Justin Kownacki

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Storytelling

Mortal Engines stars Hera Hilmar as Hester Shaw
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.

By Justin, 7 yearsDecember 23, 2018 ago
Chris Hemsworth as Billy Lee in Drew Goddard's movie Bad Times at the El Royale
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.

By Justin, 7 yearsNovember 5, 2018 ago
Storytelling

Why Damien Chazelle’s First Man Feels So Empty

Why, despite some stellar filmmaking, does First Man fail to satisfy?

By Justin, 7 yearsOctober 27, 2018 ago
Audrey (Mila Kunis) and Morgan (Kate McKinnon) in the poster art for the movie The Spy Who Dumped Me
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.

By Justin, 7 years ago
Winnie the Pooh and an adult Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) meet again on a park bench in Disney's Christopher Robin movie
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.

By Justin, 7 yearsAugust 7, 2018 ago
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt and Vanessa Kirby as The White Widow in Mission: Impossible - Fallout
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.

By Justin, 7 yearsAugust 2, 2018 ago
The cast of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
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.

By Justin, 7 yearsJuly 30, 2018 ago
Danaerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) in HBO's addictive, must-see TV series, Game of Thrones
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.

By Justin, 7 yearsJuly 26, 2018 ago
Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly headline the cast poster for Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp
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.

By Justin, 7 yearsJuly 7, 2018 ago
Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, and Sarah Paulson star in the feel-good heist comedy Ocean's 8
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.

By Justin, 7 yearsJune 27, 2018 ago

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Popular Posts

  • • What Makes Game of Thrones So Addictive?
  • • This Storytelling Flaw Ruined the New Star Wars Trilogy
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  • • How Iron Man Created the Formula for Every Marvel Movie

Latest Posts

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  • • Game of Thrones
  • • Marvel
  • • Star Wars

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