We watched ‘The Marvels’ so you don't have to



If you didn’t already know, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going downhill, and the latest film, “The Marvels,” which was released on November 10, is only adding to the problem.

“I've seen roadside taco stands with better quality control than whatever the heck they've got going on over at Marvel right now,” says Lauren Chen.

People have waited over four years for the release of this film, as it’s the sequel to “Captain Marvel,” which came out in 2019.

Unfortunately, the anticipation and excitement leading up to “The Marvels'” release will likely be replaced with disappointment and frustration.

For starters, the movie is “all over the place,” says Lauren, adding that the confusing plotline “gave [her] a headache.”

Further, because science fiction/fantasy movies are exactly that – fiction – they don’t have to make sense scientifically, but they do have to make sense within the context of the film. Lauren points to the infinity stones from “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” There’s nothing scientifically sound about the concept of powerful space gemstones, and yet, the stones drove the plotline of the films and likely contributed to the fact that the movies are Marvel’s top two performers.

“The Marvels,” however, has the MCU’s lowest grossing film opening in history, perhaps because the fake science, which should have been “fun and ... cohesive,” was “some of the dumbest [Lauren has] ever seen.”

“I, still, while watching this baby-faced actress blast a hole in the sky creating a portal to another planet in order to suck out the other planets’ air, could not help but think to myself, ‘Wow, this is really dumb,”’ she sighs.

There’s also the issue of “emotional resonance” to consider.

Lauren recalls a moment in the film that should have been “a pretty heavy moment,” considering hundreds of civilian Skrulls were left to die on an uninhabitable planet, but despite the tragic circumstances, “the film moves on from that pretty quickly.”

“I mean there's literally just two minutes where it's kind of like, ‘Oh, sucks to suck,”’ says Lauren.

But that’s not the only scene that frivolously glosses over a tragedy.

There’s another point in the film when “basically you just watch a genocide unfold,” and yet “the characters [don’t] seem to give a crap that entire planets and populations [are] being just wiped out,” criticizes Lauren.

And somehow it gets even worse.

For example, in addition to the brushed-aside tragedies, there’s a poor attempt at comedy when some of the characters arrive on Aladna — the singing planet, where the language “is singing in English,” and the residents “don’t understand you” unless you sing, scoffs Lauren.

Suddenly, there’s “a 10 minute ... musical number,” featuring “Brie Larson not only singing but also magically changing outfits,” says Lauren, adding that the scene “felt like a throwaway episode of a daytime weekend TV show.”

There were other parts of the movie, too, that made Lauren realize “the writers could not give a flying F— about the film” like adorable kittens who eat scientists and throw them up later, a trio of “superheroes” who interact like “work colleagues,” and the fact that “there’s basically no men in the film.” But to get the full details on that, you’ll have to watch Lauren’s full review below.


Want more from Lauren Chen?

To enjoy more of Lauren’s pro-liberty, pro-logic, and pro-market commentary on social and political issues, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Zendaya cast as Cleopatra in upcoming biopic, backlash for 'blackwashing' inevitably ensues



Apparently Hollywood has more authority than history when it comes to determining what historical figures looked like.

“Thanks to Hollywood, it's just an established fact at this point that Cleopatra was in fact black, and if you don't like it, well, then you're clearly a racist,” says Lauren Chen sarcastically.

Earlier this year, “we were gifted by the cringe content gods a Netflix miniseries that claimed to be a documentary focusing on the life of the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra,” which was “produced by Jada Pinkett Smith,” says Lauren.

“Now I'm not a historian, nor do I claim to be,” she admits. “However, according to people who are actual historians, there's really not a lot of debate out there. … Cleopatra was not black; she was in fact Greek, and we know this not only because we are familiar with Cleopatra's lineage but because we also have in our possession actual busts of what she looked like.”

Lauren then displays an example of a stone bust of Cleopatra to show that the Egyptian queen was “not a black woman by any stretch of the imagination.”

What’s perhaps even more upsetting is that Pinkett’s film labeled itself a documentary, which according to the Oxford dictionary “provides a factual record or report.”

“Debate surrounding the series really revolved around the concept of blackwashing, i.e. taking figures who were not black but making them black in order to have increased diversity and representation,” Lauren explains.

But clearly Hollywood glossed over the backlash from Pinkett’s “documentary,” as now Zendaya is projected to play the next Cleopatra in an upcoming feature film.

According to Newsweek, “people are divided over the casting choice,” with some “[slamming] the reported casting as ‘blackwashing’ because the historical queen who ruled over the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt descended from a companion of Alexander the Great.”

Further, Cleopatra’s “ethnic roots were Macedonian Greek,” while Zendaya “is a mixed race actress whose father is African American, with Nigerian ancestry,” and whose mother is “white.”

Despite Zendaya’s obvious beauty and talent, “not every actor or actress is suitable for every role,” says Lauren, who does not approve of the casting choice.

“I don't believe that it's necessary for the actress who is playing Cleopatra to be actually ethnically Greek, [but] I think it's pretty reasonable to want an actress who could at least pass for being Greek,” she adds.

And for those who think the producer might be going for “race-blind casting,” you might want to consider the fact that “Timothée Chalamet has been offered the role of Octavius, and Daniel Craig might be playing Caesar.”

Granted both of these actors “could reasonably and ethnically look like the figures they're portraying,” it’s pretty safe to say “this is not about race-blind casting; this is about a concerted effort to blackwash Cleopatra and almost rewrite history,” says Lauren.


Want more from Lauren Chen?

To enjoy more of Lauren’s pro-liberty, pro-logic, and pro-market commentary on social and political issues, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Worst Ever MCU Movie? ‘The Marvels’ Bombs at Box Office | Pseudo-Intellectual with Lauren | 11/14/23

Worst Ever MCU Movie? ‘The Marvels’ Bombs at Box Office | Pseudo-Intellectual with Lauren | 11/14/23

The Army Just Bit the Hand That Feeds

The Army Just Bit the Hand That Feeds

Disney already in 'damage control' mode before 'The Marvels' is released



If you’re tired of Marvel movies with woke plotlines and feminist leading ladies, then that’s too bad because there’s another one on the way.

“The Marvels” is gearing up for its 2023 release next week and will star Brie Larson as Captain Marvel.

While Lauren Chen isn’t a fan of the Marvel franchise and its stars, she admits that what she is “a huge fan of is schadenfreude.”

“You see the team behind Captain Marvel, including Brie Larson herself. They were really at the forefront of basically accusing everybody who doesn’t like one of their movies of being sexist or toxic,” Chen says.

Larson as Captain Marvel has not been a selling point for fans, and because of that, Disney has “been doing everything in their power to essentially play damage control for the character.”

The new film is predicted to have one of, if not the worst, box office grosses for the MCU ever. It’s been predicted that "The Marvels" will only gross between $50 million and $75 million in its domestic opening weekend.

It’s also been predicted that the film will bring in between $121 million and $189 million at the domestic box office.

“If this data is correct, I really can’t imagine a way that Disney does not lose money on this,” Chen says.

And apparently, not even Brie Larson is fully on board with being Captain Marvel anymore.

“There’s even been a report that claims that Brie Larson has grown disillusioned with the role of Captain Marvel and that she no longer wants to play the character anymore,” Chen says.


Want more from Lauren Chen?

To enjoy more of Lauren’s pro-liberty, pro-logic, and pro-market commentary on social and political issues, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Make no mistake – 'Spider-Man' has gone WOKE



The entertainment industry as a whole has been taken over by progressive activists. Unfortunately, Marvel and Sony are two of the conglomerates that have gone woke (and lost a good portion of their audiences because of it).

For example, the companies have taken the "Spider-Man" chronicles down a path of virtue-signaling and DEI initiatives.

“Spider-Man sadly has fallen prey to these woke zombies,” sighs Lauren Chen, “and I guess one of the biggest red flags for fans of 'Spider-Man' was the replacement of Peter Parker with Miles Morales.”

“A character simply being mixed race or not white is not in of itself a political statement,” she continues, “unless of course the creators of the character explicitly state that it is, which is exactly what happened.”

Radar Online reported that “Marvel Comics editor and chief Axel Alonso said Miles Morales, the half black, half Hispanic heir apparent to the late Peter Parker in the timeless Spider-Man comic book series, was partially inspired by President Barack Obama.”

Further, the artist who created the character Miles Morales revealed that “the new character’s multicultural background could lead to more revelations in the future — including Spidey’s sexuality.”

Fans are upset that Marvel is clearly “trying to diversity-wash Spider-Man,” says Lauren.

But that’s not the only “wokeness infecting the 'Spider-Man' franchise.”

“Unfortunately, yet predictably, wokeness in the creation of Miles Morales as a character has also led to wokeness in Miles Morales games and comics,” Lauren explains.

The action-adventure video game starring Miles Morales that Sony dropped in 2020 was “filled with just outright political propaganda.”

For example, the game features a flashy in-game mural paying homage to Black Lives Matter, “and when you knock out all the quests, you receive the Uptown Pride suit, which is black and yellow — the colors associated with Black Lives Matter,” reports Gamespot.

But it’s not just racial politics at play in the "Spider-Man" franchise; it’s infused with gender ideology as well.

One of the side quests in the 2020 game revolves around helping “a male classmate propose to another male classmate,” explains Lauren, while in the "Spider-Man 2" video game, which was just recently released, “we have lesbian Black Cat.”

But it doesn’t end there. From a less attractive Mary Jane to butchering the Spanish language to avoid triggering the non-binary community, it’s clear "Spider-Man" has gone down a progressive path from which it may never recover.


Want more from Lauren Chen?

To enjoy more of Lauren’s pro-liberty, pro-logic, and pro-market commentary on social and political issues, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Rumor has it 'Aquaman 2,' starring Amber Heard, is SO BAD, it's not even being marketed



"Aquaman" was a box office hit, however, like most Hollywood movies — the sequel is shaping up to be a disaster.

While the pandemic threw a wrench in its development, one of its lead stars was embroiled in the middle of a messy and extremely public court case.

That court case was between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, which ended in Heard being almost completely written out of the "Aquaman" sequel.

“There are even rumors out there that the studio is so skeptical about how this film is going to perform at the box office that they’re not even bothering to market it,” Lauren Chen says, because they seem to recognize that they’re going to lose money doing so.

The film has reportedly undergone its third set of reshoots since it finished principal photography in January 2022 and cost around $200 million to make.

“Personally, I think that number is probably artificially low,” Chen says, noting the number of reshoots. “Anytime I hear that a film has had to undergo a reshoot, it’s kind of a red flag in my mind.”

Even the director, James Wan, has said he’s “had to make adjustments along the way,” which only confirms Chen’s belief that this film is likely to crash and burn.

As for test screening, there have also been reports that people have actually been walking out of screenings of "Aquaman."

“I’m not going to go into exactly what the alleged scene that caused people to walk out of the film is, but I mean, if it’s true — let’s just say it would in fact be a very disturbing scene to see in any movie,” Chen says.

There are now even rumors that Jason Momoa’s role in the DC Universe, which fans had previously been told was secure, is also up in the air.

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” Chen adds.


Want more from Lauren Chen?

To enjoy more of Lauren’s pro-liberty, pro-logic, and pro-market commentary on social and political issues, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

South Park's upcoming show, the 'Panderverse,' is already triggering the Left



"South Park" has always been a show for those who value comedy that speaks the truth.

And thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be changing.

The show is releasing a special “South Park: Joining the Panderverse,” as a parody of its own show that most notably includes gender- and race-swapping the show’s main characters.

In the teaser, Cartman appears to be a sassy black woman, Stan is a Latina woman, Butters appears to be a transgender POC, and Kenny is a foul-mouthed Asian woman.

“From the looks of things, it is going to absolutely skewer blackwashing and modern diversity day casting,” Lauren Chen comments, adding, “you definitely cannot say that South Park is afraid to pull punches or that the show doesn’t have its hand on the pulse of the culture.”

The special is essentially advertising itself as what the show would be if in an alternate universe, South Park was canceled and for some reason rebooted on Netflix.

Chen herself says she can’t wait to see the special, but not everyone is as excited.

A recent article by the AV Club titled “There’s A New South Park ‘Event’ Teaser and God, We’re Already So Tired,” says they get “pounding headaches” in the front of their skulls while “watching this stuff.”

However, as we all know, the creators of the show, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, probably couldn’t care less what journalists have to say.

“I think more specifically what the ‘Panderverse’ is going to be addressing is the idea of taking existing characters and transforming them into something they’re not,” Chen says, adding, “Not necessarily because it’s what the fandom wants but because it’s what a small handful of activists who are ideologically driven would like to see.”


Want more from Lauren Chen?

To enjoy more of Lauren’s pro-liberty, pro-logic, and pro-market commentary on social and political issues, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

If you DON’T want your child to think he can have everything he wants, then you might want to avoid THIS upcoming Disney movie …



Disney’s latest animated film, "Wish," will debut this coming November. It’s the tale of a magical kingdom ruled by a king who has the power to grant wishes, but he only chooses to grant some.

What an evil tyrant.

Along comes Asha, a 17-year-old apprentice, who makes a wish of her own that will threaten the king’s power to determine who gets their wishes granted and who does not.

If you can’t see where this is going, then allow Lauren Chen to explain in greater detail.

King Magnifico “actually doesn't grant everybody's wishes,” says Lauren. “He only grants wishes that would be good for the kingdom as a whole.”

“The horror!” she mocks.

“Doesn't that seem like the reasonable thing to do? There are people out there who would absolutely wish for, like, crazy stuff,” she continues. “A good king, a reasonable king should be able to tell people no – that's what being a responsible leader is all about; that's what actual stewardship means.”

To be fair, Lauren acknowledges that “we don't know how the plot is going to play out exactly.”

“Maybe the twist in this film is that King Magnifico actually isn't evil at all; he's just more mature and Asha needs to realize that being an adult actually means sometimes telling people no and not doing whatever you feel like all the time,” Lauren speculates.

But that would mean that Disney has some common sense, and based on the string of recent films the company has put out (most of which were giant flops), it’s probably unlikely that will be the theme.

Further, “the king is a white guy and Asha, the lead, is a diverse female character,” Lauren points out. Add to that the fact that he’s portrayed multiple times in the trailer as an evil tyrant, and it’s almost certain he will be the irredeemable villain.

Lauren isn’t the only one who’s skeptical of “Wish.”

People all over have called out the obvious “questionable moral lesson and identity politics,” but they’ve also expressed a general lack of interest in what they assume will be yet another typical Disney plotline.

One X user commented:

“A magician with immense power being challenged by a young girl with an animal sidekick? That’s just cut and paste Disney.”

“I remember a time not that long ago when Disney animated films were dependably good, where you could count on every single one essentially being a home run, an instant classic, but it seems like we've strayed so far from that,” says Lauren.


Want more from Lauren Chen?

To enjoy more of Lauren’s pro-liberty, pro-logic and pro-market commentary on social and political issues, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Hey, James Bond lovers, you might want to see this…



James Bond is among the most iconic Western media characters of all time. He’s daring and brave, he’s impeccably suave, he drives the most enviable cars, and he always has a beautiful siren on his arm.

But those characteristics that have long defined Mr. Bond are likely going away as woke ideology continues to poison pop culture with its perpetual virtue signaling, eradication of masculinity, and toxic levels of “inclusivity.”

But Lauren Chen isn’t currently concerned about the next James Bond movie, even though she acknowledges that it will likely be “completely off the rails” with “leftist politics.”

What she is fixated on, however, is the “the latest novel in the James Bond canon,” titled “On His Majesty’s Secret Service,” which “was commissioned specifically to coincide with the coronation of King Charles.”

“In theory, the concept of trying to release a new James Bond novel to coincide with the new monarch is kind of fun,” she says, but “it seems to be the actual execution that has failed this project so miserably.”

None should find the novel’s utter failure surprising when you consider that the author, Charlie Higson, wrote the book in three months.

Further, before “On His Majesty’s Secret Service,” Higson had never written an adult novel before; he’d authored multiple young adult novels but never one for the audience that the original James Bond author, Ian Fleming, wrote for.

And to top it off, Higson is “one of the wokest,” says Lauren.

So what do you get when you combine haste, inexperience, and progressivism?

You get “laughable material” that “completely changes the essence of who James Bond really is,” says Lauren.

And that’s exactly what "On His Majesty’s Secret Service" is — a rushed, amateur, woke disaster.

See for yourself — here’s a quote from the novel:

“Which is why Bond felt a deep sense of gloom that this beautiful, civilised, orderly country had been dragged back toward the far right by Viktor Orban, using the crude but effective nationalist playbook. Stirring Hungarians up with his anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and crude, ‘Make Hungary Great again,’ anti-immigration rhetoric. He’d aligned himself with the likes of Trump and Le Pen and Putin, and, just like them, he was using a paper-thin front of patriotism to mask rampant self-interest.”

“Ah yes, because it’s only right-wing politicians who could possibly be motivated by self-interest, unlike the benevolent left-wing politicians we see,” mocks Lauren.

But it gets even worse. Not only is this next excerpt more virtue-signaling nonsense, it’s also atrociously written.

“Birkett was an ex-Tory, MP, famous for promoting COVID/vaccines/mask-wearing/5G conspiracy theories, which spilled over into the usual anti-immigrant, anti-EU, anti-BBC, anti-MSM, anti-cultural Marxist, climate change denial pronouncements. It was an anti-trans diatribe that had eventually got him kicked out of the party and he’d soon after set up the ‘New Freedom Party.'

"Bond was struck by something. It was a long while since he’d been at any kind of function that was almost exclusively full of men. It felt strange. There was not even a pretence at diversity here. Æthelstan hadn’t been the least bit concerned about ensuring that half of the people he’d hired to carry out his coup should be women, or non-white, or disabled.”

It goes on, but we won’t bore you with more of Higson’s garbage writing.

“Surely, the editors who are working with him should have sat him down and been like, ‘Bro, I know you care about this social justice stuff, [but] I don't think this is the place for it; also this just kind of doesn't seem like how James Bond would act,” says Lauren, who can’t quit laughing at the sheer absurdity.

Even the New York Times criticized Higson’s novel, and when a notoriously left journal “[laments] that America has made James Bond woke, you know this novel is not only woke, but insufferably woke,” Lauren says.


Want more from Lauren Chen?

To enjoy more of Lauren’s pro-liberty, pro-logic and pro-market commentary on social and political issues, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.