#misandrist and a man wrote her so we know how this goes.
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how kodaka felt after making most of the characters in danganronpa who are implied to be queer in some way really fucking creepy or assholes or villains
#i have an abundance of characters i can list.#nagito komaeda#kokichi oma#korekiyo shinguji#kazuichi souda#tenko chabashira#lowkey cus shes basically harassing himiko#kaede akamatsu#because why do they make her a creep about it.#idk maybe miu? iâm not gonna tag her cus iâm not sure.#mikan tsumiki#!!! forgot abt her#hiyoko saionji#also a bitch! also likely queer#mahiru koizumi#misandrist and a man wrote her so we know how this goes.#teruteru hanamura#i wouldnt doubt it.#probably moreâŠ#danganronpa#drv3#sdr2#dr thh#danganronpa v3#super danganronpa 2#danganronpa trigger happy havoc#super danganronpa 2 goodbye despair#danganronpa v3 killing harmony#joâs danganronpa posting
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the queen is dead - the smiths
iâve never listened to the smiths, and have tried to avoid them my entire life as much as i can. i successfully avoided watching 500 days of dummer for 23 years before giving in and deciding i should experience it in order to form my own opinion without any preconceived notions. itâs safe to say i was not surprised by how much i disliked the film, which definitely doesnât make me feel better about branching out now, but hopefully the smiths will not disappoint. as a disclaimer, these opinions are a practice in separating the art from the artist- i still hate morrissey as a human being. here are my notes:
the queen is dead: 3.3/5 stars
"oh, has the world changed or have i changed?" this hit harder than i expected it to
his voice is so unique and special, and i love that he acknowledges that with the line "she said, 'eh, i know, and you cannot sing'" and then to follow this up with a joke about his piano skills being worse is unfortunately iconic of him
obsessed with the voice cracks he allows himself to sing, specifically on "were" in the line "i swear to god i never knew what drugs were" because it adds such a youthful vulnerability
i love how he compares the inconvenience of his hair being messed up by the rain to "love, law, and poverty"
overall, i think the lyrics are fire, but i don't love the beat. the drums are very cool, but it's lacking in guitar/bass
frankly, mr. shankly: 3.6/5 stars
groovy fun beat that i enjoyed immediately
the way that he sings "fulfilled" and "mentally ill" to rhyme them scratches my brain
"flatulent pain in the ass" is an epic insult that i will now be adding to my vocabulary
i know it's over: 2.9/5 stars
soothing beat and singing voice
"loud loutish lover treat her kindly, though she needs you more than she loves you" felt like a slap to the face and made me gasp out loud
morrissey is so good at dragging himself, "then why are you on your own tonight?" ok ouch
"it takes guts to be gentle and kind" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
beautiful lyrics but didn't stun or wow me, unfortunately boring
never had no one ever: 2/5 stars
wait was he 20 when he wrote this??
we get it morrissey, you are alone
this was very whiny and not in a hot way
cemetery gates: 3.8/5 stars
love the guitar so much
love the simplicity of this lyric, "they were born, and then they lived, and then they died / seems so unfair, i want to cry"
"'you say 'ere thrice the sun done salutation to the dawn' and you claim these words as your own" trying very hard not to be a misandrist here but it is so unrealistic for a man to have this experience and not the other way around LMAO
bigmouth strikes again: 4.3/5 stars
immediate banger
"sweetness i was only joking when i said I'd like to smash every tooth in your head" and "when i said by rights you should be bludgeoned in your bed" HUH???? what did he sayyyyyy
"and now I know how joan of arc felt" probably the best lyric I've ever heard, once again not sure a man could ever know what she felt but sure ok
obsessed with the high pitched echoing voice in the background
the boy with the thorn in his side: 2.6/5 stars
"behind the hatred there lies a plundering desire for love" i think in this song morrissey really gives himself away in that he confuses love for acceptance. he doesn't seem to wish to be loved by someone and acutally love them in return
hard to empathize with this song not gonna lie
i like the little scatting thing he does in the second half of the song
vicar in a tutu: 1.6/5 stars
in the least chronically online social justice warrior way possible i don't love how this song is just a big joke on how funny it would be if a man wore a typically feminine piece of clothing
dumb and stupid and not funny or entertaining (though i do love a good jab at the church)
there is a light that never goes out: 4.3/5 stars
another banger
the kind of song i want to scream out my car windows while speeding down a highway
is that a flute or recorder in the background? either way, so fun!
quintessential angst teen experience of driving around in your car
some girls are bigger than others: .1/5 stars
the opposite of going out with a bang
following a banger with a FLOP
the title made me flinch
what is the point of this song?? so so lame
didn't even want to finish the song, it just repeats the one stupid lyric "some girls are bigger than others"
overall, i did not hate the album as much as i anticipated! a few bangers to add to the playlist, but definitely a few flops. this album gets a 3.4/5 from me!
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Malcolm and Marie live blog
I don't usually do liveblogs for movies but yea.
Spoilers ahead!!
I love that its modern timed but very 70s stylized.
A tune indeed.
When you are high and drunk on success and
How the white critic reacts is why I feel like gatekeeping my scripts. At the same time some things I do make are about race or involve.
Marie sitting on the patio smoking is a mood whenever men are talking.
So he's pretentious and unaware.
Whoever chose the music for this, I feel like we would be Spotify mutuals.
Can this nigga stop pacing.
Also can he stop talking;
Marie is so tired and unimpressed.
Also little booties matter and are to be bitten.
Oooo the tension and the jazz.
Title Card over mac and cheese.
Shitty boxes mac and cheese but still mac and cheese.
Tbh i always wonder if spouses/significant others get upset when their spouses don't acknowledge them during speeches.
John sounds so much like his dad but I really hope his acting style differs from his dad a lot.
Guilty confession?
He did not profit off of his partners backstory and then not even acknowledge her.....I.....
If that ever happened to me catch me cussing my partner out during the beginning credits, the end credits, in the car, and at home.
GASLIGHTER!
The way I'm excited for Zendaya to give me some, oooo can she work with Regina King. Please on my knees I pray.
Um no that's not your job to coddle your lead.
He's a dick and the type of dick who makes himself look like a good person around other people.
If Sam Levinson is trying to make his viewers more of misandrist, it's working.
I feel like Marie has her flaws probably a lot of them and we will surely see as this continues, but Malcolm needs to learn how to apologize sincerely.
70s vibes! 70s vibes!
Them kissing and talking about criticism and dreams makes me miss a partner. A partner that I've had and haven't had.
Women really are behind every great man.
Yea sir you fucked a happy moment.
Oh visual allegories for looking in from the outside and cat and mouse chasing and looking from the outside in.
She's saying she doesn't feel noticed by you.
Gas lighter :0 he called her an emotional support dog, bruh.
I would LOVE to co-write or take a writing class held by Sam Levinson. The fights i write are very much in this same realm of reflection and anger and monologue.
Sam.....sam.....are all the sides inside of you doing okay sir?
The ugly side of dating and being in a relationship with someone who struggles with their own demons.
Honestly I could close my eyes and listen to this script being read without seeing these characters visually. Just close my eyes and get a sense of these characters like it was a radio story.
Oh. Oh this is a new wheelhouse of Zendaya acting; a different voice is like breaking through here and her expressions aren't the same we are used to. You can literally hear another character in there....hmm.
Mans is outside really fighting with his invisible demons lmfao.
Selfish ass, how after everything she said you came out of it thinking about your own craft and self instead of how you hurt her.
So she's conditional.
Me: did sam (a white man) say nigga this many times in his script or are the actors adding their own inflections. Not just the lingo used but the topic of race and directing etc. being written by a white writer about black characters is always gonna be a critique when you're writer is a white person.
Alexa play Broken Girls by Saba
He is so hurtful.
A clown nigga a clown look in the fucking mirror you bozo head ass looking like you need some Mehron clown white and a size 16 in clown shoes.
John is doing a really swell performance and reading of these lines.
He is reading her for her insecurities by bringing up his experiences with other women and that.....is yikes.
Arguments can get messy like this in real life but it takes a lot of maturity and control to either not let it get to this point or have a healthy conversation afterwards.
This film is really shot on some very crisp lenses.
They sitting there like đŹđ§ââïžđ§ââïž.
Leftover Mac and Cheese and unfinished cigarettes.
The nyt etc. pay walls are so annoying, but there is a work around look at the articles on incognito or add a period at the end of the url.
He sounds like his daddy so much here, weird, this is the only part I'm eh on the dialogue it feels real but a bit out of pace in how they are bouncing off one another.
Nail scissors? So the end is not the only part he based off of Marie. đ
ITS A GOOD REVIEW YOU DINGUS but also its a full review they are going to critique things. She isn't wrong though he did profit off of a woman's story that was not his own to profit from.
Yes Malcolm because unfortunately all marginalized people look through a lens of life that is inherently political because of the world they live in.
He is so mad and upset and had a lot on his chest. But I think he Malcolm and Sam are talking about something thats an issue and a non issue. Being critiqued for you art is hard but also Malcolm is not super self aware. He's like a stand in figure of for example rich depop sellers who wanna be oppressed so badly they yell at others instead of examining their own personal behaviors and ethics.
Oh Marie, when you know the spark is gone and you pick fights because.
He ain't even ask her to read?
One critic I have for most of hollywood actors is they learn their cry and that is it. A change from this is Margot Robbie, I adore her fluctuations of crying being similar but the crying is carried differently for each character. If I had to say any actor that does a cry scene amazing its this woman right here (Amy Adams)
You stole her story from her and gave it away, she has a right to be upset and angry and a rubber band ball of emotions.
Citizen Kane, not the cinematography, but the story is it even that good? (Unpopular opinion but meh, maybe in my rewatch it will be better.)
But that is what people want authenticity and whatever authenticity means to them. What is real for one is false for another.
To be honest look at the criticism of Euphoria, well earned, but a lot of people were like this isn't real even though he literally wrote about his own life. People said it was inauthentic like....wtf.
Ahh the smoking is just a habit, he quit and she didn't.
CAST ZENDAYA IN A HORROR MOVIE PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING. Get Lupita and Zendaya and some more black actors preferably less known ones in a horror movie. One with a interesting script and story, directed by Regina King. Please and thankyou.
I love Marie yep that was amazing.
Behind every great man is a greater woman, one that deserves her credit for how she has stood behind. I wonder the stories of those women, what they have sacrificed or not sacrificed. Their thoughts and feelings when the world is surrounding their partner and views them as a plus one. (I'd write a short script about this but I think do I have the time, can I, or am I equipped ?)
He is a shitty person for bringing up his exes, like she even said I don't wanna know any of that.
Imagine being on anti depressents and rarely having a sex drive and then when you do your partner starts talking about their exes and tearing you apart for all your faults.
I love when you see peaks of Zendaya's cadence in roles.
Tension, what if's and he didn't even bring her up in his speech.
Marie to herself and the audience:
He is not afraid that he will loose her but as my character says in my unreleased story, "i can't wait til you give me a fucking reason to leave your ass." Malcolm expects everything in order for not even doing the bare minimum and she is only asking him for something as simple as consideration. She just wants him to be considerate. He wants to get married and considers their relationship like rolling down a hill at full speed and he cannot apologize, he cannot be considerate, and he cannot admit his wrongs. He can only offer her I love yous that he probably does mean but he does not back up outside of what he's done for her in the past. The past which was more of her experience than his and he sees his part in it as a burden. He doesn't use his own vantage point of the past to further his career he uses her. He does all of these things without a real apology or thankyou because he is not afraid to loose her.
The restrictions of quarantine and the panorama have made Sam's writing very no frills. I wonder how other films from other directors and writers that are filmed in small contained crews like this will be structured. But this was a very good movie gonna add to my letter box 3.3-3.5
Oh shit this is my song,
Ratings/overall thoughts:
Script is like a C+, B- : I could go into my heavier big brain thoughts on the script but I don't feel like it. You catch hints of it above it centers conversation on race and privilege, mainly the writers and questions i have that won't be answered but Sam did make me grow disdain for Malcolm over a short time. Which is sometimes hard to do because im one sympathetic person but the sympathy i have for Malcolm is at 0. Maybe a 2 at some scenes but then it quickly goes back to 0. Some parts of the dialogue miss the mark or hit the are off balanced. While some of it like Malcolm's bathroom speech albeit mean is really strong or their conversation when he comes back from peeing really shines for me.
Performances: B+ to A- because they carried the script further than it could of gone with less talented actors. The monologues do well to showcase their current skill levels which are already high af and leave room for anticipation in where these actors go next.
Zendaya holding a knife: A+ with a gold star. That switch on and off and on is delectable.
John being a shitty boyfriend but following Marie like a lost puppy: B+ with a good job written at the bottom of the paper, Malcolm being nervous a frantic dialed up with more realistic nervousness would have sold me completely on Malcolm's anxious waiting.
Cinematography: A and a participation award.
The mac and cheese: A+ for the easy mac. Wish it was like Annie's or Velveeta.
Cigarettes: Participation award and their picture hung up for student of the month. Why the grill lighter? Everytime Malcolm opened up his mouth Marie was like sparks fly.
The music: A++ with a prize. Whoever picked the music probably makes good Spotify playlists.
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The Weekend Warrior Christmas - New Yearâs Edition â WONDER WOMAN 1984, NEWS OF THE WORLD, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI..., PIECES OF A WOMAN, HERSELF, SYLVIEâS LOVE and More!
Welcome to the VERY LAST Weekend Warrior of the WORST YEAR EVER!!! But hopefully not the last column forever, even though I already plan on taking much of January off from writing 8 to 10 reviews each week. It just got to be too much for a while there.
Because itâs the last week of the year, there are a lot of really good movies, some in theaters but also quite a few on streaming services. In fact, there are a good number of movies that appeared in my Top 10 for the yearover at Below the Line, as well as my extended Top 25 that Iâll share on this blog sometime next week. I was half-hoping to maybe write something about the box office prospects of some of the new movies, but after the last couple weeks, itâs obvious that box office is not something that will be something worth writing about until sometime next spring or summer.
(This column is brought to you by Paul McCartneyâs new album âMcCartney IIIâ which Iâm listening to as I finish this up⊠and then other solo Beatles ditties picked for me randomly by Tidal.)
First up is easily one of the most anticipated movies of the year, or at least one that actually didnât move to 2021, and thatâs WONDER WOMAN 1984 (Warner Bros.), Patty Jenkinsâ sequel to the 2017 hit, once again starring Gal Gadot as Diana Prince. I reviewed it here, but basically the sequel introduces Wonder Woman arch-nemeses Barbara Minerva aka Cheetah, as played by Kristen Wiig, and Pedro Pascalâs Max Lord and how an ancient artifact gives them both their powers, as well as helps to bring Dianaâs true love Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) back despite him having disappeared presumed dead in WWI. As you can see by reading my review, I thought it was just fine, not great and certainly not something Iâd make an attempt to see a second time in a 25% capacity movie theater. Fortunately, besides debuting in around 2,100 movie theaters across the nation, it will also be on HBO Max day and date, which has caused quite a stir. Being Christmas weekend with no work/school on Monday, I can see it still making somewhere between $10 and 12 million, but I canât imagine it doing nearly what it might have done with most theaters only 25-30% full at the maximum and that theater count being roughly half the number it might have gotten during the ânormal times.â
Paul Greengrassâ Western NEWS OF THE WORLD (Universal) reteams him with his Captain Phillips star Tom Hanks, this time playing Captain Jefferson Kidd, a Civil War soldier who travels from town to town in the Old West reading from newspapers to anyone who has a dime and time to listen. After one such reading, he discovers a young girl (Helena Zengel) on her own, having spent the last few years with a family of Native Americans who were killed by soldiers. Together, they travel across America as Kidd hopes to bring the girl to her last surviving family members.
I already reviewed Greengrassâ movie for Below the Line, and I also  spoke to Mr. Greengrass, an interview you can read that right here (once it goes live), but I make no bones that this was one of my favorite movies Iâve seen this year, and itâs not just due to the fine work by Greengrass and his team. No, itâs just as much about the emotion inherent in the story, and the relationship between the characters played by Hanks and Zengel. Â
Iâve watched the movie three times now, and Iâm still blown away by every frame and moment, the tension thatâs created on this difficult journey but also where it leaves the viewers at the end that promises that there can be hope and joy even in the most difficult and turbulent times. Itâs a wonderful message thatâs truly needed right now.
Listen, Iâm not gonna recommend going to a movie theater if you donât feel itâs safe â Iâve already spoken my peace on this at a time when COVID numbers were much lower â but this is a movie that I personally canât wait to see in a movie theater. I honestly canât see the movie making more than $3 or 4 million in the open theaters considering how few people are willing to go to movie theaters. Obviously, this isnât as big a draw as Wonder Woman, but it is a fantastic big screen movie regardless.
Also opening in theaters this Friday is Emerald Fennellâs directorial debut PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (Focus Features), starring the wonderful Oscar-nominated Carey Mulligan as Cassie Thomas, a woman who has revenge on her mind. Cassie spends her nights picking up guys in bars by pretending sheâs so drunk she can barely walk, then humiliating them and presumably worse. When she encounters an acquaintance from med school in the form of Bo Burnhamâs Ryan, the two begin dating, though he ends up awakening a darker side to Cassie that seeks revenge for something that happened back during their school days. (Honestly, if youâre already sold, just skip to the next movie. Thatâs all I want you to know before watching it.)
I was ready to love Fennellâs movie when it opened with a disgusting shot of gross stock market bros in loose-fitting suits gyrating in slow motion before one of them tries to pick up a totally soused Cassie at the club. Itâs a scene that really plays itself out quite well, and then leads into Mulliganâs character allowing another clear scumbag (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, maybe as a slight-older McLovin?) before turning the tables on him as well.
Thereâs going to be a lot of talk about this movie after people see it, since itâs one of those great films that begins a lot of conversations. I imagine most women of a certain age will love it, but some men might see themselves in some of the characters (even Burnhamâs) and wonder whether Cassie just wonât take crap from any man or if sheâs a full-on misandrist. One thing we do know a lot is that she does this sort of thing a lot, and thereâs something from her past that has driven her involving something that happened to her female friend in med school. Iâm going to stop talking about the plot here, because I definitely donât want to spoil anything who hasnât seen the movie, but the second half of the movie is as deeply satisfying as Tarantinoâs Kill Bill in terms of the surprises.
Youâll realize while watching what a treat youâre in for when you first watch Mulliganâs amazing transformation from pretending to be drunk to being completely cognizant and just all the emotions we see her go through after that. Of course, we never really know what sheâs actually doing to the guys she lets pick her up -- she keeps a notebook with guyâs names and a quizzical counting system, so we can only imagine.
Fennellâs screenplay is fantastic but her work as a first-time director in maintaining the the tone and pacing of the movie is really what will keep you captivated, whether itâs the amazing musical choices or how Cassie dresses up to lure men. Thereâs also a great cast around Mulligan whether itâs comic Burnham in a relatively more serious role, but one that also allows him a musical number. (No joke.) Fennelâs amazing casting doesnât just stop there from, Jennifer Coolidge as Cassieâs mother to Laverne Cox as Gail, her workmate/boss at the coffee shop â both of them add to the filmâs subtle humor elements. Alfred Molina shows up to give a show-stopping performance, and Alison Brie also plays a more dramatic role as another one of Cassieâs classmates. I can totally understand why the Golden Globes might have deemed the movie a âcomedy/musicalâ (for about two days before going back) , but putting so many funny people in dramatic roles helps give Promising Young Woman its own darkly humorous feel. All that darkness is contrasted by this sweet romance between Cassie and Ryan thatâs always in danger of imploding due to Cassieâs troubled nature.
The biggest shocking surprise is saved for the third act, and boy, itâs going to be one that people will be talking about for a VERY long time, because itâs just one gut punch after another. I loved this movie, as itâs just absolutely brilliant â go back and see where it landed in my Top 10. As one of the best thrillers from the past decade, people will be talking about this for a very long timeÂ
Promising Young Woman hits theaters on Christmas Day, and presumably, it will be available on VOD sometime in January, but this is not one you want to wait on. If you do go see it in theaters, just be safe, please. No making out with random men or women, please.
Regina Kingâs narrative feature debut, ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI... (Amazon Studios), will ALSO be in theaters on Christmas Day, and though Iâve reviewed it over at Below the Line, but Iâll talk a little more about it here just for my loyal Weekend Warrior readers.
Yet another movie that made my Top 10, this one stars a brilliant quartet of actors -- Â Kingsley Ben-Adir, Leslie Odom Jr., Aldis Hodge and Eli Goreeâas four legendary black icons: Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Jim Brown and Cassius Clay, on the night after the last of them wins the World Boxing Championship against Sonny Liston in February 1964. The four men meet in Malcolm Xâs hotel room to discuss whatâs happening in their lives and the world in general, as well as Clayâs decision to join the Nation of Islam, just as Malcolm X is getting ready to leave the brotherhood due to philosophical differences with the group. In fact, all four men have philosophical differences that are discussed both in good humor and in deep conflict as they disagree on their place in a white-dominated world in a year before the Civil Rights Act would be signed.
First of all, thereâs no way to talk about this movie without discussing the Kemp Powers play on which itâs based, and we canât mention that without mentioning that Powers also co-wrote and co-directed Pixarâs Soul, which will be available on Disney+ this Friday. Itâs a fantastic script and King put together a fantastic cast of actors who really give their all to every scene. In the case of Leslie Odom, Jr., you really can believe him as Cooke, especially in a number of fantastic performances pieces. Likewise, Goree looks a lot like Clay both in the ring and out, carrying all of the swagger for which he would become more famous as Ali.
Iâve seen the movie twice already and if youâve looked at my Top 10, then you already know this is another one that made my cut, so I donât think I need to give it a much harder sell. Iâm sure youâll be hearing a lot about this one on its journey to Oscar night when hopefully, King becomes the first woman of color to be nominated in the directing category. Or rather, sheâll probably tie for that honor with Nomadland director ChloĂ© Zhao.
If you donât feel like going to theaters for this one, youâll be able to catch it on Amazon Prime Video on January 15, too⊠youâll just have to wait a little longer.
Also, the new Pixar animation movie, SOUL, directed by Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out) and co-directed by Kemp Powers (remember him?), will hit Disney+ on Christmas Day, and I reviewed it here, so I probably donât have  lot more to say about it, but itâs great, and if you have Disney+, Iâm sure youâll be watching it.
Unfortunately, I couldnât get a screener for Matteo Garroneâs PINNOCHIO (Roadside Attractions), which also opens in about 700 theaters on Christmas Day. This adaptation stars Robert Benigni as Geppeto, who famously starred as Pinocchio in his own version of the classic fairy tale from 2002. That other movie was âWeinsteinedâ at a time when that just meant that a movie was ruined by Harvey Weinsteinâs meddling, rather than anything involving sexual assault.
Another great movie hitting streaming this week is Eugene Asheâs SYLVIEâS LOVE, which streams on Amazon Prime Video today. It stars Tessa Thompson as Sylvie and Nnamdi Asomugha (also a producer on the film) as Robert, who meet one summer in the late 50s while working at Sylvieâs fatherâs record store. He is a jazz musician who is on the rise, but their romance is cut short when he gets a gig in Paris but she refuses to go with him. Also, sheâs pregnant with his child. Years later, they reconnect with her now being married with a young daughter (clearly Robertâs) and they realize that the love between them is still very real and true.
This is the first of three movies I watched this week where I went in with very little knowledge and absolute zero expectations. Like everyone else on earth, I am an avid fan of Ms. Thompsonâs work both in movies like Thor: Ragnarok and smaller indies. Sheâs just a fantastic presence that lights up a screen. While I wasnât as familiar with Asomughaâs acting work â heâs produced some great films and acted in a few I liked, included Crown Heights â thereâs no denying the chemistry between the two.
Whatâs kind of interesting about the movie is that it combines a few elements from other great movies released this week, including Soul and A Night in Miami, but in my opinion, handles the music business aspect to the story better than the much-lauded Netflix movie, Ma Raimeyâs Black Bottom. Frankly, I also think the performances by the two leads are as good as those by Boseman and Davis in that movie, but unfortunately, Amazon is submitting this to the Emmys as as âTV movieâ rather than to the Oscars, so thatâs kind of a shame.
This is a movie thatâs a little hard to discuss why I enjoyed it so much without talking about certain scenes or moments, or just go through the entire story, but I think part of the joy of appreciating what Ashe has done in his second original feature film is to tell the story of these two characters over the course of a decade or so in a way that hasnât been done before. That alone is quite an achievement, because weâve seen many of those types of movies over the years (When Harry Met Sally, for instance).
What I really liked about Sylvieâs Love over some of the other âblack moviesâ this year is that it literally creates its own world and just deals with the characters within it, rather than trying to make a big statement about the world at the time. Maybe you can say the same about Soul in that sense, but you would be absolutely amazed by how much bigger an audience you can get by telling a grounded story in a relatable world, and then throw in a bit of music, as both those movies do.
So thatâs all Iâll say except that this will is now on Amazon Prime Video , so you have no excuse not to check it out while you wait for Regina Kingâs equally great One Night in Miami to join it in mid-January.
Hitting Netflix on Christmas day is Robert Rodriguezâs WE CAN BE HEROES, his sequel to his 2005 family film The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl â not his best moment -- which follows the kids of the Heroics, a Justice League-like super group. Theyâre all in a special school for kids with powers but they have to step up when the Heroics are captured by aliens. Want to know what will happen? Well, youâll just have to wait for Christmas Day for when my review drops to find out whether I liked it more or less than Rodriguezâs earlier film which SPOILER!! I hated.)
The first thing you need to get past is that Shark Boy and Lava Girl are now man and wife, and just that fact might be tough for anyone who only discovered the movie sometime more recently. There are other familiar faces in the Heroics like Pedro Pascal, Sung Kang, Christian Slater, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and more, so clearly, Rodriguez is still able to pull together a cast.
The movie actually focuses on YaYa Goselinâs Missy Moreno, daughter of the Heroicâs leader (Pascal) who has also retired. Just as aliens are invading the earth, Missy is put into a school of kids with superpowers, all kids of various Heroic members. Sure, itâs derived directly from The X-Men and/or Miss Peregrineâs Home for Peculiar Children, so yeah⊠basically also the X-Men. We meet all of the kids in a great scene where we see them using their powers and learn their personalities, and honestly, they really are the best part of the movie.Probably the most adorable is Guppy, the very young daughter of Shark Boy and Lava Girl, played by Viven Blair. Oddly, Missy doesnât have any powers so she feels a bit fish-out-of-water in the group even though, like her father, she proves to be a good leader.
As much as I really detested Rodriguezâs Shark Boy and Lava Girl movie, I feel like he does a lot better by having a variety of kids in this one, basically something for everyone, but also not a bad group of child actors. (Thereâs also a fun role for Adriana Barrazaâ.) There are definitely aspects that are silly, but Rodriguez never loses sight of his audience, and wisely, Netflix is offering this as a Christmas Day release which should be fun for families with younger kids who might see this as their first superhero movie.
More discerning viewers may not be particularly crazy about visual FX, all done as usual in Rodriguezâs own studio but some of them look particularly hoaky and cheap compared to others. (I mean, thatâs probably the appeal for hiring Rodriguez because heâs able to do so much in-house. In this case, he got all four of his own kids involved in various capacities of making the film.)
We Can Be Heroes is clearly a movie made for kids, so anyone expecting anything on part with Amazonâs The Boys will be quite disappointed. Itâs probably Rodriguez getting slightly closer to Spy Kids than he has with any of his other family-friendly movies, but one shouldnât go in with the expectations that come with any of the much bigger blockbusters released these days. Personally, I enjoyed that fact, and I totally would watch another movie with this superteam.
Michel Staskoâs BOYS VS. GIRLS (Gravitas Ventures) is a fun retro-comedy that follows a war between the male and female counselors at Camp Kindlewood, which has just gone co-ed. At the center of it all is Dale (Eric Osborne) and Amber (Rachel Dagenais) as two teens who are in the middle of a meet-cute romance in the middle of a inter-gender competition called âLumberman vs. Voyagers,â which I have no idea whether itâs a real thing or not.
I probably should have known Iâd like this one from the catchy New Order-ish song in the opening credits, but listen, Wet Hot American Summer is one of my all-time favorite movies, and that was basically made to satirize â80s movies like Meatballs. This one falls more towards to the latter in terms of humor, but it also feels authentic to the â80s summer camp experience.
It helps that the grown-ups at the camp are played by the likes of Kevin McDonald from New Kids on the Block, Colin Mochrie from Whose Line is It Anyway and others, but itâs really about the younger cast playing teen boys and girls in the throes of puberty, something we all can in some way relate to. The young cast play a series of stereotypical young but there are a lot of funny tropes within them, as each of the cast is given a chance to deliver some of the funnier gags. This isnât necessarily high-brow humor, mind you, but I love the fact that you can still make a movie about a time where you could still make fun of girlâs periods in school. (Iâm kidding. I just put that in there cause I feel like I need to throw things like that into this column just to see if anyone is ACTUALLY reading it.)
The presumably Canadian Stasko is another great example of an independently-spirited filmmaker who has an idea for a fun movie and then just goes about making it, regardless of having big stars or anything to sell it besides many funny moments that can be featured a trailer, so that those who like this kind of movie will find it. Listen, Wet Hot American Summer wasnât a huge hit when it was released. I still remember it having trouble getting a single screening at the multiplex in Times Square when it was released but over the years since it became sort of a cult hit (kind of due to Netflix having it to rent on DVD, I think).
Besides a fun script and cast, Stasko also find a way to include tunes that sound so much like real â80s songs we would have heard on the radio but arenât quite the big hits that would have cost him thousands of dollars, but I really just enjoyed the heck out of the tone and overall fun attitude that went into making this movie.
Also on VOD now is Ian Cheney and Martha Shaneâs fascinating and funny doc, THE EMOJI STORY (Utopia), which I saw at the Tribeca Film Festival when it was called âPicture Character.â (Thatâs what âemojiâ in Japanese means, just FYI.) As you can guess itâs about the origins and rise of the emoji as a form of communication from its humble beginning in Japan to becoming one of the biggest trending crazes on the globe. Iâm not that big an Emoji guy myself â I tend to use the thumbs up just for ease, but I do marvel at those who can put together full thoughts using a string of these symbols, and if you want to know more about them, this is the movie you should watch.
Now letâs cut ahead to some of the movies that will be opening and streaming NEXT weekâŠ
Hitting select theaters on Wednesday, December 30 and what really is my âFEATURED FLICKâ for this column is Hungarian filmmaker KornĂ©l (White God) MundruczĂłâs PIECES OF A WOMAN (Netflix) before its streaming premiere on Netflix January 7.
Written by Kata WĂ©ber, who also wrote MundruczĂłâs earlier film, it stars Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) and Shia Labeouf as Martha and Sean Weiss, a Boston couple who lose their baby during a particularly difficult home birth and follows the next year in their lives and how that tragic loss affects their relationship with each other and those around them.
As you can imagine, Pieces of a Woman is a pretty heavy drama, one that reminded me of the films of Todd Field (Little Children, In the Bedroom) in terms of the intensity of the drama and the emotions on screen from the brilliant cast MundruczĂł put together for his English language debut. Iâm not sure I could use the general plot to sell anyone on seeing this because it is very likely the worst possible date movie of the year after Netflixâs 2019 release, Marriage Story, but itâs just as good in terms of the writing and performances.
At the center of it is Kirby â and yeah, I still havenât watched The Crown, so shut up! Iâll get to it!!! â who most of us fell in love with for her role in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, but what we see her go through as an actress here really shows the degree of her abilities. But it also shows what MundruczĂł can do with material that (like many movies) started out as a play. For instance, one of the first big jaw-dropping moments is the home birth scene that goes on for a long time, seemingly all in one shot, and Kirby is so believable in terms of a woman going through a difficult birth, youâd believe she has had children herself. (She hasnât.)  I also donât want to throw Shia Labeouf under the bus right now just because that seems like the trendy thing to do. (Without getting it, I believe FKA Twigs⊠but that doesnât deny the fact that Labeouf is just the latest great actor that everyone wants to cancel.)
Anyway, to change the subject, we have to talk about Ellen Burstyn, who plays Marthaâs meddling mother, who is quite clingy and overbearing, so when the couple lose their baby, she steps in to take to task the midwife she deems responsible (played by the highly-underrated Molly Parker). Or rather, she hires a family lawyer (Sarah Snook) to take her to court to get compensation for the loss of her daughterâs baby. The filmâs last act culminates as their case goes to court.
Again, the film covers roughly a year after the tragedy and deals not only with how Martha and Seanâs relationship is affected and how it emotionally affects Martha in particular, but also how others around them start behaving towards them. It feels so authentic and real that you wonder where the screenwriter was drawing from, but MundruczĂł has more than prove himself as as filmmaker by creating something that is visually compelling and even artsy while still doing everything to help promote the story and performances over his own abilities as a director. Doesnât hurt that he has composer Howard Shore scoring the film in a way thatâs subtle but effective.
Listen, if youâre looking for a comedy riot that will entertain you with funny one-liners and pratfalls than Pieces of a Woman is not for you. This is a devastating movie that really throws the viewer down a deep spiral along with its characters. The first time I watched it, I was left quite broken, and maybe even more so on second viewing.  (As we get closer to Oscar season⊠in four months ⊠I hope this film will be recognized and not just thrown under the table due to Labeoufâs involvement. That would be as big a tragedy and misjustice as much of what happens in the movie.)
So yeah, in case you wondered why this also made it into my prestigious Top 10 for the year, that is why. :)
Also in theaters on Wednesday, December 30 is another terrific drama, the Phyllida Lloyd-directed HERSELF (Amazon Studios), co-written and starring Clare Dunne, as Sandra, a mother of two young girls, trying to get out of an abusive marriage, while making ends meet and providing shelter for her kids. One day, she learns about a way that she can build her own home, and one of the women she cares for offers a plot of land
Another movie that I really didnât know much about going into, other than Phyllida Lloyd being a talented filmmaker whose movie The Iron Maiden, which won Meryl Streep her 500th Oscar, I enjoyed much more than the popular blockbuster hit musical, Mamma Mia! This is a far more personal story that reminded me of Ken Loachâs I, Daniel Blake, a smaller and more intimate character piece that shines a light on British actor Clare Dunne, who as with some of the best and most personal movie projects, co-wrote this screenplay for herself to act in.
There are aspects to the film that reminds me of many other quaint Britcoms in terms of creating a story where one personâs challenge is taken up by others who are willing to help, and in this case, itâs Sandraâs desire to build a house for her two quite adorable daughters while also trying to keep it secret from her abusive ex.
Dunneâs performance isnât as showy as some of the other dramatic performances mentioned in this very column, but she and Lloyd do a fine job creating an authenticity that really makes you believe and push for her character, Sandra, surrounding her with characters who can help keep the movie on the lighter side despite very serious nature of spousal abuse (which also rears its ugly head in Pieces of a Woman). Oh, and donât get too comfortable, because this, too, leads to an absolutely shocking and devastating climax you wonât see coming. (Well, now you will⊠but youâll still be shocked. Trust me.)
Still, itâs a really nice movie with the house being built clearly a metaphor. Â I know thereâs a lot of truly fantastic movies discussed in this weekâs column but donât let this wonderful British drama pass you by, because you can tell itâs a labor of love for everyone who made it.
Herself will be in theaters for roughly a week starting December 30 before streaming on Prime Video on January 8.
In select theaters and on VOD on New Yearâs Day is Roseanne Liangâs WWII thriller SHADOW IN THE CLOUD (Vertical/Redbox Entertainment), starring ChloĂ« Grace Moretz as Flight Officer Maude Garrett, who is assigned to deliver a top-secret package on the B-17 bomber âThe Foolâs Errandâ with an all-male crew that throws her into a turret âfor her own safety.â She ends up getting trapped down there as the plane is attacked by a creature that no one believes is out there, as they fight back against the unseen enemy, many secrets are revealed.
This is yet another movie I didnât know that much about other than it has Moretz on an airplane, but thereâs so much about the movie that both had me scratching my head but also has me quite deliriously amused that filmmakers could get away with some of the craziness that we witness. Maybe itâs not a surprise that the movie was co-written by Max Landis -- not exactly the most beloved screenwriter in Hollywood these days, and certainly not a critical favorite.
Again I really didnât know what to expect so after Moretzâs character gets on the plane and is trapped in the turret under the plane, I thought that maybe I was seeing something similar to the one-location thriller 7500, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, which I wasnât too big a fan of even though the actor was good. Moretz continues to be quite a phenomenal actor, but the mix of Mahuia Bridgman-Cooperâs music, which borrows as much from Soulwax (look âem up on Spotify) as John Carpenter, and the sexist attitude by the male crew towards Garrett made me unsure of what the movie was meant to say.
Much of the movie just has Moretz on her own with the menâs voices over the comms, which is not something that could possibly sustain a whole movie. Part of it is borrowed from a very well-known episode of âThe Twilight Zone,â in fact.
but fortunately, it breaks from out of that deceit but then just starts getting crazier and crazier. Iâm not even gonna tell you about what happens or whatâs in the box Garrett is carrying or where things go, because honestly, I donât think you would believe me.
I havenât seen any of Ms. Liangâs previous films but when you realize how much crazy stuff sheâs able to get way with, Iâll be really interested what she does next. Itâs been a long time since Iâve seen any movie thatâs quite as crazy as Shadow in the Cloud or one that makes me want to watch it again for that very reason.
Oscar-winning Icarus director Bryan Fogelâs doc THE DISSIDENT (Briarcliff), which opens in theaters Friday then will be On Demand January 8, follows the horrific assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in September 2018, thought to be the work of the Saudi kingdom and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aka MBS.
Iâm really fascinated by movies like this one and Ryan Whiteâs recent Assassins â both which could be in the Best Documentary race at the Oscars in April, by the detective and investigative work done by both filmmakers to get to the bottom of murders that shouldnât be possible and find those that are responsible. Iâll admit that I didnât really pay much attention to this story when it was happening a few years back, so I donât know how much of the details are new and exclusive to Fogelâs doc. He does get access to Kashouggiâs fiancĂ© Hatice who had gone with Jamal to the Saudi embassy in Turkey to get proof that he was single and could marry when he vanished for days and then turne up dead.
Fogel also meets with another Saudi dissident now living in Quebec who goes through the events that led up to Kashouggiâs murder that involved a social media campaign against the journalist within a country where 80% of the population is on Twitter (!).
This is another fascinating doc by Fogel that Iâm sure some will be more interested in due to its subject, but when it comes to investigative pieces that really take a deep dive into news from the headlines, Fogel has created another unforgettable doc.  (Also, it was absolutely little surprise to me that Fogelâs film is co-written by Mark Monroe, who has been involved with some of the best docs Iâve seen over the past 15 years or so⊠ just look up his IMDB credits!)
Opening at the Film Forum Virtual Cinema in New York for a one-week qualifying run is Russiaâs movie for Oscar consideration, Andrei Kochalovskyâs DEAR COMRADES! (NEON), a black and white dark dramedy set in 1960s Kruschchev-era Russia. It involves a strike by locomotive workers when the government raises food prices, leading to chaos and a massacre that leaves a Communist party loyalist, Â Lyuda (played by Julia Vysotskaya) who the film then follows. Unfortunately, I had a choice of either writing this column or watching this two-hour movie. I opted for the former (obviously) but I do hope to get to this later in the week and should be adding more on this movie once I do.
Also streaming in Film Forumâs Virtual Cinema starting next Wednesday, December 30, is Mario Monicelliâs 1960 film, The Passionate Thief.
Unfortunately, I also wasnât able to get to Two Ways Home (Gravitas Ventures), In Corpore or Fire Will Come, which will open in Metrographâs digital ticketing system.
Metrograph will also continue showing Tsia Ming-Liangâs Goodbye, Dragon Inn, Fruit Chanâs Made in Hong Kong, and lots of great programming over the holidays. It would be a great time to get yourself or a loved one a digital membership for just $50! (James Gray is also programming some of his own films like Little Odesssa and other favorites, like Richard Quineâs Strangers When We Meet, over the holidays.)
By the way, if you read this weekâs column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers ⊠honest!Â
#TheWeekendWarrior#Movies#Reviews#WonderWoman84#OneNightInMiami#NewsOfTheWOrld#PromisingYoungWoman#PiecesOfAWoman#SylviesLove Herself TomHanks
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Hey! Hope you're having a good day! I had a question, if that's okayy. I was re-watching Tanhaiyaan! I loved that series - Barun and Surbhi had amazing chemistry and I loved the soundtrack. I was just wondering what your thoughts on it were. I did search your tumblr to find reviews or something of the sort for the series, but it kinda came up empty. So I thought I'd ask you. Thanks! :)
Hi friend!
Iâm well thanks! Hope youâre having a good day too!
I did do some spoilery mini-lbs for the series. Also lol, I wrote a really detailed review when I watched it (Feb 2017), that I didnât publish then for some reason. Itâs not a show I am inclined to revisit, so here are my thoughts from then, with some mild editing.
what works
the chemistry: barun and surbhi have good chemistry, and their scenes together are enjoyable. they sell all the facets, from the flirting to the attraction to the nice comfortable intimacy they settle into eventually.
the progressiveness: i dunno if the sponsorship deal from tinder mandated it, but the show is refreshingly sex positive (⊠for something coming out of a mainstream tellywood production house.)
the screenplay: the dialogue, especially in the scenes where meera and haider banter and flirt, is fun. 4 lions shows have always had some brilliant dialogue (esp. in the shiny starting days - the honeymoon period.) if youâre into shayaari and the like, youâll enjoy that stuff in sobtiâs soulful husky voice. iâm not, so i found it pretty corny.
what  doesnât work
the pacing: where tanhaiyan suffers the most, is pacing. i mean, call me cynical, but i found it really hard to buy that two people, who met like what⊠4 days ago? could be THIS deeply in love. for godssake, how MUCH can you love, or even KNOW a person with whom your only conversations have been sexy banter? the only deep thing they know about each other is that theyâve both lost important people in their lives. as much as i love sobti and jyoti (who are good actors for the most part and engage me emotionally), i was constantly rolling my eyes that within less than a week of meeting each other, these two had gone through lust-love-a breakup-ENGAGEMENT-second breakup. MAN, THEREâS A LOAF OF BREAD ON MY KITCHEN COUNTER THAT IâVE HAD A LONGER AND MORE STABLE RELATIONSHIP WITH.
the writing: the writing is the second biggest issue i have with this show, almost equal to the pacing. the thing is, the show feels like a fanfic thatâs been brought to life. not even GOOD fanfic, but a mediocre fanfiction riddled with plot holes and crack AUs. look, haider and meera have emotional issues. all fine and good. by episode 9, theyâve opened up to each other (trust me when i say iâm using the phrase âopened upâ in the loosest manner possible.) and seem to have made a decision to be together. but then lo and behold, in the last 5 minutes of the second last episode, thereâs a WHOLE NEW PROBLEM.  like⊠why? so unnecessary. just to round it out to 10 episodes?
the slap: misandrist that i am, i am usually rooting for the asshole male lead to get slapped, especially on a 4 lions show, where he most probably deserves it. but in this show even *i* was like, oh come on, that was unwarranted. yes, heâs being a jerk, but the slap was just⊠??????? and lol, that one slap and a lecture from meera seems to thikaane lagaofy all of haiderâs emotional issues instantly. lmao if only it were that easy; kisi ko duniya mein therapy ki zaroorat hi nahi hoti. (which we know that all 4 lions men need. extensively.)
the pandering: sometimes, the progressiveness of the show seems to be be bordering on pandering, with no real motivation behind it other than to SEEM progressive. like tanya, meeraâs friend, who talks about wanting âno-strings-attached sexâ with an italian guy and in the very next minute, wistfully saying she could have had a half-italian baby by now. um, that doesnât sound very âno-strings-attachedâ to me. or the fact that avantika and sidâs whole big issue is solved by ONE sentence from haider âsabka past hai, tera hai, mera hai; ladkiyon ka past kyun nahi ho sakta?â (to which all the ladies appreciatively nod @ haider, seeing him as the new paragon of feminism) ⊠okaaaaay then.
haiderâs character suffers from classic 4 lions male lead bipolarity. one second, heâs lovingly asking her how she is the way she is (so âcool and non-judgmental!â), and when the answer includes guilt over death of her family, he freaks the fuck out and shuts down. what, did he think heâs the only person on the planet whoâs ever had to deal with death and regret? what does her answer have anything to do with HIM? he gets slapped for talking flippantly about her parentsâ death and grief, and within the matter of 2 scenes, heâs telling meera that she âsaw his soulâ, when heâs revealed absolutely NOTHING personal about himself, including the reason of his grief. he proposes marriage, and when meera (very rightfully!) says itâs moving a little quickly, he explodes to accuse her of loving her career more than him. um, sheâs known you for like 72 hours, buddy. calm the fuck down. donât even get me started on the fact that he just abandoned her with no explanations given on their engagement day, based on some assumptions he made by sherlocking some clues together (that too wrongly.) classic fucking 4 lions male lead move.
meeraâs character is a pushover when it comes to haiderâs above bad behaviour. i know every 4 lions female lead can be accused of this, but thereâs a difference between them and meera; which is that the former have at least known their male leads for months, before getting tied down into matrimony with them. to an extent, theyâve somewhat made their peace and accepted that side of their partners and âloveâ them despite that, due to other redeeming qualities/the emotional journey theyâve been on with them over an extended period of time. if a dude youâve known for all of 4 days starts acting like this, why would you put up with it, let alone fall in love with him? i find the ending especially ridiculous, that she takes him back after he ran away on their engagement day, with zero explanations or conversations, telling her friend that she âunderstands why haider acted like thatâ and doesnât blame him at all. sis, sit the fuck down.
all the friends are highly highly annoying. sid and tanya are pushy and passive aggressive when haider and meera donât want to talk about emotionally draining topics. sid actually YELLS at haider for not being able to process his grief in the manner thatHE demands. then thereâs avantika and her nonsense. from her problems with the saas (what was the point of that, really???), to her guilt issues. she goes and confesses her tryst with sameer to haider instead of sid (HOW EVEN? THE TWO MEN HAVE SUCH DIFFERENT BODY STRUCTURES. ANYONE WITH THE GIFT OF EYESIGHT CAN TELL ITâS HAIDER), and when he gently tries to help her out, she attacks him for being responsible for razaâs death. like⊠why? heâs been nothing but an absolute sweetheart to her, being supportive and accommodating her every whim. in the end, she doesnât even apologize for what she says to him! and donât even get me started on the worst one of all - raashi, who keeps harping on about PAAP over and over, and even goes so far to say that the avantika and sid broke up because the avantika ate egg when she wasnât supposed to. i really donât know why anyone else in that group put up with her and her garbage. the least offensive of them all was that one guy who was more like the wedding organizer than an actual friend, always obsessing about everyone not eating enough.
overall opinion
tbh, quite a middling series for me. i donât regret watching it, but ehhhhhhhâŠ. i didnât enjoy it as much considering the people involved in the project (and the amount of time iâd spent waiting for it - i was following its production quite closely all throughout 2016.) the writing just overall was a washout for me (eta: esp. now that i have seen that âunscriptedâ interview with jyoti/sobti⊠the way they were gushing about it, and gul saying she cried writing it and stuffâŠ. and iâm just like⊠OVER THIS???? REALLY? i mean, there have been episodes of ipk and ib where i have genuinely gotten emotional⊠this series did not have a single episode that pulled me in with the feelings like that.) i really think it could have used tighter scripting to make it more concise and snappy.i would have ended the show once haider and meera made up after their first big fight.my ideal arc for this show would have been the two charactersâ relationship growing from a mere sexual attraction, to a genuine emotional kinship that helps them to start healing from their grief, and left it at that, without cramming in all the heavy love and marriage stuff.
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Modernist Manifestos
A/N: I wrote these opinions for an assignment. These are my interpretations of these specific pieces of American Literature. If you are easily offended, be cautious when reading these reading responses. Honestly, most of these responses are just me trying to meet a word requirement and they should and are meant to be taken lightheartedly. Also, I am editing some of these responses as I post them because my opinions changed, or I wanted to say something better than what was originally written. I will be happy to discuss these responses further, just please be nice :)
Warnings: womenâs role in sex and society, maybe a wrong and poorly worded analyzation, spelling??? maybe???
F. T. Marinetti â âManifesto of Futurismâ
      I love how Marinetti organizes this piece! I am always a sucker for a numbered piece, whether it be a short story, a poem, or even a journal article. The numbers show what the author deems most important and, according to the numbers, this author wants us to fight for what we believe in. This author wants us to ârevoltâ in our writing. The pen is our sword, and we have to use it.
      I love section eleven!!! Marinetti is all-inclusive when he tells us to fight. This author wants us to use every argument we have to our benefit. We need to be relentless in our poetry. Who cares about beauty? Who cares about perfection? This is the time when our poetry should be described as âviolent,â âgreedy,â and riotous. Be aggressive!
      Section ten is also fantastic. The message is simple: burning everything down will help âfight moralism, feminism, every opportunistic or utilitarian cowardice.â
Mina Loy â âFeminist Manifestoâ
      Finally, a feminist piece that is simple enough for everyone to read it and understand. âFeminist Manifestoâ reminded me of a bit one of my favorite comedians does about feminism and porn. Feminism is great, and the wage gap and all that fun stuff should be equal between the sexes, but why not talk about equality in something fun first - sex. Maybe more people will pay more attention?
      I love the part where Mina Loy says that men and women are not equal, because we are not. If you were to take this paragraph out of context, Loy could very easily sound like a misandrist, one who believes women are better than men. However, this is not what the author means at all. She is saying we are not equal, but we should be. Loy talks about how, yes, we have job opportunities  in âprofessional & commercial careers,â and she begs the question: âIs that all you want?â
      If weâre fighting already, why not fight for complete equality? Why not close that 23% nationwide wage gap? Why not end the thought that women are either a whore or a wife? Women are more than a âprostituteâ or a âparasite.â We are more than âthe mistressâ and âthe mother.â We are more than the categories society places us in and we need to fight for our right to be more.
Ezra Pound â âA Retrospectâ
      I did not love this one.  This is a piece that I have to read all of the footnotes and I know how easily and quickly I get bored.
In regards to 1: âDirect treatment of the âthingâ whether subjective or objective.â
âDirect treatment of the âthingââ is getting on my nerves.
In regards to 2: âTo use absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation.â
Iâd rather not look up every word in a dictionary. I am lazy trash who likes easy reading.
In regards to 3: âAs regarding rhythm: to compose in the sequence of the musical phrase, not in sequence of a metronome.
I actually agree.
      I felt like Pound could have stopped before âA Few Donâts,â although I love that as a subtitle. Pound just sounded repetitive and, again, I get bored. I also do not like how pond is telling us how to write. Who is he? God?
Willa Cather â âThe Novel Demeubleâ
      Willa Cather starts off almost as the complete opposite of Ezra Pound with, âThe novel, for a long while, has been over-furnished.â While Pound argued that we should be meticulous and polished, Cather basically tells us to screw it. And sheâs right â we should screw it. Cather argues that the novelâs emotions should speak for themselves, and I completely agree.
      I do not really have a lot to say about Catherâs piece. It was not very long and it spoke for itself so there really is not anything else to say. Willa Cather said her piece, so good for her. There is not really enough here to fill up 150 words, as my opinions have run out for once.
William Carlos Williams â âSpring and Allâ
      First of all, there is a running gag about his name somewhere in a TV show or a movie, and I cannot, for the life of me, remember what it is. The joke goes between calling the author âWilliam Carlos Williamsâ or âCarlo William Carlos.â Maybe I will remember later.
      I thought Williams was way too enthusiastic. I get it, it is Spring and everything is new. However, this happens every year. This is not a new phenomenon. How does anyone have the energy to be this enthusiastic? The only thing worthy of this kind of excitement, in my opinion, is the Lord Jesus himself, and I did not see anything about Jesus in Williamsâs piece (although, that statement could be deemed âarguableâ).
Langston Hughes â âThe Negro Artist and the Racial Mountainâ
      I am not quite sure Hughes has based his argument on a correct assumption. The author says this negro poet wants to be white, but I am not convinced this is completely true. Who knows? Maybe this poet did mean he wanted to be white when he said, âI want to be a poet â not a Negro poet.â But maybe he meant he just wanted that differentiation to be eliminated. I think this poet just did not want people to say âNegro poet,â because why does it matter? Identifying someone as a âNegro poetâ as opposed to a regular âpoetâ is racist and unnecessary. Why does the poet have to be black or white? Why canât the poet just be a poet? It seems to me like Hughes wrote this entire piece based on what could very possibly have been a false analyzation of what one man said. I am not saying his arguments are wrong, but I am saying he could have based them on something that may or not be true.
#Langston hughes#william carlos williams#willa cather#ezra pound#mina loy#f. t. marinetti#Reading Response#American literature#modernist#modernism#modernist manifestos#opinions#Sorry y'all
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