Meg Shields

Based in the Pacific North West, Meg enjoys long scrambles on cliff faces and cozying up with a good piece of 1960s eurotrash. As a senior contributor at FSR, Meg's objective is to spread the good word about the best of sleaze, genre, and practical effects.
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire Ocean

The Cinematic Resonances of ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’

By Meg Shields 

Here’s a video that teases out the cinematic resonances between ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ and the work of Jane Campion, Stanley Kubrick, and others.

Inception ending

‘Inception’ and the Phenomenon of Subliminal Influence

By Meg Shields 

Here’s a video essay about why Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’ still has us dreaming big, ten years later.

Hardware Metal Head

Alan Moore on the Call to Action of “Modernist Horror”

By Meg Shields 

Here’s writer Alan Moore with a definition of “Modernist Horror” and a compelling case for why genre film can be a call to action.

Donnie Yen Fight Scene

The Secret to a Great Fight Scene Is Structure

By Meg Shields 

Here’s a video essay on why the best action sequences are structured like stories rather than spectacles.

X Men First Class - Young group

The Most X-Cellent Scene in ‘X-Men: First Class’

By Meg Shields 

There’s a team of video essayists dissecting their favorite scenes from the X-Men films. Here’s one of our favorites: a video on why the attack on Division X scene from ‘X-Men: First Class’ exemplifies the “warm house” archetype.

To Live And Die In LA car chase William Peterson

How They Shot the Wrong-Way Car Chase in ‘To Live and Die in L.A.’

By Meg Shields 

We’re going this way. And by “this way” we mean straight towards the latest entry of “How’d They Do That?” with a break down of the audacious wrong-way car chase.

The House That Jack Built Matt Bruno

The Divine Comedy of ‘The House That Jack Built’

By Meg Shields 

What we’re watching: a video essay explaining why Lars von Trier’s film is one of the funniest of 2018.

Anna Karina Nana

A Tribute to Anna Sten, Anna Karina, and the Doomed Rebel of ‘Nana’

By Meg Shields 

Here’s a tribute to the various iterations of ‘Nana,’ and the two Anna’s who played her best.

The Graduate Rack Focus

The Delicate Art of the Focus Pull

By Meg Shields 

Focus up, with this video essay on the storytelling potential of the rack focus shot.