Tag Archives: Utilitarian Review

Utilitarian Review 4/7/17

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On Patreon

I did a list of the thirty greatest albums ever.

A couple other folks made best of album lists too

And here’s a list of the top 5 albums ever. (one more list next week and then we’re done, I promise.
 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Buzzfeed I wrote about The Zookeeper’s Wife and gentile savior films.

At the Forward I wrote about Ghost in the Shell and whitewashing Asians and Jews alike.

At the New Republic I argued that Bernie Sanders saying “liberal elites” is basically the left punching itself right in the face.

At Splice Today I wrote about

—Salon Kitty and the allure of sexy,corrupt fascists.

—the anti-war left, which needs a strategy better than, “warmongers are bad”.

At the Reader I wrote about the 9 piece country rock outfit Sweet Spirit.

Utilitarian Review 4/1/17

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The first column in the romance novel criticism series I’m editing at Public Books went up. Kathleen Gilles Seidel wrote about Jane Austen in space!

On Patreon

An extended version of my essay on Advantageous, and neoliberal hell.

Utilitarians Everywhere

At Reason I wrote about Tom Nichols’ inexpert book on the death of expertise.

At the Forward I wrote about how Magneto has always been a Nazi.

At Quartz I wrote about:

—Stealing Fire and billionaires self-actualizing.

—Maxine Waters, and listening to black women rather than Trump voters.

At Flavorwire I interviewed Nnedi Okorafor about her novella Binti, colonialism and jellyfish.

At Random Nerds I wrote about B’wana Beast!!!! and rejiggering the Mighty Whitey trope.

At Playboy I wrote about Life, which is Alien for scrubbed professionals who hate immigrants.

At Trackrecord I interviewed the folks at Audiotree about the business of making live video recordings for indie bands.

At Splice Today I wrote about:

—how you should buy my book.

—Dirty Harry and the fascism that dare not speak its name.

—the Spider-Man trailer which looks like all the other MCU trailers, yay.

Utilitarian Review 3/25/17

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On Patreon

I wrote about Victor Frankenstein on Penny Dreadful and nice buy geeks who aren’t so nice.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Flavorwire I interviewed the awesome John Jennings about his graphic novel adaptation of Octavia Butler’s Kindred.

At Splice I interviewed Sam Pritchard about how the Democratic Socialists of America are organizing.

Also at Splice Today I wrote about:

—the 1956 film version of 1984 and how Orwell thinks fascism is defined by brainwashing, not genocide.

—why Trump should play more golf.

—Valerie June, Queen of Rock.

Utilitarian Review 3/18/17

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I wrote about Jennifer Phang’s Advantageous and a future of neoliberalism and conformity.

 
Utilitarians Everywhere

At Playboy I wrote about Iron Fist and how it’s a crappy time to celebrate ignorant billionaires.

At the Forward I wrote about whether there should be more Jewish superheroes.

At Quartz I wrote about the Deep State and how we should fear it because it does the president’s bidding, not because it doesn’t.

At Splice Today I wrote about:

—Alain Resnais’ Night and Fog and the Holocaust as ghost story.

—The new Hurray for the Riff Raff album and how your roots can be whatever you want.

Utilitarian Review 3/11/17

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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.