ogradyfilmJan 102 minHades: The Labor of Sisyphus[The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Even if you’re a complete newcomer to the wild world of Greek mythol...
ogradyfilmJan 92 minMank: Nightmares in the Dream Factory[The following essay contains SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Early in the first act of David Fincher’s Mank, protagonist Herman J. Mank...
ogradyfilmJan 52 minSoul: Finding the Spark[The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Like nearly all of Pixar’s work, Soul gets pretty goddamn existentia...
ogradyfilmJan 42 minTenet: Fatalism, Free Will, and the Inflexibility of Time[The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] I’ll see you at the beginning, friend. As the dust settles following...
ogradyfilmJan 32 minThe Mandalorian: A Larger World[The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!] Several critics have argued that Season 2 of The Mandalorian feature...
ogradyfilmNov 28, 20202 minMST3K: Learning Through LaughterYou can accuse the writers behind Mystery Science Theater 3000 of aiming at low-hanging fruit. You can argue that their sense of humor re...
ogradyfilmOct 31, 20202 minThe Amorphous Horror of Tomie[WARNING: The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS!] I spent hours searching for the right adjective to describe the unique flavor of ...
ogradyfilmOct 1, 20201 minDario Argento's Guide to Being a Giallo ProtagonistBe a foreigner with very few friends in town. Stumble across a violent crime in progress. Immediately touch everything as you fruitlessly...
ogradyfilmSep 19, 20203 minThe Poetry of Violence: Slaying the Dragon[WARNING: The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS for 13 Assassins, Skyfall, Django Unchained, and Avengers: Endgame.] What defines a...
ogradyfilmSep 14, 202010 minEmails from Japan[Back in the summer of 2015, my brother and I visited Japan. While there, I sent our parents (almost) daily emails to keep them up-to-dat...
ogradyfilmAug 23, 20202 minFurther Thoughts on Ghost of Tsushima[The following observations were originally posted to my Twitter account on August 22, 2020. However, as the character limit is no longer...
ogradyfilmAug 20, 20202 minJim Jarmusch and the Poetry of the MundaneA film’s setting shouldn’t simply lie flat on the screen; it is, after all, a character in and of itself, and must therefore be imbued wi...
ogradyfilmAug 8, 20201 minThe Magnificent Seven (2016): Missing the Target[The following observations were originally posted to my Twitter account. The text is reproduced here with minor edits for clarity.] I re...
ogradyfilmAug 2, 20202 minAmerican Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - Subjective Reality[The following analysis contains MAJOR SPOILERS; you have been warned!] Contrary to their ostensible purpose—i.e., to depict an accurate ...
ogradyfilmJul 1, 20202 minThe Last of Us Part II: First Impressions[The following post is not a review of The Last of Us Part II. Because I have not yet finished the game, I cannot offer a full, complete,...
ogradyfilmMar 2, 20202 minAbbas Kiarostami and the Subtle Art of Shot/Reverse ShotShot/reverse shot is about as basic as film language gets: one character speaks; a second responds, back and forth in perfectly matched m...
ogradyfilmFeb 23, 20202 minAdditional Thoughts on Ride Your WaveAs has become my custom of late, I would like to elaborate on my favorite scene in Ride Your Wave. Unfortunately, because it occurs near ...
ogradyfilmFeb 17, 20202 minDefying Convention: The Art of the Off-screen Death[The following essay contains MAJOR SPOILERS for No Country for Old Men and The Bad Sleep Well; you have been warned!] Spoiler alert: In ...
ogradyfilmJan 26, 20201 minWestworld and the Rise of Arnold Schwarzenegger: It's Just Science (Fiction)Hypothesis: Michael Crichton’s Westworld had an enormous impact on the trajectory of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career. Exhibit A: Yul Brynn...
ogradyfilmJan 19, 20202 minIn Defense of The Witcher’s Nonlinear Narrative Structure[The following essay contains SPOILERS; you have been warned!] Both fans and critics of Netflix’s recent adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’...