Film Essays and Analysis
Capturing Modernity: The Challenge of Portraying the Contemporary World - For the first time in cinema history, the most prominent filmmakers of the day are retreating from portraying modern life. Why is this? And what effect does this have? Essay by Noah Sparkes.
Making Sense of Alex Garland’s ‘Men’ - Understanding the filmmaking intent of Alex Garland: an analysis of Garland's philosophy and use of iconography in his 2022 feature film 'Men'. Essay by A. D. Jameson.
Marie Antoinette and the Art of Historical Inaccuracy - How Sofia Coppola mastered the art of historical inaccuracies in her modern and influential 'Marie Antoinette', starring Kirsten Dunst as the titular teenage royal. Essay by Emi Grant.
Cineworld Is Dead. Long Live Content. - Cineworld Group plc is filing for bankruptcy. Here's what happened, how it happened, and why you should care about it. Story by Joseph Wade.
Top Gun: Maverick Is in Love With Companionship, Familiarity - 'Top Gun: Maverick' is the biggest hit of 2022 because it's more than an action movie, it's a romance flick dedicated to all the things we love, and love, and love again. Essay by Callum McGuigan.
Straightwashing Removes All Rainbows: Removing Bisexuals from Comic Book Films - In 2022, the blockbuster sphere's choices in representation must face more scrutiny, particularly with regard to straightwashing bisexual comic book characters. Essay by Paul Klein.
‘Blue My Mind’ and New Female Monsters - 'Blue My Mind' cathartically redefines the old-fashioned film logic that pain must be felt in the coming-of-age period and thus redefines the rulings of the monstrous feminine. Essay by Grace Britten.
Is Marvel’s Insistence on Being So Firmly On-The-Nose Rooted in a Distrust of Its Audience? - In 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness', Marvel, writer Michael Waldron and director Sam Raimi, tell rather than show. Is this because they don't trust us to understand film language? Essay by Callum McGuigan.
What Film Can Teach Us About Heartbreak - "Real life is often nonsensical and absurd – if art can truly mirror that experience, something special can occur." What abstract ideas in film can teach us about heartbreak. Essay by Sam Florsheim.
The Before Trilogy: How to Capture a Moment - A love story is made of moments, and in no place are those moments captured better than in Richard Linklater's Before Trilogy - Sunrise, Sunset, Midnight. Essay on why, by Jack Fanning.