An Analysis of Hitchcock’s Weakest ‘Psycho’ Scene
I bet you can guess the one.
Psycho is a masterpiece. It’s hard to argue much else. Its innovative horror changed not just the genre landscape but the moviegoi Read More...
Jacob Oller
Celebrating Greta Gerwig’s Creative Rise
The phrase ‘indie darling’ shouldn’t apply to someone that should be everyone’s darling.
After a killer debut of her new movie Lady Bird at TIFF, Greta Gerwig Read More...
Remembering Harry Dean Stanton On Screen
The character actor with the most character.
Rarely does a character actor, in that unsung profession, achieve the renown they deserve during their lifetime. H Read More...
Psychological Horror Has Been A Thing Since ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’
I’m tired of genre pedants.
It and mother! have led to a disturbing number of people misunderstanding genre. Psychology is not just for the action-filled thril Read More...
Living Words: ‘Sherlock’ and Text On Screen
It’s usually so boring to watch words. Usually.
We’ve written about the ways in which social media and communication technology are usually displayed on screen Read More...
From ‘Jackie’ to Melania: Media, Performance, and the First Ladies
The role of the First Lady slips in and out of importance depending on media savvy.
Essayist Kevin B. Lee tackles an underseen technique in his video inspired Read More...
Painful Proximity: Darren Aronofsky’s Extreme Close-Ups
Aronofsky's films aren't afraid to get in your face.
While director Darren Aronofsky’s movies love to examine our own obsessions, it does this by limiting its Read More...
Filming the Holocaust: Crisis on Camera
Is attempting to capture one of the greatest human crimes futile?
Jerry Lewis was so unhappy with his attempt to evoke the Holocaust that he made his film one Read More...
Beyond the Mixtape: The Needledrops of The Cornetto Trilogy
Edgar Wright’s best are deliciously soundtracked.
When I featured Adam Tinius’ Pulp Fiction soundtrack essay, I noted that Shaun of the Dead has some of my all Read More...
The Elegant Mechanics of the Focus Pull
How to shift an audience’s attention without changing the shot.
The rack focus, adjusting the camera midshot to change what’s blurry and what’s not, is one of Read More...
Jacob Oller
Video Content Editor
Jacob Oller writes everywhere (Vanity Fair, The Guardian, Playboy, FSR, Paste, etc.) about everything that matters (film, TV, video games, memes, life).
