#altho posts that arent actually abt glass onion and are more about a specific question about art

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While I think the general Vibe of glass onion is less class warfare and more a particularly vicious satire of bad rich people I think Helen's final act burning the Mona Lisa is really weird and almost rubs me the wrong way in the opposite direction?

So like to start in a story way she absolutely has to burn it. Like it's the most chekovs gun to ever chekov. It's very well done visually with shots that parallel her and the painting, it's the narrative punch of the thesis about disruption.

But I also don't love it as a political message? Mostly because I'm also not impressed with the idea that the most devastating way to harm capitalism is by destroying... what we colloquially call high art and culture?

Two critiques to deal with first: First of all I've seen people say it's not the real Mona Lisa but honestly I can't stand that interpretation I don't see it in the actual film text I think it ruins the impact of it I do not see it. Secondly! I think that post I just rbed about knives out being movies that love kinda being Good at stuff is absolutely right. Theres a veneration of intelligence and Real creative works and artistry and Knowing stuff in all this. And I think there's a ton of problems with that. On the one hand I'm compelled by the idea that it's a critical first step to dissolve the perception that these tech dudes or politicians or celebrities DO actually know what they're talking about. Like I do think persuasion in this area specifically is a noble goal. But yeah probably more importantly it's a very cringefail liberal John Oliver fantasy to say that's enough to win! And that absolutely extends to high art - the first knives out the punchline about the kids is that they can't do complex creativity, don't appreciate their fathers art because they're nepo babies or whatever. Like wow yeah he's the good millionaire because he's nice and also because he's good at books. Glass Onion really is a new take in this regard because it's saying fuck that! Burn the Mona Lisa even if people love it ESPECIALLY if people love it.

BUT ALSO I have two kinda fundamental problems with this worldview that views culturally valued art as an inherently bourgeois phenomena. First of all like ok slight tangent but. lmao yeah ofc Ryan Johnson is talking about art that's what he does yknow? Like on some level I think it's a little strange whenever people criticize media for talking too much about Media. Like yeah capture more of the human experience but you probably know more about creating art than me because I don't make films!!!!

Second tho is way more important because fundamentally like. Idk if I agree that trying to make really good art is something to sneer at and I DEFINITELY don't believe sneering at people who intentionally don't engage or care is #praxis. And I'm open to the possibility that my classical liberalism Wes Anderson aesthetic upbringing has infused me w some bad instincts here but I just don't think it's a real life good idea to burn the Mona Lisa! One movie that I saw that I really loved this year was The Menu which was a vicious satire of the idea that people trying to do high art are engaging in it in bad faith. It says "cuisine is a scam a cheeseburger and crinkle cut fries are our only salvation." And like while I enjoyed that movie... I refuse the premise! I don't think art and striving for art that communicates and innovates and yes is frequently silly and self important is mutually exclusive with LOVING trash and when things are bad and the art fails at what it was trying to do but you love it anyway. I love bad art because it teaches me something about good art and vice versa. I think opera is probably a capitalist hellscape and yet we should have more opera singers not fewer. Idk how to synthesize this I love glass onion i think that last post about it is spot on media criticism and I also love the Mona Lisa and don't love a politics that says we should disrupt it.