Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Video: And Then Karen Came for the Superheroes
I was going to comment on this particular topic, but then "Just Some Guy" beat me to it -- and since he's black, I think I'll just let him talk.
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Fans Can't "Bully" a Corporation. That's Nonsense.
(Yes, I'm finally back. And as you can see over on the right sidebar, I've created a writing blog. Please feel free to check it out!)
I'm not really invested in the Justice League and, until this week, wasn't all that fussed about the Snyder Cut. But now? Now I'm interested -- not because I necessarily intend to watch it or anything (although I may if I hear good things about it from people I trust), but because I find the hard-left SJW media's reaction to the announcement of its upcoming release so incredibly bizarre.
See, I'm old enough to remember when the left was anti-corporate. But this week, I've seen so-called progressives pen article after article asserting that fans pushing for the aforementioned release supposedly "bullied" Warner Brothers into doing their bidding and that this is setting "dangerous precedents" blah-blah-blah. To which I respond: what the actual eff? As the title of this post asserts, you can't "bully" a corporation. That's like saying David "bullied" Goliath by slingshotting that rock at the Philistine's forehead.
Seriously: what happened to that old Occupy Wall Street spirit? I had a dim view of those protesters because they were very obviously socialist/communist in their sympathies, but there was one thing they actually did get correct: corporations don't need government handouts, nor do they need our solicitude. So why is the left suddenly getting all teary-eyed about the plight of poor, beleaguered Warner Brothers? I'm sorry, but a huge media empire is not some vulnerable underdog we must rally to defend.
Also, I have a question: did Star Trek fans "bully" NBC when they struck up a letter-writing campaign to save the show for a third season? Did Farscape fans "bully" the SciFi/SyFy channel into giving us some closure with the Peacekeeper Wars miniseries? Were we Early Edition fans "bullying" CBS when we attempted (but ultimately failed, sadly) to save our sweet little family-friendly show about a magical newspaper that was delivered by a cat? Fan campaigns, historically, are an utterly normal, utterly benign, and omnipresent phenomenon.
Enthusiastic fan uprisings are not automatically stalking horses for "incel terrorism" or "white supremacy" or any other BS you're trying to peddle. In the media sphere, they're simply a fact of life. True: there are individual fans who can behave in toxic and/or threatening ways. But if your hatred of ordinary fans has become so extreme that you reject any action that caters to them at all, I think you need to completely reevaluate your life.
I'm not really invested in the Justice League and, until this week, wasn't all that fussed about the Snyder Cut. But now? Now I'm interested -- not because I necessarily intend to watch it or anything (although I may if I hear good things about it from people I trust), but because I find the hard-left SJW media's reaction to the announcement of its upcoming release so incredibly bizarre.
See, I'm old enough to remember when the left was anti-corporate. But this week, I've seen so-called progressives pen article after article asserting that fans pushing for the aforementioned release supposedly "bullied" Warner Brothers into doing their bidding and that this is setting "dangerous precedents" blah-blah-blah. To which I respond: what the actual eff? As the title of this post asserts, you can't "bully" a corporation. That's like saying David "bullied" Goliath by slingshotting that rock at the Philistine's forehead.
Seriously: what happened to that old Occupy Wall Street spirit? I had a dim view of those protesters because they were very obviously socialist/communist in their sympathies, but there was one thing they actually did get correct: corporations don't need government handouts, nor do they need our solicitude. So why is the left suddenly getting all teary-eyed about the plight of poor, beleaguered Warner Brothers? I'm sorry, but a huge media empire is not some vulnerable underdog we must rally to defend.
Also, I have a question: did Star Trek fans "bully" NBC when they struck up a letter-writing campaign to save the show for a third season? Did Farscape fans "bully" the SciFi/SyFy channel into giving us some closure with the Peacekeeper Wars miniseries? Were we Early Edition fans "bullying" CBS when we attempted (but ultimately failed, sadly) to save our sweet little family-friendly show about a magical newspaper that was delivered by a cat? Fan campaigns, historically, are an utterly normal, utterly benign, and omnipresent phenomenon.
Enthusiastic fan uprisings are not automatically stalking horses for "incel terrorism" or "white supremacy" or any other BS you're trying to peddle. In the media sphere, they're simply a fact of life. True: there are individual fans who can behave in toxic and/or threatening ways. But if your hatred of ordinary fans has become so extreme that you reject any action that caters to them at all, I think you need to completely reevaluate your life.
Sunday, April 19, 2020
Guest Post: Don't Mess with Dune
By Richard Paolinelli
Growing up as a kid, my first introduction to literary science fiction were the works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. I spent many an after-school hour at the public library reading those incredible stories.
But, once I got a little older, I encountered a new author and a book that cemented my love of reading science fiction for life. That book was Dune by Frank Herbert. As soon as I finished reading it I turned right back to the first page and started reading it again. The next five books in the series that Herbert wrote soon followed suit.
Over the years, I have probably read those six books, in order of course, at least twenty times. The depth and attention to detail of every facet of the universe Herbert created with Dune was amazing. You easily lost yourself in the stories, even after so many readings when you already knew all too well what was coming.
Herbert’s Dune inspired me to try to create my own universe. The first book in that attempt is When The Gods Fell. Now, I’m not about to tell you it is better than Hebert’s works, but it is filled with all of the political intrigue and mythology that Herbert wove into Dune.
I’m telling you this because later this year Dune will be released in theaters. When I heard that Dune was being redone I was ecstatic. David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation had an incredible cast. Unfortunately, it had David Lynch as the director. While he remained somewhat true to the original material, his outlandish style did not serve the material well. The movie overall was okay, but just okay.
The SYFY channel released a miniseries in 2000 that combined the first three books - Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. The casting was okay, but lacked some star power that paled in comparison to the 1984 cast. But they remained faithful to Herbert’s material and I thought they did well under the circumstances. Still, the first two attempts at adapting Dune fell short.
Fast forward to 2020. Brian Herbert (Frank’s son) and Kevin J. Anderson have expanded on Frank’s original six books over the years and I feel they have done a great job. News that they were involved in the film gave me hope that the third time would be the charm, especially when the cast and crew were announced.
Denis Villeneuve would direct, and after his work on Blade Runner 2049 I felt this meant a Dune that would stick to the original material like glue. Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto? Nice. Zendaya as Chani? Good! Timothee Chalamet as Paul? Okay, I haven’t seen him in action but he looked promising. Rebecca Ferguson as the Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Dave Bautista as Beast Rabban, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Javier Bardem as Stilgar and Stellan Skarsgard as the Baron Harkonnen?
How sweet it is!
Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Liet-Kynes?
What in the name of Shai-hulud is this madness?
This has nothing to do with Duncan-Brewster as an actress. This has everything to do with screwing around with the original material and in what can only be assumed as a way to show the world how “woke” the film is.
Liet-Kynes is Chani’s father, not her mother. Liet-Kynes is the leader of the Fremen. In the Dune universe Herbert created, the Fremen are a desert-dwelling people with strict rules. One is they do not have women leading the tribes or their entire people. So gender-swapping Liet-Kynes makes no sense whatsoever.
This isn’t like the Battlestar Galactica reboot where Starbuck was also gender-swapped. All Starbuck was ever required to be was a kick-ass, hard-drinking, high-stakes gambling fighter pilot, male or female. So having Katee Sackhoff replace Dirk Benedict wasn’t a huge violation as long as she pulled it off, and she definitely pulled it off.
But Liet-Kynes can ONLY be a male in Herbert’s Dune universe. This decision to gender-swap the character is a terrible disservice to Herbert. And the claim cannot be made that it was done to bring a strong female character to the story.
The Lady Jessica is a very strong female character, as is Chani herself. The Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam is a very strong female character in the story. The Bene Gesserit order is an all-female army of warrior-priestesses with amazing abilities.
There is no shortage of strong females in the Dune universe. There was no need for this casting other than the obvious “Hey, look at how woke we are” by Villeneuve. Worse yet, it is disrespectful to Hebert himself to make a major change like this.
I have long disliked the tendency by Hollywood writers to attempt to write the story better than the original author did. If Hollywood is going to adapt a classic like this, then they should move heaven and earth to make sure they respect the original material.
If they cannot, then they should leave the original alone and create their own Dune-like universe with new characters. When I wrote When The Gods Fell, I did not attempt to rewrite Frank’s original. I would not disrespect Hebert or his legacy that way. I created my own universe.
If Villeneuve was incapable of showing the proper respect to Herbert’s work, he should never have agreed to direct this film. As a longtime fan of the Dune universe I am very disappointed because if they are willing to violate the original material like this one instance, what else are they going to change? Will it even be the Dune that Hebert created by the time they are done?
Sadly, is seems that the Dune reboot we deserved is not the Dune reboot we are going to get in December.
To buy When The Gods Fell and other books by Richard Paolinelli, visit his website.
Growing up as a kid, my first introduction to literary science fiction were the works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. I spent many an after-school hour at the public library reading those incredible stories.
But, once I got a little older, I encountered a new author and a book that cemented my love of reading science fiction for life. That book was Dune by Frank Herbert. As soon as I finished reading it I turned right back to the first page and started reading it again. The next five books in the series that Herbert wrote soon followed suit.
Over the years, I have probably read those six books, in order of course, at least twenty times. The depth and attention to detail of every facet of the universe Herbert created with Dune was amazing. You easily lost yourself in the stories, even after so many readings when you already knew all too well what was coming.
Herbert’s Dune inspired me to try to create my own universe. The first book in that attempt is When The Gods Fell. Now, I’m not about to tell you it is better than Hebert’s works, but it is filled with all of the political intrigue and mythology that Herbert wove into Dune.
I’m telling you this because later this year Dune will be released in theaters. When I heard that Dune was being redone I was ecstatic. David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation had an incredible cast. Unfortunately, it had David Lynch as the director. While he remained somewhat true to the original material, his outlandish style did not serve the material well. The movie overall was okay, but just okay.
The SYFY channel released a miniseries in 2000 that combined the first three books - Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. The casting was okay, but lacked some star power that paled in comparison to the 1984 cast. But they remained faithful to Herbert’s material and I thought they did well under the circumstances. Still, the first two attempts at adapting Dune fell short.
Fast forward to 2020. Brian Herbert (Frank’s son) and Kevin J. Anderson have expanded on Frank’s original six books over the years and I feel they have done a great job. News that they were involved in the film gave me hope that the third time would be the charm, especially when the cast and crew were announced.
Denis Villeneuve would direct, and after his work on Blade Runner 2049 I felt this meant a Dune that would stick to the original material like glue. Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto? Nice. Zendaya as Chani? Good! Timothee Chalamet as Paul? Okay, I haven’t seen him in action but he looked promising. Rebecca Ferguson as the Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Dave Bautista as Beast Rabban, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Javier Bardem as Stilgar and Stellan Skarsgard as the Baron Harkonnen?
How sweet it is!
Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Liet-Kynes?
What in the name of Shai-hulud is this madness?
This has nothing to do with Duncan-Brewster as an actress. This has everything to do with screwing around with the original material and in what can only be assumed as a way to show the world how “woke” the film is.
Liet-Kynes is Chani’s father, not her mother. Liet-Kynes is the leader of the Fremen. In the Dune universe Herbert created, the Fremen are a desert-dwelling people with strict rules. One is they do not have women leading the tribes or their entire people. So gender-swapping Liet-Kynes makes no sense whatsoever.
This isn’t like the Battlestar Galactica reboot where Starbuck was also gender-swapped. All Starbuck was ever required to be was a kick-ass, hard-drinking, high-stakes gambling fighter pilot, male or female. So having Katee Sackhoff replace Dirk Benedict wasn’t a huge violation as long as she pulled it off, and she definitely pulled it off.
But Liet-Kynes can ONLY be a male in Herbert’s Dune universe. This decision to gender-swap the character is a terrible disservice to Herbert. And the claim cannot be made that it was done to bring a strong female character to the story.
The Lady Jessica is a very strong female character, as is Chani herself. The Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam is a very strong female character in the story. The Bene Gesserit order is an all-female army of warrior-priestesses with amazing abilities.
There is no shortage of strong females in the Dune universe. There was no need for this casting other than the obvious “Hey, look at how woke we are” by Villeneuve. Worse yet, it is disrespectful to Hebert himself to make a major change like this.
I have long disliked the tendency by Hollywood writers to attempt to write the story better than the original author did. If Hollywood is going to adapt a classic like this, then they should move heaven and earth to make sure they respect the original material.
If they cannot, then they should leave the original alone and create their own Dune-like universe with new characters. When I wrote When The Gods Fell, I did not attempt to rewrite Frank’s original. I would not disrespect Hebert or his legacy that way. I created my own universe.
If Villeneuve was incapable of showing the proper respect to Herbert’s work, he should never have agreed to direct this film. As a longtime fan of the Dune universe I am very disappointed because if they are willing to violate the original material like this one instance, what else are they going to change? Will it even be the Dune that Hebert created by the time they are done?
Sadly, is seems that the Dune reboot we deserved is not the Dune reboot we are going to get in December.
To buy When The Gods Fell and other books by Richard Paolinelli, visit his website.
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Yippee Ki Yay! I Popped My Die Hard Cherry!
Until today, I'd never seen Die Hard. Why? I'm not really sure. I wasn't put off by the concept or anything; I just never got around to it. And yes: I know this means I've been celebrating Christmas incorrectly for the past thirty years. Hopefully I've escaped the latest purge of the heretics by correcting my oversight.
So what did I think? Well, as it turns out, Die Hard is way less ridiculous than I was expecting based on the memes. Amongst the famous one-liners, there's actually some genuine humanity and character growth. And the action isn't mindless either; McClane actually spends the entire time relying more on his brains than on his brawn or his weaponry, and to me, that's quite satisfying. I've always preferred heroes who get by on their wits alone.
In short: I get it now. I get why this movie has wormed itself so deeply into our popular culture -- and why it's become a fixture of many folks' holiday festivities. "It's not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomi Plaza" indeed!
This, by the way, will be my last post until the new year. Merry Christmas, everyone!
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Geeky Recommendations, 10/9/19
(Note: Sorry for the lack of a post this past Sunday. I got a little busy and ran out of time.)
Books: Dan Simmons Month
For no particular reason at all, I've decided to spend the rest of October highlighting the work of Dan Simmons. Up first? Hyperion, his 1990 Hugo Award winner. The other day, I described this novel to a co-worker as "The Canterbury Tales... IN SPACE," but that only gives you a very basic sense of its structure. In reality, this is an odd, kitchen-sink kind of book that somehow manages to be a space opera, a cyberpunk tale, a mystery, and a literary reflection all at once. My favorite of the six stories told is probably Sol Weintraub's because it seriously grapples with the problem of suffering, but interesting ideas are included throughout. Fair warning, though: since this is the first of a series, you may find the ending a bit unsatisfying, as Simmons leaves the central mystery that drives the pilgrimage unsolved.
Now Playing
Joker. Let's cut through the pervasive mental retardation, shall we?
(Possible spoilers below the cut.)
Books: Dan Simmons Month
For no particular reason at all, I've decided to spend the rest of October highlighting the work of Dan Simmons. Up first? Hyperion, his 1990 Hugo Award winner. The other day, I described this novel to a co-worker as "The Canterbury Tales... IN SPACE," but that only gives you a very basic sense of its structure. In reality, this is an odd, kitchen-sink kind of book that somehow manages to be a space opera, a cyberpunk tale, a mystery, and a literary reflection all at once. My favorite of the six stories told is probably Sol Weintraub's because it seriously grapples with the problem of suffering, but interesting ideas are included throughout. Fair warning, though: since this is the first of a series, you may find the ending a bit unsatisfying, as Simmons leaves the central mystery that drives the pilgrimage unsolved.
Now Playing
Joker. Let's cut through the pervasive mental retardation, shall we?
(Possible spoilers below the cut.)
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