Oct 20, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, General Advice, mic
Published: mic (October 28, 2013) Whoever said that horror shouldn't be taken seriously? Well, a lot of people, actually. Although some of the most widely recognized artistic geniuses of our time have dabbled or even specialized in horror, from Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft to Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick, the genre still tends to receive less acclaim, at least when compared to...
Sep 12, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, General Advice, mic
Published: mic (September 12, 2013) Every so often there is a silver lining to bad news, and this silver lining in particular should resonate with independent filmmakers. As a recent New York Times headline blared: "Huge Summer for Hollywood, but With Few Blockbusters." What followed was a piece reviewing the "darker realities" behind Hollywood's seemingly "blockbuster" summer, which despite a...
Sep 4, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, General Advice, mic
Published: mic (September 4, 2013) Note: This article reports that Jack Nicholson is retiring. Turns out that's not true. The media incorrectly reported on this actor's retirement. He will still be in the film industry. In light of his recent announcement that he'll be retiring from acting, we honor Jack Nicholson's 10 best movies. Please bear in mind that these are only the opinions of this...
Aug 24, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, General Advice, mic
Published: mic (August 24, 2013) The nerd community is in a fit over the recent announcement that Ben Affleck will be donning the legendary cowl in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman movie. Here are 10 reasons why they should give the man a chance. 1. He's a talented actor. Not only did he do an excellent job in the Oscar-winner Argo (although he was snubbed for his acting as well as his directing...
Aug 21, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, Civil Liberties, mic
Published: mic (August 21, 2013) Last March, the Arkansas State Senate voted 26 to 4 in favor of SB 387, a bill limiting tattoos, piercings, and other forms of body art that it deemed "untraditional." After making several modifications, the State's House of Representatives has started to coalesce behind a compromise measure (which can be seen here) that could, plausibly, be sent to the...
Jul 18, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, General Advice, mic
Published: mic (July 18, 2013) As the multiplexes bombard us with such irredeemably awful fare as Grown Ups 2 and The Lone Ranger, I figured it was time to take a look at four movies so awful, they're actually pretty wonderful. In no particular order... 1. Troll 2 (1990) Yeah, anyone familiar with B-movies could have guessed that this garbage would make an appearance. For those of you unfamiliar...
Jul 11, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, Gender and Sexism, General Advice, mic
Published: mic (July 11, 2013) Sometimes it's necessary to feel ashamed of yourself. This unpleasant epiphany came to me when I came across a Dustin Hoffman interview in which the Academy Award-winning actor discussed his experience preparing for the 1982 cross-dressing comedy Tootsie. As he described the studio's attempts to make him look like a convincing woman, he recalled his shock at being...
Jun 25, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, Media Issues, mic, Race and Racism, Scandals
Published: mic (June 25, 2013)co-author Tillie Adelson As the culinary world continues to be rocked by the scandal over Paula Deen's racist remarks, the fashion world is being revisited by a similar specter from its past — i.e., the ghost of John Galliano. The ghost has broken his silence. He's been torn down to his simplest form or "Galliano in the Wilderness," as Vanity Fair is choosing to...
Jun 16, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, Class Issues, mic, World Affairs
Published: mic (June 16, 2013) co-author Tillie Adelson There is a phenomenon about celebrities that we have decided to dub the "Bono effect" or more currently the “Angelina Jolie effect.” In summary, it refers to the tendency of the rich and famous to engage in conspicuous charitable and/or philanthropic endeavors for reasons that smack more of self-aggrandizement than genuine nobility of...
May 1, 2013 | Arts and Entertainment, Internet Culture, mic, Science and Technology
Published: mic (May 1, 2013) If you thought NBC's inept mishandling of the Tonight Show franchise was the mother of all network debacles, take a look at this recent story about ABC from the Los Angeles Times: On Thursday, production company Prospect Park Networks filed a $25-million breach of contract lawsuit against the Walt Disney Co-owned broadcast network. The suit, filed in Los Angeles...