Feminist Frequency Radio

FFR #46: Monsters and Men

On this week’s episode of FFR, we discuss the new film Monsters and Men, a drama loosely inspired by the 2014 murder of Eric Garner by officers of the NYPD. The film follows three men of color, one of them a cop himself, whose lives are impacted in different ways when police murder an unarmed black resident of Brooklyn. Our conversation touches on the ways women are often marginalized in these stories (see also Blindspotting and Sorry to Bother You), the difficulty and importance of sometimes having deeply uncomfortable conversations, and how displays of character can sometimes be seen as a liability, particularly for black athletes.

Also: Bill Cosby’s conviction, the latest Harry Potter controversy, and more.

Segment Timestamps:

00:00 A Quick Message from Anita
00:20 Intro
2:20 Entertainment News: Bill Cosby convicted; The Harry Potter character Nagini who we thought was a snake is actually an Asian woman!
13:50 A Quick Message from Carolyn
14:30 The new film Monsters and Men
46:25 What’s Your FREQ-Out?
Carolyn on Spider-Man’s story and characters, Ebony on beloved movies that actually hate us, Anita on the TV series Humans
57:15 wrap-up

Relevant Links:

Kayleigh Donaldson for Pajiba on JK Rowling and Nagini: http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/jk-rowling-is-in-danger-of-becoming-the-next-george-lucas.php

On this week’s FFR, we talk about the new Amazon Prime series Jack Ryan, starring John Krasinski as Tom Clancy’s most famous hero, who finds himself on the trail of--surprise!--a Muslim terrorist! What makes Jack Ryan interesting to discuss is the ways in which the creators of the show have clearly made a conscious effort to address potential criticism of the series as being Islamophobic or otherwise problematic. Did they succeed? Find out what we think!

Also in this episode, we issue an important correction about a statement made in a previous episode, and Ebony gets emotional talking about Doctor Who.

Segment Timestamps:

:00 A short message from Anita

:15 Intro

1:35 We issue an important correction

3:40 Carolyn's plight (and a solution)

4:15 Pop culture news: Olivia Munn, Les Moonves

12:25 Main segment: Jack Ryan

44:25 What's Your FREQ-Out? Carolyn on Spider-Man, Ebony on Doctor Who, Anita on the feeling of having written a book

56:55 wrap-up

Relevant Links:

Linda Bloodworth-Thomason on Les Moonves

Learn more about (and pre-order!) Anita and Ebony's book History Vs. Women at historyvswomen.com

In this week’s episode, we explore FX’s excellent, multifaceted new drama Pose, which focuses on the lives of trans women and queer people in the ballroom scene of late-80s NYC. Pose confronts the devastation of the AIDS crisis while still showing people with HIV living meaningful lives filled with joy, love, and struggle, and it positions living with honesty and integrity in a hostile world as the heroic act that it is. Also, it actually casts trans actors in trans roles. AMAZING!

We also discuss the firing of Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, the rumored reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, looking back at Avatar: The Last Airbender some ten years after its debut, and more.

Segment Timestamps:

:00 Introductions
3:10 entertainment news (James Gunn fired, Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot)
16:30 Pose
43:55 What’s Your FREQ-Out?
53:20 wrap-up

Relevant Links:

Writer Suzanne Brockmann’s powerful speech challenging the resistance to gay representation in romance novels while accepting her lifetime achievement award from the Romance Writers of America. https://tinyletter.com/SuzanneBrockmann/letters/that-rwa-lta-speech-news-from-suz

Critic Matt Zoller Seitz’s review of Pose’s first season

The cast and producers of Pose discussing the show

Trailer for City of Gold, the documentary about Pulitzer-Prize-winning L.A. Times food critic Jonathan Gold, who passed away last week

On this week’s FFR we discuss the first two episodes of HBO's Lovecraft Country, a show that blends horror elements into a tale about racism in 1950s America, but first we talk about how the horrors of anti-Black racism remain so inescapable in America today, where police have once again exacted brutal violence on a Black man. Our discussion of the show touches on the ways in which it draws from pulp fiction and acknowledges the complexity of our relationship to tales that we love even if they don’t love us back, its subversion of classic Americana and fascinating use of audio, and the experience of watching this show right now, while living in a world in which some of us are exhausted from the experience of constantly being dehumanized and endangered.

Time Stamps:

• 1:45 - The shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin
• 8:20 Lovecraft Country
• 43:15 - What’s Your FREQ-Out: Carolyn on the Criterion Channel and three films by Mia Hansen-Løve, Ebony on Rust by Christopher Ruz, Anita on Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Links Mentioned:

• Ebony’s Twitter thread on running while Black
• The New York Times: Why Are There So Few Black Directors in the Criterion Collection?

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This week on FFR, we gear up for this weekend’s Oscars with a focus on the Academy Awards: why they matter, how they’ve worked to promote a notion of cinematic excellence that centers and glorifies whiteness, and how they’ve historically tended to celebrate films about people of color only when those films send comforting messages about race and racism. Also, the latest terrible thing Bill Maher has said, and a behind-the-scenes glimpse into Anita’s Slack habits.

SEGMENT TIMESTAMPS:

2:45 Entertainment News (Bill Maher says something awful, Activision Blizzard layoffs, Don Cheadle’s t-shirt)

14:10 The Academy Awards

43:50 What’s Your FREQ-Out? Trump and body-shaming humor, Burning and Steven Yeun, James Blake’s new album, and Tom Gun LIVE in Los Angeles

52:20 wrap-up

RELEVANT LINKS:

Marlow Stern for The Daily Beast on Bill Maher's comments on Peter Farrelly

Patrick Klepek for Waypoint on the Activision Blizzard layoffs

Video: Kim Basinger calls out the Academy for not nominating Do the Right Thing at the 1990 Oscars

Angelica Bastien on Jared Leto and our masculine notions of what constitutes great method acting

The Trailer for Burning starring Steven Yeun