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Synonyms (2019)

Yoav: I moved to France to flee Israel. Flee a state that is nasty, obscene, ignorant, idiotic, sordid, fetid, crude, abominable, odious, lamentable, repugnant,
detestable, mean-spirited, mean-hearted... 

Emile: No country is all that at once.

Today is the 51st birthday of the rightfully outraged Israeli ex-pat filmmaker Nadav Lapid, who's weaponized his filmmaking to dissect the horrors of his homeland making one furious masterpiece after another. This includes the brilliant film above as well as 2014's The Kindergarten Teacher, 2021's Ahed's Knee, and the just-recently-released here in the U.S. film Yes. And speaking of Yes I am rather furious at myself for not reviewing that movie because I found it a total stunner, so let's throw down some words about it since the ocassion's presented itself. (I already shared the trailer right here.)

Yes tells the story of Y (Ariel Bronz) and his wife Yasmin (Efrat Dor) as they party the pain away in Tel Aviv, turning their radios up so they can drown out the sounds of the bombs dropping onto Gaza. He's a musician, she's a dance-instructor, and the two of them routinely hand off their baby son (pointedly named Noah) so they can humiliate themselves every night for the grotesque powers-that-be in order to sustain a living. Lapid gives the Israeli elite the full Beckmann & Dix treament, rendering them hideous to the point where they're literally bending over and waving their assholes in our face. It ain't sublte, nor should it be. 

Since the pair are gorgeous and entertaining and simply good at what they do (i.e. debasing themselves with extreme vigor) Y & Yasmin move pretty easily up the social ladder, until Y finds himself charged with writing a new national anthem for Israel in the wake of the October 7th attacks. For there he's shot through the cannon of a dark night of the soul as he tries to come to terms with his role as propogandist for genocide, but Lapid spares no one his visciousness; everyone is to blame for keeping the broken system afloat. Yes is brutal, brilliant, a ballistic missle shot straight at our insidious self-preservation in the face of so much unspeakable. Its farce is tragedy, all too familiar. All the punchlines are a horror; our laughter curdled, indistinguishable from screams. How au current, if you will. 

Good Morning, World

How nice of Synonyms and We Are Who We Are actor (and dancer) (and MNPP fave)  Tom Mercier to grace our morning with an NYC-themed dance routine (via) -- I knew he was in town and man alive do I wish I'd stumbled on this happening. 

Good Morning, World

I've got a screening this morning, so please allow this lovely photo
of actor Tom Mercier to entertain you until I return. (via)

Tom Mercier Takes Tribeca (Me Too)

The 2024 edition of the Tribeca Film Festival kicked off last night and runs through next Sunday the 16th -- you can check out the entire line-up and such right here. One of my most anticipated movies at the festival is called Darkest Miriam and yes, it stars our boy Tom Mercier (of Synonyms and We Are Who We Are fame) as a cab driver who romances a librarian in Toronto -- Tom would be enough to get me to watch the movie but the big reveal is this was produced by no less than Charlie Kaufman! Now we're talking. I really have no idea what to expect from it since they use words like "unclassifiable" to describe it, but I can't wait.

Anyway I've been steeped deep in Tribeca screeners for the past couple of weeks and have actually already watched over twenty films! You can as always keep track of what I am watching via my Letterboxd, although I tend to just log movies without writing anything out on them, especially when they're movies not out yet. My "Tribeca 2024" specific list can be found right here. 

Tis that time of year again! #tribeca pic.twitter.com/oT9nCwZnDC

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) June 6, 2024

But to get to my point over the next couple of weeks I'll be pounding out reviews of some of these movies and I'll be going to lots of in-person screenings, so it might be a lot of very little other than that until the fest is over. I'm a busy busy bee, yo. I will try to update you with posts on each thing as it happens, but there will probably be some lag -- as always it's best to stay tuned to my socials for more immediate updating. Especially Twitter. Elon be damned I still never shut up on Twitter. In summation -- right now I am gonna go work on some of those reviews, so don't expect much else today. Here's one more exciting thing though -- I will be attending the premiere of Jake Gyllenhaal's Presumed Innocent series on Sunday night! Jake will be there for a Q&A! So keep an eye on my Instagram since I'll obviously post pictures from that if possible. 

Good Uhhh Afternoon, World

Yes yes I am late today -- I had a screening this morning. Flagellate me why don't you? But only if you're Tom Mercier. Tom Mercier can flagellate me all Tom Mercier wants to. The rest of you notsomuch. (pic via)

Dance Break By Tom Mercier

(via)

Tom Mercier Eight Times

The above image of our We Are Who We Are and Synonyms fave Tom Mercier is the cover image for what I am assuming is the latest issue of King Kong magazine (no I have never heard of King Kong magazine either) -- I am assuming it's new because I'm pretty sure I'd have caught this blessed image before today were it not! Anyway I'm glad I did my due diligent digging because I was going to just post the images I got off of Tom Mercier's own Instagram as well as the Insta of the shoot's photographer, and if I'd done that I wouldn't have seen that image above. My compulsive behavior sometimes bears fine ass fruit! Hit the jump for what I believe is the entire photoshoot, as far as I can tell anyway...

Happy Week's End...

... from Tom Mercier and his.

(via) I'll be back Tuesday, bye!

Good Morning, World

Good morning and good morning only to

 shirtless Tom Mercier reading Frankenstein. (via)

Good Morning, World

How does the saying go? Just when I thought I was out they pulled me back in? That's from The Godfather right? I keep randomly bringing up The Godfather movies lately, I guess I need to do a re-watch. Well a re-watch of the first two -- as I mentioned on Twitter the other day I've never actually seen the third movie -- maybe that's why I keep mentioning them, because Coppola's new cut of the third film has been coming up on Twitter a bunch. The blu-ray of it is on sale on Amazon for 10 bucks right now -- I feel as if I should watch it before I buy it but that's a good deal. Hmm. Wait what am I even talking about The Godfather for? I was quoting that line because new pictures of actor Tom Mercier in Behind the Blinds magazine have been popping up every month or so for what feels like four or five months and yet somehow there keep being more. It's because they are, as explained the last time we did this, actually releasing an entire book of photos of him. He's worthy! That's all I got on that. But let's get back to The Godfather...

Good Morning, World

I thought I had posted all of the photos of Synonyms and We Are Who We Are actor Tom Mercier in Behind the Blinds magazine awhile back, but lo, I was mistaken. It turns out they're releasing a special issue devoted only to Tom -- that said I have admitted in the past I have no idea how this magazine actually functions so what "a special issue" means you got me -- and there are more photos! Wonders, they never do that creasing thing. If anybody wants to buy a copy of this "special issue" and send it to me that'd be awesome -- 50 bucks (half of that shipping to the U.S.) is a little steep for me. Slash anybody. But we can enjoy these photos after the jump for free...

Good Night, World

Tom Mercier shaved his noggin! The We Are Who We Are actor shared this photo on Instagram earlier -- dunno if this is for a role or pleasure, but it's not making me angry. I don't know how to word this without it sounding slightly insulting while it's only meant to be a compliment, but this look really highlights his angelic alien face in ways I'd never taken it in before -- I mean them lips really pop, huh? Actually you know what he's reminding me of? I was re-watching a bit of Fantastic Planet on Criterion Channel last night and he'd make for a perfect Traag in a live-action adaptation! Paint him blue and make it happen, world.

Today's Fanboy Delusion

 Today I'd rather be...

... bending and snapping with Tom Mercier. (via)

Good Morning, World

I don't know about you but after five straight days off I'm not exactly climbing up Sunshine Mountain this morning, being up and back at my office desk. Especially after two nights of fitful and brief sleep thanks to the dopes in my neighborhood taking July 4th as an excuse to shell-shock us all through all hours of the night. Do I sound ancient? Good, my words match the bags under my eyes then. At least Tom Mercier seen above is here to tidy up a bit, sweep off some cobwebs... (via) Always at least Tom Mercier! 

Happy Tuesday, everybody.

Good Morning, World

You know that it's been a busy week for me when it's taken me all week to get to posting these public workout videos that actor Tom Mercier, he of Synonyms and We Are Who We Are fame, posted on his Instagram. I'm usually much better with such things! But in my favor it was some stuff also related to Luca Guadagnino, like that big Pajiba piece that got posted last night, that was distracted me -- if you're going to be distracted be distracted by the same kinda gay shit, that's what I always say. Anyway I made us a compilation video of several little Insta-clips, enjoy...

Tom Mercier Five Times

We're in a fallow period when it comes to new magazine photoshoots, which hit around the middle of the month, so I was happy to see actor Tom Mercier share these set outtakes from last month's Behind the Blinds shoot this afternoon (via). Well I was happy for many reasons, big reasons -- what I just described was literally the smallest reason, but it's the least pervy one I can type out so it's the one I am typing. Hit the jump for the rest...

I Quit Smoking Thirteen Years Ago Today

Lucky thirteen, y'all! That's how that thing works, right? Well maybe I'm no numerologist but what I do know is I tossed cigarettes in the trash on May 5th 2008 and I ain't never been back, and that's a thing I celebrate here on MNPP every single year every May 5th by posting enormous galleries of extremely attractive actors doing the exact thing that I no longer do. It keeps me honest.

Well if not honest... it keeps me something, anyway. Last year, as with many aspects of last year, we hit a snag though -- because I was quarantined at home over this anniversary I'd been separated from the big folder of photos that I'd keep gathering up to post for 2020. And so last year's post was admittedly a bit slack. Well...

... this year's post makes up for it, and it makes up for it then some. I've got all the photos I'd gathered for 2020 plus all the photos I've gathered in 2021, and it's gonna give y'all a hell of a nicotine buzz. If you don't die of cancer before you're finished with this post then I haven't done my job! I make light (get it) but seriously... don't smoke. You don't look at good as these guys do doing it, I promise you. Well unless you're actually KJ Apa reading this, in which case... call me, KJ Apa. You can blow smoke (or anything) on me any time. And with that, let's hit the jump for dozens more...

Tom Mercier Five Times

Looking at this new photoshoot of Synonyms and We Are Who We Are beauty Tom Mercier for Vogue it occurred to me that if ever there was an actor primed to seize upon and truly own this "short shorts" moment we're in, it's him. He's got legs for miles. But looking further at this photo-shoot I realized that Tom also rocks half-shirts like nobody's business. And so I came to the conclusion that basically Tom Mercier should just always be outfitted in the skimpiest clothing possible. When clothing is necessary at all, of course. Hit the jump for the rest...

Good Morning, World

In yesterday's post where I complained about Behind the Blinds magazine -- it's really not interesting enough to recap, but if you're curious click on over -- I mentioned that We Are Who We Are and Synonyms actor Tom Mercier had shared an image on his Insta-stories worth seeing; well there it is. I wasn't lying, was I? Don't ever doubt me. And you can see three other photos from this "magazine" at this link. Will there be even more? Who knows? I can't figure that "magazine" out for the life of me.

Good Morning, World

Or as the French say, bonjour le monde! Kicking the week off with some new(ish?) Tom mercier photos -- they are indeed new (via this magazine interview here) but they're pretty similar-looking to the shoot Tom did for VMan magazine last fall when We Are Who We Are was coming out (seen here and here) -- I'm sure it's the same photographer but don't make me look such a thing up please, it's a Monday morning. My fragile state couldn't take that useless effort. Anyway! Here's a quote from Tom in the new interview:

Q: Synonymes had a certain homoerotic background, while We Are Who We Are is clearly queer, does Tom Mercier see himself in the future as a gay icon? 

Tom: Being accepted by a community is rare. Communities can be sometimes very close, so being able to be a part of a community is great. Due to the way I have of expressing myself, I don’t feel part of the gay community as a gay person and I never intended to be a gay icon. I would never decide to become an icon, that is something you can’t decide.

Set aside the magazine calling him an "icon" -- I mean I think Tom's great, but let's not go nuts. Did Tom just come out, or did he maybe mix up some of his English? Curious, hmm. Is he saying "even though I am gay I've never felt a part of the gay community," or did he mean to say "I don't feel like I am a part of the gay community or like a gay person"? Am I over-thinking this? I am definitely over-thinking this. With all this over-thinking I could have looked up who the goddamned photographer was and been done already. Sigh. Morning.