pop culture

Modern popular culture topics in the geek sphere.

Anticipating Black Panther
Marvel has gifted fans with tons of content this year but one of the most anticipated projects of this year is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. I am fully prepared for this movie to absolutely destroy me emotionally as the trailer has made me cry on three separate occasions. The film certainly looks like it's going to be a collective grieving experience for both the filmmakers and the audience. But I wanted to use this article to point out the canonical things from the comics that they could incorporate into the future of this character. The choice not to recast Chadwick was a good decision, and leaves room for the women to take the forefront.
By Alexandrea Callaghan3 years ago in Geeks
Hollywood and the Stories That Will Never Die
As a screenwriter something I think about often is; what is a story that I want to tell that I will also be able to sell? There are quite a few stories that Hollywood never seems to get tired of, ones that always seem to sell. Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz. Now what about these stories makes them so special and why do filmmakers keep coming back to them?
By Alexandrea Callaghan3 years ago in Geeks
Nostalgia and Hollywood
The general public has wondered for quite a few years now, has Hollywood run out of original ideas? With what seems like nothing but adaptations, sequels, and reboots being produced the hearts of young writers are breaking everywhere, and fans of film are simply bored and exhausted. Reboots, and sequels have killed creativity in Hollywood because quite frankly if you only do adaptations then you aren’t an artist. What audiences crave is original thoughts, not regurgitations of old themes and stories.
By Alexandrea Callaghan3 years ago in Geeks
The Aaron Carter I Remember
By Sandy Lo The passing of Aaron Carter is sad like the passing of any person, especially someone so young. I know to some Aaron is another child star gone wrong, but to so many of us, he was so much more than that.
By All’s Fair in Love & Writing3 years ago in Geeks
Armageddon Time
The other film that filled the void of wonderfully thought out films was Armageddon Time. Something about these end of year films is really heartbreaking. It seems the mission of filmmakers is to see how hard they can make me cry and I love it. Film and television has always made me feel things very deeply, that's why it's the industry I want to work in. Armageddon Time is heartfelt, wonderful, painful and raw.
By Alexandrea Callaghan3 years ago in Geeks
Banshees of Inisherin
This weekend was filled with more movies and as the weeks have progressed I come away with liking, truly enjoying about 1 in every 5 films we see. The last couple of weekends have been largely filled with disappointing movies that felt incomplete and like the filmmakers had no idea what their themes really were or how to execute them. I feel like I’ve been watching vague ideas of movies but never the real thing. This weekend there was finally a break in the disappointment.
By Alexandrea Callaghan3 years ago in Geeks
Male vs Female Gaze
One of my favorite things to talk about when discussing women’s portrayal in superhero movies is the male vs the female gaze. These are terms used to describe and identify the lens with which a director shows audiences female characters. There are certain descriptors for each gaze but some are more subtle and difficult to identify. Women have an easier time seeing these differences because it directly affects us and the way these differences make us feel are quite obvious.
By Alexandrea Callaghan3 years ago in Geeks
Feminism & Groomers: 'The House of The Dragon' Was Always About How Men Use Women
HBO's Game of Thrones spinoff, The House of the Dragon (sometimes referred to online as House of Dragons), knew what it wanted to talk about in the very first episode. After it's revealed that between two contenders to the throne — the cowardly Viserys I Targaryen and the wiser Rhaenys Targaryen — Viserys is given the Iron Throne because he is a man, we know that patriarchy is going to be a throughline in this story.
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Geeks
Pop Culture's Reckoning with "Wage Slavery"
A lot of people hate work. "Work is not my highest priority and never will be," rants a user on r/Jobs. "I don't hate my job; I actually enjoy it. However, I'm just sick of this western(?) idea that your work is your identifier and needs to be your 'highest priority.'" This is a common perspective (see also my article You Are Not Crazy for Hating the Idea of Work).
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Geeks
In Defense of Ariel's New Hair
The idea of a remake can be alarming to a lot of people. But the whole point of a remake is borrowing an old tale and making a new spin. There are some people that might not know the history of Ariel’s hair
By Samantha Parrish3 years ago in Geeks
A Look At Imperialism: The Kardashian-Jenner's
I am in a graduate class called Narration of Empire, where we contemplate aspects of empire and talk about an event/conflict/or period of time through the lens of empire. Throughout my studies I have been fascinated at the relationship between popular culture and politics. Who better than the Kardashian-Jenner family to deliciously unpack the impact of cultural imperialism.
By Hungry Artist3 years ago in Geeks
'House Of The Dragon' Season 2: Don't Worry, Jacaerys Velaryon's Messenger Mission Goes A Lot Better Than His Brother's
WARNING: SPOILERS for House of The Dragon 1x10, 'The Black Queen', and some potentially spoilery season 2 speculation. The first season of HBO's Game of Thrones prequel, House of The Dragon, has come to it's shocking conclusion.
By Kristy Anderson3 years ago in Geeks