#Also really loving the ethnic diversity in this reboot

[adorawasright]

Don’t forget, Sea Hawk is also apparently Asian. I also thought Frost might be Asian at first bc she kinda looks… maybe stereotypical isn’t the exact word, but just like what comes to mind when you think of a little Asian girl. Not to mention, she was originally designed as a white (Nordic coded?) teenager for this show before they decided to age her down into the little sister character. Never mind the fact the little sister character already existed in the old series with Glimmer and Allegra, and they could have done something with that, but I digress. I’ve also seen some people say Angella is Indian coded, because of the accent and her voice actress. Or maybe it’s because they think her gem is reminiscent of a bindi?

But yeah, idk about Perfuma, Entrapta, or Spinnerella. I think Perfuma could be latina because if the actress? But the character gives off the vibes of such a essential oils Karen that I associate with entitled white women, to the point I think she might just be a tanned white woman? Though I’ll admit, when I first saw her design I considered black and white biracial, and I considered Pacific Islander. So I have no idea. I’ve also seen some people interpret Entrapta as black. Though, I doubt it based on the hair alone. I like to think she’s latina, simply because I want her as my Latin rep, and not the literal cat. As for Spinnerella, I got nothing. Maybe white? All I know is that Huntara should have been black, and isn’t even coded as black. And I think that’s dumb, because I would have loved buff, queer, gets-a-character-arc Grace Jones in this show, since we didn’t get to have it in the old one.

Okay, hold on. I had no idea Sea Hawk was apparently half-Asian. I had to look this up. It was "confirmed" (as in, on Twitter) by the lead character designer for SPOP, who also "confirmed" Scorpia as half-Asian as well. However, I'm pretty sure Frosta is supposed to be Inuk like Katara, but I don't think that was ever confirmed. I could be wrong. I'm not even sure where her kingdom is located, for that matter. The worldbuilding in SPOP sucks so badly I barely remember how the kingdoms were like, save for Perfuma's and maybe Mermista's.

Idk, man. I honestly don't think that much about most characters' ethnicities, because the SPOP crew clearly didn't put a lot of thought into it. I mean, the literal cat teenager who licks herself, who walks on fours, who bites and claws people, who hisses and hates water, and who's sexualized on top of it all, is supposed to be Latina. Or Iranian or Middle Eastern, because apparently OG Catra came from "Purrsia", which is like... the Persian Empire? And fans really want to apply that to the reboot, too. Except Catra's origins were never brought up in SPOP, only that Catra was found abandoned in a cardboard box according to Nate. Regardless, neither theories are great because both Latinas and Iranian women (and Middle Eastern women in general) are not treated like people. They're sexualized and are victims of colonization. I've heard people headcanon Catra as Indigenous, too. Which is even worse considering she got her hair cut against her will.

As for the other characters... I just don't care, lmao. I will agree that Huntara should've been black, too. But since the SPOP crew didn't care about developing their kingdoms and their origins, then I don't think that hard. I mainly mention and dissect "Latina" Catra because the fandom won't shut up about her. Idk about Entrapta's ethnicity, but if Latina Entrapta makes you happy, go for it. Especially because Latin America is pretty diverse, so there are a lot of possibilities.

I don't agree with the term Karen, though. I get what you mean, that Perfuma is annoying and ableist and treats other people like garbage, but sadly that's another term that actual misogynists use against any women who get angry. But I know that's not your intention, I get where you come from.

[potatoes83]

Dailywire Article

Hmm, now why might that be?

Understand that I grew up with Garfield... We're focusing on that because I have no idea what Furiosa is. I love Garfield. But I am 41 years old. And Garfield came out into syndication in the funny papers in 1978, meaning some of the lingering references, much like in the series Cathy, which came out two years earlier, were already dated as I was growing up. Tropes about dating and feminism, dieting, and so on, were very much a product of their time, and did not at all remain contemporary as the years went on.

There was also the animated series Garfield and Friends, done well before CGI had taken over all things animation, which first aired in 1988 and rolled through 1994. Basically my young childhood; that would have taken me from kindergarten to sixth grade or so. And there are people my age out there, quite a few of them, who have kids already in high school; we are now separated by nearly an entire generation.

Simply put, kids these days did not grow up with Garfield. At least, not in the iteration that made him a household name. They don't read the funny papers, nor did they grow up doing so. They are not clamoring to, and are in fact probably quite confused as to why they would want to see a generic computer generated blob who has an inexplicable penchant for lasagna. 20 years ago, you could have maybe pulled this off on the nostalgia train, packing theatres with 20 somethings out for a laugh, but for those of us who grew up with this universe, it's like the news of Happy Gilmore 2. We are not joyfully looking forward to reliving our youth, but rather mourning the desperate search for more money and actors' need for relevance which is turning a beloved vignette of our past into the next embarassing box office flop. For crying out loud, Adam Sandler is pushing sixty! What's next, Billy Madison 2? After his successful prostate surgery, Billy decides that life is short, so he's gonna go for his bachelors degree???

So my point is... hollywood has utterly pumped the last pump of running out of ideas. Everything remotely good has been sequeled, prequeled, and rebooted to death; the dead horse has been beaten into a fine powder. And this has been going on for some time, several years now, one bust after another. I used to love going to the movies, but I couldn't even tell you what this year's alleged blockbuster hits are supposed to be.

I touched on this before, either on here or my seldom-updated LJ, people turn to entertainment to be entertained. Not to be lectured to, not to be given a social justice lesson. They want to see actors who fit the role, not an academy award-pandering grab bag of ethnic and sexual checkboxes. Especially when you're dealing with an established universe, where things like race, gender, how people's voices sound, are already familiar to the legacy audience. Having Garfield played by, oh hell I don't know, Queen Latifah let's say, it's going to ruffle some feathers. Not because Queen Latifah is a bad actress, but because that's not what Garfield sounds like. That's not who Garfield is. And I'm not saying they did that in this case, I don't really care to look, it's an issue that is indicative of the problems with Hollywood today. Maybe Jon is a closeted gay, his lack of ability to get the ladies stems from his latent crush on his next door neighbor. Maybe Nermal is a transsexual, he thinks he's actually a cute female puppy instead of a kitten. And on it goes.

The only thing Hollywood has done in the last decade is destroy beloved characters and franchises, while shoving over engineered diversity and flash in the pan social justice messages down the audience's throats. And I think people are tired of being disappointed. Ultimately, to sum it up, Hollywood is telling the people what they want, instead of asking or listening to them. And that is not a winning formula. Who, for example, was sitting and lamenting that a comic strip cat from the 80s hasn't been put on the big screen as the must-see memorial weekend blockbuster??? Oh right. Nobody. 🥔

[floralovebot]

man people who racebend characters of color are REALLY showing their asses in how they think we're all interchangable and see us as a checklist for "Getting A Good Grade In Woke :)" rather than just... acknowledgment of the existing natural diversity of planet earth and the different ways people make life of it.

its insensitive to reimagine disneys tiana as asian, not because asian people dont face racism or cant enjoy cooking or didnt exist in 1920s new orleans- but because tiana is the first and still only black disney princess and was written and designed as such. her race informs and deepens her writing and her struggles, her love for her dad and specifically wanting to validate a jim crow era black man's sacrifices for his family, her connection to him and her community through her cooking when they all struggle to keep food on the table. similarly mulan shouldnt be rebranded as african american, not because black women couldnt exist in china or never crossdressed to join the army or dont face misogyny- but because mulan is a folk hero of historical chinese legend and as mulan, specifically cannot be divorced from that background. (also, frankly? the early white princesses arent really as well written for the most part, and their culture of origin is virtually never taken into account aside from visuals in their development, if that).

thats what ticked me off so bad about the monster high reboot. nb frankie was so cool and an asian draculaura was so fun but then they just... took away the black girl? and by extension, her sisters and thus ALL the black girls and like, dude not cool? nothing wrong with her being latina but being afrolatina is a different experience than being african american. afrolatinas deserve rep but that doesnt mean they shouldve taken clawdeen from african american girls. then there was some back and forth as to where specifically draculaura's family is from, and lagoona's origins vary from source to source dolls vs movie vs tv too and you just really feel the lack of effort and cohesion in the writing rooms. it really is just all just numbers on a chart, quotas to be filled there.

even with shows like winx where its ambiguous at times and kind of a raceblind take at others, theres so little for ANY of us that redesigning without that in mind becomes poaching. why would you take when ive been given so precious little? why would you want to change this one gift from people like me that lets me know i'm seen and loved? sure, other people deserve to have that too but if they want to borrow then take those who have so much they wont even miss it?

asdfghjkl sorry for the essay, i guess i had a breakthrough in how to put why this specific issue gets to me.

YESSS THANK YOU

Like it's so fucking weird to me!!! And GOD I wanted to say something about gen3 Clawdeen but I wasn't sure if I was "right" or if it was my place to say but exactly!! Being afrolatina is wonderful and they deserve representation too but it is still ultimately a different experience from being black american and they shouldn't have taken that away from black girls! I'm glad that mixed kids have her as rep now but they shouldn't have taken her away!! They very easily could've made a new character to fill that role instead!

AND YES to the winx point!! At the end of the day, it doesn't matter that some of the girls races or ethnicities are more ambiguous, they still have Canon races and people shouldn't be taking that away and giving it to someone else. That's not how representation works! Ever! Like if someone redesigned Aisha to be asian, that wouldn't make me happy or give me More representation. All that would be doing is taking away representation from black people! Same thing with Musa, Flora, Nabu, etc.

It also feels So fucking scummy when a white person's excuse is just that they Personally didn't see a character as their canonical race/ethnicity and that's why they changed it?? Like I don't give a shit if You personally don't see Nabu as an Indian man. That doesn't change his blatant coding. Same with characters like Flora who are more ambiguous. It doesn't matter if You Personally don't like her being Latina. She is. Fucking deal???

[thesorrowfulknight-blog]

That’s it, it’s done. Voltron fanfiction has officially taken over my life. Again. Are you happy now, Kallura? ARE YOU HAPPY? Of course you are.

[columboscreens]

for the new episodes what are your top 10 favorites?

what really constitutes a good reboot columbo for me is mostly how much it captures the spirit of the original run while still being true to its time and true to the character. if i watch it back and wish they'd made it 20 years prior, i consider it a solid romp.

that said, almost all of them are bloated and overlong. much to the detriment of the show's quality, ABC really preferred 120 minute runtimes to the original default runtime of 70 minutes. the ones i list here suffer least.

without further ado, if you're going to watch columbo in the clinton years, here are

COLUMBOSCREENS' TOP 10 COLUMBO REBOOT EPISODES

10. death hits the jackpot: low budget and absolutely ridiculous. columbo gets his badge stolen by a chimp. it's a blatant and far less clever rendition of greenhouse jungle. that said, rip torn kills it, and seeing him go head-to-head against columbo makes it worth watching. also the series' only halloween episode!

9. caution: murder can be hazardous to your health: george hamilton puts on his murdering hat once again as some sort of homicidal john walsh in an entertaining lampoon of america's most wanted. not the strongest episode, but plenty of fun. one thing i do prefer about the later episodes in general is that they're far more diverse; in this episode we're treated to the villain's primary staffer being a young, vibrant black woman with a prominent speaking role. as pictured above, columbo wanders into a sex shop and utters the word "porno". make of it what you will.

8. ashes to ashes: kind of dull, very bloated, and overly silly, with a whimsical sprinkle of ethnic stereotyping. however, watching patrick mcgoohan slaughter rue mcclanahan with a Mortuary Baton is rather fun in a surreal way. the typical chemistry between the two leads is there in spades. we get to see columbo get kidnapped, cringe at a bad funeral medley, and receive an estimate as to what he'll look like once cremated. overall a reasonably enjoyable watch.

7. sex and the married detective: lots of people have mixed feelings on this one, including myself, but i like it more than i don't. i love seeing the series boldly confront sex in a more open era. it's oddly intimate, and seeing columbo initially flustered at the sexual openness of his female adversary is pretty endearing! his rapport with this murderer is very enjoyable to watch, and i truly love that final scene where they're just conversing frankly by an open fire. for some reason columbo hurls himself onto a big ornate orgy bed when he's sure nobody is looking. honestly, aside from the cringey tuba march and the weird scene where he's yelling and going bananas at the russian cleaning lady, i thoroughly enjoy this episode.

6. agenda for murder: once again mcgoohan shines in this episode, and as he's the sun to falk's moon, so does our leading man. the chemistry between these two is in full force and really makes this plot, largely a frankenstein of like three different columbos, seem fresh and new. there are a few eyebrow-raising plot holes--surely a lawyer and political actor of his stature would know who columbo is--and while bite marks remain legally admissable in court, today they're widely acknowledged to be of dubious veracity in terms of evidence. but this episode's murderer catches on to the whole thing rather quickly, and if you really just want an episode that feels like a good old fashioned columbo, look no further. i also just love watching columbo peck away at computers and fax machines.

5. it's all in the game: many dislike this one, but i’m particularly fond of it because it examines the fabric of columbo’s character in a meaningful, intimate, and unique way that we don’t often see as the audience, and i love episodes like that. the emmy-winning performance by faye dunaway almost goes without saying and adds rewatchability points; her chemistry with falk really emulsifies the script and makes the story believable. for once, his usual rhetoric doesn’t really get him anywhere with a suave little minx trying to kiss him into submission every five minutes–especially considering his lack of concrete proof for most of the case. thus, he has no choice but to play her game to get what he wants, letting her believe that her wiles are working to save her a prison stint, all while remaining professional and unwavering in pursuit of his true goal. what makes it interesting is that for the first time there appears to be a real mixture of business with pleasure, a real, visible struggle with his feelings and the nature of what he’s doing. could've been a little less on the nose and i could always do without the swells of music telling me how to feel, but that's a critique for almost every episode in this era.

4. rest in peace mrs. columbo: a solid and compelling story that strays from the beaten path and actually works, arriving from a natural curiosity about the consequences of columbo's ostentatious takedowns. if some smug little dwarf of a cop threw your loved one's ass in jail, wouldn't you want to knock him down a peg by poisoning his wife? the second half of this episode ramps up exceptionally well--we see firsthand the lengths to which the lieutenant is willing to go for the mrs., and to me, that alone is worth the watch. the restaurant exchange with roscoe lee brown is phenomenal, helen shaver is outstanding, and this episode’s gotcha is, to me, one of the best in the series, period.

3. columbo likes the nightlife: lots of people aren't a fan of this one, but i love this episode because it truly harks back to the older run after a string of hard to watch outings in the 90s where columbo acts painfully cartoonish. even the aspect ratio is a return to form! this comparatively grittier and more down to earth story whips falk back into shape, even as he's clearly approaching retirement. i love his weird old man behavior, digging in toilets and manhandling corpses. moreover, i have a big soft spot for all the trappings of the early aughts: bluehaired alt girls with hot topic fishnets and livejournals, techno warehouse raves, and steve schrippa.

2. columbo cries wolf: the script is definitely a little weak in some spots, and doesn't seem quite as intelligently written as much of the original run. that said, this episode is one of my favorites because of how much of a straight-up blast it is to watch. it's not only total 80s eye candy--columbo smokes pensively in a helicopter above LA, then goes to the mall in a corinthian leather-clad limo surrounded by a bunch of big-haired sex nymphs--the plot itself is actually solid. ian buchanan, as a prelude to his twin peaks performance, is deliciously smarmy. the runtime is filled well for the most part, and falk is in top form. this episode has a special place in my heart because it's the only time we see columbo wholly and very publicly thwarted, albeit temporarily, and it's only because he's simply unacquainted with the level of media brain rot necessary to even conceive of the scheme that entraps him. and i find that beautiful.

last but not least................................

1. columbo goes to college: god, i love this episode. you'll notice this one regularly tops other people's lists, and i'm no exception. not only does falk totally nail columbo, the plot is interesting, tightly-written, and the episode doesn't suffer from being as long as it is. columbo squaring off against two 90s-flavored Whatever Talk To The Hand I'll Just Use My Dad's Credit Card spoiled young assholes was a marvelous idea, and theyre written well to boot. the two leads do a fantastic job, we get a bobby culp cameo, and the production is a smashing success. practically 70s-tier.

so there you have it. honestly, most of the reboots are decent tv to watch, and all of them have scenes worth seeing. but if you're looking for episodes that at least approach the caliber of classic columbo, these are the ones i keep in my pocket.

[pines-troz]

Thoughts on Animaniacs (2020) Pilot

- I really enjoyed it overall. It was really nice to see the Warners and Pinky and the Brain again. The animation was pretty great, the music was spot on, and it was great hearing Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, Tress MacNeille, and Maurice LaMarche reprise their roles!

- I liked the two Warner shorts, and they definitely have that sibling banter (you just wasted your first line..), and I like how Yakko and Wakko were poking fun at each other’s voices. I enjoyed the songs, but I felt like the shorts were a little too meta at times. But this is the first episode, and I get that they wanted to address all the current events out of the way, so it’s understandable. 

- Out of the three segments, the Pinky and the Brain segment (Of Mice and Memes) was the strongest and the highlight of the episode. I love that it covers what they’ve been up to for the last 22 years (Brain essentially creating cell phones to take over the world, Pinky attending therapy for sort out his relationship with Brain, which essentially implies that Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain is erased from canon!). The Brain as a baby bit was a treat, the actual meme that got them famous was also a riot, and I appreciate how it makes fun of the rapid-fire nature of meme culture and most memes come and go from the public conversation. 

- I really dig the updates they made to the intro. Dot having wit as opposed to cute is an interesting change, but a welcomed one. And the middle section of the song is pretty great. “Gender balanced, pronoun-neutral, and ethnically diverse. The trolls will say we’re so passe, but we did meta first!” 

- Also, the Pinky and the Brain intro slaps. I love how Brain line delivery evolved from being super serious in the original show and spin-off to being super maniacal in the reboot. An evil smile, ominous thunder and lightening, *chef’s kiss*

- Overall, I had a fun time!

[rvbycruz]

reasons why high school musical the musical the series is actually a worthwhile reboot despite its stupid name: 

(spoiler free)

hella lgbt representation at like every turn 

one of the main-ish characters is a gay moc being played by a gay moc and we stan 

one of the other main characters has two moms and it’s not even a THING it’s so normalized folks i love it 

actual diversity 

there is ethnic diversity and body diversity, this is NOT a false alarm. although i am kinda mad that the black girl falls into the black best friend trope and she’s kinda a ‘strong black woman’ stereotype, there’s more than ONE black girl in the main cast of characters HUZZAH! and she actually seems like she might have some depth which is all i ask honestly

talent????

listen i’m not saying that little miss olivia rodrigo is more talented than vanessa hudgens but i MIGHT be saying that and i was watching hsm during it’s PEAK so don’t @ me

i don’t know her name but the girl that’s playing ms darbus has a set of pipes on her too like DAMN

the dancing?? wtf??? these kids are literally so talented i cannot

it’s actually funny

the whole show is mockumentary style (like the office or parks and rec) and it actually really works

the comedic timing is great, the jokes aren’t too cheesy, the whole thing is hella meta but like it leans into it so well like ugh

basically the name is so stupid and i like many of y’all are tired of damn reboots but this one was definitely worth the watch so give it a chance ! (also if you don’t have disney + and want a link to watch it at check it out in high def right here)

[douxreviews]

Roswell, New Mexico - ‘Pilot' Review

Before we get started, let’s address the elephant in the room.  This is not a reboot of the 1999 WB show Roswell.

It is a show based on the same Roswell High books as the ‘99 show.  So yes, there are similarities.  And if you liked the show, you’ll probably enjoy this one too.  But if you thought a high school drama built around star-crossed lovers trying to hide the existence of aliens from the government and their parents was on the cheesy side, you may still want to give this a shot because while the themes of otherness and acceptance are still there, the characters and plots have all grown up.   And if you never saw the original but science fiction that’s heavy on alien metaphors with a side order of science is your jam,  you’re in for a treat.

I promise I will not spend every episode comparing the two versions.  Art is a product of its place and time.  The expectations viewers have for the shows they watch have changed. Therefore, each iteration must be judged on its own merits. What are they trying to say and how well do they achieve their narrative goals?  For all their similarities, these two shows are saying something very different.

In many respects, the original show’s focus on Liz and Max’s love story sucked up much of the narrative oxygen in the room.  The larger themes of alienation and acceptance,  when they occurred, were almost solely through the metaphor of the aliens on earth.  Here we address similar themes from multiple angles.  By embracing diversity, in terms of ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, immigration status, and, yes, human vs. alien, they hammer home the idea that being “other” doesn’t necessarily make us different.

The feelings of otherness are not limited to our alien friends.  Liz doesn’t fit in not only because of her father’s real, and her suspected, undocumented status but also due to the town’s residual hatred regarding her sister Rosa’s actions.  Alex is a military man from a military family in love with a man who despises authority and refuses to conform.  On paper, Kyle looks perfect.  He’s a good-looking doctor from a respected family but he’s so lonely he’s willing to have a romp with an ex in his car while knowing she’s using him.  Each of them is desperate to find a connection, and that desperation has the potential to lead down some dark paths.

Don’t get me wrong, at its heart this is still the love story of Liz and Max; two outsiders with an undeniable attraction for each other but separated by facts that would give Romeo and Juliet pause.  At least those two were both human.  Yet if not for Max’s love for Liz, we’d have no inciting incident.  Liz would have died in a random shooting and he, Isobel, and Michael would have quietly continued their existence in Roswell with no one the wiser.  Instead, Liz returns after a 10-year absence and Max refuses to lose her again.

His actions are not without repercussions.  Liz is no longer a half-smitten high school student.  She believed she was shot, her uniform had a bullet hole, there is a handprint on her chest, and no visible injury.  No self-respecting scientist would let that mystery go uninvestigated which only leads her to more questions.

Thanks to her aborted fling with Kyle, he knows something is up too.  Unfortunately, for all involved, Kyle goes to a far more dangerous source for answers.  Now the secret Max, Isobel, and Michael have been harboring for over 20 years, that they are the aliens from the 1947 crash, is in danger of coming out.

Add to this the mystery of Liz’s sister’s death.  As far as the residents of Roswell are concerned, Rosa, as her father put it, “took drugs, and she drove, and when she died, she took two innocent girls with her.”  We know that’s not true or at least not the whole truth.  Max, Isobel, and presumably Michael have something to do with Rosa’s death and whatever that truth is would spell an end to Liz and Max’s budding romance.  So, of course, she’s going to find out, right?

Regardless of whether the trio is responsible for Rosa’s death (and does anyone really believe Max and Company deliberately killed her?) their fears of exposure are both real and well-founded.  Sergeant Manes and Kyle’s dad were involved with Project Shepherd.  According to Manes, this project was created to protect humans from any threat that aliens might pose.  However, Manes has already made that determination.  And he isn’t subtle about his position on the monsters that landed in 1947 or the killers he believes they are.

What Have We Learned:  

For starters, we know that Max can heal, Michael can move objects with his mind and Isobel can affect people’s thoughts.  We also learned that Isobel used that ability ten years ago to send Liz away when she started reciprocating Max’s feelings for her.  And apparently, Max isn’t the only one who’s been carrying a torch since high school.  In Michael’s case, there was a lot more to the relationship than simply mooning over Alex from afar.

I happened to love the original show and I’ve always been skeptical of reboots.   So, I approached this with a healthy dose of curiosity and very low expectations.   However, the complexity of the characters, the adult themes, and the not-so-subtle commentary on the differing views on aliens of all stripes left me impressed.  Consider me all in.

4 out of 5 glowing handprints

Parting Thoughts:  

I loved the nods to the original, such as Crashdown’s waitress uniforms.

Project Shepherd is a military exercise, right?  Was Kyle’s dad in the military too?

Liz’s confession to Max regarding her mother and sister’s mental issues sounded like a legitimate plea for information and not just a line to get Max’s DNA.  Please tell me that’s going to get explained at some point.

While we’re on the theme of things they better address, Michael has a chemical similar to meth coming from his trailer.  Huh?

And what’s Maria’s story?  She got the short end of the stick as far as storylines go.  I want to know what’s with the fortune-telling?

Quotes:

Liz: “Every small town has a story, but my hometown has a legend.”

Arturo: “I like it here.  I like making milkshakes for tourists dressed like little green men.”

Max: “I’m not one of the bad guys, Liz.”

Max: “So, where you been?” Liz: “Denver, working on an experimental regenerative medicine study.  We were onto something special, but of course we lost funding because someone needs money for a wall.”

Kyle: “So, we could do the awkward exes small talk thing, but I’m guessing that’s not why you’re here.”

Valentin: “For God’s sake, Evans. Shave.” Max: “I heard you ranting about patriarchal dress codes and grooming standards last week. I’m just aligning myself with your feminist agenda, Sheriff.”

Hank: “Isn’t that the Ortecho girl?  I thought she went back to her own country.” Maria: “Uh-uh, Hank.  You’re not distracting me from my money with your thinly veiled racism.”

Isobel: “The good old days.  Just three happy kids who aren’t in danger of being dragged off to the Pentagon by men in hazmat suits because someone couldn’t keep his superhuman healing hands to himself.”

Isobel: “Fall in love with someone else, Max.  Anyone else.” Max: “It’s been ten years, Iz.  If I could have, I would have.”

Kyle: “This is probably a bad idea.” Liz: “I thought we were ignoring that in favor of the whole sex thing.”

Liz: “This is probably a bad idea.” Kyle: “If only someone said that earlier.”

Kyle: “If you see the handprint go to Manes.”

Liz: "Michael outscored me on every AP exam.  I thought he would get some scholarship, change the world.” Max: “I don’t think Michael likes the world enough to bother changing it.”

Max; “She can never know what happened to Rosa.”

--

Shari loves sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, and anything with a cape.

[nomadicism]

How would you update the Vehicle Voltron characters if there was ever a VLD style reboot of that series?

Hi Anon, thank you for the Ask!

I’ve got a few versions of this question sitting in my drafts, so I’m going to side-step and answer this in terms of general visual and writing style rather than any specific characters (which would be informed by this).

The first thing is that I would not do a VLD style reboot of Vehicle Voltron.

This is because quite a few things separate Vehicle Voltron from Lion Voltron most importantly the following:

Setting: Vehicle Voltron takes place in a galaxy. There is not a ‘home planet’ for the story’s setting (other than the planets from which the characters hail). Like Star Trek, the characters are constantly in motion as they explore the galaxy looking for a new hospitable planet to ease problems with over-crowding. Technically this is true of VLD, but only a few planets are visited in any meaningful way compared to how that is handled in Vehicle Voltron.

Very large cast of antagonists and protagonists: This is consistent with the space opera genre and requires a specific kind of story-telling and writing. It’s not for everyone. The large cast lends more realism to the setting and the story. Vehicle Voltron team is one part of a Galaxy Alliance fleet, they have support crew and commanders.

Larger age range and social/political/military roles: characters range in age from teens to young adults to middle aged adults to old age. This is another facet of the realism that balances the story. The commanders in charge (such as Hawkins) are not teens nor young adults. They have experience and wisdom. This sets up believable chains of command and obstacles for the protagonists at different layers of the story. Jeff, Cliff, and Krik may lead the teams that make up Vehicle Voltron but they still have to answer to Commander Hawkins and Captain Newley. And while Hawkins and Newley may command the S.S. Explorer, but they are still beholden to orders from the much older admirals from the Galaxy Garrison. The same goes for the antagonists, where Hazar may be a commander with his own ships and soldiers, but Marshal Keezor, Viceroy Throk, and even subordinate captains are obstacles to his ideas for peace with the humans.

Thus, I would instead look to the remakes of The Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Space Battleship Yamato to inform remake of Vehicle Voltron (note: remake does not equal reboot, I’m done with reboots).

Especially for the visual style of Yamato (above) as Nobuteru Yuki’s character designs are fantastic and rarely suffer from ’same face’ syndrome and go beyond a handful of body types.

Both of these stories are space operas with large casts featuring a wide range of age and rank, and Yamato has several different alien species represented in the story amongst both protagonists and antagonists (though they are the ‘humanoid’ type so monster-lovers would be let down).

Both LotGH and Yamato utilize a diversity of ages and ranks to great effect. It makes their stories richer and deeper. This is something that I would very much want to see preserved and expanded in a remake of Vehicle Voltron.

Yamato also handles ‘weird sci-fi scenarios’ and far-fetched technology pretty damn well. I don’t otherwise know how to describe the story in the Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark film, but it’s top notch science-fiction that would work in both Star Trek and Vehicle Voltron.

Likewise, the political maneuvering and philosophy that drives the plot in LotGH would be right at home in Star Trek and Vehicle Voltron. Having a large cast is crucial to that.

That Star Trek comparison is important, because the biggest difference between Vehicle Voltron and Lion Voltron can be summed up as: “Star Trek vs Star Wars.” Star Trek and Star Wars are superficially similar to the casual viewer, but they are very different kinds of story requiring different writing styles and direction.

So, the challenge in either a remake or reboot lies in how to balance the genre conventions of a space opera with a Super Robot Combining Mecha thrown in. It doesn’t matter if the robot has 3 pilots or 15, there is a mismatch between super robots and space opera. As biased as I am towards loving Vehicle Voltron (and its source anime, Dairugger XV), it’s a hard sell and harder to write well.

The biggest changes would probably require less super robot fights (thus changing the monster-of-the-week format), and less episodes overall since we are in the age of ‘short seasons’. Once those two things happen, the story is dangerously close to falling apart. This brings me back to LotGH and Yamato, as it would take serious writing skills and experience to pull this off and be a success. And that experience (with both mecha and space opera genres) may as well be non-existent in the West. That doesn’t mean that Western animation writers/directors/creative team/etc don’t have talent (they obviously do), it’s just that this kind of story isn’t one that is common in live action, let alone animation. I’ll be the elitist that wants writers with a mecha and space opera background writing a VV remake.

This brings me back to the part about the characters:

I don’t see much need to drastically change character arcs or personalities in a remake, except where its a matter of updating for the times, and removing things that are best left in the 80s. However, I would definitely do what VLD and Yamato and LotGH have done with changing genders and ethnicities, and I would preserve Vehicle Voltron’s large cast in order to maintain the age range and social/political/military roles.

Vehicle Voltron already had more ethnicity and gender representation than Lion Voltron (for its time), but I would take that farther. That is something that is important to me for a lot media. One of the great things about having a very large cast, is that it provides more breathing room for inclusion.

While that means that not every character gets a large role (Do they really need one to tell a story? Not in space opera they don’t.), it also means that a careful writer is less likely to end up in a situation where there is only one example of a character with particular sets of under-represented traits combined with narrative choices that seem like a good idea but could be hurtful to an audience for reasons outside of the story (e.g. the only black character is also the only racist, or the multi-minority LGBT character is the only one to perpetually go through hell, etc).

In other words, there are fertile fields for multiple kinds of representation in Vehicle Voltron with its 15 pilots, dozens of S.S. Explorer crew members, dozens of other Galaxy Alliance personnel, other fleets that appear, and among the antagonists as well. I would add another species to co-exist with the Drule, and expand upon the two species represented in the Galaxy Garrison (Krik and Cinda’s people, and Wolo and Tagor’s people). I would not rely on aliens for ethnicity representation (that’s a cheat), but age, gender, ability, and LGBT inclusion would certainly fit.

Like Star Trek, the space and future setting of Vehicle Voltron allows for diversity without present day concerns, but that does not mean that the writing should avoid those concerns and how they intersect with identity and representation. Viewers are living those concerns and are likely not watching a space opera set in the future with giant robots to be reminded of them (intentionally or accidentally).

I have other ideas that are specifically for the characters, but that will have to wait for another day.

Image credit: stills are from my own screenshots of Space Battleship Yamato (mostly 2199 and 2202) with one or two scrounged from the web, and the animated gifs are from LotGH (their respective gif makers shown below the gif).

[summerspn]

Charmed (2018)

(Minor spoilers)

I waited a few months, trying to go in this with an open mind. I didn’t google or watch anything about this show since first watching the trailer for the pilot months ago.

Here are my thoughts:

The diversity is great overall. However, I feel like the show is focusing on quantity over quality in that respect. I don’t care if the leads are African American, Latino, Caucasian, Asian, or from Mars. However, the should be able to act! Meaning, have depth / layers.

If any show/movie/or writer is attempting to be diverse, they need to diversify!

While I’m not in show business I hope to publish more stories in the future. So I read whatever I can get my hands on. Books written by Americans, Canadian, British, some from Africa, South America etc. I do this because I’m not only curious but I’m self aware. I want to know what other people do and to gain perspective.

For writers/directors/show runners etc they should watch shows & movies from other countries. British shows are phenomenal in the fact they do everything 100%. The writing feels natural, it’s intelligent, & it flows. The acting is brilliant. Even the people who have 2 lines can act! A couple years ago I watched an old Canadian show (I can’t remember the title) but it was heart wrenching and beautiful. I saw 20 minutes and was in tears...(without knowing who the characters were). The acting was that good. And the cast for many Canadian shows are diverse (though admittedly not ideal), but it feels real. They don’t beat us over the head with it.

- My point is, this 2018 version of Charmed was promoting itself as diverse but that worked for and against itself. Diversity is great but pointing out one’s differences is counterproductive. It’s like saying ‘treat me like everyone else’ and ‘I’m different & unique’ at the same time.

- The CW should have just focused on the actresses/characters being relatable. That’s more about marketing & instructing the actors before they give interviews though.

The special effects are on par with the original Charmed. That’s...not great. 20 years in between the shows. There are better effects out there.

So this tells me the CW was being cheap & didn’t want to pour their money into the special effects. As if the show wasn’t worth it...and if the CW thinks that, I’m not surprised people weren’t happy about the show.

- Also, there are tricks to use less special effects...camera angles etc. From Supernatural (another CW show - the only good one imho) The camera moves around Misha Collins so he can walk out of the frame and poof! Castiel is gone! No special effects required but it still felt real. The CW could do some tricks like that to supplement the budget.

This last episode - the black Smokey demon guys poofed in and out a fair amount. Cool I guess but then the final show down where the sisters slam that staff into the ground and the gate to hell opened, that looked incredibly cheesy. Less poofing earlier = more $ for final showdown special effects. Basic math.

- I actually prefer the original special effects because it was appropriate back then - to the time & technology it was pretty great.

The reboot has constant references to modern technology but it feels like they’re not using modern tech for the special effects.

Female empowerment! Yay! Or rather, what? As a headstrong, independent woman who can hold my own in an argument and that time I got mugged I can honestly say I do NOT support male bashing. Yes there are a lot of rich white men in power that suck but your friends, neighbours, professors, nephews etc have NOTHING to do with that.

This show acts like (well, the way the dialogue is written) every little upset or injustice is because of ‘harassment’ or a rejection of feminism & females. No, one doesn’t have to lead to the other. Your professor is upset with your work or with what you say... it’s possible you’re an idiot. Or maybe you shout the information in a way that’s standoffish which rubs someone the wrong way...

The original Charmed celebrated love. The sisters loved & respected their male friends, brothers-in-law, their father etc. There was an episode where Grams had trouble accepting a male witch into the family but they showed growth & she only felt that way because she was burned by love before. The reboot just tries to create drama where there isn’t any.

Female empowerment is where you feel strong & secure enough to be yourself. To be able to speak your mind, stand up for yourself & be independent. In real life you don’t have to tell people you’re empowered, you just are.

This show distorts that message. Empowerment does not require one to tear down another gender. The sisters from the original Charmed were strong and empowered but they never acted like they were better than anyone else (except demons).

The acting. Oh the acting... so the actors aren’t great. Some are better than others. Unfortunately it’s very distracting and disruptive to the suspension of disbelief. Noticing the poor acting pulls you out of the story so once again people aren’t as invested in the characters or the plot.

The gay characters are fine. I don’t care either way but why the continual reminders? Just BE.

Even on the show Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Daryl’s character is bi and white-Josh (his nickname on the show) is gay. But it’s not annoying and when they talk about it it’s either natural or over the top celebratory. They write it into the show so even the coming out musical number feels authentic. It’s kind of impressive to do that.

- But here on Charmed it’s brought up in a way that feels almost...out of the blue. Difficult to explain but it just doesn’t work. That randomness feels like it was smacking us and going ‘see I’m gay’!

Meanwhile during Crazy Ex girlfriend after 1 episode of Daryl making eyes at White-Josh you root for them. It’s just written so well.

The writing. Sub par. It’s more about the little things but I have predicted the villains a few times.

Whitelighter-that-looks-like-Wesley-from-BTVS-and-Ketch-from-Supernatural...was it necessary to KIDNAP the sisters, bind & confine them to reveal who they are?! And he didn’t get his ass kicked for it?! They were just...okay with it? That’s the first time I felt like they were all idiots. I mean, he could have just...I dunno, had a Conversation with them minus the sketchy kidnapping!

If that had been the OG sisters they’d have been pissed. Prue probably would have sent him flying or hit him with whatever was close by even without her powers.

Most episodes just feel a little...cheesy. So whitelighter (“guardian”) says in an episode ‘you’ll need to use the power of three’. It’s all dramatic and a big show down but it felt cheesy. Looking back I think it was because that actor was probably directed to just act like he was informing them...but because of that it felt like he could care less what happened. It was flat. Plus why did he stand so he was almost pressed against her? Just...awkward.

The actual spells are okay to me and the show has some nice eerie vibes but with the background music, the dialogue and even the title ‘Charmed’ it feels very light. The combo is classic Disney. It’s all fighting against one another.

Another example of minor details which has a big impact. This last episode - cute British guy is like ‘oh!’ And grabs a chair to stop him from being sucked into Hell. Really? That’s gonna do the trick. *sigh* To be fair, the writers go off what the show runners/directors want. So IF they were in a big open room and that was the only thing there, sure grab the chair. However, he was standing next to a door frame!

So I’m guessing the writers either: 1) didn’t know the set design, 2) the powers that be instructed them to ignore that detail, or 3), everyone forgot. Either way it’s sloppy. Not to mention the end result made the whole scene feel very...goofball rather than dramatic.

One of the MOST annoying things about this series is that they throw things in like a checklist. So we talked about...feminism ✔️, LGBTQ ✔️, ethnic minorities ✔️ etc. Seriously CW, you don’t have to squish everything into one episode. It felt too much like name dropping. See, we’re talking about this this and this...see, we’re cool! 😉 it felt so awkward.

If you’re going to go through your checklist at least spread it out. One episode focusing on their long lost sister & new powers. Next episode trouble with being harassed at school, next episode how you navigate your relationship with your girlfriend etc. Everything coming at you while they’re battling a demon is just too much!

The show is entertaining in a way but it was more about seeing if it was going to get better.

After over a decade since the original series ended, the CW still wasn’t prepared for this. Too many issues to like it as anything more than a time filler. Personally I’m not a fan of it and won’t watch anymore.

I also still want the CW to apologize to the original cast & crew for ripping off the show. It won’t make me watch the reboot anymore but it’ll make me feel less guilty for watching my favourite show, Supernatural which is under their control.

[travllingbunny]

Thoughts on the new Buffy show

As I'm a major Buffy fan - it's my all-time favorite show, and Buffy is possibly my all-time favorite character - I'm probably expected to whine about this (there's been so much whining online - including among many who aren't actually Buffy fans). But in fact, I really like this news.

I’m still unsure if this is actually a ‘reboot’ in the true sense of the word, in spite of people calling it that. News sites have been calling everything a reboot, even when it actually was a continuation or another story set in the same universe, or just something inspired by the same concept.

I think this is a great idea, if the new Buffy is different enough from the old one to make it clear those are two different characters, just built on the same idea of subverting horror tropes and female roles in them. And making Buffy black is a great start, as is making the showrunner a black woman who is originally not from USA. Diversity in matters of race/ethnicity, nationalities other than US and UK, and other cultures has never been BtVS’ strong suit, so this new show can be very different and assert its separate identity, while paying homage to the original. This means not copying the old stories and replicating the same characters and plots, but keeping the spirit and the idea.

Buffy Summers was conceived as the subversion of the horror trope of the blonde valley girl who gets killed by a monster. The new Buffy will be the subversion of the trope of, as Xander put it in season 7, “the black chick dies first”. Furthermore, Buffy was such an original character because she was simultaneously an incredibly strong, kickass snarky hero who got to play into the same heroic tropes as male heroes get, and someone with strong ties to friends and family and unabashedly a “girly girl” who is into things like fashion, wants to date and is deeply romantic. The new Buffy being black and having a similar personality would also subvert another trope, that of the one-dimensional “strong black woman who needs no man” and therefore never gets to have romantic storylines or be the romantic lead.

I also find it encouraging that the showrunner is Monica Owusu-Breen, whose work on Agents of SHIELD and Lost I’ve really enjoyed (though I’m still to see Midnight, Texas). I always got the impression that she must be a Buffy fan and have been inspired by Buffy in some of her writing.

I'm glad that Joss will not be very involved, because, as much as I love his writing on the show, he seems to have run out of inspiration and his writing has become stale and, lately, pretty bad. Especially anything to do with Buffy - most of his ideas for the Buffy comics have been awful, and I’ve just read the latest Buffy season 12 comic issues, where he is credited as a writer, and god... they’re so, so lazy, uninspired and badly written.

[minaminokyoko]

Pacific Rim: Uprising (A Spoilertastic Review)

This movie should be the ultimate lesson for Hollywood on why you shouldn’t just replace a director who has vision with someone who just wants to make a quick buck in a lazy sequel. My God, I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this utterly annoyed by a sequel. I mean, late sequels have a serious tendency to suck for many reasons: hiring different writers/directors from the previous film, changing the tone, removing important characters and awkwardly jamming new ones in there, relying on boring sequel clichés, or misunderstanding the entire reason why the first movie was a hit. Pacific Rim wasn’t a mega-hit stateside—it did $101 million domestically and did much better in the foreign market with an additional $309 million—but it was easily a fan favorite. Even if I had the full story on what went down between Legendary Pictures and the delightfully talented Guillermo del Toro, there is no excuse why Pacific Rim Uprising is such a pathetic pile of nothing. With del Toro, we had some excellent world building, a basic understanding of the premise, a loose but still adequate story, and characters that were easy to remember and enjoy. We also had a fun cameo from the incomparable Ron Perlman, a fantastic score, and some truly imaginative fight sequences of the Jaegers vs. the kaiju. I’ve said before that I think PacRim is a good movie, not a great movie, only because I felt you could have simply removed Raleigh entirely and focused on Mako and Stacker instead since they were both ten times more interesting and easier to connect with on an emotional level. However, after seeing this nonsense, I have a whole new appreciation for the first film, because at least it told a goddamn story and its characters had personality traits and arcs. Uprising is honestly an affront to what the first film established, not only for retconning things with Stacker’s forgettable son, but just botching every single enjoyable element from the first film.

I’ll get right to the point—yes, the Jaeger/kaiju fights are the main draw for this franchise. Even though I’m going to list why this sequel is godawful, a lot of people really just want to see it for the big fight scenes and that’s all they might want to take away from any reviews. Well, I’m here to tell you, I still don’t think Uprising is worth your hard-earned cash, because it’s frankly a bait-and-switch. The trailer shows you a monstrous kaiju made of three other kaiju, and that sounds amazing, right? Well, it’s intentionally misleading. If you want the full story, check below the spoiler line.

Overall Grade: D

Pro:

-Seriously, the only positive thing to note about this entire film is that the fight scenes were at least adequate. Not good, not great, adequate. When the fights finally do happen, there’s plenty of smashing, and the idea of the kaiju melding into one huge kaiju was at least a nifty idea. It was easily the only thing about the trailer that got anyone’s blood moving and could have built any hype.  However, judging by the movie’s poor opening weekend, enough people could tell something was off about it.

Cons:

-The trailer is misleading. How? Well, there are no kaiju in this movie until the last fifteen minutes. Seriously. They pulled a Huntsman sequel on you guys—promising something that only appears at the end of the fucking movie. All other times, you are stuck with the bland protagonists training or trying to figure out how the rogue Jaeger attacked Sydney. IIRC, there’s only the fight of Gypsy Avenger vs. the rogue Jaeger and then the end with all of them fighting. There’s a brief chase sequence in the beginning with Bland White Child and Stacker-lite, but it’s barely five minutes long and it’s just them rolling away from the full sized Jaeger like Sonic the Hedgehog. Look, if that still excites you, hey, go see it. But to everyone else who doesn’t want to feel ripped off, I’m begging you to sit this one out for this and many other reasons I’m going to outline below. There are only kaiju at the end of the damn movie. It’s Godzilla 2014 all over again—a magnificent creature that is advertised heavily as being in the film, but isn’t actually in the damn thing.

-The dialogue is so painfully cliché that you will roll your eyes so many times they might eject from your skull. Jesus Christ. I swear, it’s like they had a checklist of every action movie cliché they could think of and they made sure to check off every single one. Every line of dialogue in this movie is a sickening cliché. There is not one original thought. Not. One. Every character is flat and some form of a lazy archetype. No one gets any development. It’s Michael Bay-levels of incompetent writing. The movie couldn’t have been any worse written than if there was a room of chimpanzees hammering away at the screenplay. It’s just plain embarrassing. Every moment there isn’t a kaiju smashing something or a Jaeger beating wholesale ass, you will be in massive amounts of pain.

-The fights are mediocre. Remember how carefully staged the fight scenes were in the first movie? Hell, most of the time we can list them off the top of our heads because those fights were so damn memorable. We had the opening montage, the Knifehead fight, the two kaiju vs. the Jaegers, Gypsy Danger vs. Otachi, and then the final brawl underwater at the Breach. Each fight was staged well and paced well throughout the film. You didn’t have to wait too long between fights during the film, and it also entertained you with smaller bits like Mako and Raleigh training or the flashback to Mako’s childhood with that scary crab kaiju. Uprising is a bottom-heavy film, much like the equally terrible Jurassic World (God, talk about another late sequel that entirely misses the fucking point of the original property.) The only difference is at least Jurassic World had enough sense to deliver a powerhouse ending to an utterly stupid film, and Uprising doesn’t. The fights don’t have clever staging, great music, or very much creativity to them. After suffering through two hours with these annoying paper cutout characters, you should deliver the best damn fights we’ve ever seen, but no, they’re just standard hacking and slashing. Punctuated by the intensely annoying, shrieking helium balloon shaped like Charlie Day shouting inane dialogue in his squeaky voice. The fights have zero weight, too, because no one has a character, so you don’t give a shit if they live or not during the fight either.

-Like many terrible sequels, they kill off a main lead from the previous film in order to give the new protagonist some pathetic kind of Mangst. If there is one thing I am sure of, it’s that most fans of the original movie are going to be LIVID they dragged the actress playing Mako all the way back on set just to kill her fifteen minutes in. It’s just insulting. Mako was the fan favorite from the first film. Seriously, she has most of the fandom in her back pocket, so I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of the immediate backlash is because the movie’s disgusting use of Fridging the main female lead from the first movie to make way for Bland White Child and Stacker-lite. It’s possibly the most insulting thing about the entire sequel. Mako deserved better. I’d rather she was out of the movie entirely, like Raleigh mysteriously is, than for them to kill her in such a cheap, stupid way. What a waste of a good actress and a great character.

-Making Charlie Day the villain. Yes, because nothing is more intimidating than a tiny man with the voice of Bobcat Goldthwait spouting dialogue so corny you’d expect it from an Austin Powers movie. Are you kidding me? Look, I get it, Charlie Day is a fan favorite so of course they were going to bring him back, but what the actual fuck made you think he should be the bad guy? It’s weaksauce. It sounds like they were just bored and out of ideas for the villain, as if the fucking kaiju or the Precursors weren’t good enough somehow, and just slapped this idiotic role in his lap. It’s such a bad idea. I hated his character in the first film and wanted him removed entirely, but at least he served a purpose. Here, it’s just lip service. Anyone who liked him in the first one is going to be pissed off at this random turn of the character with no indication of changing him back.

-Thin, boring leads. Let me be clear: John Boyega is not to be blamed for any of why this movie is failing critically and financially. The kid is talented and sweet and I want to pinch his cheeks and feed him apple pie in my kitchen. But he couldn’t save this film because of that rancid excuse of a script. Boyega is a darling on screen in almost everything else, but here, he has nothing to work with. Stacker-lite is just a cobbled together mess of leftover script notes from Chris Pine’s portrayal of Captain Kirk in the Star Trek reboot. He has nothing going for him at all. No motivation, no skillset, no charm. This character is completely empty inside. Bland White Child is the exact same as well; basically just every Little Miss Badass/Underdog stereotype only done amazingly poorly. She has nothing to offer the audience and while she has slightly more motivation than Boyega’s character did, it doesn’t mean anything. Then we have Generic Good Looking White Guy Lead, because for fuck’s sake, it’s not like it’s 2018 and we aren’t tired of seeing him, Generic Latina “We couldn’t get Michelle Rodriguez to do this bullshit so here’s someone else instead” Tits and Ass (who made me even angrier because normally when they have the Hot Latina Military Lady, she gets at least ONE badass moment, but this chick seriously serves no fucking purpose and is relegated to the laziest Hot Girl/Potential Love Interest role of all fucking time), Generic Cadets Who are Carefully Ethnically Diverse (you are fooling NO ONE, sequel; if you’re gonna bother to make them diverse, GIVE THEM ACTUAL CHARACTERS FIRST), Kick Butt Asian Lady (seriously, why the fuck did you cast this lady and kill off Mako? It would make more sense if Mako was in this role, like maybe Raleigh died in the Jaeger and she wanted to make automated Jaegers so no one would ever lose their partner again, there, ah fixed it, you morons), and finally Returning Cast Member Who Looks Tired AF But Needed the Money. It is a headache spending two hours with these characters. You don’t care about any of them and they have nothing to offer you. They’re just constantly stumbling around bumping into things and spouting dialogue from 30 years ago.

If you can overlook all of those flaws for the promise of Jaeger vs. kaiju fighting, have at it. Everyone else, don’t bother. If you’re that curious, wait until this hits a premium channel. I’m extremely glad I saw it for free, because I’d have been pissed paying $10 for this lump of expired crab meat. Save your money and go buy another copy of the first movie.

[phoenixwrites]

1) I think the reason people are so up in arms about the reboot is because they're afraid of what it represents, almost? I highly doubt that it's got anything, really, to do with a fear of diversity or a fear of new material for the canon - some of the comments about how it's a reboot and so they should honor the old canon probably hit the nail right on the head regarding the fears and angst of the fans. I'm not referring specifically to Charmed here (because I, like you, am at least optimistic)

2) but for a lot of shows, when they reboot or revamp the universe, or update it for a modern audience, there’s an almost unconscious air of “oh, but isn’t this better? look at how much better this is than what you were watching before. it matters so much more than what you loved and what influenced you, and you’re stupid for wanting us to at least acknowledge the thing that was massively influential in your life”. This isn’t always in dialogue - sometimes it’s a visual aesthetic or an episode’s plot - but regardless I think the real fear is that The Thing I Love Will Be Erased And Called Not Good Enough. And as optimistic as I am about this (and I am excited, too, that maybe more people than white girls will get to have that representation we got in the 90s) I kind of get it - I’ve been dealing with a lot of that thanks to the new Star Trek content (both AOS and Discovery) and it’s exhausting and saddening to no longer feel welcome in what used to be your own house. I feel like the obvious solution is to try and avoid that condescension, because it is possible, and maybe the path to that solution is to avoid the inevitable promotional tone of “Look at how UPDATED and MODERN this is! Look at how GOOD it is now!” and instead to try and draw in everybody based on the quality of the property? Anyway. I’m reasonably sure that’s where the angst comes from at least in part. There’s probably some unconscious racism and homophobia, but I doubt that’s all of what drives it.

I mean…I can’t completely agree with all of this.  I don’t see how this new reboot doesn’t honor the first one and I don’t see how the showrunners are bragging about how “modern” they’re being when all they’ve done is release a casting call that points out one of the sisters is a lesbian in a relationship with an Asian detective and another sister is a physicist and they’re looking for all ethnicities.  It’s really hard for me to believe that this isn’t about racism or homophobia.

Pointing out that the original Charmed, while amazing as it was for a lot of women who had either a feminist/sexual/witchy awakening, wasn’t completely perfect doesn’t mean you’re not honoring the original series.  And acknowledging now that 2018 has been a time where people have been DEMANDING representation–no longer asking, no longer pointing out, but DEMANDING–is honestly kind of great.  The fact that showrunners and producers are taking a step back and going, “ooh, our demographic has gotten way more vocal, let’s try and make the show more diverse so we can get brownie points”–I mean, that’s a positive step forward.

There are a lot of problems with mainstream/corporate activism or diversity initiatives, but in a lot of ways, they also represent a shifting of cultural consciousness.  

And hey, I get that with Star Trek–but that’s sort of my point.  I remember the fanboy OUTRAGE when Captain Janeway appeared on the scene and hardcore Star Trek fans STILL harp on it being the worst of the Star Trek incarnations, which, in my humble opinion, is utter hogwash.  And I think Janeway being a woman has a lot to do with that.  

Not to say Voyager was perfect, it wasn’t.  Lots of problems with it.  *looks at every Chakotay episode*  It’s my favorite, it always will be, but being a critical fan means acknowledging that while Janeway was amazing for me to see as a little girl, Sonequa Martin Green and Michelle Yeoh are amazing for other little girls to see.  You can acknowledge that Star Trek has always represented a form of progressivism dependent on its time period–but because of that context, has made missteps.  

So too with Charmed.  Again, I have yet to see how the new reboot doesn’t “honor” the old Charmed canon and how making the new trio more diverse is such a terrible idea.    

[lifes-a-simple-plan]

Reasons to go see the new Power Rangers movie

I’m a child of the 90′s. Power Rangers reigned supreme in my household when I was growing up. And when my brother, who is 9 years younger than me, started getting into Power Rangers, it was a way for us to bond. So obviously I was excited about the reboot.

Listen, I might be biased because of my nostalgia, but damn did I love this movie! Here’s why everyone should leave their house immediately and go watch this film.

1. Diverse Cast: I don’t really need to say it, but this cast is insanely diverse! So many different groups are represented in this movie! Every ranger is of a different ethnicity, which is acknowledged and appreciated by each member! And, beyond the surface differences that can be seen, there is an LGBTQ ranger and a ranger who is on the autism spectrum. One of my favorite parts is that we don’t need to speculate whether or not he might have special needs - he just comes right out and says it. “I’m on the spectrum...It’s a diagnosis.” And while he might have been protected a little more by the others, they didn’t try to baby him which is common for a lot of people who don’t often interact with people who have special needs. Instead, they utilized his strengths and worked with him to build his weaknesses.

2. Fantastic Acting: I gotta give a shout out to the actors who played the rangers. Holy cow, were y’all amazing! I’m honestly stunned with Becky G’s performance and how well she did, but that’s mostly because I haven’t followed her music career and seen what she can do. Girl, you were so good! And I believe that this was the first movie some of them have ever acted in. I’ll admit that the script was a little corny sometimes, but honestly it was 10X better than any script from the tv show, and the actors played them SO GOOD!!!!!

3. Great Chemistry: Some of these friendships felt so authentic and beautiful to me. A few interactions didn’t really excite me (Zack & Jason, mostly), but the rest of them held their own. Kimberly & Trini and Jason & Billy, for instance. The two girl rangers had such amazing chemistry together and every scene they did felt like they’d been friends their whole lives. There’s a lot of people shipping those two, but I’d be genuinely upset if anything less platonic happened between them. I just want Kimberly to be the girl friend that Trini comes to for girlfriend advice because their friendship is so great! Jason & Billy really were the BROTP of the movie though. The way Billy always looked to Jason for any minor thing had me laughing my ass off.

4. A Really Good Bad Guy: Anyone who’s ever seen the tv show knows that Rita Repulsa was kind of lame. She did the same thing every episode and hardly ever left her evil lair to do her own dirty work. Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa was actually kind of a scary bad guy. She wasn’t all talk, and the girl wasn’t afraid to get nasty. I can appreciate that in a villain.

5. Nostalgia: If you were also a big fan of the tv show, this movie has loads of amazing easter eggs for you! I was literally in the theater chanting “Megazord! Megazord! Megazord!” Not to mention Alpha’s “aye aye aye,” and the songs being played, and just ugh! My childhood heart was hurting.

6. Potential Sequel: The ending was set up for a sequel (wait for the credits and an extra scene will come) and honestly it has so much potential for what could come of the power rangers! I need it, and frankly, it hasn’t done that well at the box office so without your support there might not be a sequel at all!

All in all, this movie was really good and I would just love to share it with everyone and tell them to love it!

[raceforequality-blog]

Asian Representation in popular culture

  In recent years, there have been leaps and bounds in terms of Asian representation in the media, with all-Asian movies like Crazy Rich Asians being a huge hit in Hollywood just last year. Here are some examples of amazing Asian actors, actresses, and singers who have made it big! 

1) Lana Condor

Lana Therese Condor is a Vietnamese-born American actress and dancer. She made her debut as Jubilation Lee / Jubilee in the 2016 superhero film X-Men: Apocalypse and had her first lead role as Lara Jean Covey in the 2018 film adaptation of To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Picture via Famebytes.com

2) Ross Butler

The Singapore-born and raised actor Ross Butler is well-known for his acting role on Netflix's popular high school-themed show 13 Reasons Why. He also had a small role on the sixth season of MTV's Teen Wolf, starred as Reggie Mantle on The CW's Archie Comics reboot, Riverdale, and played a small yet vital guest starring role in Disney’s hit sitcom K.C Undercover.                    Picture via Pride.com

3) Priyanka Chopra 

Indian actress Priyanka Chopra made history as the first South Asian actor to star in a leading role in an American network series (ABC's Quantico), and the first South Asian actor to win a People's Choice Award! Priyanka also is a current UNICEF ambassador and has also been vocal about the need for diversity in entertainment. It's safe to say she, along with other actors like Dev Patel,  brings South Asian representation to a film landscape that so desperately needs it. Picture via akclinics.org

4) Karan Brar 

Karan Brar is an American actor who is of Punjabi Indian ethnicity and is best known for his child roles as Chirag Gupta in the Wimpy Kid feature film franchise, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, as well as for his co-starring role as Ravi Ross on the Disney Channel Hit Series Jessie, and its subsequent spin-off Bunk'd.        Picture via teenplicity.com

However, despite the progress made in the past years, Hollywood has yet to confront its history of whitewashing originally Asian characters and the long history of yellowface. Here are some really great articles that explain the disparity in Asian Representation in popular culture, be it in the media, in Hollywood or in pop music: 

 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/t-magazine/asian-american-actors-representation.html

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/yellowface-whitewashing-history

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/06/t-magazine/asian-american-actors-representation.html

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/yellowface-whitewashing-history

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/asian-immigrants-are-underrepresented-tv-despite-being-fastest-growing-immigrant-n921311

https://www.pride.com/identities/2019/5/02/20-asian-actors-helping-make-hollywood-more-diverse#media-gallery-media-4

https://famebytes.com/lana-condor-bio/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karan_Brar

https://teenplicity.com/karan-brar-discusses-diversity-and-bunkd/

[bellabooks]

“The L Word” is possibly coming back! Now what?

If you thought Twitter went bananas when The L Word reunion was announced, you should have seen it when The L Word sequel was teased yesterday. Ask any lesbian, bi, or queer person and they will all have feeeeeeelings about The L Word. Some love it more than life. Some loathe it. Whatever camp you are in, you can’t deny that The L Word broke some serious ground and it’s poised to do so again. Deadline broke the news that Showtime is developing a sequel to The L Word, with original stars, Jennifer Beals, Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey are on board, and would also be executive producers. It sounds like the trio would be reprising their roles but that the sequel would also bring on a whole new set of characters. This would give the series a chance to embrace and focus on the changes and evolution the LGBTQ community has experienced in the last decade. Remember, DOMA was still in effect and same-sex marriage was not yet the law of the land (among many other changes), when The L Word took its final bow. Imagine, if under the right writers and showrunners, how much ground The L Word sequel could cover. The fact that Beals, a great LGBTQ ally, and Hailey and Moennig, both queer women, would have some say also bodes well. I could name about thirty queer, non-binary and trans writers right now who would slay that writers’ room. The original L Word utilized many lesbian, bi and queer writers and directors, and I am crossing my fingers that they do the same thing this time around. Gentle readers, now’s your time to make your voices heard. Tell Showtime what your hope to see. The sort of access we have to creators now was not available when the original series was around. If it was, maybe we’d still have Dana Fairbanks. MAYBE! As I always do when something big in Lesbianland happens, I turned to Twitter to get your thoughts. I asked what you want to see this time around with The L Word. As usual, you are wise, funny and thoughtful.   More diversity in all aspects! Bring in some unknown people. Make this feel like its not just a reboot. @teganandsara do the intro music. — Burrito Bandit (@BurritoBandit_) July 12, 2017 queer women behind the camera, writing, directing, and fingers crossed the showrunner they’re still shopping around for is queer — Katie Minard (@KatieMinard) July 12, 2017 QPOC. Better trans and bisexual representation in the show. QPOC. Carmen de la Pica Morales. Oh & more Queer People of Colour. — Katy (@katyknowskungfu) July 12, 2017 Less biphobia. — meg (@pegasus_writer) July 12, 2017 Based on the 1st one, no acknowledgement of that shit show of a finale. Personally, I really dig a funny butch. I’d like to see that a tad. — Kate Terry (@reckingfolkie) July 12, 2017 I know I’m curious to see if they even touch the can of worms regarding who killed Jenny. Also, I would love it if Tasha was back. — AnthroChick (@KissMe_Hardy) July 12, 2017 How about if they have a discussion about the bury your gays trope, they talk #wynonnaearp & they all go to @ClexaCon? — Phoebe Moncrief (@PhoebeFeed) July 12, 2017 Not gonna lie, my first thought was just.. HELENA PEABODY! pic.twitter.com/mEoH2mCKG4 — ㅤ (@rowankelly_) July 12, 2017 Better rep of bi & trans women. More QPOC. Range of gender expressions, socioeconomic classes, forms of families, incl. poly. — Emma Scully (@xceteras) July 12, 2017 Also, I would love to see more butch and sporty dykes…and @SaraRamirez …just sayin — wen schultz (@Wenschz1) July 12, 2017 A transman who’s not a caricature, more ethnicities, varying classes of people & more involvement from the community as a whole. — Oliver (@IvyDreams) July 12, 2017 More LGBT with disabilities. Jodi was an awesome start, but having a central character with a disability would be awesome. https://t.co/ACPZ4YzDrw — Ant (@CLAntarctica) July 12, 2017 The stories need to be better. We’ve had good queer tv and some dreadful, but I think the writing needs to be good. Also more POC. — Garcia Gordon (@ggordon88) July 12, 2017 Queer women writing, directing, and acting; Ilene being hands off on plot; more of the core gang (Tina, Helena, Kit); engaging new additions — Eunice Braga (@ebbandflow312) July 12, 2017 http://dlvr.it/PV34qG