Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Anatomy of a Perfect Fight Scene
There are flashy fights and there are story-driven fights. In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, we get a fight that does both.
Oliver Stevens
Oliver Stevens is a graduate of Hamilton College with honors in Cinema and Media Studies, a connoisseur of minor league baseball, and a recently converted devotee of döner kebabs.
Docking With the Future
In comparable scenes from 2001: A Space Odyssey and Interstellar, we see how science fiction has evolved in what it holds important.
How to Make a Great Title
Get right to the point or go for something poetic? Deliver the plot or try to encapsulate the themes? There are many ways a title can be effective.
Film & TV
What Does “Greatest Movie of All Time” Mean, Exactly?
We have an obsession with lists and aggregated polls that crown a single film as the champion of the art form, but we think precious little about what we mean by that prestigious label.
Film & TV
Sinners and the Dangers of Integration
Ryan Coogler's bluesy horror shows us that fusing cultures together often means suffocating the less privileged one.
Film & TV
Citizen Kane, The Social Network, and the American Ozymandias
Two films, one a revered classic and the other a recent classic, interrogate the American Myth, examining the inevitable ruin that comes from obscene power and the legends we draw from such tales.
Film & TV
How Much Do Spoilers Really Matter?
Our spoiler-averse culture has reached a fever pitch, but is its terror justified?
Film & TV
Secrets & Lies: The Weight of Empathy
Mike Leigh's acclaimed drama expresses the intensity and catharsis of seeing those around you as full, complete people.
Film & TV
An Ode to Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Performance in The Big Lebowski
There are no small parts, only small actors. Philip Seymour Hoffman's six and a half minutes as an exasperated henchman in The Big Lebowski is a case study of the maxim.
Film & TV
Andor: Luthen's Legendary Monologue
The stirring speech encapsulates the qualities that make Andor stand out from other Star Wars projects, and speaks to the brutal reality that lies behind the myths of rebellion.
Animation
Animators Learned the Wrong Lesson From Into the Spider-Verse
Into the Spider-Verse turned American animation toward stylization, but rather than coming up with their own expressive styles, the film's disciples have simply copied its look.
Film & TV
Freeze Frame Endings: Suspended in Time
Far more than a cheesy trend of the 1980s, ending a film on a freeze frame is a practice with a rich history that can sanctify a film's final emotional beats or throw us into uncertainty.