This is the Pop Culture Fix, your weekly round-up of all the queer bits and bobs of pop culture, and also a place to discuss the burning question: Which team would win at mini-golf — Root and Shaw, or Clarke and Lexa?
Movies
In the midst of all the new superhero TV last night, DC dropped a second trailer for Suicide Squad. It’s a complete tonal shift from the first one. Instead of framing it as Just Another Nolan Movie, DC has decided to frame it as Just Another Guardians Of The Galaxy, Marvel’s Not The Only One Who Can Have Fun, You Guys movie. It’s actually a really good trailer, better than the movie will be, probably, and your girl Cara Delevingne, who plays Enchantress, gets more screentime this time around.
Also, here are the first clips from the new Wonder Woman movie. Enjoy the footage while white men talk over it and tell you why Wonder Woman is so important to you and to women everywhere.
https://youtu.be/i9Ur4De7yT8
+ Carol may have gotten snubbed for Best Movie by the Oscars, but it sure as Belivet won every single damn trophy at the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Awards. And also its snub led to a lot of great thinkpieces about What The Hell Is Wrong With The Academy. Here’s a great one over at The Atlantic that dares people to call Carol “cold.” And another one about how Carol never wanted to be “the lesbian Brokeback Mountain.”
+ Jada Pinkett Smith is leading an Oscar’s boycott due to the show’s continued lack of diversity. BET founder, Robert L. Johnson, talked to Variety about some actionable ways the Academy can get its shit together w/r/t minorities.
Teevee
+ As you know, Netflix loves you, and therefore has released: a teaser trailer for season four of Orange Is the New Black, news that Jessica Jones has been renewed for a second season, and promises of a third season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt before season two even airs. Kimmy‘s coming back on April 15. Grace and Frankie is coming back on May 6. And Orange Is the New Black is coming back on June 17. So, that’s your summer planned out.
P.S. Our Lady of Most Perfect Smiles, Samira Wiley, says this season is going to be really different than every season before it.
+ Renewal news from the Television Critics Association. These character are also returning to your TVs for more seasons: Nyssa al Guhl (Arrow), Cookie Lyon (Empire)
+ Hey remember Adventure Time‘s Marceline-centric mini-series Stakes? Okay, so: 1. io9 has a really cool look at the animation behind the climactic scene of the final episode. And 2. Olivia Olson, voice of the Vampire Queen herself, talked to The Mary Sue about it.
I’ve had so many great fan experiences going to so many conventions. I’ve had girls come up to me and say I love Marceline, because she’s so proud of being different it makes me want to embrace my weirdness and not really care. It’s kind of created this fun rivalry in the fans. A lot of people are like I’m Princess Bubblegum! and other people are like I’m Marceline! And I’m like Team Marceline! Be the weirdo! Be the dark one!
+ The 100 is back tomorrow night(!) and HitFix says this season is the best because it grapples with the question: What if there are no good guys?
+ Here are three shows in pre-production that may interest you:
1. CBS’ all-new Nancy Drew (they promise Nancy Drew won’t be white).
3. Rutina Weasley (who you mostly know as Tara from True Blood) as the lead in Ava DuVernay’s new OWN show, Queen Sugar.
Queer People In The World Doing Things
+ I guess Lady Gaga and Linda Perry are feuding? All the blogs are abuzz with it. Lady Gaga has a writing credit on an Oscar-nominated song, ‘Til It Happens to You, from a documentary called The Hunting Ground about sexual assault — but Perry says Gaga didn’t write shit on that song, that it was all her and Diane Warren, and so Gaga shouldn’t have a writing credit at all. But Warren says that the song was a “special collaboration” and Gaga does deserve writing credit. Anyway, all this happened on Twitter (stars, they’re just like us!), and also Lady Gaga is releasing a new album in 2016.
+ Caitlyn Jenner is going to publish a memoir next year.
+ Openly queer Carol screenwriter Phyllis Nagy has a new project in the works. She’s writing and producing Rachel Kushner’s remarkable novel, Telex From Cuba, for your teevee screen.
+ Cara Delevingne is a wax figure now.
I’m so here for all of the inevitable Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn Halloween costumes. Many heart emojis will ensue.
I’m still not entirely sure what the actual film is going for in terms of story/mood, but I know I’m definitely gonna see it, even if Jared Leto as The Joker is The Worst.
The tone will probably end up being somewhere in-between the two trailers. Not as serious as the first Comic-Con one, not as fun as this new one. Whoever edited this trailer crushed it, though!
A little detail, ‘Til It Happens to You is the name of the song, from the documentary The Hunting Ground.
That Suicide Squad trailer looks so great! I was a fan of the first trailer too. I have some hopes for this movie! Harley Quinn on the big screen!
I didn’t see the other trailer but based on this one, I could not be more psyched.
Suicide Squad 1st Trailer/ Comic Con Sneak Peak:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLLQK9la6Go
It’s much darker than the most recently released version. But I think both trailers are their own type of excellent. They get me very excited about the prospect of summer, to say the least.
Happy watching!
Well, it seems that Netflix made a very bad decision: it will drack down customers using VPNs, proxies and unblockers.
So, I guess this means back to the torrents for a bunch of people.
https://media.netflix.com/en/company-blog/evolving-proxy-detection-as-a-global-service
I’m also pretty sure though, that they’ve said that they’re trying really hard to break away from regional coding. *Mandatory grain of salt included with post*
I’m hoping for this to be some kind bait-declaration for the networks.
I’m Australian, and use my VPN to access Netflix all over the world, and this blocking thing is actually a really big deal for us. Mostly because half the time we’re not even going to know what we’re missing. Our Netflix doesn’t even have OITNB or House of Cards, for Christs sake, because of licencing restrictions. Every Australian who watches Game of Thrones pirates it for the same reason.
Our Netflix, while still puny, does have Orange and House now, and most Netflix originals. But other content is very hard to get because Foxtel has the rights to so much of it
“We are making progress in licensing content across the world and, as of last week, now offer the Netflix service in 190 countries, but we have a ways to go before we can offer people the same films and TV series everywhere.”
This declaration is smoke and mirrors if you can’t even give access to your costumers to your own shows.
I think this is gonna happen because nowadays, in business, very few companies remember that old adage: “the costumer is always right”.
Super jazzed about that Suicide Squad trailer. The song choice and editing were amazing together. So far it looks like they are going to do Harley Quinn some major justice as a character so hopefully that plays out on the big screen!
i hope lady gaga’s horse gets a writing credit on her new album.
The wonder woman clips are from her movie – except for one, which was kinda weird. Hope people watched the video despite Heather’s comment on it. I will be really sad if the movie bombs at the box office.
Thank you, I was fearing I’d have to watch the Superman vs. Batman Testosterone fest,after all.
Can’t wait for Wonder Woman!
No, I mean, after that trailer, I really can’t wait!
Hey guys! Now that I’ve finally seen Carol, I have a question. And you’re all not going to like it. It’s been mentioned a little bit by other people, but…
Okay so without comparing Carol to a man, because she’s simply not, so I know that dynamic’s not there, but…did she seem at all…predatory to anyone else?
Not in a huge way, not in a way that affects consent or anything, just where the balance of power is always in her favor, the ball is always in her court? This is very open for debate because I want to love her, but because Therese was so young and Carol kept making decisions without even telling her, basically, I felt a little triggered by all of that…?
I don’t mean to sound so wishy-washy…I don’t normally use this many ellipses…just wondering if anyone else had a reaction like this and also if anyone else can talk me out of it! :-)
Okay, check this out. I love talking about this. I think Carol was meant to be a little predatory at first. Like she’s even wearing that enormous fur like a lion, right? And then everything shifts! Therese helps her out of her predatory furs in the car, remember, and it’s so adorable, right at the time of the movie when the dynamic in their relationship is evening out a little bit. And then, at the end, when Carol goes to Therese and Therese has all the power, Carol is wearing … A LAMBSKIN COAT.
I also love the mirroring of the red coat that Carol wears earlier (red- confidence and power), as seen by Therese through the car window, with the red ensemble that Therese wears towards the end, this time seen by Carol through a car window (providing the invisible barrier). The dynamic has changed, along with who is in charge of their own motive power, and who is being carried along (I feel that it is important that in both cases they are the passenger, not the driver).
YES, EXACTLY!
Definitely on board for this. Time to watch a second time!
Heya,
actually I was thinking about how there should be an article on how Carol was seductive without being predatory.
She kept inviting Therese along and in, but always checked in with where she was at and held herself back accordingly.
It was more like Carol was reading a book to Therese, knowing where it lead, but gave Therese the space to choose her own story?
Remember how they were doing the whole make up thing and “Smell that.” Or how it was Therese who wanted the presidential suite with the attractive rates?
Or how Carol immediately brought up Rindy, and then, at the lunch, Harge? Putting her cards on the table.
Yes, of course, she went over Therese’s head when she left her like that, but she was flustered and scared for her daughter.
To me, Carol Aird is the epitome of “Seduction: Doing it Right”.
It wasn’t about her getting anything from Therese and maybe even lying to her to get it, but about teaching Therese to want her.
They do have a very particular power dynamic, that doesn’t get hauled over until the end of the movie, but I’ve read it more as Carol knowing and being experienced in what she wants and Therese not being able to order her own lunch,yet.
On another note:
That power dynamic reminded me very strongly of an old fashioned butch/femme dynamic.
It could be a matter of interpretation, after all, the first times I’ve read the Price of Salt, and in the few first pages, Therese kinda looked like a stalker to me.
Also it could be related with the way Patricia Highsmith used to write and live, fact that she didn’t have a particular high opinion on human beings.
“My imagination functions much better when I don’t have to speak to people.”
Thanks for your responses, everyone! It’s clear to me that I need to watch it at least once more (and possibly like five more times). The storytelling in the movie is so…almost gestural, definitely a lot of symbolism used in place of more dialogue or language, and I need to watch it while keeping more of an eye out for all of that.
“The greatest thing about Wonder Woman is how good and kind and loving she is. And yet none of that negates her power.”
That one quote from Patty Jenkins got me more excited for Wonder Woman than anything else has so far! I was so worried they were going to just make her as gloomy and depressing as Zak Snyder’s Superman or that that she would just be reduced to Badass Warrior Lady.
So many of the lesbian movies available to me (i.e. On Netflix or Hulu) have a predatory vibe. Like teacher/student, professor/student, older mentor kind of figure turned lover. By all means let’s have some movies like this. But it feels way out of proportion given the limited number of lesbian films out there. I work with kids and I want to scream, not all lesbians who work with kids fall in love with them. Perhaps age is less of a factor in lesbian relationships, but the last thing I need is more movies that make lesbians look like predators. Obviously Carol is great, way better done than any of those low budget other lesbian films. And I enjoyed it a lot. But I preferred Freeheld because that relationship looked more like something I want for my real life, minus the dying. I want to see more relationships I would actually want to experience on screen. Where the characters go through stuff but at the end of the day they really do try to love each other as well as they can. Like Stef and Lena. I need more Stefs and Lena’s in my life without all the teenage drama crap that I have to endure on the Fosters.
Haha I was so confused when I started reading this. I think you meant to reply to queer girl!
Me too, I just started salivating at the thought that OF COURSE Wonder Woman’s backstory would be a lesbian movie! She never saw a man until what’s his name crashlanded on Paradise Island.
Yes! She was raised in a society where homonormativity would have actually been a thing. If DC had any guts, they would have addressed that when they rebooted all of their characters back in 2011 and if not made her a lesbian, then definitely some sort of queer.
“Instead of framing it as Just Another Nolan Movie, DC has decided to frame it as Just Another Guardians Of The Galaxy, Marvel’s Not The Only One Who Can Have Fun, You Guys movie.” V v accurate
WOMEN’S BASEBALL DRAMA WOMEN’S BASEBALL DRAMA WOMEN’S BASEBALL DRAMA
give it to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
(Obligatory plug for the three anime Princess Nine, Cross Game, and Taishou Baseball Girls for more excellent ladies playing baseball.)
Commence daily prayer/good thoughts/meditations that the powers that be will make her gay. PLEASE. And also maybe she could be real and I could date her??? That would be nice.
Dang, i am really into wonder woman when she’s wearing that hat and those glasses. i hope that that’s a big part of the movie.
“Also, here are the first clips from the new Wonder Woman movie. Enjoy the footage while white men talk over it and tell you why Wonder Woman is so important to you and to women everywhere.”
I literally just posted that trailer on Facebook this morning and said that exact thing, Heather. I was so pissed off about it that I will not even watch the movie, now!
So many dudes talking over Wonder Woman…ugh…
I don’t see why this matters. Autostraddle gets too hung up on gender sometimes. Ultimately she is a comic book character, if you’re knowledgeable about the character you should be able to speak about it.
*sees people talking about how they won’t see Wonder Woman now because men were talking about it*
Me: That is the stupidest reasoning ever.
I’m surprised so few people have realised that Enchantress is likely the villain in Suicide Squad.
Also, the recent Batman: Bad Blood animated movie really needs to be talked about more. Batwoman was pretty much the lead character and they dealt with her sexuality rather well, she even got to go on a date. Now she just needs a movie of her own.
So psyched for all the stuff coming out on Netfix. In France, I can access tonnes of stuff, in Australia, hardly anything 0.0
I am a girl and I’d talk more about Wonder Woman, except that seeing Gal Gadot in the role confirms everything negative thing I thought about her being cast for the role, so I’d prefer to pretend she’s not even in the movie. Even though they revealed so much in of the trailer of B vs. S after getting me excited to go see it…we all know I will see it anyway.
I don’t think it’s framed as another Guardians of the Galaxy…unless you’ve never seen GOTG. It’s a comedic spin on crazy, but that still feels dark, not fun.