Unpop Culture

Filmmaker and human rights activist Jason Jones recently wrote the following : When Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin , could she have guessed its impact? That slavery would die less than fifteen years later? . . . Unplanned can be the Uncle Tom’s Cabin of the abortion issue. And today’s pro-life movement can be the movement that drives its success. That’s a bold statement, especially when considering the artistically-checkered past of Unplanned ’s filmmakers. Conventional wisdom would lead even a pro-lifer such as myself to receive such a claim with at least a grain of skepticism. At the same time, comparing Uncle Tom’s Cabin with Unplanned isn’t entirely without merit. While far from identical, these two stories have some striking parallels. I want to specifically address the similarities between the criticisms they have received from their contemporaries. Consider Uncle Tom’s Cabin . No one can accuse author Harriet Beecher Stowe of subtl...

Based on its marketing materials, this newest cinematic treatment of a DC superhero displayed a scope of humor thus far not seen in the DCEU . Could Shazam! actually be giving the MCU a run for its money? The answer is…complicated. As a reminder, I rate movies based on three criteria: objectionable content (C), artistic merit (A), and my personal opinions (P). (C-A-P. Get it?) CONTENT (C): 7 out of 10 As one might expect, Shazam! is one of the goofiest superhero movies to hit modern-day cineplexes. As one might not expect, Shazam! mixes a heavy dose of content that many might consider troubling—especially for younger theatergoers. This is, in fact, not a movie for children. In the world of Shazam! , the seven deadly sins provide a formidable presence, personified by seven expertly-and-grotesquely rendered demonic beings. The threat they pose provides for some tense moments—including one scene in particular that flirts with the horror genre. Even though Lust i...