We made it to our last movie of 1996 and boy, is it a good one!
Some fun facts before we begin!
Pete Gunn has a minor role in the movie as the character Simmo. You might remember that he worked alongside Ewan in the movie "Blue Juice"!
While the movie takes place in the village Grimley, the story is actually inspired by the mining village Grimethorpe whose pit was closed just three years before the movie released.
The Grimethorpe Colliery Band performed all the band numbers in the movie.
Ewan's character plays a tenor horn in the band. I think it's a fun fact because when Ewan was a teenager, he played the French horn!
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Rating: R
Director: Mark Herman
Starring: Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald, Ewan McGregor
Synopsis: "Brassed Off" is about the 1980s pit closures in the United Kingdom. It takes place in Grimley, a coal mining village, that is next on the chopping block to have it's colliery shut down. The village is also home to the Grimley Colliery Band which has existed for 100 years and the characters are all part of. But with the possibility of the pit closing comes the possibility of the end of the band for good. Band leader Danny (Pete Postlethwaite) challenges the men to fight one last time to win the National Brass Band Competition in London. When Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald), a former resident of Grimley, makes a surprise return to the village, she joins the band and sets out to bring hope to the weary miners.
Ewan Review: Ewan plays the character Andy Barrows, a coal miner and member of the local band. Andy is initially excited to be reunited with Gloria as the two had a former romance. However, when he learns why Gloria has been keeping her return a secret, he becomes unsure whether he can trust her or if they were ever meant to be. Ewan wears an earring in this role and speaks with a Yorkshire accent. His character is broody so expect a lot of scowls which is a change of pace from his many smiley characters. He has an implied sex scene and a makeout scene. His acting, along with the rest of the cast, gets an A+ from me!
Screentime Percentage: Ewan is on screen for a grand total of 26/107 minutes making his SP 24%.
To Ewan or not to Ewan: Is the movie worth watching for Ewan alone? No. He already doesn't have much to do in this movie and he's part of an ensemble cast so the story is spread out over several different characters. Honestly, I found myself more interested in other storylines than his. He's good when he's on screen and is nice to look at but this just isn't a Ewan content heavy role. Is the movie worth watching in general? Absolutely! This movie has an amazing story, the actors have great chemistry, the music is phenomenal, and you get to learn in an intimate way about an important time in history. I can tell you that before watching this movie I didn't know anything about the miner strikes or pit closures. Now, I'm reading up on the history!
Warning before watching: There is a suicide attempt scene.
Where to Watch: "Brassed Off" is available for rent on YouTube, Fandango at Home, and Amazon Prime Video. You can also watch it for free on soap2day.
Closing Thoughts: This movie so creatively weaves together a story of anger, depression, and hope. The characters are fleshed out and feel real. You hurt for their plight and root for their fight. The movie has a bittersweet ending. I applaud the director, Mark Herman, for sharing with the world the harm done to the miners of the U.K. and their perseverance through it all.
The Ewan McGregor character I think you are isβ¦
Alexander Rostov (A Gentleman in Moscow)
This is probably a recency bias because I just watched the final episode, but stick with me. You are observant and detail oriented, quietly taking in the details of the places and people around you. Like Alexander, you have experienced isolation and loneliness but thrive when you find your place amongst your people. You care deeply and are loyal to your friends and loved ones.
Pal, I'm actually tearing up π₯Ή Also, I think there's something poetic about me reminding you of the ONE character that I do not know! No more putting it off. I'm going to watch the first episode of A Gentleman in Moscow tonight! Geez, Pal, I'm so honored that you think of me at all. I hope I don't sound arrogant, but this is such an accurate read! I'm genuinely flattered and just bubbling π This is the written equivalent of a hug fr fr π«πππ
Last night, my account was terminated. I don't know why. I was in the middle of using the site when suddenly I was locked out. No warnings. No announcements. Nothing. I was an absolute wreck. I couldn't eat or sleep. There was no word from Tumblr's management team. I could only explain what happened and sit on my hands. I felt utterly helpless waiting and hoping for a miracle. I had a home here. I had friends who became family. People that I love. Fandom that was my absolute joy and honor to participate in. It was all ripped away for no reason at the drop of a hat. My work. My mutuals. My home. Gone. Just like that. I couldn't say goodbye. I didn't know if or how I'd be able to find my moots again. I was able to create a second account called @loycspotting-thee2 and wracked my brain trying to remember my friends' usernames while terrified that that account would disappear too. I couldn't focus on anything. I was completely distraught. Thankfully, a miracle did happen and my account was magically reactivated. Again, no warning. No one reached out and explained what happened. One moment it was here, gone the next, then here again. In all my years of being on social media, I've never feared that a platform would kick me off like that until last night. I stayed up reading story after story of people who have used Tumblr, some of them holding accounts for YEARS with thousands of followers, logging on just to find it wiped from existence on any random day. This is a serious and repetitive issue, but not apparently to Tumblr. I may not have been a Tumblr user for long, but this incident has irrevocably broken my trust. No amount of saving and cataloging and backing up my account will protect me from being a victim of this website's carelessness. I would always have to worry if I'd be the unlucky user of the day that got their account deleted with no guarantee that it would be reactivated. I cannot and will not live in fear that everything I've created and the home I've found will be taken from me again against my will. Therefore, I have decided that the best option for me is to deactivate my account and say goodbye on my own terms. I am absolutely heartbroken to come to this decision. This has been the most unreal online space. I loved it here! It was everything I've been looking for and I only regret not signing up the first time I heard about it all those years ago. I love being in the Ewan McGregor fandom! Where it's not just a fandom. It's a fanhome π. I found my voice here, as well as people who heard me. People who understood me. This was my absolute favorite place to be, bar NONE. I felt fulfilled writing and reviewing. There were so many more things I wanted to do and experience with you guys. It was you who encouraged me. You listened, reblogged, commented, and messaged. You accepted me. From the bottom of my heart I love my mutuals. Even if we don't follow each other, if we've talked or interacted with each other's posts I love you too. I love the passion and creativity flowing through this site. I don't know what will happen with the Ewan McGregor Screentime Percentage project. I'm not ready to quit just yet. Maybe I'll start a Reddit or letterboxd account. Of course, for the writing, I can consider joining Ao3. If you want to keep in touch, then I implore you to message me so we can work something out. The friendships I made here are paramount to everything else. I'm going to leave this up for 9 days (or until I'm terminated again π) to give myself time to get things in order. On September 1st, I will say goodbye.
Do not use Discord to host your files. Do not rely on Discord to preserve your text. DO NOT RELY ON DISCORD FOR ANY KIND OF PRESERVATION OR HOSTING!!
It CAN be lost, it WILL be lost! You must consider Discord as a part of the Core Internet, controlled by one company that hosts the servers.
I thought it was impressive at first that it replaced IRC, but now I am horrified. If the company behind Discord went under today, how many friends would you lose?
How many relationships? How much writing?
You may think this won't happen, but I remember when AIM went down and along with it, entire novels worth of interaction with my oldest friend.
IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU. IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. NO COMPANY IS INFALLIBLE.
Back up your files! Download anything you've saved to Discord NOW, before the API changes go into effect! And DO NOT RELY ON THEM FOR HOLDING IMPORTANT FILES!
This character ask game is from @epickiya722
Rules: Send a Ewan character + one of these questions for me to answer in my ask box. In turn, I will send YOU a Ewan character + question in your ask box.
1. Why do you like or dislike this character?
2. Favorite canon thing about this character?
3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?
4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?
5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?
6. What's something you have in common with this character?
7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?
8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?
9. Could you be roommates with this character?
10. Could you be best friends with this character?
11. Would you date this character?
12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?
13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?
14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.
15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)
16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?
17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?
18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?
19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?
20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?
21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?
22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?
23. Favorite picture of this character?
24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?
25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?
26. FREEBIE QUESTION!!
Oh. My. GOSH! I love every bit of this! WOW!
Friend, you seriously put a lot of work into this.
You even included Party Poison at the end! I was genuinely surprised!
I love the drawing of us together lol π
The Littlest Pet Shop is such a throwback! I'm in love with your art for it fr fr
I'm going to be listening to the playlist all day tomorrow!
The Ewan edit is top notch! You really outdid yourself!
Thank you thank you thank you!! You singlehandedly made this a special Christmas for me all because you cared. π₯Ή You're an angel. πππ
picture of us fr so real ^im the shaggy haired one
gift for my bestfriend forever , + a playlist of songs i think he would like mainly ewan , some friendship songs. :33
@loycspotting
Jonathan McQuarry Fic
Synopsis: Jonathan McQuarry comforts you during an anxiety attack
Gender Neutral Reader
Author's Note: this is my first ever fanfic! Jonathan McQuarry is dear to my heart so I felt he should be the first I write about. I couldn't think of an actual title so just went with something simple. I hope you enjoy!
The feeling hits you like cold water to the face. You feel your breath shorten and your muscles tense as if on auto pilot. You know this feeling all too well: an anxiety attack. You know the cause of the trigger. Having grown up in a big city you're no stranger to the hustle and bustle of New York City. The yelling and honking and screeching of subway brakes don't faze you. However, when you walked outside to throw away the trash at the exact moment an old beat up car backfired three times, you were thrust back to your home town. Yes, you grew up in a noisy city but the noise was from guns echoing down the street day and night. You were so used to the sound of gunfire that it was almost hard to sleep without it in the background once you moved. You thought you had gotten over it until this moment. You suddenly felt unsafe. No, not just unsafe, helpless. You scrambled back inside and for a moment thought you had calmed down until that familiar feeling rose in your chest. Now you sit in the bedroom closet curled up like a child hiding from the Boogeyman. Now matter how much you tell yourself that you're okay, your body refuses to respond. With tears in your eyes you hold yourself and bite your thumb. You don't know how long you were sitting there when you hear the front door open and close. Then the sound of a familiar voice reaches your ears.
βDarling, I'm home!β
It's your boyfriend Jonathan back from his accounting job. You weren't expecting him back for awhile since he usually works late. Ever since you moved in together last month heβs been cutting back on late nights to spend more time with you. You tried to protest as you didn't want to get between him and his job but he insisted that you were more important. Now, you're grateful that he's home early.
βY/N, are you here?β He calls out.
You want to call out to him. To run into his arms and be comforted by the smell of his cologne but you're frozen in place. You hear him walk into the bedroom.
βY/N?β He asks.
βH-hereβ you manage to squeak out.
You hear him softly walk towards the closet door and squint as light hits your eyes from the open door. As he crouches down to your eye level you rush to explain yourself.
βI thought I heard a gun and I didn't know what to do and I'm sorry I was so scared and-β Jonathan cuts you off with a big hug.
βY/N, it's okay. You don't have to apologize. I know you're still sensitive to these things because of your past. It's okay. I'm here. You're safe.β
You lean into his warm touch as you rest your head on his shoulder and he gently rubs your back. You feel his lips tenderly place a kiss on your forehead. Under different circumstances, youβd think two adults huddling together in a closet wouldn't be the best way to relax. But wrapped in the arms of your gentle Jonathan, you couldn't imagine a better place to be than here with him.
Yay! This is so cute! I wasn't sure if everyone's prompts would get drawn or how you wanted to do it, so I'm absolutely stoked that you drew this! π
Mace deserves way more love in the fandom! Thank you for drawing my prompt! π«Ά
This one's for @loycspotting βοΈ
The prompt was : Mace Windu holding two younglings! One in each arm
I'm soo slow with these prompts I'm sorry, but now I'm back at my place and should be able to draw more regularly !
Before we start, I have to give a disclaimer. For some reason, there are two different runtimes for this movie. The first is 90 minutes and the second is 99. I don't know if the second is special edition or has extended scenes, but that's the one I watched so the Screentime Percentage will be based on that runtime.
Fun fact: Keith Allen has a minor role in this movie which is a fun fact because he worked alongside Ewan in Shallow Grave!
Genre: Comedy/Sport
Rating: R
Director: Carl Prechezer
Starring: Sean Pertwee, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Synopsis: "Blue Juice" is about J.C., a surfer and local legend, experiencing anxiety over growing older and settling down. With his 30th birthday on the horizon, his childhood friends make an unexpected visit and plunge his life into chaos. J.C. has to decide what's more important: the call to adventure or the call of love.
Ewan Review: Ewan plays the character Dean Raymond. He's one of J.C's. friends and is a drug dealer. He wants to turn his life around but keeps hurting his friends in the process. He smiles and laughs a LOT and holds hands with another member of the friend group twice. He has long hair that's covered by a hat the majority of the movie. The hat has the brand name StΓΌssy on it which made me smile because Ewan eventually plays a character with the last name Stussy. We also get to see him with a bloody face due to a fight scene. His performance was fine and I really liked his character's outfits.
Screentime Percentage: Ewan is on screen for a grand total of 23/99 minutes making his SP 22%.
To Ewan or not to Ewan: Is the movie worth watching for Ewan McGregor alone? Yes. Is the movie worth watching in general? Yes. This movie has grown on me a bit. Maybe I relate to the characters' internal struggles of life moving too fast, the fear of stagnating, no longer finding joy in your career, or allowing anxiety to rob you of new experiences now that I'm older.
Where to Watch: "Blue Juice" is currently free to watch with ads on YouTube.
Conclusion: It's cute and has some interesting themes it wants to explore. I just don't think it explores them well. It's a pleasant movie but one that you randomly stumble upon while waiting at the dentist or airport, if that makes any sense.
Well, we're here. We finally made it to Ewan's last movie of the 1990's. Seventeen. That's how many movies our fave did in the 90's. That's not including tv shows and short films. Seventeen. Movies. Let me put this in perspective. Ewan's big screen debut was in 1994. In the span of FIVE YEARS he did SEVENTEEN movies! Five years, y'all! Out of those seventeen he starred in eleven! Who else is putting up these kind of numbers? Do y'all realize how astounding a career start that is? He wasn't a child actor. He didn't have insider connections. He was a nobody 22 year old with a dream. I'm sure even he never imagined that he would experience that insane amount of success in such a small amount of time. There's a lot that had to go into his success that I could ramble about for hours. But what I will say is that he has got to be the luckiest actor alive.
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Rating: R
Director: Stephan Elliott
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ashley Judd
Movie Synopsis: A British spy know as "The Eye" is sent on a mission to gather intel on his target. When he witnesses his target's murder at the hands of a mysterious woman, he feels an immediate connection to her and strives to keep her from getting caught. His strange compulsion turns into obsession as he secretly follows her and devotes himself to protecting her no matter the cost.
Ewan Review: Ewan plays the character Stephen Wilson aka The Eye. Stephen is a quiet and withdrawn person. He is emotionally and mentally fragile ever since the abrupt loss of his daughter and still sees her everywhere. When he first sees the mysterious woman, he feels a paternal instinct ignite inside him and believes she can fill the hole left by his daughter. I think Ewan gives a good performance in this role. The character is subdued yet intriguing. His motivations are just as mysterious as the woman he stalks which pulls you in. He doesn't have a love interest. He gets into two fights and beats someone bloody in one of them. He doesn't have any nudity but Ashley Judd does. Truth be told, the draw of this movie truly is the acting. Both Ewan and Ashley Judd's performances are amazing. Watching him fall deeper into his obsession is disturbingly mesmerizing. You wonder how far he will go and how long he can keep this up. If you're into yandere and Ewan McGregor then this was made for you.
Screentime Percentage: Ewan McGregor is on screen for a grand total of 48 / 102 minutes making his SP 47%.
To Ewan or not to Ewan: Is the movie worth watching for Ewan content alone? Yes. Is it worth watching in general? Yes.
Warning Before Watching: This movie features a lot of violence with much of it being bloody. There is also an attempted rape scene where the victim is beaten and drugged.
Where to Watch: You can watch "Eye of the Beholder" for free on Peacock. It is available for rent on YouTube, Google Play Movies and TV, and Fandango at Home. You can watch it on the following streaming platforms if you have a subscription: Starz, YouTube Primetime, Hulu, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube Premium, and Philo Premium.
Closing Thoughts: This movie was not a commercial success yet I consider it to be a diamond in the rough. It's high on my list of favorite Ewan movies. On YouTube, there is fascinating behind the scenes footage on the film-making process that made the movie that much more endearing to me. It's called "Documentary about making Eye of the Beholder with Ewan McGregor" on the account "Ewan McGregor Vault".
Movie: Mortdecai (2015)
Characters: Inspector Alistair Martland
Oneshot / Yandere / Drabble
Word Count: 100
Synopsis: While her husband is away, Martland pays Johanna a secret visit.
A/N: So of course the moment I said that wanted to write at least once a week, I didn't touch the computer for a full month π€¦ββοΈ. Well, no better time than the present to start again! I wasn't feeling any inspiration and didn't know who to write about. Finally, I realized that inspiration isn't something that's always there. Sometimes, you have to just sit down and start writing. Otherwise, you may be waiting for inspiration for an eternity lol. This is my first yandere. I've become interested in the genre and wanted to give it a shot. This is only drabble so it's very short but dang! Writing exactly 100 words was way more challenging than I expected lol.
Martland gazed lovingly at the woman deep in slumber before him. His desire to see her, to protect her, outweighed the risk of being caught. Besides, the sleeping pill he encouraged her to take was doing its job well. How could Mortdecai roam the world and leave his most valuable treasure defenseless? βI would never leave you, my love.β He softly muttered to himself. One day, he will confess his devotion to his angel and she will understand her place is with him. But for now, as he hides in the dark recesses of her room, only the shadows know.