In Defense of The Phantom Menace Film & TV I’ve been working my way through the Star Wars films in a modified Machete Order to prepare for the release of Episode VII next month. The true Machete Order dictates to skip Episode I entirely, but my modified version retains the order but keeps all six films, because I’m a completist. I also think Episode I gets an unfairly bad reputation and has a lot of good to offer.
*The Muppets* TV Series Initial Reaction Film & TV Time for a new installment in my series of Muppets-related reviews and reactions! To sum up: I liked the 2011 The Muppets film, and I loved the 2014 Muppets Most Wanted follow-up. Yesterday saw the premiere episode of the new The Muppets TV series on ABC.
The Incredibles isn't Fascist or Objectivist or Whatever Film & TV Politics Popular consensus seems to have settled on the idea that The Incredibles (along with most of Brad Bird’s other films) espouses Ayn Rand-ian politics, by depicting the protagonists as inherently special (and therefore “greater than” everyone else) and decrying “participation trophy” culture and “everyone is special” philosophising.