Hola, nerds! After a little bit of a late spring break, we’re back in action here at The Weekly Round-Up. Holy Hermione do we have a lot to talk about! From new perspectives on the (character) arc of Tony Stark to summer reading recommendations and epic first looks at one of my favorite female-lead franchises, we’re hitting the ground running on what’s looking to be a hot summer season in fandom and pop culture.
The Arc of Tony Stark
Happy Ramadan to all of our Muslim readers who are celebrating the closing of the holy month this week. Earlier in the month, fellow Marvel lover @malihaness shared some nerdy, and unexpected parallels they found between the teachings of the Quran and the journey of Avenger, Tony Stark/Iron Man. Perhaps the writers weren’t intending for anyone to make these connections, but according to Maliha, “…not only is this an amazing portrayal of a Muslim that isn’t simply wearing a tasbeeh or reading the Quran but rather a real Muslim who was an embodiment of the Quran. A person whose actions inspired and changed THE TONY STARK and thereby impacted the Universe.” Excuse me while I go cry in the corner now. 😭
Source: Twitter
Playa Picks for Summer 2019
Beach reading season is hot on our heels, and with it comes an onslaught of listicles of what to pair with that glass of Frosé or Iced Tea while you’re enjoying that #BeachLife. Here are some great YA sci-fi and fantasy reads by Latinx authors–as recommended by blogger Vicky Who Reads–to pack with those swimsuits and sunnies. Don’t see something you loved in the list? Drop your recs in the comments!
Source: Stocksnap
Show Runner, Glass Breaker
According to Deadline, Kari Skogland has been tapped to direct the six-part Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Set to star Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan as the titular characters, the series is rumored to focus on post Avengers:Endgame life for the two characters. (Sources also say Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter and Daniel Bruhl’s Helmut Zemo are also in talks to join.) Skogland is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and co-founder and CEO of the independent production company Mad Rabbit. Her credits include the upcoming Nos4a2 and The Rook, as well as The Handmaid’s Tale, Fear The Walking Dead, and The Borgias. She has been an outspoken advocate for women in the industry, spotlighting the glass ceiling experienced by female directors. In 2018, she said, “People say they can’t find female directors, but the reason for that is there’s no access, no entry point. They don’t appear overnight—you have to create a space where they can grow and be discovered.” The miniseries will air sometime in August 2020.
Source: Twitter
Spotlight on AAPIs in Pop Culture
Did you know that it’s almost the end of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month? Check out the Twitter account for CAPE (Coalition for Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) for suggestions on other accounts that highlight #AAPIs (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) in pop culture.
Sources: Twitter
Rotten Tomatoes Responds to Outcry
Editor Jaqueline Cooley announced that the team at Rotten Tomatoes has introduced a new feature to the popular rating site, an audience verification tool that will help to cut down on “vote brigading.” Back in our March Fan Reaction podcast of Captain Marvel, ToG contributors Monica, Emily, and I discussed the controversy around the tactic, which is used as a deliberate crowd coordinated effort to affect a film’s rating on the site, most notably by trashing a film ahead of its opening weekend. This has disproportionately affected movies with leads and casts from traditionally underrepresented identities and groups, like Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and The Last Jedi. As the reach of review aggregation sites like Rotten Tomatoes increases, so has the interest of internet trolls who are looking to influence creative decisions and even box office numbers with their negative reviews. According to the LA Times, “The push is part of an effort by Rotten Tomatoes to increase consumer confidence in its rating system at a time when some online trolls have tried to game the system, trashing movies they may have never seen.” The new feature will require ticket verification through a ticket seller, like Fandango, before they are allowed to enter their “verified audience” rating on the website. This is the first attempt of its kind to verify ticket purchases by the review aggregator.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
Pride on Ocean Avenue
Spied over at The Unofficial SDCC Blog, Toddland and Bob’s Burgers are teaming up to benefit The Trevor Project, a national non-profit organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQIA+ youth. For those of you who missed out on their WonderCon merch, you’ll get a shot at scoring some old favorites and a few new styles, including Pride-themed tanks, shirts, hats, baseball caps, and more. You can pre-order today with 50% of the proceeds going to the organization and their efforts.
Source: The Unofficial SDCC Blog
Bad Grandma with a Shotgun
My big mood this week is Linda Hamilton slipping back into the role of Sarah Connor in the first look at Terminator: Dark Fate. On the surge of female-lead stories, she told Cinema Blend, “Sure, there are lots of female empowerment characters — you’ve got Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman and Black Widow. There’s quite a list. How many of them are over 40? Not too many. Gets to be a very short list. Talking about action empowered, action females. There are all these dewy young things. How many of them are over 60? Big fat zero. And now you start looking back through history and how many female action hero prototypical characters that were over 60. Lots of guys. Lots of midlife crisis guys — you know, Bruce Willis, Liam Neeson, Clint Eastwood, they’re still packing guns into their 80s. How many ladies? Not too many. So I thought, ‘This is worth doing, this is a great thing to do.’ ” Terminator: Dark Fate will be released Friday, November 1, 2019.
Source: Twitter
Drop me a line! Send me leads, tips, and announcements at paloma@templeofgeek.com.
