// Category Archive for: Feminism

TV Review: The Walking Dead S6 E13, “The Same Boat”

By Laury Scarbro

Remember last week I asked the question “How the hell do you get the drop on Carol and Maggie?” This week answers that question, but presents others.

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In Case You Missed It: March 6 – 12, 2016–Divorced Dad & Deadly Whales

By Less Lee Moore

Iggy Pop has a new album out March 18, along with Northless, Lust For Youth, and Soft Fangs. There’s also the Wayfaring Strangers compilation and a reissue of Haircut 100’s Pelican West.

It’s time to spring forward with pop culture news.

Tyler Hodg has finished watching all 13 episodes of Fuller House on Netflix and we’ve got the reviews to prove it. What’s the verdict? Is the show good, bad, or somewhere in between? You’ll have to read to find out.

Sean S. Baker’s film Tangerine, filmed on an iPhone and focusing on the life and struggles of a transgender sex worker, is currently on Netflix, but you should also check out his short film Snowbird.

Divorced Dad may not be on Netflix (yet), but it’s something you should see. Here’s the problem: it’s not available yet! The new webseries from the Astron-6 collective (Manborg, Father’s Day, The Editor) is still seeking funding to finish the series, but for now, here’s a teaser trailer. (P.S. I’ve seen the rough cuts of a couple of episodes and I laughed until I thought I was going to throw up. It’s that weird and funny.)

At Popshifter, we watch TV so that we can talk about it, then you can read about it, and you can then feel better about all those thoughts you’re having and feelings you’re feeling. This week, we’ve got two episodes of Broad City, and while “Rat Pack” may not be as tight as “Game Over,” the show continues to be one of the funniest on TV. Outsiders finally gives us the character development we’ve been waiting for, while The Walking Dead gives us welding, crying, but still no sign of Negan.

New music reviews this week include the deep freeze of Northless’s Cold Migration EP, the emotionally raw yet gorgeous Let A Lover Drown You from Penny & Sparrow, a preview of Soft Fangs’ The Light (out on March 18), and one you might have missed: Voivod’s Post Society EP.

There were lots of movies to think about this week. Ron Howard’s tribute to Jaws and Moby Dick, In The Heart Of The Sea, hit home video this week and while Jeffery thought it was a beautiful waste of time, I had more positive thoughts on the film. Arrow Video’s American Horror Project Volume One, however, left no doubts in Tim’s mind: it’s a must-see, must-own box set.

We all have that one friend who hasn’t seen those iconic classic films that everyone else has already seen. At Unicorn Booty, that person is Matt Baume. Witness his reaction to his first viewing of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. You might also enjoy his liveblog of the first time he watched Hackers.

It’s OK to admit that you are a fan of Archie Comics. If you haven’t been keeping up with the students at Riverdale High out of a lack of time or fear of public shaming, there has been some news. Did you know that Jughead came out? He’s not gay, but… well, you should read about the full details for yourself. Also on the Archie news front is this fascinating podcast called Radio Free Riverdale hosted by Torontonians Lucy Cappiello and Evan Munday. This week’s episode features the podcast’s first ever special guest, comedian Adam Wilson.

In other comics news, Marvel seems to be making greater strides towards gender inclusion. Here’s our own Laury Scarbro with some thoughts on what this might mean for the future of comics.

What happened this week on Today In Pop Culture? Frankenstein, The Incredible Hulk, Barbie movies, The Fillmore, and songs about telephones.

TV Review: Broad City S3 E04, “Rat Pack”

By Sachin Hingoo

“The Rat Pack! With Fred Sinatra! And they’d sing acapella and watch each other fuck!”–Ilana

A rat infestation in your apartment is certainly both a common and disgusting problem to have, but Broad City treats this as a catastrophic event that upends Ilana’s entire life and serves as the catalyst for a medium-sized and hilariously low-rent party. Though we see our titular rodent stealing weed, ruining Lincoln’s masterpiece of a sandwich, and chewing through Jaime’s clothes, ultimately Ilana learns that she has more in common with her unwanted visitor than she realizes.

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Marvel Comics Makes Greater Strides Towards Gender Inclusion

By Laury Scarbro

On March 3, Marvel Games launched its “Women of Power” event. This includes 25 new comic covers for some of Marvel’s more popular characters, as well as merchandise celebrating those characters, and will extend into various gaming platforms.

I really see no downside to their plan here. I suspect this is, at least in part, in recognition of the ever-growing female audience in the previously male-dominated worlds of gaming, comics, and all things geek related. It could be said that females, girls and women alike, are more openly taking an interest in these sorts of things than ever before, but the truth of the matter is, we’ve always been here. We might not have been so outward about it, but we’ve been here.

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TV Review: Broad City S3 E03, “Game Over”

By Sachin Hingoo

“Total transparency: I spent most of the day coloring in my tummy.”–Ilana

There’s been no more enduring question on Broad City than, “What would it take for Ilana to get fired from her job?” This week, that question was finally answered. The first two seasons of the show had Ilana managing to miraculously hold onto her job at an online group deals business, mostly thanks to her ability to steamroll Todd, her meek and easily-cowed boss. Though it seems that Ilana can’t possibly get fired for any of her behavior, regardless of how outrageous, it seems wearing a dog hoodie to the office and tweeting out a hardcore bestiality video on the company’s Twitter account seems to have finally done the trick.

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In Case You Missed It: February 28 – March 5, 2016–Twitter Trolls, TV & More

By Less Lee Moore

This week was part February, part March, and jam-packed with pop culture.

Twitter recently vowed to fight harassment online. Naturally racist and misogynist trolls were outraged, which is hilarious considering their constant whining about “social justice warriors” being outraged on Twitter. Here is an excellent report on the whys and wherefores of this new announcement and whether or not it stands a chance of being successful.

Speaking of controversy, did you know that a straight Christian man posed as gay for a year and then wrote a book about it? It’s pretty illuminating.

If you haven’t been paying attention, our own Tyler Hodg has been faithfully recapping every episode of the new Fuller House series on Netflix. So far, the show has been wildly uneven, but might finally get it right around episode 10. Too bad there are only three more to go…

Also in TV news, Lucha Underground picks itself up after a not-so-great episode from last week (though Sachin warns that we shouldn’t mention Sexy Star vs. Kobra Moon ever again), Outsiders still refuses to develop some of its characters for some reason, and The Walking Dead introduces a new insufferable character named Gregory. Oh, and (spoiler alert) Rick kills someone. Again. (Can’t take that guy anywhere.)

If you’re looking for some old movies you might have missed, Jeffery’s here to help. Check out the new Nikkatsu Diamond Guys Vol. 1 collection from Arrow or The Bees from Vinegar Syndrome, which includes not only bees but also John Saxon.

Everyone’s been talking about Deadpool lately, but why? As Laury reports, it might just be the comic book movie that will change the game. It got her to become a Ryan Reynolds fan, after all. Wrestling aficionados will be interested in new documentary The Sheik, which Jeffery notes that at times feels more scripted than your average wrestling match.

New music this week gets reviewed by Melissa. It includes the self-referentially titled but ultimately disappointing Music To Listen To Music To from La Sera and the much more enjoyable Poison & Medicine from Marc Stone, who hails from New York but has a shockingly good grasp on New Orleans and the blues.

It’s 2016 and that might mean a new Lana Del Rey album is in the near future. But what if you’re still not sick of listening to Honeymoon yet? Matt Craven explains why it might be her secret masterpiece.

Perhaps the only kind of music more divisive than LDR or rap is country. You might be a country music fan if you like even one of these 16 tunes.

What happened this week on Today In Pop Culture? The Bermuda Triangle, The National Anthem, King Kong, The Salem Witch Trials, and how Leap Year fits into the space-time continnum.

Music Review: La Sera, Music For Listening To Music To

By Melissa Bratcher

La Sera is back and things have changed. Their newest, Music For Listening To Music To, is a kinder, gentler album than their last effort, 2014’s wonderful Hour Of The Dawn. It lacks the bite of Hour Of The Dawn, but perhaps that’s the result of front woman Katy Goodman being newly married (to guitarist/cowriter/band mate Todd Wisenbaker) and in lurve and all of that. The songs are less challenging and not as confrontational. That’s unfortunate.

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Today in Pop Culture: The Salem Witch Trials Begin

By Jeffery X Martin

The movie, The Witch, has brought the concept of witches back to the forefront of American culture. The film tells the story of a New England family in the 1700s, fighting against nature, boredom, and black magic. It’s based on old folk tales from the time, which are a decent reflection of history. The family in the movie chose to go outside the village gates and live on their own, unprotected by numbers or any kind of militia. It’s no wonder they get into trouble.

A very real trouble descended upon New England on this date in pop culture history. Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba may sound like the headliners for the new and improved Lilith Fair, but they were center stage for a quite different kind of show. Today, in 1692, the Salem Witch Trials began.

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In Case You Missed It: February 21 – 27, 2016–Cults, Conspiracy Theories & More

By Less Lee Moore

Let’s get things started with some OMGWTFLOL and a short history of women throwing their tampons at you.

Do you like Charles Manson? Sure, we all do! Popshifter’s latest podcast is available now and it’s full of commentary on The Veil, The Sacrament, Lana Del Rey, and other cult-related ephemera.

Check it out here.

The tenth season of The X-Files ended this week and the Internet hivemind was not exactly pleased. Read what Jeffery X Martin thought of each of the six episodes.

Still not satisfied? FINE. Here’s my take on Season 10.

Full House is back! Well, sort of. Tyler takes on the first three episodes of Fuller House, the reboot that everyone/no-one wanted. Commiserate with Laury on The Walking Dead and Outsiders, and laugh with Sachin about Lucha Underground and Broad City.

The Oscars air on Sunday and while everyone’s been buzzing about #OscarsSoWhite, let’s not forget that they aren’t exactly queer-friendly, either. Here are 5 unfortunate truths about LGBT diversity in Hollywood, plus a scathing assessment of the industry’s transphobia from nominee and transgender musician Anohni.

There is a lot of music news this week, and Unicorn Booty has you covered on NOW HEAR THIS! Learn all about the need for the #FreeKesha movement, Santigold’s latest album, and more.

Looking for some new music? May we suggest Santigold, Emitt Rhodes, Bill Carter, Golden Daze, or Wolfmother?

On the movie front: Tim Murr wonders why 1988’s Alien Nation doesn’t have a proper Blu-Ray edition, Jeffery X Martin wanders down the darkly humorous path of disenfranchisement with Criterion’s new release of The Graduate and calls Creed “one hell of a movie.” If you live in Canada, you can check out the new CBC documentary Girls’ Night Out, which discusses the sobering personal cost of binge-drinking.

What happened this week on Today In Pop Culture? The RMS Britannic, Lawrence Welk, Nazis, Tootsie Rolls, and clones.

TV Review: Broad City, S3 E02, “Co-Op”

By Sachin Hingoo

“Each [butthole] has a soul. An ass soul.”–Ilana

Do I even need to go on?

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