Awesome Film Essays

Accented Cinema neatly sums up the fundamental difference between Godzilla films: “American Godzilla is about Godzilla; Japanese Godzilla is about Life.” Giant monsters beating the crap out of each other can indeed make for a fun movie. But Japan’s Godzilla films show that the kaiju’s ultimate power is helping people reflect on real-world catastrophes.

Christopher Nolan loves to play with time in his films. Movies like Memento, Inception, Dunkirk, and Tenet each take advantage of the nature of time to tell stories and make audiences use their brains. Nerdstalgic’s film essay delves into Nolan’s effective manipulation of time throughout his filmography.

The sounds you hear in movies can dramatically enhance what you see on screen. But other than dialogue, most movie audio isn’t created on the soundstage, it’s added in post-production by foley artists and sound editors. Paul E.T. explores the importance of sound effects, music, and speech in filmmaking.

Andor starts with a slow burn and gradually elevates its way into one of the best Star Wars series yet, brilliantly tackling issues like fascism, greed, and revolution. It also feels like one of the most relatable Star Wars stories to date. Film buff Thomas Flight explores how Andor’s visual approach makes its locations feel so real.

David Fincher is known for his fastidious approach to filmmaking. He’s a staunch believer in digital technology and visual effects to bring his fiction to life. But when making a movie like Mank that’s supposed to look like it was shot in the 1940s, is digital better than analog? Video essayist CinemaStix explores the topic.

Master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock had a thing for staircases, going so far as naming one of his movies The 39 Steps. Editor and Hitchcock fan Max Tohline created this montage of 39 staircase shots from 39 films directed by Hitch, from Easy Virtue in his early career through his penultimate 1972 film Frenzy.

After a long hiatus, film essayist Kaptain Kristian is back with a great video about the subtle and not-so-subtle audiovisual tricks that Stanley Kubrick and music editor Gordon Stainforth pulled to intensify the horror and suspense of The Shining. As he mentions, it’s a film that masterfully reveals more with each viewing.

For years, 35mm film was the dominant format for big-screen moviemaking. The first movies had a boxy shape but eventually expanded to wider formats. Team 2 Films looks at the history of film shapes, how various aspect ratios have come in and out of favor, and how they affect movie composition.

Opening title sequences are still common on TV dramas but have fallen out of favor in the cinema. Filmmaker Patrick (H) Willems looks back fondly at the craft of masters like Saul Bass and Maurice Binder and argues that they need to make a comeback on the big screen.

We’re no strangers to weird internet videos and short films. In this video essay from Now You See It, they explore the visual splendor and surprising depth that comes along with bizarre classics like Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, Don Hertzfeldt’s Rejected, and the ubiquitous Oogachaka Baby.

Joe Dante’s 1984 Gremlins is a classic popcorn flick, packed with offbeat humor, gross-out gags, memorable monsters, and its share of charming moments. But In Praise of Shadows thinks it’s much more, establishing a whole new direction for how little creatures have been treated in horror and fantasy films ever since.

There’s little argument that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has crushed it against the DC Extended Universe when it comes to superhero movies and TV shows. Spam591 provides his analysis of what has made Marvel’s consistent, serialized approach work so much better than the competition.

Joe Dante is the moviemaker behind 1980s classics like Innerspace, Gremlins, and The Howling. As Dante delved deeper into the Hollywood system, the battle for creative control escalated. The Royal Ocean Film Society explores the filmmaker’s tumultuous relationship with the studios. Also, go watch Gremlins 2 right now.

Joe Johnston has directed hits including Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Jumanji, and Captain America: The First Avenger. In 1991, he shot The Rocketeer, a retro superhero flick. The Royal Ocean Film Society looks back at the lighthearted adventure, celebrates Johnston’s achievements, and the commonalities in his movies.

“If you show this movie to 1,000 different people, everyone is going to be zoned into a different corner of the action.” videogamedunkey is filmessayistdunkey in this great review of Jacque Tati’s 1967 experimental comedy PlayTime, a nearly wordless film that deserves multiple viewings by every movie buff.

There are lots of movie scenes that incorporate mirrors or other reflective surfaces, yet we can’t see the camera or the crew in them. Just how does this movie magic work? Film essayist Paul E.T. digs into some of the tricks that filmmakers use to keep equipment and people hidden from shots.

For as groundbreaking as the CGI animated visuals were in the original Toy Story, Gary Rydstrom’s sound design was every bit as important in conveying the stories of Woody, Buzz, and company. The Royal Ocean Film Society invites us to listen to some of the sound effects that helped bring the Toy Story universe to life.

Before cell phones, phone booths were the best way to get in touch when out and about. Enclosed for privacy, the confined glass spaces served as a useful prop for scenes of secrecy, suspense, revelation, and wonder in movies and TV. Little White Lies pays homage to the once-ubiquitous street fixture in this great video essay.

There’s no question that people love Stranger Things. But what is it about the Netflix series’ mix of sci-fi, horror, and ’80s coming-of-age flicks that make it work so well? Michael Tucker from Lessons from the Screenplay delves into some of the audio and visual tricks the Duffer Brothers have used to create such a magical blend.

(PG-13: Gore) From greenscreen to miniatures to CGI, there are lots of different ways to produce visual effects. Filmmaker and essayist David F. Sandberg reminds us how simple edits can be one of the most effective ways to create illusions on screen and to integrate disparate elements to create a cohesive effect.

It may seem like a subtle artistic choice at first, but some of the best movie scenes take advantage of a principle known as the “Three Color Rule.” Film essayist wolfcrow explains how this simple color theory can help to set a mood and create focus, and how you can apply it in your cinematic projects.

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies are packed with adventure and thrills. Lessons from the Screenplay jumps into the ocean with Jack Sparrow and company for a deep dive into what made Curse of the Black Pearl work so exceptionally, both following adventure movie structures and traditions and surprising us at times.

Film Radar made this great video about wardrobe design in film and TV. Good costume designers inhabit the minds of both the characters and the director. In terms of production, costumes are often custom made, even for extras, and may have multiple replicas.