Annabelle and the Blurred Line Between Horror and Reality
In what feels like a scene straight out of The Conjuring franchise, you all must have already read about the horrific and disturbing real-life incident that has both horror enthusiasts and paranormal experts on edge. Dan Rivera, a 54-year-old retired U.S. Army soldier and lead paranormal investigator, was found dead inside a Gettysburg hotel room […]
Before John Wick, There Was ‘Collateral’ – A Neo-Noir Classic
Before John Wick remade modern action in its highly stylized gun-fu and unrelenting pace, Michael Mann offered something quieter, colder, and perhaps more haunting: Collateral (2004). Starring Tom Cruise as a contract killer with silver hair and Jamie Foxx as the hapless cab driver caught in his path, Collateral is a cinematic masterpiece laced with […]
10 Mind-Bending Sci-Fi Films That Explore Reality, Time, and Identity
Fans of movies like Inception, Interstellar, Arrival, and Annihilation know that science fiction goes beyond spaceships, futuristic gadgets, laser battles, alien invasion, and impressive visuals. Many sci-fi films introduce us to the power of ideas and perceptions. With complex themes of identity, existence, consciousness, grief, loss, ethical dilemmas, and more, there are stories that can […]
Decoding Love and Hate: A Structural Analysis of Recent Oscar-Winning Films
In this post, we will explore the complex interplay of love and hate in contemporary Oscar-winning films through the lens of Gérard Genet’s structuralism. We may ask why structuralism analysis? What new discovery will this type of analysis bring to us in these three films? Structuralism, focusing on binary confrontations and narrative patterns, offers a […]
Narrative Morphological Analysis of Animations Based on the Theory of Vladimir Propp
Morphological analysis provides a structural framework for understanding the underlying patterns in narratives. While Propp (Vladimir Propp, 1928) primarily focused on folktales, his concepts have been widely applied to various forms of storytelling, including cinema. First, an analysis of the morphological patterns of props used in cinema is given: Hero: In cinema, the main character […]
“Scarface (1983) and Carlito’s Way (1993): A Comparison of Two Iconic Crime Films
SCARFACE (1983) and CARLITO’S WAY (1993) are two of the twentieth century’s most memorable films, released a decade apart. Both films have developed a sizable cult following since their initial release, and it’s easy to see why. These films are harsh and realistic, and include some of cinema’s most unforgettable performances. But how did these […]