the man with a cloak is a 1951 drama film directed by fletcher markle and starring joseph cotten , barbara stanwyck , louis calhern , and leslie caron , and based on " the gentleman from paris " , a short story by john dickson carr .

the man with a cloak

the man in the cloak - a man enveloped in a handsome grey cloak groped through a dark alleywhich . . .
song and art created by me . also my homage to castlevania , both in design and music . - - - tofu man : urltoken music man : urltoken key woman : urltoken atomic woman : urltoken water man : urltoken cloak man : urltoken chair man : urltoken battery man : urltoken
such is part of the problem with 1951’s the man with a cloak , which attempts to leave the viewer with a serious “wow ! ” moment , and instead just invokes an eye - rolling “well , duh . ”
the man with a cloak doesn’t appear often for viewing which is unfortunate as it’s a fun and engaging story with some great performances , especially by barbara stanwyck and joseph cotten .
like kind lady , this premiere release of the man with a cloak is mastered from ¼″ monaural tapes of what were originally 35mm optical tracks , with a few cues ( otherwise lost ) filled in from acetates .
around the year i . . . : serafina and the black cloak , by robert beatty
a woman and her husband take separate vacations , and she falls in love with another man .
with the headline : screen : cloak and dagger episode ; ' man who never was ' appears at victoria plot to deceive nazis is core of new film the cast .
marvel has revealed the leads for its upcoming superhero teen drama cloak and dagger .
to ask other readers questions about serafina and the black cloak , please sign up .
a private investigator in los angeles reluctantly teams up with a former star of a hit cop show .
i look forward to the volumes dealing with the later phases of the war with impatience and great interest .
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you promised me a lordship and a castle and a highborn beauty for a wife .
overall , it’s probably as good as ant - man . but it’s ant - man with benedict cumberbatch in it . which should please most folks .
a respected investment advisor has a double life as a mystery writer and becomes involved in the real murder of a shady client .
we’d love your help . let us know what’s wrong with this preview of serafina and the black cloak by robert beatty .
in the title screens , we’re given a teaser that the man with the cloak is travelling under an alias . though this is initially enticing , we soon lose interest in figuring out who the cloaked man really is and by the time of his big reveal in the closing moments of the film it’s already been about forgotten . that said , if you’re paying much attention , there’s no real secret to who the cloaked man going by the name of dupin ( and played by joseph cotten ) really is .
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we are not a large house , but we ' re a proud one . and every man from bear island fights with the strength of ten mainlanders .
although unnamed in dialogue , the hbo viewer ' s guide identifies the lead member of the brotherhood who appears in this episode , the one with the yellow cloak , as
lem lemoncloak ,
another member of the brotherhood from the novels .
though naturally limited by the script , the man with the cloak feels like old time television , which makes sense given that director fletcher markle was primarily a director on the small screen . that said , the sets are all well done , especially thevenet’s home , which is full of all the expected accoutrements of the period . we’ve got also a lot of character pieces in the form of a well stocked library , busts of napoleon and other items which will help you identify the true identity of the man in the clock should you be so inclined .
marvel ' s cloak & dagger is slated to debut on freeform in 2018 .
in 1848 , a young frenchwoman , madeline minot , goes to new york city to see thevenet , the grandfather of her fiance . thevenet had been with napoleon and may be sympathetic to the political aims of his grandson . she finds the old man in very bad spirits , living in a large house with a housekeeper and a butler who are just waiting for him to die ( and perhaps helping him along a bit ) so they can inherit his fortune . they see madeline as a threat to their plans . she is aided in her dealings with these strange people by a mysterious man in a cloak .
“manners ! you have to do everything politely . you even have to murder a man politely . ”
whether that turn will be a successful one remains to be seen , and a man with a cloak casting spells could sound a bit hokey ( pocusey ) for audiences . but then chris pratt as a modern - day han solo seemed a weird call until guardians of the galaxy became a hit . trailers have shown off cumberbatch’s wit as well as his kung fu skills , and you wouldn’t bet against marvel continuing the successful expansion of its “universe” .
the man with a cloak sets up its mystery from the opening seconds–we see a darkened city street , and a title card informs us that the setting is new york city in 1848 . another title card appears to loosely set up the plot , stating : “in the lives of all men there are moments of mystery–for man often years , and sometimes chooses , to wander alone and nameless . this is the tale of such a wanderer , once little known and less respected , whose real name later became immortal . ”
and that , for me , is the biggest problem with the man with a cloak . the movie relies so heavily on trying to set up this big surprise ending that , when it doesn’t pay off , it leaves you with a sense of “huh ? ” besides , for many viewers–even those with only a rudimentary familiarity with the real - life edgar allan poe–the payoff just doesn’t suffice . there is no other mystery to the film–we know who the “bad guys” are from the start , and we know things that dupin does not–the location of the will , for instance–so watching him “solve” the crime lacks a true sense of excitement or dramatic tension . instead , the ending of cloak hinges on the supposed mystery of dupin’s true identity . but with so many blatantly obvious clues hurled at us throughout ( dupin reads from “the raven ! ” and there is an actual raven in the house ! and for crap’s sake , the man’s name is dupin ! ) , that mystery is ultimately no mystery at all , and because the ending is no huge surprise , the movie ends with a whimper , not a “bang” of revelation .
twenty - four hours elapse on the stoop of a hell ' s kitchen tenement as a microcosm of the american melting pot interacts with each other during a summer heatwave .
a former hostage negotiator takes a job retrieving people who are lost in a virtual reality program .
the canvas is not so large as that taken by tolstoi in “war and peace” but williamson certainly recaptures the emotional feelings of a young and untried fighting man with amazing accuracy . . .
stream the spanish cloak : the best of the fureys by the fureys and 40 million songs on all your devices with amazon music unlimited . exclusively for prime members . new subscribers only . terms and conditions apply .
the seseña most iconic model , the 1901 cloak , is a classic for the contemporary man . elegant and comfortable , allowing total freedom of movements . dark blue cape with “esclavina
( short shoulder cape ) , topstitched mao style collar with burgundy velvet lining . the embozo ( front facing ) in burgundy contrast cotton velvet . decorative silver “charro” style clasp .
casting the cloak ( matthew 10 . 32 - 33 , 37 - 38 ; 19 . 27 - 30 )
liner notes ©2009 film score monthly , 6311 romaine street , suite 7109 , hollywood ca 90038 . these notes may be printed or archived electronically for personal use only . the man with a cloak © 1951 turner entertainment co . , a warner bros . entertainment company . all rights reserved .
the book got a great deal of attention , being hailed as a masterpiece in the genre of war writing .
in pre - wwi england , a youngster is expelled from a naval academy over a petty theft , and his parents raise a political furor by demanding a trial .
j . d . evermore ( true detective , the walking dead ) as detective connors , described as
a contradiction of a man embracing an intimidating persona that overcompensates for a secret he keeps close to the vest .
half a dozen guardsmen and musketeers reeled out . the host reviled them for a pack of rogues . they cursed him , laughing , and went on , to be swallowed up in the darkness beyond . the tavern door closed , and once more the alley was hued with melting greys and purples . the man in the cloak examined the strings of his mask , tilted his hat still farther down over his eyes , and tested the looseness of his sword .
the high sparrow eyes another target . jaime confronts a hero . arya makes a plan . the north is reminded .
he seems to be savoring contrasts here—between the seductive , anonymous young man at the left and the powerful , celebrated older one on the right : the competition , perhaps , between one generation and another .
a man enveloped in a handsome grey cloak groped through a dark alley which led into the fashionable district of the rue de b├ęthisy . from time to time he paused , with a hand to his ear , as if listening . satisfied that the alley was deserted save for his own presence , he would proceed , hugging the walls . the cobbles were icy , and scarce a moment passed in which he did not have to struggle to maintain his balance . the door of a low tavern opened suddenly , sending a golden shaft of light across the glistening pavement and casting a brilliant patch on the opposite wall . with the light came sounds of laughter and quarreling and ringing glasses . the man laid his hand on his sword , swore softly , and stepped back out of the blinding glare . the flash of light revealed a mask which left visible only the lower half of his face . men wearing masks were frequently subjected to embarrassing questions ; and this man was determined that no one should question him to - night . he waited , hiding in the shadow .
maisie williams smirks the same way that jaqen does , tilting her head with a wry smile .
mr . williamson’s strength lies largely in his ability to build up a sense of breadth and depth by an expert use of detail , coupled with a splendid imaginative insight into character . amid a deluge of war books , a fox under my cloak will hold its own .
( 2015 ) , cloak and dagger airs on freeform ( formerly known as abc family ) .
unknown artist , french man’s court suit , ca . 1810 silk velvet with silk embroidery museum purchase : gift of the museum associates 1989 . 014
the characters may not have the cultural recognition of iron man or the x - men , but they ' ve been fixtures of the comic book universe for more than 30 years . first appearing in 1982 ' s peter parker , the spectacular spider - man # 62 , the creations of writer bill mantlo and artist ed hannigan , the duo has headlined its own series multiple times , and guest - starred in the animated ultimate spider - man series .
unknown artist , saudi arabian , arabian peninsula man’s cloak ( bisht ) , 1949 camel hair , metallic yarn ; plain weave , embroidered , braid trim gift of the estate of theodore francis green 69 . 138c
as a long standing fureys fan i was a little disappointed with this cd . it sounded like something from a really bygone age . the later recording were much better .
there ' s no air date for cloak and dagger yet , nor any word of a uk broadcaster , but the series is expected to launch in 2018 .
greene’s ‘a tragedy of good intentions gone wrong’ – ‘a disappointment when finished’ ; winter in the air – ‘a masterpiece’ . . . .
the youth is very beautiful , with his strong neck , refined face , soulful eyes and sensitive mouth—someone people fall in love with . even the gentle hand resting on his sword suggests a man of great sensitivity—maybe a poet or an artist . at the same time , titian emphasizes the richness and elegance of his attire—the softness of that lavish fur , or the silver glint of the sword ' s hilt against the shine of golden satin .
in the first season , with mcinnerny killing malahide ' s character in the finale ) ; a fictionalized version of the scarlet pimpernel in the third season ; and captain kevin darling in the fourth season .
the cloak and dagger series will be set in the same shared marvel cinematic universe as the movies and other tv shows such as agents of s . h . i . e . l . d . and agent carter , but no details have yet emerged on how exactly the characters are linked . despite the pair ' s close links with spider - man , it seems unlikely that july ' s spider - man : homecoming film will devote any time to establishing the characters .
an unconvincing pretentious melodrama that is filled with literary allusions and veers between being a suspense thriller and a character study .
in this mystery , set in 19th - century new york , one of napoleon ' s former marshals is dying . when a frenchwoman arrives to force the man to change his will to assist the struggling french republic , the dying man ' s conniving housekeeper and butler plot her demise in order to get the money for themselves .
3 . 5 i can say i am lucky in terms of middle grade novel these days since i liked every middle grade novel i ' ve read lately . or maybe , just maybe , these books tug the child in me so a part of me liked the books eventually . serafina and the black cloak is not an exemption . this precious little book is a middle grade novel about serafina ( obviously ) and her adventure together with her friend braeden in unraveling the true identity of the black cloak man . and also , her peculiarity and finding her sel
taught by a guru named the ancient one and coming into possession of not only his amulet – the eye of agamotto – but a sentient cloak , strange returned to the west as a sorcerer supreme . from that point it got weirder as , not content with depicting magic , ditko took doctor strange on adventures into other dimensions , creating surreal spacescapes with structures that looked like they’d fallen out of a kandinsky painting . ditko’s panels were vibrant , a bit bonkers , and also prescient . by the second half of the 1960s , doctor strange had his own title , and anyone with a keen interest in psychedelics had a new favourite superhero .
tilda swinton as the ancient one with cumberbatch and the inevitable marvel portal thing . photograph : marvel
from an inevitable contrast with evelyn waugh’s “officers and gentlemen” , williamson’s portrait comes out with flying colours . both authors describe with fidelity the fright and futility of modern war , but the mud of flanders provides a large canvas for the greater artist .
one of the most considerable of the english novelists in the field of the large - scale saga is unquestionably henry williamson . . . . in his latest book he goes back in time to the outbreak of the first world war , with 19 - year - old phillip maddison , a city clerk , going to flanders with a scottish regiment as a private soldier .
their powers in symbiosis , with cloak draining dagger ' s excessive light energy to sustain them both , help them become figures of the ' war on drugs ' , targeting the criminals who abused them while defending the homeless population of new york . eventually , the two form a romantic relationship , as well as a crime - fighting one .
. . . here is the feel and smell of the trenches during one of the worst periods of the first world war , as seen by a rather cowardly young man whose only real desire is to save his own skin . . . .
chapter 38 , jaime vi : jaime holds a parley with the blackfish on the drawbridge to riverrun , but is unsuccessful in convincing him to give up the castle .
i have long been in the thinkpiece camp , reading popular culture as a series of coded communiqués from incarcerated human souls , each catchy , top 40 missive deciphered only with a gospel decoder ring . at the same time my intellect has been sharpened through constantly looking below the surface of radiohead songs for what is really going on here , it hasn ' t been sharpened a lot . i can interpret the living daylights out of popular culture , but while i have never used this skill as a cloak for vice , i have used it as a cloak for mediocrity .
review also found at : https : / / theparanormalpaladin . wordpres . . . serafina is a 12 year old girl who lives in the vanderbilt mansion , called the biltmore estate , with her pa . well , they don ' t exactly live there properly . they secretly live in the basement and no one knows she exists . her pa is the maintenance man and never really told her about where she came from or who her mother was , until a man in a black cloak comes and children start disappearing . so this is probably not exactly
young adult ,
though failing slightly on the former and by a wide margin on the latter , there’s still a fair amount to enjoy in this one . more accurately termed a suspenseful melodrama ,
i had the pleasure last week of reading an advance copy of serafina and the black cloak by robert beatty . serafina , to be published by disney , is a page - turner that is sure to be a hit with the younger set ( as well as many adults , like me ! ) . serafina and the black cloak is an adventure / mystery that takes place at the vanderbilt biltmore estate deep in rural north carolina . dark , foreboding woods surround the estate . our heroine , serafina , has a mysterious past somehow tied to that frightening fo
robert beatty is the author of the # 1 new york times best - selling serafina series published by disney hyperion , a spooky mystery - thriller about a brave and unusual girl who lives secretly in the basement of the grand biltmore estate . serafina and the black cloak was a # 1 new york times best seller , has been on the list for more than 60 weeks , and won the prestigious 2016 pat conroy southern book pr
[ the first thing that convinced me to pick up a copy of serafina and the black cloak was the gorgeous cover . in fact , i didn ' t realize until later that this was actually a middle grade story . . . although i personally like reading a middle grade book every once in a while . this story written by robert beatty has both an interesting setting and the per
the
broken man
name can also apply in a sense to theon greyjoy , jon snow , and edmure tully , all of them traumatized by recent events .
joe desantis , cast as the sinister butler , was a veteran of markle’s radio programs— the man with a cloak was only his second feature appearance . at the beginning of the shoot , he found stanwyck “properly remote and aloof as befitting a great star , ” but when she saw him working on a bust of co - star louis calhern as king lear , she warmed up to him and even confided her personal problems , although “what we spoke about , of course , is privileged , and i do not betray confidences . ”
dear gods this wedding is everything ! the splash of orange on the dress , the animal masks , the dusk ceremony , the costumes , the lighting , the readings and music selections . i just adore how the couple has a very obvious love for the dramatic darker side and just went for it !
a lifetime later , no christine left . only a tough , tender mother columba who reads the human heart .
dupin decides to investigate and goes to thevenet’s house , encountering all three servants . lorna is immediately attracted to the mysterious man in the cloak , much to martin’s disgust , but she is disconcerted when dupin recognizes her as a former critical darling of the stage . later , dupin crashes thevenet’s booze - soaked halloween party at madeline’s behest . dupin and lorna flirt with one another , and she seductively sings a song to him .
as befitting the genre - shifting nature of the film , raksin’s score is mercurial , continually changing moods , ranging from the poignant to the romantic , the tense to the sentimental . ( some of the melodic gestures seem expanded from ideas in kind lady , written a few months earlier . ) the orchestrations suit the film’s intimate character relationships , with delicate soloistic writing and a reduced string section spotlighting the archaic viola d’amore .
“never go into the deep parts of the forest , for there are many dangers there , and they will ensnare your soul . ” serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds of the biltmore estate . there’s plenty to explore in her grand home , although she must take care to never be seen . none of the rich folk upstairs know that serafina exists ; she and her pa , the estate’s maintenance man , have secretly lived in the basement for as long as serafina can remember . but when children at the estate start disappearing , only serafina knows who the culprit is : a terrifying man in a black cloak who stalks biltmore’s corridors at night . following her own harrowing escape , serafina risks everything by joining forces with braeden vanderbilt , the young nephew of the biltmore’s owners . braeden and serafina must uncover the man in the black cloak’s true identity . . . before all of the children vanish one by one . serafina’s hunt leads her into the very forest that she has been taught to fear . there she discovers a forgotten legacy of magic , one that is bound to her own identity . in order to save the children of biltmore , serafina must seek the answers that will unlock the puzzle of her past .
such a sweet and unique wedding ! in love with an atmosphere ! . . .
our reception was a costume party held in spirit mountain ' s moosehead saloon . the colors were black and orange . we had a costume contest and a cobweb cake decorated with a fondant spider . thousands of handmade bat decorations hung everywhere .
an ex - hood hopes to start a new life under an assumed name in a small town but his past catches up with him when an old crime - buddy asks him to help with a casino heist .
raksin reprises the darting gestures from “thevenet is dead” as martin ransacks thevenet’s study looking for the will . lorna arrives with dupin , who believes that the document is in thevenet’s room ; once he is taken there , the score builds tension as dupin solves the mystery by re - enacting his final meeting with the old man . the main theme crescendos to an anguished exclamation when he realizes that villon hid the will in the fireplace ; the cue ends as dupin snatches up the document and struggles to reach the front door while martin attacks him .
closer to a 1 . 5 . i * really * didn ' t like this book . i ' m a firm believer that kids need creepy . there ' s a reason goosebumps and scary stories to tell in the dark have persevered over time , and serafina and the black cloak tries pretty hard to be in that same vein , but ends up wildly missing the mark . serafina is a girl who was found in the woods , battered and broken . taken in by a man and kept secret for the first decade or so of her life , she is witness to a strange disappearance that she feels uni
but for all that , the trip through the cosmos does have its space odyssey moments , including for a few seconds what appears to be the actual time vortex that the tardis travels through in the doctor who titles . and there is a scene towards the end where the 3d - imaxness of it is used incredibly powerfully to make someone appear small , insignificant , a speck , rather than grand and cosmic . it manages this with far greater skill than ant - man did .
write when you have a few minutes . add a paragraph , chapter or novel .
that is also not the only similarity , the fast cars , the flash watches , the sharp suits , the women… okay , the woman… okay , um . let’s stop there .
casting the cloak ( matthew 10 . 32 - 33 , 37 - 38 ; 19 . 27 - 30 ) | saint botolph ' s orthodox church
that mature novelist , henry williamson , in my estimation , easily topped the list of writers of novels dealing with wartime exploits of the army . he went back to 1914 - 18 war , but he recreated that atmosphere of dreary trench warfare with such skill that a fox under my cloak will be remembered by its readers for a long time to come .
the version of the final cue heard in the film is identical to track 25 , aside from a slightly more dramatic build into the 12 - tone fanfare on the reveal of poe’s signature . —
“we’re thrilled to fill out the rest of the talented cast on marvel’s cloak & dagger and join with olivia holt and aubrey joseph to make a show that fans , new and old , will enjoy , ” said jeph loeb , head of marvel television and executive producer .
with a fox . . . henry williamson , the west country author , has achieved a further stage in mastery that ranks him among the great authors of the time . this novel has moments as fine as any in all quiet and the subject provides magnificent opportunities , which he handles with a blend of intuitive psychological insight and keen objective description . the result is truly fine .
unknown artist , north african ; algerian , algeria man’s cloak ( aba ) , 1910 silk , metallic yarn ; tapestry weave , braid trim gift of helen tufts davis , risd , class of 1961 59 . 058 . 8
tandy and tyrone come to grips with their new powers . tandy ' s past catches up with her and tyrone becomes obsessed with revenge .
overall , the strongest element of the film is the not - quite romance between the suave , charming dupin ( two qualities not commonly associated with the real edgar allan poe ) and barbara stanwyck’s elegant lorna . stanwyck gave some of her most memorable performances as con women ( the lady eve ) and femmes fatales ( double indemnity ) , and lorna bounty fits snugly in that category—she even makes her grand entrance on a staircase , à la double indemnity . despite her offscreen troubles , stanwyck was as beautiful and charming as ever in the man with a cloak . although she is supposed to be the story’s principal antagonist , she winds up earning the audience’s sympathy—she is certainly a more engaging character than leslie caron’s weepy madeline—and the story’s sadness comes not from thevenet’s death but at the realization that the seemingly well - suited dupin and lorna are not destined to make a life together .
the series , currently in development for disney - owned us network freeform , will see the night of ' s aubrey joseph as cloak , and disney channel regular olivia holt as dagger .
the rough strength of the author’s compassion , underlined rather than diminished by the sometimes rather clumsy and homespun quality of the writing .
the broken man
is the seventh episode of the sixth season of game of thrones . it is the fifty - seventh episode of the series overall . it premiered on june 5 , 2016 . it was written by bryan cogman and directed by mark mylod .
unknown artist , chinese , china man’s vest , ca . 1845 silk ; satin damask gift of the williams estate 75 . 026 . 16
” in an interview but “pretentious” is a strange word to describe such a modest yet satisfying entertainment . the oddest thing about
a lawyer becomes a government secret agent after an agent - friend of his is murdered , and discovers a nest of nazi spies operating out of a former client ' s hotel .
doctor strange is the most sexless action movie i think i’ve ever seen . for all the calls for marvel to have an lgbtq lead , i didn’t think that “asexual” would be first one out to bat . and , okay , that’s not quite correct , but it’s as good as . sorry rachel mcadams , but the closest physical relationship to anyone that doctor strange actually has in the movie is to his cloak . i’m not joking , there will be fanfic , slashfic written about strange and the cloak of levitation , as it appears in the movie as a twin to disney’s aladdin’s flying carpet , por to spawn’s cape , with paragraphs destined to be devoted to the cloak arching its back , the corners of the cloth sliding across stephen’s skin , following the scars along his fingers until… until…
timpani rolls give way to a bold , 12 - tone fanfare for the opening titles , with the score’s contrastingly sensitive main theme receiving a contrapuntal presentation as dupin ( joseph cotten ) walks down a deserted street at night . once the credits end , a title card announces the setting—new york , 1848—and another describes dupin as a mysterious drifter whose real name is destined for immortality . raksin emphasizes a wandering celesta and a moody variation of the main theme as dupin watches lovely madeline minot ( leslie caron ) pass by in a carriage before he disappears into flaherty’s tavern . the theme dies away with an air of uncertainty when madeline timidly arrives outside the house of thevenet ( louis calhern ) .
she then reveals to theon that she plans to take the iron fleet to meereen and forge an alliance with daenerys before euron does . after the conversation , she goes to have sex with a female prostitute .
, based on a john dickson carr story and released by mgm in 1951 . the identity of the eponymous hero isn ' t revealed until the final shot , but if you haven ' t guessed it a few reels before that , you weren ' t paying much attention in junior high . in the spirit of the film , i ' ll give a brief summary of the plot and spring the revelation on you at the end of the next paragraph . a spoiler alert would normally be appropriate , but with a mystery this easy i think we can do without one .
the lindsay ' s are on a ship to hawaii for their delayed second honeymoon . unknown to carmelita , dennis is using the trip to secure a contract with mr . baldwin . the baldwins are social . . . see full summary »
the atlanta noise rock trio makes a rare hometown appearance with ' 68 , pretty please , and bataille | more . . .
we are incredibly excited to be underway on our first marvel project with such a talented group of actors that really enhance the world that our cloak & dagger live in ,
added karey burke , executive vice president , programming & development , freeform .
in a world where mutated humans are treated with distrust and fear , an institute for mutants battles to achieve peaceful co - existence with humanity .
if this was a test for the waif and not arya , that means that jaqen ( or one of the other faceless men ) is wearing an arya face - mask . in the books , the faceless men can only use faces from dead people - in this episode jaqen is even directly shown removing a face from a corpse . on the other hand , the tv continuity has changed this slightly to show that the faceless men can use faces that look like a still - living person . in the season 5 finale , arya saw her own face on the faceless man who poisoned himself - she might have been hallucinating in this moment , but prior to that , she also clearly saw a faceless man that looked like
jaqen h ' ghar
who drank poison and killed himself , while another faceless man pretending to be the waif took off his mask and revealed jaqen ' s face . this might simply be different in the tv version - perhaps the explanation is that the faceless men can take the faces of people with similar appearances and alter them to match a still - living person they closely resemble .
the legendary shack shakers frontman sings about a surrealist south | more . . .
joe pokaski will serve as showrunner on cloak and dagger . no stranger to superhero television , pokaski was a writer and story editor on heroes , and penned episodes of daredevil .
. . . such jumbled automata as most of us become are fit slaves for houyhnhnms ; yet mr . williamson is a novelist , not a satirist , and although one may sympathise with the man , one is puzzled by the writer . can it be that he is working out some obscure grudge not against mankind , but against himself ? it is not easy to see what ghost he is laying [ in this novel ] . mr . williamson writes of the 1914 war as part of the tragedy of european man , divided against himself . this desire to re - create a period is tolstoyan , and with all his virtues , mr . williamson is no tolstoy . a fox under my cloak is the fox of physical cowardice and of social insecurity , united in the vitals of a suburban bank clerk , an imaginative but semi - literate twin of mr . aldington’s ‘hero’ , who died .
( a great soldier and tournament champion in his own right ) . the umbers might be the most northern house closest to the wall on the mainland , but bear island is located almost as far north , and without the protection of the wall .
a bank officer discovers a flaw in the u . s . extradition treaty with brazil and decides to take advantage of it . on friday , he steals a million dollars from the bank , knowing it won ' t be . . . see full summary »
original post : serafina and the black cloak at flylēf ( urltoken ) “never go into the deep parts of the forest , for there are many dangers there , and they will ensnare your soul . ” step into the wonderfully whimsical world of serafina and the black cloak , by robert beatty , and chances are , you ' ll be completely enchanted by its magical setting , valiant young heroes , and dark mysteries . mr . beatty deftly builds a unique world full of beautiful details that effortlessly drew me in . nestled in a
thevenet takes a liking to dupin , and they wax about poetry and money–a rather philosophical discussion that , combined with the alcohol , encourages thevenet to summon his lawyer , durand ( richard hale ) , so he can change his will and leave his money to madeline and paul . the combined efforts of lorna and martin temporarily delay thevenet’s efforts , but eventually durand is able to craft a new will in which the old man leaves all of his money to the young couple , and the house to the servants .
young madeline charms the elderly thevenet . while dupin suspects lorna , thevenet’s former mistress , of trying to hasten the old man’s death to inherit his money , he develops a strong rapport—and even a mutual attraction—with the aging beauty . thevenet decides to change his will and poison himself immediately after to make sure the money goes to the right people , but after signing the new will he is felled by a stroke and his lawyer accidentally drinks the poisoned brandy , dropping dead thereafter . when thevenet’s pet raven hides the new will , the paralyzed old man tries to give dupin hints to its location before succumbing to his stroke . dupin realizes that the raven hid the will in the fireplace and manages to save the document from martin . they learn that thevenet left his money to madeline and to his grandson , while lorna and the servants inherit thevenet’s house—as long as they choose to live there . dupin and lorna have a bittersweet parting , and when madeline tries to find dupin at flaherty’s , she discovers he has left the bartender with an iou signed with his real name : edgar allan poe .
unknown artist , new zealander , new zealand man’s cloak , 1880 - 1890 twined flax with wool pompoms length : 196 . 9 cm ( 77 1 / 2 inches ) gift in memory of mr . and mrs . w . frederick williams , jr . by their children 75 . 026 . 67
subplot is a holdover from the fourth novel which , like the greyjoy kingsmoot subplot , was pushed back to season 6 , because season 5 condensed the storylines for other major characters ( jon snow , king ' s landing , tyrion , daenerys ) from both books four and five into a single season . in the books , brynden tully never had to retake riverrun from a light frey garrison - he wasn ' t present at the red wedding in the book version , instead robb stark left him behind at riverrun with the tully army to hold their southern flank and to guard his wife jeyne westerling . after word came out of the massacre at the red wedding , brynden pulled back his men to the castle and gathered ample food supplies for a lengthy siege . the siege of riverrun is ongoing in the background from the middle of the third book to about the middle of the fourth book by the point jaime arrives with a lannister army to help the freys .
outside the pharmacy , dupin pieces together the mystery of durand’s death , to the accompaniment of a hollow 12 - tone row on unison strings and woodwinds . the cue ends as he and madeline head back to the townhouse to look for the new will .
williamson is a cumulative writer , not one who composes in swift scenes . a rich and uneven book , with a gallery of characters who have the stamp of reality , a magical feeling for period , and a vein of pure poetry which gleams through the frequent prosiness . williamson’s visionary moments fall like brief rays upon the sunless plain of his realism . for all their seeming backward look , these books are “modern” in the deepest sense .
closer to a 1 . 5 . i * really * didn ' t like this book . i ' m a firm believer that kids need creepy . there ' s a reason goosebumps and scary stories to tell in the dark have persevered over time , and serafina and the black cloak tries pretty hard to be in that same vein , but ends up wildly missing the mark . serafina is a girl who was found in the woods , battered and broken . taken in by a man and kept secret for the first decade or so of her life , she is witness to a strange disappearance that she feels uniquely qualified to get to the bottom of , and so begins our tale of serafina exploring and uncovering a dark , weird secret . the first bit of the book , the parts that establish who serafina is and what she ' s really up to ? pretty great . the moment we get to the meat of the plot , however , the story screeches almost to a halt , with a few interesting scenes scattered amongst a tale that plods toward a conclusion - a conclusion , by the way , that is a very pat , firm , almost disney - style ending that nearly betrays the entire tale . it ' s a frustrating read because all the parts are there for a truly great read with some really interesting elements , but basically only a third of the story is really truly worth the time or effort , leading to a supremely disappointing story . of course , as is typical , i appear to be in the stark minority on this . people seem to overwhelmingly love this book , from the setting to the characters to the tale itself . as for me , while serafina is an engaging enough heroine , she deserves a much better story than this , and middle grade readers who are looking for a creepy story to keep them up at nights deserve something that ' s much more substantial . i don ' t know if i missed something significant here or what , but this didn ' t do it for me at all .
in the books , ryman was the frey that jaime struck across the face to teach him a lesson about not making idle threats : the tv version condensed this with black walder rivers . as seen in the episode , jaime struck him with his golden prosthetic hand , badly injuring him and knocking him to the ground . in the books the hand is solid gold , though for unknown reasons the tv series had jaime point out that it is gold - plated steel - still a heavy , solid - metal prosthetic .
all our clothing is made by hand in our shops with a selection of cloths of outstanding quality .
compare them with the war novels of ford madox ford , so much lauded just now . ford is an old pro with all the tricks of his trade , but a suspicion of contrivance remains . nor do his people become more than types , closely but externally observed . williamson is the natural writer of the two , with all his faults .
' lonesome as a shadow ' comes straight from the streets | more . . .
murder of a different kind , and murder more horrifying because of its senseless perpetration is the subject of ( fox ) . . . this chronicle of the first world war , with the retelling of the mass slaughter that took place on the battlefields of france , is horrific as it is brilliantly unfolded . it is a book which , almost 50 years on [ and now a 100 years on ] can still frighten the reader , living in a world where the formidable tank and flimsy aircraft of the 1914 - 18 debacle are [ now well in the past ] .
. . . one has read nothing more evocative of the great war and the accents of the time on home and flanders fronts ; the latter sequences are magnificent . the people are as alive as the events .
serafina and the black cloak was a one - of - a - kind mystery thriller , peppered with an old fashioned ambiance and ominous tone . i was entranced from the very beginning - it ' s the kind of story that grants you an escape from reality and an entirety of reading enjoyment . thus , if you are looking for a story that captivities through a blend of character - driven story surrounded by an unsettling , chilling , beautiful and haunting setting , then be sure to pick up this one up ! it is unquestionably , a middl
there is a twofold purpose here ; to go on with the maddison story ( now a many - volumed thing ) , and to give a faithful record of the year 1915 in world war 1 – but so good a war book is it that any reader can get its full impact , and will , in any case , quickly establish familiarity with the drably suburban , but strangely appealing maddisons and the boy phillip , the character through whose eyes we see the war . the book opens just after ypres , with phillip doing an appalling frost - bitten spell in the trenches as a private soldier . he goes back sick to england , gets a commission and an almost equally appalling training period with some very class - conscious officers , and returns to france to fight at loos and become a seasoned , and to some extent esteemed , warrior .
tcm celebrates the 100th anniversary of a musical legend with three nights of programming devoted to some of leonard bernstein ' s . . . more
a mermaid - obsessed town is turned upside down when a mysterious girl appears and begins wreaking havoc .
( 1989 ) , had so energetically launched ; like the real franz kafka , the movie ' s franz kafka is a bureaucrat who stumbles into a mystery that threatens to take over his life . a more recent example is
robb stark betrayed us all . he abandoned the north to the cruel mercies of the ironmen to carve out a fairer kingdom for himself along the trident . then he abandoned the riverlords who had risked much and more for him , breaking his marriage pact with my grandfather to wed the first western wench who caught his eye
meribald ' s speech about the
broken men
created by the war has been cited by martin as one of the more thematically important points in the books . the tv adaptation
a very good cd of its type . i like a lot of irish music and song . it is learning material for me as a dance player .
we next see arya standing on a bridge admiring a view of the titan of braavos when an old woman approaches her and reveals herself to be the waif , who repeatedly stabs her in the gut , twisting the knife as she does . arya escapes by leaping over the handrail and into the river . she is left stumbling through the streets of braavos , leaving a trail of blood droplets and visibly afraid .
it looks like we don ' t have a synopsis for this title yet . be the first to contribute ! just click the
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button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the synopsis submission guide .
the advance of the guards as phillip maddison saw it from one of the pylons of “tower bridge” – in which swallows were nesting amidst the crash of the enemy bombardment – will take its place among the great passages of literature which were forged in the fiery furnace of the first world war .


okja is a 2017 action-adventure film directed by bong joon-ho and co-written by bong and jon ronson .

the film stars an ensemble cast headed by south korean child actress ahn seo-hyun , alongside hollywood actors tilda swinton , paul dano , steven yeun , lily collins , and jake gyllenhaal .

the film competed for the palme d'or in the main competition section at the 2017 cannes film festival .

it was released on netflix on june 28 , 2017 .

okja

the computer - generated okja , left , and an seo hyun in “okja . ”
mija and her superpig , okja , living happily in the korean countryside . okja is the gmo creation of the mirando corporation .
netflix will invest $ 50 million in upcoming south korean film okja by bong joon ho , local production company okja spc announced on tuesday .
okja
will be released in select theaters and on netflix june 28 .
this post contains spoilers for okja , bong joon - ho’s film on netflix .
bella hadid ' s red dress matched the carpet at the ' okja ' premiere .
actress / co - producer tilda swinton speaks during the “okja” press conference new york .
ahn seo hyun attends the official press conference after korea red carpet premiere of okja .
ahn seo - hyun plays mija , a young farmgirl who takes care of okja .
meet the cast of okja , starring tilda swinton and jake gyllenhaal , on netflix .
seo - hyun ahn as mija and the titular star of okja . photograph : ap
tilda swinton and seo - hyun ahn in okja . photograph : barry wetcher / ap
a young girl named mi - ja ( ahn seo - hyun ) lives in the mountain . her best friend is okja , who is a massive animal with a shy and introspective character . one day , okja disappears . mi - ja struggles to find okja .
netflix’s irresistible okja is an anti - capitalist e . t . starring tilda swinton and a superpig
saving okja’s bacon… an seo hyun with her ‘super - piglet’ companion . photograph : allstar / netflix
okja is out on netflix on june 28 . definitely set aside two hours to watch it .
but the center of the movie is mija and okja . an seo hyun does very little talking in this movie ; her determination to save okja is all in her facial expressions and body language . and it ' s easy to forget that okja is a cg creation when they share scenes .
mija ' s mission to rescue okja takes us to some horrifying places in the meat industrial complex .
okja is a movie starring tilda swinton , paul dano , and seohyun an . a young girl risks everything to prevent a powerful , multinational company from kidnapping her best friend - a fascinating beast named okja .
mija ( seo - hyun ahn ) and her pet , a
super - pig
named okja .
lucy tries one last publicity stunt , forcing mija to play along if she wants to see okja again .
okja is a plan b entertainment , lewis pictures and kate street picture company production in association with netflix .
okja is described as a
super - pig ,
but it has the mannerisms of a pet . there were so many moments where i recognised looks my dogs give or movements my cats make . okja wants you to rethink humans ' relationship to animals , and the vfx of okja does that work all on its own .
rihanna showed off her gown ' s impressive plumage at the screening of the film ' okja ' on friday .
mija ( ahn seo hyun ) looking after okja , who saves mija ' s life using her quick wits .
the film follows okja and her young keeper mija as agribusiness interests compete with animal activists to decide her fate .
tilda swinton and director bong joon ho on the set of
okja
. ( barry wetcher / netflix )
cannes , france – going into friday morning’s press screening , most people expected at least some vitriol for netflix’s okja .
okja hits netflix on 28 june , after screening at this year ' s edinburgh international film festival on 25 june .
okja
will have its world premiere in the
in competition
section at the 70th cannes film festival .
netflix has released the first teaser for director bong joon - ho’s film okja , premiering exclusively on netflix on june 28 .
paul dano attends “okja” new york premiere at amc loews lincoln square 13 on june 8 , 2017 in new york city .
a young girl risks everything to prevent a powerful , multinational company from kidnapping her best friend - a fascinating beast named okja .
currently starring in okja are tilda swinton , jake gyllenhaal , paul dano , bill nighy and kelly macdonald . as the production looks ahead to a late 2016 start in new york and korea , auditions are now underway for a young actress to play the lead role in the story , which is about the friendship between a girl and an animal named okja . okja is due out sometime in 2017 .
brad pitt , dede gardner , jeremy kleiner , lewis taewan kim , dooho choi , woo - sik seo and bong produced okja .
the human performers are all brilliant , but the movie belongs to its title character and her digitally conjured , genetically modified ilk . okja is a miracle of imagination and technique , and “okja” insists , with abundant mischief and absolute sincerity , that she possesses a soul .
okja was written by bong and jon ronson ( frank ) and follows mija , a young girl who must risk everything to prevent a powerful , multi - national company from kidnapping her best friend – a massive animal named ‘okja . ’ mija will be played by seohyun an .
' okja ' star jake gyllenhaal , left , tilda swinton and director bong joon ho attend a photocall friday during the cannes film festival .
president of the feature film jury pedro almodovar poses with jury members jessica chastain and park chan - wook at the ' okja ' premiere .
director bong joon ho at the cannes film festival with his new movie ,
okja .
( stephanie cornfield / for the times )
just finished watching okja and i’m sobbing 🙁 i’ve wanted to become vegan or at least vegetarian and i really want to commit to it .
maybe not everyone’s gonna go vegan , but hopefully # okja can make a lot of people realize how cruel it is to eat animals .
anthropomorphizing okja is a collective labor , one in which the viewer—devastated by the pig’s plight—takes part . in this way , okja ’s position at the nexus of capitalist and posthumanist anxiety assumes the resonance of a 21st century frankenstein . but where the parts that make up dr . frankenstein’s monster have been taken from the masses—ripped from mass graves and cobbled together in the scientist’s laboratory—okja’s parts proliferate in the masses , in the mass - produced meat product that contains traces of her genes . where frankenstein’s monster is animated from dead bodies , okja’s meat is made to animate living ones .
what do you think about the okja teaser ? are you going to watch the movie ? let us know your thoughts in the comments below .
shooting for okja will begin in early 2017 in korea and u . s . it is due to be released in cinemas later that year .
updated : technical problems marred netflix ’s press screening for “ okja ” on friday morning at the cannes film festival , according to audience members .
there are broad performances , there are performances said to be “as broad as a barn , ” and then there’s jake gyllenhaal’s performance in okja .
okja is an absolutely gloriously strange and eccentric film with a proper heavyweight cast and is , excitingly , my first review for a netflix movie .
“with ‘okja’ i want to show the beauty that can exist between man and animal , and also the horror between them , ” said director bong .
the animal liberation front , led by pacifist jay ( the excellent as ever paul dano ) have other ideas and plan various interventions to rescue okja .
when the mirando corporation steals young mija ' s best friend , a genetically modified beast named okja , it sets the stage for a daring rescue mission .
okja is expected to stream live on netflix on june 29 , with a limited theatrical run in the u . s . , uk and south korea .
read more : ‘okja’ review : bong joon ho delivers his ‘e . t . ’ with delightful tale of a mutant pig and the girl who loves her
okja
has a clear political agenda in mind , but its polemics don ' t get in the way of how wildly , strangely enjoyable it is .
netflix has released its new movie , okja , which is described by cnn as “an animal - rights message as well as cautionary warnings about corporate greed . ”
but bong also acknowledges that
okja ,
with its painstakingly designed and computer - generated pig protagonist , was made to be seen on the big screen .
from visionary filmmaker bong joon - ho , the creative mind behind the worldwide sensation snowpiercer , comes the new global adventure okja . the film follows the epic journey of mija , a young girl who must risk everything to prevent a powerful , multi - national company from kidnapping her best friend – a massive animal named ‘okja’ .
okja pushes back against this by foregrounding the relationship between a little girl and her animal friend . so , yes , okja is a well - engineered beast who contributes to lower environmental impact , but she’s also an individual animal who loves and is loved – and she has an ethically significant interest in her own well - being .
the film then flashes forward to quieter times , where teenage mija ( ahn seo - hyun ) is raising her super - pig okja in the mountains in south korea . okja is part of a “contest” for farmers around the world to grow the biggest super - pig , and when johnny and the mirando team come to visit , it’s clear okja is the winner . but that means she’ll be taken to new york city , and all mija wants is for her best friend to stay in korea with her .
neither “ okja ” nor noah baumbach’s “the meyerowitz stories” are on track to receive even limited theatrical releases in france , having been refused temporary exhibition visas by the cnc .
meanwhile , tilda swinton , who starred in snowpiercer , is set to have a role in okja . other cast members include jake gyllenhaal , paul dano and bill nighy .
summary : meet mija , a young girl who risks everything to prevent a powerful , multi - national company from kidnapping her best friend – a massive animal named okja .
trying to rescue okja , mija winds up thrown together with animal rights activists who want to reveal mirando ' s animal abuses . their radical leader , jay ( paul dano ) , is in some ways just another version of lucy . obsessed with his own image , constantly livestreaming his group ' s political actions , he cares more about ideological purity than okja ' s well - being . the film shuttles us between one hypocritical leader and another , until the only thing we trust is mija ' s bond with okja .
meet your new hero . mija , played by an seo hyun , is introduced by the cast of the upcoming netflix original film , okja . only on netflix june 28 .
that might change with the host director bong joon - ho’s latest picture , a strange , sweeping cautionary tale of late - capitalist greed called okja , available on netflix worldwide .
exhibitor lotte cinema , run by lotte entertainment , said it is also currently discussing what it calls
the okja problem ,
according to a source employed by the exhibitor .
okja stars korean child actor ahn seo - hyun as mija , a young girl who has to protect her best friend , a giant pig named okja , from being kidnapped by a multinational corporation . she’s assisted in her efforts by members of the animal liberation front , portrayed in the film as a group of hapless but well - natured eco - warriors .
the decision in south korea is rather similar . netflix’s day - and - date release strategy , in which “okja” would open in theaters and also be available to stream on netflix , violates the country’s three - week window between theatrical release and streaming availability . the major theater chains take this window seriously , and it’s the driving force behind rejecting “okja . ”
bong also discussed comments made by cannes jury president pedro almodóvar , who said that he believed that films without theatrical distribution like okja shouldn’t be considered for the festival’s prestigious palme d’or .
in a swish marketing move , several of these super - pigs are sent around the world to be raised through traditional , local methods ; one , okja , ends up on a remote farm in south korea , where a little girl named mija lives . and so , okja and mija grow up together , becoming the very best of friends in the process .
lucy mirando ( tilda swinton , left ) reunites mija ( seo - hyun ahn ) with her genetically engineered pet , okja , in bong joon ho ' s offbeat action - adventure .
when asked how she feels that most people worldwide will see okja on their laptops or smartphones , swinton pointed out that thousands of cannes entries won’t ever be seen on the big screen .
jay ( paul dano ) heads the animal rights activist group who want to help mija rescue okja . they turn out to be almost as corrupt as the corporation they want to stop .
since it was a first meeting , he actually didn’t speak about okja for a while , but we met and just had a chitchat . then eventually , he started talking about okja and it was a very natural process . i felt that , since the beginning , perhaps the director was treating me as [ my character ] mija , even though he never spoke about it .
as part of netflix’s push for more original content , okja will debut on the streaming service some time in 2017 alongside a limited theatrical release . subscribers might’ve noticed the increasing lack of movie options available to them on the platform , and that’s because netflix is diverting more of its funds towards developing and acquiring films , like okja , and original series . they reportedly spent upwards of $ 6 billion this year alone . so , while we mourn the loss of some of our preferred titles , we should also celebrate if it means more interesting projects like okja are coming our way .
these two make all the rest of this movie — as beautifully shot and acted as it is — work . if you didn ' t believe mija ' s relationship with okja , it would all fall apart . there ' d be too many characters , too many motivations , and too many locations to keep track of . but mija ' s love for okja anchors it all . they pull you through the movie , leaving you to think about all the other things bong addresses later . and ever since i saw okja , i have not been able to stop thinking about it .
darisu khondji ( se7en , evita , midnight in paris ) is the latest addition to bong joon - ho’s upcoming film okja . the renowned cinematographer has come on board the south korean director’s project .
“to me , the crazy world surrounding okja and the girl looks more like a monster . i want to depict the two characters’ bizarre journey and adventure across the tough world in an original fashion” .
netflix made a bigger splash at cannes than intended when it visited the prestigious film festival for the first time this year , bringing along new films
okja
and
the meyerowitz stories .
it wasn’t as complicated as i thought it would be in the beginning because there was a stuffed animal standing in for okja . there was a real person inside it , and i think maybe i was able to project my feelings for okja onto the stuffy and the person operating it . it became a real relationship with that person , like with any other actor . it became a real experience .
bong also blamed himself for some of the outcome , saying he had always envisioned okja , a $ 50m sci - fi pic backed by netflix and plan b– to be viewed on the big screen .
given bong’s popularity in his home country , “okja” was expected to be one of the biggest releases of the summer in south korea . the movie is scheduled to open june 29 , and now local distributor next entertainment world will be looking for other options of opening “okja” in theaters . one possibility is targeting south korea’s independent theaters , but they only account for 7 % of the total screens in the country .
of course , the final version of okja contains a brutal slaughterhouse scene that would likely have been nixed in the hands of another production company . without it , okja would be merely weird rather than weirdly breathtaking , as bong patiently shows the jarring , grisly nature with which the superpigs meet their end ; it isn’t polemical , but it certainly takes an otherwise beautiful , eccentric film to a more harrowing place . its inclusion should ensure that okja has a lasting effect , if not by forcing us to reconsider where our food comes from than by cementing netflix as more than an endless repository of old movies and shows .
new , which had previously announced that it was pursuing
an unlimited run
for okja in theaters , does not plan to scrap its plan of having the film debut on netflix at the same time .
sarandos seemed pleased with the critical response to both “okja” and “the meyerowitz stories , ” and happy that the media had shifted their focus away from the controversy stirred up by his company’s presence on the croisette .
but mija ' s blissful prelapsarian worldview is cruelly ruptured when okja is suddenly hauled away to new york by her creator , corporate ceo lucy mirando ( swinton ) , who is seeking to erase her company ' s dubious track record with eco - friendly , feed - the - world , ethical - capitalist publicity stunts . inevitably , however , mirando ' s real plans for okja turn out to be far more sinister .
okja itself ( prounced ook - tah ) is mix between a hippo and a pig and is like a studio ghibli creation brought to life , looking so lifelike you’ll have to remind yourself it doesn’t actually exist .
netflix confirmed on monday bong joon - ho’s recent cannes competition selection okja will premiere theatrically on june 28 in new york and los angeles day - and - date with the global online launch on its streaming platform .
okja is a most remarkable pig . as big as a medium - sized elephant , with a snout that looks more canine than porcine , she is slobbery and sometimes flatulent , but also loyal , gentle and brave . okja is devoted , above all , to a girl named mija . they have grown up together on a remote mountain farm that belongs to mija’s grandfather , inseparable companions in a classic literary and cinematic tradition .
okja follows the journey of mija ( an seo hyun ) and okja , a giant
super pig ,
as the young woman tries to rescue her friend from a mega - corporation . it begins on an idyllic mountain farm in rural south korea , moves to seoul for a massive amount of destruction , breaks your heart in a hellish laboratory in new jersey , and visits a too - slick marketing stunt in new york .
if shelley’s monster concentrated an anxiety about the collective at the close of the 18th century , bong joon - ho’s monstrous pig focalizes a slightly different anxiety for contemporary viewers : not about the collective per se , but about collective labor . after all , collective labor is the machine that makes okja run . it lays dormant in her computer - generated flesh , engineered by a team of graphics designers . it resides in the computer algorithms that recommend okja to subscribers ( “because you watched twin peaks …” ) and in the crowdsourced content provider that is netflix studios . we manifest it when we feel okja’s cgi - pain . when we boo netflix’s global capitalism but cheer okja ’s anti - globalist message , we miss the ways in which the film’s politics of production and its ethics of representation align : in a pathetic appeal to mass emotion to keep up the mass work .
cannes : netflix ' s controversial ' okja ' gets booed for technical snafu bong joon ho ' s action - adventure was stopped just 10 minutes into friday ' s press screening . check out this story on urltoken urltoken
in the context of mirando’s lab , where mutant pigs appear as freak show spectacles , we don’t feel okja’s own monstrosity . she seems more out of place among other gmos than she did among her human companions . the scene confirms okja’s transformation from super pig to super pet , but this transformation is no less instrumental to human needs than that of pig to pork . despite bong joon - ho’s representation of human agents as grotesque , naïve , or marginal , okja ’s narrative reinforces a world order in which animals , machines , and animal - machines matter because they’re made by humans for humans . they even look , act , and feel like us .
our protagonist , mija ( ahn seo hyun ) , seems to be the only sane perspective in the film . she ' s a young woman living in the korean countryside who befriends her grandfather ' s superpig , the eponymous okja . her innocence and righteous fury are the perfect foil to the whacked - out cynicism of johnny , lucy , and lucy ' s assistant frank dawson ( giancarlo esposito ) . romping through the ultra - idyllic forest , mija and okja are inseparable . but of course their time together can ' t last . one day , johnny arrives with a crew of social media thugs from mirando to award okja first place in the superpig contest .
okja , directed by bong joon ho , stars tilda swinton , paul dano , seo - hyun ahn , hee - bong byun , steven yeun , and lilly collins . it will stream to netflix on june 28 , 2017
when the ten year mark arrives , mija ' s grandfather tells her that he had to turn okja over to the company , but that she can take solace in his compensatory gift to her , a tiny gold pig . mija and okja ' s separation kicks off a story that follows the pig from south korea to new york city and ( parenthetically ) to a plant near paramus , new jersey , where hundreds of other prototype pigs are kept for experimentation and eventual slaughter . members of the animal liberation federation ( alf , just like the sitcom alien ) briefly kidnap okja and fit her with a camera that they hope will expose the company ' s animal rights abuses .
for 10 idyllic years , young mija ( an seo hyun ) has been caretaker and constant companion to okja – a massive animal and an even bigger friend – at her home in the mountains of south korea . but that changes when a family - owned multinational conglomerate mirando corporation takes okja for themselves and transports her to new york , where image obsessed and self - promoting ceo lucy mirando ( tilda swinton ) has big plans for mija’s dearest friend .
' okja ' cast and crew devon bostick , jake gyllenhaal , lily collins , paul dano , director bong joon - ho , actors tilda swinton , ahn seo - hyun , steven yeun and byung heebong pose on the carpet .
okja stars tilda swinton , paul dano , byun heebong , steven yeun , lily collins , giancarlo esposito , jake gyllenhaal and newcomer an seo hyun as “mija . ” be sure to check them out on netflix on june 28th .
okja is an uncommon achievement for a variety of reasons : the technical acuity of bong’s filmmaking , the allegorical rebuke of the food industry , the film’s unorthodox streaming release , and the kickass force of nature that is mija . but to me , okja is exciting for another singularly remarkable feat : it is not only the first major film to seamlessly integrate english and korean ( an estimated 20 percent of the film’s dialogue is in korean ) , but it also features what might be the most realistic korean american character in film history . indeed , i’d argue the best way to fully appreciate okja is if you understand both korean and english — even though it won’t alienate those on either side .
despite the technical issues , early reviews of okja have been broadly positive , with the guardian’s peter bradshaw writing that the film “rattles along with glorious storytelling gusto in the spirit of roald dahl” as part of a five - star review .
okja will premiere globally on netflix in 2017 and will also have a limited day and date theatrical release in the us . netflix is also looking for theatrical partners for a day and date release in select international territories , including korea .
each of these docile beasts is despatched to a different corner of the planet to be reared . the enormous okja grows up in rural korea , gambolling in the fields with her young companion , mija ( ahn seo - hyun ) .
netflix announced that principal photography began yesterday on its feature film okja in seoul , south korea . from director bong joon - ho ( snowpiercer , the host , mother ) , okja is produced by plan b , lewis pictures and kate street picture company , and stars tilda swinton ( hail , caesar ! , moonrise kingdom ) , jake gyllenhaal ( nightcrawler , everest ) and paul dano ( love & mercy , 12 years a slave ) in a bold , global adventure .
there is , though , an amusing irony to the film’s controversial distribution : okja , which cost $ 50m to make , is readymade for the big screen , complete with heist - like drama , a manatee - sized pig and mesmerizing shots of mija and okja roaming the south korean mountaintops . but it’ll almost universally be consumed via laptop screens , ipads and home televisions . of course most films are nowadays , their digital shelf lives being far longer than their theatrical ones .
the premise of “okja” stemmed not from the context of mirando’s cruelty , but from the idea of a genetically engineered colossus with a “sad” face and a “lovely” disposition . bong said he wanted to filter the perspective through characters who love the animal , specifically a headstrong child . by the time he was scripting the movie’s first draft , bong had dismissed his original ending , favoring okja’s show - stopping near - slaughter and mija’s showdown with the callous nancy mirando ( tilda swinton ) .
bong joon - ho , korean director of the cannes film festival - bound drama “ okja , ” has pushed back at sectors of the french industry that are angry with the selection of two netflix - backed films in the competition section .
ah , those were the days — before mija realized her super pig was destined to become super pork . like the unsuspecting turkey that enjoys a spoiled life being fattened only to get a rude awakening the day before thanksgiving , neither mija nor her enormous pet has any idea what’s in store for okja — which makes the young girl all the more devastated when dr . johnny ( gyllenhaal , sweaty and screechy in a performance that’s three times as weird as it needs to be ) shows up to meet okja and bring her back to new york city . naturally , mija wants to recover okja , and so she sets off , armed with her solid - gold dowry , to beg , steal or buy back the big pig .
brad pitt , dede gardner , jeremy kleiner , lewis taewan kim , dooho choi , woo - sik seo and bong joon - ho are producers on the film . okja is a plan b , lewis pictures and kate street picture company production .
the early scenes borrow the leisurely rhythms of mija’s idyllic days with okja ; she snoozes on the beast’s vast belly , softly rising and falling in time with her pet’s breathing . yet once she follows the kidnapped creature to seoul , where they are taken in by a band of animal rights activists , the film lurches from one style to another . what begins as a tranquil buddy movie finishes up in the blood - soaked slaughterhouse where okja is due to end her days ; it’s as though
as okja and cowspiracy make clear , the technical debate into the environmental impact of eating meat is critically important . but even if animal agribusiness could be made thoroughly sustainable , routine practices of confinement , forcible reproduction and slaughter remain highly ethically questionable .
bong spoke monday at a presentation in seoul alongside netflix chief content officer ted sarandos . they confirmed that “okja” will , in fact , receive theatrical outings in three territories : south korea , the u . s . and the u . k .
but with okja , bong joon - ho was less concerned with these rituals – which have the ultimate effect of arbitrarily ascribing value to some films and not others – than with having complete creative control over the project , which netflix famously affords .
the pivotal scene in okja , bong joon - ho’s netflix - produced film about a girl and the genetically - enhanced
super - pig
she loves , is performed in a mishmash of three languages : english , korean , and konglish .
if
snowpiercer
and
okja
feel like products of ( and metaphors for ) an increasingly global film industry , bong maintains that his casting and location decisions of late remain as story - driven as they were in his korean productions .
the korean auteur is drawing more and more comparisons to steven spielberg , and it’s not hard to see why— okja is like a more brutal e . t . , if e . t . had been at risk of being turned into mass - produced jerky . like that film , bong’s is about the loss of innocence , but more importantly , it’s about the value of innocence . mija is neither a simpleton nor a fool for developing a genuine relationship with okja , and she’s right to try and rescue her when the mirando corporation eventually comes to take her away . you’ll likely be gripping your armrest , practically cheering her on , as mija gives pursuit to okja’s captors—though her enemy is a vast capitalist entity , her cause doesn’t seem hopeless .
the early morning press screening of the netflix film “okja” was interrupted by boos and angry applause in the palais des festivals on friday at the cannes film festival in france — particularly at the appearance of the company’s logo at the start of the film .
“it really is a fantastic opportunity for me as a filmmaker . for okja , i needed a bigger budget than i had for snowpiercer and also complete creative freedom . netflix offered me the two conditions that are difficult to have in hand simultaneously . ”
fast forward a decade to somewhere far from mirando hq , where mija lives in a state of total naïveté , spending her days at okja’s side . these are charming scenes , reminiscent of “pete’s dragon” ( as she tosses real fruit to the animated creature ) and “my neighbor totoro” ( right down to the way mija naps on the giant beast’s belly ) , featuring great visual effects work on the creature , designed to look adorably dog - like . early on , bong encourages us not only to fall in love with okja , but also to recognize the animal’s unusual sensitivity and intelligence , inserting a manipulative scene of animal altruism in which okja risks her life to save her owner ( when , more likely , both would have ended up dead ) .
“that seemed too cartoonish ― i wanted to focus on okja alone , ” the director said , via a translator , referring to the titular super - pig raised blissfully in the south korean countryside by the young mija ( ahn seo - hyun ) .
unlike pete’s dragon , however , okja sees bong joon - ho deploy that sentimental attachment in service of a quite brutal , and devastating , statement about our attitude towards meat consumption . yes , this is the kind of film that turns people vegan .
auditions are currently underway for a young actress to play the lead role in the story , about the friendship between a girl and an animal named okja . production is slated to begin in korea and new york in late 2016 for a 2017 release .
it ' s a testament to bong ' s sprawling ambition that okja manages to be so many things at once - - a caustic satire of corporate evil , an intercontinental action / adventure epic , a coming - of - age narrative for the girl .
okja begins with a splendiferous introduction to its title character . who is okja ? the ecstatic businesswoman lucy mirando ( tilda swinton ) is thrilled to tell us , via multimedia presentation , by revealing to the press and her investors a new kind of “super - pig” her global corporation has discovered . a giant , lumbering beast resembling a hippo ( though with a more baleful face ) , this creature is the future of cuisine , lucy explains , and okja is a prized calf sent to a farm in south korea as part of a worldwide competition to find the best environment for her species . there she’ll roam around the mountains for 10 years , munch on the grass , and becoming a loving companion to young mija ( ahn seo - hyun ) , the farmer’s granddaughter .
netflix has two films in competition , “okja” and noah baumbach’s “the meyerowitz stories . ” french exhibitors are angry that the festival accepted films that do not have a theatrical release first , and consider netflix a threat to the established order of large - screen filmgoing .
the film has become a symbol of the streaming giant ' s disruption of the traditional film business and caused much debate . netflix plans to release okja online - only in most markets , leading to criticism from this year ' s cannes jury president pedro almodovar .
bong joon - ho , the south korean director whose film okja was the subject of much controversy at the cannes film festival last month , has said that he hopes the debate following the film will become a “signal flare” in establishing new rules for similar films .
1 . the cinémathèque is now quite literally the gatekeeper to cannes . after a dispute with netflix about the premiere of okja , which didn’t have a theatrical release , the festival is now requiring all feature - length competition entries to release their films in theaters .
best of all , bong never loses his focus on mija and okja . as okja progresses , the point the director is trying to make becomes more obvious , especially as mija wanders into the bowels of the factory - farming system and experiences its truly unnatural horrors . much as with snowpiercer , it sometimes feels like bong is trying to hit a nail on the head with a sledgehammer—he’s successful at getting his message across , but it gets tougher and tougher to absorb . still , there’s something to be said for that intensity . okja doesn’t want to end on the simple grace note of a happy ending , but it’s also not trying to leave the viewer miserable . it’s a sublime tale of the value of humanity , and the horrors we often have to suffer through to hold on to that .
okja is a superpig - one of 12 bred by the sinister miranda corporation ( led by ceo nancy miranda - a rare high energy comedic performance by swinton ) who is raised in korea by young mija and her grandfather for a decade , whilst they fatten up .
for swinton , a longtime admirer of bong ' s films , starring in
snowpiercer
and
okja
( she also served as a co - producer on the latter ) allowed her to witness the director ' s trademark precision on a more ambitious canvas .
bong also took a jab at the cannes film festival , saying the festival should have sorted out the rule before inviting the okja to screen in competition . last month , french exhibitors were up in arms after the fest selected two netflix titles ( okja and the meyerowitz stories ) to screen in competition . the festival abruptly changed its rules saying from 2018 it would exclude films which didn’t have a theatrical commitment . france operates an arcane windows system that dictates that movies must wait three years after their theatrical release before hitting a streaming platform .
okja is far from a brief on behalf of vegetarianism—mija’s favorite food , it’s noted in one early scene , is chicken stew—but it leaves you with a vision of the capitalist food chain that’s less than morally appetizing . as bong’s ample perspective makes clear , that food chain isn’t just literal but metaphorical . whether or not mija and the alf succeed in their mission to bug the mirando labs and rescue okja , the problems they’re struggling to address—income inequality , environmental pillage , and corporate malfeasance—will outlast their individual story . if you see okja , and i hope you do , stay for the final credits . it’s not often that a stinger scene pops up at the end of a movie , not to pre - sell the inevitable sequel , but to leave you with something to think , wonder , and worry about .
jake gyllenhaal , who plays a flamboyant tv zoologist in okja , also chimed in on the debate . he concluded that a platform of netflix’s size can only be a good thing for the english - korean - language movie , whose budget is estimated at $ 50 million .
according to okja spc , brad pitt ' s plan b entertainment has also come aboard to co - produce the film . the company headed by pitt was behind world war z and 12 years a slave , as well as war machine . netflix invested in the latter .
the company in this case is the fictional mirando corporation , run by rapacious twin sisters lucy and nancy mirando ( both played by tilda swinton ) and fronted by an aggressive steve irwin - style tv personality ( jake gyllenhaal ) . okja is one of 26 genetically enhanced piglets that mirando sends out to be raised on farms all over the world , then recalls to its new york headquarters years later for inspection , breeding and eventual execution — but not if mija , okja ' s caretaker and best friend , has anything to say about it .
based on the details offered by the press release , the project has a very princess mononoke vibe to it , but placed in a more modern setting . described as “a bold , global adventure , ” okja centers on the character mija , “a young girl who must risk everything to prevent a powerful , multi - national company from kidnapping her best friend — a massive animal named ‘okja . ’” bong said in an accompanying statement , “i want to show the beauty that can exist between man and animal , and also the horror between them . ”
but in creating okja’s species as an ecologically sustainable alternative to cattle , has mirando finally reconciled animal agriculture to its ethical and environmental obligations ? animal activists in the film – and in wider society – would strenuously disagree . it’s worth noting here that the director is sympathetic to these claims , having become vegan during the filming of okja – and having borrowed much of the film’s visual rhetoric from footage taken by undercover activist documentarians . in order to settle this question , we need to more carefully explore how sustainability functions as an ethical and political ideal .
okja’s anthropomorphized body—capable of hugs , if not resistance—is manufactured to receive the audience’s pity , while the film’s human agents ( from farmers , to machine operators , to capitalists and consumers ) warrant indifference or scorn . swinton’s mirando can’t seem to find connection—human or otherwise—with anyone . she is too busy crafting a new marketing scheme or signature with which to sign autographs for her carnivorous fans . the meat - eating capitalists , however , are not the only casualties of okja ’s heavy - handed satire . the film’s squad of animal rights activists are likewise presented in two - dimensions as amateurish and self - indulgent . they , too , reveal themselves to be unworthy of sympathy when they craft a scheme to bring down mirando that requires sending okja into the belly of the pork industry , haplessly abetting the super pig’s rape and near slaughter .
spoiler alert ( as if clicking on a story with this title wasn’t just asking to be spoiled ) : mija and okja are reunited at the end of the movie . and they do live happily ever after , but just how they get to that point is absolutely chilling .
steven yeun , jake gyllenhaal , tilda swinton , director bong joon - ho , ahn seo - hyun , lily collins and paul dano attend the
okja
photocall during the 70th annual cannes film festival at palais des festivals on may 19 , 2017 in cannes , france .
in truth , paul dano , jake gyllenhaal , tilda swinton , and the rest of the non - korean cast of okja had a low hurdle to clear . it’s steven yeun — speaking english , korean , and konglish — who was the key to bridging the lingual gap .
it sounds like okja is following a similar casting breakdown as bong joon - ho’s 2013 film snowpiercer , which starred swinton , chris evans , song kang - ho , ko ah - sung , jamie bell , octavia spencer , ed harris , alison pill , and john hurt . the lead in that well - received sci - fi flick fell to evans , but with a korean female character in the lead for okja , my money’s on ko ah - sung . she previously starred in bong joon - ho’s acclaimed monster film , the host , along with song kang - ho , who i fully expect to star in okja as well . another strong candidate for the part is doona bae , who also starred in the host but has been a main player in the wachowski siblings’ recent projects like cloud atlas , jupiter ascending , and sense8 .
okja - featurette ' production diary ' subscribe and click the notification bell here : urltoken subscribe to filmisnow movie trailers : urltoken meet mija , a young girl who risks everything to prevent a powerful , multi - national company from kidnapping her best friend - a massive animal named okja . some of the best and most funniest movie moments happen behind the scenes . filmisnow movie extras channel gives you the latest and best behind the scenes footage , bloopers , interviews , featurettes , deleted / alternate scenes . we give you the before , during and after that goes into making movies .
“’okja’ will receive an unlimited wide release in south korea on june 29 , not just in a few theaters for a limited time , ” said kim woo - taek , ceo of korean distributor next entertainment world . the film will simultaneously be available on netflix’s platform in some 190 countries .
that said , as much as okja has its sobering moments , it’s just as filled with bong joon - ho’s characteristically surreal approach to humour , much of which is derived from seeing a string of highly - acclaimed actors let loose like they’re guest starring on an episode yo gabba gabba ! .
bong joon - ho has been making movies for the last 17 years , becoming one of south korea’s most recognizable filmmakers across the world . but his popularity in his home country isn’t going to be enough to get his new movie , the netflix fantasy adventure “ okja , ” into theaters .
as thr reports , netflix isn’t the only production company backing okja as pitt’s plan b pictures will be co - producing as well . here’s what bong joon - ho had to say about partnering up with pitt’s banner , one of the production companies behind world war z and 12 years a slave :
perhaps the only problem with this movie is that practically everyone in it is so despicable that we can ' t really root for anyone to win . though co - author ronson told heat vision that okja will convert people to vegetarianism , it ' s not as if jay ' s anti - meat activists are a sympathetic bunch . plus , mija ' s favorite food is chicken soup . the film offers its protagonists no recourse to the law , since mirando has its own security force . and there ' s no hope that mirando can be stopped , even if mija succeeds in rescuing okja .
the story centres on the eponymous okja , an animal belonging to a new species that has been genetically engineered to fulfil the developed world’s boundless appetite for meat , while minimising the environmental impact of its production . in the words of ceo lucy mirando ( played by the always wonderful tilda swinton ) :
even now i still can’t get over snowpiercer , a refreshing piece of sci - fi from south korean filmmaker bong joon ho that debuted in 2013 with incredible performances . three years later , ho has begun filming on his next effort , a film titled okja that reunites him with the transformative tilda swinton .
there remains consternation within the film industry about netflix’s distribution model , with last month’s cannes festival ( where okja premiered in competition ) becoming the focus of heated debates about “real films” being shown in cinemas , not on television screens . yet who else would have backed such an adventurous movie , which swings between child’s - eye adventure , dystopian slapstick , and poignantly chilling atrocity , and on which bong had final - cut freedom to follow his instincts , no matter how wild or weird ? okja deserves to be seen in a cinema , but we have streaming services like netflix to thank for its strange existence .
okja raises as many existential questions as it will vegetarians ( the abattoir scenes are pretty tough to swallow ) but with standout scenes include battling tranquilliser guns with umbrellas , jake gyllenhaal playing a real life ned flanders and a brilliant use of john denver’s ‘annie’s song’ - this “adult’s pete’s dragon” is quite special .
“it really is a fantastic opportunity for me as a filmmaker , ” bong said in a statement . “for okja , i needed a bigger budget than i had for snowpiercer and also complete creative freedom . netflix offered me the two conditions that are difficult to have in hand simultaneously , ” he said .
the controversy at cannes was due to the fact that neither of netflix’s competition entires , “okja” and noah baumbach’s “the meyerowitz stories , ” had french theatrical release dates . the festival ended up changing its rules to state that any future film that wants to compete at cannes must be released in french theaters .
with a burning sense of injustice only the young can feel , mija refuses to take the loss of okja lying down . embarking on an audacious mission to rescue the beloved beast and bring her home , mija joins forces with a gang of dapper but ethically conflicted animal welfare activists led by jay ( paul dano ) and k ( steve yeun ) . a superbly staged truck chase through seoul , climaxing with okja smashing up a subterranean shopping mall to the ironic strains of john denver ' s sappy pop classic
annie ' s song ,
provides one of the film ' s set - piece action highlights .
speaking at the press conference for okja , swinton suggested the controversy had been overplayed . “let’s be honest , there are thousands of films at cannes that won’t be screened in a cinema , ” she said . “it’s an enormous and really interesting conversation . as in every matter there is room for everyone . ”