The return of my PopMatters column “Ties That Bind”–which usually focuses on the intersection of American culture, politics, and art of some kind–takes a look at the film The Voices. Up today! Here’s an excerpt:
The guy in the seat behind/above me seemed like he was about to vomit on my head—“Oh,” he muttered helplessly, “Oh God”—and then, within a minute or two, he was guffawing like a horse. I don’t remember the last time this happened at the movies, but then, this was a screening of The Voices, the dark—way, way, way dark—comedy starring Ryan Reynolds that resists any easy assessment, no matter how much we’re inclined to give it one. Disturbing, funny, alluring and repulsive in a uniquely American way that no one likes to admit, The Voices should trouble you. That’s the point of a dark comedy.
This was a fun one to write. It’s always more enjoyable to write about something you’ve just seen or heard, while it’s fresh. In this case, The Voices also dovetailed with some research I’ve been doing about Guy Debord “society of the spectacle” for my book, Nothing Has Been Done Before. Thanks as always to the good people at PopMatters.
Robert Loss 