Robot women have existed since the dawn of time, but we’re just beginning to talk about them on Metamashina. We start our series on ladies of the future with the 1927 silent film Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang and reconstructed in 2010. The harpies get heavy on Marxism, history, feminine-coded maschinenmensch, and why we can all love both Freder and Faust.
The second part of our discussion of the Alien Franchise ends with a whimper rather than a bang as we try hard to appreciate the beautiful, but flawed Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Content warning: we discuss physical and sexual violence as presented in these films, as well as Space Jesus, Robot Lucifer, the stupidest scientists ever sent to meet alien life, and why all women could benefit from a robot companion (as long as it’s not programmed by a narcissistic asshole).
Ellen Ripley: feminist icon. Ridley Scott: not so much. Today’s episode covers the first four films of the Alien franchise–yes, even Resurrection, though none of us remembers it well. We’re going deep into the salt mines for our take on the formative series, including why we love xenomorphs and robots with Oedipal complexes. We also cover why we’re not so hot on male writers clinging to hard-edged 90s nostalgia and so-called “Strong Female Characters.” Nothing’s perfect, we guess.
On today’s episode Courtney of Knights of Rant/Who Talks First? and Kirsty of Scavenger’s Hoard join us to discuss the Star Wars trope of “star-crossed lovers.” We explore our personal interest in the enemies-to-lovers pairings, the undeniable attraction between the dark and the light side (in both Legends and Canon), and talk shop about the fan reactions to these pairings. Also Reylo. LOTS of Reylo.
They’re catty, they’re snobby, they’ll ruin your high school experience. So why do we love them so much? In today’s episode we cover the Holy Trinity of “teen drama queen” films: Clueless, Mean Girls, and Heathers. Be prepared for a very long tangent about the socialization of young women as each other’s enemies. We also dip into the inevitabilities of being bullied as a teenager.
Hey all! Got a very special entry today. Due to popular request Metamashina is hosting a mirror of Ohtze’s Star Wars-related essay Kill the King. You can find the original tumblr link here. Please see the mirror below.
In today’s VERY special episode (recorded pre-Last Jedi) we are joined by Rachael and Kirsty of Scavenger’s Hoard to stan over our undying love of fanfic. We discuss the ins and outs of the medium, its history from 1960s-onwards, our personal experiences with it and the importance of women in defining the genre. We also discuss how it differs from meta and why both formats need to be appreciated.
