-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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.…
-
The Power of a Packed Room: The Theatrical Experience of Zach Cregger’s Weapons
Zach Cregger’s Weapons was released this weekend to widespread critical and audience acclaim. The film follows the residents of a small town after 17 children mysteriously vanish in the middle of the night. While it is nominally a horror film (and it is scary), Weapons is also laugh-out-loud funny. Prior to Barbarian, Cregger was best known as a member of…
-
Can Dana White Save Surfing?
Since its inception in the 70s, the World Surf League (formerly the ASP), has longed for prominence on the level of professional basketball or football. Professional surfing has experienced numerous ups and downs, but even at its peak, pro surfing’s fan base primarily consisted of surfers. It’s been nearly 60 years, and the WSL still…
-
Ranking The Five Best Soda Off-Brands
Soda has experienced a complete rejuvenation over the last few years thanks to brand like Olipop and Poppi. These brands sell “healthy soda,” soda that contains less sugar and prebiotics that promote gut health. Are these sodas actually healthy? Probably not. Poppi recently reached a $9 million settlement for false advertising related to its gut health claims.…
-
What Ari Aster’s Eddington Says About Perception and Reality in the Digital Age
***SPOILER ALERT*** Ari Aster’s Eddington satirizes the delirium of the COVID pandemic through the framework of a traditional Western. It’s surreal to see such recent history on screen. There is so much to unpack from that time, and Aster tries his best to fit as much as he can into the two-and-a-half-hour film. The film feels like…
-
Tony Soprano and The Madonna-Whore Complex
By Fabian Lornspice. The Full Equation If you walked up to Paulie Walnuts at “The Bing” and told him his boss had something akin to an Oedipus complex, he’d probably call you a queer before tossing you out the back door with empty pockets and a bloody lip. At 28, I’ve had plenty of time…
-
Is It Bad That I Use Wikipedia Every Day?
According to Wikipedia, Wikipedia is the 9th most trafficked website in the world. From topics as broad as the color red to alphabetized lists of prominent celebrity sex tapes, there is a nearly endless wealth of information on Wikipedia. Operating as a non-profit, Wikipedia subsists on donations and provides its content ad-free. All the information on Wikipedia is provided by…
-
Cross-Play and the Death of Console Loyalty
When I was growing up, the division between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC felt immense. Each console had an array of exclusives that made owners of the opposite console envious. PC players had access to thousands of indie games that never made it to the consoles but had to wait months for ports of Call of Duty and Grand…
-
What Colbert’s Cancellation Says About the Future of Late-Night TV
CBS recently canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, citing financial losses due to a decline in viewership. The Late Show originally aired in 1993 with David Letterman at the helm, Colbert took over the show in 2015 after Letterman’s retirement. Commentators online have theorized that the show’s cancellation may be related to the proposed Skydance-Paramount merger, a deal…
-
Cotino and the Cult of Disney Adults: How Fandom Became a Real Estate Strategy
The term “Disney Adult” is a polarizing term used to describe adults (often middle-aged) who are obsessed with the Walt Disney Company. They religiously watch the movies, decorate their homes with Disney merchandise, and frequently visit Disney resorts. To some, the Disney Adult represents a form of arrested development. To others, Disney fandom is no…
-
Product Placement in Games: Immersive Enhancement or Capitalist Intrusion?
Brad Pitt’s F1 Movie: A Billboard on Wheels Watching the new F1 movie with Brad Pitt, I was trying to keep a mental count of the number of brands whose products were prominently placed in the movie. Sure enough, I lost count 15 minutes in. From sleek Apple products to the numerous brand patches on the main…