I’m not usually much of a “pop culture commentary” guy, but it sure seemed like the movie Licorice Pizza contained an intriguing message about the potentially evolving sensibilities of Hollywood. And I’ve yet to see anyone else comment on this — not that I've looked very hard — so I figure I’ll give it a shot. The movie isn’t especially plot-heavy; it’s mainly a “period piece” set in 1970s Los Angeles that just kind of invites you to soak in the atmospherics at a leisurely pace. So I don’t think what’s to follow are especially devastating spoilers, but read no further if you’re super spoiler-sensitive, I guess.
No, it's not a rejection of the #metoo stuff. Remember that these people operate under the rule of "It's OK when we do it!" Remember Virginia had Northam - either in blackface or a klan hood, and the lt. gov was a serial woman beater. Nothing happened. No protests, no nothing. It's OK when we do it! Woody Allen is the poster child for this too. Did he get metoo'ed?
So no, it's simply more hollywood attempting to move the overton window and get the idea of pedophilia more acceptable. They've been working on this for decades.
Being born in the early 70's, I've seen the global warming / climate change fearmongering for so long now it's not even funny. It was "the greatest threat EVER!!" back when I was in high school in the late 1980's. According to them, Britain shouldn't exist, Florida would be underwater, and there would be NO ICE in the Arctic. They were very clear.
These nonsensical and dangerous court jesters shouldn't be taken seriously, in any fashion whatsoever.
Well, I enjoyed your review, but it sounds absolutely hideous. So sick of Hollywood moralizing -- though you seem to think they are criticizing Me Too and the over-moralizing, the climate thing is another lecture in which opposing views are silenced, people are fired. No conversation. Nobody can argue with leftists. Gees, we need movies with NO messages right now. We're exhausted. They've ruined sports. You can't go to the bathroom without politics. I don't even want to give them a dime of my money because leftists are controlling the major sources of influence: media, entertainment, and education. Makes me tired.
I second the commenter who said they would enjoy commentary on contemporary film.
My biggest complaint about new movies and TV especially is that they make so many unrelentingly, loathsome characters. When you hate all the characters you don't care what happens to any of them. Compare these against The Sopranos, for example, where they reveled in each character's quirks and humanity. Oh, sorry, went off on a tangent.
Oh Michael. You decided to go down the same rabbit hole as me. Being an individual who was born and grew up VERY CLOSE to the setting in LICORICE PIZZA (My mom would have been pregnant with me in 1973, I was born in 1974), I have been at war with some of the You Tube and online reviewers of this movie. The absolute worst example is the accusations of racism against John Michael Higgins character. I do not dispute that the character is a racist. I have a problem with accusing the director of hating Asians and the movement on some media channels to boycott the film. The kid who wrote this article looks like he is still in college. There is no way he has the life experience necessary to understand the beautiful subtlety that exists throughout this movie.
What is even more ironic about Higgin's character is that he treats his wife terribly and if you know a little Japanese, he was not translating either of his wives words correctly (Because he was a con man). These subtleties are completely missed by the people complaining about this movie.
As I have mentioned over and over again to many of these youth (Because the problem is very specifically related to their strong sense of social and moral justice and their insistence that they are on the right side of history), the filmmaker is actually showing a scenario that was quite common during that timeframe. Also, there were many people who I grew up with who mocked and tormented Asians for their strong accents. Were they racist? Absolutely. But this was very common during my childhood. And I hate to say this but ALL RACES DID IT. Relationships between teenagers and people in their 20s was also quite common. As an example, I lost my virginity at 18 to a 27 year old woman? If I was a year younger, she would have been considered a pedo by this younger generation. Never did I once ever think this woman was a pedo. She told me her motivation and I went along with it.
To me, our culture seems to lack two important factors. One, a general misunderstanding of history and American culture. If you can remember the 1970s, you will absolutely understand the people in LICORICE PIZZA. This is the way people acted back then. Second, our education system has made this younger generation into these entitled kids who believe that their opinion on these matters trumps the entire experience of human history. They are evolved and their wisdom is on a level that many of us "Old" geezers just don't understand. If only this was true.
In terms of DON"T LOOK UP, I will admit to loving many aspects of the satire (Especially the tech 'genius' played by Mark Rylance). But like his previous movie VICE, I feel like McKay is trying to propagandize me. Dick Cheney was an asshole. But the cruelty of the movie bugged me especially when you find out that Jesse Plemons character was the one that gave Cheney his new "heart." He is a man with a wife and two daughters. Despite how many of us think about him, he is still loved by individuals that are important to him. I had the same feeling about DON"T LOOK UP. Making fun of the media, the egoism of the tech industry, and "trusting the science" (The same science that made a vaccine that very well may not work) made the movie feel out of touch. Like McKay was living in a bubble where Donald Trump was still president. It was missing key elements due to his own intrinsic bias that could have put the movie on the same level as one of the best satires of the past 30 years, WAG THE DOG, which just obliterated the national security and defense industries.
Open secret that Hollywood is filled with pedophiles hamhandedly trying to normalize pedophilia. Much of the public has been aware of it for a while which is one of the many reasons the film industry is so widely hated. The ruling class in general seems to resent not having access to any human of any age for any reason they want. Always remember that pedophilia is just a particularly vicious kind of rape.
What I think is most hilarious about Hollywood is how when they make absolute crap they start bitching about how it is all the fault of racist viewers, entitled fans, stupid religious prudes, angry critics, and evil Nazis that their movie failed. Guess what? You are supposed to be making movies people want to pay to see. If they hate your movie, they tell their friends and you loose money. Preachy political movies that shit on half the country, franchise movies that hate their own franchises and fans, pure Hollywood sleeze that makes you want to take a shower (pedophilia seriously!?), generic action movies that are boring, and any so called "comedies" involving Seth Rogan or Sarah Silverman are monetary disasters! Stop making them! Why is this so hard to understand?
"It’d obviously be most incendiary if the adult was a male and the minor was a female ..." Yes, that is obvious. But on what grounds do we allow that discrepancy? Put another way, why do we allow The Woke to scream that we must have laws to protect women from male violence and sexual predation, for example, even as they scream that gender is a oppressive social construct and that Roberta, the bearded 295 pound weight lifter who used to chew tobacco and call himself Billy Bob, is a woman and must be allowed to compete in women's sports? The Woke may be insane but they are not stupid; we are the stupid ones.
Feel free to continue your 'theme of unexpected movie reviews', anytime you like.
I skim & gloss over political commentary all the time, including yours. But I would really enjoy reviews not only about the content & meaning of cinematic storytelling ; but also how you felt about it, how immersed you were in story, and whether you think it was worth the trip.
We need some new blood, after nobody has lived up to the Siskel/Roeper & Ebert style of commentary.
As far as the predictable moralizing and knee-jerk attempts to cancel the livelihood of the Producers & Players of Licorice Pizza that will surely arise - screw these prudes. Private Lessons was one of my favorite flicks growing up, and all of its cult fans should experience no shame over it.
And fully immersive Virtual Reality, when it gets here, should have no limits. If a fantasy takes place in the mind or the Silver Screen, they should be fair game for Entertainment or Reflection.
Thanks for the reminder about this flick, looking forward.
"“I’ve heard a lot of people say [the movie] resonates with the trouble that American democracy is in, as we sort of stare down the barrel of — three years, democracy could be over.” -Hollywood liberal
Normally the DNC donors pass their useless nominee over to corporate media which promotes it 24/7 until the public loves it. Biden and Kamala were too useless and public has reached their bullshit threshold and is rejecting corporate stooges like Mayor Pete. That means "democracy is over", or more likely they will try to end it in order to avoid at all costs having a populist (non-donor approved) politician from either party run the country. Liberal elites seem to think they're running a doomsday cult - it didn't work out and so the followers must drink the coolaid. The problem for them is that people are immune to the coolaid (it's all they ever get) so elite liberals will have to drink alone. Either that or they will drown themselves trying to cross the Rubicon. Some will do both. No one will notice and democracy will continue without them.
The Golden Globes were held behind closed doors last night for fear of being insufficiently woke. An awards show! Genuflect or perish, the successor ideology is enforced with a fearsome earnestness and even it’s adherents like limousine liberals are loath to transgress. They daren’t broadcast the Golden Globes for fear of incorrect racial quotas. The successor ideology is going to destroy itself with fusillades of recriminations that ricochet around and hit the accusers in the ass. That’s Maoist fear.
No, it's not a rejection of the #metoo stuff. Remember that these people operate under the rule of "It's OK when we do it!" Remember Virginia had Northam - either in blackface or a klan hood, and the lt. gov was a serial woman beater. Nothing happened. No protests, no nothing. It's OK when we do it! Woody Allen is the poster child for this too. Did he get metoo'ed?
So no, it's simply more hollywood attempting to move the overton window and get the idea of pedophilia more acceptable. They've been working on this for decades.
Being born in the early 70's, I've seen the global warming / climate change fearmongering for so long now it's not even funny. It was "the greatest threat EVER!!" back when I was in high school in the late 1980's. According to them, Britain shouldn't exist, Florida would be underwater, and there would be NO ICE in the Arctic. They were very clear.
These nonsensical and dangerous court jesters shouldn't be taken seriously, in any fashion whatsoever.
The greatest threat faced by humanity today is the fragile psyche of the left.
Well, I enjoyed your review, but it sounds absolutely hideous. So sick of Hollywood moralizing -- though you seem to think they are criticizing Me Too and the over-moralizing, the climate thing is another lecture in which opposing views are silenced, people are fired. No conversation. Nobody can argue with leftists. Gees, we need movies with NO messages right now. We're exhausted. They've ruined sports. You can't go to the bathroom without politics. I don't even want to give them a dime of my money because leftists are controlling the major sources of influence: media, entertainment, and education. Makes me tired.
I second the commenter who said they would enjoy commentary on contemporary film.
My biggest complaint about new movies and TV especially is that they make so many unrelentingly, loathsome characters. When you hate all the characters you don't care what happens to any of them. Compare these against The Sopranos, for example, where they reveled in each character's quirks and humanity. Oh, sorry, went off on a tangent.
Oh Michael. You decided to go down the same rabbit hole as me. Being an individual who was born and grew up VERY CLOSE to the setting in LICORICE PIZZA (My mom would have been pregnant with me in 1973, I was born in 1974), I have been at war with some of the You Tube and online reviewers of this movie. The absolute worst example is the accusations of racism against John Michael Higgins character. I do not dispute that the character is a racist. I have a problem with accusing the director of hating Asians and the movement on some media channels to boycott the film. The kid who wrote this article looks like he is still in college. There is no way he has the life experience necessary to understand the beautiful subtlety that exists throughout this movie.
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/licorice-pizza-faces-criticism-scenes-involving-fake-asian-accent-rcna6603
What is even more ironic about Higgin's character is that he treats his wife terribly and if you know a little Japanese, he was not translating either of his wives words correctly (Because he was a con man). These subtleties are completely missed by the people complaining about this movie.
As I have mentioned over and over again to many of these youth (Because the problem is very specifically related to their strong sense of social and moral justice and their insistence that they are on the right side of history), the filmmaker is actually showing a scenario that was quite common during that timeframe. Also, there were many people who I grew up with who mocked and tormented Asians for their strong accents. Were they racist? Absolutely. But this was very common during my childhood. And I hate to say this but ALL RACES DID IT. Relationships between teenagers and people in their 20s was also quite common. As an example, I lost my virginity at 18 to a 27 year old woman? If I was a year younger, she would have been considered a pedo by this younger generation. Never did I once ever think this woman was a pedo. She told me her motivation and I went along with it.
To me, our culture seems to lack two important factors. One, a general misunderstanding of history and American culture. If you can remember the 1970s, you will absolutely understand the people in LICORICE PIZZA. This is the way people acted back then. Second, our education system has made this younger generation into these entitled kids who believe that their opinion on these matters trumps the entire experience of human history. They are evolved and their wisdom is on a level that many of us "Old" geezers just don't understand. If only this was true.
In terms of DON"T LOOK UP, I will admit to loving many aspects of the satire (Especially the tech 'genius' played by Mark Rylance). But like his previous movie VICE, I feel like McKay is trying to propagandize me. Dick Cheney was an asshole. But the cruelty of the movie bugged me especially when you find out that Jesse Plemons character was the one that gave Cheney his new "heart." He is a man with a wife and two daughters. Despite how many of us think about him, he is still loved by individuals that are important to him. I had the same feeling about DON"T LOOK UP. Making fun of the media, the egoism of the tech industry, and "trusting the science" (The same science that made a vaccine that very well may not work) made the movie feel out of touch. Like McKay was living in a bubble where Donald Trump was still president. It was missing key elements due to his own intrinsic bias that could have put the movie on the same level as one of the best satires of the past 30 years, WAG THE DOG, which just obliterated the national security and defense industries.
Anyway, enough said.
Open secret that Hollywood is filled with pedophiles hamhandedly trying to normalize pedophilia. Much of the public has been aware of it for a while which is one of the many reasons the film industry is so widely hated. The ruling class in general seems to resent not having access to any human of any age for any reason they want. Always remember that pedophilia is just a particularly vicious kind of rape.
What I think is most hilarious about Hollywood is how when they make absolute crap they start bitching about how it is all the fault of racist viewers, entitled fans, stupid religious prudes, angry critics, and evil Nazis that their movie failed. Guess what? You are supposed to be making movies people want to pay to see. If they hate your movie, they tell their friends and you loose money. Preachy political movies that shit on half the country, franchise movies that hate their own franchises and fans, pure Hollywood sleeze that makes you want to take a shower (pedophilia seriously!?), generic action movies that are boring, and any so called "comedies" involving Seth Rogan or Sarah Silverman are monetary disasters! Stop making them! Why is this so hard to understand?
"It’d obviously be most incendiary if the adult was a male and the minor was a female ..." Yes, that is obvious. But on what grounds do we allow that discrepancy? Put another way, why do we allow The Woke to scream that we must have laws to protect women from male violence and sexual predation, for example, even as they scream that gender is a oppressive social construct and that Roberta, the bearded 295 pound weight lifter who used to chew tobacco and call himself Billy Bob, is a woman and must be allowed to compete in women's sports? The Woke may be insane but they are not stupid; we are the stupid ones.
This kid is example number one of why I hate YouTube movie reviewers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUTga7i9RsY
Sounds like a fun movie, if I just plug in my preferred catastrophe allegory: population decline, say, or hyperinflation.
Feel free to continue your 'theme of unexpected movie reviews', anytime you like.
I skim & gloss over political commentary all the time, including yours. But I would really enjoy reviews not only about the content & meaning of cinematic storytelling ; but also how you felt about it, how immersed you were in story, and whether you think it was worth the trip.
We need some new blood, after nobody has lived up to the Siskel/Roeper & Ebert style of commentary.
As far as the predictable moralizing and knee-jerk attempts to cancel the livelihood of the Producers & Players of Licorice Pizza that will surely arise - screw these prudes. Private Lessons was one of my favorite flicks growing up, and all of its cult fans should experience no shame over it.
And fully immersive Virtual Reality, when it gets here, should have no limits. If a fantasy takes place in the mind or the Silver Screen, they should be fair game for Entertainment or Reflection.
Thanks for the reminder about this flick, looking forward.
"“I’ve heard a lot of people say [the movie] resonates with the trouble that American democracy is in, as we sort of stare down the barrel of — three years, democracy could be over.” -Hollywood liberal
Normally the DNC donors pass their useless nominee over to corporate media which promotes it 24/7 until the public loves it. Biden and Kamala were too useless and public has reached their bullshit threshold and is rejecting corporate stooges like Mayor Pete. That means "democracy is over", or more likely they will try to end it in order to avoid at all costs having a populist (non-donor approved) politician from either party run the country. Liberal elites seem to think they're running a doomsday cult - it didn't work out and so the followers must drink the coolaid. The problem for them is that people are immune to the coolaid (it's all they ever get) so elite liberals will have to drink alone. Either that or they will drown themselves trying to cross the Rubicon. Some will do both. No one will notice and democracy will continue without them.
I thought "Don't Look Up" was an allegory about the national debt.
The Golden Globes were held behind closed doors last night for fear of being insufficiently woke. An awards show! Genuflect or perish, the successor ideology is enforced with a fearsome earnestness and even it’s adherents like limousine liberals are loath to transgress. They daren’t broadcast the Golden Globes for fear of incorrect racial quotas. The successor ideology is going to destroy itself with fusillades of recriminations that ricochet around and hit the accusers in the ass. That’s Maoist fear.
Robert Malone goes full anti-science on Joe Rogan's podcast – Jan. 5, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjszVOfG_wo
Mr. McKay needs to read the book Unsettled? by Dr. Steven Koonin. However, I doubt he will.