YouTube)
A 1955 movie that begins with Susan (Jean Wallace) running away from a boxing match. She gets caught by two thugs who work for Susan's boyfriend, a mobster called Mr. Brown (Richard Conte.) Rather than return to the match, she demands going to dinner elsewhere. While at a restaurant, she meets an old friend of hers. They start dancing. Susan faints cuz it turns out she'd taken a whole bunch of pills. She's rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile, police Lt. Leonard Diamond (Cornel Wilde) has spent at least 6 months pouring a lot of time and money in trying to nab Mr. Brown without much success. After a terse interaction with Mr. Brown and his second-in-command at the hospital Susan is recovering at, Lt. Diamond latches onto something that Susan mumbled: Alicia. Feeling that this is THE big piece that he needed to take down Mr. Brown, Lt. Diamond is DETERMINED to unravel Mr. Brown's whole empire.
Now, watching this movie in 2024, there's plenty abt it that feels v. contemporary. Well, with the exception that no one curses and there's zero nudity. Like, if my first thought halfway thru the film is "wow, this is rough stuff!", then I can't even imagine watching the same movie back in 1955. Cuz so many things happened onscreen that made me go WHAAAA?
Frex, there's a scene in which Mr. Brown goes to Susan's apartment. They kinda argue for a few minutes. The scene ends with Mr. Brown kissing her body as he kneels until he's out of the frame while she's moaning and looking quite aroused. IDK what he's doing, but there are SEXUAL THINGS happening, IJS.
Anyways, this movie is super well cast. Wilde as Lt. Diamond projects a heavy cynicism that's at odds with his desire to do good. Even if everything is against him. Wallace's Susan is great at showing someone who is trapped in a relationship she feels she can't escape from unless she shuffles off her mortal coil. And then, there's Conte's Mr. Brown. HE'S SO SLEAZY AND SADISTIC. A great villain to hate cuz there's NOTHING good abt him. Like, he took over his boss' empire and turned his now ex-boss into his second in command. Who he keeps mocking from the v. beginning of the movie onward. It's not as if the second-in-command is a great person, but you can't help but 😬 at the way he's treated by everyone in the movie.
This is the grittiest noir I've watched. It did the most within the confines of the Production Code.
Do I have any criticisms?
This is gonna be a bit nit-picky, but there we are.
In one of the scenes, Mr. Brown tortures Lt. Diamond by using noise. I found it borderline distressing because it goes on for a while. Or, at least, that's how it felt to me. (Yes, this is less of an actual criticism and more of a regular complaint, LOL.)
Do I recommend it?
Yeppers. Well, that is you can sit thru the tough scenes and some of the darker themes that are shown.
So many of the characters are moving through life feeling hopeless, getting stuck in cycles of potential self-destruction (like Susan and, to an extent, Lt. Diamond too). Also, Mr. Brown's gleeful and shameless evil feels quite timely.
I feel it's quite accessible kinda like Gilda. That movie is a good entry point for noir because it has a fairly straightforward plot. Meanwhile, The Big Combo is quite familiar to anyone who has watched movies from the 1980s forward. Although there's nothing explicit, the way that the movie approaches some strong themes is less sugarcoated than movies from, say, 1945.
I'm giving it a 3.8 out of 5.
Because of some copyright misfiling, this movie became part of the Public Domain. So you can watch it in most free movie apps as well as YT.
Queerness level: High-ish. Mr. Brown has two main henchmen (Fante (played by Lee Van Cleef) and Mingo (Earl Holliman) who are unusually (for 1955) close. There are 2 scenes that have domestic vibes including one late in the movie in which Mr. Brown calls their home late at night. Mingo answers, talks to his boss, then (after hanging up), talks to Fante (who happens to be sleeping in the bed next to his). I…OK, good times I guess.
It's pretty clear that they're a package deal is all I'm saying.
This post will mention and discuss the main character who is suicidal as there's no way to work around it without making this post sound unnecessarily convoluted. Skipping this post if any of those things are triggers for y'all is A-OK.
The Big Combo (YouTube)
A 1955 movie that begins with Susan (Jean Wallace) running away from a boxing match. She gets caught by two thugs who work for Susan's boyfriend, a mobster called Mr. Brown (Richard Conte.) Rather than return to the match, she demands going to dinner elsewhere. While at a restaurant, she meets an old friend of hers. They start dancing. Susan faints cuz it turns out she'd taken a whole bunch of pills. She's rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile, police Lt. Leonard Diamond (Cornel Wilde) has spent at least 6 months pouring a lot of time and money in trying to nab Mr. Brown without much success. After a terse interaction with Mr. Brown and his second-in-command at the hospital Susan is recovering at, Lt. Diamond latches onto something that Susan mumbled: Alicia. Feeling that this is THE big piece that he needed to take down Mr. Brown, Lt. Diamond is DETERMINED to unravel Mr. Brown's whole empire.
Now, watching this movie in 2024, there's plenty abt it that feels v. contemporary. Well, with the exception that no one curses and there's zero nudity. Like, if my first thought halfway thru the film is "wow, this is rough stuff!", then I can't even imagine watching the same movie back in 1955. Cuz so many things happened onscreen that made me go WHAAAA?
Frex, there's a scene in which Mr. Brown goes to Susan's apartment. They kinda argue for a few minutes. The scene ends with Mr. Brown kissing her body as he kneels until he's out of the frame while she's moaning and looking quite aroused. IDK what he's doing, but there are SEXUAL THINGS happening, IJS.
Anyways, this movie is super well cast. Wilde as Lt. Diamond projects a heavy cynicism that's at odds with his desire to do good. Even if everything is against him. Wallace's Susan is great at showing someone who is trapped in a relationship she feels she can't escape from unless she shuffles off her mortal coil. And then, there's Conte's Mr. Brown. HE'S SO SLEAZY AND SADISTIC. A great villain to hate cuz there's NOTHING good abt him. Like, he took over his boss' empire and turned his now ex-boss into his second in command. Who he keeps mocking from the v. beginning of the movie onward. It's not as if the second-in-command is a great person, but you can't help but 😬 at the way he's treated by everyone in the movie.
This is the grittiest noir I've watched. It did the most within the confines of the Production Code.
Do I have any criticisms?
This is gonna be a bit nit-picky, but there we are.
In one of the scenes, Mr. Brown tortures Lt. Diamond by using noise. I found it borderline distressing because it goes on for a while. Or, at least, that's how it felt to me. (Yes, this is less of an actual criticism and more of a regular complaint, LOL.)
Do I recommend it?
Yeppers. Well, that is you can sit thru the tough scenes and some of the darker themes that are shown.
So many of the characters are moving through life feeling hopeless, getting stuck in cycles of potential self-destruction (like Susan and, to an extent, Lt. Diamond too). Also, Mr. Brown's gleeful and shameless evil feels quite timely.
I feel it's quite accessible kinda like Gilda. That movie is a good entry point for noir because it has a fairly straightforward plot. Meanwhile, The Big Combo is quite familiar to anyone who has watched movies from the 1980s forward. Although there's nothing explicit, the way that the movie approaches some strong themes is less sugarcoated than movies from, say, 1945.
I'm giving it a 3.8 out of 5.
Because of some copyright misfiling, this movie became part of the Public Domain. So you can watch it in most free movie apps as well as YT.
Queerness level: High-ish. Mr. Brown has two main henchmen (Fante (played by Lee Van Cleef) and Mingo (Earl Holliman) who are unusually (for 1955) close. There are 2 scenes that have domestic vibes including one late in the movie in which Mr. Brown calls their home late at night. Mingo answers, talks to his boss, then (after hanging up), talks to Fante (who happens to be sleeping in the bed next to his). I…OK, good times I guess.
It's pretty clear that they're a package deal is all I'm saying.
Gonna do a double-feature type of thing in honor of Gene Tierney who is best known as the titular character in Laura. This time, I'm talking abt two other movies she starred in. They're both great examples of her range as an actress
* Where The Sidewalk Ends (Hoopla)
Premiering in 1950, this movie is abt Mark Dixon (Dana Andrews), a police detective. He's known for two things: he REALLY hates all criminals (because of something that doesn't get revealed until halfway thru the movie) and he's v. rough with criminals to the point that, at the beginning of the movie there are over 12 complaints against him for using excessive force.
His main target is Tommy Scalise (Gary Merrill), a gangster who hates him back. In any case, Dixon's life becomes v. complicated after something happens and he now has to find his way back onto solid ground.
Fun fact: this film is a reunion for Andrews and Tierney after their roles in Laura. IIRC, this movie came out around 6 yrs later. The chemistry they had back in that movie is still present in this one.
Unlike the urbane, hoity-toity circles where Laura was set, the characters in this movie exist in a much more modest (at least in terms of socio-economic class) reality. Here Tierney (as Morgan) is a working model, her father's a taxi driver, detectives don't make a lot money either and so on.
I liked this movie in terms of plot (especially when things go wrong for Dixon) and the complications makes things deliciously tense. I also loved Gary Merrill as Scalise. He was swarmy. This is the kind of movie you can enjoy.
Do I have any criticisms?
It something that's more from the perspective of 2024: I do kinda 😒 at how it presents the idea that cops are great overall. Dixon is, early on, singled out as an example of the "v. few bad apples" in the force. Everything's fine. People should respect the police cuz they're there to help. 🤢
Do I recommend it?
I do! I'm giving it a strong 3 out of 5. I've seen it as available for streaming in at least one of the free movie apps as well as on YouTube.
Queerness Level: Medium. The push-and-pull (and obsession) between Scalise and Dixon does play within AND outside the idea of two enemies. I'd say the queerness is coming slightly more from Scalise as he keep TAUNTING Dixon throughout the movie. It's not clear if he has a dame either? FWIW, you don't need the queer subtext to enjoy the movie, but it does add a bit of oomph to the Scalise v. Dixon scenes, IJS.
Trigger/Content Warnings: Please note that a character has a miscarriage (done on purpose) in Leave Her to Heaven. I'm aware that this something that some folks might want to avoid in the media they consume (which is totes valid), so I'm giving a heads up at the price of dropping a spoiler. I don't mention how or when it happens in this part of the post. However, since it's part of the plot, I'm choosing to warn folks. <3
* Leave Her To Heaven
A movie from 1945 that's FASCINATING.
It all kicks off with Ellen (Gene Tierney) and Richard (Cornell Wilde) having a meet cute on a train. He happens to be the author of the book she's currently reading. The attraction between them is pretty immediate. Whether it's coincidence or Fate (given that this is a noir, I'm inclined to think it's the latter), they both happen to be heading to the same hacienda in New Mexico (which is owned by an older friend of both of them.)
Once there, Ellen and Richard grow closer--despite the fact that Ellen's engaged to Russell (Vincent Price), a classy district attorney.
SOMEHOW, Ellen and Richard end up getting married! Shortly after, things begin to go askew…
Now, this is a movie that is GORGEOUS to look at. It was full Technicolor, so everything's so vivid and pleasing to the eye. t also has the kind of plot that begins fairly innocently. However, once it take a turn into Uh-Oh territory, you'll get a sense of unease that won't let you go.
I liked Cornell Wilde as Richard. He was a regular guy who happens to have gone head over heels for the most beautiful woman he'll ever meet. There's absolutely nothing twisted abt him or his life.
Another actor I liked was Jeanne Crain who played Ellen's cousin Ruth. Ellen and Ruth seem to be as close as sisters, tho. Now, it's not like Jeanne Crain isn't beautiful; she's got v. delicate features and beautiful blue eyes. But she plays Ruth as a a bit of a wallflower by choice since she's aware that she can never take the spotlight away from Ellen. And so she adopts a subservient position within the family with occasional burst of real personality.
I really liked Vincent Price as Russell. In this movie, he's not quite a villain, but he's not exactly a good guy.
OFC, the STAR of the movie is none other than the gorgeous, glamorous, alluring Gene Tierney as Ellen. The way she's filmed! Her costumes are impeccable. It doesn't take much to realize why Richard fell for her. She's a true representative of what's nowadays known as Pretty Privilege. In that she's got a carte blanche do anything she wants to do and she can get away with all of it.
Y'all I gotta head into spoilers
So the whole thing abt Ellen and her pretty privilege is best exemplified by how freaking long it takes Richard to realize Ellen's not a good person. Nevermind his discovery of the INTENSITY of Ellen's obsessive nature. It's almost like the movie itself protects Richard (even when Ellen is doing all kinds of terrible things) from Ellen's wrath until it's too late.
This is the main reason why this movie IS a noir. There's a v. specific point when there movie detours from a regular, well-acted melodrama and into deep and bleak territory. Once that happens, there's literally no turning back.
Do I have any criticisms?
I actually but, once again, it's a spoiler. Let me go rant for a bit
in the courtroom scene where Russell is berating Ruth into admitting she murdered her cousin (which the viewers know is NOT true) and it goes on abt her feelings for Richard, how she needs to confess… IDK, something abt that scene rubbed me the wrong way. Mainly cuz Russell allowed his feelings for Ellen to push him into sending an innocent person to jail.
Do I recommend it?
Yes. I welcome the slower pace; it adds to the tension of what's going on both on the surface and below it. The movie's available at the free streaming sites, there are YouTube uploads as well. I watched it on Hoopla. I give it a 4 out of 5. Even with the issues I had toward the end, I can't deny how great of a film this is.
Queerness Level: Nonexistent. OTOH, this movie goes the extra mile to show how terribs M/F pairings (explicitly marriage) can be for everyone involved. IDK.
* Where The Sidewalk Ends (Hoopla)
Premiering in 1950, this movie is abt Mark Dixon (Dana Andrews), a police detective. He's known for two things: he REALLY hates all criminals (because of something that doesn't get revealed until halfway thru the movie) and he's v. rough with criminals to the point that, at the beginning of the movie there are over 12 complaints against him for using excessive force.
His main target is Tommy Scalise (Gary Merrill), a gangster who hates him back. In any case, Dixon's life becomes v. complicated after something happens and he now has to find his way back onto solid ground.
Fun fact: this film is a reunion for Andrews and Tierney after their roles in Laura. IIRC, this movie came out around 6 yrs later. The chemistry they had back in that movie is still present in this one.
Unlike the urbane, hoity-toity circles where Laura was set, the characters in this movie exist in a much more modest (at least in terms of socio-economic class) reality. Here Tierney (as Morgan) is a working model, her father's a taxi driver, detectives don't make a lot money either and so on.
I liked this movie in terms of plot (especially when things go wrong for Dixon) and the complications makes things deliciously tense. I also loved Gary Merrill as Scalise. He was swarmy. This is the kind of movie you can enjoy.
Do I have any criticisms?
It something that's more from the perspective of 2024: I do kinda 😒 at how it presents the idea that cops are great overall. Dixon is, early on, singled out as an example of the "v. few bad apples" in the force. Everything's fine. People should respect the police cuz they're there to help. 🤢
Do I recommend it?
I do! I'm giving it a strong 3 out of 5. I've seen it as available for streaming in at least one of the free movie apps as well as on YouTube.
Queerness Level: Medium. The push-and-pull (and obsession) between Scalise and Dixon does play within AND outside the idea of two enemies. I'd say the queerness is coming slightly more from Scalise as he keep TAUNTING Dixon throughout the movie. It's not clear if he has a dame either? FWIW, you don't need the queer subtext to enjoy the movie, but it does add a bit of oomph to the Scalise v. Dixon scenes, IJS.
Trigger/Content Warnings: Please note that a character has a miscarriage (done on purpose) in Leave Her to Heaven. I'm aware that this something that some folks might want to avoid in the media they consume (which is totes valid), so I'm giving a heads up at the price of dropping a spoiler. I don't mention how or when it happens in this part of the post. However, since it's part of the plot, I'm choosing to warn folks. <3
* Leave Her To Heaven
A movie from 1945 that's FASCINATING.
It all kicks off with Ellen (Gene Tierney) and Richard (Cornell Wilde) having a meet cute on a train. He happens to be the author of the book she's currently reading. The attraction between them is pretty immediate. Whether it's coincidence or Fate (given that this is a noir, I'm inclined to think it's the latter), they both happen to be heading to the same hacienda in New Mexico (which is owned by an older friend of both of them.)
Once there, Ellen and Richard grow closer--despite the fact that Ellen's engaged to Russell (Vincent Price), a classy district attorney.
SOMEHOW, Ellen and Richard end up getting married! Shortly after, things begin to go askew…
Now, this is a movie that is GORGEOUS to look at. It was full Technicolor, so everything's so vivid and pleasing to the eye. t also has the kind of plot that begins fairly innocently. However, once it take a turn into Uh-Oh territory, you'll get a sense of unease that won't let you go.
I liked Cornell Wilde as Richard. He was a regular guy who happens to have gone head over heels for the most beautiful woman he'll ever meet. There's absolutely nothing twisted abt him or his life.
Another actor I liked was Jeanne Crain who played Ellen's cousin Ruth. Ellen and Ruth seem to be as close as sisters, tho. Now, it's not like Jeanne Crain isn't beautiful; she's got v. delicate features and beautiful blue eyes. But she plays Ruth as a a bit of a wallflower by choice since she's aware that she can never take the spotlight away from Ellen. And so she adopts a subservient position within the family with occasional burst of real personality.
I really liked Vincent Price as Russell. In this movie, he's not quite a villain, but he's not exactly a good guy.
OFC, the STAR of the movie is none other than the gorgeous, glamorous, alluring Gene Tierney as Ellen. The way she's filmed! Her costumes are impeccable. It doesn't take much to realize why Richard fell for her. She's a true representative of what's nowadays known as Pretty Privilege. In that she's got a carte blanche do anything she wants to do and she can get away with all of it.
Y'all I gotta head into spoilers
to talk abt Ellen and Richard's dynamic
So the whole thing abt Ellen and her pretty privilege is best exemplified by how freaking long it takes Richard to realize Ellen's not a good person. Nevermind his discovery of the INTENSITY of Ellen's obsessive nature. It's almost like the movie itself protects Richard (even when Ellen is doing all kinds of terrible things) from Ellen's wrath until it's too late.
This is the main reason why this movie IS a noir. There's a v. specific point when there movie detours from a regular, well-acted melodrama and into deep and bleak territory. Once that happens, there's literally no turning back.
Do I have any criticisms?
I actually but, once again, it's a spoiler. Let me go rant for a bit
abt he whole last part
in the courtroom scene where Russell is berating Ruth into admitting she murdered her cousin (which the viewers know is NOT true) and it goes on abt her feelings for Richard, how she needs to confess… IDK, something abt that scene rubbed me the wrong way. Mainly cuz Russell allowed his feelings for Ellen to push him into sending an innocent person to jail.
Do I recommend it?
Yes. I welcome the slower pace; it adds to the tension of what's going on both on the surface and below it. The movie's available at the free streaming sites, there are YouTube uploads as well. I watched it on Hoopla. I give it a 4 out of 5. Even with the issues I had toward the end, I can't deny how great of a film this is.
Queerness Level: Nonexistent. OTOH, this movie goes the extra mile to show how terribs M/F pairings (explicitly marriage) can be for everyone involved. IDK.
Woman on the Run (YouTube)
It stars Ann Sheridan as Eleanor Johnson, Dennis O'Keefe as Legget, and Ross Elliott as Frank Johnson.
A 1951 film that begins with Frank, an artist, walking his dog in a park near his house one v. late night. He happens to witness a gangster being murdered; the murderer sees him and shoots at him before fleeing. When the police shows up, they explain to him that they need his help in catching the killer. As a way to pressure him into cooperating, they bring his wife down to convince him. Only to find out that Frank has run away cuz he's scared.
Now, Eleanor's reaction is..interesting. She's not sad, scared or angry. Instead, she radiates a kind of borderline frustration with her husband. Of course Frank's bounced. He's a coward, he's the worst, etc. It's a reaction both the police onscreen and myself found odd.
It turns out that Frank and Eleanor's marriage is not going well at all.
Regardless, the cops opt to go look for Frank. Eleanor decides to try to find him on her own, somewhat worried that he will killed. She ends up teaming up with a newspaper reporter named Legget. They make a deal: he'll help her find her husband in exchange for Frank giving him an exclusive interviews.
From there, they go all over San Francisco, following strange clues that Frank has left for Eleanor to find him. Will they meet before they both run out of time????
The plot is solid, it has good direction and pacing. Ann Sheridan as Eleanor gives a complex portrayal of a spouse who is disillusioned with marriage. According to Elanor, Frank can provide some kind of living (after all, Eleanor IS a housewife). At the same time, there is so little they share; their lives are drab. It creates a picture of a couple that has almost fallen completely out of love. And yet there's still something keeping them together.
As for the B plot, it's all abt marriage: how much work it takes for it to last. One funny thing is that, the more time she spends looking for her husband, the more Eleanor realizes she doesn't really know him. She has a whole bunch of assumptions abt how Frank sees their marriage, what he thinks abt her, etc. But now she's been challenged to really look at everything as it is and not thru her assumptions.
I also liked how it questions marriage. From dealing with the routines ppl will inevitably fall into, what real communication is like, etc.
Per what I know, the script was co-written by Alan Campbell who was, by then, famous American author Dorothy Parker's ex husband. It feels like poured his cynicism and questions abt marriage into the story, IDK
Do I have any criticisms?
The first time I watched this movie, I was v. annoyed with Frank. It was easy to sympathize with Eleanor's disappointment. In many ways, it felt like she'd always been the one to put in the most effort (up to the last possible minute) in order to keep Frank safe. FWIW, it's not that I've come around to thinking Frank's a great guy after rewatching this movie a few times. However, I've since realized that Eleanor's got her thorny side as well. Everyone has flaws.
I can't deny I'm still a little 🙄 abt Frank. Some of it comes from Elanor mentioning how unstable her life has been since marrying him. He likes to move from city to city, his impulsiveness and big dreams have put them both in some not-so-great financial situations. By the point the movie begins, she's kind over the whole thing. She wants more stability in their lives. And that's fair.
Also, the humor is not great.
The one thing that really irked me abt this movie happens in the last 15 minutes. Everything in the end takes place at an amusement park. There's A LOT of screaming and loud sounds (from rollercoasters and other rides.) So, if you're sensitive to high pitched and/or noise OR if you're watching with your headphones on, check your volume.
Do I recommend it?
Yes. Although it's not the BEST noir out there, it's a good movie in all aspects. Aside from rentals (and occasionally be included for free via YouTube Premium), you can also watch it thru any of the free movie apps (Tubi, Plex, etc.)
I'm giving it a 3.5 out of 5.
Queerness Level: Umm, an argument could be made for Legget not being 100% straight. He has a neat simpatico with Elanor but there are not romantic or sexual vibes happening.
It stars Ann Sheridan as Eleanor Johnson, Dennis O'Keefe as Legget, and Ross Elliott as Frank Johnson.
A 1951 film that begins with Frank, an artist, walking his dog in a park near his house one v. late night. He happens to witness a gangster being murdered; the murderer sees him and shoots at him before fleeing. When the police shows up, they explain to him that they need his help in catching the killer. As a way to pressure him into cooperating, they bring his wife down to convince him. Only to find out that Frank has run away cuz he's scared.
Now, Eleanor's reaction is..interesting. She's not sad, scared or angry. Instead, she radiates a kind of borderline frustration with her husband. Of course Frank's bounced. He's a coward, he's the worst, etc. It's a reaction both the police onscreen and myself found odd.
It turns out that Frank and Eleanor's marriage is not going well at all.
Regardless, the cops opt to go look for Frank. Eleanor decides to try to find him on her own, somewhat worried that he will killed. She ends up teaming up with a newspaper reporter named Legget. They make a deal: he'll help her find her husband in exchange for Frank giving him an exclusive interviews.
From there, they go all over San Francisco, following strange clues that Frank has left for Eleanor to find him. Will they meet before they both run out of time????
The plot is solid, it has good direction and pacing. Ann Sheridan as Eleanor gives a complex portrayal of a spouse who is disillusioned with marriage. According to Elanor, Frank can provide some kind of living (after all, Eleanor IS a housewife). At the same time, there is so little they share; their lives are drab. It creates a picture of a couple that has almost fallen completely out of love. And yet there's still something keeping them together.
As for the B plot, it's all abt marriage: how much work it takes for it to last. One funny thing is that, the more time she spends looking for her husband, the more Eleanor realizes she doesn't really know him. She has a whole bunch of assumptions abt how Frank sees their marriage, what he thinks abt her, etc. But now she's been challenged to really look at everything as it is and not thru her assumptions.
I also liked how it questions marriage. From dealing with the routines ppl will inevitably fall into, what real communication is like, etc.
Per what I know, the script was co-written by Alan Campbell who was, by then, famous American author Dorothy Parker's ex husband. It feels like poured his cynicism and questions abt marriage into the story, IDK
Do I have any criticisms?
The first time I watched this movie, I was v. annoyed with Frank. It was easy to sympathize with Eleanor's disappointment. In many ways, it felt like she'd always been the one to put in the most effort (up to the last possible minute) in order to keep Frank safe. FWIW, it's not that I've come around to thinking Frank's a great guy after rewatching this movie a few times. However, I've since realized that Eleanor's got her thorny side as well. Everyone has flaws.
I can't deny I'm still a little 🙄 abt Frank. Some of it comes from Elanor mentioning how unstable her life has been since marrying him. He likes to move from city to city, his impulsiveness and big dreams have put them both in some not-so-great financial situations. By the point the movie begins, she's kind over the whole thing. She wants more stability in their lives. And that's fair.
Also, the humor is not great.
The one thing that really irked me abt this movie happens in the last 15 minutes. Everything in the end takes place at an amusement park. There's A LOT of screaming and loud sounds (from rollercoasters and other rides.) So, if you're sensitive to high pitched and/or noise OR if you're watching with your headphones on, check your volume.
Do I recommend it?
Yes. Although it's not the BEST noir out there, it's a good movie in all aspects. Aside from rentals (and occasionally be included for free via YouTube Premium), you can also watch it thru any of the free movie apps (Tubi, Plex, etc.)
I'm giving it a 3.5 out of 5.
Queerness Level: Umm, an argument could be made for Legget not being 100% straight. He has a neat simpatico with Elanor but there are not romantic or sexual vibes happening.
This post will be a TRIPLE rec for movies starring one of the Queens of Noir, Lizabeth Scott. A gorgeous blonde who has one of huskier voices I've ever heard, Scott's foray into noir movies is something of a treat. She's really good at playing within the conventions of the genre for female characters; going from good girl to a legit femme fatale with ease.
* Too Late for Tears (YouTube)
Also released under the title Killer Bait, this 1949 movie begins with Jane (Lizabeth Scott) and Alan (Arthur Kennedy) a middle-class married couple, having an argument abt money while en route to a dinner party. Right before he yields to Jane's wishes to not attend, someone driving a car in the opposite way drops a bag in Alan's car. When they check it, they're shocked to find $60k (or, roughly a little over $600,000 in today's money.)
From the start, Alan wants to turn the money to the police cuz the money isn't theirs. Meanwhile, Jane is DAZZLED by all that coin. She convinces Alan to wait a little while before really deciding what to do abt this whole thing.
The next day, Jane's already dipping into the kitty, buying herself a lot of clothes. In order to keep her from temptation, Alan decides to put the remaining dough in a locker at the train station (for which Alan gets a claim ticket). Then, THE NEXT MORNING, a gangster called Danny Fuller (Dan Duryea) shows up at the apartment asking abt the bag...
This movie has a ton of twists. It's also v. tightly plotted. Scott shines in the role of someone who'll do anything to keep that money and without zero regrets.
The suspense is top notch. Things get messier and messier. The casting was good too (for the most part.)
Do I have any criticisms?
There's a secondary plot that has to do with another random guy named Don Blake (Don DeFore) who wants to talk to Jane cuz he'd been in the army with Jane's first husband. He also has an, imo, forced romance with Alan's sister Kathy (Kristine Miller). Coincidentally, Kathy lives across the hall from Jane and Alan. I was NOT here for Don. He had a v. swarmy face and his behavior was so obnoxious that I was doing this every time he showed up onscreen: 🙅🏾♀️
I was a bit annoyed with the final twist. It wasn't a bad one, but it should've been revealed/should've happened earlier in the movie. Because, by the time it happened, I was like "but what about..????". And then the movie ends with no answers abt that.
Do I recommend it?
Yes! Like other noirs, this movie is part of public domain so you can watch it on YouTube, Hulu, probably Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla app (in the US), and also all of the free movie apps. I'm giving it a solid 3.5 out of 5.
Queerness Level: V. low. All of the dynamics are hetero-centric. *Hands*
* The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (Hoopla)
The movie kicks off in 1928. Thirteen year old, rich girl Martha Ivers and her lower class bestie Sam Masterson are caught while attempting to run away. Sam ends up leaving Iverstown. (Yes, Martha's family is so loaded that they own the town and most of the enterprises within it.) Anyways, Martha's sent to her aunt Mrs. Ivers (played really well by Dame Judith Anderson) and awaits punishment.
Meanwhile, Martha's tutor (Mr. O'Neil) keeps pushing Martha and Walter (his son) together. Mrs. Ivers is okay-ish with that given that they're in similar socio-econnomic classes.
The movie then jumps ahead to 1946 when a now adult Sam (played by Van Heflin) drives into Iverstown by accident while heading West. He ends up in a car accident, so he has to stay in town for a while. Walking around and trying to re-familiarize with a place he's not visited in almost 20 years, he meets Antonia "Toni" Maracheck (played by Lizabeth Scott.)
Many things have changed in Iverstown. Martha (Barbara Stanwick) and Walter (Kirk Douglas in his first role)'s lives are different. Everyone has something shifty abt them (including Toni and Sam). Buried secrets are coming up, an obsession is reignited, and making the wrong step can lead to death…
Let me tell you, every time I've sat down to watch this movie, I end up diving in with total abandon.
The ACTING is SUPERB. Van Heflin's Sam is realistic without being cruel. He's done a lot of things in the 18-year span (that we don't ever learn abt), and it's clear that it has toughened him up just abt enough to move thru life. Kirk Douglas as Walter is such a great example of someone whose pain has damaged him all the way to his core. Lizabeth Scott as Toni is glowing and fresh-faced. She's v. likable but there are some parts of her character that make it clear she's holding her cards v. closely. She won't show them unless she's cornered. And then, ofc, we got Barbara Stanwick. SHES RIDIC GOOD cuz she's so rotten! Still, a lot abt her makes sense because the movie shows that she's had to live with the consequences of the choices she made. She's a character who seemed fated to grow up the way she did.
I do wonder if, in another life, things would've turned out differently for Martha and Walter. Maybe not. Maybe it'd have been the same, IDK. There's so much yummy push and pull between them. Same for Martha and Sam as well as Sam and Toni. Like, for a movie that has 4 main characters, viewers do get to spend a lot of time getting to know each one. Thus, their motivations make sense. It's a deeply rich watching experience.
Oh, and the dialogue! Snappy and cynical.
Do I have any critiques?
No? Hahah.
Well, okay, there have been times when I watch the movie and I get frustrated with Sam's indecisiveness w/r/t Martha and Toni. OTOH, that's part of the plot, so this is more of an observation than a weak point. OTOH, Sam's only met Toni vs. him knowing Martha (up to when he was 13 and then jumping ahead 18 yrs). So, an argument can be made that both women ARE a mystery to Sam for different reasons.
Do I recommend it?
HELL FUCKING YEAH!! This is a movie that would work for folks who avoid B&W movies for whatever reason. Everything (plot, cinematography, dialogue, casting, acting) is Chef's Kiss to the MAXXXXXX. I also feel it's one of the "easier" film noirs to check out because the plot is a lot more straightforward than in other movies of the genre (such as The Big Sleep or Out of the Past, frex.)
I'm giving it a 4.5 out of 5.
at the beginnig of the movie, Martha's aunt hits a kitten to death. It's not shown, but you can hear it happen
Sadly for the ppl who owns the rights (but luckily for everyone else), the movie did enter public domain around 1974. You can most deffo rent it if you want to. But it's also readily available on every free streaming site you can think of as well as Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla (in the US), and there are lots of uploads on YouTube as well.
Queerness Level: Again, super-low.
* Pitfall (YouTube)
Released in 1949, this movie is abt John Forbes (Dick Powell) who is married, has a kid, and works at an insurance company. John's life is good, but he has been feeling restless. At this point in the story, he's dissatisfied with his life; feeling like he's stuck in a rut and no else cares.
He meets up with MacDonald, a freelance PI (played by Raymond Burr), to go over a case of embezzlement. MacDonald tells John abt Mona, the embezzler's girlfriend. It's super obvious he's gaga over her. John doesn't pick up on this and dismisses him after stating that he's going to meet up with Mona in order to retrieve some items bought with the stolen money. MacDonald's not happy abt that, but he does asks John to "put in the good word" in his behalf.
John meets Mona. They do an inventory of all of the items. Their chemistry is pretty clear from the get. In a short period of time, they start an affair. All the while, MacDonald is stalking Mona. Then there's also Sue, John's wife (played by Jane Wyatt), who's suspicious abt John's comings and goings. Everything starts to go sideways, backwards, all kinds of ways until someone dies.
This is a little bit closer to the usual noir format (the insurance angle, the PI, etc.) with the slight difference that there's not really a femme fatale. If anything, there's an homme fatale (I won't say who.)
Lizabeth Scott's Mona is v. interesting in that she's sweet but there's this deep sadness under her facade. There's a kind of resignation to her as to what will happen once her boyfriend's released from jail. Dick Powell as John is a regular guy who gets his wish granted (to have a more exciting life) only to realize that he doesn't want that either, LOL. Raymond Burr as MacDonald is the type of guy who you want to steer away from. He's perfect as the PI. I felt for Sue (Jane Wyatt) cuz she's so smart and aware of what's going on, but her bond to John (mostly romantic) is keeping her in a type of limbo.
Take the ending. Which is bittersweet even though it's meant to have an uplifting note.
Because it's upsetting in how realistic it is that Sue is willing to give her marriage to John another try. And yet, I genuinely don't think he deserves it. Since his affair with Mona lead to their lives being upended. In the beginning of the movie, he complains left and right abt the tediousness of his life, how mundane it is. Only for Sue to tell him that he needs to chill the F out cuz he has a good paying job, their home is nice, and they've been married for years now. It's super mega clear that John's whole thing is that there are several unfulfilled ambitions he's had and now it's when he's reflecting on that, I guess. At the same time, he could find something else to do instead of getting mixed up with someone who isn't his wife and almost losing everything.
Again, this isn't a happy ending. On top of that, it's v. hinted that he truly loved Mona. And, out of everyone, Mona's the one who's going to jail! IDK, it's one of those endings that make you 😒 at John.
And yet, for REASONS, Sue is willing to give him another chance to work on their marriage. But at what cost? It could be that she loves her husband, but it's also possible that she's staying with him for convenience and financial reasons? IDK if they should stay together.
Do I have any criticisms?
The plot does tend to wander this way and that. Between John/Sue's marriage not being quite on the rocks but not being great either; John/Mona's dreamy love affair that's not meant to last; MacDonald's whole stalker thing; Mona's bf coming into the picture; the whole embezzlement thing. NGL, it does get to be a little too much.
That said, this isn't a bad movie.
Do I recommend watching it?
Sure! The movie's on Amazon Prime Video and at least 2 of the free movie sites. I watched it on YouTube (there are several uploads of it.) Ultimately, it's a standard noir that's not as known. I'm giving it a 2.8 out of 5. It was fine.
Queerness Level: We're 3 for 3 cuz there's nothing I could pick up that sidestepped heteronormativity here.
* Too Late for Tears (YouTube)
Also released under the title Killer Bait, this 1949 movie begins with Jane (Lizabeth Scott) and Alan (Arthur Kennedy) a middle-class married couple, having an argument abt money while en route to a dinner party. Right before he yields to Jane's wishes to not attend, someone driving a car in the opposite way drops a bag in Alan's car. When they check it, they're shocked to find $60k (or, roughly a little over $600,000 in today's money.)
From the start, Alan wants to turn the money to the police cuz the money isn't theirs. Meanwhile, Jane is DAZZLED by all that coin. She convinces Alan to wait a little while before really deciding what to do abt this whole thing.
The next day, Jane's already dipping into the kitty, buying herself a lot of clothes. In order to keep her from temptation, Alan decides to put the remaining dough in a locker at the train station (for which Alan gets a claim ticket). Then, THE NEXT MORNING, a gangster called Danny Fuller (Dan Duryea) shows up at the apartment asking abt the bag...
This movie has a ton of twists. It's also v. tightly plotted. Scott shines in the role of someone who'll do anything to keep that money and without zero regrets.
The suspense is top notch. Things get messier and messier. The casting was good too (for the most part.)
Do I have any criticisms?
There's a secondary plot that has to do with another random guy named Don Blake (Don DeFore) who wants to talk to Jane cuz he'd been in the army with Jane's first husband. He also has an, imo, forced romance with Alan's sister Kathy (Kristine Miller). Coincidentally, Kathy lives across the hall from Jane and Alan. I was NOT here for Don. He had a v. swarmy face and his behavior was so obnoxious that I was doing this every time he showed up onscreen: 🙅🏾♀️
I was a bit annoyed with the final twist. It wasn't a bad one, but it should've been revealed/should've happened earlier in the movie. Because, by the time it happened, I was like "but what about..????". And then the movie ends with no answers abt that.
Do I recommend it?
Yes! Like other noirs, this movie is part of public domain so you can watch it on YouTube, Hulu, probably Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla app (in the US), and also all of the free movie apps. I'm giving it a solid 3.5 out of 5.
Queerness Level: V. low. All of the dynamics are hetero-centric. *Hands*
* The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (Hoopla)
The movie kicks off in 1928. Thirteen year old, rich girl Martha Ivers and her lower class bestie Sam Masterson are caught while attempting to run away. Sam ends up leaving Iverstown. (Yes, Martha's family is so loaded that they own the town and most of the enterprises within it.) Anyways, Martha's sent to her aunt Mrs. Ivers (played really well by Dame Judith Anderson) and awaits punishment.
Meanwhile, Martha's tutor (Mr. O'Neil) keeps pushing Martha and Walter (his son) together. Mrs. Ivers is okay-ish with that given that they're in similar socio-econnomic classes.
The movie then jumps ahead to 1946 when a now adult Sam (played by Van Heflin) drives into Iverstown by accident while heading West. He ends up in a car accident, so he has to stay in town for a while. Walking around and trying to re-familiarize with a place he's not visited in almost 20 years, he meets Antonia "Toni" Maracheck (played by Lizabeth Scott.)
Many things have changed in Iverstown. Martha (Barbara Stanwick) and Walter (Kirk Douglas in his first role)'s lives are different. Everyone has something shifty abt them (including Toni and Sam). Buried secrets are coming up, an obsession is reignited, and making the wrong step can lead to death…
Let me tell you, every time I've sat down to watch this movie, I end up diving in with total abandon.
The ACTING is SUPERB. Van Heflin's Sam is realistic without being cruel. He's done a lot of things in the 18-year span (that we don't ever learn abt), and it's clear that it has toughened him up just abt enough to move thru life. Kirk Douglas as Walter is such a great example of someone whose pain has damaged him all the way to his core. Lizabeth Scott as Toni is glowing and fresh-faced. She's v. likable but there are some parts of her character that make it clear she's holding her cards v. closely. She won't show them unless she's cornered. And then, ofc, we got Barbara Stanwick. SHES RIDIC GOOD cuz she's so rotten! Still, a lot abt her makes sense because the movie shows that she's had to live with the consequences of the choices she made. She's a character who seemed fated to grow up the way she did.
I do wonder if, in another life, things would've turned out differently for Martha and Walter. Maybe not. Maybe it'd have been the same, IDK. There's so much yummy push and pull between them. Same for Martha and Sam as well as Sam and Toni. Like, for a movie that has 4 main characters, viewers do get to spend a lot of time getting to know each one. Thus, their motivations make sense. It's a deeply rich watching experience.
Oh, and the dialogue! Snappy and cynical.
Do I have any critiques?
No? Hahah.
Well, okay, there have been times when I watch the movie and I get frustrated with Sam's indecisiveness w/r/t Martha and Toni. OTOH, that's part of the plot, so this is more of an observation than a weak point. OTOH, Sam's only met Toni vs. him knowing Martha (up to when he was 13 and then jumping ahead 18 yrs). So, an argument can be made that both women ARE a mystery to Sam for different reasons.
Do I recommend it?
HELL FUCKING YEAH!! This is a movie that would work for folks who avoid B&W movies for whatever reason. Everything (plot, cinematography, dialogue, casting, acting) is Chef's Kiss to the MAXXXXXX. I also feel it's one of the "easier" film noirs to check out because the plot is a lot more straightforward than in other movies of the genre (such as The Big Sleep or Out of the Past, frex.)
I'm giving it a 4.5 out of 5.
Oh, and I have to add a content warning for animal harm (including death)
at the beginnig of the movie, Martha's aunt hits a kitten to death. It's not shown, but you can hear it happen
Sadly for the ppl who owns the rights (but luckily for everyone else), the movie did enter public domain around 1974. You can most deffo rent it if you want to. But it's also readily available on every free streaming site you can think of as well as Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla (in the US), and there are lots of uploads on YouTube as well.
Queerness Level: Again, super-low.
* Pitfall (YouTube)
Released in 1949, this movie is abt John Forbes (Dick Powell) who is married, has a kid, and works at an insurance company. John's life is good, but he has been feeling restless. At this point in the story, he's dissatisfied with his life; feeling like he's stuck in a rut and no else cares.
He meets up with MacDonald, a freelance PI (played by Raymond Burr), to go over a case of embezzlement. MacDonald tells John abt Mona, the embezzler's girlfriend. It's super obvious he's gaga over her. John doesn't pick up on this and dismisses him after stating that he's going to meet up with Mona in order to retrieve some items bought with the stolen money. MacDonald's not happy abt that, but he does asks John to "put in the good word" in his behalf.
John meets Mona. They do an inventory of all of the items. Their chemistry is pretty clear from the get. In a short period of time, they start an affair. All the while, MacDonald is stalking Mona. Then there's also Sue, John's wife (played by Jane Wyatt), who's suspicious abt John's comings and goings. Everything starts to go sideways, backwards, all kinds of ways until someone dies.
This is a little bit closer to the usual noir format (the insurance angle, the PI, etc.) with the slight difference that there's not really a femme fatale. If anything, there's an homme fatale (I won't say who.)
Lizabeth Scott's Mona is v. interesting in that she's sweet but there's this deep sadness under her facade. There's a kind of resignation to her as to what will happen once her boyfriend's released from jail. Dick Powell as John is a regular guy who gets his wish granted (to have a more exciting life) only to realize that he doesn't want that either, LOL. Raymond Burr as MacDonald is the type of guy who you want to steer away from. He's perfect as the PI. I felt for Sue (Jane Wyatt) cuz she's so smart and aware of what's going on, but her bond to John (mostly romantic) is keeping her in a type of limbo.
Take the ending. Which is bittersweet even though it's meant to have an uplifting note.
I'm just kinda 🤔 abt how it came to be.
Because it's upsetting in how realistic it is that Sue is willing to give her marriage to John another try. And yet, I genuinely don't think he deserves it. Since his affair with Mona lead to their lives being upended. In the beginning of the movie, he complains left and right abt the tediousness of his life, how mundane it is. Only for Sue to tell him that he needs to chill the F out cuz he has a good paying job, their home is nice, and they've been married for years now. It's super mega clear that John's whole thing is that there are several unfulfilled ambitions he's had and now it's when he's reflecting on that, I guess. At the same time, he could find something else to do instead of getting mixed up with someone who isn't his wife and almost losing everything.
Again, this isn't a happy ending. On top of that, it's v. hinted that he truly loved Mona. And, out of everyone, Mona's the one who's going to jail! IDK, it's one of those endings that make you 😒 at John.
And yet, for REASONS, Sue is willing to give him another chance to work on their marriage. But at what cost? It could be that she loves her husband, but it's also possible that she's staying with him for convenience and financial reasons? IDK if they should stay together.
Do I have any criticisms?
The plot does tend to wander this way and that. Between John/Sue's marriage not being quite on the rocks but not being great either; John/Mona's dreamy love affair that's not meant to last; MacDonald's whole stalker thing; Mona's bf coming into the picture; the whole embezzlement thing. NGL, it does get to be a little too much.
That said, this isn't a bad movie.
Do I recommend watching it?
Sure! The movie's on Amazon Prime Video and at least 2 of the free movie sites. I watched it on YouTube (there are several uploads of it.) Ultimately, it's a standard noir that's not as known. I'm giving it a 2.8 out of 5. It was fine.
Queerness Level: We're 3 for 3 cuz there's nothing I could pick up that sidestepped heteronormativity here.
Gonna be posting abt noir movies I've watched and enjoyed. It is, after all, is my faaaaaaaaaaaaave film genre. FWIW, I'm much more familiar and knowledgeable of USian movies, so that's what you'll see the most of w/r/t these posts. One of my goals for the next year is to dive into noir films that aren't from the US.
I have more than enough noir film posts for this to continue up to mid-December at the v. least. Which would make it Noircember, then? I don't know.
Kicking things off with one of the most well-known and loved movies in the genre: Gilda. Ppl either know of this movie via Rita Hayworth gifs or have heard/seen her perform "Blame It on Mame". Even if you haven't seen it, though, it's v. likely you're aware of it in a way that transcends past the cinematic bubble
Released in 1946, this Columbia Pictures film stars Rita Hayworth as Gilda, Glenn Ford as Johnny Farrell, and George Macready as Ballin Mundson.
Shortly before the end of WW II, Johnny is in Argentina trying to figure out what he's going to do with his life. While in the middle of being robbed, Johnny is saved by the v. suave-yet-aloof Mundson. The latter takes a shining to Johnny; he likes him so much that he makes Johnny into his right hand man/closest confidante in a v. short time. They're SUPER CLOSE. That is, until Mundson has to go away for plotty reasons.
When he comes back, he's married to Gilda. Johnny is hostile toward her for no apparent reason. Meanwhile, Gilda doesn't like her new husband's closeness to Johnny. Mundson is trying to keep the peace between them with little success…
There is also a plot around these three characters, but that's not the true focus of the story for me. I watch it for the dynamic between all three. The way that Mundson and Johnny, erm, connect; Johnny and Gilda's weird animosity + attraction to each other; Mundson and Gilda's possessiveness (one sided, imo) disguised as playfulness. There's this delicious frisson between all three, sometimes for the better, oftentimes not. To the point that you can't tell which is the character whose fortune will be completely reversed (per flm noir's conventions.)
The whole thing abt Johnny and Mundson is FASCINATING. Their moments together have a lot of nuances to them both when it's just the two of them and after Gilda comes into their lives. Adding to that, there's an extra layer that, depending on your own values and opinions, is a bit perverse at worst and kinky at best.
jealousy mixed with ongoing quasi-infidelity. It's not cuckholding cuz no one is happy abt this. But, okay, so Gilda (in order to rile Johnny up) decides to end up in situations that lean v. heavily into her being unfaithful to Mundson (her actual!husband). Mundson is an extremely jealous character; Johnny takes it upon himself to hide Gilda's indiscretions as much as he can (before HE ends up being he one being caught making out with Gilda); Gilda's having as much of a good time as she can causing chaos and trying to be cute abt it.
As for what makes it a noir, the movie does touch on themes such as fate, the criminal underground, a femme fatale, I'm going to throw in Johnny as a proto-homme fatale, and some aspects of cinematography.
Good casting and acting all around.
Do I have any critiques?
It's not that I don't like the ending, but I wasn't thrilled abt it either.
Do I recommend it?
I do! If you watch it thru a subtext lens, you'll probably enjoy it. Same if you watch it without it.
Watched it on YouTube for free as it is available this month if you have YouTube Premium. Otherwise, you can watch it via one of the free apps (I wanna say Tubi?). Plus I know that I've seen it added to Hoopla at least 2 times this year. If not, you can always rent it. At worst, if you have Turner Classic Movies, it gets added to the rotation on a regular-lish basis.
I'm giving this movie a solid 4 stars out of 5.
Queerness Level*: It's QUITE HIGH w/r/t Ballin Mundson specifically. Everything from his affectation to his cane (that is used in semi-subtextual phallic meanings) and, ofc, his bond with Johnny. Those two have SOMETHING going on that isn't spelled out. And, without the queer factor, a lot of their interactions truly make zero sense.
THAT SAID, Ballin is not worth rooting for. IDK.
* I'd totally forgotten that queer subtext IS part of noirs (there are a lot of gal pals and lavender fellas whether the filmmakers meant to include that or not). And so I'm adding my opinion on whether or not a viewer will be able to pick up on queer themes.
I have more than enough noir film posts for this to continue up to mid-December at the v. least. Which would make it Noircember, then? I don't know.
Kicking things off with one of the most well-known and loved movies in the genre: Gilda. Ppl either know of this movie via Rita Hayworth gifs or have heard/seen her perform "Blame It on Mame". Even if you haven't seen it, though, it's v. likely you're aware of it in a way that transcends past the cinematic bubble
Released in 1946, this Columbia Pictures film stars Rita Hayworth as Gilda, Glenn Ford as Johnny Farrell, and George Macready as Ballin Mundson.
Shortly before the end of WW II, Johnny is in Argentina trying to figure out what he's going to do with his life. While in the middle of being robbed, Johnny is saved by the v. suave-yet-aloof Mundson. The latter takes a shining to Johnny; he likes him so much that he makes Johnny into his right hand man/closest confidante in a v. short time. They're SUPER CLOSE. That is, until Mundson has to go away for plotty reasons.
When he comes back, he's married to Gilda. Johnny is hostile toward her for no apparent reason. Meanwhile, Gilda doesn't like her new husband's closeness to Johnny. Mundson is trying to keep the peace between them with little success…
There is also a plot around these three characters, but that's not the true focus of the story for me. I watch it for the dynamic between all three. The way that Mundson and Johnny, erm, connect; Johnny and Gilda's weird animosity + attraction to each other; Mundson and Gilda's possessiveness (one sided, imo) disguised as playfulness. There's this delicious frisson between all three, sometimes for the better, oftentimes not. To the point that you can't tell which is the character whose fortune will be completely reversed (per flm noir's conventions.)
The whole thing abt Johnny and Mundson is FASCINATING. Their moments together have a lot of nuances to them both when it's just the two of them and after Gilda comes into their lives. Adding to that, there's an extra layer that, depending on your own values and opinions, is a bit perverse at worst and kinky at best.
It involves an aspect of
jealousy mixed with ongoing quasi-infidelity. It's not cuckholding cuz no one is happy abt this. But, okay, so Gilda (in order to rile Johnny up) decides to end up in situations that lean v. heavily into her being unfaithful to Mundson (her actual!husband). Mundson is an extremely jealous character; Johnny takes it upon himself to hide Gilda's indiscretions as much as he can (before HE ends up being he one being caught making out with Gilda); Gilda's having as much of a good time as she can causing chaos and trying to be cute abt it.
As for what makes it a noir, the movie does touch on themes such as fate, the criminal underground, a femme fatale, I'm going to throw in Johnny as a proto-homme fatale, and some aspects of cinematography.
Good casting and acting all around.
Do I have any critiques?
It's not that I don't like the ending, but I wasn't thrilled abt it either.
Do I recommend it?
I do! If you watch it thru a subtext lens, you'll probably enjoy it. Same if you watch it without it.
Watched it on YouTube for free as it is available this month if you have YouTube Premium. Otherwise, you can watch it via one of the free apps (I wanna say Tubi?). Plus I know that I've seen it added to Hoopla at least 2 times this year. If not, you can always rent it. At worst, if you have Turner Classic Movies, it gets added to the rotation on a regular-lish basis.
I'm giving this movie a solid 4 stars out of 5.
Queerness Level*: It's QUITE HIGH w/r/t Ballin Mundson specifically. Everything from his affectation to his cane (that is used in semi-subtextual phallic meanings) and, ofc, his bond with Johnny. Those two have SOMETHING going on that isn't spelled out. And, without the queer factor, a lot of their interactions truly make zero sense.
THAT SAID, Ballin is not worth rooting for. IDK.
* I'd totally forgotten that queer subtext IS part of noirs (there are a lot of gal pals and lavender fellas whether the filmmakers meant to include that or not). And so I'm adding my opinion on whether or not a viewer will be able to pick up on queer themes.
A random Monday post
Nov. 18th, 2024 01:09 pm(Snagged off a post from ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
omens)
Last song I listened to: RM's "Come Back To Me"
Currently reading/playing/watching: Reading a ton of fic. Also To Cage a God by Elizabeth May and A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon
Sweet/Savory/Spicy?: Usually savory, then sweet. Spicy and my stomach don't get along. :(
Current obsession: Still BTS 5 yrs in, lol. There ARE some TV shows I do want to check out soonish, but the Tannies keep me busy AF. #NoRegrets
A quick Q&A
1. Are you good at fixing things? I am!
2. What kinds of things can you fix? Anything that doesn't involve electricity, fire or gas.
3. Is there anyone in your family who is good at fixing things? My late father was ridic good at fixing 99.99999% of anything that was broken.
4. Has anyone ever taught you how to fix things? No one aside from YouTube videos, LOL
5. What was the last thing that broke in your home? Hmm, probably a broken dining room chair abt a year ago or so.
omens)Last song I listened to: RM's "Come Back To Me"
Currently reading/playing/watching: Reading a ton of fic. Also To Cage a God by Elizabeth May and A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon
Sweet/Savory/Spicy?: Usually savory, then sweet. Spicy and my stomach don't get along. :(
Current obsession: Still BTS 5 yrs in, lol. There ARE some TV shows I do want to check out soonish, but the Tannies keep me busy AF. #NoRegrets
A quick Q&A
1. Are you good at fixing things? I am!
2. What kinds of things can you fix? Anything that doesn't involve electricity, fire or gas.
3. Is there anyone in your family who is good at fixing things? My late father was ridic good at fixing 99.99999% of anything that was broken.
4. Has anyone ever taught you how to fix things? No one aside from YouTube videos, LOL
5. What was the last thing that broke in your home? Hmm, probably a broken dining room chair abt a year ago or so.
Kelela is a 41-y.o., Ethiopian-American, openly queer singer and songwriter whose music and MVs make you PAY ATTENTION. Her discography is described as "alternative R&B". She has a wonderful voice that's v. much suited for the sultry tones within the R&B genre, but she also tends to add a twist here and there when it comes to the melodies. And so, listening to her songs becomes an EXPERIENCE.
If I were asked what kind of music she puts out, I'd call it Grown-Up Genre. There's a v. specific level of maturity in her lyrics, melodies, and overall presentation that is meant to be enjoyed by ADULTS. Which is not to say that younger (25 and under) ppl won't like her music; they certainly might.
HOWEVAH, I feel that folks with some more life experience bet to appreciate Kelela's songs a lot more.
I don't think the MV for "Frontline" was the first one of hers I saw, but it's deffo an extremely memorable one. It's v. trippy.
Trigger/Content warnings: Some dizzying angles due to the graphics, themes of infidelity and some light drug usage (pot)
"On The Run" is the song where the beat lures you in and then things get a bit interesting. An entry from 2022 and working with Canadian DJ BAMBII (who is the driver in the MV), this is one of those songs that is enhanced by the MV. Not that the storyline makes a lot of sense, but you also might not mind that.
Trigger/Content warnings: the camera moves a LOT (sideways, upside down, in circles, etc.); tons of flashes (that resemble lightning) throughout; many fast cuts between the Kelela in the car and the Kelela who is dancing; dancing!Kelela is giving the illusion of being fully nude (she isn't, she's wearing body tape in an artsy form. Think Leeloo from The Fifth Element); car headlights glares throughout.
2023's "Enough for Love" is, like the previous songs, abt broken hearts and trying to find a way to reconnect. It's also the PERFECT EXAMPLE of what I meant when I said that Kelela's music is for adults. This is the kind of song you put on at 11 p.m. regardless of it being a weeknight or not. I can't explain it any other way. :P
There's an earthiness and carnaliy between both song and MV. Filmed in Rio di Janeiro, Brazil, Kelela's vibe pulls you IN. I especially like the last 30 seconds as the MV ends with her riffing in a beautiful way.
Content warnings: Scenes of simulated heavy foreplay.
IIRC, "LMK" was the first of her songs I ever heard. I was probably like 20 seconds in and wanting to know WHO IS THIS WOMAN?! and then I watched the MV and FELL IN LURVE. Arguably her most popular song (despite it dropping back in 2017), "LMK"'s whole vibe ("are we DTF or not? (Literally) Let Me Know so I can move on if nothing is gonna happen between us" is the whole point of this tune) is refreshing AF.
Trigger Warnings: A TON OF CAMERA MOVEMENT. This is an MV to avoid if you get queasy easily. Also, lots of strobe lights and fast cuts.
Ending my ode to Kelela's, well, EVERYTHING with another 2023 song "Contact". First of all, the 90s house/jungle melodies gave me chills (and I say that as someone who is mostly neutral-to-meh abt house music and all of its derivatives.) Then there are the lyrics (which urge the listener to let loose and have a good time, stay up all night partying it up). And, finally, Kelela sounds GREAT (as expected, hehehe.)
THEN THERE'S THE MV. Goodness gracious! Starting with the FACT that the first wig Kelela wears is the exact hairstyle I wore all through the 1990s (hahahah).
In additon, a lot of the clothing reminded me of stuff I either wore or saw other ppl wear around 1996-1998. Finally, there's the whole vibe of "getting ready to go clubbing"--which included trying on clothes, calling up friends to plan and pregame, etc. I mean, back in the 1990s I was going to goth and alternative clubs til 5-7 a.m., but it's all the same as in the MV, LOL. I was in my early 20s by the mid-1990s, but I'd say that even folks who were maybe 16 y.o back then would find some (all?) of the things in this song and MV familiar. Especially if you lived in the US back then, IJS.
This, just like the rec I gave right before this one, is the most ideal combination of sound and visuals.
Trigger/Content warnings: Many fast cuts (some which include some distortion); handheld camera shots; at one point, Kelela is walking around while wearing a see-through top with no bra; there's a slow scene of Kelela taking a shower that includes sideboob.
If I were asked what kind of music she puts out, I'd call it Grown-Up Genre. There's a v. specific level of maturity in her lyrics, melodies, and overall presentation that is meant to be enjoyed by ADULTS. Which is not to say that younger (25 and under) ppl won't like her music; they certainly might.
HOWEVAH, I feel that folks with some more life experience bet to appreciate Kelela's songs a lot more.
I don't think the MV for "Frontline" was the first one of hers I saw, but it's deffo an extremely memorable one. It's v. trippy.
Trigger/Content warnings: Some dizzying angles due to the graphics, themes of infidelity and some light drug usage (pot)
"On The Run" is the song where the beat lures you in and then things get a bit interesting. An entry from 2022 and working with Canadian DJ BAMBII (who is the driver in the MV), this is one of those songs that is enhanced by the MV. Not that the storyline makes a lot of sense, but you also might not mind that.
Trigger/Content warnings: the camera moves a LOT (sideways, upside down, in circles, etc.); tons of flashes (that resemble lightning) throughout; many fast cuts between the Kelela in the car and the Kelela who is dancing; dancing!Kelela is giving the illusion of being fully nude (she isn't, she's wearing body tape in an artsy form. Think Leeloo from The Fifth Element); car headlights glares throughout.
2023's "Enough for Love" is, like the previous songs, abt broken hearts and trying to find a way to reconnect. It's also the PERFECT EXAMPLE of what I meant when I said that Kelela's music is for adults. This is the kind of song you put on at 11 p.m. regardless of it being a weeknight or not. I can't explain it any other way. :P
There's an earthiness and carnaliy between both song and MV. Filmed in Rio di Janeiro, Brazil, Kelela's vibe pulls you IN. I especially like the last 30 seconds as the MV ends with her riffing in a beautiful way.
Content warnings: Scenes of simulated heavy foreplay.
IIRC, "LMK" was the first of her songs I ever heard. I was probably like 20 seconds in and wanting to know WHO IS THIS WOMAN?! and then I watched the MV and FELL IN LURVE. Arguably her most popular song (despite it dropping back in 2017), "LMK"'s whole vibe ("are we DTF or not? (Literally) Let Me Know so I can move on if nothing is gonna happen between us" is the whole point of this tune) is refreshing AF.
Trigger Warnings: A TON OF CAMERA MOVEMENT. This is an MV to avoid if you get queasy easily. Also, lots of strobe lights and fast cuts.
Ending my ode to Kelela's, well, EVERYTHING with another 2023 song "Contact". First of all, the 90s house/jungle melodies gave me chills (and I say that as someone who is mostly neutral-to-meh abt house music and all of its derivatives.) Then there are the lyrics (which urge the listener to let loose and have a good time, stay up all night partying it up). And, finally, Kelela sounds GREAT (as expected, hehehe.)
THEN THERE'S THE MV. Goodness gracious! Starting with the FACT that the first wig Kelela wears is the exact hairstyle I wore all through the 1990s (hahahah).
In additon, a lot of the clothing reminded me of stuff I either wore or saw other ppl wear around 1996-1998. Finally, there's the whole vibe of "getting ready to go clubbing"--which included trying on clothes, calling up friends to plan and pregame, etc. I mean, back in the 1990s I was going to goth and alternative clubs til 5-7 a.m., but it's all the same as in the MV, LOL. I was in my early 20s by the mid-1990s, but I'd say that even folks who were maybe 16 y.o back then would find some (all?) of the things in this song and MV familiar. Especially if you lived in the US back then, IJS.
This, just like the rec I gave right before this one, is the most ideal combination of sound and visuals.
Trigger/Content warnings: Many fast cuts (some which include some distortion); handheld camera shots; at one point, Kelela is walking around while wearing a see-through top with no bra; there's a slow scene of Kelela taking a shower that includes sideboob.
I know that Charli's been pretty inescapable this entire year after she dropped brat. The media ran with the concept (doing full explainers in places like CNN--which was as delightfully cringe as you can imagine) until ppl eventually moved on. For folks who, somehow, skipped the whole brat summer thing, it's possible that you remember her v. popular song "Boom Clap".
IN ANY CASE, I have been an Angel (Charli XCX's fandom name) since 2011 The one song that made me sit up and PAY ATTENTION to Charli was "Nuclear Season" (from 2011). The way this song STILL hits so v. well is one of the many reasons why I remain a Charli XCX fan 13 years later and counting. The haunting (yet bop-py) melodies reminiscent of early 80s sounds and the dark lyrics are just *chef's kiss*.
Trigger warnings: there's a lot of visual f/x to simulate old VHS tape's style including distorted screens, super imposing of images, freeze frames/slowing down of frames (like it happens when the tape gets stuck in side the actual VHS), etc.), video swipes and dissolves.
Rather than do a long post (her discography is huge), I'm gonna focus on newer stuff. Trust and believe that, even if hyperpop (which is the main genre Charli XCX works with) isn't your thing, there's a lot to discover in terms of artistry. Another reason why I got into her music is cuz she tends to collaborate with a lot of POC and queer artists.
Fun fact: it was thru her collabo back in early June 2019 that I first pinged to BTS via their song "Dreamglow". Sadly, for me, I kinda forgot to check out the Tannies' music for another 8 months. LOLsob.
OK, this is a short and sassy tune from last year's Barbie soundtrack. I love how she mixes "Mickey" by Toni Basil with the melody and then plays with it by distorting it a little.
Trigger warnings: Lots of fast cuts/edits. Constant sound of cars speeding and skidding.
"360" is another fun song. I loved the MV and how it got in a tussle with the It Girl idea by having pop culture folks like Julia Fox, Gabbriette, Hari Nef, Rachel Sennott, Blizzy McGuire, and who I'd say was THE GenX It Girl: Chloe Sevigny. FWIW, there are lots of other internet celebs, but the ones I mentioned are the ones I recognzied, hahah.
Trigger/Content warnings: Several of the women (including Charli) are filmed not wearing bras under their white sleeveless tops; there's a scene of a car pile-up (no one seems harmed); there's a lot of smoking.
Finally, I'm tipping my hat to "Guess", a recent collabo she did with Billie Eilish. Now, I'm gonna sound ultra-uncool, but Eilish's music is one that doesn't do anything for me. I can sort of see (from a logic standpoint) why it has resonated with a lot of folks. Unfortch, I'm not in that group, but I respect her as an artist.
ANYWAYS, this is the one (1) time where I've realized Eilish's appeal. Her voice and delivery work extremely well with Charli's. The beat is a fun one and the lyrics are spicy enough to make it a v. enjoyable song to listen to. I especially like the queerness being front and center (via Eilish' lyrics and delivery).
Trigger/Content warnings: Lots of folks (of all genders) grinding and acting v. sensual with each other; folks mimic taking off their underwear (mostly panties, some bras). Scenes in which parts of the lyrics flash on the screen.
IN ANY CASE, I have been an Angel (Charli XCX's fandom name) since 2011 The one song that made me sit up and PAY ATTENTION to Charli was "Nuclear Season" (from 2011). The way this song STILL hits so v. well is one of the many reasons why I remain a Charli XCX fan 13 years later and counting. The haunting (yet bop-py) melodies reminiscent of early 80s sounds and the dark lyrics are just *chef's kiss*.
Trigger warnings: there's a lot of visual f/x to simulate old VHS tape's style including distorted screens, super imposing of images, freeze frames/slowing down of frames (like it happens when the tape gets stuck in side the actual VHS), etc.), video swipes and dissolves.
Rather than do a long post (her discography is huge), I'm gonna focus on newer stuff. Trust and believe that, even if hyperpop (which is the main genre Charli XCX works with) isn't your thing, there's a lot to discover in terms of artistry. Another reason why I got into her music is cuz she tends to collaborate with a lot of POC and queer artists.
Fun fact: it was thru her collabo back in early June 2019 that I first pinged to BTS via their song "Dreamglow". Sadly, for me, I kinda forgot to check out the Tannies' music for another 8 months. LOLsob.
OK, this is a short and sassy tune from last year's Barbie soundtrack. I love how she mixes "Mickey" by Toni Basil with the melody and then plays with it by distorting it a little.
Trigger warnings: Lots of fast cuts/edits. Constant sound of cars speeding and skidding.
"360" is another fun song. I loved the MV and how it got in a tussle with the It Girl idea by having pop culture folks like Julia Fox, Gabbriette, Hari Nef, Rachel Sennott, Blizzy McGuire, and who I'd say was THE GenX It Girl: Chloe Sevigny. FWIW, there are lots of other internet celebs, but the ones I mentioned are the ones I recognzied, hahah.
Trigger/Content warnings: Several of the women (including Charli) are filmed not wearing bras under their white sleeveless tops; there's a scene of a car pile-up (no one seems harmed); there's a lot of smoking.
Finally, I'm tipping my hat to "Guess", a recent collabo she did with Billie Eilish. Now, I'm gonna sound ultra-uncool, but Eilish's music is one that doesn't do anything for me. I can sort of see (from a logic standpoint) why it has resonated with a lot of folks. Unfortch, I'm not in that group, but I respect her as an artist.
ANYWAYS, this is the one (1) time where I've realized Eilish's appeal. Her voice and delivery work extremely well with Charli's. The beat is a fun one and the lyrics are spicy enough to make it a v. enjoyable song to listen to. I especially like the queerness being front and center (via Eilish' lyrics and delivery).
Trigger/Content warnings: Lots of folks (of all genders) grinding and acting v. sensual with each other; folks mimic taking off their underwear (mostly panties, some bras). Scenes in which parts of the lyrics flash on the screen.
Book post you say? ◉_◉
Nov. 11th, 2024 02:11 pmIt's true! I've gone thru enough books since the previous book post to warrant posting something abt them.
Re-reads? HUH.
* The Age of Innocence by Edith Warthon (Classic Literature) - Borrowed an audiobook version from the library a day before I got double vaxxed back in early September. One of the random, temporary side effects I've now experienced enough times to become aware of it (aside from general fatigue and headaches) is that I really can't stand staring at any screens for any length of time. Not wanting to be bored during the 2-3 days that it takes for my body to become friendly with the vaxxes, I snagged a copy that I could fall asleep to and not feel guilty or confused abt missing any important stuff. Had a good time, I guess? Though now that I've gone thru this novel twice in one year, it'll be a LONG WHILE before I pick it up again, hahah.
* Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America by Sarah Kendzior (Nonfiction) - I first read this book back in early 2021. Picked up an audiobook copy last week cuz I wanted to refresh my brain before I dive into Kendzior's other book (They Knew). Yes, I read this nonfiction account of political corruption across the world (specifically in Eastern Europe and the US) thru the lens of the Clown's ascent to power due to what went down last week. I wanted to remember everyone that was involved and how they were connected to him. The book ends around 2019.
In many heartbreaking ways, this is a book that will leave readers with a sense of frustration, anger, and sadness. Both for the world as it was before the Clown became #45 and for all of that has come after. BUT, at the same time, it IS important to be aware of the history. Like, even at a subconscious level, a lot of folks know that something is wrong but not why. This book does point the way. It's a v. ugly but necessary truth.
One thing that I've appreciated ("enjoyed" seems like too trivial and fluffy a word to use here) is that the book's narrated by Kendzior herself. With her flat accent, she talks abt the kleptocracy at a federal level while also pointing out how corruption affects everyone at a local level.
FTR, lest this sounds like some kooky conspiracy type of thing, Kendzior has also spent a lot of her life studying authoritarian regimes. She's a really good journalist too: one who can break down complex information into something much mure candid and digestible.
Again, not the easiest of reads (or rereads), but definitely one that kept me a bit more grounded after the terrible results of the US election. I stand by my original rating of this book (a 4.5 out of 5.)
NB: Kendzior continues to publish truly AMAZING USian political writing…on Substack. Which is A CHOICE FOR SURE. I do feel v. DDDDD: abt that given how things have gone since last year over there. Although Kendzior does offer a subscription, nothing on her page is behind any kind of paywall. And, in the age of the flattening and trivializing of a ton of news media, I am grateful for her words. I don't love that she's over there, but there we are.
Let me MOve ON
I DNF'd
* Real Easy by Marie Rutkwoski (Mystery/Thriller) - In 1999, Samantha is an exotic dancer at a club. One night, she gives a ride to the newest stripper in the club and then, Samantha's car is found with one woman dead inside and the other one missing. What happened?
My reasons for picking up this book were plenty:
- The premise sounded interesting;
- The MC was a sex worker;
- The author herself has been v. candid abt the fact that she had been a stripper for a number of years.
So I was like "sign me up". I liked Sam as an MC, everyone was v. interesting (even the characters I wasn't too sure abt), and the worldbuilding was great as well.
Unfortunately, there were abt 5-6 POVs up to the point I bounced from the book (roughly 20%). According to a lot of reviews I checked out after returning the book to the library, there were FOURTEEN POVS. Which, like, WHY?
The main reason why I DNF'd it is cuz there's a specific point where something happens and I had a really strong feeling that, was I to continue the book, I was going to be super upset. Right before returning the book, I read the ending and then additional spoilers to get a clearer picture of what happened. Sadly, my gut was 300% right. I would've been so pissed off if I hadn't bounced from this novel.
I do still recommend this book…with a HUGE CAVEAT that this book moves away from mystery/thriller and into general fiction/women's fiction. There are some things that will really upset some readers as well.
* Never Coming Home by Kate Williams (YA Mystery) - Before I go into my experience with this book, I'm fully admitting that I haven't been vibing with YAs for a while. It was recced by a booktuber who had been quite enthusiastic abt it. Began reading it in audiobook, but ended up switching to ebook for a bit.
Ten influencers go to a private island in order to promote an ultra-luxe and exclusive resort that will be opening soon. Once they get there, however, everything takes a nosedive FAST!
I do have to say that this author did a good job in showing not only the different kinds of influencers that exist (beauty, politics, environmental, music, cooking, etc). But she also wrote abt the behind-the-scenes of being an influencer (including the business side, the emotional and psychological pressures, what's needed to rise (or fall) in ranking, etc). Also, some parts of the novel are formatted in the style of social media platforms such as reddit. And they weren't cringe-y.
THAT SAID, like I mentioned, I had to switch from audiobook to ebook cuz the narrator WAS AWFUL. She had zero skills in differentiating most of the characters. So I found myself confused as to whose POV I was listening to (all ten characters have POVs).
The worst part is that this is a LITERAL c&p of Agatha Christie's And There Were None. FTR, I am v. hot-and-cold abt adaptations cuz they tend to miss the mark in really tacky ways. This book, frex, missed its target by a lot. Everything down to the first character who dies and how it happens.
SO, if you're read the Christie novel and/or have watched the many film and TV versions around, you've read this book too. I don't recommend this book at all. Also, the ending was deeply unsatisfying.
* Better Than People by Roan Parrish (M/M romance) - Jack lives in a small town. He's pretty much a loner and a bit of a curmudgeon. But he also has something like four dogs and three cats he's rescued. Every day he takes all of them for a walk. One day, he ends up with a broken leg after an accident. After some angsting, Jack gets matched (via an app) with someone who will take his animals for walks while his leg heals. In walks Simon. Slowly but surely, the dudes start a friendship that will become a romance.
The writing is good (as expected from Parrish), there's the Grumpy/Sunshine trope, and there are cute animals. Unfortch, I was bored; kept waiting to feel invested in the story but it wasn't happening 23% in. So I bounced.
I recommend it with a heads up for Simon's severe social anxiety being front and center. So if reading abt that is not your thing, keep on keeping on.
* Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett (Mystery/Thriller) - A Black woman in her early 30s who goes by Bree travels to an affluent part of New Jersey to spend the weekend with Ty, her boyfriend of 6 months, at a v. fancy airbnb property that Ty's company (some type of financial thing) owns.
Things go pretty well once she gets there. Not fantastic, but not bad. Until the morning when she's supposed to return home. Ty has vanished and, while looking for him, Bree finds the body of a dead white woman in the foyer. It's the same white woman who has been missing for a bit. So now, everyone thinks that Ty and Bree are involved in the murder. Bree's freaking out cuz she's (understandably) trying to keep herself out of jail AND find the truth of what happened while also hoping that no one discovers a secret from her past. And the only person who can help her is her former BFF who is now a lawyer.
I thought that was an excellent premise, hands down. The author did try to incorporate a lot of things (internet sleuths, True Crime afficionados, systematic racism, how white women do weaponize their tears, their pain, and their desirability within society in order to harm other ppl).
HOWEVAH
The writing is HORRIBLE. This is some of the worst writing I've come across in a while. How bad is it?
Well, Garrett has a v. distinct style that includes a lot of absolutely strange similes and metaphors.
Context for the next thing: at a certain point in the novel, Bree is in an elevator, racing to get to her hotel room in order to catch someone who is in her room right now. Her internal monolgue:
I jammed on the button like I was Bob Marley
…
IDK what to tell you?! From the get go, the book had weird-ass lines like that one. They kept taking me out of the story cuz I had to stop and process what the story was trying to say again and again I DNF'd it halfway thru Chapter 3. Read the ending before returning the book and wow, talk ab a hot mess.
Funny story: once I returned it,my library recced me another book by the same author. One that I read 6-7 yrs ago and had also DNF'd due to weird and bad writing, hahah.
Had an awesome time at first (but it all went downhill from there)
* Playing It Safe by Ashley Weaver (Historical Mystery) - Book 3 of the Electra "Ellie" McDonnell series.
It begins with Ellie being sent to Sunderland, somewhere in the English countryside, while the Blitz is still going on. At first, Major Gabriel Ramsey (her boss) tells her that she'll be told what her mission is once she gets there. And then ppl start to die…
There are 3 storylines: the main one (Ellie's mission), the second one (solving the murders), and the third one (a slow-burn mystery that has to do with Ellie's (long deceased) parents). I really liked the story up to Chapter 4. She was in danger from the get and I was like OOOOOH!!
But then the story plateaus, never recovering the early chapters' energy, and then the book is over, LOL.
I didn't like Ellie (who, in some ways, was kept in the dark abt a lot of things for ~reasons) in this novel. She was whiny AND had several moments of "I'm not like other girls cuz I grew up with male cousins." Oh, okay, lady. 🙄🙄🙄
The first one has to do with Gabriel/Ellie's relationship. Weaver has been building up their ship circa Book 1.
In this book, there's a moment where Ellie and Gabriel have a huge argument that culminates with Ellie throwing a heavy crystal ashtray at Gabriel. He dodges it. The scene culminates with the two of them having a v. passionate (yet short) makeout session.
Afterwards, Ellie's "conflicted" abt the kiss but not the almost assault.
And I was looking at Gabriel like "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! Hold up. She just threw AN ASHTRAY at you, now y'all kissing fools, she's got a bf, and you're HER BOSS! WHY ARE Y'ALL BEING SO FUCKING MESSY?!"
THANKFULLY, Gabriel does have a talk with Ellie a little bit later where he makes it v. clear that they can't have that kind of thing happening again cuz he's her boss. He also mentions how inappropriate the whole thing is, so they both need to keep their distance. Ellie promises to keep things as professional as she can.
THE SECOND THING WAS INFURIATING TO ME.
There's a secondary character who turns out to be The Worst (™). The character, who only shows up in this novel, has been assigned to protect Ellie while she's at Sunderland. It turns out this is the character who PUSHED HER INTO INCOMING TRAFFIC at the beginning of the book just so the character could "save" her and they could form a bond.
Um, wtf?
THEN, there's another scene later in the book that was ridiculous. OK, so Ellie goes to an underground club and runs into that character. The character spikes Ellie's drink with something in order to have an "excuse" to take her out of the club so that she'll be "safe".
Ellie ends up passing out.
According to the book, nothing weird/bad happened. She wakes up in Gabriel's cabin allegedly unharmed. The character does confess to Ellie (in front of Gabriel) what they did and tries to explain away their reasoning. They act v. contrite, swearing that they'll "never do anything like that again". IIRC, they get a reprimand.
Whatever, character, FUCK YOU!
Anyways, at the end of the book, Ellie gets a ride from that character. On the outside, she's talking to the character (who is being v. friendly). Yet, in her mind, she's thinks that she'll never stop feeling unsafe around that character. Which, yeah, fucking valid.
So, given all that, I give this book 2 out of 5.
Out of the 4 already published books, this is a skip. NOTHING really happens.
Had mostly a good time
* Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver (Historical Mystery) - Book 4 in the Electra "Ellie" McDonnell series.
It takes place 6 months after the events of the previous book. Things have not gotten better, Gabriel hasn't contacted Ellie in a while, and she's considering going back to her life of crime.
One day, though, she sees something abt a dinner party that got robbed. She's confused as to not having heard abt that at all from the criminal world (since her and her family still keep connections with all kinds of unsavory ppl.) Semi-reluctantly, she brings it up to Gabriel who, after talking his superiors, gives her a new assignment.
I liked this book a lot more than the previous one. Ellie was more proactive (and less whiny), there was more revelations abt Gabriel's backstory that made me go OOOOH!, and a larger part of the mystery was fun. Also the love triangle was resolved. The ending, which is a soft cliffhanger, was a good one too.
OTOH, I got the sense that the author got impatient with the story's pacing. Because she started to pretty much set things up for the 5th and final book (that's due to drop next summer). Like, ⅔ in to the story, the mystery was wrapped up super fast cuz the ROMANCE was important?
Gabriel/Ellie's inevitability as a couple was set up all the way in Book 1. I know that I was glad that Gabriel did tell Ellie what was up in Book 3, but I'm also v. aware that, again, the romance IS a huge draw for a lot of readers.
There are several INTENSE KISSING scenes that were ridic but IDK. This is the book right before the grand finale. I had zero expectations of Ellie or Ramsey sticking to the "let's keep it cute and professional" idea, hahaha.
I do recommend the book. Although I also must point out that this is NOT a standalone. In order to get to the yayas that happen here, I do think it's necessary to read books 1 and 2. (Seriously, skip 3. That one's trash!). I'm giving it a 3 out of 5.
I'm currently reading
* To Cage a God by Elizabeth May - Historical fantasy romance that promises M/F and F/F ships. I only got 20% in the first time I borrowed it from the library, put it down for some reason, and then had to return it. So I'm giving it another spin.
* Wings Once Curse & Bound by Piper J. Drake - Urban fantasy romance centered around Thai folklore. I'm reading this one just so I can get to the second book in the series with has an M/M/F ship, hahah. #Priorities
* His Secret Illuminations by Scarlett Gale - Historical fantasy romance with an F/M ship. I'm always down for femdom. :DDDDDD
Other than that, there are mayyyyybe 6-8 more books I want to finish before the end of year. \o?
Had to make the executive decision to put Charlie Adhara's Pack of Lies back on the shelf until the sequel (this is a duology) gets published. Adhara is going thru something in her life (unspecfied), she's been gone from social media circa October of last year, and the 2nd book (Den of Thieves)'s publishing date has been pushed from October 2023, to March 2024, April 2025, and it's now February 2026. Since Book 1 ends in a soft cliffhanger, I'm choosing to wait. *Hands*
There were a couple of spooky books (Under the Blood Moon and Blood Mercy) that I'd originally planned to read in October. But last month was a bust in many ways. Alas.
Altogether, 2024 has been a rather bad reading year for me. I'm hoping that I'll find some gems in the next month and a half, LOLsob.
Re-reads? HUH.
* The Age of Innocence by Edith Warthon (Classic Literature) - Borrowed an audiobook version from the library a day before I got double vaxxed back in early September. One of the random, temporary side effects I've now experienced enough times to become aware of it (aside from general fatigue and headaches) is that I really can't stand staring at any screens for any length of time. Not wanting to be bored during the 2-3 days that it takes for my body to become friendly with the vaxxes, I snagged a copy that I could fall asleep to and not feel guilty or confused abt missing any important stuff. Had a good time, I guess? Though now that I've gone thru this novel twice in one year, it'll be a LONG WHILE before I pick it up again, hahah.
* Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America by Sarah Kendzior (Nonfiction) - I first read this book back in early 2021. Picked up an audiobook copy last week cuz I wanted to refresh my brain before I dive into Kendzior's other book (They Knew). Yes, I read this nonfiction account of political corruption across the world (specifically in Eastern Europe and the US) thru the lens of the Clown's ascent to power due to what went down last week. I wanted to remember everyone that was involved and how they were connected to him. The book ends around 2019.
In many heartbreaking ways, this is a book that will leave readers with a sense of frustration, anger, and sadness. Both for the world as it was before the Clown became #45 and for all of that has come after. BUT, at the same time, it IS important to be aware of the history. Like, even at a subconscious level, a lot of folks know that something is wrong but not why. This book does point the way. It's a v. ugly but necessary truth.
One thing that I've appreciated ("enjoyed" seems like too trivial and fluffy a word to use here) is that the book's narrated by Kendzior herself. With her flat accent, she talks abt the kleptocracy at a federal level while also pointing out how corruption affects everyone at a local level.
FTR, lest this sounds like some kooky conspiracy type of thing, Kendzior has also spent a lot of her life studying authoritarian regimes. She's a really good journalist too: one who can break down complex information into something much mure candid and digestible.
Again, not the easiest of reads (or rereads), but definitely one that kept me a bit more grounded after the terrible results of the US election. I stand by my original rating of this book (a 4.5 out of 5.)
NB: Kendzior continues to publish truly AMAZING USian political writing…on Substack. Which is A CHOICE FOR SURE. I do feel v. DDDDD: abt that given how things have gone since last year over there. Although Kendzior does offer a subscription, nothing on her page is behind any kind of paywall. And, in the age of the flattening and trivializing of a ton of news media, I am grateful for her words. I don't love that she's over there, but there we are.
Let me MOve ON
I DNF'd
* Real Easy by Marie Rutkwoski (Mystery/Thriller) - In 1999, Samantha is an exotic dancer at a club. One night, she gives a ride to the newest stripper in the club and then, Samantha's car is found with one woman dead inside and the other one missing. What happened?
My reasons for picking up this book were plenty:
- The premise sounded interesting;
- The MC was a sex worker;
- The author herself has been v. candid abt the fact that she had been a stripper for a number of years.
So I was like "sign me up". I liked Sam as an MC, everyone was v. interesting (even the characters I wasn't too sure abt), and the worldbuilding was great as well.
Unfortunately, there were abt 5-6 POVs up to the point I bounced from the book (roughly 20%). According to a lot of reviews I checked out after returning the book to the library, there were FOURTEEN POVS. Which, like, WHY?
The main reason why I DNF'd it is cuz there's a specific point where something happens and I had a really strong feeling that, was I to continue the book, I was going to be super upset. Right before returning the book, I read the ending and then additional spoilers to get a clearer picture of what happened. Sadly, my gut was 300% right. I would've been so pissed off if I hadn't bounced from this novel.
I do still recommend this book…with a HUGE CAVEAT that this book moves away from mystery/thriller and into general fiction/women's fiction. There are some things that will really upset some readers as well.
* Never Coming Home by Kate Williams (YA Mystery) - Before I go into my experience with this book, I'm fully admitting that I haven't been vibing with YAs for a while. It was recced by a booktuber who had been quite enthusiastic abt it. Began reading it in audiobook, but ended up switching to ebook for a bit.
Ten influencers go to a private island in order to promote an ultra-luxe and exclusive resort that will be opening soon. Once they get there, however, everything takes a nosedive FAST!
I do have to say that this author did a good job in showing not only the different kinds of influencers that exist (beauty, politics, environmental, music, cooking, etc). But she also wrote abt the behind-the-scenes of being an influencer (including the business side, the emotional and psychological pressures, what's needed to rise (or fall) in ranking, etc). Also, some parts of the novel are formatted in the style of social media platforms such as reddit. And they weren't cringe-y.
THAT SAID, like I mentioned, I had to switch from audiobook to ebook cuz the narrator WAS AWFUL. She had zero skills in differentiating most of the characters. So I found myself confused as to whose POV I was listening to (all ten characters have POVs).
The worst part is that this is a LITERAL c&p of Agatha Christie's And There Were None. FTR, I am v. hot-and-cold abt adaptations cuz they tend to miss the mark in really tacky ways. This book, frex, missed its target by a lot. Everything down to the first character who dies and how it happens.
SO, if you're read the Christie novel and/or have watched the many film and TV versions around, you've read this book too. I don't recommend this book at all. Also, the ending was deeply unsatisfying.
* Better Than People by Roan Parrish (M/M romance) - Jack lives in a small town. He's pretty much a loner and a bit of a curmudgeon. But he also has something like four dogs and three cats he's rescued. Every day he takes all of them for a walk. One day, he ends up with a broken leg after an accident. After some angsting, Jack gets matched (via an app) with someone who will take his animals for walks while his leg heals. In walks Simon. Slowly but surely, the dudes start a friendship that will become a romance.
The writing is good (as expected from Parrish), there's the Grumpy/Sunshine trope, and there are cute animals. Unfortch, I was bored; kept waiting to feel invested in the story but it wasn't happening 23% in. So I bounced.
I recommend it with a heads up for Simon's severe social anxiety being front and center. So if reading abt that is not your thing, keep on keeping on.
* Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett (Mystery/Thriller) - A Black woman in her early 30s who goes by Bree travels to an affluent part of New Jersey to spend the weekend with Ty, her boyfriend of 6 months, at a v. fancy airbnb property that Ty's company (some type of financial thing) owns.
Things go pretty well once she gets there. Not fantastic, but not bad. Until the morning when she's supposed to return home. Ty has vanished and, while looking for him, Bree finds the body of a dead white woman in the foyer. It's the same white woman who has been missing for a bit. So now, everyone thinks that Ty and Bree are involved in the murder. Bree's freaking out cuz she's (understandably) trying to keep herself out of jail AND find the truth of what happened while also hoping that no one discovers a secret from her past. And the only person who can help her is her former BFF who is now a lawyer.
I thought that was an excellent premise, hands down. The author did try to incorporate a lot of things (internet sleuths, True Crime afficionados, systematic racism, how white women do weaponize their tears, their pain, and their desirability within society in order to harm other ppl).
HOWEVAH
The writing is HORRIBLE. This is some of the worst writing I've come across in a while. How bad is it?
Well, Garrett has a v. distinct style that includes a lot of absolutely strange similes and metaphors.
Context for the next thing: at a certain point in the novel, Bree is in an elevator, racing to get to her hotel room in order to catch someone who is in her room right now. Her internal monolgue:
I jammed on the button like I was Bob Marley
…
IDK what to tell you?! From the get go, the book had weird-ass lines like that one. They kept taking me out of the story cuz I had to stop and process what the story was trying to say again and again I DNF'd it halfway thru Chapter 3. Read the ending before returning the book and wow, talk ab a hot mess.
Funny story: once I returned it,my library recced me another book by the same author. One that I read 6-7 yrs ago and had also DNF'd due to weird and bad writing, hahah.
Had an awesome time at first (but it all went downhill from there)
* Playing It Safe by Ashley Weaver (Historical Mystery) - Book 3 of the Electra "Ellie" McDonnell series.
It begins with Ellie being sent to Sunderland, somewhere in the English countryside, while the Blitz is still going on. At first, Major Gabriel Ramsey (her boss) tells her that she'll be told what her mission is once she gets there. And then ppl start to die…
There are 3 storylines: the main one (Ellie's mission), the second one (solving the murders), and the third one (a slow-burn mystery that has to do with Ellie's (long deceased) parents). I really liked the story up to Chapter 4. She was in danger from the get and I was like OOOOOH!!
But then the story plateaus, never recovering the early chapters' energy, and then the book is over, LOL.
I didn't like Ellie (who, in some ways, was kept in the dark abt a lot of things for ~reasons) in this novel. She was whiny AND had several moments of "I'm not like other girls cuz I grew up with male cousins." Oh, okay, lady. 🙄🙄🙄
Then, there were 2 things (BOTH SPOILERS) that were a combo of not great and TERRIBLE
The first one has to do with Gabriel/Ellie's relationship. Weaver has been building up their ship circa Book 1.
In this book, there's a moment where Ellie and Gabriel have a huge argument that culminates with Ellie throwing a heavy crystal ashtray at Gabriel. He dodges it. The scene culminates with the two of them having a v. passionate (yet short) makeout session.
Afterwards, Ellie's "conflicted" abt the kiss but not the almost assault.
And I was looking at Gabriel like "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! Hold up. She just threw AN ASHTRAY at you, now y'all kissing fools, she's got a bf, and you're HER BOSS! WHY ARE Y'ALL BEING SO FUCKING MESSY?!"
THANKFULLY, Gabriel does have a talk with Ellie a little bit later where he makes it v. clear that they can't have that kind of thing happening again cuz he's her boss. He also mentions how inappropriate the whole thing is, so they both need to keep their distance. Ellie promises to keep things as professional as she can.
THE SECOND THING WAS INFURIATING TO ME.
There's a secondary character who turns out to be The Worst (™). The character, who only shows up in this novel, has been assigned to protect Ellie while she's at Sunderland. It turns out this is the character who PUSHED HER INTO INCOMING TRAFFIC at the beginning of the book just so the character could "save" her and they could form a bond.
Um, wtf?
THEN, there's another scene later in the book that was ridiculous. OK, so Ellie goes to an underground club and runs into that character. The character spikes Ellie's drink with something in order to have an "excuse" to take her out of the club so that she'll be "safe".
Ellie ends up passing out.
According to the book, nothing weird/bad happened. She wakes up in Gabriel's cabin allegedly unharmed. The character does confess to Ellie (in front of Gabriel) what they did and tries to explain away their reasoning. They act v. contrite, swearing that they'll "never do anything like that again". IIRC, they get a reprimand.
Whatever, character, FUCK YOU!
Anyways, at the end of the book, Ellie gets a ride from that character. On the outside, she's talking to the character (who is being v. friendly). Yet, in her mind, she's thinks that she'll never stop feeling unsafe around that character. Which, yeah, fucking valid.
So, given all that, I give this book 2 out of 5.
Out of the 4 already published books, this is a skip. NOTHING really happens.
Had mostly a good time
* Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver (Historical Mystery) - Book 4 in the Electra "Ellie" McDonnell series.
It takes place 6 months after the events of the previous book. Things have not gotten better, Gabriel hasn't contacted Ellie in a while, and she's considering going back to her life of crime.
One day, though, she sees something abt a dinner party that got robbed. She's confused as to not having heard abt that at all from the criminal world (since her and her family still keep connections with all kinds of unsavory ppl.) Semi-reluctantly, she brings it up to Gabriel who, after talking his superiors, gives her a new assignment.
I liked this book a lot more than the previous one. Ellie was more proactive (and less whiny), there was more revelations abt Gabriel's backstory that made me go OOOOH!, and a larger part of the mystery was fun. Also the love triangle was resolved. The ending, which is a soft cliffhanger, was a good one too.
OTOH, I got the sense that the author got impatient with the story's pacing. Because she started to pretty much set things up for the 5th and final book (that's due to drop next summer). Like, ⅔ in to the story, the mystery was wrapped up super fast cuz the ROMANCE was important?
Abt that last part (behold a spoiler)
Gabriel/Ellie's inevitability as a couple was set up all the way in Book 1. I know that I was glad that Gabriel did tell Ellie what was up in Book 3, but I'm also v. aware that, again, the romance IS a huge draw for a lot of readers.
There are several INTENSE KISSING scenes that were ridic but IDK. This is the book right before the grand finale. I had zero expectations of Ellie or Ramsey sticking to the "let's keep it cute and professional" idea, hahaha.
I do recommend the book. Although I also must point out that this is NOT a standalone. In order to get to the yayas that happen here, I do think it's necessary to read books 1 and 2. (Seriously, skip 3. That one's trash!). I'm giving it a 3 out of 5.
I'm currently reading
* To Cage a God by Elizabeth May - Historical fantasy romance that promises M/F and F/F ships. I only got 20% in the first time I borrowed it from the library, put it down for some reason, and then had to return it. So I'm giving it another spin.
* Wings Once Curse & Bound by Piper J. Drake - Urban fantasy romance centered around Thai folklore. I'm reading this one just so I can get to the second book in the series with has an M/M/F ship, hahah. #Priorities
* His Secret Illuminations by Scarlett Gale - Historical fantasy romance with an F/M ship. I'm always down for femdom. :DDDDDD
Other than that, there are mayyyyybe 6-8 more books I want to finish before the end of year. \o?
Had to make the executive decision to put Charlie Adhara's Pack of Lies back on the shelf until the sequel (this is a duology) gets published. Adhara is going thru something in her life (unspecfied), she's been gone from social media circa October of last year, and the 2nd book (Den of Thieves)'s publishing date has been pushed from October 2023, to March 2024, April 2025, and it's now February 2026. Since Book 1 ends in a soft cliffhanger, I'm choosing to wait. *Hands*
There were a couple of spooky books (Under the Blood Moon and Blood Mercy) that I'd originally planned to read in October. But last month was a bust in many ways. Alas.
Altogether, 2024 has been a rather bad reading year for me. I'm hoping that I'll find some gems in the next month and a half, LOLsob.
Like many, I remember first hearing abt Kesha when she came onto the scene back in 2010. Have since then become a medium-level fan (in that I do try to check out what she drops, but it's not a super priority either.)
Anyways, this past July 4th, she dropped an EXCELLENT single called "Joyride". Great beats and kicky lyrics.
Her next album's due to come out next year. I cannot wait.
Also, in a more somber note, this week has been TERRIBS for a lot of folks both here in the US as well as everywhere. Maybe you need a good cry at the same time you're getting comforted. This song, from abt 7 yrs ago, will give you all of that and more:
Anyways, this past July 4th, she dropped an EXCELLENT single called "Joyride". Great beats and kicky lyrics.
Her next album's due to come out next year. I cannot wait.
Also, in a more somber note, this week has been TERRIBS for a lot of folks both here in the US as well as everywhere. Maybe you need a good cry at the same time you're getting comforted. This song, from abt 7 yrs ago, will give you all of that and more:
(This is the first of a mini, within-the-Fannish-50-S2--posts, series abt non-Kpop music I dig. Also, I just HAD to post this today cuz, well, IT'S FRIDAY! 😁)
Back in 2011, 13-y.o. Rebecca Black dropped a song called "Friday". I'm not going to do a revisionist take on this debut cuz the song WAS bad (and the MV was also basic AF.) Now, the general culture being what it was in the 2010s (i.e. mean-spirited toward women of any age in a way that was brutal and gross), Rebecca got dragged by every late night TV host, comedians, pop culture show guests, music critics, your barber, your friends, etc. The amount of vitriol aimed at her (for an admittedly bad yet inoffensive song) was nightmarish. Whether this happened cuz of how fast it went viral or something else, I don't know.[Personally, I was v. 🤷🏾♀️ abt the song and never really got why ppl went so OTT with their hatearade. Alas.]
Anyways, Pop Culture doesn't stop for anyone so, eventually, the scorn against Rebecca died down. Occasionally, both her and her debut song would be brought up for 'joking' purposes; almost always framed as a weird moment of USian pop culture. As far as anyone knew, she had gone underground.
Only, she actually didn't? In the sense that she kept working on her craft, dropping songs for years. The tides did begin to turn in her favor around 2018-2019 when she did reality TV and whatnot.
I gotta admit that I didn't (re)discovered her until last year and have since become a fan of her music from 2020-onwards. I'm not sure what her 2012-2019 music sounds like cuz I haven't checked it out. There's nothing abt that part of her discography that's appealing to me. Maybe I'll do that one day.
Rebecca is a Mexican-American, openly queer, singer-songwriter whose current musical output is hyperpop and electropop. She does have some ballads (I'm linking one bellow.) I've liked pretty much everything she's dropped circa 2020-ish and always look forward to her next project.
Fun fact: she did a remix of "Friday" with some folks (including Big Freeida) on the TENTH anniversary of that song which was widely liked (especially when compared to original version of that song.)
Here are 4 of my fave songs by her in chronological order:
Personal (April 2021)
Love the way she uses AutoTune here: not to disguise/improve her singing but as an actual tool to make the listening experience an interesting (in a good way) experience. Good beats too. The MV is on the simpler side with moments of weirdness that might pull you in.
Trigger Warnings: Lots of flashing lights and shaky cam to the point of image distortion.
Crumbs (Nov 2022)
More voice distortion (amping up her vocal fry here and there) and a fairly decent melody. The MV kinda starts intense, steadies a bit, and then ends on a mellow-ish note. It's the first part of a storyline (with the second part in the next MV). This is all abt the fantasy, the desires, and some of the 'darker' thoughts. Not all of it is comfortable, but I'm also not sure it's meant to be?
Trigger/Content Warnings: visual effects (mainly strobe lights and some camera tilting). There's a scene in the first 24 seconds of the MV in which Blue Latex Rebecca cuts into the upper chest of the Rebecca on the operating table. There's NO gore, but the scene does show (fake) blood. Also, in the last part of the MV, Rebecca is wearing a see-through leotard; her nipples are v. visible, so I'll say this is an NSFW MV.
Look at You (Dec. 2022)
Can Rebecca sing? I'm gonna go with yes, she can. Here's a ballad abt encouraging ppl and letting them they're loved. Like I said above, this does continue the storyline from "Crumbs." Only, this time, we're back in the real world. So Rebecca's wearing casual clothes instead of the fetish-inspired fit from the other video.
No trigger/content warnings.
Trust (Oct. 2024)
There I was last Friday, chilling out, when YT notified me that Rebecca Black had a NEW tune! And, listen, I'm biased as hell, but there's no way anyone can't say this song is not A BOP AND HALF!!! Especially since it's meant to get you to dance your heart out (or, at the v. least, sway to if you've got no rhythm). Rebecca sounds great.
The MV is a riot from the v. beginning. Here she's (metaphorically) staring back at all of the judgment she's gone thru for over a decade; various folks bring out all of the usual commentary abt her; she's being tried for her many "crimes". And yet, she gotta say her piece.
So she starts wildin' until her point is made...and then she declares herself "guilty". I always chuckle when she winks at the camera. Obviously, she's in on the joke but, at the same time, she's (AFAIK) not here to try to appeal to anyone (as in "begging them to give her a chance.") She's simply gonna keep on keeping on and you either get with her or not. Also, yays for her signature bedazzled chainsaw being in the MV.
Some parts of the MV reminded me of Lady Gaga's "Papparazzi" MV. Erm, minus the murder bits. XD
Trigger warnings: HEAVY strobe light usage during the first minute or so of the MV and also in some clips toward the end.
Back in 2011, 13-y.o. Rebecca Black dropped a song called "Friday". I'm not going to do a revisionist take on this debut cuz the song WAS bad (and the MV was also basic AF.) Now, the general culture being what it was in the 2010s (i.e. mean-spirited toward women of any age in a way that was brutal and gross), Rebecca got dragged by every late night TV host, comedians, pop culture show guests, music critics, your barber, your friends, etc. The amount of vitriol aimed at her (for an admittedly bad yet inoffensive song) was nightmarish. Whether this happened cuz of how fast it went viral or something else, I don't know.[Personally, I was v. 🤷🏾♀️ abt the song and never really got why ppl went so OTT with their hatearade. Alas.]
Anyways, Pop Culture doesn't stop for anyone so, eventually, the scorn against Rebecca died down. Occasionally, both her and her debut song would be brought up for 'joking' purposes; almost always framed as a weird moment of USian pop culture. As far as anyone knew, she had gone underground.
Only, she actually didn't? In the sense that she kept working on her craft, dropping songs for years. The tides did begin to turn in her favor around 2018-2019 when she did reality TV and whatnot.
I gotta admit that I didn't (re)discovered her until last year and have since become a fan of her music from 2020-onwards. I'm not sure what her 2012-2019 music sounds like cuz I haven't checked it out. There's nothing abt that part of her discography that's appealing to me. Maybe I'll do that one day.
Rebecca is a Mexican-American, openly queer, singer-songwriter whose current musical output is hyperpop and electropop. She does have some ballads (I'm linking one bellow.) I've liked pretty much everything she's dropped circa 2020-ish and always look forward to her next project.
Fun fact: she did a remix of "Friday" with some folks (including Big Freeida) on the TENTH anniversary of that song which was widely liked (especially when compared to original version of that song.)
Here are 4 of my fave songs by her in chronological order:
Personal (April 2021)
Love the way she uses AutoTune here: not to disguise/improve her singing but as an actual tool to make the listening experience an interesting (in a good way) experience. Good beats too. The MV is on the simpler side with moments of weirdness that might pull you in.
Trigger Warnings: Lots of flashing lights and shaky cam to the point of image distortion.
Crumbs (Nov 2022)
More voice distortion (amping up her vocal fry here and there) and a fairly decent melody. The MV kinda starts intense, steadies a bit, and then ends on a mellow-ish note. It's the first part of a storyline (with the second part in the next MV). This is all abt the fantasy, the desires, and some of the 'darker' thoughts. Not all of it is comfortable, but I'm also not sure it's meant to be?
Trigger/Content Warnings: visual effects (mainly strobe lights and some camera tilting). There's a scene in the first 24 seconds of the MV in which Blue Latex Rebecca cuts into the upper chest of the Rebecca on the operating table. There's NO gore, but the scene does show (fake) blood. Also, in the last part of the MV, Rebecca is wearing a see-through leotard; her nipples are v. visible, so I'll say this is an NSFW MV.
Look at You (Dec. 2022)
Can Rebecca sing? I'm gonna go with yes, she can. Here's a ballad abt encouraging ppl and letting them they're loved. Like I said above, this does continue the storyline from "Crumbs." Only, this time, we're back in the real world. So Rebecca's wearing casual clothes instead of the fetish-inspired fit from the other video.
No trigger/content warnings.
Trust (Oct. 2024)
There I was last Friday, chilling out, when YT notified me that Rebecca Black had a NEW tune! And, listen, I'm biased as hell, but there's no way anyone can't say this song is not A BOP AND HALF!!! Especially since it's meant to get you to dance your heart out (or, at the v. least, sway to if you've got no rhythm). Rebecca sounds great.
The MV is a riot from the v. beginning. Here she's (metaphorically) staring back at all of the judgment she's gone thru for over a decade; various folks bring out all of the usual commentary abt her; she's being tried for her many "crimes". And yet, she gotta say her piece.
So she starts wildin' until her point is made...and then she declares herself "guilty". I always chuckle when she winks at the camera. Obviously, she's in on the joke but, at the same time, she's (AFAIK) not here to try to appeal to anyone (as in "begging them to give her a chance.") She's simply gonna keep on keeping on and you either get with her or not. Also, yays for her signature bedazzled chainsaw being in the MV.
Some parts of the MV reminded me of Lady Gaga's "Papparazzi" MV. Erm, minus the murder bits. XD
Trigger warnings: HEAVY strobe light usage during the first minute or so of the MV and also in some clips toward the end.
Out of all of SHINee's members, Onew is the one whose solo works have been my faves. Like, I was v. much on the fence abt his previous mini (Circle), but it eventually won me over, heheh. (For any Shawol out there, Key's my second fave w/r/t to his solo stuff (although both Good and Great + The Pleasure Shop have been misses. :((((.) After him, it's between Taemin and the Eternal Member in 3rd place. Unfortch for me, Minho's solo music hasn't been my cuppa (except for "Heartbreak").)
ANYWAYS, after a long hiatus due to health issues, Onew returned looking foxier, mellower. He dropped Flow back in early September. Aside from getting his health back, Onew's current approach to his career has been v. interesting. He signed with a new agency for all of his solo work (though he remains with SME for group stuff) AND he chose to not attend music shows to promote the title track and album. Instead, he's done some choice appearances at v. specific web series as well as live performances at festivals. NGL, it's been a total delight to see him back AND resetting his boundaries.
"Beat drum" is the lead single and wow, TALK ABT A COMEBACK SONG! From the bouncy melody, to his sweet voice and... ONEW RAPPING? YES, CHILD, HE'S RAPPING IN THIS SONG! It's a perfect tune to start the day with, NGL.
Simple yet so effective.
Behold the dance practice:
A performance MV so you can appreciate the dancing:
And, finally, here he is singing alongside a live band:
ANYWAYS, after a long hiatus due to health issues, Onew returned looking foxier, mellower. He dropped Flow back in early September. Aside from getting his health back, Onew's current approach to his career has been v. interesting. He signed with a new agency for all of his solo work (though he remains with SME for group stuff) AND he chose to not attend music shows to promote the title track and album. Instead, he's done some choice appearances at v. specific web series as well as live performances at festivals. NGL, it's been a total delight to see him back AND resetting his boundaries.
"Beat drum" is the lead single and wow, TALK ABT A COMEBACK SONG! From the bouncy melody, to his sweet voice and... ONEW RAPPING? YES, CHILD, HE'S RAPPING IN THIS SONG! It's a perfect tune to start the day with, NGL.
Simple yet so effective.
Behold the dance practice:
A performance MV so you can appreciate the dancing:
And, finally, here he is singing alongside a live band:
So, as promised, Jin released a whole new MV (which he calls a "Special Video") for the 2024 version of "Super Tuna". It's even cheesier and WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY JOYFUL than the 2022 MV. I love it lots. It'll make you smile for realsies.
Dear Podficcer Letter 2024
Sep. 23rd, 2024 11:22 amHi ya!!!
I’m excited to listen to your voice. Something tells me that your gift will be superfab!
General info
I am only interested in shippy, i.e. romantic, stories.
If you go down the porny route, I’m way more into Porn with Plot and/or Porn with Feelings vs. Porn Without Plot. The idea of seeing how the characters feel about their needs and desires and communicate all of that to their partner(s) is hella fascinating to me. Also, people being goofy and/or laughing while having sex is awesome. I find super SRS BIZNESS sex scenes very meh.
Having said all that, although I do prefer Explicit stories, it’s totally okay if you want to stay at a G or PG level, i.e. fade-to-black intimate scenes or have the characters kiss/makeout only. I enjoy when characters show their affection with physical acts as well as being supportive. That also goes for dynamics between characters who are solely friends. So, hugs, hand holding, and the like are A+ in my book.
Do you want to add music to the podfic(s) or any kind of special audio f/x? Go for it! No worries if you don’t want to either!
Finally, even though I have blanket permission, this is the one time I don’t want to receive a podfic of my fics (even as a treat.) If you have any questions, you can ping the mods to communicate with me. As long as you avoid my DNWs, I am sure that I’ll like whatever you end up creating. :D
Kpop RPF (BTS)
This is my main fandom.
I’m crossing all fingers and toes in the hope you choose fic(s) among the many wonderful ones that exist in this fandom. ;________;
My two biases are Yoongi and Taehyung, so I’ll be more <3___<3 if either or both are a part of the main ship.
Shipwise, I LURVE Taegi (Yoongi/Taehyung), Taegimin (Taehyung/Yoongi/Jimin), and Sugakookie (Yoongi/Jungkook). At the same time, no one does it like Vmin (Taehyung/Jimin), Yoonmin (Yoongi/Jimin) or Namgi (Namjoon/Yoongi). But if you happen to find a NamJin (Namjoon/Seokjin) or a JinKook (Seokjin/Jungkook) fic that you think I’d enjoy listening to, don’t let me stop you from recording it! Same goes for any OT3+ combo up to and including OT7 since, as you can see, I sure love these guys.
That said, I can run v. hot-and-cold when it comes to Hobi-centric stories, so if you’re inspired to record a fic featuring Hobi as part of the ship, I suggest going for rapline (Yoongi/Hobi/RM) or VHope (Taehyung/Hobi) fics.
Part of what drew me into this fandom was the bond between all 7 guys, just to give you a heads’ up. So stories about the 7 as friends are always greatness. ;)
BTW, I’m A-OK with post-disbandment fic as long as the story’s ending is a happy one. Same goes for enlistment and post-enlistment fics. I don’t mind them, but happy endings only. Meaning NO conflicts or estrangement between the members by the end of the story.
I’m not at all comfortable with fics in which the guys aren’t native-born Koreans. Same goes for fics set in countries other than Korea (aside from touring).
Clarification:
Premise A: The story’s about BTS touring the UK. Hotel shenanigans happen –- I’m A-OK with this.
Premise B: Jungkook was born in (any USian city). Now that he’s at (USian university), he meets Namjoon, Hoseok, etc. –- This story is NOT for me.
When in doubt, go for stories set in Korea OR, if not possible, then set in a nondescript city or even outer space.
Legally Blonde
Ah, this is a blast from the past. Deffo one of the movies I’ve rewatched a ton of times. I really like how Elle Woods was a kind person throughout the story; that she reveled in her idea of femininity without putting other women down. Also her female friendships!
That said, my ONLY interest shipwise is Elle Woods/Vivian Kensington. It’s a typical Enemies to Friends set up , what’s not to love? As awesome as Emmett is, I like stories in which Elle and Vivian end up together.
As for things to avoid, I’d say Legally Blonde 2 (it’s fine, but the first movie’s my fave) and the musical (which I know is good, but it also goes into other side stories, etc.) Stick to stories for the first movie only, please.
Big Eden
ANOTHER old skool fandom! And a tiny one at that! Here, I love the canon ship (Pike Dexter/Henry Hart). My interest fanworks-wise is with post-canon stories. What happens after the movie is over?
I know that the bulk of the stories in this fandom tend to be chill and introspective (just like the movie), and I’m fine with that.
My one DNW here is any story in which Dean Stewart has an important role. I detest that character!
FAVE TROPES!!!
Families of choice
Porn (especially when the story has lots of sensory details)
Kinkfic (D/s, kink discovery and exploration, edging, orgasm control, and consensual somnophilia are some of my bulletproof faves)
Failboats in love
Most AUs (I’ve pointed out the ones I don’t like in my DNWs)
Gentle!dom
Tentacles
Banter
Soulbonds
Established couple brings in a third
Crackfic
Self-cest
Enemies-to-friends-to-Lovers
Sugar Daddy/Sugar Baby (accidental or not)
Praise kink
Trope inversions (example: two people without soulmarks fall in love in a soulbond AU)
Competence kink
**SQUICKS/DNWs**
Anything Covid-19 and/or Pandemic related (including quarantine and lockdowns)
Noncon
Cheating (Emotional or physical partner betrayal)
Incest (including between cousins, foster, and stepsiblings)
Jealousy
Hanahaki disease
Filk
Excessive crying (some tears are fine, but if the characters keep crying every other paragraph,I do get annoyed.)
Deathfic, i.e. Major Character Death
Character bashing
Heavy angst (A reasonable amount of conflict is welcomed. What I’m referring to here are stories in which the characters suffer for 95% of the time.)
Unhappy endings
Cannibalism
Bullying (especially if it’s presented as a romance trope)
Animal Harm
Open/Ambiguous endings
Poetry
First or Second person POV
Underage
Any fic with the Dead Dove: Do Not Eat tag
Kink NOPES
Bestiality (including in fantasy settings)
Sounding
Cuckolding
Age play (sexual and non)
Vore
Waterports or any other bodily fluid-based kink. (Comeplay is A-OK, anything else is a nope.)
CNC
Enemas
*Please AVOID these AUs*
HYYH-centric (this is a canonical BTS AU)
Apocalypse
Exes get back together
Zombies
Horror
Gaming AUs (especially Overwatch)
D&D and any other kind of tabletop roleplaying game
Sport!fic (but especially hockey)
High school
Coffee shop
De-aging
Characters are any of the following: serial killer, ghost, ghosthunter, a cop, doctor, nurse, rock star and/or part of a rock band.
Characters have a romance, FWB or other kind of relationship with a cop
Sex Pollen
Catholic AUs (including demons, angels, and priests)
Omegaverse (I do love this trope, but I’m also v. particular about it, so I’m erring on the side of caution and including it here.)
Slavefic
Fuck or Die
Harry Potter and/or Hogwarts settings
Reader/character(s)
Teacher/Student
Boss/Employee
Hospitals and mental institutions
Weddings
Christmas (it’s okay-ish if a fic is set in December but please, please no ‘magic of Christmas’/discovery about the 'spirit of Christmas’ and fics of that vein).
I’m excited to listen to your voice. Something tells me that your gift will be superfab!
General info
I am only interested in shippy, i.e. romantic, stories.
If you go down the porny route, I’m way more into Porn with Plot and/or Porn with Feelings vs. Porn Without Plot. The idea of seeing how the characters feel about their needs and desires and communicate all of that to their partner(s) is hella fascinating to me. Also, people being goofy and/or laughing while having sex is awesome. I find super SRS BIZNESS sex scenes very meh.
Having said all that, although I do prefer Explicit stories, it’s totally okay if you want to stay at a G or PG level, i.e. fade-to-black intimate scenes or have the characters kiss/makeout only. I enjoy when characters show their affection with physical acts as well as being supportive. That also goes for dynamics between characters who are solely friends. So, hugs, hand holding, and the like are A+ in my book.
Do you want to add music to the podfic(s) or any kind of special audio f/x? Go for it! No worries if you don’t want to either!
Finally, even though I have blanket permission, this is the one time I don’t want to receive a podfic of my fics (even as a treat.) If you have any questions, you can ping the mods to communicate with me. As long as you avoid my DNWs, I am sure that I’ll like whatever you end up creating. :D
Kpop RPF (BTS)
This is my main fandom.
I’m crossing all fingers and toes in the hope you choose fic(s) among the many wonderful ones that exist in this fandom. ;________;
My two biases are Yoongi and Taehyung, so I’ll be more <3___<3 if either or both are a part of the main ship.
Shipwise, I LURVE Taegi (Yoongi/Taehyung), Taegimin (Taehyung/Yoongi/Jimin), and Sugakookie (Yoongi/Jungkook). At the same time, no one does it like Vmin (Taehyung/Jimin), Yoonmin (Yoongi/Jimin) or Namgi (Namjoon/Yoongi). But if you happen to find a NamJin (Namjoon/Seokjin) or a JinKook (Seokjin/Jungkook) fic that you think I’d enjoy listening to, don’t let me stop you from recording it! Same goes for any OT3+ combo up to and including OT7 since, as you can see, I sure love these guys.
That said, I can run v. hot-and-cold when it comes to Hobi-centric stories, so if you’re inspired to record a fic featuring Hobi as part of the ship, I suggest going for rapline (Yoongi/Hobi/RM) or VHope (Taehyung/Hobi) fics.
Part of what drew me into this fandom was the bond between all 7 guys, just to give you a heads’ up. So stories about the 7 as friends are always greatness. ;)
BTW, I’m A-OK with post-disbandment fic as long as the story’s ending is a happy one. Same goes for enlistment and post-enlistment fics. I don’t mind them, but happy endings only. Meaning NO conflicts or estrangement between the members by the end of the story.
I’m not at all comfortable with fics in which the guys aren’t native-born Koreans. Same goes for fics set in countries other than Korea (aside from touring).
Clarification:
Premise A: The story’s about BTS touring the UK. Hotel shenanigans happen –- I’m A-OK with this.
Premise B: Jungkook was born in (any USian city). Now that he’s at (USian university), he meets Namjoon, Hoseok, etc. –- This story is NOT for me.
When in doubt, go for stories set in Korea OR, if not possible, then set in a nondescript city or even outer space.
Legally Blonde
Ah, this is a blast from the past. Deffo one of the movies I’ve rewatched a ton of times. I really like how Elle Woods was a kind person throughout the story; that she reveled in her idea of femininity without putting other women down. Also her female friendships!
That said, my ONLY interest shipwise is Elle Woods/Vivian Kensington. It’s a typical Enemies to Friends set up , what’s not to love? As awesome as Emmett is, I like stories in which Elle and Vivian end up together.
As for things to avoid, I’d say Legally Blonde 2 (it’s fine, but the first movie’s my fave) and the musical (which I know is good, but it also goes into other side stories, etc.) Stick to stories for the first movie only, please.
Big Eden
ANOTHER old skool fandom! And a tiny one at that! Here, I love the canon ship (Pike Dexter/Henry Hart). My interest fanworks-wise is with post-canon stories. What happens after the movie is over?
I know that the bulk of the stories in this fandom tend to be chill and introspective (just like the movie), and I’m fine with that.
My one DNW here is any story in which Dean Stewart has an important role. I detest that character!
FAVE TROPES!!!
Families of choice
Porn (especially when the story has lots of sensory details)
Kinkfic (D/s, kink discovery and exploration, edging, orgasm control, and consensual somnophilia are some of my bulletproof faves)
Failboats in love
Most AUs (I’ve pointed out the ones I don’t like in my DNWs)
Gentle!dom
Tentacles
Banter
Soulbonds
Established couple brings in a third
Crackfic
Self-cest
Enemies-to-friends-to-Lovers
Sugar Daddy/Sugar Baby (accidental or not)
Praise kink
Trope inversions (example: two people without soulmarks fall in love in a soulbond AU)
Competence kink
**SQUICKS/DNWs**
Anything Covid-19 and/or Pandemic related (including quarantine and lockdowns)
Noncon
Cheating (Emotional or physical partner betrayal)
Incest (including between cousins, foster, and stepsiblings)
Jealousy
Hanahaki disease
Filk
Excessive crying (some tears are fine, but if the characters keep crying every other paragraph,I do get annoyed.)
Deathfic, i.e. Major Character Death
Character bashing
Heavy angst (A reasonable amount of conflict is welcomed. What I’m referring to here are stories in which the characters suffer for 95% of the time.)
Unhappy endings
Cannibalism
Bullying (especially if it’s presented as a romance trope)
Animal Harm
Open/Ambiguous endings
Poetry
First or Second person POV
Underage
Any fic with the Dead Dove: Do Not Eat tag
Kink NOPES
Bestiality (including in fantasy settings)
Sounding
Cuckolding
Age play (sexual and non)
Vore
Waterports or any other bodily fluid-based kink. (Comeplay is A-OK, anything else is a nope.)
CNC
Enemas
*Please AVOID these AUs*
HYYH-centric (this is a canonical BTS AU)
Apocalypse
Exes get back together
Zombies
Horror
Gaming AUs (especially Overwatch)
D&D and any other kind of tabletop roleplaying game
Sport!fic (but especially hockey)
High school
Coffee shop
De-aging
Characters are any of the following: serial killer, ghost, ghosthunter, a cop, doctor, nurse, rock star and/or part of a rock band.
Characters have a romance, FWB or other kind of relationship with a cop
Sex Pollen
Catholic AUs (including demons, angels, and priests)
Omegaverse (I do love this trope, but I’m also v. particular about it, so I’m erring on the side of caution and including it here.)
Slavefic
Fuck or Die
Harry Potter and/or Hogwarts settings
Reader/character(s)
Teacher/Student
Boss/Employee
Hospitals and mental institutions
Weddings
Christmas (it’s okay-ish if a fic is set in December but please, please no ‘magic of Christmas’/discovery about the 'spirit of Christmas’ and fics of that vein).
All right, so before I begin, I gotta point out that I'll be talking abt 3 out of the 8 known film adaptations of Rebecca.
Even though I've searched everywhere, I was only able to watch the first 3 or so minutes of the 1962 version starring James Mason as Maxim de Winter. This one was part of a TV anthology thing. I gotta say I wasn't super impressed with the set up (which changed the setting from Monte Carlo to a cruise ship on its way to England.) Also, it summarized the entire first third of the story, i.e. the Second Mrs. de Winter and Maxim's courtship.
There's a 1966 Turkish movie called Kıskanç Kadın that I have no access to (without getting a subscription to a streaming site. Which, like, no, thanks, LOL. I'm not THAT invested.)
Another version is an Italian, 2-part miniseries called Rebecca, la prima moglie that's abt 2 and a half hours long. Unfortch for me, the only version I've been able to find has Italian and Russian subtitles. I don't know either language so there we are.
Additionally, there's a 2009 Pakistani drama called Noorpur Ki Rani that is inspired by the novel. That one is abt 23 episodes total. What I have read abt it feels like it's far removed from the source material, IMO.
Finally, I'm ignoring the 2020 Netflix adaptation with meh (imo) actress Lily James as the Second Mrs. de Winter, POS bitchass armie hammer as Maxim de Winter, and starring Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers. I was beyond unimpressed when I watched the trailer four years ago. Also, the clips (of v. important scenes) that Netflix uploaded to garner interest in that mess were pure mediocrity.
FTR, I also did read the book sometime ago. IMHO, I prefer the adaptations over the novel (which I found kinda boring.)
* 1940 version
Famously directed by Alfred Hitchcock, with Lawrence Olivier as Maxim de Winter, Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers, and Joan Fontaine as the Second Mrs. de Winter. This film works on EVERY level. The plot, pacing, cinematography, acting, and casting are superb. It's also a highly entertaining movie that delivers suspense and DRAHMAHZ in equal parts.I feel it's a near perfect movie as far as I'm concerned.
The relationship between Maxim and the Second Mrs. de Winter is enjoyable because neither the viewer nor the Second Mrs. de Winter herself are privy to how Maxim REALLY feels abt Rebecca vs. the Second Mrs. de Winter until a scene late in the film. That uncertainty abt whether Maxim actually likes the Second Mrs. de Winter or if he's just using her to get over Rebecca is extremely well done.
On top of that, Judith Anderson's Mrs. Danvers is quite fearsome during her 1-on-1 scenes with the Second Mrs. de Winter. Their interactions are always off-balance. Mrs. Danvers is v. SRS BIZNESS abt the job of exalting Rebecca's (alleged) amazingness.
George Sanders as Jack Favel has a weirdly enticing mix of swarminess and cosmopolitan appeal that I find super amusing, IDK.
Do I have some critiques?
Maybe here and there. The ending is a little abrupt, imo. Like, certain problems have been resolved, but there are plenty of things still left hanging.
Is it worth watching?
Hell yeah! I think it's pretty accessible (at least in the US) since it's part of TCM's usual rotation. I've also seen it on all kinds of streaming sites (including YouTube) for free. It's a worthwhile movie, v. solid from beginning to end. I've watched it a lot of times throughout the years and have had a blast every single time. I'm giving it a 4.8 out of 5.
* The 1979 version
The BBC released a 4-episode miniseries that totals around 3 and 1/2 hours. Joanna David is the Second Mrs. de Winter, Anna Massery is Mrs. Danvers, and Jeremy Brett stars as Maxim de Winter.
Now, *sighs*, I'm at such odds with this version…
On the positive side, it has a long enough running time that certain scenes and characters have enough space to develop. Frex, there's a bit more of Mrs. Danvers and Beatrice (Maxim's sister). So, if you've watched the 1940 version and were left wanting for more, this version has ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD to touch upon everything.
One interesting moment is when the Second Mrs. de Winter calls Maxim out for constantly infantilizing her and minimizing her v. valid concerns abt classism. Maxim is taken aback and, to a certain degree, it's clear that he tries to correct himself from continuing to do that.
I also feel that Jeremy Brett as Maxim de Winter is abt 200 echelons below Lawrence Olivier. He's really good when the story requires him to be broody and snobbish. However, Brett's Maxim tends to snap a lot more often and is somewhat unrepentant abt his temper in a way that the other Maxim de Winters aren't. So, for the purpose of the story, he only really fits in with abt 50% of the plot. YMMV, etc.
Do I have some critiques?
I got a whole list...
1. The pacing - Since there's so much time, whether you watch it episode by episode or a full-run edit, this version drags quite often.
2. Jeremy Brett - As good as he is portraying the aloofness in Maxim de Winter's public persona, I never got the sense there was more beyond that. Even when he's supposed to be emotional, he still has this overall coldness that makes him unappealing as a romantic character.
3. The lack of chemistry between the leads - There are a few scenes where Brett and David are exchanging "I love yous" while kissing each other and there's ZERO PASSION or sweetness. I'd go as far as to say that this version of Maxim and the Second Mrs. de Winter were actually never compatible. This frustrated me cuz the series demands the viewer to believe that they have a "true love" type of thing going on, but… Hmm, they generate as much emotion as a pair of glasses next to a coffee maker, LOL.
4. Joanna David - She's pretty good in the first two episodes while portraying the more insecure/mousy aspects of the Second Mrs. de Winter. But, during the second half of the story, when she's supposed to establish her presence in Manderley and solidify her bond with Maxim, she's not as convincing. At least not the way I've seen in other versions.
IDK, her whole presentation as the Second Mrs. de Winter is a combination of a wet blanket and a doormat. Or maybe a wet doormat? IDK.
5. Anne Massey - There's a sense that this Mrs. Danvers is hella obsessed with Rebecca and that's abt it? IIRC, it's not clear if she's in love or sexually attracted to her, so one has to just "go with the vibes", I guess. Also, she's not AS menacing as Judith Anderson was in the 1940 movie.
6. The gross CA and racism - I have NO idea why, but during the Manderley costume ball, there's a secondary character who is wearing brownface. It's v., v. obvious and, I gotta admit, distracting because of how blatant it is.
Also, there's one white female extra dressed as a Native American plus another male extra that's wearing blackface. Neither of them have speaking parts, but they do pop up here and there in the background.:|
7. Finally, the sets look cheap and I'm not a fan of the cinematography either.
Is it worth watching?
I mean, if you're a fan of Jeremy Brett OR if you've only watched him as Sherlock Holmes, this might be a treat. Also, if you're a fan of the book, this is a more faithful adaptation of the novel than the 1940 film.
As for myself, I first watched this around 5 yrs ago and then, once again this year for this post. FWIW, I don't foresee myself rewatching it in the future. I'm giving this one a 1.5 out of 5.
* The 1997 version
I first watched this on PBS when it aired there. It's a 2-episode miniseries totaling 3 hours. Emilia Fox is the Second Mrs. de Winter, Charles Dance is Maxim de Winter, and Dame Dianna Rigg stars as Mrs. Danvers.
Oh, and Faye Dunaway is Mrs. Van Hopper (the Second Mrs. de Winter's former employer). It was so random that my first thought was "what the hell is Faye Dunaway doing here?". I legit haven't seen her in anything for a long, long time.
This version is a happy medium between the highlights from the 1940 version and the thoroughness (in terms of plot) found in the 1979 version. There's a lot more Second Mrs. de Winter/Maxim scenes in Monte Carlo for one. It's pretty good in setting up the reason why they ended up together, how much they like each other, etc.
Charles Dance is an EXCELLENT Maxim de Winter. He carries the aloofness that's needed yet, at the same time, is warmer than Jeremy Brett and not as whiny as Lawrence Olivier, LOL.
Emilia Fox is aaaaalmost as good as Joan Fontaine. She's not AS naive as Joan was in the 1940 movie, BUT she has more personality than Joanna David had in the 1979 adaptation.
(Fun fact: Joanna David is Emilia Fox's mom IRL.)
The 1997 series does present a more accurate version of the book characters too. Frex, there's an obvious age gap between Maxim and the Second Mrs. de Winter. In the book, Maxim is 42 and the Second Mrs. de Winter is in her v. early 20s. Emilia Fox was 23 years old in this series, Charles Dance was 51.
(For contrast, in the 1940 version, Joan Fontaine was 23 while Lawrence Olivier was 33. (🙄). Olivier had enough makeup and hair styling to age him up. His portrayal also benefited plenty from the black & white cinematography in addition to his own impressive acting talent. He did project an aura of being way older than Joan Fontaine.
Meanwhile, in the 1979 version, Joanna David was 32 and Jeremy Brett was 46.)
ANYWAYS, Fox and Dance have a TON of chemistry. To the point that there are several scenes of them making out and in bed (with her being topless. Surprise boobs, y'all.) It's clear that they're in love and in lust. This is both a good AND a bad thing. I'll explain why in the critiques section.
Dame Dianna Rigg is not AS creepy as Judith Anderson was, but she's deffo better than Anne Massey. IMO, aside from her obsession with Rebecca, It's not clear what her true feelings for Rebecca are. Back when I first watched this series, I felt it was romantic. After rewatching it, I feel it's more maternal. IDK. Regardless, it was intense, weird, and it worked.
The pacing is good and the sets are classier too. Oh, and the ending is really good in how it has a softer landing that wraps the story up in a satisfying way.
Fun fact: this is the one version where Rebecca appears in flashbacks. The camera shows her eyes and mouth. There's a scene that's shot from far away that shows her face, but it's blurry. Plus there are two scenes that show Maxim's convos with Rebecca. These are good stylistic choices that made this production stand out.
Do I have some critiques?
Yeppers, I actually do.
1. Back when I mentioned that Maxim/the Second Mrs. de Winter are IN LURVE, they're also way more communicative than their 1940 and 1979 counterparts. Maxim is v. aware of his faults and asks for forgiveness in a way I didn't see the other Maxims do. Meanwhile, the Second Mrs. de Winter is more confident than the other versions.
The problem is that it makes a lot of the conflicts between them moot. Their arguments feel v. staged because they've been getting along so well. Frex, the Second Mrs. de Winter's worries abt Maxim/Rebecca vs. herself/Maxim feel unsubstantiated. I blame the direction here since those scenes are part of the novel.
2. This version is way less dramatique than the 1940 version. That's a minus for me, but it might not bother other folks.
One instance is during the big reveal that has to do with the realities of Maxim and Rebecca's whole marriage.
In the 1940 version, there's a scene in which the Second Mrs. de Winter keeps pushing Maxim to 'admit that he's been in love with Rebecca this entire time'.
Maxim stiffens up and replies: "You thought I loved Rebecca? You thought that? I HATED HER!".
And it's SUCH a shock cuz EVERYTHING THE SECOND MRS DE WINTER AND THE VIEWERS thought abt Maxim's relationship with Rebecca was wrong. NGL, Olivier acts the fuck out of that moment. Hell, he's great during that entire sequence.
MOVING ON.
When that scene happens in the 1997 version, Charles Dance says the same lines, but it's almost a throwaway comment. I was let down, NGL.
(FTR, in the 1979 version, it's pretty ridiculous because Jeremy Brett can't make that scene feel real. IDEK, y'all.)
/END OF SPOILER/
3. I never felt any gothic vibesss in this version. Dame Diana Rigg did bring some of the spookiness cuz she's that great of an actress. And there was some camerawork (whenever the story had to focus on Mrs. Danvers) that helped a little. Howevah, it wasn't enough to bring it to the level of the 1940 version.
Is it worth watching? Yes. Although it's not as awesome as the 1940 film, it's way above the 1979 version. Also, if you've only watched Charles Dance and Dame Dianna Rigg in Game of Thrones, they're really good here too. I'm giving this one a 3.5 out of 5
My current ranking:
1.1940 movie in first place - Tremendously entertaining. A true classic.
2 1997 miniseries in second place - Good all throughout.
3.1979 miniseries - all the way at the bottom. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Despite the latter two adaptations being more in tune with the novel, it's interesting that none of the versions are super faithful to the canon w/r/t something that is another really big spoiler
The manner of Rebecca's death.
In the 1940 film, Maxim tells the Second Mrs. de Winter that he and Rebecca had a v. tense argument that culminated in a struggle. Rebecca trips, falls, hits her head against a ship's tackle, and dies. This is different from the novel. Though, like the other Maxims, he does hide her body, stresses out abt anyone finding out his marriage to Rebecca was a sham, etc.
The 1979 series does follow the events of the novel. Maxim shows up at the seaside cottage all pent up abt Rebecca's dalliances, has an argument with her, and shoots her.
No idea why, but the 1997 series goes a little into OTT territory. Maxim goes to the cottage, has a back-and-forth with Rebecca, he loses his temper, and ends up strangling her.
Out of the three, Charles Dance is the least remorseful abt the murder (he even says so!). Emily Fox lacked a bit of the range she needed to display how conflicted the Second Mrs. de Winter had to be feeling abt this frank of a confession. Even wilder (considering what her husband just told her) is that the v. next scene is of them in bed post-coitus. Okay, then!
In the 1979 version, Jeremy Brett seems to feel guilty, but it's not specified whether it's abt Rebecca, acknowledging that he'd been fooled by her, the marriage or something else. What makes it weirder is that the Second Mrs. de Winter's reaction is muted, though she bounces back quickly.
Lawrence Olivier makes it v. clear that Maxim feels horrendously guilty abt Rebecca's death even though, technically, it was an accident. The way that Joan Fontaine plays the Second Mrs. de Winter's reaction to the confession is a bit lulzy as she goes from a brief moment of shock to sheer happiness.
She's SO relieved that Maxim never loved Rebecca so I guess everything's fine. 🙃
/END OF SPOILER/
Even though I've searched everywhere, I was only able to watch the first 3 or so minutes of the 1962 version starring James Mason as Maxim de Winter. This one was part of a TV anthology thing. I gotta say I wasn't super impressed with the set up (which changed the setting from Monte Carlo to a cruise ship on its way to England.) Also, it summarized the entire first third of the story, i.e. the Second Mrs. de Winter and Maxim's courtship.
There's a 1966 Turkish movie called Kıskanç Kadın that I have no access to (without getting a subscription to a streaming site. Which, like, no, thanks, LOL. I'm not THAT invested.)
Another version is an Italian, 2-part miniseries called Rebecca, la prima moglie that's abt 2 and a half hours long. Unfortch for me, the only version I've been able to find has Italian and Russian subtitles. I don't know either language so there we are.
Additionally, there's a 2009 Pakistani drama called Noorpur Ki Rani that is inspired by the novel. That one is abt 23 episodes total. What I have read abt it feels like it's far removed from the source material, IMO.
Finally, I'm ignoring the 2020 Netflix adaptation with meh (imo) actress Lily James as the Second Mrs. de Winter, POS bitchass armie hammer as Maxim de Winter, and starring Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers. I was beyond unimpressed when I watched the trailer four years ago. Also, the clips (of v. important scenes) that Netflix uploaded to garner interest in that mess were pure mediocrity.
FTR, I also did read the book sometime ago. IMHO, I prefer the adaptations over the novel (which I found kinda boring.)
* 1940 version
Famously directed by Alfred Hitchcock, with Lawrence Olivier as Maxim de Winter, Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers, and Joan Fontaine as the Second Mrs. de Winter. This film works on EVERY level. The plot, pacing, cinematography, acting, and casting are superb. It's also a highly entertaining movie that delivers suspense and DRAHMAHZ in equal parts.I feel it's a near perfect movie as far as I'm concerned.
The relationship between Maxim and the Second Mrs. de Winter is enjoyable because neither the viewer nor the Second Mrs. de Winter herself are privy to how Maxim REALLY feels abt Rebecca vs. the Second Mrs. de Winter until a scene late in the film. That uncertainty abt whether Maxim actually likes the Second Mrs. de Winter or if he's just using her to get over Rebecca is extremely well done.
On top of that, Judith Anderson's Mrs. Danvers is quite fearsome during her 1-on-1 scenes with the Second Mrs. de Winter. Their interactions are always off-balance. Mrs. Danvers is v. SRS BIZNESS abt the job of exalting Rebecca's (alleged) amazingness.
George Sanders as Jack Favel has a weirdly enticing mix of swarminess and cosmopolitan appeal that I find super amusing, IDK.
Do I have some critiques?
Maybe here and there. The ending is a little abrupt, imo. Like, certain problems have been resolved, but there are plenty of things still left hanging.
Is it worth watching?
Hell yeah! I think it's pretty accessible (at least in the US) since it's part of TCM's usual rotation. I've also seen it on all kinds of streaming sites (including YouTube) for free. It's a worthwhile movie, v. solid from beginning to end. I've watched it a lot of times throughout the years and have had a blast every single time. I'm giving it a 4.8 out of 5.
* The 1979 version
The BBC released a 4-episode miniseries that totals around 3 and 1/2 hours. Joanna David is the Second Mrs. de Winter, Anna Massery is Mrs. Danvers, and Jeremy Brett stars as Maxim de Winter.
Now, *sighs*, I'm at such odds with this version…
On the positive side, it has a long enough running time that certain scenes and characters have enough space to develop. Frex, there's a bit more of Mrs. Danvers and Beatrice (Maxim's sister). So, if you've watched the 1940 version and were left wanting for more, this version has ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD to touch upon everything.
One interesting moment is when the Second Mrs. de Winter calls Maxim out for constantly infantilizing her and minimizing her v. valid concerns abt classism. Maxim is taken aback and, to a certain degree, it's clear that he tries to correct himself from continuing to do that.
I also feel that Jeremy Brett as Maxim de Winter is abt 200 echelons below Lawrence Olivier. He's really good when the story requires him to be broody and snobbish. However, Brett's Maxim tends to snap a lot more often and is somewhat unrepentant abt his temper in a way that the other Maxim de Winters aren't. So, for the purpose of the story, he only really fits in with abt 50% of the plot. YMMV, etc.
Do I have some critiques?
I got a whole list...
1. The pacing - Since there's so much time, whether you watch it episode by episode or a full-run edit, this version drags quite often.
2. Jeremy Brett - As good as he is portraying the aloofness in Maxim de Winter's public persona, I never got the sense there was more beyond that. Even when he's supposed to be emotional, he still has this overall coldness that makes him unappealing as a romantic character.
3. The lack of chemistry between the leads - There are a few scenes where Brett and David are exchanging "I love yous" while kissing each other and there's ZERO PASSION or sweetness. I'd go as far as to say that this version of Maxim and the Second Mrs. de Winter were actually never compatible. This frustrated me cuz the series demands the viewer to believe that they have a "true love" type of thing going on, but… Hmm, they generate as much emotion as a pair of glasses next to a coffee maker, LOL.
4. Joanna David - She's pretty good in the first two episodes while portraying the more insecure/mousy aspects of the Second Mrs. de Winter. But, during the second half of the story, when she's supposed to establish her presence in Manderley and solidify her bond with Maxim, she's not as convincing. At least not the way I've seen in other versions.
IDK, her whole presentation as the Second Mrs. de Winter is a combination of a wet blanket and a doormat. Or maybe a wet doormat? IDK.
5. Anne Massey - There's a sense that this Mrs. Danvers is hella obsessed with Rebecca and that's abt it? IIRC, it's not clear if she's in love or sexually attracted to her, so one has to just "go with the vibes", I guess. Also, she's not AS menacing as Judith Anderson was in the 1940 movie.
6. The gross CA and racism - I have NO idea why, but during the Manderley costume ball, there's a secondary character who is wearing brownface. It's v., v. obvious and, I gotta admit, distracting because of how blatant it is.
Also, there's one white female extra dressed as a Native American plus another male extra that's wearing blackface. Neither of them have speaking parts, but they do pop up here and there in the background.:|
7. Finally, the sets look cheap and I'm not a fan of the cinematography either.
Is it worth watching?
I mean, if you're a fan of Jeremy Brett OR if you've only watched him as Sherlock Holmes, this might be a treat. Also, if you're a fan of the book, this is a more faithful adaptation of the novel than the 1940 film.
As for myself, I first watched this around 5 yrs ago and then, once again this year for this post. FWIW, I don't foresee myself rewatching it in the future. I'm giving this one a 1.5 out of 5.
* The 1997 version
I first watched this on PBS when it aired there. It's a 2-episode miniseries totaling 3 hours. Emilia Fox is the Second Mrs. de Winter, Charles Dance is Maxim de Winter, and Dame Dianna Rigg stars as Mrs. Danvers.
Oh, and Faye Dunaway is Mrs. Van Hopper (the Second Mrs. de Winter's former employer). It was so random that my first thought was "what the hell is Faye Dunaway doing here?". I legit haven't seen her in anything for a long, long time.
This version is a happy medium between the highlights from the 1940 version and the thoroughness (in terms of plot) found in the 1979 version. There's a lot more Second Mrs. de Winter/Maxim scenes in Monte Carlo for one. It's pretty good in setting up the reason why they ended up together, how much they like each other, etc.
Charles Dance is an EXCELLENT Maxim de Winter. He carries the aloofness that's needed yet, at the same time, is warmer than Jeremy Brett and not as whiny as Lawrence Olivier, LOL.
Emilia Fox is aaaaalmost as good as Joan Fontaine. She's not AS naive as Joan was in the 1940 movie, BUT she has more personality than Joanna David had in the 1979 adaptation.
(Fun fact: Joanna David is Emilia Fox's mom IRL.)
The 1997 series does present a more accurate version of the book characters too. Frex, there's an obvious age gap between Maxim and the Second Mrs. de Winter. In the book, Maxim is 42 and the Second Mrs. de Winter is in her v. early 20s. Emilia Fox was 23 years old in this series, Charles Dance was 51.
(For contrast, in the 1940 version, Joan Fontaine was 23 while Lawrence Olivier was 33. (🙄). Olivier had enough makeup and hair styling to age him up. His portrayal also benefited plenty from the black & white cinematography in addition to his own impressive acting talent. He did project an aura of being way older than Joan Fontaine.
Meanwhile, in the 1979 version, Joanna David was 32 and Jeremy Brett was 46.)
ANYWAYS, Fox and Dance have a TON of chemistry. To the point that there are several scenes of them making out and in bed (with her being topless. Surprise boobs, y'all.) It's clear that they're in love and in lust. This is both a good AND a bad thing. I'll explain why in the critiques section.
Dame Dianna Rigg is not AS creepy as Judith Anderson was, but she's deffo better than Anne Massey. IMO, aside from her obsession with Rebecca, It's not clear what her true feelings for Rebecca are. Back when I first watched this series, I felt it was romantic. After rewatching it, I feel it's more maternal. IDK. Regardless, it was intense, weird, and it worked.
The pacing is good and the sets are classier too. Oh, and the ending is really good in how it has a softer landing that wraps the story up in a satisfying way.
Fun fact: this is the one version where Rebecca appears in flashbacks. The camera shows her eyes and mouth. There's a scene that's shot from far away that shows her face, but it's blurry. Plus there are two scenes that show Maxim's convos with Rebecca. These are good stylistic choices that made this production stand out.
Do I have some critiques?
Yeppers, I actually do.
1. Back when I mentioned that Maxim/the Second Mrs. de Winter are IN LURVE, they're also way more communicative than their 1940 and 1979 counterparts. Maxim is v. aware of his faults and asks for forgiveness in a way I didn't see the other Maxims do. Meanwhile, the Second Mrs. de Winter is more confident than the other versions.
The problem is that it makes a lot of the conflicts between them moot. Their arguments feel v. staged because they've been getting along so well. Frex, the Second Mrs. de Winter's worries abt Maxim/Rebecca vs. herself/Maxim feel unsubstantiated. I blame the direction here since those scenes are part of the novel.
2. This version is way less dramatique than the 1940 version. That's a minus for me, but it might not bother other folks.
I'M GOING TO SPOIL A HUGE THING TO BETTER EXPLAIN WHAT I MEAN
One instance is during the big reveal that has to do with the realities of Maxim and Rebecca's whole marriage.
In the 1940 version, there's a scene in which the Second Mrs. de Winter keeps pushing Maxim to 'admit that he's been in love with Rebecca this entire time'.
Maxim stiffens up and replies: "You thought I loved Rebecca? You thought that? I HATED HER!".
And it's SUCH a shock cuz EVERYTHING THE SECOND MRS DE WINTER AND THE VIEWERS thought abt Maxim's relationship with Rebecca was wrong. NGL, Olivier acts the fuck out of that moment. Hell, he's great during that entire sequence.
MOVING ON.
When that scene happens in the 1997 version, Charles Dance says the same lines, but it's almost a throwaway comment. I was let down, NGL.
(FTR, in the 1979 version, it's pretty ridiculous because Jeremy Brett can't make that scene feel real. IDEK, y'all.)
/END OF SPOILER/
3. I never felt any gothic vibesss in this version. Dame Diana Rigg did bring some of the spookiness cuz she's that great of an actress. And there was some camerawork (whenever the story had to focus on Mrs. Danvers) that helped a little. Howevah, it wasn't enough to bring it to the level of the 1940 version.
Is it worth watching? Yes. Although it's not as awesome as the 1940 film, it's way above the 1979 version. Also, if you've only watched Charles Dance and Dame Dianna Rigg in Game of Thrones, they're really good here too. I'm giving this one a 3.5 out of 5
My current ranking:
1.1940 movie in first place - Tremendously entertaining. A true classic.
2 1997 miniseries in second place - Good all throughout.
3.1979 miniseries - all the way at the bottom. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Despite the latter two adaptations being more in tune with the novel, it's interesting that none of the versions are super faithful to the canon w/r/t something that is another really big spoiler
HERE'S ANOTHER BIG SPOILER
The manner of Rebecca's death.
In the 1940 film, Maxim tells the Second Mrs. de Winter that he and Rebecca had a v. tense argument that culminated in a struggle. Rebecca trips, falls, hits her head against a ship's tackle, and dies. This is different from the novel. Though, like the other Maxims, he does hide her body, stresses out abt anyone finding out his marriage to Rebecca was a sham, etc.
The 1979 series does follow the events of the novel. Maxim shows up at the seaside cottage all pent up abt Rebecca's dalliances, has an argument with her, and shoots her.
No idea why, but the 1997 series goes a little into OTT territory. Maxim goes to the cottage, has a back-and-forth with Rebecca, he loses his temper, and ends up strangling her.
Out of the three, Charles Dance is the least remorseful abt the murder (he even says so!). Emily Fox lacked a bit of the range she needed to display how conflicted the Second Mrs. de Winter had to be feeling abt this frank of a confession. Even wilder (considering what her husband just told her) is that the v. next scene is of them in bed post-coitus. Okay, then!
In the 1979 version, Jeremy Brett seems to feel guilty, but it's not specified whether it's abt Rebecca, acknowledging that he'd been fooled by her, the marriage or something else. What makes it weirder is that the Second Mrs. de Winter's reaction is muted, though she bounces back quickly.
Lawrence Olivier makes it v. clear that Maxim feels horrendously guilty abt Rebecca's death even though, technically, it was an accident. The way that Joan Fontaine plays the Second Mrs. de Winter's reaction to the confession is a bit lulzy as she goes from a brief moment of shock to sheer happiness.
She's SO relieved that Maxim never loved Rebecca so I guess everything's fine. 🙃
/END OF SPOILER/
Kicking off my birthday month with a post abt the most unlikely of idol variety shows I've fallen mostly in love with: Seventeen's Going Seventeen (GoSe).
The show started back in 2017 as a vlog-type of thing. However, for whatever reason (I'm not THAT deep in the group's lore as I am a baby Cubic at best and not a Carat*), there was a shift into a variety show format sometime in 2019. Since then, the members do a combination of competitions, skits, and MT**. As of right now, the show has almost 240 episodes, 5 seasons total, and is still ongoing.
* Seventeen (SVT) has two fandoms: Cubics (who are fans of GoSe) and Carats (who like SVT's music in addition to GoSe). Sometimes, Cubics "graduate" into becoming Carats, sometimes they don't. Personally, I'm v. neutral abt the bulk of SVT's discography. Though the songs I do like, I actually LURVE. Both Cubics and Carats are acknowledged by the group.
** MT is an abbreviate of "membership training". This is a kind of event for (mostly) university students in which they socialize while spending 2 days at some remote-ish area.
I began hearing abt GoSe within months of getting into Kpop. Ended up checking it out this year, kinda on whim, after a close friend who's an ARMYCarat gave me a soft sell on why I'd enjoy this show. FTR, I do tend to check out the variety shows of idols whose music I enjoy. To date, aside from BTS, the only idol group whose variety show I've loved is Le Sserafim's Leniverse, and now GoSe!
Having finished 3 seasons (I watched the last episode for 2021 last night), I'm gonna do a quick-ish rundown of why I feel this is a show worth checking out. (via 13 points cuz there are 13 members, heheh)
1. I tend to always side/cheer/root for Hoshi, Dino (which was a surprise to me), Minghao | The8, Hansol | Vernon, and Jeonghan.
2. I love that Jeonghan, Joshua, and Hoshi will always go for the cheating/betrayal angle. Villain!Jeonghan is my fave.
3. At the opposite end are S.Coups (who tends to be a bit of a sore loser at times? I also feel that I don't have a clear read abt what his full public persona is 3 seasons in) and Seungkwan (I won't go too much into it, but I like him fine? He's still at the bottom of the list. Such is life.)
4. Wonwoo's been not-so-secretly awesome a lot of times. One of my fave moments for him was during the Mouse Busters ep (IYKYK)
5. Jun is sweet...but he tends to hang back a lot of the time. Kudos on the rest of the members for bringing him into activities.
6. I deffo look forward to eps in which they have action-oriented tasks (whether it's competing, cooking OR just hanging out like in each season's TTT episodes).
7. Conversely, I really, really don't vibe with eps in which they're tapping into their Theater Kid aspects, i.e. anything requiring them to do episode-long improv, skits, etc.
7.5 IF the episode I'm watching is a skit (etc), I'll skip it. Maybe I'll watch those at a much later time, IDK.
8. I like the sporty eps too? Huh. #TheMoreYouKnow
9. Since I'm a scaredy cat (and my ARMYCarat friend has spoiled--at my request--those eps), I really doubt I'll ever watch any of the horror ones (EGO and Grudge).
10. To date, the one episode I was the most frustrated by was the Treasure Hunters one cuz that ending was a whole new interpretation of anticlimatic.
11. I LUUUUUUUUUUUUURVE all of the mafia game episodes I've watched (Don't Lie 1-3(PLEASE DO NOT SPOIL ME ABT DON'T LIE 4)*, Good Offer (my fave episode ever), and Million Won.)
12. I'm on the fence abt the Catch Stock episode cuz I was so stressed for most of the episode.
13. And now I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the seasons.Per my calculations, I should be caught up to the end of the current season by late October/early Nov. I caught up with GoSe on Oct. 2nd. Yays, me!
All of the episodes are available for watching with subtitles for FREE NINETY-NINE over at SVT's official YouTube channel. Here are the playlists for 2019 (start with ep. 14 if you want to skip the vlog episodes), 2020, and 2022 to current episodes.
The total amount of eps is roughly 211 (for the variety show eps per my calculations) which can feel intimidating. I get that. Behold a pretty handy episode guide for main storyline episodes (such as Don't Lie) as well as standalone fun episodes (like Mouse Busters). There are no spoilers.
*Have watched it.
The show started back in 2017 as a vlog-type of thing. However, for whatever reason (I'm not THAT deep in the group's lore as I am a baby Cubic at best and not a Carat*), there was a shift into a variety show format sometime in 2019. Since then, the members do a combination of competitions, skits, and MT**. As of right now, the show has almost 240 episodes, 5 seasons total, and is still ongoing.
* Seventeen (SVT) has two fandoms: Cubics (who are fans of GoSe) and Carats (who like SVT's music in addition to GoSe). Sometimes, Cubics "graduate" into becoming Carats, sometimes they don't. Personally, I'm v. neutral abt the bulk of SVT's discography. Though the songs I do like, I actually LURVE. Both Cubics and Carats are acknowledged by the group.
** MT is an abbreviate of "membership training". This is a kind of event for (mostly) university students in which they socialize while spending 2 days at some remote-ish area.
I began hearing abt GoSe within months of getting into Kpop. Ended up checking it out this year, kinda on whim, after a close friend who's an ARMYCarat gave me a soft sell on why I'd enjoy this show. FTR, I do tend to check out the variety shows of idols whose music I enjoy. To date, aside from BTS, the only idol group whose variety show I've loved is Le Sserafim's Leniverse, and now GoSe!
Having finished 3 seasons (I watched the last episode for 2021 last night), I'm gonna do a quick-ish rundown of why I feel this is a show worth checking out. (via 13 points cuz there are 13 members, heheh)
1. I tend to always side/cheer/root for Hoshi, Dino (which was a surprise to me), Minghao | The8, Hansol | Vernon, and Jeonghan.
2. I love that Jeonghan, Joshua, and Hoshi will always go for the cheating/betrayal angle. Villain!Jeonghan is my fave.
3. At the opposite end are S.Coups (who tends to be a bit of a sore loser at times? I also feel that I don't have a clear read abt what his full public persona is 3 seasons in) and Seungkwan (I won't go too much into it, but I like him fine? He's still at the bottom of the list. Such is life.)
4. Wonwoo's been not-so-secretly awesome a lot of times. One of my fave moments for him was during the Mouse Busters ep (IYKYK)
5. Jun is sweet...but he tends to hang back a lot of the time. Kudos on the rest of the members for bringing him into activities.
6. I deffo look forward to eps in which they have action-oriented tasks (whether it's competing, cooking OR just hanging out like in each season's TTT episodes).
7. Conversely, I really, really don't vibe with eps in which they're tapping into their Theater Kid aspects, i.e. anything requiring them to do episode-long improv, skits, etc.
7.5 IF the episode I'm watching is a skit (etc), I'll skip it. Maybe I'll watch those at a much later time, IDK.
8. I like the sporty eps too? Huh. #TheMoreYouKnow
9. Since I'm a scaredy cat (and my ARMYCarat friend has spoiled--at my request--those eps), I really doubt I'll ever watch any of the horror ones (EGO and Grudge).
10. To date, the one episode I was the most frustrated by was the Treasure Hunters one cuz that ending was a whole new interpretation of anticlimatic.
11. I LUUUUUUUUUUUUURVE all of the mafia game episodes I've watched (Don't Lie 1-3
12. I'm on the fence abt the Catch Stock episode cuz I was so stressed for most of the episode.
13. And now I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the seasons.
All of the episodes are available for watching with subtitles for FREE NINETY-NINE over at SVT's official YouTube channel. Here are the playlists for 2019 (start with ep. 14 if you want to skip the vlog episodes), 2020, and 2022 to current episodes.
The total amount of eps is roughly 211 (for the variety show eps per my calculations) which can feel intimidating. I get that. Behold a pretty handy episode guide for main storyline episodes (such as Don't Lie) as well as standalone fun episodes (like Mouse Busters). There are no spoilers.
*Have watched it.
