Atomic Fangirl

“Wait! Wait. I need a quote.”

Story: The Florida Alliance, Western Forces, and Republics of Texas and California are a coalition of 19 states that have seceded from the USA. A dictatorial third term president disbands the FBI, and would rather see everything burn than reach out. And four war journalists are looking for a powerful message they can share with the rest of the world, before it’s too late. Welcome to the second American Civil War.

Genre I’d put it in: Nightmare Scenario Films That Feel Way Too Close To A Possible Reality
Release Date: 2024
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based way too closely to real divisions in our country. Damn y’all. Way too closely.

Gotta say: Journalists. Everybody wants a Pulitzer. To write THAT piece. Take THAT photo. But at what cost? Director Alex Garland uses the uncertainty of our times to craft a powerful think piece on war, divisiveness, and the drive to accomplish something in the world. This movie’s sheer brutality will not be for everyone, but for those who can stomach the intensity? It’ll hit you like a gut punch to your very soul.  War has a same visceral feel as Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men; there’s an immediacy to the proceedings that pulled me in and did not let go. Not even after the end credits rolled. I’m not sure if it’s let me go even now.

“She was so much more than a stripper, a go-go dancer…there was just something different about her.”

Story: In the early 1960s, times were a’changin’. In the Broadway area of North Beach, San Francisco, competition was fierce for patrons. So when the owners of The Condor Club decided to have their most popular dancer dance topless? Everyone took notice.

Genre I’d put it in: Groovy Documentaries
Release Date: 2024
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the book “Three Nights at The Condor” by Benita Mattioli. And, of course, the life of Carol Doda.

Gotta say: Mid-20th century aesthetics seems to have gotten quite the revival. For at least a decade, folks have clamored for all sorts of stuff from the 50s through 80s, from clothes to furniture, music to strange recipes. (Li’l tip from me though; stay away from anything in a lime jello mold…) Burlesque has also gotten quite the come-up in our new century, with performers bringing back the grace and style of the art form. Y’know, back when it was about grace, talent, and fun. Instead of just a reason to enforce a two-drink minimum. Carol takes a look at what feels like the mid-century genesis of the art form, along with how her freethinking attitude echoed several other progressive changes in San Francisco and beyond.