Armchair Sociology
The Problem with Ingrid Goes West
There’s a missing piece at the center of Ingrid Goes West that prevents it from becoming a truly moving satire.
Storytelling
How Game of Thrones Defines Characters Through Actions
[SPOILERS AHEAD for the final episode of Game of Thrones season seven, “The Dragon and the Wolf.”] In the end, this short 7th season of Game of Thrones left us pretty much where we started: the army of the undead is still marching south, Daenerys and Cersei are still locked Read more…
Storytelling
Is Game of Thrones Violating Its Own Theme?
For a story that was built around unpredictability and innovation, its final chapters are deviating from what its fans have come to expect.
Storytelling
How Game of Thrones Uses Scene Structure to Reveal Character and Theme
From politics to survival, here are three ways the Season Seven premiere of Game of Thrones uses story structure to define its characters’ motivations.
Storytelling
The Real Hidden Genius of Pulp Fiction
When Pulp Fiction debuted in 1994, writer-director Quentin Tarantino was hailed as a filmmaking genius, and his movie rewired filmmakers’ brains for the next 20 years. The film earned tons of buzz for a number of valid reasons: its unexpected revival of John Travolta’s career its profanity-fueled pop culture dialogue Read more…
Storytelling
What Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead Can Teach Us About Modern Storytelling
Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead take have so much more in common than zombies. In many ways, they’re almost the same show… and they’re not alone.
Armchair Sociology
The Meaning of Life According to Don Draper
Autonomy is a major theme on Mad Men. Who has more power to control your story and your life — is it you, or everyone else? For example, when the execs at ad agency Sterling Cooper learn their ad agency is about to be sold (again) at the end of Read more…
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…