Unpop Culture

As someone who’s not a fan of chick flicks and romantic comedies (like, at all), I was surprised to find myself genuinely intrigued by the first trailer I saw for Long Shot (starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron), which played up the sentimental aspects of the story. Subsequent trailers, however, more clearly hinted at the raunchier side of things . In the end, I decided not to see the movie. What I did recently see, however, was a video clip from an interview Rogen and Theron gave during their press tour for Long Shot . In a segment on The Graham Norton Show , where they were discussing porn star Stormy Daniels’ dalliances with Donald Trump, Norton brought up the fact that Seth Rogen has actually worked with Daniels before. After Theron incredulously asked, “What?!” several times, Rogen clarified what his working relationship with the porn star entailed. Below is a (slightly cleaned up) transcript of what he said: Stormy Daniels is in Knocked Up and The 40 Year ...

Ramin Djawadi has done a superb job of composing the music for HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones.  As one who hasn’t watched the show, I only recently binge-listened to the music from all seven seasons. I don’t think I’ve ever done that with any other TV series. From the iconic main titles sequence for each season, to the elegant “Light of the Seven,” to the epic “The Army of the Dead,” Djawadi has created an impressive musical tapestry. The music from this series is just one example how Game of Thrones is no run-of-the-mill television series. The production values, quality of acting, and narrative complexities of GOT (not to mention its plethora of Emmy nominations) all point to the impressive artistry exemplified by the show’s participants. Look, I get it. Game of Thrones , in addition to other HBO shows, isn’t just all hype. It is a genuinely intriguing drama, and it understandably has captured the interest of millions of viewers. If not for its graphic sexual and vio...

Filmmaker and human rights activist Jason Jones recently wrote the following : When Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin , could she have guessed its impact? That slavery would die less than fifteen years later? . . . Unplanned can be the Uncle Tom’s Cabin of the abortion issue. And today’s pro-life movement can be the movement that drives its success. That’s a bold statement, especially when considering the artistically-checkered past of Unplanned ’s filmmakers. Conventional wisdom would lead even a pro-lifer such as myself to receive such a claim with at least a grain of skepticism. At the same time, comparing Uncle Tom’s Cabin with Unplanned isn’t entirely without merit. While far from identical, these two stories have some striking parallels. I want to specifically address the similarities between the criticisms they have received from their contemporaries. Consider Uncle Tom’s Cabin . No one can accuse author Harriet Beecher Stowe of subtl...

Based on its marketing materials, this newest cinematic treatment of a DC superhero displayed a scope of humor thus far not seen in the DCEU . Could Shazam! actually be giving the MCU a run for its money? The answer is…complicated. As a reminder, I rate movies based on three criteria: objectionable content (C), artistic merit (A), and my personal opinions (P). (C-A-P. Get it?) CONTENT (C): 7 out of 10 As one might expect, Shazam! is one of the goofiest superhero movies to hit modern-day cineplexes. As one might not expect, Shazam! mixes a heavy dose of content that many might consider troubling—especially for younger theatergoers. This is, in fact, not a movie for children. In the world of Shazam! , the seven deadly sins provide a formidable presence, personified by seven expertly-and-grotesquely rendered demonic beings. The threat they pose provides for some tense moments—including one scene in particular that flirts with the horror genre. Even though Lust i...

The response to Disney’s Captain Marvel  has been fraught with controversy, even before the film was released. Greg Morse, a staff writer at Desiring God, wrote about the movie after seeing it, and his article has received a lot of criticism (rightfully so, in my opinion). Morse makes —or, at the very least, appears to make— four dangerous rhetorical errors in his piece, and in my last blog post we examined the first two: unclear language and genre confusion. Now let’s look at the other two problems: reverse chronological snobbery and a demeaning attitude toward women. 3. Reverse Chronological Snobbery C. S. Lewis coined the term “chronological snobbery” to describe the belief that the “intellectual climate” of our own time is automatically superior to that of the past, as the beliefs and practices of previous generations are outdated and less enlightened. This is a dangerous and pernicious mindset, blocking us from learning from past eras. Another detrimental mindse...