Robin Williams, Jeremy Corbyn, and more movies about men
19-25 May 2025
Buy me a coffee to help fuel my waffling <3
Hello,
I don’t know how this has come to pass but this week’s rickleverse is quite men heavy. I’m so sorry. I almost considered not sending it out, but unfortunately my takes are too hot for the public not to see them.
This week’s line up includes: a dude who will make you laugh, a dude who’s fighting anti-semitism allegations, and a dude who copes with his trauma by becoming a camp serial killer. A great cross section of the gender I’d say.
Happy reading!
Now That I Think About It
Comedy serves a very important societal purpose. Until recently, I didn’t quite know why. As part of a May writing prompt challenge, a publication called Fanfare asked “Who would you bring back from the dead for one more film?” It came to me more or less instantly. There is one person from the silver screen that I miss the most. One actor who embodies the every lasting flame of humour that glows even in the darkest times.
Read the full article here (or click here if you are a Medium member)
Oh, Jeremy Corbyn
Just after I finished my masters degree in London, I ended up living in an area called Islington. That year, Jeremy Corbyn, the MP for the constituency, ran for Labour leader. He won, and later in 2019 he ran for Prime Minister.
Corbyn has had a history of being one of the UK’s few examples of a true socialist politician. He was a fierce opponent of the Iraq War, rejected austerity, and ran his 2019 campaign on many socialist manifesto points (eg. scrapping tuition fees, improving public sector pay, building affordable housing, and climate change).
However, his downfall came when he was hounded for failing to expose anti-semitism in the Labour party. This and his desire for dialogue with groups such as Hamas (the famous ‘friends with terrorists’ allegations) plus his vocal criticisms of the caste system (labelling him ‘anti-Hindu’) fuelled the suspicions that he was too radically left to be Prime Minister. However, the final nail in the coffin came when he leant more towards a vote for a second Brexit referendum, sending him to the back benches once more.
Yet as Corbyn speaks again on the issues that he always campaigned for - peace, collaboration and the breaking down of harmful structures - the reasons for his downfall seem to feel very similar to those who have spoken out against ICE deportations, bombing Gaza, or climate change. Corbyn is by no means a perfect person, but he can be added to the list of people who have attempted to critically analyse systems of power publicly and consequently sidelined.
Now that the BBC, our Prime Minister Kier Starmer, and so many other public groups and organisations are showing their complicity in systems of abuse, it’s encouraging to see Jeremy still there at the back, fighting. It will be interesting to see if his popularity will increase as people look for a new vision for the country and whether his ideas will still have weight in these times. Is he an anti-semite? He says no. The reporting said he probably hung out with some. Let’s hope he’s learned from his previous shortfalls and that the system doesn’t hound him into subsmission once more.
Art Corner
‘hey jude … don’t spoilerise’ - paul mccartney
📽️ Joker (2019, Todd Phillips) ☆☆☆☆☆
A lot of peeps thought this was problematic but I enjoyed it a lot. As a big fan of the Batman cinematic universe, I was coming into the movie slightly biased. There’s something about all the bad guys being cartoony and the implied social commentary of wealth and inequality which makes this sub genre enjoyable to me. Add Joaquin Phoenix’s absolutely excruciating performance to it all and I’m sold.
📕 Kingdom of Ash (2018, Sarah J. Maas) ☆☆☆☆
I am going to miss these characters so much. I don’t think it’s the best written fantasy series I’ve ever read and it’s a little cliche at times but I think SJM is pretty good at writing characters that are complex and loveable. Now, should I go head first into Crescent City..?
Weekly Stats
Times I became overwhelmed in The Body Shop: 2
Deliciously Ella goods consumed (sponsor me plz): 6
Fennel tea: 10
WHERE ARE MY SUNGLASSES: 87
Cat distribution system videos on my feed: too many its causing me emotional damage
Crisp red apples: 4
Next week on the rickleverse
Coming soon, I’ll tell you about my experience with bone crushing disappointment and then soften the blow with some more optimistic tales.
Love you and see you next week,
Rachael
