Lately, I’ve been watching a lot of Critical Drinker, JLongbone and Your Movie Sucks, and most recently, Tyrone Magnus reaction videos. They are reviewers of current movies and TV shows. I’ve been watching the first three’s content for a long time.
They offer interesting and based opinions on the state of Hollywood and the insanity that has taken over our TV (streaming) viewing. I don’t agree 100% with all their takes, but for the most part I agree with much of what they say.
Other than that, when I want a more in-depth commentary to listen to while working – like a podcast with three or more hours of content – I go to Mauler/Midnight’s Edge. I like listening to Andre.
Like many, I was tiring of one after another franchise I loved being disrespected and beloved characters being tossed aside in rewrites of history and forgotten character development. (Let us look over at Velma and the loss of Scooby Doo – literally. He is not in the show. Or, is he?)
And let’s face it, the commentary and hate reviews are more entertaining than the actual shows out there these days.
So, let’s talk over my opinionated take on trends in media/TV/movies today.
Follow the World Building
For goodness sake, if you are going to use an established fan base, book series, comic series, or anything that was established in the past read the content before you write about it. Otherwise, you’re just writing a fanfic with your own new characters, world, and content.
Let us look at what they’ve done to one of the most beloved novels by J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan. It was a story of how dumb little boys fell out of their pram and were lost. Thus, they were the lost boys. Wendy was procured by Peter Pan to help nurture and be a mother to the lost boys. See? They are “boys.” This has nothing to do with misogyny or misandry. It’s about how you might need a mom to help you grow up.
But Disney and the new woke culture need to make it political like everything else. Thus, lost boys can not possibly be only boys. They have to be integrated with girls, new ethnicities and all bad guys must only be white men.
Look over the Critical Drinker’s take on the new Peter Pan trailer for Disney’s representation vehicle of strong Wendy and the lost boys who are no longer all boys because…. representation. I loved Tyrone Magnus take on the Critical Drinker’s review. Please go check that out if you have time.
And the circle is complete.
Anyway, Disney, write an original piece and don’t poo on the already established original work. It’s just disrespectful toward the original content creator of said work. This member-berries thing is not making anyone nostalgic if you have NOTHING NOSTALGIC.
Hey, if you are hellbent on writing your fanfic I have an idea: come up with an original story, set of characters and world of your own. Maybe we’ll have a Renaissance of good shows and movies. Wouldn’t that be wild?
This reminds me, I seriously have to watch Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. I’ve heard it’s actually very original.
Oh, and watch Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The only good thing that’s come out of Hollywood for awhile with an established character. It has heart, good animation, good voice acting, and a really sweet story about friendship, love, and family.
YA Novels Turned to Movies or Shows
Young adult novels are probably the worse offenders for corny and tiresome tropes. After Twilight and Hunger Games they were and are, everywhere. Young girl falls in love with over powered demi-human or creature. If he’s a douchebag or tool, it’s even better. If she stutters or has some personality deficiency (and make sure she is super hot behind those glasses!) then, it’s a win/win.
Oh yes, and be super quirky. (I really hate quirky teens – they are EVERYWHERE!) Why is there always a quirky teen? Why are they always Asian? Why are all the animated quirky girls always voiced by Awkwafina? (I had to look up how to spell her name.)
He or she now (cause equality, yeah) will save the person and that’s how they meet. Or, EVERYONE falls madly in love with the protagonist because they are just the smartest, and prettiest, and most of the mostest, and best of the bestest of everything. Mary Sues are aplenty in YA novels turned movies. Sigh.
Teen Angst Everywhere!
Angsty teen is abusive verbally to a parent that is just trying their damndest to keep them fed. Those eyerolls. Those “tch” while leaving the family van. Sticking in the earbuds while the parent is talking. They like to stomp around. Slam doors. Act irritated at simple human conversation.
Photo by Dmitry Demidov on Pexels.com
“What would you like for dinner, dear?”
“OH MY GOD – YOU’RE RUINING MY LIFE!!! STOP TRYING TO CONTROL ME!!!”
“So, no roast and potatoes?”
In reality, most teens or kids actually appreciate or realize what their parents are going through. There are the rare few, but they are obviously all being portrayed poorly in these mindless shows that give little thought to real human interaction.
The Use of Kids in Shows
Why do they always have asthma and need an inhaler? Why? I mean seriously, why?
That is all.
No wait, I have a rant: A Quiet Place and the use of stupid kids (actually, its the parents).
The opening is a four-year-old being let loose in a drug store, with all kinds of things that can fall off shelves. Yeah, that just made no sense. Aren’t they supposed to be “quiet” in a “Quiet Place?”
Those kids should have died a long time ago.
Why doesn’t this movie make any sense?! Why?
Old People A’ Plenty
You have a lot of old actors in Hollywood that are all over the Netflix movies and shows these days. I know because my mother watches a lot of Netflix in the background.
They are always acting cool, driving horribly, using vulgar language, flipping birds, stealing cars, and causing all this mayhem. We laugh and give them a pass because they are old. We think they are “cute.”
This just irritates me. Maybe they deserve to be in a home if they are going to be acting like this. I mean really. They lose civility after 75?
Maybe its just me. Maybe a lot of people love looking at old people being criminals and impolite. It’s like you lived a long life and so now you deserve to be a bitch.
I’ve gotten more stoic, calm, and introspective. I meditate because getting angry over petty stuff is tiring and unnecessary for a soul..
And, as an older person, this really offends me.
(No, Val, you just complain on a blog)
(Oh, fuck me. Never mind. Go be a criminal, elderly person.)
Action Movies
Let’s face it. Half of the things that the hero goes through would kill most people. You would have internal damage. You’d be knocked out cold. You’d have lifelong brain damage.
But they keep going like the Energizer bunny. How do they do it? It’s not like they are fully padded with a helmet, like they’re playing football. They are just taking one punch after another, being shot, stabbed, falling off high places, and various means of torture but they keep going.
I mean, we have to suspend reality to make it through all action movies. Or, we can’t have a hero that can take a licking and keep on ticking.
Let’s face it though, Arnold was pretty cool in the original Predator, am I right?
End of the World Scenarios
Every single time we will save the day with only a second left on the clock. Why? Why can’t there be a full minute or even a half-an-hour? Or, maybe they find out and stop the bomb a day ahead. Why is it always the last second?
Actually, there is a movie, Armageddon, that did this like four times. I think. Is that the one? I honestly can’t remember. Please let me know if you remember. But I do recall laughing my arse off at how often it happened. It became comical.
Everyone is Gay
I’m gay but even I find it overwhelming that everyone is gay in shows today. I mean, you cannot have a show without someone being gay. Oh yes, I’m a lesbian but I prefer the word “gay.” It’s so much happier.
And really, I love seeing gay couples, especially lesbians. But I think it’s getting to be a bit much now.
Why is everyone gay? There cannot possibly be that many gay people across the country.
Are there?
Are you gay? …just wondering.
Men are Bad
I loved that the new Top Gun movie, Maverick, actually had a great female character. She was one of the guys. She was normal. Every other word wasn’t her misandrist attitude toward her male co-workers and how they are horrible “men.” They were comrades – fellow pilots – who fought together for the same goal.
Photo by Polina Zimmerman on Pexels.com
This new feminism is so angry, however. Women always seem so mad.
I appreciated her just being a normal character that wasn’t placed as a ideological mouthpiece to push the new feminist politic – Men bad.
By golly, there have been a lot of wicked and diabolically evil Queens and women in history. Women have a lot of privilege that men don’t get. Just try to flirt your way out of a ticket dude.
Honestly, as a woman I can get away with a lot of crud a guy cannot possibly get away with. We have our own set of privileges.
To simply hate a man for his mere existence and blame him for your every problem in life is a bit much.
(And yes, much of our poorly run country has been done in by a bunch of incompetent old white men but that is mostly a problem of privilege and being much too old to progress the country forward. This is commentary left for another day.)
Why are women in these shows all so angry? WHY? WHY ARE WOMEN SO MAD?!
Oh, yes, sorry I yelled.
Why Do Actors/Actresses Do This?
I think it would be best if Hollywood stopped getting Botox, and face lifts, and every other manner of stopping the aging process with plastic surgery.
My mom was watching this movie (speaking of which) on Paramount+ called 80 for Brady. I did not recognize Jane Fonda. She had always been an exercising icon in the 80’s and 90’s and I thought she would age gracefully. Rita Morena and Sally Field have had little work, and were beautiful. And then, you had Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. (I’ll just leave this here and let you be the judge.)
Sometimes you just need to keep fit, walk, get some sun – or less sun, and eat better. Age gracefully and I think you’d be better for it old Hollywood folks. Seriously. I mean, I know they need to look good for the camera but… it’s just doesn’t look good.
In my own opinion, I really don’t understand young people doing this to themselves. Naturally youth is already beautiful. Please don’t worry. You look great! Just wear kindness and a smile, and you’ll be fine, young person.
Caring more for a soul than trying to mask the outside works best.
This, of course, is my opinion. I’m not exactly an icon of beauty. This is also just me being nit-picky.
Werewolves are the New Trend
Yep. They are. It was vampires, and then zombies, and now it’s werewolves. And there are always large forest fires in these shows. Why? WHY?
In fact, there is this new show my mum’s been watching in the background, Wolf Pack.
After she finished, Teen Wolf and the Teen Wolf movie this popped up and she started watching.
It mixes irritating women, bad CGI, teen drama, and angsty YA novel type tropes into the mix.
It stars Sarah Michelle Gellar. I used to love her in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. The things you do to get a paycheck these days, I guess. (Actually, I kind of like seeing her in something new.)
I think I’m just tired of these new trends.
This show just hits on all cylinders of new American teen dramas: Angry female teen that is a bitch for no reason, biting off everyone’s head. Irresponsible teens. Irritating child that gets lost because of neglectful teen sister. Gays. More gays. Incompetent cops who beat on teens for no reason. Yep, this show has everything. I might actually review this one later. It is so hilariously silly.
My Last Trend Complaint – Changing History/Canon at the Altar of Representation
They were gender swapping. They were tokenizing every race and culture. Every old show is now revamped with a black version and a female-only version.
JLongbone did a great review with insight on the two new trailers for the New Peter Pa(i)n and Little Mermaid live action.
I know I already posted Critical Drinker but JLongbone is just so insightful. She makes such perfect points on this subject. Please go check out her channel. She really is funny and smart.
Now, there is nothing too new in all of this but let me say… I’m tired of the trend especially when it comes to re-writing history and previously established canon to the point it becomes pointless and nonsensical.
There was absolutely no reason to make these movies. It’s just a cash grab by Disney and the company is hurting because the public is tired of it.
You know the definition of insanity? Yes, is Disney just bonkers?
I actually caught a glimpse of a show with black aristocracy and royalty in 1600’s England. If there were one person with a mix of black, that might be understandable, but there was not a whole bunch of dukes, duchesses, and black Kings and Queens in England. (Unless, I am just really stupid – which is a possibility.)
Alas, historical integrity falls at the wayside of wokeness.
Why are varied races in different countries a bad thing historically? Why is historical facts such a bane to these new woke writers? Is historical accurateness that damning?
They forgot the distinction and beauty of varied cultures. On the road to inclusiveness there are no longer boundaries or anything to distinguish we live in a diverse world of different colors and languages. It’s like the world as it is must be changed to their own view of perfection.
(Now, I understand as a human you should view the world the color of water but that doesn’t mean you have to change history. That makes no bloody sense!)
I mean seriously, what if they made Roots with half of the American south slaves blonde Swedes? It makes no sense!
This doesn’t make you less of a racist by not recognizing our differences. It only makes you someone who makes every varied race and culture a token to be used in your game. This is actually even more racist!
The End
That was my small list of gripes and another rantview. I hope it wasn’t too upsetting. I mean, you can find little gems, like Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, or The Whale. There are some good movies that slip through and it makes it that more enjoyable when you find something of quality. But the bad surely outweighs the quality these days.
Let me know if there are any new trends bugging you.
For now, thank you for reading and I hope you the best in this world. I hope you find what you seek and search for, but mostly that you find a love that sustains you.
Oh wait, it’s Easter Sunday?!
Happy Easter Everyone! Take it easy.
I actually made a nice rib roast with a nice red wine sauce, Hasselback potatoes, and asparagus last night. Finished it off with a nice Pinot Noir from New Zealand. It was pretty darn good. Today the leftovers are even tastier.
Man, holidays just pass me by. I honestly have no idea what day it is most of the time. I’m getting so old.
Anyways… want a good song to listen to?
Here you go:
Love you, Gracie! 🙂 ❤
the unlit cigarette 
What can I say but I agree with a lot of what you wrote. Not being gay, I can’t speak as much to that aspect of Hollywood these days, but you make sense there as well. My best guess about that and the racial/ethnic diversity and ultra-aggressive feminist stuff is overcorrection for past wrongs.
Not that it excuses the overcorrection. Though Kenneth Branagh used to have diverse ethnic casts in his Shakespeare films and I thought that worked fine, maybe because they mainly weren’t historical anyway. Not like there was originally much opportunity either outside of Othello and The Merchant of Venice (which is a whole other conversation.)
Anyway, I have absolutely no interest in leaving my entertainment bubble of anime and mostly niche Japanese and indie games outside of the rare actually creative and good film, and all of the above is part of the reason.
Thanks, AK. I might have gotten a bit overboard on my own overreaction. Hehe
I hope you’re doing well. 🙂