Zootopia

- Zootopia (2016. Dirs. Byron Howard & Rich Moore). Judy Hopps has a dream: She wants to leave behind her rural small-town roots to become an urban police officer. Not an easy task when one is a rabbit in a profession generally dominated by large mammals. But a missing-persons case just might be the big break she needs. Together with con artist fox Nick Wilde, she will navigate a mystery that runs through the seemingly idyllic city of Zootopia --and discover just how deeply ingrained certain bigoted prejudices can be...

There is something about the 'Furry' aesthetic (anthropomorphic animals) that leans itself very well to Noir stories. Recall the likes of "Blacksad", "Contro Natura", "Felidae" (this one may be cheating a little, granted), "BB Wolf and the three LPs"... and now, this all-ages animated movie from Disney. 

The unusual part is: As a mystery, it plays fair with the audience, leaving assorted clues and a couple plot twists that work with the overall themes of the setting. All the same, it is an entertaining family movie, filled with the right amount of humor, occasional pathos and even a couple 'parental bonus' bits (case in point, an homage of sorts to the tv series "Breaking Bad"). 

And as an allegory for real-life racial inequity? Quite a few reviewers have argued that it can't work that way because unlike with real ethnicities, here, the differences between the animals is that some of them could easily kill each other. The thing about that: This movie most definitely takes cues from real life prejudices... but in this case, none of the species represent a specific minority, or for that matter *a* minority. What we have is a series of complexities: Predator-types belittle prey-types, who in turn distrust them. Then we have barely coded bits such as the concept that "a rabbit can call another rabbit cute, but for somebody else to do it, it's...", that you should not touch a sheep's wool without permission (no matter how fluffy it is), that "all predators should be muzzled"... More than a direct reflection of our world, it's a world with several ideological clashes that is not easy to navigate, even for the best-meaning of people. 

Nevertheless, the movie advocates for peaceful coexistence. It would take a ton of hard work, it would always be more fragile that we like to think... but it is possible. 

In that sense, perhaps it is a reflection of our world after all. 

Fyre (2019)

- Fyre: The greatest party that never happened. (2019. Dir. Chris Smith). Documentary about the creation and outcome of the infamous disaster that was the "Fyre Festival" of 2017, with a special focus on the many, many crimes of founder Billy McFarland. 

The thing about documentaries concerning scandals and true crimes: We watch them primarily  out of morbid fascination. Natural curiosity, even if sometimes it can risk running into heartless schadenfreude (if not dive headlong into it). Look how better off you are than these strangers. It can also be informative --not exactly as a guide on how to avoid danger (it is not possible to avoid it all, such is life), but rather to see how do things like this happen. How does a bad idea snowball into a mess that makes the news? 

This particular event would seem a perfect opportunity to mock self-absorbed rich kids who got swindled not once but twice by an internet celebrity (even as he was on trial for for fraud, McFarland tried to swindle all attendants to his failed festival out of money to bribe the jury. He was, by all accounts, unable to grasp the idea that he might face jail time). And there is something of that, certainly: In their own videos, these youngsters show a remarkable lack of common sense and an astounding level of ignorance about travel safety. They are also shown to be quick to turn on each other the second they find themselves in an uncomfortable situation --a group that does not  know how to bear hardships nor how to organize. 

Yet there are two other, more interesting details here. 

The first is the impact the entire project took on the actual residents and workers of the  island of Great Exuma --the image of native workers forced to work around the clock to build a white man's deranged pipe dream is chillingly similar to far too many historical events. 

The second is a specific bit of commentary that can easily fly over most people's heads on a first view. The "Fyre Festival" idea, as McFarland himself lets slip in a casual video, as never truly about organizing a music festival (this would have worked even with no infrastructure. As long as there is live music and alcohol, people will endure anything), nor about swindling (such a thing most definitely went on, but more due to McFarland's incompetence and inability to accept a "no" for an answer than due to any premeditated action), not about promoting his ultimately non-existing booking app, and not even about making an exclusive festival for snooty rich people. 

No, the true purpose is, in a way, a more chilling reflection of how soulless the greedy lifestyle of capitalism truly can be. The Fyre Festival was originally planned to take place at Norman's Cay, an island that was famously used by drug lord Pablo Escobar as part of his trade. The infamous promotional video even made a point of this: "In a paradise island that once belonged to Pablo Escobar". McFarland lets slip in one casual interview that this is the real plan: "Selling the dream of the common man: The fantasy that for a few days they can BE Pablo Escobar." 

The hollow dream of being so powerful that you can do whatever you want, which becomes an ultimately ridiculous nightmare of your own making. In that sense, Fyre may truly represent the maladies of current times. 

Blast from the past!

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NOTE: This review originally appeared in my Tumblr account. As they attempted to censor it, here it is, in its entirety: 

- Best Gay Erotica 2001. Eds., Randy Boyd & Richard Labonté. A selection of twenty-two short stories (well, a couple of them are excerpts from longer works), illustrating the general panorama of gay erotica at the end of the past millennium. The selection is pleasantly varied, ranging from straight-forward one-handed reading to more intricate literary pieces (crisscrossing with the likes of Sci-fi, Noir, Period drama, Poetry in prose, even Metafiction!) to real-life confessionals. The respective introductions by the editors provide a nice glimpse into the selective process as well. 

Of the stories themselves, my personal favorites were “You need a boy”, by Dough Harrison and “Onyx”, by Felice Picano. The first being a skillfully narrated, suitably intense account of an introduction to S&M scenarios; the second, a seduction scene distilled to it’s most powerful moments. There is enough variety and quality for both causal readers and more discerning treasure seekers. Overall recommended.

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