Themessentials
Scrooged
In Cynical Defense, by Patrick Brown, December 20, 2017
A Soulless Christmas, by Sarah Gorr, December 19, 2017
The Last Picture Show
Ghost Towns, by Sarah Gorr, December 12, 2017
Lost in Translation
The Melancholic Beauty of the Ephemeral World, by Alex Moore, December 5, 2017
Casablanca
The Genius of the System, by Patrick Brown, November 28, 2017
Malcolm X
White Audiences and the Legacy of Malcolm X, by Sarah Gorr, November 14, 2017
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Walk Down Elm Street, by Aaron Pinkston, November 3, 2017
The Nightmare Continues, by Kevin Taylor, November 2, 2017
The Phantom Carriage
Evolution of a Soul, by Marcus Emanuel, October 25, 2017
The Nightmare
Making Scary Faces, by Aaron Pinkston, October 18, 2017
Documentary, Truth, and Horror, by Sarah Gorr, October 17, 2017
Blade Runner
Variations on a Theme, by Alex Moore, October 11, 2017
Photographs and Death, by Patrick Brown, October 10, 2017
Daisies
Photomontage and Feminism, by Patrick Brown, October 6, 2017
Devouring Feminism, by Felicia Elliott, October 5, 2017
The Art of Watching Weird Movies, by Alex Moore, October 4, 2017
There Will Be Blood
I Watched the First Fifteen Minutes of There Will Be Blood Ten Times in a Row, by Matt Warren, September 27, 2017
On Fathers and Sons, by Sarah Gorr, September 26, 2017
It Happened One Night
How to be Sexy Under Censorship, by Felicia Elliott, September 20, 2017
Birth of the Modern Romantic Comedy, by Alex Moore, September 19, 2017
Reds
Tricks of Time, by Marcus Emanuel, September 12, 2017
Fitzcarraldo
Irony in Denial, by Patrick Brown, August 31, 2017
Herzog, the Jungle, and Me: Notes on Iquitos and the "Conquest of the Useless", by Sarah Gorr, August 29, 2017
The Host
Incompetence in the Face of Danger, by Pocket Earnhart, August 25, 2017
Bonnie and Clyde
Sexual Dysfunction, Romance, and Violence, by Sarah Gorr, August 15, 2017
Being There
Televising Reality, by Zachary Davis, August 11, 2017
Dual Interpretations, by Felicia Elliott, August 10, 2017
A Reflection We Don't Recognize, by Alex Moore, August 9, 2017
The Hurt Locker
High Risk, High Reward: The Rebellious Hero, by Alex Moore, August 2, 2017
Gone with the Wind
Between Two Souths: Fanaticism and the Cause, by Zachary Davis, July 28, 2017
The Fifth Element
The Origins of the Modern Comic Book Movie, by Kevin Taylor, July 20, 2017
Ugly Aliens, by Alex Moore, July 18, 2017
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Elements of Horror, by Aaron Pinkston, June 21, 2017
Mystery and Philosophy, by Sarah Gorr, June 20, 2017
Mon Oncle
Nostalgia and Realism, by Sarah Gorr, June 14, 2017
Tati's Critique of Modern Architecture, by Alex Moore, June 13, 2017
Starship Troopers
Satire and Sincerity, by Craig Colbrook, June 9, 2017
The Quato Trilogy, by Patrick Brown, June 7, 2017
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Capturing the American Spirit, by Zachary Davis, June 1, 2017
Cynicism vs. Patriotism, by Alex Moore, June 1, 2017
Badlands
Shut Doors: On Malick, Heidegger, Music, and Faust, by Patrick Brown, May 25, 2017
The Fantasy of Romance, by Sarah Gorr, May 23, 2017
Being John Malkovich
The Artist's Abyss, by Patrick Brown, May 17, 2017
Charlie & Spike, by Aaron Pinkston, May 16, 2017
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels
The Liberation of Jeanne Dielman, by Alex Moore, May 10, 2017
Messy, Complicated Feminism, by Felicia Elliott, May 9, 2017
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Gentlewomen Prefer Brunettes, by Sarah Gorr, May 3, 2017
The Hawksian Women: Dorothy and Lorelei, by Patrick Brown, May 1, 2017
Do the Right Thing
A One Dimensional Portrayal of Women, by Felicia Elliott, April 26, 2017
Radio Raheem, Trayvon Martin & Black Lives Matter, by Sarah Gorr, April 25, 2017
Children of Men
The Mirror of Science Fiction, by Zachary Davis, April 13, 2017
The Insightful Dystopia, by Felicia Elliott, April 12, 2017
The World We Live In, by Kevin Taylor, April 11, 2017
Close-Up
Blurred Lines: Documentary and Drama, by Sarah Gorr, April 4, 2017
Trainspotting
Curious Teens and the Basement Film, by Maddie Freeman, March 29, 2017
The Neo-Macho Canon; or, Masculinity After the Wall, by Patrick Brown, March 29, 2017
Beauty and the Beast
A Yearning for the Beast, by Kevin Taylor, March 23, 2017
Practical Magic, by Sarah Gorr, March 22, 2017
True Magic of the Modern Fairy Tale, by Alex Moore, March 21, 2017
The Great Dictator
A Common Ignorance of Language, by Zachary Davis, March 16, 2017
Comedy As Protest, by Felicia Elliott, March 14, 2017
All About Eve
Life Imitating Art: Performance, Ego, and Artifice, by Zachary Davis, March 2, 2017
Framing the Feud, by Patrick Brown, March 1, 2017
And the True Villain Goes To..., by John Gilpatrick, February 28, 2017
Withnail & I
The Bromantic Dramedy, by Maddie Freeman, February 16, 2017
Comedy and the Kitchen Sink, by Aaron Pinkston, February 14, 2017
In the Mood for Love
Shattered Time, by Patrick Brown, February 9, 2017
Touch of Evil
Framing Borders, by Patrick Brown, February 2, 2017
Orson Welles, Actor, by Aaron Pinkston, February 1, 2017
Discussing Racism and the Canon, by Sarah Gorr, January 31, 2017
Gangs of New York
True Americans: Immigration and Assimilation, by Zachary Davis, January 24, 2017
The African Queen
Rising Above Nature, by Zachary Davis, January 18, 2017
Tampopo
Lessons for an Endangered Species, by C.J. Prince, January 11, 2017
La La Land
The Nature of Homage, by Sarah Gorr, January 4, 2017
Generational Lenses, by John Gilpatrick, January 3, 2017
Home Alone
The Oddest Christmas Classic, by Felicia Elliott, December 20, 2016
Dog Day Afternoon
Every Dog Has Its Day: Counterculture Cinema, by Zachary Davis, December 13, 2016
No Country for Old Men
The Power of Violence, by Sarah Gorr, December 6, 2016
The Poseidon Adventure
Rules for Surviving a Disaster Movie, by John Gilpatrick, November 30, 2016
The Aesthetic Dangers Facing Cinema, by Alex Moore, November 29, 2016
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
Heroes and Villains Past Their Prime, by Patrick Brown, November 16, 2016
Face the Fear, by Alex Moore, November 15, 2016
Election
Alexander Payne and the Original Normcore, by Maddie Freeman, November 9, 2016
Network
Woe Is Us: The Mad Prophecy of Network, by Zachary Davis, November 1, 2016
Halloween
The Evolution of Michael Myers, by Aaron Pinkston, October 27, 2016
All That Heaven Allows
Before All That Heaven Allows: Sirkian Melodrama in Nazi Germany, by Patrick Brown, October 13, 2016
Feminism in a Feminine Space, by Sarah Gorr, October 11, 2016
The River
Adolescence and Deeper Truths, by Alex Moore, September 27, 2016
The Magnificent Seven
East Meets West: Restoring Social Order Through Mythmaking, by Zachary Davis, September 20, 2016
A Star Is Born
Born Again: A Brief History of A Star Is Born, by Mark Levine, September 12, 2016
Intolerance
History Repeating Itself, by Alex Moore, September 7, 2016
Making Myths, by Patrick Brown, September 6, 2016
Southland Tales
The Weird Predictive Power of Southland Tales, by John Gilpatrick, August 30, 2016
Local Hero
A Remedy for Loneliness, by Alex Moore, August 23, 2016
An American Businessman in Ferness, by Aaron Pinkston, August 22, 2016
Thelma & Louise
The Invisibility of Female Antiheroes, by Sarah Gorr, August 16, 2016
Ridley Scott and Women of Substance, by Mark Levine, August 15, 2016
The Evil Dead
Reality Is Mundane: Special Effects and Unrealism, by Alec Jensen, August 9, 2016
Within the Woods: Fear of the Unknown, by Zachary Davis, August 8, 2016
Harlan County U.S.A.
History of the Heart: The Music of Harlan County, by Alex Moore, August 3, 2016
The Personal Is Political: Women in Harlan County U.S.A., by Felicia Elliott, August 2, 2016
Ghost in the Shell
Augmented Reality: Closing in on a Vision, by Jonathan Lester, July 27, 2016
Body Anxiety: Japan's Philosophy on Body and Soul, by Alex Moore, July 25, 2016
Aliens / Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Facts & Figures, by Aaron Pinkston, July 14, 2016
The Futurist and the Future, by John Gilpatrick, July 13, 2016
Ripley vs. T-800, by Sarah Gorr, July 11, 2016