The following is an essay I wrote as my final paper for my Film History class at Northwestern. Enjoy! Over 25 years after its release, Jurassic Park stands today as a quintessential Hollywood blockbuster, a film with both unprecedented box office success and strong cultural and critical acclaim. Director Steven Spielberg amazed audiences with groundbreaking … Continue reading The Duality of Progress in Spielberg’s Jurassic Park
My YouTube recommendations list typically is populated by two of my major interests — sports and Star Wars. While there’s plenty to talk about with sports, Star Wars is more niche in comparison, a nine-film saga based on the dreams of one man, George Lucas. As a movie franchise, Star Wars isn’t based in … Continue reading Star Wars, Ranked
On January 3, just a couple days before heading back to Northwestern for our winter quarter, I took a trip to the movie theater with my dad to watch the Adam Sandler drama Uncut Gems. I enjoyed the flick trip, but little did I know that the first movie theater excursion I took in 2020 … Continue reading The Rich, Delectable Hollywood Year of 2019
The following essay is my final paper for my Media Contexts class at Northwestern. The prompt was to look at the importance of context in the meaning of any movie, and, naturally, I chose to explore Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Enjoy! Sitting alongside Anakin Skywalker during a pivotal scene in the … Continue reading The High Ground: Moral Ambiguity in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Be careful what you wish for...
How big is a galaxy? That’s the question Star Wars fans have tackled for decades. Are the original three Star Wars movies “the real Star Wars”, as generations that grew up with Luke and Leia often attest? Or are just the first six, the originals and the prequels, the legitimate ones, like many Star Wars … Continue reading In turbulent Disney era, Clone Wars triumphs
Every year, I update my list of my top 100 movies, the Riker Scale. On the list, I rate each movie from 1-100 (79 is the cutoff as of the 2020 edition) and include information such as rating, year and director. Maintaining the Riker Scale has been extremely fun over the years, and it serves … Continue reading The Riker Scale, Four Years Later
NOTE: This is a spoiler-free review, until the final paragraph where I ramble on my spoiler-filled thoughts. Thursday marked the culmination of not only the Star Wars saga, but also an era in my Star Wars fandom. The trailer for the latest and final installment, The Rise of Skywalker, started with a short montage of … Continue reading Star Wars sequels meet exhilarating end with Rise of Skywalker
NOTE: These are spoiler-free reviews. The sports world is ablaze with action and excitement, and in nowhere more than Baltimore itself. Not-so-subtle flex: the Ravens are as great as I’ve ever seen them — four straight wins against teams with winning records, with a total margin of 104 points among those wins — and rank … Continue reading Read Option: Box Office Roundup
Nicky G. Bum Squad. Oh We Rollin. The following article is an oral history of the Braintrust Productions (a.k.a. Wootton XC videos) and their impact on all those involved over the memorable span of three years and six films. Each section (with the exception of the conclusion) contains a YouTube link to the corresponding video. … Continue reading Oral History: Behind the Scenes of Braintrust Productions
Riker's Block 