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All the King’s Men (1949) |
Image result for all the king's men |
“If you yell ‘foul’ long enough, hard enough, and loud enough, people believe you.” If I suspected Trump might have done some research while preparing for his run for president, I’d say that he watched this film as a primer. And if I’d watched this film a few months earlier, I wouldn’t have cringed in recognition at ... |
Willie Stark is an everyman who sees corruption in the political world around him and vows to run for office to stop it. He fails, but attracts enough attention so that a vaguely Hugh Laurie-looking guy follows him around to write about his campaign. Then he tries again, encouraged by more powerful figures using him ... |
Obviously, he uses that power to improve humankind and champion important causes, right? If you believe that, you probably voted for Bernie Sanders. |
The funny thing is, without knowing much about this film, I initially believed Willie Stark to be more of a Bernie-type character. He runs on a platform of improving the conditions of his fellow “hicks,” the local farmers and working class folks who don’t have a voice in government. With that plan comes free medical ... |
That’s where the movie takes a turn from #FeeltheBern to #MakeAmericaGreatAgain. Willie surrounds himself with minions and Mafioso-style heavies primed to do his bidding, whether it’s a judge who ignores his son’s drunk driving incident or the mysterious death of a political rival. It’s like looking into the future o... |
What happens when the public gets duped? I understand this film (and the book it was based on) was written about Huey Long, a political figure from the 1930s. As always, when I’m seeking wisdom in a post-apocalyptic world, I turn to Battlestar Galactica: All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen aga... |
Theme: King |
First Time Watching? Yes |
Final Verdict: They say he’s an honest man |
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) |
Image result for slumdog millionaire |
Back in the middle of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? craze, there was an event at my hometown mall (aww, remember when malls were still a thing?) where they offered an eligibility test for the show – basically just a bunch of trivia questions. My brother and I both took the test. He passed, and I didn’t, but I di... |
The plot of Slumdog is bizarrely Dickensian: a boy and his brother grow up on the mean streets of Mumbai, orphaned at a young age and then taken in by a devious Fagin (I learned that name from a previous Best Picture!) who runs a begging operation. Hijinks ensue, eyeballs are gouged out, and eventually the boy ends u... |
I do enjoy a good game show, so I’m torn between loving this movie and cringing at the absurd plot holes. For example, as a game show aficionado, I’m well aware that the structure of a game show prevents the contestants from ever speaking to the host off-air, as happens at a fairly significant moment in this film. |
And that raises another question: how exactly did the uneducated Jamal Malik manage to make it to the Hot Seat on The Millionaire Show (as my mom used to call it)? As you may recall, the show is structured so that a pool of potential contestants are given a quick-fire question that involves sorting things in order th... |
While we’re on the subject of questioning the improbably things that happen, let’s talk about brother Salim for a moment. The boys start out as rivals, but in the relatively innocent sibling sense. Later, as their lives get harder, Salim grows more ruthless, until they part ways. Then, Salim completely flips again, ... |
Okay, so as long as you don’t think particularly hard about it, it’s kind of a fun movie. Best movie of the year? Well, I don’t know. On the other hand, it’s nice to see a movie that isn’t exclusively peopled by white folks win something. I haven’t seen many of those lately. |
Theme: India |
First Time Watching? No. |
Final Verdict: You probably expect a final answer joke here. |
Gandhi (1982) |
Image result for gandhi movie |
Watching historical movies is a great exercise in testing how little you know about a given subject, even if it’s, hypothetically speaking, a renowned icon of the twentieth century. It’s also a great excuse to question why you know pathetically little about one of the most populous countries on the planet. Fun fact: ... |
Recently, I’ve seen new writing about Gandhi: he’s been a subject of some more intense scrutiny. For example, he supposedly tested his commitment to celibacy by having various little girl relatives sleep in his bed. Creepy. An article in National Geographic revisited his Salt March and his legacy today throughout th... |
Very little of that criticism makes it into this biopic. Overall, it’s a pretty glowing jaunt through some of Gandhi’s most significant victories in his struggle for Indian independence, starting with his battle for Indian equality in South Africa (equality for blacks would have to come much later). Some of it’s vagu... |
Gandhi brings to mind Paul Farmer, he of Partners in Health, the medical organization that renders aid to Haiti and other poor countries in great need. How could someone be that good, that selfless? And, just as in reading Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains, I feel slightly guilty about being bored to tears by... |
But also because there’s nothing really to challenge me intellectually here. I can appreciate the personal sacrifices he made, perhaps even question within myself whether I could successfully protest injustice in such an effective way (sad truth confession: probably not). On the other hand, it’s hard to think critica... |
On the plus side, Gandhi leaves us with some reassuring words, in a time that threatens the freedom of the world: “Whenever I despair, I remember that the way of truth and love has always won. There may be tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they may seem invincible, but in the end, they always fail. Think of it:... |
Theme: India |
First Time Watching? Yup |
Final Verdict: The truth is the truth. |
From Here to Eternity (1953) |
Image result for from here to eternity |
This is what everyone did in Hawaii before Pearl Harbor. |
Theme: War & Doomed Romance |
First Time Watching? Yes |
Final Verdict: Nobody lies about being lonely |
Thursday, September 1, 2011 |
REVIEW// Mastodon: Leviathon |
I recently looked at my reviews, or more the lack of them. I then looked at the length of said reviews. I then looked at the length of other websites and their reviews. I then realised that mine were unnecessarily long. This, and my laziness, have contributed to my decision to make the reviews shorter. I hope that... |
Based around a novel as it is, track names seem to follow that premise. From 'Blood And Thunder' to 'I Am Ahab' to 'Aqua Dementia', these names suit the music. Melville's dystopian world is more evil and frenzied than ever when paired with Mastodon's fantastically paranoid sound. When compared to the group's first... |
The very last track however, 'Joseph Merrick', is a beautifully 3/4 bluesy instrumental. When you've just listened through forty minutes of fast-paced, adrenaline pumping metal, this particular song hits you as a true representation of Mastodon. 'Joseph Merrick' (a chap sadly exploited in the late 80s as The Eleph... |
'Blood and Thunder' |
Tuesday, July 7, 2015 |
Clone Wars -- "Downfall of a Droid" (Ep. 1.6) |
-- Trust in your friends, and they'll have reason to trust in you. |
The first thing to note about this episode is the music. It's quite a bit different than other episodes. Kind of space rock. Upbeat and exciting. I'm not sure why the music is different for this episode in particular, but I liked it. |
Now, the episode, upon casual glance, looks kind of like a throwaway episode, but it actually contains quite a few important pieces of information. |
Before we get to the important parts, though, here is one that is just fun: |
We get the very first look in "Downfall of a Droid" of the IG series assassin droids in action. The IG series is introduced in The Empire Strikes Back with IG-88. |
Ahsoka sees a couple of them deactivated and dismisses them as harmless despite Anakin telling her not to underestimate them. She finds out how right he is when they surprise attack them. |
Oh, there's also this really cool thing with some tanks, but I can't tell you about that because SPOILER! |
Okay, so, Artoo gets lost. Of course, we know that nothing permanently bad can happen to Artoo, because he has four more movies to go after the Clone Wars series is over. However, his loss reveals a couple of things about Anakin that are important to his character development: |
1. Anakin wigs out. The Jedi are not supposed to form attachments but, here, we see Anakin really lose his shtuff over the loss of a droid. Obi-Wan even has to sort of reprimand him and remind him that Artoo is a mere droid and that Anakin should see it as nothing more than that. It's replaceable. Or it should be in th... |
Note: This provides an interesting contrast to how we've been seeing the Jedi and their view of the clones. Though the Jedi should have no attachment to any individual clone, there is a lot of emphasis on their value as individuals. Droids have this same individuality. Or, at least, they have the potential to as sentie... |
2. Anakin has failed to follow protocol and keep Artoo's memory erased. Basically, Artoo has enough accumulated experience to operate as an individual. A sentient individual. Which explains a lot about R2-D2, not that we didn't already know it. But we get to see that played out here along with Obi-Wan's anger at Anakin... |
So, although on the surface this seems like a frilly adventure episode with no real substance, it actually contains significant character points for Anakin. And Ahsoka, too, in relation to her trying to provide a substitute droid for Anakin, but there's more to that than what it looks like, too, just not in this episod... |
1. I love the inclusion of the IGs. Such a wonderfully geeky moment for the devoted. I had the IG-88 figure back in the day. |
1. TAS: Did anyone not have an IG-88 figure? |
It was cool to see them fight. |
2. Absolutely - a fine example of where animation going where 1980 live action could not. |
3. TAS: I know. I never would have imagined that about the IGs back in the 80s, even if I did sometimes turn mine backwards. |
Short life story Prompt |
Once upon a time there was a girl who used to stare up at the night sky and wonder about the universe. Was it expanding? If you went to the edge could you go beyond? She often thought about such things. She would read, write stories and think more than play sports because she was always in such pain. A quiet, reserved ... |
My life story is rather depressing laid out like that. Ah, well, was not all that fun living some parts either. However, I expect the insane migraine I have right now might have influenced how I told this tale. |
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Monday, May 26, 2014 |
The Defenders of the UCSB Shooter |
[Content note: rape, victim blaming, rape culture, misogyny, violence, ableism] |
Since Saturday morning, I've been watching the discussion about the UCSB shooting, its misogynistic motives, and the resulting fallout...both the feminist and anti-feminist reactions. One of the more interesting things is the #YesALLWomen trend on Twitter. Other feminists and social justice minded folks have been disma... |
There's actually been a ton of great writing out there about it, digging in on how this incident is a symptom of problems with our rape culture, patriarchy, and the MRA mentality. Please give any of those things a Google, because I don't want to talk about what happened with the particular man in question...I want to t... |
That's what has been the most chilling for me; the male response that women should have just slept with him and none of this would have happened. |
As is well known now, the shooter's manifesto video states that he's going to kill "blonde sluts" because he was a virgin who has been rejected. I can admit that your mind might, for just a moment, go to "If only he would have had a girlfriend, this might not have happened." Our brains always want to try to rationalize... |
That's not really a solution, is it? |
Unfortunately, misogynists don't give a shit about the women involved and instead they truly believe that this man was entitled to women's bodies and relationships, and therefore he had been wronged. They feel bad for him. They think women are the problem. They blame the victims. |
Nothing has made this more clear than a post going around on Tumblr, which is composed of comments people left on the shooter's YouTube video shortly after it went viral. I want to re-emphasize all the content notes and triggers if you choose to click through to that post or continue reading. Some of the things said in... |
"I hope you women see this as a lesson to stop being so stuck up and give that one kid some pussy who never gets shit and you might save a life..." YouTube user SlippaE619 |
"Females needa start giving these weird n***** pussy." DylanSmith via Twitter |
"See girls this is what you get for treating nice guys like shit." YouTube user Rodney Jones |
Some even went as far as to suggest that he should have just raped women. I wish I was making this shit up. |
As I said on the comment that was submitted to FacebookSexism linked above, "Let’s be 100% clear, if your reaction to the news out of UC Santa Barbara is anything like what Dylan Smith said up there, you are not only an insensitive douche, you’re also a victimizing blaming, rape culture endorsing misogynist. Fuck off." |
We can't pretend that the shooter or any of these people are isolated extremists who hate women. Many men are literally showing us how widespread these opinions are. We must understand these comments in the context of a society which views men as entitled to women's bodies and attention, such that when they don't get w... |
This atrocity is all part of the misogynistic cultural narrative which cries about the "friend zone," as is evident from those comments. This is why I will never, ever stop writing about why this "small" stuff is problematic. The sum of all the "small" things (like the "friend zone," rape "jokes," slut shaming, etc.) i... |
I kind of can't believe I have to type this up, but apparently it needs to all be explicitly stated. |
I'm really thankful that people ARE paying attention to the misogynistic roots of the UCSB shooting. But we must remember, these are not fringe opinions and this was NOT an isolated incident. It is yet another sad, scary bullet point on the list that is "women killed by men." How long will we let this continue before w... |
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