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.
Film & TV
We Are Turning Everything Into Allegory
It has quietly become assumed that every film and series is there to give us clear commentary about the here and now. But in thinking this way, we shut down the interaction between art and culture and let culture call all the shots.
Severance Season 2 and The Pitfalls of Sci-Fi
I find there to be two different sections of the sci-fi genre that I frequently assimilate a piece of film or television into. Sprawling blockbuster ventures & less significantly franchised, and oftentimes suited for a younger audience.
20 Years After Pride and Prejudice
In the 21st century, it’s only natural that we yearn for simpler times. We wish to understand what it was like to live in a world absent of phones and television, when communication isn't a high-speed endeavor and where our socio-economic climate isn't rapidly evolving
Evil Does Not Exist Refuses to Give Easy Answers
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's contemplative tale of mankind's offenses against nature will not let itself be reduced to a simple fable of good and bad.
Juror #2 and the Perils of Intertextuality
Clint Eastwood's courtroom drama has a compelling concept, until it goes out of its way for a scene to recreate 12 Angry Men beat for beat. In doing so, it obscures its own thematic interests.
Breaking Through: Why Filmmakers, Musicians, and Artists Thrive in Communities
Let's be honest—trying to "make it" as an artist can feel like screaming into the void. You're polishing that screenplay, perfecting those tracks, or building your portfolio, all while wondering if anyone who matters will ever see your work.
I've talked