Artist Facing Decades in Prison for Song Lyrics, Porn Producer Designs Content to Turn 12-Year-Olds Trans, Amazon Yanks McGregor/Gyllenhall Movie from Theaters, (The Five for 12/11/23)
Plus, Apple TV+'s WWII epic looks like a GIANT hit for the streamer, The funeral song you absolutely have to hear.
Hey, welcome to The Five.
It’s pretty rare that the Culture & Commentary issue drops four days late…but here we are.
Despite the delay, this one has plenty of good stuff, so let’s dive in.
[one]
This isn’t the first time The Five has reported on Atlanta-based rapper Young Thug possibly spending decades in prison over…his lyrics. Prosecutors are trying to use the artist’s lyrics of gang connections in a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), which was designed to go after members of the Mafia…back in the 1960’s.
But, like the Patriot Act afer 9/11, which was mainly used against drug dealers, not terrorists (source: Washington Post), law from the JFK era is now being used in a way that the original authors of the legislation had no intention for.
Now, rapper Fat Joe has come out in support of Young Thug by saying…all of his songs are made up.
Fat Joe admitted that he lied in 95 percent of the songs he’s released throughout his career.
During a recent interview with Gayle King, the "Lean Back" hitmaker said that it is horrible that Young Thug's lyrics is being used against him in his YSL RICO case. “I’ve been rapping professionally for 30 years — I’ve lied in almost 95 percent of my songs,” Fat Joe said. “I’m being honest. I write like I feel that day. I’m just being creative. You couldn’t build a jail high enough for the lyrics I’ve said on songs which are all untrue."
He continued, “What I am is a family man, the person who gives back to my community all the time, opens businesses in my community. So the music would never amount to the actual person, Joseph Cartagena. What’s even more horrible is that the district attorneys, they know those lyrics ain’t real. They know that’s creativity. But if it helps their case, they’ll use it to put these guys in jail."
The Bronx rapper added, “And here, we’re having a fun show about it and discussion, but there really is six defendants in Atlanta who might spend the rest of their lives in jail for something that’s totally not true. This is very serious. This destroys families.”
As an artist, I can’t stand anything about Young Thug. I’m a huge fan of hip hop, but I think he deserves any kind of substantial audience with his sub-bar talent.
But as an American? No person should be put in prison for their free speech, which is what we’re dangerously close to in this case.
[two]
The first trailer for the next entry in the popular GTA game series dropped on Monday…wait, don’t scroll! Hang with me for a second on why you should care.
The cultural significance here goes well beyond the $3 billion in sales GTA generated in the first three days of release last time (in 2013). What kind of game drives that kind of incredible sales? One with an unforgettable narrative.
I haven’t played GTA V, but the fourth entry into the series might have won an Academy award had it been a movie. GTA IV tells the story of Niko Bellic, who was conscripted into the Yugoslovian war somewhere between the ages of 13-15. He comes to America to live with his cousin Roman, and is pulled into a life of crime to help Roman escape his gambling debts.
The duo get on the wrong side of the Russian mafia. While on the run, Niko comes across Darko, a fellow soldier who sold out Niko’s unit in the war, resulting in the loss of most of Niko’s friends in an ambush. The player is given the choice to spare or kill Darko. Later, Roman is killed, leaving behind an unborn child. Niko steps in to become a father figure in his absence.
In GTA V, we learn that the choice to spare Darko is the official narrative of the game, and Niko opened a cab business and devoted his life to his nephew. It’s a dark, difficult…but beautiful story, and one that proves that not all great narratives are held within the pages of classic lit.
The trailer hints at a Bonnie-and-Clyde story here. Some have called the game “Woke” for a female lead (we asssume—GTA V had three characters you played as), but female players now make up 49% of American video game players.
Elsewhere, the first trailer dropped for the game-to-live-action adaptation of Fallout, a post-apocalyptic story set after nuclear war. Amazon is clearly trying to capitalize on the success of last year’s live action adaptation of The Last of Us on HBO (sorry, “Max”), Amazon Prime Video wanted in on the video-game-to-TV action. This week, the first look at Amazon’s live action adaptation of the dystopian video game series Fallout. The games (and show) are set in a post-nuclear wasteland where society has collapsed after the use of multiple nuclear weapons.
So, you know, it’s either a fictional TV show or a near-future documentary in the event that things go bad between the U.S. and Russia, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan…the list goes on.
This one doesn’t premier until April 12, 2024…which means that Amazon is betting big by debuting a first look this early. If I had to place a bet, I assume the this one will get a Super Bowl commercial.
And to round out a heck of a week for highbrow video game content, the trailer for season 2 of HALO on Paramount Plus dropped, looking like a futuristic version of Band of Brothers.
The promo script hits hard on this one:
You deserve the truth. The enemy is at our gates.
Their numbers are overwhelming. Any Marine who makes this stand with us will not survive the day.
But every moment we hold the enemy at bay, more innocent people will escape. When they go forth, they will tell the story you write today.,You will be…remembered.
The moral of the story is…don’t write something off as fluff just because it came from a video game.
[three]
After a series of flops this fall/winter, including Napoleon, Disney’s Wish and The Marvels, theaters are struggling to attract moviegoers to the big screen and away from the ever-expanding suite of streaming services.
Now, Amazon has pulled the Road House remake, a high profile release from theaters for 2024, opting to a streaming-only release.
Fandomwire reports:
If the latest reports are to be believed then the movie is currently going through a lot of off-stage drama. Jake Gyllenhaal and director Doug Liman are unhappy with Amazon’s decision and have tried their best to convince them for a theatrical release. The movie has been one of the most controversial ones after the firing of producer Joel Silver and the allegations of AI use.
Even though 1989’s Road House wasn’t a critical success, it made a name in its home video and cable TV release. The remake of the Patrick Swayze movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead as a former UFC fighter alongside real-life UFC star Conor McGregor and many others. However, the Spider-Man: Far From Home actor wanted the movie to get a theatrical release.
According to Puck News, Jake Gyllenhaal and the director Doug Liman were “pissed” at Amazon’s decision and also hoped they revise their decision. They even tried as hard as screening the movie on Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ yacht but still, they could not change the producers’ minds.
Normally, the streaming companies WANT their big budget films in theaters. Killers of the Flower Moon for Apple TV+ and Leave the World Behind for Netflix both rolled out as movie-theater-first releases.
For some reason, Amazon is taking the opposite path here. For the world’s largest company, it probably makes more sense to get additional Prime membership signups. But for local theaters that provide both jobs and entertainment for young people, it’s yet another hit to an already fragile business model.
[four]
A video posted to X (formerly Twitter) shows a porn producer explaining that he tries to put transgender content in heterosexual porn…to convert jr. high students to being trans.
Let’s say you’re twelve years old, you’re still figuring out your sexuality, maybe your gender. Wouldn’t it be helpful to see a normalization of something you think is what you want? If I was 12 and I saw TransAngels, it would help me figure out what I do like and what I don’t like.
[We] put trans males and trans females in scenes to test it out, see if you can convert somebody. Same thing for bi stuff, same thing for gay.
First of all…anybody that tries to get sexual materials to kids that young deserves prison, full stop.
Secondly, the talking point around Transgender identities is that people are born that way…if that’s the case, why do they need “conversion” to become trans?
[five]
As always, let’s wrap this issue with a pop culture roundup:
So far, there’s nothing Donald Glover (Community, Atlanta) has done that I haven’t liked…so seeing him helm the Mr. and Mrs. Smith reboot is exciting.
The 2005 film starred Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt (who got married, then divorced, after meeting on the set of the movie). This is a spinoff, not a reboot…so don’t expect what you saw last time.
On Prime Video 02/05/24.
The second trailer to drop for Masters of the Air gives a better look at pulse-pounding action as well as a more complex narrative than I expected about fighter pilots for the WWII epic.
It’s a true story that may just push Austin Butler (Elvis, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) to even greater heights (pun intended).
Stream it on Apple TV+ on January 26th.
On the unscripted side of 1939-1944…there are there a LOOOOT of documentaries about WWII…yes. Does the latest from Netflix look excellent? Also yes.
I still haven’t watched The Boys, Amazon’s original series about superheroes…except they’re all horrible people. But hey, with no context about what’s going on, this still looks compelling.
[music]
I previously covered the death of Shane MacGowan, the tragic frontman for The Pogues who fell apart due to alcohol and drug addiction just as the Irish folk/punk outfit was set for international stardom.
I’ve already eulogized the late MacGowan in The Five, so there’s no need to rehash it, but MacGowan’s funeral video is worth a watch. Glen Hansard of The Frames and viral hit movie Once leads an ensemble band in The Pogues biggest hit “Fairytale of New York.”
The Irish have a lot to teach Americans about death and mourning…this is a testament to processing grief, as well as a heck of a musical moment that’s well worth a spin.
Until the next one,
-sth