Links and Updates

We're definitely in the middle of winter here in New Zealand, and it's depressing to wake up and see condensation inside and grey skies outside. I honestly think it has an effect on my moods, so hopefully things will brighten up when full-time work comes to an end (yes, it means less money – but I'll finally have time to write again!)

I've finally almost caught up with all the DC/CW shows, having just finished season two of Legends of Tomorrow. That means I only have the latest seasons of Legends, Arrow and The Flash to go! But as ever, there are so many shows to watch, and waiting in the wings is season two of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and The Handmaid's Tale – though that last one is tough. I'm not sure I can stomach watching it in the dead of winter.

It also seems to be the time for third seasons, what with Humans, Into the Badlands, Versailles and – till recently – Supergirl all airing their third outings, and I've got my eye on the Making a Murderer documentary (still on a crime-spree after American Crime Story) and Voltron: Legendary Defender (especially after the excitement of the sixth season).

Movie-wise, the buzz is all about Ant-Man and the Wasp at the moment, but I'm still hoping to see Ocean's Eight with mum for her birthday. Gotta get on that...

And as for my To Be Read pile, it's all about the pre-teen mysteries! I'm churning through Helen Moss's Adventure Island series, which bear more than a few resemblances to Enid Blyton's The Famous Five, with Jordan Stratford's Wollstonecraft Detective Agency and Robin Stevens's Murder Most Unladylike books coming up, both (as you might have guessed) being period mystery stories featuring girl detectives.  

Here's a great review of Lost in Space that outlines why I enjoyed it so much, and why I was so bitterly disappointed at the reception fandom had towards Maureen Robinson and Doctor Smith (though why I'm surprised at this point is anyone's guess). They were fantastic characters played by great actresses, and that the final showdown was a battle of wits between the two of them didn't get nearly enough praise.

Elsewhere, promo pictures for both Aquaman and Wonder Woman have been released; with the greatest talking-points being Amber Heard as Mera (that red hair!) and the return of Chris Pine in some capacity. We can't say for sure he's playing Steve Trevor again... which is why it's a stroke of genius that Patty Jenkins circumvented any leaks and released these pictures. She's just ensured that we'll all be speculating right up to the release date.

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As you probably know, we're going to be getting more Game of Thrones and Star Wars for the foreseeable future – heck, there's even something of a crossover between the two franchises what with David Benioff and D. B. Weiss being given the keys to their own Star Wars show (can we except tits and dragons in a galaxy far, far away?) It's way too early to really comment any further, though it's two projects I'm keeping my eye on.

As for The Last Jedi... look, every time I think it's safe to post my mixed-feelings review, something else ridiculous happens and makes me want to steer clear of the whole debacle. Now a bunch of racist, misogynistic dipshits have driven Kelly Marie Tran off Instagram, and it breaks my heart considering she was so damn excited to be involved in the project.

And the truth is, I was looking forward to Rose Tico, only to be disappointed with what Johnson decided to do with the character, and now I can't bring myself to share any criticism because it'll just add to the validation of these disgusting trolls. (And let's be honest here – anyone who deliberately goes out and buys an action figure of Rose so just he can destroy it on YouTube isn't angry at a movie. Nobody does that if they're just angry at a movie.)

Yet there's hope – the backlash from these troglodytes has gotten so loud and so obnoxious that Creatives are Finally Telling Manbabies to Stay Home. The article only covers a few examples of pushback from directors/writers, but it's a relief that the industry (even if it's just a few individuals) are finally seeing the toxic nature of these people and taking steps to shut it down.  

Even Stephen Colbert had a special trailer for these dicks:

It's horrible stuff, so here's a wonderful fan-vid of characters of colour in recent genre shows:

The way I see it, the misogyny, racism and homophobia in pop-culture/fandom is an ugly stone pillar standing in the middle of a room, getting in the way of everyday people just trying to enjoy their hobby in peace. But with every new piece of work, even if it's something as simple as a fan-vid or an enthusiastic review, that pillar gets chipped away. It might just be an infinitesimal amount each time, but when there are millions of people chiselling away, it has a greater effect than first appears.

After all, if there wasn't change in the air, the frightened, furious backlash wouldn't be at such a fever-pitch. They know they're losing.