Author Archives: bigbandmomoney

Top Movies of 2017: Big B’s Picks

Logan Ben

These are Big B’s top ten films of 2017.

10) I Am Evidence – directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Trish Adlesic

I Am Evidence is a clear, poignant exploration of an issue that needs more attention: the epidemic of untested rape kits in American cities. Most importantly, I Am Evidence focuses on specific steps that cities can take to resolve this problem. This documentary tries hard to make itself unnecessary by aggressively targeting sensible solutions to the problems highlighted during the documentary’s opening moments. I Am Evidence is concerned with progress, not proceeds—but I hope it gets both.

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Justice League is the Movie We Need Right Now

This article contains spoilers.

We are defeated. On a good day, we can ignore that fact. But it is still true. The good team lost.

That is the spirit of Justice League‘s opening scenes. Norwegian singer and songwriter Sigrid sings a more earnest, mournful version of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” as audiences view a melancholic montage of troublesome images, beginning with Superman’s funeral and progressing through scenes of realistic social injustice. A white man harasses Muslim shopkeepers, and a homeless man sits quietly behind a small sign that reads “I tried.” Sigrid’s smooth voice bellows over haunting, repetitive piano riffs: “Everybody knows the fight was fixed / The poor stay poor, the rich get rich / That’s how it goes / Everybody knows.” This glossy, semi-grayscale, post-Superman world is bitter and scared. As a reporter notes, “The world remains in mourning . . .” Continue reading →

The Gaming Community, the E3 Missing Person Fiasco, and Double-edged Social Media Groupthink

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Warning: Article contains links to pages that contain profanity and offensive content.
Updated on 6/19/24 to remove dead links and clarify information.

At 7:45 PM on June 15th, Twitch streamer and Twitter user Ashley “ashleeeeean” Leann posted this tweet:

twitch

The Twitch mixer was a get-together on Wednesday, June 14, 2017 for Twitch streamers at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), a gathering of gamers and game developers in Los Angeles. Around 20 hours had passed since friends, family, and social media followers had heard from Twitch streamer and GEXCon host Tia “LauraLania” Zimmer, so ashleeeeean decided, as she described in a video on Twitter, to use “my platform and my following to be able to get the word out there.”

“I did not expect it to blow up as much as it did,” she added. Continue reading →

Teacher Appreciation Week: A Quick Note for Teachers

roarLike a birthday spent at the dentist’s office, this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week exists amid a surge of legislative halitosis and biting commentary designed to undermine teachers, and I believe, fellow teachers, that it is our right—even our obligation—to reclaim Teacher Appreciation Week by brushing off this orange plaque with a bit of bristly, humility-trumping candor. Continue reading →

Review: Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why

13 Reasons WhyIt’s fairly early in the year, but I think I’ve already found a show that will end up making my top shows when December comes. 13 Reasons Why is a Netflix original show created by Brian Yorkey and starring Katherine Langford and Dylan Minnette, and it’s a doozy that’s definitely not for everyone. There is a controversy around this show that I will discuss after my general evaluation in an afterword, but I really don’t want that to get in the way of the merits of the show itself. This is the story about teen suicide and bullying. It’s the story of a high school girl who, through a number of circumstances, decides to commit suicide. The twist to this comes when it’s revealed that she has recorded tapes naming twelve people responsible for her decision and sends them around through a mutual friend to these people, forcing them to hear her story. Continue reading →

Review: Iron Fist, Season 1

Marvel's Iron Fist

Iron Fist, the final Defenders-related show before the big team-up event in Marvel’s Netflix universe, has arrived. I’ve loved most things about the Marvel Netflix universe since its premiere with Daredevil, but they can’t all be winners. I was excited to crack open Iron Fist with a buddy of mine, but it falls short of the bar set by previous Marvel Netflix shows and even further still below the bar for a cohesive show in general. I’m not sure what went wrong, but Iron Fist is a failure of writing, acting, special effects and, probably the worst offense for a martial arts hero, choreography. I just don’t know how they made such a huge mistake here. Continue reading →

Top TV Shows of 2016: Jeremiah’s Picks

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I’ve spouted off about my favorite movies of 2016, but I also watch a lot of TV, streaming and otherwise. And I’d love to throw my endorsements out for those shows as well. Hopefully, this means my favorites of 2016 get the attention they deserve. Again, I’ll make a point that I haven’t seen all the hype shows of 2016, Westworld and Atlanta being two that spring to mind as I write this list, but these picks were awesome this year and worthy of your attention. Continue reading →

Top Movies of 2016: Jeremiah’s Picks

jeremiah-picks

Hello and welcome to Jeremiah Trotter’s top 10 movies of 2016. Now, let’s be clear: these are the top 10 movies that I enjoyed the most from 2016… that I saw. So, of course you will have different opinions and different ideas of what is “the best” of 2016, but maybe you discover something on this list that you’d like to check out. And I’m definitely not opposed to debating the merits of individual films. Anyway, let me know how you feel in the comments if you get the urge. Continue reading →