Utilitarian Review 3/11/17

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Patreon

I wrote about Night Patrol and the egalitarianism of mediocrity.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

Scott Beggs invited me on the Broken Projector podcast to talk about my Splice Today series on fascism in film.

In my first piece for the Forward, I wrote about how you don’t need to be anti-semitic to participate in anti-semitism.

At Quartz I wrote about

—Ilana Gershon’s book Down and Out in the New Economy and how self-branding is a boondoggle.

—I Am Not Your Negro and why James Baldwin wouldn’t be surprised by Trump.

At Vogue I wrote about Finn Jones quitting twitter when confronted about race in Iron Fist.

At Trackrecord I interviewed the founder of the record label Sahel Sounds, which like the name says released music from the Sahel.

At Random Nerds I wrote about Santa Clarita Diet and how the best zombies are funny zombies.

At Splice Today I wrote about:

—Casablanca and anti-Semitic anti-fascism.

—why as a freelancer you’re doomed when your editor leaves.

—Nnamdi Ogbonnaya’s weird childish hip hop album DROOL.

Utilitarian Review 3/4/17

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I wrote about Lizzie Borden’s 1983 film Born in Flames, and the timelessness of feminist revolution.
 

Utilitarians Everywhere

At Vogue I wrote about AZA comics and multi-ethnic superpowered warrior princesses.

At Splice Today I wrote about:

—Lego Batman’s stupid redemption arc.

—the Nazi film The Eternal Jew, and why it should be called propaganda, not fake news. (starting a series on Fascism in film).

—London O’Connor and the tradition of black elevator music.

At the Reader I reviewed alt sludgy indie rockers Slothrust.

Utilitarian Review 1/25/17

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—I wrote 7000 words on Alice Guy Blaché, the first female director, and feminism vs. essentialism.

—I wrote a poem about freelancing and despair.
 

Utilitarians Everywhere

At the LA Times, I pointed out that Trump won, so why are we supposed to feel sorry for his voters?

For my first piece at Trackrecord I wrote about Rhiannon Giddens and how folk music became white music.

At Quartz I wrote about selfies as art.

At Splice Today I wrote about:

—Stranger Things and how non greeks (like my son) aren’t so bad.

—how women directors are different, and how they aren’t.

Utilitarian Review 2/18/17

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—I wrote a long piece on gaze theory, Pyscho, and Project Runway. (for patrons)

—I wrote a very NSFW parody of a T-Mobile ad.

Utilitarians Everywhere

At Quartz I wrote about

—fascist US presidents before Trump.

—Iron Fist and boring white guy billionaires.

At Splice Today I wrote about:

—I interviewed Lirael Lowenstein, a street medic, about black bloc tactics and myths about protest.

—I wrote about Trump and Gates and plutocracy.

—I wrote about Alice Guy-Blaché’s lovely short, silent, gender-bending film Pierette’s Escapades.

Utilitarian Review 2/10/17

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On Patreon

I wrote:

—about director Alice Guy-Blaché’s wonderful Madame Has Her Cravings, and the naturalness and unnaturalness of pregnancy.

—on the second episode of Twin Peaks and camp utopia.

—some notes for an intro on Alice Guy-Blaché.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Quartz I wrote about Phoebe Maltz Bovy’s The Perils of Privilege, and the pros and cons of privilege call outs.

At Random Nerds I wrote about Beyoncé at the CMAs and racism in country music.

At Splice Today I wrote about

—Ida Lupino’s The Hitch-Hiker, which doesn’t find any women on the road.

—Laura Agustín’s The Three-Headed Dog, a novel that punctures trafficking myths.

Utilitarian Review 2/3/17

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On Patreon

—I started my Twin Peaks rewatch with s1e1, and talked about genre tropes over an abyss.

—I wrote about the Black Mirror episode Nosedive, and glib anti-politeness.

—I explained why Trump is not Big Brother (Big Brother isn’t racist.)

Utilitarians Everywhere

At Splice Today I wrote about

—why Elementary is better than Sherlock.

—Yoko Ono’s friendly butts.

—Jude Sierra’s lovely m/m romance Idlewild.

For the Reader I wrote about Myzica‘s sugary indie pop.

Utilitarian Review 1/28/17

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News

I’m editing a romance novel criticism column at Public Books! It doesn’t pay, alas, but if you’d like to write about a favorite romance novel for a general audience, contact me (myname at gmail.)

And a nice little review of my Wonder Woman book that I missed.

On Patreon

I wrote about:

Alice Guy-Blaché’s silent film about the horrors of gender flipping, The Consequences of Feminism.

why Nocturnal Animals is a misogynist piece of crap.

Adorno, Freddie deBoer, and why we shouldn’t be paying attention to something else.

Utilitarians Everywhere

At Quartz I wrote about

—Westworld, Sherlock, and how television is eager to prove it is smart art.

— Leigh Gilmore’s Tainted Witness and how not believing women got us Trump.

At Splice Today I wrote about

—Sherlock’s Molly Hooper and Trinity Syndrome.

—Elaine May’s incredibly painful The Heartbreak Kid.

—marketing the city of the monkey god.

I was on the podcast 60db talking about Westworld, Sherlock, Project Runway, and what’s wrong with quality television.