Dissecting the Casual Racism of “Airplane!”
Airplane! (1980) is a fun spoof comedy with lots of laughs, right? I watched this film for the first time the other night. I loved it. Then came the racist jokes.

Moon is a young misfit who has the ability to talk to bugs. Moon has always been perceived as a "misfit" because she spoke baby talk too long. She has a crush on a boy named Hyland who works in a store across the street from her house. Unknown to Moon, Hyland has a serious problem with body contact with other people. Moon also meets Coochie, an endearing ladybug who speaks to her and becomes part of her daily life, advising her. Moon meets a band of kids who also has abilities, including telekinetic twins, a high jumping teen, a fortune teller, a boy with x-ray vision that is a semi-pervert. Leading these misfits is a woman named Auntie who looks early to mid 20s but her actual age is 70. Auntie wants both Moon and Hyland to join her band of misfits because of Moon's abilities and Hyland's ability to dodge other people's attacks.
Airplane! (1980) is a fun spoof comedy with lots of laughs, right? I watched this film for the first time the other night. I loved it. Then came the racist jokes.
GOAT (2026) opens to the chanting of a crowd: "Roots run deep!" The rest of the film goes on to echo that sentiment, offering gorgeous animation and a heartfelt story along the way.
The height of subversive horror cinema is Jennifer’s Body. No, I will never budge on that. Yes, Cabin in The Woods is funny, Scream is very well made, and the Scary Movie franchise is …. there. But nothing is quite as satisfying as watching the teenage succubus that is Jennifer Check rip apart boys. In the post #metoo era where the industry is far from changed, watching revenge flicks like these is probably one of the most cathartic experiences due to the slow-moving progress being made.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Premature is a story about the pain of love and realities. Transitioning from youth to our perspective of adulthood, how do we grapple with loss?
As this critic continues to look back at some of this Summer's films I have taken in, I would be remiss if I didn't mention one of the most overall unsettling trends in Hollywood over the last several years.....sequels, reboots, and remakes. Look, I am all for seeing more than one film for certain originals that made a splash, ie: "Jurassic Park", "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Transformers", etc.