2012: Pop Culture Year in Review
Monday, December 31st, 2012 12:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
retsukoI've seen, read, and experienced a lot of wonderful pop culture this year, and I'm still boggling over just *how much* I've gotten to experience at all, given that my son turned 2 and spent much of his time unintentionally taking up mine. (99% of the time, that's great, but the other 1% is tough.) I've been lucky to get anything done at all! Fortunately, what I have been able to reward myself with is on the top-notch side of the equation.
On the good fortune side of the year's equation are the sheer number of good movies I had a chance to see. In no particular order, they are:
1) The Hobbit (A little on the long side, but there was so much RIGHT about it that I was able to look past the incredibly stretched out and somewhat "macho'ed up" storyline.)
2) Cloud Atlas
3) Looper
4) Beasts of the Southern Wild (I've read several criticisms of this, but regardless of any perceived failings, this movie stuck with me for weeks and months after I watched it, and I worried and wondered about the main character, Hushpuppy, and hoped she was doing well.)
5) The Secret World of Arietty
6) Wreck-It Ralph
7) Argo (SO GOOD. You know how most modern movies could cut twenty minutes from the middle and still tell the same story? This movie was the opposite of that: every shot in it was useful and important, and no time was wasted. I have not been so tense at any film since "The Hurt Locker". And given what a preposterous story it was telling, the incredible suspense was a real surprise.)
Switching to another subject, the books I've read this year basically fall into three different categories:
Graphic Novel Memoir or Coming-of-Age Story: Some of these have been hard-hitting and tough to get through (Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel is one of the most honest, layered looks at motherhood I've ever read and Marbles, by Ellen Forney, although it has some tremendously funny moments also dances around a very serious core) and some of them have been fun, thrilling reads (Anya's Ghost is a great teen drama/ghost story and the new installment of Zita the Spacegirl did not fail to entertain!)
Classic Novel Re-Read: The Holmes re-read has slowed down of late, but I'm still plugging away! Conan Doyle has a lot of opinions I disagree with, but I cannot deny the power of his stories to entertain and flesh out characters. Up next in the classic re-read department are most of Austen's works, and more Virginia Woolfe.
Political Thought-Provoker: I'm cheating a little here, since I didn't finish Cloud Atlas, but I have no doubt that I will enjoy the ending. The work as a whole reminds me of Satoshi Kon's Millennium Actress, with its superb exploration of themes like karma, fate, and the endless, repeating cycles of life. Both stories are told in compelling and slightly confusing form, but that doesn't matter. Slightly different in that it's more overtly political is How to Be a Woman, by Caitlin Moran, which provides a fascinating and funny look at the state of the feminist movement and makes a passionate argument for its continued necessity. Also noteworthy is Brooke Gladstone's work about media, The Influencing Machine, which is a necessary read for anyone who's contemplating a career in journalism, consuming social media, or just existing as a human being.
As for TV shows, I've been really pleased to see a lot of work this year that features strong ensemble performances around interesting premises. I've not blogged about it too much, but Yebisu and I have enjoyed "Once Upon a Time" quite a bit, mostly because of its strong cast and the unique way it reinterprets Disney versions of classic fairy tales and children's books (although I don't really care much about Charming and Snow at this point, because their problems don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.) Also, coming to other children's viewing, I'm still completely in love with "Adventure Time", and quite sad that it's on a winter hiatus (especially with much promised episodes soon to come.) For every episode that I'm a little bored by, there are usually four more that are simply fabulous, featuring great writing with real character development and art that showcases the unique imaginations of everyone involved in the production. I cannot wait to see more, even of the random episodes with little to no point.
For shows that provoked the most thought, "Doctor Who" and "Parks and Rec" are this year's undisputed champions. I discussed DW quite a bit in previous entries, so I won't rehash that all over again, but I can say with complete certainty that even though I didn't love everything that happened in this year's plot, I still love the characters and the endless possibilities that the show has to offer. "Parks and Rec", although not sci-fi at all, showcases some of the same aspects I love about Doctor Who: loyalty (all of Leslie's friends going out of their way to support her campaign when she was polling at 1% approval rating, for example), humor (the crazy people who live in Pawnee want things like cult rule, or their cat's ashes in a time capsule), and drama (Leslie's election to city council was so intense that I actually chewed my nails, something I've not done since high school.)
If I had to wear a t-shirt with a design that encapsulated my pop culture choices of 2012, it would definitely be a collection of awesome ladies all having tea at the same table. (Princess Bubblegum would be hosting and discussing futurism with Sonmi-451; Alison Bechdel and her mother would be facing off against some of Joanna Trollope's family characters; Hushpuppy would be comparing monsters with Zita the Spacegirl; and everyone would have a "Leslie Knope for President!" button.) Before I forget about it, here is a tremendously interesting video that showcases the roles that women had in Hollywood/mainstream film this year:
This leads me into my hopes and dreams for 2013 and pop culture:
1) An end of the "not enough ladies, too many mans/too many misters, not enough sisters" syndrome: I'd like to see more movies in 2013 (and 14 and 15, etc. etc.) that are about women and easily pass the Bechdel test. The assumption that men won't see movies about women, but women will sit through movies about men needs to be seriously re-evaluated. Just seeing a movie about a female main character and (gasp!) empathizing with her hopes, dreams, and fears will not turn any male viewer into (gasp again!) a woman, and the sooner that people have this relatively simple moment of realization, the sooner there'll be a more diverse set of films to choose from.
2) Less hostility amongst fans towards other fen: It's one thing to ostracize fans who've committed crimes, or who are a danger to themselves and others, but I am tired of seeing so much divisive partisanship in groups directed against other members of the same group. One of the worst shocks of this year was hearing a racial slur at Comic-Con, tossed around as if it were nothing between two people I was walking past. (The irony that one of the guys who was having this conversation was wearing an X-Men t-shirt was pretty thick.) Given that so much of nerdy interests are in the speculative fiction arena, can't nerds as a group try to embody the worlds that they love to read about or participate in, where social problems like racism and sexism aren't extant? (I'm well aware that what I'm really saying with the last sentence is the equivalent of 'can't we all just get along'? but I'm sticking with it. The sentiment is not unreasonable.)
3) Please, more: Moments in movies like the Avengers eating shawarma; beautifully published books like those from Penguin; and compelling serialized tv shows.
OMG, please fewer: Menu-movie tie-ins like the Hobbit menu at Dennys (a sure sign of the apocalypse!); endless commercials before movies at the theaters; and zombies.
On the good fortune side of the year's equation are the sheer number of good movies I had a chance to see. In no particular order, they are:
1) The Hobbit (A little on the long side, but there was so much RIGHT about it that I was able to look past the incredibly stretched out and somewhat "macho'ed up" storyline.)
2) Cloud Atlas
3) Looper
4) Beasts of the Southern Wild (I've read several criticisms of this, but regardless of any perceived failings, this movie stuck with me for weeks and months after I watched it, and I worried and wondered about the main character, Hushpuppy, and hoped she was doing well.)
5) The Secret World of Arietty
6) Wreck-It Ralph
7) Argo (SO GOOD. You know how most modern movies could cut twenty minutes from the middle and still tell the same story? This movie was the opposite of that: every shot in it was useful and important, and no time was wasted. I have not been so tense at any film since "The Hurt Locker". And given what a preposterous story it was telling, the incredible suspense was a real surprise.)
Switching to another subject, the books I've read this year basically fall into three different categories:
Graphic Novel Memoir or Coming-of-Age Story: Some of these have been hard-hitting and tough to get through (Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel is one of the most honest, layered looks at motherhood I've ever read and Marbles, by Ellen Forney, although it has some tremendously funny moments also dances around a very serious core) and some of them have been fun, thrilling reads (Anya's Ghost is a great teen drama/ghost story and the new installment of Zita the Spacegirl did not fail to entertain!)
Classic Novel Re-Read: The Holmes re-read has slowed down of late, but I'm still plugging away! Conan Doyle has a lot of opinions I disagree with, but I cannot deny the power of his stories to entertain and flesh out characters. Up next in the classic re-read department are most of Austen's works, and more Virginia Woolfe.
Political Thought-Provoker: I'm cheating a little here, since I didn't finish Cloud Atlas, but I have no doubt that I will enjoy the ending. The work as a whole reminds me of Satoshi Kon's Millennium Actress, with its superb exploration of themes like karma, fate, and the endless, repeating cycles of life. Both stories are told in compelling and slightly confusing form, but that doesn't matter. Slightly different in that it's more overtly political is How to Be a Woman, by Caitlin Moran, which provides a fascinating and funny look at the state of the feminist movement and makes a passionate argument for its continued necessity. Also noteworthy is Brooke Gladstone's work about media, The Influencing Machine, which is a necessary read for anyone who's contemplating a career in journalism, consuming social media, or just existing as a human being.
As for TV shows, I've been really pleased to see a lot of work this year that features strong ensemble performances around interesting premises. I've not blogged about it too much, but Yebisu and I have enjoyed "Once Upon a Time" quite a bit, mostly because of its strong cast and the unique way it reinterprets Disney versions of classic fairy tales and children's books (although I don't really care much about Charming and Snow at this point, because their problems don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.) Also, coming to other children's viewing, I'm still completely in love with "Adventure Time", and quite sad that it's on a winter hiatus (especially with much promised episodes soon to come.) For every episode that I'm a little bored by, there are usually four more that are simply fabulous, featuring great writing with real character development and art that showcases the unique imaginations of everyone involved in the production. I cannot wait to see more, even of the random episodes with little to no point.
For shows that provoked the most thought, "Doctor Who" and "Parks and Rec" are this year's undisputed champions. I discussed DW quite a bit in previous entries, so I won't rehash that all over again, but I can say with complete certainty that even though I didn't love everything that happened in this year's plot, I still love the characters and the endless possibilities that the show has to offer. "Parks and Rec", although not sci-fi at all, showcases some of the same aspects I love about Doctor Who: loyalty (all of Leslie's friends going out of their way to support her campaign when she was polling at 1% approval rating, for example), humor (the crazy people who live in Pawnee want things like cult rule, or their cat's ashes in a time capsule), and drama (Leslie's election to city council was so intense that I actually chewed my nails, something I've not done since high school.)
If I had to wear a t-shirt with a design that encapsulated my pop culture choices of 2012, it would definitely be a collection of awesome ladies all having tea at the same table. (Princess Bubblegum would be hosting and discussing futurism with Sonmi-451; Alison Bechdel and her mother would be facing off against some of Joanna Trollope's family characters; Hushpuppy would be comparing monsters with Zita the Spacegirl; and everyone would have a "Leslie Knope for President!" button.) Before I forget about it, here is a tremendously interesting video that showcases the roles that women had in Hollywood/mainstream film this year:
This leads me into my hopes and dreams for 2013 and pop culture:
1) An end of the "not enough ladies, too many mans/too many misters, not enough sisters" syndrome: I'd like to see more movies in 2013 (and 14 and 15, etc. etc.) that are about women and easily pass the Bechdel test. The assumption that men won't see movies about women, but women will sit through movies about men needs to be seriously re-evaluated. Just seeing a movie about a female main character and (gasp!) empathizing with her hopes, dreams, and fears will not turn any male viewer into (gasp again!) a woman, and the sooner that people have this relatively simple moment of realization, the sooner there'll be a more diverse set of films to choose from.
2) Less hostility amongst fans towards other fen: It's one thing to ostracize fans who've committed crimes, or who are a danger to themselves and others, but I am tired of seeing so much divisive partisanship in groups directed against other members of the same group. One of the worst shocks of this year was hearing a racial slur at Comic-Con, tossed around as if it were nothing between two people I was walking past. (The irony that one of the guys who was having this conversation was wearing an X-Men t-shirt was pretty thick.) Given that so much of nerdy interests are in the speculative fiction arena, can't nerds as a group try to embody the worlds that they love to read about or participate in, where social problems like racism and sexism aren't extant? (I'm well aware that what I'm really saying with the last sentence is the equivalent of 'can't we all just get along'? but I'm sticking with it. The sentiment is not unreasonable.)
3) Please, more: Moments in movies like the Avengers eating shawarma; beautifully published books like those from Penguin; and compelling serialized tv shows.
OMG, please fewer: Menu-movie tie-ins like the Hobbit menu at Dennys (a sure sign of the apocalypse!); endless commercials before movies at the theaters; and zombies.
