tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72895532561042602372024-03-18T02:48:48.481-07:00The Rush BlogThe Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.comBlogger2520125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-52071940129755087602024-03-10T09:43:00.000-07:002024-03-10T09:43:14.165-07:00"MANSFIELD PARK" (1983) Photo Gallery<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-_HWEAmB2TynKQCD3xLZE0HO0x3ImKVF1WGJOwa8DooaA9fqbn4bM-5wgIJt9ifdBAPEM4xxysH-tKUFwToYCZD2bAzNe_5FMH0Dz_EqOWyByjxEUGxnsFU-7vaZRjcYcHqIBDH0_luPdUfNDf7BXRaxiGpWWkG6zM2bjfnHGl4vWDQl1A58-_6J0tPR/s300/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-_HWEAmB2TynKQCD3xLZE0HO0x3ImKVF1WGJOwa8DooaA9fqbn4bM-5wgIJt9ifdBAPEM4xxysH-tKUFwToYCZD2bAzNe_5FMH0Dz_EqOWyByjxEUGxnsFU-7vaZRjcYcHqIBDH0_luPdUfNDf7BXRaxiGpWWkG6zM2bjfnHGl4vWDQl1A58-_6J0tPR/w500-h280/images.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">Below are images from </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"MANSFIELD PARK"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">, the 1983 television adaptation of Jane Austen's 1814 novel. Directed by David Giles, the six-part miniseries starred Sylvestra Le Touzel, Nicholas Farrell and Jackie Smith-Wood:</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #3399cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br /><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"MANSFIELD PARK" (1983) Photo Gallery</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="281001_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/85923/85923_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="281001_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="281171_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/86112/86112_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="281171_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="281347_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/86351/86351_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="281347_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="281817_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/86623/86623_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="281817_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="281877_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/86858/86858_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="281877_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="282317_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/87123/87123_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="282317_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="282489_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/87525/87525_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="282489_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="282788_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/87610/87610_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="282788_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="282928_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/88038/88038_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="282928_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="283289_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/88071/88071_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="283289_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="283544_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/88386/88386_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="283544_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="283703_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/88680/88680_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="283703_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="283932_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/89085/89085_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="283932_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="284194_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/89198/89198_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="284194_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="284558_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/89531/89531_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="284558_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="284903_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/89614/89614_300.png" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="284903_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="285131_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/90004/90004_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="285131_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="285189_original" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/90155/90155_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="285189_original" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="72147294" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/90379/90379_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="72147294" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="75782318" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/90685/90685_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="75782318" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="261962463" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/90998/90998_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="261962463" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="397601592" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/91348/91348_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="397601592" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="476911753" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/91591/91591_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="476911753" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="546417838" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/91836/91836_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="546417838" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="592507142" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/92094/92094_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="592507142" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="730837158" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/92408/92408_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="730837158" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="818240803" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/92639/92639_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="818240803" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="fanny1" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/92724/92724_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="fanny1" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="fannyprice-1983-7" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/93015/93015_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="fannyprice-1983-7" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="henry-and-mary-crawford" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/93401/93401_300.png" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="henry-and-mary-crawford" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="kinopoisk_ru-Mansfield-Park-1499669" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/93517/93517_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="kinopoisk_ru-Mansfield-Park-1499669" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="kinopoisk_ru-Mansfield-Park-1499670" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/93862/93862_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="kinopoisk_ru-Mansfield-Park-1499670" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="kinopoisk_ru-Mansfield-Park-1499671" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/94113/94113_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="kinopoisk_ru-Mansfield-Park-1499671" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="kinopoisk_ru-Mansfield-Park-1499672" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/94362/94362_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="kinopoisk_ru-Mansfield-Park-1499672" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="mansfieldpark 83 ball 1" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/94631/94631_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="mansfieldpark 83 ball 1" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="mansfieldpark 83 ball" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/94774/94774_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="mansfieldpark 83 ball" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="Mansfield-Park-1983-mansfield-park-16309695-512-384" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/95015/95015_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="Mansfield-Park-1983-mansfield-park-16309695-512-384" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="Mansfield-Park-1983-mansfield-park-16309870-512-384" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/lmoore66/63270755/95328/95328_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="Mansfield-Park-1983-mansfield-park-16309870-512-384" /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-90289559932275270062024-03-04T09:02:00.000-08:002024-03-04T09:02:36.420-08:00"HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN" (2004) Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrN3wmz7_lgR-n6UUKMfAEGopICEuNRFg9M4MHhyphenhyphen02PY9vtFvZQ8T9mxAmKsnQnTz-2bP_HcxQm6wufvd5ht7EUPMUQ89jB-NAK9X7tMPU-Re08OsN4lG9mydMHnQ1JhBgY5ewRwANxSONSbfPBQ3WZD773TC6Dq30C9negg7l2noixHcTEqeQQKxoQ2qY/s1200/when-harry-potter-the-prisoner-of-azkabans-end-credit-in-charge-opened-up-about-the-secret-sx-scene-saying-maybe-it-was-meant-to-be-harry-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrN3wmz7_lgR-n6UUKMfAEGopICEuNRFg9M4MHhyphenhyphen02PY9vtFvZQ8T9mxAmKsnQnTz-2bP_HcxQm6wufvd5ht7EUPMUQ89jB-NAK9X7tMPU-Re08OsN4lG9mydMHnQ1JhBgY5ewRwANxSONSbfPBQ3WZD773TC6Dq30C9negg7l2noixHcTEqeQQKxoQ2qY/w491-h258/when-harry-potter-the-prisoner-of-azkabans-end-credit-in-charge-opened-up-about-the-secret-sx-scene-saying-maybe-it-was-meant-to-be-harry-01.jpg" width="491" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN" (2004) Review</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">I have a confession to make. I was not much of a fan of the </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">HARRY POTTER</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> franchise - both novels and movies - before the summer of 2004. Before that period, I had seen the first two movies, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">. But I had never read any of the novels written by J.K. Rowling. Then in June 2004, I saw the franchise's third movie, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> and my views changed.</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #3399cc; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">Based upon Rowling's 1999 novel, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> follows the adventures of thirteen-year-old Harry Potter during his third year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The story begins with Harry enduring a visit by his Aunt Petunia Durnsley's sister-in-law, Marge Durnsley, who proves to be just as boorish, narrow-minded and arrogant as the other members of the family. When "Aunt" Marge makes an insulting remark about Harry's late parents, the thirteen-year-old loses his temper and inadvertently causes the woman to inflate before she floats out of the house and into the sky. Still in a rage over her remarks and the rest of the family's reaction, Harry packs his belongings and leaves the Durnsley home. The Knight Bus - a magical transit bus for Britain's wizarding world - picks him up and transports Harry to London and Diagon Alley, where he is informed by the Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic that a prisoner from Azkaban Prison named Sirius Black has escaped from prison. According to Fudge, Black was a former follower of Harry's arch-nemesis, Lord Voldemort, and vows to kill the thirteen-year-old in order to finish his master's task from years ago.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">During Harry's third year at Hogwarts, he has to deal with a brewing conflict between his two best friends - Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger - over their respective pets. Hogwarts acquire a new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, an old friend of Harry's father called Remus Lupin. Harry and his friends also acquire two new instructors - Divination teacher Sybill Trelawney, and Rubeus Hagrid, the old gamekeeper who has begun teaching Care of Magical Creatures. Unfortunately, when a hippogriff named Buckbeak attacks Harry's nemesis Draco Malfoy during Hagrid's first class, the animal's life is hung in the balance by the Ministry that is under the influence of Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy. But Harry's biggest problems are the still missing Sirius Black, who has been spotted near the school; and the Dementors - soul sucking creatures from Azkaban, sent to Hogwarts by the Ministry to find Black. Due to Harry's bleak past, the Dementors are naturally attracted to his presence.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">The movie's literary source, the 1999 novel, is highly regarded by the franchise's fans. The novel also won several literary awards and nearly came close to being nominated for the Hugo Award. And although I view the novel's main plot as one of the best created by Rowling, I must admit that I found it difficult to harbor such a high opinion of the novel. There were certain flaws that the 2004 movie managed to avoid, thanks to Steve Kloves' script. For me, I was relieved to discover that </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> only featured one Quidditch match - the first one that featured Harry Potter's second encounter with the dementors. But the novel's subplot featuring Harry and his fellow Gryffindor players' efforts to win the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup was completely ignored in Kloves' screenplay. And I say . . . </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">THANK GOD!</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">. I have never been a fan of Quidditch to begin with. I also found the Quidditch Cup subplot unnecessary to the main narrative. Some fans have pointed out that Harry first met both Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang in the 1999 novel. But the introduction of the two characters were brief and played no real part in the saga's main narrative. Their roles in the narrative became a lot more important in the next two novels. So, Kloves' deletion of their characters struck me as the right thing to do. Aside from one or two matters, Kloves did a first-rate job in adapting Rowling's novel to the screen. This is not surprising, considering that </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"The Prisoner of Azkaban"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> was the last </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"short"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> novel in the series before the remaining four became </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"mega novels"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking back on the movie, it occurred to me that it possesses a very simple plot. More importantly, the story featured the next set of many mysteries surrounding Harry's parents and the part they played in his current connection to the still formless Lord Voldemort aka Tom Riddle Jr. And one of those mysteries featured their close friend, Sirius Black.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> had a few flaws. Actually, there were two aspects of the story that did not sit well with me. One, I grew tired of Rowling coming up with an excuse for any of Harry's transgressions. In this particular movie, Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban allowed Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge to dismiss Harry's temperamental use of magic against Madge Durnsley. And thanks to the Invisibility Cloak and the Maurader's Map given to him by Fred and George Weasley, Harry was able to sneak out of Hogwarts Castle and explore the nearby town of Hogsmeade without any trouble or parental permission. Speaking of the Maurader's Map, Remus Lupin revealed that the following was written on the map:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs<br />Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers<br />are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP"</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">Any fan of Rowling's novels knows that "Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs" are Harry's father James Potter, and the latter's friends - Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black. Why did Steve Kloves' screenplay failed to reveal their identities to moviegoers? Lupin could have told Harry in one of the movie's final scenes. And why was Kloves so determined to portray Ron Weasley as </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"comic relief"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">? I read somewhere that Hermione Granger was one of his favorite characters. I assume this is why he allowed her to speak one of Ron's more famous lines - erasing one of the latter's more positive traits and unnecessarily building up Hermione's traits even more. This final criticism is also directed at both the novel and the movie. According to Hermione Granger, time travel is considered dangerous by the wizarding world. So why did Minerva McGonagall allowed Hermione - third year a student - to use a time turner to attend more classes in the first place? And why did Albus Dumbledore task Harry and Hermione with the story's final rescue job . . . and not do the job himself? I have one more minor complaint - and it involved the verbal showdown between Potions professor Severus Snape and fugitive Sirius Black, both who were former classmates . . . and enemies at Hogwarts. Both Alan Rickman and Gary Oldman gave excellent performances in the film. But I must admit that I found their performances in this little showdown rather over-dramatic. Dare I say it? Hammy? There was more ham and cheese coming from the pair than a high school cafeteria.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">When I first read Rowling's novel, I noticed that it did not have much action until the final sequence regarding the Shrieking Shack and Hermione's time turner. And yet, this did not diminish the story one bit. In fact, the story for </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"PRISONER OF AZKABAN"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> felt more like a character-driven mystery, with a heavy emphasis on the past. It is the first time Harry really learns about his parents' past through characters like Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. This is the first time Harry had discovered some of the details that led to his parents' deaths. This story marked the first time Harry learned about his parents' close friends - Remus, Sirius and Peter Pettigrew. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"PRISONER OF AZKABAN"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> also marked the first time that one of the franchise's stories had ended on a bittersweet note. All of these aspects of the film's narrative, along with some very satisfying scenes and Alfonso Cuarón's superb and original direction had combined to make the 2004 film a big favorite of mine in the </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">HARRY POTTER</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> franchise.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">As I had just stated earlier, there were scenes that struck me as crowd-pleasing or very memorable. I found Harry's ride on the Night Bus both exhilarating and hilarious. Another favorite sequence of mine featured the introduction of the Dementors, during the students' northbound journey on the Hogwarts Express. I thought Cuarón and the movie's special effects team did an excellent job in creating Harry's ominous introduction to the supernatural beings. Speaking of dementors, I also enjoyed the movie's Quidditch match between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams during a thunderstorm. This match featured Harry's second encounter with the Dementors - one that nearly killed him. I also enjoyed the movie's Christmas sequence at the Hogsmeade village. What started as a playful sequence in which Harry used his Invisible Cloak to sneak out of Hogwarts (he lacked parental permission to join his fellow students' excursion into the village), ended on an emotional note after Harry vowed revenge after learning that one of his father's close friends had betrayed his parents to Lord Voldemort.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">I also enjoyed those scenes that featured Remus Lupin's talent as a teacher, when he taught Harry and his classmates and later, Harry alone, about Boggarts and Dementors. Thanks to Emma Thompson's performance as the eccentric Divinity professor Sybil Trelawney, I really enjoyed the scenes featuring the students' lessons in that subject. More importantly, the movie featured one ominous scene in which Harry witnessed Trelawney unknowingly reveal a prediction regarding Voldemort and one of his minions. But I feel that without a doubt, the film's </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">pièce de resistance</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> proved to be the last third of the plot. I also enjoyed Professor Beginning with Harry, Ron and Hermione's visit to Rubeus Hagrid's hut in order to witness the execution of the hippogriff Buckbeak and ending with Harry and Hermione assisting in jailbreak; the entire sequence is brilliant example of fantasy, action and superb filmmaking from Alfonso Cuarón.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">However, special effects and a first-rate narrative were not the only aspects that made </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> memorable for me. The movie also benefited from excellent performances from a first-rate cast. Now, a cast filled with actors and actresses of sterling reputations is not a guarantee of good performances. I still have memories of this film's successor - 2005's </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">. Aside from one particular scene, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> is blessed with first-rate performances. The movie had its share of solid performances - including from the likes of Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw and Harry Melling (who portrayed the Dursley family); a very entertaining Pam Ferris, who portrayed Vernon Dursley's sister, Marge Dursley; Timothy Spall in a brief, yet effective role as Peter Pettigrew and Julie Christie, who portrayed The Three Broomsticks owner Madam Rosmarta. More solid performances came from the likes of franchise regulars like Alan Rickman and his always entertaining performance as the surly Severus Snape, Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid), Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall); James and Oliver Phelps as Fred and George Weasley, Tom Felton as Harry's nemesis Draco Malfoy, Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley, Julie Walters as Molly Weasley, and Robert Hardy as Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">There were performances that I found memorable. The movie's three leads - Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson - gave excellent performances as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger respectively. In fact, I would say this film marked the first time they were able to ditch that heavy-handed style of acting that slightly tainted their performances in the first two films. Radcliffe did an excellent job of conveying Harry's struggles over his discovery that his parents had been betrayed. And I must admit that I found the interactions between Grint and Watson very entertaining as they portrayed Ron and Hermione's constant bickering and unwillingness to acknowledge their growing attraction to each other. I also enjoyed Robbie Coltrane's performance as Hogwarts gamekeeper-turned-Care of Magical Creatures professor, Rubeus Hagrid. I especially enjoyed Coltrane's scenes that featured Hagrid's awkward debut as a Hogwarts professor and his emotional attachment to the hippogriff Buckbeak.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> marked the first appearances of four cast members. And all four gave excellent performances. One proved to be Gary Oldman as the chaotic and desperate Sirius Black, the wanted fugitive who unhappily proved to be Harry's godfather. Emma Thompson gave one of the funniest performances in the entire movie franchise as Divinity professor Sybill Trewlawney . . . who may or may not be a genuine seer. I was very impressed by David Thewlis' subtle, yet dynamic performance as Hogwarts' new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin. Michael Gambon had a difficult act to follow when agreed to replace the late Richard Harris as Hogwarts' Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. And may I say that he did a superb job of capturing Dumbledore's enigmatic and commanding nature with his own style.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">Granted, I had a few issues with </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">"HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN""THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> proved to be one of the most unusual entries in the </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;">HARRY POTTER</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"> franchise and quite possibly my absolute favorite. In fact, my opinion of the film has not changed one whit in nearly twenty years.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIoluQ-3Q29yky8iJobcbIIKrHvPesomjM1BeeM6JO2tLBK9zqDQHEAbtugQ_Y08LWnFNFkfFvl2Jk5H3ILFYNvUj9CG99dNtZyM8d0n1MsncdH-rbzUcaUqr1xRrwTUQFuXMA7LKOpLE7O3uWVzY7TndiXWQURbRFQtJRBp5tzOEuLJVDdY6tAOGhpgK/s500/tumblr_ee3688bec06e85bb8a5b2498c132d00e_4c0d92a0_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIoluQ-3Q29yky8iJobcbIIKrHvPesomjM1BeeM6JO2tLBK9zqDQHEAbtugQ_Y08LWnFNFkfFvl2Jk5H3ILFYNvUj9CG99dNtZyM8d0n1MsncdH-rbzUcaUqr1xRrwTUQFuXMA7LKOpLE7O3uWVzY7TndiXWQURbRFQtJRBp5tzOEuLJVDdY6tAOGhpgK/w400-h240/tumblr_ee3688bec06e85bb8a5b2498c132d00e_4c0d92a0_500.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-39549869646523835242024-02-26T14:59:00.000-08:002024-02-26T15:00:26.722-08:00Top Five Favorite Episodes of "THE CROWN" Season Two (2017)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKTpMLgYACNF-GLTrOl-Q6FQILVTgUjG4Kt3nXzt3xHpLcniiF-qql9zRkJaZ2SMScA7feTjWqIUxqi2IiIdz8P_2qHGMIQNtJI9PM1ENBVJiCc4EJiztr_9VF54zX-N0rtoi5E7MDfXaT02JlRuG5sINJnFS0FQVKY9bd7HaIXn4RsYXkfJIJdA7RCUB/s5568/the-crown-season-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3712" data-original-width="5568" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKTpMLgYACNF-GLTrOl-Q6FQILVTgUjG4Kt3nXzt3xHpLcniiF-qql9zRkJaZ2SMScA7feTjWqIUxqi2IiIdz8P_2qHGMIQNtJI9PM1ENBVJiCc4EJiztr_9VF54zX-N0rtoi5E7MDfXaT02JlRuG5sINJnFS0FQVKY9bd7HaIXn4RsYXkfJIJdA7RCUB/w480-h319/the-crown-season-2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Below is a list of my favorite episodes from Season Two of the Netflix series, </span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE CROWN"</span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">. Created by Peter Morgan, the series starred Claire Foy and Matt Smith as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh:</span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">TOP FIVE FAVORITE EPISODES OF "THE CROWN" SEASON TWO (2017)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESLRwlQ3cxhklr24Kfm80WJjHMnwAo9XyEBqY5TV4lqG87xWmt_VgoKFCmS11Ab4CfqvgIEZlE_0El6xVDdtdhwkGLMC375TMMOAWwIsEbKbCjG-5lgz7jNmVCsSIG7CkyfE0qHqLckry71sJKA8P0bMtG4Qcbu_Osytdw4Nxy_erg3gZ8AmqioimV_RX/s500/1%20-%202.05%20Marionettes.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESLRwlQ3cxhklr24Kfm80WJjHMnwAo9XyEBqY5TV4lqG87xWmt_VgoKFCmS11Ab4CfqvgIEZlE_0El6xVDdtdhwkGLMC375TMMOAWwIsEbKbCjG-5lgz7jNmVCsSIG7CkyfE0qHqLckry71sJKA8P0bMtG4Qcbu_Osytdw4Nxy_erg3gZ8AmqioimV_RX/w400-h200/1%20-%202.05%20Marionettes.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">1. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">(2.05) "Marionettes"</i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> - After Queen Elizabeth II makes a tone-deaf speech at a Jaguar factory, she and the British monarchy come under public attack by an outspoken liberal peer named Lord Altrincham.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOwmwoD5Q039PzQuBYvTbOzZwclGavXYGm4_OPuKkjP4euKn34cXir4blnb7V1W8tZ_tPU23RrFxmPRACyhIo5ajJCyqplzsk6hzOv4fblV-Lfm6eZi02NsqxvX6R-ihsoEecjqWF-cD9FpPJT1AnUJKXUaGUb-B5PZ-D9PUwLtB5VUn0XnwFtwuDvDia/s268/2%20-%202.03%20Lisbon.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="268" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOwmwoD5Q039PzQuBYvTbOzZwclGavXYGm4_OPuKkjP4euKn34cXir4blnb7V1W8tZ_tPU23RrFxmPRACyhIo5ajJCyqplzsk6hzOv4fblV-Lfm6eZi02NsqxvX6R-ihsoEecjqWF-cD9FpPJT1AnUJKXUaGUb-B5PZ-D9PUwLtB5VUn0XnwFtwuDvDia/w400-h269/2%20-%202.03%20Lisbon.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">2. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">(2.03) "Lisbon"</i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> - Palace insiders try to prevent the scandalous divorce of the Duke of Edinburgh's aide, Lieutenant-Commander Mike Parker, that could reflect poorly on the former and the monarchy. Prime Minister Anthony Eden faces censure from his cabinet and the press over the Suez Crisis.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6nEeZTqYPrCkXui2pxkg0Brjd45hARqrRBrti7lOqTh6ZzqpttitkVkvbW_4zP9q5plVbS4BzwTGkes0qCYrjCqBK-VldL8xqhyphenhyphen3YxAfhVzhfAomJD3Ks_r21GAp-ZnhHbbLB0o6mm6lyVeGmMgbaOwMgOdTYJSgmi75XXZNRU5R5uJd0WgJ_2csaqiV/s271/3%20-%202.09%20Paterfamilias.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6nEeZTqYPrCkXui2pxkg0Brjd45hARqrRBrti7lOqTh6ZzqpttitkVkvbW_4zP9q5plVbS4BzwTGkes0qCYrjCqBK-VldL8xqhyphenhyphen3YxAfhVzhfAomJD3Ks_r21GAp-ZnhHbbLB0o6mm6lyVeGmMgbaOwMgOdTYJSgmi75XXZNRU5R5uJd0WgJ_2csaqiV/w369-h400/3%20-%202.09%20Paterfamilias.gif" width="369" /></a></div><br /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">3. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">(2.09) "Paterfamilias"</i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> - Prince Philip insists that Prince Charles attend Gordonstoun, his alma mater in Scotland. Also, he reminisces about the life-changing difficulties he experienced there as a student.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmncAsozD24Uwzghm3YuEQMP0vvPzyvZo_F_bln9dCRRCnxlo33ubLqOitqZR-bUzt3XvY5tgy5BkrisPdhzyuZAL5-2M-xf61QCueKOiXrFq9-3r29DmWjmhzzjhxsSoFm1ojzlrc3UroSpfohlA6XqgO0EoAIbzxch0Uds9XdTC7w_b6BGyXA6o_ZImM/s500/4%20-%202.07%20Matrimonium.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="500" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmncAsozD24Uwzghm3YuEQMP0vvPzyvZo_F_bln9dCRRCnxlo33ubLqOitqZR-bUzt3XvY5tgy5BkrisPdhzyuZAL5-2M-xf61QCueKOiXrFq9-3r29DmWjmhzzjhxsSoFm1ojzlrc3UroSpfohlA6XqgO0EoAIbzxch0Uds9XdTC7w_b6BGyXA6o_ZImM/w400-h166/4%20-%202.07%20Matrimonium.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">4. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">(2.07) "Matrimonium"</i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> - A heartbreaking letter from former lover Peter Townsend spurs Princess Margaret to make a bold proposal to her current lover, photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones. The Queen has good news that causes complications for Margaret.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytSLdTd1RSt69oROit2JrspXah92GjLQwcr8cJ4K10g5pq4pTCXkGjrFOonljZoCt069exDYdlNI40kvNlf1zcwQuN8d-6Mz-g5y5MXc0oddz61W8Fe9H0tOdM8Up1-ICQwYgSEq6Wd967CJ44k99qvcSgd3NfCDmhAaIBpVmO8uOvarvuMnS1iO2n4tZ/s540/5%20-%202.02%20A%20Company%20of%20Men.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="540" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytSLdTd1RSt69oROit2JrspXah92GjLQwcr8cJ4K10g5pq4pTCXkGjrFOonljZoCt069exDYdlNI40kvNlf1zcwQuN8d-6Mz-g5y5MXc0oddz61W8Fe9H0tOdM8Up1-ICQwYgSEq6Wd967CJ44k99qvcSgd3NfCDmhAaIBpVmO8uOvarvuMnS1iO2n4tZ/w400-h200/5%20-%202.02%20A%20Company%20of%20Men.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">5. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">(2.02) "A Company of Men"</i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> - Elizabeth feels disconnected from Philip during his five-month royal tour in the South Pacific. Meanwhile, Eden copes with ill health and international pressure to withdraw British troops from Egypt during the Suez Crisis.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19Ab2wdog8nqbYfX1uwQLPSj7BBt4KEseHwj-hkKHcnaI8MzJKY3aXSI-F5B7aJ4PY-xvTJNJmB96-Fd5iTmdYw7fwX7opjZEzZCkO4kQVJrjbpp9s6CFzV5OYuZGSkhN-nVND3ASCchvqcRpscc1OONRMmiZJ5LjWW-fMqls21-yzTb1Ln33e8fAdT7z/s535/tumblr_7662f557880c9a53806713129942d097_1e1c6452_540.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="535" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19Ab2wdog8nqbYfX1uwQLPSj7BBt4KEseHwj-hkKHcnaI8MzJKY3aXSI-F5B7aJ4PY-xvTJNJmB96-Fd5iTmdYw7fwX7opjZEzZCkO4kQVJrjbpp9s6CFzV5OYuZGSkhN-nVND3ASCchvqcRpscc1OONRMmiZJ5LjWW-fMqls21-yzTb1Ln33e8fAdT7z/w400-h225/tumblr_7662f557880c9a53806713129942d097_1e1c6452_540.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><br /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span><p></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-38026713461990326142024-02-22T07:52:00.000-08:002024-02-22T07:52:47.667-08:00"HOPSCOTCH" (1980) Photo Gallery<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnltqPxTfbwV89JQIS68YMySXcj2cJT09os37BJd4uBfdgNfQUAfFdRUFWN5bhTO_UXJqz21KI371NRWrKeCbizYTkqV6r352qr1I_V9-N9Jp06CypPRxf1F4uUMYd06fAKD-iD4VFKHpkZ_gforA0QDy-pIfl8mJUS5xnU1Kj4gW8MLfQefTvcDS984fO/s1280/MV5BYWQ2NTY1NzMtMzhmZC00NTFkLWIwNzUtZWQ3NzY5N2ZlNDQxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDI4ODM5MDM@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="1280" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnltqPxTfbwV89JQIS68YMySXcj2cJT09os37BJd4uBfdgNfQUAfFdRUFWN5bhTO_UXJqz21KI371NRWrKeCbizYTkqV6r352qr1I_V9-N9Jp06CypPRxf1F4uUMYd06fAKD-iD4VFKHpkZ_gforA0QDy-pIfl8mJUS5xnU1Kj4gW8MLfQefTvcDS984fO/w540-h229/MV5BYWQ2NTY1NzMtMzhmZC00NTFkLWIwNzUtZWQ3NzY5N2ZlNDQxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDI4ODM5MDM@._V1_.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Below are images from </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"HOPSCOTCH"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">, the 1980 adaptation of Brian Garfield's 1975 novel about a veteran CIA field officer who walks away from the Agency in order to keep from being retired and placed behind a desk. Directed by Ronald Neame, the movie starred Walter Matthau:</span></p><p><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"HOPSCOTCH" (1980) Photo Gallery</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2797595/2797595_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2798104/2798104_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2798370/2798370_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2798699/2798699_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2798980/2798980_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2799324/2799324_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2799614/2799614_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2799763/2799763_300.png" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2799984/2799984_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2800266/2800266_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2800548/2800548_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2800819/2800819_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2800998/2800998_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2801377/2801377_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2801440/2801440_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2801776/2801776_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2802166/2802166_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2802382/2802382_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2802522/2802522_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2802915/2802915_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2802994/2802994_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2803405/2803405_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2803648/2803648_300.png" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2803749/2803749_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2804046/2804046_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /></p><p><br /></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-65462483219497343042024-02-20T12:38:00.000-08:002024-02-20T12:38:32.049-08:00"TO WALK INVISIBLE" (2016) Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RmoEX4fw-i4TmrvO7o1sN5q45zsGtY36Sy7mo8yOpEULklGK_7yTXZvHQiJc81Kphs2QlaDXBZNEdAWvWpi82EZkf4FSgX2BhquScHuuBMIMasam_g_Q547OqQl6pBSzHL18sKhSCShmwSzsMp702n8HK5rL6Mvf2xG8n36jz-52r0r41-zqH1GI07Dx/s1000/sfaa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RmoEX4fw-i4TmrvO7o1sN5q45zsGtY36Sy7mo8yOpEULklGK_7yTXZvHQiJc81Kphs2QlaDXBZNEdAWvWpi82EZkf4FSgX2BhquScHuuBMIMasam_g_Q547OqQl6pBSzHL18sKhSCShmwSzsMp702n8HK5rL6Mvf2xG8n36jz-52r0r41-zqH1GI07Dx/w400-h400/sfaa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"TO WALK INVISIBLE" (2016) Review</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Years ago, I had viewed a 1946 movie called </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"DEVOTION"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">. It was a fictionalized movie about the lives of the Brontë sisters. Needless to say, I had finished the movie feeling less than impressed. I also recently viewed the 1973 BBC miniseries, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE BRONTES OF HAWORTH"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">. I considered it an improvement over the 1946 film but found myself turned off by the bombastic dialogue. In the end, I discovered </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"TO WALK INVISIBLE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">, another biopic about the Brontë sisters. Despite my disappointment in the previous two productions about the sisters, I decided to give it a chance.</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Unlike previous cinematic biographies of the Brontë family, the setting for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"TO WALK INVISIBLE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> during the three-year period between 1845 and 1848. The series began with the family's reunion at their home in Yorkshire, after Branwell Brontë was dismissed from his position as tutor, and Anne Brontë, who had been working as a governess for the same family, resignation. Anne reluctantly informed her two sisters - Emily and Charlotte - that Branwell had been dismissed for his sexual affair with the mistress of the house. The three sisters came to the conclusion that despite years working as governesses or housekeeping for their father, the Reverend Patrick Brontë, they had continued their one passion - writing. However, the sisters eventually realized the possibility of a bleak future for themselves, and they could no longer regard their writing as a mere hobby. Reverend Brontë's was becoming increasingly blind. The sisters also realized they could not depend upon Bramwell to support them, due to his alcoholism, lies and erratic behavior. Due to this realization, the three sisters decided to embark upon professional careers as authors in order to support the family's financial situation . . . and maintain their love for writing.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"TO WALK INVISIBLE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> has to be the only Brontë family biopic that has failed to bore me. I think it is a well-paced drama that did an excellent job of exploring the family's emotional dynamics. Thanks to Sally Wainwright, it featured some tight writing. What I mean is . . . Wainwright did not drag the story's pacing, making it unnecessarily long. Yet, at the same time, she prevented the narrative at dashing forward at breakneck speed. Wainwright's excellent direction also helped the production.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Another aspect of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"TO WALK INVISIBLE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> that I found interesting was its raw portrayal of the Brontës' lives in Yorkshire. Most period dramas have a tendency to project of veneer of gentility in its production designs. The most "genteel" or "sophisticated" aspect of production designs for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"TO WALK INVISIBLE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> seemed to be Grant Montgomery's designs for Charlotte and Anne Brontë's journey to London in the movie's second half and Tom Pye's costume designs for the Charlotte Brontë character. However, Montgomery's production designs were not the only aspect of this movie that projected its raw portrayal of the Brontës' lives. I could also say the same about Wainwright's portrayal of financial desperation that faced the family by 1845 and Bramwell Brontë's behavior and the consequences. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE WALK INVISIBLE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> was not the first period drama from the U.K. that convey the more rugged aspect of life before the 20th century. But Wainwright's writing, dialogue (especially for Bramwell) and direction injected a certain rawness and energy that seemed more suited for crime dramas or war movies. And I loved it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">I cannot deny that I truly enjoyed the performances for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"TO WALK INVISIBLE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> - especially from those who portrayed the four Brontë siblings. Finn Adkins projected a great deal of emotional energy as the uber ambitious Charlotte Brontë. Chloe Pirrie struck me as equally energetic as the moody and sharp-tongued Emily Brontë, who also projected a fierce sense of protection toward her family - especially her father. Adam Nagaitis nearly stole the movie as the only brother, Branwell Brontë. I have to admit I found it fascinating to watch Nagaitis convey how Bramwell's self-destructive tendencies - alcohol and drug addiction, insecurity, and a licentious love affair with an employer's wife - led him to destroy the artistic potential within him. I realize that many would disagree with me, but I believe Charlie Murphy had the most difficult role in this production - that of the family's youngest sibling, Anne Brontë. I thought Murphy did an excellent job of portraying both Anne's reserved nature that barely hid a driving ambition. It is the type of role that people tend to ignore . . . just as many literary critics had ignored Anne Brontë for over a century. And finally, there was Jonathan Pryce, who portrayed the siblings' surviving parent, Patrick Brontë. I would not regard the Reverend Brontë as one of Pryce's most interesting roles. But I cannot deny that he gave a very solid performance as the family's patriarch, whose control and protection seemed to be in a decline due to age and oncoming blindness.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">If there is another biographical production about the Brontë family that I might regard as compelling, please let me know. I realize that </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"TO WALK INVISIBLE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> is not historically accurate - at least not completely. But thanks to the raw and energetic wiring and direction of Sally Wainwright, along with a superb cast, the two-part production did more to ignite my interest in the Brontë family than any other biopic or miniseries I have ever seen.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkZDRBqB82cUB5HkubmOjUzdpJZf28PSs3E4JX0xpH2mfXxa4-fBJN6TNbmb8hcx3jrWuJ_pNr3v7F4-8k7bkkO1s6nIwiy94Iu76OjjD2W_SwCdj-Wyiagco8SaY6ykIcR7FNzKW8Gd6W3efRXcl_n5bp3TnD7V4FvyvocLRqdPBba9vLk_T3zXbnKdu/s500/tumblr_69b4686b097658b49a4d35b0f48803af_2170cd5f_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="500" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkZDRBqB82cUB5HkubmOjUzdpJZf28PSs3E4JX0xpH2mfXxa4-fBJN6TNbmb8hcx3jrWuJ_pNr3v7F4-8k7bkkO1s6nIwiy94Iu76OjjD2W_SwCdj-Wyiagco8SaY6ykIcR7FNzKW8Gd6W3efRXcl_n5bp3TnD7V4FvyvocLRqdPBba9vLk_T3zXbnKdu/w400-h233/tumblr_69b4686b097658b49a4d35b0f48803af_2170cd5f_500.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span><p></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-64888327535195147462024-02-15T13:02:00.000-08:002024-02-15T13:02:49.310-08:00Dobos Torte<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U7daNWEEJhKo65ehkv3uI7Z6FQiypN46V0ooqoeDXZmC4xSSuFK9EYSrZgvjtjXMdnb4S4yQpBpcIjoGZOIkC7JUjH7HOY34eSjN1gCHMMN2ADIBTKKn22Yu97T3-jBuudiLNhkDvevLN4qWE3R8yl8gkkEF_XnYsmAAyWXihV0Zvvfy_lZFsDPrYmKH/s2048/Dobos-Torte-1-scaled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="2048" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U7daNWEEJhKo65ehkv3uI7Z6FQiypN46V0ooqoeDXZmC4xSSuFK9EYSrZgvjtjXMdnb4S4yQpBpcIjoGZOIkC7JUjH7HOY34eSjN1gCHMMN2ADIBTKKn22Yu97T3-jBuudiLNhkDvevLN4qWE3R8yl8gkkEF_XnYsmAAyWXihV0Zvvfy_lZFsDPrYmKH/w478-h318/Dobos-Torte-1-scaled.jpg" width="478" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Below is an article about the dessert known as the </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Dobos Torte</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">:</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">DOBOS TORTE</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Several years ago, I had written a small article about the famous New Orleans dessert known as </span><a href="https://seldonp38.livejournal.com/380456.html" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><span style="font-weight: bolder;">Doberge Cake</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">. In my article, I had pointed out that the cake was a deviation of the Hungarian dessert, Dobos Torte. Below is my article on the latter.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">The Dobos Torte is a Hungarian sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream and topped with caramel. The layered cake or </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">torte</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> was named after its inventor, Hungarian chef József C. Dobos, who was a delicatessen owner in Budapest, Hungary. Tortes are commonly baked in a springform pan. A torte is a rich, usually multilayered, cake filled with whipped cream, buttercreams, mousses, jams, or fruit. The sponge cake serves as a common base, but a torte's cake layers may instead be made with little to no flour, using ingredients such as ground nuts or breadcrumbs.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Sometime during the late 1800s, Dobos had decided to create a cake that would last longer than other pastries in an age when cooling techniques were limited. Dobos coated the round sides of the torte with ground hazelnuts, chestnuts, walnuts, or almonds, and the hardened caramel top helps to prevent drying out, for a longer shelf life. His use of fine chocolate buttercream was very little known at the time, because cake fillings and frostings were usually made with cooked pastry cream or whipped cream. Dobos had discovered buttercream, while traveling in France. But he invented the cake's batter. Dobos also added cocoa butter into the buttercream for extra smoothness.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Dobos first introduced his torte at the National General Exhibition of Budapest in 1885. Both Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth were among the first to taste the dessert. The latter soon became popular throughout Europe, for both its durability through shipping and for its unique appearance. With its flat, shiny, caramel glazed top, the Dobos Torte proved to be a simple but elegant dessert, as opposed to the more intricate cakes of the age. During Dobos' lifetime, the torte was often imitated, but never reproduced. Dobos traveled to other countries in Europe to introduce his cake, and soon began exporting the product in specially designed wooden boxes. Near the end of his career in 1906, Dobos donated his recipe to the Pastry and Honey-Makers' Guild.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Below is a recipe for the Dobos Torte from the </span><a href="https://www.thespruceeats.com/hungarian-dobosh-torte-recipe-1136613" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><span style="font-weight: bolder;">Spruceeats.com</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> website:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Dobos Torte</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Ingredients</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><u style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Cake</u><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*1 cup sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*1 teaspoon vanilla extract</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><u style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Filling</u><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*2 cups (1 pound) unsalted butter, room temperature</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*5 large egg whites, room temperature</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*1 cup sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><u style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Caramel Glaze</u><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*2/3 cup sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*1/3 cup water</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Nuts of your choice, ground, to sprinkle on top and sides of cake</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Preparation</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><u style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Preparing the Cake</u><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Gather the ingredients.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Preheat oven to 350 F.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*In a large bowl, cream the 8 ounces of butter and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Beat in the 4 eggs, one at a time. Beat in the flour and vanilla until smooth.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Weigh the batter, remembering to subtract for the weight of the bowl. Divide that number by 7—this is the number of ounces you will need for each pan in order to create even layers.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Lightly coat the bottom of 7 (9-inch) round pans with cooking spray. Alternatively, you can bake as many layers at a time as you have 9-inch cake pans and reuse them to bake the rest of the batter.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Bake each layer for 7 minutes, or until edges are very lightly brown. Don't overbake.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*After removing from the oven, loosen the cake layer and immediately invert onto a cooling rack.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Continue until all the batter is used and all of the layers are cooling.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><u style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Preparing the Filling</u><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Gather the ingredients.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Melt the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates in a microwaveable bowl, stirring often. Set aside to cool.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*In a large bowl, beat the 1 pound of butter on low for 2 minutes, then on medium for 3 minutes, and finally on high for 5 minutes.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Place the 5 egg whites and 1 cup sugar in a double boiler over medium heat. Whisk gently and heat to 120 F.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Transfer to a mixing bowl and whip on high until stiff peaks form.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Fold the melted and cooled chocolate into the whipped butter.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Fold the egg whites into the mixture until all traces of white are gone.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">*Refrigerate until ready to use.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><u style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Preparing the Caramel Glaze</u><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Gather the ingredients.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Place 1 cake layer on a cooling rack set over a pan to catch the drips.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Add the 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water to a small heavy saucepan.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Without stirring, cook until the sugar dissolves and it comes to a boil and begins to darken in color.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Swirling the pan, continue to boil until the caramel becomes a golden brown.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Immediately pour the caramel over the cake layer, creating an even coating.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">With a buttered knife, mark the glaze before it completely hardens into 16 equal wedges without cutting all the way through.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate or in a 9-inch springform pan to use as a guide, and spread on 1/8-inch of filling.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Repeat with remaining layers and portions of filling, and finish with the glazed layer on top.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Use the rest of the filling to cover the sides of the cake. Sprinkle with ground nuts of choice, if desired. Refrigerate until serving.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">To serve, slice along the lines marked in the caramel glaze.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><u style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">How to Store</u><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">A Dobos Torte will keep for a few days, covered, in the fridge. The caramel may become chewy stored in the moist refrigerator over time. A Dobos Torte freezes best if cut into individual pieces and tightly wrapped. Freeze for up to a month and defrost in the fridge before serving.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2595644/2595644_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: auto !important; letter-spacing: 0.15px; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%;" title="" /></p><p><br /></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-62854682111080175662024-02-06T10:48:00.000-08:002024-02-06T10:48:30.564-08:00"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS" (2021) Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2P82jzeibKZkUolQ-LZpcb_LbKREtWAaqeUgZcgZ9iu5CdsFnmzlcW0h2rIskqBTnriNcVMIAFf01YJG9qPf8715jouFNwv0xjHIP62VfYKp1FoaFjxdKoCm7IQxYCqvAtEIvmLj0UzeEXP2Inahj7XaEW4seVwjHUWd15nM6lYChALfvTQ0cpxXqU4if/s1200/Shang-Chi-banner1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="1200" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2P82jzeibKZkUolQ-LZpcb_LbKREtWAaqeUgZcgZ9iu5CdsFnmzlcW0h2rIskqBTnriNcVMIAFf01YJG9qPf8715jouFNwv0xjHIP62VfYKp1FoaFjxdKoCm7IQxYCqvAtEIvmLj0UzeEXP2Inahj7XaEW4seVwjHUWd15nM6lYChALfvTQ0cpxXqU4if/w493-h309/Shang-Chi-banner1.jpg" width="493" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS" (2021) Review</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">I might as well put my cards on the table. I have not fully admired the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since the beginning of its third phase. Nor do I believe that its Phase Four had improved matters. With the exception of a handful of movies and television series. One of those exceptions proved to be the franchise's 25th film, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">.</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">The 2021 movie is not an exact adaptation of the Marvel Comics superhero, who had debuted in the comic books back in 1973. However, director-screenwriter Destin Daniel Cretton and his fellow screenwriters, Dave Callaham and Andrew Lanham, used elements from the comic books to create not only an interesting backstory for the leading character, but also a solid narrative for the film. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> began with a warrior named Xu Wenwu, who discovers a set of ten mystical rings that gave him power and immortality. Utilizing the rings and his army, Wenwu (who acquired the name of </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"the Mandarin"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">) created the Ten Rings criminal organization that conquered or toppled many governments throughout the centuries. In 1996, Wenwu engaged in a search for Ta Lo, a village said to harbor mythical beasts. While traveling through a magical forest to the village entrance, he was stopped by one of the village's guardians, Ying Li. The two fell in love, and when the Ta Lo villagers rejected Wenwu, Li chose to leave with him. They married and conceived two children, Shang-Chi and Xialing. Wenwu abandoned his organization and locked away the ten rings.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">The Xu family's happiness did not last very long. Wenwu's old enemies, the Iron Gang, murdered Li in an act of revenge when Shang-Chi was seven years old. Wenwu used the ten rings to massacre the Iron Gang members and resumed leadership of his old organization. Then he forced Shang-Chi to undergo a brutal training in martial arts but prevented Xialing from being trained. When Shang-Chi was fourteen, Wenwu sent him to assassinate the Iron Gang's leader. After completing his mission, a traumatized Shang-Chi ran away to San Francisco, California and adopted the name "Shaun". During his time in the United States, "Shaun" learned English, and eventually became a valet at an exclusive San Francisco hotel along with his best friend, Katy aka Chen Ruiwen. While riding a local bus, Shaun and Katy found themselves under attack by members of the Ten Rings organization. Wenwu had ordered them to steal Shaun's pendant, given to him by his late mother. Despite a brutal fight that left most of the assailants unconscious and the bus seriously damaged; one Ten Rings warrior, Razor Fist, managed to steal Shaun's pendant. Suspecting that his father might also want the pendant given to Xialing; Shang-Chi and Katy travel to Macau to warn his sister. And the trio eventually found themselves swept into a situation in which a threat larger than Wenwu, loomed ahead.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Many fans have declared either 2022's </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> or </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"SHANG-CHIAND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> as the best movie of the MCU's Phase Four. My choice? None of them. But I will admit that I enjoyed all three films. Especially </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">. The latter film struck me as a poignant family drama at the heart of a movie filled with humor, pathos, action and magic. In fact, it occurred to me that the movie reminded me of the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">STAR WARS</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> saga's Skywalker Family Saga - at least the six films produced and directed by George Lucas. Seriously. The Xu Shang-Chi character is basically Luke Skywalker, his sister Xialing could be Princess Leia Organa (only not adopted) and his parents Wenwu and Li - Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. Only the Xu family's family narrative differed . . . somewhat. Wenwu's inability to recover from his wife's death led to the family's breakup, and an even more dangerous Big Bad to exploit his grief. Sounds family? However, the poignant flashbacks of Wenwu and Li's courtship, those happy years before Li's death, along with the drama that surrounded Shang-Chi and Xialing's resentment and fear toward their father really cemented </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> as a family drama.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">However, the movie did have its share of action sequences. I had nothing against Shang-Chi's reunion with Xialing, which resulted in a funny fight scene inside her Macau fight club; or the siblings' attempt to prevent the Ten Rings from taking her pendant on the construction site outside of her club </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">(a scene that produced memories of another from the 2001 movie, <span style="font-weight: bolder;">"RUSH HOUR 2"</span>)</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">. Also, Shang-Chi's fight against Wenwu in the movie's final action sequence struck me as pretty solid. But I had to choose two sequences that really impressed me, they had to be the one in which Wenwu and Li first met, when she prevented him from entering Ta Lo; and Shang-Chi's fight against the Ten Ring operatives aboard a San Francisco bus. What I really enjoyed about Wenwu and Li's fight is that it started out as a serious confrontation and slowly developed into a sly, yet romantic dance between two people who had become attracted to one another. I believe Tony Leung and Fala Chen's performances made this transformation both believable and very entertaining. For me, the movie's most thrilling fight scene - hell, action scene - was Shang-Chi's fight against some of the Ten Rings operatives aboard a moving San Francisco bus. I would say it was one of the best action sequences I have ever seen in a MCU film. Not only did leading man Simu Liu and the fight choreography team led by Andy Cheung and the late Brad Allan created an exciting fight, but leading lady Awkwafina and cast of supporting performers, cinematographer William Pope and especially director Destin Daniel Cretton all contributed to the sequence's action, thrills and some very sharp humor.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">I certainly do not have any complaints about the performances in </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">. The latter featured solid performances from Randolph Fields, Charlotte Leonie, Jodie Long, Jayden Zhang, Arnold Sun, Wah Yuen,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Kunal Dudheker, a very imposing Florian Munteanu and Stephanie Hsu. The movie also featured cameos from the likes of Benedict Wong (as Wong), Tsai Chin (whom I have not seen since the Marvel series, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D."</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">), Tim Roth (or perhaps I should say a CGI image of Abomination aka Emil Blonsky), and a surprising and funny Ronny Chieng. It was nice seeing Michelle Yeoh, who portrayed Shang-Chi and Xialing's aunt Ying Nan. But if I must be honest, I found her performance solid and serviceable - nothing else.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">The performances that stood out for me came from the likes of Meng'er Zhang, who portrayed Xu Xialing, Wenwu and Li's only daughter. I thought Zhang did a first-rate job of conveying Xialing's anger and resentment toward both her father and older brother. She also did an excellent job of revealing how the Xu family's break-up had affected her family. Not many people approved of Ben Kingsley's return as Trevor Slattery, the actor who had been hired to impersonate the Mandarin in 2013's </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"IRON MAN 3"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">. I had no problems seeing Kingsley in the role again. He was funny as ever and it felt nice to see Slattery express remorse for his false portrayal of Wenwu and come out of his situation as a better man. Fala Chen gave an elegant, yet slightly sly performance as Ying Li, whose warmth and strong will kept the Xu family together, while she lived. Awkwafina proved to be as hilarious as ever with her portrayal of "Katy" Chen, Shang-Chi's somewhat witty best friend. Not only was Awkwafina funny, I thought she did an excellent job of conveying Katy's difficulty in finding a solid direction in her life and reactions to her friend's past and the world of the Ten Rings and Ta Lo. If I had to give the award for the film's best performance, I would hand it to Tony Leung's portrayal of Xu Wenwu, Shang-Chi's father and leader of the Ten Rings. Leung did a masterful job of portraying a complex man, whose decisions led him toward a path of a loving family man, feared parent, villainy and convenient tool for a bigger villain. More importantly, I found Leung's performance skillful, subtle and worthy of a major acting award. You know, looking back at Leung's portrayal of the "Mandarin", I found myself wondering why Marvel Films/Disney had originally thought that casting an European actress was the only way to avoid any Asian clichés of the Ancient One character in 2016's </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"DOCTOR STRANGE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Some film critic had expressed disappointment that actor Simu Liu's portrayal of Xu Shang-Chi was not as charismatic as his true self. I found this criticism rather ridiculous, if I must be honest. Since when was Shang-Chi supposed to be a </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"charismatic"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> or extroverted personality in the first place? I certainly did not get that impression of the character as a young boy. Following my viewing of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">, I came away with the impression that Xu Shang-Li was a reserved child forced to tap into his aggression by a grief-stricken father, obsessed with revenge. I also came away with the impression that Shang-Chi's time in the U.S. and his friendship with Katy gave him an outlet to forget his past and just enjoy life. But the return of Wenwu and the Ten Rings in his life forced him to realize he had to face his past. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">THIS</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> is what I came away with Simu Liu's portrayal of Shang-Chi. And I thought he did an excellent job in conveying every emotional beat of the character's adult life through most of the film.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">I wish I could end this review with a declaration that </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> was a perfect movie. Or even one of the best in the MCU franchise. But I believe the movie possessed enough flaws for me to not come to that conclusion. My first complaint centered around the Wong-Abomination fight at Xialing's fight club. What on earth were they doing there? Why did Wong break Abomination/Blonsky out of prison for a match in the first place? The Disney-Plus series, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"SHE-HULK: ATTONEY-AT-LAW"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> actually provided an answer and it proved to be pretty lame in my eyes. However, I believe most of the film's problems had materialized in the film's second half - when Shang-Chi, Katy, Xialing and Slattery arrived at the mystical realm of Ta Lo. At this point, the film into the typical MCU film finale. The major protagonists prepare for a fight against a deadly foe. A battle ensues - first against the Ten Rings and later, against the film's real Big Bad. And yes, the battle had its moments of the usual MCU humor - especially from Ben Kingsley and Awkwafina. I am only thankful that audiences were spared the usual Marvel wit. There is the issue of Katy's participation in this battle. The movie had hinted her talent as a skillful driver. But can someone please explain how she had become a talented archer within a space of a few hours (or days)? You know, a part of me wishes Wenwu had turned out to be the film's main villain. Unfortunately, the "the Dweller-in-Darkness" (which had originated in Marvel Comics) was no Emperor Palpatine. Instead of a demon, the Dweller-in-Darkness turned out to be a mystical soul-consuming dragon that used Wenwu's grief and ten rings to break free and enter Ta Lo. And the battle between Dweller-in-Darkness, the main protagonists and another dragon called the Great Protector. Needless to say, I was not impressed by this final action sequence. I found it clumsy, overwrought and at times confusing. You know . . . the typical MCU grand finale.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">I would never regard </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"SHANG-CHI AND THE TEN RINGS"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> as one of my favorite comic book movies or MCU films. But I still believe it was definitely better than average, thanks to director Destin Daniel Cretton. After all, the film did feature some top-notch action sequences, a decent narrative and first-rate performances from a cast led by Simu Liu.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpctNKn9lavArcSsb4lleDxEdr0iqumzY8L1nvW4iPLXPFqWgx8okfeQphVmoMeCmqY18AadlPwqjs3jC4i8ACRBU45xWB7lLSz3rWKzb6GoqFtjIbLICe4PBGJh9xTg3kA46m0D1s8TnaTtBc4LxF2p2bmaJ-wEzTFbG7abQXIGp7UReFMamLi1LJN2G/s540/tumblr_9c00f5bdf9069b34b6cf76a375a2f4cc_419f091b_540.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="540" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpctNKn9lavArcSsb4lleDxEdr0iqumzY8L1nvW4iPLXPFqWgx8okfeQphVmoMeCmqY18AadlPwqjs3jC4i8ACRBU45xWB7lLSz3rWKzb6GoqFtjIbLICe4PBGJh9xTg3kA46m0D1s8TnaTtBc4LxF2p2bmaJ-wEzTFbG7abQXIGp7UReFMamLi1LJN2G/w400-h204/tumblr_9c00f5bdf9069b34b6cf76a375a2f4cc_419f091b_540.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span><p></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-47547630311895234562024-02-03T09:41:00.000-08:002024-02-03T09:41:23.688-08:00"PERSUASION" (2007) Photo Gallery<p><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q18gh/" style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #00a3d9; float: left; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" fetchpriority="high" height="266" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q18gh/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="400" /></a> </p><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Below are images from </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"PERSUASION"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">, the 2007 adaptation of Jane Austen's 1818 novel. Directed by Adrian Shergold, the movie starred Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones:</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"PERSUASION" (2007) Photo Gallery</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q2wdf/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="213" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q2wdf/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004qge6x/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="213" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004qge6x/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q3xkg/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="240" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q3xkg/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="171" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/rpowell/pic/0024hr6t/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="180" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/rpowell/pic/0024hr6t/s640x480" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q4dya/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="180" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q4dya/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q52w4/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="180" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q52w4/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q7he7/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="240" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q7he7/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="159" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q869h/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="213" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q869h/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q98e9/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="213" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q98e9/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004qa3z4/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="180" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004qa3z4/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004qb925/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="180" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004qb925/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/rpowell/pic/0024kcw8/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="180" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/rpowell/pic/0024kcw8/s640x480" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004qc00r/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="180" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004qc00r/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004qdx6a/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="180" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004qdx6a/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004qe7ze/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="180" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004qe7ze/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q66he/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="180" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/felaries65/pic/004q66he/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/rpowell/pic/000ky7r3/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="171" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/rpowell/pic/000ky7r3/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/rpowell/pic/000p0yk4/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="174" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/rpowell/pic/000p0yk4/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/rpowell/pic/000p1gc6/" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img border="0" height="213" loading="lazy" src="https://pics.livejournal.com/rpowell/pic/000p1gc6/s320x240" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit !important; height: auto !important; line-height: inherit !important; max-height: 2048px; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" width="320" /></a></div>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-24378782217342367162024-01-29T11:54:00.000-08:002024-01-29T12:40:35.522-08:00"Powers That Be in Whedonverse"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizp8OAmP-gm-KhV-rK7q36_YLkZAMNi8Qt9KmcYTJwrDZ-CIEuWJAa7QAlt7TSr-yaECK02B7nqXmg2drjx8V2sywaArPLv7cOdYhHYdJP8RkBjWS8OCe3TvH8RV4EgyTO33wy-cUxhlDx1dfuIqQdOvvPpHYcu7eKR-tRFLpsc_MiL3nhGn_REKWYzhF7/s600/25541249b521e6823_w.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="600" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizp8OAmP-gm-KhV-rK7q36_YLkZAMNi8Qt9KmcYTJwrDZ-CIEuWJAa7QAlt7TSr-yaECK02B7nqXmg2drjx8V2sywaArPLv7cOdYhHYdJP8RkBjWS8OCe3TvH8RV4EgyTO33wy-cUxhlDx1dfuIqQdOvvPpHYcu7eKR-tRFLpsc_MiL3nhGn_REKWYzhF7/w480-h270/25541249b521e6823_w.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"POWERS THAT BE IN WHEDONVERSE"</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">While perusing one of the many BUFFYVERSE message boards on the Internet many years ago, I had come across a passage from an old article titled, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><u>"Classic CJL: Spike and the Whedonverse"</u></i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">:</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"In order to battle the new enemy (vampires), the Powers have called upon Slayers, Champions (welcome, Cordy!), Seers and Mystics, all dedicated to protecting the human race from the vampires and half-breed demons who feed upon and ravage the populace."</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Like many other </span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"BUFFY THE VAMPIRE"</span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> fans, I had believed in this nonsense . . . until I saw the Season Seven episode, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">(7.15) "Get It Done"</i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">. Thanks to this particular episode, I finally came to the conclusion that the above comment about the so-called "Powers That Be" featured in both </span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER"</span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> and its spin-off, </span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"ANGEL"</span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> just might not be true. Following the suicide of one of the Potential Slayers and a dream of the First Slayer, in </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"Get It Done"</i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">, Buffy Summers had received a bag from Principal Robin Wood. The bag once belonged to his mother – a former Slayer from the 1970s named Nikki Wood. This bag eventually led Buffy to discover the true origins of a long line of vampire slayers.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">In </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"Get It Done"</i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">, Buffy finally discovered that the Powers That Be had not created the Slayer line. </span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Instead, a trio of ancient African shamans had committed the dead in order to create a weapon (one of flesh) to fight vampires and other demons for them. And to insure this weapon would remain under their control – and under the controls of those that followed them – the shamans had guaranteed the Slayer line would continue through countless young females throughout the ages via a spell. Why? Because they had believed that adolescent girls and young women would be easily controlled, due to their ages and gender. So one has to wonder - did the First Slayer, Buffy, Faith Lehane, Kendra Young, Nikki Wood, Xin Rong and all of the Slayers before and after really had a sacred duty to defend humans against vampires and other demons, because of the Powers to Be? Or had they merely been reluctant conscripts in a never ending war waged against demons by these shamans and their descendants – the Watcher’s Council?</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRhaZrp7ZjIU-3TDnG4UB77jRY69mYv7GX_4Tssn5wGXJJ6SU6xXUAeCy85OQ6V9RNV1wElFMb-Qqgc8BuzDSywA4gSLhwZfcK4cvgh_AbvShAxZaQEYJ3VyeQwvz4lvXatqvwaP6Cj-AC_5s-ulELfyzlGMJov4pkMdIuRHGycDno_aeXZpaVpVNn-VhI/s335/fanged%20four.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="335" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRhaZrp7ZjIU-3TDnG4UB77jRY69mYv7GX_4Tssn5wGXJJ6SU6xXUAeCy85OQ6V9RNV1wElFMb-Qqgc8BuzDSywA4gSLhwZfcK4cvgh_AbvShAxZaQEYJ3VyeQwvz4lvXatqvwaP6Cj-AC_5s-ulELfyzlGMJov4pkMdIuRHGycDno_aeXZpaVpVNn-VhI/w400-h224/fanged%20four.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Speaking of vampires, here is another passage from the article . . . this time, it centered around Angel – the vampire with a soul, who had formed his own gang to fight demonic evil on his own show in Los Angeles:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"Of course, the biggest exception to the rule, the vamp who broke the mold, is Angel. The Powers and our Lord Joss have spent a great deal of time and effort guiding his path from Chaos, prepping him for his pivotal and unique role in the upcoming <span style="font-weight: bolder;">"End of Days"</span> we’ve been waiting for since BtVS, Season 1."</i><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">I am curious. Exactly how did the vaunted Powers That Be guide Angel toward his actions in one of the late </span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER"</span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> episodes, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">(7.21) "End of Days"</i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">? I will admit that the Powers to Be had been responsible for placing him in Buffy’s path back in 1996. A demon named Whistler had introduced Angel to the future Slayer and within less than a year, the latter followed her to Sunnydale and his own future in demon slaying.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">But the Powers That Be had not been responsible for giving him his soul back in 1898. A group of Kalderash gypsies from Romania had restored his human soul in an act of revenge for his murder of one of their children. This soul would afflict him with a conscience and condemn him to an eternity of guilt and remorse for the crimes he has committed. After Angel lost his soul again one hundred years later in 1998, one of Buffy’s close friends, Willow Rosenberg, restored his soul while he was engaged in a lethal sword fight against the Slayer. Come to think of it, Willow performed this act again five years later, on the behest of Angel’s Los Angeles associates. If the Powers to Be were not responsible for the various restorations of his soul, who would have become their "Champion" from the Shanshu Prophecy, if Angel had not killed that Kalderash gypsy child?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">As for his role in </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"End of Days"</i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> – the only task Angel ended up performing was to hand Buffy the amulet that would help her defeat the First Evil’s plans to upset the balance of good and evil. Come to think of it, the heads of Wolfram and Hart – the law firm that served as the Powers That Be's opposite number – had given Angel that amulet. But another powerful and souled vampire, eventually wore the amulet in the </span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"BUFFY THE VAMPIRE"</span><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> series finale, </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">(7.22) "Chosen"</i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> that led to the First Evil’s defeat.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaV2oEsTPlQzO8lOhvrpZDXhqgWdqccSExBxP7tfN3QmrCJRyyGis5MWhiFi0qnMqeSYh4ViNLvb8WT-yU3T-TFNAK_2PkU0wGuOfNyuVXqNftQP_W2MZtC9cmpZ2Qx0PraKundSxC1h49MkIT0L0do3B79abCNGDQDfBuMzFsfMX0XaOLp476Pg8j5BO/s420/tumblr_477c070e6a4422b925fca713ccf17bd7_8d7be5c3_500.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXaV2oEsTPlQzO8lOhvrpZDXhqgWdqccSExBxP7tfN3QmrCJRyyGis5MWhiFi0qnMqeSYh4ViNLvb8WT-yU3T-TFNAK_2PkU0wGuOfNyuVXqNftQP_W2MZtC9cmpZ2Qx0PraKundSxC1h49MkIT0L0do3B79abCNGDQDfBuMzFsfMX0XaOLp476Pg8j5BO/s320/tumblr_477c070e6a4422b925fca713ccf17bd7_8d7be5c3_500.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">That vampire proved to be Spike, originally a lovesick and failed Victorian poet who ended up being sired by one Drusilla, the very vampire who had been driven insane and sired by Angel or Angelus. Although Spike had originally traveled with Drusilla, Angel and his sire Darla for several years; he and Drusilla eventually broke away and became a romantic pair on their own. By the time he had reached Sunnydale in 1997, Spike had developed a reputation as the only vampire to have killed more than one Slayer (including Nikki Wood). He had hoped Buffy would prove to be his third Slayer. However, a series of events eventually led to Spike falling in love with Buffy, forming an alliance with her and her friends, and winning back his soul. Although Angel had brought the amulet to Sunnydale, Buffy had decided Spike would be the one to wear it during her final showdown against the First Evil. Buffy had decided . . . not the Powers That Be.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">From what I have surmised, the Powers That Be had only committed one major act in their </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"war against evil"</i><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> - they had used Whistler to guide Angel toward making his acquaintance with Buffy before she became a Slayer. They were certainly not responsible for the creation of the Slayer line. They were not responsible for Angel getting back his human soul . . . three times. Come to think of it, they were not responsible for Spike retrieving his soul. Apparently, William the Bloody had made the choice to regain his soul. No one had made it for him. And Buffy had decided which souled vampire would wear the mystical amulet during her fight against the First Evil. This only led me to wonder just how relevant were the Powers That Be in the Whedonverse.</span></p><p><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6YeCeGeeYDNkpyggW0V_E8S200Fpe7qN1ZltbznZpJ1Haj4zQyjw0jx71bBHrmvfN58TaA2F8qGlgcayToDpOhlQ_9jBTB7uCPeFvwk_sOoisOLcVhwGovW7wwuHZ0_WZIt_RtRgmZGdaDUi_DGUBB8iolIekxIhOn54a0kHut_I0Cynj3CtTNNkqdpB/s245/tumblr_m59dhahbJd1qkx3d4o2_250.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="245" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6YeCeGeeYDNkpyggW0V_E8S200Fpe7qN1ZltbznZpJ1Haj4zQyjw0jx71bBHrmvfN58TaA2F8qGlgcayToDpOhlQ_9jBTB7uCPeFvwk_sOoisOLcVhwGovW7wwuHZ0_WZIt_RtRgmZGdaDUi_DGUBB8iolIekxIhOn54a0kHut_I0Cynj3CtTNNkqdpB/w324-h212/tumblr_m59dhahbJd1qkx3d4o2_250.gif" width="324" /></a></div><br /><span face="ProximaNova, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span><p></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-76918860458721876422024-01-25T15:54:00.000-08:002024-01-25T15:54:21.543-08:00"THE ILLUSIONIST" (2006) Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIB0xOLq1I1BXa3nJLENcgdjdn9Sz2Y4Fekv7lic3_9RLFQ5RfHkwCEHpRph3C4ApXeEM_SAvXo-S5khpnNCxOFoZKtq8N-3EKrV15OqDO8JPUYxhuLLVzCn575kwgVnqiBd_8UB47cIGT_Y6vhjLHHOKGzgjnI-u-SmpUDeKNSGejL9T2236PKelv-e0/s2048/MV5BMTk3NTQ4MzM4MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzE5ODQzNA@@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1523" data-original-width="2048" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIB0xOLq1I1BXa3nJLENcgdjdn9Sz2Y4Fekv7lic3_9RLFQ5RfHkwCEHpRph3C4ApXeEM_SAvXo-S5khpnNCxOFoZKtq8N-3EKrV15OqDO8JPUYxhuLLVzCn575kwgVnqiBd_8UB47cIGT_Y6vhjLHHOKGzgjnI-u-SmpUDeKNSGejL9T2236PKelv-e0/w447-h332/MV5BMTk3NTQ4MzM4MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzE5ODQzNA@@._V1_.jpg" width="447" /></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE ILLUSIONIST" (2006) Review</b><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Neil Burger wrote and directed this loose adaptation of Steven Millhauser's story called </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"Eisenheim the Illusionist"</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">. This story about a magician in turn-of-the-century Vienna starred Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti and Rufus Sewell.</span><a name="cutid1" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms"; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The movie’s plot focused upon the romance that had first formed between the magician Eisenheim (Norton) and his childhood friend, the socially superior Sophie, Duchess von Teschen (Biel) – a romance that ends up threatening the political plans of Crown Prince Leopold of Austria-Hungary (Sewell) and Chief Inspector Uhl’s position with the Vienna police and his role as the Crown Prince’s henchman. </span><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE ILLUSIONIST"</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> began in the middle of the story – with Chief Inspector Uhl revealing Eisenheim ‘s background and childhood friendship with Sophie. The movie continued with the events that led to the Crown Prince’s interest in the magician – Eisenheim’s arrival in Vienna, his reunion with Sophie during a performance and a special performance by the magician for the Crown Prince and his entourage, in which Eisenheim embarrasses the prince for a brief moment.</span><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Sophie appears at Eisenheim’s quarters to warn him about his actions at the royal palace. The two end up declaring their feelings for one another by making love. After Sophie reveals Crown Prince’s Leopold’s reasons for proposing marriage – he needs her Hungarian family connections to build a power base strong enough to usurp his father from the Imperial throne – both come to the conclusion that Leopold would never let her go. Even if they decide to make a run for it, the prince would hunt them down and kill them. Realizing this, Eisenheim decides to unfold plans that would allow Sophie to escape from Leopold’s clutches and guarantee the couple’s future safety and happiness.</span><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I have never read Millhauser’s story about Eisenheim. But I must admit that I became enamored of Burger’s cinematic adaptation since the first time I saw it. The story possessed many elements that made it entertaining and unique for me. One, it had plenty of romance, due to the romance between Eisenheim and Sophie; along with the love triangle between the two and Crown Prince Leopold. It had intrigue from the plot centered around the Crown Prince’s efforts to rid Eisenheim as a rival for not only Sophie’s affections, but those of the Austrian people. It had mystery thanks to Eisenheim’s mind-blowing magic, Chief Inspector Uhl’s attempts to expose it, and the tragic events that dominate the film’s latter half. And Crown Prince Leopold’s plans to dethrone his father, along with his competition with Eisenheim for the Viennese public’s affections gave the movie a political tone. It simply had everything and Burger managed to combine it all with a superb script.</span><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The cast of </span><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE ILLUSIONIST"</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> contributed to the movie’s superior quality, as well. Edward Norton was superb as the magician Eisenheim. Despite being the movie’s main character, he did a great job in conveying the character’s many personality facets – including his love for Sophie (which makes this role one of Norton’s most romantic), and his contempt toward both Crown Prince Leopold and Chief Inspector Ulh Even more importantly, Norton managed to convey some of these emotional aspects of Eisenheim’s personality, while retaining the man’s enigmatic nature. Jessica Biel literally glowed as Sophie, Duchess von Teschen. Frankly, I believe the character might be one of her best roles. Biel had portrayed Sophie more than just an elegant and charming woman from the Austro-Hungarian ruling class. She revealed Sophie’s inner sadness from her earlier disrupted relationship with Eisenheim and fear of facing a lifetime with the odious Crown Prince. Speaking of which . . . kudos to Rufus Sewell for portraying one of the most complex screen villains in recent years. Sewell’s Leopold was not simply a one-note villain who sneered at everyone he deemed inferior to himself. The actor portrayed the prince as an ambitious and emotional man who desired respect and even love from the public and those close to him. Yet, despite this desire, he seemed incapable of returning such feelings to others, especially Sophie, due to his arrogance and vindictive nature. But if you had asked me which performance in </span><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE ILLUSIONIST"</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> really impressed me, I would have to say Paul Giamatti as Chief Inspector Walter Uhl. Giamatti either had the bad or good luck – it depends upon one’s point of view – to portray the most complex character in the movie. This is a man torn between his curiosity over Einheim’s talent as a magician, his ambition to be more than just a policeman, and his sense of justice and outrage toward the tragic event revealed in the second half. Giamatti’s Chief Inspector Ulh is a man literally torn apart over toward whom he should direct his loyalty. And the actor did a superb job in portraying every nuance in the character. In my opinion, he managed to dominate the film without being its main star.</span><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I really do not have much to say about the film’s production values. Granted, production designer Ondrej Nekvasil; along with costume designer Ngila Dickson, and art directors Stefan Kovacik and Vlasta Svoboda, did an admirable job of re-creating turn-of-the-century Vienna on the screen. And yet . . . aside from Dickson’s elegant costumes, I found the movie’s Viennese setting to be slightly colorless. Almost empty. The setting lacked the sharp colors of that particular period shown in other movies like 1969’s </span><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU, LTD"</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> and 1976’s </span><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE SEVEN PERCENT SOLUTION"</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">.</span><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Despite my complaint against the film’s slightly colorless production designs, I have to give kudos to Neil Burger for writing a rich adaptation of Millhauser’s story. He also did an excellent job of conveying his vision of the story through his direction of the crew and a cast of talented actors that included Norton, Biel, Sewell and Giamatti. </span><b style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE ILLUSIONST"</b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> is a beautiful and mysterious love story filled with magic and political intrigue. After nearly eighteen years, I still find it enjoyable to watch.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbKq-CwTC8SGKYdb38L-s-_32mZuZmemz4CvRNP0Dbbj-7IpG1wRBsEwC13AW6xEIzougDtvQTGcqaOq_BKaDs1Xd3E576hn9bwO_KBT1QyTP23qQgtbZe9cGKQV0bC3TL7HbE4NvvIlSoSYu1NK9wkpbimofBzMGTmoQA0C05npPbzIzhogR6gdBhIXP/s650/ee6caa2fdbca08ae2b289e51a8a5588f.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbKq-CwTC8SGKYdb38L-s-_32mZuZmemz4CvRNP0Dbbj-7IpG1wRBsEwC13AW6xEIzougDtvQTGcqaOq_BKaDs1Xd3E576hn9bwO_KBT1QyTP23qQgtbZe9cGKQV0bC3TL7HbE4NvvIlSoSYu1NK9wkpbimofBzMGTmoQA0C05npPbzIzhogR6gdBhIXP/s320/ee6caa2fdbca08ae2b289e51a8a5588f.gif" width="246" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span><p></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-45491457851865826232024-01-19T22:12:00.000-08:002024-01-19T22:13:18.950-08:00"SCARECROW AND MRS. KING": Top Favorite Season Three (1985-1986) Episodes<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrU65Lkj3cFTuuBsZFvmtvyWD9Xu2y5wn_fAIsUE2T1kBeqwb1RzKmu6FppywN4Q4z88cujpzMtnKaOXWxeaIfn2t8YY-Kc8ttWTnpksKq5V-04M34GyeEsk0fD0IOfY6uYNUeG5v0eA2LON0PMYjyJ6ERBK2VPLyPifcJUWTLLtKm-H0XaRGtE8wqsFY/s1440/scarecrow-and-mrs-king.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1440" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrU65Lkj3cFTuuBsZFvmtvyWD9Xu2y5wn_fAIsUE2T1kBeqwb1RzKmu6FppywN4Q4z88cujpzMtnKaOXWxeaIfn2t8YY-Kc8ttWTnpksKq5V-04M34GyeEsk0fD0IOfY6uYNUeG5v0eA2LON0PMYjyJ6ERBK2VPLyPifcJUWTLLtKm-H0XaRGtE8wqsFY/w490-h256/scarecrow-and-mrs-king.jpg" width="490" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Below is a list of my favorite Season Three episodes from the CBS series, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"SCARECROW AND MRS. KING"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">. Created by Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming, the series starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner:</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #3d7b22; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"SCARECROW AND MRS. KING": TOP FIVE FAVORITE SEASON THREE (1985-1986) Episodes</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="1 - 3.05 Welcome to America Mr. Brand" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/scw1842/51056469/1484398/1484398_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="1 - 3.05 Welcome to America Mr. Brand" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">1. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">(3.05) "Welcome to America, Mr. Brand"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> - Amanda King is recruited to serve as babysitter for a vacationing British accountant, a clumsy James Bond wannabe who claims he has stumbled upon evidence that reveals the identity of a Soviet spy. Harvey Jason guest starred.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="2 - 3.18 Wrong Number" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/scw1842/51056469/1484795/1484795_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="2 - 3.18 Wrong Number" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">2. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">(3.18) "Wrong Number"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> - Following Agent Francine Desmond is kidnapped in Beirut, Amanda and Agent Lee Stetson become embroiled in a plot created by the latter's old KGB nemesis, Gregory, that involves the kidnapped Francine, an American mathematician and the latter's Soviet doppelganger. James Cromwell, Andrew Divoff and Peter Jurasik guest-starred.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="3 - 3.07 Utopia Now" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/scw1842/51056469/1484920/1484920_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="3 - 3.07 Utopia Now" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">3. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">(3.07) "Utopia Now"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> - Amanda and Lee has a camping trip in the Virginia backwoods in order to spy on an outspoken tax protester who may have more than political reform on his agenda and a stash of explosives. Geoffrey Lewis, Frank Bonner, Dan Lauria and David Faustino guest-starred.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="4 - 3.17 The Eyes Have It" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/scw1842/51056469/1485276/1485276_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="4 - 3.17 The Eyes Have It" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">4. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">(3.17) "The Eyes Have It"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> - While Lee recovers in the hospital from a car accident, his contact lenses, which contain a valuable microdot, goes missing. Gary Lockwood guest starred.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="5 - 3.02 Were Off to See the Wizard" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/scw1842/51056469/1485526/1485526_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="5 - 3.02 Were Off to See the Wizard" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">5. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">(3.02) "We're Off to See the Wizard"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> - Lee recalls an old tragedy when a series of murders claim the lives of women he used to work with or dated. Stephen Macht and Michael Patuki guest-starred.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="HM - 3.20 Dead Men Leave No Trails" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/scw1842/51056469/1485769/1485769_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="HM - 3.20 Dead Men Leave No Trails" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Honorable Mention - </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">(3.20) "Dead Men Leave No Trails"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> - When Amanda becomes involved in a traffic accident, she accidentally exposes a dead terrorist, who turns out to be living and preparing to strike at an Embassy gathering. Stanley Kamel and Roger Burgos guest-starred.</span></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-73071362855560523472024-01-16T17:43:00.000-08:002024-01-16T17:43:24.401-08:00"STAR TREK: DISCOVERY" Season One (2017-2018) Photo Gallery<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAW2fyqG4090WDEJqs4xEMCRg3Qr5hN-PT-o1VBY29YpYQwm28WOpXJVdab9oiC-4f6TmgFsINtw2qhrp4vm5nEr6Ygd2OvC9c34Yo5WClZjpTvCCLq9OXXzw_obaBLTRCJ1GxMUOVx3PaOZrqQ2ZURHhcvdvYJLJbHBNEtm44-inTqoq4TpBETmrhEmI7/s1022/s1-transporter-cast-serious.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1022" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAW2fyqG4090WDEJqs4xEMCRg3Qr5hN-PT-o1VBY29YpYQwm28WOpXJVdab9oiC-4f6TmgFsINtw2qhrp4vm5nEr6Ygd2OvC9c34Yo5WClZjpTvCCLq9OXXzw_obaBLTRCJ1GxMUOVx3PaOZrqQ2ZURHhcvdvYJLJbHBNEtm44-inTqoq4TpBETmrhEmI7/w444-h334/s1-transporter-cast-serious.jpg" width="444" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Below are images from Season One of the sixth series of the </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">STAR TREK</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> franchise, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"STAR TREK: DISCOVERY"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">. Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, the series stars Sonequa Martin-Green as Commander Michael Burnham:</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #ab0404; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"STAR TREK: DISCOVERY" SEASON ONE (2017-2018) Photo Gallery</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/165705/165705_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/165988/165988_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/166229/166229_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/166458/166458_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/166876/166876_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/167148/167148_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/167343/167343_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/167586/167586_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/167736/167736_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/167943/167943_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/168356/168356_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/168463/168463_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/168784/168784_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/169158/169158_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/169294/169294_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/169694/169694_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/169732/169732_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/170219/170219_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/170366/170366_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/170510/170510_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/170916/170916_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/171156/171156_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/171453/171453_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/171725/171725_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/171850/171850_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /></div><br /><p></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-1916035231182893982024-01-10T06:51:00.000-08:002024-01-10T06:51:51.187-08:00"THE PELICAN BRIEF" (1993) Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdbpkXchBybCL1fmjQdGlRkR7s4usN7uXaeUtsHsQJqe_W56ljIM-pvEJBJHxIRbqfoSisK9znK8-2D05fxhBJb8f3C7DA2QvpPbqhTeh7Yr4mM4N5LIkPhI_amRsD4cV1fMYilGigM9iHxWtFjbYp0QqLzOJx8EjQ8xCVdTXS_DEbleu_B6KnY2pZiu_/s1200/pelican-brief-1993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdbpkXchBybCL1fmjQdGlRkR7s4usN7uXaeUtsHsQJqe_W56ljIM-pvEJBJHxIRbqfoSisK9znK8-2D05fxhBJb8f3C7DA2QvpPbqhTeh7Yr4mM4N5LIkPhI_amRsD4cV1fMYilGigM9iHxWtFjbYp0QqLzOJx8EjQ8xCVdTXS_DEbleu_B6KnY2pZiu_/w446-h300/pelican-brief-1993.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE PELICAN BRIEF" (1993) Review</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">In my review of </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE FIRM"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">, I had once referred to the period in which bestselling novels written by attorney-novelist John Grisham as </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"Age of Grisham"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">. This same period - mainly the 1990s - also saw the release of movie adaptations of Grisham's novels. Released in 1993, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE FIRM"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> was not the only Grisham released that year. Another Grisham adaptation was released six months later - </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE PELICAN BRIEF"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">.</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #ab0404; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Directed by Alan J. Pakula and based on Grisham's 1992 novel, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE PELICAN BRIEF"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> told the story of a Tulane University law student named Darby Shaw writes a legal brief detailing her theory on why two Supreme Court Justices had been murdered. The elderly and infirmed Justice Rosenberg, a liberal, had been shot inside his home, along with his nurse. The Republican-appointed Justice Jensen was found inside a gay porn movie theater, strangled to death. Both had been murdered by a paid assassin named Khamel. Out of curiosity, Darby engages in research of Rosenberg and Jensen's records and writes a legal brief speculating they were not killed for political reasons. Darby links the assassinations to an oil tycoon named Victor Mattiece, who wants to rearrange the Supreme Court in order to win a case. Matticece had discovered oil beneath a Louisiana habitat in the marshlands but was blocked from drilling due to a lawsuit filed to protect an endangered sub-species of brown pelicans. Because Rosenberg and Jensen were both pro-environmentalists, Darby suspected they were killed. Mattiece also has ties to the U.S. President, due to being the latter's biggest financial contributor. At the same time, </span><u style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><i>Washington Herald</i></u><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> reporter Gray Grantham receives a call from an informant named "Garcia", who claims to have information about the assassinations. Although Gray manages to snap a photograph of "Garcia", the latter disappears without a trace.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Matters eventually grow worse for Darby. She gives the brief to her law professor and lover Thomas Callahan, who in turn gives a copy to his good friend Gavin Verheek, Special Counsel to the Director of the FBI. It does not take long for Darby's brief - dubbed as </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"the Pelican Brief"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> - to circulate among the F.B.I., the C.I.A. and the White House. Not much time passes before a car bomb kills Callahan at a New Orleans parking lot. Since Darby was outside of the car during the explosion, she manages to avoid Callahan's fate. Realizing that her </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"Pelican brief"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">may have been accurate, Darby goes into hiding and reaches out to Verheek for assistance and Gray for more information about the brief's circulation. Unfortunately, Verheek ends up murdered in New Orleans. Darby finally decides to meet with Gray before the pair sets out to find "Garcia" in Washington D.C., the one person who has the evidence to link Mattiece with the justices' deaths.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">With a running time of 141 minutes, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE PELICAN BRIEF"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> is a pretty long movie. I do wonder if today's younger moviegoers would have the patience to watch a political thriller that runs over two hours long. Personally, the movie's running time did not bother me. I thought it gave director/screenwriter Alan J. Pakula enough time to explore the film's narrative in great detail - Rosenberg and Jensen's murders, Darby's research and preparation for her legal brief, how her brief ended up being circulated around the nation's capital, Gray's attempt to connect with and later find "Garcia", Darby's evasion of the attempts on her life, the pair's search for "Garcia"'s identity and his evidence against Victor Mattiece. I am happy to say that Pakula did not take any major shortcuts to transform a three hundred-and-eighty-seven-page novel into movie that ran over two hours. Some might suggest that Pakula could have shortened the movie a bit. I am not certain I would agree with that. I would not have enjoyed the film more if he had edited the narrative. However, I do wish Pakula could have stepped up the pacing a bit. I have seen movies that were just as long or even longer than </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE PELICAN BRIEF"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">. And yet, they moved at a faster pace and were never in danger of putting me to sleep.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The idea of a CEO or business tycoon sanctioning one or two political murders for the profit may seem a bit implausible to some. It seemed more than plausible to me. One only has to study either U.S. or World History to realize how business or corporate greed has played a role in politics, wars, crime or the combination of all three. But what I found a little implausible about Gresham's plot was the idea of a law student's legal brief about the recent murders of two Supreme Court justices being circulated about the F.B.I., the C.I.A. and the White House. One, why would Darby research the two murders and create a legal brief that accuses a powerful CEO of sanctioning the murders? As if she was engaged in a school project? And why did Thomas handed over her brief to a F.B.I. official, who happened to be a close friend? As an incentive for the agency to investigate? I found that hard to believe, considering that Thomas' attitude toward the brief seemed to be that of a proud boyfriend revealing how clever his girlfriend is to a friend. What I am saying that the vibe behind Darby's initial investigation and Thomas' decision to circulate the brief seemed wrong . . . to casual. I wish Greham had created a stronger reason for Darby to investigate the two justices' deaths and for Thomas to pass her brief to the F.B.I. Or Pakula could have created stronger reasons behind both actions, when he wrote the adaptation.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE PELICAN BRIEF"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> featured several action sequences that I found pretty solid. Most of these sequences occurred in the movie's first half and featured a team of assassins hired to kill her. I found them rather tense, especially the chase scene that led into a crowd celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans' French Quarter. But they did not blow my mind. The one action sequence that really impressed me proved to be the last one that featured the assassins' attempt to kill both Darby and Gray. I found it odd that the assassins, who had been following the pair for nearly 24 hours, did not make any attempt until after they got their hands on "Garcia"'s evidence against Mattiece and the latter's law firm. A relative of mine had suggested the assassins not only wanted to kill Darby and Gray, but also destroy the evidence they had acquired. Perhaps she was right. If so, I do wish that the movie had indicated this. If it had, would someone please point out the scene?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I must admit that there is something about the film's settings I found unusual. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE PELICAN BRIEF"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> is set in New Orleans of the Deep South and Wahington D.C. and Maryland, which are part of the Upper South. Yet, I never sensed any Southern vibe in this film. Not even when the film focused around New Orleans' famous French Quarter. There seemed to be something ethereal about Pakula's filmmaking style that made me forget this movie is set in the South. Perhaps it was Stephen Goldblatt's sleek cinematography or the movie's slight generic tone. This strikes me as a pity, considering the movie's two major locations - New Orleans and Washington D.C. - usually convey more colorful and atmospheric vibes in other films.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">But I must admit that I enjoyed Pakula's portrayal of the political characters in this film. The characters radiated an ambiguous, yet cynical vibe that hinted Darby and Gray's mistrust of them. This especially seemed to be the case of both the F.B.I. and the C.I.A. Directors' attitudes toward the White House and the President's controlling Chief of Staff Fletcher Coal. The two agencies' reactions to Darby's legal brief struck me as very interesting. F.B.I. Director Denton Voyles seemed to relish the idea of investigating the connection between the President and Mattiece, due to his dislike of Coal. Yet, he had allowed the President to convince him to delay the investigation as long as possible. On the other hand, C.I.A. Director Bob Gminski seemed to have a more paranoid reaction to Rosenberg and Jensen's deaths, along with Darcy's brief by assigning agents to shadow Darcy in the immediate aftermath of the brief's revelation.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The White House officials featured in this film - from the slightly high-strung President to his cool and calculating Chief of Staff, and finally to the array of smarmy White House officials and private lawyers who either expressed disbelief that a law student may have solved the mystery behind the two justices' murders or amusement over the brief's potential impact on the President's administration. The cynicism that permeated from the politicians and lawyers in this tale seemed to touch the journalists featured in the movie. Even the leading man, Gray Gratham, seemed to harbor a touch of cynicism, despite his somewhat "noble" facade. As for his editor-in-chief, Smith Keen, the man and his tongue seemed to radiate cynicism - despite any fondness he might have for Gray. It occurred to me that the cynicism, ruthlessness and desperation from the characters featured in the Washington D.C. served the movie's narrative very well, especially for its Washington D.C. setting.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">The performances featured in </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE PELICAN BRIEF"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> seemed to range from solid to first-rate. But if I must be honest, there did not seem to be any performance that really impressed me, save for a handful. What was it about the acting that failed to blow my mind? I believe this situation had a lot to do with some of the dialogue featured in the movie. How can I put this? There were times when I found myself wincing from some pretty pretentious dialogue that struck me as unnecessary. Despite these occasional bursts of pretentious dialogue, I had no problems with the cast's performances. Well . . . most of them.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE PELICAN BRIEF"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> featured solid performances from the likes of Sam Shephard, Tony Goldwyn, Cynthia Nixon, John Heard, Anthony Heald, William Atherton, Jake Weber, Nicholas Woodeson, Casey Briggs, Christopher Murray, Ralph Cosham, John Finn and Stanley Anderson. There were some performances that I found entertaining or interesting. John Lithgow gave a witty and entertaining performance as </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><u>The Washington Herald</u></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">'s editor, Smith Keen. Sonny Jim Gaines struck me as equally entertaining in his brief role as Gray Grantham's White House mole, Sarge. Hume Cronyn gave an effective performance as the ill, yet sharp-tongued Justice Rosenberg. James K. Sikknig's portrayal of F.B.I. Director Denton Voyles struck me as very skillfully ambiguous. But I believe the film's best performance came from Robert Culp, whom I believe gave an excellent performance as the President. The latter did an excellent job in portraying a slightly weak, yet vacillating head-of-state who depended too heavily on his Chief of Staff for decisions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">You might ask . . . what about the film's leads, Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. I thought the latter gave an excellent portrayal of the stubborn, yet stalwart Gray Grantham. There were times when I found Washington's Gray nearly too ideal. But I would attribute that flaw to Pakula's screenplay and not the actor. Thankfully, both the screenplay and Washington managed to infuse a little ambiguity in Gray's character during his first hunt for the informant "Garcia". I thought Julia Roberts gave a very solid performance as the film's other protagonist, Darby Shaw. I was impressed how her performance transformed Darby from an outgoing and warm woman, to one who became withdrawn and paranoid through grief, and her struggles to stay one step ahead of assassins. But I have two major problems with Roberts' performance. One, her Darby Shaw seemed another one of her characters throughout the 1990s that were put pedestals by the end of her films. And two, although she seemed to be a competent actress, there were times I found her performance slightly wooden. Whenever Darby experienced an emotional trauma, Roberts had this tendency to change her performance - but without any smooth or gradual transitions. Her mood changes almost seemed a case of "acting by the numbers or the beat". Fortunately, it did not take Roberts very long to outgrow this trait.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I have never considered </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE PELICAN BRIEF"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> as my favorite adaptation of a John Grisham novel. One, I feel that the movie's pacing struck me as a bit too slow, especially in the first half. The movie's screenplay featured some unnecessary pretentious dialogue. I wish the film's settings could have been a bit more colorful. And there were some acting decisions that I found questionable. Fortunately, the movie's virtues outweighed its flaws. Thanks to Alan J. Pakula's screenplay and direction, along with an excellent cast led by Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"THE PELICAN BRIEF"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"> proved to be a first-rate political thriller that featured a very interesting and original tale.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksUQQr99vxG-4U0aIoIp_a0ZuV4_4lyZ5MdcY3F-B52QHVNvKJRDsRsh8_aAD38KNyxcTyaYw7hXXWr4f2KiSOwgCvZRrsngJKC_hU5lPBIV-EatfLTAIQgs9DmMMgQTHCVs5dZXif2i-YAyqrJL3vriSKC6ZMol6OvmpH4ZZEGE8OC4iOw6NyxzkAery/s619/1993films10.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="619" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksUQQr99vxG-4U0aIoIp_a0ZuV4_4lyZ5MdcY3F-B52QHVNvKJRDsRsh8_aAD38KNyxcTyaYw7hXXWr4f2KiSOwgCvZRrsngJKC_hU5lPBIV-EatfLTAIQgs9DmMMgQTHCVs5dZXif2i-YAyqrJL3vriSKC6ZMol6OvmpH4ZZEGE8OC4iOw6NyxzkAery/w400-h225/1993films10.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span><p></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-52463099691362276782024-01-05T15:32:00.000-08:002024-01-05T15:32:42.241-08:00Ranking of "SISI" Season One (2021) Episodes<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNWJ9f6Z8eBfldQancnBzLXL4gGAj3qqE4Nl5-TV-xQQBP0yNmjUv9FdBsVw0EFeQKBMVKsEYKXWG98dhjchU-NF_yCygJQ2353KR90uaTdbuXMJmxuHv_TgXJ-pWy_6S_TRClGoZ_WcQxJLxbsl_dzhfa2e7hSCLTE1pwmfdvBTalImn6-NWgBYiiSbW/s5967/MV5BMTRhZDdkZGItMTVmYy00NGZhLTk3ZTctNjQzYmZkMjIyZjg3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTA0MzcwMTM@._V1_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3970" data-original-width="5967" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNWJ9f6Z8eBfldQancnBzLXL4gGAj3qqE4Nl5-TV-xQQBP0yNmjUv9FdBsVw0EFeQKBMVKsEYKXWG98dhjchU-NF_yCygJQ2353KR90uaTdbuXMJmxuHv_TgXJ-pWy_6S_TRClGoZ_WcQxJLxbsl_dzhfa2e7hSCLTE1pwmfdvBTalImn6-NWgBYiiSbW/w471-h313/MV5BMTRhZDdkZGItMTVmYy00NGZhLTk3ZTctNjQzYmZkMjIyZjg3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTA0MzcwMTM@._V1_.jpg" width="471" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Below is my ranking of the Season One episodes from the Prime video streaming series, </span><span style="background-color: white; border: none; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"SISI"</span><span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, German historical drama based on the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. The series stars Dominique Devenport and Jannik Schümann as Empress Elisabeth and Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria:</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; border: none; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">RANKING OF "SISI" SEASON ONE (2021) EPISODES</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NYyjSNudl3Ps7WSzsNmnruLpN5VqiS36A9916NYMWXfdD8x5lqgTacewSknygIMksOffQp6C1ezt3n6lffP6dh5sT0mMPoDUtaFWQcZrCQrVFcuuq6Kwz-0lwOi14VsXoUi2ExoBTu2fcfVlozyRSOLIj25qd5HR1bltFFV14RPSC101tPQF9pc5M1TK/s349/1%20-%20Episode%205.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NYyjSNudl3Ps7WSzsNmnruLpN5VqiS36A9916NYMWXfdD8x5lqgTacewSknygIMksOffQp6C1ezt3n6lffP6dh5sT0mMPoDUtaFWQcZrCQrVFcuuq6Kwz-0lwOi14VsXoUi2ExoBTu2fcfVlozyRSOLIj25qd5HR1bltFFV14RPSC101tPQF9pc5M1TK/s320/1%20-%20Episode%205.gif" width="246" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. <i>(1.05) "Folge 5"</i> - Emperor Franz Joseph I narrowly escapes an assassination attempt during the Austrian Empire's war against Lombardy independence. Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) provides aid at a military hospital and later, persuades Franz to to meet Count Andrassy during a reception in Budapest and negotiate a peace treaty.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5k5RQpw99r6G4hdz_Ve7I2IqwO-NIXaIGr8TtW7QlnDpbZkvXhovr3GLJ640qJY9BS7-_ghH5YhL2Ok8BXL0ztoUA1hQg6fE8P3IigTyTr_Q6WbYQBDDbuSgR9x0TDiBQWd6Exf7iCUX6tcm6lWlO1Ul32KeGGAQ6QjS-qX9kh0ER22w9JC0GFgd8SMk/s540/2%20-%20Episode%202.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="540" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5k5RQpw99r6G4hdz_Ve7I2IqwO-NIXaIGr8TtW7QlnDpbZkvXhovr3GLJ640qJY9BS7-_ghH5YhL2Ok8BXL0ztoUA1hQg6fE8P3IigTyTr_Q6WbYQBDDbuSgR9x0TDiBQWd6Exf7iCUX6tcm6lWlO1Ul32KeGGAQ6QjS-qX9kh0ER22w9JC0GFgd8SMk/s320/2%20-%20Episode%202.gif" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. <i>(1.02) "Folge 2"</i> - Sisi's engagement to Franz turns her life upside down, as her future is now mapped out and she must quickly prepare for her next role.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsC3nGNYBVetRNqsnkkDd8BK5r8E6lofnxThsgldOhQclOB5MGWTzUSGZtcwcEba02abCmbjkrFyloVOtkzPenqzSVgq0ZF7TDA5oEiy-B9lSFcgQkc8ofBb8uE8WXfNjeXi6qBEUtnOXSj1PT8fhfl0CU47nU_kNeQCsyswAdLMda93fdJJDgYYsuYP-/s540/3%20-%20Episode%204.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="540" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsC3nGNYBVetRNqsnkkDd8BK5r8E6lofnxThsgldOhQclOB5MGWTzUSGZtcwcEba02abCmbjkrFyloVOtkzPenqzSVgq0ZF7TDA5oEiy-B9lSFcgQkc8ofBb8uE8WXfNjeXi6qBEUtnOXSj1PT8fhfl0CU47nU_kNeQCsyswAdLMda93fdJJDgYYsuYP-/w340-h152/3%20-%20Episode%204.gif" width="340" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. <i> (1.04) "Folge 4"</i> - An assassination attempt on the Emperor and the impending war in Lombardy cast a shadow over Franz and Sisi's happiness.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIo-JVZq3njARgZjTPPqEReXJ4DSXvCdjVtO6-0HwVvme-knzMFKZ-qZT8zg5yAnGdSkSUWYCCItx-X9Th22dpMdU5GRCtALCZgHWvQjtJLFMRWjnFIphkp5QPW1G6Aq4v353vooGCw92i2FiV6-FIY4h8NO_95ERODNdwxJOBw9itUNOh3fO4cnbH3NW/s540/4%20-%20Episode%201.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="540" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIo-JVZq3njARgZjTPPqEReXJ4DSXvCdjVtO6-0HwVvme-knzMFKZ-qZT8zg5yAnGdSkSUWYCCItx-X9Th22dpMdU5GRCtALCZgHWvQjtJLFMRWjnFIphkp5QPW1G6Aq4v353vooGCw92i2FiV6-FIY4h8NO_95ERODNdwxJOBw9itUNOh3fO4cnbH3NW/w343-h153/4%20-%20Episode%201.gif" width="343" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4. <span style="text-align: center;">(1.01) "Folge 1" - As one of Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria's daughters, Sisi grows up in a carefree environment. She is forced to accompany her sister Helene to Austria, due to the latter's potential engagement to Franz.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyW1NxMNU3aPBaEdjOTIr-Nr9BCDqaAhSm-JZsqUKT75Nqe87gdoVs4W8Wgd9PyAUNbcV9aodrP2vwyFkE-lqU2kWp4RN113-CepfgaIEb8rXGYrrXCzhe6bz1qa6cV1S3CXm6f507rCBPwJ8_QX4Cvv3rfwNM0cRdaSoXqqqAW5yfTq5Tbwddu72RyHur/s540/5%20-%20Episode%203.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="540" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyW1NxMNU3aPBaEdjOTIr-Nr9BCDqaAhSm-JZsqUKT75Nqe87gdoVs4W8Wgd9PyAUNbcV9aodrP2vwyFkE-lqU2kWp4RN113-CepfgaIEb8rXGYrrXCzhe6bz1qa6cV1S3CXm6f507rCBPwJ8_QX4Cvv3rfwNM0cRdaSoXqqqAW5yfTq5Tbwddu72RyHur/w350-h156/5%20-%20Episode%203.gif" width="350" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5. <i>(1.03) "Folge 3"</i> - Sisi and Franz's wedding night ends in failure, but Franz decides to uphold Sisi's honor. Sisi seeks intimacy advice from a prostitute she had befriended named Fanny.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoONpahFDT0CFjO_y7cVgG99yKWti4Uuq3ukojCL3aFf8td9BEaVHLPwrmHV9aZ4Gn9Xq3TcrW9RUu8XE08Nfifj28igkb0q_w9wRNs4Y0zVNkwcI6ZLHl8dCOIdNuuNMs82Zm00T_VtWo65kPyu2pT4v5TZrwcAGE2_cf02YOa1nWoOZTY-uidncDmaJ/s400/6%20-%20Episode%206.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="400" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoONpahFDT0CFjO_y7cVgG99yKWti4Uuq3ukojCL3aFf8td9BEaVHLPwrmHV9aZ4Gn9Xq3TcrW9RUu8XE08Nfifj28igkb0q_w9wRNs4Y0zVNkwcI6ZLHl8dCOIdNuuNMs82Zm00T_VtWo65kPyu2pT4v5TZrwcAGE2_cf02YOa1nWoOZTY-uidncDmaJ/s320/6%20-%20Episode%206.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face="Favorit, "Helvetica Neue", HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: none; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span face="Favorit, "Helvetica Neue", HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: none; font-family: arial; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Favorit, "Helvetica Neue", HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: none; font-family: arial; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">6. <i>(1.06) "Folge 6"</i> - After the death of their daughter, Archduchess Sophie; Sisi and Franz return to Austria, where Sisi's family is waiting to assist them through this difficult time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUBKJ0iUfJ7gl1iXIq7Mifo0lkDEEGZrxZvW-nhr-Shv2-_5PtWbKDEffhsMN1oYicNU88tHAphsrS0N1DlqELCRHC7JrE-lWn3WznlZiMYhB5eM5b6NK5XO5KjuEx0kU1-_95G7RrIOeJ8FQo02y9zCUDyKRws6UFYmWJFt3-hVK1uPQwRjkVg-yYdrI/s540/tumblr_454ca4f03f62f3becdd0296ec2499998_8b6a58d3_540.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="540" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUBKJ0iUfJ7gl1iXIq7Mifo0lkDEEGZrxZvW-nhr-Shv2-_5PtWbKDEffhsMN1oYicNU88tHAphsrS0N1DlqELCRHC7JrE-lWn3WznlZiMYhB5eM5b6NK5XO5KjuEx0kU1-_95G7RrIOeJ8FQo02y9zCUDyKRws6UFYmWJFt3-hVK1uPQwRjkVg-yYdrI/w400-h179/tumblr_454ca4f03f62f3becdd0296ec2499998_8b6a58d3_540.gif" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Favorit, "Helvetica Neue", HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: none; font-family: arial; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Favorit, "Helvetica Neue", HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: none; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-51083813406618362832024-01-02T10:18:00.000-08:002024-01-02T10:18:28.876-08:00"HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN" (2004) Photo Gallery<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_e7LuKwE-NhOLZRLpNKUigBqmqjPKnF2sg7UlpQK3KKqdRCDxr3s6aT1msGbmUvmaa8I-KJl3_dE_c2atuN8jmEOszDQI0v8sF175LskX3EdkDYAOj2I_qOsv6pvYoIVNFLyIaye0saPH1q_Vp74ptPpz_MDyn3dZJFYkUTaNyQe-8o6ortr4oBofHkP/s948/Harry-Potter-and-the-Prisoner-of-Azkaban-948x640.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="948" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_e7LuKwE-NhOLZRLpNKUigBqmqjPKnF2sg7UlpQK3KKqdRCDxr3s6aT1msGbmUvmaa8I-KJl3_dE_c2atuN8jmEOszDQI0v8sF175LskX3EdkDYAOj2I_qOsv6pvYoIVNFLyIaye0saPH1q_Vp74ptPpz_MDyn3dZJFYkUTaNyQe-8o6ortr4oBofHkP/w515-h348/Harry-Potter-and-the-Prisoner-of-Azkaban-948x640.jpg" width="515" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Below are images from </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">, the 2004 adaptation of J.K. Rowling's 1999 novel. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, the movie starred Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson:</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #ab0404; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";" /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><br /></span></p><p><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms";">"HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN" (2004) Photo Gallery</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 13px;" /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoLpDM_DJ2xvZ2DIUK-f5dPZXGtwxGN4I8O8ZwMFrO_wy4RcJ8-roVwB49jmqVlNdeLv7Mx_wBWfeFIn3mm-f54wdW7qexhdlKNNBpjX3Xq8j4N5fCVNzshZgJmXqtDd8RYm5ZOjKPXB5qKM46uRKBR9GyaXArwRFNL_6Gili90etFe_a0tsN23sv8bvf/s3600/1_YQ95gqQAo0mFSipMrNk89w.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2566" data-original-width="3600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoLpDM_DJ2xvZ2DIUK-f5dPZXGtwxGN4I8O8ZwMFrO_wy4RcJ8-roVwB49jmqVlNdeLv7Mx_wBWfeFIn3mm-f54wdW7qexhdlKNNBpjX3Xq8j4N5fCVNzshZgJmXqtDd8RYm5ZOjKPXB5qKM46uRKBR9GyaXArwRFNL_6Gili90etFe_a0tsN23sv8bvf/w400-h285/1_YQ95gqQAo0mFSipMrNk89w.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vrpzYULAb_phi5-PXxLZjzSYnLgxkNWx_8QQFBGgw3aXRw4FUdPQriD4k9TGENgwGSje_Hf_nDkWSvrQUUmqCXK3kECG8JdOKDSBWchqrVtVPFAWYE57aGqqpAkFfvh6oy718WYr8xRtORIHB6Qcgg0Z_qrOvjR4IgDRzp-OUGXYYOl2eRkoqiWr8NyS/s600/782f6e1645fd4e2933e7b0239ce025ac.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vrpzYULAb_phi5-PXxLZjzSYnLgxkNWx_8QQFBGgw3aXRw4FUdPQriD4k9TGENgwGSje_Hf_nDkWSvrQUUmqCXK3kECG8JdOKDSBWchqrVtVPFAWYE57aGqqpAkFfvh6oy718WYr8xRtORIHB6Qcgg0Z_qrOvjR4IgDRzp-OUGXYYOl2eRkoqiWr8NyS/w400-h263/782f6e1645fd4e2933e7b0239ce025ac.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdIJa5MmICEk32UpNhJ_s_FMKHG8zloYL3gIhp-159rVIGtZUseRuAacizkRDw_o9mt85ys2YJN_q9hoaYMtwHBCXiyLTZVkozsTHpn0uw34sj77UoYFMtgkz_l9Mtp79EWrse8IIDvqPTjsqsnl3crvhGyVaDFGH6BXRFvyEhHqtrtad0DzjRNE06bOG/s1500/sirius-black-in-the-shrieking-shack.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1500" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdIJa5MmICEk32UpNhJ_s_FMKHG8zloYL3gIhp-159rVIGtZUseRuAacizkRDw_o9mt85ys2YJN_q9hoaYMtwHBCXiyLTZVkozsTHpn0uw34sj77UoYFMtgkz_l9Mtp79EWrse8IIDvqPTjsqsnl3crvhGyVaDFGH6BXRFvyEhHqtrtad0DzjRNE06bOG/w400-h280/sirius-black-in-the-shrieking-shack.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUB8HKsAc8nc0KSVBmYbg7VwZVUBttbU0AZyswY6smzZNgA8H4rBqrR4HLMWckuCg5XbpxqBfo5aePm8ksHbjeLB0Lp6NtLGK3b0mvXR6emnDPq2XpG_k_42TOUsVxbgyuNIgCwlHMbwe4FQMq-QSMlC2v2cHDu9TUNB6MkN0xL4R9pAhZo9XIEz1J-v1/s2560/SiriusBlack_WB_F3_SiriusTrappedInTopTower_Image_100615_Land.jpg" style="clear: left; 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font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 13px;"><br /></b></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms"; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-32914765421157003502023-12-30T08:32:00.000-08:002023-12-30T08:32:02.072-08:00"THE MASTER" (2012) Review<p><span style="clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="the-master" fetchpriority="high" height="220" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/111562/111562_300.jpg" style="border: none; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%; word-spacing: inherit !important;" title="the-master" width="400" /></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"></b></p><p><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><br /></b></b></p><p><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><br /></b></b></p><p><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><br /></b></b></p><p><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><br /></b></b></p><p><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><br /></b></b></p><p><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><br /></b></b></p><p><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><br /></b></b></p><p><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><br /></b></b></p><p><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><br /></b></b></p><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"THE MASTER" (2012) Review</b><p></p><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">Paul Thomas Anderson seemed to be one of those filmmakers who embody what critics would categorize as a modern day "auteurist" that release a movie every few years to dazzle moviegoers and critics with his or her personal creative vision. During his sixteen years as a director and filmmaker, he has made four short films and six feature movies. One of the six feature films is his latest, </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"THE MASTER"</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">.</span><a name="cutid1" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">Believed by many to be an exposé on Scientology, </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"THE MASTER"</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"> tells of the story of a World War II Navy veteran named Freddie Quell, who struggles to adjust to a post-war society. Freddie uses sex and alcohol to escape his personal demons. But when his drinking and violent behavior leads him to lose jobs as a department store photographer and a field worker on a cabbage farm, Freddie ends up in San Francisco, where he stows aboard a yacht that belongs to one Lancaster Dodd, a leader of a philosophical movement known as "The Cause". Dodd sees something in Quell and accepts him into the movement. But Freddie's drunken and violent behavior fails to abate and Dodd's wife, daughter and son-in-law begin to express doubt that the latter can help the World War II veteran.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">What can I say about </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"THE MASTER"</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">? Did it turn out to be the exposé on Scientology that many believed it would become? Not really. Despite its title, </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"THE MASTER"</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"> seemed to be more about Freddie Quell than Lancaster Dodd and "the Cause". The movie did feature practices that are believed to be similar to those practiced by members of Scientology. But the movie's deeper focus on Freddie's personal demons has led me to believe that the Church of Scientology has nothing to fear. In the end, </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"THE MASTER"</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"> seemed to be more of a character study of the very disturbed Freddie Quell, along with a secondary study of Lancaster Dodd . . . and their friendship. And Paul Thomas Anderson revealed these two character studies in a movie with a running time of 143 minutes.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">There were aspects of </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"THE MASTER"</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"> I found very admirable. The movie featured outstanding performances from Joaquin Phoenix, who gave a volatile portrayal of the disturbing Freddie Quell. I was also impressed by Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of the charismatic Lancaster Dodd. His performance not only hinted in subtle ways, his understanding of Freddie's demons, but the possibility that he once possessed similar demons. And Amy Adams was memorable as Peggy Dodd, Lancaster's second or third wife, who not only seemed more dedicated to "the Cause" than her husband; but also seemed to understand both him and Freddie with a frankness the two men seemed unwilling to face. The movie also featured solid performances from Laura Dern, who portrayed a hardcore devotee to Dodd; Rami Malek, Dodd's quiet and unassuming son-in-law who assumes a dislike of Freddie; Ambyr Childers, Dodd's daughter, who hides a lusty attraction to Freddie; Jesse Plemons, who portrays Dodd's disenchanted son; Madisen Beaty, who portrays Freddie's love of his life; and Kevin J. O'Connor, a devotee of "the Cause" who is not impressed by Dodd's writing.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">I was also impressed by the movie's production designs. David Frank and Jack Fisk did an excellent job in re-creating America during the post-World War II era and the beginning of the 1950s. Mark Bridges' costumes were tasteful and at the same time, projected an accuracy of the era. And cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. captured Anderson's direction and the movie's setting with some impressive photography.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">So, did I enjoy </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"THE MASTER"</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">? No. In fact, I dislike the movie . . . intensely. There is nothing more boring than a 143 minute character study, in which the main character does not evolve or devolve. Freddie Quell never changes. Perhaps this was the lesson that Anderson was trying to convey. But honestly, he could have done this with more solid writing, a shorter running time and with less pretentiousness. And I have never seen a movie with so much pretentiousness since Joe Wright's movie, </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"HANNA"</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">. While watching an early scene that featured Freddie dry humping a nude woman made from sand on a beach, I began to suspect that my patience might be tested with this film. I had no idea my patience would eventually slipped into sheer boredom. One cannot image the relief I felt when the movie finally ended.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">I realize that </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"THE MASTER"</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"> has received a great deal of acclaim from critics and some moviegoers. But I simply failed to see the magic. The movie managed to acquire a great deal of nominations during the 2012-2013 awards season. However, I was not one of those cheering for its critical glory. I disliked it too much. Oh well. </span></span>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-81144951591733841252023-12-26T09:24:00.000-08:002023-12-26T09:24:47.128-08:00A Victorian Christmas Dinner<div class="separator"><p style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="" fetchpriority="high" height="260" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2747359/2747359_300.jpg" style="background-color: #856140; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" width="347" /></p></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">Below is a list of dishes that were traditionally served for a Christmas dinner during the Victorian Era:</span><a name="cutid1" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><br /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS DINNER</b><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1842372/1842372_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">Mince Pie</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"> - A small, sweet-savory pie filled with a mixture of dried fruits, spices and sometimes minced meat.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1842635/1842635_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">Oyster Soup</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"> - A soup or stew made from oysters, milk, cream and sometimes mushrooms and chives.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1842797/1842797_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">Roast Turkey</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"> - The name says it all. It is usually served with chestnut stuffing and gravy.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1842991/1842991_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">Sugar Plums</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"> - Dragée or hard candy made from hardened sugar and has a round or oval shape.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1843263/1843263_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">Potato Croquettes</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"> - Small, shaped cylinder of food consisting of a thick binder made from mashed potatoes and a filling. It is usually breaded and deep-fried.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1843683/1843683_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">Game Pie</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"> - A meat pie with a molded crust that is filled with cooked game - partridge, pheasant, deer, and hare. It is usually chilled before serving.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1843748/1843748_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">Spiced Beef</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"> - A form of salt beef that is cured with spices before it is braised or boiled.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1844104/1844104_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">Nesselrode Pudding</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"> - A thick custard cream with sweet puree of chestnut, raisins, candied fruit, currants, cherry liquor and whipped cream. The mixture is molded and served chilled as a bombe with Maraschino custard sauce.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1844426/1844426_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">Roast Goose</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"> - A roast bird that is an old Christmas staple that is usually accompanied by onion and sage stuffing.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1844669/1844669_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;">Plum Pudding aka Christmas Pudding</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"> - A boiled pudding made from flour, fruits, suet, sugar, eggs and spices.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;"><i>HAPPY HOLIDAYS!</i></b><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2747617/2747617_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /></span></div>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-31834437489030412962023-12-22T00:17:00.000-08:002023-12-22T00:18:17.932-08:00"TO WALK INVISIBLE" (2016) Photo Gallery<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1LzDTCxr8YEm96f0DJY7D6PxQ03PefNYtbtLqu3OsJLF9IE_LEODz-1163CUNeCo3d0WOEjfd9BeFy6YQr4ONpzgaELzPPBaFFoGPxf8RWTezk07-cdI_fIWIT8luCowyTiGhLy8ZgixvHqZ59ClShqp3mZa9iCiX3t6X_lScc59tSxNSzQbglYhYPuR/s1000/MV5BMzY3M2Y4ZDItNzhmYS00OWU1LTg5YzMtMDI3YjhhODA3YTZkL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjExMjk0ODk@._V1_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1000" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1LzDTCxr8YEm96f0DJY7D6PxQ03PefNYtbtLqu3OsJLF9IE_LEODz-1163CUNeCo3d0WOEjfd9BeFy6YQr4ONpzgaELzPPBaFFoGPxf8RWTezk07-cdI_fIWIT8luCowyTiGhLy8ZgixvHqZ59ClShqp3mZa9iCiX3t6X_lScc59tSxNSzQbglYhYPuR/w463-h318/MV5BMzY3M2Y4ZDItNzhmYS00OWU1LTg5YzMtMDI3YjhhODA3YTZkL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjExMjk0ODk@._V1_.jpg" width="463" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">Below are images from </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"TO WALK INVISIBLE"</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">, the 2016 historical drama about the three Brontë sisters and their relationships with their brother Branwell. Written and directed by Sally Wainwright, the movie starred Finn Atkins, Chloe Pirrie, and Charlie Murphy:</span><a name="cutid1" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><br /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" /><b style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">"TO WALK INVISIBLE" (2016) Photo Gallery</b><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/144825/144825_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/145078/145078_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/145213/145213_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/145625/145625_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/145842/145842_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/145956/145956_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/146408/146408_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/146466/146466_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/146825/146825_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/147080/147080_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/147312/147312_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/147568/147568_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/147895/147895_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/148027/148027_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/148243/148243_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/148564/148564_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/148983/148983_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/149035/149035_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/149432/149432_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/brtmh/77540852/149642/149642_300.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /></span></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-88883139877298755662023-12-19T04:37:00.000-08:002023-12-19T04:40:37.785-08:00"SUPERMAN RETURNS" (2006) Review<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="kinopoisk.ru-Superman-Returns-417176.jpg" fetchpriority="high" height="252" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/3067267/3067267_300.jpg" style="height: auto; line-height: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" title="kinopoisk.ru-Superman-Returns-417176.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><b><br /></b></span></span><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>"SUPERMAN RETURNS" (2006) Review</b><br /><br />The 2006 Summer movie season was a memorable one for me. I never got around to review movies like<b>"MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III"</b>, <b>"POSEIDON"</b>, <b>"THE DaVINCI'S CODE"</b>, and <b>"X-MEN 3: THE LAST STAND"</b>. I had just started on my first blog and never really bothered to put much effort into a movie review. However, I did managed to write a few words about <b>"SUPERMAN RETURNS"</b>.<a name="cutid1" style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br /><br />I supposed one could say that <b>"SUPERMAN RETURNS"</b> is almost a direct sequel to the 1980 film. It begins with Superman aka Clark Kent's return to Earth five years after his journey to a location where astronomers believed they had discovered the remains of Krypton. During those five years, his nemesis Lex Luthor served time in prison before his release, which coincided with Superman's return. Upon the latter, Clark resumes his old job as a journalist for Metropolis' <i><u>The Daily Planet</u></i>. He also learns that the love of his life, Lois Lane, is now engaged to Perry White's nephew Richard, with whom she has a five-year-old son named Jason. Lois also won a Pulitzer Prize for her article <i>"Why the World Doesn't Need Superman"</i>.<br /><br />While Clark deals with this personal drama, Luthor and a new group of minions steal Kryptonian crystals from the Fortress of Solitude and Kryptonite from the Metropolis Museum of Natural History. These thefts set in motion Luthor's plan to utilize a combination of both to to grow a new landmass in the Northern Atlantic Ocean that will supplant the continental United States. In other words, Luthor has plans for another land swindle that might cost the lives of millions of people.<br /><br />I wish I could say that I had loved <b>"SUPERMAN RETURNS"</b>. I wish I could say that I found it very original. I wish I could . . . but I cannot. Because I would be lying if I had said so. Do not get me wrong . . . <b>"SUPERMAN RETURNS"</b> was a pretty good movie. Well . . . it was entertaining. And the movie featured a first-rate performance from leading man Brandon Routh as Clark Kent aka Superman. I also enjoyed performances from Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Frank Langella, a young Tristan Lake Leabu, Eva Marie Saint, and Sam Huntington. I was especially impressed by Kevin Spacey's witty take on the villainous Lex Luthor and Parker Posey's hilarious performance as Luthor's ditzy henchwoman, Kitty Kowalski. Unfortunately, the movie also turned out to be something of a disappointment for me. It possessed a plot that failed to support its roster of talent.<br /><br />First of all, I felt that it was a big mistake on director Bryan Singer's part to continue the story, following 1980's <b>"SUPERMAN II"</b>. It was bad enough that he had re-used John Williams' score and Marlon Brando's image as Jor-El. But he also used plot lines from the 1978 film, <b>"SUPERMAN"(1978)</b>. He re-hashed the following:<br /><br /></span></span><i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">*Lois' rooftop meeting with Superman, followed by a flight over Metropolis</span></span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">*Some of Chris Reeves' dialogue<br /><br />*Lex Luthor's plot to destroy part of the U.S. for a land swindle (which was not handled very effectively)</span></span></i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">.<br /><br />Singer also borrowed the love triangle from Marvel's 2004 movie, <b>"SPIDER-MAN 2"</b> . . . but with only a few twists. And the movie's final action sequence seemed to drag forever.<br /><br />In the end, I could not tell whether the movie was a sequel to <b>"SUPERMAN II"</b> or a remake of <b>"SUPERMAN"</b>. Very confusing and very disappointing. Although I believe the movie proved to be pretty good with a first-class cast, it also proved to be one of the most unoriginal comic book hero flicks I have ever seen. Singer could have done better. I rated the movie a <i>"B-"</i>.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-48-1L7Q93sK1R91hKicGEhPC6XA2iGLFGoCUPRpetXI5jFGjCwnigqozvkyzKkpe_Xg4TuWm57JeWhlWnp2ypifTs_h88nzHkDiBgM-oIRpNQT-M31sbbW_73j5Gy5I0zCE5CM5WPtOAY5ahpx__kL4vUdvyjmuOllGejtUftd1o9dyh73W8ozrEUI8/s540/tumblr_1750492ef5da9f482558304b1201846c_dcb9621e_540.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="540" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-48-1L7Q93sK1R91hKicGEhPC6XA2iGLFGoCUPRpetXI5jFGjCwnigqozvkyzKkpe_Xg4TuWm57JeWhlWnp2ypifTs_h88nzHkDiBgM-oIRpNQT-M31sbbW_73j5Gy5I0zCE5CM5WPtOAY5ahpx__kL4vUdvyjmuOllGejtUftd1o9dyh73W8ozrEUI8/w400-h223/tumblr_1750492ef5da9f482558304b1201846c_dcb9621e_540.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-22547327057484892492023-12-08T08:54:00.000-08:002023-12-08T09:01:44.529-08:00Alternate Versions of "STAR TREK" Women Characters<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVxlAkFKGxI3eynOcIUTpjAzKxfOdc7RiTuXdRZ7OAHZktLGc4XErP4OZbTXMBwapZOB6LIWpPmBL1WvYPZ7uf7mPCa2SnWlPLxp_Sf1aXp_D9mFwmhuIASwdJcc_Vv3T0oiopZdBfRv9mXWybV0I-CwMRkYay2x-pPH26TQeM3JsPKHQ8m1vvtpvY2P9/s1440/mirror-mirror-br-868.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoVxlAkFKGxI3eynOcIUTpjAzKxfOdc7RiTuXdRZ7OAHZktLGc4XErP4OZbTXMBwapZOB6LIWpPmBL1WvYPZ7uf7mPCa2SnWlPLxp_Sf1aXp_D9mFwmhuIASwdJcc_Vv3T0oiopZdBfRv9mXWybV0I-CwMRkYay2x-pPH26TQeM3JsPKHQ8m1vvtpvY2P9/w400-h300/mirror-mirror-br-868.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Below are images of alternate versions of female characters from the </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">STAR TREK</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> franchise. </span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #89b449; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Most of the characters featured below are from episodes about the franchise's Mirror Universe. Those characters with the indicator </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">[prime]</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> next to their names are from the franchise's Prime Universe, who ended up in the Mirror Universe. As for the </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">"STAR TREK VOYAGER"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> characters . . . they are either erroneous or fictionalized versions.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">ALTERNATE VERSIONS OF "STAR TREK" WOMEN CHARACTERS</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2458888/2458888_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Commander T’Pol </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">("STAR TREK ENTERPRISE")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2459170/2459170_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Lieutenant/Empress Hoshi Sato </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">("STAR TREK ENTERPRISE")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2459590/2459590_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Captain Michael Burnham </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i>[prime Specialist]</i> ("STAR TREK DISCOVERY")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2459839/2459839_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Captain Sylvia Tilly </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i>[prime Cadet]</i> ("STAR TREK DISCOVERY")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2460138/2460138_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Empress Philippa Georgiou </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">("STAR TREK DISCOVERY")</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVCT_1ATxJfY83ydzCk1xYbvSH62oOO6DAqzPpg_VAQRAOIFmq6Phf6PII6i7N9C-3awkSiMRSFJA_Rv_4-Z2HuJ5Qe87uXAUIqSFR4GTkEeiCoamOkr49LQNkYjOFO0QFvOSpZGrfa_bec7vGeb1ajDuLvVxEuxCm-sMI7TPgHqoUIHoLeYwlPti8Erp/s1280/startrekdiscoverymirrorburnhamdeletedsceneclipblogroll-1626370791071.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVCT_1ATxJfY83ydzCk1xYbvSH62oOO6DAqzPpg_VAQRAOIFmq6Phf6PII6i7N9C-3awkSiMRSFJA_Rv_4-Z2HuJ5Qe87uXAUIqSFR4GTkEeiCoamOkr49LQNkYjOFO0QFvOSpZGrfa_bec7vGeb1ajDuLvVxEuxCm-sMI7TPgHqoUIHoLeYwlPti8Erp/s320/startrekdiscoverymirrorburnhamdeletedsceneclipblogroll-1626370791071.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Captain Michael Burnham <b>("STAR TREK DISCOVERY")</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2460313/2460313_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Lieutenant Nyota Uhura </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i>[prime]</i> ("STAR TREK")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2460544/2460544_300.png" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Lieutenant Marlena Moreau </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">("STAR TREK")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2460703/2460703_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Intendant Kira Nerys </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">("STAR TREK DEEP SPACE NINE")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2461085/2461085_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Jadzia Dax </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">("STAR TREK DEEP SPACE NINE")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5p7bHuIYDbpF0gJxAAjbxv5PkD0WRf5VLpElgVRuAS8Aah529mW2qZ9m7U6uUmKEi6aMUW6U0-VN7XsjYqQT7cmW9L7IK0YGBQ-UGStLQtrPrjc_QQou_lKJiJFxLqzOw-ODdBGKv8TIm6mSqCP0wEdqvxLdWVGIyqn0Jq4XfXlQTg5glA71cfWcI-gTV/s550/1_IeSD98gZLe4Lf9UPejXp6g.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="550" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5p7bHuIYDbpF0gJxAAjbxv5PkD0WRf5VLpElgVRuAS8Aah529mW2qZ9m7U6uUmKEi6aMUW6U0-VN7XsjYqQT7cmW9L7IK0YGBQ-UGStLQtrPrjc_QQou_lKJiJFxLqzOw-ODdBGKv8TIm6mSqCP0wEdqvxLdWVGIyqn0Jq4XfXlQTg5glA71cfWcI-gTV/w290-h213/1_IeSD98gZLe4Lf9UPejXp6g.jpg" width="290" /></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Captain Kathryn Janeway </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i>[Kyrian historical program]</i> ("STAR TREK VOYAGER")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2461584/2461584_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Seven-of-Nine </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i>[Kyrian historical program]</i> ("STAR TREK VOYAGER")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2461899/2461899_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Captain Jenkins </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i>[the Doctor’s holonovel, "Protons Are Free"]</i> ("STAR TREK VOYAGER")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2462144/2462144_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Lieutenant Torrey </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i>[the Doctor’s holonovel, "Protons Are Free"]</i> ("STAR TREK VOYAGER")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2462233/2462233_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Three-of-Eight </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i>[the Doctor’s holonovel, "Protons Are Free"]</i> ("STAR TREK VOYAGER")</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2462648/2462648_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Two-of-Three </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><i>[the Doctor’s holonovel, "Protons Are Free" - the Paris Edition]</i> ("STAR TREK VOYAGER")</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJyDQCgwVZ1VFZJEdje6q5-kjt0VFPzE1jlKqF3kAwFdn00mSmW5Fk3r-YgIpo2cxFjZgRvXjK2e-e5D6lwBm83o9DxzY5WlyD9LOwmtSOLfPXfDQgrFrOVeUVUSVZzT4EPapQ4BokMnA5ifa4pzY2qxLgkMhM-CCu0A8k2FE1pQENmsKutAqRGO5yRFx/s400/tumblr_nue1xcdrDs1sqf5tdo1_400.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="400" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJyDQCgwVZ1VFZJEdje6q5-kjt0VFPzE1jlKqF3kAwFdn00mSmW5Fk3r-YgIpo2cxFjZgRvXjK2e-e5D6lwBm83o9DxzY5WlyD9LOwmtSOLfPXfDQgrFrOVeUVUSVZzT4EPapQ4BokMnA5ifa4pzY2qxLgkMhM-CCu0A8k2FE1pQENmsKutAqRGO5yRFx/s320/tumblr_nue1xcdrDs1sqf5tdo1_400.gif" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></b></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p><br /></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-64046293462947944792023-12-07T07:53:00.000-08:002023-12-07T07:54:49.690-08:00"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS" (2021) Photo Gallery<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2yrgmxsbheXNa60yeI18Tuw3PzlLE4tuvRIf10KpbtGqro85TPK4k4p3D8UueDKHAPNh2hLDOeNdwrJEd0eHLwhVWSyjTNPNqaU9m-Ll4OyztEKRHJU3zDBNeoCOk9HWmU2gFLYzeI5FrxvHer8JavZEGMGio0r0ca9W7gRLu_ruDfwGH6w0Bz3G3oY5/s1280/shang-chi-and-the-legend-of-the-ten-rings-1278566-1280x0-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2yrgmxsbheXNa60yeI18Tuw3PzlLE4tuvRIf10KpbtGqro85TPK4k4p3D8UueDKHAPNh2hLDOeNdwrJEd0eHLwhVWSyjTNPNqaU9m-Ll4OyztEKRHJU3zDBNeoCOk9HWmU2gFLYzeI5FrxvHer8JavZEGMGio0r0ca9W7gRLu_ruDfwGH6w0Bz3G3oY5/w400-h225/shang-chi-and-the-legend-of-the-ten-rings-1278566-1280x0-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Below are images from the 25th Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, 2021's </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS"</b><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the movie starred Simu Liu as Xu Shang-Chi:</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #89b449; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS" (2021) Photo Gallery</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2558599/2558599_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2558778/2558778_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2559180/2559180_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2559479/2559479_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2559645/2559645_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2559752/2559752_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2560024/2560024_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2560403/2560403_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2560614/2560614_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2560970/2560970_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2561157/2561157_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2561458/2561458_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2561549/2561549_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2562009/2562009_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2562300/2562300_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2562400/2562400_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2562815/2562815_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2562834/2562834_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2563162/2563162_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2563487/2563487_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2563838/2563838_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/2563875/2563875_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-22177631217230099142023-12-04T12:12:00.000-08:002023-12-04T12:35:48.146-08:00"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" (1975) Review<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBKTT0CCZCzP1ZPLDSUAgGqW7mTxsVwwN_ic-3fa-vmrI6Uf5VaQsSM9eAWA4e2zsvpBYupX7gn_U-3tRsGugXqV6jYl5rk6eeMXnEYmtvUmuFxUtJXb6Ei5sJsUMUDD8BkW9SKrTg8cfx70cd1biTJK-Nj_Upp1iDJ3OsXnWUZ447hbC81JUiAJC79t2/s2048/gettyimages-454923398-2048x2048.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1370" data-original-width="2048" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBKTT0CCZCzP1ZPLDSUAgGqW7mTxsVwwN_ic-3fa-vmrI6Uf5VaQsSM9eAWA4e2zsvpBYupX7gn_U-3tRsGugXqV6jYl5rk6eeMXnEYmtvUmuFxUtJXb6Ei5sJsUMUDD8BkW9SKrTg8cfx70cd1biTJK-Nj_Upp1iDJ3OsXnWUZ447hbC81JUiAJC79t2/w472-h316/gettyimages-454923398-2048x2048.jpg" width="472" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: times; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: times; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: times; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: times; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: times; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: times; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: times; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: times; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: times; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-family: times; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE" (1975) Review</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Following the release of the 1967 movie, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"BONNIE AND CLYDE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">, Hollywood release a spurt of biopics - for the theaters and television - about Midwestern and Southern-born gangsters (mainly bank robbers and kidnappers) during the Depression-era. Mind you, Hollywood had waited a few years before releasing or airing these films in earnest. One of these productions happened to be the 1975 television movie, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">.</span><a name="cutid1" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" target="_self"></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">The 1975 film, directed by Dan Curtis (producer and director of the 1983 miniseries, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE WINDS OF WAR"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">), </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> is a spin-off of the 1974 television movie, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"MELVIN PURVIS: G-MAN"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">. The latter was a fictionalized account of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvin_Purvis" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #00a3d9; letter-spacing: 0.15px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><span style="font-weight: bolder;">F.B.I. Special Agent Melvin Purvis</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">'s hunt for gangster/kidnapper Machine Gun Kelly. In </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">, Purvis hunts down Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Adam Richetti and Frank "Jelly" Nash; following their robbery of an Oklahoma bank. This hunt eventually leads to a famous shootout involving local gangsters, lawmen and the F.B.I. at the Kansas City Union Station in June 1933, which is set a year earlier than the 1974 production.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">The movie begins with Floyd and Richetti helping Nash escape from a prison chain gang. Following Nash's escape, the trio robs a bank in Enid, Oklahoma; where they encounter fellow Depression-era gangsters. A who's-who's list of these gangsters - including John Dillinger, Homer Van Meter and Lester "Baby Face" Nelson - converge at the Floyd homestead to discuss the money laundering of their heists. Purvis' efforts to capture all or most of them at Floyd's home is ruined by an ambitious state trooper with an itchy trigger finger. Purvis' pursuit and the trio's efforts to evade him and get their money laundered eventually put them in the crosshairs of the Kansas City crime and political scenes of local gangster/club owner Verne Miller, organized crime figure John Lazia and local city commissioner Herbert Tucker McElwaine; along with the infamous shootout at Kansas City's Union Station.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Many were right to regard </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> as a spin-off of 1974's </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"MELVIN PURVIS: G-MAN"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">. Granted, both telecasts featured Dale Robertson as the famous F.B.I. special agent. Also, both productions are set during the Depression era of the early-to-mid 1930s and featured actors Harris Yulin and John Karlen. However, Yulin and Karlen ended up portraying different characters in </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> from the ones they had portrayed in </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"MELVIN PURVIS: G-MAN"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">. So . . . the 1975 movie was definitely not a prequel. Like </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> and many other historical dramas, this 1975 docudrama is a mixture of fact and fiction. The narrative used Dale Robertson's voiceover to give historical gravitas to the production, especially in the movie's introductions to the infamous criminals that appear. But yes, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> is just as much fiction as fact. One, Melvin Purvis never played a direct role in the Kansas City shootout. Historians are not certain if Kansas City gangster John Lazia had played a role in what happened at Union Station. Some believe he may have informed Pretty Boy Floyd and Adam Richetti about the plot to rescue Nash from the F.B.I. But the movie would have you believe he had personally recruited Verne Miller to appear at Union Station with a handful of gunmen . . . to kill Nash, instead of rescuing him. As for Nash, he had escaped from prison earlier than 1933. Honestly, there are many aspects of the film's narrative I would regard with a wary eye. And that includes most of the characters wearing long or heavy coats, despite the movie's setting of April-June 1933. Did these inaccuracies limit my enjoyment of the movie? Well . . .</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Who am I kidding? Inaccurate or not, I cannot deny that </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> was an entertaining television production. One, the televised movie featured some interesting action sequences. For me, the best included the shootout at Floyd's farm early in the story, the actual massacre at the Kansas City Union Station and what I regard as the </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">pièce de résistance</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">, Floyd and Richetti's confrontation against Miller, with Purvis and the F.B.I. arriving at the last minute. Two, I have to give kudos to television movie's production values. With the contribution of Paul Lohmann's cinematography, Charles Pierce's set decorations, the Art Department coordinated by William M. Bell and John S. Perry's costume supervision; Dan Curtis managed to recreate the Midwest and Southwest of the early 1930s. Granted, I found the hairstyles worn by some of actresses in this production seemed to be lacking. A few hairstyles looked as if they came straight from the mid-1970s and others, including the one worn by actress Lynn Loring, looked as if they were trying to reflect the early 1930s and failing. There were moments when I actually felt I had traveled back some 90 years in time. As for Curtis, I thought he managed to keep the movie's pacing on track with his energetic pacing. Ironically, his direction seemed a far cry from the slightly ponderous style of the 1983 miniseries, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE WINDS OF WAR"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">I think the best virtue for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> proved to be its cast. The real Melvin Purvis had been a 29-to-30-year-old South Carolinian during the spring and summer of 1933. Dale Robertson, who had hailed from Oklahoma, was at least 51-to-52 years old, when he shot this movie. Honestly, he should have been the last actor on Earth to portray the Special F.B.I. agent. However, this was his second time at bat as Purvis and as before, he did a stupendous job as the Federal lawman, carrying the movie and allowing his presence to be felt without any real effort. Another first-rate performance came from Bo Hopkins, whose portrayal of Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd seemed to be as laconic and skillful as Robertson's. And like the older actor, he managed to effectively allow his presence to be felt. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACCRE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> also featured excellent performances from Matt Clark, who struck me as perfect, as the volatile gangster Verne Miller; and the always excellent Robert Walden, who seemed spot-on as the romantic Adam Richetti. Other first-rate performances came from Mills Watson as the ambitious, yet pragmatic Frank "Jelly" Nash; Scott Brady, who oozed with slimy charm as the corrupt Commissioner Herbert McElwaine; Sally Kirkland as Floyd's long-suffering ex-wife Wilma Floyd; Harris Yulin (a veteran of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"MELVIN PURVIS, G-MAN"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">) as the venal gangster John Lazia; John Karlen (another veteran from the 1974 TV-movie) as Purvis's right-hand man, the stalwart Sam Cowley; and Philip Burns as the ambitious and trigger-happy state policeman, Captain Jackson. I especially want to compliment Lynn Loring's performance as Vi Morland. I thought she did a first-rate job conveying the complex and flaky nature of the Kansas City nightclub singer, who seemed to be conflicted between her memories of her past romance with Richetti and her volatile relationship with the unreliable Miller.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">Look, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> is not perfect. The movie seemed a bit too in love with the "Pretty Boy" Floyd character, which explained why it never revealed his fate. Yes, it had its share of historical inaccuries, including questionable hairstyles. Lead actor Dale Robertson was at least 20 years too old to be portraying F.B.I. Agent Melvin Purvis. And the influx of Depression-era gangsters in the film's first 30 minutes had struck me as unnecessary. But I cannot deny that despite its lack of historical accuracies, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; font-weight: bolder; letter-spacing: 0.15px;">"THE KANSAS CITY MASSACRE"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #242f33; letter-spacing: 0.15px;"> told a first-rate and exciting story, thanks to screenwriters William F. Nolan and Ric Hardman. It also benefited from strong production values, energetic direction from Dan Curtis and some excellent performances from a first-rate cast led by Robertson. It may not be perfect, but I thought it was pretty damn good and entertaining.</span></span></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-3784730914724350322023-12-01T11:01:00.000-08:002023-12-01T11:01:04.708-08:00Five Favorite Episodes of "MANHATTAN" Season Two (2015)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcbyuOZVFbRTH636QQAPxP1j7GmotyImWAsmWoCqtYWhrrKKCtd_AEOT5S67wR_OTd_BX5y0PhmjDQe4dfCgVUJwXg9vmxiXzCbn9lvIJz-yjBvRdh0JJK-_FMdOHOK-535IKZKj7eJo1rwQfmlWJxgMV6Lt-AxLEj8iOmPHswB9bmD-E24S4xChj6piJ/s2880/p12070820_i_v13_ab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2160" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcbyuOZVFbRTH636QQAPxP1j7GmotyImWAsmWoCqtYWhrrKKCtd_AEOT5S67wR_OTd_BX5y0PhmjDQe4dfCgVUJwXg9vmxiXzCbn9lvIJz-yjBvRdh0JJK-_FMdOHOK-535IKZKj7eJo1rwQfmlWJxgMV6Lt-AxLEj8iOmPHswB9bmD-E24S4xChj6piJ/w300-h400/p12070820_i_v13_ab.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Below is a list of my five favorite episodes from Season Two of the WGN series, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"MANHATTAN"</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">. Created by Sam Shaw, the series starred John Benjamin Hickey:</span></p><p><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">FIVE FAVORITE EPISODES OF "MANHATTAN" SEASON TWO (2015)</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/ctrent29/30791230/1407808/1407808_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">1. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">(2.07) "Behold the Lord High Executioner"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> - In this episode, the Los Alamos base's commander, Colonel Emmett Darrow, engages in the hunt for a possible spy after the son of a Native American cleaning woman stumbles across a can filled with equations.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/ctrent29/30791230/1408019/1408019_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">2. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">(2.10) "Jupiter"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> - While the countdown to the first nuclear weapon test commences, Dr. Frank Winter races to apprehend a Soviet spy who intends to sabotage the gadget.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/ctrent29/30791230/1408290/1408290_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">3. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">(2.02) "Fatherland"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> - Frank endures a brutal interrogation at the hands of the U.S. government at an undisclosed location, before he discovers the real reason behind his imprisonment.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/ctrent29/30791230/1408591/1408591_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">4. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">(2.06) "33"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> - When Frank and the other scientists begin to harbor ethical doubts over the construction of the Bomb, they engage in a moral battle with the U.S. Army over how the Bomb will be used.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/ctrent29/30791230/1408863/1408863_300.jpg" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; height: auto; line-height: inherit !important; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">5. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">(2.03) "The Threshold"</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> - Worried over Frank's disappearance, his wife Dr. Liza Winter wages a battle against Colonel Darrow to find his whereabouts and facilitate his return to the base. Meanwhile, Rachel Isaacs, the wife of scientist Dr. Charlie Isaacs, stumbles across a secret about Dr. Robert Oppenheimer's private life.</span></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-26685367464318215042023-11-18T09:46:00.000-08:002024-02-06T10:41:16.263-08:00"MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" (2001) Photo Gallery<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPs5RuW1YozVpknIaZE7fHLbHsHl6xIfMXR0T2-VIpK9KPHpWQLEHxryoPvM8M0oj9hlArATCsUUkiL0n3iDV7za6vxhasxge-fVmvKaETr8bVwcRIcqYMMUSMl7S2ZE5ntBSf2J3Epa8XZrIodWOoQrhtdPyqRUop_VqsARPW420q4I0w0yj3vuOAjFDp/s2048/MV5BZDY1ODVlODYtY2ZlZC00MjdiLThiNTEtNDcyZGM1NmIxOWY3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTMyMjYwNTA@._V1_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1620" data-original-width="2048" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPs5RuW1YozVpknIaZE7fHLbHsHl6xIfMXR0T2-VIpK9KPHpWQLEHxryoPvM8M0oj9hlArATCsUUkiL0n3iDV7za6vxhasxge-fVmvKaETr8bVwcRIcqYMMUSMl7S2ZE5ntBSf2J3Epa8XZrIodWOoQrhtdPyqRUop_VqsARPW420q4I0w0yj3vuOAjFDp/w471-h372/MV5BZDY1ODVlODYtY2ZlZC00MjdiLThiNTEtNDcyZGM1NmIxOWY3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTMyMjYwNTA@._V1_.jpg" width="471" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif">Below are images from </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">"MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS"</b><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif">, the 2001 television adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1934 novel. Directed by Carl Schenkel, the movie starred Alfred Molina as Hercule Poirot:</span><a name="cutid1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><br /><br /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">"MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS" (2001) Photo Gallery</b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1539014/1539014_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1539121/1539121_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1539533/1539533_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1539767/1539767_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1539902/1539902_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1540310/1540310_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; 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max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1540866/1540866_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1541306/1541306_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; 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font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1543295/1543295_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1543543/1543543_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1543931/1543931_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1543993/1543993_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1544361/1544361_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1544645/1544645_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><img alt="" loading="lazy" src="https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/seldonp38/50009290/1544924/1544924_300.jpg" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: inherit; max-width: 100%;" title="" /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7289553256104260237.post-76942473792852309812023-11-13T07:38:00.000-08:002023-11-13T07:38:25.102-08:00ECLIPSE (2010) Review<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHffm3ZHbYeJMCTXzvwxz8g0HMDnUN0xD9ANSClN8JOBerVD0IH86o69Nu0PQHXtJNQuC4w8JJb8_ecti4lsDLxnS-22G0Op7ceNFFjcqguWSb4r4jyKGoSIrRFhFHt4WLXQ2J4wyU7VO_UZ6aao5H1IeYkpsJuBzqoq0FOL9Y7uQx47SNvs428i6apksx/s2048/MV5BMTg2NjI2NDYzNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTIyNzU1Mw@@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="2048" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHffm3ZHbYeJMCTXzvwxz8g0HMDnUN0xD9ANSClN8JOBerVD0IH86o69Nu0PQHXtJNQuC4w8JJb8_ecti4lsDLxnS-22G0Op7ceNFFjcqguWSb4r4jyKGoSIrRFhFHt4WLXQ2J4wyU7VO_UZ6aao5H1IeYkpsJuBzqoq0FOL9Y7uQx47SNvs428i6apksx/w472-h314/MV5BMTg2NjI2NDYzNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwOTIyNzU1Mw@@._V1_.jpg" width="472" /></span></span></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">"ECLIPSE" (2010) Review</b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">Twelve years ago, the third installment of the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">"TWILIGHT"</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"> Saga was released in theaters. Based upon Stephanie Meyer’s 2007 novel and directed by David Slade, </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">"ECLIPSE"</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"> continued the story of Isabella "Bella" Swan, the Washington State teenager, her love for vampire Edward Cullen and her friendship with the werewolf shape-shifter, Jacob Black.</span><a name="cutid1" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_self"></a><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">"ECLIPSE"</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"> began not long after the 2009 movie, </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">"NEW MOON"</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"> had ended. In Seattle, a young college student named Riley Biers is attacked and turned by a vampire. He soon becomes the center of a plot hatched by the red-haired vampire Victoria, to turn and create more newborn vampires to be used as an army for further attacks against Bella, Edward and the Cullens. Meanwhile, Bella and Edward continue their plans for a future wedding and Bella’s eventual transformation into a vampire back in Forks. Their plans are complicated by Bella’s friendship with Jacob and the rest of a local werewolf pack – traditional enemies of the Cullen clan. Worse, Jacob still continues to harbor love for Bella and she discovers that she finds herself physically attracted to him – despite her love for Edward. The two plot lines eventually converge when Alice Cullen has a vision of the newborn army attacking Forks led by Riley Biers. Jacob, accompanied by two fellow werewolves Quil and Embry, overhear this, which leads to an alliance between the Cullens and the Wolf pack.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">Before </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">"ECLIPSE"</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"> had been released in movie theaters, advertisements and fans of the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">TWILIGHT</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"> saga began claiming that this film was the best of the three movies released so far. Considering my low opinion of the first two movies, I was surprised to find myself agreeing with them. It was certainly better than the first two films in the franchise. What made it better? Quite frankly, Victoria’s plot to kill Bella and get her revenge for her lover James’ death in </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">”TWILIGHT”</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"> did the trick. This particular plot line was responsible for the Cullens and Jacob’s Wolf pack to finally form some kind of alliance. I found it quite interesting to watch the Cullens and the Wolf pack battle against Victoria, Riley and their minions. This plot line also allowed Edward and Jacob to somewhat cease their constantly annoying rivalry over Bella . . . finally. There were other aspects of the film that I liked. I found it interesting to learn about the origins of the Quileute tribe’s hostilities against vampires. I also found the back stories for both Rosalie Hale and Jasper Hale rather interesting. It turns out that Jasper’s background in training newborn vampires for his sire Maria allowed Bella to understand how Victoria was using Riley Biers.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">Despite these positive aspects about </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">"ECLIPSE"</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">, I still found it a trial to watch. Why? Simple. I still had to endure the incredibly dull and tortuous love story between Bella and Edward. Even worse was the incredibly dull and tortuous love triangle between Edward Cullen, Bella Swan and Jacob Black. Mind you, it seemed a bit surprising to learn that Bella was also attracted to Jacob. But it really did not help matters. Especially when I had to endure the god-awful dialogue between Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, written by screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg. I fear that Ms. Rosenberg had to utilize a good deal of the dialogue from Stephanie Meyer’s novel. One scene that had me writhing in despair featured Bella’s attempt to </span><i style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">"seduce"</i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"> Edward into having sex, following a conversation she had with her father about her virginity. It went on too . . . damn . . . long. And the dialogue was simply awful. Another scene that tested my nerves and patience centered on Jacob’s attempt to convince Edward to give up Bella, in order to stop her from becoming a vampire. The only thing that made this scene remotely bearable was Lautner’s occasional witty dialogue.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">”ECLIPSE”</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"> also marked the return of members of the Volturi, the vampire coven that ensured the vampires’ existence as a secret from humans. Apparently, Victoria’s plans to use an army of newborns against the Cullens attracted their attention. I wish to God that it had not. I found them unbearable in </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">”NEW MOON”</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">. And they were certainly a nuisance in </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">”ECLIPSE”</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"> - especially Dakota Fanning’s Jane, who managed to stand around, while attempting to look menacing. I wish to God that Stephanie Meyer had not created them in the first. I tend to compare the Volturi to the game of Quidditch from the </span><b style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">HARRY POTTER</b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"> saga. Unbearable to watch and an unfortunate part of the franchise.</span><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;">I found nothing remarkable about the performances in the movie. Well, Taylor Lautner managed to be occasionally witty, despite the addition of the dreadful dialogue he had to spout in this film. Jackson Rathbone also managed to be rather witty. Nikki Reed gave a surprisingly poignant performance as Rosalie Hale – especially in the sequence in which she recalled the sordid tragedy that led to her becoming a vampire. Billy Burke was entertaining, as always, as Bella’s sardonic, yet protective father. Kristen Stewart managed to be bearable in scenes that only featured Bella and Jacob. As for the rest of the cast . . . you can keep them. Including Robert Pattinson.</span></span><br style="background-color: #deffdf; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKj14L-GxYfbXGkCMdCKmvk8Cgu0HwCTfIUNd3YjLUyMSu5wIUcYZ4Oz_NHAhqP8o-n2Cd1WyjM9nq9zKcOlnUkj7BYrQmqhvpPQgoj2v-Ns3m0T6RW4i3gOKFGWj5VTZLj_vJ1epaEaTQWF61QZRAR9QOFw2T1N_f_y82RqW6SgZwlDe9N69bWtoOrmly/s590/tumblr_b71aaa658789030e7e1af2a36bb40b55_9facfe65_640.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="590" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKj14L-GxYfbXGkCMdCKmvk8Cgu0HwCTfIUNd3YjLUyMSu5wIUcYZ4Oz_NHAhqP8o-n2Cd1WyjM9nq9zKcOlnUkj7BYrQmqhvpPQgoj2v-Ns3m0T6RW4i3gOKFGWj5VTZLj_vJ1epaEaTQWF61QZRAR9QOFw2T1N_f_y82RqW6SgZwlDe9N69bWtoOrmly/w400-h170/tumblr_b71aaa658789030e7e1af2a36bb40b55_9facfe65_640.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p>The Rush Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13667282586023023623noreply@blogger.com0