Book Review: Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
Everyone knows and loves Miles Vorkosigan. The “little admiral”, who thanks to a chemical attack on his mother while she was pregnant suffers from a shortness of build, brittle bones, and an drive to prove himself against all comers. He is the heart and center of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan universe. But what about Ivan? “Ivan, you Idiot”? The breezing through life cousin of Miles, who seems mostly engaged in trying to avoid the wrath of his mother, and any responsibility whatsoever? Wine, women, and having a good time as much as he can, without a care in the world or a thought in his brain. Is he really as stupid and shallow as Miles makes him out to be? Aral Vorkosigan, father of Miles, once mused that Ivan couldn’t possibly be faking his stupidity — or is Ivan better at this than even Aral realized? Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance gives us an entire novel to explore a story about Ivan and of Ivan, and a reconsideration of who and what he is, what he thinks he is, and what he wants to be.
Around the World: Ms. 45 (1981; dir. Abel Ferrara); Trauma, Gender Violence, and Revenge Fantasies
(Trigger warning: this review involves discussion of sexual assault, trauma, and gender violence.) Two years after the release of his gritty and noisy murder-fest, The Driller Killer (1979), Abel Ferrara returned to the director’s helm with Ms. 45 (1981), a revenge “fantasy” film. Though Ms. 45 still demonstrates some of that rawness present in Ferrara’s first feature film production, it is by far a smoother film, making excellent use of its mostly unknown and untested cast, especially Zoë Lund, the protagonist from which the title, Ms. 45, gets its name. Of Ferrara’s early films, Ms. 45 is certainly the most compelling, if not because it is a tighter, thematically expedient production, then because of its somewhat brutal (and uncompromising) exposure of the sexist underbelly of NYC — a common theme, it seems, in Ferrara’s work.
Next Month’s Film (and Where to Watch It): Jurassic Park (1993)
In our recent episode on The Swimmer (1968), we announced that to honor the upcoming release of Jurassic World (2015), our next movie would be Jurassic Park (1993)! Since this film is pretty darn popular, it will be airing on a number of TV and Cable stations over the next few weeks; it is also available in various digital formats! We also really want to hear from you, the listener. If you’ve got a comment or question that you’d like us to discuss at the end of the month, send an email to totallypretentious[at]gmail[dot]com or use our handy contact page! Here’s how you can watch it!
#35. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) — A Shoot the WISB Discussion
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/ShootTheWISB35MadMaxFuryRoad/ShootTheWisb35–MadMaxFuryRoad.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSExploding trucks, spiky cars, and flaming guitar guys, oh my! As promised, the crew joins forces to discuss Mad Max: Fury Road (2015; dir. George Miller). We tackle the film’s narrative and visual strategies, its gender dynamics, the ACTION, and so much more. We hope you enjoy the episode! Note: If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Spoiler Alert: the following podcast contains spoilers for the film being reviewed; if you wish to see the film without having it ruined for you, download this podcast and save it for later.
Episode 5. The Swimmer (1968): The Surreality and Collapse of WASP Culture
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/TotallyPretentiousEpisode005TheSwimmer/TotallyPretentiousEpisode005–TheSwimmer.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSThe Surreality and Collapse of WASP Culture! In our fifth episode, we discuss what we’ve been watching lately — a little bit of Dredd and Abel Ferrara — and then head back to the 60s to discuss the recently-reappraised Burt Lancaster film, The Swimmer (1968; dir. Frank Perry). We tackle the film’s exploration of age and morality, its stunning indictment of WASP culture, the film’s rocky history, and much more. We’re also still working on our Subscriber Drive so we can add a second episode to the show. More details on that to come on the blog! Enjoy!
