Berri's Couch

Oh boy you thought Black Swan was a mess just wait. A Netflix release that made ripples (at best) upon its release that clearly had aspirations of being important and talked about by viewers. Which in a way it did achieve, but was it worth it?

Ooooooooooooooooh boy the notorious confusing ballet movie I'm sure that there was no issues with the scenes and capacity to follow along with at least one of our hosts. Jokes aside we try to sift through the many ideas to discuss how well Black Swan dances on the stage of showing the dangers of perfection.

Look we willing dug up trauma during this movie and we're gonna talk about it. The movie that is, and a bit of the trauma for context. The first of many trips we're gonna do into the idea and destruction of seeking perfection in an art form, figured we'd best start with some thing jazz-y and a tad more approachable.

So this franchise happened and we must discuss how and why it happened. Why of all franchises to buck the trend of getting worse with each sequel was it this? Come let's look back on this hecking thing and try to explain this phenomenon in the Dreamworks canon.

At the end of the road we finally finish out this trilogy of films with as boyband reunion. A film tied into a nostalgia that the market group would not have and mixed with songs that technically exist. Join us as we escape this brightly coloured felt world and all its new and horrifying additions to its own lore.

So this was unexpected in sop many ways, an actual good, enjoyable and dare we say rewatchable. Trust us we were just as shocked but this film actually has something you just need to trust us and go on this road trip with us.

So in a scientific way we try to understand what the hell went on to make these movies a franchise and whether or not they are a subject of bad marketing, bad film making or just being for a much younger crowd than the regular movie going audience.

Well this one wasn't at all an odd jump in for us. I mean a sequel show to something that ended when we were only 2, how were we not meant to just be able to understand everything happening immediately upon starting. So in the rare moment of us being much closer to the everyman we sat down and watched the most recent X-men animated show.

If one must have an introduction to the X-men let it be this classic from the early 2000's, bias is strong and determined but can the show hold up to modern eyes? How does X-men Evolution hold up to it's own internal changes? Does it suffer the way the films do? All that and more...but mostly that.

Please forgive the dead air from 58:33 - 58:50 apologists for these movies killed the device for fear of the truth. That these two movies do not hold up. While they achieved their goal of removing one of the worst films from canon their multitude of sin both their own and from their predecessors cannot be overlooked anymore.

The films that laid foundational blocks in pop culture, particularly comic book movies of the post 2000's are getting dragged up and re-examined. The line of sins and virtues starts here for most people so let's take a trip to the "not so distant future" as seen by the past.

IT'S FIGHT NIGHT!!!! In literary theory we (Jerri) breakdown how due to Twilight becoming a series instead of single novel became an allegory for the idea of Catholics vs Mormons who wins. Guilt squares off with perpetually smiling victim complex, robes and opulence vs beige shirt and sensible pants. The essay that never was is now given form and without the terror of possible gradings.

Strap in spider monkey's we're finally delving into the great topic that could have been university essays. Twilight the grand origin of the young adult genre and its use as propaganda for the Mormon faith. Whoohoo!

Well this isn't going to lead anywhere possibly dangerous for opinions. As we run through how images of faith became the accepted norm, and in many ways deemed the correct interpretation of words from an old ass book with multiple translations. Yet as society moves on what explorations have been brought forth and how accurate is our common understanding of said words and images from the book?

From castles and a working literary relationship with faith to an often combative literary relationship with faith with lasers. Jerri takes the wheel as we talk about the relationship the Sci-Fi genre has with faith as a concept, a practice and how they tricked themselves into thinking edgy atheism (for a while) made them different.

Okay a not at all loaded topic just how the fantasy genre handles depiction of religion. Totally chill.........this is just the first chapter for this month so hold onto your butts stuffs about to get prologue heavy in the vibes.

And despite what the flub would have you believe we are discussing independent animation. What defines it? Why does it have such a.........unique reputation? And of course what does it look like in the age of streaming?

Now doesn't that title feel ominous but don't worry we're not talking about chemical in water turning frogs non binary, we're talking about needless nit-picking of details in video games and the community that jumps in head first with immense gusto.

So digital content requires a parasocial element but what if that's the secret to a company's success? How does it work? Can it work long term? Why do it this way? We try to answer these and other questions, emphasis on try.

Can the human experience be retold to us in under 3 minutes skits that eventually gain enough popularity that they were given old media recreations from the creators of said stories exist and are good? You see the length of this buddy so sit back and find out.

I'll come up with something more creative once the headache this show gave me fades; we watched Centaurworld, we have thoughts, talking happens and despite flaws we have positive experiences but wish death on a giraffe.

We're strolling through the home stretch, the last piece of the travelled road we understand as weird cartoons. The comforting warmth of orange hues and chaos gods will soon give way to frigid blues of unknown futures coming to light. Ciphers, cursed birds, mashed potato and molasses, are all we have left.

Defining subcultures, humour and providing power fantasies for young girls. These shows had it all, in what is a seemingly once in a lifetime event these shows were in the centre of a nexus that may have never happened before and seemingly hasn't happened since.

Well it's finally time to get weird and what better place to start than the moment we felt we were getting too old for the programs being shown on TV? Anywhere else? Probably. But that's not how we're rolling, we're talking about Adventure Time and Amazing World of Gumball.

Well we're at the end of the road and we must look back on all that this one story has given us.....and it's not great. After spending weeks discussing various attempts to bring this story to visual media we must now look at the dominoes that have fallen in its wake.