“Be not disturbed at being misunderstood; be disturbed rather at not being understanding.” – Chinese Proverb In I Swear, director Kirk Jones doesn’t just ask us to look at John Davidson; he demands we look at ourselves through the lens of John’s involuntary outbursts. It is a film that functions as a high-velocity moral mirror, reflecting the thin veneer of "civilized" society back at the audience. It captures the essence of a man trapped in a body that refuses to follow the

"The dark side. Always it speaks to us, from our pain. Our grief. It connects our pain to all pain, our hurt to all hurt." - Yoda Few things in pop culture or in general really have the staying power that Star Wars has. Since its debut, Star Wars has achieved a state of cultural permanence, transcending the lifecycle of a typical media franchise to become a foundational modern myth. What began in 1977 as George Lucas’s simple desire to create a "space opera" has since taken o

"A star can never die. It just turns into a smile and melts back into the cosmic music, the dance of life." - Michael Jackson The Messiah and the Man: A Masterclass in Narrative Sleight of Hand Genre conventions are inevitable in certain stories. Sports films with the mandatory training montages, the “gearing up” sequence when an ordinary citizen becomes a well-equipped warrior. The plan walkthrough in heist thrillers when the leader lays out the plan showing us how it will

"The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural." - Supreme Chancellor Palpatine Few things in pop culture or in general really have the staying power that Star Wars has. Since its debut, Star Wars has achieved a state of cultural permanence, transcending the lifecycle of a typical media franchise to become a foundational modern myth. What began in 1977 as George Lucas’s simple desire to create a "space opera" has since taken on a life

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." - Yoda Few things in pop culture or in general really have the staying power that Star Wars has. Since its debut, Star Wars has achieved a state of cultural permanence, transcending the lifecycle of a typical media franchise to become a foundational modern myth. What began in 1977 as George Lucas’s simple desire to create a "space opera" has since taken on a life of its own

"You know those nature shows where a wasp paralyzes a caterpillar, then injects it full of larvae? I sat in a cubicle every day envying that caterpillar, 'cause at least he got to be on TV." - Hal There are certain shows and movies that define who we are as people. The first movie I ever saw in a theater was Jurassic Park in 1993. I believed dinosaurs were alive. It was magic. At home I was nurturing what would become my love for horror movies with Nickelodeon's Are You Afrai

"Drink your milk. But it's lumpy. Then chew it!" - Lois There are certain shows and movies that define who we are as people. The first movie I ever saw in a theater was Jurassic Park in 1993. I believed dinosaurs were alive. It was magic. At home I was nurturing what would become my love for horror movies with Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? I was in love with Batman: The Animated Series. Rugrats was one of my favorite cartoons of all-time. Looney Tunes, Catdog, Kab

"You want to know the best part about childhood? At some point, it stops." - Malcolm There are certain shows and movies that define who we are as people. The first movie I ever saw in a theater was Jurassic Park in 1993. I believed dinosaurs were alive. It was magic. At home I was nurturing what would become my love for horror movies with Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? I was in love with Batman: The Animated Series. Rugrats was one of my favorite cartoons of all-t

"If I want to be humiliated, I can take a math test." - Reese There are certain shows and movies that define who we are as people. The first movie I ever saw in a theater was Jurassic Park in 1993. I believed dinosaurs were alive. It was magic. At home I was nurturing what would become my love for horror movies with Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? I was in love with Batman: The Animated Series. Rugrats was one of my favorite cartoons of all-time. Looney Tunes, Catd

"If you only knew the power of the dark side." - Darth Vader Few things in pop culture or in general really have the staying power that Star Wars has. Since its debut, Star Wars has achieved a state of cultural permanence, transcending the lifecycle of a typical media franchise to become a foundational modern myth. What began in 1977 as George Lucas’s simple desire to create a "space opera" has since taken on a life of its own. It has evolved with an organic momentum that tr

“Wahoo!” – Mario It’s hard to not see movies like this as anything more than cash grabs. I understand after making over a billion dollars that sequels were inevitable but if I’ve learned anything from the majority of Pixar films, Dreamworks Animation like The Wild Robot and Sony Picture Animations like The Mitchells vs. The Machines (favorite animated movie) it’s that these animation studios are fully capable of making stories fit for the entire family. It used to be wide

“I’m the devil’s advocate. We have our own worshipers.” – Frank Zappa The rich vs. the common man. It’s a theme that has been explored in cinema since its inception. Since movies often mirror the time they’re made in whenever a politician or rogue billionaire decides to impose their will at the expense of those they deem lesser-than the amount of stories focusing on these talking points tend to rise in frequency. And since 2016 was the start of this particular nightmare we

“If you don’t want to be scared in a horror film, don’t close your eyes. Close your ears.” – Eli Roth A good horror director knows that most of their audience will already be established horror movie fans. And for longtime fans of the genre, they grow savvy to the ways of horror tropes and cliches. I think one of the most important aspects of a successful horror movie is subversion. Subversion of expectations and assumptions to deliver a surprising and effective payoff. The

“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it.” — Thucydides Over the years the term blockbuster has become more and more synonymous with shallow entertainment. Mindless spectacle meant to visually capture your attention while providing little else. It’s something to watch while eating your popcorn and chugging a soda pop. It’s an afternoon killer. Empty calories. Sometime

It’s not often that I can start off a most anticipated list having already seen a couple of the movies. But it’s been a weird start to the year and I’ve been sick. And I haven’t felt like doing much of anything. But I must persevere. (It’s a head cold and I’m acting like it’s going to kill me) Movies are important to me and have been for most of my life. So talking about what exactly I’m looking forward to seems only natural. This is probably the twentieth time I’ve done this

“There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.” – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Christopher Booker theorized that nearly all narratives are variations of seven core archetypes: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Rebirth, Comedy, and Tragedy. Overcoming the Monster: Jaws, Star Wars Rags to Riches: Cinderella, Aladdin The Quest: The Lord of the Rings, Raiders of the Lost Ark Voyage and Return: Alice in Wonderland,

“Look around you. You're standing in one of the last great cathedrals in this country, built on the premise that you and you alone are responsible for the consequences of your actions.” - Robert Duvall as Judge Joseph Palmer When legends of the screen die, as fans we naturally take a look back at their body of work. We remember the greatness. We recall the authenticity. We mourn what will never be. Although ninety-five years old, Robert Duvall’s presence on the silver screen

“You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run.” – Kenny Rogers Homage can act as a love letter. As they say, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." As with all things, there is a fine line between sincerity and insincerity. Even if well-intentioned, a lack of originality in a film’s story—whether in the plot itself or from a more visual perspective—means the audience can pick up on falsities like inorganic di

“We sit here stranded, though we’re all doin’ our best to deny it.” - Bob Dylan Say what you will about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – it is one of a small handful of MARVEL movies that has an actual distinct style; it stands out. Eternals , however ill-received it may have been, demonstrates cinematography choices that resulted in one of the best looking movies in the entire MCU. With Doctor Strange 2 , it would seem that Feige and the powers that be took a

“A judicial system is corrupt if truth is denied the right to be a witness.” - Suzy Kassem Ah yes… January. The month after Christmas when the lights come down and the incessant H&R Block and TurboTax commercials plague our every waking moment to remind us that the most corrupt and incompetent government in the history of this country still expects to collect come April 15th. Along with all this pleasantness comes the end of award worthy cinema and in its place comes what I