Essays
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The American Ideal of Speaking Truth to Power in ’12 Angry Men’
Encouraging the lone voice as the ultimate patriotic act.
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How Old Hollywood Made America Believe It Was The American Dream Factory
Back when you could just move out to the coast and become a big star.
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Freedom, Hypocrisy, and ‘The People vs. Larry Flynt’
A look back at the story of an outsider who stood up for our freedom (to peddle smut).
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Kevin Costner’s Peak as an Embodiment of the American Dream
For five years, Kevin Costner exemplified the American Dream on screen.
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In The Suburbs, You Told Me We’d Never Survive
Suburbia was never the American Dream we wanted, but it’s the American Dream we got.
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Minions Are Unimportant to ‘Despicable Me’
Three movies, a spin off, and way too much promotional marketing later, Minions are cute but are horrible sidekicks and even worse side characters.
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Quite an Experience to Live in Fear: An In-Depth Look at How the Anxieties that Inspired ‘Blade Runner’ Fare Today
As a dystopian look at our future, ‘Blade Runner’ mapped the worries of 1982 onto a then-distant 2019, extrapolating how contemporary fears might come to be realized in the future.
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The Ugly Morality of ‘Conquest of the Planet of the Apes’
45 years after the conquest, humanity is still a catastrophe in need of relief.
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The Optimistic Reality of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’
In building a family for each other, the Guardians created a space for everyone who has ever felt like they don’t belong.
