Long-form Writing Covering Film, TV, Theme Parks, and Happy Meals
Did He Set Up The“Ending” - FIGHT CLUB style? Maybe. Take a read in this month's installment of "Just A Theory"... I remain uniquely fascinated by JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX, the sequel to Todd Phillps’ JOKER, the 2019 billion dollar Oscar winning mega-hit starring Joaquin Phoenix. I am uniquely captivated by both the actual film … Continue reading Did Joker/Arthur Fleck Plan the Brutal Twist Ending of FOLIE À DEUX?
On The Perils of Self-Sabotage, Perception, Idolatry, Rehabilitation, and Devotion “When I decide to do something, I stick with it, total commitment.”Joaquin Phoenix As I first left director Todd Phillips’ masterful if purposely contradictory and confounding JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX (aka JOKER 2), I was left pondering, “what is the message of this film?” Unlike … Continue reading Did Todd Phillips Want JOKER 2 To Bomb? Dissecting The Themes Of FOLIE À DEUX To Uncover Director’s Intent.
I loved Netflix' THE SANDMAN. The show managed to handle such a heady topic as “what it means to be human” while also giving the audience all of the things usually wanted and found in the best superhero films: a blend of tension mixed with action that ultimately leads to overcoming adversity. My only complaint … Continue reading THE SANDMAN Season 1 – All 10 Episodes RANKED
As THE BATMAN drops on HBO MAX tomorrow, I decided to reflect on my experience with the film so far. Yeah I am a lunatic who has watched in 13 times. Maybe that's not that crazy but it feels like it. But for me, this is a film that goes far beyond genre-defining and became … Continue reading 13 Weird Things I Learned From Watching THE BATMAN 13 Times IN THEATERS
I’ve watched and read a lot of critics praise THE BATMAN, but criticize its third act as both underdeveloped and incongruous with the preceding story. With criticisms ranging from “how would this be part of the Riddler’s plan” to “feels like its out of another movie” to “doesn’t Riddler's final attack actually hurt the poorest … Continue reading The Third Act of THE BATMAN is Actually Great and Essential to Riddler’s Story
Marvel's ETERNALS are the first MCU characters to really experience existential dread. And I love them for it. Imagine a story about an ancient family that has been living and fighting together (sometimes each other) for over 7000 years, but suddenly finds itself on the brink of revelation that redirects their purpose and makes them … Continue reading ETERNALS THEORY DISCUSSION – Millenia of Memories, Now Running Out of Time
At the end of last night’s “Superman and Lois” we saw a couple of larger season arc-ing plot-driving moments in the midst of a very good character-driven family bound story. Lois, investigating a story about a missing worker employed by Morgan Edge, was attacked by an unknown man. Superman intervened but was given a good … Continue reading Just A Theory: Have New Krypton and Lesla-Lar already arrived on “Superman and Lois”?
PART 3 - THEMATIC SIMILARITIES There are themes that run through both WW84 and SUPERMAN 3. In SUPERMAN 3, many of these themes came from Richard Lester’s less successful films like PETULIA. These themes are very unique for a superhero action film and when I grew up and re-watched SUPERMAN 3 as an adult it … Continue reading WW84, Superman 3 and Movies About Movies – Part 3: Themes
In my first installment, I talked about the visual similarities in Patty Jenkins' WW84 with 80s superhero films in general and Richard Lester's SUPERMAN 3 specifically. I talked about how they became a vector for Patty Jenkins to create a movie about 1980s superhero movies - as both a tribute and a means to address … Continue reading WW84, Superman 3 and Movies About Movies – Part 2: Characters
[Please note - SPOILERS THROUGHOUT for WW84 and SUPERMAN 3] With "Wonder Woman 1984", director Patty Jenkins made a movie about movies, among many other themes, filming it in the distinct style of 1980s superhero (and action) films. And Jenkins expands on the source material, creating new roads branching off from old ones, a character … Continue reading WW84, Superman 3 and Movies About Movies – Part 1: Visuals
No Scoops Club 