Drink #005: Summer Gin Punch, Suspension of disbelief (or lack thereof).
You are watching a movie and then you notice something. Maybe it’s a machine you use at work that you know does not work that way; maybe it is the incorrect presentation of the rules of a sport you play; or maybe just a piece of dialog that rings untrue. The second you realize something is off you spend the rest of the movie picking it part. You have been taken out of the movie and cannot get back in. We use the movie Summer Wars as a spring-board to examine this phenomenon and how it shapes our perception of a work.
(Listen) (Show Notes)
And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:
Summer Gin Punch
2 parts gin
1/2 part maraschino liqueur
1/2 part water
1/4 part Gomme syrup
1/4 part fresh lemon juice
1/2 part fresh orange juice
1 lemon twist
1 orange twist
2 fresh raspberries
2 chunks of diced pineapple
1 part soda
Build all ingredients in a mixing glass over ice, then transfer contents into a punch cup.
Reverse Thieves 
The remarks on hackers in movies reminded me of the CommunityChannel YouTube clip on hackers in movies:
Uh, maybe I’m weird, but I go into a show scrutinizing every little plot hole from the very beginning. In my opinion, that’s something that comes with thinking critically about any medium.
That doesn’t mean that I’m predisposed to dislike everything that I see, just that I refuse to give anything a free pass when the creators screw up. There have been many times when I’ve watched movies or shows and simply been unable to find more than a few minor things wrong. That’s how I define a good show. If I have to make concessions to the creators to enjoy the show, then that is their failure and I don’t consider it a good use of my time. Plain and simple.
For example, I saw Mamoru Hosoda’s Digimon movie for the first time recently. I actually came in expecting to point out a number of problems with the movie, but I found myself enjoying it quite a bit. If a film can endure that kind of scrutiny and come out relatively unscathed, then I would say it’s a good movie.
Finally, I’m totally going to reference this podcast at my AnimeNEXT panel on criticism and “active viewing” in anime. You guys brought up some interesting questions that I’d like to explore.