Yeah, I haven’t actually seen the film, largely because even I could not work up the courage to face the clerk at Blockbusters with Showgirls in hand. But I have seen much of Vorhoeven’s work, and I’ve seen his most comparable satire Starship Troopers many times over the years. Which makes me very certain that…

And they did that when the title Jinglier all the Way was right there, too . . .

. . . If those came with a noose that you bolted to the inside roof of the car, that might improve the safety function of the seats.

I personally like to think of them as pretzels that decided to settle after two years of college didn’t work out for them.

It pretty much goes without saying at this point, but if we could turn cognitive dissonance into a fuel source, and keep Trump locked up in perpetuity, we wouldn’t need a sun any more. Regardless, this is just another case of how if Trump is talking, Trump is finding some way to resolve the mess of contradictions that…

The paper’s controversial top opinion editor James Bennet issued a mea culpa, claiming he let his section be “stampeded by the news cycle,” and confessed that the backlash had inspired him to rethink the op-ed section entirely.

Strictly speaking, both Man of Steel and Captain America: The First Avenger are origin stories, so it’s not that. It’s that origin story or no, you have to give the audience a reason to believe in the what the hero is trying to do. It’s not enough to just say “Hey, they like the IP, or they wouldn’t be here”.

Working my way through Witcher 3 myself. Once I’m done, on to Red Dead Redemption, then Red Dead Redemption 2.

“Nobody’s ever done for the black community what President Trump has done,” Trump said, boasting investment into historically black colleges and dubious opportunity zones that act as more of a boon to predatory developers than working-class black people.

FilmCriticHulk had a wonderful essay where he diagnosed the biggest problem with Hollywood screenplays today, as the fact that they assume empathy on the part of the audience. The assumption is that the screenwriters don’t need to give the audience a reason to care about the protagonist, because hey, if they didn’t…

At the time of his March 3 death, officials said, the 33-year-old appeared to be suffering from excited delirium, which often includes attempts at violence, unexpected strength and very high body temperature.

I think the strongest indication why it won’t work is because it’s an image designed to be shown on the evening news. Which would only work for people who watch the evening news. But yes, Stassa’s point is completely well-taken, and it is vapid image-consciousness, for two basic reasons.

. . . And the “Mission Accomplished!” banner that was waving behind George W. Bush during his victory lap speech on the aircraft carrier in 2004 was technically for the aircraft carrier, which had just returned from a tour in the Persian Gulf.

Yeah, speaking as a dyed-in-the-wool feminist, this film is probably second only to Beauty and the Beast in terms of how feminist literary theory really needs to incorporate the concept that Tropes are Tools, not inherent value statements.

Hell, I’m mad Wall-E didn’t win Best Picture that year. This was the year Kate Winslet and Harvey Weinstein’s Throw-Every-Nazi-Trope-And-The-Kitchen-Sink-At-The-Oscar-Voters movie The Reader won Best Picture, despite the fact that the clear battle should have been between The Dark Knight and Wall-E.

This is perfectly true. The problem is, if a slogan creates an unintended ‘knee-jerk’ reaction, like ‘ALM’, then it’s not lading right for certain people.

In my experience, the easiest way to test whether or not someone understands Rev. Dr. King, and agrees with him, is whether or not they can remember any quote from him that is neither “the arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice”, nor “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a…

Agreed. At a certain level, I am always pleased when an alcoholic admits that he has a problem. I am less enthused when an alcoholic confuses the first step, namely, admit you have a problem, with all twelve steps. As is, our political structure suffers from a perpetual underpants gnome problem. It’s always willing to…

Well, there is an obvious downside: there’s only so much you can do about the Iowa 4th District, because it’s rural, white and has little in the way of college education. Put that together, and you’ve got yourself a Trump District Cocktail. As much as I would like non-college educated rural whites to see their…