haileyscomet

Contributing writer for The Artifice.

Junior Contributor I

  • Articles
    0
  • Featured
    0
  • Comments
    3
  • Ext. Comments
    3
  • Processed
    0
  • Revisions
    0
  • Topics
    1
  • Topics Taken
    0
  • Notes
    2
  • Topics Proc.
    0
  • Topics Rev.
    0
  • Points
    25
  • Rank
    X
  • Score
    18
    Sorry, no posts matched your criteria.

    Latest Topics

    5

    What do we do with beloved older films like Carousel that are pretty problematic by today's standards?

    Seems like a significant amount of older films that are historically important/culturally significant have some serious problems in the context of today. For example, Carousel perpetuates the idea that domestic abuse is normal and okay. How are these films useful to us now– can we look back on them and appreciate them for what they are/were, or is that problematic? How should we talk about these films now?

    • I can see the deliema. The Disney classics were sexist and racist, yet people love them to the point that they will remake them but with out the racism and sexism parts. but I feel like they should be celebrated as a way to see how much society have progressed – Amelia Arrows 5 years ago
      1
    • What is important is that viewers and critics such as ourselves be ready and willing to acknowledge and criticize these problematic parts of media. This practice is common in the literary discipline, where pretty much all works admitted into the canon are problematic in some way shape or form, but I feel as though popular culture does not have this practice applied to it. There is a tendency now a days, especially among the younger generations, to reject all media that has any sort overtly problematic element to it. This results in people being unable to discuss positive aspects of problematic media and we as both critics and consumers miss out on a lot of well crafted media or are driven to feel guilty for enjoying it. I would even argue that problematic media is more important to be viewed and discusses, so long as there is an understanding and criticism of the problematic elements, as it allows us to be able to observe our culture in all aspects, not just the positive ones. – IvanBlue 5 years ago
      1

    Sorry, no tides are available. Please update the filter.

    Latest Comments

    I love the show and somehow I never put two and two together about how the balance of cynic and optimistic characters keeps it from getting overly morose. This is a really interesting take; well written.

    Bojack Horseman: Balancing Humor and Dark Themes

    Recently watched The Brood and your section on the paranoia around maternal sexuality is VERY relevant to that film. The main character is a woman who literally births manifestations of her trauma and rage, which are strange, murderous, childlike monsters.. Two men attempt to control her–her husband and this psychotherapist guy–and towards the end there’s a birth scene where she performs this sort of powerful display of her ability as a woman to give birth. Essentially, she’s in this glamorous white dress and “unveils” a bloody embryo that “hatches.” Watching it was pretty strange for me but reading what you have to say about it helps me think a little deeper about what it means.

    Maternal Horror Films: Understanding the 'Dysfunctional' Mother

    Here’s an interesting example of a deaf character from the era of Film Noir!
    I’m currently in a Film Genres course at my college and we just watched Out Of The Past, which features a deaf character named “The Kid.” It’s problematic because other characters refer to him as “dumb,” but he’s actually a key player in the movement of the plot. If I’m remembering correctly, he doesn’t use ASL, but he reads lips and uses general gestures. The Kid is arguably more intelligent and empathetic than the hard-boiled main characters, and it’s implied that this is because he spends a lot of time observing how these double-crossing people behave. In the end, he tells a lie to the main characters’ former fiancee to save her from feelings of unrequited love for the rest of her life– essentially, he chooses to tell a little white lie to maintain her ignorant bliss. I really liked the character of The Kid.

    Visual Medium, Visual Language: American Sign Language in Film