Alright Ladies…have at him…erm…it…um…the scene…yeah…anything involving the Professor makes me stoopid crazy in the best way possible…

**********************************************

Belize

“As a prelude to the evening’s bedroom activities, Gabriel finally showed Julia the security footage from their date at the Royal Ontario Museum.

The footage began with Gabriel and Julia admiring Fra Filippo Lippi’s painting Madonna with the Child and Two Angels.  Gabriel stood behind her, his arms wrapped snugly around her waist.

“Does the video have sound?” asked Julia.

“No.”  He mirrored their onscreen selves by wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.  “We can make our own sounds.”

She laughed and turned her attention back to the video.

In it, Gabriel was whispering in her ear and resting his chin on her shoulder. Then he began to move his lips from under her jaw to below her earlobe, nuzzling her. The video even caught the barest hint of his tongue peeking out from between his lips to whisper across her skin.

“The – um – resolution of this video is quite good,” said Julia, feeling flushed.

Gabriel nipped at her ear playfully.  “Why do you think I’ve been watching it on an infinite loop?”

In the video, their lips moved in conversation before Julianne turned to kiss him.  Their kiss began slowly and became more heated as he walked her to a corner of the room.

It was clear that he was backing her up against one of the walls somewhat cautiously.

They seemed to press against one another more closely as his hands travelled down her sides and to her hips before hesitating.

She pulled his hips against hers in response.

His fingers slid to her back and down so that they were cupping her backside before he withdrew from her mouth.

Julia began to fan herself with her hand.  “That’s pretty … hot.”

“You don’t say.”  Gabriel ran his chin across her bare shoulder and began planting open-mouthed kisses up and down her neck.

She moaned.

In the video, Julianne was stroking his hair and pulling him in for another kiss.

His fingers were stroking her curves. His right hand slid down to cup her thigh, pulling her leg upward. He wrapped her thigh around his hip and she squeezed against him.

“That’s my favourite part.  The tango against a wall,” Gabriel’s warm breath whispered across Julia’s ear and she closed her eyes momentarily.

In the video, Julianne moved her hands from his hair to his shoulders and down to his waist before gripping his ass with both hands. She pulled him more tightly against her, pressing her hands against him encouragingly.

His fingers lightly traveled up and down her leg, caressing her thigh.

Without warning, he moved back and her face became visible.  Her eyes were closed and her lips were open and pouting.

He brushed the hair away from her face and her eyelids fluttered open.

He brought their foreheads together and coaxed her leg backwards, helping her to lower it.

“That’s the end,” Gabriel announced, as they watched his figure on the screen take Julianne’s hand in his.  “I’m apologizing to you for getting carried away.”

“And I’m telling you not to worry about it.”

In the video, she placed one of his hands across her heart, palm flat to her chest, between her breasts.

He brushed his thumb against her naked flesh and gently transferred his attention to her mouth, before kissing her reverently and pulling her into a hug.

Then the video faded to black, before starting again.

Gabriel closed his laptop and turned his attention to Julia, a wicked smile on his face.  “Well, what now?”

Julia gestured to the wall near the door to their suite.  “Care to tango?”

“Yes, please.”

With a cry of delight, he picked her up and carried her to the wall before placing her back firmly against it …”

-Sylvain Reynard.

**************************************************

*Picks self up off the floor and grabs hold of a chair to support swoonified legs* OMG! Is your heart just pounding too?!? O. Gabriel. O…no words…

Thanks again SR.

Tamie Xo

************************************************

Julia rolled over and reached across the bed.  Gabriel was gone.  With the sun high in the sky and shining in through the balcony windows she was not surprised by his absence, or by the coolness of the sheets on his side. Clutching his pillow, which still retained the scent of Aramis, she found a handwritten note.

Julia smiled.  It was a simple note, not unlike countless others he’d written for her. But in the bottom corner, almost as an afterthought, he’d sketched her.  It was her profile with her hair flowing over the pillow while she slept, transposed into a small pencil drawing. Underneath it he’d written My Beatrice.

She hadn’t known that he had skill with a pencil, although his dexterity in other respects suggested a multiplicity of manual talents. The sketch was quite good.  She wanted to keep it.

Still smiling, she swung her naked feet to the cold floor and walked gingerly to the closet.  She didn’t feel like wearing clothes.  For the first time perhaps ever, she felt comfortable in her own skin.  So she took one of Gabriel’s dress shirts and put it on, buttoning only a few of the buttons before searching one of the dresser drawers for some socks.

From downstairs, she heard Gabriel’s voice calling. He had returned from his trip to the village.  Enthusiastically, she sped down the stairs and toward the kitchen.

“Hello, Miss Mitchell.”  He kissed her forehead as he set the groceries on the counter.  “You look pretty.”

Hands free, he pecked first one cheek then the other before trapping her in his arms against the counter.

“Did you sleep well?”  His lips moved against her hair.

“Very well.”  She pressed her mouth to his Adam’s apple and he recoiled slightly as if she’d tickled him.  “Thank you for the drawing.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I didn’t know you could draw.”

“Darling, I’d paint you if I could. With my fingers.”

Julia’s mouth hung open and Gabriel chuckled before gently closing her mouth.

“We’ll try finger-painting later.  I like your socks.”  He released her from his arms, smiling slyly.

She looked down at her feet and flexed them.

“Argyle is sexy.”

“I’ve always thought so.  Let me turn the heat up. I don’t want you to catch cold.”  He disappeared into the other room and returned a moment later.  “I’ll build a fire when we sit down for lunch.”

He began unpacking the groceries, watching her from the corner of his eye.  “You seem happy today.”

She hoisted herself up onto the counter and began to swing her legs back and forth.  “I am happy.  I’m in love with a wonderful man and I get to share this fantastic house with him. I’m the luckiest girl in the universe.”

Gabriel’s eyebrows shot up.  “In the universe?  Hmmm. I’m sure the inhabitants of the galaxy next door will be sorry to hear that.”

She playfully poked him with her argyle-covered foot.  “You’re a nerd.”

He turned on her and grabbed her foot, pulling it upwards until her leg was extended to the height of his shoulder. She reclined on her elbows to maintain her balance.

“What did you just call me?”  He feigned anger but his blue eyes twinkled with amusement.

“Um, I called you a nerd.”

He raised a single eyebrow.

“Oh, really? Would a nerd do this?”  Expertly, Gabriel used his fingers to stroke the contours of Julia’s instep, over her sock.

When she sighed at the pleasant sensation, he peeled off her socks before tossing them over his shoulder.

“I think it’s hot enough in here now, don’t you agree?”  His voice was low and provocative and it made Julia quiver.

He slid his hand over her leg, toying with the back of her knee until she closed her eyes and groaned.

“Julianne,” he growled, his eyes dancing.

Y-yes?”

“You aren’t wearing any panties.”

A brilliant red flushed her cheeks and she tried to withdraw her foot, realizing how exposed she was.

“Not so fast.”  With a single finger, he travelled the length of her inner thigh and back again, stroking up and down in a patient rhythm.

She began to breathe rather rapidly as his fingers approached where she was exposed.

“Nerds are not known for their skills in lovemaking.”  Gabriel withdrew his hand and placed his index finger against her lower lip.

She opened her mouth and he pressed his finger inside.  He peered down at her expectantly and she closed in around him, sucking his finger slightly before releasing it.

He winked at her before using his now moistened finger to stroke the inside of her upper thigh.

“Would a nerd know to do this?”  He leaned over and began to blow across the trail of wetness he’d left with his finger.

When Julia shivered and squirmed, he smiled wickedly and nuzzled the same trail with his nose.

Standing up again, he kissed her hungrily and then abruptly retreated.  Before she had the time to protest, he dropped to his knees in front of her.

“Hmmmm,” he said, moving her legs so that they rested on his shoulders again. “This counter seems to be the perfect height. I guess you really are the luckiest girl in the universe.”

*******************************************************

Everybody still alive?!? Breathing?!? Ok good.

Thanks SR! From the bottom of my heart to the top!

Tamie Xo

With no further ado, here it is…

Disclaimer: This is in no way a slam on the psychology profession or psychology majors; it’s simply the point of view of a young pre-med student who is completely uninterested in the subject.  In my next book, Angel After Dark, the main character is a clinical psychologist and she’s damn good at it.  Just wanted to clear that up.

I’ve had requests for this….so here you go:

When Ryan Met Julia…

(Missing scene from The Remembrance Trilogy)

Ryan~

The auditorium was huge, like a massive theater, with lots of young bodies milling around trying to find seats.  Only, it wasn’t the premier of Harry Potter or one of those damn Twilight movies.  It was Stanford University and Psychology 101.  No matter what your major, you had to take some dumbass form of psychology for your liberal arts requirements and since I had plans for med school, this one seemed to fit the bill.  I had no idea so many students would be interested in Community Health Psychology.  Aaron had taken it the semester before.  We’d heard that to make the course bearable, you had to have Dr. Gerrity.   The class was closed by the time I got around to the scheduling session.  I didn’t make the same mistake twice.

I searched for a seat toward the back near the main entrance.  The hell if I wanted to participate, anyway.  I just wanted to show up, sign in, take the tests and ace the fucker.  Cha’ching!  That’s what I did.  Ace shit.  School was always easy.  I knew it and I was slightly arrogant about it.  I fully expected the first two years of undergrad to be a punt and loaded up on credit hours.  I’d even gotten special permission from the dean to take three hours beyond the max class load.  My father and I discussed it and decided it was better to have more classes out of the way, early on, so I could take harder and more note-worthy classes my last two years after I’d declared my major.  We’d shared the same goal for as long as I could remember… Harvard Medical School.  You didn’t get there by taking the bare minimums in anything and if Dad had done one thing, he’d drilled that into me; work your ass off and never expect success to be handed to you.  So far, I hadn’t had to work that hard, but I knew it was only a matter of time.

My parents offered the same opportunities for my adopted brother, Aaron.  We’d grown up together and he moved in with us when his parents were both killed in a car accident.  Aaron struggled more than me; always had.  I helped him quite a bit; especially with math.  So far, we’d only had to take Calc 101, which to me, was just a repeat of my senior year in high school.  This semester was Trigonometry and I wasn’t looking forward to it. It was the most boring part of my requirements, other than this liberal arts shit, but it was necessary.

“I hear Dr. Gerrity is hot.  Let’s sit more toward the front,” a girl with short, black hair and a red mini-skirt giggled as she moved past me.  I rolled my eyes.  For fuck’s sake!

My eyes landed on the back of another girl walking behind the one who was hot for instructor.  She had long, flowing dark hair that looked like a shiny, slick river of deep chocolate as she moved.  It was smooth and looked very soft, dropping to the middle of her back.  My eyes moved lower to her denim encased ass.  Her waist was small and the curve of her hips flowed deliciously out to place emphasis on the bedazzled pockets I was staring at.  There was an ‘M’ embroidered onto one side.  ‘M’ was for Matthews. It was a sign. I grinned because I couldn’t fucking help myself.

I picked up the backpack I’d just placed in one of the seats and followed the two women further down.  For all I knew she could be a troll.  A troll with a stellar ass, maybe, but I hadn’t seen her face.  Then, she spoke and, I knew I had to meet her.

“Ellie, he’s old and I don’t wanna sit in the front.  This class is gonna be lame as it is.  I don’t want to have to join the discussion or put up with you batting your eyelashes at the professor.” Somehow, it didn’t sound like whining.  The same words from someone else would have.  With her, it was more like a statement of fact…. A verbal bitch-slap without the drama.  I loved it.

She stopped and half-turned and I got the first glimpse of her profile.  She was stunning; high cheekbones and delicate features with a slight blush to her cheeks and dusky pink lips.  Her skin seemed flawless; creamy perfection.  If it weren’t for her casual dress, I’d have placed her from some high-crotch, rich-bitch, old- money crowd.  Her breasts were full, but not overly large and suited her frame.  I sucked in my breath.  Yep.  I was definitely going to find out who she was.

“Look, if you want to go ogle the dude, go ahead, but I’m staying up here.” I smiled, stifling a laugh.  Definitely not high-crotch.  I was elated.  She moved into a row about six ahead of me and I searched the surrounding seats. There was one open just behind her to her right.  It would give me the prefect vantage point to observe, undetected.  There was something about her.  I could almost see her intelligence as if it were written on her shirt.  “Morons and bimbos to the left.”   Damn if I couldn’t stop smiling.

People brushed by me and I was knocked in the shoulder as a larger guy passed; but I barely noticed.

“Sorry, dude,” he mumbled.

“No problem,” I said and casually waved him away as I moved toward my objective.

The red-skirt girl stopped and visibly stamped her foot.  “Julia!”

Her name flew around in my brain.  It suited her to a T.  Beautiful, but without the need or desire to shorten it into something less dignified; Like how Grandma Matthews had reduced my Aunt Elizabeth’s name to Betty.  I never understood how Betty came from Elizabeth, anyway.

“What?” The girl with the pretty name simply looked at her friend and stopped, flopping down her book bag and taking her seat.  She patted the one next to her with a teasing smile.  “You’ll have plenty of time to get in the professor’s pants.  Just think of all the opportunities to discuss this bullshit in his office.  Of course, it might be difficult trying to convince him why you care, since psych has nothing to do with your major.”

“Ugh!” her friend relented and threw her body down in the seat next to her.

My hand went to my mouth as I leaned on my elbow.

“Just look around.” Julia motioned with her hand.  “There are plenty of hot guys who aren’t geriatric.” She shrugged.  “Choose,” she said with a small giggle, digging out her notebook and a pen.  “Besides, what about Jason?”

“Nope.  He’s your boyfriend.”

“Yeah. He makes my mouth water,” she said, tongue-in-cheek.  The two of them burst out laughing and I found myself wondering about this poor bastard, Jason.  Julia’s laugh was infectious. I noticed how the people around her noticed her, most of the men doing a double-take.  I didn’t bother trying to hide my admiration and watched her openly.

A pretty blonde next to me was staring, wide-eyed at me.  “I’m really looking forward to this class.  I took a college credit course from the UCLA in sociology and I just loved it.”

I huffed inwardly, trying to concentrate on Julia’s words.  “I’m pretty sure psychology and sociology are on two different planets.”

“Well, it’s an ology.”  She shrugged carelessly. “ So, I’m sure I’d love it!” the blonde said.  “I’m Rita!”

Okay, this chick was making my brain hurt.  It was all I could do not to laugh out loud.  Did she just fucking say what I thought she said?

“Ryan,” I mumbled.  I pulled the text out of my backpack and feigned interest in it as if it were Grey’s anatomy.   That was interesting.  I’d spent hours as a child, pouring over the pictures and pages of the copy my father kept in his study.

I glanced at the brunette girl as a guy on the other side of her hit on her.  Something in my gut didn’t feel right and I shifted in my chair.  The guy was standing there, grinning at her like a fool, asking her name and stammering like a fool when she told him.  Finally, after a couple more minutes of chatter, he left her, minus her phone number, to go find his seat.  Julia pushed her hair behind her ear and I found myself looking for the pulse in her neck, wondering if her skin smelled sweet and if the blood rushing just beneath the surface would make it warm under my mouth.  I sucked in a deep breath.

“Why are we taking this class again?” The girl in the red skirt was sitting directly in front of me and leaned into Julia.

“It’s required, though I’m not sure for what.  It has little relevance for my marketing degree.”

I couldn’t help myself, I wanted her to look at me, so I leaned forward and spoke. “Or,

anything else… for that matter.”

Sparkling green eyes shot to mine and I was lost.  There was deep blue-green around the irises, lightening to jade and then resuming the darker shade around the pupils.  She paused, a small smile spreading out on her full lips.  She had two barely-there dimples that showed up as she flashed her white teeth, as her face lit up.  She was gorgeous, though she had little make-up on.

“Yes, I think we picked this class because my friend here is warm for the professor’s form.”  Her perfectly manicured brow shot up and she laughed softly when her friend shoved her in the shoulder.  Her eyes skirted over my face and she looked away, nervously glancing at her watch.

“I picked it because it was the least offensive psych class and might have a slight relevance to my pre-med program.”  Yeah, it was cocky, but I needed this girl to know I wasn’t some brainless douche, wasting my brains and opportunities, like the luh, luh, luh loser that was just trying to pick her up. I knew I was being an asshole. Even if it was only in my head.

Rita continued to stare in open admiration.  “Wow. You must be really smart.”

Julia and Ellie smirked, Julia’s eyes widening.  “Yeah, you must be really smart!”  Ellie burst out laughing and Julie batted her eye lashes at me, openly mocking the other girl’s comment.  “I’m only teasing.  I’m Julia and this is my best friend, Ellie.”

“Hi. I’m…” I began to introduce myself only to be cut off by the start of the class.  The professor noisily adjusting the microphone on the podium at the front of the class before his gruff voice began rattling off the syllabus for the course.  He might as well have been reciting The Night Before Christmas for all the attention I paid him.  Thankfully, Rita was the type to take rigorous notes.  It would be easy to get her to lend them to me if needed, or better yet, maybe I’d have to make a study partner out of the vivacious brunette who now held my rapt adoration.  It was stupid.  I never got all giddy over women but what I was feeling was magnified by the three times she glanced over her shoulder at me and burned me with those intense green eyes.  My stomach did little flip-flops and I wanted to know more.  The fucking class droned on for 45 minutes, yet seemed like ten years.

When it ended, I’d already loaded my stuff in my backpack and remained seated until the two girls in front of me rose from their seat.

“So Ryan, do you live on campus?” Rita tried to make conversation as we waited for the people to my left to shuffle out in front of us.  I was essentially standing next to Julia, while she waited in her row and I could smell her perfume wafting up like a musky dessert filled with vanilla and something that made my heart slam against my ribs.

I shoved a hand in my pocket.  “Nope.” I threw the answer over my shoulder with no other explanation and looked down at Julia.  Her smiling eyes found mine and she bit her lip to stifle a laugh.  She knew I was blowing Rita off and she approved.

“So, as I was trying to say before, I’m…”

“Ryan,” she interrupted. As long as I lived, I didn’t think I’d ever forget the first time this woman said my name.  “Um… I heard that other girl say it.”

I smiled.  “Yeah.  Where you from?” I asked.

“Kansas City.”  At least, my mom lives there.  My dad is near here.”

“Oh, is that why you chose Stanford?”

“No, I mean, partly.  It was the reputation and my crystal ball said I was going to meet the greatest people here.”

“How’s that working for ya?”  I chuckled as we finally made it to the end of our row.  I waited for her and Ellie to exit.

“Things are looking up.”  She leaned in and nudged my arm with her shoulder and electricity shot through me like lightning.  She was so much shorter than me that I could have rested my chin on the top of her head, and I found myself wanting to do just that.  I nudged back instead and she laughed softly.

I couldn’t stop smiling and felt like a fucking idiot.  We slowly climbed the stairs toward the exit of the lecture hall and I realized, in literally seconds, we’d be outside and if I didn’t say something quick, I wouldn’t see her until the next class two days from now.  I shook my head. Just because she made me hard on the outside and all soft and gooey inside didn’t mean I had to get stupid.

Ellie turned as we poured with the stream of other students from the auditorium into the foyer of the building.   “See ya later, sweetie.”  Her grey eyes darted from me to her friend and she smiled devilishly like the cat that swallowed the canary.  “Nice to meet you, Ryan.”

I panicked slightly, even knowing there was a chance I would see them both on Wednesday, there was no assigned seating, and the hall was huge, I could easily miss her in the throng of students.  My backpack thrown over my shoulder, I rubbed the back of my neck.

“Bye, hon.”  Julia hesitated as Ellie left us.  “Um…” she pointed in the direction of the library.  “Do you have another class now?  I was going to go read the assignment in the library.”

It was the first week of classes and most of the work would be reading; except the Trigonometry and chemistry class I had next hour.  I nodded and pulled my sunglasses out and shoved them on.  “Unfortunately, yes.”  I hoped she felt as disappointed as I did that we couldn’t keep talking.  “Chem.”

“Oh, that’s right. You’re a science snot.”  Her full lips smiled, as she squinted in the sun and lifted a hand to shade her eyes.

I chuckled at her teasing.  “My entire family is, except my mother.”

“Tell me about the ‘M’ on your butt.”

Her eyebrow shot up.  “What?”

“The ‘M’,” I stammered.  “On your jeans.”

She frowned, not understanding and then astonishment flooded her features, her eyes widening.  “You were looking at my ass?”

“Well, I couldn’t see your face.”  Shit, this was weird.  I felt out of my element, nervous and ridiculous.  I couldn’t believe I’d just mentioned her ass.  “‘M’. My last name is Matthews.  We have to be friends now.  You’re branded.  It’s a sign.”

“Ah.”  Her head nodded once and the girls both raised their eyebrows and shot each other a look.

“The jeans are branded, for sure.  Miss Me’s.  Lots of girls have ‘M’s’ on their butt’s,” she challenged with a grin.  “Are they all branded?  Cuz, you don’t look like the kind of guy who lacks female companionship.”

I grinned back.  “I think there might be a compliment in there if I dig deep enough,” I teased.  “Look, I wanted to meet you.  So, kill me.”

Our eyes met and held.  Julia rocked on heels and glanced at her watch.  “You’re gonna be late.”

“I’d blow it off if it wasn’t the first class of the semester.  I really want to talk to you some more.” Suddenly, I was happier than hell that I didn’t get into Gerrity’s class last semester.  I already liked this girl more than most people I’d met at college and I’d only spoken to her a few minutes.   There was just something about her.  Not the way she looked, though she was beautiful, but I wanted to get to know her.    It was a gut feeling, but this girl was going to be important to me.  “So maybe you could agree to meet me outside the lecture hall on Wednesday and we sit together, this class might be bearable?”

Julia’s smile widened and she nodded.  “Okay, sure.  I’ll make sure my ass is branded.”

I smiled back and wished I had more time to get her number.  “Okay, good.  See ya.”

“Uh huh.  Bye, Ryan.”  She waved awkwardly and started off toward the library.

I turned in the opposite direction and took three steps and stopped.  “Hey, Julia,” I called over the others walking between us.  “If you can wait an hour for lunch, I’ll be in the Student Union snack bar.”

A brilliant smile flashed and I waited, knowing I would have to run to my class now.  Something wouldn’t let me let her leave without knowing I’d see her later.

“Sounds good.”

My heart sped up and the silly smile returned and didn’t budge the whole time I ran across campus. Anticipation made my heart race more than the exercise.  This was stupid.  I met girls all the time and most of the time I couldn’t give a shit.  There were always more girls to meet, and missed opportunity wasn’t a big deal.  Julia was a big deal to the point I couldn’t wait for this hour to get out of the fucking way.  I burst through the door to my class and breathlessly found a seat at the back, flopping down quickly amid glances from the others around me.  Yeah… this girl was gonna be a big deal.

—————————————————————————————————

Ryan, seriously, when I thought I couldn’t love you more you say things like that and my heart melts again. *happy sigh*

Awesome scene, isn’t it? I LOVED  it  and I’m glad Kahlen showed us how it all started between Ryan and Julia, one of my  favorite fictional couples.

If you haven’t read the first two books of The Remebrance Trilogy, what are you waiting for? Go now! You’ll fall in love.

The third book, A Love Like This, will be released this fall and I can’t wait!

Thanks again to Kahlen Aymes for sharing this lovely scene with us. You rock!  ;)

Elena

AMC Set To Release Indie Horror ‘Smiley’

AMC Theaters and Fever Productions teamed up for the theater run of, Smiley. From director Michael Gallagher comes the indie horror film that “follows a mentally fragile college student named Ashley (Caitlin Gerard from “Magic Mike” and “The Social Network”) who, after learning of an urban legend in which a mysterious serial killer named “Smiley” can be summoned through the Internet, must decide whether she is losing her mind or becoming Smiley‘s next victim.”

Crazy Cool Stills From ‘Prometheus’ Deleted Scene

Check out a handful of some great imagery of a deleted scene from Ridley Scott’s Prometheus.

New Posters For FX’s American Horror Story: Asylum

Coming off of a successful first season, FX is gearing up for the second season of American Horror Story: Asylum which is set to premier in October. With the release date nearing FX has been been promoting the series like crazy with a slew of new posters. Unfortunately I never caught the first season but these posters are pretty wicked. Check them out.

Insane Poster For ‘The Collection’

Another really cool poster is brought to us by The Collection which is the sequel to Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton’s slasher The Collector. It’s a pretty fantastic looking poster and creepy as hell which will no doubt grab the attention of horror fans.

“When Elena’s (Emma Fitzpatrick) friends take her to a secret party at an undisclosed location, she never imagined she would become the latest victim of The Collector, a psychopathic killer. The Collector kidnaps and transports her to an abandoned hotel he’s transformed into his own private maze of torture and death. Upon learning of his daughter’s disappearance, Elena’s wealthy father (Christopher McDonald) hires a group of mercenaries to retrieve her from the vicious grips of The Collector. These mercenaries coerce Arkin (Josh Stewart), the only man to have escaped the wrath of this heinous monster, to lead them through thegruesome labyrinth. Now, Arkin finds himself fighting for his own life in order to save Elena.”

Evil Wears Many Faces In ‘Texas Chainsaw 3D’ Poster

When it rains it pours. While I’m not totally sold on the need for another TCM film, especially one in 3D they did however seem to create an extremely cool poster for the film. It also appears that it has underwent a title change from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D to simply Texas Chainsaw 3D. I’ve seen very few films actually utilize their 3D aspect in a way that made me actually appreciate the new technology and none of those were horror films. Will Texas Chainsaw 3D break the mold? Probably not but if theres a scene with leather face shoving his chainsaw through the screen for a good 10 seconds then I’m sure people are going to be leaving the theater with some messy pants.

“‘Texas Chainsaw 3D’continues the legendary story of the homicidal Sawyer family, picking up where Tobe Hooper’s 1974 horror classic left off in Newt, Texas, where for decades people went missing without a trace. The townspeople long suspected the Sawyer family, owners of a local barbeque pit, were somehow responsible. Their suspicions were finally confirmed one hot summer day when a young woman escaped the Sawyer house following the brutal murders of her four friends. Word around the small town quickly spread, and a vigilante mob of enraged locals surrounded the Sawyer stronghold, burning it to the ground and killing every last member of the family – or so they thought.

Decades later and hundreds of miles away from the original massacre, a young woman named Heather learns that she has inherited a Texas estate from a grandmother she never knew she had. After embarking on a road trip with friends to uncover her roots, she finds she is the sole owner of a lavish, isolated Victorian mansion. But her newfound wealth comes at a price as she stumbles upon a horror that awaits her in the mansion’s dank cellars…”

Teaser 2 For HBO’s ‘The Girl’ 

October 20th is nearing which means we are closer to the premier of HBO’s Alfred Hitchcock biopic The Girl. Check out the second teaser below.

The End

There you have it, some of the stuff that mattered in all things horror this week. As always, thanks for reading and if you happened to have missed the last edition of The Missing Reel be sure to check it out here:

The Earth Angel blog tour is still running! Hop over to Tamara Morning’s blog later on for a guest post for tips on writing romance.

Meanwhile…

This scene is from chapter 6 – Firestorm. In the original draft it was Oz and Gabrielle who came out of the woods and Chetto came from the town. With the time scale I was working to, it would be impossible for Oz and Gab to make it to each local in one day so they had to be cut from the chapter. I was also working with too many different perspectives and had to cut them down. No spoilers. Enjoy!

*Warning. Scenes were deleted before the final edits and may contain errors and inconsistencies.*

Chetto was hungry. He had spent all his money on the return journey but it had only got him as far as Vaandore. He’d have to borrow, beg and steal his way back to Kimblestone. It was market day in Vaandore; however the town was not exactly as bustling and busy as those of Belltaine where he had come to call home. There’d be no rummaging around in bins for scraps today.

Vaandore was a typical small town. It had everything it needed to be self-sufficient on a small scale. It had farms and mills on the outside and on the inside, surrounded by a tall stone wall were houses, shops, the town hall and the market on a circular piazza.

In Belltaine, Chetto had become a welcomed addition to a large band of alley cats; however, being half human sometimes it was difficult to remain inconspicuous. Chetto was tall as humans go, even for his race, although he always said there was cheetah blood in his veins. His face was like a cheetah cub, with tough mottled fur, black lines and large cheeky eyes. He was a greater Hybrid; bipedal with paws, tail, fur, and the lot. His hair was thin around his torso but he never wore clothes; clothes were for humans and lesser hybrids, so he claimed.

He skulked around the edges of the market, his keen eyes scanning the stalls for a succulent meal to satisfy his mumbling stomach. People would notice him, there were never many hybrids in small towns, but he needed food to get back. His eyes were drawn to the meat market as his nose caught the scent. There was a mix of poultry; duck, chicken and turkey, all still had their soft feathers. They were piled in open boxes with prices scribbled on a chalk board. A brace of Rabbits hung from the frame of the stall by the neck, their eyes dull as stone.

Chetto made his way through the people and parked himself beside a large stack of crates. He knew what he wanted, the largest one, doesn’t matter what it was.

People’s hands were reaching across, their fingers pointing, ‘I want that one… two of those…’ There was one man attending the stall. Chetto would not wait long. When the man’s back was turned he reached out and drove his four claws into a fat hen, lifted it, took it and walked off. If people had noticed they did not care, Hybrids are dangerous.

Chetto did not stop until he was out of sight of the market. He sat under the bows of an oak tree and cradling his prize began riving the feathers in a flurry of claws. At the first sight of peachy flesh he drove his teeth through the skin, relishing the cold taste on his dry tongue. He pulled every scrap from every bone and licked it clean, licked his paws and licked his face. His stomach was more than satisfied. He leaned back, extracting small portions from between sharp teeth. He was about ready for a nap.

As the hybrid’s mind started to wander, an unexpected noise disturbed the air. He opened his eyes to see a man stumble through the gates and into town. Blood smeared half of his face and he walked with a painful limp.

‘Help!’ he called. Chetto shuffled around the tree and out of sight as the man wandered into the centre of town where a guard came rushing to his side.

‘It’s coming! I’ve seen it. You need to hide,’ the traveller was babbling as the guard helped him limp away. Chetto took no notice and gently closed his eyes again, feeling the warmth of the sun’s rays.

Chetto didn’t know how long he snoozed for but he woke aggravated. The air had chilled and the first raindrop splashed his nose. I’m not going to sleep in the rain! He thought.

Just then, a man and a woman rushed in through the gate past the tree, their voices were hurried. Chetto let his thoughts stray to the injured man who had wandered in earlier and wondered what was going on. Chetto decided not to pursue the matter. But as he nearly drifted off again he was disturbed by a fluster of colour and hair. The movement attracted his attention, the flourish of vibrant energy, the shape and form he knew he recognised. As he woke fully the figure had disappeared. He needed to see this. After a good stretch he got to his feet and peered into the village.

Zenovia?

Earth Angel is only £1 on Amazon UK/$0.99 Amazon US
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I’ve already posted about the gag reel. So funny. Joss Whedon appearing on set and yelling “Stop fighting!”.

Yesterday, saw a video of deleted Captain America footage. It was supposed to be his introduction piece in the movie. It featured what would have been Stan Lee’s cameo in the film (“Ask for her phone number, you moron.”). More importantly, it featured a bit with Steve Rogers and the waitress who is shown in the hostage situation and tv interview at the end of the movie. I can remember talking to my husband about her and asking why she was so prominent at the end. This footage should not have been removed.

Disney pulled the video but a writer Da7e, put a beat by beat description of it in an article.

http://latino-review.com/2012/08/29/deleted-avengers-scene/

When I buy this DVD, I’m watching all the extras first.

I mean, life is so hard for Cappy even a Stan Lee cameo can’t wake him out of his ennui.

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At least it’s not as much of a downer as Cobie Smulders’ bitchfest of a post-op report. This could’ve opened the movie — in flashback no less, the most overused device of them all — so let’s all thank Whedon for lightening the mood. Can’t wait to see what else awaits in the 30+ minutes of deleted footage when Avengers hits home video.

[Playlist, Yahoo]

This would have placed the remainder of the movie as a flashback and changed the tone of the film.  I believe this would have been a positive for the movie, providing a deeper and more mature story that not only showcased the heroes valiant final battle, but also a more nuanced view of the impact of superhero’s and their villainous counterparts on the populace at large.

Check out the scene in HD on Yahoo.

What do you think about the alternate opening? Would it have detracted by making the movie too serious, diminishing the playful adventure tone of the film?  Could it have helped to explain the role of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its relationship to the U.S. Government? Might it have provided a heavier, more serious overall tone to the movie that grounded the cartoon violence in the lives of average citizens?

In this scene we join Dogga and Emz in the fields before the introduction of Jewelz. I deleted this scene and opted for a better one to develop the relationship between Dogga and Jewelz in a later chapter (guess which one is was!) Also I think there’s a bit of head hopping going on in this scene. Enjoy!

*Warning. Scenes were deleted before the final edits and may contain errors and inconsistencies*

‘Here we go again,’ said Dogga as he held up his pickaxe. A wall of crumbling rock stood before them, waiting to be axed. Emz tried to find a comfortable place on her pickaxe where splinters where minimal as Dogga began chipping at the rock. The long trough sat like an open mouth ready to be fed its morsels.

Another line of convicts walked in sinc past their trench. A stumpy young lad decided to have a laugh and jumped to a stop. The chain tightened and the person in front fell over. A wave of laughter consumed every inmate in the area, even those who did not see joined in the laugh attack. With a yelp the young lad was whipped across his back and the chain was ushered on.

‘Nice weather,’ informed Dogga sarcastically. Emz looked to the sky. The black cloud loomed above them coiling and bubbling, the enveloped lightning had died to a faint simmer. The desert heat was at its usual strength as the orange sun ascended. Midday was the worst time to be out; when the sun was directly above them there was no escape from the scorching heat. The cloud only sheltered the prison, but the fields were out in the open. Emz waited until the patrolling guard was out of earshot before speaking.

‘Found anything yet?’ she asked. There was not much else to talk about.

‘Nope, you?’

‘No,’ she answered. A guard ambled past on the trench above them, scanning the prisoners. The guy beside Dogga was becoming agitated. He was jittering; mumbling vicious words and could not keep still, his hands shook and eyes blinked rapidly. He had behavioural problems and was easily angered. The man started laughing to himself, sweat glistening across his browned face and empty chest. Emz’s good ear pricked as she watched him from the corner of her eye, she knew this guy’s temper. Her pulse rose, Please don’t kick off, please.

The man looked up at the passing guard and with a manic cry he hurled his pickaxe with a wild swing. The blade spun smoothly through the air and drove into the guard’s back perfectly. The guard collapsed into the dust with a strangled roar of pain, his arm bent round to clutch his pierced back. The offender laughed sadistically, jumping about as much as the chain would allow. It tugged on Dogga’s sore ankle.

‘Idiot,’ he growled, glaring at the man. Emz glanced around as Prison guards swarmed around like sharks with the taste of blood, truncheons at the ready. She pressed herself into the trench wall making herself as small as possible.

‘Give me your axe!’ spat the con to Dogga, his eyes wild.

‘Get stuffed,’ retorted Dogga. He could see the inmate swelling with anger, seconds before an unwanted fist met Dogga’s dirty face. That was it. Dogga took the strike and went to slaughter him, but a giant pair of hands took his shoulders and Dogga was met with the gargoyle face of a prison guard whose expression simply read ‘Don’t.’

Dogga was enraged he could not pummel the guy but his anger ebbed away as the guards struggled to control the offender. The crazy convict flailed his arms and legs madly, screeching and swearing. He could hear the thumps of truncheons as the three guards pinned him, unclipped him from the chain and dragged him away. The injured guard was immediately seen to by a medic at hand. Health and safety regulations were applied strictly to staff only.

Emz had pressed herself so hard into the wall that the rock created small dents in her skin. The incident was over as quickly as it started and the inmates were forced back to work. Regular events such as this one would be on the convict’s lips until the next one, replacing the old gossip of Gabrielle’s escape attempt last night.

UPDATE: The scene is being taken down, but I’m sure there are ways to find it online!

Avengers was one hell of an entertaining movie, but like every movie, it had it’s flaws. One thing I wanted to see was, Steve Rogers walking around, discovering this new world in front of him. Unfortunately, we didn’t get much of a glimpse of Rogers dealing with his new surroundings. Captain America’s arc kinda deflates from First Avenger to The Avengers, and being team leader, I felt the movie needed to show Cap’s struggle with being ”the man out of time”.

Some content from The Avengers DVD/Blu-ray are starting to pop up online and today, I came across this little scene:

The clip isn’t anything important, just that Peggy is alive, everyone else is dead, Stan Lee makes a cameo somewhere, while Steve is finding it difficult to adapt to the current world….Wait, what? Peggy is alive? Wow, that’s a pretty big thing to leave out. Also, just seeing Rogers walking around New York is a damn interesting scene. This should’ve been kept in. Oh well, hopefully this will be added into Captain America 2: The Winter Solider.

Such is the nature of this new Avengers deleted scene, which comes to us by way of Entertainment Weekly and is packaged in with the Blu-ray/DVD release of the film. The scene itself is placed between the moment Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk comes crashing down from the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier and when he arrives at Stark Tower for the film’s climactic showdown, and shows viewers a little more of the soul-searching Banner had to do before finally accepting his “condition.”

More importantly, though, it gives Mark Ruffalo a chance to explore the character of Bruce Banner, while adding a new sense of vulnerability and uncertainty to a man capable of turning into an indestructible wrecking-ball. Banner, while being able to keep the Hulk under control since the events of the Edward Norton film, still wrestles with who he is and what defines him.

In addition to giving Ruffalo an extra minute to shine, the clip allows Harry Dean Stanton’s security guard character to pose some pretty weighty questions to the doctor. In the finished film, Stanton fit the cameo role nicely, giving audiences a brief moment of relief and laughter between action sequences; here, he gets to add a new dimension to his unnamed character. It might be reading a little too much into the scene, but it also feels like Stanton’s choice of words, “Are you a big guy that gets all little, or a little guy that sometimes blows up large,” could also be a playful nod to the character of Ant-Man, who we know to be a part of Marvel ‘Phase Two.’

The Avengers Blu-ray and DVD, which also come packaged in a bombastic 10-disc‘Phase One’ Collector’s Set, don’t release until this time next month, but already we’re getting our fill of the type of content Marvel has packaged in with their six feature films.

High on the list of must-see deleted scenes is a portion of the film that reportedly features Captain America/Steve Rogers visiting an older Peggy Carter in 2012 – a sequence Whedon wanted to put in the finished film, but couldn’t find space for. There was no official confirmation that such a scene was filmed – Whedon only discussed it in the context of scenes he wanted to include – but hopefully somewhere in the 10-disc set is a reference to it. We’ll know for sure in September.

The Avengers releases on Blu-ray and DVD on September 25, 2012

We join Zenovia after she leaves with her new companions. Their first stop along the journey was one of the God’s temples. This chapter is in no way on par with the writing of the final draft, it’s also written in first person which was changed and will definitely contain inconsistencies and ideas that I dropped in the final draft. No spoilers. Enjoy!

*Warning. Scenes were deleted before the final edits and may contain errors and inconsistencies*

The Bird’s Nest

I could immediately see why they called it ‘The Bird’s Nest.’ Within the entanglement of enormous vines and roots rested the largest griffin colony on the continent. I could see them nesting and flying, sharp beaks, eagle feathers and tiger stripes. The roots began in a deep crater in the land where lush green islands surrounded the pools of crisp, clear water. The great roots sank deep into the earth creating a maze over the surface. The castle sat atop the strength of plant, white towers rose up into the sparkling sky. It looked alive with trees lifting up from the gardens. Stairs, walkways and bridges linked the towers and the buildings. The built structure merged with nature over time. It looked like a beautiful jigsaw with pieces missing, wonky or misplaced. The rocks were eroding in places or gone completely, leaving bridges unconnected and stairs leading nowhere. The green vegetation was part of the structure as the towers rose above it. You could see the great dome, which was the epicentre of the temple; the throne room where the Griffin King now slept peacefully. The entanglement of nature held the buildings together, showing how griffin architecture sat in perfect harmony with its surroundings. Griffins nested high in the undergrowth of the nest, flying in and out of the great trunk like roots.

Flying was the sole most nerve racking thing I had ever done, but also the most pleasant. The fast jerking movements of the take off terrified me but once we were gliding and I could open my eyes, I found the experience relaxing as long as I did not look down.

We were greeted by three large griffins that flanked us as we came into land. I gazed at their magnificence; the mixture of fur and feathers, sharp talons and beaks and their beady black eyes. They were checking we were safe before we entered their sanctuary.

Alfonso landed gracefully on a grassy area at the entrance to the gardens. Cautiously, and with a hand from Orlando I slid down from the saddle with my new companions. It was good to be on ground, although we were still at a height.

‘Thanks for the ride Alfonso. We won’t be long,’ said Faith. The great dragon nodded his mighty head.

I tried to pat my hair down, running my fingers through the length but the wind had whipped it into giant cots. I would have to brush it later. I looked at Faith and dared not ask how her hair stayed so perfect.

‘I’m going straight to the temple to pray to Ezekiel. You can come with me or explore the grounds; the gardens are great for quiet reflection or just to look at. If I don’t see you at the temple we can meet here in about an hour and a half.’ She looked at me, ‘The temple is pretty much a straight line from here,’ she indicated the direction, ‘you can’t miss it.’

‘Ok,’ I answered. And she was gone.

The gardens were incredible, I could easily get lost here. They were naturally organised, full before the point of overgrown. Flower beds bursting with colour, lush green vegetation, and fantastic trees twisting to the sky with leaves of odd shades and shapes bristling like the fur on a cat. I recognised none of them. The greenery mingled in harmony with the structure of the buildings around it. Creepers climbed up the worn facades, dangling from stairways and entwined the towers, columns and archways. The yellow sun illuminated everything with its bright rays. Birds, butterflies and small creatures fluttered and scuttled beneath the array of colours in the sea of green and white. I could die here. Streams of pure pale water snaked through the garden. The riverbed, like a small canal, was made of pure white marble. Where the source was I did not know.

I removed my canvas shoes and carried them; the grass was the softest I have ever felt, like a comfy bed. I followed the direction of a stream with my eyes. The blue water matched the blue sky as it trickled over the edge. The grass curved down the slope, it was like someone had cut through the garden with a giant knife. Leaving my shoes behind I crawled up to the edge and peered over. The river fell in a dispersed curve to the ground below. The height hit me and gripped my whole body, weighing me down like a magnet. I could see the expansive crater of roots and the pools between them. Griffins flittered about the surface and glided through the sky. The place was alive with life. I edged away, back to the garden and found my feet again.

When I turned and viewed the garden once more my perception had changed, everything seemed brighter. I narrowed my eyes, straining to see the slight shadows moving around the flowerbeds. Slowly they came into shape, human form but transparent. Some were bent over the flowers, others walking around. The figures all seem to be wearing a white robe, the hood pulled over their heads.

I gasped as one of the ghost like forms lifted its head and gazed directly at me. I was expecting my reaction to be one of fear but I felt nothing but peace. I could see her round face and the human detail.

A memory came to me, a memory not mine. I saw this woman who looked at me now, in a different place, a small child that was not her own, and the person whose eyes I looked through was a close relative, sister maybe. They were all happy, but I could tell a great tragedy was soon about to occur, looking out the window seeing a figure on the ground, wounded, then a painful scream.

The faded figure smiled at me warmly. I felt she would have run and hugged me, but her form would just pass through my body. Instead she sent waves of warmth and love in my direction. I was left standing, comforted by her love.

‘They say spirits volunteer to maintain the temples.’

The voice made me jump. Orlando approached me, his eyes scanned the garden. He had not seen them.

‘Spirits?’ I asked.

‘Some stay behind and live in the temples, tending to the gardens, looking after the animals, making it a safe and spiritual environment.’

I looked at the spirits again and indeed they were caring for the plants. The woman who had looked at me before now had her back turned, caring for a small rose bush, the flowers black as night.

‘So what’s the difference between a spirit and a ghost?’

‘Spirits are conscious, they realise they have passed from the body and they have accepted it. They can choose to stay here or travel to the next plane. Ghosts are simply lost souls; they don’t realise or can’t accept they have left the body. The God Pandora is a ghost, however conscious, she clings onto the past and can’t let go of her life as a lost princess… or so the story goes. She travels the globe and helps ghosts who are lost to move onto the next life. Cyrus however, is a human spirit God, who guards the portal to the next life and lets the spirits pass through, he also houses spirits in his castle, a kind of hotel for the dead who want to linger a while before they move on.’ As he spoke his eyes moved around the garden as if he was looking for something. I felt drawn into his eyes but as I stared I felt the white face of the drowning woman swimming back into my vision. I let it go and looked away.

‘Creepy.’ I answered him.

‘I’m heading to the temple, you coming?’

‘Sure.’

Before she entered the temple Faith took a moment on her own to think. She sat by a small pool and gazed at the marble statues of griffins wearing armour and holding weapons in a guarding stance. She felt at peace when visiting the temple, it was the one closest to home and she visited often to regain her strength or quieten her doubts; sometimes the weight of her responsibility was too heavy. Given the chance she would love to live there. Surrounded by the protective walls and soothing gardens her heart felt lighter and the abundance of chatter in her mind faded to a whisper. She wished to stay longer but felt pressed to move on.

Her mind briefly touched on to Yanto and Inga, Zenovia’s blood parents. It had been years, when Faith’s father was in Wolfpack since she’d last seen the couple and she was not altogether sure how to find them.

Gazing at her reflection in the calm water she sent out a prayer.

Only a few more stops my love and we’ll be there. There is a few things I need to do. Just hold on a little longer. I love you so much.

She dragged herself away from the pool and entered through the open arch into the temple.

Faith was crossed legged on the stone floor of the throne room in complete darkness. She took long breaths into her stomach and let them out slowly. Her mind became still as she pushed lingering thoughts away she focussed on the ever growing presence that surrounded her senses.

I see you Angel.

‘I see you Ezekiel Griffin King,’ the Angel answered to the impression in her mind. There was no physical voice, only information.

Why have to come to me today? The impression asked. Faith paused.

‘Peace of mind. I have experiences recent hardship,’ Faith answered with her mind. She felt a breeze of warm air brushing her skin.

We have been sending healing your way Angel. You serve us well and you will not go unrewarded. We can see you are tired but you must stay strong for those around you.

‘I am strong,’

You are. It is not time to say goodbye yet. Your service will be needed again shortly.

‘When will it be time?’

Not yet. Maybe never. This is your life purpose.

‘I know.’

Look out for a messenger bringing news. You must listen to him as he offers protection. You must be strong. Keep praying. Keep the connection strong. You will rest in the end but for now you must be strong.

‘I am strong.’

We know. Faith felt the presence withdraw and the air fell cold again.

‘I thank you Ezekiel Griffin King for your guidance today. I can continue on my path as Angel knowing you walk beside me. I have what I need for my purpose. Blessings and thanks to you.’

I had my expectations bested yet again. Outside of the temple were life size marble griffins buried in niches in the walls, armed with a sword and shield as if to guard the temple. We entered through the archway and found ourselves inside a giant marble dome where twelve podiums circled the floor adorned with statues of the twelve Gods. The effigies were twice as tall as a man. Twelve archways in the roof shone light down illuminating each statue at a different point in the day. They were all great creatures, one species is now extinct, and another close to. Two of the Gods used to be human, but are now spirit and ghost, immortal without flesh. They all rested in their temples away from the world.

The Gods are our immortal protectors. They choose specific people to become Angels who alert the Gods if there’s an outside danger. Not that there often is. Some people are Angels all their life like Faith but some are only Angels for a short time, it depends on your life path. But that’s all I know about that.

As far as we know the Gods cannot be killed, although stories in history tell of people who tried. All they were to me were twelve stone statues, distant and unreachable. All my life I didn’t believe in the power of prayers, people pray because they want and because they fear, but somehow being in a temple made me want to kneel in front of one of the statues and pray. Pray for a safe journey, pray to find my parents, and pray they will not reject me.

There was a short staircase leading up to an ornate door at the far side of dome. That must be the throne room, Gods and Angels only.

‘Do you pray?’ I asked Orlando.

‘I’m not much of a praying man. They can’t hear us anyway.’

‘That’s what I always thought.’

The sound of marble scraping echoed in the dome as the ornate door slowly slid open and Faith appeared on the other side. Her body looked rejuvenated, however there was something missing behind the eyes. I tried to sneak a look into the throne room but it was dark, and the door closed behind her.

‘I’m ready to leave now.’

When we arrived back at the grassy platform Alfonso was there waiting for us. On arrival he turned his head toward us. He was stood up, muscles tense, ready for action.

‘Thank goodness you’re here, we need to leave immediately.’

I deleted the monologue from this scene for the usual reasons. However, one of them, about ADR and production issues should be of interest to filmmakers.

1. The monologue is superfluous. This late in the game, we already know all of what Barabas is saying and thinking. And more importantly, we see it in the next scene when he conspires with the Calymath to overthrow Malta.

2. We are at the climax of the second act need to rush towards the conclusion of the story as fast as possible. There are 25 minutes left in the film.

3. The audio was barely audible in the scene. I’m not sure what went wrong, but we were in a rush and trying to grab shots as we completed the set up for the final scene at the same time.

4. We replaced the audio — know as ADR, or looping. Most of the time the vocal performance in ADR is not as good as what you get on set. That was the case here and the last reason I cut the scene.

Barabas is thrown over the wall in The Jew of Malta

Pila Borza blackmails Barabas in The Jew of Malta. Deleted scene

I think my Film Professor blog is the best place to post deleted scenes from The Jew of Malta. Since I’m not tied to a Hollywood system, I will attempt to be brutally honest here. The following is a deleted scene and here are the reasons I deleted it

1. First and foremost, it wasn’t needed to tell the story. I needed to move the film along and there is an entire sequence that essentially covers this information.

2. There were technical difficulties. The wide shots are out of focus. This happened occasionally due to time pressures and an inexperienced assistant camera person. Such is the nature of low budget filmmaking. I applied a sharpen filter and tried to edit around it by finding the rhythm between long and close shots.

3. We never got the reverse close up of Pila Borza. The actor didn’t know his lines — my cardinal sin and I let emotion get the better of me and didn’t grace him with a reverse shot. This only happened at one other point in the film.

4. In this scene Barabas describes Pila Borza thus: “He sent a shaggy, tatter’d, staring slave, That, when he speaks, draws out his grisly beard, And winds it twice or thrice about his ear; Whose face has been a grind-stone for men’s swords; His hands are hack’d, some fingers cut quite off; Who, when he speaks, grunts like a hog, and looks Like one that is employ’d in catzery And cross-biting; such a rogue As is the husband to a hundred whores” Although we gave the actor scars, we never got to the hands cut off and the grunting never happened. It’s too specific a description and one where the production/director/actor fell down on the job.

5. One reason I did NOT cut the scene. Seth did not follow my direction. He wanted to play it meekly and I didn’t agree with his choice. This only happened in one other instance. So over two weeks of shooting and over the two years working together on the project, not a bad conflict to have I think. I think Seth is one of the best performers I know and have ever worked with. So even when his choices don’t align with my view, it’s still strong work.

For all of you TWD diehard fans, here’s something for you: A DELETED SCENE!

“It is well known that instead of starting with Rick talking into his walkie-talkie and then the group being pretty much already out of Atlanta, the original plan for The Walking Dead’s season 2 premiere was to pick up just seconds after the CDC was blown to bits in the season 1 finale. I was on set playing the part of a zombie for an intense sequence in which Shane’s car breaks down just a few blocks away from the explosion, leaving him isolated from the group and having to fight off and outrun an army of the undead before finally being rescued by the group in the RV. But what happened after that?

In this clip following Shane’s rescue, we see the survivors trying to seek shelter with some familiar faces from season 1— Guillermo and the Vatos. But when Rick and Co. arrive back at the nursing home where Glenn was once held hostage, well…the people they find there are not people at all, setting off a frenzied attack.’

With no spoilers, this scene is from Chapter Four, Lesoura, where the watchman confronts Oz and Gabrielle. In the final draft I could out a few paragraphs of dialogue to make the scene run smoother and faster.

*Warning. Scenes were deleted before the final edits and may contain errors and inconsistencies*

‘You know, there’s a young girl back there who’s very distraught after you broke her nose,’ said a voice from the shadows. Gabrielle and Oz stopped as the tall, blond watchman emerged from someone’s shadowy doorway.

‘She tried to steal from me,’ Gabrielle retorted innocently.

‘So that’s why you’re running?’ The watchman raised his eyebrows as he examined Gabrielle; searching for a weapon.

‘We’re just in a hurry to get home,’ Oz announced, the lie tumbled out his mouth like a schoolboy, as natural as the truth. The watchman’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Gabrielle more closely. She noticed his stare and glared back harshly.

‘Look’s like you’ve been a war,’ he said. His voice was sociable but obviously forced. Gabrielle knew she looked rough with old scars from her life in prison. She shrugged her shoulders, deciding she would fight the man if she had to. Then the watchman’s gaze fell upon her gemstone pendant. She watched as his eyes widened and confusion clouded his face.

‘I’d like to ask some questions,’ he said, the words he often spoke so confidently, now sounded hesitant. Gabrielle noted the change in his tone. Something was wrong. She folded her arms and shifted her weight impatiently. Oz waited for the watchman to continue.

‘Tell me, where have you come from to be dressed in rags and no shoes, covered in bruises and scars to be so thin, when was your last bath and where did you acquire those new clothes in your brief and hasty visit here?’ he asked. Finally taking his gaze from Gabrielle and leaving both the escapees in his sight. The guard must have seen them arrive, bedraggled from the direction of the desert.

He knows. Gabrielle knew they were found out, but Oz carried on with hope. He put on his biggest pity face and looked directly into the watchman’s eyes.

‘We lost out homes; we’ve been living on the streets of Hypatia for the best part of five weeks now. We came to Lesoura in the hope of finding refuge and help. There’s nothing in Hypatia for the poor. Please, you have to understand.’ Gabrielle stayed silent and let her brother lie.

‘So where’d you get the money from for your clothes, food and haircuts?” the man asked, clearly not convinced.

‘Savings, and several kind donations. We only bought the cheapest; it’s all we can afford.’ The watchman nodded, his hand rubbing his stubble lined chin.

‘So if I searched your pockets what would I find? And if I asked the person who sold you your clothes would he recognise you and your purchase? And what about the young girl you assaulted?’ He looked directly at Gabrielle. She waited on Oz for an answer. They both knew the man had them. ‘You’re not fooling anyone son.’

Gabrielle was stood strong and tense like a loaded bow. Oz recognised her expression, it was the pre-emptive I’m-going-to-hurt-someone glare.

The watchman stood forward.

‘I’m afraid you are both coming to the command post with me for at least one account of theft, one assault and possible further attempts…’

Like a hare Oz split down the street.

©Ruth Ellen Parlour

Earth Angel is available to download from Amazon and Smashwords.

• The Writing Process: Part 1 – Getting Your Inspiration
• The Writing Process: Part 2 – The Conflict
• The Writing Process: Part 3 – Plot: Your Story’s Skeleton
• The Writing Process: Part 4 – The “Pre-Draft”
• The Writing Process: Example of a “Pre-Draft”
• The Writing Process: Part 5 – The First Draft (A)
• The Writing Process: Part 5 – The First Draft (B) Description

FACT 1: Your 2^nd draft will probably have more words than your final edit.

FACT 2: If it doesn’t, you didn’t cut enough out of your 2^nd draft.

We’re writers. We love words. We play with words. We try to outdo someone else’s words. Words are our playground, and this love affair causes us to use far too many of them. We add unnecessary scenes because they are “cool.” We over-describe things. We create redundancies just to make sure our readers “get the point.”

Once you’ve added in your description, you must face the most feared part of the writing process: the chopping block. You will need to cut scenes, sentences, and sometimes even characters, and you will hate it. But you will carry on with your task because you know it will make your completed work a tighter, more concise piece of literature. So just do it, and don’t look back.

Okay, I’m done giving myself a pep talk for my own writing projects. Let’s talk about editing and “cutting your darlings” as Stephen King calls it in his book: On Writing.

First, create a folder called “Deleted Scenes” for your specific writing project. Put your deleted scenes here. Why?

• It feels much better to move a scene from one place to another instead of sending it permanently to the recycle bin.
• You or your editor might decide to put it back in.
• You can always post it on your writing blog later. (See below)
• You might use it in a future book within your series.

Once you have created your deleted scenes folder, it’s time to start cutting. (You can put a box of tissue and make sure the number to your writing pal is on speed dial if it helps.)

Read back through your manuscript and cut anything that isn’t necessary. This is tricky because you will insist to yourself that everything is necessary. To illustrate, here is a scene from Out of the Shadows that didn’t survive to the final draft. Note that the language is a bit silly. I cut this scene before the final edit, which I will discuss in my next blog. (For those of you who have read OOTS, this takes place in the Outer Command Tower.)

Davian Marcus, Copper, Lorne, and Klous entered the banquet hall for dinner, and Davian heard laughing and clapping inside. Once they entered, Davian saw the reason for the laughter.

Tyce and Theo were dancing together on top of the tables, kicking their feet up and locking arms as they balanced arrows on their noses. The soldiers passed articles, from daggers to sunstars, around as they wagered on how much longer the two could keep it up. Gabriella sat at the table laughing with the rest.

Marcus growled. “Looks like the boy forgot the lecture you gave him this afternoon.”

Theo’s arrow finally tumbled off and fell into Gabriella’s hand. Tyce pushed Theo aside and raised his arms as the champion. Applause thundered throughout the banquet hall. Tyce’s smile broadened when he saw Gabriella holding the arrow. “That means you have to dance with me!” He scooped Gabriella up and began twirling her around on the table.

Davian felt his insides turn around.

Tyce picked Gabriella up by the waist and flung her, spinning, into the air—a typical cherubian dance move, and Gabriella reacted appropriately. She tucked her head and crossed her arms and ankles so she could spin as fast as possible. She was supposed to open her wings the moment she began to fall. Unfortunately, both Gabriella and Tyce forgot her wings were broken. Gabriella’s arms flailed grasping only air as she plummeted to the ground.

Tyce grabbed her arm just before she hit the floor, pulled her up, and caught her in his arms. He laughed, spinning her around once before he set her down. “Sorry, my lady. I forgot your wings didn’t work.”

I tried to convince myself to keep this scene for these reasons:

• It shows that Tyce likes Gabriella and is flirting with her.
• It shows that Theo and Tyce are jokesters.
• It shows that Tyce is disobeying an order (previously given by his commanding officer because he has a sore foot that needs to heal). I wanted the reader to see Tyce showing disrespect to Davian, which is integral to Tyce’s behavior later.
• It also shows that Tyce, though he likes Gabriella, doesn’t really care that much for her safety. He tosses her into the air even though he knows her wings are broken. He is careless with her. That shows something to the audience.
• I just liked it. It’s a fun scene with a little bit of flirtatiousness in it, and we ladies like flirting scenes.

I overruled myself by asking myself the questions below, which are questions each writer should ask of a scene during the cutting process. (And yes, editing makes you feel schizophrenic.)

• Is this scene necessary to my plot?
• Is this scene necessary for character development?
• Is this scene necessary to my theme/s?

Is this scene necessary to my plot? Does it move your plot forward? Does it add information your characters will need later? Your plot is the integral part of your story; all scenes should somehow affect the plot. If the scene doesn’t help the plot move forward, you need to cut it, no matter how much you like it.

I can make a good plot argument for keeping the above scene. Tyce’s advances toward Gabriella are integral to her decisions later in Out of the Shadows and Book III. (I’ll bet a bunch of you who are waiting for Book III are mad at me—and Tyce—for throwing that one out there.) However, the scene doesn’t move the central plot forward, and I had already included other scenes with flirting. Hence, the axe…

Is this scene necessary for character development? If your scene doesn’t progress your plot along, you might be able to salvage it for character development purposes. Does it show something about your character that reveals more about who he is? Does it change your character or show him or her changing?

My earlier arguments to myself for keeping my deleted scene in the story were mostly based on character development. The reader saw a bit more of Tyce and Gabriella and the development of their relationship. However, as mentioned earlier, I already had several scenes that showed all of that.

Bottom line: the character development provided in this scene was not valuable enough to warrant keeping it. Hence, the axe…

Is this scene necessary to my theme/s? Treat your thematic content the same way your treat your character development content. If the content isn’t valuable enough to warrant keeping the scene, axe it!

The same goes for characters themselves. If the character isn’t necessary story, axe him or her.

Have I already done this before? If the same thing is happening in a different location, axe it.

Am I holding on to this scene because it develops part of my fantasy or science fiction world? This is one of my most common reasons I try to hold onto useless scenes. I want readers to experience my fantasy world. I must constantly remind myself that my reader doesn’t want to hang out in my world unless something interesting is going on there. If a scene’s only purpose is world development, axe it.

NOTE: If a scene contains key character development, world development, or thematic elements that you want to keep, you can rescue them in one of two ways:

• Move those elements to a separate scene that is integral to the plot.
• Make the scene central to the plot. Add in some information that the reader needs. Stage a nice battle or a fight. Add something in that the reader will need to recall at the end.

Cutting scenes that you have so lovingly created stings, but it’s necessary. My heart goes out to each of you struggling with this part of the process. Just remember, it only hurts for a while, and you can always blog on it! *wink wink*

Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.

The Osiris skate team visited China earlier this year and they’ve release an entertaining ‘deleted scenes’ video. Go check it out…

OSIRIS CHINA 2012 Deleted Scenes from Osiris Shoes Network on Vimeo.