Cinema Issues: The Cowardice Of The Odyssey

As many of you may know the new Christopher Nolan film is mere days away from release, yet unlike other Nolan offerings this one is wrapped up in controversy. Whether that is the vandalisation of greek mythology, casting a woman to play a man’s role (Ellen Page), the race swap of Helen of Troy, or possibly having Lupita N’yongo Karensplain female perspective to Homer thousands of years later. The latter is particularly egregious when you think the Odyssey has some of the most developed female characters in the ancient literature, but surely you don’t expect N’yongo to bother reading it.

The beginnings of the cowardice began when they announced a worldwide press tour for the film, but that it wouldn’t stop in Greece. This is important as the Greek Government has publicly criticised the film for not featuring Greek actors. Moreover, knowing what they have on their hands Universal has taken to turning off comments on any new marketing material they release in order to make sure they only platform positive comments and docile bot accounts. The ratio of the trailers shows a very different story.

The fact remains this may have been one of Christopher Nolan’s greatest mistakes as a director and this may well cost him professionally if it doesn’t land well over the 600 million needed break even point

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Cinema Issues: The Demonisation Of The Nuclear Family

When leaving Olivia Wilde’s latest film the Invite a thought occurred, why is it we have so many films showing the death of love or of families but so few these days showing love and happiness.

Could it be the idea that a lot of people in Hollywood are unhappy in their relationships and so reflect that on the big screen perhaps. However, there is also an underlying cynicism that suggests that there is something problematic about straight couples getting together in 2026 and that the nuclear family is a tool for oppression. Hence you see far less of it, to show a woman happy within a nuclear family unit is to suggest that it isn’t the toxic, freedom stealing experience characters such as Sherlock Holmes in Enola Holmes 3 say it is.

You also have the open promotion of alternative lifestyles where people are shown as happier because they aren’t married. This can be seen in the Invite with the promotion of swinging culture, many modern films have suggested having multiple partners or having meaningless hook ups with no commitments is the only way to be happy, looking at you Splitizville. This reflects the cynicism we have been talking about rather than believing in love and commitment and loyalty, these are all seen as tools of oppression, the only way Hollywood thinks they can be free is to pursue their own meaningless self pleasure from meaningless sex where they can throw the person away at the end.

Look at Charlize Theron who in a Call Her Daddy episode said that she is glad she isn’t married as she could have sex with a man half her age. This is just as problematic as Leonardo DiCaprio throwing away girls when they get too old for him in their early twenties.

The cynicism we have talked about is a reflection of the deeply jaded, perverse nature of Hollywood’s ideas on sex but also the rejection of the love story, in its most traditional form as they view it as oppressive

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The Invite: A Lonely Woman’s Take On Marriage

Summary: an unhappily married couple are swayed into the swinging lifestyle

So of course Olivia Wilde a woman who ran out of a relationship to get with a much younger man, is going to tell you being in a long term monogamous relationship makes you unhappy.

Of course she is going to fetishize swinging and act like the swinging couple has a great relationship, when in fact it is an unethical therapist, Cruz, taking advantage of a man who lost his wife, Norton.

The film ends with the monogamous couple looking at slipping up, because of course they would be happier single.

The central characters are incredibly irritating and unlikeable and a collection of some of the worst modern cliches and neurosis.

The cringe comedy does manage to get a laugh from you before the loveless husk of a marriage manages becomes too much to bare and sucks all the joy from the room.

Overall, a depressing experience.

1.5/5

Pros

A few funny jokes

Okay pacing

Cons.

Deeply unlikeable characters

Yet more monogamy bad nonsense

Hollywood’s sheer lack of morals

It’s depressing

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Cinema Issues: Trouble In The DCU

So with Supergirl crashing out in almost comical style at the box office, what’s next for DC. In the immediate term what’s next is a Green Lanterns show that is so embarrassed of its source material it won’t even call itself Green Lanterns and Clayface a film no one was asking for. However in terms of what’s next as a broader more heady topic the idea is likely a movie back towards the hardcore fanbase and masculinity. Superman last year had a soft more feminine form of masculinity and Supergirl this year de-centred men as they are toxic okay. Look at how well it worked out for them Superman didn’t reach the heights they wanted it to and Supergirl will cost them money. You can already see this movie towards the hardcore fans, by the fact they have fast tracked the Deathstroke and Bane film.

The fact is as unpopular as it may be Superhero films are aimed for a male audience, the vast bulk of comic readers and people who attend these films are men, as such making Superhero films for women or for softer men when may like more will result in box office failure. James Gunn seems to like championing this kind of soy boy masculinity, look what he did with Peacemaker over time, however, Gunn’s influence is likely shaky, he’s up for a contract renewal in 2027 as co-head of DC and he doesn’t have a lot to recommend him, particularly if Clayface fails.

What is very curious is the brand damaged control. After Supergirl flopped, the toxic fans of the film screamed everyone who didn’t like it was a misogynist and attacked them. However Gunn, Alcock and the rest of team DC stayed quiet which is odd for this kind of thing. Normally victim narratives are spun up. There was the fan hit piece in the New York Times screaming about “misogyny” whilst ignoring the misandry of Ms Alcock, which could be seen as doing damage control for the studio. However, even in Peter Safran’s statement wherein he acknowledges that Supergirl is a flop he doesn’t say a word about the fans. It’s very curious.

A lot is now on Clayface if that too flops then you would imagine the incoming Paramount takeover will not look favourably on Gunn’s DCU and may wipe the slate clean.

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Minions and Monsters: The True Story Behind Hollywood’s Golden Age

Summary: a minion with a dream sets out to make it big.

In many ways this film is good, it is funny, has heart and does a lot to show the good that can come from chasing your dreams. The monsters have their moments though it may have been more fun to have had the Minions go through a parade of different big bosses only to mess up and have to move on.

Part of where the film struggles is that it tries to juggle too many plots, you have the filmmaking storyline, you have the goal of the monsters, you have Dort and his love interest, and you have the meta narrative in both the sense of the tour guide telling the story as well as meta references to Minions and Monsters as a real film. There is a lot going on and it can sometimes feel like the film is jumping from one thing to the other a bit too much.

Zoey Deutch voices Dorts love interest, who is a suffragette type figure fighting for women to have the vote. When we first saw this we thought here we go, but no that is all quickly left behind as she becomes interested in Dort and instead cheers him on through his journey as he is trying to save all the world. It was a nice subversion of the modern preachy message.

Overall, another good film in the franchise but one that is narratively weak at times.

4/5

Pros.

The subversion

It’s funny

The characters are likeable

It’s well paced in terms of keeping your interest

Cons.

The tries to do too much and is overly complicated at times

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Invincible Season 4 Overview: March To War

Summary, it’s finally here the big war for the Galaxy.

Season 3 spent a lot of time teasing this and season 4 was supposed to be where they delivered. Whilst hopes were for perhaps a full season of war action, we got plot lines about Debbie and her boyfriend moving in together, Eve’s abortion and a long subplot about Mark being sad he killed someone. Can you say filler.

The war stuff we got was good though it didn’t go into it as much as we would have liked and it seemed to be over with much too quickly.

The season ends with the promise of more to come with Rex/Rudy returning from the other dimension even more evil than before, however, we are leaving this season with a sigh.

There was a lot of good here but a lot of filler too.

Overall, goodish

3/5

Pros.

The war

Setting up Rex/Rudy

Less relationship drama

Cons.

Filler

The war is disappointing

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From Season 4 Overview: Slowing Down

Summary: The Man In Yellow now living amongst the residents causes chaos as things escalate.

The issue with this season are two fold, firstly as has been documented in other seasons there was a lot of filler. Secondly, the stakes just weren’t that high the finale didn’t see any major character deaths and it just felt a bit disappointing.

In terms of the search for answers and events advancing the wider plot there was more this season than there had been in previous seasons so that’s good. However, even here it isn’t as much as you’d like to be.

Things are starting to ramp up for the final season which really can’t afford any filler, but there is a worry there will be more of it.

Overall, the filler and bloat is really starting to harm the wider positive aspects of the show.

3/5

Pros.

Some answers

The monster scenes

Sophia makes things more interesting

Cons.

The filler/bloat

It feels a bit disappointing

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Jackass Best And Last: Getting Tired

Summary: The Jackass crew get together one last time for a few more stunts.

Whilst being a fan of Jackass for the entirety of the time it’s being around and watching the series as a child as it aired, on the opposite side of the US to me,there is a certain sense of morbidity to watching this. Whilst most of the cast are still there, you can feel the time creeping up to everyone involved. There is a question being raised about whether this needed to exist, the answer would be no.

The stunts feel less extreme and more juvenile, the juvenile nature of it you could get away with as they were younger but as they have aged it has become less and less so.

There is a sense of finality to the film though the use of archived footage, which works well if you’re a fan of the franchise.

Overall, some funny moments and good Stunts but that’s met with a sense of needlessness, and morbidity.

2.5/5

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The Last Viking: John Lennon Lives Again

Summary: a man fresh out of prison needs the help of his mentally unwell brother in order to help him find money he buried long ago.

It was during our time at the Mediterrane Film Festival that we saw this and, it was a deeply mixed film. One the one hand it was heart warming in places and had a number of funny jokes, the comedy mostly landed. However, on the other the central character is deeply unlikeable and the film tends to stray too far into the abyss sometimes. One understands it’s a dark comedy film however it must be stated that when this film gets dark it gets really dark.

Mads Mikkelsen shines as Manfred or John Lennon a man with DID, and is the emotional soul of the film you do empathise with him and believe the characters struggle.

Overall, a funny if depressing film.

3.5/5

Pros.

It’s funny

There are heartwarming moments

It is well paced

Mikkelsen

Cons

It is depressing

There are tonal inconsistencies

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Clarkson’s Farm Season 5: Bittersweet

Summary: Jeremy and co are back to show you the highs and lows of farming.

This was a surprisingly emotional season of what is normally easy comfort viewing, from the TB stuff to the news of Jeremy Clarkson’s continued ill health the last few episodes of the season pack a hell of a gut punch.

However, the season as a whole isn’t depressing even in moments of deep distress there is still a joke a few minutes away that can restore people’s spirits. This is not done in a way that stops there from being tensions or emotion but in a way that tries to cheer you up after giving bad news.

The wider focus of the season is on the changing world for farmers and the need to become more tech savvy in order to stay alive in an economic world that increasingly seems hostile to them. You do feel for the farmers and see the interesting things the new tech can do.

Of course the jokes are still there as ever and are always good to brighten up your day. They mostly land which is a rare thing to say for a comedy show these days.

Overall, a bittersweet season of TV

4/5

Pros.

It’s funny

It shows you the real world issues effecting farmers

The farming tech

The people and their bonds

Cons.

It is quite sad towards the end so get ready for that

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