Witty Song Parody: You’re Doing It Wrong

When your motto is the ever-so ignorant “God hates fags” how can you possibly top yourself? By making a music video that simultaneously denounces homosexuals and so-called “whore”dom while integrating imagery from the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, of course!

Toss in a parody of Lady GaGa’s “Pokerface” and some of the worst use video editing in the world, and you have yourself Westboro Baptist Church’s latest no-hit wonder “God Hates Lady GaGa”… proving once again that you don’t need talent to make music, just a bottle of crazy-pills and the right beat.

Where the Wild Things Are: A Less-Than-Serious Review

YES THERE ARE SPOILERS EVERYWHERE.

This won’t be a full-bodied review as it’s late, I’m tired, and I’ve only just seen a movie that people stopped caring about months ago. But in case Where the Wild Things Are does end up making the Oscar rounds — at which point the buzz around it will build again — here’s my take on said film.

To put it bluntly, the only way Where the Wild Things Are would have earned my eternal and unwavering love and adoration is if it had been a three-and-a-half-minute music video. All of the necessary elements are there — music by Karen O that alternates between haunting and rousing, and cinematography that evokes more emotion in a single shot than any one line of dialogue in the film — so it seems almost daft that instead of choosing a medium that would have made the most of these strengths, even a 10-minute short, director Spike Jonze took on the task of turning Where the Wild Things Are into a full-length feature that weighs in at 100 minutes long.

Not pictured: Where the Wild Things Aren't

Extreme Makeover: Hetero Sex Edition

I’ve oft wondered if sex feels slightly different for men and women, but it wasn’t until today that I knew for sure.

In the latest edition of Cosmo, which I don’t read but am exposed to through Jezebel, readers will find that sex with a woman feels like a house to some guys. But not just a house — like a really, fancy house that you didn’t have to pay any money for.

A Short That Sort of Steals Its Sizzle

In just two short weeks, Fede Alvarez, director of the short film “Ataque de panico!” has gone from Internet nobody to the next hot thing in Hollywood.

But after watching the short, I don’t understand why. Is the video good? Yes. However, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. Alvarez seems to have gone to the Roland Emmerich School of Directing, borrowing not only the aliens-blow-up-a-city-and-the-flames-roll-out-to-devour-everyone-and-everything scenario from Independence Day, but also direct shots from the film as well. (See: cars being lifted into the air as the flames roll down the street.)

And for you film geeks out there, Alvarez even has a baby carriage roll down the steps during the chaos. (See: Battleship Potemkin)

I’m not saying that Alvarez’s movie won’t be good — it could very well be — or that you’re not allowed to reuse shots or concepts — everybody loves Tarantino, after all — I’m just confused as to why Hollywood jumped at a director whose sizzle reel isn’t that new or novel. Is everyone that desperate to make their own District 9?

You can watch the trailer here or check out the screencaps below for my examples.

Capsule Review: “The Box”

This review revels in vague descriptions and nondescript info allowing it to be 80-90 percent free of spoilers. However, since this is a review, there are spoilers regarding the tone and general direction of the plotline. At the most you’ll find a small reference to the tone/set-up up the final scenes but nothing that gives away the ultimate conclusion or explanations behind events.

Suffice it to say, this review is less spoilery than Cameron Diaz at a Comic Con panel.

“It’s essentially the original [short story and "Twilight Zone"] episode extended with WTFuckery.”

– My original review on Twitter.

Amusing AP Error

We all make mistakes, but when you’re the AP, the mistakes tend to stick out a bit more. Check out this screencap of a “story” on director Polanski getting arrested in Switzerland for rape today. Instead of posting the story, someone accidentally posted the chat log between the reporters discussing how to cover the case.

Screencap of part of the article plus link below.

See what happens when you take a day off Frank?

LINK: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iRnW_PP9RtYpGgoc5KZiwY84hjrQD9AVNJ303

The Problem With Arguing Feminism in Jennifer’s Body

I had no intention of revisiting my rant/review of Jennifer’s Body and its criticisms, mostly because I believe that if you can’t successfully convey your intent/arguments in one article then you shouldn’t bother with a follow-up.

This is not a follow-up.

Girls Are Different — Suck It and Deal

Jennifer’s Body is dead at the box office — or so it seems after this opening weekend. And there are a couple of likely contributing factors: 1. that it opened against a fantastic children’s film, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. that it’s battling against people’s cumulative hate/dislike of one of the stars, Megan Fox, and 3. that a lot of the reviewers just don’t understand the film.

And why don’t they understand the film? Because it’s one of the very few honest-to-goodness feminist films out there — and more so then being feminist, it’s one of the few films that views things from a female lens. Boys are there, and make up the majority of the victims in this body horror film, but they’re not a concern. For once we have a story with female main characters who aren’t obsessing about, fighting over, or bitching about boys every five minutes. Jennifer’s Body is about women and how they relate to each other, the horror moments are there for style and allegory, but at its heart the movie is about two girls whose own toxic friendship is eating them both alive.

Is James Cameron a (Blue) Copycat?

I just finished writing up this news over at LatinoReview about the possibility of Fathom Studios taking legal action against James Cameron for perceived similarities between their respective films, Delgo and Avatar.

As you can see from my post, I find the idea laughable. The truth is, I can come up with some other films and properties that share more in common with Avatar than Delgo seems to at this point. Don’t believe me? You’re about to.

WTF Did I Just Watch?

This is possibly the single, most horrifying thing, I’ve seen this week: The Contraception Opera. Not only does it tell the tale of a sperm and egg longing to be united only to be thwarted by contraceptive after contraceptive, the operatic tones have actually made me switch my allegiances and root for their eventual pairing.

And it happens. Boy, does it happen.

*Found via HeartlessDoll

**According to Planned Parenthood, “Coitus Interruptus,” as the opera terms it, is pretty effective if you can do it right. Seriously. But still, better safe than sorry, right?