4.18 - BLADE (1998) and The Oppressed

The Prestige

This week we take on the classic vampire/superhero/martial arts (what even is it?) film, BLADE (1998). After some glowing reviews, we talk about subcultures in the 90s, before getting onto liminality, race, class, and the various oppressed groups explored in a vampire movie like this.

Next Time Our next film is the — culturally undoubtedly important, but cinematically maybe questionable (we keep fairly open minds) — behemoth that is TWILIGHT (2008).

Recent Media CAMP WEDDING (2019): Greg Emetaz, Kelley Gates, Sean Hankinson JACK WHITEHALL: TRAVELS WITH MY FATHER (S2-3, 2018-19): Jack Whitehall, Michael Whitehall

Recommendations THE TAO OF STEVE (2000): Jenniphr Goodman, Donal Logue, Greer Goodman IRON SKY (2012): Timo Vuorensola, Julia Dietske, Christopher Kirby LUKE CAGE (2016-18): Cheo Hodari Coker, Mike Colter, Simone Missick THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN (graphic novel, 1999–2019): Alan Moore, Kevin O’Neill, Bill Oakley

Footnotes Firstly, this is pretty good on various on-screen subcultures, with quite a lot on the 1990s: http://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/HAKSqLV0xnOIKQ. Rob mentions anxiety surrounding the year 2000; this is an interesting interview about this anxiety in a Christian context (although I can’t find Part I, unfortunately): www.sbclife.net/article/385/y2k-a-christian-response. The Rodney King riots are covered in some detail here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots. Given our conversations about Stephen Dorff, this is a fun article (though SD himself is criminally absent): http://screencrush.com/the-25-hottest-bad-guys-in-movies-ranked. And finally, we mentioned in passing how one of the things this film does well is the portrayal of addiction; for other films which do this particularly well, see here: http://riseinmalibu.com/7-tv-film-depict-addiction.