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daresplaining · 5 years

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In Anticipation of Jessica Jones Season 3!

The last season of Jessica Jones and final installment of the Netflix MCU overall is airing tomorrow night (or Friday morning, depending on your time zone). For various reasons, I haven’t had as much time as I’d have liked to blog about it (it would have been nice for Netflix to release the trailer more than a week before the air date, but they’re clearly no longer making an effort to promote their Marvel properties...). However, I am really excited about the upcoming season. Jessica Jones is a comics character I've loved for a long time, and it has been thrilling to watch the live action version of her develop over the years. I was in the audience at NYCC 2015 at the show’s very first panel, when they showed episode one, and I’ll never forget it. Jessica Jones Season 1 remains one of my favorite pieces of television ever, and while I didn’t feel Season 2 was quite as strong, I still loved it, and I’m really excited by what seems to be in store for the final season.

[ID: The handwritten word “Hero?” against a red background.]

This season seems to be digging into a theme that has been part of this series since the beginning: the question of what makes a hero. Jessica consistently rejects that label and doubts her own heroism, despite all of the good she has done both before and after her experience with Kilgrave. The intense disfunction in her life, as created by her trauma, and her inability to adhere to the technicolor, textbook image of a superhero has defined her journey so far. It would be nice to see her reach a more settled and healthier self-image, as her 616 counterpart has mostly managed to do, but it seems this season will be further prodding this sore point by introducing an antagonist who claims, loudly and publicly, that Jessica is exactly what she fears she is: a bad person. An unworthy person. Not a hero at all.

[ID: Jessica is standing in her office, talking to Trish. She has several pieces of paper pinned to the wall behind her, including a large photo of a man’s face. She is saying: “Gregory Salinger [sic]. He's smarter than both of us combined.”]

The new Big Bad is a guy named Gregory Sallinger-- or, as he's known in the comics, Foolkiller. The 616 version of the character is obsessed with the idea of “poetry”, and kills anyone who doesn’t fit his aesthetic sensibilities. In the show, his obsession seems to instead be with the concept of heroism.

If you search for “Sallinger” (two Ls) on Netflix, you’ll find a few more hidden promotional videos specifically focused on him. Of all of the MCU Netflix shows, Jessica Jones has been the most willing to veer away from the source material and tell entirely new stories-- mostly because Jessica is a relatively new character and there’s much less source material to work with for her than for, say, Iron Fist. This means comics fans are left constantly guessing, and we have the pleasure of being surprised by the unexpected introduction of characters from throughout the Marvel universe. In the comics, Foolkiller has had run-ins with Hellcat through her time on the Defenders team, so he may be here partially as Trish’s rogue(!).

[ID: Jessica is standing her office doorway, talking to Trish, who is out in the hall. Jessica says: “I don’t need your help, and you don’t need mine.”]

Last season ended with the devastating destruction of Jessica and Trish’s relationship. Given how important they are to each other as sisters and co-emotional support systems, it’s safe to assume that they will make amends, but it’s going to take some major changes and development of their dynamic to overcome that level of damage (in case anyone needs reminding, Trish killed Jessica’s mother). Since this is the final season, I hope that they manage to solve things, but no matter what happens, their relationship’s development from this point onward is sure to be highly emotional. I can’t wait.

[ID: Jessica and Trish hugging.]

At least there is hope...

[ID: A GIF of a figure dropping from a high overpass at night. It’s Trish, in disguise, wearing a winter hat and with a scarf covering her mouth and nose. She lands on her feet and looks over her shoulder toward the viewer. It’s awesome.]

Another exciting element to this situation is that after two full seasons, Trish has her powers and we are finally getting a Hellcat origin! While Jessica is every inch a reluctant hero and has mixed feelings about her abilities, Trish has spent her life searching for power-- both literal and metaphorical-- after spending so long under her mother’s abusive control. Trish would do anything to be a superhero, and I am thrilled that it’s finally happening-- both for her sake and for my own selfish, geeky reasons. The glimpses we’ve been given so far of her as proto-Hellcat look absolutely badass.

This will also, of course, prompt further exploration of Jessica and Trish’s opposing viewpoints on hero work, which has been a part of their dynamic since the beginning. It may also contribute to their bonding, since Sallinger will likely end up targeting them both.

[ID: Jeri is sitting at a large desk in a brightly-lit office. Malcolm is standing next to her, wearing a suit and tie. There is an abstract painting in shades of red and white on the wall behind them. They both look serious.]

I’m also very excited to see the further development of one of my favorite MCU characters: Jeryn (Jeri) Hogarth. Last season, Jeryn was diagnosed with ALS and her life quickly spiraled into a mess of fear, desperation, and a whole bunch of amoral behavior. In the end, she left her law firm and went solo, taking Malcolm and Foggy (the latter of whom is now, fortunately, back with Matt) with her. I adore the sheer messiness of Jeryn as a person, and the way her unabashed terribleness is mixed with clear signs of pain and remorse, and I am eager to see where she is taken this season. Since unfortunately, Danny didn’t cure her ALS in Iron Fist Season 2 (*shakes fist* that would have been so good, god dammit...), it will continue to define her journey. This is a great article in which the future of her arc is discussed further-- which will include, it seems, the return of a past love interest.

The above article also discusses where Malcolm’s story is headed this season-- though the details are still sparing. It sounds like he will continue his struggle with addiction, along with negotiating his identity through his job with Jeryn’s firm. Malcolm’s journey so far has been heartbreaking, and I really hope that he gets some kind of resolution, for his own sake. He has always been the heart of the show, a brother figure for Jessica, and a hero in his own right, and I’m both excited and nervous to see how his development will be impacted by the events of the season.

There are still plenty of questions. Oscar and Vido have been conspicuously absent from the promotional material, so I wonder what’s happened to them. It’s possible (at least, my fingers are crossed) that Luke could have a cameo. And of course, given how heartbreaking it has been to see the other shows cancelled with little resolution, I hope that this season has an ending that feels like an ending-- though I’ll certainly understand if it doesn't. Either way, no matter what happens, I can’t wait to watch. One more day!

#Jessica Jones spoilers #Netflix Jessica Jones #Jessica Jones #JJ Countdown

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our-mathematical-universe · 7 years

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Not a Forced Bond: Why Rey and Ren will share a bond and why their destinies are intertwined.

Spoiler warning: spoilers for The Force Awakens, The last Jedi, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones

The teaser trailer for The Last Jedi is finally out and it was amazing! It seems to lend credibility to some of the most popular theories on Tumblr regarding Ren and Rey and the mysterious connection they share. But why do Kylo Ren and Rey, two people who have seemingly nothing in common apart from loneliness, share a connection? J.J Abrams said that “their destinies are intertwined” and in the novelization of TFA Ren is described to have stumbled upon “something of interest”. That something had nothing to do with the search for Luke Skywalker since Ren decided to put it aside in order to look for the map, intending to revisit it later. It was something he couldn’t quite put his finger on, since it remained unnamed in his thoughts. In the now famous interrogation scene, Ren said the most mysterious lines of the movie: “Don’t be afraid, I feel it too.” What was he talking about? After reading this wonderful meta by @the-darkness-to-her-light https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/the-darkness-to-her-light/159671558461 I’ve come to believe that it can be described by one word: compassion.

Kylo Ren and Compassion

Kylo Ren is different to the villains we’ve come to expect from Hollywood. His uniqueness stems from his inner struggle. He’s not happy with where he is. As he admits himself, he is in pain. Where does that pain come from?

His first appearance in TFA is that of a cold, cocky executioner. He seems callous. He does after all murder an old man who seems to genuinely care for him and then orders the slaughter of an entire village of innocent people. People whose only crime was that they harbored a fugitive. But let’s consider Kylo Ren’s idol, Darth Vader. What would have Vader done in this situation? From what we saw in Rogue One, Vader didn’t cut corners when it came to punishment. I can hardly imagine Vader asking Lor San Takka for the map. Vader killed first and asked questions later. But as we learn in the novelization, Ren gave Lor San Takka the option to surrender.

«Don’t turn a simple transaction into a tragedy for these people.»

The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster

After the mass execution, Ren does something that we could never imagine Vader doing: he catches a Stormtrooper disobeying commands and lets him go. And that statement doesn’t do it justice. Ren, a telepathic Force user, has actually read Finn’s mind and knows why Finn didn’t fire. He didn’t for a second buy the lame excuse that Finn gave to Phasma. Ren knows Finn couldn’t kill due to his compassion. One would expect a commanding officer to administer punishment immediately. In an army created through indoctrination, even a single instance of disobedience is dangerous. The image of Ned Stark beheading that frightened young soldier from the Wall for a trifle act of disobedience comes to mind. And Ned Stark was a man known for his compassion. Hell, he even died because of it. Imagine what a Vader-type leader would do in a situation like that. But that’s not what Ren does. And what he proceeds to do next is even weirder. He hops onto his ship and doesn’t alert anybody, ANYBODY about the Stormtrooper that refused to kill. He doesn’t even use it as a golden opportunity to humiliate Hux. If he had felt contempt for Finn’s compassion he certainly wouldn’t have missed a chance to jab Hux with it. This leads me to believe that Ren felt respect for Finn’s inner struggle with compassion. Because that is what Ren himself struggles with. That’s what he’s been struggling with since the day he joined Snoke.

«A great deal of his education had been devoted to learning how to live and move forward in the absence of emotion.»

The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster

Soon after the village scene, we see Ren alone in his dark room, talking to his only confidant: Vader’s battered helmet. He tells his grandfather that he feels it again, the call to the Light. The phrasing suggests a familiarity with this situation. It’s not the first time Ren has felt the call to the Light since he joined the FO. It’s one of many. And from the placement of the scene we are given to understand that the call to the Light is his compassion. This is true, based on Anakin Skywalker’s own words: compassion is central to the Jedi ideology. And that is what Kylo Ren started as, a Jedi.

After Finn betrays the FO and escapes with Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren is the one who immediately knows who the Stormtrooper was. Why would he assume that? Phasma apparently found out that there was nothing wrong with Finn’s blaster and sent him for reconditioning - more brainwashing - but thought it unremarkable and didn’t alert Hux. She didn’t immediately think it was Finn, of all the thousands of Stormtroopers on that Star Destroyer, who committed the treason. But the key detail here is that, although both Hux and Phasma can conceive of “disobedience”, “squirmishness” and “cowardice”, neither of them understand compassion. Ren does. Phasma and Hux don’t struggle with it. Ren does. Ren knows that it wouldn’t take all that much to make him drop Snoke and all fifty layers of clothes he drags around and go back to his mother. A Stormtrooper who defies death because he can’t prevail upon his compassion isn’t hard to imagine for him. He feels the same thing, in his very skin.

When Ren taunts Hux about how Snoke might be better off with a clone army, he’s more than just trying to piss Hux off. He is hinting at something, a hidden danger that only he can see. He knows that a human army has a weakness: compassion. He knows that compassion comes from being human and it’s almost impossible to squash. He knows because he’s tried and failed to do so. And has to hide it every single day. That’s the terrible burden that he carries, having to hide his compassion.

Ren’s training is peculiar itself, as far as villains go. A lot of people put emphasis on what it means that Ren killed his father, Han Solo. Is he now completely consumed by the Dark Side? As far as we may love Kylo Ren as a fictional character, let’s be fair and say that patricide is something that should put you squarely on the Dark Side of things. However, in the TFA novelization we are explicitly told that the goal Snoke and Ren have set as teacher and student is not to have Ren completely succumb to the Dark Side. He isn’t supposed to be completely consumed by either Side of the Force. That leaves us to assume that their goal is for him to reach… balance.

«It is where you are from. What you are made of. The dark side—and the light. The finest sculptor cannot fashion a masterpiece from poor materials.»

The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster

After all, when Snoke accuses Ren of failing to get the map from the girl because of his compassion towards her, Ren doesn’t say that he would never feel compassion for anyone. He says he would never feel compassion for an enemy of the First Order. He wouldn’t have protested that if Snoke had forbidden any and all access to the Light side and to his compassion.

«The Supreme Leader’s voice was flat. “You have compassion for her.” “No—never. Compassion? For an enemy of the Order?»

The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster

I suppose what Snoke must have said to Ben Solo to lure him might have sounded perfectly reasonable on the surface: “Do not give in to sentimentality. Learn to control your compassion, learn not to let it get in the way of duty. You must do what’s right for the Galaxy. You must give your compassion to those who deserve it, not misplace it like the Jedi. Not let it stop you from doing the right thing like it did Vader.” Somewhere inside that heap of half-truths must have been the idea of a “benevolent dictator”. A thing that doesn’t exist in reality of course.

J.J Abrams’s comment about the title, Force Awakens, hints at another deception Snoke has employed.

"This was not just 'The Force Awakens' in a young woman. It’s the dark side of The Force awakening in the villain.”

In the original and prequel trilogies the Emperor seduced Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side… only the Dark Side. Palpatin never told Anakin he was a perfect sculpture of both Light and Dark. It’s strange that Snoke would tell Ren that, given all the atrocities he asks him to commit in the name of their common “goal”. Ren, or rather Ben, didn’t rise from the Dark side. His training was presumably exclusively on the Light side (certainly can’t see Luke teaching the Dark Side :P). But Ben struggled with feelings of anger and fear and maybe nothing in Luke’s teachings helped him make sense of those. Or, the concept of Balance might have entered Luke’s mind as early as when Ben was still his apprentice, but the way he went about achieving Balance proved impossible for Ben. Maybe Luke, like Snoke, asked Ben to deny some part of his psyche but it proved impossible. Enter Snoke, with his own theory on Balance using the Dark Side (anger and fear) as a source of strength. If the news about Darth Vader being his grandfather got out around the time the clash with Luke, the inner struggle and Snoke’s misleading whispers reached their culmination, Ben would have gone over to the First Order guns blazing.

Why would killing his father be the way for Ren to awaken the Dark Side inside him? Palpatine didn’t ask Anakin to kill Padme. It was convenient that she died, but nevertheless he didn’t ask for it (because Anakin was never going to do that, and wouldn’t go to the Dark Side if it meant Padme would die). What it took for Anakin to go over to the Dark Side was a decision. He decided to give himself to Palpatine out of fear and love for his wife. Why then would it be necessary for Ren to kill someone in order for the Dark Side to rise inside him, in order to gain that strength that Snoke promised him? Isn’t falling to the Dark Side an internal change? A seduction? I think that Snoke purposefully mislead Ren into this decision because he wanted to kill his compassion, which is the source of his individuality. It’s the source of everyone’s individuality in this new trilogy. Finn broke away from the shackles of his indoctrination because of his compassion. In the new trilogy, compassion sets you free.

Only Ren was misinformed.

At the end of The Force Awakens, Ren knows Snoke didn’t come through. He was weakened by his wicked act. It’s interesting that when he confronts Rey in the forest he doesn’t say “You’re alone now, Han Solo can’t save you”. He says “It’s just us now. Han Solo can’t save you.” The first would have been a far more accurate statement given that Ren supposedly has Snoke, a father figure, an army and years of training. More importantly, “You’re alone now” is intimidating - especially coming from Kylo Ren - while “It’s just us now” sounds like the plea of someone who wants to be empathized with, who craves closeness. It’s always been my impression that the way Adam Driver delivers the line “Han Solo can’t save you”, the trembling in his voice, the way his eyes are wide open and round and his breathing ragged, is that of a man who speaks of a tragedy. It isn’t hate. He addressed Finn with hate a few seconds later and the two deliveries are worlds apart. He sounds like a son who is incredibly angry at his father but at the same time he can’t put a lid on the pain and grief that’s coursing through him, threatening to show. But Kylo Ren can never show that emotion. It is forbidden.

Whatever Kylo Ren’s ultimate goal is, it’s not the same as that of Emperor Palpatine or Darth Vader. He doesn’t desire the traditional things the Dark Side has to offer. He wants to be strong, but what “strength” means to him may be wildly different from what Snoke promised him. Kylo Ren’s end goal has to do with what he perceives as moral. He aims to correct what he thinks is “wrong”.

“When they think of their actions as morally justified, it makes them dangerous and unpredictable. There’s no level they won’t go to to accomplish what they’re after. I never thought of the character as an evil person.” - Adam Driver

Rey and Ren: An intertwined destiny

He sensed his destiny and Rey’s were somehow intertwined, but how? - Kylo Ren’s biography, Star Wars.com databank

At the end of The Force Awakens, Rey has her first close shave with the Dark Side. She considers killing Kylo Ren but decides against it, because killing him in a fit of rage would be what she has learned from legend to be “the path to the Dark Side”. Armed with her eternal optimism and notions about heroism and goodness she’s absorbed through myths, she goes to Ach-To, to learn the Jedi way from the legendary Luke Skywalker.

“Rey has a certain expectation as to what she might be getting from Luke and what that might entail. And as a lot of people know, it’s difficult when you meet your heroes because it might not be what you expect.”

Only she was misinformed.

Luke Skywalker isn’t who she thought he was going to be. He believes the Jedi - and possibly their teachings - must end. He doesn’t have the right answers for her. Does Luke perhaps think that as long as the Jedi exist, there will always be a way for the Dark side to twist their teachings and lure away vulnerable young students? Does he think that the Jedi way is somehow detrimental to bringing Balance to the Force? I’m more inclined to believe the first than the second. It’s an erroneous notion that a lot of people - good people - have bought into out of exhaustion and disappointment. A more extreme version of it would be if Luke believes the Jedi must end because all meddling with the Force must end. That simply by messing with forces greater than themselves people end up in misery and ruin. Perhaps he thinks the Force is more trouble than it’s worth. Rey has already seen that line of thinking in Finn and was very disappointed. If Luke Skywalker has had a tryst with the Dark Side, I think it was by giving in to pessimism and inaction. He may even have been tempted to enforce order and good behavior across the galaxy and thus flirt with despotism, but given the fact that he was largely absent from the political scene and traveled the galaxy in search of Jedi lore, I think it’s more likely he was beaten down by pessimism.

“I only know one truth: it is time for the Jedi to end.”

Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi teaser trailer

Rey wants to restore the Light Side to its former glory and settle her personal score with Kylo Ren. She doesn’t want to sit idly by while the world descends into chaos and despotism. And she wants to avenge her friends. It appears from both the TLJ trailer and the spoilers that Luke can’t or won’t help her with that. It’s not clear yet what exactly Rey wants to do with Kylo Ren. Does she want to kill him? Does she worry that this would send her to the Dark Side? What does Rey believe about the notion a lot of the fandom espouses that it would mean Han died in vain if Ben Solo can’t return to the Light? Rage may tempt her to end his life but when she’s had time to cool off and think, she probably won’t be as willing to kill Han Solo’s only son, the one he died trying to bring back. So what does she want to do with Kylo Ren? I imagine Rey must be burning with the same questions we are at this point. Why did Han and Leia’s son join the First Order? What does Kylo Ren want? What’s he fighting for? When Luke Skywalker won’t be able to answer these questions, who is she going to turn to? I admit I have a headcanon where the Force ghosts of Obi Wan and Yoda show up on Ach-To and tell her something better than they told Luke on Degoba thirty years ago :P.

It is perhaps the strangest thing that the only living person who holds the answers to these questions is the same one she is supposed to defeat. But, what kind of knowledge does Kylo Ren have? He believes they have important things in common. He wants to save her the heartache of expecting Han Solo to be a father to her. He wants to avoid hurting her, to protect her from Snoke, like he wanted to avoid hurting the billions that were murdered by Starkiller Base. In the interrogation scene, Ren tells Rey that something she feels he feels too and for that reason she needs not to be afraid of it. Kylo Ren has already begun instructing her.

It’s surprising actually that Ren is a person who empathizes with that many people. He empathizes with Finn, with Rey, with his father, with Leia, with the people of the Republic who were murdered, with the entire army of the First Order, with Poe. You don’t see that in villains very often. Despite his terrifying appearance, he’s bleeding empathy from head to toe. It would be a mistake to think that someone who can commit such horrific crimes is someone who can’t feel empathy to such a degree. It’s also a mistake to think that because he feels empathy he isn’t incredibly dangerous to be around. The most important thing Rey and Ren have in common is their empathy. Rey is an extremely empathetic person. She is so empathetic, she can identify with machines.

It took a real effort for her to let go of the first pile of food packets and draw her hand back. She glanced down at the inert droid, thinking hard. At last she looked back at the merchant. “Actually—the droid’s not for sale. I made a mistake.”

The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster

She is also good at seeing past pretenses and grasping the real meaning behind people’s words. Evidence to that is the fact that despite Han’s grumpy exterior, she immediately knew what he was thinking when he tried to offer her a job. She is extremely good at reading emotions. She has gotten as much knowledge about Kylo Ren as he has gotten of her, if not more. And it is always harder to kill your enemies when you know what they are behind the pretense.

Rey and Ren are two people who are remarkably similar to each other. It’s more than their lonely childhoods. It’s more than the fact they’ve seen in each other’s minds. It’s more than their tenacity and bravery. They’re similar in their hearts. For a story that would be bound to end with the heroin killing the villain, that’s a rather useless set up. Their situational similarities might not have been enough to ensure a redemption arc for the villain, but the fact that they are similar in their hearts is the defining difference between this and other hero-villain dynamics where the hero empathizes with the villain but still has to kill him. Harry Potter empathized with Voldemort but they weren’t similar in their hearts. He also empathized with Snape for that, even though Snape died, their relationship was decidedly different from that between Harry and Voldemort. They were similar in their hearts. They both knew how to love, despite the fact that one had committed appalling crimes.

I’ve come to believe that the special bond Rey and Ren will share is not necessarily one that was forged through the Force during the mind-probing. It could be this literal and it would be awesome, but an actual telepathic bond isn’t necessary anymore because they’ve already forged a bond through compassion and empathy. It’s not an accidental bond, or a forced one, they were always meant to have that connection. They can’t fulfill their respective goals without this bond and without help from one another. And at the same time neither can go over to the other’s side. The only solution for them is to achieve Balance. And that is why their destinies are intertwined.

Epilogue

After seeing the teaser poster for TLJ, I think this similarity - the one in their hearts - is what the artists had in mind.

Luke’s face seems angry, aggressive. But Ren’s face… a lot of people think it looks ominous, threatening. I think he’s got the look a person has when they are reading you, and want to be read back. His face definitely doesn’t look contorted with anger, or impending violence. He looks like he’s in silent pain. It’s no accident that the face of the “ominous, threatening” villain is smaller than that of the angry, legendary hero. It’s also no accident that Ren’s face is closer to Rey - or at least appears to be due to size. Rey looks like the only beacon of hope in the bloody picture. But the light of her Lightsaber slowly turns into red. It’s strange perhaps that, since the mouths of these two men are obscured and their eyes are their most expressive feature, their eyes are not leveled against each other, as if that comparison would be irrelevant. Luke’s eye is next to the ominous red beam while Ren’s eye is right in the middle where the beam changes colors. Rey seems to be looking at the brilliant light of the blue Lightsaber slowly turning into red. She seems aware of the change. She truly sees “Light, Darkness and a Balance”.

#reylo #reylo meta

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rynehambright · 8 years

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20 Not So Sweet 16.

2016 felt like the weirdest mixed bag. Like one minute you could reach in to find a delicious piece of your grandma's homemade peanut brittle and the next you might pull your hand out to realize three of your fingers were missing. "It is what it is” so they say, and this year certainly...was.

Below you will find my top 20 of '16. On this list there are records, movies, books and more. Eligibility was granted to anything and everything that 1. entertained me and 2. had an original release date in the calendar year. Anywho, I've got to keep this short before our new President takes over and this domain changes to Trumplr.

20. Hello, My Name is Doris

As terrible as 2016 proved to be in the taking of some of our greatest artists, thank the Lord not a hair on Sally Field’s head was harmed. Turning in her quirkiest and most charming performance to date, Field plays Doris, a young-at-heart sixty something who is trapped between the comings of old age and the millennial workplace. When a new hire, played by New Girl’s Max Greenfield enters the picture, Doris finds herself falling for a man that could comfortably be her grandson. It all sounds so horribly wrong but feels so honestly right. You do you, Doris. (SPOILER ALERT: She does.)

19. Cleopatra - The Lumineers

With the strength of a thousand fedoras, The Lumineers roared onto the scene with 2012's Top 40 hit 'Ho Hey'. The self-titled album that housed the track proved to be a powerhouse of its own, expertly blending folk and Americana instrumentation with pop melodies. This year's followup, Cleopatra continues to expand the band's discography both sonically and narratively. Handily overcoming the pitfalls of the sophomore slump, the album finds The Lumineers shining bright as ever.

Standout Tracks:

'Sleep on the Floor', 'Cleopatra' and 'Sick in the Head'

18. Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Religious - David Dark

When I hiked 250 miles of the Appalachian Trail earlier this spring, I took one book with me: David Dark's The Sacredness of Questioning Everything. Early on in my read, I started underlining what were some of the most profound and relatable thoughts on Scripture and faith that I had ever come across. By the time I finished I realized I had highlighted something on every single page. Dark’s followup is, in the best way, more of the same. ‘If what we believe is what we see is what we do is who we are, there's no getting away from religion." Again, I recommend a Costco pack of highlighters.

17. 10 Cloverfield Lane

2008′s Cloverfield single-handedly reinvigorated the found footage genre. I remember sitting in the theater being completely overwhelmed and shocked by the true horror and helplessness I felt coursing through me. The only thing that would come to shock me even more was to learn a sequel of sorts had been filmed back in in 2015 under a false project name. Some eight weeks after the first official trailer dropped early this year, 10 Cloverfield Lane found itself in wide release, a true feat in the digital age where major spoilers daily flood the pages of blogs and forums. Set in the same universe as the original, the film takes place days prior to the first attack in New York City. With a whip smart script and a powerhouse performance from John Goodman, 10 Cloverfield Lane left me wanting more, a LOT more, from the Cloverfield chronicles. Thankfully, this October, we get just that.

16. Integrity Blues - Jimmy Eat World

Jimmy Eat World is one of maybe three bands I can think of that have put out multiple perfect records. Both Bleed American and Futures are, in my not so humble opinion, flawless from front to back. Since their crossover smash ‘The Middle’ was released, the band has spent the last two decades building an impressive, albeit under the radar, discography. And while the band’s more recent releases have been more inconsistent than those releases, Integrity Blues is a step back in the direction of perfection. Showcasing what has become the staple Jimmy Eat World sound while also ushering in a new future, the album is the perfect companion for a night drive when you have nowhere to be. Continuing the tradition of having THE best album closers, ‘Pol Roger’ is the denouement of Integrity Blues and finds the band wings outstretched, taking full flight. (Aside: Clear winner for album artwork of the year).

Standout Tracks:

'The End is Beautiful', 'Integrity Blues' and 'Pol Roger'

15. Glory - Britney Spears

I’ve always had an idea for a meme of Britney Spears playing Quidditch, flying high on a broomstick, arms outstretched for the winged, golden ball with the words ‘IT’S BRITNEY, SNITCH’ in bold. Felt like the right time to put that million dollar idea out there. Truth be told, I’m always rooting for Britney. As horrible as it sounds, I feel like she should have probably died in her late 20′s. She had an infamous breakdown in 2007 that I’m not sure we will ever quite know the extent of (even now her parents still have a conservatorship over her) that would have taken most of us out. Since then, she’s released three full-length studio albums, secured a multi-year Vegas residency and slowly built herself back into form. Glory is the culmination of it all. Easily the most underrated effort of 2016, the album is absolutely STACKED with bonafide pop anthems and what Tom Haverford would deem ‘bangers’. Had the majority of these tracks been released by Selena Gomez or Katy Perry they would have ruled the roost and the airwaves but alas Britney has become a dark horse of sorts. It’s the comeback we knew was a ‘when’ not an ‘if’. It’s the phoenix from the ashes. It’s Britney, bitch.

Standout Tracks:

'Do You Wanna Come Over?', 'Hard to Forget Ya' and 'Liar'

14. Don't Think Twice

Mike Birbiglia has quietly and carefully been crafting a name for himself in the comedy community for some time. I was introduced to him by my good friend Netflix when the 2012 Sundance darling Sleepwalk With Me was added to Instant Streaming. While that effort left a lasting impression, this year’s followup, Don’t Think Twice leveled me. Often times, the things that move us the most serve as mirror held close, expanding our field of vision and allowing us to see things the way they are. For 92 minutes, Don’t Think Twice made everything clear, even when it hurt.

13. This is Acting - Sia

Any artist would kill to have a single chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Most would kill AND sell their first born to have that single reach the summit and be deemed ‘Song of the Summer’. Sia did that all of that...with a B-Side track (see: Cheap Thrills). Undisputedly one of the most prolific and talented songwriters currently working in mainstream pop, Sia Furler had exclusively been known as the go-to girl for artist like Rihanna, Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Adele. Then came 2014′s Chandelier, a global phenomenon and top 10 hit that allowed Sia to became her own brand and ultimately her own artist. This Is Acting feels in some ways like a massive middle finger to the cutting room floor, as every single song on the album was intended for another artist who ultimately chose not to use it. Believing the material was good enough to stand on its own, Sia chose to release what had unintentionally become B-Sides under her own moniker. The album is further proof that everything Furler touches is gold and serves as a reminder that we have a Midas in our midst, even when we foolishly forget.

Standout Tracks:

'Bird Set Free', ‘Move Your Body' and 'Reaper'

12. Arrival

Everything about Arrival is different. It’s a slow-burn drama about the power of communication disguised as a sleek sci-fi. It’s a fictitious work serving as a very real warning sign. It’s a testament to Albus Dumbledore that “Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.” With yet another tour de force performance from Amy Adams (is there anything the woman can’t do), Arrival is the kind of film that sits with you for days and makes you feel distinctly human. Not because you’ve been made to stand beside an alien, but because you’re reminded that, in the end, we all want understanding. Even though I figured out the slight of hand the film tried to pull quite early on, it didn’t even matter. Arrival is that good.

11. Hero - Maren Morris

I was late to this party. I had heard for months that this debut was something special, but because I wanted to spend another night in or had a Netflix marathon to run I never showed. Then, the week after Thanksgiving, I finally decided to RSVP. Maren Morris’ Hero is a rarity in its distinctness and maturity, something that seems far too developed and harnessed for a first timer. ‘I Could Use a Love Song’ is arguably one of the best country ballads of the year while ‘80′s Mercedes’ could have a seat at the table with the best of Taylor Swift’s crossover hits. A firecracker that doesn’t care much for self-restraint, Hero attests to the fact that Less isn’t Morris.

Standout Tracks:

'I Could Use a Love Song', '80′s Mercedes' and ‘Once'

10. 4 Your Eyez Only - J. Cole

J. Cole is an Avenger. He, with the likes of Chance the Rapper and Kendrick Lamar have assembled to save hip hop. 4 Your Eyez Only isn’t about the material world, a place modern hip hop seems to have set up shop. It’s about the big questions: What is society’s perception of me? Why? How have I found love and what do I do with it? Am I worthy? Do I want to be alive? J. Cole wrestles with it all. Like all of us, there are times when he has to tap out and others when he can go another round. Riddled with insecurity and vulnerability, the album ultimately serves as one huge love letter to his new wife. One written from the exact opposite perspective of Nicholas Sparks. One that seems a lot more real.

Standout Tracks:

'She’s Mine Part 1 and 2', 'Neighbors' and 'Foldin Clothes'

9. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

You may not know this (I tend to keep it quiet) but I am a Harry Potter fan. Everything about the magic, the world, and most importantly the characters exhilarates me in way few things in life can. If I had to pick a safe word it would probably be ‘Expecto Patronum’ (which, with more thought, seems horribly fitting). After the final book was released and Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2 had long left theaters, Potter Heads everywhere were left with a hole that could only be filled by revisiting the series. Then, last year, in an apparent attempt to give millions of people worldwide a heart attack at exactly the same time, author J.K. Rowling announced that she would serve as the screenwriter for a new prequel trilogy taking place some 70 years before Harry’s time. Rowling more than made good on her promise. The originally planned trilogy instead became a five part series, kicking off with this year’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The film is an expertly crafted launching pad for the 1920′s story of magizoologist Newt Scamader and his discovery and documenting of magical beasts throughout the Wizarding World. The film evokes all the nostalgia and excitement that comes with reading a new Potter book for the first time -- the highest praise I know to give.

8. Where Am I Now? - Mara Wilson

The film that single-handedly shaped my childhood the most was Danny DeVito’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda. It’s also one of a handful of films from that time that I can still watch as an adult and completely holds up. Naturally, when star Mara Wilson announced she was releasing a memoir that would heavily discuss her time as a child actress on flims like Mrs. Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street AND Matilda, I Amazon Primed the shit out of it. I had been following Wilson on Twitter for years prior because of her prowess as a young writer and also because we had had a brief exchange about how good the songs in A Goofy Movie were. Where Am I Now? is an absorbing read that seemed to constantly rotate between warming my heart and breaking it.

7. Manchester By The Sea

I will burn the Academy to the ground (a pun that’s in poor taste here) if Casey Affleck doesn’t take home the Oscar for his work in this film. He gives absolute and full commitment to a man processing one of the worst tragedies imaginable, all without the gimmicks of losing a lot of weight or crawling into a horse carcass. For all the heartbreak Manchester by the Sea serves (and I’m telling you it is a LOT), I somehow left the theater slightly hopeful. Not because of a happy ending or because it has an uplifting message but because anytime this degree of honesty is put on display there’s not much else to do but be inspired.

6. Stranger Things

The pop culture event of the year, Netflix Stranger Things was something I stumbled upon on a Sunday morning in July. I had no clue what it was (except that it had an incredible poster) but I DO remember that some eight hours after I started episode one I finally surfaced from my room for a burrito. Led by a very welcomed return from Winona Ryder and five young finds, The Duffer Brothers truly and utterly turned my world Upside Down.

5. Coloring Book - Chance the Rapper

The uncontested breakout of the year, Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book doesn’t worry about staying in the lines. Not only is the content different from what any other artist is doing, so are the means. Chance is 100% unsigned, operating without the backings of a major label and offering large amounts of his music (this album included) at no cost to his listeners. Coloring Book is a polaroid of the 23 year old rappers life growing up in Chicago, a snapshot of what navigating the waters where faith, family and life coalesce looks like. Chance is a modern day prophet, who’s not for-profit or for sale.

Standout Tracks:

‘Blessings', 'Same Drugs', and 'All Night'

4. Blond - Frank Ocean

The hype surrounding Frank Ocean’s follow up to 2012′s Channel Orange was legitimately palpable. With each passing day of 2016 you could feel it a bit more. After a mock library due date slip with over ten various dates showed up on Frank’s website, each apparently representing possible release schedules, it was as they say ‘lit, fam’. However, one by one, the dates came and went, with the Internet breaking and subsequently repairing itself just in time to repeat the cycle again. Finally, on August 20, the Ocean’s tides changed and Blond washed ashore. Filled with vibrant use of unexpected instrumentation and vocal manipulation, Blond (originally titled Boys Don’t Cry) continues to push the envelope and break the boundaries of who Frank is and what his work is capable of.

Standout Tracks:

‘Ivy', 'Solo', and 'White Ferrari'

3. La La Land

La La Land is what would happen if someone personally asked me for the ingredients to a perfect film recipe. You take my two favorite actors, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, add a scoop of Damien Chazelle (who’s last project Whiplash was my favorite film of 2014), a dash of a L.A. based musical and let set 2 hours 8 minutes. Truth be told, I hadn’t been this excited for a film all year (including Fantastic Beasts) and rightfully so. La La Land not only lives up to every bit of its potential but takes the parts of its whole and makes them into something bigger than we could have ever imagined. It’s a film for dreamers, a film for lovers, a film for the ages.

2. Kubo and the Two Strings

Prior to the start of the year, I don’t think you could have done anything to convince me that there was even a chance of my liking another film more than La La Land. Yet, here we are. Yes, it’s animated and holds a risquè PG rating, but Kubo and the Two Strings really is as good as it gets. With the breathtaking stop motion animation that Laika has become known for, a rousing script that sees its young hero navigating some of life’s hardest lessons and brilliant voice over work from the likes of Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey, Kubo finds itself in a league of its own. 'If you must blink, do it now’, says young Kubo. Great advice before the film begins, as you won’t want to miss a thing.

1. (TIE) Lemonade - Beyonce

I know that having two number one’s might seem like a cop out but this is my list and, as I plan to say quite often when I become a dad, "My House, Ja Rules". Having to choose between Beyonce’s ground breaking Lemonade and Broadways’ show-stopping Dear Evan Hansen seems a crime on par with The Office or Parks and Rec? What Beyonce has done with her sixth studio album is unprecedented. It’s un-Bey-lievable. Albums like this only come beyONCE in an artist’s lifetime. Okay, I’m finished. But in all seriousness Lemonade is an evolution. From angry, heartbroken, questioning, to free, powerful, secure the album delves into the relationship of music’s most prominent couple. And that would be enough. But on repeat listens it starts to feel that maybe Beyonce isn’t simply speaking to the plight of the person who’s been cheated on but the person who is seemingly always cheated. The downtrodden of society, the least of these, the marginalized. In this case the black community. Lemonade is her attempt to reconcile it all. Darwin was right, life really is about the survival of the fittest and Lemonade finds Beyonce not just surviving but thriving. As the old adage goes, ‘”When life gives you lemons, make the album of the year”.

Standout Tracks:

‘Sorry', 'Freedom’, and 'Formation'

1. (TIE) Dear Evan Hansen

If you didn’t have a reason to go to New York City before now, I’m giving you the only one that matters. I saw Dear Evan Hansen in previews over a month ago and am still putting myself back together. What Ben Platt does everyday, sometimes TWICE a day, on the stage of the Music Box Theatre is nothing short of super human. The show had been recommended to me by someone I trust on these matters, so I went in knowing absolutely nothing prior to my showing. Looking back, it’s the only way to do it. Let the show wash over you and make you better. Go in unsure and lost and I can promise, you will be found.

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shontaviajesq · 5 years

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Beyoncé Put on a Clinic for Content Creators Today: 3 Lessons from #BeyonceHomecoming and #Beychella

As many of us were minding our own business in the wee hours of Wednesday morning on April 17, Mrs. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter was preparing to come for all of our necks, edges, and lives with the release both a 137-minute documentary and concert film, titled Homecoming, AND a live album featuring songs from the concert, aptly titled Homecoming: The Live Album. And whew, Lord, I wasn’t ready. I. WASN’T. READY.

Both the film and album feature various components of Beyoncé’s 2018 headlining set at Coachella, a twenty-year old music and arts festival held in California. She was the first African-American woman to headline the festival. Her performance is masterful for many, many, reasons—it was so good that DJ Khaled famously proclaimed that "Coachella gotta rename Coachella to Beychella."

View this post on Instagram

Check this out ! After @beyonce perform after she dune the dance 💃 ! @coachella got rename @coachella to B CHELLA !!! NEW NAME ALERT 🚨!! B CHELLA AKA BEYCHELLA !!!!! #TOPOFF 🔝🚀🐝 🔥 #TOPOFF AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE

A post shared by DJ KHALED (@djkhaled) on Apr 15, 2018 at 12:21pm PDT

The original performance from 2018 caused a frenzy of excitement, as I presume you already know. If you aren’t familiar with all of this….what are you even doing here?!?

Kidding, of course. Here’s the #BeyoncéHomecoming trailer if you haven’t seen any of this yet:

Beyoncé and her Homecoming were trending across social media for most of the day for all kinds of reasons. Think pieces will be written about Homecoming for days and weeks I’m sure. As I was watching all of this transpire today (because OF COURSE I was...), it made me think a lot about content creation and how dynamically Beyoncé was using and re-using hers.

Content creators like myself and many of you can take notes.

If you aren’t familiar with the term “content creators,” here’s a quote from Feldman+Weber:

On the face of it, a content creator is exactly what it sounds like; someone that creates content for [a] business. You can have various content creators, one for infographics, one for blog posts, one for videos, etc.

Their whole aim is to take your ideas and turn them into content that’s valuable for your business.

I want to share the top three things content creators can take away from #BeyoncéHomecoming and #Beychella:

#1 Create Original Content

First and foremost, before we even get to #BeyonceHomecoming OR #Beychella, we have to start with Beyoncé’s original work. According to Wikipedia, “Beyoncé has released six studio albums, four live albums, three compilation albums, five EPs, one soundtrack album, one mixtape, two karaoke albums, and 62 singles (including 12 as a featured artist, nine promotional singles and five charity singles).” She had a HUGE pool of content to pick and choose from for her Coachella performance, which did not feature any brand new content.

Content creators, we have to do the same thing. It can be SO HARD to post blog posts regularly, or record podcasts each week, or shoot that next YouTube video. But, consistency is important. This will give you a breadth of material to use later. Stay encouraged. Use automated systems or content calendars if that helps.

The point is, create enough stuff so that you can use it later. You worked hard to create that stuff the first time —put it back to work for you regularly.

#2 Chop and Screw (Remix and Repurpose) Your Original Content

Ya’ll know Beyoncé is from Houston, the home of chopping and screwing, in which a song is remixed in a way that slows down and changes/distorts the original. With #Beychella, Beyoncé took her original songs—and songs of other artists—and remixed them in really interesting ways.

You could tell any given song was the original but different. She performed many of the songs with HBCU marching band arrangements behind them. One of my favorites is the Diva/Everybody Mad part of the show. Check it out (at least until YouTube makes whoever posted this take it down):

Similarly, the rest of us content creators have to do the same thing. Yes, it sucks to create brand new content all the time. One way to break up the monotony if this is to re-use your old stuff. Cut up your 10 minute videos into 60 blocks for Instagram. Create a treasure trove of #TBT and #FBF posts. Repost old blog posts with new or updated lessons. Much of what we do goes around and comes around and we can leverage our past creative content in all kinds of ways.

As a part 2b—the strategy of releasing both the Netflix special AND the album of songs was a really smart move. I actually had a long commute this morning along may back roads with terrible cell phone service. I couldn’t watch the Netflix special, but I listened to the entire 40 SONG album on the 2.5 hour drive. This kind of release strategy allowed Beyoncé, Netflix, and the various streaming services to capture all kinds of old and new eyeballs and ears and drive all of us back and forth between multiple platforms.

For your own content, are there places where you can do the same thing? Certainly worth considering.

#3 Don’t Leave Your Culture and Personality at the Door

FINALLY, perhaps the most important lesson- be you all the time. Whether you watched the original #Beychella performance in 2018 or #Homecoming, one of the things that is evident is that Beyoncé did not want to come to Coachella, which has a distinctly white, bohemian vibe, and leave her blackness behind.

“I felt like people wanted me to stay in my little box. I could have worn my flower crown, but it was more important to bring our culture to Coachella.” Full stop. Beyoncé's #HOMECOMING serves as an eternal source of #WednesdayWisdom: https://t.co/hdUNBJqMKk pic.twitter.com/75YkcMWi9B

— ALL ARTS (@AllArtsTV) April 17, 2019

Instead of coming with her “flower crown,” Beyoncé brought the culture of historically black colleges and universities, black greek letter organizations, black scholars and feminists, and black entertainment norms with her. They even swag surfed.

In the film, Beyoncé talks about how she wanted black culture to be shared, embraced and celebrated through her performance.

For many content creators, it can be a daily struggle to figure out how transparent and vulnerable to be with our voice and in our work. I used to struggle with this a lot more than I do now. Though I have some fancy titles and awards, I still get just as excited as everyone else in #BlackTwitter when Beyoncé drops a new project on our necks. A few years ago I might have been hesitant to say so publicly.

So….there you have it. Some great lessons from Professor Knowles-Carter about how to create and leverage your own content. Use it accordingly, students. Class dismissed.

via GIPHY

#Page 2

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indepthrambles · 6 years

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I’m reading a editorial feature on Google Arts & Culture and gosh darn is this reading experience driving me insane! Here are two of the issues I have with this

1) crediting and blurbs

This is multimedia article: it has text, photos, and video. Under the article, the author is credited.

Under each photo there is a quick sentence explaining what you are seeing and where the photo is from.

Under each video is NOTHING

There is no explanation as to what you are seeing, and no tag as to who made it or what channel it’s from. The videos don’t even show you what the title is!!! You get no context for the videos, which is crazy because Google owns YouTube!!!! If anyone would be willing to give YouTube any sort of respect, it should be the company that god damn owns them. To make matters worse, the first video you watch feels misplaced. From the paragraph leading into it, I assumed it would be about the creation of the phenomenon “vougeing”, but instead it was a two minute documentary about a drag competition? I had no idea what was happening, and at first I wondered if the author had linked the wrong video. Clicking through to the YouTube page I learned that it was a trailer for Paris is Burning, but not even the video description makes it clear if it’s a real documentary, a romanticized telling of actual events (such as The Danish Girl or The Imitation Game), or a fictional story of real life events. The lead in was misleading and the connection to the topic was unclear. I was 16 when this trailer came out in 2012; I don’t remember it and it's not widely recognizable enough to present in this article without introduction.

The second video doesn’t fare much better. Through the article and the frozen image before the video starts I had assumed it would be a male model talking about the experience of parading around the front of housing for the 1991 editorial of Strictly, but instead it’s just about his general career trajectory. It feels to me like whoever wrote this needed at least three videos to get a passing mark but instead of doing an annotated biblio ahead of time to have a bunch of resources to draw from he added the first video that came up on the search and threw it in without watching it all the way through, and then realized he didn’t know how to credit the video so he didn’t even bother with any video credits and handed the assignment in.

The third video, while still lacking in credit, at least is directly tied in to the paragraph before it. This video gets full points for relevancy. The other two get quarter points for trying. All three fail in the citation category. Why not write blurbs!! Is YouTube “not good enough” a source to warrant them? Is it so “modern” or “new” that you can just plagiarize from them with no consequences? Or is it not stealing if Google is the parent company of the video-hosting site? If I’m remembering all of my first-day-of-the-semester lectures properly, failing to cite something you did not create is can be considered plagiarism. You’re on thin ice with this one

(y’all, I looked into this and by “looked into” I mean I scrolled to the bottom of the page to copy-paste the name of the author to call him out and it turns out he’s a professor!!! What!!!! I was going to let this guy off the hook because this is a Google article and not an academic paper or school essay but holy heck is he ever back on the hook! You could drop a kid’s letter grade because of this lack of citation! You could give them an academic warning! Dude! Just give YouTube some acknowledgement of being a source of information!)

2) links

Ok, so this one I don’t think is the fault of the author; I think it’s a fault of the site, but none of the links are new-tab-able. As in, you can’t right-click or long-press the blue things to open in a new tab. You have to click on it normally and it takes you away from your current page into a new page. Google, GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER! I KNOW YOU KNOW HOW THIS WORKS, YOU’RE MOTHERHUGGING GOOGLE!!!! WHY THE EVER LOVING FLUFF CAN’T I OPEN THIS IN A NEW TAB?! DON’T YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT the youth™ AND HOW THEY OPERATE?! DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT LIKE, FLOW OF MEDIA CONSUMPTION AND EASE OF DIGESTION? THIS MAKES NO SENSE. I KNOW YOU KNOW HOW TO OPEN THINGS IN NEW TABS I’M USING CHROME AS WE SPEAK WITH FIVE TABS OPEN, SO LET ME DO IT ON YOUR OWN FLIPPING NEWSPAPER ARTS AND CULTURE PAGE. HOW CAN WE EXPECT OLD SCHOOL PAPERS LIKE (I don’t actually read newspapers online so I don’t want to call anyone out specifically because maybe their online presence is actually really great, so just insert your own stubbornly out-dated example here) TO TRANSITION TO THE MODERN AGE WHEN YOU ACT LIKE YOU JUST LEARNED WHAT A BLOG WAS YESTERDAY AND YOU THINK C++ IS A NEW AGE GRADING SYSTEM FOR THE NEW GENERATION OF BABIED STUDENTS WHO CAN’T DEAL WITH FAILURE.

ahem

Dear Google, allow people to open links in a new tab like a reasonable person and not a cheap ad-sense run website that split the article up into fifteen sections to capitalize on click-rates and traffic. (the links lead back to yourself anyways! you run ad-sense!! you’re not losing out on anything! this is a terrible user experience!!!) A frustrated and somewhat confused student

Anyways, those were the two things that were driving me crazy reading through this article. 6/10, would recommend to a grandma

#google arts and culture #in depth rambles #09/06/18

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