pop culture
Modern popular culture topics in the geek sphere.
How a Girl Growing up in Mississippi in the 1980’s Became a Nerd
A radioactive spider bit Peter Parker. Melvin Junko fell into a barrel of toxic waste. Gollum found a ring. All great stories start with the origin of the hero, villain, or anti-hero. So how does a girl growing up in Mississippi during the 1980s become a nerd? I will revisit the things I enjoyed in the past to try to answer that question. Spoiler alert: there is no radioactivity involved, though my cousin and I did try to dig a hole in a hill for shelter to protect us from the Cold War.
By The Nerd Habit4 years ago in Geeks
Psycho Goreman
SPOILER ALERT! There, you’ve been warned with the all caps. For the past twenty years, there has been a dominant trend in American cinema that has gradually moved into Europe and farther east into Asia (although S. Korea and Japan are a beast of their own) that has dominated the screen. The need for blood...and more blood. More killing, more slaughter. More murder and death and calamity and chaos. Yeah, you get the point. I call this trend, the blood sacrifice effect. The saying “if it doesn’t bleed, it doesn’t lead,” comes to mind as we could see in Dan Gilroy’s 2014 L.A. crime drama, Nightcrawler. One almost senses that the filmmakers of today have become as desperate as Jake Gyllenhal’s, Louis Bloom, making a killing by exploiting his fellow man’s agony and death; showcasing an often excruciating exposé of the fatality on screen. Horror has always been a mainstay in cinema, yet the true essence the horror genre carries has rarely been showcased, save for a few films. Now, it is also subjective, as art is, in considering what is horror to someone and what is not. But maybe this is what I’m getting at; that through this dominant trend of the blood sacrifice effect, it has slowly, steadily, but surely sterilized it’s audience to anything that would of been truly horrific to watch on the screen in our grandparent’s era, to what the current and modern audience has grown immune to.
By Matthew Ward4 years ago in Geeks
#1Fan
If anyone has ever watched this movie Named Misery Which is a 1990 American psychological thriller film directed by Rob Reiner , based on Stephen King 's 1987 novel of the same name, starring James Caan , Kathy Bates , Lauren Bacall , Richard Farnsworth , and Frances Sternhagen about an obsessive fan who holds an author captive and forces him to write a story, I believe everyday we have these type of fans, whether on Instagram, Facebook or twitter. Sometimes on these websites we want a normal person to follow us, some just pretend to be a singer , or even a actor, and tell you that you are there number one fan. I don't know about anyone else but I just want a normal fan.
By Chantell hayes4 years ago in Geeks
Uncharted Movie Review
Nowadays, video game movies are receiving higher budgets and increased backing from the gaming titans; on occasion they also find higher recognition. For years, Uncharted has been a glistening jewel in Sony’s crown, its cinematic direction driving the medium to more mature stories. While it seemed like a no-brainer to convert the series to the silver screen, its late arrival and basic design drag it down from greatness.
By Robert Cain4 years ago in Geeks
Licorice Pizza - A Movie Review
Okay, so we’re out of gas and we’re at the top of a hill. How bad is the situation? Licorice Pizza was released to theaters in 2021. Taking place in San Fransisco in 1973, Alana Kane, a 25-year-old woman meets Gary Valentine, a 15-year-old actor. Wanting to remain as friends, they wonder if they could be more as they create their own water bed business.
By Marielle Sabbag4 years ago in Geeks
Half Time Show Shenanigans:Intro
The Greatest Super Bowl Halftime Performance was, is, and forever will be : Prince. This is not up for debate. I mean you can try to fix your face to name someone else, but I’ma just stare you down until you relent or drop your gaze in shame and /or embarrassment while pretending to reach for the nachos…and while you’re crunching and the crumbs fall onto your shirt…
By Majique MiMi4 years ago in Geeks
The Kindergarten Teacher - A Netflix Movie Review
We are going to show your talent to the world. Everybody needs to hear your poems. The Kindergarten Teacher was released to Netflix in 2018. One of Lisa’s kindergarten students has a gift to recite poems. Becoming obsessed with his talent, Lisa decides to enroll him in a poetry-speaking event.
By Marielle Sabbag4 years ago in Geeks
Ace Erasure on the Screen
Asexual characters and those on the ace spectrum are a rare find in TV and film. I can count all of them with my fingers, half of them almost irrelevant to the plot, and a few show a very negative on asexuality. However, the negative impact on the ace community through media goes beyond bad representation, a lack of characters with said identities, or the elimination of this identity for adaptation purposes. *cough* Jughead *cough*. If you’re wondering how, let’s take a look at the regular approach for relationships on screen.
By Angie Loveday4 years ago in Geeks
How Backwards are the Seven Dwarves? The Snow White Dwarfism Row.
Disney’s frequently criticised but highly profitable factory of live-action remakes is still going strong, and the next live-action remake to enter production will be a new take on their 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. West Side Story breakout star Rachel Zegler will play the title role, with Gal Gadot getting to vamp it up as the Evil Queen. The traditional story is also receiving some substantial changes, as Broadway star Andrew Burnap will play a new male protagonist – a Robin Hood/Flynn Rider style rouge called Johnathan. In addition, the film will be feature new songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the duo behind the iconic music featured in La La Land and The Greatest Showman. After 5 ½ years in development hell, Snow White will finally begin production the middle of the year. However, before the cameras start rolling, Disney have to deal with one problem that is already giving them a real headache – In an age where increasing attention is being paid to the struggles of minority groups, is the traditional portrayal of the Seven Dwarves too un-PC for today’s sensibilities? The issue came out into the open after a complaint from America’s most famous and respected Dwarf celebrity, the actor Peter Dinklage. In an interview with Marc Maron on the WTF podcast, the Game of Thrones icon claimed that the story was “F-ing backwards” and argued that it was hypocritical that a company boasting about casting Latina actress Rachel Zegler as its lead character would preserve an inherently problematic take on dwarfism. In response, Disney issued a fairly generic corporate statement promising a more progressive depiction of Snow White’s companions. They stated they have been “taking a different approach with these seven characters” and claimed they held meetings with “members of the dwarfism community”. We still have no idea what changes have been made due to these routine discussions. An online article shortly afterward Disney’s statement suggested that the dwarves will be replaced by a new collection of unspecified fantasy creatures. On the other hand, the dwarf actor Martin Klebba (who was in the 2012 non-Disney Snow White retelling Mirror Mirror) has been rumoured to take over the role of the sceptical dwarf Grumpy. We still have to wait a few months for the start of filming, which will give us more time and the information necessary to make a clearer judgement over Disney’s approach towards dwarfism in their Snow White reimagining. Unsurprisingly, Dinklage’s complaints have created strong divides in the dwarfism community - several commentators in the dwarfism community have supported him, whilst others (including a few dwarf celebrities such as WWE star Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl) have accused him of trying to “cancel” the story of Snow White. As trivial as the argument over Dinklage’s comments may seem in comparison to other issues, it shined a valuable spotlight on the way Dwarfism is portrayed in the media, and the effect it has in the real world. Why do people believe that an escapist fantasy like Snow White perpetuates negative stereotypes about people with the condition, how can this be mended?
By Fairy Tale Fanboy4 years ago in Geeks
Thanos WAS NOT Right: Debunking The 'Good Points' Of The Mad Titan's Plan
In his role as the ultimate Big Bad of the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thanos has become one of the most iconic movie villains of all time. After a few cameo appearances in earlier films depicting he and his followers on the hunt for the Infinity Stones, Avengers: Infinity War revealed the full, horrifying nature of Thanos's plan: He wants to use the Stones to wipe out half of all life in the Universe, and tragically, he succeeds.
By Kristy Anderson4 years ago in Geeks
The 10 most-watched YouTube videos of all time
From Baby Shark (do, do-do-do-do) and CoComelon Nursery Rhymes, to Luis Fonsi and Ed Sheeran, these are the recordings that keep every one of us, for reasons unknown, returning for additional. Here is a gander at the 10 most-watched YouTube recordings ever.
By Technical Sad4 years ago in Geeks
