Filmagra

Tokyo Sonata is a very campy and candid examination of how the conditions of this uncertain capitalist era negatively affect the work person. Beyond that, it's a film which showcases how the strict institutions and traditions of our societies (school, gender norms, familial based traditions, and capitalistic order) harm the well-being of those who unquestionably subscribe to their rigid order. Tokyo Sonata, and the sources I used to build my understanding of contemporary capitalist Japan, made me realize something deeply unsettling: we are incredibly performative in our daily lives. In this episode I explain what is meant by the "performance" and why it's so horrific that we fail to challenge or question its existence in our day to day life. 

Sources:

Sounds of the Movement is an experimental portion of Filmagra that allows the spirit and knowledge of our local movements to transcend the space and time they are limited to. This entry bridges the passionate and revolutionary voices of local activists across different Free Palestine movements. This episode is also conscious of the people who are willing to attend these protests but are unable to reach them due to physical limitations. I hope the revolutionary fire reaches you whenever and wherever you are.

Links to Boycott Israel as mentioned: @ 8:00

Fred Hampton was a revolutionary Marxist-Lenist. Does Judas & The Black Messiah honor his memory and political ideology in a respectful and productive way? Of course not. In this episode I discuss and praise what Fred Hampton was really about, fighting for his local, national and Global black community. And not just Black people, but, as he says, “the international proletariat”. Let’s dive into why Hampton was so amazing and posed a serious threat to American social order. Later sections of this episode discuss how Judas & The Black Messiah is, dramatically, a great film, but fails at truly celebrating Hampton -- or in other words it fails to inspire its spectators to become revolutionaries themselves. 

Films Mentioned: 

Belly (dir. Hype Williams, 1998) 

Black Panther (dir. Ryan Coogler, 2018) 

Judas & The Black Messiah (dir. Shaka King, 2021) 

The Butler (dir. Lee Daniels, 2013) 

Plays Mentioned: 

Once On This Island (playwright Lynn Ahrens) 

Podcasts & Episodes Mentioned: Low Society | #082 Twerking on Satan 

How does the term “Anti-Asian Racism” inhibit a more complete understanding of racism and white supremacy? This episode suggests that we cease intense advocacy and support for a group in question well after they have been hurt, or worse, killed. Activism should not and cannot persist in the forms of boom and bust cycles. It shouldn’t be a summer of #BLM and a few weeks of #StopAnti-Asian Racism, but a continuous struggle to liberate and fight for all parties who are dehumanized by various oppressive forces. We need to supplant reactionary sloganeering with productive work -- such that assists Asian-Americans, Black people, or anyone who is presently/historically oppressed without waiting for something to these marginal communities first. 

Time Stamps: 

0:00 - Introduction

4:45 - “Anti-Asian Racism”

Abolish Reactionary Culture

25:32 Gook

35:38 Minari

Podcasts & Episodes Mentioned Mentioned:

Todd Phillips’ Joker was probably the most controversial film of 2019. Before I watched it, I thought this movie was about a deteriorating pro-second amendment, incel because that was the most popular reading of the film at the time of its release. I was shocked to learn that the most dominant form of violence in the film wasn’t gun violence, but mental and class violence. My guest and good friend Graham helps me unpack the social and political landscape of Gotham and Joker. We respond to liberal responses of Joke and criticise class reductionist leftist reviews of the film. Graham also introduces the complex work of Jean Baudrillard in a very accessible way and shares how the renown French scholar’s work relates to Joker.

Citations

Films Mentioned: 

Avengers Age of Ultron (dir. Joss Whedon, 2015)

Requiem for a Dream (dir. Darren Aronofsky, 2000)

The Dark Knight (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2008)

The Dark Knight Rises (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2012)

Liberal Criticisms of Joker: