Welcome to the happiest place on the web, the Happy Wednesday column. And boy, is today’s post needed. I’m not even going to talk about all that is going on in the world – we are bombarded with it all the time. If you’re reading this, it is because you, like me, want a break from the negative. So join me in a celebration of all that is good.
Big film releases over the summer
This summer has a number of films that I cannot wait to see. First up, The Hate U Give, the adaptation of Angie Thomas’s devastating, aching and beautiful novel of the same name. The trailer has me unbelievably excited. The source material is unbelievable and I just hope that my favourite moments from the book make it into the film and that they don’t tone down the realest bits – there’s a moment between Starr and Hailey, which, if done right, will have me watching it at least twice at the cinema.
There are a lot of real tragedies. Tom Cruise never winning an Oscar isn’t a big one, but it still irks me. He has mostly been a victim of bad timing and baffling decisions. He didn’t win for Born on the Fourth of July because Daniel Day-Lewis was running, but explain to me how Geoffrey Rush beat him in 1997 when Jerry Maguire is an iconic character and Shine is a nondescript film? You can’t, because it makes no sense. Neither does his lack of nominations for Tropic Thunder (the single hardest I’ve ever laughed at a performance – “I am talking scorched earth…I will **** YOU UP!!!”), A Few Good Men, just for the courtroom scene (“I want the truth!”), Collateral, The Edge of Tomorrow, Minority Report, Top Gun, Mission: Impossible…He has been cranking out memorable performances for 4 decades. Anyway, there is a new Mission: Impossible and we know it will be a thrilling experience.
Last, but not least, I know The Incredibles 2 has already been released, but I’ve not seen it yet. How much I enjoy it will be directly proportional to how much Edna is in it. In a film about superheroes, it is Edna who has the power to steal every scene she is in. The first film had a level of depth not normally associated with children’s films. I look forward to seeing Disney/Pixar do it again.
Who Is America
It is uneven and not every character works, but Baron-Cohen’s depiction of ex Mossad agent, Erran Morad, has proved able to expose the honest attitudes of many in positions of responsibility in America. The first episode had lawmakers advocating for preteens to have access to guns, but, as you can see from the clip above, he goes further this week. I know this post has been link heavy, but this one made me absurdly happy – the sight of a man that seems to be homophobic literally trying to twerk with his ass out puts a smile on my face.
Swedish Student Stops A Deportation To Afghanistan
I finish with Elin Ersson, the Swedish student who, with the aid of social media and a conscience stopped a man being deported to Afghanistan. This story makes it because it reminded me the power that an individual can have. She broke no laws, but through persistence stopped something she believed to be wrong. She has said that she hoped that her stance would make other people think about how their countries treat refugees. I include her because she reminds me as I grow older to remain optimistic and not cynical. That, in essence, is the whole point of the happy Wednesday column. Have a great day.
The Black Unicorn 
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