#scramm

[ghostofthegallows]

I love using my editing powers for stupid reasons LMAO

I saw this on Instagram and new what needed to be done

[walkerhall]

Walker Hall Event Log #1

Event: Movie night!!!!! Film: Sinners (Collie’s pick)

Tonight is the first official Walker Hall movie night! And the turnout exceeded our expectations. Since I don’t want to transcribe us just.. Reacting to a two-hour-long movie, I’ve only noted some points of interest from the recording.

Collie is already in the lounge when I arrive, adjusting chairs. He's visibly trying to contain his excitement.

RH: ..I’ve watched you rearrange the seating like, three times already.

CO: So what? It matters. points to a chair. Sit there.

RH: Huh? There?

CO: Yeah, I have the seating all planned out so you fuckers won’t ruin this movie for yourselves.

RH: I don’t usually ruin things.

CO: “Usually” Is being used very liberally.

...

Scramm arrives carrying Tilly

SC: Movie night! Right baby?

BT: happy squeal

CO: No. Nuh uh. Absolutely not.

SC: What? She’s chill. You have younger siblings! I thought you'd love babies.

CO: I do have younger siblings. I love my siblings, not this random baby. Even then, it's conditional. I didn’t love them when changing a diaper.

SC: Isn’t she just so cute, though? Scramm pushes Tilly into Collie’s arms Don't you miss being a big brother?

CO: I miss my siblings, not your kid.

BT: grabs Collie's collar

CO: …Okay, don't look at me like that. Where’s Cathy?

Cathy removes Tilly from the lounge shortly after.

...

Ray and Pete arrive together, immediately sitting too close

CO: No, no, spread out.

RG: What?

PM: Why?

CO: Funny as you are, you guys talk way too much. It's distracting as hell.

PM: laughs We don't talk that much.

CO: You talk, you giggle, and you stare. Sickening stuff.

They still insist that they sit together, and Collie eventually gives up and just has them sit at the back of the room.

...

PS (Patrick Smith): So are these vampires… like, hot, or..?

HO: They better fuckin’ be.

Several sets of eyes look between Olson and Clementine

CL (Clementine): Hank.

HO: What?

CL: Elaborate on that?

HO: …I'm done talking.

...

HO: Holy shit... Is this movie really this long? Can we watch something like green porno?

RG: The fuck is green porno?

HO: It's just a lady dressing up as various creatures and showing how they fuck. 

CL: smiles warningly Hank…

HO: It’s good! Let’s watch like- an episode. They’re like 3 minutes.

PM: For once… I disagree. I’m not watching something called green porno.

PS: Speak for yourself!

Silence

Tressler snorts and stifles a laugh.

GB: Y-You sound like my fucking meemaw!

HO: The fuck is a ‘meemaw’?

GB: Fuck you, I was just- just kidding al-

MW (Marty): -I think we should respect Collie’s pick.

CO: Thank you, Marty.

...

The movie begins, and for a few minutes, there is peace.

...

GB: laughs at an inappropriate moment

RG: from the back Shut the fuck up, Barkovitch.

GB: bristles You shut the fuck up, bunch of fuckin’ queers.

PM: Oh you tryna suck this dick Barkovitch?

GB: Sounds like you wanna eat my fuckin’ meat, you sick fuck.

AB: Hey, hey, we’re all just trying to enjoy the movie.

Tension diffuses and Barkovitch reluctantly slumps in his seat

GB: ..Whatever.

RS (Rank Sanders): quietly to Collie He's probably going to start again.

CO: If he does, I'm kicking him out.

...

Art leans over to check in with different people periodically.

AB: to Harkess You good?

RH: I'm great.

AB: You followin’?

RH: I think so.

…

AB: to Rank You okay?

RS: folding

Yeah.

…

AB: to Hank You good?

HO: Jesus, lean back, man. We’re doing fine.

We’ll debrief post-movie.

...

RG: whispering to Pete You're staring again.

PM: nudges Ray So are you.

RG: I'm not.

PM: You are.

...

Marty attempts to initiate discussion after the film.

MW: So what did everyone think about the themes-

HO: Can we watch green porno now?

CO: Fucking drop it Hank! I’m not watching that weird ass series.  We just watched a beautiful fuckin’ movie, and that's still all you can think about?

HO: It's fucking educational!

CO: When would I fucking ever need to know how worms go at it?

HO: What if you need to make a compost pile?

CO: If I ever need a compost pile, I’m already a lost cause. I was born in air conditioning and I intend to die there!

PM: He’s kinda onto somethin’ Hank… 

HO: You pussies just can’t handle a little heat or wind.

PM: I can handle it- But why would I want to?

RG: Whispering to himself Fucckkk the AC goes out at my house all of the time.

PM: What’d you say, Ray?

RG: … Nothing.

MW: Wait, no one answered my question..

HO: to Marty Well, I liked all the talk about clam diving. … Y'know, feasting on the yeast. The hymen lick manoeuvre.

silence

MW: …Anyone else?

HO: What? It's the breakfast of fuckin' champions.

CL: Aside from Hank's objectification of them just now… The women were depicted beautifully. I might've fallen in love with Annie.

RG: Yeah, all the characters, really. They set everything up so well that I actually gave a fuck about them when things went to shit.

ET: Incredible sound design.

RH: Gorgeous cinematography, too!

MW: It's like From Dusk Till Dawn… but not made by a racist.

CO: Oh, I fuckin' hate Tarantino.

...

CL: to Hank, low voice We are not watching that, Hank, it's weird.

HO: One episode.

CL: No.

HO: Okay.. Half an episode.

CL: Hank.

HO: Fine!

…

PS (Patrick smith): to Marty I still think we should've watched that weird animal thing.

MW: You're so fucking weird, dude.

PS: flashes a crooked grin What the fuck?! I'm charming!

...

Harkness note: You may have noticed the lack of Tressler lines; he did not react outwardly to anything in the movie. But he did say “wow” once, and you know what, I feel like it carried weight.

The Clementine interview will be posted soon!

[binarystarkillers]

Have you watched the movie for The Long Walk yet?? Would love to know what you thought about it!

!!!THIS CONTAINS MASSIVE MASSIVE SPOILERS ABOVE AND BELOW THE CUT!!

I saw the film last night with Rowan (BollaceWallace on ao3, ifykyk) and I do, in fact, have opinions. Most of them are negative, but in the interest of fairness I’ll go over some of the things I enjoyed first:

Tut Nyout did a brilliant job as Art Baker. While I have a few criticisms with the way Baker was written, his acting and body language felt so true to the character.

I really loved the southern gothic elements to the visuals! Especially the shot in act i of the woman outside the church. The way she and Ray stare at each other genuinely gave me chills.

The sound design was excellent! The way the soundtracks, screams, fireworks etc all blended together was well-done

Roman Griffin Davies gave a wonderful performance, as always. He’s not in the film for long but boy does he pack a punch

David Jonsson also impressed me throughout the film

I really enjoyed the cadence of Garraty and McVries’ banter, especially in the quieter moments. The ebb and flow of their conversation felt very true to form to me

I’m not going to lie and say that Ray’s last words being “I love you, Pete” hasn’t been playing in my head on loop since I heard it

I did actually get chills when I read Ray’s name at the beginning. Also maybe this is a reach but it did feel a bit like a Stand By Me reference and I did thoroughly enjoy that

The scene where Pearson tries to cheer for the Musketeers and Pete is like ??? Who are you get away did in fact make me laugh

And now, I present: the negatives. I'm putting this under a cut because it's so, so long.

As a quick precursor: I do have some issues with how Pete and Art were written, and I do talk abut them below. I am as white as paper, and so have no lived experience with some of the negative tropes I’m going to bring up. If I handle anything poorly please do reach out and I will correct it.

It really did feel like they were sacrificing emotional depth in favour of gratuitous, drawn-out execution scenes.

I hated Garraty’s motivations. Especially given he thinks his father was an idiot in the book, it felt so unnatural and forced. The rant he went on about how nobody actually has a choice is stupid as fuck as well, especially given how Curley snuck in. 

The backstory with his father does not fit in naturally, and explicitly killing him on screen strips the story of all of its intrigue. I’ve always thought getting Squaded was a pretty intentional 1984 reference, with those who dissent simply vanishing.

The exposition about “””the war””” was out of place and the Major’s opening explanation of how the Walk is designed to make America “number one again” contradicts some of the messaging in the original book about the military and Vietnam

As @47-61 said when we were talking about it, McVries’ movie storyline is insulting to both the character and the audience. Frankly, I found it racist as hell. I understand that they were likely hesitant about showing the plotline with Priscilla and accidentally perpetuating the trope of the sexually aggressive Black man, but instead of handling it with care or grace they leaned on a bunch of different, also racist, tropes. Having one of the main Black characters be abused by a family member, become homeless, and getting his scar from “picking a fight with the wrong guy” is not the step up they think it is.

I also think they should have rethought the conversation about money between Ray and Art—it’s a fascinating scene in the book, but in the film it doesn’t sit well with me, mainly because it’s a white man who grew up comfortably telling a Black man who has struggled financially his entire life that he just needs to “stop thinking about money” and to realize that he’s just “buying into the system” when he is, in fact, trying to survive.

ALSO I don’t understand why they cut out all of Art’s mortuary backstory! Some of the conversations Art has with the rest of the Musketeers about his uncle being an undertaker and his role in that are my favourite parts in the book. And the lead-lined coffins line is iconic.

If they were going to include his death and his wife, I really don’t understand why they wouldn’t just put Scramm in the film.

On that note, revealing that Hank was married was so out of left field. It also stripped that reveal of any meaning. In the book, Scramm is sixteen, and his wife is pregnant. He’s joined the Walk out of desperation for them. Personally, I find that so heart-wrenching, and the promise to send Cathy money to help support her and their kid is one of the most human, beautiful moments of the book. Hank is an adult in the film, and his wife isn’t pregnant. It feels like a superfluous detail thrown in at the end, or a sneaky wink to book fans.

WHERE WAS SEEING HOW THE WALKERS REACTED TO THE CROWD!

WHERE WAS THE CROWD

WHERE WAS THE FUCKING CROWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The ending. I was genuinely shocked that Ray died, but that didn’t piss me off. What pissed me off was the Major dying. This is just interpretation, but To Me a lot of the tragedy of the final act is that we’ve been experiencing all of this horror, and we know that nothing is going to change. It’s going to happen again. The cheering children in the crowd are going to sign up next year. The Major is still everybody’s father. They were just another cog in the wheel. Killing the major strips the story of the military-esque horror that this will happen again. Nothing will change.

[ladypaperwriterson]

The Long Walk - 2nd Viewing (additional thoughts)

Okay, so, a few supplementary thoughts I had upon 2nd viewing.

Things I appreciated:

The Score: seriously, wow. Every single soundtrack made me emotional. Mad respect for Jeremiah Fraites.

Collie Parker: his death was both devastating and absolutely epic. I loved his native song, very curious as to whether it was scripted or an element that Joshua Odjick added himself in his performance.

Stebbins's 2nd pair of shoes: I was very pleasantly surprised to see they kept that detail from the book! It was never explicitly mentioned, that's why I didn't notice it the first time, but I do appreciate these cute little Easter eggs for the book readers. For the movie viewers who haven't read the book: Stebbins is the only character who was smart and wise enough to bring a second pair of shoes. Goes to show how he was more prepared than anyone else. I will say though that, since they went ahead and made his character more noble and proud, I would have appreciated it if, when he said his goodbyes, he gave Garraty his spare pair of shoes. I think it would have been a very sweet detail to add, and it would have also explained how come Ray's feet weren't completely mangled by the end of the Walk.

The Major: I wasn't sure how I felt about Mark Hamill's performance upon first viewing, I had mixed feelings about how over the top he was. Upon second viewing, I can say that it does indeed work for me.

"Good luck, son": Forgot to mention it in my first review, but I was so HYPED at that little detail, which would seem insignificant to anyone who hasn't read the book, just a random line, until Stebbins reveals his identity. Brilliant addition, brilliant delivery by Mark Hamill, brilliant reaction by Garrett Wareing.

"Billy, Stebbins": We never got Stebbins's first name in the novel. Billy is actually very fitting for him, for both movie and novel.

Jan: I was actually kinda glad we focused on Ray's relationship with his mom rather than his girlfriend. It was so much more powerful and impactful. In the book, it was kinda strange to me that Ray was more happy to see her than his mom.

David Jonsson: What.A.Freaking.Beautiful.Man. 👀

~~~

Things that annoyed me:

Stebbins: I'm so sorry, I just can't get over it; this is by far the biggest issue I have with the movie and it will never stop bothering me. I cannot possibly tell you how hyped I was to get book!Stebbins - only for the movie to throw Scramm's storyline at him and water that evil genius down to a nothingburger. Sorry, I really do hate this, I'll never stop talking about it. He was the most anticipated character for me, because he is by far the most complex and intriguing (even if he's not your fave), and they truly, completely messed him up. I'll never forget, I'll never forgive. Non-book readers, just know this; we were all absolutely ROBBED from something truly spectacular. (That said, and to be fair, Garrett Wareing delivered a beautiful performance, considering what he had to work with, and I very much appreciated his acting skills - so many young, talented people in this movie, an entire new generation of A+ actors).

Scramm: I honestly cannot fathom why on earth they chose not to include him, especially since it's very clear they were so invested in his storyline! It's not a runtime issue. Just cut one of Ray's monologues and make the movie 15 minutes longer and voilà - Scramm. Also, since they did decide not to include him, I'll say that his entire storyline should have been given to either Collie or Art (instead of breaking it between Stebbins and Olson, which was frankly such an odd choice).

The Crowd: I completely understand why they couldn't keep this element throughout the entire movie (insane logistics, budget would have gotten completely out of hand, a true hell to shoot for both actors and crew), but come on, man; they could have at least given us a PROPER taste of it in the final scene. Watching a crazed, absolutely insane arena mass thirsting to watch one of these already half-dead boys getting his brains blown up would have been spine chilling - absolute horror. They could have given us that much at least.

Revenge: nah, it just doesn't do it for me. Both 'Revenge will consume you 'cause it's bad for the soul' and 'good character embraces revenge at the end even though he was against it at first' are way too overplayed and overused Hollywood tropes that simply didn't have a place in a story as deep and symbolic as this one. Also, having the Major being the one to personally execute Ray's dad was extremely stupid and extremely cringe.

The Ending: doesn't work at all, I'm sorry. Underwhelming and anti-climactic. Ties to what I said above about the Revenge storyline. Plus, since they did decide to go with extreme ambiguity, why not just keep the dark figure from the book as well? Nah, it was a bad ending. The book's was way better.

[paulmescalien]

[girlboss-emporium]

the long walk dudes as my favorite posts part 4

[kneesocks-hq]

Had the idea for a fic where after Ray and Pete win the long walk there's a big revolution and the walk is ended, but instead of being killed the major is put on trial and former winners have to testify. Anyway I'm doing all of this so I can write in Scramm as a former lomg walk winner.

[trival-obsession]

Movie!Stebbins and Scramm would be besties. Scramm would love him so much and M!Stebbins would have a fitness nut friend who inspires kindness within him and then they’d trade cough medicine.

Book!Stebbins would hate M!Stebbins. I can’t really articulate why but B!Stebbins would be annoyed on sight.