Television Tuesday: Celebrity Big Brother is Watchable but Lacks the Regular Show's Addictive Spark

I love the regular, "Big Brother," program that runs on CBS every Summer. I have made a blog post basically every season about how while there are silly challenges and dumb bits, the social experiment of all these strangers stuck in a house isolated from the outside world almost always is fascinating. It makes people's true nature come out and that can result in seasons where everyone is actually weirdly calm, nice, and understanding, as well as seasons where people are complete and total monsters to one another.

When you're stuck in the Big Brother house for up to three months it isn't uncommon for paranoia to become the number one emotion in the house. There is a lot of money up for grabs (half a million dollars) and these are ordinary people who could really use that kind of scratch. It makes for good television. Unfortunately, the first-ever season of, "Celebrity Big Brother," in America (they've had versions in other countries) loses much of the best elements of regular, "Big Brother," and becomes something watchable, but far less entertaining than you would hope.

Ross is hilarious!

A friend of mine said about, "Celebrity Big Brother," how, "I think it's pretty boring...but I still want to watch." We discussed how this was probably out of our habit of enjoying, "Big Brother," and it's true. Even though it isn't as interesting right now, it still is kind of fun and like a nice junk food for the mind in-between watching the Olympics. Why is it like this though? Well, the things that made, "Big Brother," so intriguing are basically made moot by the celebrity version. The money is only $250,000 because the celebrities don't really need it, and most would probably donate it to a charity unless they're a jerk. They are in the house for just three weeks instead of three months, so we can't expect them to get too stir-crazy as well. Lastly, they aren't going to act too much of a fool because bad press is the last thing some of them want.

To the credit of CBS and, "Big Brother," these actually are celebrities on, "Big Brother," for the most part in that I've heard of them and/or follow their work. We've got Mark McGrath from Sugar Ray, Ross Matthews who is known for his appearances on comedy programs, Metta World Peace (the man formerly known as Ron Artest who had that infamous NBA event when...well, you know. Shannon Elizabeth is there, some other folk, and the wringer-guest, Omarosa (yes, that Omarosa). Then there are people I never heard of like a guy named James from an old teenage boy-band. Everyone is getting along pretty well but there is still some strategy and backstabbing, hence it being watchable. Plus, Mark and Ross are hilarious and Omarosa makes a good villain even if she seems more mellow since whatever horrors she witnessed at the Trump White House. Still, so much of the usual elements that make it, "Big Brother," are missing.

Omarosa has been spilling a lot of interesting tidbits about the White House.
She's still a terrible person though.

One thing that is superior to the usual show is how with this being an expedited season there are more episodes more often and things actually happen quickly. We had the premiere Wednesday, an episode Thursday, a two-hour show Friday, one Sunday, and now yesterday. As opposed to the usual, "Big Brother," which can have some days that feel like filler, lots of stuff is always happening in this sped-up run. I almost wish that in the Summer CBS just did a bunch of different, "Big Brother," households in quick succession so things stayed interesting. You may be saying, "Wait, David, haven't you spent most of this article bitching about how longer seasons result in more drama and now you say you like it shorter? Aren't you being hypocritical?" My answer to that is yes, yes I am, because I want my cake and to eat it too.

"Celebrity Big Brother," is not as fascinating to watch as the regular, "Big Brother," but still is worth consuming. I'm enjoying it to a reasonable degree, and the speedy pace is good. If you've never watched, "Big Brother," and the celebrities have caught your attention, it's a good way to dip your toe into the series. If you do normally watch, "Big Brother," it is different for sure, but still decent. I'm more and more excited for when the regular version returns this Summer however.

Rant-Reviews--Stuff I Wanted to Write About

Spurred Some Writing
Sometimes I will read a comic and not have much to say besides if I enjoyed it or not. Other times I have a number of thoughts I feel like sharing. I recently read these books and found they all made me want to at least say a chunk of something about them, so let's roll with it and do a batch of reviews!

The New Stuff
Michael Cray #4
Spinning-out of the first arc of "The Wild Storm," I have been really enjoying, "Michael Cray," so far. It seems to be following a bit of a routine of taking popular DC heroes and presenting them in a more twisted and evil version that Cray and his team have to confront. It's been clever and fascinating to see such wild designs of folk like Oliver Queen, Barry Allen, and Arthur Curry, with the book taking full advantage of how this is based in the new Wildstorm-verse and is of course removed from the main DCU (the whole merging of the worlds basically fell apart, didn't it?), allowing weird stuff like what we've witnessed.

It hasn't been too clear how some of these plot elements will relate back into, "The Wild Storm," but I don't mind as since this split-off from the main title it has been its own stellar little story. Michael Cray is a fascinating fellow who isn't just a skilled agent, but very sad and empathetic. He carries a solo title well and I'm eager to see what other murderous and imposing versions of DC heroes he comes up against in future issues!
5 out of 5 stars.

Motherlands #1
Look, I usually love Si Spurrier as a writer, but this new title from Vertigo (yes, that line does still exist) is a confusing mess. It has something to do with alternate universes, bounty-hunters, the entertainment industry, long-lost brothers, and I was just completely lost. I imagine Spurrier has some idea of where he's taking this, but I was just left scratching my head at the majority of this book. It still had some decent jokes and I understood a tiny bit, so it wasn't all bad. Still, talk about a really underwhelming start.
2 out of 5 stars.

Blind Justice #2
I feel like this book was delayed forever, as it is the last of the first, "Season," of the All-Time Comics that Fantagraphics put out. That said, it is a well-written and gorgeous book. I know some people didn't really like the whole throwback theme Fantagraphics had going with these books but I loved them and personally am immensely excited for when more issues come out in, "Late 2018," as the back of the book promises. This issue follows the titular, "Blind Justice," as he dons his heavy protective equipment to go fight a serial killer. It also furthers the overall, "All-Time Comics," plot with this being I believe the sixth issue released under that banner. It's more pulpy fun, which sums-up what these comics have been overall too.
3.5 out of 5 stars,

Twisted Romance #1
A four-part weekly anthology from Image Comics coming out in honor of how February is a month of love in all kinds of wild forms, this series of, "Twisted Romance," lives up to its name in the contents of the first issue already. Alex de Campi writes and Katie Skelly illustrates a stellar short piece about literally heartless people who basically make a business out of their ability to siphon life from people. It's delightfully strange and Skelly's stellar art abilities mesh perfectly with de Campi's darkly humorous writing. There also is a solid prose piece about supernatural creatures and a super-abstract comic on the opposite side of the book (you flip it around and upside-down). Alex and Katie's story is for sure the main attraction here, however, and boy is it a great star for the first issue to get people interested in future ones!
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Jessica Jones #16
Brian Michael Bendis is of course leaving Marvel for DC, but has to wrap-up some stories he's been doing before some of the books end and others are handed-over to other writers. Jessica Jones has always arguably been his baby (besides his, "Ultimate Spider-Man," works), a character he created for the first-ever comic under Marvel's line of, "MAX," comics with the title, "Alias." It was an amazing comic and Jones popped-up in other books afterwards, getting married to Luke Cage and having a child with him named Danielle, but the book truly recently returned when Bendis did this series with original,"Alias," artist Michael Gaydos. The title was of course changed as since the, "Alias," comic existed there was that television show with Jessica Garner of the same name, and the Netflix show which drew from the comics was simply titled, "Jessica Jones," as well. Anyways, all this lead-up is basically to establish that I'm sad to see Bendis leaving this character, but boy is he doing it with a bang.

Jessica Jones biggest archenemy is arguably The Purple Man. A sociopathic villain with the ability to make people do whatever he says, the original, "Alias," comic established why Jones hates him so much (he basically abducted her when she was an active super-hero and nobody noticed) and he's returned for what seems to be the climax of Bendis' run on this book. What at first seemed like it would be a standard, "Beat-up the bad guy," story has spiraled into something much weirder, with Purple Man not exactly wanting to be a good guy, but basically so exhausted of being evil he's willing to try the opposite. It's a bizarre twist and could very well be a ploy, but I'm genuinely off-put by it (in a good way) and curious where this could be going. We're about at the end of Bendis' time on the book so I hope he sticks the landing--this is one of his shining jewels of his time at Marvel so I imagine he will.
4 out 5 stars.

Check Your Local Comic-Shop!
As these books all just recently came-out (besides, "Michael Cray #4," which is a few weeks old) and you can most likely buy them at your comic shop without much of any trouble. Therefore, I encourage you to visit your local comic store and buy whatever of these titles appeal to you, or anything else there you want, I'm not trying to boss you around or anything!

Film Friday: Three Marvel Comic-Related Movie Trailers/Teasers

A variety of trailers and teasers for comic-book movies that involve Marvel properties have been coming out lately. I thought I would highlight three specific ones that stuck-out in my mind for one reason or another...

Ant-Man and the Wasp

I guess because Scott Lang sided with the losers in, "Captain America: Civil War," he now is in some big trouble with the Government. I say that because he and everyone else are on the run in this trailer. I honestly love Paul Rudd so just watching him do his thing through these movies makes me happy and that we get new strong female hero in the form of Evangeline Lilly officially becoming The Wasp is just stellar as well considering how much of a boys' club the MCU has been for the most part. This ad gets me pretty excited!

Venom

This short teaser looked like a really competent action-thriller movie with weird medical labs, car chases, and Tom Hardy making serious faces. That said, if it weren't for the glimpse of some black goo and the fact that the movie is called, "Venom," I wouldn't have had any clue this movie was about Spider-Man's infamous foe. I understand this thing isn't out until October so they have a ton of post-production to do, but maybe they could've waited until they had enough tech completed to give us at least one shot venom looking all imposing and scary? If the idea of this teaser is to make us want more, it succeeded, but in the wrong way. I do want to see more, because honestly I kind of feel like I saw nothing. Assuming the Sony and Marvel deal allows the MCU to at least be mentioned in flicks outside of the main, "Spider-Man," I would definitely appreciate at least a hint of something, anything, that makes it clear this is a Marvel-adjacent flick.

Deadpool 2, Untitled Deadpool Sequel, Whatever it is?

Clearly for the new Deadpool movie we aren't going to be dropping the meta-elements of breaking the fourth wall with reckless abandon or the cutting of countless jokes. What at first seems like a super-serious glimpse of a depressing sci-fi movie with a ruined future not too unlike, "The Terminator," morphs into Deadpool being...well, Deadpool, as Ryan Reynolds shows why this is the role he was born to play via smashing literal action figures together. Then, we get brief glimpses of a bunch of clips from the movie with what looks like a potential X-Force and plenty of returning faces from the first flick. It's a pitch-perfect way to promote...whatever name this movie is going to end-up having, and Josh Brolin makes a great-looking Cable whose serious sour-face will clearly have some conflicts with risible ol' Deadpool.

The Website for Bleeding Cool is Overwhelmed with Terrible Ads

I enjoy visiting the popular comic-book gossip website, "Bleeding Cool." Run by Rich Johnston, it can be a good source of rumors. I even once asked long ago about writing for them and they requested I send a writing sample--I never heard back, but that didn't leave any hard feelings as I know my writing-style can at times be barely legible and full of odd opinions and statements. Anyway, I say all of this to make it clear that Bleeding Cool can have some good content...however, the website is an absolute fucking mess of ads.

At first advertisements on Bleeding Cool seemed to sneak-in. There would be little banners here-and-there but nothing too awful. Then it started to get those faux-article links at the bottom about, "Cheap insurance in your area," or, "The secret casinos don't want you to know," and of course, "This woman looks 10 years younger thanks to this crazy tip!" Annoying stuff like that was appearing. Then the auto-playing videos of various shit Bleeding Cool wants to discuss to, "Inform," us about AKA advertise something. It has gotten so bad I tried to navigate the site on my phone and a Goddamn ad for Splenda appeared and took-up half my screen for a good 5 seconds. Seriously, look:

It is to the point where if I want to even visit Bleeding Cool I have to make sure my ad-blocker is on so that I can bear browsing their pages. I know ad-blockers can seriously hurt quality websites that provide free content for view to us consumers and they simply request we put-up with some banner ads, but what Bleeding Cool has done with all their advertising was a step too far many steps ago. It is sad because the site does have some good stuff buried within all the junk. Maybe a balance will eventually be found, but for now keep your ad-blocker software at the ready.

Television Tuesday: Is it Weird I Would Watch an Actual, "Web of Fries," Movie?

There is an ad on the television currently for how Taco Bell now does their own unique french fries. This is not an ordinary advertisement however, with it in fact seemingly like a thriller movie covering a conspiracy to prevent french fries from being interesting and having any kind of condiment besides ketchup. It sounds silly, and it is, but it works. It ticks all the standard thriller-movie trailer boxes, and that is the self-aware point. Even if it is meant to be a bit of a parody however, it is so good at being a joking imitation of something, it feels real. Watch below:

Josh Duhamel does a really good job acting as he finds himself increasingly enmeshed in a shadowy plot complete with an evil organization, mysterious info-provider, and car chases. It is so straight-faced that is what actually makes it kind of funny, but it also is just so competently done that it seems more professional than half the actual flicks that have come out lately. I mean, watch the trailer for a stinker like, "Paranoia," which had a great cast but was terrible and looked stupid, and then view, "Web of Fries," and tell me which one looks better (and yes, "Paranoia," bombed at the box office due to looking so lame, if you're curious).

The ad maybe isn't getting a ton of buzz, but I'm not alone in finding it smart and subtle, or wishing it we could somehow see the whole flick. I haven't actually tried the fries yet and early reviews are middling at best or call them a, "Chemical Hellbeast," at worst. Even if the fries themselves suck however, the trailer for the faux-movie about them is advertainment at its finest

My Favorite Cosplay--Wizard World Saint Louis 2018

So Much Cosplay!

Cons are always full of cosplayers, and this year's Wizard World was no exception. I saw outfit upon outfit. Certain ones really struck me however and the follow images are of cosplayers who were kind enough to allow me to take a photo and gave me their permission to post the pics!

Awesome Outfits

As I entered the show I ran into Captain America and the Winter Soldier:

Shortly after I got on the floor I was awestruck by this Mr. Freeze and how detailed his clothing looked:

Link and Black Canary were having a great time, with Link's friend Navi glowing bright. Also, Black Canary was kind enough to give me her card which had her Instagram name of, "@jesskcosplay," so you can tag her in your pics or you can email her here. Check them out:

Doctor Strange was casting some spells:

Batman Beyond was repping the future-Batman:

While I usually see a fair assortment of Punishers at cons, I did not this year. That is, besides this snazzy female Punisher:

Starlord and Rocket were happy to pose for me:

The Blues Brothers were drawing a lot of attention thanks to their awesome look:

I'm always happy to see a Moon Knight:

Negan was eager to bash in some brains:

There were a ton of people dressed as the newer-style Harley Quinn, so seeing someone in her classic costume was fun:

To conclude, toward the end of the show I ran into a couple cosplaying as Batman and Catwoman:

Cosplay = Cosyah!

I was super-impressed with the getups I saw this year at the show, and thank everyone who was kind enough to let me snap a picture and post it. This concludes my posts about Wizard World Saint Louis 2018 and I want to thank them again for allowing me to come and cover the show as press. It was a stellar time!

Stuff I Got--Wizard World Saint Louis 2018

Getting the Goods!
When I visit a con I always am excited to see what treasures I'll find to buy or trade my own stuff for. This year I did not get too many items as I've been downsizing my collection more than anything to make space for Clarkson and all of his stuff. That said, there were still some good finds at the show I wanted to share about.

The Stuff
Signed Books
At this year's Wizard World I was pleased to have multiple creators sign comics featuring their work. Kyle Starks was generous enough to do a little sketch on my copy of, "Rock Candy Mountain #1," as you can see:

Plus Jai Nitz signed his new comic, "Chasing Hitler," for me:

Lastly, the talented Jamie Tyndall signed a variant cover of, "Danger Doll Squad #0," I brought to the show:

Bought Stuff
At this years show I tried and loved the, "Swamp Dragon Hot Sauce," so I bought a sampler pack of all four flavors:

Also, Dan Killeen of Happy Fun Books had his latest publication, Robert and the Robots for sale, so I eagerly bought that to read to my son, Clarkson:

Bill Thade traded one of my old indie comics for one of his, so I was able to pick-up this copy of Richard Corben's book, "Fantagor," to enjoy:

Then, I was super-pleased that Kyle Starks was willing to let me pay for him to draw me a sketch of Moon Knight. It came out amazing and is proudly displayed in my house with all my other Moon Knight stuff now. He really did a stellar job--for example, you may notice how his shadow is a crescent like the moon:

Great Mementos
I did not buy a lot this year, but what I did purchase I am very pleased with, and I also greatly appreciated the creators who signed my books. I have some great mementos from this year's show for sure!

The People I Saw--Wizard World Saint Louis 2018

Always Cool People
Anytime I go to Wizard World I see all kinds of neat vendors, artists, and general snazzy folk. I wanted to share about the individuals I especially enjoyed chatting with and shall present them in alphabetical order by either their company name, or last name.

The List

Ryan Callahan
Chef Ryan Callahan was at the show with his award-winning book, "Chef Ryan's How-To-Cook Handbook," that is a combination of a comic, cookbook, and coloring book! It is designed to appeal to kids but has information useful to adult who is only so-so at cooking like myself. Readers can draw themselves into the book, learn all about cooking, and make various recipes. I looked through the book at the show and found it really neat! You can learn more about Chef Ryan and his book here.

Caesar Crawford
I'd actually met Caesar at a previous comic-con a long time ago when he worked for a magazine, but since then he has gone on to become a comic-creator with all kinds of stellar work coming out from his imprint, Revil Comics. He's a great artist and super guy as well. His site is here.

Scott Drummond
Mr. Drummond was at Wizard World promoting the two volumes that have come out so far for his comic series, "Nightsmoke." It sounded look a cool read with its story of a young boy and girl who acquire powers (he can relax his molecules and turn to air, she can focus her molecules and be rock-solid) and have to deal with all the havoc that causes. You can learn more about, "Nighsmoke," here.

Chris Ehnot
I enjoyed chatting with Chris Ehnot about his work creating cover illustrations for everyone from Zenescope to Coffin Comics. As we are both nerds for things like the kind of paper-stock used on business cards or prints we spent a good chunk of time talking about the printing process for the prints he makes of his work and how he keeps them looking glossy without it wearing off. Anyone who walked by us having this conversation probably thought we were either weird, crazy, or boring. I swear after speaking with Chris I'm sure we are just weird and crazy. You can visit his website and see his work here.

Comic-Con Store
I had a great time talking with Joseph of the, "Comic-Con Store," at Wizard World. He had a bunch of awesome collectibles and Funko Pops. You can visit his site here.

End Zone Collectibles
I had a great time chatting with End Zone Collectibles as its founder and I both have lived in (or in his case, currently live in) the state of New York. He had a variety of stellar toys and action figures for sale and you can view many of his wares on their website.

Fearless Readers
Bill Thade of, "Fearless Readers," was at the show with a ton of awesome comics for sale, and a sizable collection of cool indie and underground books. If you ever want to contact bill about his wide-range of titles email him here.

Fine Comic Collectibles
There were a number of people selling products to store your comics, Funko Pops, and so forth at the show, but I was most impressed with Fine Comic Collectibles. The retailer at the booth was a super nice guy named Russel whom I talked with about comics, anime, and all kinds of geeky subjects. I did not feel pressured at all to buy stuff, with him saying how he isn't someone to do a, "Hard-sell," as he feels his prices speak for themselves--and he had some stellar prices. You can visit Fine Comic Collectibles on the internet here.

François le Foutre
Mr. Foutre was at the show in full pirate regalia with his boks that are a part of, "The Seaman Sexology," or as he put it, "Gay pirate romance adventures." The books are very funny, clearly erotic, and I was impressed with how Mr. Foutre's table had a bunch of old-timey pirate stuff and even more impressed with how he managed to make almost everything he said a hilarious and dirty pun. You can learn more about his books here.

Gateway Superfriends
The Gateway Superfriends are a popular Saint Louis cosplay group dedicated to charity work. Whether it is visiting kids in hospitals, assisting with big fundraising events, or anything else. They are a great group of people who really care a lot. You can find their Facebook page here.

Happy Fun Books/Dan Killeen
Dan Killeen of Happy Fun Books was at Wizard World, and I of course always enjoy his books. He was there with his latest publication, "Robert and the Robots," which I eagerly bought and am excited to read to my son, Clarkson. Check-out Happy Fun Books here!

Keith on Da Beat
I chatted with the folk at the booth for local radio station, 104.9, and greatly enjoyed my conversation with Keith, or Keith on Da Beat, if one is referring to his DJ persona. He was great to chat with and can be found on twitter here.

Kingdom Comics
Brian C. I. Bradley of, "Kingdom Comics," was at the show selling copies of his ongoing series, "The Anointed 7," a religion-themed series. It is up to issue #25, which is an impressively high number for an indie book! You can learn more about, "Kingdom Comics," and their books here.

Jai Nitz
I am a big fan of a variety of Mr. Nitz's comics and he was kind enough to sign a number of them for me! He is known for a wide assortment of works, including El Diablo. You can say hello to him on Twitter here.

Online Starlets
I saw a booth with some cosplayers handing out cards, which isn't abnormal for professional cosplayers. I also saw they had prints for sale of them in various outifts, which again is common. The more surprising thing was they were handing out cards for a website that appears to specialize in softcore-ish cosplay-themed pornography. I don't have anything against porn, and it is fascinating to think how geek culture has grown so much in popularity there are now whole websites dedicated not just to women in various states of undress, but getting naked while dressed as assorted super-heroes. Their site is here, and obviously not safe-for-work.

 Shorething Collectables
The folk from Shorething had so, so many Funko Pops at the show. It was amazing to look at the wide variety and they had almost anything I asked about in stock. Visit their website here!

Spike
"Spike," is the name of the man also known as, "That Lost in Space Guy," who sells classic toys and comics. He was fantastic to chat with and had some good books for sale at the show! His website is here.

Kyle Starks
Mr. Starks is behind a number of stellar comics, such as, "Sexcastle," "Rock Candy Mountain," and he is currently writing (and sometimes illustrating), the massively-popular, "Rick and Morty," comic. He was a hoot to talk with at the show and kind enough to let me commission him to draw me a stellar Moon Knight picture, which I'll share in my later post about the cool stuff I got at the show. Kyle Starks' website is located here.

Swamp Dragon Hot Sauce
I was intrigued when I heard about Swamp Dragon as their hot sauce does not use vinegar as a preservative, which can give hot sauce a, "Meh," taste. Instead they use trace amounts of alcohol which gives the sauce a nice smooth flavor. They have four flavors, Tequlia, Rum, Bourbon, and Vodka. I got the four-pack of all the flavors as they all were stellar. You can order some for yourself online here.

Jamie Tyndall
Jamie Tyndall makes awesome-looking comic covers with his neat faux-magazine style. I always enjoy seeing him at shows and chatting. His stuff can be found online here.

Wayne Kent Comics
My good chum Justin of Wayne Kent comics was at Wizard World with a smorgasbord of books. He also had an old, "Captain America," title a friend who I explored the show with Friday wanted so they were able to cut a deal! Wayne Kent comics is on Facebook here.

Wild Bill's Soda
The old-fashioned soda of Wild Bill is always tasty!

So Many Awesome Folk!
I got to either meet or see again a number of cool people. It was fantastic chatting with everyone and my next post will cover the cool stuff I got at the show!

Wizard World Saint Louis 2018 Posts Tomorrow

Wizard World Saint Louis was a good bunch of fun yet again this year. Today I'll be working on my posts and tomorrow you can anticipate three posts. I will discuss all the cool people I saw, the neat stuff I got, and the awesome cosplay I witnessed. I look forward to the next show!

This Trailer for, "The First Purge," Feels Uncomfortably Plausible

I saw the premiere trailer for the upcoming, "The First Purge," movie and found it incredibly effective at being unsettling for a number of reasons. It came on during my viewing of, "The Colbert Report," the other night and at first sounded like a cliche political ad with its talk of being a proud American. I thought it was an ad to elect someone in an upcoming election, frankly. Then it takes a hard swerve into saying how we can proudly have our kids tell us they want to,"Purge," too, followed by an image of a red hat not unlike the kind a certain President has worn reading, "The First Purge." Goddamn is that uncomfortably strong symbolism. Observe:

I liked the first, "Purge," movie but it seemed unsure if it wanted to offer political commentary or just be a home-invasion horror flick. It had a striking concept of an America where for one night all crime is legal under the auspices it helps us reduce violent urges, but it lacked much oomph outside of Ethan Hawke offering a stellar performance as always and hinting at the idea that maybe the Purge was more of an excuse to hurt the poor and disenfranchised than anything else. The 2nd movie, "Anarchy," superior as it had a bigger budget thanks to the first flick and injected a lot more political and social commentary along with morphing into more of a fast paced action-horror flick in comparison to the first movie being a bit too slow of a slow burn. Plus, "Anarchy," made it clear the Purge was a way to keep those less wealthy or powerful weak and thinned-out. I didn't see the third movie, "Election Year," yet, but it apparently provides even more clever observations on politics, as the title would indicate. The thing about, "The Purge," movies that seems to make them resonant with viewers (besides the scares and thrills) is how every year the idea of our government proposing such a terrible and destructive idea seems less crazy--and that is really terrifying.

Our elected officials talk about migrant workers as if they are a cancer as opposed to dedicated people after the American dream. The, "inner-city," is spoken of as if it's a war-zone full of barbaric black people undeserving of being treated as human beings, with police shooting unarmed men and women of color without any consequences being shrugged at. Our President has inspired once-closeted Nazis and white supremacists to march openly with torches and discuss their desire to separate races and religions, or outright eliminate the, "Wrong kind of people." Transgender individuals find themselves at more risks of violence than ever with legal protections getting rolled-back, and being openly gay in the U.S. in motherfucking 2018 could still get you fired from a job in many states, with your employer protected for doing so under their, "Religious Liberty." Taking into account all this would it be utterly absurd to picture some politicians thinking a Purge sounds just dandy? Again, the increasing relevance of what was at first a far-fetched horror concept is terrifying.

As our nation seems to accelerate into an alarming declination of empathy it is only fitting we get a movie about how the Purge started, if for no other reason than that our politicians can probably use it as a blueprint for when things get so bad some moron actually proposes something identical or vaguely similar under the guise of it being, "Good for our country." Everyday it seems more and more plausible, and that is scarier than the movie could ever be.