In this new ongoing series, a revival of our old C’Mon Hollywood op-eds, we will examine the current political climate surrounding all things “woke” when it comes to the cinematic arts. Are Hollywood studios pushing an agenda or is this idea overblown? Is this creating a division among us peasants? Is it even possible to critique or watch a film without politics coming into play anymore? 

Our hot shot team of dedicated researchers may have found out that things might not be so black and white… Pun intended? Who knows anymore?! It is an exciting and scary time to be making and watching movies but that type of chaotic environment allows this medium to experiment and grow. Controversy can always inspire conversation and that’s what we are hoping to do with this new show. 

So what’s all the fuss about?

I believe it was the Disney+ flick Peter & Wendy that responded with a “So!?” when asked why The Lost Boys were not exactly Boys. And I believe it was South Park’s Cartman who, while poking fun at Kathleen Kennedy said, “Put a chick in it and make her lame and gay.” Sooooo…. What did she mean by “So?” and what did Cartman mean by “Put a chick in it and make her lame and gay.’? I don’t exactly understand all of that but do I understand LAME. Trust me, I identify as lame.

Like it or not, in the minds of many, the definition of “woke” has changed to mean “lame”. It used to be cool. “Stay woke” was seen as a battle cry to fight injustice and bring equality to the people. But the phrase got overused to the point of parody and social justice morphed into a business and even almost a religion. Wokeness began with the best of intentions but evolved/mutated/transitioned into something well…lame. The definition of the word lame is “uninspiring and dull”. That is what many of these new films and characters have been feeling like… uninspiring and dull. Unfortunately, many of these new dull sources of art and entertainment fall under the category of “Woke”. This unfortunately creates a connection in our collective minds that “woke” content equals “lame” content. This word “lame” also means “unable to walk without difficulty” which is what’s happening to Disney and other studios, who seem to be doubling down on the pandering of “wokeness” in their content, rather than quality entertainment. 

Good woke vs bad woke

Context is key when a film is labelled “woke” and it depends on who is doing the labelling and if the movie is good or not. “Lame Wokeness” is very forgivable when the film offers other “cool” cinematic aspects. You got Good Woke, Bad Woke and Ugly Woke and somehow the Good Woke is overshadowed by the abundance of Bad Ugly Woke… which is lame…. and confusing… but that’s why we are trying our best to tackle these issues. Cinema is still a relatively new tool for artistic expression and we are still making mistakes when it comes to how to tell the best story in the most effective way possible. This new call to arms for our content to be more woke or less woke is the next frontier to explore and who knows what we will find in this new wild west of wokeness. 

At first, “Woke Cinema” was all about telling new stories from new points of view from people who may not have had their stories told in the past due to actual hate and discrimination and racism or sexism or any-ism you wanna ism. But maybe those good intentions went too far, lost focus and began to feel forced, done out of fear and almost hateful themselves; potentially creating enemies out of lifelong allies and supporters. Was it intentional or an accident? Is this argument overblown?

Future episodes

Of course, this is a big topic and in this video, we’re only scratching the surface. This debate has been raging on for a long time now, and likely won’t cease anytime soon. If there’s something about the topic you’d like us to cover, or maybe you even have a counter-point, make sure to let us know in the comments! In the meantime, please check out the video above and let us know what you think!

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He is a man who came from nothing. Arnold Schwarzenegger started out as just a poor boy in Austria. His abusive father never believed in him but young Arnold always worked hard to achieve his dream. He had goals that still sound impossible, even after accomplishing them. Arnold wanted to become a world famous body building movie star (who did politics on the side). He became an action movie icon, shooting up and blowing away the box office for decades. He even successfully dappling in comedy. From little poor boy to body building champion to the Hollywood superstar to Governor of California then back to movie star again. That is the life of Arnold. So next time you find yourself lost down the road to success just think about inspirational and legendary story of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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It almost feels like this KINDA CRAZY video series was created just for this man. No, let me correct myself… this legend. Nicolas Cage is his name and being kinda crazy is his game. It is impossible not to have your eyes glued to a Cage film, no matter what ou of control thing he is doing on the screen. Cage screams and shouts across all genres of cinema but his life off screen is just as wild. He is known for his lavish lifestyle that caused the IRS to look into his spendings a couple times. The thing I admire most about Cage is that he uses his craziness to his advantage as he becomes larger than life icon in every frame of celluloid he appears. This is NICOLAS CAGE IS KINDA CRAZY.  

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He started out in a poverty stricken home with an abusive father and went on to become one of the biggest superstar actors of all time. His name is Tom Cruise. Learn how he overcame dyslexia and exploded onto the silver screen. From RISKY BUSINESS to MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT, Tom can do it all. His dedication to the craft is almost… impossible. Check out the latest episode of JoBlo.com’s HOLLYWOOD ROAD TO SUCCESS. Who’s life and career should we cover next?  

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This two time Oscar winner is kinda crazy… in the best way possible. Denzel Washington exploded onto the silver screen with great films like CRY FREEDOM and GLORY. Denzel had secured his stop amongst the Hollywood greats, easily getting any role he wanted pretty much ever since. He yells, he screams, he cries and laughs with every extraordinary character he plays. Washington has been MALCOLM X, a crooked cop, a drunk pilot, a ghost, a cop again, a lawyer, a lawyer again and more. When we call him kinda crazy, we do it with nothing but respect. King Kong has got nothing on Denzel.   

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As Comic Con comes to a close, I like to think about what the purpose of all of this was. Why do people come from all around the world just to see super people in tights? Why do we love these characters so much? After a few missteps and oversaturation of the genre, I began to lose sight about why I care about this stuff. Well, THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN reminded me. This is the animated superhero film we have all been waiting for. It's a solid story and full of incredible action, but at the core it's about the characters and the relationships. Even though most of these comic characters are not human, this film brings out the humanity in them all.

This film is perfectly balanced fan service with great storytelling, featuring a few inside jokes and references that never distract. I think I even heard a bit of the score from the Superman animated series from the 90s. The love story between Clark and Lois Lane (and Superman) is timeless, but this time they really got it right. You could feel the love these characters had for each other. Of course, maybe that's because that are voiced by real life married couple Jerry O’Connell and Rebecca Romijn. Even though they recorded their lines separately, you can almost reach out and touch the chemistry. The film also has the most bizarre casting of Lex Luther since Kevin Spacey; Funnyman Rainn Wilson lends his talented vocals to the villain and at first I kept thinking “Dwight? From The Office? I can’t take this seriously.” But as the film progressed I began to see why his voice was perfect for the role and Dwight and Lex became one. His sinister yet playful approach to Lex was eventually refreshing as the story progressed.

Now, let’s talk action. Some have complained about mindless destruction in films nowadays. Bang, bang, smash, smash just isn’t enough anymore (or too much). There needs to be stakes at risk; we need to feel like our heroes are actually struggling and that is impossible without great character build up. I know we all love Superman, but this time you really feel for him. He isn’t just some cartoon flying around, he is a fully fleshed out character with struggles that are almost relatable to even us non-super people. The final fight is brutal. Every punch from Doomsday hits you right in the soul. It was like watching my best friend get beaten to death. I wanted to jump right into the screen and  help him. Leave my friend alone, Doomsday! Spoiler alert for the film titled THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN… he dies. I am not ashamed to say that I had to wipe away a few tears at them end. I looked around the theater and I was not alone. The nerd tears were flowing.

So I just want to say thank you to the filmmakers. Thank you for reminding me why I first cared about these characters. Thank you for doing justice (no pun intended) to the comic. Thank you for killing my hero, because you don’t know what you got until it's gone. Oh, and stay for the credits, of course! There are at least four post-credit scenes that set up much more to come in the DC animated universe. 

The Death of Superman

AMAZING

9

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She is one of the most successful actresses of all time. Her talent has been used in dark dramatic thrillers and lovable romantic comedies. This actress even has an Oscar. Who am I talking about? Sandra Bullock, that’s who! Bullock has been is such smash hits as DEMOLITION MAN, SPEED, MISS CONGENIALITY, THE BLIND SIDE, GRAVITY, OCEAN’S 8 and more! Check out the latest episode of JoBlo’s HOLLYWOOD ROAD TO SUCCESS to learn how Sandra went from just a high school girl with a passion for theater to a cinematic superstar.   

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On this series finale of POP-UP MOVIE FACTS, we would like to leave you with a Marvel favorite… ANT-MAN! This film proved to us that size doesn’t matter and that Paul Rudd could get a six pack. Learn about the behind the scenes drama and the comic book inspirations behind this little epic superhero movie. With ANT-MAN AND THE WASP flying into theaters soon, it would be a good idea to freshen up on some cinematic trivia to impress your nerd poser friends at the cineplex. So sit back, befriend all of the surrounding bugs in your house and watch the final episode of JoBlo’s POP-UP MOVIE FACTS. Thank you!  

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John Travolta danced his way onto the silver screen in the film SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER. He continued his crazy journey with other films like GREASE, BLOW OUT and URBAN COWBOY. His career has had some ups and downs but he always lands on his feet. PULP FICTION brought him back into the Hollywood spotlight and he kept making great films ever since….well sometimes. In addition to being a superstar actor; John is a pilot, a scientologist, a singer, a dancer and even a faith healer. Travolta is a crazy kind of cool and a cool kind of crazy. Check out the latest episode of JoBlo's KINDA CRAZY. Who should we cover next? 

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On this latest episode of JoBlo.com's POP-UP MOVIE FACTS, we take a look at the Pixar classic THE INCREDIBLES (2004). Before you go see the sequel is it always an incredible idea to freshen up on some super trivia from the first one. Learn what inspired the animators to make this family come to live and discover what happened behind the scenes at the production studio. This is one of the best Pixar films ever made and it also may very well be the best Fantastic Four movie we have seen… yet. So sit back, get some super powers, save the day and then watch this video! Comment to let us know what film we should POP next!  

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