Note: This will be a spoiler-filled review (watch it if you haven’t!) There’s no feeling like seeing a Star Wars movie in the theater. The months of anticipation, theorizing and deconstructing trailers leading into an immersive and otherworldly experience. The lightsabers clashing, the John Williams score playing, the plot twists and sweeping planetscapes. For a … Continue reading In Obi-Wan Kenobi show, Star Wars finds the perfect fulcrum to its prequel and original trilogies
Category: Movies
Review: The box office gives us a pair of must-watch murder mysteries in Death on the Nile and The Batman
Note: This is a spoiler-free review. It’s hard to beat a great mystery movie. With a special emphasis on intrigue and surprise and limitless permutations of structure — and plenty of room for stylistic flourishes — mysteries are well-built for the medium of the cinema and ensure the intellect is up to par with a … Continue reading Review: The box office gives us a pair of must-watch murder mysteries in Death on the Nile and The Batman
Review: Book of Boba Fett is a seismic blast of a good time
NOTE: This review contains spoilers for Book of Boba Fett “Cool” is the first word that comes to mind when the name of the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett is mentioned. Fett was the Darth Maul before Darth Maul, a silent killer whose mere presence spoke volumes. His vertically flying spacecraft, Slave II, is one … Continue reading Review: Book of Boba Fett is a seismic blast of a good time
Spoiler Review: No Way Home is every bit the precious tritium Spider-Man fans are clamoring for
NOTE: This is a spoiler-filled review. Read at your own discretion! I’m not a huge Marvel guy. Whenever I review or watch a Marvel movie, I come in with an outsider’s perspective. Sure, I saw Endgame and Infinity War in the theater, but the series doesn’t capture my imagination the same way that, say, Star … Continue reading Spoiler Review: No Way Home is every bit the precious tritium Spider-Man fans are clamoring for
Personal Essay: On “The Force Awakens”, generational storytelling and movie magic
This personal essay was my final assignment for my storytelling structures journalism class at Northwestern University this fall. The prompt was simple -- describe one distinct moment in your life. Enjoy! On the evening of December 17, 2015, there was only one place for a Star Wars fan to be — the movie theater. The … Continue reading Personal Essay: On “The Force Awakens”, generational storytelling and movie magic
Reviews: Dune and House of Gucci make for a memorable November in the box office, and for different reasons
I’ve had a good time at the movie theater this fall, having thoroughly enjoyed Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings in September and No Time to Die on its opening weekend on October 10. Two more flicks captured my attention and promised to do the same, science-fiction adaptation Dune and drama House of Gucci. As of … Continue reading Reviews: Dune and House of Gucci make for a memorable November in the box office, and for different reasons
A Million More on the Way: Exploring the Economic Exploitation of Technology in Jurassic Park and Attack of the Clones
The following is an essay I wrote as my final paper for my Film Technology class at Northwestern. Enjoy! Directors George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg transformed the cinema industry in the 1970s, sharing both a friendship and status as leaders in the New Hollywood movement. The 70s saw the pair release blockbusters, Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) … Continue reading A Million More on the Way: Exploring the Economic Exploitation of Technology in Jurassic Park and Attack of the Clones
Pixar installment Soul is worthy of holiday cheer
2020 has been a strange year for movies. The future of the theater, already in question with the rise of streaming services (and movie ticket costs) and recent developments such as MoviePass, became even murkier in a global pandemic. Many movie theaters closed in March and haven't opened since, including those in my home state … Continue reading Pixar installment Soul is worthy of holiday cheer
Why The Incredibles is the Greatest Movie of All Time
The following essay is part of an upcoming Riker Scale project. Enjoy! The distinction of favorite movie is a subjective one. Each person is entitled to their own taste in film, and the variety in film opinions is part of what makes talking about movies so fun. At the same time, I firmly believe that … Continue reading Why The Incredibles is the Greatest Movie of All Time
Excerpt: Reviewing the Tenet Experience
The following is a spoiler-free review of the Christopher Nolan film Tenet. The review is part of an upcoming movie-related project. When I was a kid, I had this game called “Mindflex.” The user would strap on a headset with earlobe clamps and it would supposedly measure the intensity of your brainwaves to control the … Continue reading Excerpt: Reviewing the Tenet Experience