The lesson the six-year-old learned from The Lorax: if you want to summon the Lorax, just chop down a tree.
Growing a New Hand
The twelve-year-old: “Being a child is kind of like being the Doctor in the middle of regeneration. But you’re not glowing all the time. But he was able to grow a new hand.” Continue reading “Growing a New Hand”
The Cover That Could Have Been
Today’s mood: mad about toxic masculinity in the lyrics of songs that were Oldies before I was born.
There’s a Beach Boys cover of the Crystals song, “Then He Kissed Me.” Continue reading “The Cover That Could Have Been”
Cultural Touchstones Drifting Out of Time
That feeling when you think you’re having a perfectly normal conversation and then your ten-years-younger friend follows it up with, “What are They Might Be Giants?” and you just don’t know what to say.
You Don’t Have to Grow Up
You never have to grow out of playing with toys, wearing costumes, reading books with pictures and talking animals, watching animation, singing songs for fun, and just prancing around when you feel like moving. You only get one life. Hold onto the things that make you happy.
The Relative Unlikeliness of Different Things
I’m watching The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005) with the six-year-old, and the singing dolphins seemed to be perfectly natural to him, but he did not expect the Earth to actually be blown up. “Whaaaaaat??” Now he’s speechless and entranced.
Bad Representation vs. No Representation
There are two big ways to express misogyny — one is to actually express the underlying contempt for women that runs through so much of society. The other is to simply leave women out.
For a long time, I found it easier to ignore the misogyny in books, movies, shows etc. that simply didn’t have women than in the ones that blatantly treated them like objects. Continue reading “Bad Representation vs. No Representation”
Thoughts on Misogyny Inspired by Veronica Mars
Well, I’ve now watched all of Veronica Mars. I have extremely mixed feelings about that show. There is a lot of misogyny baked into it… but Kristen Bell is awesome and elevates the central character even when the show consistently punishes and isolates her.
There are two big ways to express misogyny — one is to actually express the underlying contempt for women that runs through so much of society. The other is to simply leave women out. Continue reading “Thoughts on Misogyny Inspired by Veronica Mars”
Dark Phoenix
Alright, so, I’ve just started Dark Phoenix (2019)… and I am so sick of car-crash-killing-the-parents origin stories. It seems tired and lazy.
Okay, so the space rescue at the beginning of Dark Phoenix (2019) is super cool, and renders the weak & tired car crash scene totally unnecessary. Continue reading “Dark Phoenix”
Futurama Voices
That feeling when you’ve been watching Futurama, and then you go back to the book you’ve been reading, and suddenly all of the characters are speaking in Futurama voices, and it’s very hard to take them seriously.