The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England and the Movies that Should Come From Them
I recently finished the book, The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England, by Dan Jones. I’m now reading his follow-up book on The War of the Roses. Jones is an engaging writer, who mixes a type of informal academic content with a informal narrative style. This combination of formality and informality makes for an informative and engaging read. I’d recommend this book. … Continue reading The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England and the Movies that Should Come From Them
Inside Out: Why Can’t We Be Friends and Why Should We Read Medieval Literature?
Warning: Spoilers!!! Warning: Spoilers!!! Warning: Spoilers!!! Inside Out, a 2015 film that is both allegorical and naturalistic, dives into the consciousness of its main character, in ways both innovative and drawing on a 500 years old dramatic tradition. Let’s start with the film’s Emotion characters, who are embodiments of feelings–in other words, concepts depicted as characters. When I first started watching Inside Out, I was … Continue reading Inside Out: Why Can’t We Be Friends and Why Should We Read Medieval Literature?
Cosmos and Kairos: A Rhetorical Journey
Here’s my latest vlog post, this one on Carl Sagan’s 13 part television series, Cosmos and his use of kairos as a rhetorical technique in the famous program. Continue reading Cosmos and Kairos: A Rhetorical Journey
Monsters, Inc., (2001) Monsters, and Commonplaces
I’ve created my second vlog, this one over the 2001 film, Monsters, Inc., directed by Pete Docter. You can find it below. I hope you enjoy. If you do, please share! Continue reading Monsters, Inc., (2001) Monsters, and Commonplaces
Meet the Parents and Cinematography
I’ve made my first video blog, or vlog, as they say. It’s over the film, Meet the Parents, from 2000, directed by Jay Roach. I hope you’ll watch my short movie and tell me your thoughts, either about cinematography or Meet the Parents! Continue reading Meet the Parents and Cinematography
Abraham Lincoln, “a natural born piggy-backer”: Why “It Happened One Night” is a classic.
I recently learned that a pun I came up with was already well established in the puniverse. You see, my pun went something like Frank Capricorn; it was going to involve a film director, someone born between December 21st and January 20th, a hot dog, and candy corn. But to my chagrin, the term capricorn has been around quite a while, and it refers to … Continue reading Abraham Lincoln, “a natural born piggy-backer”: Why “It Happened One Night” is a classic.
Ten films with “F**k you and the horse you rode in on” speeches
There’s all kinds of movie speeches–the inspirational speech, the redemption speech, the condemnatory speech, and the romantic plea for love speech. But one of my favorites is what you might call the “F**k you and the horse you rode in on” speech. The most typical version of this speech happens towards the end of the film. The protagonist looks to be completely finished, his or … Continue reading Ten films with “F**k you and the horse you rode in on” speeches
Election: Ambition, it’s a blessing . . . and a curse
Warning: Spoilers!!!!!!!!!! Warning: Spoilers!!!!!!!!! Warning: Spoilers!!!!!!!! Tracy Flick is one of those characters whose notoriety exceeds the boundaries of the story they are a part of. There are so many characters who fit this description, including The Artful Dodger, Scarlett O’Hara, Big Bird, Archie Bunker, The Fonze, and The Dude. These are figures who seem to break free of their narrative landscapes. We remember them, … Continue reading Election: Ambition, it’s a blessing . . . and a curse
The Brady Bunch Movie: Those Were The Days Then and Now, and Jan Finally Gets Her Due
The television show, The Brady Bunch seems anachronistic even for its time. Even in the late 60s, the type of wholesome American family of shows like Make Room for Daddy or Father Knows Best seemed passé. The Brady Bunch debuted in 1969, and consider some of the other programs that were on that year that were far edgier. The most popular show was Rowan & … Continue reading The Brady Bunch Movie: Those Were The Days Then and Now, and Jan Finally Gets Her Due
YouTube Channels Worth a Gander
At one point, there was NBC and CBS. Then along came ABC. Slowly people started to gain access to cable television, an invention that first developed to help people in the valley get access to stations when geography prevented a broadcasting signal to be picked up. With cable television came dozens, then scores, then hundreds of channels. Now there’s streaming shows on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, … Continue reading YouTube Channels Worth a Gander
Footnotes for Film Buffs 