Movies

Forrest Gump Year: 1994 Rating: PG-13 Length: 142 minutes / 2.36 hours For the longest time, I had only seen pieces of Forrest Gump (1994). After watching it in fits and starts, I finally sat down and watched the whole thing in one go probably ten years ago. Upon re-watching this Best Picture-winner, I realized how it […]

First Man Year: 2018 Rating: PG-13 Length: 141 minutes / 2.35 hours I’ll admit: I’m already a fan of Damien Chazelle. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s only a few months older than I am, or if it’s how I can personally relate to the subjects of his films. I understand the obsession he […]

The Accountant Year: 2016 Rating: R Length: 128 minutes / 2.13 hours When this movie came out a few years ago, I missed watching it because it seemed like just another generic action-spy film. Sure, the main character might be smart, leading to his professional “skills” (in more than one realm), but the trailers never […]

One of the curses of wealth is the lack of a work/life balance. To maintain a lavish lifestyle, one must dedicate their lives to their work. Because the dedication to work provides the money needed to remain wealthy, then some regular household duties can be covered by hiring someone to do them. From maintaining a... Read more.

There’s no doubt that many countries dominate the film market. It’s hard to ignore the United States’ film industry due to how many films it churns out in a given year. However, even in foreign markets, certain countries have a recognizable industry for many reasons. French films have their artistic nature, Swedish films were made... Read more.

What makes a film “great?” Is it the awards it wins? Is it the money it makes? Is it critical recognition? Many films are easy to categorize via these metrics, but the cult classics are often beyond explanation. For whatever reason, these films garner a loyal following that loves the film even despite some of... Read more.

While the police should be the primary form of law enforcement, sometimes they are limited with what they can do. These limitations can be brought about via budgetary or personnel constraints, but the most significant restriction seems to be the law itself. Criminals are only criminal if they’re caught doing something against the law. Even... Read more.

Whatever your opinion is of law enforcement, they’re generally a necessity to maintain order in society. That’s not to say that police officers aren’t human as well (Robocop (1987) excluded, of course). They make mistakes sometimes, and sometimes they act in their own self-interests. Despite controversy and other shortcomings, there are plenty of police who... Read more.

Most actors will know early in their career which genres work best for them. Whether it’s John Wayne and westerns or Boris Karloff and horror, these actors will usually excel in their respective genres for their entire career. Other actors may find that they can act in a particular genre, but can’t seem to achieve... Read more.

There’s a very fine line between a film that’s “self-aware” and a parody. Often, a self-aware film is one that ascribes to the tropes of a particular genre but does so with a tongue-in-cheek knowing wink. Parodies are usually films that play off the success of another film (or series/franchise of films) to make fun of... Read more.

When it comes to Hollywood, we often see an actor’s work/life balance skewed heavily toward the “work” side of the continuum. How many divorces have resulted from these actors and actresses spending so much time in their career that they don’t have time for their significant other? Furthermore, if children are part of the relationship,... Read more.

How often do we catch ourselves staring upward at an object, in awe of its immense size? When tourists first experience the towering heights of the skyscrapers of New York, they come to grips with the scale of such structures. Sometimes, even the most mundane things in life can be awe-inspiring (or at least attention-grabbing)... Read more.

Any metallurgist will tell you that steel is stronger than iron. And yet, the concept of iron being a strong material still remains in our popular culture. Perhaps it’s the weight of iron, and its use for strength training. Perhaps it’s due to the “purity” of iron, itself being one of the elements on the... Read more.