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 #338

• Surprising nobody, The Last Jedi wrecked at the box office on Thursday night, suggesting this weekend may be one of the biggest ever. 


• Because Star Wars weekend, USA Today ranks the other 8 flicks in the franchise. See if you agree!

For today's musical hit, we are keeping with the theme of the day, so have the Main theme from The Last Jedi by the eternal John Williams.

Today's critical rolls: NO SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS PLZ. What's on the agenda for the weekend? Does it involve The Last Jedi? Did you already see it, and love it/hate it? 

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 #337

• Popular Marvel Bad Boy Loki is getting a new series of novels in 2019, and even better? He's going to be pansexual and genderfluid. Yes plz!


• This in-depth article over at Wired discusses the strange case of the DDOS attacks that nearly brought down the internet, all in the name of Minecraft. 

For today's musical hit, we have G-Eazy with Halsey on Jimmy Kimmel, with "Him & I"

Today's critical rolls: Happy Star Wars day! Are you excite? Are you hype?

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 #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.

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 #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?

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 #334

*judges you in Ice*

• Queen Elsa (aka Idina Menzel), has something to say to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who has decided that victims of sexual harassment have to "let it go." 


• Wired has an excellent piece on how corporate boards have been complicit in sexual harassment for decades, as claims by victims have gone unpunished or paid off to silence, and serial sexual harassers are kept around when they make good profit. 

For today's musical hit, we have Eminiem's "Untouchable"

Today's critical rolls: Made it to another 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 #333

Not all heroes wear capes. Jeremy Slater doesn't. Probably. 

• Today in "TV You Should Be Watching Right the Eff Now And So Should I," The Exorcist showrunner Jeremy Slater doesn't give a fuck if homophobes were upset about a gay kiss. Involving a bisexual priest. Sign me up right now!


• The Washington Post analyzes the past winners of Time's Person of the Year, and how rare it is for an individual woman to win the title, and how an individual American woman has never won. Ironically, this year's Person of the Year, the "Silence Breakers" (aka all the women who have come forward recently about sexual harassment), exemplifies the problem perfectly. 

For today's musical hit, we have Lindsey Stirling and "Silent Night"

Today's critical rolls: Gay kisses are awesome and popping up a lot more these days in media. What's your favorite gay/bi/trans/etc kiss in visual media? Personally I thought Captain Cold and The Ray were entirely too adorable on the Arrowverse Crossover a couple of weeks ago. 

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 #332

• It's good to have allies. John Oliver got into a feud with Dustin Hoffman over the allegations of sexual harassment, with Oliver defending the woman who has accused Hoffman. The actor fired back, but whatever, dude. We've got your number. John Oliver is a national treasure. 


• In this excellent article at The Hollywood Reporter, Steven Spielberg and Meryl Streep discuss why they decided to very quickly put together The Post, a film about Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, who famously made the decision back in 1971 to post the Pentagon Papers, a momentous decision. Graham's story has never been told on the big screen, and was left out of the Watergate drama All The President's Men. This important woman will finally have her story told, and it's largely in part because of the current climate in Hollywood due to the Weinstein scandal, and the ensuing wave of allegations that have rippled through the industry since. 

For today's musical hit, we have Demi Lovato and "Tell Me You Love Me"

Today's critical roll: There aren't nearly enough biopics about women in history, as important female figures like Katharine Graham are often cut out of the stories told by men about men. Hidden Figures was a welcome change, and it sounds like The Post might be too. Whatever other historical women would you like to see get biographical movies that do them justice? 

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 #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?

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 #330

• I guess WB execs were paid off by Disney too, right, DC fans? Because Newsarama reports that Snyder was almost fired before Justice League was made, but wasn't only because of Time Warners' impending merger with AT&T, and firing a major director would have looked bad. 


• Welp, looks like Hollywood isn't the only male-dominated industry full of shitheads. And we're not talking about stand-up comedy. Or politics. Or corporate America. Or... well you get the idea. This time it's Classic Musical that has a sexual harassment problem. Yeah... you read that right. Classical Music. This is me throwing my hands up in the air and giving up on humanity. 

For today's musical hit, we have Linkin Park's "Crawling (One More Light Live)"

Today's critical rolls: The holidays are right around the corner. What's your take on gift-giving? Do you do it? Do you prefer to hand-make items? Have you hit the mall yet? What kind of stuff do you like to receive, in turn?

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.