December 2011
35 posts
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The Iron Lady
I think The Iron Lady is an excellent film if you take it as a film about Alzheimer’s, rather than a biopic about Margaret Thatcher.
As a film about Alzheimer’s it movingly captures the world from a sufferer’s perspective as they try and make sense of their past and present in a haze and try to keep their integrity and sense of self intact.
As a biopic of Margaret Thatcher,...
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The (Concealed) Politics of Tintin
There’s a scene in Spielberg’s film adaptation of Herge’s classic comicbook series, The Adventures of Tintin, where an Arabic city is absolutely trashed as Tintin and the bad guy chase each other to get hold of pieces of paper that point them to the location of treasure. The whole thing is played for laughs and after it’s done the movie quickly moves on to the next set...
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Russell Brand, Katy Perry and the Taj Mahal. Deets on their Indian wedding here, including photos of the bride and groom’s elephants.
UPDATE: aaand they’re done.
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The Gods Must Be Crazy
The Gods Must Be Crazy was a smash hit not only in South Africa where it premiered but all over the world (indeed, 3 of the 4 sequels where produced in Hong Kong. What the fuck, right?). Ever since there have been arguments on whether the film is racist. It was even banned in Trinidad and Tobago.
For a rundown on the background behind the filming, release and reactions to the film, click here....
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Breastfeeding and the Third World
Salma Hayek made headlines in 2009 when she breastfed a malnourished baby (who’s mother could not produce milk) whom she came across while touring war-torn Sierra Leone on behalf of UNICEF in 2009. Salma was still producing milk at the time because she herself had recently had a child.
The importance of breastfeeding as a source of nutrition for babies in developing countries is a huge...
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2011’s top Celebrity/Politician stories
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Absolutely Fabulous in Morocco
I have no idea what to make of the Absolutely Fabulous ep set in Morocco. It starts off by lampooning poverty tourism as Eddie uses Marrakech as the backdrop for a fashion shoot. I’m laughing along, but then Patsy sells Saffy to white slave traders out of revenge for ruining their trip and I’m scratching my head on whether to keep laughing. It was Mary Tyler Moore in Thoroughly...
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Merry Christmas...
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Kim Jong Il
It is no surprise that when Kim Jong Il died, #teamamerica was trending.
He was a terrible psychopath who inflicted cruel and unusual torture to a captive nation. This brief, creative, info-packed clip from the excellent TV show Hungry Beast summarises this mad man’s legacy perfectly.
NOTE: I should probably write about Kim Jong Il’s bizarre fascination with pop culture (touched...
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Persian rug detailed with US cartoon characters, hand woven in the City of Tabriz in Iran.
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The Politics of It's a Wonderful Life
A 1947 FBI memo entitled ‘Communist Infiltration of the Motion Picture Industry’ had this to say about It’s a Wonderful Life:
The film represented rather obvious attempts to discredit bankers by casting Lionel Barrymore as a “scrooge-type” so that he would be the most hated man in the picture. This, according to these sources, is a common trick used by...
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Beyonce
Beyonce’s controversial tribute to Fela Kuti
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Michael Jackson in Bahrain
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2011 Person of the Year
“(F)or young people [in the 1990s/2000s], radical critiques and protests against the system were mostly confined to pop-culture fantasy: “Fight the Power” was a song on a platinum-selling album, Rage Against the Machine was a platinum-selling band, and the beloved brave rebels fighting the all-encompassing global oppressors were just a bunch of characters in The...
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'First World Problems' and the Third World
Young people often hashtag their twats with the phrase ‘first world problems’, signifying an acknowledgment that whatever they’re bitching about is trivial. Is this a progressive recognition of First World privilege or a misguided slap in the face to the Third World? My friend at a Nadder! thinks he has the answer. He’s insufferable like that. Check out his blog post...
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Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
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Attendance Fees and the Third World
Hilary Swank has recently gotten some heat for attending the birthday bash of Chechnyan President and human rights violator Ramzan Kadyrov (Jean Claude Van Damme was also there but has not received similar heat because.. you know). She has apologised, sacked her manager, explains it was a big misunderstanding and will donate her attendance fee to charity.
You might recall Beyonce, Nelly...
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John and Yoko
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Gaddafi and Prince John, the phony king of England
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Sarah Silverman and the Third World
VIDEO: Sarah Silverman’s plan to end world hunger here.
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M*A*S*H and Seinfeld (and Harry Morgan, September...
Harry Morgan (Colonel Potter from M*A*S*H) passed away today at age 96. He was a great actor with a long career and my condolences to his family (at least those with tumblr accounts who decided to see what would happen if they chucked in their granddad’s name in the search tag bar. Holler!). It’s gotten me thinking about M*A*S*H. And Seinfeld.
See, in high school I was obsessed with...
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Bolivia set to give Mother Nature legal personhood
Take that Hexxus!!!
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Mickey Mouse and the Third World
Mickey Mouse sells ‘Peppo’ (read: speed) to African ‘natives’ in Disney’s 1951 comic book Mickey Mouse and the Medicine Man. This was a time when the psychoactive drugs trade was booming in America, and it was not uncommon for it to be referenced positively in children’s literature. It was also a time when no one batted an eye at Mickey Mouse’s racist...
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Richard Gere and the Dalai Lama
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Avatar v District 9
‘Avatar is a fantasy about ceasing to be white to join the blue people, but never losing white privilege. Jake never really knows what it’s like to be a Na’vi because he always has the option to switch back into human mode. Interestingly, Wikus in District 9 learns a very different lesson. He’s becoming alien and he can’t go back. He has no other choice but to live...
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Genre and the Third World
Bourne Identity + Iraq = Green Zone
Murder She Wrote + Botswana = The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Forrest Gump + India = Slumdog Millionaire
(Insert Road Movie) + Africa = Africa United
Grace Jones - Jamaica = Lady Gaga
The above is not a criticism!* There are a range of staples in Hollywood storytelling (eg. the road movie, the mystery, the political thriller) which are like a big...
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Evita
I never knew anything about the political history of South America but, because it’s important to follow everything Madonna does, Evita was my in.
That’s what I like about mainstream films made about the third world: it opens you up to thinking about places you’ve never thought of before (which also makes it fertile ground for writers that I wish they’d tap into more)....
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Occupy Wall Street Posters
The best collection of Occupy posters from around the world.
NOTE: Check out the paint roller one of the protesters is holding up in this poster from Jakarta. Is it just a coincidence that it looks similar to a sickle - the symbol of Communist/Socialist revolution? Am I reading too much into it?
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Jay Z
Context
November 2011
21 posts
7 tags
Elizabeth Taylor
In 1976, Elizabeth Taylor went on her first and only trip to Iran. Here are the pictures she took with photographer and friend Firooz Zahedi.
(I know I should make some criticism of Orientalism here but.. she’s just so pretty. Curse my Golden Era Hollywood free-pass blind spot.)