Fuck yeah, hereâs one of the original youtube video essayists (back in the day he pioneered the genre together with a small bunch of other formerly Channel Awesome-affiliated folks like Dan Olson/Folding Ideas, Leon Thomas and Lindsay Ellis) reminding us what a video essay can still aspire to be. Iâve often had kind of a hard time with Kyle Kallgrenâs essays in recent years, not because he hadnât worthy things to communicate but rather because heâs grown a tendency to go way overboard with the goofy bits, something heâs not that good at to begin with and a bit of a tired clichĂ© (of youtubers aspiring to be seen as goddamn filmmakers or actors or comedians) i can only take in moderation these days. Itâs exactly why i canât ever make it through, say, a Patrick Willems video (that, plus a number of pretty shallow-to-genuinely-bad, middle-of-the-road takes that had me tune out at some point). Iâm actually kinda glad the Channel Awesome-informed days when half-assed comedy bits were deemed mandatory are long gone.
This newest Kallgren video is pure brilliance though. Donât be too alarmed by that whole youtube standard âTop 20 Listâ schtick, which is indeed just another satirical bit he thankfully tones down fairly quick to act as more of a springboard for a deeper discussion and commentary on issues regarding the culture weâre fed by the Hollywood- and comic book industrial complex. Give it a spin. Itâs worth your time and attention in an era when things worth your time and attention have become kinda hard to find in youtube culture criticism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Iez8_C8F8A
#VideoEssays #Youtube #Monoculture #Film #CulturalCriticism