Cameron H.

I wouldn’t say it’s there to remind her so much as to make her aware of how much time she has left (and provide a handy ticking clock for the audience :)/> ) I kind of doubt she was born with 5,844 on her hand. They don’t say (as far as I can recall), but I’d say it would be reasonable to assume that “365” might have appeared on her hand on her 15th birthday. As far as blending in at school, she’s not even supposed to be going to that school in the first place. She’s only there because she’s convinced Macon to let her be a normal-ish teenager until her claiming. Her compromise was to “not have friends.” I assume the hope was that she would just lay low and no one would ever get close enough to notice the tattoo. The only reason Ethan catches it is because he’s into her. The rest of the school is too busy accusing her of consorting with the Devil.

I think it’s more that Macon, a centuries old immortal, is simply enamored by the concept of Google. It’s sort of like how Arthur Weasley is obsessed with Muggle artifacts in the Harry Potter movies/books. He mentions Google in the same way an older relative might tell you how they just joined the Twitter. He’s simply impressed by something we all take for granted. So, no, I don’t think he’s magicking Google search results or anything, but it is entirely possibly that magic might be involved in whatever strange phenomenon he’s trying to normalize by having them look it up for themselves.

I don’t remember much, but I seem to recall it being reverse gendered Twilight. He’s the narrator and he just kind of obsessively pines over her while she treats him like garbage. Anything unique in this re-telling in the teen paranormal romance genre (e.g. their appreciation for literature) is not present in the books. I will say that I was (ironically) amused enough by it that I tried to read the sequel, but I bailed on it about a third of the way through. They are not well-written. This is better.

I mean, I get the literary precedence. I'm not trying to suggest that Beautiful Creatures is breaking new ground or anything. Nor do I think it's trying to. As you said, the movie doesn't make any mention of any other relatives, and if he had relatives, my assumption would be that they would also live in Gatlin, as, according to Ethan, Gatlin is a place for people "too stupid to leave or too stuck to move." So if he doesn't have any other relatives, it's more likely that, if his father could no longer care for him, he would be placed in foster care or that a close friend of the family - not necessarily a relative - would be given guardianship. It's probably a provision in a their Will. And it’s possible that's exactly what's going on. Maybe Amma is his legal guardian, but she is allowing him his independence. My point is, if that’s the case, and there’s help available, why not allow his father get some professional help? We also know his friend is fatherless. So if his friend’s mother has been institutionalized, what's going on with him? What’s he been doing for six months? As far as hinting that "Ethan being a caster," I doubt it. Especially since the movie explicitly shows him unable to touch the books that they say only casters can touch.They also constantly talk about how he's a "mortal" and their relationship is "forbidden." It wouldn't make any sense to then say, "Psych! He's a caster, too!" I think the idea is that a caster, (Macon/the Civil War Caster), fell in forbidden love with a mortal, (his mother/ the Civil War soldier), and that his relationship with Lena is paralleling that. It's a whole Romeo & Juliet thing.

Yeah, Amma (stupid auto-correct) is Viola Davis. She worked with Ethan's mother at the library and is a family friend. She has been helping out since his mother died since his father isn't really present anymore. You didn't miss any scenes or anything. It is all inferred. She comes over and he tells her his dad hasn't been eating, he tells Lena that his mother died in a car crash, etc. As far as the sanitarium line, it's right at the end as they are about to go tour colleges. His friend is like, “do you mind if we stop by on our way out of town,” suggesting that Sarafine possessing his mother has driven her insane. I'm not trying to say that Ethan's father's breakdown is similar to witch possession, but if there's a local place that can maybe help him out, why not admit him?

First of all, the movie is nothing like the book. There are zero literary references in it. The book is way worse. That line actually is after he’s complained about how the dumb people keep re-enacting the Civil War “like it’s going to turn out different.” He goes on to complain about how slow it is to change, that they have more churches than libraries, and too many banned books. The full quote Fister was referencing is: “I can understand why young men signed up for the Civil War. Anything is better than a life standing still.” I don’t really want to make any assumptions, but has anyone here ever lived in a truly small town? I haven’t, but I’ve been to my fair share. I’ve met people who’ve joined the military just to get out of their one stoplight town. It’s fucking bleak. The Battle of Honey Hill is literally the only significant thing to ever occur in Gatlin. And since then, as Ethan states, no one has ever really left. I feel like this is just as tragic a start for your protagonist as having him raised in a cupboard under the stairs - except more people can actually relate to it. As far as the “Lost Cause,” I don’t think this is on display here. It’s not Gone With the Wind longing for a glorious past, or even The Searchers where Union soldiers are mocked as being cowardly and ineffectual. Most of the characters, at least the good characters, don’t want anything to do with the Civil War or it’s re-enactments. They want to watch Aliens instead. Most of the places Ethan wants to go are up North. The only reason the Civil War is invoked at all is to provide a metaphor for the internal (Good vs. Evil) and external wars (family strife) that Ethan and Lena are facing. Sorry for any typos. I’m cooking breakfast

I have read the book, but it’s been awhile and I really don’t remember any specifics. Basically, in the movie, after Ethan’s mother died, his father completely checks out. His absence in the movie is intentional. He’s more of a presence than a character. In a lot of ways, Ethan would have been better off had his father died, too. So now, this 16-year-old kid feels saddled with with the responsibility of caring for his father. He wants to leave Gatlin, but he also feels guilty for wanting to leave. Deep down he’s scared that because of his father, he’ll never do the things he wants to do and that he will end up resenting him for it - which makes him feel even more guilty. What I don’t understand is that his friend says he wants to drive by the sanitarium to see his mother (Emma Thompson) before they leave town. This is not only tragic, but it suggests little old Gatlin has a place for people to go who have suffered breakdowns. I wonder why Ethan and Amma never had his father admitted there while he dealt with his grief. It seems weird that they were like, “ Yeah, there’s a place in town specifically made to deal with this kind of thing, but no worries, we got this...”

Yeah, but that line doesn’t mean he wants to bring back slavery or something. It means that when people have nothing going on in their lives, and everything seems pointless, they have a tendency to grasp for something - anything - that might give their life purpose. The danger is, out of this desperation, people can be easily tempted to follow the wrong path. That line establishes that he’s insightful enough to recognize why the people in his town are the way they are. It also conveys how, in a weird way, he wishes he could find the same sense of purpose that they get from their Religion or Re-enactments, he just can’t. He’s not advocating for the Confederacy. He’s saying the exact opposite. He’s saying that while he’s envious that the people around him have managed to cobble together some sort of meaning out of their lives, he won’t allow himself to fall into - what he sees as - a pit of complacent ignorance. He’s saying that he’s not going to be a part of their cult. This is why Macon’s spell is so upsetting. It’s forces him to face the (very real) reality that, in the end, they might actually win, and he might succumb to his town’s narrow-mindedness.

Ha! No, it’s cool. I got where you were coming from.

Yes and No. I was born in Canada, but I lived in South Florida until I was 14 - which, admittedly, doesn’t really count as it’s more like being raised in the North. So I never had to make the accent choice. However, after Freshman year, I moved to North Florida which is more “South” - if you get me. Currently, I live in Georgia. I totally agree about accents not being equal. You’re right about Elvis’ being almost Cajun. Lansbury’s definitely sounds Georgian to my ears. I guess I’m getting silly and defensive about calling some of these accents “bad.” Just because it doesn’t sound like the type of “Southern Accent” a person is familiar with, doesn’t mean it’s a bad accent. It’s like saying an actor doing an Irish accent is doing it poorly because the actor doesn’t sound like the Lucky Charms mascot.

I agree, but considering the point of her character is to be obnoxious, I think she’s doing just fine. I mean, her husband threatens to “ring her fool neck” at one point - because in the 60’s, spousal abuse was hilarious. Also, considering the point Cam brought up about her family actually being from the North, I’m willing to believe that maybe Angela Lansbury (not necessarily the director) was trying to come off as disingenuous - everything about her was artifice, including the accent.

I’m so jealous! You’ve got a lot of cool stuff that’s about to happen. I have to admit, though, “Petals to the Metal” and “Murder on the Rockport Unlimited” are my two favorite arcs. There’s so much good coming up, but those are my absolute favorites. Angus MacDonald 4ever!

I love The Adventure Zone. As far as them calling Clint “Daddy” it helps if you think it started out of a facetious goof or something. I never used to call my father “sir” but started doing it sarcastically, and now I do it all the time. I’m not saying that’s what’s going on with the McElroy’s, but maybe. I’m glad someone else is listening to the Zone, though. I hopped in on maybe episode 5 or 6. I’ve been advocating for it for awhile. I’ll admit, though. I haven’t really listened to anything beyond the “Balance” arc. Griffin started getting on my nerves. And Clint’s superhero thing didn’t really grab me. If you aren’t already listening to it already, My Brother My Brother and Me is really good. So is Sawbones. Although, HDTGM is the only podcast I really have time for anymore. Re: Lansbury I don’t really have an issue with it. I think it’s the same accent she use in The Long, Hot Summer. Where I live, I hear everything from no accent (like me) to incoherent gobbledegook. I just didn’t find it any worse than say Forest Gump, Driving Miss Daisy, or Fried Green Tomatoes. I guess it just didn’t sound “fake” to me. Now whether it’s pleasant on the ears, that’s just a matter of preference;)

Shot in the Dark: The Adventure Zone? As far as accents go, from someone who lives in the South and hears a ton of different accents every single day, I wasn’t bothered by it. I honestly didn’t find the ones in Beautiful Creatures to be totally ridiculous either.

I guess I’ll just have to binge watch Friends ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It came on right as I read this! You know what that means? We’re Pet Shop Buddies! (Can you believe I couldn’t find a single gif of Air Bud high-fiving a kid or something. What are those movies even about if not that?)

My whole night is the Pet Shop Boys now. Currently listening to “Rent.”

Whoa, now! I just learned that Elvis did a cover of Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind.” So, I think my favorite Elvis song is this:

Sonuvabitch! I've been trying to go through them all for the past year. This will be awesome, but I'm not watching MASH again. ;)/>

Jeezy Creezy... Anyway the correct answer is: 1) Veronica 2) The Other Side of Summer 3) Radio Radio 4) Everyday I Write the Book 5) (What's so Funny 'Bout) Peace Love and Understanding

I feel like it's worth asking: what's everyone's favorite Elvis song? (remixes and covers are allowed) For me, I think it's a toss up between "Kentucky Rain" and Suspicious Minds" with KR just narrowly edging out SM. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywiXy-9X4F8

I mean, I'm not going to bet my life on IMDb Trivia or anything...

Okay, fuck it. In this scene, Elvis is trying to convince a little girl to be brave and slide down a fucking slide. You will notice that the music is decidedly not “Rock and/or Roll.” In fact, it sounds like something Rogers and Hammerstein might have written after getting really drunk and smashing their heads into a cinderblock wall. ETA: Some points of interest: • The slide girl later became a professional ballerina. • Yes, that’s Bill Bixby who walks in at the end. • In case you were wondering, this scene’s relevance to the plot is tenuous at best.

In that picture, he kind of looks like if Marlon Brando and Corey Feldman had a baby.

Yeah, Clambake popped up and I just figured, if I was ever going to watch it, this would be the week. I was a little bummed when I realized it was a latter day Elvis movie. Currently, none of his other movies appear to be streaming - which is unfortunate :(/>