movies
Forever 2014
What we get mad about when we get mad about Barbie's Oscar snubs
Latest
movies
How Edward Yang's Yi Yi helps you keep track of over a dozen major characters
The 2000 masterpiece perfectly juggles an enormous number of characters.
andor
Andor Fridays: Episode 9, "Nobody's Listening"
In which I sing the praises of Diego Luna
writing
How I create (hopefully) memorable characters
Hint: It involves more than one character.
Mailbag
January mailbag!
This month: Why are video-game adaptations so hard? Also: How to get feedback.
movies
Toward a definition of "Egg Cinema"
How movies made by seeming cis people sometimes end up super trans.
andor
Andor Fridays: Episode 8, "Narkina 5"
Cassian goes to prison, and Emily shares her theories on storytelling (again).
TV
The Simpsons and our long 1990s hangover
"Marge Vs. the Monorail" is maybe the best TV episode ever made... and a paean to neoliberalism.
newsletter
Episodes in 2024
Here's what's coming in the new year!
PTSD
It's a Wonderful Life and PTSD
When you are in the throes of a traumatic flashback, trauma therapists recommend a practice called "grounding." In grounding, the person who needs to be pulled back to reality is encouraged to look around and pick out an object to describe in detail. I, for instance, am looking
andor
Andor Fridays: Episode 7, "Announcement"
Andor pauses the action for a brilliant episode that shifts our perspective on everything that's happened so far.
Mailbag
December mailbag!
This month's topics: lesser watched TV dramas of the 20th century, music to write to, and 2023 top 10 lists!