movie | Polygamer

Side Quest #2: Wonder Woman with Sabriel Mastin

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Ken Gagne

Wonder Woman has exploded across the silver screen, breaking all records: the first major female superhero film; the first major superhero film directed by a woman; the second $100M-budget film with a female director; and the biggest opening weekend ever for a woman-directed film. Starring Gal Gadot as Diana Prince and Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman is a box-office blockbuster, a fantastic film, and a milestone for feminists.

In this episode of Polygamer, I reunite with Sabriel Mastin, with whom I previously reviewed Star Trek Beyond. In the first, spoiler-free half of the podcast, we share our history with the DC universe and the ways in which this film diverges from DC’s theatrical track record; Wonder Woman‘s casting and the interplay between the two heroes; the temporal anomaly of the World War I setting and how it compares to Captain America’s WWII; visual decisions such as the color saturation and battle choreography; and the practicality of Wonder Woman’s armor.

The second half of the podcast, starting at 36:23, is reserved for those who have seen Wonder Woman — tune in to hear plot details, big reveals, and more!

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spoke, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for links to resources mentioned in this episode.

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Side Quest #1: Star Trek Beyond with Sabriel Mastin

Posted on August 3, 2016 by Ken Gagne

Star Trek Beyond has hit theaters, and it’s astounding. Featuring a script that balances character development with jaw-dropping action from a diverse cast that includes the villain Krall, the alien heroine Jaylah, and respectful nods to Star Trek Enterprise and The Original Series, this third film in the franchise’s rebooted ‘Kelvin’ universe corrects all the missteps in its predecessor, Star Trek Into Darkness.

It may not be a video game, but this movie needs a dedicated podcast episode — so Polygamer alumna Sabriel Mastin and I are co-opting the show this week for a bonus “Side Quest”. We discuss what co-scriptwriters Simon Pegg and Doug Jung got right in this film, whether Beyond passes the Bechdel–Wallace test, what we wore to opening night, the appearance of saucer separation on a TOS-era starship, our favorite scenes (including one that led Ken to disrupt an entire theater), what scientific developments led to the creation of Starbase Yorktown, what happened to Krall in the Prime universe, and what era and timeline the new CBS show, Star Trek Discovery, will be set in.

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Polygamer #23: GTFO director Shannon Sun-Higginson

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Ken Gagne

GTFO is a documentary about women, discrimination, and misogyny in video games. Featuring interviews with Brianna Wu, Maddy Myers, Courtney Stanton, Jenny Haniver, and more, the film examines gamers’ experiences as developers, journalists, competitors, academics, and community organizers. Filming began in 2012 and concluded in mid-2014, months before GamerGate broke, demonstrating that these issues are systemic, extending beyond a few high-profile incidences.

In this interview with director Shannon Sun-Higginson, we discuss what prompted her to make gaming the subject of her debut film; how being a casual gamer helped rather than hinder her approach to this topic; pursuing funding on Kickstarter; how she incorporated GamerGate into the film’s coda; who the film’s target audience is; how she hopes the film will change perception of the gaming industry; and her experiences as a woman director showing GTFO on the film circuit.

Co-hosting this episode of Polygamer is Monica Castillo — film critic for International Business Times, co-founder of the Boston Online Film Critics Association, co-host of the Cinema Fix podcast, and feminist who introduced me to Anita Sarkeesian. You can find Monica on Twitter and Tumblr.

GTFO released on June 9, 2015, for streaming via multiple outlets, including Vimeo and iTunes. Monica saw GTFO at SXSW, while Ken was comped a ticket to its Boston Independent Film Festival screening by Women in Games Boston co-organizer Nina Huntemann.

Download the audio edition of this interview below or from iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spoke, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive.

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Polygamer #22: Philip Jones, director of Gaming In Color

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Ken Gagne

Gaming In Color is a feature documentary exploring the queer side of gaming. After being Kickstarted in 2013 and enjoying a limited release in 2014, the film had its official debut on May 19, 2015. Featuring interviews with GaymerX organizers and attendees and discussing topics such as representation in video games, Gaming In Color serves as a 62-minute primer on the intersection of sexuality and gaming.

In this interview, Gaming In Color director Philip Jones discusses how they took over the project after its acquisition by MidBoss Games; the documentary’s coverage of transgender issues; the reception the film has received from industry developers and publishers such as Riot Games and Electronic Arts; and why, in a pay-what-you-want distribution model, a customer paying only $1 to stream the movie was evidence the film was reaching its target audience.

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