But like I did just say -- I will be updating the site a little bit over the break; not just that coming piece (heh I said "coming piece") but there's our annual July 4th ridiculousness as well, which will land on (you guessed it) July 4th. So come back and visit over the break for these and perhaps other surprises! Or per usual keep your eyes on my social media accounts -- it's not like I'll be off of those for longer than five seconds. Have a happy 4th, y'all! And even more importantly -- Happy 11 to Magic Mike!
Thursday, June 29, 2023
Nobody Puts Madsy in the Corner
But like I did just say -- I will be updating the site a little bit over the break; not just that coming piece (heh I said "coming piece") but there's our annual July 4th ridiculousness as well, which will land on (you guessed it) July 4th. So come back and visit over the break for these and perhaps other surprises! Or per usual keep your eyes on my social media accounts -- it's not like I'll be off of those for longer than five seconds. Have a happy 4th, y'all! And even more importantly -- Happy 11 to Magic Mike!
The Public Life of the Sixth Wife
Narrated by the Princess and Queen-to-be Elizabeth (a watchful Junia Rees), Firebrand is also framed, like Young Bess was, as the story of how that iconic future monarch -- one who's never fallen into the short-on-biopics camp -- would learn from Parr how to manage being both a woman and a leader at once. Mostly set across a small stretch of time where Henry runs off to do some warmongering and Parr momentarily takes over the throne, becoming the Regent in his absence, there are lessons here that fall into the pro and the anti camp for Elizabeth, behaviorally speaking, and she's always lurking in the background soaking them up.
Katherine's contradictions are her downfall -- prone to visiting with heretics and openly flirting with her ex Sir Thomas Seymour (Sam Riley, looking good enough in his ginger ZZ Top beard that he makes open flirting understandable), she knows she's playing with fire in Henry's eyes. The man has already gone through five wives at this point! And yet she also sees that Henry is drawn to her fire too, and she finds it irresistible -- she wants to use her power to possibly enact real change, standing as they do on the cusp of the Reformation. She is a true believer, and she sees that possibility. She just tries to jump ahead a little too fast.
Katherine's under-told story aside, Jude Law nevertheless very nearly steals the film from Vikander, even though hubby Henry doesn't plod into the film until its midway point. Bringing to mind Olivia Colman's petulant Queen Anne in The Favourite, with her weeping sores and wounded ego, both monarchs are illustriously disgusting figures -- Anne remained mostly relatable though, at least in comparison to Law's Henry, who's nothing but pus and sexual appetite and a bottomless jealousy where his heart should go. Law's Henry bellows at god in fury for every perceived slight, and then some part of him immediately starts leaking. This is a Henry on his last leg, as it were, but he'll bring down the entire house with him if he must. And obviously he must. Anyway Law savors and devours every grunt -- getting to be ugly and awful never looked so rancidly delicious -- we can practically taste the poisonous spittle coming off the screen. It's a lot! But I believed every second.
There are bits of history that get shuffled about in Firebrand's last act that I won't wander into for spoiler's sake, but they don't really matter too much -- we're not talking about an Inglourious Basterds type of historical rewrite here. What does matter is that Aïnouz and his screenwriters, the sisters Henrietta and Jessica Ashworth, fashion a quietly compelling tale of agency dashed upon the rocks. Broken and battered until somebody, just ahead, manages to pick up the pieces and put them together in a new way, a way that might just work this time out. It's about small steps, two back for every forward, and what we learn in those seeming death spirals. We just keep pressing on -- every thing done is a thing that matters, and some day our stories will get told.
So What's Your Destiny
Kyle Gallner's Your Ride Or Die
Anyway the trailer (seen down below) maybe gives away too much, so I might recommend skipping it and just waiting for the movie? But I can say just off its vibes alone that Smith's whole thing where he has a good boy get dominated by a bad boy is very much on display here, as it was in Swallowed (review here) and his incredible short film Bugcrush. And that whole thing is a thing I like! I like it a lot! And so I will probably also like it here!
The Hottest Harrison Ford of All
Good Morning, World
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
They Called Him Rock
Ethan Peck Seven Times
Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...
Beatriz: You think killing is hard? Try healing.You can break something in two seconds.But it can take forever to fix it.
Partying with Mike White? Highly, highly recommend. pic.twitter.com/EtfBNJRqgS
— Ξvan Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz) June 25, 2023
Meet The I
Good Morning, World
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
We Won the Supes Lottery
We also know that the villain is going to be Lex Luthor again (sigh) but that casting hasn't been announced yet -- yesterday there was reporting that both Alexander and Bill Skarsgård are up for the role. Out of those two, as much as I love Alex I say go with Bill but to be honest I'm not sold on either of them? I honestly think...
CHOOSE GUSTAF https://t.co/aIK5QNZBYh
— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) June 26, 2023
Don't Pas(olini) This One By!
Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...
Lai Yiu-fai: I didn't see Chang, but I saw his family.I finally understood how he could be happy running aroundso free. It's because he has a place he can always return to.
Good Afternoon, World
Monday, June 26, 2023
And These Are Your Gay Emmys
Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...
Jack: It's like seeing someone for the first time, like you can be passing on the street, and you look at each other for a few seconds, and there's this kind of a recognition like you both know something. Next moment the person's gone, and it's too late to do anything about it. And you always remember it because it was there, and you let it go, and you think to yourself, 'What if I had stopped? What if I had said something?' What if, what if... it may only happen a few times in your life.Karen: Or once.Jack: Or once.