Pop Culturnalist

Comics, films and television...oh my!

  • Film Countdown: Monsters University

    • 11 Feb 2013
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    Oh Pixar you do treat us.

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  • So Jodie Foster Came Out

    • 15 Jan 2013
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    Jodie-foster-golden-globes

    At the Golden Globe awards the other day, Jodie Foster finally acknowledged her sexual orientation after, frankly, decades of the whole world knowing. Whilst I'm impressed that she's finally come out to the whole world, I must confess a certain disappointment that she did it as easily and consequence-free as she chose to. As Patrick Strudwick says:

    Without visibility we would have nothing. Without millions of ordinary people, kids in British state schools, activists in Uganda, married Christians in the Bible belt, saying, "Actually, I'm gay," Jodie Foster would not be able to stand up, resplendent, creaking open the closet door free of consequences. She surfed the wave of others' courage and gave back only when she felt like it.

    It is every gay public figure's social responsibility to be out, to make life better for those without publicists and pilates teachers. Those who cry, "It's none of your business! Who cares who I sleep with?!" shirk their public duty, and deny the shame that keeps the closet door shut. Do straight people consider their orientation private? You cannot skip the tough part of a human rights struggle. I long for being gay to be nobody's business, to not matter, but we're a long way off. You either do your bit, and in the case of an A-list actor, that means blazing a trail for other performers, or you remain concealed, bleating about privacy.

    I completely agree with him. She's unarguably done good by coming out at all, but it's true that, like it or not, as a major public figure she's in a position of responsibility. She does indeed have a right to privacy but a human rights struggle indeed affects everyone - there's no avoiding it with any honour. To those who cry 'it's no big deal, why should she come out' I point them to the persistence of homophobia (and heterosexism) in numerous industries, and not just her's. The only point at which being an out gay Hollywood actor is not worth acknowledging, reporting on or celebrating is when it's commonplace. I'm glad she's out but she should have done this years ago.

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  • Film Countdown: Star Trek Into Darkness

    • 7 Dec 2012
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  • Star Trek Into Darkness Poster

    • 4 Dec 2012
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    Dear God how can you not be massively excited about this?

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  • House of Cards (US) Trailer

    • 18 Nov 2012
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  • Doctor Who 7:5 - The Angels Take Manhattan (Spoilers)

    • 30 Sep 2012
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    Doctor-who-episode-poster-the-angels-take-manhattan-1024x766
    What a devastating episode, penned of course by shown runner Steven Moffat - an instant improvement over the previous three dud episodes. But of course with this the final appearance of the Ponds it was always going to be a tough hurdle to get through, and Moffat doesn't scrimp on the drama. The Weeping Angels attack the time travelling trio in New York (great use of the location shoot), attracting the attention of a later incarnation of River Song and it fast becomes a fight to the death.

    It's a little contrived - The Doctor really didn't know about an Angel energy farm in 1938? - but it's hugely emotional. Facing the end what are Rory and Amy prepared to do to save each other and the city? What fixes a point in time? How much of what we're presented with can any of the trio change? What does River Song already know? Moffat uses his standard timey-wimey manoeuvring to keep us on our toes, in an enjoyably hard boiled tale in the past.

    I'd never thought Karen Gillan or Arthur Darvill were that good the last couple of years but here they positively shine - their loss is real, their heroism triumphant. It's a shame both decided to leave, but it puts The Doctor in an interesting position, particularly with the 'Doctor Who' code words used a second time in this run (no doubt, Bad Wolf-style, foreshadowing a possible resolution to the Silence subplot). So the Angels seemed less threatening, sure, but after repeated use they were always going to be.

    It was a good episode, offering the cinematic experience Moffat said he wanted this year for the first time, with superb direction and significant character development (for River Song too). Having said that I've not engaged with the non-Moffat episodes at all this year, and I hope the opposite is the case in 2013. Christmas and a new companion seem such a long time away.

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  • Doctor Who 7:1 - Asylum of the Daleks (Spoilers)

    • 2 Sep 2012
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    P249

    First off I loved it. There was misdirection, dark suspense and a shift of tone from series 6. With Rory & Amy on the skids, there was a sense that anything could happen. No hint of River Song either, which also gave Matt Smith more space to shine in his own right than I've been used to.

    Most enjoyably though was rather than play outright 'wibbly wobbly timey wimey' games, Moffat has set up devious ones. His new companion was unexpectedly introduced this episode but just as quickly dispatched. The ominous question which was to trigger 'silence' falling was asked by the memory-wiped Daleks, their hive memory having been wiped by said companion. Moffat clearly has a series long thread (or series of threads) he wants to pursue, but isn't over playing his hand.

    The three leads were uniformly excellent, Karen Gillan again making a quantum leap between series, leaving me quite frustrated by her imminent departure. She, Darvill and Smith gelled better than ever before, and it was a sublime start to what promises to be a great series.

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  • Justice League of America (2013)

    • 26 Aug 2012
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    OK so I'm a little less annoyed about having to drop Aquaman now. But it does mean I'm unlikely to drop the main Justice League book...

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  • Joe Carnahan's NC-17 Daredevil Pitch

    • 15 Aug 2012
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    It's over to you now Marvel, it seems! Can we?

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  • RIP Joe Kubert

    • 13 Aug 2012
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    I met Joe Kubert at the very last UKCAC I attended, and he drew an amazing Sgt Rock for me, going well past closing time, and infuriating the overzealous organisers. He was a kind, talented gentleman whose company I briefly enjoyed, but whose work will awe me forever.

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  • About

    40-something gay geek in London with a fascination with sociology, a love of photography and a healthy dislike of Tories. I'm @out4marriage - are you?

    http://www.storify.com/lewishamdreamer

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