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issue 29 // vol 44 opinions // no. 15
With great power comes awful films
> Why I can’t stand superhero movies
Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor
Mi" it’s because | never read
superhero comics, maybe it’s
because I’ve seen only a few of the films,
or maybe it’s because, admittedly, I’m
a huge movie snob, but | absolutely
detest superhero movies. Just last
month I saw Black Panther for the
first time and, although I enjoyed it, I
realized that I’ve had enough superhero
movie exposure to last mea lifetime.
“How can anyone hate superhero
movies?!” You, a possible superhero
movie fan, might be asking yourself.
Well believe me, I have my reasons.
They're extremely predictable. I find
superhero movies all follow the same
plot formulas, same characterizations,
same outcomes, same climaxes, same
cheesy lines, same everything! I feel like
I already know what’s going to happen
in every superhero movie before I’ve
even seen them. The heroes always win
in the end, and the villains are always
defeated, though they always come back
a couple times to arouse suspense, and
then are finally conquered in some epic
last battle... or so you think., because
there is almost always a scene at the
end that shows that the villain is still
alive, or has some successor seeking
revenge against the heroes, thus setting
up the plot for the next superhero
movie. It never. Fucking. Ends.
One movie becomes a set-up for
a future movie, which means a sequel
for another, movie which means more
characters are going to be introduced
for more sequels for more movies. It
makes it seem that the set-ups for future
movies are more important than the
current movie itself. This would be fine
if these stories developed or evolved,
but I find they never go anywhere. All
it ever gives you is the same formula for
every superhero movie; mindless action
mixed with an abhorrent amount of
CGI, some suspense, a couple cheesy
romance scenes and inside jokes that only
the die-hard fans would understand.
I get that suspense and action are
important elements in film-making, but
that’s practically all superhero movies
are. I’m not saying they can’t also have
great acting, stories, characters, and
cinematography, I’m sure some do.
However, the emotional response I
get from superhero movies is always
superficial, relying on explosions and
fight scenes to captivate audiences,
and that’s just not what I’m into.
As frustrating as this is to me, |
can understand why so many superhero
movies are being produced these
days. They are huge right now, so
production companies are constantly
pumping them out for profit because
they know people will watch them.
The characters and superheroes are so
well-known at this point that people
will watch them in anything, no matter
how bad the final product may be.
What gets your goat? All-female movie remakes
> We need original movies starring women, not gender-swapped remakes
Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor
here is something to be said about
the film industry when their idea of
female representation or “strong female
roles” is just casting women in movie
remakes that originally starred men.
As much as I like to see women
play leading roles in major movie
blockbusters, when they roles they take
on were originally written for men, it
leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The
problem IJ have with these movies is that
they don’t represent women or give them
“strong female roles” to play, it just places
women in roles that were originally
written for men. Some people will praise
this trend of gender-swapped remake
movies, regarding them as a “Female
representation win!” but how exactly
do these movies represent women when
the roles weren't originally written
The anti-vax
Greg Waldock
Staff Writer
he anti-vaccination movement has,
tragically, planted firm roots here
in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
From Chilliwack to Point Grey, specific
neighbourhoods have shown far lower
vaccination rates than the ones around
them—and, unsurprisingly, with higher
rates of smallpox and whooping cough.
In many impoverished parts of the
world the lack of access to vaccinations
is a matter of life and death, with viral
outbreaks capable of killing thousands of
people across generations with no cure
or treatment. Vancouver (thankfully)
does not have the excuse of poverty
or poor education for these totally
preventable outbreaks. The culprit is
for them? These roles don’t represent
women in any way because these were
roles made for, and by, men. They're
women playing a man’s character, and
to me, that’s not representation.
We recently had an all-female
Ghostbusters, and an expansion on the
male-dominated Ocean’s 11 franchise
with the all-women Ocean's 8, it
looks like this may be a reoccurring
trend in Hollywood, with the next
gender-swapped movie remake being
The Expendables (renamed as The
ExpendaBelles, just in case you forgot
it’s starring all women). To take it even
further, there has even been talks of
remaking The Lord of the Flies with
an all-female cast, which completely
misses the point of the story. The point
was that it was a group of boys and that
they succumbed to toxic and violent
aggressions. If it were all women, |
feel like there would be a completely
different outcome and story, so it
makes no sense to make the
same movie with a female
cast and not change the
story at all. 1 worry if
this all-women reboot
pattern keeps up, more
classic films will have \
their ultimate story
points and morals
misconstrued.
Can't movie
producers make original
films about a group of
female friends battling
some supernatural force,
or a story about a class
of teenage girls stranded
on an island? Surely this
would be more interesting than
the same movie continuously
regurgitated and gender-swapped
in the name of female representation.
movement is dangerous
and needs to end now
> Outbreaks of deadly, preventable diseases in Vancouver can and should be avoided
not the inability to get vaccines; it’s a
willingness to throw out hard facts in
favour of soft, easily-digestible lies.
The modern anti-vax movement
kicked off in 1998 with a paper writer by
Andrew Wakefield alleging connections
between certain ingredients in certain
vaccines with autism starting in
childhood. Despite actual professionals
thoroughly and publicly proving the
paper wrong, it still became enormously
popular with certain aggressively-
contrarian crowds, particularly the kind
that regularly watches daytime TV. Dr.
Phil and Dr. Oz hosted interviews with
people selling alternatives to vaccines,
regardless of their actual medical merits.
A public dialogue in Canada and the US
emerged condemning “Big Pharma’, its
ties to the government, and vaccines
administered to children at childbirth.
At first, this was just frustrating
anti-scientific nonsense pushed by
people with financial stakes in its
popularity. But as the 2000s rolled
on, the real and obvious danger of
the anti-vax movement became clear:
As childhood measles vaccinations
slowed, measles epidemics started
breaking out across the Western world.
In 2013, 88 people were hospitalized
in Wales, resulting in one death. In
2008, 11 children contracted measles in
San Diego, all confirmed to have been
unvaccinated due to their age or their
parents’ choice. In the Fraser Valley,
400 measles cases appeared over the
course of one month. All these cases
occurred in towns and neighbourhoods
with low vaccination rates.
I believe the anti-vax movement
isn’t a debate, a social justice campaign,
Photo by Analyn Cuarto
or an academic dialogue. It is a rabid,
frenzied, thoughtless push towards feel-
good solutions regardless of their impact.
It exists exclusively because people are
falling for “all-natural” or “chemical-free”
advertisements that have placed children
in our community directly in harm’s
way. | fully believe that before this
movement ends, there will be children
dying in Vancouver because their
parents chose not to vaccinate them.
This goes beyond the government
advertising vaccine information or
enforcing mandatory inoculations;
this is a social movement and can only
be stopped by people on the ground.
If you know people who support not
vaccinating their kids, I believe you
have a responsibility to inform them.
We as a community can only hope
people are open to being informed.
With great power comes awful films
> Why I can’t stand superhero movies
Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor
Mi" it’s because | never read
superhero comics, maybe it’s
because I’ve seen only a few of the films,
or maybe it’s because, admittedly, I’m
a huge movie snob, but | absolutely
detest superhero movies. Just last
month I saw Black Panther for the
first time and, although I enjoyed it, I
realized that I’ve had enough superhero
movie exposure to last mea lifetime.
“How can anyone hate superhero
movies?!” You, a possible superhero
movie fan, might be asking yourself.
Well believe me, I have my reasons.
They're extremely predictable. I find
superhero movies all follow the same
plot formulas, same characterizations,
same outcomes, same climaxes, same
cheesy lines, same everything! I feel like
I already know what’s going to happen
in every superhero movie before I’ve
even seen them. The heroes always win
in the end, and the villains are always
defeated, though they always come back
a couple times to arouse suspense, and
then are finally conquered in some epic
last battle... or so you think., because
there is almost always a scene at the
end that shows that the villain is still
alive, or has some successor seeking
revenge against the heroes, thus setting
up the plot for the next superhero
movie. It never. Fucking. Ends.
One movie becomes a set-up for
a future movie, which means a sequel
for another, movie which means more
characters are going to be introduced
for more sequels for more movies. It
makes it seem that the set-ups for future
movies are more important than the
current movie itself. This would be fine
if these stories developed or evolved,
but I find they never go anywhere. All
it ever gives you is the same formula for
every superhero movie; mindless action
mixed with an abhorrent amount of
CGI, some suspense, a couple cheesy
romance scenes and inside jokes that only
the die-hard fans would understand.
I get that suspense and action are
important elements in film-making, but
that’s practically all superhero movies
are. I’m not saying they can’t also have
great acting, stories, characters, and
cinematography, I’m sure some do.
However, the emotional response I
get from superhero movies is always
superficial, relying on explosions and
fight scenes to captivate audiences,
and that’s just not what I’m into.
As frustrating as this is to me, |
can understand why so many superhero
movies are being produced these
days. They are huge right now, so
production companies are constantly
pumping them out for profit because
they know people will watch them.
The characters and superheroes are so
well-known at this point that people
will watch them in anything, no matter
how bad the final product may be.
What gets your goat? All-female movie remakes
> We need original movies starring women, not gender-swapped remakes
Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor
here is something to be said about
the film industry when their idea of
female representation or “strong female
roles” is just casting women in movie
remakes that originally starred men.
As much as I like to see women
play leading roles in major movie
blockbusters, when they roles they take
on were originally written for men, it
leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The
problem IJ have with these movies is that
they don’t represent women or give them
“strong female roles” to play, it just places
women in roles that were originally
written for men. Some people will praise
this trend of gender-swapped remake
movies, regarding them as a “Female
representation win!” but how exactly
do these movies represent women when
the roles weren't originally written
The anti-vax
Greg Waldock
Staff Writer
he anti-vaccination movement has,
tragically, planted firm roots here
in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
From Chilliwack to Point Grey, specific
neighbourhoods have shown far lower
vaccination rates than the ones around
them—and, unsurprisingly, with higher
rates of smallpox and whooping cough.
In many impoverished parts of the
world the lack of access to vaccinations
is a matter of life and death, with viral
outbreaks capable of killing thousands of
people across generations with no cure
or treatment. Vancouver (thankfully)
does not have the excuse of poverty
or poor education for these totally
preventable outbreaks. The culprit is
for them? These roles don’t represent
women in any way because these were
roles made for, and by, men. They're
women playing a man’s character, and
to me, that’s not representation.
We recently had an all-female
Ghostbusters, and an expansion on the
male-dominated Ocean’s 11 franchise
with the all-women Ocean's 8, it
looks like this may be a reoccurring
trend in Hollywood, with the next
gender-swapped movie remake being
The Expendables (renamed as The
ExpendaBelles, just in case you forgot
it’s starring all women). To take it even
further, there has even been talks of
remaking The Lord of the Flies with
an all-female cast, which completely
misses the point of the story. The point
was that it was a group of boys and that
they succumbed to toxic and violent
aggressions. If it were all women, |
feel like there would be a completely
different outcome and story, so it
makes no sense to make the
same movie with a female
cast and not change the
story at all. 1 worry if
this all-women reboot
pattern keeps up, more
classic films will have \
their ultimate story
points and morals
misconstrued.
Can't movie
producers make original
films about a group of
female friends battling
some supernatural force,
or a story about a class
of teenage girls stranded
on an island? Surely this
would be more interesting than
the same movie continuously
regurgitated and gender-swapped
in the name of female representation.
movement is dangerous
and needs to end now
> Outbreaks of deadly, preventable diseases in Vancouver can and should be avoided
not the inability to get vaccines; it’s a
willingness to throw out hard facts in
favour of soft, easily-digestible lies.
The modern anti-vax movement
kicked off in 1998 with a paper writer by
Andrew Wakefield alleging connections
between certain ingredients in certain
vaccines with autism starting in
childhood. Despite actual professionals
thoroughly and publicly proving the
paper wrong, it still became enormously
popular with certain aggressively-
contrarian crowds, particularly the kind
that regularly watches daytime TV. Dr.
Phil and Dr. Oz hosted interviews with
people selling alternatives to vaccines,
regardless of their actual medical merits.
A public dialogue in Canada and the US
emerged condemning “Big Pharma’, its
ties to the government, and vaccines
administered to children at childbirth.
At first, this was just frustrating
anti-scientific nonsense pushed by
people with financial stakes in its
popularity. But as the 2000s rolled
on, the real and obvious danger of
the anti-vax movement became clear:
As childhood measles vaccinations
slowed, measles epidemics started
breaking out across the Western world.
In 2013, 88 people were hospitalized
in Wales, resulting in one death. In
2008, 11 children contracted measles in
San Diego, all confirmed to have been
unvaccinated due to their age or their
parents’ choice. In the Fraser Valley,
400 measles cases appeared over the
course of one month. All these cases
occurred in towns and neighbourhoods
with low vaccination rates.
I believe the anti-vax movement
isn’t a debate, a social justice campaign,
Photo by Analyn Cuarto
or an academic dialogue. It is a rabid,
frenzied, thoughtless push towards feel-
good solutions regardless of their impact.
It exists exclusively because people are
falling for “all-natural” or “chemical-free”
advertisements that have placed children
in our community directly in harm’s
way. | fully believe that before this
movement ends, there will be children
dying in Vancouver because their
parents chose not to vaccinate them.
This goes beyond the government
advertising vaccine information or
enforcing mandatory inoculations;
this is a social movement and can only
be stopped by people on the ground.
If you know people who support not
vaccinating their kids, I believe you
have a responsibility to inform them.
We as a community can only hope
people are open to being informed.
Edited Text
issue 29 // vol 44 opinions // no. 15
With great power comes awful films
> Why I can’t stand superhero movies
Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor
Mi" it’s because | never read
superhero comics, maybe it’s
because I’ve seen only a few of the films,
or maybe it’s because, admittedly, I’m
a huge movie snob, but | absolutely
detest superhero movies. Just last
month I saw Black Panther for the
first time and, although I enjoyed it, I
realized that I’ve had enough superhero
movie exposure to last mea lifetime.
“How can anyone hate superhero
movies?!” You, a possible superhero
movie fan, might be asking yourself.
Well believe me, I have my reasons.
They're extremely predictable. I find
superhero movies all follow the same
plot formulas, same characterizations,
same outcomes, same climaxes, same
cheesy lines, same everything! I feel like
I already know what’s going to happen
in every superhero movie before I’ve
even seen them. The heroes always win
in the end, and the villains are always
defeated, though they always come back
a couple times to arouse suspense, and
then are finally conquered in some epic
last battle... or so you think., because
there is almost always a scene at the
end that shows that the villain is still
alive, or has some successor seeking
revenge against the heroes, thus setting
up the plot for the next superhero
movie. It never. Fucking. Ends.
One movie becomes a set-up for
a future movie, which means a sequel
for another, movie which means more
characters are going to be introduced
for more sequels for more movies. It
makes it seem that the set-ups for future
movies are more important than the
current movie itself. This would be fine
if these stories developed or evolved,
but I find they never go anywhere. All
it ever gives you is the same formula for
every superhero movie; mindless action
mixed with an abhorrent amount of
CGI, some suspense, a couple cheesy
romance scenes and inside jokes that only
the die-hard fans would understand.
I get that suspense and action are
important elements in film-making, but
that’s practically all superhero movies
are. I’m not saying they can’t also have
great acting, stories, characters, and
cinematography, I’m sure some do.
However, the emotional response I
get from superhero movies is always
superficial, relying on explosions and
fight scenes to captivate audiences,
and that’s just not what I’m into.
As frustrating as this is to me, |
can understand why so many superhero
movies are being produced these
days. They are huge right now, so
production companies are constantly
pumping them out for profit because
they know people will watch them.
The characters and superheroes are so
well-known at this point that people
will watch them in anything, no matter
how bad the final product may be.
What gets your goat? All-female movie remakes
> We need original movies starring women, not gender-swapped remakes
Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor
here is something to be said about
the film industry when their idea of
female representation or “strong female
roles” is just casting women in movie
remakes that originally starred men.
As much as I like to see women
play leading roles in major movie
blockbusters, when they roles they take
on were originally written for men, it
leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The
problem IJ have with these movies is that
they don’t represent women or give them
“strong female roles” to play, it just places
women in roles that were originally
written for men. Some people will praise
this trend of gender-swapped remake
movies, regarding them as a “Female
representation win!” but how exactly
do these movies represent women when
the roles weren't originally written
The anti-vax
Greg Waldock
Staff Writer
he anti-vaccination movement has,
tragically, planted firm roots here
in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
From Chilliwack to Point Grey, specific
neighbourhoods have shown far lower
vaccination rates than the ones around
them—and, unsurprisingly, with higher
rates of smallpox and whooping cough.
In many impoverished parts of the
world the lack of access to vaccinations
is a matter of life and death, with viral
outbreaks capable of killing thousands of
people across generations with no cure
or treatment. Vancouver (thankfully)
does not have the excuse of poverty
or poor education for these totally
preventable outbreaks. The culprit is
for them? These roles don’t represent
women in any way because these were
roles made for, and by, men. They're
women playing a man’s character, and
to me, that’s not representation.
We recently had an all-female
Ghostbusters, and an expansion on the
male-dominated Ocean’s 11 franchise
with the all-women Ocean's 8, it
looks like this may be a reoccurring
trend in Hollywood, with the next
gender-swapped movie remake being
The Expendables (renamed as The
ExpendaBelles, just in case you forgot
it’s starring all women). To take it even
further, there has even been talks of
remaking The Lord of the Flies with
an all-female cast, which completely
misses the point of the story. The point
was that it was a group of boys and that
they succumbed to toxic and violent
aggressions. If it were all women, |
feel like there would be a completely
different outcome and story, so it
makes no sense to make the
same movie with a female
cast and not change the
story at all. 1 worry if
this all-women reboot
pattern keeps up, more
classic films will have \
their ultimate story
points and morals
misconstrued.
Can't movie
producers make original
films about a group of
female friends battling
some supernatural force,
or a story about a class
of teenage girls stranded
on an island? Surely this
would be more interesting than
the same movie continuously
regurgitated and gender-swapped
in the name of female representation.
movement is dangerous
and needs to end now
> Outbreaks of deadly, preventable diseases in Vancouver can and should be avoided
not the inability to get vaccines; it’s a
willingness to throw out hard facts in
favour of soft, easily-digestible lies.
The modern anti-vax movement
kicked off in 1998 with a paper writer by
Andrew Wakefield alleging connections
between certain ingredients in certain
vaccines with autism starting in
childhood. Despite actual professionals
thoroughly and publicly proving the
paper wrong, it still became enormously
popular with certain aggressively-
contrarian crowds, particularly the kind
that regularly watches daytime TV. Dr.
Phil and Dr. Oz hosted interviews with
people selling alternatives to vaccines,
regardless of their actual medical merits.
A public dialogue in Canada and the US
emerged condemning “Big Pharma’, its
ties to the government, and vaccines
administered to children at childbirth.
At first, this was just frustrating
anti-scientific nonsense pushed by
people with financial stakes in its
popularity. But as the 2000s rolled
on, the real and obvious danger of
the anti-vax movement became clear:
As childhood measles vaccinations
slowed, measles epidemics started
breaking out across the Western world.
In 2013, 88 people were hospitalized
in Wales, resulting in one death. In
2008, 11 children contracted measles in
San Diego, all confirmed to have been
unvaccinated due to their age or their
parents’ choice. In the Fraser Valley,
400 measles cases appeared over the
course of one month. All these cases
occurred in towns and neighbourhoods
with low vaccination rates.
I believe the anti-vax movement
isn’t a debate, a social justice campaign,
Photo by Analyn Cuarto
or an academic dialogue. It is a rabid,
frenzied, thoughtless push towards feel-
good solutions regardless of their impact.
It exists exclusively because people are
falling for “all-natural” or “chemical-free”
advertisements that have placed children
in our community directly in harm’s
way. | fully believe that before this
movement ends, there will be children
dying in Vancouver because their
parents chose not to vaccinate them.
This goes beyond the government
advertising vaccine information or
enforcing mandatory inoculations;
this is a social movement and can only
be stopped by people on the ground.
If you know people who support not
vaccinating their kids, I believe you
have a responsibility to inform them.
We as a community can only hope
people are open to being informed.
With great power comes awful films
> Why I can’t stand superhero movies
Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor
Mi" it’s because | never read
superhero comics, maybe it’s
because I’ve seen only a few of the films,
or maybe it’s because, admittedly, I’m
a huge movie snob, but | absolutely
detest superhero movies. Just last
month I saw Black Panther for the
first time and, although I enjoyed it, I
realized that I’ve had enough superhero
movie exposure to last mea lifetime.
“How can anyone hate superhero
movies?!” You, a possible superhero
movie fan, might be asking yourself.
Well believe me, I have my reasons.
They're extremely predictable. I find
superhero movies all follow the same
plot formulas, same characterizations,
same outcomes, same climaxes, same
cheesy lines, same everything! I feel like
I already know what’s going to happen
in every superhero movie before I’ve
even seen them. The heroes always win
in the end, and the villains are always
defeated, though they always come back
a couple times to arouse suspense, and
then are finally conquered in some epic
last battle... or so you think., because
there is almost always a scene at the
end that shows that the villain is still
alive, or has some successor seeking
revenge against the heroes, thus setting
up the plot for the next superhero
movie. It never. Fucking. Ends.
One movie becomes a set-up for
a future movie, which means a sequel
for another, movie which means more
characters are going to be introduced
for more sequels for more movies. It
makes it seem that the set-ups for future
movies are more important than the
current movie itself. This would be fine
if these stories developed or evolved,
but I find they never go anywhere. All
it ever gives you is the same formula for
every superhero movie; mindless action
mixed with an abhorrent amount of
CGI, some suspense, a couple cheesy
romance scenes and inside jokes that only
the die-hard fans would understand.
I get that suspense and action are
important elements in film-making, but
that’s practically all superhero movies
are. I’m not saying they can’t also have
great acting, stories, characters, and
cinematography, I’m sure some do.
However, the emotional response I
get from superhero movies is always
superficial, relying on explosions and
fight scenes to captivate audiences,
and that’s just not what I’m into.
As frustrating as this is to me, |
can understand why so many superhero
movies are being produced these
days. They are huge right now, so
production companies are constantly
pumping them out for profit because
they know people will watch them.
The characters and superheroes are so
well-known at this point that people
will watch them in anything, no matter
how bad the final product may be.
What gets your goat? All-female movie remakes
> We need original movies starring women, not gender-swapped remakes
Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor
here is something to be said about
the film industry when their idea of
female representation or “strong female
roles” is just casting women in movie
remakes that originally starred men.
As much as I like to see women
play leading roles in major movie
blockbusters, when they roles they take
on were originally written for men, it
leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The
problem IJ have with these movies is that
they don’t represent women or give them
“strong female roles” to play, it just places
women in roles that were originally
written for men. Some people will praise
this trend of gender-swapped remake
movies, regarding them as a “Female
representation win!” but how exactly
do these movies represent women when
the roles weren't originally written
The anti-vax
Greg Waldock
Staff Writer
he anti-vaccination movement has,
tragically, planted firm roots here
in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
From Chilliwack to Point Grey, specific
neighbourhoods have shown far lower
vaccination rates than the ones around
them—and, unsurprisingly, with higher
rates of smallpox and whooping cough.
In many impoverished parts of the
world the lack of access to vaccinations
is a matter of life and death, with viral
outbreaks capable of killing thousands of
people across generations with no cure
or treatment. Vancouver (thankfully)
does not have the excuse of poverty
or poor education for these totally
preventable outbreaks. The culprit is
for them? These roles don’t represent
women in any way because these were
roles made for, and by, men. They're
women playing a man’s character, and
to me, that’s not representation.
We recently had an all-female
Ghostbusters, and an expansion on the
male-dominated Ocean’s 11 franchise
with the all-women Ocean's 8, it
looks like this may be a reoccurring
trend in Hollywood, with the next
gender-swapped movie remake being
The Expendables (renamed as The
ExpendaBelles, just in case you forgot
it’s starring all women). To take it even
further, there has even been talks of
remaking The Lord of the Flies with
an all-female cast, which completely
misses the point of the story. The point
was that it was a group of boys and that
they succumbed to toxic and violent
aggressions. If it were all women, |
feel like there would be a completely
different outcome and story, so it
makes no sense to make the
same movie with a female
cast and not change the
story at all. 1 worry if
this all-women reboot
pattern keeps up, more
classic films will have \
their ultimate story
points and morals
misconstrued.
Can't movie
producers make original
films about a group of
female friends battling
some supernatural force,
or a story about a class
of teenage girls stranded
on an island? Surely this
would be more interesting than
the same movie continuously
regurgitated and gender-swapped
in the name of female representation.
movement is dangerous
and needs to end now
> Outbreaks of deadly, preventable diseases in Vancouver can and should be avoided
not the inability to get vaccines; it’s a
willingness to throw out hard facts in
favour of soft, easily-digestible lies.
The modern anti-vax movement
kicked off in 1998 with a paper writer by
Andrew Wakefield alleging connections
between certain ingredients in certain
vaccines with autism starting in
childhood. Despite actual professionals
thoroughly and publicly proving the
paper wrong, it still became enormously
popular with certain aggressively-
contrarian crowds, particularly the kind
that regularly watches daytime TV. Dr.
Phil and Dr. Oz hosted interviews with
people selling alternatives to vaccines,
regardless of their actual medical merits.
A public dialogue in Canada and the US
emerged condemning “Big Pharma’, its
ties to the government, and vaccines
administered to children at childbirth.
At first, this was just frustrating
anti-scientific nonsense pushed by
people with financial stakes in its
popularity. But as the 2000s rolled
on, the real and obvious danger of
the anti-vax movement became clear:
As childhood measles vaccinations
slowed, measles epidemics started
breaking out across the Western world.
In 2013, 88 people were hospitalized
in Wales, resulting in one death. In
2008, 11 children contracted measles in
San Diego, all confirmed to have been
unvaccinated due to their age or their
parents’ choice. In the Fraser Valley,
400 measles cases appeared over the
course of one month. All these cases
occurred in towns and neighbourhoods
with low vaccination rates.
I believe the anti-vax movement
isn’t a debate, a social justice campaign,
Photo by Analyn Cuarto
or an academic dialogue. It is a rabid,
frenzied, thoughtless push towards feel-
good solutions regardless of their impact.
It exists exclusively because people are
falling for “all-natural” or “chemical-free”
advertisements that have placed children
in our community directly in harm’s
way. | fully believe that before this
movement ends, there will be children
dying in Vancouver because their
parents chose not to vaccinate them.
This goes beyond the government
advertising vaccine information or
enforcing mandatory inoculations;
this is a social movement and can only
be stopped by people on the ground.
If you know people who support not
vaccinating their kids, I believe you
have a responsibility to inform them.
We as a community can only hope
people are open to being informed.
With great power comes awful films
> Why I can’t stand superhero movies
Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor
Mi" it’s because | never read
superhero comics, maybe it’s
because I’ve seen only a few of the films,
or maybe it’s because, admittedly, I’m
a huge movie snob, but | absolutely
detest superhero movies. Just last
month I saw Black Panther for the
first time and, although I enjoyed it, I
realized that I’ve had enough superhero
movie exposure to last mea lifetime.
“How can anyone hate superhero
movies?!” You, a possible superhero
movie fan, might be asking yourself.
Well believe me, I have my reasons.
They're extremely predictable. I find
superhero movies all follow the same
plot formulas, same characterizations,
same outcomes, same climaxes, same
cheesy lines, same everything! I feel like
I already know what’s going to happen
in every superhero movie before I’ve
even seen them. The heroes always win
in the end, and the villains are always
defeated, though they always come back
a couple times to arouse suspense, and
then are finally conquered in some epic
last battle... or so you think., because
there is almost always a scene at the
end that shows that the villain is still
alive, or has some successor seeking
revenge against the heroes, thus setting
up the plot for the next superhero
movie. It never. Fucking. Ends.
One movie becomes a set-up for
a future movie, which means a sequel
for another, movie which means more
characters are going to be introduced
for more sequels for more movies. It
makes it seem that the set-ups for future
movies are more important than the
current movie itself. This would be fine
if these stories developed or evolved,
but I find they never go anywhere. All
it ever gives you is the same formula for
every superhero movie; mindless action
mixed with an abhorrent amount of
CGI, some suspense, a couple cheesy
romance scenes and inside jokes that only
the die-hard fans would understand.
I get that suspense and action are
important elements in film-making, but
that’s practically all superhero movies
are. I’m not saying they can’t also have
great acting, stories, characters, and
cinematography, I’m sure some do.
However, the emotional response I
get from superhero movies is always
superficial, relying on explosions and
fight scenes to captivate audiences,
and that’s just not what I’m into.
As frustrating as this is to me, |
can understand why so many superhero
movies are being produced these
days. They are huge right now, so
production companies are constantly
pumping them out for profit because
they know people will watch them.
The characters and superheroes are so
well-known at this point that people
will watch them in anything, no matter
how bad the final product may be.
What gets your goat? All-female movie remakes
> We need original movies starring women, not gender-swapped remakes
Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor
here is something to be said about
the film industry when their idea of
female representation or “strong female
roles” is just casting women in movie
remakes that originally starred men.
As much as I like to see women
play leading roles in major movie
blockbusters, when they roles they take
on were originally written for men, it
leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The
problem IJ have with these movies is that
they don’t represent women or give them
“strong female roles” to play, it just places
women in roles that were originally
written for men. Some people will praise
this trend of gender-swapped remake
movies, regarding them as a “Female
representation win!” but how exactly
do these movies represent women when
the roles weren't originally written
The anti-vax
Greg Waldock
Staff Writer
he anti-vaccination movement has,
tragically, planted firm roots here
in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
From Chilliwack to Point Grey, specific
neighbourhoods have shown far lower
vaccination rates than the ones around
them—and, unsurprisingly, with higher
rates of smallpox and whooping cough.
In many impoverished parts of the
world the lack of access to vaccinations
is a matter of life and death, with viral
outbreaks capable of killing thousands of
people across generations with no cure
or treatment. Vancouver (thankfully)
does not have the excuse of poverty
or poor education for these totally
preventable outbreaks. The culprit is
for them? These roles don’t represent
women in any way because these were
roles made for, and by, men. They're
women playing a man’s character, and
to me, that’s not representation.
We recently had an all-female
Ghostbusters, and an expansion on the
male-dominated Ocean’s 11 franchise
with the all-women Ocean's 8, it
looks like this may be a reoccurring
trend in Hollywood, with the next
gender-swapped movie remake being
The Expendables (renamed as The
ExpendaBelles, just in case you forgot
it’s starring all women). To take it even
further, there has even been talks of
remaking The Lord of the Flies with
an all-female cast, which completely
misses the point of the story. The point
was that it was a group of boys and that
they succumbed to toxic and violent
aggressions. If it were all women, |
feel like there would be a completely
different outcome and story, so it
makes no sense to make the
same movie with a female
cast and not change the
story at all. 1 worry if
this all-women reboot
pattern keeps up, more
classic films will have \
their ultimate story
points and morals
misconstrued.
Can't movie
producers make original
films about a group of
female friends battling
some supernatural force,
or a story about a class
of teenage girls stranded
on an island? Surely this
would be more interesting than
the same movie continuously
regurgitated and gender-swapped
in the name of female representation.
movement is dangerous
and needs to end now
> Outbreaks of deadly, preventable diseases in Vancouver can and should be avoided
not the inability to get vaccines; it’s a
willingness to throw out hard facts in
favour of soft, easily-digestible lies.
The modern anti-vax movement
kicked off in 1998 with a paper writer by
Andrew Wakefield alleging connections
between certain ingredients in certain
vaccines with autism starting in
childhood. Despite actual professionals
thoroughly and publicly proving the
paper wrong, it still became enormously
popular with certain aggressively-
contrarian crowds, particularly the kind
that regularly watches daytime TV. Dr.
Phil and Dr. Oz hosted interviews with
people selling alternatives to vaccines,
regardless of their actual medical merits.
A public dialogue in Canada and the US
emerged condemning “Big Pharma’, its
ties to the government, and vaccines
administered to children at childbirth.
At first, this was just frustrating
anti-scientific nonsense pushed by
people with financial stakes in its
popularity. But as the 2000s rolled
on, the real and obvious danger of
the anti-vax movement became clear:
As childhood measles vaccinations
slowed, measles epidemics started
breaking out across the Western world.
In 2013, 88 people were hospitalized
in Wales, resulting in one death. In
2008, 11 children contracted measles in
San Diego, all confirmed to have been
unvaccinated due to their age or their
parents’ choice. In the Fraser Valley,
400 measles cases appeared over the
course of one month. All these cases
occurred in towns and neighbourhoods
with low vaccination rates.
I believe the anti-vax movement
isn’t a debate, a social justice campaign,
Photo by Analyn Cuarto
or an academic dialogue. It is a rabid,
frenzied, thoughtless push towards feel-
good solutions regardless of their impact.
It exists exclusively because people are
falling for “all-natural” or “chemical-free”
advertisements that have placed children
in our community directly in harm’s
way. | fully believe that before this
movement ends, there will be children
dying in Vancouver because their
parents chose not to vaccinate them.
This goes beyond the government
advertising vaccine information or
enforcing mandatory inoculations;
this is a social movement and can only
be stopped by people on the ground.
If you know people who support not
vaccinating their kids, I believe you
have a responsibility to inform them.
We as a community can only hope
people are open to being informed.
With great power comes awful films
> Why I can’t stand superhero movies
Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor
Mi" it’s because | never read
superhero comics, maybe it’s
because I’ve seen only a few of the films,
or maybe it’s because, admittedly, I’m
a huge movie snob, but | absolutely
detest superhero movies. Just last
month I saw Black Panther for the
first time and, although I enjoyed it, I
realized that I’ve had enough superhero
movie exposure to last mea lifetime.
“How can anyone hate superhero
movies?!” You, a possible superhero
movie fan, might be asking yourself.
Well believe me, I have my reasons.
They're extremely predictable. I find
superhero movies all follow the same
plot formulas, same characterizations,
same outcomes, same climaxes, same
cheesy lines, same everything! I feel like
I already know what’s going to happen
in every superhero movie before I’ve
even seen them. The heroes always win
in the end, and the villains are always
defeated, though they always come back
a couple times to arouse suspense, and
then are finally conquered in some epic
last battle... or so you think., because
there is almost always a scene at the
end that shows that the villain is still
alive, or has some successor seeking
revenge against the heroes, thus setting
up the plot for the next superhero
movie. It never. Fucking. Ends.
One movie becomes a set-up for
a future movie, which means a sequel
for another, movie which means more
characters are going to be introduced
for more sequels for more movies. It
makes it seem that the set-ups for future
movies are more important than the
current movie itself. This would be fine
if these stories developed or evolved,
but I find they never go anywhere. All
it ever gives you is the same formula for
every superhero movie; mindless action
mixed with an abhorrent amount of
CGI, some suspense, a couple cheesy
romance scenes and inside jokes that only
the die-hard fans would understand.
I get that suspense and action are
important elements in film-making, but
that’s practically all superhero movies
are. I’m not saying they can’t also have
great acting, stories, characters, and
cinematography, I’m sure some do.
However, the emotional response I
get from superhero movies is always
superficial, relying on explosions and
fight scenes to captivate audiences,
and that’s just not what I’m into.
As frustrating as this is to me, |
can understand why so many superhero
movies are being produced these
days. They are huge right now, so
production companies are constantly
pumping them out for profit because
they know people will watch them.
The characters and superheroes are so
well-known at this point that people
will watch them in anything, no matter
how bad the final product may be.
What gets your goat? All-female movie remakes
> We need original movies starring women, not gender-swapped remakes
Jessica Berget
Opinions Editor
here is something to be said about
the film industry when their idea of
female representation or “strong female
roles” is just casting women in movie
remakes that originally starred men.
As much as I like to see women
play leading roles in major movie
blockbusters, when they roles they take
on were originally written for men, it
leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The
problem IJ have with these movies is that
they don’t represent women or give them
“strong female roles” to play, it just places
women in roles that were originally
written for men. Some people will praise
this trend of gender-swapped remake
movies, regarding them as a “Female
representation win!” but how exactly
do these movies represent women when
the roles weren't originally written
The anti-vax
Greg Waldock
Staff Writer
he anti-vaccination movement has,
tragically, planted firm roots here
in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
From Chilliwack to Point Grey, specific
neighbourhoods have shown far lower
vaccination rates than the ones around
them—and, unsurprisingly, with higher
rates of smallpox and whooping cough.
In many impoverished parts of the
world the lack of access to vaccinations
is a matter of life and death, with viral
outbreaks capable of killing thousands of
people across generations with no cure
or treatment. Vancouver (thankfully)
does not have the excuse of poverty
or poor education for these totally
preventable outbreaks. The culprit is
for them? These roles don’t represent
women in any way because these were
roles made for, and by, men. They're
women playing a man’s character, and
to me, that’s not representation.
We recently had an all-female
Ghostbusters, and an expansion on the
male-dominated Ocean’s 11 franchise
with the all-women Ocean's 8, it
looks like this may be a reoccurring
trend in Hollywood, with the next
gender-swapped movie remake being
The Expendables (renamed as The
ExpendaBelles, just in case you forgot
it’s starring all women). To take it even
further, there has even been talks of
remaking The Lord of the Flies with
an all-female cast, which completely
misses the point of the story. The point
was that it was a group of boys and that
they succumbed to toxic and violent
aggressions. If it were all women, |
feel like there would be a completely
different outcome and story, so it
makes no sense to make the
same movie with a female
cast and not change the
story at all. 1 worry if
this all-women reboot
pattern keeps up, more
classic films will have \
their ultimate story
points and morals
misconstrued.
Can't movie
producers make original
films about a group of
female friends battling
some supernatural force,
or a story about a class
of teenage girls stranded
on an island? Surely this
would be more interesting than
the same movie continuously
regurgitated and gender-swapped
in the name of female representation.
movement is dangerous
and needs to end now
> Outbreaks of deadly, preventable diseases in Vancouver can and should be avoided
not the inability to get vaccines; it’s a
willingness to throw out hard facts in
favour of soft, easily-digestible lies.
The modern anti-vax movement
kicked off in 1998 with a paper writer by
Andrew Wakefield alleging connections
between certain ingredients in certain
vaccines with autism starting in
childhood. Despite actual professionals
thoroughly and publicly proving the
paper wrong, it still became enormously
popular with certain aggressively-
contrarian crowds, particularly the kind
that regularly watches daytime TV. Dr.
Phil and Dr. Oz hosted interviews with
people selling alternatives to vaccines,
regardless of their actual medical merits.
A public dialogue in Canada and the US
emerged condemning “Big Pharma’, its
ties to the government, and vaccines
administered to children at childbirth.
At first, this was just frustrating
anti-scientific nonsense pushed by
people with financial stakes in its
popularity. But as the 2000s rolled
on, the real and obvious danger of
the anti-vax movement became clear:
As childhood measles vaccinations
slowed, measles epidemics started
breaking out across the Western world.
In 2013, 88 people were hospitalized
in Wales, resulting in one death. In
2008, 11 children contracted measles in
San Diego, all confirmed to have been
unvaccinated due to their age or their
parents’ choice. In the Fraser Valley,
400 measles cases appeared over the
course of one month. All these cases
occurred in towns and neighbourhoods
with low vaccination rates.
I believe the anti-vax movement
isn’t a debate, a social justice campaign,
Photo by Analyn Cuarto
or an academic dialogue. It is a rabid,
frenzied, thoughtless push towards feel-
good solutions regardless of their impact.
It exists exclusively because people are
falling for “all-natural” or “chemical-free”
advertisements that have placed children
in our community directly in harm’s
way. | fully believe that before this
movement ends, there will be children
dying in Vancouver because their
parents chose not to vaccinate them.
This goes beyond the government
advertising vaccine information or
enforcing mandatory inoculations;
this is a social movement and can only
be stopped by people on the ground.
If you know people who support not
vaccinating their kids, I believe you
have a responsibility to inform them.
We as a community can only hope
people are open to being informed.