With today being May Day, it seems appropriate that today’s song of the day should be this blistering attack on Che Guevara, a racist and misogynistic sociopath who far too many people view as being a hero just because his face looks good on a t-shirt.
The last time I wrote about my “thoughts on the culture,” I wrote about the Olympics, the senatorial primary between James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett, and the controversy over the BAFTA awards. I can remember that, shortly after I scheduled the post, the Iranian War started up and I had to quickly amend my post to mention it.
In my mind, it seems like that all happened a year ago. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the date of the post and I saw that it was published on March 2nd. A lot can happen in two months! With our current news cycle, a week can feel like a month and a month …. well, you get the idea.
It’s May Day!
It’s the first of May. For centuries, May Day was observed as a time of rebirth and a celebration of nature. It was the true Earth Day. Then the communists decided to take it over and turn into a celebration of their totalitarian ideology. International Workers Day, as it is officially known, is a day largely celebrated by people who are rich enough that they don’t have to work. Since 1992, this day has also been known as Worthy Wage Day. Again, the majority of the people celebrating have never actually lived paycheck-to-paycheck. My father, on the other hand, definitely valued each paycheck that he got and he considered unions to be a “pain in the ass.”
In the 1950s, The United States responded to the communist takeover of May Day by establishing two new holidays, Law Day and Loyalty Day. To be honest, both of those sound like communist holidays as well. It’s easy to imagine George Orwell imagining a mandatory Loyalty Day.
(Speaking of Orwell, I recently read a review of Andy Serkis’s adaptation of Animal Farm. Apparently, Serkis added a third act where a piglet named Lucky leads a revolution against the pigs. That’s the culture of 2026. It’s Animal Farm, with a happy ending and an anti-capitalist message.)
According to Checkiday, today is also Theraputic Massage Day so remember that if you’re feeling overwhelmed. You’ve earned a break.
Cole Thomas Allen Is a Dork
Last Saturday, a California teacher and avid Bluesky user named Cole Thomas Allen attempted to assassinate Donald Trump and his cabinet at the White House Correspondents Dinner. He failed, though the fact that he got near the ballroom with a gun is alarming. Also alarming is that, culturally, we’ve reached the point where this type of violence and potential violence is just shrugged off.
That said, the most memorable thing about Cole Thomas Allen is just how dorky he appears to have been. To be honest, all three of the men who attempted to assassinate Trump have come across as being incredibly dorky. I mean, Lee Harvey Oswald was definitely a nerd but even he looked like James Bond compared to Ryan Wesley Routh. As for Allen, he was apparently planning on dying in his attack and he couldn’t even pull that off. Instead, he was arrested and forcibly undressed before being sent off to jail. He left behind a manifesto that read like a Bluesky timeline and a selfie of himself wearing black pants, a black shirt, and ludicrously wide red tie, as if he wanted to make sure that the Secret Service had an easy target at which to fire.
Seriously …. loser!
Speaking Of Losers, How Is Maduro Doing?
I was recently trying to remember when Nicolas Maduro was removed from Venezuela. Again, due to our hyper news cycle, It seems like it happened a year ago. But actually, it was on January 3rd of this year. Maduro is in prison right now. Apparently, for a while, his cellmate was Tekashi 6ix9ine, the rapper who is so stupid that he failed his court-mandated GED test. I’m no fan of Maduro but that really does seem like cruel and unusual punishment.
A Trip Through Time
This week, I started reading through the Shattered Lens archive. I started with our very first post, Arleigh’s review of Avatar. I’m currently worked me way through to September of 2011. It’s been interesting to read and to see how much the culture has changed over the past 14 (going on 15) years. When we started this site, DVDs were still a big deal. My first year of reviews are filled with excited anecdotes about the movie theaters that I loved to visit. Most of those theaters are gone now.
It made me a little bit sad to see how enthusiastic I used to get about certain films. I couldn’t wait to see Black Swan and Sucker Punch. I used to eagerly look forward to the Marvel movies. The Oscars used to be the center of my life. I used to watch my favorite trailers over and over again. I still do get excited about some movies. I still look forward to any new film from Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Sofia Coppola, Andrea Arnold, Joel Coen, Richard Linklater, Joseph Kosinski, and a handful of others. But the Marvel films no longer enchant me. Every trailer has the same flat Netflix look it. Every mainstream movie seems to feature the same collection of stock characters and the same mind-numbingly banal outlook. Meanwhile, the indie films have become just as predictable, their moments of subversion carefully choreographed so to not ruin any potential streaming deal. The knowledge that every film will quickly be available for me to watch at home has taken the thrill out of planning a night with a movie.
The more time passes, the more I find myself ignoring new releases so that I can enjoy films from the pre-streaming era. I guess that’s just a part of getting older. Every generation thinks that the generation that comes after them is full of heathens who are destroying the culture.
Spencer Pratt Is Running For Mayor Of Los Angeles….
….and his first commercial was surprisingly effective. In fact, my twitter timeline is full of people who are convinced he’s going to win. Of course, my twitter timeline is also full of people who thought Gary Johnson was going to win in 2016. As for my opinion, I’m torn. On the one hand, I don’t think I would vote for Karen Bass, not after what happened during the January 2025 wildfires. David Lynch died as a result of having to leave his home due to the fires. As far as I’m concerned, that’s reason enough to vote against Bass. But Mayor Spencer Pratt sounds like it would be a better TV show than a reality. Fortunately, I don’t live in Los Angeles so I don’t have to vote for anyone running over there.
(I am looking forward to President Pratt’s 2044 inaugural ceremony.)
Things Are Going To Get Easier
I watched the 1979 classic Over the Edge this week so, of course, I’ve got this song stuck in my head.
Is that it?
I guess that’s it! Whatever you celebrate, enjoy the first of May!
Believe it or not, when Duck Soup was initially released in 1933, it was considered to be something of a failure. Especially when compared to previous Marx Brothers films, it was seen as being a box office disappointment. The critics didn’t care much for it, either. They felt that the film’s political satire was preposterous and tasteless. Critics in 1933 attacked Duck Soup for being a cynical, anti-government satire released during the Great Depression.
Of course, today, Duck Soup is justifiably viewed as being a classic comedy. It’s certainly my favorite Marx Brothers film. In the classic scene below, Harpo pretends to be Groucho’s reflection in a shattered mirror. It’s a marvelous piece of physical humor so enjoy it!
Today is May Day, which is known in some countries as International Workers Day.
For those who celebrate, here are ten pulp covers that celebrate unique jobs and the people who do them.
by George Gross
by Jack Faragasso
by Julian Block
by Paul Stahr
by Robert Bonfils
by Robert Bonfils
by Robert McGinnis
by Rudolph Belarski
Artist Unknown
Artist Unknown
Congratulations! You have survived May Day and you’ve also survived the first four months of 2023! Let us take a moment to celebrate this milestone. The past few years haven’t been easy for a lot of people but we’ve survived. As we look forward to the months to come, there are a lot more movies to watch and a more television shows to binge and more books to read and more to which to listen! Here at the Shattered Lens we have big plans for the rest of the year. Thank you to all of our regular readers for sticking with us and we hope that rest of this year is a great one for you!
With Law Day coming to a close (not to mention Loyalty Day and International Workers Day), it seems like it’s time for another Ace Attorney AMV of the Day. Really, they should just rename this holiday Ace Attorney Day.
Anime: Ace Attorney
Song: The Phoenix (performed by Fall Out Boy)
Creator: Lise Cupcake (please subscribe to this creator’s channel)
Past AMVs of the Day
In this short film from 1951, a young American airman goes to a small town while on furlough. He goes to sleep in a freedom-loving American town but, when he wakes up, things have changed. The people are no longer friendly. The streets are patrolled by sinister soldiers. A man gives a speech in the town square, announcing that no one is allowed to defy the state. When a woman tries to speak up, she’s grabbed by soldiers. When the airman tries to defend her, he’s grabbed as well. A judge listens as the airman defends America and the first amendment. The judge says that the airman would make a good propagandist. The airman would rather be executed.
What’s happened!?
Well, here’s what the newspaper says:
That’s right! The communists have taken control and apparently, it only took them a few hours to do it. The airman somehow slept through the whole thing. It really does make me wonder whether he’s someone who I really want in an important position when it comes to defending this country. Sleeping through a communist coup takes a lot of effort.
Fear not, though. There’s a twist ending. I won’t spoil it, other than to say that it makes about as much sense as a member of the Air Force sleeping through a communist coup. You can watch it for yourself:
On the one hand, this film is pure propaganda. On the other hand, authoritarianism has become very popular lately and not just among communists. This short film may be heavy-handed but it probably seems a bit less heavy-handed today than it did just a few years ago. In the film, the enemy is communism. In real life, the enemy is anyone who would say that freedom of speech and thought should be curtailed. It’s true that they always have what sounds like a good reason for sacrificing freedom, whether it be to protect the workers or to protect the children or to make the world a safer place. But, in the end, the main goal is to make sure that only one voice can be heard.
Watch this short film on a double bill with the original Red Dawn. What a great way to celebrate May Day.
Welcome to the month of May!
May 1st is not only the first day of May but it’s also a day of many holidays. To some people (mostly British pagans), May Day is a day for celebrating nature. For others, it’s International Workers Day. In socialist and communist countries, this is traditionally the day when the army marches down the street and everyone thinks about how lucky they are to live in a society where they are watched 24/7. In the 50s, in order to provide an alternative to day’s communist and pagan-themed holidays, the United States declared May 1st to be both Loyalty Day and Law Day. On Loyalty Day, Americans are meant to remember that they would even turn in their best friend if that person said something that could be considered subversive. On Law Day, Americans are meant to celebrate the American legal system and the way it can be used to toss subversive elements into prison. I didn’t say these were all necessarily good holidays but they exist, nonetheless. (Sadly, there is no Don’t Be A Snitch Day.)
That’s not all, though. In Hawaii, it’s Lei Day. According to Checkiday, it’s also Phone In Sick Day, which sounds like a lot of fun. It’s also Global Love Day and Couple Appreciation Day and apparently, for dog owners, it’s National Purebred Dog Day. It’s also the Feast Day of St. Joseph The Worker. So, really, no matter what you believe or how you vote (or don’t vote), May 1st has got something for you! Everyone gets a holiday! Yay!
As for today’s music video of the day, it’s from a band called Secrets and it’s for a song called Maybe Next May. Enjoy!
This heart is yours so take it as you please
but if you walk away, remember
I need that heart to breathe
I always try so hard to be her right
and all she does is fight the reasons why
the future always seemed so bright
I don’t know why she fears the light
you always try to hide and cover up the hurt inside
but I see through your lies
you know I’m what you need and I need you to breathe
so wont you take
this heart is yours so take it as you please
but if you walk away, remember
I need that heart to breathe
oh, if you’ve seen what ive seen you should know
you’d know its not a good thing to let go
three years of constant devotion
are gone with our destructive emotions.
our love that once was lays in waste
but i still offer you
this heart is yours so take it as you please
but if you walk away, remember
I need that heart to breathe
I need you now more than you know, why wont you come home?
I need my heart to breathe
there’s a part of me that still cant sleep at night
without you in my side
its getting harder and harder to breathe
the farther and farther you get from me
this heart is yours so take it as you please
but if you walk away, remember
I need that heart to breathe
Since today is May Day, how about a little Marx for today’s scene of the day?
Believe it or not, when Duck Soup was initially released in 1933, it was considered to be something of a failure. Especially when compared to previous Marx Brothers films, it was seen as being a box office disappointment. The critics didn’t care much for it, either. They felt that the film’s political satire was preposterous and tasteless. Much as how today’s critics attacked the Death Wish remake for being released at a time when gun control was trending on twitter, critics in 1933 attacked Duck Soup for being a cynical, anti-government satire released during the Great Depression.
(To be honest, you would think that the Great Depression would have made people better appreciate anything that made fun of the incompetence of government but maybe people were in too bad of a mood to see the joke. Who knows? 1933 was a strange year.)
Of course, today, Duck Soup is justifiably viewed as being a classic comedy. It’s certainly my favorite Marx Brothers film. In the classic scene below, Harpo pretends to be Groucho’s reflection in a shattered mirror. It’s a marvelous piece of physical humor so enjoy it!
(And the next time you see a film bragging about their Rotten Tomatoes score, consider that if Rotten Tomatoes had existed in 1933, it would have gotten a “rotten” rating. The truth of the matter is that most critics are as clueless as Rufus T. Firefly looking into a broken mirror.)
Hi, everyone! Welcome to the merry old month of May!
So, today is May Day, which is apparently some sort of communist new year. (Actually, technically, the holiday is International Workers Day or something like that but May Day sounds prettier and little bit less grimy.) Anyway, with that in mind, it only seems appropriate (to me, at least) that today’s music video of the day should be about wanting money.
This song was originally recorded by Barrett Strong in 1959 and subsequently become heavily identified with the Beatles. There have been quite a few covers over the year but my favorite version is by The Flying Lizards, largely because this version achieves a perfect balance between sincerity and satire.
This video was recorded for a show called TopPop, which was apparently some sort of Danish music show. I have to admit that I have a weakness for bands that were willing to be openly eccentric. That’s something that the world is missing today. Everyone’s so tediously earnest.
Anyway, enjoy!
Through the Shattered Lens 