The was a great article in the Post today about how going to see the new Ghostbusters has become a political act. Basically, all the backlash against the all-female lead team has lead people into taking sides like this is Civil War. I’m not saying that movies and such can’t or shouldn’t be political, but a movie about busting ghosts probably isn’t meant to be. However, considering that we have people saying that it’s the worst movie ever before it’s even hit theaters, and between the terrible trailers and everything that happened with the Angry Video Game Nerd the other week, there’s obviously something that was lost in translation. It’s not just with Ghostbusters, Rouge One has experienced some similar backlash. To say that there are certain genres where the same groups of people are generally underrepresented, and that said representation leads to situations like we have now with these movies is the most delicate way that I can put it (and someone will still find offence in it.) If you read my post on remakes, I’m not inherently opposed to the concept of remakes, especially if it adds to the conversation or ultimately makes a better project than the original. I’m not saying Ghostbusters will, but they struck on an idea that could be used to help our current cultural climate, because the only way to fix this is to normalize the presence of women (both white and woc) in our media.
There are several pieces of media that could use such an update. What the new Ghostbusters movie has done is what is known in internet parlance as “Rule 63”– the concept of taking a piece of media and swapping out one gender for another. It’s along the lines of “What if Sam and Dean Winchester were Samantha and Deanna? How would that effect the work?” Or, like what Ghostbusters seems to be doing, simply telling a new story with some or all of the characters as women. People were recently campaigning for Gillian Anderson to be Jane Bond, and within the franchise, Judi Dench was one of the best “M”s put to screen. Skyfall wouldn’t have been the same movie if Ralph Fiennes had replaced her right at the beginning. It could also breathe new life into a franchise that needs updating or revamping.
Here are five pieces that I think deserve such consideration.
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06/04/2016
5 Pieces of Media That Deserve a ‘Ghostbusters’ Makeover
valeriemclean1919 1776, Anime, Ghostbusters, Hamilton, Henry V, M*A*S*H, Movies, Musicals, Shakespeare, Star Trek, Television, Yu-Gi-Oh! About Film, About Other Art, About TV, Uncategorized 0 Comments
The was a great article in the Post today about how going to see the new Ghostbusters has become a political act. Basically, all the backlash against the all-female lead team has lead people into taking sides like this is Civil War. I’m not saying that movies and such can’t or shouldn’t be political, but a movie about busting ghosts probably isn’t meant to be. However, considering that we have people saying that it’s the worst movie ever before it’s even hit theaters, and between the terrible trailers and everything that happened with the Angry Video Game Nerd the other week, there’s obviously something that was lost in translation. It’s not just with Ghostbusters, Rouge One has experienced some similar backlash. To say that there are certain genres where the same groups of people are generally underrepresented, and that said representation leads to situations like we have now with these movies is the most delicate way that I can put it (and someone will still find offence in it.) If you read my post on remakes, I’m not inherently opposed to the concept of remakes, especially if it adds to the conversation or ultimately makes a better project than the original. I’m not saying Ghostbusters will, but they struck on an idea that could be used to help our current cultural climate, because the only way to fix this is to normalize the presence of women (both white and woc) in our media.
There are several pieces of media that could use such an update. What the new Ghostbusters movie has done is what is known in internet parlance as “Rule 63”– the concept of taking a piece of media and swapping out one gender for another. It’s along the lines of “What if Sam and Dean Winchester were Samantha and Deanna? How would that effect the work?” Or, like what Ghostbusters seems to be doing, simply telling a new story with some or all of the characters as women. People were recently campaigning for Gillian Anderson to be Jane Bond, and within the franchise, Judi Dench was one of the best “M”s put to screen. Skyfall wouldn’t have been the same movie if Ralph Fiennes had replaced her right at the beginning. It could also breathe new life into a franchise that needs updating or revamping.
Here are five pieces that I think deserve such consideration.
More →