Every Which Way But Loose is a phrase that means allowing something or someone to have complete freedom or free rein. It is often used colloquially to describe a situation or person that seems to be going in different directions and not following a specific set of rules or expectations. The phrase comes from the 1978 American comedy film titled "Every Which Way But Loose" starring Clint Eastwood. In the film, Eastwood's character, Philo Beddoe, follows his own rules and lives life on his own terms, going against societal norms and expectations. This phrase can be applied to various areas of life, such as personal relationships, work, or even decision-making. It suggests that sometimes, it is necessary to let go of rigid structures and allow freedom and flexibility for things to fall into place naturally.
Born in the 1970s and educated in the 1990s during the emergence of third-wave feminism and the Riot Grrrl movement, Meehan is interested in cycles of representation, in particular, the tendency for women to be depicted as monsters. Recent protesters have shouted: “I can’t believe I still have to fight for this shit!” In Every Witch Way but Loose Meehan continues her investigation into otherness, teratology and forgotten histories linking a story based on the life of Joseph Merrick, a man born with physical deformities in nineteenth century London with two characters that Ruth Gordon actually played – one a rebellious iconoclast with a tragic past and the other a member of a satanic coven.
In a time of congressional witch-hunts, Meehan s exhibition includes collaged and painted cabinet cards depicting suffragettes in updated attire and a video Box of Matches that is a mash up of Nancy Sinatra s These Boots are Made for Walking with the theme song from Rosemary s Baby to create an elegiac protest march. for approaching 2 hours in length this thing is surprisingly confident in its leisurely structure of silly hangout scenes occasionally having incidental run-ins with the cartoon plot and.
It suggests that sometimes, it is necessary to let go of rigid structures and allow freedom and flexibility for things to fall into place naturally. It can also signify embracing diversity and individuality, as people may have different ways of achieving their goals or finding happiness. In a more literal sense, the phrase "Every Which Way But Loose" can also be interpreted as having multiple possibilities or options, with none being the obvious or correct choice.
Every Witch Way But Loose
As usual, I encountered this promotion for Vin Diesel's latest on my drive to work, and once again I found a treasure trove of cultural information. It all lies in the title of the movie— The Last Witch Hunter — and the catchy come-on that movies always seem to use to get you into the theaters: "Live Forever. Hunt Forever." That's just about all we need.
Let's begin with the title. My first impression was one of surprise that in the era of Wicked and Wicca a movie would still be targeting witches as the objects of a manhunt (I use the word " man hunt" quite deliberately here), for with her traditional feminine identification, the witch would have seemed to be a figure that Hollywood no longer slated for demonization and destruction (I leave out of this analysis the connotation of "witch hunts" in the wake of the McCarthy era). So, to give the movie the benefit of the doubt, I decided that maybe it was using the word "witch" in a genderless manner, including warlocks (the traditional male witch) within its range of reference, and went online to research its plot.
It turns out that my first impression was correct, however. This is a movie about an age-old war against a very female witch (who, not so incidentally, is portrayed by actress Julie Engelbrecht , who, again not so incidentally, just happens to represent central casting's paradigmatic image of blonde feminine pulchritude), who has been plotting to destroy humanity for about eight hundred years. Never mind the fact that she has a male demon (the not so very subtly named "Belial") in her employ: what matters is that what we have here is a beautiful blonde woman cast in the hero's gun sights. And here is where cultural signifier number one lies.
Can you spell "male panic"? I can't help but associate a storyline of this type with Basic Instinct , whose beautiful blonde villain just happens to have a witch as her mentor. Nor can I help associating it with the recent Yik Yak threat at Fresno State University to "take a headshot at a hot blonde" in revenge (apparently) for favors not received, not to mention Elliott Rodgers's killing spree outside a UC Santa Barbara sorority last year, motivated by a similar resentment. In other words, it appears that Hollywood hasn't gotten the message yet: that demonizing attractive women isn't, let's say, doing anything to tamp down the flames of a violent misogyny that is not only a worldwide scourge but an especial problem on America's university campuses today.
So, a big "F" for gender sensitivity for The Last Witch Hunter , and the fact that the movie is doing quite well at the box office is a sign that such insensitivity still pays. Do we see a vicious circle here?
Now to cultural signifier number two, which (witch?) appears in the catchy come-on: "live forever." A plot check reveals that, indeed, the movie is all tied up with various kinds of dark immortality, and this, too, is meaningful when situated in a system of associations and differences.
To begin with, making immortality central to a storyline is nothing new in the movies (consider It's A Wonderful Life , complete with guardian angel). The 1990s was a particularly fertile era for benign immortals—from Michael , to What Dreams May Come , to TV's Touched By an Angel —but at the same time, another immortal, the vampire, was also rising to prominence then (remember Buffy?), and by the early 2000s vampires had pretty much driven the angels onto the lesser stage of Victoria's Secret, only to be (partially) displaced themselves by an even nastier variety of immortal: the walking dead (aka zombies).
The difference between the angelic immortal and the demonic one is the kind of difference that points to cultural significance. Angels tend to be in the ascendant when a society is feeling good about things; demons serve as metaphors for all kinds of social anxieties (it was no accident, for example, that the Cold War-tormented 1950s saw so many monster movies). So the fact that the immortal demon is getting most of the popular cultural play right now is meaningful. This turn to the dark side is especially evident in the way that George R.R. Martin has effectively turned J.R.R. Tolkien upside down, transforming the ultimately green and good Middle Earth into the grey and grim Westeros. A generation that once wrote "Frodo Lives!" on subway station walls has been succeeded by one whose imagination is casting dark shadows upon a bloody ground—a not very surprising reaction to a world overshadowed by the aftermath of the Great Recession and the 9/11 terror attacks.
But there is still more to the analysis, for there is also the full bore fascination with immortality as such to consider, the endless parade of movie characters who do not die, or, when they do, manage to come back to life—yeah, I know that Tolkien did this too with Gandalf, probably getting the idea from Conan Doyle, who once brought Sherlock Holmes, after a fall into an abyss, back to life, too—but it is getting excessive. This is a different kind of immortality from that of, say, What Dreams May Come , where the afterlife takes place in an afterworld which is wholly different from the one you lived in before you died. Somebody else is in charge in that afterworld, and the rules are different. In the current image of immortality, by contrast, you come back to life within this world, the ordinary one, and that may be a dangerous fantasy. Because I can't help but think again here of those campus killers who post up a grotesque kind of posthumous "survival" on the Internet before going out on what are often conceived as suicide missions. One has to wonder whether these killers really believe that they are going to die, or whether, deep down, they believe that they will somehow survive (or return) to enjoy their sudden "fame."
I don't know. But I do rather wish that popular culture wouldn't keep encouraging such fantasies. I don't see it doing any good.
Tags: cultural semiotics, The Last Witch Hunter , fantasy, campus shootings, misogyny, popular culture, current events
This can create a sense of uncertainty or confusion, but it can also be an opportunity to explore different paths and discover new possibilities. Overall, the phrase "Every Which Way But Loose" conveys the idea of embracing freedom, flexibility, and diversity, and being open to the unexpected and unconventional. It encourages individuals to break free from constraints and follow their own unique path, even if it may seem chaotic or contradictory to others..
Reviews for "Embracing the unknown and finding fulfillment: Every which way but loose"
1. Samantha - 2/5 stars
I found "Every Which Way But Loose" to be quite tedious and lacking in substance. The plot was shallow and predictable, and the jokes fell flat. The attempt at blending comedy with action just didn't work for me. Additionally, the character development was severely lacking, leaving me feeling disconnected from the story. Overall, I would not recommend this film for anyone seeking a well-crafted and engaging watch.
2. John - 2/5 stars
"Every Which Way But Loose" failed to capture my interest. The humor felt forced and immature, relying too heavily on cheap gags and slapstick comedy. The acting was subpar, with even established actors unable to salvage the poorly written dialogue. Furthermore, the overall story felt disjointed and lacked coherence. I was left feeling disappointed and unfulfilled after watching this film.
3. Emily - 1/5 stars
To put it simply, "Every Which Way But Loose" was a complete waste of my time. The plot was nonsensical and didn't make any logical sense. The attempts at humor were cringe-worthy and failed to elicit so much as a chuckle. The film relied too heavily on overused tropes and stereotypes, making it feel outdated and unoriginal. I strongly advise avoiding this movie unless you are in dire need of a cure for insomnia.