Monday, December 25, 2017

TV: It's a world of confusion

Somethings we don't get.

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Like BRIGHT.

It's gotten some very intensely negative reviews.

Why?

We're not mistaking Will Smith for Daniel Day or Denzel, but he's also not, thankfully, Dax.

And BRIGHT's not LILIES IN THE FIELD or THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES.

It's a fantasy film.

A solid fantasy film.

We're not fans of the genre.  That doesn't mean we can't appreciate the work that's gone into this NETFLIX original film.  David Ayer (director) and Max Landis (screenwriter) haven't just created an amusing film that holds your attention, they've laid the groundwork for a new universe.

BRIGHT's exactly what NETFLIX needs.

As we observed last month:

In the meantime, they need to focus on their original programming.

Melodrama, romance, romantic comedy (NAKED is a step in the right direction), comedy, music and suspense are the genres they can build their own catalogue around.



BRIGHT falls into suspense and they can build a catalogue around films like this -- especially one that has created its own universe and been streamed constantly despite reviews.

For Will, this is the first big film he's carried that wasn't a sequel since HANCOCK.

Despite all the working overtime efforts to spin this as failure, the movie's a hit and that's something everyone should understand -- even those confused by the size of Josh Hutcherson's cock.

FUTURE MAN contains a scene where his character confronts an alternate self.  (Not safe for work, Perez has a screen shot here.)  The Josh on the right is clearly wearing an appendage (maybe Chris Hemsworth's discarded prop from VACATION?) but, spoiler, the one on the left is a fake too.

That said, it's only one of the visual stunners in the show.  HULU's got a show to be proud of.

FUTURE MAN revolves around custodian Josh who excels at a video game entitled BIONIC WARS.  He's so good at it that Tiger (HAPPY ENDINGS' Eliza Coupe) and Wolf (Derek Wilson) return from the future to harness his skills.

This sci fi comedy is a winner, a series that can be binged as well as rewatched over and over.

HULU needs it.  Especially after the idiotic decision to cancel DIFFICULT PEOPLE.

Many attempts to create a comedy and only twice have they succeeded.  (THE MINDY PROJECT was created by FOX, not HULU.)

But as much sense as FUTURE MAN makes, can anyone explain Mika Brzezinski?

We've been covering her for years.  For example, from 2013's "Screw Little Mika:"

Mika's not only on the wrong side of the issue, she's on the wrong side of women.

You want to tap into Girl Power?  You better first throw a little in.

Meaning Little Mika just finished her fourth year (last month) as co-host of Morning Joe.  She's done nothing in those four years to increase women's presence or demand that a female regular be seated at the table.  She's been happy to play the idiot and the token.

There is no defense of Little Mika because she hasn't bothered to defend women.  We understand why it went down the way it did last week.

For Mika to call out Barack for failing to do for women?  That would force her to face how little she's done for women on Morning Joe.  

Instead of addressing that, it was much easier for The Atlantic and so many other sexist publications to distract and divert attention.  The real problem was and remains women like Mika who do nothing to help other women get a seat at the table.



Or how about in July?  When we took on Mika's nonsense (Donald Trump was gay, she insisted, and, oh, by the way, his wife wanted to leave him -- even though his wife said she didn't) and explained, "It also made clear that in the sewer of what passes for journalism, Mika is the overflowing toilet."


Mika made it clear that she will always be the overflowing toilet when she attacked and slut shamed an accuser earlier this month.


Mika returned last week to attacking survivors.

Patrick Shanley (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER) explained:


On Friday's show, Brzezinski criticized Halperin's accusers for not meeting with him face-to-face. "Mark Halperin is more than willing to meet with his accusers and apologize with them face-to-face. I've actually tried to offer him to them. They don’t want to talk to him," she said.
Brzezinski quickly received backlash for her on-air comments, as 10 women accusing Halperin of sexual harassment issued a statement, saying, "We would ask Ms. Brzezinski for higher standards of editorial judgment, compassion and human decency."




It's the kind of moment that should have resulted in Mika being condemned and fired and, in another era, it might have.


"How about a hug?"

That's what her attack reminded us of.

The survivors, Mika insisted, needed to meet face-to-face with Mark Halperin who harassed them.


"How about a hug?"

Anyone else remember that moment of TV idiocy?

It was THE CBS MORNING NEWS, it was 1985, and it was Phyllis George.

Need we say more?


The guests were Cathleen Webb and Gary Dotson.

Dotson had been convicted of raping Webb and had served six years in prison when Webb admitted that she'd never been raped and Webb was released from prison.


The twosome then hit all three networks on one day.

THE CBS MORNING NEWS was their last stop.

And that's where Phyllis George, seated across from Dotson and the woman who'd cost him six years of his life, grinned like an idiot and asked, "How about a hug?"

For years, decades even, it seemed like there was only one Phyllis George.

Then along comes Mika.



  1. Just got this: Ten women who have accused Mark Halperin of sexual misconduct send statement to rebutting ’s comments this morning about Halperin:




She's an embarrassment.

She rushes, this is her second time, to undermine survivors and prop up her friends who have harassed and assaulted women.

And MSNBC is letting her do this.

Again, somethings we just don't get.