pop culture

Modern popular culture topics in the geek sphere.

What is a MacGuffin?
A MacGuffin is a plot element that propels a narrative forward, but ultimately has little importance to the story. In other words, it is something that the characters care about, but is irrelevant to the audience. It is primarily associated with director Alfred Hitchcock, but the term itself is attributed to his collaborator, screenwriter Angus MacPhail. One way to recognize a MacGuffin is to determine if it can be replaced without affecting the story. For example in Mission: Impossible, the entire plot is based on retrieving a list of all covert CIA operatives, but this could easily be swapped out for nuclear codes or a biological weapon, essentially the mission would be the same.
By Emby Lat4 years ago in Geeks
Matilda The Musical - A Netflix Movie Review
Even if you’re little you can do a lot. Based on the novel by Roald Dahl and adapted from the stage musical, Matilda The Musical is a 2022 Netflix film. Neglected by her parents, Matilda finds solace in books. Starting school, Matilda makes new friends but also faces the cruel headmistress, Miss Trunchbull.
By Marielle Sabbag4 years ago in Geeks
31 Writing Prompts to Help You Build a Solid Writing Habit
--- Everybody can write. But you don't call everyone a "writer." A writer writes because she likes to write. Because it makes him feel sane. Because that's what she loves doing the best.
By Brinda Koushik4 years ago in Geeks
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody - A Movie Review
I wanna dance with somebody. With somebody who loves me. Released to theaters in 2022, I Wanna Dance with Somebody illustrates the life of the talented singer, Whitney Houston. Facing struggles in her growing music career, Whitney abandons her passions for a more positive image. Fame and stress lead to her drug addiction.
By Marielle Sabbag4 years ago in Geeks
Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles: Find and Replace Review
Back in 2010, when the idea of recasting anyone from Doctor Who who was no longer with us was still very much frowned upon, Big Finish released "Find and Replace", a Companion Chronicle that saw Jo Jones (nee Grant) travel back in time to the 1970s in order to confront her past, and reunite with her Doctor. In many ways, this is a very different type of Companion Chronicle: normally, they are reflections on past adventures by the companion from an older perspective, or occasionally two-handed dramatic conversations. "Find and Replace", however, is none of those things: rather, it is a chance for an older companion to step back into the life they left behind. And, in this case, with Jo Grant, it is an emotional rollercoaster, one that looks back on a well loved era of the programme with the due deference and respect that should be accorded to it.
By Joseph A. Morrison4 years ago in Geeks
Women Who Deserve Solo Titles
With Marvel releasing several new women fronted solo - limited series - comics in the new year I think it's important to draw attention to women that have spent years in the background and deserve the spotlight…
By Alexandrea Callaghan4 years ago in Geeks
Avatar the Last Airbender
Character development is one of the most amazing parts of watching TV and movies…at least if it's done right. Now a lot of series end very badly and tend to destroy all character development that was made across the seasons (looking at you Game of Thrones). But some shows end perfectly. Some shows are the pinnacle of what writing should be and one of those shows is Avatar the Last Airbender. One of Avatar’s greatest strengths was its character development.
By Alexandrea Callaghan4 years ago in Geeks
Wasp Background
One of the founders of the Avengers, and its only female founding member, Wasp is finally getting the spotlight to herself. Wasp debuted in Tales to Astonish #44 in 1963. Though she had taken absences from the team she serves as one of the longest running Avengers and as its second longest leader. Now why exactly did it take so damn long for her to get her own solo series? She is in fact the last member of the founding Avengers to get their own solo series. She fell behind the men by DECADES. I don’t have to ask why because we all already know the answer, there is simply no other option, sexism. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that the only founding member of the Avengers (that first appeared in the 60s) to not have her own series until 2023 is the only woman on the team. She is so unbelievably important and impactful in the comics, yet here we are literally 60 years later and Janet is just now getting the spotlight.
By Alexandrea Callaghan4 years ago in Geeks
Ranking Female Lead Films
I’ve mentioned on every platform I have that female lead and female fronted are two separate things. Before we embark on this list I wanted to clarify that this only includes female lead films. That means not just films with female leads but also with female writers or directors. In order to be considered a female lead film, there needs to be women on both sides of the camera.
By Alexandrea Callaghan4 years ago in Geeks
Monica Rambeau
In a world with both Marvel and DC there are thousands upon thousands of superheroes, very few of those get long running solo series. Many get short spotlights or mini-series. And of those few, even fewer are women. Of the thousands of heroes, the ones that are women number somewhere in the hundreds. Of the solo titles granted the number of women led titles are in the double digits and most of those are limited engagements. Well we are granted with another limited series from Marvel and quite frankly this one is long overdue. Before we get to Photon let's talk about the incredible woman it centers around, Monica Rambeau.
By Alexandrea Callaghan4 years ago in Geeks
The Best and Worst of Marvel's Phase 4
Phase 4 of the MCU brought in many mixed reviews, it also brought out a lot of hate, sexism and racism in the fandom. Phase 4 was a rebuilding phase, think of it like phase 1. They had to introduce a lot of things so that they could continue with the stories that they started to set up in previous phases. There were a few not good projects that came out of phase 4 but the reality is that most of it was brilliant and there aren’t valid criticisms of it that don’t also apply to the first three phases of the MCU.
By Alexandrea Callaghan4 years ago in Geeks
DC 2023
DC and Warner Brothers have undergone quite a lot of changes over the last few months and every new piece of information released seems to divide the fandom more. With James Gunn at the helm there seems to be a hard reboot of the DCEU coming, yet there are some lingering projects that Warner Brothers simply can’t afford to cut and therefore they will be released in the face of a reboot.
By Alexandrea Callaghan4 years ago in Geeks