Pacing
Finally Sat Down to Watch Midsommar (2019)
Ari Aster's 2019 film Midsommar represents an ambitious and polarizing entry in contemporary horror cinema. Following his acclaimed debut *Hereditary*, Aster crafts a folk horror experience that deliberately inverts the genre's visual conventions while exploring the dissolution of a toxic relationship against the backdrop of a Swedish pagan festival. The result is a film that is simultaneously beautiful and disturbing, meditative and visceral, earning both ardent admirers and vocal detractors.
By Parsley Rose about a year ago in Critique
Returning to Vocal and Writing
Wow. It's been a wild ride the past five years. From telemarketing in 2021, to a failed craft business in 2022, to Vanlifing in 2023, to wasting tons of money in 2024, to hiding in my four walls in 2025. Bizarre, absolutely bizarre. I have horror stories and comical stories. I have romantic stories and tragic stories. But most of all, I have my own emotional journey story and that begins with coming back to the world wide web to continue my writing career. And that begins with the two websites that have prompted me to call myself a professional writer: Vocal.media and allpoetry.com.
By Shanon Angermeyer Normanabout a year ago in Critique
Vanessa Kirby Breaks Bad in "Night Always Comes"
In a cinematic moment where thrillers are often dressed in glossy action tropes, Night Always Comes strikes a rawer note, placing Vanessa Kirby at the heart of a story as much about America’s crumbling safety nets as about a woman’s descent into crime.
By Sara Yahiaabout a year ago in Critique
Ink That Bleeds
Elias Thorne sat in his small, cluttered attic studio, the harvest moon spilling pale light through the dusty window. On his desk lay his newest treasure a black fountain pen with a gold nib, bought from a shadowy antique shop in Prague. The shopkeeper, an old man with ink-stained fingers, had handed it over with a strange smile. "This pen writes truths," he whispered, "and truths become reality." Elias had laughed it off as a sales trick. But now, staring at the pen, he felt a twinge of excitement. He was a failing novelist, worn down by rejection after rejection. Tonight, he decided, he would start the thriller that would save his career. The pen’s ink flowed like midnight water, smooth and dark. Elias wrote: "The killer claimed his first victim, Mayor Harlan, in a freak accident on Elm Street. A loose manhole cover swallowed him whole during his evening jog." He leaned back, sipping his whiskey. The words felt… alive. The next morning, Elias woke to sirens outside. Turning on the news, he froze. Mayor Harlan had died the exact way he had written fallen into an open manhole on Elm Street. It had to be coincidence. But that night, he wrote again. This time: "Detective Lila Voss dies, poisoned by her own coffee." The pen felt warm in his hand, almost pulsing. Elias could picture her gasping for breath, clutching her throat. By morning, the radio confirmed it. Detective Lila Voss was dead poisoned. Elias’s heart pounded. The pen was no ordinary pen. Somehow, his words were becoming real. At first, he tested it harmlessly. "Old Mrs. Finch passes away peacefully in her sleep." Sure enough, the paper reported her death the next day. Then came the temptation. His literary agent, who’d been ignoring him for months? Dead from a sudden heart attack. A rival author? Struck by lightning. A critic? Killed in a car crash. One by one, the obstacles in Elias’s life disappeared. And each time, the town grew more afraid. People spoke of a shadow killer, a curse. One night, Elias dreamed of the pen’s past. He saw a 19th-century scribe whose writings sparked real wars, toppling kings and destroying lives. In the dream, the scribe tried to destroy the pen, but it survived waiting for another writer. When Elias woke, he vowed to stop. He locked the pen in a drawer. But at night, it called to him. Write me… He tried to write something good. "The killer is caught. Justice is served." But the ink twisted his words into something else: "The writer becomes the final victim." The next morning, news broke. Police had found Elias’s manuscript, which described the murders before they happened. He was the prime suspect. Sirens wailed outside his window. Panicked, Elias snatched the pen. He tried to write an ending that would undo it all: "The pen breaks, the curse is gone." But the pen bled ink like warm blood, staining his hands. Pain shot through his chest. Visions of every victim filled his mind their faces pale, their eyes accusing. Elias collapsed. Pages scattered across the floor. His last sight was of his final line, written in dark, wet ink that looked too much like blood: "And the writer bled out, alone, his story unfinished." The pen rolled under the desk, still gleaming. Far away, in the quiet antique shop in Prague, the old man at the counter smiled faintly. Somewhere, the curse had ended and somewhere else, it was about to begin again.
By Muzamil khanabout a year ago in Critique
Current Writing
Introduction I often write about where I am with my writing and why I am at this place, so this is just another one of those. I write these to hopefully give people ideas and let them know that whatever they are doing is the right thing for them.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred about a year ago in Critique
Tunisian Man Sentenced to Six Months in Jail for Refusing to Listen to President's Speech
In a development that has sparked serious concerns among human rights activists and international observers, a Tunisian citizen has been sentenced to six months in prison for refusing to listen to a televised speech by President Kais Saied. The unusual and controversial sentence, handed down by a local court, has once again brought Tunisia's declining state of freedom of expression under the spotlight. According to the citizen’s lawyer, Adel Saghir, the case began when the man, already incarcerated on a separate charge, declined to watch or listen to a presidential address broadcasted on national television. This occurred within a local prison facility, during a news bulletin that featured live coverage of President Saied's activities. The Case and the Charges The incident came to light when one of the man’s fellow inmates reported his refusal to prison authorities. An investigation followed, and the prisoner was later charged under Article 67 of the Tunisian Penal Code, which traditionally deals with offenses against the head of state. However, perhaps sensing the political sensitivity of invoking this article, the court eventually dropped the original charge and sentenced him under public decency laws instead. According to the court's reasoning, refusing to listen to the president’s speech amounted to “indecent behavior in public” and “setting a poor example for society.” The verdict, Saghir claims, was politically motivated, despite attempts to frame it as a non-political issue. The modification of charges was allegedly done to avoid labeling the case as one of political repression or a direct attack on freedom of thought. > “The authorities did not want this to be seen as a political punishment, so they shifted the charge to a vague violation of public decency,” said the lawyer. “But everyone knows the real issue was the refusal to comply with what they consider a show of loyalty to the president.” What Happened in Prison? The man was reportedly in a provincial detention facility, where he was serving time for a prior, unrelated case that had recently concluded. During the airing of the president’s speech, when asked to watch the broadcast, he refused, saying he had no interest in the president’s activities or speeches. It is also reported that he may have made disrespectful comments about the president during that time, which further fueled the legal response. Human rights NGO Tunisia League for Human Rights confirmed that the man had completed his sentence in the earlier case and was on the verge of release. His family had been preparing for his return home. However, this new charge blocked his release, resulting in yet another prison term. According to the NGO, “The man did not commit any criminal offense in a conventional sense. He merely expressed disinterest in a political figure’s speech. The decision to imprison him again is not only unjust—it is alarming.” Broader Context: Tunisia's Shrinking Civic Space Since his controversial power grab in 2021, President Kais Saied has been widely criticized for eroding democratic norms in Tunisia. He dissolved parliament, took control of the judiciary, sidelined political opponents, and passed a new constitution via referendum—moves seen by critics as steering Tunisia toward authoritarianism. Many Tunisian and international observers believe that this latest incident is emblematic of a broader pattern of silencing dissent. Journalists, civil society leaders, and now even ordinary citizens are increasingly finding themselves under threat for expressing views that do not align with the official narrative. > “This is not just about one man refusing to watch a TV broadcast,” said a regional expert on North African politics. “This is about a regime that sees any form of indifference or criticism as a threat to its legitimacy.” A Deal with Italy and Political Anger There is an additional layer to this story. The individual reportedly expressed anger toward President Saied over a recent agreement signed with Italy, which involves cooperation on the deportation of undocumented migrants. The man had previously been deported from Italy after residing there illegally. However, under the new agreement, returning to Tunisia may carry criminal consequences, further complicating the lives of many former Tunisian migrants. This agreement, hailed by some European governments as a breakthrough in controlling migration, has faced criticism inside Tunisia for being exploitative and dangerous for returning citizens. The convicted man’s comments against the president, as per his lawyer, were partly fueled by this personal frustration and political disagreement. International Reaction and Human Rights Concerns Human rights organizations in Tunisia and beyond are calling for the immediate release of the man and a re-evaluation of laws that criminalize nonconformity or dissent. They warn that such actions risk setting a dangerous precedent, where even silence or disinterest can become a punishable offense in an authoritarian system. > “Punishing someone for not watching the president’s speech is a gross violation of personal liberty,” said a representative from Amnesty International. “This is not just repression—it’s absurdity, weaponized.” So far, there has been no official response from the Tunisian presidency or the Ministry of Justice regarding the incident. --- Conclusion This case highlights the increasing crackdown on freedom of expression and political neutrality in Tunisia. What may seem like a minor act of protest—refusing to listen to a televised speech—has led to a six-month prison sentence, underlining the extent to which civic space in Tunisia has deteriorated. As international pressure builds, many are watching to see whether Tunisia will uphold basic human rights—or continue its descent into political repression cloaked under legal formalities.
By Ikram Ullahabout a year ago in Critique
🎼 Music: The Language That Speaks When Words Fail . AI-Generated.
Have you ever listened to a song and felt like it was telling your story—without a single word? Music is a universal language, but not in the way we usually think of language. It doesn’t rely on grammar or vocabulary. Instead, it uses rhythm, melody, harmony, and silence to speak directly to our emotions.
By The Yume Collectiveabout a year ago in Critique
AI's end of an era ? Midjourney vs disney
A historic legal dispute between Disney and Universal against Midjourney AI image generator threatens to transform artificial intelligence regulations. The lawsuit filed on Wednesday claims Midjourney trained its AI model with copyrighted images to enable users to create unauthorized perfect copies of Shrek and Darth Vader and Buzz Lightyear images.
By Melvin Savageabout a year ago in Critique
"Echoes of the Forgotten"
A Journey Through Lost Memories and Hidden Truths The rain had just begun when Elira stepped into her grandmother’s attic for the first time in years. Dust swirled in the air, lit by the pale light seeping through the cracked windowpanes. She was here for closure. After her grandmother's funeral, Elira returned to the house she hadn't visited since childhood, hoping to find something—anything—that would explain the strange dreams that had haunted her for weeks. They weren’t ordinary dreams. They felt real. A golden field beneath a violet sky, a melody played on a strange instrument, a boy with eyes like a storm. Each night, fragments of a life she didn’t recognize surfaced in her mind, growing more vivid, more desperate. While rummaging through a trunk of yellowed letters and old photographs, her fingers brushed against something cold and metallic. A silver locket, its surface engraved with unfamiliar symbols. As soon as she touched it, a pulse of warmth shot through her chest. The attic blurred, her knees buckled—and suddenly, she was standing in that golden field from her dreams. She turned in disbelief. Everything looked exactly as it had in her visions. The violet sky rippled like silk, and wind whispered secrets through the tall grass. A figure stood ahead, half-shadowed. It was the boy. His storm-colored eyes widened. "You’ve returned," he said softly. "But you're... different." Elira stepped back. “Who are you?” The boy tilted his head. “You don’t remember me, do you? Not yet.” Lightning cracked across the sky. When Elira blinked, she was back in the attic, breathless. The locket dangled from her hand, warm against her palm. Shaken, she took it to the local library, desperate for answers. There, she met Callen, a quiet, reclusive archivist who recognized the symbols. “These are from the Valean language,” he said, pulling a faded book from a high shelf. “A culture wiped out during the Cataclysm War... over two hundred years ago.” “That’s impossible,” Elira murmured. “How could I dream about something from two centuries ago?” Callen frowned. “Sometimes the past doesn't die. Sometimes, it sleeps—in blood, in memory.” Together, they began to uncover the truth. Elira was a Descendant, born from a bloodline cursed to forget its origins. During the war, her ancestors sealed away their memories to protect knowledge that could destroy—or save—the world. The locket was the key. Each night, Elira wore it and returned to the dream world. And each time, the boy was waiting. His name was Kaelen. He had been her guardian, her friend—her love—in a life she had forgotten. But the dreams began to shift. Darker images bled through. A masked figure watching from the shadows. Screams in the night. A city crumbling into dust. One night, Kaelen told her the truth. “You weren’t just anyone,” he said. “You were the Keeper of Truth. You held the knowledge to stop the war. But you chose to forget—to seal it away so no one could use it.” Elira’s heart ached with confusion. “Then why now? Why am I remembering?” “Because the war is rising again,” Kaelen said, eyes heavy with sorrow. “And only you can stop it.” In the waking world, Elira and Callen searched for remnants of the lost Valean civilization. Beneath the ruins of a forgotten temple, they found it: a sealed chamber, guarded by ancient glyphs. When Elira placed the locket into a carved indentation, the door groaned open. Inside, the chamber thrummed with power. Murals on the wall showed glimpses of her past life—her and Kaelen standing together, leading others, protecting knowledge too dangerous to exist. At the center stood a crystal pedestal. Resting atop it, a book bound in silver. As Elira opened it, a flood of memories surged back. She remembered the war. The betrayals. The terrible knowledge that could destroy worlds. But she also remembered love, sacrifice, and hope. Kaelen’s voice echoed in her mind. “You don’t have to carry this alone this time.” Elira turned to Callen. “We have a choice. Use this knowledge to stop what’s coming—or seal it away forever, again.” Callen looked at her. “What will you choose?” She closed the book. “This time, I’ll remember. This time, we fight.” The echoes of the forgotten had awakened. And Elira was ready to face them.
By Kaleem Ullahabout a year ago in Critique
Driver Jamuna Hindi Dubbed Review (2025): Worth Watching or Skip?
This week, several South Indian films have been released in Hindi dubbed versions, about which I had limited information. I learned from various sources that one of these films is the Tamil movie which has just been released in Hindi. Let's explore where it has been released and how the movie is received.
By Ayush Vermaabout a year ago in Critique
