Critical Hits & Misses #328

• Some people out there have complained about Thor: Ragnarok's Valkyrie, played by the fabulous Tessa Thompson, being a male-coded character. Stitch's Media Mix has an excellent post about those people aren't just sexist... they're racist to boot. 


• In between all the rage we're feeling (and a lot of relief that this shit is FINALLY being aired out, for the sake of the victims) about the epidemic of sexual harassment coming out Hollywood, the news industry, the stand-up industry, one thing we haven't really talked about is how to deal with the pain and disappointment that comes from finding out that someone you worked with/loved/admired/were a fan of turned out to be a gross person. Sarah Silverman covered this on her show when she discussed the allegations against Louis C.K., asking can you love someone who did bad things? This excellent opinion blog over at CNN examines the pain, and why the Matt Lauer case in particular felt like a betrayal. 

For today's musical hit, we have Daniel Caesar and "Freudian, A Visual"

Today's critical rolls: I don't know about you, but I've had a lot of disappointment come at me in droves of late with all these sexual harassment scandals, and I DO feel betrayed by artists and newscasters that I've previously admired. Have any of these recent allegations caused you to feel conflicted or disappointed and not sure what to do about the art some of these people have produced?

Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #317

• Wow, can we fucking not? Naturally fabulous and gorgeous Lupita Nyong'o--who has spoken at length about her struggles to love her skin and hair--is criticizing Grazia UK for altering her hair for a cover photo. 


• Another one bites the dust. Comedian Louis CK has admitted that the stories of his grossness are true, and as a result, the premiere of his movie "I Love You, Daddy," has been cancelled. He has issued an apology that is phenomenally well-written, including an apology to everyone involved in the projects that will likely now be cancelled and shuttered as a result of this scandal, resulting in lost wages and livelihood for a bunch of people. Still an asshole. 

For today's musical hit, we have Eminem and Beyonce with "Walk On Water"

Today's critical rolls: Happy Friday! What's on the agenda for the weekend?

Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #316

• Well, I mean, everything is awful, but the silver lining is that women are feeling empowered now to come out in droves against disgusting men. Five women have come out claiming comedian Louis CK crossed a line into sexual misconduct. These rumors have plagued Louis CK for a while, but this is the first time any women have publicly come out against him. Tell me again, boys, that there is no such thing as rape culture and it's all in our heads. 


• Reddit is doing yet more of taking out the trash: the popular social site has banned misogynist group that blamed women for said men not getting any sex. GTFO!

For today's musical hit, I need something to cleanse my palate of all the grossness. Have some purity in the form of Lindsey Stirling and "Lost Girls"

Today's critical rolls: It's free-for-all Thursday, now talk amongst yourselves. 

Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.

Critical Hits & Misses #280

• Comedian Louis C.K. has been in the news lately, dogged by allegations of sexual harassment by female comics. So maybe his new movie, about a 17-year-old girl who gets involved with an aging director, is maybe not the best choice...


• Today in NOPE DON'T DO IT news: Marc Guggenheim has revealed that one of the upcoming episodes in season 6 of Arrow will be topical and involve the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and the Root blog is here to explain why the hell Arrow should MAYBE NOT DO THIS. 

For today's musical hit, we have Lana del Rey and "White Mustang"

Today's critical rolls: Should tv shows, even ones dominated by mostly-white writing rooms, address topical minority issues? It's kind of a Catch-22 isn't it? They won't hire more minority writers, but if we ask white writers to not write about these issues, then they won't get addressed, because of the lack of minority writers. Discuss!


Critical Writ has a super-duper strict comment policy that specifies a single rule above all others: we reserve the right to ban you for being a terribad citizen of the internet.