Unpacking the moral dilemma of A24’s ‘The Drama’
Kristoffer Borgli’s 'The Drama' is less about cinematic clout and more an intelligent rumination on the systematic factors that situate us in the wrong place at the wrong time. On top of this, it offers an exercise in morality to determine, ultimately, how your morals lie with who you...
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The rage bait economy is officially a public safety issue
Controversial streamer ‘Chud the Builder’ has been charged with attempted murder after a heated altercation with a stranger ended in a shooting outside a Tennessee courthouse. If Dalton Eatherly, better known online as ‘Chud the Builder,’ has somehow escaped your feed, consider yourself lucky. His brand of rage bait is...
AI will not be winning any Oscars
As artificial intelligence continues to threaten intellectual property, the announcement is a sigh of relief for those working in the creative industries. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has clarified that only acting and writing for films done by humans will be considered eligible to win an...
Where are all the women on the Times ‘Best-of’ list?
A list of the 25 best non-fiction books of the century has sparked debate after it featured just eight female writers. A gender disparity in the Sunday Times list of the 25 best non-fiction books of the century has stirred up a gender debate, after it listed only eight...
Michael Jackson biopic shows how far fans will go to protect an idol
A critical bomb but a commercial success, the new Michael Jackson biopic proves fans will do anything to preserve a dream of their idols. There is an absence at the heart of Michael, the new biopic charting the rise of Michael Jackson. And it doesn’t take a forensic specialist...
Jeremy Kyle and the politics of poverty
Television in the 2000’s and early 2010’s had ‘iconic’ shows like The Jermey Kyle Show and Fat Families, but were these truly a reflection of social transformation by Third Way politics? Older Gen Z or ‘Zillennials’ may remember watching daytime television on their old boxy TV’s, enjoying classics like...
Why is Andrew Tate #1 on Substack?
Manosphere figurehead and notorious misogynist Andrew Tate has the #1 bestseller spot on Substack this week. Is the platform at risk of becoming as toxic as every other social media platform? Andrew Tate has found his way onto Substack. The long-form essay sharing platform (where we publish The Common Thred and The Gen Zer every week) is mostly used by progressive, creative types and has built a reputation for...
What Love Is Blind US reveals about the politics of fitness
Countless studies cite a correlation between gym-going and conservative ideology. So when did exercise get so political? On the most recent US season of Love is Blind, a gym-obsessed contestant named Chris told his new fiancée Jess that he wasn’t physically attracted to her. This revelation would be abhorrently hurtful in any case, but Chris’ reasoning was what most shocked viewers: he didn’t fancy Jess because she didn’t ‘do pilates...
Does Ye deserve forgiveness?
A new album and three-night headline show suggest the rapper formerly known as Kanye West has emerged from his wrongdoings unscathed. When Ye announced his twelfth studio album, ‘Bully’, over a year ago, few fans held their breath. The artist has become one of the most contentious figures in modern pop culture. Controversy seems to be the raison d'être for a man who is constantly reinventing himself. Ye’s many eras have...
Daryl Hannah, Ryan Murphy, and the ethics of the biopic
Where do we draw the line when it comes to on-screen depictions of real people? Ryan Murphy could never be labelled a people pleaser. Most of his projects flagrantly piss off at least one demographic, and if not outright offensive to some fraction of society they’re usually critiqued on the basis of quality. But that hasn’t stopped him dominating the past decade of TV. We love to hate Mr. Murphy and...
