There is something oddly familiar about the criticism that was levelled against Battlefield 1, the next installment of Electronic Arts (EA)’s hugely successful military franchise, after the game was revealed in early May 2016. Just as all other once-novel entertainment trends—such as television, rock, and rap music—had to face in[Read More…]
Tag: pop rhetoric
Pop Rhetoric: The Ann Coulter Roast with Rob Lowe
American actor Rob Lowe is an unlikely catalyst for a bipartisan debate. Following in the footsteps of a yearlong media cycle fascinated with a farcical U.S. election, Comedy Central’s Roast of Rob Lowe was no exception to politically charged comedy. When the special aired on Labour Day, it was not[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: John Hughes and ‘80s auteur relevance
In 1984, the world was introduced to a director who would leave a monumental impact on the American film industry. John Hughes made his writer-directorial debut with the underdog comedy Sixteen Candles. Having already written films such as Mr. Mom and National Lampoon’s Vacation, Hughes took his filmmaking one step[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: A love letter to Broad City
A new saying has been circulating among my friends after a failed night out or an especially quirky encounter with a stranger: Having a ‘Broad City moment.' This connotes a mantra, a lifestyle—a way to bask in the sheer ridiculousness that is everyday life as a young ‘adult.’ The description[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: Respectability politics in “Fresh Off the Boat”
A year in, Fresh Off the Boat (FOTB) is still much of the same: An occasionally poignant portrayal of the immigrant experience tempered by whitewashed sinophilia. Take last week’s episode for example. Right before Chinese New Year, FOTB aired the first depiction of Mandarin Chinese New Year on American primetime[Read More…]
Making a Docudrama: Is Making a Murderer really the ‘true story’ it’s cracked up to be?
Warning: This piece contains spoilers. Making a Murderer has become an omnipresent subject of discussion in the media since its release in late December. Creators Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos initially started working on the project in 2005, following the arrest of Steven Avery for the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach.[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: Drop the cynicism and get excited for LCD Soundsystem’s return
Remember when the reunion rumour was solely in the domain of the great fossils of rock’s mesozoic era? When the ravenous rumour mill of music journalism (read: Rolling Stone Magazine) was content to feast on reports of fabricated Zeppelin tours and that time that Pink Floyd got back together for[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: How TV can improve in 2016
2015 was arguably the best year for television in the history of the medium, both in terms of quality and quantity. Last summer, John Landgraf, president of FX network and de facto ‘mayor of television,’ stated that people have reached an age of “peak TV in America,” pointing out that[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: Adele’s “Hello” and discussions of identity
In the last few years, female artists have taken an incredibly strong stance on feminism, creating art that focuses on the tense dialogue surrounding gender, race, and identity. Whether this requires a change from their old style or leans into their existing art depends on the artist: For someone like[Read More…]
Pop Rhetoric: Mental health and the ‘less serious’ celebrity’s conundrum
As John Oliver noted in a segment on gun violence in Last Week Tonight, the fact that mental health is invoked only in a sombre context and only with a negative connotation is disturbing and unfounded. Mental illness becomes the scapegoat for tragedies which in reality may have had absolutely[Read More…]
