Let There Be Light

by Wholesome Rage | 28 March 2018

John Huston directed a movie in 1946 that was so subversive, so radical, that it was suppressed by the US army until 1981

You might not recognize John Huston by name, but you know some of his other works; From “The Maltese Falcon” in 1941, to “The Man who Would Be King” in 1975. You might not have heard of “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” starring Humphrey Bogart in 1948 — but it was a movie that Stanley Kubric would list as his fourth favourite, and Sam Raimi as his all time first.

In 1950 he wrote and directed The Asphalt Jungle, one of the first movies to portray criminals as sympathetic characters… and the movie that made Marilyn Monroe.

He followed with 1951’s Red Badge of Courage, and this is the one I want to dwell on first. In fact, forgive me if I continue to throw a few more plates into the air, and we’ll catch them with a title drop later.

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The Riders

by Wholesome Rage | 25 March 2018

There are many common depictions of the four horseman, Death, Pestilence, Conquest and Famine. They are nearly all wrong. Especially about the horses.

Death is not a tall, pale rider, though he is the youngest and the tallest of the four. Conquest is not a broad-shouldered, brutish warrior-Prince, Pestilence is not a green man of oozing sores, and Famine is not skin stretched taut over a weak skeletal frame.

The Riders are eternal children, and their steeds are sticks held between their legs. And when they play together, empires fall.

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“Learn to take a compliment”

by Wholesome Rage | 7 March 2018

So complaining about online dating has, historically, been a very… male-shamey thing, which is interesting.

I don’t doubt for good reason, and I’ve seen for myself some of the outcomes on the other side of the fence.

But it’s interesting to me to talk about why it really sucks to be a guy too. You don’t really see it as much. Usually there are two major outcomes when I do see it brought up; It’s delegitimized — women have it worse, and you’re derided for portraying your side of the issue — or it’s made into a string of personal attacks, you aren’t having success because you’re not worth dating.

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