In Michael Bay's Pain and Gain a nightmarish, sun-baked idea of the American Dream emerges, marred by crime, violence and madness. However, despite what many have said, Bay's film is not so much a moral critique of a specific lifestyle or belief system. Instead, it conveys a more intriguing truth. The American Dream is ultimately a…Read more On the Insatiable American Dreamers of Pain and Gain
Essays
Hunchbacks, Hellfire and ANArKH: On the Differences and Shared Delirium of Two Frollos
As the primary antagonist from Victor Hugo's iconic novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dom Claude Frollo has appeared in all of the book's countless adaptations. What is a testament to this character's depth is how memorable he remains regardless of the medium. Take for example Disney's 1996 adaptation, which on its surface seems like…Read more Hunchbacks, Hellfire and ANArKH: On the Differences and Shared Delirium of Two Frollos
Philosophy of the Bedroom: On The Insights and Limitations of Sade’s Dialectic
In his day the Marquis de Sade was a social pariah, an embarrassment to his family and a lecher whose pornographic sensibilities attracted the derision of Napoleon himself. However, in the roughly 200 years since his rather unremarkable death at the Charenton Asylum, Sade's life and work have been the subject of a revival and…Read more Philosophy of the Bedroom: On The Insights and Limitations of Sade’s Dialectic
You Have to Lose Yourself in People: On the Anti-porn Agenda and Myopic Gaze of Don Jon
Joesph Gordon Levitt is an enormously accomplished actor, that much seems certain. He is natural and assured whether he is appearing in the monstrous epics of Christopher Nolan or in small indies, such as Brick or Mysterious Skin. His new film and directorial debut Don Jon is similarly confident, parsing the different ways that one's…Read more You Have to Lose Yourself in People: On the Anti-porn Agenda and Myopic Gaze of Don Jon
We Can’t Stop: On Cyrus, Spears, Aguilera and the Forgetful Nature of Our Cultural Consciousness
When one compares Miley Cyrus with those who've come before her, or places her in the context of modern-day pop-music, then the national revulsion following her performance at the VMA's (or any of her recent behavior for that matter) suddenly becomes difficult to understand. The collective outcry has been so vociferous, so incredulous, that you…Read more We Can’t Stop: On Cyrus, Spears, Aguilera and the Forgetful Nature of Our Cultural Consciousness
“A Man Can Run Out of Things to Live For” – On the Ethos of Superhero Film Love Interests
Wolverine has always been a tormented soul, a social pariah damned by his stunted aging and propensity for berserker rage. He is a character with meat on his bones and certainly one of the richer creations in the X-Men pantheon. Of course, much of that complexity has never been effectively addressed in the various film…Read more “A Man Can Run Out of Things to Live For” – On the Ethos of Superhero Film Love Interests
Rooting the Future Jargon of Clockworks and Dark Knights: Slang in Society
The dystopian universes of Anthony Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange, and Frank Miller's seminal 1986 graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns, are marked by many thematic similarities. They both focus on pervasive corruption in society's political and social institutions. Additionally, both stories feature the distinctive presence of various subcultures, marked by not only an habitual…Read more Rooting the Future Jargon of Clockworks and Dark Knights: Slang in Society
“I’m As American As It Gets” – On the Murky Immigration Politics of Man of Steel
If there is a half-way coherent theme in Zach Snyder's polarizing mega-film, Man of Steel, it is the trauma of choice. More specifically, Steel relates the dichotomized inner-life created through the experience of immigration, where one simultaneously feels the pressures of nationalism for one's current home, and vestiges of loyalty towards the individual's original homeland, and then must…Read more “I’m As American As It Gets” – On the Murky Immigration Politics of Man of Steel
Alright, Alright, Alright: Matthew McConaughey and the Inescapable Fusion of Player and Part
After a lost decade of rom-coms Matthew McConaughey roared back to life with a trio of indies in 2012. In each film he created lively even somewhat audacious performances. While all of these characters were embraced with acclaim – particularly his turn as the chiseled strip-club owner Dallas from Magic Mike – dissenters began to rear their ugly…Read more Alright, Alright, Alright: Matthew McConaughey and the Inescapable Fusion of Player and Part
“Don’t Lose Your Way” – Thoughts on Christopher Nolan’s Transformation from Hard-Boiled Nihilist to Simpering Moralizer
From the ice-cold amorality of his debut feature, Following, to the electrifying and nihilistic conclusion of Memento, Christopher Nolan's film career seemed to once hold great promise. However, in the years that followed Nolan's sensibilities changed dramatically. This seismic change is evident not only in his films possessing a continually inflated scope, or his casts…Read more “Don’t Lose Your Way” – Thoughts on Christopher Nolan’s Transformation from Hard-Boiled Nihilist to Simpering Moralizer
Adam Mohrbacher 