I know that people complain that Hollywood has run out of fresh ideas and is only interested in sequels, prequels and reboots. Of course, this isn’t true. There are plenty of great films that don’t fit into this criteria. Although, not all of them are worth praising. I mean, if I have the choice between another Marvel sequel or a film starring Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan as gay parents, I know what I’d rather watch. That’s not to say that the concept of a film about gay parents is flawed but the decision to cast Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan in it. As we’ve seen from James Corden’s performance in The Prom, Hollywood hasn’t exactly caught up to our contemporary view of gay people. Coogan is a great actor but, let’s be honest, he’s not known for being subtle. Despite my absolute certainty that it would be a car crash, I decided to watch this film to see for myself. It was short and I couldn’t skip another post.
Do you know what we don’t talk about enough? Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for an Oscar for using blackface. Now I don’t necessarily want to criticise Robert Downey Jr or the film itself. I also don’t necessarily want to give it a pass either. I just think the fact that the academy thought it was Oscar-worthy is a bit weird, right? I mean, how often do they nominate a comic performance for anything? Then they pick the one where a white dude is acting like a Black dude? I find it weird. In terms of the film, I get what RDJ and Ben Stiller were getting at. It’s the lengths that actors go to fully immerse themselves into a role. Officially, RDJ is in blackface but it’s more complicated than that. The character isn’t a Black man but a white actor playing a Black character. I guess you can argue that it raises questions and adds to the conversation. At least more than something like Little Britain did. But, at the same time, you have to ask if nominating the actor for an Oscar legitimises the practice more. Instead of just being a humorous footnote in history. 
Now the Christmas period is over, I’m back to my usual routine. Okay, so I haven’t actually done a 5 day week at work yet but at least I finally know what day of the week it is. As this is a Sunday where I had nothing planned, I spent the day listening to an audiobook. I bought quite a few in the January sale on Audible so I have a fair few to be getting on with. At the moment, I’m focusing on books that I can easily get done in an afternoon. Books that take somewhere between 4 and 7 hours seems like a good time. It means I can get everything else I need to finish and that I’m not focusing on listening for too long. I feel like any more than 7 hours of straight listening would be a bit much for me. I’m far too easily distracted by the things around me. Anything shiny or noisy would do it. This week’s offering was something that I’ve been meaning to read for a long time but wasn’t sure how I would feel about it. I’m a bit Alan Partridge fan but these comedy spin-off books never normally do it for me. It just feels like a desperate attempt to cash in. I figured hearing Steve Coogan narrate as Alan would at least bring it one step closer to a TV special.
Yipee ki-yay, motherbooker 