#and so little wonder woman media as a whole not to mention female superheroes as main characters (it’s getting better but still room for

[whatever-baywatch]

rumor has it that Wonder Woman 3 is getting canned and if that’s true I am absolutely gutted

[twh-news]

'Loki' Costume Designer on Her Key Inspirations and What's Magical About Tom Hiddleston's Pants | Collider

By Liz Shannon Miller

"To see people actually really pay attention to all that hard work you did and all those details — it's an incredible fan base that way."

When the opportunity to speak with Loki costume designer Christine Wada came up, I leaped at the chance, because there's one aspect of the Disney+ drama that I haven't been able to get out of my head: Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) button-down shirt. While at first glance the shirt, part of the wardrobe given to him by the Time Variance Authority, looks like a traditional business-appropriate top, the shoulder seams indicate that things are not quite what they seem.

In short, the shirt is a microcosm for the entire show in some ways, especially in relation to the mysteries of the TVA that we're just on the verge of understanding — the mark of some brilliant costume design. Below, Wada indulges my questions about the aforementioned shirt before talking more generally about the inspirations behind other TVA ensembles, what it's like knowing that her work will be studied by cosplayers for years to come, what you might not have noticed about Tom Hiddleston's pants, and of course that Classic Loki (Richard E. Grant) ensemble.

Collider: To start off, I'd love to learn more about the shirt that Tom Hiddleston is wearing for most of the show, because it's just different enough to really stand out.

CHRISTINE WADA: I know. Well, it's kind of an interesting journey we went on with that design, because, just to give you a little backstory, a lot of the design was just taking things that we all have seen before and twisting it a little bit, which is also what the story does.

So it was just re-imagining things a little bit and putting a spin on them. But that shirt, I remember Tom and I were not sure ... Sci-fi sometimes can get so corny and take over the emotional undercurrents of things in this sort of story. And so, we were worried at first that it would. And when he put it on, it was just like, oh no, it doesn't, you are completely pulling this off. And it was a really great moment, because it did feel like we needed a little something that wasn't of just this modern era, that took us into this weird world of the TVA. And I think it worked.

Was there any specific inspiration you had for it, specifically the yolk construction on the shoulders? It really does just stick in my mind.

WADA: There are some Japanese pattern-makers that do interesting origami-esque ways of constructing clothing. So I do have this book on that, and then we just did our own take on it. I think origami is a very good way of describing a lot of things about this show. It is just sort of the twisting up of the things to make them like all of a sudden magical. You know?

Of course. In a general sense, what can you say about the general inspiration for the TVA costuming?

WADA: Well, it was for sure we had this Mad Men thing as a launching place for our overall language. And then it was, well, what do we do? I tend to prefer to design from a place of reality. And so, we thought about a police station, or the DMV, or all of those things, to create a structure to the TVA. And then it was really just taking those cues and twisting on them a little bit. And I'd say there are definitely some elements inspired a little bit by Terry Gilliam, of really making things feel a little found. And that color palette, I definitely tortured a little bit over, because I mean, all that fabric like Tom and Mobius is actually all vintage '50s suiting fabric, the sharkskin.

I don't know if you really can see it, but what's really magical about Tom's pants is that sharkskin reflects two tones, and one is green and the other's brown on his pants, and green being very Loki. So it was always just like, ugh, the perfect fabric for him, and it's 1950s fabric. But I was tortured over it a little bit, because brown isn't always the most obvious choice for a sci-fi futuristic thing. I felt like it set the tone for the mystery of the TVA and that you think it's a benign sort of this benign organization. And I kind of took a gamble on that brown palette for portraying a more benign organization.

Another detail I love that is the flare on Ravonna's coat.

WADA: Thank you. Because that was also this weird, crazy conversation that I remember having very early on with Kate. It's just like, "Wait, what does this skirt mean versus a pant on a woman?" Because the lovely part of the show is just being able to really have these conversations for real about gender and what certain things mean. And do they add power, or do they take away power? What does a woman in a skirt versus a pant mean? You know? And that was a huge kind of conversation. We didn't really want to strip her completely of all femininity.

It is definitely an important detail, given that she is in menswear so much, or menswear-esque ensembles. So it does add something to that.

WADA: Right. And just saying something about that you can have power and be powerful as a female, with a female flourish. Right? There's nothing powerless in that.

On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, I must ask about the classic Loki costume. What was your mandate there?

WADA: The mandate was just making it feel of that older era as much as possible. Which of course, I love because I've grown up on some of that all those old comic book shows, the Wonder Woman era. So the mandate was just to feel like he was really from that time, like we plucked him from that time of superheroes and that he'd been sitting in there for a while. You know?

Of course. I feel like I've seen some commentary from him on social media, mentioning Kermit, but I imagine that's what happens whenever you wear that much green of that color.

WADA: Yeah. I mean, geez, or if you wear those horns. What a pleasure to have somebody bring a costume to life like that man can.

Absolutely. This is a random detail, but is there something we should pick up on from the fact that Mobius and Loki end up being dressed pretty similarly?

WADA: I think it speaks more to the whole TVA and trying to strip people away from their origins, shall we say. It's just trying to take the personality out of it. And it's also a little nod to the film noir-type vibe.

As my last question, let me ask — in taking on a project like this, how conscious are you of the knowledge that what you're making for this show is going to be cosplayed at hundreds of conventions for the rest of the time?

WADA: Well, I mean, to be completely honest, I'm not really from this world. So it was a complete pleasure to see people's excitement over the costumes and just the MCU in general. I just think it's so cool that people pay attention to such detail. It just makes you want to do your job even better. To see people actually really pay attention to all that hard work you did and all those details, it's an incredible fan base that way. They're not there to rip you apart. It's amazing. You know? When does that happen?

Do you have people reaching out to you asking, "How do I make this?"?

WADA: Yeah. I've had a couple of people reach out, for sure.

[x5red]

DCEU’s Supergirl: we don’t need another “Superman with boobs”

In 1985 Supergirl’s fate hung in the balance. On the one hand she was one of DC’s most popular female heroes, having recently had a successful stint in the Superman Family anthology book, followed by her own comic book, and was about to co-star in a new Supergirl/Superboy title. On the other hand her 1984 movie debut had massively under-performed at the box office. Ordinarily such a failure could be forgiven with the distance of a little time, but Supergirl’s failures came at entirely the wrong moment. Crisis on Infinite Earths was about to reboot the whole DC fictional universe, and in the process whole slews of incidental characters accrued during fifty years of print history were about to be wiped out. Who to keep and who to discard was the topic of perhaps a little contention within the DC offices, and in the spirit of that debate a simple hand-scrawled note landed on the desk of DC Publisher, Jenette Kahn. It asked, innocently enough, “Can we kill Supergirl in Crisis?”

The note offered four tick-box options: “yes”, “no”, “only if we have a new Supergirl soon”, and “none of the above”. Jenette ticked the last option, suggesting that she still saw enough market potential in Kara Zor-El to justify keeping her around. Then, for reasons unknown, she changed her mind, scribbled out her initial choice, and ticked yes!

And with that, the fate of the last survivor of Argo City was sealed.

Sadly some of the factors that resulted in Supergirl’s erasure in 1985 still haunt the character today. So the casting of Sasha Calle as the DCEU’s new movie Supergirl perhaps comes at a decisive time for the character -- and Sasha’s success or failure (indeed perhaps the success or failure of Supergirl herself as a popular DC character) all depend upon how bold DC are prepared to be with their new Supergirl.

A big part of the decision to kill Supergirl in 1985 had to do with her fraught relationship to her more famous cousin. Kara has always struggled to break free of Superman’s orbit, at least in the eyes of the general public, and it was that perception that was likely at the heart of the choice to wipe her clean out of existence. Regrettably, Supergirl’s track record in popular media, movies, and on television, has often only strengthened the perception that she is nothing more than a cheap Superman clone.

Dick Giordano, DC editor and author of the "kill Supergirl” note, seems to have had an ambiguous relationship with the Girl of Steel. Immediately after the Crisis miniseries all mention of Kara Zor-El was banned from DC publications (literally -- they avoided mentioning her in any editorial pages, and on the single occasion her name was mentioned in a reader’s letter, it was starred out like an expletive!) Despite this, Dick had personally ensured that a story featuring Supergirl -- or rather the ghost of a young blonde woman called Kara -- had featured in the second issue of Christmas with the Super-Heroes (1989), against DC policy. On the other hand, it was Dick who had allegedly made famous the term “Superman with boobs” to refer to Supergirl. The phrase is said to be how Supergirl was nicknamed within some quarters of the DC offices -- nothing more than a cheap Superman knock-off. It is unclear whether Dick supported this opinion, or whether his comments indicated regret at such attitudes. Either way, when Jenette found Dick’s note on her desk, one has to wonder whether Dick’s description flashed across her mind.

Of course, every true Supergirl fan will protest that Supergirl has always been far more than just a cheap photocopy of her famous cousin. Indeed in the months following her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths a number of DC staffers were reportedly surprised at the volume of fan letters and comments expressing their love of Kara. But all that love and all that respect within fandom has counted for little whenever Supergirl has broken out of comics into more mainstream media.

The 1984 Helen Slater movie has grown in popularity over the decades. Although it is still seen as a flawed movie, today’s comic book fans are far more forgiving of its shortcomings and prepared to enjoy it for what it attempts to be -- a childrens fairytale with superpowers, rather than a straight superhero adventure. But it is undeniable that the movie seriously damaged the reputation of Kara Zor-El with the general public. Rather than a strong independent character, divorced from the shadow of her cousin, they saw a confused mess of a story that presented Supergirl as a likeable and brave figure, but never really gave her the chance to fully demonstrate her true heroic qualities.

When Smallville decided to introduce a Supergirl character they challenged that perception by showing the public a confident and brave heroine, but Smallville’s Supergirl was only in a handful of episodes. Around the same time Kara had also made a handful of cartoon appearances, but nothing with a wide enough appeal to help change the general public’s perception of the character. So by the time 2015′s Supergirl tv show hit the digital airwaves, the public’s general sense of who Supergirl was (assuming they had any general sense of her at all!) was largely still shaped by the 1984 movie.

Sadly, rather than give us a Supergirl that was distinct and independent to Superman, the show chose to lean heavily into the Superman brand. Perhaps because the producers thought the show would sell better to non-geeks if they saw familiar super-tropes, the show borrowed extensively from popular Superman sources. Consider how the first couple of dozen episodes shaped the character and her world: Kara Danvers, aka Supergirl, is initially a personal assistant, but then becomes a mild mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, who wears glasses to protect her secret identity (ideas stolen from Superman.) Her dead mother was once a judge who sentenced criminals to the Phantom Zone -- she is able to talk to her mother thanks to a holographic artificial intelligence (Superman the Movie.) In a major story arc, said criminals escape and seek revenge on their jailer’s daughter (plot of Superman II.) In one episode an attempt to create artificial Kryptonite causes Supergirl to become evil (Superman III.) In another episode Supergirl is trapped in a coma in which all her desires come true (plot to Superman’s famous “For the Man Who Has Everything” story.) And so on...

The list of supporting characters and guest villains, particularly for the first few years of the show, borrow heavily from Superman’s canon of characters. It isn’t until Lena Luthor arrives in season two that we get a character who is historically closely associated with Supergirl in the comics, rather than her cousin or the wider DC universe. Admittedly as the seasons went by the show started to develop its own ideas, but it still borrowed far too often from Superman sources (the Red Son story arc, for example.) With sixty years in comics, Supergirl has her own roster of supporting characters and storylines -- true, they are not as iconic as Superman’s, but the tv show could have been an opportunity to give them more exposure. Instead, when borrowing from the comics, the show largely eschews Supergirl’s canon and stole from Superman.

So, as it currently stands in 2021, anyone in the general public who is aware of Supergirl now probably knows her mainly from two sources: an 1984 movie that depicted her more like a fairytale princess than a superhero, and a 2015 tv series that presented her as a so-close-to-Superman-that-DC-would-sue-if-they-didn’t-already-own-her-copyright clone of the Man of Steel.

Surely Supergirl deserves better?

The upcoming Sasha Calle DCEU Supergirl is an opportunity to change things. It needs to define Kara Zor-El as a strong hero, independent of Superman. Yes, she has his powers, and yes. she wears the same S shield on her chest -- but that is where the similarities should end. Fans didn’t write heartfelt letters after 1985′s Crisis, and stay loyal through her various re-incarnations over the decades, because Kara was just a pallid knock-off of her cousin. While the general public may not appreciate it, Supergirl has a rich history that interconnects with, but is very distinctly different to, her cousin Superman. Her personality, her attitude, her motives, her lived experiences -- they are all very different. DC needs to build on that, rather than ignore it.

If we end up with just another female echo of the Man of Steel, pilfering his supporting characters and plots while ignoring everything in the comics that makes Kara Zor-El unique, then surely the Girl of Steel be doomed forever to be seen by the general public as nothing more than “Superman with boobs.”

Here’s wishing Sasha all the best with the role.

[lesbatiddy]

The Boys: Frenchie, Terror the dog, M.M., Kimiko, Wee Hughie and Butcher

Wondering whether you should watch The Boys?

Here’s a list of reasons for and against to help you decide if you’re on the fence or have been hearing about it from friends or coworkers.

You may know it as the origin of the Invisible Cunt meme or from this scene.

Overall I feel the lazy problematic aspects are outweighed by how good the show is - this is mostly just to warn people about potential content that’s connected to past traumas, phobias, etc. that they’d want to avoid.

Potential mild spoilers and graphic content warning below

Why you might want to avoid it:

- VERY, VERY graphic. If you’re even a little squeamish, this show might not be you. I’m usually fine with gore, but even I felt it was excessive at times. There’s enough blood to make Carrie look like a fucking teletubbies episode. Heads explode and neck bits flop about. You will see internal organs exposed and people cut in half, piles of bodies and laser vision burns. A man’s face is torn off his skull. A bomb explodes in a man’s ass. Family friendly shit.

- Racially motivated violence against POC and racial slurs

- There’s a literal Nazi superhero who commits said violence and goes on a White Supremacist rant. If you join the fandom you may have to deal with fringe individuals simping for said Nazi superhero

- Rape/sexual assault, both onscreen and mentioned, in addition to workplace sexual harassment and a victim of rape having to deal with abuse and harassment from their rapist

- The woman in a relationship with the main character is Fridged (killed off immediately and used as motivation for revenge). Dead women are motivations for more than one character.

- Drug use, on-screen overdoses, violence against animals, child abuse,  kidnapping, and endangerment, discussion and mention of suicide

- Depictions of homophobia; a bisexual women is outed against her will on live television (though this is rightfully portrayed as a bad thing)

- the most HORRIFICALLY DISTURBING FUCKING SEX SCENES

- The show may be setting up for a redemption arc for a rapist dipshit and a man who murders his girlfriend and remains unrepentant for manslaughter he committed. They’re also both being lured into a cult.

- You will feel physical, violent hatred for some of these characters

- You may end up watching the entire show just to watch said characters be graphically murdered to gain closure

- You have to deal with the anxiety of said reviled, hate-inducing characters being extremely dangerous and interact with characters you love and do not want to see die

- Holy FUCK they BETTER KILL THESE MOTHERFUCKERS

- Fucking Nazi shitbag

- /+ You may develop paranoia towards Fresca?

-/+ You may get Billy Joel’s Pressure stuck in your head for a week like I did

- It’s on Amazon Prime so you have to support Jeff Bezos and his shitfuck company, though the show is simultaneously a critic of people like him and corporations? How the fuck does he get away with this shit

Why you should watch it:

+ The premise is people with zero superpowers go around murdering terrible, horrible people with god-complexes in extremely violent ways like a group of homeless insane Batmen and it is very, very satisfying

+ Critiques and parodies how celebrity status and money make people immune to consequences and legal punishment, showcases systemic racism, systemic sexism, offers a not-unsubtle critic of capitalism, biphobia, general homophobia in society and the media, Scientology, corporations, the government’s inability and unwillingness to protect its people, the War on Terror, and politician’s greed and ineptitude - overall very, very relevant today

+ Not unsubtle depictions of how capitalism and nationalism go hand in hand with white supremacy

+ Fantastic writing, other than the flaws mentioned above, phenomenal acting, well-rounded characters you’ll love, the horribleness is broken up by wholesome moments and one-liners top notch soundtrack

+ People of colour in badass roles, disabled character representation, two whole bisexuals the bar is so low but

+ Antony Starr deserves an Oscar for playing the best fucked-up character I’ve ever had homicidal fantasies towards

+ Overall great take on the superhero genre as a whole

+ Karen Fukuhara is extremely attractive (and violent)

+ Karl Urban is extremely attractive (and violent)

+ Better than the comic its based on, don’t @ me

+ They gave “The Female” (Karen Fukuhara’s character), an actual name unlike in the fuckin’ comic

+ Makes fun of Joss Whedon’s bitch ass

+ You DEFINITELY, TOTALLY SHOULD NOT pirate it even if it’s probably easy to do, if you don’t support Am*zon

+ Black Noir

+ The Spice Girls

+ Family-sized lube

+ Billy Joel

+/- Love Sausage

[sendmyresignation]

hi again! top 5 (or 10 if u want) books u have read

hi!!! and this is the hardest ask I've ever gotten. hands down. being a bibliophile was like 85% of my personality pre-mcr spiral so this is going to be in no particular order. and a top 10. and under a read more....

1. Eon/Eona duology by Alison Goodman: this series I read in elementary school so, it's very much a favorite for nostalgic reasons- flaws and all. it's a dragon-centric fantasy series I have vivid memories of reading at the bottom of my sleeping bag by flashlight past curfew at french camp in fifth grade lol. but also, most importantly, this series was also the first I thing read that dealt in anyway with gender-fuckery. the man character is a girl who has to pretend to be a boy to access the world of dragon magic, since women are forbidden from the practice, and a large part of the book is about her repression of the self and how pretending to be someone she isn’t is mentally damaging for her. additionally, the main side character she interacts with is trans. like the representation is almost certainly bad (it's ten years old and written by a cis woman) if I looked back, but it was the only media that I read as a kid telling me pretending to be someone I'm not is dangerous for my mental well-being and that gender is complicated so. it's important to me. plus it kicks ass lol

2. Beloved by Toni Morrison: I read this in preparation for my african american lit class last semester (knowing full-well we were going to read Toni Morrison and wanting to get a head start) and.... it changed my life a little bit. This novel is beautifully written, hauntingly human, and a masterwork of a response to the way americans discuss the legacy of slavery. it's very much not a fun read, but there's a reason it's a classic and every american should read it

3. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone: this book. this fucking book man. it's a lesbian sci-fi spy thriller but not really? it's difficult to explain other than it has the best enemies-to-lovers plot I've ever read and the prose is so purple I fell in love immediately. do yourself a favor and read this one, she’s short but packs a punch <3

4. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: look. this book inspired me to write a 12 page paper in high school, when the writing requirement was 3 paragraphs and a half-baked thesis. this book brings out the worst in me, truly and that experience of tearing this book into pieces and putting the puzzle together was so life-alteringly... fun. i think that paper was the moment i figured out i wanted to do the “writing papers about books” thing as long as possible. plus it's whole thing as a gothic science fiction novel is so far up my alley... the creature as a character i heavily projected onto.... I love frankenstein so so much

5. The Seven Husband's of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: ok. hear me out. this book is so much more than it appears on the surface. truly a wonderful discussion of golden-era Hollywood, a beautiful mediation on love, and jussst pulpy enough to make the reading experience breeze by you. and yes, despite the title, it is queer! really this book is on my list for the scenes at the middle point of the novel that are just.... queer domesticity? i read this a few years ago so that was really rare for me to see that and it warmed my heart, even if it wasn't the center of the novel. this is a book i recommend highly. enjoy yourself, have fun, read this book

6. Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and It's Legacy by Heather Ann Thompson: I get to include one biography. as a treat. but this book is one of the most detailed and compassionate pieces of historical nonfiction I've ever read. partway through the research process, Thompson realized the material she was using as evidence was starting to 'go missing' and that survivors were starting to pass away so she went from writing a biography to writing the Definitive biography on the uprising and, as a result, it is dense and heart-breaking and rage-inducing. I don't think a single reading experience has effected me as deeply as this one. i respect the incredible amount of work it put to pull this together, as well as the dedication to tell this story before it gets conveniently 'forgotten' to history.

7. True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by Gerard Way, Shaun Simon, Becky Cloonan, etc: you know what!!! i love the comic and I'm not afraid to say it <3 even in the pretentious ways, not just the "It's fun!" ways. here are my more in-depth thoughts.

8. The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry: realizing in retrospect that this is a novel about a female martyr figure.... but this is truly one of the best historical fiction books I've ever read. the research that went into it is insane, the characters are wonderfully fully-realized, and the setting is so vivid, and this story is right up my alley apparently....

9. Rot and Ruin series by Jonathan Mayberry: another nostalgia addition, this is a four book post-apocalyptic zombie series I fell in love with in middle school (and it held up upon rereading it in high school). it's special because it takes place years after the zombie 'uprising' in a world after it's immediate aftermath- which I feel is really rare for dystopian novels and makes the series unique- there's world building!! an established isolated society 13 years after society falls!! but the true gem of the series is the characters and their personal journeys. they all grow so much and witnessing it is so rewarding. they're just. special to me.

10. The Book of the Pheonix by Nnedi Okorafor: Nnedi Okorafor is one of the most brilliant sci-fi writers of this generation and you all should be reading her work!! Pheonix is my personal favorite because it has my favorite prose Okorafor has written, as well as a preoccupation with history and a superhero/mutant-esque plot that caters to me but it's also just a genius prequel to her novel Who Fear's Death (which you should also read but mind the content warnings) but all of her books/novellas are wonderful :)

small honorable mention to not the life it seems :) i didn't include it on the list but by virtue of being about my chem, it's spiritually here

Anyway... thank u nastia for giving me the opportunity to share!!! i may have gone a little overboard... but i v. much appreciated the ask 💕

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff's Best of 2019

WARNING: Just wanted to say cheers to you for making it through another year. I send you best wishes for next year to be fruitful. Thank you, take care out there, and enjoy. (Best of 2017) (Best of 2018)

Dedicated to Russi Taylor, John Witherspoon, Rip Torn, Tartar Sauce, Caroll Spinney, Peter Matthews, and the many of KyoAni lost in the arson incident. You all did wonderful; rest in peace.

Welp, I figured the last year of this decade would be the most chaotic one by far, then again everything peak after 2012. As for now, I am counting down the best cartoons/animations/comics I’ve seen and loved this year in no particular order other than #1. Same rules apply: No sneak previews of future projects, no repeats, and this time anything goes.

Runner Ups: Superman Smashes the Klan, Marvel’s Aero, Infinity Train, Enter the Florpus, Amphibia, Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart, Helluva Boss, Meta Runner, Lego Movie 2, Forky Asks a Question

Anyways, Badda boom bang whiz, let’s do this shizz...

10. Super Mario Bros GT

Nostalgia can be quite a mystery, especially one that can come out of nowhere. Super Mario Bros Z kicked so much ass as a kid that now, it still frustrates me to this that it got a cease & desist from Nintendo, even the reboot from the same person couldn’t last long. But the gods have offered a slight miracle in the form of this new spiritual successor that has heart and soul put into every pixelated frame. There is much to celebrate with Youtube animation, where many say it’s dying due to the algorithm and all of the site’s corporate bullshit, but it’s stuff like this which helps me understand why we should celebrate. Against all odds, channels like Smasher Block willfully put their works out their for the people and continues to because on top of getting a little dough, it’s what they want to do.

9. DC SUPER HERO GIRLS (2019)

Awwwwww yeah, this is She-Ra and the Princesses of Power done right. Diverse female squad, each given a quality screen time to truly shine (Beecher especially) on their which makes the episodes where they’re all together feel earned and joyous to watch. Certainly reminds me of Friendship is Magic, which is coincidental since they were created by the same woman. I’d like to think this and MLP G4 were the answers to Faust’s cancelled project Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls where multiple personalities collide to one extraordinary superhero team of girls capable great feats that are lifted from their insecurities or drawbacks. And on top of this being a fun series to kick back to all around, it’s a comforting, somewhat aspiring thought to consider.

8. JOKER

I am somebody that rarely goes to the theaters to watch a film; you have to hook my tight just for me to even think of buying a ticket, no less plan to. But honestly, Joker was worth the hype, the ticket, and the fact that it wasn’t the incel uprising that buttfuck normies tried to make it out as. It’s lower on the list because in thought, there definitely could’ve been some tweaks to the dialogue and a couple scenes that I felt didn’t work in the long run. But really, this movie to me worked because of the escalation that leads to a cathartic climax and ending that left me in actual tears. I don’t give a shit if it “doesn’t fit”, having Frank Sinatra sing the film's credits put me in shambles. Joaquin Phoenix was phenomenal as Arthur, and this movie felt authentic in its many details. This is definitely up there with my favorite comic book films of all time. Good thing, too, Spider-Man was taking up most of that shelf.

7. TUCA & BERTIE

This series being what I can’t help but say is a spin-off to Bojack Horseman, a show I respect, was enough to pull me into watching it. But it being like Bojack where it’s tight-roping between a bouncy comedy and a grounded drama was what kept me around for more. It is a damn shame this was cancelled after one season (while 13 Reasons Why gets FOUR seasons like what the fuck), because while this did feel enough like a complete series, I was certainly interested for more because I really enjoyed it all. I have my issue with a couple choices in the show, but I am sure this series would’ve addressed them later down the line. I can see why some women would find this personally endearing, it felt like the personal stories of actual people, and it deserved better. Either way, I enjoyed this series and I recommend it just as much as Bojack.

6. PRIMAL

Genndy Tartakovsky is that kind of cartoon creator where you feel he’ll go beyond if you give him the right amount of space. He’s not a perfectionist like John “Dirty Diddler” Kricfalusi, but with things like Hotel Transylvania and Samurai Jack, he certainly has proven to have the range in animation where you know how he plays. Primal showcasing his noted skill in dialogue-less storytelling and dynamic action scenes, able to convey everything clear with its ruthless yet careful protagonist and his dinosaur friend, all on top of the most luscious backgrounds. This is a series that definitely feels like Genndy’s taken what he’s used from his previous works and putting it together for a brutal yet passionate look at the prehistoric life. He truly brought us an adult series to enjoy and to look forward to more in the coming year.

5. SPINEL

Bet you didn’t expect a character to be on this list, eh? Spinel is the best thing to come out of Steven Universe in general; makes me wish she was in a better movie. The crew certainly did their darndest to make her not only an enjoyable and connectable character through and through, but a very versatile character that the fandom could take in any which way. Call it corny, but Spinel perfectly represents SU as a whole: a lovable goof that can certainly mean business but deep down is deserved of a hug because of what she’s gone through. Wish she had a more satisfying resolution in her respective debut, but really it’s the balance between those three elements mentioned that makes Spinel almost eternally wonderful.

4. MOB PSYCHO 100 II

As someone that doesn’t like reading, I’m a firm believer that the best animations or visual medias elevate the writing to a memorable degree; the visuals hook to the point where you want to think about what you saw and how it was conveyed. Mob Psycho 100, for two seasons now, does this in spades where Studio Bones throw them bones in animating one of the most dynamic animes of the modern era, providing the writing and characters a proper chance to flex its muscles. The characters are especially what makes this and MP100 as a whole work so well, the story being about a boy learning to be more sociable as well as emotionally stronger all while helping others understand maturity and empathy. For more on this, I recommend Hiding in Public’s video(s) on Mob. But with the animation, Bones was able to provide a sense of impact and immersion to the moments that matter, not making it an overstimulating mess, and putting some respect on ONE’s webcomic art style. 

3. KLAUS

Hands down, this is a great Christmas movie. Take away the animation and you have a charming, wanna say ground and authentic, story about the makings of Santa Claus. With memorable and likable characters, a nice escalation in terms of the plot, and moments that are/can be so satisfying, they can bring you to tears. A couple overdone tropes in the road that doesn’t make this the most perfected story, but those sincerely minor compared to everything else that makes this story the best. Now. Add in the animation, and you have a gold, nay a platinum animated story of the year where the visuals definitely enhance the story to a degree where they’re undoubtedly inseparable. The visuals alone is enough to check this movie out and it’s eye-opening when you learn of how it’s all done. Klaus is a film that did it’s job and then some, and I hope this will be well remembered as a classic holiday film for it deserves that status.

2. BEASTARS

I’ll be fair, I’m mostly referring to the manga and not the anime but since the anime premiered this fall, it counts. Because be it the anime or the series overall, Beastars has such well intricate world building all while offering a little something for everyone (violence, romance, slice of life). The story is well paced and even when we aren’t focusing on the main characters momentarily, Itagaki is surprisingly able to make every supporting/side character we come across memorable in their own way; like I said before, the city is much a character in this story. Oh yeah, and the mangaka is the daughter of Keisuke “Grappler Baki” Itagaki, that in itself is a treasuring bit of trivia for this. Everything about Beastars is enticing and Studio Orange certainly helped in giving this series more of a following.

1. GREEN EGGS & HAM

Well, well, well. Guess Netflix is three for three in terms of bringing its best foot forward among its few steps back each year. The best term to describe this series is surprising. Surprising that this is a Dr. Seuss story that got expanded a 13 episode series, that has fleshed out characters, fun hijinks, an easy story, lovely emotional, more quieter moments... on top of being 2D hand drawn animated. I mean, what else is there to say? Green Eggs and Ham is to Dr. Seuss what Seven was for Final Fantasy, what Friendship is Magic was for MLP, what watermelon was before a nice menthol cigarette. This definitely took the top spot because to me, it was able to bring many good elements from the previous entries and knot it all together into a well kept bow that I never knew I wanted until now. I’m genuinely glad this show got to exist the way it is and I am hoping, praying, that the second season keeps that momentum up.

That leads us to the actual number one which is

1. STEVEN UNIVERSE FUT-

Total Dramarama is now the two time World Heavyweight Champion, babey. Will 2020 give us a quality contender? Will the streak last another year?

Stay tuned, and always seek out the Good Stuff.

[starletwriting]

The Daughter of Barry Allen

TV Show: The Flash

Characters: Nora West-Allen, Iris West-Allen, Barry Allen, as well as Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow, Ralph Dibny (briefly)

Warnings: Sexist/insensitive comments, self-doubting, mentions of sexism/racism/homophobia

Word count: 2335

Notes: Follows the canon, takes place in early season five. Thanks to @the-frosty-doctor and @narniasfinestavengingsociopath for proofreading!!

Tag list: @angsty-hoodie @ciscoatthedisco @thatkillervibe 

~~~

Barry and Nora sped into the cortex in two individual streams of lightning that faded as they came to a stop. Both of them were wearing their triumph on their face in the form of a grin, as were all their friends, who had watched the whole thing go down on computer screens.

“High-five for the best father-daughter hero team-up ever!” Barry held his hand up and Nora met it with a high-five. “You were awesome out there, Nora.”

“Thanks, Dad!” Nora beamed with pride.

“You both were.” Iris slid her hand into Barry’s, and looked at both Barry and Nora with a loving gaze. “There’s not a single metahuman in Central City that my wonderful husband and brilliant daughter can’t handle.”

Barry lightly kissed the top of Iris’s head, then turned towards Cisco. “Hey Cisco, we got a name yet?”

“Hm, let’s see. A metahuman who can summon objects out of thin air...” Cisco spun in his chair as he thought of a name. “What about-”

“Genie?” Caitlin suggested.

“Hey, Caitlin, you know I’m the designated nicknamer,” Cisco teased. “Although that one’s actually pretty good.”

“Well, whatever his name is, he’s in the pipeline now.” Ralph said. “He won’t be robbing any more banks for a long time.”

“The media’s already reporting on it.” Nora announced, scrolling through her phone. She read off a headline. “ ‘The Flash and new female speedster, XS, successfully defeat a new metahuman’. That was fast.”

“What if Cicada sees that?” Iris bit her lip. “We know Cicada’s targeting metas. I don’t want him targeting Nora or Barry.”

“Actually, on that-” Cisco rolled his chair over to the computers, and he pulled up a bunch of articles that had been written on the Flash and XS over the course of the last few months. “The media has been reporting on Barry and Nora for some time, and Cicada so far hasn’t targeted them.”

“What if it’s only a matter of time before he does, though?” Caitlin asked. “I don’t know if that’s something we can risk.”

“Well, that’s when something occurred to me.” Cisco said. “Do you guys remember when Cicada attacked me, Barry, and Ralph? Ralph and I were injured, and Cicada had the upper hand on Barry. He could’ve easily killed him and it would’ve been over, but then Nora showed up and called out, ‘Dad!’. Cicada got up and left Barry alone.”

“He left Barry alone because he has a daughter.” Ralph said. “So you’re saying Cicada won’t target Barry or Nora because of that?”

“I’m just saying, ever since we found out Cicada’s identity, we know that the only reason he hates metas is because they put his little girl in the hospital,” Cisco shrugged. “I think Barry and Nora are safe. If he hurts Nora, then he puts Barry in the same position that he’s in now.”

“And besides,” Caitlin said. “My immunity gives us an advantage. My powers aren’t affected by Cicada’s dagger, so if he were to take away Barry and Nora’s speed or Cisco’s breaches or Ralph’s elasticity, at least we still have me.”

“Exactly.” Cisco nodded.

“So you’re saying the media reporting on Barry and Nora won’t pose any new threats?” Iris asked.

“If my theory is right, then yup.” Cisco said.

“Well then,” Iris turned to Nora. “I’m glad Central City is finally getting to know what an amazing young woman you are.”

“Aww, Mom.” Nora wrapped her arms around her in a hug. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Nora.”

~~~

Nora walked into Jitters, reciting her friends’ orders in her head. When she had offered to get coffee and bring it back to Star Labs, she didn’t expect everyone to take her up on it.

She looked at the drink menu and tried not to smile. One thing she loved about this coffee shop was their tendency to name their drinks after Central City heroes and villains. There were drinks called the Flash, the Killer Frost, the Kid Flash, even one called the Zoom if you ordered from the secret menu. Nora’s personal favorite drink was the Killer Frost, although she had yet to get a drink from Jitters that she didn’t like.

The line at Jitters was long, and Nora internally sighed. Waiting is annoying for anybody, but for a speedster, each second feels like an eternity.

“Have you heard about the latest Flash news?”

The voice came from the person in the line in front of Nora. They were two friends, guys, about college-aged, reading headlines off their phones. Nora didn’t mean to listen in on their conversation, but she couldn’t really help otherwise, especially knowing that they were talking about the Flash.

“Yeah. Yesterday’s attack at Central City bank, right?”

“Uh huh. It was the Flash and the new girl speedster. You know, the one that’s been helping out lately?”

“I don’t know why the Flash needs a sidekick. I mean, what’s the point? He’s been able to take on so many other metas on his own. Why does he need a partner now?”

“Especially a girl. I mean, not to be sexist, but guys are stronger and typically more capable. The girl’s gonna have to try so much harder to do what the Flash could do in seconds. Don’t even bother. Just leave it to the Flash.”

Nora fidgeted with her bracelet. She took a deep breath, and tried to keep herself calm. It’s okay, Nora. Just ignore them. Just buy the coffee, and get back to Star Labs.

“She doesn’t even seem that experienced. She messes up a lot.”

“That’s just girls for you. They’re too emotional and less experienced, they slip up easier.”

“I’m worried she’s just gonna slow him down. He could handle things so much easier without having to worry about a girl relying on him.”

“Right? She can’t even do anything on her own without the Flash there.”

The line was taking forever to get through, and Nora was just getting more anxious to get away. She knew that she shouldn’t let it get to her, but the more they talked, the angrier she got.

She wanted to prove that she wasn’t a mere hindrance. She wanted to prove that, despite being new to using her powers, she was capable. She wanted an opportunity, anything…

That’s when her phone rang.

“Nora, there’s a robbery at the corner of 6th and 8th.” Her mom’s voice came through the phone. “Your dad will be there soon. You can forget the coffee, just get there.”

Bingo.

“Actually, Mom, tell Dad not to worry. I got it.”

She hung up the phone, and sprinted into action.

Purple and yellow lightning streamed behind her as she ran. She had changed into her hero suit in a split second, and it only took her a couple seconds more to arrive at the scene.

“That purse isn’t yours.” She faced the thief, standing up straight and trying her best to make herself seem intimidating. She had seen her dad do the same countless times, all she had to do was imitate it.

“What’re you gonna do? Threaten me?” The thief laughed. “You picked the wrong person to mess with, girl.”

He held his hands out and they started to spark with electricity. The yellow surged from his forearms to his fingertips, reflecting the malice in his eyes.

So, he’s a metahuman. No biggie, I got this.

Nora took a deep breath, preparing herself. Her intent was to steady herself and then attack, but her moment of vulnerability was all that he needed to make his move.

The metahuman shot threatening sparks from his hands, and they flew through the air before hitting Nora’s chest. She was thrust backwards and onto the ground, her breath escaping her upon impact. Shocks of electricity surged through her body, forfeiting her ability to register her surroundings. The last thing Nora felt was her head on the gravel before she fell unconscious.

~~~

She woke up on a hospital bed in the Star Labs medical bay. The first thing she made sense of was the electronic beeping of the medical equipment surrounding her. The second thing was her mom sitting beside her bed.

“Mom?” Nora’s voice reflected how groggy she felt.

Iris gasped and turned around to face Nora. “You’re awake! Oh, thank god. Are you okay?”

Nora nodded, rubbing her eyes and yawning. “How long was I out?”

“Not long, maybe 45 minutes.” Iris said. “It would’ve been a lot longer if it wasn’t for your speed healing abilities.”

“Did they get the metahuman?” Nora asked.

Iris nodded. “He’s in the pipeline now.”  

“Look-”

“Save it.” Iris gave her daughter a stern look. “Nora West-Allen, what the hell were you thinking? Going after that villain alone was incredibly irresponsible of you. You could’ve died! You’re lucky your father got there in time to bring you back to Star Labs.” 

“Oh, so this is all about Dad now?” Nora muttered, sinking into the white pillows. “It always is.”

“What could you possibly mean by that?” Iris scoffed.

“Dad can do anything, can’t he? He’s the Flash, people look up to him. But the second that a new speedster shows up, she can’t do anything right, she’s a hindrance at best-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Iris cut her off. “What’s this about?”

“Earlier today, at Jitters, I overheard some guys talking about the latest meta attack that Dad and I were involved in. They were talking about me being the Flash’s new sidekick, and they didn’t think he needed one. They said that, because I’m a girl, I’m only going to mess everything up and get in the Flash’s way. I guess, when you called me about the meta attack, I saw it as a way to… prove myself, in a way.”

“So that’s why you wanted to face him alone.” Iris said. “Well, now at least I can understand why. I’m sorry those guys said those things, that was completely out of line. You’re an amazing superhero, and I’m proud of everything you’ve done so far. If they saw everything that your dad and I have seen in you these past few months, they’d know that you’re an amazing, capable young woman.”

“They don’t see that, though, and that’s the problem.” Nora said. “I’m never going to be held to the same standards as Dad. Part of it is because he’s been a speedster longer, and the city already loves him.”

“What’s the other part?”

Nora hesitated. “The guys from earlier said that I wasn’t capable just because I was a girl. Not because of me, but because of my gender. And that won’t be the last time I’m held to different standards because of things I can’t control. I’m a girl, I’m biracial, and on top of it all, I’m lesbian. People are always gonna view me differently because of those three things. Dad doesn’t have to worry about any of that.”

“As sad as it is, bigotry will always be a part of society. It’s unfair, and it sucks, but that’s how it is.” Iris said. “But, there’s a flip side to that, too. For every bigot you meet, you’ll have a hundred supporters to defend you. Those are the people you need to focus on. The thing about bigots is that… they’re not very smart. Their opinion means nothing. It doesn’t define you, you define you. And there’s millions of people out there just like you. There are people in Central City who will see themselves in XS. For every bigot, there’s a few more people who will look up to XS for staying strong and not being afraid to be herself.”

Nora sighed. “It’s hard being the daughter of the Flash.”

“How so?”

“I mean, it’s normal for kids to idolize their parents, but my dad is not only my hero, but an entire city’s hero. He has a literal museum in his name. The Flash Museum, a complete record of all of Dad’s accomplishments, everything he did right and nothing he did wrong. He’s immortalized in golden statues, he’s written into textbooks, he’ll be remembered for years to come.” Nora said. “And… that’s quite the reputation to live up to. There’s no way I’ll ever be as amazing as Dad.”

“Sweetie, you already are.” Iris said. “You’re sweet, funny, kind, and incredibly smart. You never cease to impress me. You’re every bit as amazing as your father, and if the bigots out there don’t realize that, that’s their problem. We don’t expect you to be this perfect, flawless hero. Not even your dad’s perfect- he’s human, and so are you. We just expect you to be you. You’re not the daughter of the Flash, you’re the daughter of a man who loves you for who you are. You’re the daughter of Barry Allen.”

A small smile grew on Nora’s face. “The Flash is Barry Allen, Mom.”

Iris laughed. “You know full well what I meant.”

“I know.” Nora nodded, laughing softly. “And thank you. Everything that you’ve said- it really does mean a lot.”

“I’m glad.” Iris said. “But there is one more thing.”

“Which is?”

Iris folded her hands in her lap. “You have to understand that you can’t just go taking on metahumans by yourself. That’s reckless, and incredibly dangerous. When you hung up on me back at Jitters and ran off on your own, I was scared. And then your dad found you unconscious, and we all were worried about you. This is about your own safety.”

Nora bit her lip. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Just… promise me you won’t do it again.”

“I promise.”

“Good.” Iris took Nora’s hand and helped her up. “Let’s go show the others you’re okay. They were worried too, y’know.”

Iris hesitated for a second before walking out of the medical bay.

“You know I love you, right?”

Nora nodded.

“I love you too, Mom.”

[captainwhogotthecanary]

ClexaCon: Day 2

Same deal as day 1: this is probably too long and detailed, and if you want the facts, you can probably get them from the official videos. This is more about my reactions and vibes and the like.

I dressed as Wonder Woman this day. It’s my only store bought costume, but I look great in it, and I finished off the look with tall (not not heeled!) boots and rainbow socks and brighter makeup than I usually wear. I looked good enough that the barista when I grabbed coffee asked for my employee discount; she assumed I was a performer at the hotel. I got great comments all day, a little overwhelmingly so, but it felt pretty awesome until I left the convention. CW for brief mention of assholes at the end of this post.

Nyssara

I met some cool people in line waiting for the “doors” to open for the standard attendees. We ended up sitting together while my Friday friends sat behind, since we had trouble finding six seats together, not too surprisingly.

I needed the intro video because as I’ve mentioned, I like my faves to be happy, and while I never ever doubted Sara loves Nyssa and vice versa, they didn’t exactly get happy times together on screen, and I wasn’t yet into Arrowverse fic when they were on screen. It was a good video. They’re both great actresses and can seriously crank up the intensity when the scene requires it. Any Nyssara fic recs are appreciated, btw.

The panel was good. It was fun, different kind of energy, something like nostalgic and speculative and silly. And Jes came through! Again, there are videos and gifs, so go do yourself a favor and look if you haven’t.

Of note to people following my blog, when asked her favorite one night stand of Sara’s, Caity’s first thought was of Snart, though she said she couldn’t count him since they hadn’t slept together. I think that’s just so awesome that the characters had that connection, and the actors according to what I’ve read, that even after years have passed, there’s still some sort of nostalgia or whatever because they were genuinely close. The actors and characters in different ways, but still.

More is More: Polyamory in Media

I’ve got some ot3s (ahem, Rogue Canary), but as far as real life, I don’t know much about polyamory. It’s something I’ve long thought works with the RIGHT people and the RIGHT communication, which makes it rare and challenging, and it has to be so hard for some people, like some of the ones in the panel who explained that being poly is, for them, the same as their sexuality; it’s a need, a wiring, not a choice or a lifestyle. It’s rare (or rarely talked about/seen) and so there’s not a big demand for more of it in media, but then the lack of representation means fewer people know it can be a healthy option, so it becomes a cycle, like so many things.

Most of the panel ended up the panelists sharing what it means and what it means to them to be poly or practice a poly lifestyle. There’s a big no-no/disparaging negative in the community regarding “unicorn hunters,” which I’d like to have someone properly explain to me but google says it’s usually couples looking for a third person who fits their needs without considering the needs of that third. It’s objectifying and not setting up for a healthy relationship and I get why that angle is negative, but I’m not sure why multiple people in that panel and then in a later panel seemed to use it to apply to anyone looking for the trio presentation rather than the open relationship presentation. Not complaint so much as genuine confusion there. So anyway, there wasn’t much discussion of the trio+ aspect I was most interested in, because I’m not planning to write or practice a relationship where the people in it date other people but I adore stable (usually potential) trios in media.

I still enjoyed it very much and learned a lot in the “I didn’t know I didn’t know this” category. My favorite part (though it also made me sad) was how excited and relieved the panel was about being in a room where they could discuss all this without judgement.

Bi+ Representation in Media

I adored all the panelists here. I didn’t learn much; the basic gist was “there’s not enough representation.” Still, it was cool listening to and watching a bunch of bi+ folks talk about their faves and what they’d like to see. I bought a book by one of the panelists and will do a rec post later if it’s any good, ya and lgbt and superheroes. I’m excited.

Romance Between the (Book) Covers

Sigh.

Okay, so…

I don’t think of myself as an amazing or particularly experienced professional writer, but I do feel like I could contribute more than a lot of the writing panelists, and I found that very frustrating. It wasn’t that they were all lacking experience or talent, to be clear, but it was that for most of them, their experiences or input were almost entirely unhelpful for new or aspiring novelists.

For example, there was a writer whose story was, “I’d never written anything before in my life but I decided to write a book and they published it so that was cool.” Another said she’s unique because she writes in first person, which she does because “it’s a lot easier to tell instead of show. And I know they say you’re not supposed to do that, but I think it works.”

I get that the expectations are different in the smaller market that is LGBTQ+ romance, but…

I don’t know. I feel like standards are important. That’s why I all but stopped writing while I’m struggling with words and with tying things together; I don’t care whether it’s original fiction or fanfiction, free or paid, I have standards for my work.

I also had my feathers ruffled slightly when the moderator asked the panelists, “Did you write heterosexual relationships to start out in order to get a foot in the door or earn money?” with a clear implication that there was no reason to write a m/f relationship other than for mainstream success. The one bisexual panelist low-key called her out but I don’t think she noticed, with an, “I’m bisexual so writing a male/female relationship is a perfectly valid choice for me.”

For one, yeah, there was a bisexual panelist and there was a huge bi population amongst the attendees, so that wording could have been more sensitive, and for two, I know plenty straight people who like to write m/m or f/f romance, so why wouldn’t that be a valid choice in reverse, for something other than a cash grab?

Personally, I mostly write m/f relationships because I started writing while still closeted, because that’s where my actual experience is, and because my go-to is still to write canon or canon-adjacent pairings and tv still likes to fuck up most of the few canon lgbt ones. That doesn’t make me less valid as a writer who is lgbt.

Mazikeen: The Devil in the Details

This was enjoyable. The actress says Maze is her spirit animal, which is awesome. I was pretty frazzled and distracted (people were saving me seats even though I SAID I’d be late and it was equally appreciated and discomfiting) and also trying to liveblog the panel to a friend, so I didn’t get as much emotional impact from this as the rest. It sounds like we probably get to see Maze with a real relationship this next season, so that’s exciting. It seems like a decent next step for her after the growth over the last seasons. I’m also suuuuper excited she and Trixie will be okay; they have one of my favorite relationship of the whole show.

Amber Benson: Tara Maclay and the Legacy of Buffy

Teeeeearrrrsss. Do me a favor; if you watch the video for this one, watch the behind the scenes one first. The intro video they played left very few dry eyes, and then Amber came out all teary and emotional.

The singalong was a lot of fun, despite “Under Your Spell” being notes most humans can’t hit.

There was one answer she handled with some unfortunate wording, but it was so clear she meant well and she’s such an icon, so she didn’t get boo’d like I was almost afraid of. There wasn’t much applause, but then we moved on. She was the only panel I went to that earned a standing ovation. I cried a lotttttttt.

And then I left the con to go change before having dinner with Friday friend. And people were gross and staring in creepy ways and there were homophobic comments made “accidentally” too loud and just bleh. It was a small thing in an otherwise fantastic weekend, but it made me feel like I needed to take a shower.

[rhyzsuxz]

ww84 confused the fuck out of me. i genuinely enjoyed watching it and I think most of the criticism is pretty valid, but like it wasn't,,, that bad. A lot of the stuff I have a problem with is things that I was able to put in the back of my head and still enjoy the movie so I don't like the vehement hate and shit people are saying (unless it's about the racist shit, i’m am not uncomfortable with vehemently hating on the racist ass shit in this movie) but other than that like,,,, idk it was pretty good.

Spoilers for ww84 below

the plot wasn't amazing but compared to Infinity War? Endgame? Jesus christ is call ww84 a masterpiece compared to anything marvels put out in the past five years. I didn't enjoy the entire oil barron middle eastern/egyptian plot point. That was completely unnecessary and racist. Pretty much the entirety of what happened in egypt was,,,, not,,,, okay,,,, i’m not going to go into it but like that's a completely genuine criticism because what the fuck were they aiming for there??? The non-white and clearly middle eastern dude wishing for nukes while holding a gun??? What???

Next one isn't "racism" but like who decided to write, cast, produce, and film the scene where the woman wishes to deport all irish ppl and the irish dude wishes to kill her??? What the fuck was that??? It needed more context and if ur criticizing a movie and you say "needed more context" it means it probably didn't need or shouldn't have been there in the first place.

Uhhh what else,,,, loved kristen wiig. omg. But,,,, why was the entire plot line between her and diana just pitting them against each other?? The entire subplot didn't even result in any character developed that it showed Barbara doesnt "learn to love herself" or anything she's just like "wow having superpowers is stressful, nvm" and she barely even does that??? Also the part where it's showing her losing her "humanity" and she beats the shit out of her attempted rapist. Loved that part EXCEPT. Why is that how she loses her kindness? Like i've seen people say the part where she actually loses it is when she tells her friend to mind his own business, but anyone (esp straight dudes) watching that and even a lot of women could take it as framing her beating up the asshole as bad?? Like my dream would be to beat up ppl who've assaulted me or made me uncomfortable so the fact that they even left room for the audience to question which part was her losing her humanity made me iffy about it. Overall it's one of the things I think they could cut from the movie and it wouldn't make any difference.

something I liked about it was the cgi. It's been getting a lot of shit because it's cringey at points but like,,, I loved it. The parts where she's flying just felt like a comic book and yeah maybe it's not realistic, world changing cgi quality but it made me happy and I think trying to go for the ultra realistic shit would've taken away from the whole theme they were pushing with Diana's character which was truth and love. I've never read the comics or seen any other DC movies (other than the first gal gadot wonder woman) but she just felt like a cool character and watching her I really understood her falling in love with humanity. Her whole character might not had grown much in the movie in terms of a formal arc, but watching her grieve and mourn the loss of Steve and then go through the cycle of falling in love with humans again was genuine and just fun to watch for me personally. Was it a little repetitive to being steve back? I mean yeah, but like,, they played up the fact that she was still mourning him and hadn't let go yet so I didn't mind it at all.

I didn't understand the whole him possessing another person thing tho. Like them fucking in that random dudes apartment and taking his stuff just felt wrong??? And it's not even addressed?? They could've just brought Steve back in his own body like they made the porsches and nukes appear out of nowhere and completely avoided the rapey, gross, tones it gave off. Add this to the list of things this movie did that made me uncomfortable and were there for seemingly no plot reason I can think of. They made such a big deal out of Barbara getting cat called and sexually harassed/assaulted just to completely violate a male character? Male sexual assault already doesn't get enough attention and you can't tell me that it's weird and unnecessary that the writers have steve possessing this guy while also stressing female sexual assault and going as far as beating up an abuser. And then not even MENTION the guy steve is possessing other than saying he's hot?? Seriously just take out that entire section of the movie and you've got a plot that's starting to make sense, but instead they just don't.

I had to filter the tag for the guy who played max lord because jfc,,,, first of all not looking for madalorian spoilers and I just don't understand this obsession with his character. The acting was good but the writing was eh. It feels like the Max Lord in this movie was really complicated and had the potential to be a cool character with looking into the abuse, his child, being a single dad, the want to make his son proud and that relationship, like he just seemed like he could be a cool "villian" who's misunderstood and needs to calm down, but it was too much. I didn't even realize he was the kid being abused until I read a review after the movie and there was so much going on with the plots of developing Steve and Dianasa relationship, showing Barbara's character arc, and the entire world falling apart, that it really took away from Lord. Instead of cutting any of it to make Lord a well rounded and explained character or make him more stereotypical villian and expand on the Cheetahs character, they crammed everything into one and failed at both. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching the movie, but it just feels like they just bit off more than they could chew but didn't realize it. I would much rather see a Max Lord villian centric movie that goes into Wonder Woman vs Lord and his character and then a separate Cheetah movie that went more into Diana and Barbara's friendship and saving her from losing her humanity, even if it writing that movie means completely taking her out of the Max Lord plot line. Over all id really like to see a good movie about two women struggling with power, loss, and existing in society where the writers don't pin them against each other with little to no plot explanation and a confusing fight scene that brought in a whole new subplot (asteria or whatever) out of NOWHERE.

In conclusion just do better next time. I enjoyed watching the movie. I enjoyed criticizing the movie. I would watch it again. I feel like the writers really got stuck between the desire to make the worlds greatest superhero movie that blows all of the others out of the water with a complicated plot and tons of characters and just the desire to make a good, entertaining movie. Not every piece of media has to be the new best thing since sliced bread and the cheesy cgi, flying, and "love and trust" references really got back to the roots of a good superhero movie, but then they went so far with the subplots it's like they couldn't decide what they were going for and turned what could've been that genuinely good superhero movie into a fucking mess with racist undertones, a convoluted plot, and a whole bunch of shit that genuinely made no sense.

[swampgallows]

well, so, tumblr ate my post on my phone, but the gist of what i wanted to say was that it was, of course, amazing, but i feel like... and this is kind of cheesy and embarrassing but, it wasn’t really until this year, between wonder woman and this film—the shape of water—that i felt like anything was “for me”. 

i cannot remember the last time my heart swelled like that during a film, let alone in general. in fact, i’m not sure it ever has. not in that way. this film made me understand why people care for romance films or romance itself, the appeal of it. i cried a lot. and i cried a lot during wonder woman too, but for a different sort of reason. wonder woman helped me realize i was starving to see a strong, whole woman; i had thought to myself “no wonder people love superheroes so much”. i thought they were fun, of course, but it wasn’t until wonder woman that i truly felt that kind of power, that feeling of being uplifted. it was like... hope, and protection. even growing up i never had a “hero”, as it were, not until chris metzen, and that wasn’t until i was well in my teens. i have felt like the outcast for so long that i couldnt even feel like an underdog, let alone a hero. 

it’s foolish to say what i found in the shape of water was “representation”, but... it was like a validity. it felt verified. it felt.... real. it wasn’t goofy. it wasn’t a joke. it wasn’t supernatural or one-sided. it felt very real. i did not even realize there were tears in my eyes until one fell down my face. it felt so very real to me. of course, i love all of guillermo del toro’s movies, particularly in that he engages with fairy tales—parables, too, as he had mentioned in the interview following the credits—with a reverence, an authenticity. with respect. when you accept these creatures and themes as real, they become real. but if you maintain the whole time that it’s “just CGI”, “just movie magic”; proving his whole point, when you “Other” these creatures, you turn them into things. you make them objects instead of real, believable, sentient things. and his point was that we do this to people too. “There is no us VS them. There is only us.”

and, really, on the heels of seeing Bright, the contrast between the films is stark. Bright achieved almost the exact opposite of taking these fantasy races—which are to be respected as fellow people in an urban fantasy setting—and immediately Othering them, as well as making the entire film about their Otherness. additionally, the “message” of the film is lost when jakoby is the exception to the rule, the “One Good Orc” instead of “orcs are people” (despite literally having the line “orcs are people too”, this is never put into practice). and he is even further robbed of that by ward being a bright all along instead of jakoby, or even BOTH of them. ALL the formulaic evidence points to jakoby being a bright. “brights are elves, rarely humans, NEVER orcs”; jakoby is unblooded, round-toothed, clan-less, seen as a dissenter to his entire race; inexplicably wanted to be a cop ever since he was a little kid even though there have never been orc cops and most are sent off to war; demonstrably more sensitive and inquisitive than most orcs; even the very last moment up until ward’s bright reveal, jakoby gives an entire relay of the myth of jirak the humble orc farmer, who was unblooded, who turned out to be a man of prophecy, and begs ward to go back and help tikka. “I think we’re in a prophecy!” yet ward is the bright and jakoby isn’t. fucking L. ZERO payoff. ward is a racist asshole to jakoby the entire fucking film, treats him like shit, then finds out HE gets to hold a magic wand? fuck off.

yet even bright, in all of its horribleness, still feels like it was “for me”. so, it’s strange, but, i feel like mainstream stories are... finally becoming accessible to me? it’s hard to explain. Like, there’s a reason i’m rooted in my Very Insular Interests and all that bullshit. i dont feel welcome anywhere else. of course i stick with what’s familiar, and i dont think i will ever “move on” from these core aspects of my life and personality, but... it feels like there are stories coming out that i can actually relate to, things where my interests are the focus instead of being a side character or an extra in the background, or it’s the core plot to a film instead of being a parody or, worse, from a documentary angle. “how strange this is! why are people like this! can you BELIEVE there are people who relate better to MONSTERS than PEOPLE? god, there are people who actually think this is COOL but it’s so lame and stupid and for total nerds!!! UGH, can you BELIEVE those crybaby SJWs are BEGGING for a FEMALE SUPERHERO for WOKE FEMINIST POINTS?”

wonder woman stood atop the tower, alone, triumphant, and had saved the village. and everyone looked up at her, in awe of her, full of gratitude. that shot made me think “this is why little boys want to be superman.” there was a little girl in me that thought “i wish i could be wonder woman.” something like gender shouldn’t make a difference, but what a difference it makes. i mean, there’s a reason i havent felt that feeling before. and it’s not because i have any particular affinity for superheroes or diana herself; i truthfully have very little interest in either. but that is the first time i have ever seen a solitary, non-sexual, powerful woman. even in trying to tell my mom about the shot after i saw the film, i burst into tears. 

bright was handled like shit, but the fact that the movie even got made is astounding to me, particularly because it didn’t have the “excuse” of being rooted in preexisting media. so even though the story was shit, that it was an original screenplay is HUGE to me. Hellboy II was sick as hell, one of my favorite films, and pulled off the ‘urban fantasy’ much better than bright could ever hope to, but it had the veil of being a “comic book film”, so people knew they were going in under a pretense that it would be pulp and campy. essentially, not serious. not real. already written off as “this isn’t real so it can’t affect me. i’m just turning my brain off for a while.”

i guess it’s just that... these monsters are so real to me and i relate to them so deeply that it’s almost like seeing myself, in a sense. i feel such a personal attachment to them that seeing a creature as obscure as an orc on film or outside the same realms of media (lotr, warcraft, d&d) is cause for celebration. it’s like seeing something that even vaguely references a rave; i feel acknowledged because that’s me, that’s my community, those are my people. and OTHER PEOPLE recognize that that’s me too. i remember in high school one of my classmates told me to watch the entirety of disney’s chicken little (not recommended) because it made him think of me. why? there was a split second where one of the characters (the ugly duckling, thanks asshole) holds a glowstick. that is literally it. there wasn’t even techno playing. it was wannabe by the spice girls. but even then i was still like (POINTS) ME

and i think that’s something guillermo understands, because he relates so deeply to monsters as well. and interviewers and other media outlets might take it as a novelty—oh that kooky del toro, what will he think of next! isn’t that bizarre! what a strange man he is haha oh but we love it! wow, totally trippy settings! where does he come up with this stuff???—but del toro makes sure his films convey respect and severity. He doesn’t play up these films as pulp or tongue in cheek or with any sort of bashfulness of “i know this is silly, but...” He doesn’t feel a need to excuse himself for his interests. he portrays them fully and seriously, and that gives me great courage. as someone who is constantly apologizing for my interests being too silly or “too insular” (I will never get over that haha sorry!) or too obscure or too abrasive, always being too loud or too much or too ugly, seeing my interests portrayed with genuine respect and depth always feels worthy of celebration to a degree i cant put into words. it gives me strength to exist, unabashedly, and as my full self.

i’m excited for the blockbuster bubble to burst. maybe, finally, all of us at the edges will finally get to surface. i am already seeing the little trickles.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Movie Review: Black Panther (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: I am posting this review a couple of days after the movie is released in the U.K, so if you have not yet seen the movie don’t read on.

General Reaction:

Black Panther is such a fantastic representation not only of African culture but the black community as a whole, that I rate this movie at the same caliber as I did Wonder Woman last year which is pretty much epic. What both movies did to present their respective demographics, women and black people, in such a realistic and respectful way to all audiences not just their own is no easy feet and I'm sure Patti Jenkins and Ryan Coogler are feeling pretty darn proud of themselves that their visions have been so well received.

Now those of you who know me may be questioning how I can have that opinion being as I am not a woman or a member of the black community, but here is my defense; I may not be able to justify my opinion as a member of these communities but I can justify it as a comic-book movie fan. The fact that these levels of representation are depicted so well in the types of movie that mainstream audiences used to take for granted, I think not only speaks to how this comic-book renaissance of the last ten years has influenced the media but also people because fans have been crying out not only for a female lead superhero movie but also a black lead superhero movie and in the space of a year they have been given both.

Of course as well as being this politically-based movie which provokes discussions like this about the black community and wealth vs. slavery etc, it is also a comic-book movie and the eighteenth installment of the expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe. However unless you knew about the Black Panther mythology in the comics you would just think it’s a sci-fi political spy thriller because it doesn’t have the same level of action sequences or comic-book movie tropes that other MCU movies have had. Is that a bad thing? Well for me no because I do not need all-action in every movie; so long as there are enough action sequences in the team movies and solo movies around characters with VFX friendly powers then I am happy. Also this movie did have some rather impressive action sequences; from the low key like the jungle ambush at the start to the best action sequence in the movie at that casino in South Korea.

Also I mentioned the movie has a spy genre quality to it, this was quite a surprise for me. From Nakia being a Wakandan spy to Shuri essentially being a female Q with all her inventions for T’Challa who is essentially James Bond. It provided some great VFX as well as intrigue for fans who may not be interested in the political side of things.

Characters:

T’Challa:

It only dawned on me in this movie that while T’Challa and Thor have yet to meet, when they finally do come together in Infinity War they can share stories on their regal duties because they are the only two main characters in the MCU who are kings of their respective nations.

But while I do not know how Thor will be as a king, T’Challa is definitely kingly material. What T’Challa went through in this movie echoes what his father told him at the start of the movie about how a nice king will face problems. But I would like to put forward the fact that everyone faces problems and that shouldn’t just be because T’Challa is good-hearted because it falls back to the cliche of “nice guys finish last” which isn’t always true.

T’Challa is good-hearted but like everyone he has his fair share of baggage, he starts off this movie being the former boyfriend of Nakia, we don’t know why they broke up but they did. Having said that, they clearly remained friends and even got back together by the end of the movie. He does seem to value family above most things and even attempted to save his cousin Erik at the end of the movie despite a couple of attempts on his life by him. The only time he turned his back on family in this movie is after the revelation that his father killed his brother and left his son abandoned in California. I found it rather powerful that he essentially denounced his culture’s tradition of how he should use the countries resources to help the world and even in that U.N.. speech in the end-credits scene where he said “We should make bridges not barriers” was also very powerful and I am curious to see how outsourcing Wakanda’s resources will affect the MCU going forward.

In regards to Chadwick Boseman, I think unlike Chris Hemsworth he is definitely not a comedic actor. Not that I am saying he is bad as the Black Panther because I don’t think the character’s strength lies in his comedy and more in his regal actions. He had some comedic moments but they were either to set up or on the coattails of humor made by the likes of Letitia Wright and even Danai Gurira once or twice. But all-in-all I love Black Panther as a character as I did in Civil War and roll on Infinity War.

Erik Killmonger:

Michael B. Jordan is such a swing and a miss type of actor for me. This is his fourth superhero venture, which by the way is the only genre I’ve seen him in, and none of them have left a lasting impression.

Now that isn’t to say Killmonger was a bad character, I liked him. I loved the reveal of Erik being revealed as one of the boys playing basketball at the start of the movie simultaneously with being revealed T’Challa’s cousin who was abandoned by his uncle T’Chaka. I also really respected what the character stood for in terms of wanting to use Wakanda’s resources to help African people outside of Wakanda. However it is a classic case of great message but poor execution because had he gone to T’Challa with an open heart then T’Challa, nice guy that he is, would have possibly sympathized. However going in and demanding the throne, then going further and pretty much killing him only to be granted the throne shows terrible leadership. Also the fact that the other tribes just accepted him as their king is simply sheep following a shepherd.

Also I don’t get why his suit was a jaguar, obviously I get it was a cat much like the panther but jaguars aren’t native to Africa. The little that I know of Killmonger from the comics his animal affiliate was that of a leopard which is a native to Africa so why they just didn’t go with that for the suit design I don’t know. Particularly as Shuri seemed to be the one who created the suits, why she would design one in the form of a non-African animal seems slightly weird.

In regards to Michael B. Jordan’s humour, that actually was my favourite part of his character. Wakanda is a country that combines the old and the new and Killmonger was the living embodiment of that. His mind is set in Wakanda tradition but with an urban spin on it, reflected rather poetically in the score for the movie by the way.

My final comment is on Killmonger’s last line before his death. When T’Challa offers to take him to the hospital to save his life, Killmonger refuses and requests to be buried at sea like his ancestors who jumped off the slave ships to die rather than live in slavery. It was such a powerful moment but the more you think about it, the more annoying it becomes. This man was essentially a terrorist; he allied himself with an enemy of the country only to turn on him when his usefulness ran out all in order to gain his self-claimed rightful place on the throne where he joyfully murdered his so called followers and burned a sacred piece of Wakandan history. Yet that final line makes him seem like he wasn’t in the wrong. I did not appreciate that.

Shuri:

Moving on to my favourite character in the movie; I was not expecting to love this girl as much as I did. Shuri is the perfect younger sister archetype because yes she is someone who could rightfully challenge her brother to the throne but doesn’t because she is happy with her lot in life and to be fair it is a pretty good lot. Not only is she the standalone princess of Wakanda but also seems to be one of Wakanda’s chief scientists and all while still a young adult. It is somewhat slightly unbelievable that someone of her age would be able to be that technologically gifted and respected regardless of her royal status but I let that slide because I loved seeing her in her lab.

Also her humour was one of the best things about her character; the number of one-liners she had in this movie were hilarious. When she and Okuye were teasing T’Challa about Nakia at the start of the movie, when she was explaining the gadgets she created for T’Challa on his mission to South Korea before spotting his open-toed sandals, then getting angry when T’Challa kicked her suit across the room. Even during that ceremonial battle at the start of the movie when T’Challa was challenged in a fight to the death by M’Baku for the crown and all Shuri can say is “This corset is really tight so can we get this over with?!” So many to count and all were hilarious.

Letitia Wright has gone on record stating she thinks Shuri is a vibrant and refreshing character who is a good role model for young black girls and to be fair I can see her as a good role model for all young girls but I get why the significance in focusing on black girls comes from because Shuri is a great example of not boxing yourself in a category based on gender or station.

Okoye:

I do believe the MCU finally has someone who could beat Black Widow in combat, talk about these ceremonial battles that happen; even though Natasha has her Widow’s Bite and batons, what Okoye can do with a spear justifies how she can call machine guns primitive. It reminded me a little bit of Magneto in X-Men: The Last Stand and his dismissal of guns there because of course he sees Mutants as the future and he is the master of magnetism which most guns are made out of, although they turned out to be plastic but I digress.

I was really surprised to see Danal Gunra has some humour behind that stern expression and it was really good at the beginning when she was teasing T’Challa about seeing Nakia. Having said that the fact she is the general of the Dora Milaje seemed to define her more than everything else in this movie, she was very much the loyal soldier. I felt for her when she had that confrontation with Nakia and said that her duty is to serve whoever sits on the throne which is a classic case of blind loyalty because when T’Challa returned and was revealed to be alive she almost instantly turned on Killmonger.

Also I did not understand why it was stated that she and W’Kabi were lovers, there was no chemistry between the two and the only times their relationship was even focused on was when they were on opposing sides and they could not kill each other. Were I Okoye I would have just had him imprisoned rather than seemingly letting him off the hook but we’ll talk about W’Kabi further down.

Her fight choreography pretty much made that South Korea casino fight, the fact they utilized the continuous shot for the battle, anyone who has seen my Atomic Blonde review knows how much I love a single continuing shot, and while this wasn’t as good as that one Okoye really helped sell it.

Finally I am curious about her role in Infinity War because after seeing her here I do not want her just to be in the background again like she was in Civil War, I want her character to evolve and maybe team up with other members of the team besides Black Panther. Also if I could see a full-blown Black Widow/Okoye fight that would be amazing.

Nakia:

Lupita Nyong'o finally has been in a live-action movie I have seen, and she was great. She wasn’t just the typical love interest role and instead was somewhat her own person. Yes her actions in the movie were mainly all in service of T’Challa but her role as a spy to go and save other African people and the fact her views on how Wakanda should help the world was similar to that of Killmonger’s should have been a sign to T’Challa that it isn’t just terrorists that feel the same way.

I also loved her teaming up with Shuri in the final battle, the two as combatants are pretty much on the same level so the fact it was the women out in the field while the boring white guy is literally behind a computer was a very subtle but nice twist on the old trope.

Lupita’s humour was also there, the cast were surprisingly funny as a whole. My favourite bit of hers was during the car chase when Klaue blew up the Wakandan car and while Okoye goes flying and using her spear and the car debris as a sled, Nakia just comes sliding down the road still in the driving seat holding the wheel. It was quite a comic-booky moment because there is no way she would have still been sat there without being seriously injured but it was very funny.

My only negative about the character is I am not certain as to what her role is, yes she’s a war dog who are spies in other countries but after seemingly reconciling with T’Challa, is she now a princess or a queen? She seems to have a role in T’Challa’s refuge plan but her fate was left uncertain at the end of this movie.

Ulysses Klaue:

Ah, Andy Serkis. How can a man bring so much passion to the role of a CGI monkey and yet when it comes to a live-action role it is mainly portrayed as comic relief. Now I know in the comics Klaw is one of Black Panther’s major advosaries but other than a confrontation with him in South Korea there was no real evidence of that in the movie like there was with Captain America and Red Skull or Thor and Loki for example.

However, I don’t think that’s the type of villain Feige wanted this version of Klaue to be. He’s still an arms dealer as portrayed both here and previously in Age of Ultron, he definitely has a villainous streak to him but it’s overshadowed by his rather sadistic humour like when he carries out that heist at the London museum and kills all but one of the guards, tells the remaining one to go but then shoots him anyway with the excuse of wanting the bodies to be spread out a bit.

Also while mentioning Age of Ultron, I do think that was where he was utilized best because here he just seemed to be a plot device and a way to introduce Killmonger. On that note I did find it interesting that Killmonger’s father allied himself with Klaue which is what made his brother T’Chaka kill him in the end and then over two decades later Killmonger is also working with him. I am curious to know how both alliances came about, it’s pretty much established that Klaue was in Wakanda before stealing the Vibranium which is how he met N’Jobu but how did he find Erik or Erik find him?

I am surprised and slightly saddened to see Klaue die, not just because every villain in this movie did die but because both Klaue and Killmonger were the types of villains like Loki to have longevity. Particularly with a name like Andy Serkis to carry over through the MCU I just think it’s a slight waste to only bring him in for two movies.

W’Kabi:

Interestingly enough, the only character I did not really rate in importance was W’Kabi. I don’t know what it is; I felt his role in what seemed to be the royal council was very vague. I got he was head of one of the tribes but they did not do enough to establish the other tribes outside of the ceremonial battles. All I knew about this particular tribe was that their animal was the White Rhino but when they came in at the end armoured up it almost took me out the movie because I was laughing at how bad they were realized. I did like the fact W’Kabi rode one of them while fighting and that is the only point I saw him at least look like a leader.

Also like I mentioned before, I did not see the point in saying W’Kabi and Okoye were supposed lovers because his body language and dialogue did not suggest such a thing. I do think the only way to tell they were supposedly in love was because Okoye believed her trying to appeal to his better nature would actually work and I guess eventually it did but I do hope she has dumped him after this.

I think maybe it is because I recognize Daniel Kaluuya more for his character on Skins that I cannot take him seriously in a role like this or maybe because it is how he was styled both cosmetically and fashionably here he resembled Carlton Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air but something just did not hit home for me about this character.

M’Baku:

I really enjoyed Winston Duke’s scenes in the latter half of this movie. Did not really like him in that opening battle but we weren’t supposed to like him whereas when he brought in the comedy he was quite funny. I loved his line after threatening to feed Everett Ross to his children with him saying “Only joking, we’re vegetarian”, it was a rather silly line but was sold very well.

I am quite happy he did not officially become Man-Ape as he is in the comics. I do think they would have taken away from the serious messages this movie was attempting to tell. Having said that, if he was to come back as a villain in the sequel maybe he will become an interpretation of the character.

Zuri:

Forest Whitaker is a very hammy actor when he wants to be, first in Rogue One and now here you can tell he is cranking his performance up to an 11 in terms of overacting. This was more subdued than his performance as Saw Gerrera because Zuri had a rather serious story arc as well as role in Wakanda but I found it curious how almost instantly when Killmonger killed him that he was immediately replaced, did they just have that woman on standby or something?

I did like that twist of him being N’Jobu’s friend in Oakland without realizing he too was undercover and I did feel for him when he tried saving T’Challa by admitting he was responsible for his death but if a hero was going to die in the movie I am not surprised it was him.

Other Characters:

A couple of minor roles I want to highlight are Martin Sheen’s return as Everett Ross and Angela Bassett as T’Challa’s mother. Firstly with Everett Ross, I did not see the point of him being in this movie other than to add some diversity to an all black cast, I mean yes you had Andy Serkis but I guess if you had just him he’d be the token white guy. His role of being Klaue’s buyer of the Vibranium and going on to discover the deceit T’Chaka had told him about Wakanda was not really needed in this movie and I believe the only reason it happened was to build up to that U.N. scene at the end but Martin Sheen didn’t even introduce T’Challa or stand by him and rather just sit in the audience admiring him. Also when he was remotely flying that jet at the end and realised there was a chance he could die before blowing up that last drone, I am surprised he didn’t die in this movie by the way because there were at least three instances where he probably should have. Pointless role in this movie.

Now with Queen Ramonda, they did tweek her character slightly from the comics with making her T’Challa’s birth mother rather than stepmother but to be fair it’s not exactly a major plotpoint for either character in the grand scheme so I let it slide. I love Angela Bassett as an actress; I loved her in American Horror Story: Coven, I think she is a stunning woman and she fits the description to play a Queen Mother with such regal elegance. I did find it slightly peculiar how the character resembles Storm so much especially because if after this merger they bring the X-Men in and have Black Panther marry Storm it will be a case of T’Challa marrying a woman resembling his mother. All-in-all she was a great character for the role she was given.

After-Credits Scene:

So I’ve mentioned the mid-credits scene as being the U.N. Meeting where T’Challa pretty much opens the borders of Wakanda to the world but the one scene I haven’t mentioned is the scene that happens when you eventually sit through all the credits, and be patient because there are a lot of them. This scene simply is to show you where Bucky is leading up to Infinity War as he has been taken out of cryostasis and is in the care of Shuri, however I was speaking with my friend about this scene and the timeline of the movie in regards to the MCU as it’s established at the start of the movie these events take place a week after those of Civil War, but my friend did raise a valid point...where the heck is Steve Rogers? From what we know of the Infinity War movie Steve is still in Wakanda so where the hell was he was everything was going to pot? Whatever the answer I cannot wait to find out.

Overall I rate the movie a strong 8.5/10, as I said in my general reaction I think the movie’s representation of it’s targeted demographic was spot on however I do feel as a comic book movie it did lack the oomph that Thor: Ragnarok had for example. Still a solid movie but it depends what you go in wanting to see as to your overall enjoyment of the movie.

So that’s my review of Black Panther, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Marvel Movies as well as other Movie Reviews and posts.

[mythicalmythos]

Princess stories I wish I’d had as a child.

(So this wound up being about twice as long as planned but it feels good to finally get it all out there)

Okay so, this has kind of been bouncing around in my head since I saw Wonder Woman over the summer. 

I grew up watching Disney movies and I am a huge Disney nerd to this day but the older  I get the more I come to realize that as much as I love the Disney princess movies, I can’t really support some of their messages, intentional or not, as a woman in her 20s out of college, as  I could in the past, even in high school. 

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the movies are a product of their time, and for a long time in our society the main path a girl’s life took was grow up, meet a boy, get married, have lots of babies. There was a huge amount of focus on maintaining the white picket fence life in America. Though we as women have made huge strides since the first Disney movie was produced, I feel like entertainment media takes a while to catch up to the changes society makes, especially media who’s target audience is made up of mostly kids.

In spite of all of this I think that Walt Disney himself was in favor of gender equality, even if it might not have been in the same manor and degree that we have today. He and his company made their mark on the world by making movies about female protagonists. Yes, you can argue that the women portrayed in the movies aren’t great role models and I agree with you. However, even in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” the main conflict is between two women. (Messed up and vain though that conflict may be.) Then in 1946, Disney produced a short film called “The Story of Menstruation. That’s right. Disney made a short film that gives accurate health information about periods in FUCKING 1946. While it is not perfect (come on it’s post-War, women are still expected to marry and have babies), it explains periods in accurate and scientific language and most importantly, emphasizes that periods are a normal and healthy (if annoying) part of every uterus-possessing human’s life. In 1946! I didn’t even realize that this existed until I was in college and I didn’t believe the friend who told me about it until they pulled it up and made me watch it. Why wasn’t this used or even mentioned in sex ed growing up? Though it is old and doesn’t really explain sex past mentioning that it is necessary for pregnancy to occur, it still is just a good jumping off point as anything I was shown/told as a pre-teen. Come on, this is a great resource to show a child who is asking the early questions about puberty (which happens way earlier than any parent is ready for. I myself was a very curious child and asked a lot of embarrassing questions WAY before my parents thought they would have to answer any of them.)

Okay, that was more than I thought I had to say on that but anyways, back to the Princess movies themselves. The one that I have the biggest problem with is “The Little Mermaid.” I know “Sleeping Beauty” is pretty bad too with the whole ‘unconscious therefor unable to give consent thing’ but honestly that for whatever reason doesn’t get to me like Ariel’s story does.

Before I totally start ragging on this movie let me just say I really loved this movie for a long time. I’m very musical and the music is amazing. I grew up singing them and “Poor Unfortunate Souls” is in my top 10 villain songs. (Also Ursula is based on a famous drag queen named Divine, which is awesome.) I love all of the songs in this movie, even the forgettable one at the beginning. But once you string them together with the rest of the story, I just can’t get behind the final product anymore. A few years ago, my mom showed me a video that  Mayim Bialik posted on her YouTube channel where she talks about how she reacted to the movie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-9pm8Zy7SY). At first I thought ‘okay she has a point but it’s still a classic story’ then I started to think about it off and on in the back of my mind, along with reading and looking into the original story by H. C. Anderson (which, not exactly a kids story, be prepared for a lot of questions and blood). And I slowly came to realize that I can’t support showing this movie to my own kids someday without first having a serious talk about self-respect. No one should be told that they have to change a fundamental part of who they are or their body to find “love”. REAL “True Love” is accepting and unconditional, fish tail and all.

So where exactly does Wonder Woman come into all of this? Well back when I saw it in June, I was a bit hesitant because I’ve always kind of written WW off because of her outfit. Not my finest choice I’ll admit, but, nerd though I am, I never have been big into comic books or the Justice League cartoons (though Teen Titans with Raven and Starfire was one of my favorites. It hasn’t been until more recently that I have really come to appreciate the superhero genre.) But when I heard that WW was getting her own big screen story, I was intrigued. I didn’t know much going in, though I had high hopes. I’m a bit embarrassed to say I went partially because of Chris Pine because I tend to enjoy the projects he picks. But when I saw the movie, I was blown away. Not that the movie doesn’t have its weak spots for me (Ares took quite a bit of convincing). But as I came out of the theater I finally understood why my brothers love superhero movies. Seeing a woman (or in this case, a lot of women) on screen kicking butt, making their own stories, and being general badasses gave me this surge of confidence that I could do anything I set my mind to. This is a movie I didn’t know I was missing until I saw it. The more I read about how Patty Jenkins went about creating the world of  Themyscira, like hiring a range of women of color, female body builders, weightlifters and wrestlers, it didn’t even occur to me that muscles on women are often considered ugly by our society. These women had bodies that reflected the work that they put in everyday and the power and strength that they possess. They are beautiful and send a beautiful message to young girls that they can be anything damn social standards of gender roles and beauty.

So I saw WW months ago and had talked to my friends about it but my thoughts and the powerful message stayed mostly in my head until now. Why? Well, I was several videos deep in a YouTube binge about a week and a half ago when I came across one from ScreenRant called “10 Rejected Princesses that Actually Exist” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3PUQtHXbiE). Now seeing as I am a total sucker for a title like that, naturally I open the video. Expecting stories from different mythos and legends from around the world (like the original Little Mermaid) I was very surprised to learn that this list was mostly made up of real women from different cultures around the world. Yes, there are a few legends and myths thrown in but mostly these women actually existed.

So turns out that this video is in fact based on a book written by a guy named  Jason Porath, an ex-Dreamworks animator, who, following a bet at work, decided that these women needed to have their stories told. Some time and a book deal later “Rejected Princesses” was born. A collection of 100 stories about badass women who changed their worlds. (http://www.rejectedprincesses.com/) 

I’m only about half way through but the more of the book I read the more I wish someone had given me this book as a kid. Mind you, not all of these stories are 100% appropriate (some of the ones at the end of the book are 5 on a 1-5 scale for maturity.) for every little kid but the fact that this book exists and tells real stories without shying away from the real situations that these women lived through is an amazing thing. There are women of color, lesbian and bi- women and probably many more as I haven’t finished the book yet. Haha (Trying to read three books at once is not my smartest life decision.) 

The older I get, the more I see things in my childhood that reinforced the more traditional male/female gender roles on me. My parents never told me I couldn’t do something just because I was a girl and they have always encouraged me to learn and do well in school, especially they encouraged my interest in science. But as things like WW and “Rejected Princesses” come to my attention I realize that just because I didn’t realize their influence was missing doesn’t mean I didn’t feel it. I remember having few role models in media and always being told to let the boys do the physical stuff instead of me.

It is not enough to simply tell girls and women they can do anything and be anything they want. We have to give them examples and role models to show that they come from a long line of capable, independent, smart, strong, badass women and the keys to the kingdom are theirs to take and explode into the world with.

[nastywomenportraits-blog]

June!

HELLO NASTIES!

First things first, hi! How are you? We miss you. Thank you for being so nasty.

We know it's been a minute since you've heard from us. We took some time off but are back at work to make the world a little nastier. But before we get into the cool stuff we've done, watched, heard, and read, it wouldn't be a newsletter from a non-profit without a DONATE button! Click that button, every donation helps make our events bigger and better.

 COOL STUFF WE DID

We officially donated to The Southern Poverty Law Center! Thank you so much for coming out to the event and supporting us and this amazing organization. Your donations will have a profound impact on their fight against hate and support the amazing work they do in classrooms and courtrooms throughout the country.

We have a store! Missed the chance to buy the dope art we had at our event? Fear not, all that amazing art is available to buy online right here! Right now we’re only set up for local pickup/delivery in LA, but we’re working on getting shipping from coast to coast. (If you just can’t wait to get your feminist swag, don’t fear, hit us up privately and we’ll work some magic). All money earned goes right back into the organization so that we can create more great events.

 COOL STUFF WE WATCHED

 THE HANDMAID’S TALE

Horrified by the current state of politics in the US? Well this show won’t make you feel any better! A too-timely portrait of a world in which women have lost all agency and independence but are still resilient. Badass woman Reed Morano directs the first three episodes and the whole series has a distinctly feminist gaze. Elisabeth Moss, Samira Wiley, and Alexis Bledel kill it. Watch it on Hulu!

AMERICAN GODS

Another show based on a book, and it’s a surreal trip. We love the diverse casting and the hella complex characters. If you only watch one episode make sure it's ep 4, “Git Gone” - it centers on Laura Moon and we love a woman who looks death in the face and says "Fuck you." The show airs on Starz which is a pain but pro-tip: Wait until the end of the season and sign up for a 1-week free trial. Boom, whole season for free. Thank us later.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2

Not only is this sequel just as fun as the first action packed film, this one tackles some deep themes like family, sisterhood, and what happens when white dudes have too much power. It passes the Bechdel test with flying colors, has an amazing soundtrack (it might be playing on repeat as we write this!) and Baby Groot is the best thing of 2017 so far.

COOL STUFF WE HEARD.

POD SAVE AMERICA

We’ve got major crushes on all the guys over at Crooked Media and it all started when we first heard this podcast. Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer, and Tommy Vietor are all super smart dudes who used to work for President Obama. Now they host no-bullshit podcasts about domestic and international politics. They do a great job of making politics accessible to everyone and cutting through all the media spin. They’re also really great at podcast ads #abetterwaytopod

DAMN.

Kendrick Lamar’s new album is fire. We’re also on the “Humble is an Amazing Music Video” Team.

OUTSIDE PODCAST’S XX FACTOR

Outside magazine’s podcast has been doing a mini-series called XX Factor, featuring stories by and about women “doing cool stuff in the outdoors.” Check out this interview with Mona Seraji, the first snowboarder from the Middle East to compete professionally at the Freeride World Qualifier. When asked how a girl from Iran, where women aren’t allowed in sports stadium, becomes an international athlete, she replies: “Ambition.”

COOL STUFF WE READ

THE SKIMM

Want to stay up to date on everything happening in the world but also want to live your life? Check out The Skimm! This lady-owned company reads all the news for you and lets you know what you need to know.

THE HANDMAID’S TALE/American gods

Can’t wait to find out what happens in your new favorite TV series? Well lucky for you it’s based on an amazing book. Read it in a weekend and get all the spoilers you could want. 

SOLANGE’S LETTER TO HER YOUNGER SELF

A powerful essay about the joys and struggles of being truly and honestly yourself. Read it while listening to A Seat at the Table for the full experience.

INSIDE HILLARY CLINTON’S LIFE AFTER THE ELECTION

Essential reading. In the words of the first female candidate of a major political party in the US: “Oh, I am pissed.” There’s so much in this profile to infuriate and light a fire under our asses.

PROFILE OF NYT REPORTER MAGGIE HABERMAN

Maggie Haberman is one of the hardest working political reporters today, and she takes no shit. She’s equally respected on the left and the right, and strictly sticks to the facts (however unbelievable they may be at times). It’s encouraging to know these are the journalists holding the administration accountable.

COOL THINGS WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT

PRIDE

We're proud of our LGBTQ+ friends every day of the year but especially proud of the LA community who are turning their annual Parade into #ResistMarch. "Instead of a Pride Parade meant to celebrate our past progress, we are going to march to ensure all our futures.  Just as we did in 1970's first LGBTQ+ Pride, we are going to march in unity with those who believe that America's strength is its diversity."

Wonder Woman

Do we really need to explain why we're excited about a superhero movie starring and directed by a woman? Not to mention that so far it's tied with The Incredibles as the highest rated superhero movie ever (take that Iron Man). We are STOKED.

YOU

We wouldn't be here without you and we don't want you to ever forget how grateful we are. Your strength, determination, and fight inspire us everyday. Whenever things seem like they can't get any worse (and then do) we remember you and have a little hope for the future.

We know it's hard to stay active day after day after day and it's ok to take a few days off. But we can't be complacent, we can't let this be our normal. Lucky for us there are so many great ways to stay active that don't take all your energy. We love Resistbot and 5 Calls. Two services that make contacting your representative hella easy.

You can also always donate to us - it's very easy!

  We love writing you long newsletters but nothing beats seeing your wondrous faces. We've got some irons in the fire and some fun new events in the works but want to hear what you want! So let us know what you want to see from us in the future. What kind of events would get you out the door? What amazing women inspire you? Historical, famous, or just your best friend. We want to know about and promote ALL feminist women.

Until next time, stay nasty! (and donate!)

 xoxoxo

Nasty Women Portraits

 PS This is the only unsolicited newsletter you'll get, if you want to stay in the know be sure to subscribe right here. You'll get monthly emails like this one and be the first to know about new events! 

[equallyreal]

Raise your hand if you were/still are really anxious about Wonder Woman being good. I know I was. I’m one of those people who isn’t a big fan of the DCEU’s offerings so far. While a lot of what’s been released has potential (for instance, Ben Affleck as Batman was a lot better than anticipated), I’m not a fan of their portrayal of Superman, and my opinion on Suicide Squad has soured considerably since I wrote my two-paragraph review of it back in August. The thing is, I want to like DC’s movies. I honestly do. I was a big fan of the Nolan Batman movies back when they came out, and one of the few TV shows I actively care about is a DC property. If the movies would just do right by their characters, I’d be thrilled.

I’m thrilled right, because the long wait is over, and I can say with complete certainty that you don’t have to be anxious about Wonder Woman anymore.

Short version of this review: While it has its flaws, Wonder Woman is so far the best movie in the DCEU, and you should definitely see it right now. For a more in-depth look, check under the cut!

This movie reminds me a lot of Pacific Rim.

Hear me out.

Pacific Rim is one of my favorite movies of all time, but I acknowledge it’s not perfect. It’s silly and tropey and doesn’t always make a ton of sense. There are a lot of people who would be willing to write Pacific Rim off as a lot of flashy science fiction nonsense. But there are a lot of little things that make Pacific Rim special, things that are occasionally overlooked. There’s a Japanese female lead who is complex and strong while being neither sexualized nor shoved into an arbitrary romance. There’s a white male lead who shows gentleness and emotional honesty, and is 100% in Mako’s court from day one. We have a black man in a position of power who is exceptionally competent and consistently respected (and who gets to smack a bitch down when he isn’t, in what is one of the finest cinematic moments of 2013). It has a strong message of togetherness and unity in the face of overwhelming odds. It has a lot of things that a lot of science fiction movies have, yes. But it also has a lot of things that they don’t, and for all its flaws, these little things put together make for an amazingly enjoyable and even progressive experience.

Wonder Woman is like that.

It does have a lot of things that superhero movies have, and its fair share of flaws. There’s the big final boss battle fight that relies a bit too much on CGI for my taste (but to be fair, this is a personal thing--I’m more a “Daredevil one-take hallway fight” girl than a “two godlike beings duking it out and exploding everything” girl). There’s a lot of slow motion, a sure sign that Zack Snyder was involved in the production somewhere. A few of the humorous moments edged too close to awkward (especially an early scene involving Diana and Steve Trevor sleeping on a boat). Some of the fight scene editing felt choppy to me, the plot is a bit rushed in places, and there’s some weirdness with the mythology that had me tilting my head and wondering why you’d do that. I wouldn’t call this movie a cinematic masterpiece like I would Mad Max: Fury Road or Star Wars: Rogue One (yes, I just said that, and I stand by it).

But there are so many good things in this movie that the faults honestly don’t matter to me all that much.

Gal Gadot is amazing as Diana. She brings the right mix of idealism-bordering-on-naivete and unwavering, mature strength to the character. I’m still impressed that, despite the skin shown in the outfits worn by her and the other Amazonians, I never once felt as though she was sexualized. Chris Pine was the perfect pick to play earnest and dedicated Steve Trevor. There was a lot of background diversity that I really appreciated. There are non-white Amazonians without it being a big deal, a Morrocan character (Sameer) played by a Morrocan actor ( Said Taghmaoui) who is able to talk about racism without it being too ham-fisted, and a Native American character who not only has speaking lines and, like Sameer, can discuss racism without it being ham-fisted in, but actually lives through the movie, it’s definitely taking steps in the right direction. I also want to give props to David Thewlis. Without giving anything away, he gets a few scenes that are some stellar acting, and while he isn’t the person I would’ve pegged for the role they give him, he does a great job with the part.

The underlying theme of the movie is, ultimately, that while life sucks and there are a lot of bad people in the world, there’s also a lot of good people in the world, too. I’m a sucker for narratives like this, ones that acknowledge humanity’s many flaws while emphasizing the spark of good that makes us worth saving anyway. Sure, this point was made in a bit of a corny way a few times, but it’s just a nice message to hear that again, I don’t care how corny it is. Having a superhero turn her back on cynicism and say that she believes in good is so nice to see, especially when 2016 had so much grim nonsense going on in their films. It’s earnest and sincere in the best way. Same thing goes for the humor. Even the awkward scenes are so welcome in both a franchise and a media environment as a whole that’s been so depressing lately. This is a bright movie about hope and love and I adore it for that.

Not to mention, while not all of the fight scenes are for me, I still loved every second of Diana kicking ass. She body-slams a tank and it was one of the best things to happen to me so far this year. I was quietly cheering the whole time she sliced her way through no-man’s land. The fact that it’s a woman doing it makes it all the better, because we don’t get many chances to be front-and-center like this. No longer do I have to settle for a handful of scenes of someone like Sif or Natasha kicking ass. Now I get the whole damn movie. It’s awesome.

In conclusion, Wonder Woman takes leaps and bounds in the right direction, both for the franchise and for superhero movies in general. If this is the direction that both DC and superhero movies take, then sign me the hell up. I’m all in.

(On a quick final note, bless DC for not shoving Bruce Wayne in there needlessly. I’m genuinely grateful. Nothing personal against Bruce; I’ve just become very anti-”shoving cash cow characters into movies where they don’t belong” lately.)

[recalculatingthegenderwar]

Woman Women feminist shitstorm begins Part 2: Feminists can't help but endorse blatant sex discrimination against men

Recently, I wrote about the Alamo Drafthouse holding women's only screenings of the upcoming Wonder Woman movie. I wasn't surprised, since Wonder Wonder has always been a lightning rod for gender politics. While the movie itself looks like it might good, I fully expected its release to foster some kind of deluge of feminist craziness.

Unfortunately, the Alamo Drafthouse doubled-down in the face of legitimate criticism by setting up screenings at their Brookyln location too. They have even decided to donate all the proceeds to Planned Parenthood, an extremely controversial organization that many women don't even support. The Drafthouse could have picked hundreds of other more inoffensive, apolitical women's health organizations. They could have even donated the proceeds to some sort of men's charity as an apology (Sorry guys, we already sold the tickets so we have to do this, but all money is going toward this men's health charity). It seems less and less like Alamo Drafthouse accidentally stepped on a gender politics land mine and more like they are planting explosives themselves.

Many mainstream media outlets covering this have been relatively neutral. However, women's sections are filled with less objective reporting and more snark. The New York Time's Women in the World writes:

"Although it’s important to point out that the screening is set for June 6, four days after the film officially hits theaters nationwide, that did not stop the tide of frustrated comments from men who realized that the theater would not change their plans and that by virtue of their Y-chromosomes, they would be unable to attend the showing."

The WITW staff finishes the article with what they seem to believe destroys the entire controversy.

"Insisting that the criticism is unfounded and that the “women-only” screening is a celebration of the character as a feminist icon rather than a conscious attempt to exclude male fans, the theater chain has held firm and added a second “women-only” screening at its New York Location. Sometimes the lasso of truth hurts, gentlemen."

Sassy. I'm hearing this argument about the supposed "veterans events" at the Drafthouse come up a lot. However, the WITW staff provide no evidence the Drafthouse has ever excluded non-veterans from public screenings. All I can find is that the Drafthouse once gave veterans free tickets. This is very different from barring non-veterans from public screenings. Also, even if the Drafthouse did bar non-veterans from public screenings, that wouldn't some how make baring men from public screenings okay. Ignoring the important differences between veterans and men, when did two wrongs make a right?

I won't even get into what the WITW is inadvertently saying about feminism by claiming that women-only events are needed to celebrate feminist icons.

Feminist outlets are much worse

A lot of coverage from smaller media outlets is even more dismissive and patronizing, but it doesn't hold a candle to coverage from feminist media outlets:

On Feminist cesspit Jezbel, Lauren Evans wrote "Men Lose Their Shit Over Alamo Drafthouse's Women-Only Wonder Woman Screening, Theater Responds By Adding More". Evans writes, "It sold out immediately, and with good reason—what better way to spend an evening than with Gal Gadot, a vat of rosé and a blissfully dick-free environment?"

Like a lot of feminist commentary on the Drafthouse screenings, Jezbel doesn't explain how a "dick-free environment" enhances the experience. The writer then goes into a predictable list of women's grievances:

"Men make 20 percent more money than women; they perform fewer child care duties and household chores (even when their wives are the family breadwinners). They pay less for pants and haircuts, and they are responsible for dictating our abortion laws. But GOD DAMN IT if they’re going to let a few dozen women celebrate the rare arrival of female superhero protagonist!"

I could spend a whole post just on this paragraph, but I'll resist. The wage gap has been debunked to the point of cliche and I've written about the alleged differences in prices for men's and women's consumer goods.

I also don't have to address any of this right now, because it's a basic logical fallacy to suggest that supposed injustices toward women invalidate injustices toward men. This is a common feminist tactic. It also makes about as much sense as me saying you don't have a papercut BECAUSE I broke my leg.

The most interesting article I've seen so far is from i09, Jezbel's nerdy sibling. Beth Elerkin's sensitively titled "A Women-Only Wonder Woman Screening Is Predictably Upsetting Dumb-Ass Sexists" actually gives a (very bad) reason for why a women's only screening is needed. Although it provides no evidence to back up the claim that the people condemning the unnecessary sex discrimination against men are some how the real "sexists" here. The article starts off about as diplomatic as you would expect:

"Within a matter of hours, a movie theater in Austin, Texas sold out its first women-only screening of DC’s Wonder Woman, and they’re already planning at least one more showing. Unfortunately, the laws of the internet dictate that anytime women get something cool, some men have to bitch about it"

And only gets better from there:

"Some men have promised to boycott the Drafthouse in retaliation, and the movie theater company’s Facebook page and Twitter account are full of cries of “reverse sexism,” “misandry,” and whatever other nonsense these jackasses use to try and explain something that doesn’t apply here at all. "Let me be frank: A women-only screening of Wonder Woman is an excellent idea, and any man who thinks it discriminates against them needs to spend the rest of the day staring in the mirror while a single tear flows down their collective cheeks."

Elerkin goes on to argue that barring men from a screening of Wonder Woman is some how justified since the majority of major superhero movies have male leads. An argument that simply doesn't make any sense.

"We’ve had trilogies for Blade, Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man, among countless others. The Hulk has had least three different films so far, each with different actors, and Spider-Man is on his third franchise in a decade, with at least one sequel already guaranteed. Do you know how many of those 130 films had female leads? Eight"

Okay...but how does this justify, or even relate to, barring men from a public event?

"So, to all the men complaining that a couple screenings of Wonder Woman exclude them, I say this: just shut up. Women have had to deal with the bullshit of non-representation for generations, and we will probably keep having to deal with it for generations to come. Wonder Woman is the first blockbuster comic book film starring a woman in American history, and it happens to star comics’ biggest female icon. At the very least, women deserve to have a space—even if it’s just a single screening of a movie that’s going to open in literally thousands of theaters across America—where they can celebrate that together. Any man who doesn’t respect that doesn’t understand what Wonder Woman’s been fighting for all these years."

Wonder Woman is definitely not the first blockbuster comic book film starring a women in all of American history. What happened to those eight movies with female leads she mentioned earlier? What definitions of "starring" and "blockbuster" is she using? The recent American Ghost in the Shell movie stars a female lead and it was based off an incredibly popular Japanese comic book (which spawned several movies, video games and a TV series).

Also I don't think Elerkin understands "what Wonder Woman's been fighting for all these years". As I mentioned in my last post, Wonder Woman has often gone against the rule that no men are allowed on her home island.

However, Elerkin does finally give us some kind of argument as to why a women's-only showing is necessary. Women apparently require a women's only space to soak in this incredible moment. A space that would be ruined by their male friends, but not by female strangers. Oh...and revenge. That also seems to play a major role.

The dumbest thing feminists could do.

Feminists have a pathological urge to squash any suggestion of the mere possibility men could face sex discrimination. It protects feminism's monopoly on gender politics. However, commenting on this was a very poor decision for feminists. While the Drafthouse's Planned Parenthood donation certainly narrows down their likely political views, it is unclear if the management are actually feminists. Feminism had plausible deniability for an instance of objective sex discrimination against men that has little real political value to the feminist movement. It's not like this will affect abortion legislation.

But many feminists couldn't help themselves. They are putting their seal of approval on the Drafthouse's actions. Now we don't just have an instance of blatant gender discrimination against men, but an instance of a feminist supported (if not outright celebrated) instance of gender discrimination against men. Again, our self-proclaimed champions of gender equality can't resist showing they actually fight against gender equality.

Notice none of the feminist responses convincingly argue that the Drafthouse's action aren't sex discrimination. At most they just say this sex discrimination doesn't matter, but they don't adequately explain why. While many people have dismissed the Drafthouse's women-only screenings as simply not being a big deal, feminists doesn't have this luxury. Feminism has spent decades shrieking at supposed sexism hidden in every shadow: in climate change, in air conditioning, in the way men (supposedly) sit down, etc. Feminists have set their bar so low for sexism, they can't help but trip over it when it comes to discrimination against men. I could only imagine the feminist response to a male-only showing of a movie about a male superhero from an all-male island who comes to our world to hack up hordes of evil women with a sword.

The hypocrisy only gets worse when you remember feminists constantly try to sell feminism to men under the guise that it will allow them to honestly express feelings of weakness that the big, bad patriarchy makes them keep inside. A patriarchy that supposedly demands men are always stoic and emotionless. A patriarchy that uses shame to keep them in line. However, feminism has again shown the moment men express any sort of emotion that feminists don't like, its accusations of whining and #masculinitysofragile. It doesn't take much for feminism to show that it's actually the devil it claims to fight.

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/wonder-woman-spoiler-review-villain-problem/

Wonder Woman Spoiler Review and Villain Problem

First off, the nerd kingdom is still surprised at how good the DC-produced Wonder Woman is, and we congratulate director Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot and Chris Pine for delivering a great film. It’s just fitting that Wonder Woman’s first theatrical outing be a great thing. We can probably say that the Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman film is DC’s counterpart to Christopher Reeve’s Superman. The film is reported to have set another record for the lowest Friday to Friday loss percentage for a Superhero film and has beaten Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella’s The Mummy and may have eaten into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s worldwide earnings pie as well. This continues as internet hype, and word of mouth continues to spread. By now, most of you have watched the film at least once so we can now proceed to spoilers and what we think made the film so great and those little flaws that need to be ironed out. One of those little flaws involves Wonder Woman joining the ranks of Marvel Cinematic Universe films in terms of villainy. Still spoiler alert for those who have yet to watch the film. Please do whether or not you’re a comic book fan. Personally, I have not read a single issue of DC’s Wonder Woman, but I have been exposed to other media, mainly on TV beginning with Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman, then the Superfriends cartoons, the 90s Justice League and other DC Animated Universe films. The film borrows some elements to her animated film by the way. First off, this is not your typical DCEU film. The sun exists in this movie. Patty Jenkins is not afraid filming in the sunlight because she probably won’t sparkle like Zack Snyder does (we know he’s having a hard time, so this ends here). The film begins by immediately telling us that this is DCEU connected by showing us a Wayne Security van bringing a package to Diana Prince. Sorry, no guys from Powerless are shown here, but that was the first thought that came to mind upon seeing the van. Well, still dreary skies over the Louvre but Diana takes the audience back to Themyscira upon seeing her World War I picture last seen in Batman V Superman. This is where we finally get to see sunlight in the DCEU. Yes. It’s a big thing. With the sun comes colors and Themyscira is the paradise that it’s supposed to be. We first see Diana as a child kept by her mother Queen Hippolyta from training with the other Amazons. But from the beginning, we see that Diana already has a passion for fighting and is seen by her aunt, General Antiope. Against Hippolyta’s wishes, Antiope trains Diana. From here, there’s also a mystery of Diana’s true nature which is the reason she’s forbidden to train. The release of Diana’s fighting spirit would make her easier to track and would expose Themyscira to the outside world. Once discovered, Hippolyta tells Antiope to train Diana as hard as she could in order to prepare her for her destiny. During a training session, Antiope trains her so hard that something is triggered in Diana that releases a burst of energy that may or may not have affected the protective field around Themyscira and allows a plane, piloted by US spy Steve Trevor into crashing near the island’s shores. Diana rescues him but he is soon followed by German mariners, and a battle ensues. Due to the animated features, one would think that Amazonians are more powerful than they look but when thrust into battle with German guns, they’re just as vulnerable as normal beings and here, the Amazons, as well as the audience, are shown the realities of war and death. You’d think that these Amazons have not dealt with death for thousands of years as they’re immortal except for mortal wounds. The Germans are wiped out at the cost of several Amazons including Antiope which adds to the drama. But the action here from the training to the fighting is pretty intense and well-choreographed. Many of the Amazon fighters cast female athletes by the way. So it’s evident that the film doesn’t start slow. The action is spread out quite well. The second chapter reveals the circumstances of Steve Trevor’s arrival. Steve is a US spy in German territory who discovers the Germans’ ultimate weapon and steals its notes but is pursued by German forces. The flashback to that has its own action sequence for Steve as he escapes in a plane and delays the Germans efforts by bombing the chemical weapons factory before escaping. Steve describes to the Amazons that the war occurring in the outside world is the war to end all wars. This makes Diana obsessed that the God of War Ares is behind all of it. Growing up, Hippolyta told Diana stories about the world of men, that the world was a beautiful and peaceful place until Ares gave men their hostile nature and that after his defeat Ares will someday return and that it will be up to the Amazons to stop him. Why World War I? Let’s stop here for a minute about World War I. Like Captain America, Wonder Woman’s origins are tied to World War II. But in this film, DC took a different approach. World War II is basically done to death but there aren’t many films that depict World War I. World War II is also associated with Nazis, and that gives any film about that war a definite villain. The film’s aim is to show a little ambiguity. No Nazis, no Hitler, no Holocaust, just the horrors that come with it. Diana’s Quest Diana’s convinced that Ares has to be stopped and makes it her quest to do so. Against her mother’s wishes, she volunteers to help Steve back to men’s world on the condition that he take her to the war and to Ares. She’s convinced that the war will end after taking out Ares. Diana steals the Godkiller sword which is said was made to kill Ares. In doing so, she discovers that she is somehow stronger and invulnerable than the others. She takes a shield, and the magic lasso used to make Steve divulge his mission. Steve and Diana are met by Hippolyta at the coast. Instead of stopping her, Hippolyta gives her blessing to the mission accepting that the whole thing is destiny. Wonder Woman’s origin differs here as she didn’t enter into a contest to prove who should be worthy to be Themyscira’s representative and receive the bracelets, the bodice, and lasso. That would make her fellow Amazons equal to her. In the comics, fellow Amazon Artemis took the mantle of Wonder Woman, even Hippolyta herself became Wonder Woman. I was hoping to hear Artemis’ name mentioned. Anyway, Diana’s quest to kill Ares and end the war makes up most of the film but grown up audiences know full well that war is complicated and that Diana is naïve and childish. The real quest is knowing how Diana discovers that she’s wrong. That underlying plot gives the film some of its charm. Darkness and Humor with a Purpose Steve and Diana make it to London, and we’re back to the DCEU’s dark and dreary atmosphere. But London and much of the world is in the period of the Industrial Revolution. A period of industry and pollution when man didn’t know any better, and that makes Jolly Old London hideous to Diana. That and the smog and fog often parodied in mainstream media. So the dreary atmosphere actually serves a purpose in the film. The pollution as well as the fog of war. The film isn’t dark and gloomy for the sake of it. Hopefully, other DCEU films after Justice League films follow suit because we’ve already seen the trailers. This is the part where she’s a fish out of water which is much expected. She struggles to fit in London assisted by Steve and secretary Etta Candy. This is also the part where much of the humor takes place. Speaking of humor, it’s not forced or shoehorned into the film. The humor is quite natural. It’s part of the film like Diana’s reaction on seeing a baby, wearing modern clothing and tasting ice cream for the first time as well as her interactions with Steve. More than Support Like Diana, Steve Trevor is much more than a love interest. He has his own quest which coincides with hers. The war is in a phase of armistice due to the Germans’ lack of resources but the villains General Ludendorff and chemist Isabel Maru (Dr. Poison) have other plans, and after seeing their weapons, Steve needs to return to the front and stop them. Britain’s imperial war cabinet forbids further intervention despite Diana deciphering the contents of Maru’s notes. Diana is also distressed that she cannot go to the front to seek out Ares. Steve promises to take her along with his own ragtag band in an unsanctioned mission to stop Ludendorff. Sir Patrick Morgan (played by David Thewlis, Harry Potter’s Remus Lupin), part of the imperial war cabinet gives his support. As mentioned in our non-spoiler review, Wonder Woman has similarities with Captain America: First Avenger. Steve here has his own Howling Commandos composed of Sameer, a French-Moroccan spy; Charlie, a drunk sharpshooter and Chief, a Native American smuggler whose an expert in getting through enemy territory. A Great Action Sequence Perhaps one of the greatest action sequences I’ve seen in a superhero film is when Diana penetrates the front lines. Diana who can no longer endure the suffering of civilians affected by the war decides to punch through the lines to rescue a besieged town. This happens as the team make their way to Ludendorff ignoring the suffering along the way. This is when Diana basically becomes Wonder Woman for the first time. Gal Gadot carried that same charisma she had when she first entered the scene in Batman v Superman but multiplied several times in this scene. The audience cheered as she walked towards the enemy and deflected the bullets with her magic bracelets. She then becomes instrumental in allowing the allied forces to leave the trenches and finally reach the town where she really kicks ass. Patty Jenkins direction is awesome, and you’ve got to see it to believe it if you haven’t yet done so. After that, there’s a time of lightness, and some celebration for the team and the town and Diana and Steve get to consummate their budding romance. This is when the photograph of the team was actually taken. The Conflict This is the part that I like the least in storytelling when the protagonists come at odds with each other which kind of ruins the fun but is essential to practically all plots. The German High Command is holding a gala attended by Ludendorff as a demonstration of his new weapon which Maru reworked despite the loss of her notes. Steve forbids here as their mission could get jeopardized, but she is determined to get to Ludendorff, convinced that he’s Ares. Ludendorff gets away but not before launching his demonstration killing everyone in the town. Diana blames Steve for intervening with her mission and proceeds to attack Ludendorff’s nearby base where he’s about to launch his offensive in the front. Steve and his team follow her. Diana fights Ludendorff enhanced by one of Maru’s potions and kills him. But her hopes of ending the war disappear as the conflict continues despite Ludendorff’s death. Steve meanwhile boards Ludendorff’s plane containing the chemicals. This is when Ares makes his appearance in the guise of Sir Patrick Morgan and tells Diana that war is inherent to humans and that he only nudges them with weapons and ideas. This is when Diana’s true nature is revealed that she is the true weapon that can destroy Ares and not the Godkiller sword which Ares destroyed on a whim. That Diana is actually the daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta and not a clay child given life. Ares tries to convince Diana to join him in destroying humans to rebuild paradise, but she refuses. Almost beaten, she gains more power upon seeing Steve sacrifice himself to blow up the chemical plane. Ares tries to use Diana’s anger to have her turn dark side by killing Dr. Maru but with Steve as an example, she tells Ares that humans are as capable of good as they are of evil and should be nudged in the right direction. The two have a final battle and she finally destroys Ares releasing a momentary burst of energy that temporarily removes hostility in the area. The story then switches back to the present day. Diana thanks Bruce for the photograph and she dons her costume to patrol the world. The Villains The film has it all. Intense action, drama, adventure and humor. The film almost follows the Marvel MCU formula but not quite as most MCU films have an inherent lightness to them. Anyway, what becomes similar to the Marvel films are the forgettable villains. Who the heck are Ludendorff and Dr. Poison? Dr. Poison is one of Wonder Woman’s recurring enemies in comics. Not sure if she already made a TV appearance anywhere including Lynda Carter’s series which I was too young to remember. Ares, we know is a major villain for Wonder Woman and is also the major villain in the Wonder Woman animated film. From TV, many would probably identify Cheetah, Giganta and the witch Circe as her rogues’ gallery. Perhaps this is one reason why Wonder Woman had to wait over 75 years to get a movie. She lacks identifiable villains despite her many years in animation. This is probably the same reason the Adrienne Palicki TV series failed to take off. That and her wonder pants. But this villain problem isn’t really a problem when it’s really the hero that takes center stage. Who was Kaecillius in Doctor Strange? Who was Yellowjacket in Ant Man? Who was Iron Monger in Iron Man? Who was Malekith in Thor 2? With films like these, the villains only serve to move the plot along in identifying the hero. They’re not meant to be really remembered though it would be nice if that were the case. A rare case is Loki in Thor. With Superman who has a long history, everyone knows his chief enemy is Lex Luthor. As for Batman, who is popular as heck, the common person won’t think twice in mentioning The Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Riddler and Two-Face. Perhaps it’s also because the budgets for such human villains aren’t so outlandish to execute unlike Spider-Man’s villains like Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus that require a lot of special effects magic to pull off. At least, hopefully with Wonder Woman, Ares has already cemented his position with Cheetah and Giganta as one of Wonder Woman’s opponents aside from being the Greek God of War. Aside from the villains and being rather slow during the non-action sequences, Wonder Woman is a great film. If we were to rate this film, let’s say 4 out of 5 sounds about right.

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