#Red2013

[theflikchic]

Obscure Pop Culture I Love That Nobody Talks About

Consider this entire post a series of recommendations, especially if you're bored in quarantine.

1. Quantum Leap

Starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell, "Quantum Leap" is a sci-fi show from the 80s and it's one of the most progressive shows I've ever seen. The plot's a bit complicated so I'll be quick: A scientist named Sam- in an attempt to travel back in time- accidentally gets trapped in the bodies of different people throughout time. He can only leap from body to body when he changes a point in history (most often, he has to stop a death).

The reason this show is so amazing is because of fact that no matter what body he leaps into, we always see him as him. My favourite episode (called "What Price, Gloria?") is about how Sam gets stuck in the body of a beautiful female secretary. We watch him undergo the sexual harassment of the workplace and see how ridiculous it really is as every guy thinks he's a girl. It's terrific seeing him in women's clothing because it's very normalized in the show and is used to further explain sexism in gender constructs of clothing.

There's about five seasons and sadly, it never got a proper ending. It's quite sad and can be difficult to watch but it's beautiful and I love it.

2. The RED Movies (RED and RED 2)

I love these movies. And sadly, there's only two of them. A lot of people dislike the second one and whild it isn't as good as the first one, I still think it's a lot of fun. They're funny, they're action-packed, and they've got an incredible cast and yet no one's seen any of them.

The movies follow ex-CIA agent Frank Moses and his adrenaline-hyped girlfriend Sarah Ross as they travel the globe with other retired agents and contract killers to stop bad guys and it's AMAZING. I originally watched them because of Anthony Hopkins being in the sequel but then it turned out that I loved them both so much.

They're also very well-written and require a lot of attention. And the jokes make that really rewarding. Both of these films are on Amazon Prime and they're so much fun. If you need more convincing, there's a scene when Helen Mirren tasers Anthony Hopkins and then several scenes after, they kidnap a pizza guy-

3. Dinotopia

The books by James Gurney reign supreme but I love the five episode (or six??? I dunno, there weren't a lot) TV series. It's very mediocre and super low budget but I enjoy the characters and the overall world (even if the books are better).

I'd like to mention that there's also a three hour-long miniseries featuring the same characters but with different actors. While there's more dinosaurs and David Thewlis, the acting is really bad and that's where I prefer the TV show.

I'd also like to mention that the TV show has the character of LeSage, a morally grey antagonist who hates dinosaurs and will occasionally team up with the mains when the rules suit her. She's an excellent character and the highlight of the show.

4. V (1984)

Hey, so, you know Freddy Krueger? Yeah, of course you do. Well, this was the show that made him famous.

Two miniseries (a two-parter and a three-parter) and a fourteen-episode TV series. This show was HUGE in the 80s and yet, for some reason, everyone seems to have forgotten it (but we did get Funko Pops so...victory!).

The show is about an alien invasion of earth but it's not just an alien invasion: it's an invasion from evil alien lizards that serve as an allegory for Nazis. It's got amazing characters, especially amazing female characters. It deals with moral decisions and the horrors of war. While it does get more campy as it progresses and doesn't have a proper ending, 90% of it is low-budget but compelling sci-fi with great characters (and the found family trope, especially once they bring Robert Englund aboard).

Be aware: there are some elements of body horror regarding a pregnancy and an ab*rtion attempt in the second miniseries so if that stuff bothers you like it does me, I promise that it has a happy ending and everything turns out okay. I love love LOVE this show and I wish more people watched it.

If you're curious, it's located all on archive.org.

5. Monk

One of the only three cop shows I actually watch, "Monk" is an incredible show starring Tony Shaloub as an ex-homicide detective who suffers from OCD. As someone with a diagnosed anxiety disorder, I just feel so...seen with this show. Tony Shaloub does an excellent job at portraying someone with anxiety and he's written so wonderfully that I often find myself saying out loud- "Me too, man. Me too."

Don't let the fact that it's a comedy throw you off. They take Monk's illness pretty seriously and most of the laughing comes from the sadness that comes with the way he reacts to the world. Often when something goes wrong because of his anxiety, it funny but also doesn't shy away from the character trying to deal with the way his mind is wired. No characters really laugh at him in the show and those who do are portrayed as jerks (because they are). And Monk is incredibly courageous and it's inspiring to see him triumph.

It has 8 seasons and it's on Amazon Prime. It's brilliant and fun and sad all at once. It's also set in the same universe of "Psych" (another amazing show) but this wasn't established until years later once both shows were over.

The bonus to watching this show is for the character of Monk's friend Captain Stottlemeyer played by severely underrated actor Ted Levine. And if that name sounds familiar, it's because he made a mark back in 1991 as a serial killer who owned a pet poodle and went by the name of Buffalo Bill. He's so funny in this show and his friendship with Monk is one of my favourite parts.

So that's the post! I hope you found something that you're interested in and that your quarantine remains filled with fun, fictitious content! Stay safe!

[ollebosse]

Red2013 by Tamara Kvesitadze

[bearingskin]

She talked about songwriting, too, and how people always ask her what they should write about and yeah she said write about things that evoke strong feelings in you but also she talked about writing and singing to figure out what you're feeling so you can figure out what to do about it, and goddess bless her she said to write about things you can't forget any other way.

(Her intros felt pretty scripted but also she's twenty-fecking-four and tiny and at the end of a very long trip and standing in front of forty-seven thousand people under bright lights and it actually makes me a bit excited to think about seeing her next time and seeing how much she will have grown.)

And in the middle of All Too Well, the song she was introducing, she takes this break from playing and looks away from the camera and her forehead creases and her cheeks tremble like she's going to cry and then she takes a minute and then launches back into the song, and you know what I don't give a fuck if it was scripted those shared moments, those shared vulnerabilities are so, so valuable. Can you imagine what we'd have if, instead of mocking the sensitivities of our young girls (and our everybodies really) we took time to share our own? Can you imagine what we'd have if we opened up to each other, and to our young people, if a pop star wasn't the vastest and most profound source of empathy and sameness that even I even now can imagine as real?

[gorfashion]

This is one of the most hilarious & awkward interviews ever....Love it!

[bearingskin]

There was a distinct lack of goat noises in Trouble tonight and I will never not be disappointed.

[bearingskin]

I first heard Mean in my bedroom at my parents' house, in the summer of 2010/2011. I'd borrowed the Speak Now album from the library and had the whole thing on high rotation for weeks, but Mean stuck out (along with Speak Now). It was the first song I put on the stereo when I moved out and into my first sharehouse: my victory dance. It's one of the Taylor songs I cover regularly and every time it's different: sometimes bitter, sometimes brave, always full and fierce.

When Taylor played it tonight it felt like the whole crowd knew my story: like everyone there had my back, like everyone really got it. And she spoke about it too, about learning that things don't just get better because you get older, but because you start figuring out how to defend yourself, how to surround yourself with the love you deserve. And I cried a lot, the first time and the second time and so many times since and especially tonight, because on one hand it took a blonde American stranger to help me realise my own strength and on the other hand that tiny blonde American stranger barely older than I am reached out and gave me something so precious, even though she was hurting too.