Breaking Dawn Part 2 Trailer: A Recap of the Top Culture Stories of the Week

Culture

There’s no denying that the topic du jour, or du week, has been politics. PolicyMic went pedal to the metal with our election coverage, and did amazing things in the process. But if you were worried the Culture stories were to be forever quieted by the political fervor I'm here to assure you that the rumors are not true. With our new/old president re-elected, and the campaigns behind us, we can finally get back to the business of arts and entertainment. Our quest for cultural coverage glory will be aided by the newest addition to the editorial team Marni Chan.

Catch up on the stories you missed from the past week, see what is on the horizon, and get ready for PolicyMic’s Culture section to get back into full swing.

Top Feature Stories in Culture:

"Skyfall" Could Be the First Bond Film to Win an Oscar (Cady McClain) – "At the Q and A, Sam Mendes shared that he is always impressed by the "orgy of nostalgia" that comes from the audience's reaction to a certain reveal in the film (and no I am not going to tell you where or when it happens). He was not slighting the audience’s reaction. He, too, is a Bond fan, and grew up seeing all the films post 1970-something in the theatres, like I did. Despite loving the films growing up, he admitted he had not considered directing a Bond film previously because it was a bit of a genre. It wasn't until he was approached at a cocktail party by Daniel Craig and flat out asked. Impressed by the dramatic possibilities laid out in the two prior films starring Craig, and Craig's continued involvement, he agreed. Their previous collaboration on Road to Perdition, might have had something to do with it as well."

Interview with a Millennial Director Taking on the Issues That Face a Generation (Elena Sheppard) – "In 2008, you had young people turning out in record numbers voting for Barack Obama and Democrats. As a result, Democrats paid more attention than ever before to issues like student loans, health care provisions that allow people to stay on their parent’s health care for longer, and a slew of issues that actually make a difference in young people’s lives. This is not a partisan thing, this is a factual statement of what happened." 

Browncoats Unite: Why the Cult TV Classic "Firefly" was Cancelled (Abdul Siddiqui) – "Browncoats Unite is a relatively tame collection of interviews about a relatively tame show. That doesn’t mean the writing is bad, mind you; it simply means that Firefly was never particularly intense in its performances and someone who is a fan of the actors in their later works will see they are not exactly shining here."

"Word War Z": Brad Pitt Channels Tom Cruise in New Zombie Apocalypse Action Movie (Katherine Costello) – "The newly released trailer shows Pitt holding his family tightly as he weaves through traffic, dodging the monsters that seem to come from the sky, whilst avoiding fleeing civilians and exploding buildings. The trailer focuses on Pitt defending his family from the dangerous apocalyptic scenes as well as him taking on the role of the protective father. Sound familiar? (Cough, Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds)."

James Bond Returns in "Skyfall" and He Will Return Again (Adam Hogue) – "In thinking about the Bond empire, I am hard-pressed to liken it to any other franchise. When a Bond movie surfaces people get excited — especially fans — but other than that it is run of the mill. The films use the spy as he has always been for the most part (a drinking, womanizing, gambling, straight shot), they sometimes use re-occurring characters, they are neither continuous nor chronological and they never reference any other films explicitly (Quantum of Solace being the exception)."

 

People Around the Web are Talking About:

Twilight: Get ready to be asked if you are "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob" (for the record, I'm Team Edward.) This Friday, the final installment in the Twilight saga, Breaking Dawn Part 2, hits theaters. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart got back together just in time.