Before the MCU. Before the DCEU. Before every major studio started scrambling to stitch their films together into a grand shared mythology with its own timeline, its own rules, and its own inevitable crossover event, there was a quiet suburb of Chicago that most people drove right past without realizing it. There was Shermer, Illinois. … Continue reading Welcome to Shermer, Illinois
Film Analysis
From Joke Writer to American Icon: The Filmmaking Evolution of John Hughes
I have a specific memory of watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off for the first time and thinking — probably at an age when I wasn't yet sophisticated enough to articulate this — somebody made this movie who actually remembers what it feels like to be young. Not young in a generic, greeting card sort of … Continue reading From Joke Writer to American Icon: The Filmmaking Evolution of John Hughes
The Rules of Horror: Scream and Its Meta Approach to the Genre
There's a moment in the original Scream — released on December 20, 1996 — that I remember hitting me like a cold splash of water to the face. It's not the opening scene, though that's genuinely one of the greatest sequences in horror history. It's not the reveal of the killers, either. It's a quieter … Continue reading The Rules of Horror: Scream and Its Meta Approach to the Genre
Hogwarts Houses: Stereotypes, Unity, and Personal Growth
There is a question that has followed Harry Potter fans around for nearly thirty years now, surviving playground arguments, Pottermore quizzes, and at least a dozen personality tests designed to help you figure out whether you belong with the brave ones, the loyal ones, the clever ones, or the ambitious ones. The question is deceptively … Continue reading Hogwarts Houses: Stereotypes, Unity, and Personal Growth
The Character Couch – Travis Bickle
Welcome back to The Character Couch, where we put on our amateur psychology hats and spend some quality time with characters who probably could have used a real therapist at some point along the way. Today's subject arrived at the office alone, at night, and spent the first ten minutes of our session staring at … Continue reading The Character Couch – Travis Bickle
From Nakatomi to Nowhere: How Die Hard Forgot It Had a Heart
Let me be upfront about something before we dive in: I love Die Hard. I have gone on record — multiple times, including as recently as this past December — arguing passionately, even aggressively, that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. And one of the central pillars of that argument is that the movie is, … Continue reading From Nakatomi to Nowhere: How Die Hard Forgot It Had a Heart
The Confusing Middle 