Critical Hits & Misses #339

*judges you in Jedi*

• Mark Hamill is having none of your bullshit, Teddy. Hamill burns Ted Cruz for 'smarm-splaining' net neutrality to him. New word. I approve. 


• Not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes they wear shields. Chis Evans (and Netflix, and others) react to the FCC's decision to repeal Net Neutrality. 

For today's musical hit, we have Thomas Rhett and "Marry Me"

Today's critical rolls: I need some new tunes on my playlist. Hit me with some of your favorite music/artists/videos!

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Critical Hits & Misses #336

• Merriam-Webster has named the word of the year for 2017 to be "feminism." Hmm, pandering to SJWs, it appears. 


• Our favorite reluctant badass heroine gets a new trailer and a premiere date, finally! Cannot wait for Jessica Jones season 2!

For today's musical hit, we have Lindsey Stirling's "Angels We Have Heard On High"

Today's critical rolls: What's YOUR word of the year? Mine is "creeper." Not because I like it, but because I've used it a LOT of late, unfortunately.

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Critical Hits & Misses #335

• Big Brother is watching and you pay him around $10 a month: Netflix put out kind of a creepy mocking message about the exactly 53 subscribers who have watched A Christmas Prince 18 days in a row. O... k? This article actually talks about privacy and how Netflix could, in the future, be using your data. 


• The internet using its powers for good: Rotten Apples lets you know what movies to avoid in order to not support creepers. 

For today's musical hit, we have Sheryl Crow's "The Dreaming Kind"

Today's critical rolls: Okay, if you had to watch ANY movie for 18 days straight (for like, I don't know, world peace or something), what would it be and why?

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Critical Hits & Misses #331

• And the hits keep on coming to the entertainment industry. Danny Masterson, star of Netflix's The Ranch, has been fired from the series following multiple rape allegations. Netflix has come under fire for not responding sooner, since police have been investigating since March.


• Err, do not want. Quentin Tarantino wants to make a Star Trek movie.  Forbes discusses the pros and cons. As a longtime Trek fan, I see mostly cons. 

For today's musical hit, we have 88Glam and "Bali"

Today's critical rolls: Look, we already had JJ Abrams come in and try to make Star Trek everything that it isn't, so like CAN WE NOT with Tarantino? What do you think? Yay or nay to Tarantino taking on Roddenberry's vision?

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Critical Hits and Misses #320

• Uggh can we not, please? Popbuzz reports that a magazine has called Milly Bobby Brown, the young star of Stranger Things, sexy. You know, at 13 years of age. FFS, people. 


• We had already reported that Andrew Kreisberg, showrunner for the CW's Arrowverse, has been suspended due to accusations of sexual harassment. This Variety report has a lot of the details, including direct-from-the-victims reporting on what actually went on. TW. 

For today's musical hit, we have Oscar Isaac and "Fare Thee Well"

Today's critical rolls: People magazine has named country music homophobe Blake Shelton the sexiest man alive, because I guess all other men have died without me noticing. Who would have made a much better choice for the title, in your opinion? Feel free to nominate more than one sexy man. 

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 #319

• The Waypoint blog reviews a new tabletop game, Dragons Conquer America, that attempts to tell the conquest of Mexico by Spain with a conscious awareness of how shitty colonialism was. Did they succeed? Read the review to find out. 


• Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, aka Mike, is publicly condemning a 27-year old model who posted inappropriate and sexual comments about the 14 year old star. This is good, the next generation of stars is growing up watching the sleaze drool out of Hollywood right now, and they are not putting up with this shit. The article goes on to detail harassment that the stars of the popular Netflix series are having to endure. People, for reals, though, leave these kids alone, FFS. 

For today's musical hit, we have Fallout Boy's "Hold Me Tight or Don't"

Today's critical rolls: If you have kids, or want kids, or even if you don't... would you let your kids be child stars? Would YOU have wanted to be a child star? 

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 #313

• Taylor Swift might sue a blogger who demanded that she denounce white supremacy and Nazism. But why, though?


• In the Beyond Stranger Things aftershow series that Netflix aired with episode recaps and cast interviews to celebrate the second season of Stranger Things, there was a revelation concerning the kiss between Max and Lucas in episode nine. Apparently, the kiss wasn't scripted, and despite it being quite sweet and endearing on the show, turns out that neither young actor were super happy about all the ribbing they've been getting. The internet has strong feelings about this and this blogger discusses why it's important for young actors to be treated with the same respect older actors receive. 

For today's musical hit, celebrate Thor: Ragnarok with a classic: Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song"

Today's critical rolls: Did you see Thor: Ragnarok? What did you think? If you didn't, are you planning on seeing it?

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Critical Hits & Misses #308

These kids are the freaking best

• In case you were hiding out because the world is awful, recent allegations have really blown the top off the major problems that Hollywood has with sexism and sexual harassment. Barely had Hollywood begun to process the mess that was Harvey Weinstein, when a bunch of women came out with allegations against director James Tobak. Get your shit together, Hollywood.


• It is here! Get ready to revisit the Upside Down, because Stranger Things 2 is live! The Recode blog gets you in the mood with a look at the first season and what we might expect from the second (no spoilers for season 2).

For today's musical hit, I'm not sure I'm ready for Taylor Swift in all her mostly naked cyborg glory in her newest video, "...Ready For It?"

Today's critical rolls: TGIF! What's on the agenda this weekend? It's the weekend for Halloween parties, are you heading to one? If not, what's going on?

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 #307

• Well, I'm tired of being mad at Hollywood's gross sexist shenanigans, so let's get mad about something else. As of today, Oct 26, many women in the US started working for free, including you and me. How's that? Well the Washington Post has an excellent analysis of the gender pay gap, how there are STILL folks insisting it's a myth, and that because average female wages are 80% of average male wages, that women work for free for ten weeks out of the year compared to men. U mad yet?


• In happier news, Netflix's Stranger Things Season 2 drops this weekend, and to get into the spirit of it, check out these 80s movies that inspired this awesome spooky series! 

For today's musical hit, we have H.E.R. and "Every Kind of Way"

Today's critical rolls: Looking forward to Stranger Things 2? What kind of spooky 80s movies do you like?

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 #299

• So, this week we've talked about Marvel's good decision to reverse its bad decision to partner with a defense contractor. But Marvel isn't the only one whose had unexpected questions arise thanks to the mass shooting in Las Vegas causing the gun control conversation to become a focus for NYCC attendees. During a Q&A of DC's Spotlight on Batman panel, a fan asked Batman writers if DC had any plans to use Batman to direct commentary on gun control (and/or to do an anthology to benefit the victims of Las Vegas, as they did with the Pulse Nightclub shooting)


• October is Hispanic Heritage month, and the New York Times has a list of Latin American movies on Netflix that are worth checking out.

For today's musical hit, we have LANCO and "Greatest Love Story"

Today's critical rolls: Would you like to see Batman (or any superhero, of any company) push the gun control message? Or are you of the "comics shouldn't be political" persuasion? ;)

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Critical Hits & Misses #267

• Today in Things Nobody Asked For, DC Comics is prepping a new Joker origin film, because reasons. The only feel-good news about this one is that Jared Leto will not be playing the lead. 


• Did you binge watch Netflix's The Defenders this past weekend? Cuz I sure did. Turns out that going forward, there will be more crossovers between heroes on their individual shows. Cool!

For today's musical hit, we have rising artist Demetria McKinney and "Easy"

Today's critical rolls: Did you watch The Defenders? Did you like it? Tell us what you think!

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Critical Hits & Misses #266

• Over at The Verge, Laketh Stanfield explains why Netflix's Death Note isn't whitewashing due to its mostly white cast. Meh, not sure I buy it. 


• The summer movie season is winding down, so we should immediately start talking about next summer's potential blockbusters! USA Today has a list of ten movies coming out next year to get excited about. 

For today's musical hit, we have Thirty Seconds to Mars and "Walk On Water"

Today's critical rolls: Forget next summer, what are you looking forward to for the rest of 2017, in terms of movies and Netflix and tv?

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 #257

Netflix has acquired it's first company – Millarworld, the publishing firm of noted comics creator Mark Millar. Though the exact terms are left undisclosed, it's been announced that Netflix will develop a variety of series' based on Millar's work.

The “Initial Check” project is a new program in German'ys continued efforts for Holocaust reparation and aims to return stolen books to their rightful owners.

For today's musical hit, we have Calvin Harris and "Slide":

Today's critical rolls: What is Love?

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 #250

• While Dunkirk, the grim war movie, has received plenty of critical acclaim, including in India, the Hollywood Reporter has a story about how the debate has been sparked about the film neglecting to include the contribution of Indian soldiers at the real battle of Dunkirk. 


• Vulture has an interview with the amazing Jessica Williams, formerly of the The Daily Show, and discusses her new Netflix movie, The Incredible Jessica James. Even better, the reporter interviewing Williams is also black, so there is some nice discussion of race and black feminism in there. 

For today's musical hit, time for some Queen Bey. Here's Beyonce and "Pretty Hurts"

Today's critical rolls: It's Choose Your Own Adventure Friday! Talk about what you want! Have a great 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 #226

Alison Brie in Glow

• The Atlantic reviews Jillian Tamaki's new collection of illustrated stories, Boundless. Tamaki has done X-Men comics and worked with Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. She's an amazing talented artist; check out the review, and check out her new book too!


• The Independent interviews Alison Brie, who talks about Glow, Bojack Horseman, and discusses how Hollywood is leery of taking risks with women actors. 

For today's musical hit, we have Ellie Goulding and "Something In The Way You Move"

Today's critical rolls: I'm going to be seeing Stephen Amell (of Arrow) at a convention this weekend, and I am totally fangurling out. If you could meet your favorite actor/actress, what's the one question you would ask them, given the chance?


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 #225

• Over at The Guardian, feminist Laurie Penny has an article that discusses how in science fiction, the future is feminist. She discusses The Handmaid's Tale, various wonderful female sci-fi writers, and Wonder Woman. 


• The Washington Post reviews Netflix's new series 'Glow,' a 10-episode show about televised female wrestling in the 1980s. The Post discusses today's feminist TV and how Glow fits (or doesn't) into that struggle. 

For today's musical hit, let's go back to the 1980s, with Debbie Gibson's "Only In My Dreams"

Today's critical rolls: I was an 80s kid myself, so I grew up watching things like womens wrestling on tv, and American Gladiators, and I was fascinated by these powerful women. What kinds of media do you remember from your childhood that was a breakthrough for women? (TV, movies, music, etc are all valid here)

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.

TV That Didn't Suck 2016

In our final installment of Things That Didn't Suck in 2016, we list some of our favorite TV of the year. In case you missed the previous installments, we've covered news, comics, movies, and games too!

Without further ado, here are our top TV picks for 2016!

Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror is a dark anthology show that looks at current technological trends and socio-political tendencies and pushes them to the extreme, showing our darker side. And yet this year’s episode “San Junipero,” which is likely to be counted among the series’ best, is also its kindest and most hopeful (while still being undeniably a Black Mirror episode). Most importantly, it’s a beautiful tale of two queer women (Mackenzie Davis and Gugu Mbatha-Raw) discovering each other, with amazing, heartfelt acting from both of them. And in year with a record high of LGBTQIAP* characters killed on TV, it was a much-needed respite. (Dominik)

2016 is the year the creators of Welcome to Night Vale expanded upon it with Night Vale Presents, a fiction podcast network that launched three new serialized audio shows. "Alice Isn’t Dead," written by Joseph Fink and voiced by Jasika Nicole, is a story about a woman on a cross-country trip into a supernatural America on the search of her wife. "Within the Wires," written by Jeffrey Craynor and Janina Matthewson and voiced by the latter, is a story of an alternate world and a patient of research facility, subtly told via surreal relaxation cassettes. And finally, "The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air)" is an absurdist variety show in the style of old radio shows, created by Julian Koster of the Neutral Milk Hotel – voiced by a bevy of guest actors, including Koster himself as Julian the Janitor. All three podcast are terrifically written and performed tales, sure to only increase in quality in 2017. (Dominik)

Despite a dearth of superheroes on TV these days, superheroes almost didn't make it onto this list at all. But despite a somewhat mediocre year in terms of writing, we would be remiss if we didn't mention the really fun and important moments in the CWverse. I mean, there was nothing ground-breaking about the CWverse's giant crossover event, but for all its imperfections, it did what it set out to do: give the CWverse fans their first taste of a CW Justice League. With all four of its powerhouse superhero shows joining forces to fight an alien invasion, the CW also nabbed its best ratings ever for each of these shows. What mostly made the crossover magic were the character interactions. Overall, it was fun, adorable, and sweet, although the crossover event suffered from a lack of real use for Supergirl, who deserved more screen time with her fellow leads Green Arrow and Flash. Still, it was delightful and entertaining, and it was clear all the actors had a blast doing it. We look forward to future crossovers. (Ivonne)

Netflix shows are going to dominate end of the year lists - and rightly so. Between Luke Cage, Stranger Things and so many other titles, new and returning, they’ve proven themselves a worthwhile creator of entertainment. And Voltron: Legendary Defender is among their best 2016 releases. Created by two animation veterans and the studio behind Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, this remake of a classic US/Japanese cartoon is a fun romp. Featuring a diverse and lovable cast of characters, this tale of rebels opposing an intergalactic empire will bring a welcome respite from the year we’ve had. And Princess Allura is one of the best and most exciting characters of 2016. (Dominik)

Westworld is life. Based on a cheesy (but awesome) 70s film and a Michael Crichton novel, Westworld is the latest in powerhouse HBO’s line of original series. Not only did HBO spend some serious cash (and it shows, as Westworld is visually stunning), but the talent involved was nothing short of phenomenal. Rachel Evan Wood and Thandie Newton star as Hosts (androids) that begin to realize that their world is bullshit. Sir Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris add to an already-talented cast, but I would be remiss in not mentioning the awesome Jeffrey Wright, who was freaking fabulous as two different characters. This series is about artificial life gaining sentience, but it is also about women who have been violently used deciding they’ve had enough and want to rewrite their stories. These violent delights have violent ends. It should be noted that while off-screen rape happens, and that there is a great deal of both male and female nudity, this isn’t Game of Thrones. Every violent act and every nude scene serves a purpose within the narrative, which is a nice change of pace for HBO. (Ivonne)

Did we miss any TV shows? Let us know some of your favorites in the comments!

Critical Hits & Misses #45

At an NYCC panel Asian-American diversity panel, Netflix's Iron Fist was discussed in great detail as a missed opportunity by Marvel to cast an Asian-American actor for Danny Rand. Check out Bleeding Cool's summary of it!

Variety has a great interview with Miley Cyrus, as she discusses her journey to discover her pansexual identity, why she barely acts anymore, and her non-profit to help at-risk LGBTQ and homeless youth.

Seija Rankin discusses Emily Blunt’s new “crazy woman” movie, The Girl on the Train, the crazy woman trope, and also takes us through a list of Hollywood’s best and worst movies that use it. Pretty good discussion on complex female characters.

Today's Musical Hit: that whole pussy thing isn't going away, is it, America? Well then enjoy this:

Today's Critical Roll:

1. Speaking of cats, are you a fan? Crazy cat lady/lord? Only love them on the internet? Prefer dogs, rabbits, or snakes?

On Public Humiliation and Voyeurism: Black Mirror S01E01

If you’ve never heard of Black Mirror before, I guess you’ve been hiding under the same rock I’ve been under. Somehow I missed this show popping up in 2011 and running through 2014. Like a lot of British TV, "seasons" are short and episodes are long. This is not a show you should binge-watch, as every episode requires some mental digestion and processing.

Black Mirror bears a resemblance to The Twilight Zone, with an emphasis on the potential consequences of technology, so it’s pretty heavy into the sci-fi genre. Every episode features a different story, narrative setting, and cast. If you love British actors, movies, and TV, you will recognize a lot of your faves (for example: Hayley Atwell, and actors from Harry Potter and Downton Abbey). 

Over the course of the next few months, I’ll be reviewing every episode, and leading directly into the new season coming in October. Spoilers are likely inevitable, so if you are interested in watching the show, you might want to watch the episode before reading my review on it.

Another word of warning: Black Mirror doesn’t shy away from sexual content, which is oftentimes disturbing. The first episode, in fact, is pretty wicked in this regard. Not sexual violence, exactly— just disturbing sexual content and implications. With a dash of bestiality (no worries, this is not a recurring theme in other episodes). [Editor's note: The rest of this post abounds in spoilers for the first episode.]

“The National Anthem” is an episode about the fictional Prime Minister of Britain, Michael Callow, who wakes up one day to face a shocking dilemma. Princess Susannah, Duchess of Beaumont, has been abducted, and a video of her appears on YouTube with her being forced to read the abductor's terms for her safe return. Turns out that in order for her to live, the Prime Minister must have sexual intercourse with a pig on national television, and the demands come with some highly specific technical requirements to ensure that the act isn’t faked. 

The PM’s office tries to keep it contained, but with the video on YouTube, that ship has sailed. The UK media initially agrees to keep the story quiet, but when the American media picks it up,  British media feels it cannot remain silent any longer and runs the story. 

It’s important to note that while the plot involves the Prime Minister and his office trying to get ahead of this and find a way to cheat it, the most important role does not have a single human face: YouTube, Twitter and the dregs of the commentariat loom large over the story. 

Seriously, the people who wrote this episode know their social media very, very well

You also have plenty of scenes that focus on the reactions of regular British citizens, and the episode believably tracks public opinion as it shifts from sympathetic towards Callow—with no expectation that he will go through with the act—to practically demanding that he cave into the abudctor's sordid demands in order to save the princess. A last-ditch attempt to find the misplaced noble in an abandoned building turns out to be a decoy and becomes disastrous when military forces injure a reporter in the process. With that failure and the public’s opinion turned ugly, Callow appears to have no choice: looks like he’s going to have to fuck a pig on TV. 

I won’t ruin the ending for you. Let’s talk about how frighteningly realistic this episode is, because it’s easily the most realistic of all the ones in seasons one and two. 

This can happen. The way the episode was written, it is extremely—frighteningly—plausible. For example, there is a scene where Callow’s wife made the dubious decision to read YouTube comments on the abduction video, and one of the comments laughingly talks about how she, Jane Callow, will be sucking bacon off her husband’s cock. 

Anyone who has ever experienced the absolute cesspool that is the YouTube comments knows this is exactly how it would be, especially in talking about a woman. The Twitter trends, the way public opinion shifts very swiftly and darkly, the fact that the public seems incapable of looking away from the spectacle: it’s so horrifyingly real and such a statement on humanity. We learn later that Bloom, the abductor, does all this to make a statement about how people are so distracted by media that they fail to notice what is happening in the real world. 

Given the terrible violation of Leslie Jones recently and the release of her nude pics to the public, there is so much to parse in this episode regarding the general grossness of the Internet, how people treat other human beings with such disregard, the hive-mind mentality of Twitter and social media in general—and even the way Jane Callow is treated despite the fact that she really has nothing to do with any of this.

And Bloom’s point (that people are easily distracted from real life by crap on a screen) is a valid one, even if he makes it in an extreme manner. I am reminded of the comment made by Roman poet Juvenal in 100 AD: panem et circenses, or bread and circuses. Stupid distractions keep the public from becoming involved in politics or things of import. This topic has been covered before in great detail, (yes there are 4 different articles there) with the media failing to cover important world events and instead focusing on celebrity trash (like Justin Bieber's run-ins with the law, for example). "The National Anthem" is about British citizens, but honestly, it could just as easily have been set in the US. If anything, I am vaguely surprised it isn't, because I always had the impression that UK audiences are less ignorant than we are.

Is there any greater circus act than Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube getting all excited about the latest celebrity nude pics—or about whatever the outrage du jour is before it blows over within a day or two? And what does it say about us when we are willing to engage in gross voyeurism at the expense of a human's dignity whose main sin is that they happen to live in the public eye? 

Bread and circuses, my friend. Bread and circuses.

You can watch seasons one and two and the Christmas special of Black Mirror on Netflix right now in the US, with a longer run of season three about to premiere on Netflix on October 21, 2016.

Ivonne Martin is a writer, gamer, and avid consumer of all things geek—and is probably entirely too verbose for her own good.