Let’s get one major thing straight to start off with: I am a female-oriented feminist. If you’re wondering what that means and how it will apply to the rest of this article, I will explain the way that I define it now. I know a lot of people in real life for whom feminism means putting men in their place and letting women come out on top. They say that this is the way the world should be because we have been oppressed as long as the world has existed.
This is male-oriented feminism and you see it a lot in chick flicks, romance novels and, heaven help us, Lifetime Television for Women. (In movies and TV, men are always turned on by this in the end, too, because what would feminism be if it weren’t just a little bit sexy?)
The way that I see it, female-oriented feminism means that I only believe men should be put in their place insofar as their role in society is respected. I believe that I have equal value in the roles that I am able to fill as a woman. I believe that an ideal society respects both genders on an equal level. And while I’m a misanthrope, I’m not a misandrist-I have days where I loathe mankind as a misanthrope, but I don’t hate men.
So. Now that the explanation is out of the way, welcome to this article. I’m sure that all of us can think of women in film and TV who kick undeniable butt. We’re here to celebrate them in the spirit of the fact that women ARE awesome. You can also argue that many if not all of these women can be respected from a male-oriented feminist point-of-view, but I’m approaching it from my version of feminism.
As usual, this sort of article is up to interpretation. I’m sure you have your own lists of cool female characters. I’m sure many of you are male-oriented feminists and that works for you. I’m sure I will hear from a couple of misogynists. This is my set of humble opinions and take it or leave it as you will.
The post 10 Female Fictional Characters That Do Feminism Proud appeared first on WhatCulture!.
With Wrestlemania the past two years holding dream matches such as Rock/Cena and HHH/Brock and with Summerslam holding Punk/Brock, I can’t help but think of all the dream matches that we will never get to see.
When talking about dream matches, everyone has their own preference. Whether you like the guys in the match or not, you would still want to see perhaps the biggest match of all time. I’m not that big a fan of CM Punk or Brock Lesnar, but I am looking forward to the match because of how big it is. Because of the atmosphere and aura surrounding the match, I am indeed looking forward to their encounter.
I thought I would take a look at some of the dream matches we will never see. For one reason or another we will probably never see any of these matches happen. Although, most people thought we would never see The Rock return and take on Cena, so I guess we can never say never.
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Sometimes I think of my life as like my very own TV show. I’m the main character, everything that happens to me matters, I’ve got friends who provide everything from comic relief and wacky antics to drama and love. If anyone ever pisses me off I just think “who cares? they’re merely an uncredited extra to my main character’s awesome life!”
But once in a while everyone meets someone who is just that much more interesting, popular or successful and it can be hard to deal with. This, of course, happens in the world of television and often takes place in the form of a plotline or episode so we can watch how these characters react. It’s happened to many loved characters from Zack Morris in Saved by the Bell to Lisa in The Simpsons.
But what I wanted to do with this article was approach this phenomenon analytically and look at the less obvious and more subtle transitions, the motivation, actions and acting ability of supporting characters who begin to steal the spotlight from the character the show is based around. Sometimes it happens so well you barely notice until you’re watching one day and thinking “when did this guy become the coolest person on the show?”
Because I am analysing characters on shows which have run from anywhere between two and eight seasons, I will be talking about plot points and over-arcing storylines so there will be spoilers for people who haven’t seen them. However most of them are for shows that are now finished, with the exception of one which is still running but was broadcast within months and not days or weeks.
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I have to admit, I am sold on Ryback. This guy is indeed a machine, both in physique and ability. He is without a doubt, barring injury, the future of the WWE. But thanks to the initial push orchestrated by the WWE his whole persona has been reduced to nothing more than a Goldberg clone.
Now although initially in the first few months I would have to agree, it has since become truly annoying (to me at least) to hear the crowd chant GOLDBERG every time he is in the ring. Like mindless drones or sheep they carry on regardless of how idiotic that chant has now become. For quite simply, Ryback is NOTHING like Goldberg.
Now if there was anyone who Ryback reminds me off from back in WCW, it would be Scott Steiner. To a lesser extent I have also been known to compare the man to a young Rhyno. But Goldberg. Not freakin’ likely. In fact, they are such an opposite of each other it is really quite remarkable.
So with that in mind I now present to you my reasons as to why Ryback is nothing like Goldberg, and if you indeed think otherwise I suggest you go back and find some old WCW tapes and take notes. For my personal belief is that, as a play on words to previous articles, Bill Goldberg represented everything that WAS wrong with professional wrestling.
(Side note: Just like to add that even though I detested his wrestling career with a passion, he is a very avid advocate of animal rights & prevention of cruelty to animals so for that I salute THE MAN, Goldberg,,,,and he killed it in “Santa’s Slay” & “Ready to Rumble” also)
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There is a certain musical formula required in order to create an instant hit. But for some reason, some songs slip through the cracks, and then what’s even more baffling is that these songs hit number one. These songs either rely on an incredible gimmick, perhaps a dance routine or an animated frog. Others are just terrible songs.
But what were the worst number ones? Well, that’s what we’ll try to get to the bottom of. Taken strictly as songs, stripping away all gimmicks or the intentions behind their release, none of them deserved to hit number as they’re all quite subpar songs. But why stall any longer, on with the show.
50. Robbie Williams: Millennium (1998)
What is that chorus? I don’t even know. Released to coincide with the upcoming turn of the millennium, it was clear Williams wanted a sure fire hit. Now the production isn’t horrible and the vocal isn’t bad, by Williams’ standards. But the chorus is painful to endure, as is the outro. It doesn’t even sound like him. The song is also horribly repetitive, which only really works if what you’re repeating is actually any good.
Williams has had much stronger songs where he is clearly in his comfort song, but I can’t escape the feeling that ‘Millennium’ was released as up to that point he had failed to land a number one on his own.
49. The Wanted: All Time Low (2010)
Apparently, The Wanted’s debut hit was shunned by a majority of radio stations, leaving a rather sour taste in their mouth. But can you really blame them? The lyrics are horrible, and the vocal delivery is rather bland. The song’s second half is undoubtedly stronger than the first half, but only because the chorus pack that extra punch needed.
Ballads have never been the strongest tool in their arsenal, so to kick off their career with a subpar mid tempo number was not a wise move. It’s no surprise ‘Glad You Came’ served as their debut single worldwide, as it’s a much stronger number that doesn’t showcase the band’s weakest assets.
48. Take That: Babe (1993)
One of Take That’s weakest hits. I’ve always found a majority of their songs which place Mark Owen at the forefront are quite lacklustre, despite his strong vocal. However, in order to show some type of fragility and vulnerability to his voice, Owen decides to whisper and mumble his way through a majority of his lines. It’s quite a heinous crime, as the production is very lazy and dreary, thus his vocal offers nothing to the song.
Owen nowadays reserves his voice for the upbeat numbers, leaving Gary Barlow to helm a majority of the band’s ballads, and I can’t help but think that this dismal effort is the reason why.
47. Hanson: MMMBop (1997)
‘MMMBop’ was undoubtedly one of the biggest hits of the 1990s, but it’s actually quite a subpar song. The vocals are very strained, especially in the lacklustre verses. The chorus is able to salvage some credibility, but only because the band’s harmonies chirp in and cover up the stretched lead vocalist.
Nonetheless, the music is fun and engaging, so all is not list. But the vocal performance leaves a lot to be desired. Towards the end of the song, the backing vocalist is able to showcase his voice, and it actually asks the question that perhaps he’d be able to deliver a much stronger performance.
46. Spice Girls: Too Much (1997)
Aside from being their most forgettable hit, ‘Too Much’ is also the Spice Girls’ blandest single to hit number one (I can’t say blandest ever because ‘Headlines (Friendship Never Ends) deserves that accolade).
It’s incredibly beige for a single, with very little that makes in stand out. ‘Stop’ was a much more deserving number one. Sporty Spice is the only saving grace of this song, who manages to inject some life into her short lived verses. The chorus is incredibly dreary and mind numbingly dull, whilst the production offers very little in terms of variation, or decency for that matter.
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Sometimes we come to expect ludicrous moments from TV programmes. If something is deliberately crafted to be far away from reality like The Goodies or is science fiction like Doctor Who, ludicrous moments are an integral part of its whimsical escapism. But we also find find ludicrous moments in more straightforward shows.
That’s not to say that normal shows can’t have a decent ludicrous moment now and again (as some of the entries on this list will show), but more often than not a ludicrous moment will do nothing for a programme that’s grounded in reality.
And this is a list of both the good and the bad but most of all: the ludicrous…
10. The Sopranos – Livia’s Last Scene
This moment from critically acclaimed crime drama The Sopranos isn’t ludicrous because of its content but because of how poorly it’s put together. After actress Nancy Marchland passed away, the makers of The Sopranos used archive footage and CGI trickery to give her character Livia Soprano one final scene.
It’s pretty much just a standard dialogue scene but because it was constructed around pre-existing footage, it’s ludicrous in how jarring it feels. Partly because the CGI is very unconvincing and creates a noticeable visual difference between shots of Livia and Tony but mainly because very little of the archive footage fits the dialogue written around it. For example, Livia’s response to Tony saying he bought her some audio-books is “I wish the Lord would take me now” and after he tells her the titles of some of the books he has bought, she says “Why? What’s wrong?”
Because a scene featuring an actor who died before the scene was written can’t be pulled off well, this scene is more than a little bit bizarre. It’s also pointless in hindsight since Livia doesn’t actively contribute to the plot here for obvious reasons and is later revealed to have died offscreen.
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Everybody likes a nice dollop of sex in their cinematic palette once in a while – hey, sex is what perpetuates civilisation. Sex can be very badly done in a film. Take Showgirls for example – I’m pretty sure Paul Verhoeven wanted to make an erotic film, but he ended up with a camp piece of trash that we all tittered at. And this was from the man who made X-rated erotic classic Turkish Delight – one of the randiest films I have ever watched.
I have presented in this list, films who are chiefly erotic in their style and intent. Many of them did indeed receive an X certificate back in the day and if that system of classification were still around, many of them would be branded X rated.
It is time for you to sit back, lower the lights and mellow out as I present to you 10 Decadent Delights to float your respective boats. All tastes have been covered for…
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Film Star Blog 