Ryan Klemek
November 26, 2021
Music, Reviews
Andris Nelsons, Berliner Philharmoniker, Boston Symphony Orchestra, BSO, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, CSO, Dmitri Shostakovich, George Lucas, Gustav Holst, Mars the Bringer of War, Oleg Caetani, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Star Wars, The Planets, Wiener Philharmoniker
The first time I heard Dmitri Shostakovich’s 11th Symphony, I was training for a marathon. I had just finished a 22.3-mile run—my last long one before the race—and was chugging a kale banana walnut hemp seed Greek yogurt orange juice smoothie while skipping around on Spotify. When I found that thunderous section of wild percussion and howling brass in the second movement, I got so fucking high that I started crying like a baby elephant. Endorphins + exciting music = quite a bonkers trip. Film Music Snobby critics often shit on Shostakovich 11 because they think it sounds too much like film music. By this, I assume they mean it’s too melodramatic, too loud, and overly sentimental. Anyone who thinks that is an idiot deserving of a swift kick in the taint, which I will gladly deliver while forcing them to listen to this recording. Is this music dramatic, loud,…
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RK Galaga
February 15, 2021
Divine Advice
Darth Vader, Gina Carano, Jabba the Hutt, Jawas, Star Wars, The Mandalorian
Dear Divine Advice, The last time I wrote in, I was only a little canceled, but now it’s for real. The way the angry Internet mob is coming after me is eerily similar to when a certain group of people got together and demanded that the Romans execute you. I’m sure you hate it when people compare themselves to you, but this time, I think the shoe fits. Anyway, now that I no longer have a job I’m trying to figure out my options. Last time, you suggested either porn or professional wrestling, but I think I can do better. Do you have any other ideas? Sincerely, Gina Carano Dear Gina, I have to admit, I’m scratching my head on this one. In the old days, you would have been canceled for gaining a bunch of weight between seasons, but in modern times, letting yourself get fat just means you…
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H. Seitz
December 23, 2019
Divine Advice
Angelina Jolie, Bernie Mac, Bob Iger, Chewbacca, Eddie Murphy, George Lucas, Ghost Rider, J.J. Abrams, Jesus, Jesus Christ Superstar, Lando, Lucasfilm, Mel Gibson, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Nicolas Cage, Rey, Rian Johnson, Satan, Scrooge McDuck, Seth Green, Spielberg, Star Wars, The Devil's Advocate, The Mandalorian, The Passion of the Christ, The Rise of Skywalker, The Ten Commandments, Tomb Raider
Dear DA, A guy sells something for four billion dollars and it’s difficult to have much compassion for him even if he isn’t an asshole, let alone when he bemoans the reality of what he certainly must have seen coming. I sold Star Wars to a rabid, insatiable rodent, so what exactly did I expect? Did I honestly think that they’d follow my creative vision when they gave me four billion dollars specifically so they wouldn’t have to? Believe it or not, I did. That’s just the kind of narcissistic, egomaniac that I am. After all, if Star Wars is a religion (which it most certainly is), I’m the Holy Trinity. When they made The Passion of the Christ, did they shut you out of the creative process? Or just toss the entire bible out the window? Of course not. The Rise of Skywalker is credited to J.J. Abrams, but…
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H. Seitz
November 25, 2019
Divine Advice
Alex Jones, Avatar, Baby Yoda, Bob Seger, Disney World, Dr. Jekyll, Draco, Elsa, Ewan McGregor, Fox, Frozen, Hillary Clinton, Home Depot, James Bond, Jesus, Marvel, Michael Epstein, Mickey Mouse, Moana, Mr. Hyde, Obi Wan Kenobi, Pornhub, Reptilian, Robert Allen Iger, Satan, Star Wars, Terminator Dark Fate, The Mandalorian, Walt Disney
Dear Jesus and Satan, You’d think that owning everything would be great, but it’s actually extremely stressful. I like to revel in the failure of others just like everybody else, but now, there are no others. Take Terminator Dark Fate. It turns out that Disney somehow owns this piece of crap and it’s got me hella worried about the five Avatar movies we’re making. Jesus Christ, did we have to go ahead and make five of them? We’ve already spent something like a billion dollars and I have no idea what they’re even about. I think they’re about blue panthers or something? God this is bad. We own Star Wars, Marvel, Fox, and all this other crap, but are people even going to the movies anymore? I just don’t see millions of people shelling out $25 to go see Avatar 4. The merch is still solid (thank God) and Baby…
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H. Seitz
November 4, 2019
Divine Advice
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dick Van Dyke, Eddie Furlong, James Cameron, Leslie Hamilton, Linda Hamilton, Mary Poppins, Star Wars, Thanos, The Lost City of Z, The Terminator, The Titanic, Trump
Dear DA, Does anyone actually give a shit about Terminator movies anymore? I get what they’re trying to do by hauling my withered old carcass front and center. I’m one of the OG “empowered” females. Nevermind that in Terminator 2 I was basically a demented gun nut with PTSD who had abandoned her child. I could have pretended to be sane and kept him, but my character was legitimately crazy by any metric. Even if there really were killer robots from the future, would you trust a woman like that to raise a child? Something about her screams “Trump supporter.” No one cares about the Star Wars movies either. I predict this Terminator movie, Star Wars 9 (9!), and the Avatar sequels are all going to suck. We’ve reached a point as a society where we have nothing new left to offer. We’re emotionally and culturally bankrupt. Movie plots are…
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H. Seitz
October 28, 2019
Divine Advice
Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Antman and the Wasp, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Cape Fear, Captain America, Citizen Kane, Daisy Ridley, Eugene Levy, Goodfellas, Iron Man, Joe Pesci, Keanu Reeves, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mad Magazine, Martin Scorsese, Marvel, Raging Bull, Robert De Niro, Rocky, Star Wars, The Age of Innocence, The Avengers, The Bicycle Thief, The Godfather, The Irishman, Thor: Ragnarok, Tigerbeat, Winona Ryder
Dear DA, Are you looking forward to Star Wars 9? That title sounds like a Mad Magazine parody. I’ve been tricked and let down so many times, I just don’t know if I can do it anymore. And why did they have to get a guy with such a weird face? For Christ’s sake, keep the helmet on! There are a lot of cute boys out there who’d be more than happy to shake it for The Mouse. They should’ve done what I do and gone through back issues of TigerBeat. That’s how I found Leo and Bobby DeNiro. If you can’t pull off a TigerBeat cover, what good are you? You think these people are paying to watch you act? You get up there and you shake it, boy, and that goes double for the ladies. Speaking of which, what kind of parents name their kid Daisy? There was…
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H. Seitz
September 2, 2019
Divine Advice
abortion, Anakin Skywalker, Ben Kenobi, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Disney, Ewan McGregor, Ewoks, Force Ghost, Hayden Christensen, Jar Jar Binks, Jedi, Jesus, Kevin James, King of Queens, Leah Remini, Luke, Mickey Mouse, Natalie Portman, Obi Wan Kenobi, Padme, Satan, Sir Alec Guinness, Slave Leia, Star Wars, Tatooine
Dear DA, I’m writing in as Ben Kenobi because this question pertains to the time I spent as Ben Kenobi. You might have noticed that Tatooine doesn’t have much of a need for skilled laborers aside from mechanics or computer techs (damn droids/immigrants), and aside from sword fighting, which would be too suspicious, and being really bad at diplomacy, which actually helps you to be a successful diplomat (if you can never solve any problems, there’s your job security right there—unless of course, a war breaks out, which they inevitably do), I have no marketable skills. Or at least that’s what I thought. There are slaves on Tatooine and other problems, and like most places, you need someone to solve those problems, illegally or not. As I can feel the Force flowing through all living things, I made an incredibly good exterminator. There wasn’t much prestige in that, but I…
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H. Seitz
May 6, 2019
Divine Advice
Alden Ehrenreich, Big Foot, Carrie Fisher, Chewbacca, Chewy, Emma Watson, George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Hayden Christensen, J.J. Abrams, James Earl Jones, Kenny Baker, Loch Ness Monster, Mark Hamill, Michael Jordan, Nessie, Peter Mayhew, R2-D2, Rian Johnson, Shaq, Shaquille O'Neal, Star Wars, Yeti
Dear DA, I’ve lived a long, happy life and all I had to do was dress up as Chewbacca every other decade or so. I didn’t even have to talk or grunt. All of those Chewbacca noises are combinations of lions, bears, and a constipated George Lucas trying to squeeze one out. You know that sad, resigned little wail Chewbacca does? That’s George when he looks down into the toilet bowl after straining for two hours and sees a turd about the size and consistency of a brown M&M. Another bit of Star Wars trivia: George played the black Ewok, and he sometimes filled in for Kenneth George Baker when the R2D2 can got too hot. Kenneth told me he sometimes found little brown M&Ms in there afterward, they were a bit melted but free chocolate is free chocolate. I never had the heart to tell him. Dying is never…
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Ryan Klemek
September 10, 2018
Divine Advice
Catholic Church, Data, God, Gungans, Jar Jar Binks, Jesus, Satan, Star Trek, Star Wars, The Devil, Wesley
Dear Divine Advice, I don’t know who to turn to. I have a strange sexual orientation, and I haven’t told my family or friends yet. I’m not even sure how this would work, but here goes. I am a Robosexual and Kaijusexual. I have a thing for robots, and also for a very specific type of monster. It lives in the ocean and has a giant claw, and is part cephalopod. How do I handle this? I can’t stand the thought of being with a human being. Robots with their emotionless demeanor seem perfect as I can just program them to react a certain way. I particularly like this one butler bot who calls everyone “Wesley”, but I haven’t actually met a robot yet. As for the Kaiju monster, I don’t think they really exist. But I wish they did. I would be the best girlfriend to one. Jesus, how…
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H. Seitz
August 7, 2018
Movies and Television, Reviews
Death Star, Disney, Ewoks, Lando Calrissian, Lucasfilms, Man of Steel, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars, Starkiller, Superman, The Force Awakens
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Rated PG Return of the Jedi is a symbolic exploration of the difficulties involved in expediting the elusive female orgasm. This theme has been taken up by more recent films such as Man of Steel and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and was touched upon by the original Star Wars film released in 1977, but nowhere is it as explicit as in Return of The Jedi. The Death Star, like the Empire, is barren and sterile. All is male, grey, and English. Cloaked within this cynicism is the somehow subtle manifestation of death as a feminine sphere, hinting that within death lays the potential for new life. This is most obviously, and prudishly, illustrated by The Force Awakens, in which the destruction of Starkiller Base (aka The Death Star 2.0) culminates with its rebirth as a star. Likewise in Man of Steel, when the…
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