pop culture
Modern popular culture topics in the geek sphere.
Love at First Sight
Sometimes it's hard to remember that films released on streaming services are eligible for Oscars, probably because it feels like that should not be a thing. But since it is, I am making a conscious effort to watch and review anything and everything that is eligible. There is absolutely no way I am going to get through everything but if nothing else it adds to the data of films for 2023. So our next review is going to be Love at First Sight released on Netflix.
Alexandrea CallaghanPublished about 9 hours ago in Geeks
Ranking the Animated Movies
2023 was an amazing year for films of all genres but there were also an impressive amount of animated movies. Now I am a defender of animation forever. Mostly because the Academy and some of the general public seem to think that animation is inherently for children and not respected appropriately as an artform. That said, I love animated movies so they are getting their own article. We are ranking the animated movies of 2023 from worst to best. Like with a lot of lists I’ve made, I don’t think any of these movies were bad; we are just going from less good to great.
Alexandrea CallaghanPublished about 10 hours ago in Geeks
Super Mario Bros. The Movie
One of the biggest film releases this year was The Super Mario Brothers movie. It's one we never got around to seeing but as Oscar season approaches it is time for me to catch up. It is the highest grossing film based on a video game and one of 2023’s highest performing movies grossing over a billion dollars globally. That said we should all know by now that the general public is usually wrong in matters of film critique so that really means nothing to me. So here we go with my review of The Super Mario Brothers movie.
Alexandrea CallaghanPublished about 11 hours ago in Geeks
Nimona
On the list of movies to finish before the end of the year we have Nimona. Now when this film was first released on Netflix I have only heard great things about it. And as films released on streaming services are eligible for Oscars we are covering all of our bases. So in addition to the review, is Nimona a contender for an Oscar or two?
Alexandrea CallaghanPublished a day ago in Geeks
May December
My favorite thing about being active on social media is seeing which shows and movies become internet trends and trying to decipher why. Well the latest movie getting buzz on TikTok is May December recently released on Netflix. Though it is not a movie that I would normally be interested in watching, streaming service movies are eligible for Oscars so I must do my due diligence. So here we are, my review of Netflix’s May December.
Alexandrea CallaghanPublished a day ago in Geeks
Norman Lear's Most Complex Character: Edith Bunker
Norman Lear died this week age 101. Living that long is, in itself, is an accomplishment, but to us watching American television in the 1970s, he was the creator, writer, producer of every other sitcom we watched, including All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, Chico and The Man, and One Day at a Time.
Rebecca MortonPublished a day ago in Geeks
Remembering Norman Lear
Legendary Emmy-winning TV creator behind numerous 1970s sitcoms: All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, and Good Times, producer, writer, and activist Norman Lear has died on December 5, 2023, at the age of 101 at his California home. A spokesperson released a statement confirming his death. The statement has been released on his website.
Gladys W. MuturiPublished 2 days ago in Geeks
The Muppet Christmas Carol - A Movie Review
Three muppets’ll haunt you. The Muppet Christmas Carol is a 1992 film with all your favorite muppet characters. Ebenezer Scrooge doesn’t believe in the spirit of Christmas. One night he gets a visit from three muppet ghosts who show him the past, present events and foreshadow the future.
Marielle SabbagPublished 3 days ago in Geeks
The Nightmare Before Christmas - A Movie Review
Can Halloween and Christmas mix? After Halloween, The Nightmare Before Christmas was released to theaters in 1993. Now that the yearly Halloween festivities have concluded, Jack Skellington, king of Halloweentown, longs for something different. Upon the discovery of Christmas, Skellington enforces a new holiday tradition.
Marielle SabbagPublished 5 days ago in Geeks
Hotel For The Holidays
In doing my best to cover just as many Christmas movies as possible, and as many movies released in 2023 as possible, we are now reviewing Prime Videos' other original movie, Hotel for the Holidays. Again I am drawn to these movies because of actresses that I like. Cheryl Blossom from Riverdale is the star of this prime video original. So here we go with our Hotel for the Holidays review.
Alexandrea CallaghanPublished 5 days ago in GeeksSquishmallows are this generation's Beanie Babies
I was born in 1990, so it may not come as a shock that during my elementary school years, collecting TY beanie babies was one of my main focuses in life. I'm not sure exactly why TY Beanie Babies became so popular maybe it was that they all had names, birthdates, and poems on their cute heart-shaped tags. For one reason or another, they became the toy most everyone wanted. I remember how excited I was when I counted my collection and discovered that I had 100 of the cute plush toys in my collection. As with most popular toys, the hype eventually died down, and their popularity faded. I even eventually got rid of my collection, but I have been working to build it up again and I probably have even more Beanie Babies than I use to have. I'm not sure exactly when I became aware of Squishmallows but the hype around them definitely reminds me of the TY Beanie Baby hype and it's refreshing to see a new generation focusing on something fun and wholesome again. I know I sound like an old person when I say this, but there is an abundant supply of things for kids to worry about in today's broken world. As someone who worked with children, it is easy to feel like kids in today's world do not get to experience the joy and innocence of childhood that previous generations did. A quick Google search informed me that Squishmallows became popular through social media during 2020. It makes sense that people were looking for some comfort during that year, and it is very easy to see why they became popular during that time. However, their popularity seems to be sticking around for now as far as I can tell. I work at a store that sells them, and I love seeing kids of all ages get excited about them. We have a ton of them in stock. Just like how stores back in the 90s would have shelves full of TY Beanie Babies. There is no denying how cute Squishmallows are. Similar to TY Beanie Babies, Squishmallows have names and pomes inside their tags. This gives each plush their own personality, and it is fun to try to find one that shares your interests job or even name. This one simple thing sets plush toys like this apart from the normal everyday stuffed animals. If for some weird reason I ever had a toy company, I would work to give each toy its own back story and personality because it is easy to see that toy buyers want that. I love how popular these toys are. Kids today have it harder than my generation did, and I'm not afraid to admit that. It's refreshing to see kids excited about toys again, and I want to thank Squishmellows for helping this generation through the year of 2020 and beyond. Collecting toys is a great hobby for any age, and I'm glad that the tradition of collecting cute plush toys is alive and well. Collecting is a great hobby but you have to have something that you are interested in collecting first. There is something so charming about toys like TY Beanie Babies and Squishmallows that makes it easy for people to want to collect them. As someone who has been collecting for awhile it may be a good idea for me to give some advice to the new generation of toy collectors. My advice to this new generation of plush collectors is this. Have fun, collect as many as you can, and be very proud of your collection. However, don't let anyone tell you that collecting popular stuffed toys is a good investment and will pay for your house someday. Ask any 90s kid about that, and you will probably get more information than you ever wanted to hear. I hope that the popularity of Squishmellows stays around for a very long time and that the next generation has something similar to collect.
Christina EpperlyPublished 6 days ago in Geeks
Spider-Man 4 Web-Slinging Back: Tom Holland Drops First MCU Update in 5 Months!
SUMMARY Tom Holland confirms ongoing discussions about Spider-Man 4, highlighting the importance of doing justice to the character and protecting his legacy.
Superheroes.VersePublished 7 days ago in Geeks
