Film Essays

(PG-13: Language) ScreenPrism looks at how the fourth season of Bojack Horseman is all about addressing the root cause of one’s unhappiness. The show reminds us that those who’ve done us wrong are people too, that we have to face our past, and more.

Lessons from the Screenplay looks at how the screenwriters and sound designers created the sounds of A Quiet Place. The writers became creative with the screenplay, while the sound designers avoided extended silence, and used sound to mimic the flow of tension.

Lessons from the Screenplay looks at how No Country for Old Men makes us put its story together instead of using dialogue alone. Characters are given depth and the plot is implied through actions, and the film’s progression clues the audience into its moral.

“Watching a Lau Kar-leung film is similar to watching an illustrated guide or documentation of kung-fu and its philosophy.” The Museum of Modern Art’s La Frances Hui talks about the history of kung-fu films before breaking down the work of legendary filmmaker Lau Kar-leung.

CineFix presents its top 10 picks for best movie scores. There are ones that are great at setting the mood, ones at expressing or emphasizing ideas, ones at transporting us to a place or time, and the evocative theme song that’s stuck to a character or scene.

Jacob T. Swinney and Fandor dive into the film trope of an object of desire that its characters are searching for, but the audience doesn’t necessarily care about. It can drive motivations and momentum, but as we’ve learned before, MacGuffin’s aren’t always the best plot device.

(Gore) ScreenPrism talks about the trademarks of a Coen Brothers film. It often starts with a crime that goes awry, and eventually punishment gets dealt but in a roundabout manner, with random acts and vile characters as the jury. But it’s not totally hopeless.

Wisecrack’s extraterrestrial critic Garyx Wormuloid takes on the first summer blockbuster hit, Jaws. Not that anyone needs further motivation to watch and appreciate Steven Spielberg’s classic, but it does have timely messages within.

There are obvious reasons why works of science fiction are often set in dystopian scenarios. The setting makes for struggle, and magnifies our present problems and fears. But CineFix adds that it also gives us hope that love and kindness are the solutions.

(PG-13) “Waaaake Up!” It’s set in Brooklyn, the scenes and language are vibrant and colorful, there’s a shot where the characters glide, oh and Spike Lee’s in it. But there’s more to Lee’s films than that. So what else is in a Spike Lee joint? ScreenPrism breaks it down.

In most movies, the protagonist changes either for better or for worse. But it doesn’t mean that a character who hasn’t “learned his lesson” or “evolved” will be boring. Just Write shows how a staunch believer can still be an interesting and inspiring character.

The makeup of Heath Ledger’s Joker may seem easy to imitate. But during The Dark Knight‘s production, makeup artist John Caglione Jr found himself at a loss. Caglione spoke with CineFix about the iconic makeup and Chris Nolan and Heath Ledger’s contributions.

Better Call Saul returns on August 6, 2018. And while we’re excited for new stories, and more Breaking Bad connections, we’ll miss one of the show’s most compelling characters, Chuck McGill. ScreenPrism looks back on Chuck’s story arc, and what it tells us about Jimmy.

The Dark Lord of the Sith sits atop many lists of greatest on-screen villains of all time. But how did he achieve such status? The Nerdwriter explores Vader’s appearances in the original Star Wars trilogy, and how they would have such an enormous impact.

(PG-13: Language, Gore) “I want to be the conductor, and you’re my orchestra.” Now You See It stitched interviews with director Quentin Tarantino about his childhood and influences with footage from movies that inspired specific scenes in his movies.

Movies often make villains straight-up evil, or have a thinly-explained motives. Lessons from the Screnplay explores how Black Panther’s baddie Eric Killmonger’s motivations are much more relatable than most, creating a well-rounded and compelling character.

“It’s crazy right? to help my family, I gotta leave it. To fix the law, I gotta break it.” ScreenPrism explores the themes of Incredibles 2, including distrust in government, civil disobedience, social media and perception, gender roles and more.

CineFix presents its top 10 picks of movie scenes where there’s music originating from the scene itself. There’s the ironic background track, the song that’s become synonymous with a character, the hymn of celebration and more.

“My boss’ dirty laundry.” ScreenPrism muses on the possible contents of the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. Is it Marcellus Wallace’s soul? The diamonds from Reservoir Dogs? Or is it a literal MacGuffin, important only to the characters?

“Mr. Hammond, after careful consideration I’ve decided not to endorse your park.” Lessons from the Screenplay uses the original Jurassic Park as an example of how a movie’s theme can be used to flesh out characters – to become an embodiment of important questions.

The Royal Ocean Film Society gathered snippets from animation experts that point out the importance of walking in cartoons. We can learn a lot about a character – even a live one – by their walk, and changing even one element of it can drastically change the character.

(Gore) Video essayist Rick Perales presents a crisply-edited look at the role that vehicles, driving, and roads play in the films of Joel and Ethan Coen. Take a wild ride from Blood Simple to Raising, Arizona to Hail, Caesar!, and everywhere in-between.

Andrew Saladino aka The Royal Ocean Film Society is an aspiring director. He wanted to find out if he’s on track at becoming successful in his chosen career, so he looked at the ages of 750 directors to find out the average age at which they debuted.

In many sitcoms, everything is in focus and brightly lit, and the camera angles are similar as well. It’s all thanks to a system that was developed nearly 70 years ago so that studios could keep filming in front of a live audience.

(PG-13, SPOILERS) Wisecrack looks at what the depictions of Wolverine in Logan, Kratos in God of War and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi mean, and why their symbolisms resonate so much in today’s times.