Chuck Claymore

Just saw The Odyssey. Sadly, the woke casting is far from my biggest issue with the movie. The film opens with Travis Scott, the rapper, as a bard. Within the first minute, we also see Elliot Page as a Greek warrior. There's also an oriental and Indian warrior, too. And more black people. So in the opening, there are more genders and races on screen than minutes in the movie. Oh well. At least this makes The Odyssey more relatable right? More accessible to the audience? No, actually. The film spends next to no time fleshing out the characters as people. Penelope is frustrated with the suitors and wants Odysseus to come home. Telemachus wants his father to come home. Odysseus is dealing with whatever challenge is before him. Basically every conversation the characters have revolve around those points and nothing else. There are so many plot points to cover in the film's runtime, there is little to no effort put into developing any sense of personality or authenticity for the characters. Everyone is less relatable than Homer made them 3000 years ago, in which case, what the hell was the point of adapting the work for "modern audiences" anyway? Also, some terrible acting from John Leguizamo and whoever the lady is that plays Circe. Ellen/Elliot Page is generally a good actress, but in this it's painfully obvious she's not just acting as Sinon, she's acting as a man who's acting as Sinon. Unconvincing. Much more to say, full review on tomorrow's stream. 2pm ET.

Q: “What qualifications do you have to serve in the U.S. Senate?" Maine Dem Ashley Webb: "I'm a songwriter and I write my own books."