From Hannah: In 2019 — when I still went to the theater every week — I noticed a pattern with a release every few months. Starting with Us, then the horror-comedy film Ready or Not, and then with Knives Out I was struck by how class conscious these films were. How unrelentingly they worked to undermine myths that are staples of U.S. media (and, it’s me, so also yes, Victorian novels). I regretted VoxPopcast didn’t get to do a show on this emerging undercurrent in film that was specifically arguing against capitalism. And the rich.
(Different thing, but you might also make the argument that Emma (2020) is also obsessed with the gluttonous nature of the rich and uses every craft of cinema to undermine “polite” society. I say Emma is different than the rest of these because it, at least in my view, goes soft in the end.)
Anyway, March 2020 came and I had let the moment pass to justify talking about the 2019 films specifically. And then … over years passed and I went to a theater (while masked with a KN95) to see Bodies Bodies Bodies and once again saw wealth skewed in a way that reminded me of something like Ready or Not. And then The Menu premiered. And then Glass Onion (which might be harsher on the rich than its predecessor). Also Monica would probably argue The Triangle of Sadness fits in here.
So now I have my chance!
If this post sounds like a “here’s some stuff I’m noticing, what’s up with that?” … well, that’s what it is. But I’d argue there’s a conversation in the growing number of media (I’m sure it’s not just film!) that uses something — marriage (Ready or Not) or food (The Menu), for instance — to show just how corrupting capitalism is and argues wealth is, indeed, immoral.
Is this a bit of an isolated incident — or is it far bigger than the examples I’ve shared? What media have you noticed that’s like this … and have you seen any of these films and had thoughts? If there is a pattern, what’s happening now in “real life” that’s being reflected in art? Let us know in the comments!
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Call for Comments: Eating the Rich… Cinematically!
January 17, 2023
From Hannah: In 2019 — when I still went to the theater every week — I noticed a pattern with a release every few months. Starting with Us, then the horror-comedy film Ready or Not, and then with Knives Out I was struck by how class conscious these films were. How unrelentingly they worked to undermine myths that are staples of U.S. media (and, it’s me, so also yes, Victorian novels). I regretted VoxPopcast didn’t get to do a show on this emerging undercurrent in film that was specifically arguing against capitalism. And the rich.
(Different thing, but you might also make the argument that Emma (2020) is also obsessed with the gluttonous nature of the rich and uses every craft of cinema to undermine “polite” society. I say Emma is different than the rest of these because it, at least in my view, goes soft in the end.)
Anyway, March 2020 came and I had let the moment pass to justify talking about the 2019 films specifically. And then … over years passed and I went to a theater (while masked with a KN95) to see Bodies Bodies Bodies and once again saw wealth skewed in a way that reminded me of something like Ready or Not. And then The Menu premiered. And then Glass Onion (which might be harsher on the rich than its predecessor). Also Monica would probably argue The Triangle of Sadness fits in here.
So now I have my chance!
If this post sounds like a “here’s some stuff I’m noticing, what’s up with that?” … well, that’s what it is. But I’d argue there’s a conversation in the growing number of media (I’m sure it’s not just film!) that uses something — marriage (Ready or Not) or food (The Menu), for instance — to show just how corrupting capitalism is and argues wealth is, indeed, immoral.
Is this a bit of an isolated incident — or is it far bigger than the examples I’ve shared? What media have you noticed that’s like this … and have you seen any of these films and had thoughts? If there is a pattern, what’s happening now in “real life” that’s being reflected in art? Let us know in the comments!
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