Film essays

The Metaphysics of Inception – Engaging Ontological Uncertainty

Chuck Jones – The Evolution of an Artist

The Ultimate Antidote for Cynicism: It’s a Wonderful Life

Arrival | Facing the Fear of Existence

Who Are We Without Storytelling?

The Lover Within | How Moonlight Relates to ALL Men

A Mythology of Hope – The Lord of the Rings (part 2)

Okja | Understanding the (Im)Morality of Animal Consumption

Martin Scorsese – The Art of Silence

Anatomy of the Dreamlike Romance – Call Me By Your Name vs. Before Sunrise

Light versus Dark – The Philosophy of Doctor Sleep

Contagion – Anatomy of a Global Pandemic

The Philosophy of Mr. Nobody – How To Make Meaningful Choices

Venturing into Sacred Space | Archetype of the Magician

Drive (2011) – The Quadrant System

Mother (2009) – The Telephoto Profile Shot

In Search of the Distinctively Human | The Philosophy of Blade Runner 2049

Jackie Chan – How to Do Action Comedy

Stoicism in The Shawshank Redemption – Meditations I.

Artificial Truths For Real Happiness – Werner Herzog’s Family Romance, LLC

Satoshi Kon – Editing Space & Time

The Philosophy of Cloud Atlas | How Beauty Will Save the World

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty | Overcoming Maladaptive Daydreaming

Radical Honesty – What If We All Told The Truth?

The Office – How Michael Scott Makes a Sale

Wolf Children (2012) – The Lateral Tracking Shot

The Absurdist Philosophy Of Synecdoche, New York

A Brief Look at Texting and the Internet in Film

Exploring Consciousness in Film: The Cognitive Revolution

Unraveling Death Stranding’s Existentialist Themes | Complete Review

Baby Driver | Introversion Done Right

Snowpiercer – Left or Right

Michael Bay – What is Bayhem?

Praying Through Cinema – Understanding Andrei Tarkovsky

Not Just About Superheroes – The Hidden Metaphor In Glass

The Revenant – An Odyssey Through America’s Purgatory

The Witcher 3 – Virtual Empathy & Moral Reflection In Video Games

Your Name – What Makes Us Happy?

Memories of Murder (2003) – Ensemble Staging

Ethical Behavior in Modern Society – Can We Still Get Into The Good Place?

The New World | The Lost Art of Grief

The Imposter (2012) – Looking into the Lens

The Fundamental Difference Between Stories And Reality

Hollywood Scores & Soundtracks: What Do They Sound Like? Do They Sound Like Things?? Let’s Find Out!

The Silence of the Lambs – Who Wins the Scene?

The Bad Sleep Well (1960) – The Geometry of a Scene

What Makes a Great King? Exploring the Archetype of the King in Movies and Television

The Archetype of the Warrior – How Films Help Empower Us All

Fight Club – How (Not) To Become A Space Monkey

The Tree of Life | Crafting an Existential Masterpiece

Kingdom of Heaven | Addendum: Why Balian won the Battle for Jerusalem

How Does an Editor Think and Feel?

Akira Kurosawa – Composing Movement

After Life – An Answer to Nihilism

The Marvel Symphonic Universe

Joel & Ethan Coen – Shot | Reverse Shot

Your Life is Not a Hero’s Journey

Lynne Ramsay – The Poetry of Details

Sunshine – A Visceral Experience of Life, Death and Meaning

Vancouver Never Plays Itself

The Before Trilogy | Portraying a Real Relationship

The Unfulfilled Potential of Minecraft – Assuming a Different Perspective

The Spielberg Oner

How Ken Burns Captures History (And Why That Matters)

The Perilous Journey of a Truly Beautiful Soul – Hacksaw Ridge

Prometheus & Covenant | Building a Mythos of Savage Creation

First Man – A Sobering Look at Human Greatness

The Philosophy of The Fountain – Escaping Our Mental Prisons

Chernobyl – How The World Became A Risk Society

Beowulf – Adapting the Oldest Story in English Literature

David Fincher – And the Other Way is Wrong

Transcending Heidegger – The Cinema Of Terrence Malick