Humble pie in regards to "Absolute Zero"

Because I've taken some undergrad classes, I like to think of myself as a Science Expert. (Sarcasm intended, although I do struggle with occasional knowitallism.) I raged pretty hard at Absolute Zero in a previous post:

B Through Z: Absolute Zero (2006): With a catchphrase that will make you want to physically accost the screenwriter, this made-for-TV disaster flick revolves around the premise that the magnetic field of the earth can flip on a dime and that's what makes things cold.

But it turns out that there is evidence that the magnetic field of the earth can, in fact, spontaneously reverse, inducing climate change. There is evidence of it happening 42,000 years ago as told through ancient New Zealand trees, as related in this NPR article.

...well, balls.

But I refuse to accept the catchphrase of Absolute Zero, being "science is never wrong." 'Cause my science was.

Critical or reaction media: enjoy responsibly.

I like MST3K. I like McMansion Hell. I like RedLetterMedia. I like Let's Plays. I like Dungeons and Dragons podcasts. I find myself drawn to media where I experience someone else experiencing something, usually with an element of petty judgment or crassness.

Folks have a lot of ideas on why this is such a draw. Some imply that critical or reaction media are a kind of crutch or vice in contrast to real arts or entertainment. For example, I've heard people say that kids are too lazy to even play video games anymore - they watch other people do it. But listen: what entertainment isn't some kind of distraction, escape, or "lazy" activity? Instead of watching Citizen Kane, you could be teaching an inner city child to read, or drilling a well in an impoverished country. Gatekeeping-type folks can use more "meaningful" forms of arts or entertainment to feel better about themselves, too. You get something out of art or entertainment that makes you feel better about yourself. You could learn something or gain a perspective that opens up your world. But why do you watch a movie, attend a ballet, etc., at its core? To cope with life's chaotic nature and find order and meaning in it. At least, that's how I see things.

I could argue that the act of experiencing someone else experiencing something implies a higher level of engagement: accessing the media while also accessing another person's analysis. I could also talk about how such media is a comfort when someone doesn't have a lot of friends to hang out with - especially during a pandemic - and watching or listening to people experiencing something feels like I am spending time with humans, or I am not so alone. But I think there are bigger fish to fry.

There is a danger to forms of reactional or critical media - I'll admit it. It's like having a beer after a hard day versus being crippled by alcoholism.

The Only Good Bug is a Dead Bug: A film class [bad?] movie essay

            When Starship Troopers was first released, it was pegged as a senseless action flick for 11 year-old boys (Ebert, 1997). Under the surface, however, it’s ripe for analysis. It could function as a blunt science fiction monster film; humanity travels at light speed to fight mindless swarms of Others­ – aliens which are simply called “Bugs.” As an exploitative horror film, it consists of tropes like gratuitous nudity and decapitation. Machine guns, grenades, and spaceships dominate the combat scenes, featuring a bombastic score by Conan the Barbarian composer Basil Poledouris. However, at its core, Starship Troopers is a thinking man’s war film, and a layered commentary that critics like Roger Ebert couldn’t quite grasp in 1997. It’s ultimately a movie with a message – one that is being unearthed as it became more and more relevant in the 2000s, 2010s, to the present.

Who Exploits the Exploiters? An English class bad movie essay

            Roger Corman refused to finish reading an article in The New York Times after the columnist described him as a producer of B movies – not “exploitation” films, as he preferred (Miller 34). Corman began his career in the 1950s with creature features like Attack of the Crab Monsters, adapting through the decades to sell audiences more pop culture, more skin, more scares, and more gore than the mainstream, all on a shoestring budget. Cynthia J. Miller summarized in her essay “Remember: Only You Can Prevent Roger Corman” that the mogul is indeed an exploiter, even beyond the titillating on-screen content; he exploits “hot topics of the day, the distributors like American Releasing Corporation that bargained them into theaters, the cast and crew who worked on them, [and] the gullibility of motion picture audiences and their wallets” (35). Over 400 films bear Corman’s name, but Deathstalker separates itself as a recurring force in the world of exploitation. Its making, reception, and legacy accomplish more than a flippant profit. The film perennially serves as a target for other exploiters and advocates of social justice.

The Final Comedown (1972)

Here in the United States, it is Black History month. We could:

1.  Learn about how Claudette Colvin beat Rosa Parks to the civil disobedience thing by 9 months but didn't get as much publicity because she wasn't the right kind of black woman;
2. Google Kwanzaa to finally figure out what the deal is;
3. Watch The Help (the white person's way to feel heartwarmingly guilty for an hour and a half before going right back to being a racist asshole);
4. Bitch and moan about how there's no white history month;

But instead? We're going to watch blaxploitation movies - those glorious flicks from the '70s that were either empowering or damning to black Americans, depending on who you ask. They feature pimps, violence, foxy ladies, kung-fu, and damn funky soundtracks.
I recently bought a DVD set featuring 15 movies, billed "Urban Action Cinema". Like they were trying really hard not to use the b-word. Why? People love blaxploitation. Besides, when you search Amazon for the keyword "blaxploitation", the DVDs are the first thing to come up. What's the world coming to? Be loud and proud, TGG Direct.

Without further ado, I will introduce today's film from said DVD set.

Billy Dee Williams - known to nerds as Lando Calrissian - stars as the leader of an underground movement of black freedom fighters. If the white man started the violence, does a brother have to show violence in kind? Is the violence justified? Where does it stop?

SHOULD I WATCH IT?
Yes, you should. I'll start off by saying this isn't a bad movie per se, which was actually a pleasant surprise. Check this one out, but don't bring out the popcorn expecting it to be a barrel of laughs.

PARTICIPATION
1. Every time someone talks about pigs, chant "pig" along with the scene.
2. Yell "boobies!" during sex scenes where nipples are present.
3. Take a drink for bad, stock, or lack of sound effects.
4. Dance and "wocka-chicka" along to the sweet music.
5. Discuss!


THE SUMMARY
Billy Dee Williams is the angry and headstrong Jimmy, and we first see him fleeing from a force of pigs who are chasing down him and his militia. He is mortally wounded, and as he lies in a back alley surrounded by loyal supporters, we're led through a series of flashbacks showing us how it came to this.

Jimmy is a headstrong, super angry, highly idealistic young person, much to the chagrin of his parents, and even some other senior members of the militia. He never stops telling people how the black man is trapped by society and has to claim his rights. Even in the midst of afterglow with lovely ladies.

He's convinced that terrorist acts and explicit murder of cops are the only way to wake people up to the societal prison that continues to confine black folks. Some try to convince him that things are better than they were. But Jimmy just shakes his head and scowls as he watches his mom come home from work as a maid, or an elderly man shines a white man's shoes. He gets turned down for a job because he's black, despite a college education. He is pissed off and shit is about to get real.

Something else this movie addressed, which I thought was interesting, was the potential role of white allies. A bunch of idealistic but naive college studies vow to join Jimmy's revolution, but they have cold feet about the whole killing cops thing.

Will Jimmy get help before he succumbs to his wounds? What will become of the revolution? Why, you'll just have to watch it to find out.

So this movie was less blaxploitation and, indeed, urban action cinema; half of the movie is the extended gunfight, and the movie is not shy about killing people off. Fair enough, TFF Direct! Now, in the wake of events like Ferguson and the #BlackLivesMatter movement, some of the topics addressed here, 40 years later, still feel rather appropriate. Have we actually gotten anywhere since 1972?

 

Author's Note: This draft was written on February 13, 2015. Hello from 2021, where, holy mackerel, this is still relevant. Again. Still?