All posts tagged: sobering

The shocking Married at First Sight allegations are yet another sobering reminder of reality TV’s dark side

The shocking Married at First Sight allegations are yet another sobering reminder of reality TV’s dark side

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more It was billed as a “social experiment”. In each season of Married at First Sight, a lineup of hopeful singles walk down the aisle to be greeted by a complete stranger, someone who has supposedly been selected as their perfect match. A mock wedding ensues – and the “newlyweds”, two people who have never previously laid eyes on each other, then proceed to move in together to see if they can make their relationship work. And throughout every tentative kiss, stony silence and explosive row, the cameras are rolling. As far as dating shows go, it is a high-stakes, high-emotion format – and one that pulls in a lot of viewers. In September 2024, the UK version of MAFS (as it is known by …

Election officials draw on sobering 2020 lessons as Trump calls for nationalizing voting

Election officials draw on sobering 2020 lessons as Trump calls for nationalizing voting

Published by Sam Flores

This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get the latest. When President Donald Trump pressured state and local officials to intervene in his behalf in the 2020 election, it wasn’t a matter of abstract constitutional theory for the people running elections. It was armed protests outside offices, threats against their families, subpoenas for voter data, and months of uncertainty about whether doing their jobs would land them in legal jeopardy. Now, Trump says he wants Republicans to “nationalize the voting” and “take over the voting in at least 15 places,” language that evokes the pressure campaigns he and allies mounted during that contentious 2020 period. Trump’s 2020 effort ultimately stalled when even some Republicans refused to take steps they believed were unlawful. And his call to nationalize voting this week prompted pushback from some GOP members of Congress and other …

“The Ringmaster”: When a documentary about the world’s best onion rings serves up a sobering twist

“The Ringmaster”: When a documentary about the world’s best onion rings serves up a sobering twist

Published by Sam Flores

“The Ringmaster,” screening at the DC Indie Film Festival (March 4-8), is a quirky documentary about onion rings. Not just any onion rings — Worthington, Minn., native Larry Lang’s homemade onion rings. Well, actually, the film isn’t entirely about onion rings; rather it is about Zachary Capp’s efforts to make a documentary about Larry Lang’s onion rings. Capp wants to propel this aging chef’s signature dish from a single restaurant to the world stage. Alas, things don’t quite go as planned. “The Ringmaster,” directed by Molly Dworsky and Dave Newberg, chronicles how Capp, who has an addictive personality — he is a reformed gambling addict — tries to better Lang’s life. However, he manipulates and arguably exploits the chef, for the sake of his self-funded film. (Capp spends boatloads of his inheritance making his documentary over three years until his colleagues tell him, “Enough!”) The humble Larry, who was making his rings in a local saloon, was reluctant to be part of the film. He is also blasé in participating in what might have been …

Finally, “The Man in the High Castle” fascist fantasy ends amidst America’s sobering reality

Finally, “The Man in the High Castle” fascist fantasy ends amidst America’s sobering reality

Published by Sam Flores

A show within Amazon’s “The Man in the High Castle” resembles “The Twilight Zone,” a speculative tale that appears to take place in a timeline closer to the one we know. It could even be our own. In the scene shown, a contented office working merrily hums along in his duties as the Rod Serling-style narrator speaks in ominous tones about the comfortable way that the world works: If he works hard at his job, the disembodied voice says, he will be rewarded. Sure enough, he’s called into his boss’ office . . . only to be met by a black man. This sight more than shocks him – he’s horrified. But his nightmare doesn’t end there, because in walks his replacement – a younger man, also black. Cue the trumpeting thriller music. Shows within shows can be clever spoofs, or they may operate as deft winks acknowledging some broader point that can’t cannot be adequately finessed within the main narrative. This small narrative aside does a bit of both. The “Twilight Zone” doppelganger is …