Business Advice
11 Surprising Facts About How Movie Box Office Works
How Hollywood and America went crazy over box office reports… and why the numbers aren’t always what they seem.
Storytelling
The Tone Paradox in Deadpool 2
It’s no surprise that Deadpool 2, the ultra-violent R-rated superhero action comedy with the heart of a cartoon puppy, has a tone problem.
Storytelling
What Solo Gets Surprisingly Right About Star Wars
Director Ron Howard and star Alden Ehrenreich add new layers to the legendary antihero while staying true to the central theme of Star Wars.
Armchair Sociology
Sollers Point: Unraveling Masculinity Onscreen
Sollers Point has its finger on the pulse of a huge American problem: masculinity in crisis. Writer-director Matthew Porterfield is a dedicated chronicler of Baltimore’s lesser-told stories, and in Sollers Point he finds a true diamond in the rough. The story follows Keith (McCaul Lombardi), whose life after house arrest Read more…
Armchair Sociology
Westworld: Reality, A.I., and the God Problem
When I was about 5 or 6, I had a thought that both exhilarated and terrified me. I was riding in the car with my parents, looking out the window, and I thought… How do I know if I’m real? Beyond that… how do I know if “reality” even exists? Read more…
Storytelling
Avengers: Infinity War Shows How to Write a Huge Ensemble Story
Why Marvel’s biggest movie yet is a great example of how to write for a large ensemble of characters.
Storytelling
Scandal, Star Wars, and Being “Out of Character”
Why some choices can seem so out of character, they leave fans of stories like Scandal and Star Wars feeling betrayed.
Storytelling
In Defense of Night Court and Other Guilty Pleasures
Here’s why some media gets called a “guilty pleasure,” and why we need to stop saying that.
Storytelling
From Indiana Jones to James Bond: Which Traits Define a Character?
A female Indiana Jones? Why not? Here’s how to tell a defining character trait apart from a trait that can evolve over time.
Storytelling
How Iron Man Created the Formula for Every Marvel Movie
10 years after Marvel Studios released Iron Man, here’s how that movie’s success has been duplicated in every MCU film since.