Storytelling
The 3 Biggest Storytelling Problems in Shazam!
A hero is only as good as his villain, and that’s where Shazam’s plot problems start.
Storytelling
Captain Marvel: A Genius Lesson in Story Structure
Captain Marvel offers a smart answer to a hard storytelling question: how do you make a compelling movie about the world’s strongest hero?
Armchair Sociology
Steve Harrington, Jaime Lannister, and the Secret to Writing a Redemption Arc
How did Steve Harrington become one of the most popular characters on Stranger Things?
Storytelling
53 Reactions from a Drunken Viewing of Mortal Engines
Mortal Engines may be one of 2018’s biggest box-office bombs, but it didn’t have to be. Here’s the key ingredient the movie forgot to include.
Storytelling
What Went Wrong with Bad Times at the El Royale?
This caper flick wants you to believe it’s full of twists and turns… but it’s frustatingly empty.
Storytelling
Why Damien Chazelle’s First Man Feels So Empty
Why, despite some stellar filmmaking, does First Man fail to satisfy?
Storytelling
What Makes the Best Pilot Episodes in TV History Tick?
From The Sopranos to Westworld, how the 10 of the best TV shows displayed their game-changing brilliance from their very first episodes.
Storytelling
5 Reasons Why The Spy Who Dumped Me Deserves to Become a Franchise
The Spy Who Dumped Me feels more like a TV pilot than a fully-formed movie — and that’s not a bad thing.
Armchair Sociology
The Hidden Message in Disney’s Christopher Robin
Disney’s Christopher Robin may seem like a simple feel-good fable, but there’s a more interesting message under the surface.
Storytelling
What’s the Mission: Impossible Franchise Really About?
Ethan Hunt is surprisingly bland for a lead character, but what really holds Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible franchise together are its recurring themes.