Superheroes and Society – Observations on a Welcome Change
Superheroes are sweeping the mainstream and dominating the box office, but why now? Is this a sign of a shift to an altruistic majority?...
Opinions
Just our “humble” opinions
Bill Maher, Al Franken, and all the wrong lessons of #MeToo
It would be much simpler and things would line up far neater if everyone publicly accused of sexual harassment or misconduct was someone we hated or distrusted in the first place. This is the argument Bill Maher seems to be taking with his friend, Al Franken...and it's wrong....
The Creative Productions Behind UFC’s Rise
Just like NBA means basketball's highest level, the UFC has become a byword for MMA's best. The UFC's creative promotion and branding deserve some credit....
Netflix’s New Weeklies Keep Us Coming Back for More
Why would a business that has made so much money running full seasons at a time switch to a model in which some of those shows air on a weekly basis?...
Blast from The Past: Why We’re Suckers for Old School Classics
It's 2018 and our options for entertainment are nearly endless, yet we still find ourselves spending our time obsessing over the past; particularly sitting all day watching reruns of film and TV shows that have been long gone for decades. Why do we keep walking down memory lane time after time?...
Devising Our New Myth: The U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith
U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith's rural poetry tour is vital today because it allows for poetry to be consumed by those who might not have regular access....
Potterless: Re-experiencing the series through the novel lens of a twenty-something
Harry's story is finished, but 'Potterless' is telling the tale of a twenty-something year old dude reading Harry Potter for the first time......
Think smarter: Why we trust streaming services more than traditional networks
While streaming services do tend to perpetuate the argument that millennials and generation Z-ers require media delivered to them immediately rather than waiting, I also think that the quality of content also happens to be better because it’s smarter....
Six reasons why “Billions” is the most enjoyable show on TV
'Billions' began with a very simple premise: Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Damien Lewis) is a billionaire financial whiz who runs a hedge fund called Axe Capital and Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) is the U.S. attorney out to put him away. But there’s much much more to it than that. 'Billions' may not be the best show on TV, but it’s certainly the most entertaining....
Musical hospitality – the specialty of a small venue
A small venue doesn’t allow for a large audience; that’s self-evident. They also make it hard for an artist to hide behind distance. The 9th Ward, which recently hosted Mary Lambert and Mal Blum - and other small venues - hold a special place of importance. They provide a unique space, one often with a story, and only allow a select few to wander in at one time....
Reachability vs. Representation: LGBTQ+ Characters in TV & Film
The lack of LGBTQ+ characters in television and film isn’t too awe-inspiring, yet, there are over 10 million individuals identifying as such in the United States alone, according to Gallup....
Why is (was) nobody talking about The Matches?
You might have missed out on one of the best pop punk bands of the 2000's... The Matches may have been eclipsed by bigger name bands during the alt-renaissance of the 2000s, but there's no denying that their music is true to its roots 'til the very end....
A few moments of silence, now trending in Hollywood
In a world filled with way too much noise, auditory and otherwise, nowadays it says more to not say anything at all. The movie business started with silent films, and in recent years more movies have been getting a silent treatment all their own....
The acclaim of The Shape of Water: Shaped by the Kuleshov Effect and Del Toro’s reputation
Everyone is entitled to their own film preferences and opinions, and nobody could say who’s right and who’s wrong. All we can do is keep the Kuleshov Effect in mind, try to take the filmmaker’s reputation out of it, and watch a film as it is....
The blurred line separating life and art
The second we get a chance to escape from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, we leap into a world of creative imagination where life and art intertwine, and as we relentlessly explore endless content in the media library, we're bound to find something that we'll invest our time in (mostly years), that hits all the right buttons of our psyche. There are many reasons as to why we get more emotionally involved in fiction than the lives we lead....
Thank you, Netflix, for doing A Series of Unfortunate Events justice
Finally, A Series of Unfortunate Events gets the dismal treatment it deserves....
Everyone has something to say about Marilyn Manson…
Marilyn Manson...love him? Hate him? Too scared to say?...
Was Green Day the best pop-rock band of the 2000s?
Green Day may have been the best rock band of the 2000s. At least, they were for those of us blessed to be teens at the time. Those of us once willing to spend 4 hours straight mastering moves in Tony Hawk's American Sk8land instead of actually skating. Those of us savvy enough to acquire bootleg copies of 'Parental Advisory' level Green Day albums because "hey, we're old enough and it's on the radio!"...
When art needs an explanation: Revisiting Aronofsky’s Mother!
I think it says a whole lot when a director has to explain what his film is trying to say; and Aronofsky certainly had something to say once the audience had enough to time to compose themselves after seeing Mother!...do we believe him?...
The only thing separating you from creating a cinematic masterpiece is the excuses you make
There are so many things happening around us that could potentially be the next best story ever told, which you could tell, only if you keep a positive mindset and reach for that phone in your pocket. Skeptics would say you're delusional for making such a move, well I'd say, at least you're living the dream....
Don’t expect many answers from the Sopranos movie
Sure, there are reasons to be skeptical about the Sopranos revival. The flashback episodes of The Sopranos were never among the show’s better episodes, and the time period change alone indicates that however great it is, the movie won’t be the Sopranos that we remember. Even so, David Chase has been missed, and I can’t wait to see what he does with this project. Just don’t expect it to give you the Sopranos answers you never got from the show the first go-around....
Everyone has something to say about the Red Hot Chili Peppers…
In my experiences, just mentioning Red Hot Chili Peppers is often enough to spark a full-on debate. I think this speaks to the fact that they're just one of those bands that you either love or hate. So, like any millennial would, I posted a status on Facebook asking my friends to tell me how they feel about them, and they sure came through....
The revolutionary shift in on-screen storytelling
Through proper representation, cultural diversity, and equality, Hollywood could make wonders and unravel new ways to elevate the craft of storytelling that entices our imagination, speaks the truth, and brilliantly captures the beauty and struggles of humanity without compromising its structural integrity....
The return of blaming Hollywood for real world violence
This year’s usual Oscars reaction followed another, more old-school right-wing freakout over entertainment. When the Parkland high school massacre led to more of an anti-gun cultural groundswell than such tragedies typically have, those on the other side of the issue turned to a typical alternate scapegoat: Hollywood, and video games....