Film essays

Beowulf – Adapting the Oldest Story in English Literature

The Fundamental Difference Between Stories And Reality

The Office – How Michael Scott Makes a Sale

Not Just About Superheroes – The Hidden Metaphor In Glass

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

Venturing into Sacred Space | Archetype of the Magician

Light versus Dark – The Philosophy of Doctor Sleep

Martin Scorsese – The Art of Silence

The Real Implications Of Ex Machina’s Turing Test

How Does an Editor Think and Feel?

Dunkirk re-edited as a Silent Film – The Power of Visual Storytelling

David Fincher – And the Other Way is Wrong

The Inner Chronicle of What We Are – Understanding Werner Herzog

Snowpiercer – Left or Right

Get Out | White Fragility as a Movie Trope

Sunshine – A Visceral Experience of Life, Death and Meaning

Exploring Consciousness in Film: The Cognitive Revolution

How Ken Burns Captures History (And Why That Matters)

The Absurdist Philosophy Of Synecdoche, New York

F for Fake (1973) – How to Structure a Video Essay

Joel & Ethan Coen – Shot | Reverse Shot

The Before Trilogy | Portraying a Real Relationship

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

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

Chernobyl – How The World Became A Risk Society

The Lover Within | How Moonlight Relates to ALL Men

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

Arrival | Facing the Fear of Existence

Everyday Virtue | Paterson & David Foster Wallace

Memories of Murder (2003) – Ensemble Staging

How Stories Can Save Us – The Philosophy of The Fall

Drive (2011) – The Quadrant System

Okja | Understanding the (Im)Morality of Animal Consumption

The Fantasy of Ultimate Purpose – How Our Entertainment Reveals Our Deepest Desire

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

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty | Overcoming Maladaptive Daydreaming

Stoicism in The Shawshank Redemption – Meditations I.

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

Edgar Wright – How to Do Visual Comedy

Vancouver Never Plays Itself

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

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

The Silence of the Lambs – Who Wins the Scene?

The Tree of Life | Crafting an Existential Masterpiece

The Imposter (2012) – Looking into the Lens

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

Logan vs. Metal Gear Solid | Telling the Story of a Hero’s Departure

Praying Through Cinema – Understanding Andrei Tarkovsky

First Man – A Sobering Look at Human Greatness

Your Name – What Makes Us Happy?

The Spielberg Oner

Hostiles and Wind River – America’s Unresolved Grief

The Unfulfilled Potential of Minecraft – Assuming a Different Perspective

Creating The Ultimate Post-9/11 Allegory: The Dark Knight on Risk and Terror

The Revenant – An Odyssey Through America’s Purgatory

Contagion – Anatomy of a Global Pandemic

Unraveling Death Stranding’s Existentialist Themes | Complete Review

Radical Honesty – What If We All Told The Truth?

Stoicism in Gladiator – Meditations II.

Wolf Children (2012) – The Lateral Tracking Shot

In Praise of Chairs

Who Are We Without Storytelling?

Chuck Jones – The Evolution of an Artist

Satoshi Kon – Editing Space & Time

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

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

The Essence of Faith – What Signs Was Really About

The Unexplored Depths of Spider-Man 3 – Facing the Dragon of Grandiosity

The Philosophy of Sense8 | Emotion and Connection

Transcending Heidegger – The Cinema Of Terrence Malick

Robin Williams – In Motion

The Perilous Journey of a Truly Beautiful Soul – Hacksaw Ridge