Film Essays

(SPOILERS) ScreenPrism looks at the work of director Mamoru Hosoda (Wolf Children, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, The Boy and The Beast, Mirai). Some are calling Hosoda the next Hayao Miyazaki. Regardless, his films are about exploring love in everyday life.

These days, we’re accustomed to such seamless and realistic visual effects on the big screen and even some TV series that we’ve become pretty jaded by CGI. But one look at Diane Bullock’s reel of 1990’s movie VFX should serve as a reminder of just how good we’ve got it today.

While most of us who watched Breaking Bad associated its title with the dramatic transformation of Walter White from everyday Joe Schmoe to drug kingpin, but ScreenPrism shows us how multiple characters on the series had similarly destructive trajectories.

Kaptainkristian looks at how director Guillermo del Toro designs and presents monsters in his films. Using quotes from the director himself, the film essayist identifies the key elements of a del Toro monster, including transformation and the use of prosthetics and motion actors.

Lessons from the Screenplay looks at how Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg wrote Shaun of the Dead to show us a great way to build a story. In the film, the supporting characters and even the story of the world are reflections of the main character’s traits.

(PG-13, SPOILERS) CineFix presents more brilliant moments in film, this time focusing on patterns. They showcase five scenes from different films that establish a pattern using cuts, camera angles, character movements, only to subvert our expectations.

(PG-13: Language, Gore) “Omar comin’!” ScreenPrism takes a look at one of The Wire’s (and television’s) most memorable and popular characters. Omar Little was a pain for the drug lords of his neighborhood, a sliver of justice in an otherwise rigged game.

Looking for a movie to watch with your pals this Halloween? Look no further than Chopping Mall – a cult classic from the 1980s about a group of horny teens hang out in the mall after work, only to be stalked by killer robots. In Praise of Shadows explains why you need to watch.

On the surface, Snowpiercer and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory couldn’t be more different. But Rhino Stew’s theory that Joon-ho Bong’s enigmatic film is a sequel to the childhood favorite almost makes sense.

If you ask us, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were huge letdowns, whether or not we compare them to the first film. But Just Write argues that with adult eyes – and some perseverance – the movies are worth rewatching and dissecting.

(PG-13: Language) We’ve seen Superbad at least a dozen times, and it doesn’t get old. The Cosmonaut Variety Hour provides his take on why he thinks the 2007 film is the greatest teen comedy of all time. It’s a great coming-of-age story disguised as a horny teen sex comedy.

CineFix presents its picks for the best movie soundtracks. There are soundtracks that seem like scores, familiar ones that evoke nostalgia, anachronistic soundtracks, ones that introduce us to new genres or artists, soundtracks that inspired the movie itself, and more.

Julian Palmer of The Discarded Image takes a look back at the unique sound textures found in movies from the 1980s. While some of the highly-synthesized soundscapes feel dated or shallow, others were pioneering and perfectly suited the content on screen.

(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.

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.

Lessons from the Screenplay looks at two Mission: Impossible movies to show how they’re well laid out heist films. A large part of the movies lead up to a tense heist. Even though we know that the heroes are going to succeed, we’re still excited by it.

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.