Critical Writ: solar eclipse

Over at Paste Magazine, Holly Green discusses Joss Whedon, white male privilege, and analyzes fictional female characters with agency (like the protagonist of Horizon Zero Dawn), versus "strong" female characters.

In honor of the solar eclipse that cut a swath of darkness over the US today, Entertainment Weekly has a list of the five most meaningful eclipses in movies and tv.

For today's musical hit, because i just have to okay?, we have Bonnie Tyler's classic "Total Eclipse of the Heart"

Today's critical rolls: Did you watch the eclipse? Even if you didn't, do you find science and the heavenly bodies interesting?

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.

Today in, "This Is How You Do It, HBO," Amazon has announced an original series called Black America, which imagines a post-slavery reparations America. Unlike HBO's controversial Confederate (which I'm still mad about), the Amazon series will feature black and brown people actually thriving in this country. Imagine that.

And, this one isn't pop culture, but it is science, plus a warning for everyone out there. On August 21, for the first time in a century, the US will experience a complete totality solar eclipse, which has a lot of people excited. But this post at WaPo warns that unscrupulous assholes out there are trying to sell fake viewing lenses. Looking at a solar eclipse without proper protection can cause serious retinal damage, possibly permanently, so if you're going to be checking out the eclipse, PLEASE make sure you double check this article on what to look for in viewing lenses.

For today's musical hit, I don't feature a lot of Latin music here, which is a shame, because it can be so awesome and dance-able. So here's Luis Fonsi and "Despacito" (tn: Slowly)

Today's critical rolls: What kind of music do you like? Do you ever listen to music that isn't part of YOUR culture?

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.