Tag: film

Superheroes Are a Phase, but They Came When We Needed Them

Today I read Alison Herman “As Disney+ Looms, ‘The Boys’ Is Sweet Relief”, and I have a few issues with the points she tries to make. Her article falls into some of the common critical pitfalls that I have covered in other posts: mainly the idea that you’re somehow superior (and even kind of oppressed) if you don’t like the big, inescapable mainstream thing that’s really popular for whatever reason. She also tries to narrow the satire of Amazon’s The Boys into being just a critique of Disney’s acquisition of massive franchises in recent years, and she also makes brief generalizations about Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman without taking into account what their adaptations mean for female representation in blockbuster film.

Oh my, there’s so much to cover here.

Using “Don’t Stop Me Now” in Visual Media: The Umbrella Academy vs. SHAZAM!

This post features SPOILERS for both Season 1 of The Umbrella Academy and the DCEU film SHAZAM!.

I’ve started noticing that Western visual media really likes using Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” for high-energy sequences. It’s popped up in no less than two TV commercials that I’ve seen since the release of Bohemian Rhapsody last November. One commercial featured the people in the ad singing it while walking, running, or doing other high-energy things, while the other one used the original recording with Freddie Mercury’s vocals. It’s also apparently showed up in works like Shaun of the Dead for action scenes. My new favorite Netflix obsession, The Umbrella Academy, uses it for an action scene in this way, while the new DCEU film SHAZAM! uses “Don’t Stop Me Now” for a comical superhero training montage. I bring this up because I think one of these two uses of the song works better than the other, and I want to talk about why that is.

First of all, which characters do these scenes involve, and what are they doing?

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Oscar Week Post: Nothing Really Matters (TO MEEEE!!!!!)

So we’re approaching the 2019 Oscars (sorry, the 91st Academy Awards), and this is the time when various entertainment journalists post their Oscar picks. I’m not going to do that because I haven’t seen enough of the movies, and I would either choose only the safe bets or only the long shots. Instead, we’re going to talk about why and how none of this matters in the long run.

Oscars Logo

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Thinking Above and Beyond the Plot: Aquaman and the Motif of Dynasties

This post contains SPOILERS for Aquaman. 

I have noticed that a lot of people, both professional critics and random people in comment sections, seem to completely write off a story if the plot feels at all familiar to them. If they can guess any aspect of what’s coming, the story is trash. This worries me because it seems that both critics and average viewers are thinking mainly on a plot level, and not seeing that even mainstream stories (or the good-ish ones, at least) have themes and motifs that recur throughout the narrative.

Additionally, because of this plot-level thinking, there are entire essays and videos dedicated to 1) trying to figure out the internal logic of fictional universes (spoilers: there are almost always plot holes and inconsistencies), or 2) nitpicking lines or moments that the reviewer didn’t like.

An example of the first kind of video/essay is this 10-minute video of a guy trying to figure out how the Tablet of Akhmenrah works in the Night at the Museum franchise. While I agree with him that the Tablet probably imbues the statues (like Teddy Roosevelt and Sacagawea) with the souls of the people they represent, I think that he spends too much time trying to make the Tablet’s behavior throughout the series make consistent sense. NATM is a silly franchise (though it has its merits in terms of themes and character development), so the Tablet works whichever way the screenwriters want it to work to advance the plot. Yes, sometimes the inner works of fictional plots and plot devices really are that simple.

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Let’s Talk About “Night at the Museum” and Masculinity

SPOILERS for the Night at the Museum films.

The entire St. Louis area is currently blanketed with snow and I am recovering from a cold that has stolen my voice and hidden it in a seashell somewhere, so on Friday afternoon, my mom, my sister, and I decided to watch Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, which is the third film in the series.

Akhmenrah and the Gang on a Bus

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I just watched the Golden Globes and…

Things that are Big Moods right now:

  • Glenn Close’s face when she won.
  • Rami Malek’s feelings about Freddie Mercury: “I LOVE YOU, YOU BEAUTIFUL MAN!!!”
  • Both Lupita Nyong’o and Emily Blunt wearing reading glasses while presenting awards.
  • Anytime a movie that I actually saw won an award.

Also, I imagine that in the afterlife right now, Freddie Mercury is parading around in that big red furry cape and that enormous crown while David Bowie just rolls his eyes and waits for his inevitable biopic.

Is This the Real Life?: Bohemian Rhapsody, Film Reviews, and Liking Mediocre Movies

Last week, I finally got to see Bohemian Rhapsody, the first-ever biopic* about Freddie I Mercury, First of His Name, King of the Virgos and the September Babies, God of Rock Music, Father of Epic Rock Logos, Immortal Gay/Queer Icon, The Great Pretender, Mr. Fahrenheit.

Freddie Mercury in the Best Top Ever

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Alternative Masculinity: The Cinnamon Roll

A certain type of masculinity has been in the news recently, and really, it’s been in the news ever since a certain orange fellow decided to run for President in 2015. It’s a type of masculinity that is brash, bold, angry, vicious, and really doesn’t account for the wants or needs of anyone except of the person performing it. It’s a macho masculinity for guys who’d love to have thrown a punch, but are afraid to actually fight anyone.

This post is NOT about that type of masculinity.

Today, I’m writing about an alternative masculinity that can pop up in fiction and in real life: the masculinity of the Cinnamon Roll. And I don’t mean the breakfast pastry.

Thor Cinnamon Roll Meme

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Avengers: Infinity War: A Blockbuster Tragedy of Shakespearean Proportions

The more I think about Avengers: Infinity War, the more it reminds me of Shakespeare’s tragedies.

Avengers Infinity War Poster.jpg

Yes. You read that right. I just compared an overstuffed superhero blockbuster to the works of the Bard, the greatest playwright of them all. How could I compare pedestrian schlock to high art?

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