[The Weekly Swarm] 6/1 - 6/7
Last week was an amazing news week, wasn't it? So many notable announcements, reveals, debuts, and more took place last week, and as somebody who spends the majority of their time reading news articles, it was like a summer Christmas online. Some of my favorite posts from last week include our review of Nintendo's online shooter, Splatoon, Akon's plan to bring electricity to the 600 million people in Africa who still live without it, Disney's cancellation of Tron 3, Sony and Marvel's shortening of candidates for Spider-Man, James Wan officially on board for the Aquaman and Robotech film adaptations, Showtime's announcement of their own streaming service, Bridjet's debate over why blink-182's Take Off Your Pants and Jacket is their best album, our top 10 episodes of Entourage, and semi-confirmation that Arrested Development is poised for a 2016 release on Netflix.
You can read all this and more on The Weekly Swarm below.
[Review] Splatoon
Akon's Solar Academy Could Bring Electricity to 600 Million People in Africa
It's Game Over for Tron 3
Sony Shortens List of Spider-Man Directors, Actors
Netflix Testing Teasers Before and After TV Shows
Furious 7 Director Tackling Both Aquaman and Robotech
[Weekly Netflix Fix] Hot Girls Wanted, The Aviator
Showtime's Streaming Service Sidesteps HBO Now's Subscription Prices
[SXSW Interview] Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy (Spy)
Official Trailer for Post-Apocalyptic Love Triangle Film, Z For Zachariah
Trailer for Jake Gyllenhaal and Antoine Fuqua's Boxing Film, Southpaw
Tom DeLonge and blink-182 Reaching Amicable Break-up
30 Years, 30 Death Metal Albums: 2005-2014
Akon's Solar Academy Could Bring Electricity to 600 Million People in Africa
Why "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket" is blink-182's Best Album
WWE Elimination Chamber 2015: Results and Match Reviews
[This Week In TV] Game Of Thrones; Outlander
Netflix Testing Teasers Before and After TV Shows
Top 10 Entourage Episodes
Mega Man Getting a New Animated TV Series
Arrested Development Season 5 Coming to Netflix in 2016?
[Weekly Netflix Fix] Hot Girls Wanted, The Aviator
Showtime's Streaming Service Sidesteps HBO Now's Subscription Prices
Akon's Solar Academy Could Bring Electricity to 600 Million People in Africa
Akon is taking some time off from "Smack(ing) That" to revolutionize the way in which Africans live. Last year, the singer/rapper launched the charity "Akon Lighting Africa" to bring solar-powered electricity to 11 countries throughout Africa. That feat alone is enough to marvel at, but the musician has his sights on a larger goal: bringing electricity to 600 million people in Africa.
To accomplish this, Akon has opened a Solar Academy in Bamako, Mali to train and educate engineers on how to utilize solar energy. Akon Lighting Africa co-founder Samba Baithily told Reuters, "We have the sun and innovative technologies to bring electricity to homes and communities. We now need to consolidate African expertise."
In a video released last month (which you can watch below), some of the benefits of solar lights in the aforementioned 11 countries were demonstrated, including providing lighting at night-time which curbs violence, allows merchants to extend their hours, gives children more time to study, and much, much more.
[youtube id="52nsrARA42g"]
[via The Independent]
[The Weekly Swarm] 5/25 - 5/31
Happy June 1st! We're almost at the half-way mark of the year, yet you wouldn't know if it you live in Chicago thanks to last week's uncharacteristically cold weather. Just last night, I had to turn the heat back on so my roommates and I wouldn't freeze in our sleep. Thanks, Mother Nature.
Nevertheless, we were able to end May on a high note thanks to some amazing content last week. The biggest of note was the surprise release of Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment's debut album, Surf, and if you haven't listened to it yet, I highly recommend putting aside an hour to really digest it. Other notable posts from last week include news that the Power Rangers film reboot has been delayed to January 2017, Kung Fury debuted to amazing reception, Robert Rodriguez will be directed a live-action Jonny Quest film, our review of Pitch Perfect 2, Twin Peaks' 18-episode order with David Lynch back on board, and the teaser trailer for the upcoming Starz TV series, Ash vs. Evil Dead. Of course, Riot Fest also released their lineups for the upcoming dates in Toronto, Denver, and Chicago. Find all of this and more in this latest installment of The Weekly Swarm.
Power Rangers Reboot Delayed to January 2017
Failed Justice League Film by Mad Max Director Getting Documentary Treatment
Robert Rodriguez Directing Live-Action Jonny Quest Film
[Trailer] Point Break
[Review] Pitch Perfect 2
[Weekly Netflix Fix] Inglourious Basterds, Before I Disappear
[Trailer] Pixels
Kung Fury is Nostalgic '80s Action/Comedy Done Right
Bruce Campbell is Groovy in Ash vs. Evil Dead TV Teaser
Riot Fest 2015 Lineups Revealed
Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment: "Surf"
[This Week In TV] The Flash; Supergirl; Late Show With David Letterman
Robert Rodriguez Directing Live-Action Jonny Quest Film
Twin Peaks Revival Expands to 18 Episodes, Reunites with David Lynch
[Weekly Netflix Fix] Inglourious Basterds, Before I Disappear
Bruce Campbell is Groovy in Ash vs. Evil Dead TV Teaser
[The Weekly Swarm] 5/18 - 5/24
Happy Memorial Day, everyone. I hope you all spend the day with loved ones, copious amounts of barbecue and beer, and enjoy the last days of spring. For this installment of The Weekly Swarm, we're highlighting our critical look at the lack of female superheroes in Hollywood, a feminist analysis of the amazing Mad Max: Fury Road, the Red Band Trailer for DOPE, reviews of The Wombat's Glitterbug and Pet Symmetry's Pet Hounds, and a look at Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" music video. Find all of these articles and more below.
Damsel in Distress: The Lack of Female Superheroes in Hollywood
Chance the Rapper Puts Faith in Action to Save Chicago
Damsel in Distress: The Lack of Female Superheroes in Hollywood
[Trailer] Amy
Mad Max: Fury Road - Fear of a Feminist Action Movie
[Weekly Netflix Fix] Fruitvale Station
[Trailer] Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
[Red Band Trailer] DOPE (NSFW)
[Review] The Wombats: "Glitterbug"
30 Years of Death Metal: 1995-2004
Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" Video is All Kinds of Good
Riot Fest Chicago is Moving to Douglas Park
[Trailer] Amy
[Review] Pet Symmetry: "Pet Hounds"
Chance the Rapper Puts Faith in Action to Save Chicago
[This Week In TV] Mad Men; Arrow; Wayward Pines
WWE Payback 2015: Results and Match Reviews
[Weekly Netflix Fix] Fruitvale Station
Chance the Rapper Puts Faith in Action to Save Chicago
Photo by Bryan Allen Lamb
Holiday weekends during nice weather don't typically go well here in Chicago. It's a sad story told week in and week out, but when the heat rises, so does violence throughout the city. However, Chance the Rapper is doing his part to ensure the Memorial Day weekend goes smoothly without any unnecessary violence.
Following last year's initiative, the highly-influential rapper is once again using his celebrity to bring peace to the city, if only for three days, by promoting various events throughout the city to keep Chicagoans safe alongside Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. I implore anybody reading this to attend one of the many events taking place, or at the very least, help spread awareness by using the hashtags seen in the proceeding tweets.
S/O #FaithInAction #PutTheGunsDown #SaveChicago and whoever else is tired of holiday wknds in the summer meaning multiple shooting deaths
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) May 21, 2015
We finna party and protest and protect all wknd. I watched the city go 42 hours without a reported shooting this same wknd last year — Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) May 21, 2015
You can find a map of participating parks and businesses here.
Damsel in Distress: The Lack of Female Superheroes in Hollywood
In the '90s, my parents encouraged my tomboy ways and let me play with the boys toys, as if back then letting girls play with boys toys was taboo. They’re just toys, right? Almost 20 years later, I went to Target to grab some superhero merchandise for the opening night of The Avengers: Age of Ultron. To my dismay, all of the merch was located in the boy's toy section; including the female superhero items, which wasn't more than a pen-sized action figure or two. As I picked up the last Captain America mask, I passed the bright pink aisles where all of the "female-friendly" toys were. There wasn’t a superhero Barbie, plush toy or action figure in sight. What gives, Hollywood?
After seeing the film, I walked out disappointed. Scarlett Johansson played Black Widow in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, a former USSR assassin trained from a young age who uses her skills for her own gain and later on for the good of mankind. As a big Marvel fan, I was excited to see the return of the strong, female superhero in a Hollywood blockbuster (besides the X-Men). Unfortunately, her backstory was watered down as her relationship with Bruce Banner (e.g. Hulk) in the film grew into a sappy "woe is me" superhero complex as she revealed she was unable to bear children. As if in the year 2015 this was the number one, sure-fire way to humanize a former Soviet-bred killing machine to American women. Why does her mystery have to be washed over by pointless sentiments of humanity? They’re superhuman. Then, in the end, it’s Banner who ends up leaving her behind, despite their plans to run away together. Whether or not this was an accuracy issue from the comics to the big screen, why couldn’t Black Widow be the one to leave? Left at the altar, even in fantasy, the woman is still portrayed to be more vulnerable than her male counterpart.
I’ll admit, there’s the occasional female powerhouse (e.g. Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, the ladies of the X-Men and Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises), but the damsel in distress routine is getting blase to say the least. These are the women who know they’re needed for a team to function and most importantly, vital in saving the planet if not the universe. In X-Men: Days of Future Past, without the women of the X-Men, the people of Earth would live forever in chains and the mutants of Earth left to be brutally murdered by robots. Without Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord wouldn’t have been able to save the planet. In the comic book world, there are plenty of women superheroes, but until those books come to life in a way that empowers us mere mortals on Earth, it’s a man’s universe; real or fantasy.
When comics started in the '20s, it was a man’s world. While the comic book universe is booming with female leaders, it's Hollywood who pass over these women like they're minor characters. But, in 2015, something has to change. The question is: what is Hollywood going to do about it?
[The Weekly Swarm] 5/11 - 5/17
Last week was full of TV-related surprises, wasn't it? First, we found out that American Idol was getting canceled (and it's about time no less), then we found out that Simpsons vet Harry Shearer was leaving the show over a contract dispute. Speaking about contracts, we'll be getting more Rosario Dawson when Marvel's Daredevil (and the rest of the Marvel/Netflix series) returns. What about Riot Fest being named the best music festival in the country by USA Today and 10Best? That was pretty cool, but not as cool as our list of 10 badass superheroines and supervillains!
...I can go on and on, but rather than ramble, how about I let you take a look at all of last week's content in our latest edition of The Weekly Swarm?
Chicago's "Historic" Torture Reparations Package
10 Badass Superheroines and Supervillains in Comics
[Tribeca Review] Democrats
[Trailer] Jem and the Holograms
Spike Lee's Chicago Film Will Be a Musical Comedy
[Weekly Netflix Fix] The Sixth Sense
[Review] Mad Max: Fury Road
[Tribeca] Bodyslam: Revenge of the Banana! Shows Why Some Wrestling Gimmicks Succeed and Others Fail
[Review] ANIMALS
[SXSW Interview] Kim Shaw, David Dastmalchian, and Collin Schiffli (ANIMALS)
30 Years, 30 Death Metal Albums: 1985-1994
American Idol Ending After Next Season
[Review] Melt-Banana: "Return of 13 Hedgehogs"
USA Today and 10Best Name Riot Fest Best Music Festival
[American Idol-izer] Top 2 Perform
Widespread Panic Headlining North Coast Music Festival 2015
The American Idol Season 14 Winner Is...
[Contest] Meet Yelawolf at Shuga Records (5/19)
American Idol Ending After Next Season
Rosario Dawson Signs Exclusive TV Contract with Marvel and Netflix
Why RuPaul's Drag Race is the Best Reality Show on TV
[American Idol-izer] Top 2 Perform
The Simpsons Loses Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, etc.)
The American Idol Season 14 Winner Is...
[Weekly Netflix Fix] The Sixth Sense
10 Badass Superheroines and Supervillains in Comics
Recently, there has been tension in the superhero world over the lack of strong women in comics. While there is a huge gap between the number of men versus women in the comic book world, there are powerhouse superheroines fans seem to phase over. Don’t be fooled, some of the names that you might recognize are bigger in the comic book world than their blockbuster film roles have lead you to think. Regardless of your gender, here are 10 female comic book characters that kick ass harder than their male counterparts.