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** SPOILERS **
With Spider-Man: No Way Home, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios opened the toy box, turned it over, dumped everything onto the floor, and said, "Have at it!" Directed by Jon Watts, who helmed Tom Holland's previous Spider-Man movies set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which, I guess, is now the "Home Trilogy," Spider-Man: No Way Home is a massive list of fanboy Spider-Man movie dreams dutifully checked off. Watching it is like reading a dozen Marvel Comic books in a row at a breakneck pace. As a coherent movie, No Way Home teeters on disaster and then careens headlong into it, yet it also delivers the most relentlessly jaw-dropping fan service as the most pure comic book movie since Avengers: Infinity War, and that's a compliment. Give No Way Home too much thought - or any rational thought at all - and you'll be driven as mad as the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe). So you know what? Don't. Just let the live-action Spider-Verse happen, man.
Spider-Man: No Way Home has an astounding amount of --- story's not the right word -- stuff it has to get done according to Marvel and Sony's big agenda. Oh, and there is an agenda here, and it's big. First off, No Way Home has to establish the Multiverse to set up Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness by having Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) play the thankless role of "Guy who's right about everything but Peter Parker won't listen or else the movie won't happen." No Way Home also has to immediately address the cliffhanger from Spider-Man: Far From Home, where Peter's secret identity is revealed by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) and J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons). The first act of No Way Home is quite novel, showing us the fallout of Parker becoming "the most famous person in the world" and being hunted by the authorities as well as ordinary people coming out of the woodwork who want a piece of Spider-Man. Just like that, however, Peter's legal troubles are resolved, thanks to his blind lawyer Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox)! Did I mention guest stars? There are so many, like Wong (Benedict Wong), the new Sorcerer Supreme who pops up all over the Marvel Cinematic Universe now. No Way Home reflects the success Sony saw with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's Multiverse and saying, "We should do it in live-action too and make even more money."
The second phase of No Way Home happens after Peter bungles Doctor Strange's magical "Make the world forget Peter Parker is Spider-Man except for six people" spell and it somehow cracks open the Multiverse so that supervillains who know Peter Parker is Spider-Man jump from the Sony movie universes to the MCU. The Spider-Villain parade includes Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church), and Green Goblin from Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man movies and Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Lizard (Rhys Ifans) from Andrew Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man movies. It's awesome to see Tom Holland's Spidey face the classic non-MCU villains he's never fought before. But despite Doctor Strange's pragmatic warnings that the villains need to go back from whence they came, Peter goes rogue when he learns that the villains are fated to die fighting the Spider-Men of their universes. Admirably, Peter "does the right thing" and tries to save the villains, and he even uses his science-y smarts to cure the crazy ones like Doc Ock and Green Goblin. But it's also not the right thing to do. In fact, in many very important ways, it couldn't be the more wrong thing to do, but No Way Home's rules are unfathomable, contradictory, full of holes, and glosses over the tough questions about the Multiverse to fulfill Peter's moral imperative and keep this train hurtling along.
While rumors abounded for years that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would share the screen with Tom Holland in No Way Home, to actually see it happen is immensely satisfying. Never mind that Maguire seemed to be constantly trying to remember what playing his version of Peter Parker was like. Meanwhile, Garfield was really just playing himself in a Spider suit but he was clearly happy to be included. The three Spider-Men hanging out and swinging into battle together is worth the price of admission as 100% giddy fan service. Just as satisfying, No Way Home worked to give closure to elements from Maguire and Garfield's movies that were left hanging. Tobey's Peter reunited with Dr. Otto Octavius as friends after Holland's Peter cured the malfunctioning A.I. chip that twisted Doc Ock's brain because of his robot arms. Andrew's Peter had some touching moments with Electro, and he caught MJ (Zendaya) from falling to her death, saving her in a way that he couldn't save Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). No Way Home hit all the fanboy notes and contrasted how the three movie Spider-Men are different but also the same - Garfield feels left out because Maguire fought an alien in Venom (Topher Grace) but Holland's been to space to fight an alien, Thanos (Josh Brolin) - and it was worth all of the Multiversal hijinks.
Unfortunately, the most frustrating part of No Way Home is Tom Holland's Peter. The MCU's version of Spider-Man is the youngest version of the live-action movies but No Way Home especially equates Peter's youth for being dumb. Peter even admits he's dumb multiple times in the movie. But the movie needs Peter to do a million dumb things to enable its plot to happen and to get to the cool guest stars and cameos. Tom Holland does his best to keep the audience on Peter's side even while he's literally wrecking reality by not thinking things through, and he pays for his mistakes tragically when the Green Goblin murders Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). To his credit, Tom Holland embodies the whirlwind of emotions as Peter and he suffers a Multiverse's worth of tragedy (mostly self-inflicted) in No Way Home. After the roller coaster of Spider-Man: No Way Home, you're too exhausted to ask questions like, "How could MJ and Ned forget Peter entirely? Didn't they still go to school with him?" It's better to remember the thrills of seeing Holland, Maguire, and Garfield facing all of their super villains and hum the Spider-Man theme until we see the web-slinger again.
Tom Holland's Spider-Man has always been far luckier than his predecessors: He has a devoted girlfriend in MJ, whose surname was retconned to Watson, he's got his Man in the Chair, Ned (Jacob Batalon), he had his Aunt May, two surrogates Uncle Bens in Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), and he's an Avenger. When Spider-Man: No Way Home winds down, Sony's ultimate agenda becomes clear as they systematically strip all of the good things in Peter's life away to bring him to the mold of the lonely Spider-Man Maguire and Garfield are, complete with a classic Spidey suit he sewed himself, so no more Stark Tech for him. It's a sad ending for the plucky young Spider-Man of the MCU to lose everything and everyone he held dear as Sony resets him for the next wave of Spider-Man movies, but Parker grins and bears it as the penance he must pay for almost breaking the Multiverse. After all, nothing is more Spider-Man than suffering alone. Like Maguire and Garfield said, "It's what we do."
Posted by Back of the Head at 2:57 PM
Labels: 2021, Marvel, Movie Reviews, Nerd Alert, Spider-Man
You Have All The Time In The World
The final act is often the hardest to get right but director Cary Joji Fukunaga's urgent and stunning No Time To Die gets it so right. No Time To Die is the fifth and final movie starring Daniel Craig as James Bond and while I have an overwhelming love for and devotion to Skyfall, No Time To Die outdoes it by delivering something 007 has never truly had: a definitive ending. But en route to that end - Bond's end - is one more globe-hopping adventure - Matera, Italy, Jamaica, Santiago, Cuba, London, Norway, and a mysterious island between Japan and Russia - where Bond saves the world from the 21st-century threat of deadly nanobots. More importantly, James Bond faces the scope of his dangerous life as a Double-0 agent and finally confronts both his own mortality and the chance to leave something (and someone) behind.
Daniel Craig has never been better as James Bond. Well-aware that his and the audience's hearts weren't in Spectre, Craig does not waste this opportunity to go out with a kiss-kiss bang-bang. In No Time To Die, Bond is the happiest he's ever been on holiday with Dr. Madeleine Swann (a fantastic Lea Seydoux) when he's ambushed by Spectre agents sent by his old enemy (and ex-brother, adoptive), Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz). Bond believes Madeleine betrayed him and he's heartbroken. (Although as Blofeld later taunts James, "You were always so sensitive!") Using his indomitable Aston Martin DB5, Bond annihilates the Spectre agents, puts Madeleine on a train, and tells her she'll never see him again. And he meant it. For at least the third time in Daniel Craig's quintology, Bond quits MI6 and he means it.
Retired in Jamaica five years later, Bond is now a man with unlimited time to kill but at least no one is trying to kill him, for once. Until James' old spy buddy Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) comes calling. Felix temps Bond back into action but James meeting M's (Ralph Feinnes) efficient new 007, Nomi (Lashana Lynch) also had something to do with it. From there, No Time To Die puts its foot on the accelerator and takes us on a two-hour thrill ride. Bond walks into a trap in Cuba alongside Paloma (Ana de Armas), the most cheerfully gorgeous Bond Girl of Craig's 007 era. Ana de Armas is so good at drinking, quipping, and fighting alongside James, we wish she stayed for the whole movie. But the mystery of who's working against both James Bond and Spectre, which led to a trap for Bond turning into the massacre of every Spectre agent, leads right back to Ernst Stavro Blofeld. But the real key to this mystery is Madeleine Swann.
In the film's brilliant opening flashback, young Madeleine was attacked by No Time To Die's new twisted villain, Safin (Rami Malek). Safin's family was wiped out by Madeleine's father, Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), on Blofeld's orders and Safin came to White's Norway home looking for revenge. After killing Madeleine's mother, Safin becomes infatuated by the young girl and he saves her from drowning in ice (an echo of Bond nearly drowning in ice during Skyfall's climax). Decades later, Safin is back to finish the job he started and use Madeleine to kill Blofeld with his bioweapon that only works on a specific target's DNA. But Madeleine has another secret Bond discovers: they have a four-year-old daughter named Mathilde (Lisa-Dorah Sonnet). At first, Madeleine lies that James isn't the father of the blue-eyed girl, but he is and he knows it. Mathilde, James Bond's first offspring in any movie, is a bombshell that sets No Time To Die apart from every Bond movie and enables the movie's incredible ending.
No Time To Die's finale, like everything that builds up to it, is absolutely spectacular. Bond and Nomi team up to assault Safin's secret island base, where the madman plans to wipe out entire demographics of people with nanobots, and to save the kidnapped Madeleine and Mathilde. The action is visceral and first-rate as 007 fights his way through scores of soldiers in order to open the blast doors so that missiles can wipe out the island. But Bond is injured by Safin and, worse, he's infected with nanobots targeted to Mathilde and Madeleine's DNA. Even if he got off the island, touching either the woman he loves or his daughter would kill them both. And thus, James Bond makes the ultimate sacrifice, one that feels unthinkable from any of his predecessors from Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan - Bond willingly dies so that Madeleine and Mathilde can live. Daniel Craig's storied and incredibly successful run as James Bond explosively ends as 007 gives up his life to ensure his daughter can have hers.
A courageous and majestic James Bond story like no other, No Time To Die not only wraps up the serialized story about Daniel Craig's 007 that began with Casino Royale, it also gracefully genuflects to the greater franchise, with special reverence paid to On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Bond repeats the ominous promise, "We have all the time in the world" to Madeleine as Hans Zimmer's score evokes John Barry's booming On Her Majesty's Secret Service theme and weaves in Louis Armstrong's "We Have All The Time In The World." As missiles are about to rain down upon him, James Bond promises Madeleine that "You have all the time in the world." This is Bond's most important promise of all and one he means to keep. With this incredible final chapter where everything feels earned and definitive, Cary Joji Fukunaga and Daniel Craig give 007 a legacy he never had before and close out the Craig Era of James Bond with an unforgettably poignant and emotional ending.
Labels: 2021, John and Bond, Movie Reviews
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is what everyone dreaded the first Venom movie would be. Director Ruben Fleischer's Venom was an oddball entertainment with the bizarre relationship between Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom (Tom Hardy) at its center. In contrast, Andy Serkis directs Venom: Let There Be Carnage and strips away the connective tissue that made the original Venom a movie, leaving only the guts (but no blood, because Let There Be Carnage is PG-13). Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the equivalent of three Saturday morning cartoons smashed together with a threadbare plot (credited to Tom Hardy and Kelly Marcell) that was probably scribbled on a cocktail napkin during an all-night bender. And yet, despite my loathing this cacophonous misery, Carnage literally says, "Let there be Carnage!" in the movie, and saying the title of the movie in spoken dialogue nets the film an automatic four stars from me.
As set up by Venom's ending, Let There Be Carnage is about a serial killer named Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson, who has nothing to play and plays that nothing right off a cliff). Cletus is holed up on death row in San Quentin but he bites reporter Eddie Brock and swallows some of the Venom symbiote. The result is Cletus is transformed into his own, even grosser, more prehensile tail-y, space monster named Carnage. Cletus/Carnage murder their way out of the clink and head straight for San Francisco to reunite with Cletus' childhood love, Frances Barrison (Naomie Harris). Barrison is also a superpowered freak who can emit sonic screams and she's been locked up her whole life. However, Carnage, Venom, and all of these goopy symbiotes only have two fatal vulnerabilities: fire and really loud noises. So naturally, Carnage isn't too happy that Cletus' missus can kill him if she opens her yap. Three's definitely a crowd there. But the bottom line is Carnage sucks; he's a hideous, terrible, eyesore who's somehow both barely in the movie yet in too much of the movie.
Meanwhile, Eddie, who was a loser in the first movie, is having a career renaissance where he's now the most important and respected reporter in San Francisco, despite still being a swarthy, twitchy weirdo who is clearly hiding a psychotic pile of murderous ooze beneath his skin. Venom is bored of being with Eddie and how controlling his human host is. Eddie won't let Venom eat human brains and he keeps shooting down Venom wanting to call their dynamic duo the "Lethal Protectors." It's not easy being in a symbiotic/romantic relationship with a symbiote and, just like in any rom com, Eddie and Venom break up and go their separate ways for a while. Unfortunately, Eddie has no heterosexual outlet with a human female to turn to because his ex-fiancee, Ann Weying (Michelle Williams), is now engaged to Doctor Dan Lewis (Reid Scott), who, strangely, turns out to be the most heroic person in the movie. For his part, Venom has a scene where he hits a rave and has a fantabulous emancipation of Venom - or he tries to, anyway, but Venom soon realizes he literally can't live without Eddie.
What passes for a plot in Venom: Let There Be Carnage is summed up thusly: Cletus wants to kill Eddie/Venom, marry Frances (who also got a codename, Shriek), and then kill Ann, Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham), the cop who shot Frances years ago but didn't know she survived, Dan, and the priest who was going to marry him and Frances, not necessarily in that order. The movie culminates in a church, not unlike Spider-Man 3, where the ringing of a giant bell helps kill Carnage, just like how Venom (Topher Grace) was defeated in Sam Raimi's unloved threequel. To get to the church on time (record time, almost, since the movie is only 90 minutes long), Venom: Let There Be Carnage packs a lot of nonsense into its short runtime, and it rockets through scenes that barely even qualify as scenes. But that's okay, I guess, since this thing barely qualifies as a movie. Every scene with Michelle Williams, who is barely in the movie, mind you, is made more baffling when one remembers she's been Academy Award-nominated four times.
So why sit through and endure Venom: Let There Be Carnage at all? Well, the Sony Spider-Man Universe is in a symbiotic relationship of its own with Marvel Studios and they finally pulled the trigger on bringing the universes together. In Venom: Let There Be Carnage's headscratcher of a mid-credits scene, Eddie and Venom are in bed together on a beach vacation when Venom randomly starts waxing philosophical of all of the crazy things he's seen traveling through 80,000 lightyears of space. Venom decides to show Eddie some of what he's seen but somehow, they end up transported into a hotel room in the Marvel Cinematic Universe right at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Specifically, the moment when the MCU's J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) publicly reveals Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is Spider-Man. How did that happen? How does any of this work? Who cares. At least the mid-credits scene clocks in as the only memorable thing in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, though it's not as standout a moment as when Tom Hardy crawls into a lobster tank and starts eating crustaceans in the first Venom.
Instantly upon meeting Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina), it's clear that they are the best platonic friends in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a title previously held by Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). Steve and Nat are both gone now but nature abhors a vacuum and so Shang-Chi and Katy seamlessly slide into their spot. They even top Rogers and Romanoff because Shang-Chi and Katy know how to have fun, whether it's jacking luxury rides in their day jobs as hotel valets or refusing to go to bed at a sensible hour and staying up all night getting drunk and singing karaoke. With these two as the focus of director Destin Daniel Cretton's entertaining adventure yarn, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, we're in good hands even when things get really weird, really fast.
Before Shang-Chi goes viral by fighting off assassins from the Ten Rings, including the hulking Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu), on a speeding San Francisco bus, Katy only knew him as "Shaun." (Katy rightfully gives Shang-Chi shit for his unimaginative choice of alias). Shaun has been in America for ten years and, like Katy, he's content to go nowhere while enjoying his life as it comes. But Shaun has a secret: He's really a master of kung fu and a super-assassin trained by his father, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), the leader of the Ten Rings, China's most powerful criminal organization. The Ten Rings was the Middle Eastern terrorist outfit Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) fought in Iron Man and Iron Man 3, but faster than you can say "retcon," Shang-Chi reveals their true origins as the network led by Wenwu, who is a thousand years old and the master of the mysterious Ten Rings, which are ten powerful bracelets of alien origin. Wenwu always knew Shang-Chi was in San Fran but he decided it's time to summon his son home.
Shang-Chi and Katy, who is also caught up in this mess, travel to Macau to find Shang-Chi's sister, Xu Xialing (Meng'er Zhang), who runs an underground fight club like she's the Chinese Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). Only instead of the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), one of Xialing's prizefighters is the Abomination (Tim Roth), who makes his return to the MCU after his lone appearance in The Incredible Hulk 13 years ago. Shang-Chi and Katy also meet Wong (Benedict Wong), one of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, who has basically become the new Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) since Wong seems to know everybody in the Avengers now. These are Shang-Chi and Katy's first steps into the larger, crazy world of the MCU, but it turns out Shang-Chi's China is pretty goddamn crazy itself.
The forward movement of Shang-Chi's plot is interrupted by numerous flashbacks showing how Wenwu met his beloved late wife Ying Li (Fala Chen), their happy early years of marriage, and Shang-Chi's childhood before and after Ying Li is murdered. Lots of family secrets are spilled, including Shang-Chi's shame that he let his father turn him into a killer. Meanwhile, Xialing harbors her own resentments at being her father's forgotten and ignored child, but she turned herself into a self-made crime lord all her own, so she's a chip off the old Ten Rings. Shang-Chi also makes a big deal of both of Wenwu's kids having jade pendants given to them by their mother. Wenwu goes to a lot of trouble to take the jade pendants from his children but there's no real payoff for it. But at its core, Shang-Chi is about family, the one you're born into and the ones you make your family, and living up to your potential while staying true to yourself.
There's also a lot of exposition in Shang-Chi's bonkers third act, which takes place in the magical Chinese village of Ta Lo, an enchanted land that has all manner of exotic mythological beasts, including a dragon called the Great Protector. In Ta Lo, Shang-Chi learns how to use his mother's powers to enhance his martial arts abilities thanks to his aunt, Ying Nan (Michelle Yeoh). Katy also turns out to be an incredibly quick study with a bow and arrow and basically becomes another Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) in a day. Weirdest of all, Shang-Chi learns that thousands of years ago, a great evil soul-sucking dragon attacked Ta Lo from another universe and all that's keeping it back is a door in a mountain that the lovesick Wenwu wants to bust down because he thinks his dead wife is on the other side. It's a lot of bizarre data to absorb and there's no time because there's kung fu fighting and CGI flying monsters the movie has to get to. Shang-Chi's third act is a scaled-down version of the Battle of Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War mixed with Mulan with as much dragon-riding as the final season of Game of Thrones.
In the comics, Shang-Chi is known as "The Master of Kung Fu," but the MCU's Shang-Chi isn't necessarily the greatest hand-to-hand combatant in the world (although he probably will be the best eventually), and it's a little disappointing when he uses the Ten Rings to explode the soul-sucking evil dragon but he doesn't deliver a cool kung fu blow to the beast as a coup-de-grace. Then again, in the comics, the Ten Rings are actually rings worn by a Chinese supervillain called the Mandarin, but Iron Man 3 changed the Mandarin into a blundering actor named Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley) who posed as a terrorist and almost dismantled the U.S. government. Trevor returns in Shang-Chi, which has to do MCU continuity clean-up for Iron Man 3, but Kingsley's guest spot is just wacky comedy from an otherwise unnecessary character. Overall, Shang-Chi's terrific martial arts action scenes compensate for its paint-by-numbers origin story and plot, and the movie becomes a bewildering CGI spectacle in its third act. However, the charming camaraderie of Liu and Awkwafina as Shang-Chi and Katy holds the whole thing together, while Leung's Wenwu is an emotionally-driven villain who's more interesting than a lot of Marvel bad guys.
The title Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings seems like a bit of a misnomer since we learn very little about the Ten Rings themselves. The bracelets are weapons of immense power, we're told, but mostly, Wenwu just uses them to leap long distances, throw super punches, and make energy whips. Despite a thousand years of wielding the Ten Rings, they jump from Wenwu to Shang-Chi pretty easily, and the latter figures out how to use them maybe too quickly. The Ten Rings don't actually get interesting until Shang-Chi's first end-credits scene, which is one of the best MCU stingers: Wong summons Shang-Chi and Katy to analyze the bracelets' alien design and the best friends meet Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers (Brie Larson). It's an obvious set-up for Shang-Chi to join the Avengers and it's pretty awesome. Hopefully, Shang-Chi and Katy bring karaoke nights to the Avengers' get-togethers. We know Wong is down for it.
Labels: 2021, Marvel, Movie Reviews, Nerd Alert
You're going on a journey...
Remember Chinatown? Remember Casablanca? Remember Wolverine? Remember Westworld? Well, that last one was co-created by Lisa Joy, the writer and director of Reminiscence, so she definitely remembers it. In the stunningly photographed Reminiscence, Joy paints a visually sumptuous post-apocalyptic Miami in the not-too-distant future and plunges Hugh Jackman into a boilerplate detective plot with a couple of intriguing time-tossed twists that don't quite land with a SNIKT. Reminiscence is about memory, and love, and lust, and Hugh Jackman's search for the truth about his lost romance with Rebecca Ferguson, but Reminiscence's wrapping paper ends up being more interesting to look at and think about than the actual gift inside.
Hugh Jackman plays Wolverine Nick Bannister, a mutant "detective of the mind." His business with his partner Maeve Watts (Thandiwe Newton) allows his clients to pay by the hour to use his Reminiscence machine to relive their favorite memories. This involves stripping down and sliding into a sensory deprivation tank as if you're Logan submitting to the Weapon X program replacing your bones with Adamantium. When you're deep in Reminiscence, your memories are projected into 3D holograms Nick and Watts can watch. Considering how intimate many people's memories are, they sure put a lot of trust into Nick and Watts' discretion. Like Wolverine, Hugh Jackman once again falls for the wrong redhead, Jean Grey Mae (Rebecca Ferguson), a slinky nightclub singer who's obviously hiding quite a lot, but the detective doesn't care about that (at first). Nick is hot for Mae and they begin a torrid romance they mostly conduct on rooftops looking over the flooded streets of Miami. Then one day, Mae vanishes and Reminiscence drops its first time-loopy twist that the whole first act of the film was Nick's memories of Mae after spending months in the Reminiscence machine.
For Wolverine Nick Bannister, love means never having to let go of your girlfriend you didn't know anything about. Driven by his desire to find out "Who is she when she's not with me?", Nick plunges into the watery underworld of both Miami and New Orleans, meeting skeevy criminals like Saint Joe (Daniel Wu), a dirty ex-cop named Cyrus Booth (Cliff Curtis), and Walter Sylvan (Brett Cullen), the most powerful land baron in Miami. Nick gets into fistfights, nearly drowns, and throws away his partnership with Watts in order to find out who Mae is and how she came to be. The revelations about Mae aren't exactly Earth-shattering (she's an ex-junkie running from bad guys she stole drugs from) and, beautiful as Ferguson is, Mae doesn't seem like the type of dame a private dick should toss his whole life (such as it is) away for, but the heart wants what the heart wants. More interesting than Mae is the sordid conspiracy she was caught up in as a pawn, involving Sylan's mistress Elsa (Angela Sarafyan), their bastard son, and Sylvan's firstborn son who doesn't want anyone to mess with his inheritance of owning all of the dry land that's left in Miami. Reminiscence's final twist that the entire film is merely the memories of Nick Bannister, who is now an old man cared for by Grandma Watts after spending decades in the Reminiscence machine reliving his romance with Mae and investigation into her disappearance, is intended as a Christopher Nolan-esque bombshell but, unfortunately, it goes off with a sputter.
Every character who meets another character in Reminiscence starts reminiscing about things that happened in the past that sound way more interesting than what's going on in the present. Reminiscence's backstory and post-apocalyptic setting are simply far more intriguing than Nick's Adamantium-like hard-on for Mae. Joy sprinkles in tasty dollops about Reminiscence's future universe, where climate change not only sank Miami but sparked a bloody war with climate change deniers. Nick was a Navy seaman who was 'drafted' to border patrol, which involved Bannister using the Reminiscence machine to interrogate enemy soldiers and poor people fleeing the tides. When the war ended, Nick somehow finagled the Reminiscence machine to start his sinking business. The way society and culture evolved because of the war and climate change, like Miami becoming a nocturnal city of boats and canals, aren't just a grim forecasting of our probable future in the real world, but it's a backdrop that begs Joy to delve further into. Compared to the impressive future world Joy envisioned, unfortunately, the problems of Nick Bannister and Mae don't amount to a hill of beans in Reminiscence's evocative, sci-fi noir world.
Posted by Back of the Head at 12:17 PM
Labels: 2021, Movie Reviews
Writer-director James Gunn's The Suicide Squad understands the old adage that if you introduce a javelin in Act 1, you must have Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) plunge that javelin into the eye of a giant, telepathic alien starfish in Act 3. That's Chekhov's javelin. Look, I grew up reading 1980s DC Comics and poring over Who's Who character encyclopedias and DC Heroes role-playing game sourcebooks, and apparently, so did James Gunn. The Suicide Squad was made for me. Well, not me, exactly, but 14-year-old me, who probably appreciated the obscure DC references even more than adult me dug the overall film. The Suicide Squad is a far better and more enjoyable movie than the 2016 Suicide Squad. It's unapologetically bloody and ruthless as a movie about a cruel bureaucrat, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), sending superpowered convicts to their deaths ought to be. The bottom line is Gunn understands that it sucks to be in the Suicide Squad but, unlike with the prior film, he also made sure it doesn't suck watching The Suicide Squad.
The Suicide Squad has a massive cast that the marketing correctly urges you not to get too attached to. Waller assembles a group to go to a South American country named Corto Maltese, which is the same country Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) took war photos of that got on the cover of Time in Batman 1989, for some sort of black op. Back leading the group is Col. Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) while Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), old pals who survived the first Suicide Squad, are also volunteered for the mission. But this version of the Squad has weirdos like Blackguard (Pete Davidson), Savant (Michael Rooker), Javelin (Flula Borg), and a guy named T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion), whose superpower is he can detach his arms. Great. There's also some kind of weasel-like man-thing named Weasel (Sean Gunn). This Squad is useless and they're supposed to be; Blackguard sold them out to the Corto Maltese army (and maybe Waller arranged it so he would, it's not clear), and they get massacred on the beach. But that was the point because there was a second Suicide Squad sent by Waller who is really supposed to accomplish the mission.
The other Suicide Squad is led by Bloodsport (Idris Elba), a mercenary and expert marksman with any weapon. Bloodsport also has a teenage daughter and he's a reluctant leader who doesn't believe he's a good person. If that sounds exactly like Deadshot (Will Smith) in the first movie it's because it's the same character, only Bloodsport's kid is also a criminal. There's also Peacemaker (John Cena), an extremist soldier who loves peace so much he'll murder anyone to keep it, and he wears a toilet bowl-looking helmet on his head. The other oddballs are Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), a sweet narcoleptic who controls rats and has her own Ratatoullie and, naturally, is the daughter of Ratcatcher 1 (Taika Waititi), Nanaue aka King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), an innocent shark monster man, and Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), who was infested with an alien virus and sees his abusive mother in everyone he kills. Waller sends this Squad into Corto Maltese to stop a supervillain named The Thinker (Peter Capaldi), who has spent 30 years experimenting on the aforementioned alien starfish, Starro the Conqueror, who can control people's minds with little starfish face huggers like in Alien. Most of the movie is spent following these numbnuts traipsing through the jungle and bumbling throughout their mission.
And then there's Harley Quinn, who survived the massacre at the beach and finds herself courted by Corto Maltese's new President, Sylvio Luna (Julio Diego Botto). In her third outing as Harley, Robbie has perfected the endearingly hot psychopath, who's basically a female Bugs Bunny with a murderous streak. In a movie filled with unexpected twists, Harley has the best one when she turns the tables on Luna, who she did consider marrying, and she has the best fight sequence in the film that tops the ones she had in Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. Perhaps not so strangely, Harley also introduces The Suicide Squad's moral center: she may be a homicidal girl clown but Harley draws the line at killing kids. Apparently, so does Bloodsport, which we learn when Harley joins up with his Squad. It's interesting to see where supervillains draw the line but letting Amanda Waller get away with allowing an alien starfish to take over Corto Maltese was a bridge too far, and the Suicide Squad turn into heroes by necessity,
As a movie about supervillains abused by the system, The Suicide Squad squarely points the finger at the real bad guys: Waller and by extension, the United States that she 'defends'. The Suicide Squad is an indictment of U.S. foreign policy, the way immigrants like Ratcatcher 2 are persecuted, and it was the United States that brought Starro to Corto Maltese, cutting a secret deal to experiment on the alien far from American soil and without the knowledge of the American people. Even Waller's own staff turn on her, which is pretty ballsy considering Waller shot and killed her prior staff point-blank in the first Suicide Squad. Gunn peppers in a lot of character development for the Suicide Squad members he cares about and he makes the audience care for them too.
However, The Suicide Squad sacrifices forward momentum and a clear throughline for blood-splattered set pieces, narrative time-twisting, and a bunch of strange asides, though getting to know Ratcatcher 2, Peacemaker, Bloodsport, and Nanaue is worth the time spent. Gunn also sets up Peacemaker's solo series on HBO Max even though the guy is a gigantic jerk, but Cena still makes Peacemaker a jerk we want to see more of. The Suicide Squad is infused with pop music like the prior film and Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy but weirdly, the tunes aren't quite as memorable this time around. Overall, The Suicide Squad is a joyously indulgent auteur superhero movie where James Gunn lets us into his very specific comic book mindset as if Gunn himself slapped a Starro on our faces and whispered "have a good time". And you know what? We do.
Posted by Back of the Head at 6:41 AM
Labels: 2021, DC, Movie Reviews, Nerd Alert, Suicide Squad
Black Widow at Screen Rant
Natasha Romanoff is my favorite Avenger and Black Widow, her long-awaited solo film, was worth the wait. Along with giving Scarlett Johansson the spotlight, Black Widow also introduces amazing new characters like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), and told a spectacular James Bond-like spy movie fused with Marvel Studios' trademark action. I'm covering Black Widow from numerous angles and here are my collected Screen Rant Features.
BLACK WIDOW'S DARK AVENGERS SET UP OUTDOES FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER
BLACK WIDOW THEORY: YELENA'S MISSION IS TO RECRUIT KATE BISHOP
(BY KILLING HAWKEYE)
WHY BLACK WIDOW REPLACED TONY STARK'S CAMEO WITH ROSS
HOW THE WORST JAMES BOND MOVIE
FORESHADOWED BLACK WIDOW'S RED ROOM TWISTS
BLACK WIDOW'S DREYKOV FIXES THE MCU'S VILLAIN PROBLEM
(BY BEING IRREDEEMABLE)
BLACK WIDOW EXPLAINS WHY NATASHA IS SPECIAL (& WHAT HER REAL POWER IS)
HOW POWERFUL IS TASKMASTER? BLACK WIDOW'S SUPER SOLDIER EXPLAINED
HOW OLD NATASHA AND YELENA ARE IN BLACK WIDOW (& WHEN NAT DIED)
BLACK WIDOW RETCONS NATASHA'S WEAPONS
WHERE NICK FURY & COULSON WERE DURING BLACK WIDOW'S PROLOGUE
VAL DEBUTING IN FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER
WORKED OUT BETTER THAN BLACK WIDOW
BLACK WIDOW IMPROVES AGE OF ULTRON'S WORST BLACK WIDOW MOMENT
BLACK WIDOW SET UP THOR'S NEW ASGARD
EVERY JAMES BOND TRIBUTE IN BLACK WIDOW
BLACK WIDOW REPEATS HER WINTER SOLDIER SHIELD TRICK
BLACK WIDOW FIXES AN MCU RUNNING JOKE
Labels: 2021, Avengers, Essays, Marvel, Nerd Alert
It took 24 films for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to deliver a Bond movie and director Cate Shortland's Black Widow is both a great Bond movie and a top-tier Marvel movie. At last, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) takes center stage in a film that delves into her origins and her complicated feelings about the family she had before she became an Avenger. Black Widow also details what makes Natasha special and unique, even among the scores of other young girls who were taken into Russia's mysterious Red Room and trained to be relentless female assassins codenamed Black Widow. We know Natasha died saving the universe in Avengers: Endgame, but in Black Widow, she is, appropriately, never more present, more capable, more alive, more human, and more glorious.
Not that Natasha doesn't have competition from her own sister. Florence Pugh makes a spectacular debut in the MCU as Yelena Belova, who is 5 years younger and was part of a spy family planted in Ohio for three years in the 1990s. Natasha and Yelena's origin is a page out of The Americans; their 'parents' were Russian agents Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) and Melina Vostokov (Rachel Weisz). Alexei is Russia's first and only Super Soldier codenamed Red Guardian and his career is made up of war stories against Captain America (Chris Evans) that he never fought because Steve Rogers was still frozen in ice when Alexei was Red Guardian. Melina was a loving mother figure to young Natasha (Ever Anderson) and young Yelena (Violet McGraw) but when their mission is compromised in 1995, they had to violently flee from S.H.I.E.L.D. before they were betrayed in Cuba by their handler, Dreykov (Ray Winstone). Their fake family is separated and the two girls are handed over to Drekov's Red Room to be turned into Black Widows. This not only includes weapons and spy training to make them deadly assassins but they were also subjected to hysterectomies, although the adult Yelena and Natasha joke about it now.
Natasha's story is obviously world-famous: she defected and joined S.H.I.E.L.D. before becoming a superhero and an Avenger. When they're reunited, Yelena taunts her sister that little girls look at Natasha on magazine covers and made an assassin their hero. But when Black Widow picks up Nat's story, it's 2016 in the MCU's timeline, and Captain America: Civil War has just happened, meaning Romanoff is a fugitive being hunted by Secretary Ross (William Hurt) for violating the newly-minted Sokovia Accords and the Avengers have just fallen apart. Black Widow is set before Natasha reunited with her fellow ex-Avenger on the lam, Steve Rogers, and the film happens two years before Avengers: Infinity War. Of course, as a superspy, Natasha has resources of her own, including Rick Mason (O-T Fagbenle), a fixer who set her up with a hideout in Norway and acquires her supplies and gear, including her Black Widow costumes and even an Avengers Quinjet. It's amusing that Natasha hid in Norway years before the Asgardians arrived to set up New Asgard after Thor: Ragnarok.
Yelena and Natasha reunite when the younger Black Widow is freed from her mind control thanks to a special red gas. Natasha is stunned to learn that not only is the Red Room still active but Dreykov is still alive when assassinating the Russian master spy was her ticket to joining S.H.I.E.L.D. That was the Budapest mission that Natasha and Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) joked about in The Avengers, but it was a tragic job Natasha had to do which led to Dreykov's daughter Antonia (Olga Kurylenko) ending up in the line of fire. But unbeknownst to Natasha, both of the Dreykovs lived. The father reestablished the Red Room and perfected his mind control of the Black Widows, planting a legion of brainwashed lady assassins all over the world. Meanwhile, Dreykov's greatest mind-controlled creation is his own daughter, who he turned into a silent assassin called Taskmaster, who can instantly learn anyone's fighting style and use it against them. Amusingly, Super Soldiers who can topple governments was the basis of the failed Winter Soldier program in Captain America: Civil War, but Dreykov achieved the same plot with Black Widows. He even turned the Red Room into his version of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier, which was foreshadowed early in the film when Natasha watches the Roger Moore Bond movie, Moonraker.
Natasha and Yelena are electric together; both are equally skilled and dangerous but they fall into a sisterly dynamic where Yelena goofs on Natasha for her superhero landing pose and for hanging around with Avengers like the 'god from space' who she considers her family. But to get to Dreykov, the Black Widows bust Alexei out of a Siberian gulag and they reunite with Melina, who has been working for Dreykov as his architect all along. What transpires are years of pain spilling out at the dinner table from a family that was thrown together and cruelly torn apart by their own government. Still, as Natasha learned with the Avengers, the only people you can trust are your family, and Black Widow delivers thrilling spy double-crosses as Natasha masterminds a face-to-face confrontation with Dreykov in the Red Room. The Bond-style spy games give way to Marvel-style mega-action (which also the modern Bond style led by Rachel Weisz's real-life husband, Daniel Craig, in his 007 movies) where Natasha takes on dozens of Black Widows solo and repeatedly hurls herself from the plummeting space station to perform impossible rescues. Daredevil is called the Man Without Fear but Natasha Romanoff can see but does what she does anyway, so she one-ups Matt Murdock there.
As a swan song for Natasha Romanoff, the original and best Black Widow, her long-awaited solo movie delivers in spades. Johansson, who is also executive producer, knows Natasha inside out, and she's a calm, wise, uber confident, effortlessly cool, but appropriately emotional and suitably awesome center who is every inch a superhero. Black Widow is also a rollicking passing of the baton to Yelena and Pugh has a bright future in the MCU, as evidenced by the post-credits scene setting up her next appearance in Disney+'s Hawkeye. With the MCU already introducing the Multiverse and Loki setting up the concepts of Variants, Johannson could return someday but the Natasha Romanoff who fans have watched for a decade since she debuted in Iron Man 2 is sadly gone. But Black Widow was worth the wait and it's gritty and globetrotting Marvel superheroics at its finest. Even the opening credits sequence (rare for a Marvel film) is spectacular: a disturbing montage of Natasha and Helena's indoctrination into the Red Room set to a moody cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" that plays like the brainwashing scene in A Clockwork Orange. Black Widow is Johansson and Natasha's equivalent to Captain America: The Winter Soldier and there's no higher compliment.
Labels: 2021, Avengers, Marvel, Movie Reviews, Nerd Alert
James Bond At Screen Rant
With No Time To Die coming, I've been indulging my lifelong love of James Bond with a series of features at Screen Rant exploring the Bond movie legacy. Now, pay attention, 007.
WHY ROGER MOORE WAS THE MOST RUTHLESS JAMES BOND
TIMOTHY DALTON'S UNMADE JAMES BOND PREDICTED
DALTON & CRAIG'S 007 MOVIES
JAMES BOND: WHY JAWS DIDN'T RETURN IN FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
JAMES BOND: EVERY BOND GIRL WHO DIDN'T DIE
WHAT JAMES BOND'S QUANTUM OF SOLACE TITLE REALLY MEANS
DANIEL CRAIG'S BIGGEST JAMES BOND CHANGES MADE 007 MOVIES BETTER
JAMES BOND: EVERY TIME 007 QUIT THE SECRET SERVICE (AND WHY)
CASINO ROYALE IS THE DEADLIEST 007 MOVIE FOR BOND GIRLS
JAMES BOND: EVERY BOND GIRL WHO DIED
CASINO ROYALE: WHY JAMES BOND 21 DIDN'T RECAST JUDI DENCH'S M
WHY JAMES BOND DOESN'T USE A WALTHER PPK IN SOME MOVIES
JAMES BOND: MADELEINE SWANN IS DANIEL CRAIG'S OCTOPUSSY
JAMES BOND: WHY CASINO ROYALE DIDN'T HAPPEN IN ORIGINAL 007 TIMELINE
ONE BOND GIRL PUTS EVERY PRE-CRAIG 007 IN THE SAME CANON
JAMES BOND FAILED TO KILL ONE CLASSIC VILLAIN
ROGER MOORE'S JAMES BOND DID WHAT DANIEL CRAIG COULDN'T:
KILL BLOFELD
WHY ONE JAMES BOND NEVER DROVE AN ASTON MARTIN
PIERCE BROSNAN'S BEST BOND MOVIE ISN'T A 007 CLASSIC - WHY?
DR. NO WASN'T AN ORIGIN STORY (AND JAMES BOND WAS BETTER FOR IT)
EVERY JAMES BOND MOVIE TITLE MEANING EXPLAINED
NO TIME TO DIE IS FIXING SPECTRE MISTAKES IN THE BEST WAY
Labels: 2020, Essays, John and Bond
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier at Screen Rant
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) are back to take on the new world order of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers: Endgame! Here is all of my Screen Rant Feature coverage of the Disney+ sequel series to Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.
ISAIAH BRADLEY CREATED A SHIELD & WINTER SOLDIER PLOT HOLE
THE FLAG SMASHERS ARE STEVE ROGERS' TRUE SUCCESSORS
WHY ISAIAH BRADLEY'S SERUM WORKED (AND OTHERS DIED)
SHARON CARTER REPEATS A BLACK WIDOW TRICK FROM CAPTAIN AMERICA 2
JOHN WALKER FINALLY SHOWED WHY HE WAS CHOSEN TO BE CAPTAIN AMERICA
THE MCU MADE ZEMO WIN TWICE
WHAT BUCKY FINISHING HIS WINTER SOLDIER BOOK MEANS FOR HIS FUTURE
WHY SAM TRIED TO SAVE KARLI INSTEAD OF SHARON
WHY SHARON CARTER BECAME THE POWER BROKER (& WHAT SHE WANTS NOW)
WHY FALCON AND WINTER SOLDIER'S HAPPY ENDING WORKED
WHY THE US PARDONED JOHN WALKER (DESPITE HIS CRIMES)
FALCON & THE WINTER SOLDIER: WHY BUCKY SAID HE FAILED TWICE
WHAT'S NEXT FOR SHARON CARTER AFTER FALCON AND WINTER SOLDIER
WHY ISAIAH BRADLEY IS OKAY WITH SAM BEING CAPTAIN AMERICA NOW
MCU REMEMBERED SAM'S PRE-AVENGERS PAST TO CURE BUCKY
WHITE WOLF MOMENT TEASES BUCKY'S POSSIBLE BLACK PANTHER 2 FUTURE
WHY ZEMO CROSSED HIS OWN NAME OFF OF BUCKY'S BOOK
THE DORA MILAJE SHOW HOW BLACK PANTHER 2 CAN WORK WITHOUT T'CHALLA
ZEMO IDENTIFIED A KEY STEVE ROGERS TRAIT IN SAM WILSON
WHY SAM TOOK CAPTAIN AMERICA'S SHIELD TO ISAIAH BRADLEY
WHO CAPTAIN AMERICA'S SHIELD REALLY BELONGS TO
WHAT ZEMO'S PLAN TO DEFEAT KARLI WAS
HOW SAM AND BUCKY BROKE JOHN WALKER'S ARM
THE MCU HAS FORGOTTEN ABOUT ONE OF BUCKY'S KEY ABILITIES
SAM'S INSULT TO ZEMO IS ALSO AN INSULT TO THOR
BLACK PANTHER ALMOST MADE JOHN WALKER'S
CAPTAIN AMERICA PUBLIC KILL MISTAKE
THE NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA SHOWS A HIDDEN SOKOVIA ACCORDS IMPACT
THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER REMINDS ZEMO'S NEW MCU FANS
WHY HE COULD NEVER BE AN AVENGER
WHY REMOVING BUCKY'S ARM STOPS HIM FROM FIGHTING
THE SOKOVIA ACCORDS: EVERY KNOWN RULE IN THE MCU
HOW TO KILL THE MCU'S NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA
THE MCU CONFIRMS BLACK PANTHER STILL DIDN'T TRUST BUCKY
NEW EVIDENCE SHARON CARTER IS
FALCON AND WINTER SOLDIER'S POWER BROKER
ZEMO'S PRISON ESCAPE ECHOES HOW HE CAUSED THE AVENGERS' CIVIL WAR
BARON ZEMO PROVED HE DOESN'T NEED HYDRA TO CONTROL WINTER SOLDIER
WHY ZEMO IS NOT IN THE MCU'S SUPERVILLAIN PRISON
WHY SHARON CARTER WASN'T PARDONED AFTER CIVIL WAR
WHEN WAS SAM WILSON ARRESTED IN THE MCU?
THE MCU REVEALS WHY BUCKY NEEDED CAPTAIN AMERICA
BUCKY CATCHING CAP'S SHIELD SHOWS JOHN WALKER IS NO STEVE ROGERS
WAS CAPTAIN AMERICA TAKING THE SHIELD IN CIVIL WAR STEALING?
WHY FALCON AND WINTER SOLDIER REMAKES
CAPTAIN AMERICA'S ORIGINAL THEME
WHAT WAS THE WINTER SOLDIER'S FIRST ARM MADE OF (NOT VIBRANIUM)
FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER: WHO WOULD BUCKY'S 10 PHONE NUMBERS BE?
THE MCU JUST HINTED THE SOKOVIA ACCORDS ARE HISTORY NOW
FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER REVEALS
WAR MACHINE'S COURT-MARTIAL DIDN"T HAPPEN
WHY BUCKY AGES DIFFERENTLY THAN CAPTAIN AMERICA
FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER ACCIDENTALLY SPLITS
TEAM CAP & TEAM IRON MAN AGAIN
FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER EASTER EGG SETS UP THE MCU'S REAL INHUMANS
FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER CAN FINALLY SHOW
HOW MUCH WAKANDA CHANGED BUCKY
FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER WILL DELIVER
THE MCU PROMISE WANDAVISION COULDN'T
FALCON & WINTER SOLDIER RECAP:
SAM & BUCKY'S MCU STORY SO FAR (ALL MOVIES)
Posted by Back of the Head at 11:00 AM
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HomeLinks
http://www.wordonfire.org/ – inspiring website of American speaker and author Bishop Robert Barron, with film reviews, comment on current affairs, talks and interviews, etc
http://artsandfaith.com/t100/ – the top 100 films relevant to issues of faith
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/ an American site commenting on news from around the world from a Catholic perspective
http://www.vaticannews.va/en.html – news and comment from the Vatican in English
http://www.lastampa.it/vaticaninsider/eng Information about the Vatican and the Church worldwide provided by the Italian newspaper La Stampa (in English)
http://rcdow.org.uk Diocese of Westminster to which our parish belongs.
http://www.cbcew.org.uk The official site of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
http://www.universalis.com/ Texts and readings for daily Mass and Divine Office. Also available as an app
http://www.marypages.com All about apparitions of Our Lady.
http://imagejournal.org/ How contemporary art and literature engage with our religious tradition.

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Tag: Face Off
Face Off: 1980 Porsche 924 Turbo v. 1988 Porsche 924S Special Edition
By Carter January 24, 2018 January 24, 2018 Double Take, Porsche
Increasingly as some of our childhood (or, adulthood) heroes get priced out of sensibility for weekend warrior on a budget status, there are still some bastions of hope for the shoestring enthusiast. One of the best must undoubtedly be the underrated Porsche 924. As Sciroccos, GTIs, 944 Turbos, Quattros and the like take off in value, here lies a plethora of well-cared for, well-built and fun-to-drive cars that have good parts accessibility, reasonable repair costs and surprising amounts of practicality. Sure, it's 'just' a 924, and Porschephiles will probably poo-poo your choice. So, too, will most of the rest of the automotive world. Their loss is your gain. Try as they might, outside of some very special 924 Carreras, these models that helped to keep Porsche afloat in the 1970s and 1980s still haven't caught on with collectors.
So today I have two special 924s to consider once again. The first is a lofty Turbo model; finicky even in period, they've developed a reputation for lack of reliability and expensive repairs, but then have you ever seen the bill on a proper flat-6 rebuild? I'm going to compare it to the end-of-the-run 924S, and this one is the lightweight Special Edition model, too. Both are quite affordable and both appear to be in great condition, so which one is the winner?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1980 Porsche 924 Turbo on eBay
Tagged 1980, 1988, 2.0, 2.5, 924, 924s, ATS, Double Take, Face Off, Indiana Red Metallic, Phone Dials, Porsche, SE, Special Edition, Turbo, Turbocharged
Double Take 540i/6: E34 or E39? 1995 BMW 540i Sport v. 2003 BMW 540i M-Sport
By Carter November 8, 2017 December 21, 2017 BMW, Double Take
My recent M5 v. Alpina B10 post took a look at two exotic versions of the E34. Of course, BMW offered their own alternative to the M5 late in the production cycle, as the introduction of the M60 V8-powered 540i produced nearly as much usable power as the more expensive M variant. Such was the success of the 540i that BMW initially judged the M5 dead in this market; it was removed from the U.S. in 1993 after slow sales and wouldn't return until the new millennium.
As a result, the 540i flew the 5-series performance flag for two generations and still is very popular today. Especially in Sport versions, the E34 and E39 540is offered power, refinement and outstanding chassis dynamics in a package that was attainable for more people. So which is the better buy today – the first or second generation?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2003 BMW 540i M-Sport on eBay
Tagged 1995, 2003, 540i, 6 speed, Double Take, e34, e39, Face Off, M Parallels, M Sport, M60, M60/2, M62, M62TU, Nikasil, Oxford Green Metallic, Parchment, sport, Sterling Gray Metallic, Style 7, V8
Quattro Conundrum: 1987 Audi 4000CS quattro or 1993 Audi S4
By Carter October 21, 2017 November 28, 2017 Audi, Double Take
While usually our 'Double Take' features look at one model, today I'm going to look at two cars that share a brand, and idea, and a price point. Both of these Audis represent a huge leap forward from their predecessors; versus the front-drive Type 81, the Type 85 B2 was much more modern-feeling, refined and introduced all-wheel drive to the mass market (excusing its bigger brother, and twice as expensive and exotically flared Quattro brethren, of which only 664 sold here) and the C4 S4 introduced the U.S. market to S-cars and merged the 200 20V's setup with a modern body and more sporty interior along with even a bit more power. Both are legendary in the 4-ringed circles for their longevity. Both have cadres of fans who seek each model out. And both are hard to find in good condition.
So here we go, Alice – red or green pill? For your $6,000 investment, which of these inline-5 all-wheel drive legends would be your choice?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Audi 4000CS quattro on eBay
Tagged 1987, 1993, 20V, AAN, Audi, Avus, B2, C4, Double Take, Ecru, Emerald Green Mica, Face Off, gimmie five, inline-5, JT, Kensington Velour, legend, Quattro, S4, Tornado Red, Turbo, Turbocharged, Type 85
Double Dose of Insanity: 1988 BMW M3 v. 1994 BMW 325i
By Carter April 20, 2017 April 20, 2017 BMW, Double Take
In my usual searches I had an interesting dichotomous reaction to one number: $16,500.
The first I came across was a 1988 BMW M3 with a no reserve auction bid up to $16,500. "Wow! That's actually pretty reasonable! I thought. Next, I saw a 1994 BMW 325i with a 'Buy It Now' of the exact same $16,500. "What the hell is the seller thinking?!? How absolutely ridiculous!" I scoffed.
Yet, neither car was as it originally seemed once the descriptions were opened, and suddenly a comparison was in order…
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 BMW M3 on eBay
Tagged 1988, 1994, 325i, BMW, Double Take, e30, e36, Face Off, LS1, m3, S14, swap, V8


Press "Buy Now" to connect to the ShareIt!/DigitalRiver secure website where you can enter your payment details. You will receive your license details for Teaching Templates immediately after completing your order.
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With a personal license you are registered to install the program onto any number of computers for your own personal use. You are of course free to distribute and use the quizzes and tests you create at anytime and anywhere with absolutely no restrictions.
An iinstitutional license covers unlimited use and distribution of the registered program and all associated documentation on computers within one institution. This license offers profit and non-profit making organisations an easy and inexpensive way of making the Quiz Maker licensed program available to all their staff and colleagues.
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``World Wheelchair Sports - Opening eyes to a world of possiblilities"
World Wheelchair Sports was founded by wheelchair users in 1990. Our staff includes athletes and coaches from US Olympic & Paralympic teams. We provide outdoor fitness opportunities and competitive athletic experiences for those with disAbilities. Contact us @ : World Wheelchair Sports or by telephone at 541-485-1860.


1Place the flour in a pile on your work surface. Make a well in the top and crack in the eggs. Stir gently with a fork, then continue to blend, using your hands, until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic or cover with a towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
2Wash and clean the Swiss chard; cook in salted boiling water. Drain, squeeze and finely mince.
3Mix the Swiss chard with ricotta, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and 3/4 of the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
4Roll out the pasta dough with a pasta machine in order to obtain a sheet.
5Place some filling on one half of the sheet; fold the other half on top.
6Seal properly with your hands and, using a pasta cutter, cut the tortelli.
7Cook in salted boiling water, drain them and sauté them in melted butter.
8Sprinkle with the rest of the Parmigiano and serve.


Hello lovelies, just thought I'd make a quick little post for all the parent bloggers who read my blog, incase you didn't know Miffy is back on tiny pop tonight at 7pm! Did you ever watch Miffy as a child? A cute little bunny that gets up to a lot of things, I can't wait to show Oscar a programme I watched as a child, 60 years old this year!
Thanks to the Miffy team also for sending us these gorgeous colourful books, Oscar loves them.


text:
Q: What are my options for taking messages from an Azure Event Hub and an Azure Service Bus Topic and placing them into an Azure Storage Blob? We need to ingest messages from an Event Hub and Topic into a third party system. However, this system doesn't support Event Hubs and Topics yet, but it does support Blob storage. We'd like to temporarily drop these Event Hub and Topic messages into a Blob.
I thought I could use Data Factory for this, but it doesn't seem like it can connect to an Event Hub or Topic.
Using the Azure platform, what are my options for placing messages from an Event Hub and Topic into Blob storage?

A: Is solution going to be hosted on Azure (can only assume) or on-premises?
What's the load on the system? I'm assuming if you are going with EventHubs then there's a substantial number of messages. Do you need to perform any processing aside from storing in Storage Blobs? Do you want to go with PaaS/Serverless/VMs?
Bottom line, there's no best way. Period.
There are scenarios and options you can choose from.
Without knowing specific details of your scenario, it's easy to point to a solution which is not necessarily a correct one.
You could try Azure Functions as a starting point. It offers both EventHubs and ServiceBus incoming bindings and Storage Blob output binding.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


AT&T is a leading telecommunications company in the international market located in Texas. It provides both of mobile and fixed telephonic services in the USA, and subscriptions of broadband and television services. AT&T and Yahoo! have the partnership for internet services and information service provider to offer co-branded DSL and Dial-Up internet connection. Email address services are also provided by AT&T to their existing customers.
AT&T email Support Services are the most reliable online technical support providers for email customers in the international market and it provides the best support without any disturbance all the time. We guarantee you that you will get highly accurate an quality services without any trouble. We have highly qualified and experienced technicians who are willing to help you out and fix the issues for you in easy and quick manner. By dialing AT&T support phone number you will get the best and affordable services. AT&T Customer Service Number will help you out to reach the certified technicians to get the instant and easy fix.
AT&T can get you all your email in one platform with AT&T emails. AT&T email account allows you to add another email address to your account to send and receive emails. If assistance needed you can call our AT&T customer care number or there are steps to configure AT&T email account.
Send only email address allows you to send messages from your email account. AT&T allows you add one or more than one email address in your account.
Note: While adding a new email address to your account if you get 553 error email then you have to verify newly added send only email address or contact AT&T customer care number to get instant help.
Log in to your AT&T account and go to your Inbox.
There is a gear icon at the upper-right corner of the page, select it.
Settings option should be selected now.
Now select the writing email option.
Which email you want to add in your account put it in the add send only address field.
If you verify by selecting the verify option an email will be sent to the email address.
You can verify the recently added email by clicking on the verification link.
Log in to your AT&T account and Open your Inbox.
Search for the gear icon from upper right corner of the page.
Now Settings should be clicked.
Now you should click on Accounts option.
Choose send-only email address in which you want to make changes.
From here you can edit name, description or reply to address.
Last Step: Save Changes now.
Log in to your AT&T account, and select Inbox.
Select gear icon from upper right corner of the page.
Now Settings should be selected.
Now you should select Accounts option.
Which send only email address you want to delete select it.
You should click on Remove Account option.
To confirm your decision select the remove account option one more time.
If any other queries or help required you can reach AT&T technical support number or AT&T support phone number.


text:
Gould Campbell Vintage Port 2000
Best Price on Web is determined by Wine-Searcher Pro prices as of yesterday: Wine Library sells this for our sale price of $39.98. There are 17 other stores that sell this from $39.99 to $99.95. You must be logged into the Pro Version of Wine Searcher to see all of the results.
Region: Port Country: Portugal
Varietals: Port Varieties ABV: 20%
"A stunning offering, this is the finest port yet tasted from Gould Campbell. Its saturated purple color is accompanied by aromas of chocolate, blackberry liqueur, smoke, and white flowers. Packed and stacked, with moderate sweetness, high tannin, and a formidable, backstrapping intensity, this impeccably made, rich 2000 will drink well between 2010-2030. A sleeper!" 92 points Robert Parker
"Lots of licorice, berry and floral character in this young Vintage Port. Full-bodied, with lots of silky tannins and a long, ripe and sweet finish. A beauty. Best after 2011. 4,000 cases made. -JS" 92 points Wine Spectator
"Saturated deep ruby. Explosive aromas of blackberry, raspberry and spices, all lifted by a floral element. Juicy, grapey and primary, but already reveals lovely inner-mouth floral perfume. Not hugely dense or sweet but sharply delineated, with firm acids contributing to the impression of structure. Boasts an exhilarating sugar/acid balance and noteworthy vibrancy. Finishes firmly tannic and long." 91 points - Stephen Tanzer - International Wine Cellar
"Very deep healthy purple. Some green notes on the nose and then a great whack of sweetness but overall the finish is dry. At the moment this is quite painful to taste, which is of course a good sign in vintage port. One of the most youthful wines of the lot with unintegrated fruit, acid and tannin. Quite intriguing. (JR)" 17.5 out of 20 points, Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages
"Gould Campbell was founded in 1797 when Garret Gould, prompted by the political strife wracking his native Ireland, sailed to the hospitable shores of Portugal where he established the firm of Messrs. Gould Brothers & Co., operating from both Lisbon and Oporto. The firm survived the trials of the Peninsula War which followed a few years later, when the Anglo-Portuguese army of the Duke of Wellington expelled the French invaders, and soon became very successful bringing into partnership the prestigious Merchants and Bankers Messrs. James Campbell & Co. Gould Campbell came to establish a reputation for the excellent quality of their Ports and their Vintage Ports in particular. In 1970 the firm was acquired by the Symington family who had themselves been Port producers since 1882. It is therefore one of the very few Port shippers which remains a private family business, thus retaining its individuality and distinctiveness."
"The grapes for Gould Campbell Ports are drawn from vineyards in the Alto Douro area, where the yields are very low (about one pipe - 550 litres - per 1,000 vines) but the wines have immense complexity and depth. The winery is situated at Pinhão, where a proportion of the wines are made in modern temperature controlled fermentation tanks. However, a significant proportion of Gould Campbell Ports are still made in small quintas in the hills around Pinhao, using the ancient method of treading the grapes by foot in stone tanks called lagares." -Winery


text:
MUG SHOTS: Television
David Cassidy '13
"The Patridge Family" star David Cassidy was arrested by police in upstate New York in August 2013 and charged with drunk driving. According to Schodack police, the 63-year-old former teen heartthrob had a blood alcohol content of .10 when he was stopped at a late night DUI checkpoint.
Cassidy--hit with with a felony because of a prior DUI conviction in Florida in 2010--was arraigned in a town court outside of Albany and then sent to the Rensselaer County Jail where he posted $2500 bail.


text:
La sécurité automobile est votre première priorité
Trump denies Russian income despite letter showing $100 million from Russian sources
Trump 'ready to resolve North Korea issue one way or another'
Pilot ejects from jet on U.S. aircraft carrier headed to Korea
North Korea Decides Against Starting World War III, At Least Today
UK: Royal Navy escorting 2 Russian warships through Channel
Pak court hands down death sentence to Kulbhushan Jadhav for spying
La Chine et l'OMS auraient pu agir plus vite — Expertise indépendante
Le "bébé Trump" entre dans un musée londonien
Joe Biden veut annuler le projet d'oléoduc Keystone XL dès son investiture
Forte explosion à Madrid, un immeuble éventré, au moins deux morts — Espagne
Interpellation d'un homme armé devant le Capitole — Washington
Rouhani says Iran ready to promote relations with the world
Iran's state television has declared incumbent President Hassan Rouhani the victor of the country's presidential election, giving him a second four-year term t...
May could lose majority in UK parliament: YouGov study in The Times
But Mrs May did not provide an answer to a request from the officer, whose name was given as Martin, for a specific number of additional officers which she woul...
UK MI5 intelligence to investigate itself after Manchester attack - Home Secretary
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Manchester attack via social media, against what it described as "crusaders". Greater Manchester Poli...
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits Britain after Manchester bombing
The official also said his brother Hashim had told officials: "I know everything about my brother, what he was doing there in Manchester ". But the father, ...
Merkel, minister stress US ties after critical Trump tweet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel underlined their determination to ease bilateral trade and investment during a meeting betw...
Mike Dubke: White House communications director quits
Mr Dubke is the latest White House staffer to leave this administration as scrutiny intensifies over contacts Trump staffers may have had with Russian gover...
Putin certain Assad not using gas in war
Apparently French president Emmanuel Macron's super-long handshake with President Trump was just a taste of things to come. Mr Hollande also reportedly ...
Are US intelligence leaks jeopardizing Manchester attack investigation?
Hundreds of people filled central Manchester's St Ann's Square, where flowers and other tributes were laid to remember the victims, with messages including ...
'Batman And Harley Quinn' Box Art And Special Features Revealed
Kevin Conroy and Loren Lester are reprising their roles as Batman and Nightwing for the film, while Melissa Rauch is voicing Harley. In the film, Batma...
Haley on Germany: 'We have the backs of our allies'
The remarks came soon after G7 and NATO summits , where news reports suggested that not all was well between her and Trump, who is leading the United St...
Trump's visit to Saudi a 'turning point': King Salman
In response to the CNBC host's point of reference, Ross maintained that there was a "genuinely good mood" in Saudi Arabia during the White House trip. 'Iran i...
Former FBI Director James Comey agrees to testify before Senate Intel Committee
The rule restricts newly appointed government officials from investigating clients of prior employers. The details of his comments to the Russians would seem ...
Indian climber Ravi Kumar goes missing after successfully scaling Mt Everest
According to the expedition organisers, 52-year-old Sangeeta S Bahl, who hails from Jammu and Kashmir, Argentine climbers Andres Esteban Pariz and Ricardo Dario...
French President Emmanuel Macron meets Vladimir Putin, warns over Syrian chemical weapons
Meanwhile, Putin said there was nothing to discuss about allegations of Moscow's meddling in foreign elections, and that Macron had not raised this issue. Trump...
Trump Returns, Reportedly Considering Major Personnel Shake-Up At White House
In response, Trump said Khan had no right to speak against him, and later questioned whether Ghazala Khan, Khizr's wife, was prevented from speaking on the DN...
Did Jared Kushner Meet Russian Oligarch Over Business Or Politics
If President Donald Trump decides to reorganize the White House, upending functions and personnel in so doing, is there any chance that Jared Kushner , his s...
Five odd moments from Trump's Israel trip
U.S. President Donald Trump presented a reversed Middle East policy during his maiden overseas trip to Saudi Arabia and Israel, by calling for an anti-Iran ...
Democrats aim to keep focus on Donald Trump's meeting with Russian diplomats
Instead, only a one-off for a call about Syria was raised in the conversation. President Donald Trump's top adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner , on the f...
Man arrested over loyalist shooting in Co Down car park
The PSNI has said a 28-year-old man was arrested in connection with the murder last night. The man was detained on Tuesday evening. The detective said the...
White House communications director resigns, says last day is TBD
Officials had reportedly yet to determine when it would be Dubke's last day as communications director. "He has expressed his desire to leave the White House ...
Germany's Gabriel says ties with US 'difficult', will improve
He added that the US president was undermining the peaceful cooperation of nations based on mutual respect and tolerance. "We can reassure Mrs. Merkel that we...
Marielle de Sarnez dément toute irrégularité — Assistants d'eurodéputés
Selon des informations de nos confrères du Figaro , le parquet de Paris a ouvert une enquête pour " abus de confiance " contre 19 eurodéputés, issus de hu...
'Items of interest' found at Leveson site
Matthew Leveson's body is believed to have been buried in the Royal National Park. The discovery was made eight days after a search started in NSW's Royal Nat...
Families reflect on military service at Phoenix National Cemetery
Angelina Cruz, 8, lays flags in remembrance for military members lost in war at various gravestones during Memorial Day at the Evergreen Cemetery on Monday, Ma...
La vie reprend ses droits — Manchester
Des policiers armés ont pour la première fois pris place à bord de certains trains après l'attentat de Manchester. "Il faut que la vie continue", a dit à l'AFP ...
Pause and reflect this Memorial Day
The War on Terror was waged in Iraq and Afghanistan, with our men and women volunteering to fight for our security, wanting not to see a recurrence of 9/11 on o...
Defense Department Makes Successful Missile-Intercept in Test
An rocket created to intercept an intercontinental ballistic missiles is launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Calif. on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. Seoul...
Trump has 'unbelievable relationship' with Merkel: White House
In his tweet , Trump said: "We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany , plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on North Atlantic Treaty Organisation & m...
Pentagon to test new anti-missile system
Pacific time and might be visible from miles away. Pentagon officials say the missile hit its dummy target over the Pacific Ocean. While the launch can be...
Three Dead In SA Plane Crash
A search party found the wreckage a few kilometres from the Renmark Aerodrome about 7.10pm on Tuesday. A Rossair spokesperson said the 65-year-old was the com...
Brazil floods force 50000 to flee, kill at least six: authorities
The number forced to flee in Pernambuco and Alagoas states rose from an earlier estimate of 30,000, the regional governments said. On Sunday, Brazil's P...
May, Corbyn clash over Brexit in TV grilling
May was interior minister from 2010 to 2016. "If, in order to address them and do the right thing by the country, it takes being a hard woman, then that's exa...
Global Geo-political Series Trump escalates tensions with Germany via tweeter
This will change", Trump wrote on Twitter Tuesday. Was she so displeased with President Trump during last week's G-7 meeting? Trump has said he would make h...
United Kingdom police stop sharing information on Manchester attack with U.S. after leaks
President Donald Trump over leaks of intelligence about the suicide bomb attack at a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit in Brussels on Thursday, the Guar...
Michael Dubke, Trump's communications director, quits
Political website Axios news reported that the Republican strategist is "leaving on good terms and that his last day of going to work had not been set yet...
Keri Russell gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
In fact, the pair was able to reunite on more than one occasion today. "But Keri , not wanting to cost the production the 20 minutes of travel time back and ...
Trump Condemns Fatal Stabbings In Portland
KK eventually got up and move to the other side of the train, she said . Jeremy Christian yelled as he walked into the courtroom Tuesday. What do you think...
Modi supports Merkel's European Union leadership as Trump critises Germany
Soon after her statement, Trump tweeted, "We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany , plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on North Atlantic Treaty Organ...
Trump Says German Trade And Military Spending "Very Bad" For US
Speaking in a packed beer tent in Munich on Sunday, after a G7 summit in Sicily and a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation meeting in Brussels - both dominated by...
Merkel, minister stress United States ties after critical Trump tweet
Relations between Berlin and Washington are in a hard phase but the United States is "bigger and better" than the current spat shows and ties will improve again...
Mike Dubke quits as White House communications director
Born on April 18, 1970 in Hamburg, New York, Mike Dubke's age is 47. "What had happened is Sean Spicer had come in not just as press secretary, but also as ...
White House communications shakeup coming?
The latest revelations to emerge last week involved Trump's son-in-law and top aide, Jared Kushner. TheWashington Postreported Friday that Russian Ambassador Se...
Woods Was Asleep at Wheel Prior to Arrest, Florida Police Say
According to the report, he had to be awakened, was slurring his words, and did not know where he was. "Both rims on the driver's side of the vehicle are dam...
The White House Needs A New Communications Director
White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Mr Dubke resigned before Mr Trump left for his global trip earlier this m...
Merkel says she is a deeply convinced trans-Atlanticist
Speaking at a joint news conference with Modi, Merkel reiterated her view that "we need to take our fate in Europe into our own hands". While underlining the ...
City siege was start of extremist plan — Philippine military
The bodies of 19 civilians have been recovered and local authorities have reported more civilian deaths still to be tallied. Colonel Alex Aduca, chief of the ...
PM Modi embarks four-nation tour of Europe, Russia
Earlier in the day, German Chanceller Angela Merkel and the Indian PM signed 12 agreements covering the areas of digitisation, skill development, sustainabili...
USA shoots down mock warhead with interceptor missile launched from Vandenberg
The interceptor was launched from a silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and hit the test missile fired from Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific, ...
Pentagon: Missile defense test was a success
A successful test was by no means guaranteed and the Pentagon sought to manage expectations earlier in the day, noting that the United States had multiple way...
Donald Trump tells 'confidants' US will leave Paris Agreement climate deal
President Donald Trump said Saturday that he would make a decision next week on whether the United States would abide by the 2015 Paris agreement on cutti...
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Septaine obligatoire pour tous les voyageurs qui se rendent en Outre-Mer
Covid19 : le seuil des 2 millions de morts franchi
Les trésors de la nécropole de Saqqarah — Égypte
La planète se dirige vers un réchauffement climatique "catastrophique" — ONU
La Russie annonce son retrait du traité "Ciel ouvert"
La NRA se déclare en faillite, une manœuvre pour stopper les poursuites judiciaires — États-Unis
Une soirée clandestine d'une centaine de teufeurs interrompue en Isère
Pyongyang: un missile balistique lancé d'un sous-marin
L'Iran interdit les vaccins américains et britanniques — Coronavirus
Plus se 70 000 comptes de promotion bannis par Twitter — QAnon


Triple Butters - Melt and Pour Soap Base - Aromatics Canada Inc.
Made with Cocoa Butter, Mango butter, Shea butter and Glycerine, this is a vegetable base mM&P butter. It is creamy White in colour. It moisturizes dry skin as it is high in natural emollients. It lathers very well. It is SLS & SLES Free. It is a wonderful combination of the exotic butters and glycerin to soothe and hydrate skins of all types and ages. Glycerine is used to maintain a fine natural pH balance for soft and supple skin. It leaves no soapy film. It leaves the skin smooth and hydrated. Very high quality raw materials are used to produce this soap base. It creates rich lather and leaves one feeling fresh and clean.


Windscribe browser extensions will fake the configured timezone on your computer to match that of the location you're connected to.
Sites can detect the fact that you're using a proxy or VPN by checking what timezone is configured in your browser. If you're connected to Germany, but your computer's timezone is set to Eastern Standard Time, chances are you're not actually in Germany. Windscribe prevents this kind of detection.
Neem uw browse-geschiedenis mee naar uw graf.
Voor een begrijpelijke beveiliging voor privacy, gebruik onze Desktop en Browser combinatie (allebei gratis).


As Naaman and his military parade rushed through the outer towns of Israel, mothers hurried their little ones indoors. Men hid in the shadows of thatched roofs and watched the shimmering chariots, bedecked soldiers and a fluttering white flag held high by the lead horseman. The Armenians made a bee-line for Israel's capital. Surely the Israelite people wondered, What is the meaning of this most unusual, broad daylight display? What kind of trick is this?
Arriving at the lodging place of the king of Israel, Naaman's men were met by the royal guard. They waved the truce flag high and presented the letter from the king of Aram. It was addressed to the king of Israel and was hastily delivered.
Not for a second did Israel's king consider this an opportunity to represent his God and demonstrate His power. The king, in his moment of distress could only see this letter as a fight waiting to happen—clearly the king of Aram was taunting him.
Luckily, someone in the royal court heard the content of the letter and ran to prophet Elisha's house to tell the prophet all that was happening in the King's palace.
Elisha saw the situation for what it was—an opportunity to represent the Almighty God to an honest man seeking healing. The king rejoiced, consoling himself that any revenge from Aram would now be directed at Elisha rather than himself.
But, in the end, it was respect rather than revenge that was directed toward God's prophet. Respect from leaders in both countries. For there was, indeed, a true prophet in Israel.
Naaman and the king of Aram were trying to do things in the order they thought was right—honour the king before the prophet. Was this the right way to go about getting what they wanted? Why or why not?
When Elisha hears about the problem in the palace, he has a solution. Have you ever known that you could help someone and yet you are not asked to help? How does it make you feel?
How are we sometimes like the king of Israel in the way we deal with the problems in our lives?
How would you have felt if you were the king of Israel and you received the letter from the king of Aram?
What about when the letter from Elisha came? How would you feel then?
Just like the king of Israel, We have a letter from God written by not just one, but many prophets and people of God. When you read it, what impact does it have on your plans and purposes?
Prophecy has been one of God's ways of communicating with His people since sin first entered the world. How do these verses encourage you? What promises do they make?
Joel 2:28 ~ I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.
Hebrews 1:1-3 ~ Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
God's people are not all given the gift of Prophecy, but they are all expected to have a healthy respect for prophets and their message. What do these verses show us from prophecy and about prophecy?
Revelation 19:10 ~ Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said, "No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.
1 Corinthians 13:2 ~ If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing.
One of the things that prophecy makes clear to us is that God has a plan which He is following. How do these verses help you understand God's plan and how prophecy is involved in that plan?
Joel 2:29 ~ In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.
2 Peter 1:19-21 ~ You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
Revelation 22:7 ~ Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.
The following statement is the 18th of the 28 fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Review the doctrine and then write a personal response. What difference does this make to your life?


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Published in Glossary: S
"The entire country of Shambhala is in the Jinn State; here is where the principal monasteries of the White Lodge exist." - Samael Aun Weor, The Major Mysteries
"The secret country of Shamballa is in the Orient, in Tibet. The Master Jesus has a temple there. Other Masters live with him who have also resurrected and who have kept their bodies over the many ages of time." - Samael Aun Weor, The Aquarian Message
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Q: Create windows with lower opacity in PyQt5 I try to create a translucent window with pyqt5. Instead of a window with with less opacity I got a window with no visible background.
Any ideas what I have to change?
from PyQt5 import QtWidgets, QtCore, QtGui
import Style

class Screen_Selector(QtWidgets.QWidget):
    def __init__(self):
        super(Screen_Selector, self).__init__()
        self.initUi()

    def initUi(self):
        # self.setWindowFlags(QtCore.Qt.FramelessWindowHint)
        self.setGeometry(60,60,600,400)
        self.setAttribute(QtCore.Qt.WA_TranslucentBackground, True)
        self.setWindowOpacity(0.6)
        # self.hasMouseTracking = True


Kids camp will now be held on the 30th Oct'09 and will have many interesting events for the participating kids. There are loads of prizes to be won, please make sure the kids do enough preparation.
All the kids (boys) are requested to participate in the Dastar competition. The participants should bring their own Turbans, Mirrors, Salaiyan etc.
For all the kids (mainly girls) who are not able to participate in the Dastar competition will be able to participate in the Drawing competition. Kids of same age group will compete against each other.
Questions on the basis of age group will be asked from the participants. Please click to download the questionaire.
Location: Community Hall, Liwa Building (White color), Behind Burjuman Shopping Mall, Dubai – C/o Ajit Singh Ji.
Please let me know where will the Kid's camp (on 30.10.09) held.
The kids camp will be held in the "Community Hall, Liwa Building (White color), Behind Burjuman Shopping Mall", Dubai – C/o Ajit Singh Ji.