morality

Why Did My Mother Like THE SHINING?

Frank H. Wu’s mother, an immigrant from China via Taiwan, used The Shining to teach about right and wrong to her young son.

Anthology Shows As Morality Plays
Anthology TV Shows As Morality Plays

The anthology format for TV is often the perfect forum to spread ideals about morality; here are a few shows that utilize this to the fullest.

30 Years Later: BROADCAST NEWS & Being The Smartest Person In The Room
30 Years Later: BROADCAST NEWS & Being The Smartest Person In The Room

Shawn Glinis provides his personal retrospective of James L. Brooks’ classic comedy Broadcast News on its 30th anniversary, showing us how the film’s understanding of the world colors his own.

Why Louis Bloom Was Destined To Succeed In NIGHTCRAWLER
Why Louis Bloom Was Destined To Succeed In NIGHTCRAWLER

Nightcrawler’s Louis Bloom is worthy of our criticism, but it is also easy to overlook how flawed his colleagues (and viewers) truly are.

The Beginner’s Guide: Hayao Miyazaki, Director

How to summarise Hayao Miyazaki in a few words? Brilliant, magical, ecologist, fantastic, cultural, wise, a true master of his art: animation.

BRIDGE OF SPIES: Steven Spielberg’s Dreary Tale of Optimism

Bridge of Spies is not what I would call a happy film. Gray snow envelopes the dilapidated East German cityscape and we find Tom Hanks’s character interacting with others primarily in poorly lit, often dank rooms. Nearly all of the characters are entirely self-interested with blinders positioned perfectly to block out the undesired effects their actions can have on others.

Self/Less
SELF/LESS: A Cinematic Dud

I’ve been toiling over this review for about a week now. A large portion of mainstream film criticism has shifted towards tearing down films, blatantly nit-picking all aspects of a movie and continuously shouting nasty adjectives which seemingly constitutes as a review of a film. I get why it’s so big nowadays, being angry at or disappointed in something will always get a more humorous and memorable responses.

NIGHTCRAWLER: A Psychological Journey

Nightcrawler, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, balances the crime thriller, dark comedy, and character study genres with ease. The film focuses on Louis Bloom, a mysterious young insomniac who takes to the nighttime streets of Los Angeles in an attempt to capture the most shocking breaking news. Armed with his video camera and sidekick, Rick, Louis turns real life car crashes and murders into exciting film clips to headline the morning stories.

The Beginner’s Guide: Alex Gibney, Documentary Maker

When the majority of people are asked for their opinions on the topic of ‘best film directors’, a usual set of names are mentioned. While individuals will naturally have personal and less predictable choices, there is a good chance that at least one of their suggestions will be from a set of list of collectively-decided greats: Kubrick, Hitchc*ck, Scorsese and the like.

CALVARY Is A Risky But Successful Discussion Of Moral Corruption

Calvary chronicles a week in the life of Irish Catholic Priest, Father James Lavelle (Brendan Gleeson). When we meet him, Father Lavelle hears a haunting confession: the man was abused by a priest in his youth.