increasingly, the court of public opinion through social media has the power to make or break a film. and the ubiquitous exposure of artists' personal foibles now serves as a legitimate form of film criticism. "Bad" people, so the argument goes, are not deserving of our attention, regardless of the quality of the work. Some questions that arise in this discussion are:
-is it fair or right to equate the artist with the art?
-Does the art stand on its own, despite the biography of the artist?
-Can a film that has ideologically questionable aspects, still be a worthwhile work of art?
-Is the censoring of artists, because of their personal flaws, a form of social control, limiting what we can see, enjoy or find meaningful, or is it a necessary corrective to toxic masculinity, racism and cis conformity that has been allowed to run rampant for many decades?
Azed & Tom, discuss these questions and more, while focusing in on two specific films, Louis C.K. unreleased I Love You, Daddy and Andrew Dominik's much maligned, Blonde. In Louis C.K.'s case his movie was cancelled following the news that- without consent-he exposed himself to numerous women. Dominik's Blonde, a surreal meditation on Marilyn Monroe, was perhaps the most derided film from 2022, citing it's apparent misogyny, social media mobs ripped the film to shreds.
Listen in and join the conversation or don't and just cancel us based on Azed's continued defense of The Dukes of Hazzard and their Confederate flag topped car named The General Lee. Just leave Tom Wopat alone!!
