strong female character

Decoding the Amazon

Author J. Ishiro Finney decodes the Strong Female Character™ trope in his new book Boobs of Steel: Decoding the Amazon. Lara Croft... Power Girl... Tifa Lockhart... They're three of the most loved and loathed characters in all pop-culture. Since the late 1990s all three have also been favorite targets for…
July 31, 20233 Comments
Real Heat

Real Heat

The life of a film buff is fraught with heartache these days, but every once in a while, you come across a story that makes it worthwhile. Prime example: The legendary conversation between Hanna and McCauley in Heat was taken word-for-word from real life! H/t Twitter user EvilTomHanks Here's the…
July 28, 20231 Comment
participant

No Participation Trophies

If you spent any length of time on social media this weekend, you couldn't escape seeing culture warrior Conservatives backsliding into the Pop Cult slop funnel en masse. Many of the same people who lamented the outrage marketing that turned Captain Marvel from a near-flop to a billion-dollar hit fell…
July 25, 20237 Comments
Scott Pilgrim Subculture

Subcultural Experiences

Commenter Hermetic Seal writes: As someone who started college in the mid-2000s, a big part of my experience was how all of my communal activities, and the entertainment I was into, moved from shared cultural experiences, to subcultural ones. I think a lot of that emerged naturally, or subconsciously, in…
July 20, 20233 Comments
The Tangled Web of Tony Pellicano

The Tangled Web of Tony Pellicano

Hollywood has its own intrigues that rival international espionage, as this writer learned while pulling a thread left in yesterday's comments by author JD Cowan. [Director John] McTiernan’s career is fascinating. Everything he did was fantastic until the 2000s hit and he got entangled with the feds after his producers…
July 12, 20231 Comment
Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October

The defection of a beloved yet eccentric military commander threatens to tip the balance in a tense standoff between Russia and NATO, leaving the world teetering on the edge of nuclear Armageddon. No, that's not the news. It's The Hunt for Red October. Based on Tom Clancy's breakout thriller and…
July 11, 20236 Comments
Heat

Heat

Few films have captured the bloody logic and shifting loyalties of the criminal underworld with as much intensity and finesse as Michael Mann's 1995 classic, Heat. This movie is the high point of High 90s cinema, and with good reason. As we'll see, every element is executed with virtuoso precision…
June 29, 202311 Comments
Darkman

Darkman: Shadier Than The Shadow

In the domain of pulp-inspired superhero movies, Darkman stands as a shining example of how to adapt a beloved character to the silver screen without featuring that character at all. What do I mean? Read and learn. Released in 1990, Darkman not only delivers a thrilling narrative but also proves…
June 21, 202310 Comments
Virtual Force

Virtual Morality

A reader writes: There's a question I've been wondering; admittedly, it's not an issue of great philosophical importance, but still, one that I'd like answered; it has to do with video games. Recently I've heard arguments from Priests against the whole idea of violent video games and, to a certain…
June 20, 20236 Comments
Our Rainbow

Pride Is Cancelled

Just a few quick reminders that the Death Cult isn't invincible. Next up, disputed but encouraging: And to save the biggest white pill for last: These past few years, when people tried to rationalize persisting in cooperation with evil because "Boycotts don't work," I'd point out that God doesn't command…
June 14, 20235 Comments