Intro and Main Claim I originally wanted to call this post: “A Certain Tendency of the American Cinema or, La politique des martial arteurs” in homage to Francois Truffaut’s seminal work, but ultimately decided against it. : ) Since my last post on the Emmy snub of Into the Badlands for Best Stunt Coordination, I’ve been thinking a … Continue reading
Into the Badlands Emmy Snub and Hollywood’s Misunderstanding of Martial Arts Action
Yes. This is another post about Into the Badlands. Here are some other things I’ve written about the show. Let me get right to it: the Emmys announced their nominations for 2018, and Into the Badlands was snubbed completely. Forget the fact that they have some of the most amazing, beautiful, and original costume, makeup, and … Continue reading
Into the Badlands S3E1 – Some Quick Thoughts
Season 3, Episode 1: Enter the Phoenix Wow. What a season opener! I was thinking of writing something after each episode, but don’t want to make it too long either, so here’s where I landed. My goal will be to post some hopefully-weekly quick thoughts about what stands out, no more than 2-3 days after each … Continue reading
Into the Badlands: Why a Brief Harold Lloyd Reference was the Most Amazing Thing Ever
It’s been criminally overdue, but I’m finally catching up on Season 2 of Into the Badlands, and – mark my words – I will never let another season go by to be caught up later! I feel like AMC developed a technology to go into my head, scour the depths of my psyche for everything … Continue reading
Marvelthon #1: Iron Man (2008)
I came across the image above about a month ago, and decided it sounded like the perfect time/excuse to introduce my 9-year-old son to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the coming of the new year. And thus was born The 2018 Father-Son Marvel Movie Marathon Extravaganza, or The Marvelthon, for short. When I shared my … Continue reading
A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to See LADY BIRD
So I went to see Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird in theaters the other day, and my trip to the movie coincided with what feels like a significant moment in my movie-watching / media-consuming decision-making process. But first, a bit of background… I teach high school media studies classes. One of the classes I’ve envisioned, and … Continue reading
A Brief Post on the Bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh
I had originally posted the following as a Facebook status update, but thought I’d post it here as well to give it a more permanent home. The last few weeks have felt so busy and emotionally draining that I haven’t had a real chance to fully contemplate on the enormity of what this weekend means … Continue reading
Iron Fist and the Lack of Stylistic Consistency
Since posting my last post on Iron Fist, I’ve completed the series and kept telling myself that I was done with it. As the show went on, I liked it less and less but wanted to write about it more and more. I still have some Iron Fist demons that need to be exorcized, because … Continue reading
Netflix’s Iron Fist and the Failed Expectations of Chinese Martial Arts Cinema
So I’m finally getting around to Iron Fist (I’m only 6 episodes in at the time of this writing) and I think I’ve come to certain realizations. Episode 6, in particular, helped crystallize a lot of the thoughts that were bubbling and percolating in my head throughout the first five episodes. Let’s start with the … Continue reading
I’m Tired of People Being “Ripped,” “Schooled,” “Skewered,” “Shut Down,” and “Destroyed” for Their Ignorance
It seems like I can’t go more than a day or two without seeing another video of someone being “ripped,” “schooled,” “destroyed,” or “shut down” after saying some racist, misogynistic, hateful, or otherwise ignorant thing. There are whole shows that are practically dedicated to this kind of content. And you watch it. Because you want … Continue reading
