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Maya Salam defines a good-bad movie as an infectious, highly watchable film featuring absurdly over-the-top elements, which endures in pop culture despite obvious cinematic flaws.
The release of Practical Magic 2 prompted a broader cultural examination of films that are beloved despite being poorly reviewed. The sequel follows a generational curse passed down to a new generation of witches.
Maya Salam points to the 1997 disaster movie Volcano as a classic good-bad film because its absurd action beats clash with a heavy-handed, cringey metaphor about 1990s racial tension in Los Angeles.
Maya Salam argues that good-bad movies serve as a modern substitute for the lost monoculture. These films offer low-stakes water cooler debates in an era where media consumption is highly fragmented.
Gilbert Cruz argues that personal affection for good-bad movies is deeply tied to nostalgia. Audiences associate these films with specific formative moments, freezing their emotional reactions in amber.
Maya Salam champions the 1982 sequel Grease 2 as a camp classic. Despite competing with blockbusters like E.T. on its release day, the film gained a cult following for its raunchy musical numbers and over-the-top earnestness.
Gilbert Cruz highlights the 1995 film Hackers as a vibes-forward time capsule of the early internet era. Its cyberpunk fashion and unrealistic, stylized depictions of cyber warfare define its enduring appeal.
Taffy Brodesser-Ackner defends the 1997 action film Face/Off as a great-bad masterpiece of operatic, slow-motion excess. The film features Nicolas Cage and John Travolta physically swapping faces in a highly committed, absurd premise.
Taffy Brodesser-Ackner laments that Hollywood no longer produces bonkers high-concept movies designed to appeal broadly to everyone. She views the extinction of this mid-budget audacity as a tragedy for modern cinema.
Rachel Abrams watched Face/Off following her colleagues' recommendations and concluded the film is simply bad, demonstrating that the appeal of good-bad cinema remains highly subjective.
Jason B developed Little Victoria, an educational, Sim City-style city-building game set in the Victorian era. The game teaches players historical events while using Victorian-era art and classical music.
Nick Nemeth argues that deteriorating demographics in South Korea, Japan, and Europe prevent these regions from growing out of their debt. An aging population shifts workers from productive industries into consumptive, late-life care roles.
Anish Acharya dismisses fears of a permanent AI underclass as a Silicon Valley dark fantasy. He notes that the current AI stack is highly decentralized with dozens of active players, preventing the winner-take-all centralization of the mobile era.
Anish Acharya uses AI music models alongside his thirty-year DJ practice. He predicts generative models will democratize music creation, shifting the medium from broadcast back to active composition and expanding the industry's total scale.
Naomi Klein defines end times fascism as a modern political movement that accepts planetary collapse and focuses on securing survival for a select elite. It differs from historical fascism because its leaders wield advanced technologies and planetary-scale weapons.
Naomi Klein notes that a substantial portion of the American public holds apocalyptic beliefs. She cites data showing that half of all American Christians believe the world is currently experiencing the end of times.
Astra Taylor reports that local opposition to massive, fossil-fuel-powered data centers is driving citizens to town halls. In Memphis, residents are actively fighting Elon Musk's three supercomputers, which rely on polluting gas turbines.
Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor advocate for the political left to build its own mythic, inclusive narratives of the future. They argue that policy lists like universal healthcare are insufficient without a shared sense of wonder and ecological stewardship.
Astra Taylor asserts that constructing a functioning multiracial democracy is inherently more difficult than building authoritarian systems. This difficulty arises because democratic projects require sharing power rather than merely seizing and centralizing control.
Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor describe tech and political elites as traitors to creation rather than to nations or flags. They argue that unlike historical fascists, modern end times fascists offer their base no shared future, relying instead on sadism.
Jocko Willink explains that Navy SEAL physical entrance requirements are relatively low, matching those of an average high school athlete. However, the subsequent training is physically brutal, requiring high baseline strength to pass basic tests like climbing 30-foot ropes.
Jocko Willink claims that even experienced instructors cannot predict who will survive Navy SEAL selection. Physical stature and athletic background do not determine success, as elite athletes quit training at the same rate as average recruits.
Chris Williamson notes that Navy SEAL selection has a strict age cutoff around 31. Jocko Willink explains that older bodies struggle to recover from extreme training incidents, such as falling from a 50-foot cargo net onto sand.
Jocko Willink discusses the Navy SEAL Trident pinning ritual, where teammates punch the metal crest directly into a graduate's chest. Although officially banned in 1994 due to hazing concerns, Jocko Willink notes the practice likely continues unofficially.
Jocko Willink argues that highly aggressive men require structured outlets like combat or intensive physical training. During peacetime, these natural warriors often struggle with military discipline, leading to bar fights and disciplinary actions marked on their uniforms.
Jocko Willink explains that Navy SEAL leadership will disband an entire platoon if officers lose control of their operators. Without strict control, highly aggressive soldiers naturally form toxic, disruptive groups reminiscent of Lord of the Flies.
Jocko Willink states that military working dog selection is incredibly stringent, with only one out of 20 or 30 dogs successfully graduating. The pipeline uses mostly Belgian Malinois because they are lightweight and highly aggressive.
Chris Williamson and Jocko Willink discuss the Navy Marine Mammal Program, which has trained dolphins and sea lions since the 1960s. These animals are deployed to detect underwater mines, guard harbors, and recover lost military equipment.
Chris Williamson notes that Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air intended to warn readers about the dangers of Mount Everest. Instead, it catalyzed a tourism boom, driving annual climber numbers from 450 to over 33,000 within a decade.
Jeff criticizes the reality show Love on the Spectrum, calling it an exploitative and condescending portrayal of autistic adults. He argues that the production underpays its participants and creates artificial, high-pressure dating scenarios that ignore their sensory needs.