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The Rizzler and the Acceleration of Modern Fame
A defining feature of today’s cultural landscape is the erosion of the monoculture. From YouTube essays on the fall of the Roman Empire to British baking shows and livestreams of Minecraft gameplay, there is a seemingly infinite amount of content to consume on the internet. With such a wealth of content, social media platforms and…
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Why Are Video Game Movies Almost Always Terrible?
Hollywood has notoriously had difficulty adapting video games to the big screen. Starting with the original Super Mario Bros. film released in 1993, there have been 47 live-action video game movies that have received theatrical releases. Collectively, these 47 films have a Rotten Tomatoes score of 28.6% and an average Metacritic score of 36/100. As always, aggregated…
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Will the NFL Leave Cable Behind After 2033?
The 2025 NFL season officially kicked off last night with a matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. It was a good game and a classic display of the NFL. Within the first minute, there were multiple delays for injuries, penalties, and unsportsmanlike conduct. There was also an hour-long delay due to lightning. Like…
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Can California’s New Tax Credit Bring Movies Back from Georgia?
Since 2008, the state of Georgia has become a hub for film productions thanks to its generous film tax credit. Film tax credits allow a production company to write off a certain percentage of state income taxes within the state offering the credit. Georgia’s program allows productions to receive a 20% transferable tax credit, with an…
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Will Smith Accused of Using AI Fans in Album Promo Video
Will Smith made headlines this week for allegedly using AI to simulate fans in a video he posted to promote his new album. In the minute-long video posted to YouTube, images can be seen of fans holding up signs praising Smith, nearly in tears from the power of his music. YouTubers were quick to point out that these…
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Icarus in Hollywood: The Uncanny Dilemma of Picture Quality
By Fabian Lornspice Buying Into New Media I’m a Luddite when it comes to new movies and TV. After being burned by the appalling final season of Game of Thrones, I have some pretty serious commitment issues with anything the big budget studios churn out. The ‘remake’ epidemic certainly isn’t helping the situation either; spin-offs,…
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HBO’s New Harry Potter Series is Proof That Hollywood has Lost its Magic
News of HBO’s new Harry Potter television show has been swirling for some time. It’s something I’ve put off thinking about – until I came across a photo of the new actors dressed as Harry and Hagrid on set. My first reaction was simply, “Who the hell are those people?” I grew up on the Harry Potter films. Being…
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Influencers, Advertising, and the End of Authentic Celebrity
There once was a time when selling out was viewed as a bad thing. A time when celebrity was balanced against the temptations of lucrative sponsorships, product placement, and corporate involvement. Particularly in the 90s among Gen X, selling out was worse than death, a sign of submission to the man. Celebrity was generally achieved…
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The Death of Weed Culture
The Death of Weed Culture If you live in a state like California, it’s hard to remember a time when weed was actually illegal. Classified as a misdemeanor in 1975, made “medically” legal in 1996, and recreationally legal in 2016, anyone under the age of 40 would be hard-pressed to recall a time when possessing…
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Battlefield 6 Beta First Impressions
The first weekend of the Battlefield 6 open beta ended early this morning and I found the game made quite an impression on me. The last few iterations of Battlefield felt soulless and completely turned me off of the franchise. The games looked great, and the core mechanics felt intact but there was something off.…