originally published June 9, 2017 Of the films that comprise Refn’s Neon Trilogy, Only God Forgives is simultaneously the most narratively straight-forward and also the most obtuse. The events of the film follow a simple enough structure – man commits crime, is killed for it, brother seeks revenge – but everything else is murky, fromContinue reading “Essay: Reaching, Holding, Fighting: Hands in ‘Only God Forgives’”
Category Archives: Essays
Essay: Blood in the Water: The History of Shark Movies
originally published July 11, 2016 Sharks are perfect movie villains: they’re ruthless, calculating, merciless, efficiently lethal, and look like total badasses, all sleek and cold and sharp. Sharks have no emotions, they rely on no rationale other than to fulfill three primal needs, as famously noted by Richard Dreyfuss’ Matt Hooper in JAWS: “swim andContinue reading “Essay: Blood in the Water: The History of Shark Movies”
Essay: A Crisis of Chrysalis: The Runway Scene in THE NEON DEMON
originally publiushed June 30, 2017 THE NEON DEMON is Nicolas Winding Refn’s version of a fairy tale. It features a young pauper who’s really a princess – Jesse – it takes place in a magical kingdom – Los Angeles – and it comes complete with jealous stepsisters, spells, and dramatic transformations, but alas, no PrinceContinue reading “Essay: A Crisis of Chrysalis: The Runway Scene in THE NEON DEMON”
Essay: The Once, Present, and Future King: Are Refn’s ‘One-Eye,’ ‘the Driver,’ & ‘Lieutenant Chang’ the Same Character?
originally published 7.14.2017 Like David Lynch, there is a thematic tipping point in the filmography of Nicolas Winding Refn, a movie in which the director discovered an overarching concept that he would explore from alternative angles over the course of several films. For Lynch, that point was the original Twin Peaks series, and the conceptContinue reading “Essay: The Once, Present, and Future King: Are Refn’s ‘One-Eye,’ ‘the Driver,’ & ‘Lieutenant Chang’ the Same Character?”
Essay: “The Lord Can’t Hear You, Daniel” – The Impact of Silence on THERE WILL BE BLOOD
originally published 11.5.2016 Film is both a visual and a narrative medium and as such, the entire point of it is to tell by showing. Where literature has the power to grant us access to a character’s thoughts, film allows us to experience their emotions via expressions, body language, and subconscious communications to which wordsContinue reading “Essay: “The Lord Can’t Hear You, Daniel” – The Impact of Silence on THERE WILL BE BLOOD”
Essay: The Sang-Froid of DRIVE
originally published 11/29/2016 Films often change their titles when they are translated into other languages. Usually it’s a matter of comprehension: a phrase or word in English might not have a comparative in another language, or perhaps the new culture requires a different explanation or encapsulation of what the film is about. In China, thisContinue reading “Essay: The Sang-Froid of DRIVE”
Essay: Lynch’s Lost Highway and the Paranoia of Intimacy
originally published 12/9/2016 David Lynch’s 1997 film Lost Highway was a bit of a comeback, as well as the start of a new chapter in his filmography, a chapter some – this author included – consider to be his best. Lynch’s previous feature had been Fire Walk With Me, the prequel film to his TwinContinue reading “Essay: Lynch’s Lost Highway and the Paranoia of Intimacy”
the flawless frame 