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.
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.
Storytelling
What Makes Game of Thrones So Addictive?
Every “must-see” TV show uses some of these addictive story tricks, but only Game of Thrones combined them all to create a runaway hit.
Storytelling
Why Ant-Man and the Wasp Is a Movie About Nothing
Ant-Man and the Wasp has a plot built entirely out of MacGuffins and a villain who finally breaks Marvel’s mold.
Storytelling
8 Reasons Why Ocean’s 8 Is the Perfect Feel-Good Heist Movie
From the humor to the pacing, Ocean’s 8 works in a way that provides a template for other heist movies to follow.
Storytelling
The Biggest Story Problems in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Remembering the story and plot lessons that Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park got right but sequels like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom keep forgetting.
Storytelling
How Tag Hid a Heartfelt Movie in a Crass Comedy
Tag shouldn’t work as a movie, but it does — almost despite itself. Its crass, uneven comedy hides a surprisingly satisfying emotional payoff.