Armchair Sociology
Why We Replaced Heroes with Antiheroes
From Superman to Iron Man, the difference between a hero and an antihero was always clear.. until now. Here’s what changed, and why it matters.
Storytelling
10 Ways Iron Man’s Plot Created the Marvel Movie Formula
10 years after Marvel Studios released Iron Man, here’s how that movie’s success has been duplicated in every MCU film since.
Storytelling
Why Outlander Is the Show America Needs Now
How do the big differences between two of TV’s most talked-about prestige dramas reflect a vast gap in pop culture?
Storytelling
Why Every Marvel Movie Tells the Same Story
Thor: Ragnarok is basically a blueprint for how to make a Marvel movie… and that’s a problem. Here’s why every Marvel movie tells the same story.
Storytelling
Why Riverdale’s Season Two Ratings Scored Big Buzz
The sexy absurdist hit TV series just did something no other CW show has done.
Storytelling
9 Annoying Plot Holes in Thor: The Dark World
Every Marvel movie has a few problems, but Thor: The Dark World has some truly blockbuster-sized plot holes.
Storytelling
How DC Should Have Built Their Movie Universe
NOTE: This post was written in June 2013. Since then, DC and Warner Bros have released Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and Justice League, plus a parallel DC TV Universe on the CW. While DC and WB stuck to their vision, I still think my strategy would have Read more…
Armchair Sociology
The Death of Fun
Remember the ’80s? Those were my formative years, so their influence is hard to shake, but I can’t help but feel like the ’80s were the last time in Western culture when fun was generally acceptable. I grew up reading comic books like Batman and Spider-Man, and watching cartoons like Read more…