Category Archives: Popular Culture

Media Criticism, Popular Culture, Weird

Cats

27 Comments

I’ve never seen the musical, and I’m not inclined to, but nowhere near as much as I’m not inclined to see the movie, which is getting terrible reviews.

[Friday-afternoon update]

“I watched Cats, and I have some questions.”

[Bumped]

[Saturday-morning update]

Follow the whole thread.

[Update a couple minutes later]

Here’s the unroll for that thread. RTWT.

[Update Sunday afternoon]

Universal notifies theaters that the movie will be “updated” for special effects. For a film already in release.

[Update a few minutes later]

This is one of the longest-running Broadway musicals. Can anyone tell me if there is a single memorable song in it other than “Memor<del>y</del>ies”? It seems to me that it’s like Les Miserable; apparently tunes aren’t important in musicals any more.

[Wednesday-afternoon update]

OK, here’s another Twitter review.

And here’s a review of the software update.

[Bumped]

[Saturday afternoon update]

A review of Cats, by cats.

[Bumped]

Business, Media Criticism, Popular Culture, Technology and Society

The Rise Of Skywalker

5 Comments

Peter Suderman gives it a hearty thumbs down:

Skywalker is a frantic, disjointed mess—not a movie with good ideas poorly executed, not even a movie with bad ideas, but a movie with no ideas at all, save for saccharine paeans to fandom and nostalgia. As a story, it is empty and unengaging to the point of boredom. As a cinematic product, it is surprisingly lackluster, with shoddy effects and muddy visuals. And as an entry in the Star Wars franchise, an ostensibly major part of the pop-culture canon, it is a wasted opportunity: a total failure of both creative imagination and corporate brand management.

But other than that, I’m sure it’s great.