Blog Posts

Great Halloween Episodes to Stream

It’s Halloween! As such, here are my picks for some of the best Halloween episodes of TV out there to watch this season.

Pen Beats Sword: When Government "Secrets" Were Foiled by Art

The US Government works really hard to keep their secrets safe from prying eyes. And sometimes bored writers with a quirky idea will just go and reveal those secrets to the world without even meaning to.

The Oddity of Country Music Sequel Songs

Prepare to investigate the secret history of country music sequel songs!

Jurassic Lightyears and Autopsying Unnecessary Sequels

Three recent releases serve as great examples of how to make necessary sequels or unnecessary sequels. Guess which two serve as the examples of unnecessary sequels.

Why Everyone Is Wrong About the Enemy in Top Gun: Maverick

Everyone on the Internet is talking about why Top Gun: Maverick never explicitly names the enemy nation. That’s because it doesn’t really matter.

Your Interpretations Are Wrong

Authors, artists, and creators of all kinds spend hours considering how their words and their work will affect an audience. Shouldn’t the audience take just as much care considering their interpretations?

Living Under Shadows

Our world is living under a shadow right now. And we are prone to fear living under that shadow. But there is a greater shadow that reminds us who is in control and who scares away our fears.

Don’t Show, Don’t Tell: The Power of Suggestion in Fiction

There is a common rule in storytelling that says “Show, Don’t Tell.” However, sometimes doing neither one is actually much better.

The First Extraterrestrial Church and How Hollywood Sci-Fi Explains the Search for Faith with Aliens

In some instances, Hollywood writers have used the search for aliens as a metaphor for the search for faith. The three most prominent examples help us learn quite a bit about how culture and ourselves view faith: Contact, Signs, and Ad Astra.

A Matter of Perspective

We hardly ever think about how the character receiving the benefit of the main perspective in a work matters, but that one simple detail shapes everything about how the audience experiences the chain of events that makes up the plot.

Mary Sue Who?

What’s a Mary Sue? Am I one? There’s a lot of confusion about this topic, and just as much anger. So I will definitively answer the questions surrounding two recently accused Mary Sue’s by saying…maybe?

Assembled: The Marvel of Long-Form Storytelling

I want to talk about Endgame. I want to talk about all the incredible moments that will make fans stand up and cheer or want to weep. Both exist. And perhaps in a couple weeks I’ll delve into a more spoiler-unfriendly review. This isn’t a review so much as it is a letter of appreciation.

The Humanity of Good Sci-Fi

Sure, sci-fi needs to look cool and show us something new, but truly legendary sci-fi needs to show us something human.

Mary Poppins and the Delight of Musical Theatre

Mary Poppins Returns is a very silly, predictable movie, but it is the right kind of silly and predictable, which makes it a great musical. And like all great musicals, it is quite delightful.

The Dilemma of Characterization and "That Character Wouldn't Do That!"

It’s a harsh reality to get slapped in the face by disappointment when someone we love lets us down. It’s even harder when that person is fictional.

We Should've Seen It Coming

Truth be told, George Lucas’ later mistakes in the Star Wars prequels were all our fault. We should’ve seen it coming.

Why Sequels Are So Often Doomed to Fail

Sequels are like playing the lottery and, just like in the real lottery, you have better odds of being stabbed in the eye by a passing pirate captain than you do of winning.

Making (Fake) Death Matter

There are several characters in pop culture who died and left us feeling…well, nothing. So how exactly do you make a character’s death matter?

Don't Say Dumb Stuff

I’m not sure if firing James Gunn was the right decision by Disney, but there is a lesson to be learned from this episode: Don’t say dumb stuff.

Mixed Results Meet the Shrunken Sequel "Ant-Man and the Wasp" - REVIEW

Marvel's follow-up to Avengers: Infinity War seems to come from the 22 Jump Street school of sequel filmmaking: just do the same thing as the first time.