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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-14845470556103596602023-08-06T13:00:00.019-07:002023-08-06T13:00:00.152-07:00'I'm a Virgo' Points Toward a Leftist 'Superhero' Future<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCugk4I8k5piwI_VcVumdG4WoithiY-mGoWKU0iOB6BZwb3B4yDz_RmpX1R7dq5f6h9JsibyC1beTRVzWlBquf8K536vKPkbbhwFL1KLTFIXMcubBxSxi3yPM5HCsUHjIbNK5lspv8sTjxnsm_XFrnWYmmraDje3Ofs51bRi6itKo0zHTlU7U6YeUUcREk/s1920/vlcsnap-2023-07-12-12h12m19s507.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1920" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCugk4I8k5piwI_VcVumdG4WoithiY-mGoWKU0iOB6BZwb3B4yDz_RmpX1R7dq5f6h9JsibyC1beTRVzWlBquf8K536vKPkbbhwFL1KLTFIXMcubBxSxi3yPM5HCsUHjIbNK5lspv8sTjxnsm_XFrnWYmmraDje3Ofs51bRi6itKo0zHTlU7U6YeUUcREk/w640-h266/vlcsnap-2023-07-12-12h12m19s507.png" width="640" /></a></div> <div>You probably know about <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen" target="_blank">Watchmen</a></i>, the comic book series from the late '80s that has long been regarded as a literary masterwork and helped catapult mainstream superhero stories into maturity. It presents a world in which superheroes are ultimately ineffective, actively harmful, or, in the case of the godlike Dr. Manhattan, often apathetic to humanity's struggles. Writer Alan Moore might have meant for <i>Watchmen</i> to be a sort of a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090503021554/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123569333628588197.html?mod=article-outset-box" target="_blank">death knell to the superhero myth</a>, but the industry seems to have only considered its surface level aesthetic. Superheroes continue to hold up the status quo, but now a gritty palette is more common place. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>[Watch the video version of this post <a href="https://youtu.be/h76lp4t72oM" target="_blank">here</a>.]</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Moore lamented the state of fandom in a 2022 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/07/watchmen-author-alan-moore-im-definitely-done-with-comics" target="_blank">Guardian interview</a>:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>“I said round about 2011 that I thought that it had serious and worrying implications for the future if millions of adults were queueing up to see Batman movies. Because that kind of infantilisation – that urge towards simpler times, simpler realities – that can very often be a precursor to fascism.” He points out that when Trump was elected in 2016, and “when we ourselves took a bit of a strange detour in our politics”, many of the biggest films were superhero movies.</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>Characters written to be satirical like Rorschach have become fan-favorites. <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/alan-moore-interview" target="_blank">Moore tells GQ</a>:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>I’m making this guy a mumbling psychopath who clearly smells, who lives on cold baked beans, who has no friends because of his abhorrent personality. I hadn’t realized that so many people in the audience would find such a figure admirable. I was told—this was probably 5 or 10 years ago—that apparently <i>Watchmen</i> has quite a following amongst the right wing in America. In fact, do you know the far-right website, Stormfront? </blockquote><blockquote>They did a reproduction of the fascist hymn that I wrote for <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_for_Vendetta" target="_blank">V for Vendetta</a></i>. And they said that, “Yeah, this person is supposed to be the exact opposite of us politically, but having read these beautiful words, I think that he must secretly be one of us, inside.” I think I understand fascism, and I know what kind of hymns people like that would probably like. But if this stuff can be so fundamentally misunderstood, it does make you wonder what the point of doing it was.</blockquote><p>Homelander, a Superman-type, from the comic book series <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boys_(comics)" target="_blank">The Boys</a></i> by Garth Ennis is yet another fascist favored by the right. In the Amazon adaptation, he teams up with a Nazi literally named Stormfront, and so, of course, <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/trumpers-fail-to-realize-that-homelander-is-the-villain-of-the-boys/" target="_blank">Trump supporters proudly wear his costume</a> at MAGA rallies. </p></div><div>The fascist-inclined are going to identify with any anti-hero or villain who is aligned with their worldview regardless of the author's intent. Still, I believe there's value in speaking to the much larger and more casual part of the audience. But perhaps it's time for creatives on the left to be a lot more explicit and hopeful with their politics, because the cynicism of shows like <i>The Boys </i>and the <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2022/09/u-s-empire-and-the-marvel-moral-universe/" target="_blank">milquetoast liberalism of the MCU</a> are becoming tiresome.</div><div><br /></div><div>That said, anyone else notice the <a href="https://collider.com/last-of-us-episode-6-jackson-communism/" target="_blank">shoutouts</a> to <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/antman/comments/11jaonq/ant_man_quantumania_promotes_socialism/" target="_blank">leftism </a>in popular tv and film recently?</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_Us_(TV_series)" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMQfxwkqCeKb2QhtGmZcZDh5TXx42JzPMYWblv35yACM7TVXkHe_bcBf3vDLPp9--KzkTjZSGL0tsVfWREtrzPzRKWTh7Na26IvUkH6fIAbwMdXAIEmJe_I4d3Pa5A2s_ZujCoTfufq4weq7AIKjz4auAiDiAer4L3_q8M7rvXVIIToOGBEOH0NYkvGUJ/w640-h360/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-31%20at%2011.32.50%20PM%20(2).png" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_Us_(TV_series)" target="_blank">The Last of Us (2023-) Season 1 Episode 6</a></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant-Man_and_the_Wasp:_Quantumania" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0OMd90uVTTw2wkE3xb23RkBMGNzlm9BJlD6K0w7F4S7vJc-7S5T7kB_65rYz1SDokmbELk_bqelMnVp0CZEAg6pcRkC3tKsEkVRHtHXBPXPQMCHPgXAweq1l-_H5VDDytHrxYALilFdxNf2xPo8CZS-iKUOBmq1db57Bix1vU0QZ0WjNdPnyqXJ_FuDK/w640-h360/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-31%20at%2011.50.03%20PM%20(2).png" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant-Man_and_the_Wasp:_Quantumania" target="_blank">Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)</a></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><div>They may come off as throwaway lines, but their presence is promising and an indication of a more accepting general audience. After all, socialism has become less of a taboo in the U.S. ever since Bernie Sanders became a household name, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/sep/20/eat-the-rich-why-millennials-and-generation-z-have-turned-their-backs-on-capitalism" target="_blank">especially among Millennials and Gen Z</a>. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_Prey_(2020_film)" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqhQ6Y2nGBTZnRkg2IuVEi0KHdpp3WC3iGYDNNuKKY7OcRn8Xr30UenRixtFzQDlhdQTFzSjiQALoN5lSjcKhs0JWUk5RUQJ_ENZjRO5ikpn1KHUVWbMU2-0glcNFwHQrvniWDbz1fKJTpRma0nW8n2IvwfE0XTbN9YgZI9fvf7VcySh5dlpMdPLomaKi/w640-h360/vlcsnap-2023-08-01-01h46m12s618.png" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_Prey_(2020_film)" target="_blank">Birds of Prey (2020)</a></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1102305878/supreme-court-abortion-roe-v-wade-decision-overturn" target="_blank">recent</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/07/05/1109444617/the-supreme-court-conservative" target="_blank">seize</a> of <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/174469/clarence-thomas-cherry-picked-originalism-affirmative-action" target="_blank">power</a> by <a href="https://newrepublic.com/post/173747/republicans-winning-war-lgbtq-rights" target="_blank">conservatives</a> is certainly part of a continuing backlash against progressive gains. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yet leftist ideals are to trickling into the mainstream. Disney's <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andor_(TV_series)" target="_blank">Andor</a></i> feels like a revolutionary work of entertainment, with its grounded focus on everyday people fighting an empire that brings to mind lefty classics like <i><a href="The Battle of Algiers - Wikipedia" target="_blank">The Battle of Algiers</a></i>. Though it's still clouded behind its Star Wars setting, taking place in a galaxy far away, within a conflict often associated with old-timey wars and so one might easily dismiss it as irrelevant. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm hoping for even more direct messaging in my pop culture, but that sounds contrary to what authors like Moore favor. That is: open-ended conclusions for the audience to interpret as they wish.</div><div><br /></div><div>In regards to <i>V for Vendetta</i> Alan Moore said <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060505034142/http://www.comicon.com/thebeat/2006/03/a_for_alan_pt_1_the_alan_moore.html" target="_blank">this back in 2005</a>:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>I mean, yes, politically I'm an anarchist; at the same time I didn't want to stick to just moral blacks and whites. I wanted a number of the fascists I portrayed to be real rounded characters. They've got reasons for what they do. They're not necessarily cartoon Nazis. Some of them believe in what they do, some don't believe in it but are doing it any way for practical reasons. As for the central character of the anarchist, V himself, he is for the first two or three episodes cheerfully going around murdering people, and the audience is loving it. They are really keyed into this traditional drama of a romantic anarchist who is going around murdering all the Nazi bad guys. </blockquote><blockquote> At which point I decided that that wasn't what I wanted to say. I actually don't think it's right to kill people. So I made it very, very morally ambiguous. And the central question is, is this guy right? Or is he mad? What do you, the reader, think about this? Which struck me as a properly anarchist solution. I didn't want to tell people what to think, I just wanted to tell people to think...</blockquote></div><div><br /></div><div>I get that didactic storytelling is a turnoff. But when it comes to a piece's core message, going too far the other way and leaning into the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Way" target="_blank">grey area between two opposing points</a> can lead to thematic conclusions that are too cowardly to say much at all. It starts to feel a lot like a misguided centrism that advocates for listening to all sides, even if one houses white supremacists. A firmer stance from Moore might have kept more right-wing fans away. </div><div><br /></div><div>HBO's follow-up TV series to <i>Watchmen</i> arguably falls into the centrist trap. Moore had nothing to do with it, as per usual when it comes to any adaptations of his works. The caretaker role went to Damon Lindelof, who, by the way, has been recently <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/news/breaking-news/lost-toxic-set-allegations-damon-lindelof-1234868773/" target="_blank">called-out for his racist behavior as the showrunner on <i>Lost</i></a>. Maybe his <i>Watchmen</i> was a way to make amends, because the racial politics are the most interesting part of the show. The credits for that goes to the writing team. Lindelof's intent was to explore what would happen if liberals took overwhelming control of America, post the events of the comic book series in which Nixon held the wheel. </div><div><br /></div><div>Lindelof <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/10/watchmen-hbo-damon-lindelof.html" target="_blank">told Vulture</a>:</div><div><blockquote>Liberals get two things wildly wrong, in my opinion as an unabashed liberal. One is we spend way too much time wagging our fingers. The second is we don’t know when to stop regulating. Regulation is important, it’s necessary, but that’s what the people on the right legitimately fear. So, when does it stop? What is it to be 30 years into a liberal regime? </blockquote></div><div>Lindelof is arguing for modest reform where conservatives keep liberals in check, as if the middle ground between a Republican and a Democrat is the best place to be. In reality the leaders of both parties make their bed on the right. The channel <a href="https://youtu.be/fZ4nvCVAGw0" target="_blank">Second Thought elaborates</a> on the complacency of moderates in American politics. Do check them out. Suffice to say, Lindelof fails to imagine beyond the norm. In their essay '<a href="https://csalateral.org/issue/11-2/watchmen-copaganda-abolition-futurities-us-television-hatrick-gonzalez/" target="_blank">Watchmen, Copaganda, and Abolition Futurities in US Television</a>' Jessica Hatrick and Olivia González sum it up: </div><div><blockquote><i>Watchmen</i> depicts central law enforcement characters who commit violence as heroes, uplifts the main police character as an eventually almighty arbiter of justice, portrays white supremacist law enforcement characters as anomalous individual infiltrators (a.k.a. “bad apples”), and was created in collaboration with various members of law enforcement.</blockquote></div><div>So I've been longing for a courageous leftist voice with a platform to take on superheros for a while now. Someone like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_Riley" target="_blank">Boots Riley</a>. You may know him as the writer/director of the 2018 indie hit <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorry_to_Bother_You" target="_blank">Sorry to Bother You</a></i>, the only movie about organized labor that I can think of since 1979's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_Rae?useskin=vector" target="_blank"><i>Norma Rae</i></a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, this year Amazon gave Riley a chance with his superhero TV show,<i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_a_Virgo" target="_blank">I'm a Virgo</a></i>, and it's good, folks. First off, Riley's surreal style sets the show apart from the current slate of superhero media. The series' most admirable feature, though, is its unapologetic fervor. A coming-of-age story about a giant black boy at odds with America isn't exactly subtle, but the show's pungent ethos is refreshing in a landscape of dull insights from Marvel and DC. Critics on the right will call it leftist propaganda like it's a bad thing. Boots Riley, a communist, <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc9n2d-00UDhtWBYsFtFoKOQb1o0_5KAGT6_N7DnpSWKH39Ski19VYM7m0rWkUAEUVijLtaWHY9dkSSgjg0805x-9XXaZ8kdnpxvAQOdxvHnil3JQuOWI-0kUOcQxSVlv1dJ1sFZ5SucGBESmHnfz_UYqgAStVEVUieYESujqxqNYGyfY5cD-9kNZrktUumqfL3JX9yJI2q8rYix4YIJxQJDfmLbWr1OBuTwx0akBAJCLwz6xFG8dwfpDu44PolWp4fqXliNSub5iWD9w5dtVqR37gckDfczRPhYuJV13CqlyFMnbZaKmx_Zq-YT_h_wN8zwt9SYplqEYGwQVKBZ9zObA-hQM-kWDhHGz52l0FO7ZiZdnhIK_cwJSpl9rpuhvyp39mlts14pW3RNKLlmZe3W1vMX4glGYN62wZf_6swX0IBAhl2Et6w-SVYlZLUcYFBtJH0uts0Olb3goXmb1fembPwfZjyRawdgk_Nnhs5ahBSoNLWfztDsiqn8CgD6EHOul0SI4Yc-VkU-VkZK8esxxZsd7xxycPs9aDMAoGWBYS-XY2J5PUuWhFBfzAJViK7R2mgXSzb0joRAig64YFEErQ1ZWw4v4CUYP8hKN1z3YWCwKpS-uX5uqoqf_Mxsp3dWQFVYAhT-xXQzfwxzUD2eOp5VwQw4TBZP-OM1Ej9lfItpieWWLjn3OrErR-4d-CCKEPn58399M4DCCMj04alr5tLuo6J14UuqLYJwX8odnv4p1yiRK7BdDYPVTUXYvizpHZbnwLvF-DCEKZh5Ev2hkl-_Ktd9HhlxLiQtOmyorN3jz3_cQucZmz1weFgXcctGCQw2TiG-r8CZlBX91wtLK3gOtHxF7RzvuBfAX5cbFQKC3X72YVEwhx7Xc9neDyfzrYFZMj0nGVJwrVPqqg=w1444-h752-s-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">admits that it is propaganda</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>All art and entertainment is promoting a worldview, often by simply upholding the conventional. It's about time we get some serious counter programming to the heroes of Hollywood. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's unfortunate that season one of<i> I'm a Virgo</i> ends just as its skewering of capitalism is at its most potent. It feels unfinished <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/im-a-virgo-season-2-plot-1234883767/" target="_blank">because it is</a>. Due to budgetary constraints, two scenes following the climax where left unshot. The hope is to wrap it up in season two, but who knows if that'll ever happen. The business is largely on shutdown right now because the heads of the studios don't want to pay their writers and actors fair wages or acknowledge the career-ending potential of AI. The WGA and SAG/AFTRA strike isn't going away anytime soon, and executives are willing to <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/07/writers-strike-hollywood-studios-deal-fight-wga-actors-1235434335/" target="_blank">wait it out until the writers start losing their housing</a>. Coincidentally, a leader of an eviction defense group is a prominent character in <i>I'm a Virgo</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="color: #ffd966;">[</span></i><b style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: red;">SPOILERS</span></b><i> <span style="color: #ffd966;">for </span></i><span style="color: #ffd966;"><b>I'm a Virgo </b><i>ahead. Watching the full season is recommended.]</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #ffd966; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #ffd966; font-size: medium;">[If you're okay with thematic spoilers and want to read about the show's standout leftist message just skip one paragraph. To bypass all potential spoilers, skip the following three paragraphs.]</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Jones doesn't look it, but she's a superhero, a potential model for other leftist superheros to follow. She has the power to immerse people inside a theater-like mindscape during arguments or fiery speeches. She essentially brings the energy of a leftist Youtube explainer to the streets. Jones is the one who defeats the the main baddie of the story, a satire of a crime-fighting hero, by educating him on how he's part of the problem and in fact holds up a system that perpetuates poverty and thus crime. Sure, it probably would take more to convince someone like "The Hero" in real life, but I can buy that within this world Jones' powers are sufficiently persuasive. The important thing is that Riley takes down capitalism in way yet unseen in the mainstream, and might actually enlighten casual viewers just interested in a superhero show.</div><div><br /></div><div>See, the usual superhero story pits the hero against a super villain representing easily identifiable evils like world domination or the killing of innocents. Even a story like <i>Watchmen</i> which is more critical of superheros, isn't precise enough with its critique. Through Jones, Riley points out the actual villain in plain words. Her climatic proclamation can be summed up like this: capitalists rely on unemployment, because it gives them a reliable source of laborers to exploit. The class divide and poverty that capitalism enforces leads to crime for the police to indulge in. Cops and, thus superheros, are used as tools to uphold an unjust system that keeps people, disportionately of color, poor and in prison for the benefit of the upper classes. </div><div><br /></div><div>So what's a hero to do? Be wary of the champions of incremental reform, like Elijah Woods character. He's working on a technique to make capital punishment a bit less painful. No, that's not what a true hero would do. Jones knows what she'd call an actual superhero: <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc_QpNOUQEpUcvi4gikUytYQuDtQkQYGdRq01FuLT84RrFEPJSLFzeHdMB72mpcM2wIo33kGgzJg9U5pv_pMbMN9vYSqb44sL1hrrT27uwyHYlTjp_tVXIkw2FtFPG_yXJtsgqdP6zqY4WgpHpnAXDGcB72DsCMh21HUw159Ay9QygBbh_c6n4vcZCxR_502rMTt4SAJ-jq0-acNWvx3_DXBt2Wy05vkw5TWXiv83zDDt_2KV-QOsLU0paDJCiKE8roQLmHgzJYqdo7SRhJsE8vkLZCBjuuAzchtYyfNEvm8WPoadnrrK5diqdoSwJdn9pjh3i2MuI5XplnfsUMVL5dtFOrwe_AlrkWLkQj1ovU794JV-5Zns8zheEGrD4gwTcVxMtLI10Il8VKRB74Hc3zEUrw3rOyS2VsVrBGVemGSBozXAoNRsIefuENlUu5-sGcBvjRD7XQRcUl8-ORMKunMyBhJ7ga9ObvTmppOIy-bXeqcBzq6jgu6zEcoJEzsV7lYWJHNYHzIiBDBdPgI-Kf8SEEH2ni5kRz7hGkE6jO4PK9DWak15CtfiEPgk-UphgfNQEgmZdtzzANfihkmYTBQoIVp8RtJK0bCUHF1MNMD1CruixMemQ9na-G7r4gCk6VJSlc2AuzNvcgMIesOsKhTILb-YhbLtJjdpeQ5-iK0Aye6cLkyGErlW478kw5jlI5TE0IaY0o_w1oXD9FWLOCejb9w0bPxjJ89sW6yyAGubufCSQ9FHtGRCN6IbJhCrN6Nz_nl9D1ixDCUS_q3hpZbogKydGYV-ERTDmKyhcHar33jB1p1Oo6i6mHHDL9NLLkcjmHA1Khj6EKMzyqA_uUOvtgeikIP6hbWfwWHnigWF4Wuq7aeDw7qWLoyVyia3qrM7O0Hbm4CH7kNzjRsWQ=w1841-h767-s-no?authuser=0" target="_blank">a revolutionary</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">[END OF </span><b><span style="color: red;">SPOILERS</span></b><span style="color: #f1c232;">]</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I hope <i>I'm a Virgo</i> gets more attention from the superhero fandom, but especially that it makes an imprint on today's top architects of superhero media. The genre is in a bit of lull at the moment, arguably more due to the quality of its recent offerings than general superhero fatigue. To gain more traction outside its core audience, it wouldn't hurt for the genre to actually move forward. <i>Watchmen</i> got people thinking. Maybe <i>I'm a Virgo </i>will push creators into action. </div><div><br /></div><div>People like super people because they want escapist wish-fulfillment in a world where they feel powerless. In addition to fantastical cosmic wars, why not tell stories of heros standing with everyday people set in a material reality they can relate to? I don't expect Wonder Woman to become a revolutionary overnight, but I can imagine a story in which she fights a union-busting super villain. <a href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2023/02/us-labor-strikes-52-2022-worker-activism-rises" target="_blank">Unionization and worker strikes have been on the rise</a> <a href="https://paydayreport.com/payday-interactive-strike-tracker/" target="_blank">since the pandemic.</a> Which superhero is going to be a hero for the working class?</div><div><br /></div><div>Certainly not Batman. We're at the point now where Batman's wealth has become a running joke. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_League_(film)" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1978" data-original-width="1903" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoS7bNgmaGU2Vg2zzleWwOeab__quIMH2apugFVwNiF23dK8jf4DirNeQmXSr6eSZpOya-W4kQQuzzz6JUQixH83ghmvDfawxGFtEI9Jmg0IVSkSiYGVtjlDHIJWEJgJ4YXZ9pihAzzM9Y0xSxLUgkWOvdR3HeWBzx8b1a7F8dowZHHLvUn0qjcp1Ilnz5/w616-h640/znCbJGC.jpg" width="616" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_League_(film)" target="_blank"><i>Justice League</i> (2017)</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley_Quinn_(TV_series)" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="1920" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV2NesFaDP-PqZ8oMluc6cRdu51Rrh3_urG1d4NSwuO6lvZQuUCM6raaF65yXdEuZTZY-iuSManHHb2QO1yg-lkyfUCaQLjq8jyI4N9NmWGBAtPW_I8zJhlTyzUFoogzLJtdzblXNHopXmkrqE8b5wp0JA9-YHOvCmrzJf-q763zjwyzyulIyBDFGBbi81/w568-h640/hqaffhou.jpg" width="568" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley_Quinn_(TV_series)" target="_blank"><i>Harley Quinn</i> (2019-)</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div>In this year's <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flash_(film)" target="_blank">The Flash</a>,</i> he actually verbalizes his inadequacies thanks to Wonder Woman's lasso of truth. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flash_(film)" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="1020" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIo5I76BRuk5pVKuULNBq562mdHTBtlIXFozIFDPWYcc6PXYpZJqNfktFfkCqQrLeeYB4uZ3j0-7cntX8Itj5mDt8GbaqlXDsO4soO7S79s-iruwgyq0kLWEfcX58VE_OFOqllbgzglEORSSkj88I5f-k-RYeHY00bIYQ-1OQDgLbnuG-wEK-FCYl-xW_/w640-h340/Screen%20Shot%202023-08-04%20at%202.26.18%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flash_(film)" target="_blank"><i>The Flash </i>(2023)</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Again, these quips may point out the problem for those paying attention, but the stories do little to tackle the issues head on. </div><div><br /></div><div>But Bruce Wayne can turn his image around and serve as an inspiration to the guilty rich. Here's an idea, Bruce: convert Wayne Enterprises into a co-op and give your workers a say in how the profits are distributed, including the resources for the Bat-family to take on the robber barons of Gotham City. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for the <i>man of steel</i>, I wonder what James Gunn is upto with the upcoming reboot of Superman slated for 2025. The <a href="https://dcextendeduniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Superman:_Legacy#Synopsis" target="_blank">official synopsis</a> of <i>Superman: Legacy</i> describes Superman as the "embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned." It's a return to jingoist phrasing, which DC comics <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/16/entertainment/superman-new-motto-dc-fandome-cec/index.html" target="_blank">updated to "truth, justice, and a better tomorrow"</a> in 2021. I suspect Gunn wants to reclaim the motto as an alternative to the kind of nostalgia desired by mean-spirited reactionaries. <a href="https://bleedingcool.com/movies/guardians-of-the-galaxy-director-james-gunn-sets-the-record-straight-on-politics/" target="_blank">In 2018 Gunn clarified</a> that he's the type of independent voter who's fiscally conservative, socially progressive, and completely done with the Republican Party because of Trump. I don't expect anything too radical from the new DCU, but maybe, just maybe the ongoing strikes and artists like Riley will inspire further left swings during this down time. </div><div><br /></div><div>For a leftist, reclaiming 'the American way' as something to live by would entail a subversion of American-style <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_democracy" target="_blank">liberal democracy</a>, which includes the U.S. led and predatory <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank_Group#Criticism" target="_blank">World Bank</a>, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military%E2%80%93industrial_complex" target="_blank">military-industrial complex</a>, and other American norms that prioritize corporate power over people. Could Gunn at least be progressive enough to include universal healthcare in Superman's new version of the <i>American way</i>?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Among the most popular characters right now, Spider-verse heroes are probably the easiest to convert to the left. They're known as friendly neighborhood spider folk and are often depicted with lower class problems, like struggling to pay rent. Lately, Peter Parker has been seen helping out at a homeless shelter. And in <i><a href="https://blog.dreambeam.space/2021/12/ending-incarceration-in-spider-man-no.html" target="_blank">No Way Home</a></i> Peter just needs to take a couple more steps to start advocating for prison abolition, as he works with the other Spider-men to cure/rehabilitate the villains. The latest <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man:_Across_the_Spider-Verse" target="_blank">Spider-verse</a></i> movie might be the most progressive in the franchise to date. The main themes of the film rebuke established canon and democratizes the spider moniker. It features the anti-authoritarian Spider-punk as a prominent character; plus Gwen's father actually quits the police force after pulling a gun on his own daughter. Of course, the story is incomplete and the final movie in the trilogy could regress and double down on copoganda. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now, you might think that imagining a future of vocally leftist superheros in the mainstream is just a pipedream. Big business wouldn't want to risk alienating conservative customers, right? Judging by the <a href="https://comicbook.com/movies/news/barbie-cinemascore-box-office-weekend-oppenheimer-revealed/" target="_blank">cinema</a> <a href="https://comicbookmovie.com/spider_man/into-the-spider_verse/spider-man-across-the-spider-verses-cinemascore-has-been-revealed-following-209-million-global-opening-a203601" target="_blank">scores</a> (indication of how much an audience enjoyed a film) and <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/06/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-china-global-box-office-opening-1235399058/" target="_blank">box office earnings</a>, general audiences are at least indifferent to progressive politics in their entertainment as long as they're having a good time. Right-wing pundits and internet trolls may be <a href="https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2023/07/ben-shapiro-hated-the-barbie-movie-so-much-he-set-his-dolls-on-fire/" target="_blank">crying <i>woke</i> this</a> and <a href="https://www.screengeek.net/2023/04/05/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-protect-trans-kids-flag/" target="_blank"><i>woke</i> that</a>, but the same movies they criticize are also making the most <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/07/barbie-oppenheimer-barbenheimer-christopher-nolan-cillian-murphy-margot-robbie-ryan-gosling-gloabl-international-box-office-1235443180/" target="_blank">money at the box office</a>. In regards to this summer's top hit <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie_(film)" target="_blank">Barbie</a></i>, <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/07/barbie-box-office-success-margot-robbie-greta-gerwig-1235446062/amp/" target="_blank">according to Deadline</a>: the priority for Mattel's CEO "was to make a good movie versus selling dolls; in the end, the movie would elevate the Mattel brand." The most enduring companies play the long game to remain relevant, which means they'll combat backlash by presenting their brands as progressive, environmentally friendly, etc. When it comes to storytelling, the way forward seems to be giving writers and directors more creative leeway and with the younger generations embracing anti-capitalism, the future will only be more welcoming to those creators and products espousing leftist ideas. Of course, political messages are diluted when co-opted by the bosses. <a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2023/08/is-the-critique-of-consumerism-dead/" target="_blank"><i>Barbie</i> isn't as critical</a> of Mattel or gender essentialism as it could be, for example.<b> </b>Neither does the film dare to mention the <a href="https://respect.international/the-dark-side-of-the-glittering-world-a-report-on-exploitation-in-toy-factories-in-china/" target="_blank">dire working conditions endured by the women making their dolls</a>. But that doesn't mean people can't supplement the lip service or faux awareness of corporate media with the radical voices that are chipping away at the machine. As artists, critics, activists, and everyday fans, we must stay a step ahead of the capitalists. If anything, the current state of pop culture is an indication of what brands are chasing: the illusion of authenticity. One day corporations might just sell us the ongoing revolution with their dying breaths. </div><div><br /></div><div>A TV show like <i>I'm a Virgo</i> existing on Prime Video at least proves that a communist can be given a major platform thanks partly to the perceived value of superheroes. I don't think Riley will be the last. </div><div><br /></div><div>I understand Alan Moore's concern with the proliferation of superheroes. They often exist in uncomplicated worlds where they defeat so-called evildoers but do little to upend villainous power structures. Heroic characters with supernatural abilities or top-notch skills and intellect resemble <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/11/16/502161587/superheroes-and-the-f-word-grappling-with-the-ugly-truth-under-the-capes" target="_blank">archetypes of fascistic superiority</a>. Historians have compared them to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/may/27/comic-book-superheroes-the-gods-of-modern-mythology" target="_blank">gods of old</a>. Or are they like Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Cbermensch" target="_blank">Übermensch</a>? That is, they represent the ultimate goal for humanity. The Nazis used that concept to justify their vile ideas of a master race. While anarchist like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Goldman" target="_blank">Emma Goldman</a> interpreted the idea of Übermensch to be more inclusive, as an endpoint for a society with no masters or slaves. Or perhaps superheroes can be the symbolic vanguard of a revolution. We needn't lean into <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/11/16/502161587/superheroes-and-the-f-word-grappling-with-the-ugly-truth-under-the-capes" target="_blank">the ugly side</a> any longer. If superheros are to remain relevant to a future of discerning audiences, then they must move toward meaningful change. They can help us imagine a world that no longer needs saving. Though even post-revolution, fans won't have to leave them behind. We could always use lookouts ready to take-on those trying to regress back to oppressive times. </div><div><br /></div><div>Superheroes ought to inspire in the best direction. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avengers:_Endgame" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1494" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ44xusDVlozG1CG_pHOiU7NBxuFSBZkqoUMgD36TqQbJkyE4wG66BQpRC6N1M2BsqvLd1moJcN464vFSry079tnX_Qt0liRKymEfUJI1FwWf4zntK-_jBSTfr2ZFUfAVWR37JRC73LZrchOSJFkbY7phmblf3Mo0xDYquOeUwTzeJB8Rk8qGJHgYGQCK7/w640-h342/on%20your%20left%20avengers%20endgame.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avengers:_Endgame" target="_blank"><span style="text-align: left;">"On your left." - </span><i style="text-align: left;">Avengers: Endgame (2019)</i></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Support the striking actors and writers via the <a href="https://entertainmentcommunity.org/" target="_blank">Entertainment Community Fund</a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-83601140701324271622022-11-14T13:12:00.000-08:002022-11-14T13:12:11.076-08:00Loving Interview with the Vampire despite its flaws<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/LNxPoIFODjo" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1649" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5WqgC7XSzLPxwzvg4Iw7T2IyyPoumWmwlkGzoGCQS2cBSTFJ0oN2qJEu8L4r5HLxbnFMRxIc7EGwwxUjFK1AK-Coeu_1NuBJj-J5rGpGGtxzMmlrZd5Z5lEwEkli3fOoutocfZFZdExwHDR1eh3QaApP8rpUd_XEF3pQ16TWxetjTXAmGE7XSjI1-A/w640-h364/vlcsnap-2022-11-14-12h23m59s832.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>AMC's <i>Interview with the Vampire</i> is a gay nightmare I can't say no to. Season 1 delves deep into the toxic romance between the vampires Louis and Lestat, updating the story in all the right ways. Though the show has its faults, it doesn't matter much. I'm in love. </p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/LNxPoIFODjo" target="_blank">Interview with the Vampire (Season 1) - Musings from the Crypt</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="494" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LNxPoIFODjo" width="594" youtube-src-id="LNxPoIFODjo"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-646401045273701362022-10-25T13:33:00.001-07:002022-10-25T13:33:21.583-07:00A Mostly Great Season of House of the Dragon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/QXP0G3y8ayA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1490" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgldXlSH2UYUvH-48TFLGLFAb8ug1i3STHDS2neaG4WUcOnBTkyJzZ6wLaRgzrNSuOgPBenOXg3ei8K9MTPk_82rmlrpq6dj3DNKkpydrQ0fwf5wh3wr9XjqWjE2u55uHedDY-a6f3aRQ8K5Fs_t9exm4kM8PvNdYrIlcqm8Vnl--3Fkl6deEwAg-mvaQ/w640-h406/vlcsnap-2022-10-24-15h35m37s351.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I've had my qualms with <i>House of the Dragon </i>this season, particularly with its neglect of House Velaryon, but overall the series has more than surpassed the low expectations set by <i>Game of Thrones</i>' abysmal final season. The lead cast gave us some memorable performances and, in general, the series itself is among the best written and engaging shows of the year. The finale maybe felt a little too much like table setting, but ended with a worthwhile confrontation that echoes the themes of the show. </p><p>Perhaps episode 8 would've been a better endpoint to the season, but then we'd be 2 episodes behind during the long break between seasons. Everyone's guessing 2024 is the earliest we'll see season 2 of a planned 4. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/QXP0G3y8ayA" target="_blank">Ethereal Thoughts on the House of the Dragon Season 1 Finale</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="526" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QXP0G3y8ayA" width="634" youtube-src-id="QXP0G3y8ayA"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-66986270158470782662022-10-17T22:22:00.005-07:002022-10-17T22:22:42.573-07:00There Will Be Violence on House of the Dragon Episode 9, Season 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/nOLuhwsURt4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1289" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaL_FM103vTzbxx7oeE_8YTARkqWar-05Eh_CBVFnLlPDEIVO1ayURDTAojoy_7mILzjrse1J_f9F_vnMQkzC7VRFwlcf83LqULm-xmF-7AyA0p4pCXjTR3Ic309RFL9KSDlCiajAFzW8Ot7KVppOx2wbaza9wpapUUckOmjyx-EM65_Yi7ipu6s24w/w640-h476/vlcsnap-2022-10-17-22h20m44s625.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>It's all about the Green Team on the penultimate episode of <i>House of the Dragon</i>'s first season, as Alicent and Otto work to install Aegon as king. But then Rhaenys surprises us all with her entrance and exit at the coronation. Mysaria shows up in this episode, too. She's the only one using her power for the people, so she's got my vote. Also, Larys gets creepier...</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/nOLuhwsURt4" target="_blank">Ethereal Musings on House of the Dragon Episode 9, Season 1</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="536" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nOLuhwsURt4" width="645" youtube-src-id="nOLuhwsURt4"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-42835281998190270432022-10-14T17:55:00.002-07:002022-10-14T17:55:25.809-07:00Awe over Substance on The Rings of Power Season 1 Finale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/L5Syzwe7GHU" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1306" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBpj9s7K6tg-pw2wKN-cHuX05YdQZ9xxVMYHGJPX1Yh2bZKA6N0JKBh3jGGXXV3FHku3a6gEj-XcDNzQ_GAMPwSeGAhAoz-pxOXUpkTJICFZ59PLBncvYfDZQpQcSV0BDE5sU5XLuy_QYrUqi2JHFkYnP9J5fZeiouqVYli-dyoKXSpNXr6fGEqAmgw/w640-h390/vlcsnap-2022-10-14-14h18m26s824.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>We've come to the end of the first season of <i>The Rings of Power</i> and I'm feeling a bit empty, like I've watched a pretty show without getting much out of it. The Halbrand/Sauron reveal was half-baked, for sure. There are four more seasons to go, but at this point I'm not at all excited to continue. We'll see how I feel in a year or two's time. I'll probably tune in next season, but I can't see myself covering the show going forward. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/L5Syzwe7GHU" target="_blank"> Quick Thoughts on The Rings of Power Season 1 Finale</a></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="536" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L5Syzwe7GHU" width="645" youtube-src-id="L5Syzwe7GHU"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-70874138055505890842022-10-10T23:07:00.002-07:002022-10-10T23:07:27.445-07:00The Race Problem in House of the Dragon Episode 8, Season 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/RVyOI-dzNcE" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1427" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0ImOpEQ4AJN1z-eXmGtTnH7ivTPBMHt0px4X4bmP1CgnahW1PloSZmfFZT1hLlaYVNnqANbCE5xCJAFxJC-hV5n3pDM9OcZNSPUVrjmuW0YUrBBT7ALo0tH1_5FznqKr6fst1o5tYJmKjqoaQscUI-ZMaGfgdvOxjdThYiAAl002BK_gbrZfDiKvXA/w640-h430/vlcsnap-2022-10-10-11h54m12s234.png" width="640" /></a></div><i><p><i><br /></i></p>House of the Dragon</i> continues to have a race problem as tragedy befalls House Velaryon yet again in Episode 8. The show refuses to give its cast of color room to develop. On the positive side, <i>HotD</i> excels at spotlighting the pov of women, if they're white that is...<p></p><p>Aside from the race factor, the writing continues to be top notch, and Viserys' arc is one for the ages. </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/RVyOI-dzNcE" target="_blank">Quick Thoughts on House of the Dragon Episode 8, Season 1</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="566" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RVyOI-dzNcE" width="682" youtube-src-id="RVyOI-dzNcE"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-16651358289242256162022-10-08T01:29:00.004-07:002022-10-08T01:29:58.008-07:00Fealty to Gods and Monarchs in The Rings of Power Episode 7, Season 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/EDcpl_Argf0" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="1325" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDKCp20JaKCOcePzwIvYZYZOJEH-fVyZYJQiTKus6OnYRh_OW-PP-_u3vh9fsZeoeszVn7ADZUSiAaR7zESzhzWvsJiWr6vhFXdOFKxaD5f6_HKcYutctOc5UcezwwsspIsivpkCJj1PLmuLlYpJ7lQA1EMZiQx54SJcOUqxyhwNhvqw4CNzLh0VIQNw/w640-h380/vlcsnap-2022-10-08-01h27m34s239.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The penultimate episode of the season might just be the best yet, as all the characters reach their low point and then pick themselves up to embark on their next journey. Too bad the finale is next week, since it feels like the adventure is just getting started. Also, the religiosity and monarchy worship is getting more evident this episode. Anyone else unsettled? </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/EDcpl_Argf0" target="_blank">Quick Thoughts on The Rings of Power Episode 7, Season 1</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="547" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EDcpl_Argf0" width="658" youtube-src-id="EDcpl_Argf0"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-26057141163393665862022-10-03T19:00:00.001-07:002022-10-03T19:00:31.057-07:00Is There Enough Gay on House of the Dragon Episode 7, Season 1?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Mg9SqtlXIQw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1460" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxwsEo1zyQ7_duBai63NTgBoddVD4tvjjPb78tzqQagRNZydA33I7B-yHW_6RWJltSMb029p_wOPfpIEh8ANscs-4kk29QX8ERw654dEdcUox7FP6gBi8MLXKPpUL_TD5ZJssbuk4LQ1Ug9gdZK-1cqkcOI5x8ATz4LX52XXKJvrLwXQnX9115SVjCQ/w640-h416/vlcsnap-2022-10-03-11h52m42s145.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>This week we get the confrontation between Alicent and Rhaenyra the marketing has been so eager to tease us with all these months. Plus, this episode has a twist ending that sent me on an emotional rollercoaster. Though I'm not sure it was gay enough...</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/Mg9SqtlXIQw" target="_blank">Quick Thoughts on House of the Dragon Episode 7, Season 1</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="551" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mg9SqtlXIQw" width="662" youtube-src-id="Mg9SqtlXIQw"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-29808905964382888992022-09-30T20:23:00.003-07:002022-09-30T20:23:54.818-07:00Galadriel Approaches Evil in The Rings of Power Episode 6, Season 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/KGFzyC2005Y" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="1392" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-owsftfolCB7ac42tVZPsLfD2r-h8A-_zGJ6518ELhqerf7bkRNLSGHFTkmnrbhBXwY7U-AeffCwl2Y2eAXDVYIfuX9Iefly_wdQerHgxFGK0uaZLTsSLk4YV4h-IKQ2yC7AgZdmI-TQ5vvB6Oe_3-jHXcM6ooZRYnP6-oGhPgQjwQu91SRv6PNDBA/w640-h362/vlcsnap-2022-09-30-14h45m26s031.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>The battle in the Southlands has begun and Mount Doom has awakened. Things get exciting this week on <i>The Rings of Power.</i> The creators are making me feel sympathetic for the main baddy, while coloring Galadriel with more darkness. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/KGFzyC2005Y" target="_blank">Quick Thoughts on The Rings of Power Episode 6, Season 1</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="531" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KGFzyC2005Y" width="638" youtube-src-id="KGFzyC2005Y"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-12030519194534401322022-09-27T23:08:00.001-07:002022-09-27T23:08:22.324-07:00Are we still on board after a 10 year time skip on House of the Dragon?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/MQRCpPUWEUk" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="967" data-original-width="1622" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKSzx_qnVmOFlhX7g2TRacFwRUjVJtj4rcHIYzO3ggN0iqzQVPpD2Icmk9Ki26Vn3TWoKts2heoYNPDq1PuEG-m6fI2oY5LA0eXc8aSOBVpWlz4gPTIcPKgJzlv3hFOxudspbt19Zr1601IGU8e3Hn-tGXSwxJj9MRj5fSa03USzZrg6mbPXTVARb8g/w640-h383/vlcsnap-2022-09-27-22h54m59s334.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Despite episode 6's most glaring flaw, I'm still on board the<i> House of the Dragon</i> ship, thanks to the exquisite performances by Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke. The episode's greatest failing was its treatment of Laena Velaryon. Besides that and some other minor nitpicks, the 10 year time skip worked for me. </p><p>For more of my thoughts, watch the video:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/MQRCpPUWEUk" target="_blank">Thoughts on House of the Dragon Episode 6, Season 1</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="541" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MQRCpPUWEUk" width="651" youtube-src-id="MQRCpPUWEUk"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-62975444521025343852022-09-23T19:02:00.003-07:002022-09-23T19:02:58.299-07:00Another Uneven Episode - The Rings of Power Episode 5, Season 1<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Kv9umLTan7M" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1405" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoB51n7CjuyWZMKiEuJ_0UIcOG7VexBVTG4S7L0RnqhKtZhcQEtZy7pW76DRtr9Z3b8lJvLc2NJsxbVrPl0f-HAX-o_VXDgdso8QSYzZDUYcHWBuQMJUZdylQVlT_D6idyDUUvxSW0vjUc78uf6bs1CBkPldxl1FzUpdIxirOzgHn4-6-ZcYZxNJumWQ/w640-h358/vlcsnap-2022-09-23-14h58m02s828.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Episode 5 of <i>The Rings of Power</i> opens strong with Poppy singing a beautiful song over an on-the-road montage. But it soon wavers into some uneven pacing and odd character choices. Let's hope Galadriel and co. make it to Middle-Earth sooner than later. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/Kv9umLTan7M" target="_blank">Quick Thoughts on The Rings of Power Episode 5, Season 1</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="535" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kv9umLTan7M" width="643" youtube-src-id="Kv9umLTan7M"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-60347994661244720372022-09-19T22:09:00.002-07:002022-09-19T22:09:48.091-07:00Lacking Intersectionality in House of the Dragon Episode 5, Season 1<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/NXBkHhvJVl4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1452" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6a3KGdCJ3MbdilWREnupmHIJTPYuVlXOpoEbH--6_aNqv43ugd-wgkBjxlKwebEuJ2rw4xJrJvESdN44loeKlQg1qmk9Sd6z-eKMK401clC6ecvEzo9RjlZMlv6inSy_UUu54N_OGHTgGbEiPAjTsFYQNiu_JQKYIFWcwHWnIGB5XhY_rY5edl7Xgg/w640-h374/vlcsnap-2022-09-19-11h04m46s778.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This week's <i>House of the Dragon</i> incorporates the woes of gay love in Westoros, adding to the "<a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Analysis/BuryYourGays" target="_blank">Bury Your Gays</a>" trope for the second time in the franchise. Gender issues continue to plague our characters, but what about race? Is the show lacking intersectionality? It appears so. </p><p>Well, half the season is over and next week the show goes for the long reported 10-year time jump with new actors taking over for the older Rhaenyra and Alicent. I'm nervous but optimistic. For my thoughts on episode 5 watch my video: </p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/NXBkHhvJVl4" target="_blank">Quick Thoughts on House of the Dragon Episode 5, Season 1</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="535" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NXBkHhvJVl4" width="643" youtube-src-id="NXBkHhvJVl4"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-4499380052829510592022-09-17T16:37:00.000-07:002022-09-17T16:37:28.019-07:00Good Riddance to Númenor in The Rings of Power Episode 4, Season 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/HNu6pta5zqs" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1410" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPs1RXrd52-f6CqZqK73Ao2W_Yc20N0QkhOz0FpQjUDcSfN2Gu4WItgyeh_4w88G1XjLdMTlNoweJZXgUheUD3pfLukt97SnKF5i-b8_62yp7J0iVXEtxpfSqCU0R5cDH3OAWsMo3Z-fV1qpP08cZhmyWwmuJCjEOOqwsfhNsYw8unjTnbVE4351M4g/w640-h362/vlcsnap-2022-09-17-16h35m46s574.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I'm not a big fan of the Númenor plot line. So it's good to see Galadriel and co. set to leave the island at the end of episode 4, even though it was clumsily executed. I'm liking Adar's characterization thus far, but his orcs are not to my liking. I much prefer how they were depicted in episode 2. But overall things seem to be improving over last week's episode now that the different plots are converging. For more of my thoughts watch my video: </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/HNu6pta5zqs" target="_blank">Thoughts on The Rings of Power Episode 4, Season 1</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="515" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HNu6pta5zqs" width="620" youtube-src-id="HNu6pta5zqs"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-85823978101208128642022-09-13T20:53:00.005-07:002022-09-13T20:53:59.649-07:00More Gendered Expectations in House of the Dragon Episode 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/2xRZ87t5Owc" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1465" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnFuQ5xKMqut8Hwc9CoUMUV9Ht43_2ATtqdwBlM0Kw4o_f4dVr8ntPmzTq_j_tIIMkvK0STLyVGUIA6J32_BSQHIBLmiUzXUS7zKgUqzVJij2xHCmovEawhCQQnwBi-l2WtrhRWiQkGbjdxAfblQBGpHTqiuYDhQkM5TOi9GcsyE5x4obOsY1g5SJAg/w640-h418/vlcsnap-2022-09-13-20h50m32s537.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>There's a lot to unpack this week on <i>House of the Dragon</i>. Gendered expectations continue to plague the Queen and Princess. The Targaryens abuse their power in bedrooms and pleasure dens. For my thoughts watch below: </p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/2xRZ87t5Owc" target="_blank">Thoughts on House of the Dragon Episode 4, Season 1</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="497" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2xRZ87t5Owc" width="598" youtube-src-id="2xRZ87t5Owc"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-36685910830738374562022-09-09T21:45:00.003-07:002022-09-09T21:47:29.614-07:00The Rings of Power Episode 3 Underwhelms <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/IJQTLvg34EQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1362" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmxKBtyUi9r8_d6zMW4fOcdkfJgwp41HZ8_Fr_9LmLo4EKh75itGLJwHf3Msrul9at3XSGECzG3yBTP3Uql2D_NP0bqNv17wyKPIyNZXzKec7SI8tOwbdGz6b78Fre0RXRXzlFU1dFUb7lz5zbU0U9EFmi13eWRff6V7iWCkuK71MALgtNywzJQuThQ/w640-h370/vlcsnap-2022-09-09-19h55m05s408.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>A week after a majestic 2-episode premiere, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings:_The_Rings_of_Power" target="_blank">The Rings of Power</a></i> loses its footing in the third episode. I'm concerned Amazon put most of its eggs in the opening and ending of the season and that the quality will continue to drop in the middle. I wonder if <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._A._Bayona" target="_blank">J. A. Bayona</a> is mostly to thank for the grandeur present in the premiere and now that he's out we'll be watching a more standard TV show. Perhaps the Numenor storyline will grow on me with more time. For my quick thoughts watch my latest video:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/IJQTLvg34EQ" target="_blank">Quick Thoughts on The Rings of Power Episode 3, Season 1</a></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="513" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IJQTLvg34EQ" width="617" youtube-src-id="IJQTLvg34EQ"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-51521563970745645912022-09-06T17:12:00.002-07:002022-09-06T17:12:23.914-07:00To Hell with Tradition in House of The Dragon Episode 3, Season 1<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dreambeamtv/video/7140420193355959594?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7138203446872376874" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTzuEFJoi-IVf2cC8Wq5tqIjfSp3U5BC8zmyGd_B8hEwvbA4i792m9fGi39SlxoMgKQcfCl34N1ld5xl8s2U5eVEFKkGUZS5pzXRactpeQregBU17wG01QU5RcanW104_H8oZAuvuQRxjeJqFDwwo7h_wwGQVR1bbP0MZHZBaXvB0ldYYPU7YM7w4Vw/w640-h360/vlcsnap-2022-09-06-17h00m48s570.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>I tried out a speedier pace for episode 3 of my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_boJJ006m_w&list=PLtryT1GYBOSs24FKziWIGSeKoghF1Lfo2" target="_blank"><i>House of the Dragon</i> video reviews</a>. What I do for each episode will vary each week, I guess. Make sure to see the ending of this one for a bit of fun. Alternatively, check out the TikTok version by clicking the image above.</p><p>I'm still digging the show, though I'm not too fond of how they concluded the Crabfeeder plot. For a recap and my thoughts check out the video:</p><p><br /></p><a href="https://youtu.be/2GMHw0TTay0" target="_blank">
Thoughts on House of the Dragon Episode 3, Season 1</a><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="490" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2GMHw0TTay0" width="590" youtube-src-id="2GMHw0TTay0"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-19008397393441171042022-09-04T22:22:00.002-07:002022-09-04T22:22:58.296-07:00There's something disquieting about the elves in The Rings of Power <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings:_The_Rings_of_Power" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1585" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyZLrIUwrcyQPGjkOnId_5ZfLE9-9WUOztv1aJN3_lrpiz-rGGyXwSNWE9Wsp3v4uOiZfHTj4r1j1MfoNiM4xtv5inREI4bknHh77Y-1v4O0LNjqlqq2u3Wv36LBcq6_Zpxm4vr2CrkHoSfbipv31xxiCkOJDcaOZHOWOtRWTSY06dZWDoT-7amtN7w/w640-h322/vlcsnap-2022-09-04-21h34m23s493.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I'm pretty overjoyed that we to get to watch two quality fantasy shows for the next several weeks. <i>The Rings of Power </i>may not be as biting as<i> <a href="https://blog.dreambeam.space/2022/08/quiet-thoughts-on-house-of-dragon.html">House of the Dragon</a></i>, but it's no less engaging. It's actually a pleasant palate cleanser from the grim world of Westeros. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings:_The_Rings_of_Power" target="_blank">The Rings of Power</a></i> is majestic in comparison... but there's something off about the High Elves. Listen to my ethereal musings on the first two episodes at the link below...</p><p><br /></p><a href="https://youtu.be/2JISSwbZx5Y" target="_blank">
Ethereal Musings on The Rings of Power Ep. 1 & 2, Season 1</a><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="541" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2JISSwbZx5Y" width="652" youtube-src-id="2JISSwbZx5Y"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-3576280914108831532022-08-31T18:46:00.018-07:002022-09-02T11:27:43.384-07:00Quiet Thoughts on House of the Dragon Episode 2, Season 1 - Dream Beam TV <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Dragon" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1674" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzu6AD2YUfPvaAPxiMCdVIl77Y1wp8pJpkkeTijcC8-THn3Gr-UkPb7UqT8vpHQcaoYGZvsP-eWGhFZFISsB3S-7kaUK91fUspXfJRU2THTyrnKt-blEy8zzrMJykLdmaYGek9iOH52cu29_vg_o0OcedwsKvhkNvlPMdSFK1K_NoW6rTfIlNweXGjA/w640-h368/vlcsnap-2022-08-31-15h31m34s329.png" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Well, episode two of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Dragon" target="_blank">House of the Dragon</a></i> seems to indicate that the franchise is back on track. I'm not so keen on the not so new opening credits, and I am still waiting to see how characters like Mysaria develop. But I can't say enough good things about the performances of the main cast. For more quiet thoughts watch my video review: </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/KzCQ375tykQ" target="_blank">Quiet Thoughts on House of the Dragon Episode 2, Season 1</a> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="521" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KzCQ375tykQ" width="627" youtube-src-id="KzCQ375tykQ"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-81915322197538011542022-08-28T12:41:00.003-07:002022-09-19T22:49:35.263-07:00Dream Beam TV softlaunches with House of the Dragon Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Dragon" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1611" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcjQ5V5ldyobksMRaNLiS-US0NBeq3Q_FdnjbXfWIP581sWLlnWVx76UJMNm_ywcLRhtXgr9nBxIjqMUzGTgfMjpU5f1BJ-YsaSOqzWe50nMLToDSYyTTMtz9bdszPqlskpa3xSio2Svb_ipB10z5IPKDRvFfPazxCN55DNlzI-mnPWMqd2Nl-g9aqew/w640-h380/vlcsnap-2022-08-27-22h02m36s744.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Hey folks. I'm finally trying out this tv/movie review/analysis thing on Youtube. Below you can watch and listen to my quiet thoughts on the premiere episode of the<i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones" target="_blank">Game of Thrones</a></i> prequel <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Dragon" target="_blank">House of the Dragon</a></i>. Editing it took longer than I anticipated due to this being my first time making such content and I had to deal with Youtube's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_ID_(system)" target="_blank">Content ID</a> system (obviously media criticism/commentary falls under fair-use). I'm pretty confident that the next review will be up much sooner. </p><p>I added some effects to my voice and kept my volume low in an attempt to maintain a pleasing ambience throughout. Some might compare it to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASMR" target="_blank">ASMR</a>. It could use some tweaking, and I will eventually get a better mic, but I'm liking the general idea. I also made a <a href="https://www.patreon.com/dreambeamtv" target="_blank">Patreon for the channel</a>, but I'm not expecting much traffic quite yet. I'm figuring things out as I go along. We'll see where this all ends up. For now, check out the first episode of <i>Dream Beam TV</i> and stay tuned for my video on episode two of <i>House of the Dragon</i> later this week. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/_boJJ006m_w" target="_blank">Dream Beam TV Presents: a <i>House of the Dragon</i> Episode 1 Review </a></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/_boJJ006m_w" target="_blank">OR My Quiet Musings on the <i>House of the Dragon </i>Premiere </a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="494" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_boJJ006m_w" width="593" youtube-src-id="_boJJ006m_w"></iframe></div><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/dreambeamtv" target="_blank">Dream Beam TV Patreon </a></p><p><b>Update: </b>Original video got copyright claimed. I've disputed it as fair use. Until it's made public again, you can download the video here: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MvzDS9xUqbzO_5jAkOykGxt3wyjyJwNA/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Dream Beam TV Review HotD S01e01</a></p><p><br /></p><p>....</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-7792885980522783092022-03-27T15:32:00.015-07:002022-04-02T20:07:09.165-07:00Favorite Cinema from Last Year<p><br /></p><p>Every year I create a document on my computer to list all the movies and shows I watch that year. I give myself until the Oscars to see all my most anticipated and the most acclaimed movies of the year. Only then do I finalize my rankings of the best of the year. That much is expected of any cinephile, though I choose to list episodic content along feature length films and documentaries. Now that I think of it, I should probably include short films and music videos on my list too. At this point in history is there really much to differentiate any type of motion picture besides their length? </p><p>Well, the Academy Awards are tonight and tomorrow or so the cinema of 2021 will be too dated to write about, so I better share my opinions fast. Before I share my top 10... or top 12, I'd like to write a few words on some stand-outs, none of which have been nominated for the big award show tonight. By the way, I don't have anything revelatory to say about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_the_Dog_(film)" target="_blank"><i>The</i> <i>Power of the Dog</i></a> at the moment<i>. </i>It's a great film and is my preferred choice to win Best Picture. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Underground Railroad</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Underground_Railroad_%28miniseries%29" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="1077" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oXJ-4hO_1CF6Ta_lAI4QPVC09iGQlnkvbT1bJqznvkGhLKTi3n2V8Th6QMzuAs_eiviuAaLLZyVitOC1SS6Bz4yfsgKQIZCvAt7v36UnXDmhGcQnlexEhDJS6OtVSZYMUopHKBmyGo6h3IvRNVi_2DS3FjJPC40JOSxXbhN-UXelpOU_wQlvwU9Xjw/w640-h366/210527133141-thuso-mbedu-the-underground-railroad-4-super-tease.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p>If you need a good example of how TV is in fact cinema, look no further than Barry Jenkin's <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Underground_Railroad_(miniseries)" target="_blank">The Underground Railroad</a></i>. It feels like this series has been largely missed, likely due to the fact that there's too much to watch these days and, I imagine, a 10-hour show concerning slavery is not a priority for most. I recommend pacing yourself and watching on a weekly basis or so, as I did. The main conceit of this drama and the book it's based on imagines the underground railroad as a literal railroad, yet the brutality of the era remains intact. It's an oppressive watch, but Jenkins shoots it with the intimate and dreamy gaze we've come to love him for. At times the series feels like a simmering horror story, which is all the more terrifying knowing it's all based in truth. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Titane</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titane" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1154" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxd6vNknqpO50GY3sIElCDZ8O2gPF-YQH_XM_5RhB1CMw5wEZfoGLcB62LU4XnCevAo7IE_oykP5PDi2jgiBYcnLAFed0OeV-ofdFlRpTFQhgIErG8-HK57gptuI4tArrxZR1r6iv4WMmyDeZ2b_eMHGJ7PZmW-00Wn7xTxBsAEits4gdkLi5dj4o6A/w640-h378/titan%20love%20car%203.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p>I watched Julia Ducournau's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titane" target="_blank"><i>Titane</i></a> last Halloween, since, you know, it's fitting, a story about dealing with being impregnated by a car. The sex scene with the car is one for the cinema history books, but the film is much more than a steamy hot rod romp. One could see the film as a cautionary tale for what happens when the ill or pregnant aren't properly cared for. I mean, imagine being <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/roe-v-wade-is-dead-in-texas-u-s-supreme-court-owes-us-an-explanation/" target="_blank">coerced by the state to go through with an unwanted pregnancy</a>. It's a horror show; watch <i>Titane</i>. Though the movie is more clearly about found family among some twisted individuals and a critique of gender in general. Some have <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2021/10/titane-body-horror-trans-transphobic-1234668724/" target="_blank">called it transphobic</a>, but if that's accurate, it's because Ducournau slightly fumbled when trying to challenge gender identities. The Tarantino-esque violent action sequence was a low point and the dreary protagonist isn't always a pleasant watch, but the film is more than worth the time if you're interested in something wild. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Zola</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zola_(film)" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1920" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOh526xqhSEY79vxdo9zVRLcwnfg_0rc3Ijp2Ohjqj4iZs3kK8pm7M-MdJFqb8DddTe8sulV9T9Cuq8hVJxQ3riKrGTie0EASvUvEyK0r2Ckh8yZQBJDRaVnEjdHTlgUROJlBARBzqx05xpMjO2dX-JCzZR0bqtLm62S_tKNUPjh549OvIhngVSY_l_A/w640-h346/zola.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zola_(film)" target="_blank">Zola</a></i> is proof Twitter can be cinema, too. The film is based on a viral Twitter thread about the true misadventures of a part-time stripper in the hellscape of Florida. In hindsight, it's probably the most exciting of the films I saw last year. You can't go wrong with Riley Keough, but Taylour Paige carries the torch in this wild trip. It's my favorite entry in the recent Florida/Southern genre </div><div>that focuses on desperate Americans (think <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_Breakers" target="_blank">Spring Breakers</a></i> and the films of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Baker_(filmmaker)" target="_blank">Sean Baker</a><i>)</i>. <i>Zola</i> is actually women-centered and thus my preferred cinematic peek of sex work in 2021, over Baker's cringe-worthy <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Rocket_(film)" target="_blank">Red Rocket</a></i>.</div><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Benedetta </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedetta_(film)" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1920" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2swP02QCJiUNv09MRny3chg4GdHbGLip9qa9GdIr0Pdt0PfZ7j_J8WOBeOIemElbzLss-_jKOAc6l6YDfuqSOMJuyahH-QBjoXfN_MyuaYYdDTqFhT4Edu8tI69JCx7jPPt6tgwry14dJa6t7P8dIw9g_rGcu_7WqpeJSFVKAk5GmVcl0Wy_0M5zZMA/w640-h268/benedetta.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Paul Verhoeven might have just made his best film with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedetta_(film)" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Benedetta</a>. It's the perfect mix of satire and drama, based on the true events of a delusional, or perhaps a mastermind, nun who might have been the second-coming of Christ. She happens to have a lesbian relationship with a fellow nun, and she's the kind of anti-hero you'll root for, just to stick it to the patriarchy. In true <a href="https://blog.dreambeam.space/2021/10/satanico-pandemonium.html">nunsploitation</a> fashion, Verhoeven skewers Catholicism with glee. It's top-tier blasphemous fun. </p><p><br /></p><p>****</p><p>Anyway, here's my list... subject to change sometime in the future... maybe...</p><p><br /></p><p>My Top Picks of 2021 (possibly in order of excellence):</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>The Underground Railroad</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>The Power of the Dog</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Titane</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Flee*</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Zola</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Benedetta</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Petite Maman</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Exterminate All the Brutes</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Spencer</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>The White Lotus</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>The Novice</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>No Sudden Move</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Midnight Mass</i></p><p>Honorable Mentions: </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Yellowjackets</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>The Worst Person in the World</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Y: The Last Man </i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Drive My Car</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Parallel Mothers</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Judas and the Black Messiah</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Euphoria - Specials </i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Don’t Look Up</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Spider-Man: No Way Home</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>The French Dispatch<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>The Card Counter</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Bo Burhman’s Inside</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>The Velvet Underground</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>WandaVision</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Barb and Star goes to Vista Del Mar</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Q: Into the Storm</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Squid Game</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Loki - Season 1</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Succession - Season 3</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>The Green Knight</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>The Beatles Get Back</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Dune</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Masters of None - </i><i>Season</i><i> 3</i></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Gunda</i></p><p><br /></p><p>*****</p><p>*Update 5/2/2022: I just watched <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flee_(film)" target="_blank">Flee</a></i>. It's devastating and a must-watch. I added it to my top picks.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-70656802000084152652022-01-04T17:55:00.006-08:002022-01-04T19:40:13.441-08:00No More Chosen Ones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(2021_film)" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="1200" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBbUUucbI0WlYqJ1_RPRk7Qw3eSfxY8BN9PHEVV5_kvZ2shG3TeYWCMO3tTz_r9W5s3hx11d6ZDlhIQfKp3O9crrnztY3vzFZo1Vpdbh0cZdPbHmZPKZk4B1g5TWiCt1BePKE0PZ2QRylEknGxPmxDaVLEYhOZlDSr90V1l-D3GPQ5iShzlfnkgCNnLA=w640-h322" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*** some spoilers for the <i>Dune</i> books,<i> The Green Knight, </i>and<i> Benedetta </i>ahead<i> ***</i></span></p><p><br /></p><p>We're all familiar with the <i>chosen one</i>: the singular hero who is destined to save the world/universe. You know, like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus" target="_blank">Jesus</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_(character)" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> or a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skywalker_family" target="_blank">Skywalker</a>. It's a convenient template to craft a story from. <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/is-chosen-one-trope-played-out/" target="_blank">Yes</a>, has been overplayed for millennia. Stories that attempt to subvert the trope have been made, such as <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)" target="_blank">Dune</a></i>, in which later books in the series reveals the savior to be just another oppressor. We've yet to see if Denis Villeneuve will make this clear in his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(2021_film)#Future" target="_blank">to-be-continued <i>Dune</i> adaptian</a>. </p><p><i><a href="https://blog.dreambeam.space/2021/12/a-merry-compromised-matrix.html">The Matrix Resurrections</a></i> didn't quite deliver on the potential established in the original trilogy. Neo is once again the central hero decades later. Other films from 2021, however, have had more bite. In <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Knight_(film)" target="_blank">The Green Knight</a></i>, the hero, Sir Gawain, is shown to be a mixed bag. The film ends without definitive answers, but we do get to see a possible future in which Gawain grows to become a ruthless king, not a divine savior. In <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedetta_(film)" target="_blank"><i>Benedetta</i></a>, the central protagonist is lesbian nun who sees herself as the second coming of Christ. It's a satisfying tale that rips into Catholic patriarchy, yet Benedetta is not exactly righteous. She's often cruel. If she isn't manipulating her sisters to gain power, then she's delusional for thinking she's the "chosen one." </p><p>The heroes in these examples do challenge the typical white, male, and hetero archetype. It's nice to see broader representation in the stories we consume. But to truly grow beyond a tired narrative, it's not enough to merely replace the chosen one with the BIPOC or an LGBTQA+ chosen one. We need to start telling stories about the power of solidarity. If we are to wait for geniuses and divine leaders to save us, we are giving up our power as a collective. Let's not ignore that the chosen one narrative has been used to justify the accession of monarchs, dictators, and billionaires. In 2018 Elon Musk thought he could save trapped kids Thailand with his<a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/elon-musks-submarine-not-practical-for-thai-cave-mission-rescue-head-says/" target="_blank"> high-tech submarine</a>. As seen in <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rescue_(2021_film)" target="_blank">The Rescue</a></i>, it took a team of pro divers, scientists, and the Thai government and people to pull off the rescue, not some egotistic 'chosen one.' Flash forward to the covid pandemic and much of the praise for the vaccines has gone to the big pharmaceutical companies, even though they were only made possible thanks to <a href="https://jacobinmag.com/2021/12/big-pharma-profiteering-omicron-variant-inequality-covid-19-vaccines/" target="_blank">government facilities and funding</a>. Neither the market or the <i>chosen</i> rich, will save us. In the real world, the chosen ones are the enemy. It's about time that the stories we celebrate reflect this reality. Or else we're doomed to chase false promises.</p><p>There is hope out there. Take a show like <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense8" target="_blank">Sense8</a></i>: it follows a cast of 8 from around world who telepathically work together to overcome their struggles. Before <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Rise_of_Skywalker" target="_blank">The Rise of Skywalker</a></i> ruined everything, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Last_Jedi" target="_blank">The Last Jedi</a></i> ended on the inspiring note that the power of the <i>force</i> is in us all and not solely in a select few. Challenging the 'chosen one' narrative doesn't mean a story can't focus on one hero. It simply asks to emphasis that overcoming systemic evil is made possible through a large scale collaboration of peoples, as opposed to the work of one incredible person or many super-powered individuals. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-22474471888420899672021-12-29T16:20:00.001-08:002021-12-29T16:20:07.244-08:00Release some of that rage with Don't Look Up<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_Look_Up_(2021_film)" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1920" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsF6kfhXfSebC34eV19BDRbGEPlFdQDtlvQpiYL8LcYE_WFZP2GBS0-wGwGtc42X3idssySU8gUH1kdJ4ieTF23nieWAhtpqg8WRrWca4axYPEYvGpEY0A9xZJP13B-G9ZWFL2vpvj36UKUhqYg03OvLB-rdnS7zXczpxy8wM5AppziGoK3XJWmKuWIg=w640-h269" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The <a href="https://www.metacritic.com/movie/dont-look-up" target="_blank">common criticism</a> of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_McKay" target="_blank">Adam Mckay</a>'s latest, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_Look_Up_(2021_film)" target="_blank">Don't Look Up</a></i>, appears to be that its satire is so blunt that it is unfunny. Even if that rings true for some, it doesn't make the film's purpose less effective. The film was not laugh-out-loud funny, because it was downright terrifying. After <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Lawrence" target="_blank">Jennifer Lawrence</a>'s character, Kate Dibiasky, says as much, "Well, maybe the destruction of the entire planet is not supposed to be fun," on live TV, she is ridiculed for it. It takes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_DiCaprio" target="_blank">Leonardo's Dicaprio</a>'s character, Dr. Randall Mindy, more time to get to his televised <i>outburst</i>: in which he yells that everything doesn't have to, "sound so goddamn clever or charming or likeable all the time." I get that the climate change message is obvious for a lot of <i>aware</i> viewers, but for me <i>Don't Look Up</i> is welcomed catharsis.</p><p>Mckay, the most prominent film director to be <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/hollywoods-socialism-reboot-1234982568/" target="_blank">a DSA member</a>, and friend <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sirota" target="_blank">David Sirota</a>, leftist journalist at the <i><a href="https://www.dailyposter.com/" target="_blank">The Daily Poster</a></i>, came to the idea of <i>Don't Look Up</i> when they were talking about how the media cares little for the encroaching climate catastrophe. "It's as if there were a huge comet hurtling toward Earth and no one even cares," is generally what Sirota told Mckay. That the film has come out during the COVID pandemic, is coincidentally fitting, as it portrays the efforts of scientists trying to save humanity in the midst of money-minded power structures. </p><p>That's what makes the film more riveting than the typical disaster film. <a href="https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/12/29/dont-d29.html" target="_blank">Certain critics</a> misinterpret the film as one that the looks down at the common people. In fact, Mckay is placing the blame on the systems that work to misinform, such as a corporate media that's more interested in celebrities, centrist platitudes, and cultural divides over urgent news that directly <i>impacts</i> people. All the while, the elected folks in government, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meryl_Streep" target="_blank">Meryl Streep</a> as President Jain Orlean, are persuaded by big business, represented by tech mogul Peter Isherwell (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rylance" target="_blank">Mark Rylance</a>).</p><p>Now, it's true that the stylings and tone of the film can at times be too self-indulgent. Peter Isherwell's introduction comes to mind; his on-stage presentation was a trite parody that lasted too long. I did end up appreciating the character in general. He's more a symbol of the delusional "genius" CEO than an impression of a particular person. Rylance portrays Isherwell like a husk of a deranged persona, and it's unsettling. As for the rest of the cast, they did well enough for me to forget about their star power. Though the large and colorful opening credits was obnoxious about making sure you didn't forget about the famous names in this movie. </p><p><i>Don't Look Up</i> isn't as taut or elegant as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick" target="_blank">Stanley Kubrick</a>'s <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Strangelove" target="_blank">Dr. Strangelove</a></i>, the classic satire about nuclear war. Does it need to be? Maybe at the end of 2021 people would like something more brash and rageful. One might balk at the star-studded cast, but if the names are what it took to get the movie produced and delivered to <a href="https://deadline.com/2021/12/dont-look-up-netflix-top-10-the-witcher-emily-in-paris-1234902329/" target="_blank">millions on Netflix</a>, then maybe it was worth it for the sake of the message getting to as many people as possible. Columbia Pictures only greenlit<i> Dr. Strangelove</i> with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sellers" target="_blank">Peter Sellers</a> as the star in four roles. Kubrick <a href="http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/0081.html" target="_blank">explained</a>, "such crass and grotesque stipulations are the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sine_qua_non" target="_blank">sine qua non</a></i> of the motion-picture business."</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*** spoilers ahead ***</span></i></p><p>The film could've included more positive scenes with the leads interacting with everyday folks. The moment Dibiasky sparked a riot at the pub for speaking truths, I guess, made sense as a farcical exaggeration. It also read as a belittling of mass protest. Perhaps Lawrence's character could've hung out with others beside the apathetic youth. (I did buy her romance with Yule. It's the end of the world and options are limited. That he looks like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timoth%C3%A9e_Chalamet" target="_blank">Timothée Chalamet</a> didn't hurt.) Unlike <i>Strangelove</i>, <i>Don't Look Up </i>does focus on the people outside the war room. Both end as a dire warning, with the destruction of the planet. But <i>Don't Look Up </i>finishes with more heart as it shows our heros refusing to partake in the doomed plans of the elite and instead spend their last minutes with friends and family at the dinner table. And the rich who left Earth behind for another world... Well, it's made clear that they won't survive. Like emperors without clothes or servants (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_worker" target="_blank">essential workers</a>), they stand no chance when faced with the reality of alien birds eating them alive. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-59118435356833317992021-12-24T20:01:00.003-08:002022-01-03T18:24:58.237-08:00A Merry Compromised Matrix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_Resurrections" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1920" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9yjcijdMlZ8-kGie3S1zcUpxQbKCLn95iwLwprLqbdGi9jJOtvykApS4bfhzd86SDu0s3rKCP7edL7Jy-9SF-s8b3XWXfpJyzjBvIMY45jqjMeKx8CvTOz51BMvbYChL40gBIHo96CeV4VjSTD6FC1Cfczz3Z3QfTcbnqdysqsFx8C4FCh9RDZasSMA=w640-h268" width="640" /></a></div><div style="font-style: italic;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="font-style: italic;">*** beware: spoilers for </i>The Matrix<i> films and discussion of suicide ahead ***</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="font-style: italic;"><br /></i></span></div><p>Early in the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_Resurrections" target="_blank">The Matrix Resurrections</a></i> it's established that the contemporary <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_(The_Matrix)" target="_blank">Thomas Anderson</a> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keanu_Reeves" target="_blank">Keanu Reeves</a>) is the programmer behind the successful <i>Matrix</i> video game trilogy from decades ago. In a meeting with his boss Smith, the updated <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Smith" target="_blank">Agent Smith</a> (played by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Groff" target="_blank">Jonathan Groff</a>), <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros." target="_blank">Warner Brothers</a>, the studio that "owns" the Matrix IP in real life, is called out by name. Smith tells Thom that WB will be making a sequel to the trilogy with or without him. The scene is an obvious recreation of what artists like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wachowskis" target="_blank">Wachowskis</a> face when met with pop-culture success. WB has been hounding them to return to the franchise for years. I imagine a few years ago, WB was about to make <i>Matrix 4</i> without them until Lana relented. My guess is that Lily bowed out due to some of WB's conditions. Perhaps the sisters made a calculated move to having only one return, as a protest or excuse for the final "product." </p><p>At least, Lana seems to be having a lot of fun with the first act of the film, as it roasts the reboot machine of the entertainment business. The satire might have been more successful if <i>The Matrix Resurrections</i> didn't turn out to be yet another one of those remakes the film itself was lambasting. If that was the point, then... well done? Sure, it's a hard ask to want the 20-years-later sequel to change the game like the original, but it feels like WB was too entangled in the process to even let <i>Resurrections</i> try. The scrappy new crew, lead by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Henwick" target="_blank">Jessica Henwick</a> (as Bugs) and largely made up of the cast of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense8" target="_blank">Sense8</a></i>, were a joy to watch. I also loved <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahya_Abdul-Mateen_II" target="_blank">Yahya Abdul-Mateen II</a>'s colorful <a href="https://matrix.fandom.com/wiki/Morpheus" target="_blank">Morpheus</a>. But these new faces weren't given much room. They were little more than guides to get modern audiences reassimilated into the world of <i>The Matrix</i>. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_(The_Matrix)" target="_blank">Neo</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie-Anne_Moss" target="_blank">Trinity</a> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie-Anne_Moss" target="_blank">Carrie-Ann Moss</a>) romance continues to be front and center. And even though Neo negates being "the One," the action still revolves around him while Trinity is confined in the Matrix. By the time Trinity discovers flight (saving Neo) and beats up the misogynist Analyst (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Patrick_Harris" target="_blank">Neil Patrick Harris</a>) in the final scene, it's too late. The female empowerment message would have landed better if we had seen Trinity's perspective throughout the film. </p><p>It all just feels compromised, like WB couldn't do without a focus on the star power of Keanu Reeves. The studio execs just had to appease the cishet teenage boys who grew up on the original films even if that means also appealing to the <a href="https://uk.news.yahoo.com/dark-legacy-red-pill-matrix-104926088.html" target="_blank">alt-right who co-opted</a> the original's message. The most disappointing thing about <i>Resurrections</i> is that it seems to ignore its large LGBTQ+ fanbase. Since the Wachowskis came out as trans and confirmed that <a href="https://youtu.be/adXm2sDzGkQ" target="_blank"><i>The Matrix</i> was a trans allegory</a>, trans and queer fans have anticipated of more explicitly inclusive media from the sisters. They delivered with their Netflix series <i>Sense8</i>, but what would truly rock our worlds is to see representation in a mainstream blockbuster like <i>The Matrix. </i>When there was news that <i>Matrix 4</i> was on its way, I speculated on all the exciting things Lana could do make yet another cultural touchstone. What if Neo comes out as trans in the movie? At the very least, I expected trans and queer characters to be a prominent and visible part of the movie. </p><p>What we get is two gay actors, Jonathan Groff and Neil Patrick Harris, who take on villainous roles. Neither's sexuality is ever acknowledged so audiences unfamiliar with the actors could easily assume they're straight. Unless they've bought into the belief that all bad guys a gay, as <a href="https://www.pride.com/geek/2020/2/05/10-queer-coded-gay-villains-our-childhood#media-gallery-media-1" target="_blank">we were taught in childhood</a>. Bugs has a cool haircut though. They had a tiny rant about the "binary." Bugs is probably queer, right? Oh and look, Freya put her arm around <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niobe_(The_Matrix)" target="_blank">Niobe</a> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jada_Pinkett_Smith" target="_blank">Jada Pinkett Smith</a>). Are they a couple? <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_J._Smith" target="_blank">Brian J. Smith</a>'s character Berg says of Neo, "The beard, the hair...oh. No, totally works for me." Does Berg have the hots for Neo? All the queer-coding is too vague to count as meaningful representation. If this was a mandate from WB, then it's incredibly sad. Unfortunately, the queerness in <i>Resurrections</i> isn't much more visible than the 1999 original. </p><p>Maybe Lana is winking at us through the script, letting us know that her hands were tied. In the film's most revealing scene Neo tells Bugs that what he accomplished in the original trilogy hasn't changed anything: "The Matrix is the same or worst. And I'm back where I stared." That pretty much describes <i>Resurrections </i>when you look at it cynically. Bugs says something that can apply to politics, capitalism, and Hollywood: "[The Matrix] weaponizes every idea. Every dream." Yet she also represents a new hopeful generation. She tells him that his story did inspire some progress. Synthients and humans now work together in <a href="https://matrix.fandom.com/wiki/Zion" target="_blank">Zion</a>'s successor underground city Io. This movie ends with both Trinity and Neo in flight together. It's not about the <i>One</i>; it's about the <i>Two?</i> So the film may reject binary choices, but it doesn't go beyond it. Well, maybe it'll go there in the potential sequel. </p><p>That's what the bulk of <i>Resurrections</i> feels like: a minor episode of a bigger media franchise that may not continue if it doesn't make a big enough profit. The first half feels like it's making fun of itself, while the latter is a rush of bland action to entice you to return for more of the same in few years time. It does offer some fresh ideas. The new Morpheus is an AI made in a program (modal) inside the Matrix. They use mirrors instead of payphones to travel out of the Matrix. Their name is Bugs like the flaws/<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_bug" target="_blank">bugs in software</a>, but they also mentions that it's like Bugs Bunny, another WB property. But forget about the coincidental brand synergy, the cute name is also related to the white-rabbit tattoo on their arm. It's a callback to the original..... Come back for the next one!</p><p>You see, anything cool that <i>Resurrections</i> does eventually gets bogged down by the corporate tentacles holding it together. During the brainstorm meeting at the fake video game company a variety of people chime in with what the Matrix is really about: "trans politics, crypto fascism, capitalist exploitation." Lana might be trying to say that art can mean a variety of things to people, but the montage comes across like a joke in the conglomerate WB's favor. To the bosses, the politics in the Matrix are for frivolous internet discussions. As long as the messaging in the films are vague enough or even mind-blowing in the stoner kind of way to appeal to everyone, they're happy. When <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Merovingian" target="_blank">The Merovingian</a> shows up, I found it funny. He stands in the background mocking everyone during a chaotic brawl. The Merv's meta critique soon turned into the cliche "back in my day" routine. I realize now that he had a point. The originality in <i>Resurrections</i> is sparse and the powers the be don't want you to think too hard about it. </p><p>It could be that I'm placing too much blame on WB here. It could be that Lana Wachowski had complete freedom to do what she wanted. Maybe. Whatever the case, the movie feels incomplete and if anything maybe Covid is to blame. They had to pause production in the middle of production during the shutdowns, and the confusion of it all shows, particularly in the action sequences. The best of the movie are the sentimental moments that feel like a window into Lana herself. Reeves delivers a devastating performance of depression early on. The rollercoaster of realities he and Lana take us are felt in the shaking of his hands, the stitled voice, the warping surreal world and soundscape around him. The moment Groff yells, "Mr. Anderson," with gun in hand gave me chills. I believed that Thomas was constantly on the verge of suicide. It works because it feels personal.</p><p>Lana decided to proceed with <i>Matrix 4</i> after her parents died. I didn't know that during my first watch, and yet I teared up at the final scene, as Neo and Trinity flew toward the camera holding hands and smiling at each other with love. Lana brought them back to life as way to process her grief. It's heartwarming. I, too, appreciated that coffee date between Neo and Trinity as nice break before things get messy. If they're the soul of the movie, I wish we could've seen them together more often. </p><p>So <i>Resurrections</i> didn't turn out how I wanted. Still, it wasn't awful. As far as entertainment value goes, I actually found a lot of it delightful. I might rank it above <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_Reloaded" target="_blank">Reloaded</a></i> and <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_Revolutions" target="_blank">Revolutions</a></i>. But those were full of war, and as Niobe would say: I'm not into that noise. Perhaps the producers are planning an HBO Max serious to flesh out the crew of the <i><a href="https://matrix.fandom.com/wiki/Mnemosyne" target="_blank">Mnemosyne</a> </i>and maybe Trinity and Neo will use their power to build a socialist Matrix in the sequel. That'd be nice. But as a stand-alone movie, <i>Resurrections</i> is lacking. And all though the ending was a lovely image, it wasn't entirely fulfilling. The first <i>Matrix</i> movie ended with Neo overcoming the 'system' and asking the audience to take it from here. It felt like a call-to-action. After four movies, this one feels more like a call for another sequel. It feels like another property weaponized by the system. Remember how the first ended with the song "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake_Up_(Rage_Against_the_Machine_song)" target="_blank">Wake Up</a>" from leftist band <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_Against_the_Machine" target="_blank">Rage Against the Machine</a>? Well, how about a cover version this time? Morpheus 2.0 had some good lines in this one: "Nothing comforts a little anxiety like a little nostalgia." Is <i>The Matrix Resurrections</i> a, "tragedy or farce?"</p><p><br /></p><p>[<b>Update</b>: The producers have now said that there are <a href="https://collider.com/matrix-resurrections-sequels-meta-dialogue-james-mcteigue-interview-lana-wachowski/" target="_blank">no new <i>Matrix</i> sequels</a> currently in the works. I'm sure the <a href="https://www.slashfilm.com/723219/the-matrix-resurrections-crosses-100-million-at-the-box-office-but-its-still-a-major-disappointment/" target="_blank">poor box office performance</a> didn't do the franchise any favors. Though we don't know the HBOMax numbers. This doesn't change my thoughts that <i>Resurrections</i> feels like a setup for future stories and thus incomplete. All that said, I'd be surprised if more Matrix media doesn't show up at some point in my lifetime.]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-52407988222857322642021-12-20T19:28:00.001-08:002021-12-21T15:28:17.681-08:00 Ending Incarceration in Spider-Man: No Way Home <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man:_No_Way_Home" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="2551" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglGZlmGT3rge0pX1PA9lroWHquMtPHURK5IssLgnX5Ge0pngS46FQ8H51FVfffQjyfSpS3ch1uGufGmZUYgN2I9mmdU8bCxzjGnBHt7pjJERYVenFS3HJoa5jDP0a7GpzhyYBjkGePuUCf2i7GzN5j6Fz6xYGgtoOUdtaTThMMcAaHtt1E0br5zUaimQ=w640-h266" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*** full spoilers ahead ***</span></i></p><p>Among the madness of corporate wranglings for the right to profit off Peter Parker, the creatives behind the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man:_No_Way_Home" target="_blank">new the<i> Spider-Man</i> movie</a> have managed to deliver a blockbuster that coalesces two decades of Spidey-cinema into an emotionally satisfying package. By way of multiverse traversal, it brings in Peters and villains from both <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man_in_film#Sam_Raimi_films_(2002%E2%80%932007)" target="_blank">Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man trilogy</a> and the following <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man_in_film#Marc_Webb_films_(2012%E2%80%932014)" target="_blank">Marc Webb duology</a> into the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Cinematic_Universe" target="_blank">MCU</a> to join <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Holland" target="_blank">Tom Holland</a>'s Peter Parker. It's an ambitious feat akin to what was done in the animated <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man:_Into_the_Spider-Verse" target="_blank">Into the Spider-verse</a></i>, but on a grander scale. </p><p><i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3681694694806723959/5240798822285732264#" target="_blank">Spider-Man: No Way Home</a></i> thankfully goes beyond nostalgic cameos. It builds on the arc of the botched original trilogy by showcasing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobey_Maguire" target="_blank">Tobey Maguire</a>'s Peter Parker as the wisest of the three. He's the one who stops MCU Peter from enacting lethal revenge on Green Goblin. Meanwhile, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Garfield" target="_blank">Andrew Garfield</a>'s Peter is the middle-brother full of self-deprecation, with the failure of saving <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwen_Stacy" target="_blank">Gwen Stacy</a> all those years ago still weighing on him. Here he finds closure in saving <a href="https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Michelle_Jones" target="_blank">MCU MJ</a> from a deadly fall. </p><p>The blending of universes work to better define Tom Holland's iteration of Peter, a representation of a more empathetic generation and a sign of meaningful progress in what defines a superhero. He may be a tad naive but he has the biggest heart of the three Spider-Men. This is no more clearer than when he realizes the multiverse super-villains he's imprisoned could use his help. The jaded <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Strange" target="_blank">Doctor Strange</a> is more concerned with fate (status quo) and wants to send them back to their worlds, effectively a death sentence. MCU's Peter does the right thing in disobeying Strange and frees the baddies to rehabilitate them instead.</p><p>This is what makes this movie one of the most intriguing Marvel movies to date. It demonstrates a case for an end to punitive measures against those who do us harm. What if superheros didn't simply meet every enemy with violence and instead endeavoured to help them become their best self? Villains are typically written as irredeemable egotistical maniacs. In <i>No Way Home </i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Osborn" target="_blank">Norman Osborn</a> seeks aid at the homeless shelter <a href="https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/F.E.A.S.T." target="_blank">F.E.A.S.T.</a>, where <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characters_of_the_Marvel_Cinematic_Universe#May_Parker" target="_blank">Mary Parker</a> works. Norman is battling with what essentially represents a mental illness. He needn't be punished for the deeds of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Goblin" target="_blank">Green Goblin</a>; he needs the care to neuter the Goblin inside and bring forth a healthy Norman. His story brings to mind all the forgotten people society has left behind, often homeless on the streets. These people are without healthcare, going in and out of jail/prison in an endless cycle of state violence. </p><p>Aunt May is the central figure in Peter's life that asks him to consider the less fortunate, including his supposed villains. All this time the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man_in_film#Licensing_agreement_with_Marvel_Studios" target="_blank">Home trilogy</a> has been the MCU version of Spider-Man's origin story with Aunt May at the heart in the place of Uncle Ben. Before her death she imparts that well-known phrase: "With great power, comes great responsibility." Even after Peter's first attempt to cure Norman Osborn fails, she tells him that he did the right thing. With her love and tragic death Peter learns the meaning of loss and also the meaning of heroism. It's a progressive adaptation of the Spider-man origin I hope will prove vital in future Spidey films. </p><p>At this point in their lives, the older Spider-Men have already learned Aunt May's lesson. They're the ones who show up to lift MCU Peter out of his depression and vengeful rage. Together they plan to cure the baddies before sending them back home. As they're ready to head-out for the mission, MJ says, "We're going to kick some ass." The senior Spider (Tobey Maguire) corrects her: "Cure some ass." And they do, cure ass, in a thrilling and heart-warming climax. In the end with everyone sent back to their respective universes, Peter is left alone. His friends minds are wiped and he has a fresh start at being the anonymous friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, decked out in is low-tech spandex suit. It's a new beginning, but will he be less punitive to his enemies going forward? Or will the Sony/Marvel machine be too reluctant to change the formula? </p><p>The movie isn't without flaws. Its treatment of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Foxx" target="_blank">Jamie Foxx</a>'s Max Dillon/<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro_(Marvel_Comics)" target="_blank">Electro</a> rubbed me the wrong way. In the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_2" target="_blank">The Amazing Spider-Man 2</a>,</i> Max Dillon was a nerdy engineer who built the city's power grid. He had the cliche nerd aesthetic, but at least he had a personality worth watching. I get that his change to Electro is intended as a makeover, but in <i>No Way Home</i> they could've done so much more. As a science-minded guy, he could've been more interested in Peter's tech like Osborn was shown to be or given more nuance like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Octopus" target="_blank">Doc Oc</a> was given. Instead he comes off as stereotypical hothead just interested in his own power. They gave him a line about wanting to see a black Spider-Man (an reference to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Morales" target="_blank">Miles Morales</a>), to which Garfield's Peter gives an awkward nod. It felt like a hollow acknowledgement at best, thanks to Electro's weak characterization. Let's hope he comes face-to-face with Morales in a future film. </p><p>The most glaring problem with <i>No Way Home, </i>a corporate product, is not surprising. The story is invested in rehabilitating sympathetic villains, but doesn't address the systems that lead to crime in the first place. It seems superheros are destined to fight or cure the bad guys, acting like a band-aid for a deeper wound. Shouldn't Spider-Man speak out on the political policies that divert resources away from homes and healthcare and into incarceration? Why not have Spider-Man march with union strikers and protect people from police brutality? Imagine superheros going after union-busting agencies and advocating for worker-owned businesses. Imagine <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avengers_(Marvel_Cinematic_Universe)" target="_blank">The Avengers</a> leading a revolution to take back the means of production... </p><p>It'll never happen under capitalism, I know. I'm not expecting a Marxist Cinematic Universe, but it's not unreasonable to ask that they make more concrete attempts at progressive themes. For example, the MCU can learn from a movie like <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorry_to_Bother_You" target="_blank">Sorry to Bother You</a></i>. It's an explicitly pro-union story that also features a corporation that turns workers into horse hybrids. Or perhaps an MCU version of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squid_Game" target="_blank">Squid Game</a> </i>would tickle an executive's fancy. In addition to it's obvious capitalist critique, that show also has a protagonist who organized with co-workers following a mass lay-off, defending themselves from cop violence. </p><p>Marvel movies are in the best position to deliver progressive messages. <i>No Way Home</i> set impressive <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2021/12/spider-man-no-way-home-253-million-changes-movie-business-1234686850/" target="_blank">box office records this past weekend</a>, despite opening in a pandemic. Clearly, these movies continue to be at the forefront. With such a large audience at their disposal, they hold an enormous amount of cultural power and thus enormous responsibility. The studios behind these movies need only follow the code of their most financially successful heros. </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">***</p><p><br /></p><p>To learn more about the themes<i> No Way Home</i> only touched on, check out the <a href="https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtryT1GYBOSvGEjUOFdNNm62eNEWp7iRq" target="_blank">playlist about police and prison abolition</a> embedded below. The <a href="https://youtu.be/6mMwrS30XT8" target="_blank">BBC Ideas video</a> is a quick primer focused on UK statistics. The <a href="https://youtu.be/9FmfvyJUm-Y" target="_blank">Jacobin video</a> does a bit of a disservice to the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defund_the_police" target="_blank">Defund the Police</a>" movement. People who use it typically advocate for the relocation of funds to alternative services, not to defund government programs altogether. Still the conversation is worth a watch. Lastly, I included a <a href="https://youtu.be/ZnRUHYkjwx4" target="_blank">recent Angela Davis interview</a>. She has been talking about prison abolition for decades. </p><p> </p><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLtryT1GYBOSvGEjUOFdNNm62eNEWp7iRq" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></center>
<p></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3681694694806723959.post-23777861151714205752021-12-17T15:54:00.003-08:002022-01-03T18:09:14.774-08:00But What About a Successor to Bound? 💋<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bound_(1996_film)" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnA0YXKOc650LsSaWsK-sPo_EYaDvC3sS5WcLkpkh9bAIwHN3hnt0xVLwhikoy7GZYSQ-Ty2BfweT_Xrf5vaj-S2nuBcbTSoecxH_bk8_JqfpWAAt5FL0WX6FfF3bGtoyATqZi6Wv7I6VmmzqIdr5OFlnIBrNJN0PBDt248fwxq8FxrKPDWHr8X2ELQQ=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>By my early teens the <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_(franchise)" target="_blank">Matrix</a></i> films had made their mark in pop culture. But they didn't quite speak to me back then. My young mind was certainly in awe of <i>The Matrix</i>'s most obvious conceit: What if we're inside a simulation? Nowadays I can better appreciate its others ideas: escaping the facade of the status quo and its general angst against mundane corporate life (a coincidentally common narrative in 1999: see <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_Club" target="_blank">Fight Club</a></i> and <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Space" target="_blank">Office Space</a></i>). It was the aesthetic of sunglasses, kung-fu, and guns that turned me off in the long term. I might have watched the 2003 sequels or at least parts of them. I don't remember much more that the highway action scene. They obviously didn't leave much of an impression. The critical consensus wasn't great either; so the the Wachowski's promptly went into my mental wastebasket soon after 2003.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the years to come the Wachowski's output hardly caught my eyes. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_Racer_(film)" target="_blank">Speed Racer</a></i> is an ADHD nightmare I've yet to complete. I do recall getting baked and then going to see <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Atlas_(film)" target="_blank">Cloud Atlas</a> </i>in theaters with a then roomie. She and I really enjoyed it... But since then, I've been dreading a rewatch due to all the bad <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Examples_of_yellowface" target="_blank">yellowface</a> makeup. I tried getting into <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sense8" target="_blank">Sense8</a> </i>some years ago and couldn't make it past the first clunky episodes. As for<i> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Ascending" target="_blank">Jupiter Ascending</a>... </i>I've heard some intriguing things, so I intend to get to that one eventually. (<b>Update</b>: I've since watched more of <i>Sense8</i> and have seen the rest of their films. In short: I appreciate their ambition more than their execution.)</div><div><br /></div><div>When I've been reminded of their directorial debut and queer cult-classic: <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bound_(1996_film)" target="_blank">Bound</a>, </i>I think, "Right, that shadowy lesbian movie they made before <i>The Matrix</i>. It can't be that great, can it?" Well, now that the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_Resurrections" target="_blank">fourth <i>Matrix</i> movie</a> is about to drop, I've decided to rewind and finally watch <i>Bound</i>. And damn, I wish I had done so earlier. Solely on the basis of its filmmaking <i>Bound</i> is probably the best Wachowski film. As a queerdo myself, I'm embarrassed it has taking me this long to see it.</div><div><p><i>Bound </i>was made before the Wachowski's transitioned and came out queer trans women. At the time it felt like an anomaly that such a well-done cinematic portrayal of a lesbian couple was helmed by two supposed brothers. In hindsight the film's themes have become much more personal to the sisters. </p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_Gershon" target="_blank">Gina Gershon</a>, who played the butchy lead Corky to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Tilly" target="_blank">Jennifer Tilly</a>'s femme fatale Violet, <a href="https://ew.com/movies/2019/06/06/jennifer-tilly-gina-gershon-revisit-lesbian-neo-noir-bound/" target="_blank">tells EW</a>:</p><p></p><blockquote>I kept thinking, "What do you guys, [the Wachowskis] know about being
women? How did you write this thing?" And little did I know, at the
time, they were really feeling something. They really were feeling <b>bound</b>
up inside. So, it became that the metaphor had a deeper meaning. It
wasn't like, "Oh, aren't they clever writers." I thought, "Wow, they
were going through this, and the world didn't know."</blockquote><p></p><p>At the time the siblings knew to bring in sex educator <a href="https://en.wikidark.org/wiki/Susie_Bright" target="_blank">Susie Bright</a> to consult on the production. She was particularly helpful in choreographing the sex scene between Tilly and Gershon. The hand is a sex organ, she told them. To add to its authenticity, it was shot in one sweeping take. It might just be the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaIq6rRh_4YEn0ihjNDlT3ufoNL4BT-IDwPkv9Xv_Nz-VNE0DxfUQbk_qVXxbZaIVBiTICEWjSbOVMSeArweSKML3YwNx21ZEca9rG8ul1Q1eB6tZV8THgAtDZVYlLqOdTw-KfSk0Ke1A4azBsIowMhEv3VvesEMN2hHYNSI-AWDuoYagYjFM1m9i__w=s447" target="_blank">most visceral lesbian sex</a> in mainstream cinema still, a triumph that, I've read, awakened many young queers. Today, I hope they would cast actual queer actors. Nevertheless, the chemistry of Tilly's Violet and Gershon's Corky remains magnetic, undeniable, and forever iconic. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">***moderate spoilers ahead***</span></i></p><p>Putting aside the Sapphic eroticism... <i>Bound</i> at its core is an excellent noir thriller that keeps you guessing all the way to the end. It's a gangster film to rival the likes of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Scorsese" target="_blank">Scorsese</a> and the rest of the boys club. It happens to follow lesbians, but they're love is complementary to the plot just as a straight romance would be in another noir. The fact that its love story sets it apart and plays into my and many queer folks preferred sensibilities is no doubt a welcomed addition, but it's the suspense of the well- written heist that makes this movie a classic. The ending of Corky and Violet driving away with a successful caper behind them is rewarding both from a plot perspective and as a feel-good moment for all the queer women yearning for happy stories about themselves. </p><p>The Wachowskis went on to make <i>The Matrix</i> and thus propelled themselves into riches. They left behind the working-class grit and down-to-earth romance of <i>Bound</i> for grander high-concept sci-fi epics. I don't necessarily want to see a direct sequel to <i>Bound. </i>A spiritual successor would be preferable. It'd be nice to see the fully realizes Wachowskis take what they've learned over the decades and make something more grounded. Lily refused to look backwards and co-direct the upcoming <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_Resurrections">The Matrix Resurrections</a></i> with her sister. Maybe Lily is looking to go smaller, but not necessarily less ambitious. I'd love to see a modern Wachowski project that navigates gender and class in a real-world setting. Although I appreciate how sci-fi can make weighty critiques on systems more palatable to audiences, it can also obfuscate the message. We've seen how <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_rights_movement" target="_blank">MRAs</a> and the far-right missed the point entirely when they co-opted the idea behind the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_pill_and_blue_pill#Other_uses" target="_blank">red pill</a>." Some time after <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_Resurrections" target="_blank"><i>The</i> <i>Matrix </i><i>Resurrections</i></a>, it's going to feel about right for them to tell a thrilling and rewarding story of trans romance set in our own real-world hellscape. Wachowskis gave hope to queer women with <i>Bound</i> in 1996. Perhaps now the world and Wachowskis are ready to explicitly impart hope to transfolk via a modern successor. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bound_(1996_film)" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEci00ksoJ3V-wZQ-z3QzlAVZGtEebdjohiZnMgUImtE4ChLhwf6s7Xx9iw3KRRBxL3TXpY9JJG61QnGFB5Mjx0wzk8G2GQWrjLkR8Qe8V_H8fbqf4s9G53EDK-3E0lZlwR2iKkoL0XlOfcd_LkIQcnd-VDsOC0JQmSYcsHuYc5QNx5wSj7lsNpqzsig=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><p></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0