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How ‘House of the Dragon’ weaves real-world echoes into its fantasy realm

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How ‘House of the Dragon’ weaves real-world echoes into its fantasy realm

Within the opening chapter of the HBO collection, the queen, Aemma Targaryen (Sian Brooke), is within the midst of a troublesome labor. Her husband, King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine), is determined for a son in an effort to safe a male inheritor to the throne, in accordance with custom.

Instructed that the infant is a breach start, the medical advisers say that the king faces a horrible selection, one that can require both dropping the infant, or sacrificing the lifetime of the mom in an effort to attempt saving it.

After agonizing for a time, the king chooses the latter, with the blood loss from the grisly process killing the queen.

Earlier within the episode, Aemma refers to ladies giving start as “our battlefield,” and because of the restricted instruments of the time, that is significantly true within the present’s actuality. Because the Hollywood Reporter’s James Hibberd put it, “the primary season does for giving start what ‘Recreation of Thrones’ did for weddings.”
Whereas the collection is forged as a fictional fantasy, it is unimaginable to completely divorce that from the dialogue about abortion for the reason that Supreme Court docket overturned Roe v. Wade in June, fueling fierce debate about problems with pressured start and ladies’s freedom to make their very own healthcare decisions. Right here, it is the husband (and never by the way, the pinnacle of state) who finally decides for her, with probably the most dire of penalties.

The truth that the infant later dies does not erase Viserys’ actions, though it does finally immediate him to designate his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), as his inheritor, regardless of the break with custom that entails, and the expectation {that a} future son, born to a brand new queen, will immediate him to supplant her.

At its core, because the producers have acknowledged, the primary season of “Home of the Dragon” hinges on questions related to a patriarchal society, one the place sons are most popular within the strain to safe royal bloodlines, and chaos and discord can ensue with out such clear strains of succession.

Addressing these themes, government producer Miguel Sapochnik has stated a basic rigidity inside the collection is “the patriarchy’s notion of girls,” noting that exploring such materials — together with the choice to anchor the story round its feminine characters — “made this present really feel extra modern.”

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Though the first mission is presenting an earlier chapter in creator George R.R. Martin’s struggles for the Iron Throne, the producers had been clearly conscious of early criticisms of “Recreation of Thrones.” That included incorporating folks of coloration into the “Home” forged and, as Salon famous, using a extra restrained method in depicting sexual violence.
Clearly, the dimensions and setting of “Home of the Dragon” means that it’s looking for to enchantment to a wide range of audiences on totally different ranges, together with spectacle, escapism, and its relationship to the mythology contained in Martin’s writing and the sooner collection. However drama has a approach of touching upon issues related to our lives even when it is set prior to now, future or some different model of actuality.

So when it comes to writing the collection off as sheer fantasy, because the premiere suggests and future episodes will reinforce, do not let the dragons idiot you.

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Movie Reviews

Movie review: “The Watchers”

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Movie review: “The Watchers”
“The Watchers” is a horror/thriller movie that is Isha Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut, released in 2024. It is based on the book The Watchers by A.M. Shine. There is a hint of fantastical elements throughout the movie and lore that would have made for a great overall story, but unfortunately,…
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How did Travis Kelce know he was falling for Taylor Swift? He offers a 'genuine' answer

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How did Travis Kelce know he was falling for Taylor Swift? He offers a 'genuine' answer

Travis Kelce isn’t afraid to share his love story.

It turns out that Taylor Swift’s unexpected behavior during the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Chicago Bears in September tipped the relationship into this-is-the-real-deal territory, he said on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast.

Kelce explained that they had already been seeing each other privately but that her attitude toward taking things public impressed him.

He offered her a security escort into the stadium, but she brushed it off and walked in with the rest of his guests.

“She really won me over with that one,” the tight end said, describing how Swift preferred to “be around family and friends and experience this with everybody” instead of getting celebrity treatment.

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“She’s very self-aware. And I think that’s why I really started to really fall for her, was how genuine she is around friends [and] family. It can get crazy for somebody with that much attention … and she just keeps it so chill and so cool.”

The two have kept the intimate details of their relationship under wraps but are notably more public than Taylor has been with past boyfriends. Their passionate kiss after Kelce’s Super Bowl win in February effectively broke the internet, and he joined her onstage in London over the weekend, spicing up the Eras tour.

Kelce says he wants to “keep things private,” but “at the same time, I’m not here to hide anything … that’s my girl, that’s my lady.”

He did admit there have been a few downsides to entering her spotlight — notably, random fans showing up at his pad in Kansas City, Kan.

“I’ve had fun with just about every aspect of it. It’s just when you’re at home you want privacy, and you don’t always get that,” he said.

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The wild online speculation is another annoyance. The athlete said that his father would come across crazy tabloid stories from time to time and call him to fact-check.

“He’d see something so f— out of the blue, like something about me and Taylor, he’s like, ‘Hey, you guys OK?’”

Kelce always has a reply at the ready: “Get the f— off Facebook, Dad.”

And for those still wondering — KillaTrav’s favorite TSwift songs are “Black Space,” “Cruel Summer” and “So High School.”

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Movie Review: ‘Summer Camp’ is an entertaining disappointment

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Movie Review: ‘Summer Camp’ is an entertaining disappointment

Nothing forges a friendship like treating an arrow wound. For Ginny, Mary and Nora, an ill-fated archery lesson and an injured classmate are just the beginning of the lifetime of trouble they’re about to start.

Ginny is a year above the other two, more experienced in both summer camp and girlhood, and takes it upon herself to somewhat forcefully guide her younger friends. Mary cowers in the bathroom away from her bunkmates, spouting medical facts, while Nora hangs back, out of place. When their camp counselor plucks them out of their cabin groups to place them in the new “Sassafras” cabin, they feel like they fit in somewhere for the first time.

50 years later, “Summer Camp” sees the three girls, now women, reunite for the anniversary reunion of the very same camp at which they met. Although they’ve been in touch on-and-off in the preceding decades, this will be the first time the women have seen each other in 15 years.

Between old camp crushes, childhood nemeses and the newer trials of adulthood, the three learn to understand each other, and themselves, in a way that has eluded them the entirety of their friendship.

I really wanted to like “Summer Camp.”

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The opening scene, a glimpse at the girls’ first year together at Camp Pinnacle, does a good job at establishing Ginny, Mary and Nora’s dynamic. It’s sweet, funny and feels true to the experience of many adolescent girls’ friendships.

On top of that, this movie’s star-studded cast and heartwarming concept endeared me to it the moment I saw the trailer. Unfortunately, an enticing trailer is about the most “Summer Camp” has to offer.

As soon as we meet our trio as adults, things start to fall apart. It really feels like the whole movie was made to be cut into a trailer — the music is generic, shots cut abruptly between poses, places and scenes, and at one point two of the three separate shots of each woman exiting Ginny’s tour bus are repeated.

The main character and sometimes narrator, Ginny Moon, is a self-help writer who uses “therapy speak” liberally and preaches a tough-love approach to self improvement. This sometimes works perfectly for the movie’s themes but is often used to thwop the viewer over the head with a mallet labeled “WHAT THE CHARACTERS ARE THINKING” rather than letting us figure it out for ourselves.

There are glimpses of a better script — like when Mary’s husband asks her whether she was actually having fun or just being bullied, presumably by Ginny. This added some depth to her relationship with him, implying he actually does listen to her sometimes, and acknowledged the nagging feeling I’d been getting in the back of my head: “Hey, isn’t Ginny kind of mean?”

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Despite all my annoyance with “Summer Camp,” there were a few things I really liked about it. I’m a lot younger than the main characters of this movie, but there were multiple points where I found myself thinking, “Hey, my aunt talks like that!” or, “Wow, he sounds just like my dad.”

The dynamic of the three main characters felt very true to life, I’ve known and been each of them at one point or another. It felt especially accurate to the relationships of girls and women, and seeing our protagonists reconcile at the end was, for me, genuinely heartwarming.

“Summer Camp” is not a movie I can recommend for quality, but if you’re looking for a lighthearted, somewhat silly romp to help you get into the summer spirit, this one will do just fine.

Other stories by Caroline

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Caroline Julstrom, intern, may be reached at 218-855-5851 or cjulstrom@brainerddispatch.com.

Caroline Julstrom finished her second year at the University of Minnesota in May 2024, and started working as a summer intern for the Brainerd Dispatch in June.

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