Storytelling
WandaVision’s Biggest Question Gets Deep: Who Are We, Really?
From a philosophy perspective, the most important part of WandaVision is what the series makes us question about ourselves.
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?
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.
Storytelling
25 Reactions to Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again from a Guy Who Never Saw the Original
We could do worse than an extended cinematic universe of ABBA musicals.
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.
Armchair Sociology
How the Villains Explain the Point of Pixar’s Incredibles Movies
The Incredibles movies explore complicated themes and complex characters — but are they also full of contradictions?
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…