Patreon
On commission I wrote about Dude, Where’s My Car?, and white dude empowerment fantasies.
Also, my Hammer Dracula ebook is available for early download for for folks who contribute $3/month to the Patreon…so this is your chance to be bitten early (the book is released on Halloween.)
Utilitarians Everywhere
At Lithub I wrote about Dylan’s Nobel and the high esteem we reserve for white guys who are influenced by black music.
At Quartz I wrote about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, establishment liberal.
At the Reader I wrote about three wonderful releases on the Hausu Mountain label.
At the Guardian I wrote about The Accountant, which is no good.
At Splice Today I wrote about
—how “free speech” now mostly means “I don’t like the left.”
—In the Loop, which is very cynical, but still not cynical enough.
Personally, I really liked Dude Where’s My Car!
The Chinese takeoutorder woman is one of the highlights – I love the way she screws around with the leads, totally stealing the show. Yes, she is disembodied, but I think this is part of what made the scene work. If we had seen her, it would loose its impact, like showing the face of V or Judge Dreed.
Remember that black woman who threatens to cut off whatshisnames pinky? Like the takeoutorder woman, she is the one who steps outside the social norms, the one with autonomy, while the two leads merely reacts to her actions. Regarding non-white characters, I think this movie handles it pretty well. (Unlike the movies ‘Avatar’ and ‘Orange is the New Black’ which to me seems like some really embarrasing wish fulfillment about making friends with those oh-so-authentic colored ones)
I also think the leads kissing scene was pretty brave. It overstepped some barrier. As a genre, the pure comedy is very conservative, and letting the hetorosexual leads kiss without them considering it to be any biggie, this is actually kinda wild.
The ostrichs, the Norwegian gay space aliens, the ufo cult, that strange takeaway woman .. I think that what I see in the movie is something that is way more absurd and surreal than the average comedy.
Noah, you obviously saw something entirely different! It still amazes me that other people can look at the exact same thing as me, and not see the same thing. I just can’t wrap my head around it.
I just don’t know that “obtuse Chinese woman” or “dangerous violent black woman” as foils for the heroes is really particularly brave or insightful.
Having the two leads kiss was an interesting choice, but I think was clearly supposed to be gross/a sign of their ridicuousness. In the context of the rest fo the film’s homopohobia, I don’t see it as especially thoughtful either.
there are some good gags. Can’t argue with the ostriches!