When we announced the #PopPoliticsChat series of Twitter conversations we knew the Wonder Woman movie needed to be one of our online discussion topics. #PopPoliticsChat was developed by the Cultural Pulse project to connect fan communities and nonprofit organizations and explore how storytelling and fan communities can influence activism and community engagement. Wonder Woman was…
Mutant X vs. The People
As you may know, as every discussion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe acknowledges, 20th Century Fox owns the filmic licensing rights to Marvel’s X-Men. These rights extend somewhat murkily.
The Mummy Is Dead On Arrival (Review)
The Mummy Director: Alex Kurtzman Starring: Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis, Russell Crowe Universal. June 9, 2017 Shared universes are an area of interest in Hollywood right now, and while superheroes are leading the charge, it was inevitable that monsters would not be far behind. After all, Universal started mashing its horror pantheon together back…
Previously on Comics: PRIDE and Transphobia
Hello again! I hope everyone is having a wonderful PRIDE month. If, like me, you’re without a local PRIDE event, I hope you’ll celebrate virtually in a way that makes you happy. Maybe you want to support queer creators? Check out this Twitter thread by Noelle Stevenson for inspiration. I just paid off my loans,…
A Little Bit of Hope from Billy Boyd and Middle Earth
During my time at Silicon Valley Comic Con (SVCC) I had the opportunity to interview actor Billy Boyd. Boyd, who is perhaps best known as Pippin in The Lord of the Rings movies, was kind enough to take the time to speak to me and discuss the work he did on Lord of the Rings,…
Shinsuke Sato’s I Am A Hero Takes an Existential Stance on Zombification
I Am a Hero Director: Sato Shinsuke Original screenplay: Kengo Hanazawa (manga) and Akiko Nogi (screenplay) North American voice cast: Yo Oizumi, Masami Nagasawa, Kasumi Arimura North American premiere: March 13, 2016 (United States); June 16, 2017 (Canada) I feel pretty confident in saying that I probably wouldn’t last very long in the zombie apocalypse. For one, I…
10 Times Men Did Stuff With No Prior Training and You Never Called Them A Mary Sue
Mary Sue. Once just a type of fancy kids shoe, but now a horrifying term that men throw around anytime a woman in film seems vaguely capable of anything. Are you a cool space wizard who’s good with a laser sword? Great! Unless you’re a woman, because that is totally unrealistic dude. With the release of…
Review: Wonder Woman Is Inspiring, But Not Intersectional
One aspect of Warner Bros’ DC Entertainment heroes is a godliness that has proven difficult to translate on screen as of late, a problem that Marvel Entertainment hasn’t had to the same level. Man of Steel’s critics lament over its lack of lightness to this day, Batman v. Superman fell to weakness on the cutting…
“Dark Phoenix” Movie: A Case of Nepotism Over Character
There have been a lot of rumours that the sequel to X-Men: Apocalypse might be a Dark Phoenix story, and in late April, Entertainment Weekly confirmed on everyone’s speculations. X-Men: Dark Phoenix will release worldwide on November 2, 2018, after New Mutants (April 13) and Deadpool 2 (June 1). 2018 will truly be the year of the mutants. As even a…
Manufactured Fantasies: On Kyoko Miyake’s Tokyo Idols
Tokyo Idols Director: Kyoko Miyake North American Premiere: April 29, 2017 It’s sold as a platform where dreams come true. Tokyo Idols is a fairly straightforward film. Like its title, the documentary from Kyoko Miyake is direct in its introduction of Japanese idol culture. We meet 23-year-old Rio Hiiragi as she prepares for a show,…
Top 5 X-Men Villains the Movies Should Utilize
Even though the X-Men film franchise is not as strong as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it still has a lot kick left to keep going. 2016’s Deadpool reinvigorated fans, and the latest release, Logan, did not disappoint by any standards. The two movies have deservedly earned a lot of praise, leading many people to say they’ve…
Women Of Auteur Film: Eszter Balint
What is an Auteur? Well the technical definition is a simply a filmmaker who has a singular recognisable vision; though you can guarantee they’ll also be a man as no women have been deemed important or visionary enough to become members of this elite club. As we all know, the singular vision of men is…