“Margin Call” vs. “The Big Short”: Script Analysis and Comparison

The 2007-08 financial crisis was a significant moment in our recent history, and one so obscure and esoteric in nature that hardly anyone in the American public could understand what was happening as our financial system totally unraveled. While numerous books and documentaries have attempted to explain the madness in layman’s terms, only a few mainstream Hollywood films tackled the crisis in an attempt to make it understandable, dramatic, and entertaining all at once, most notably 2011’s Margin Call and 2015’s The Big Short. Both largely succeeded in their endeavors and earned both critical praise and mainstream success. How did they pull it off?

“Isle of Dogs” (Spoiler-Free) Review

Wes Anderson’s latest work offers much of the same quirkiness and style that his previous entries made him famous for. Do the same tricks work wonders for him again, or has the charm worn off?

‘Hell or High Water’ Script Analysis: Redefining a Classic Genre

Taylor Sheridan is one of the hottest screenwriting names in Hollywood right now, penning such classics as Sicario, Hell or High Water, and Wind River in the past half-decade alone. How does he manage to craft such simple stories that speak volumes beyond their means? What do his screenplays mean for the ever-evolving Western genre?

‘Molly’s Game’: A Lesson in Excess

Aaron’s Sorkin’s directorial debut Molly’s Game (2017) is by no means a bad movie. It got an Oscar nomination for its writing, a mostly positive critical response, and a decent haul at the box office. But I did not enjoy the movie, and as a Sorkin fan that surprises me a lot. What’s more, the film uses many of the same techniques that his previous screenplays did to great effect in some of my favorite films of his (like The Social Network and Moneyball), but for whatever reason it just does not work here. I want to examine the screenplay more in-depth and decipher what exactly went wrong.

How to Improve Oscar Ratings

Last Sunday’s Academy Awards broadcast was the least-viewed in several decades. How can Hollywood pump up its own numbers for future shows? I have plenty of suggestions.

Why ‘Three Billboards’ Did Not Win Best Picture

First things first: I loved Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. It features a stellar script with memorable characters and a plot so original and fresh that it almost made me forget that I’m living in a dystopian wasteland where every movie is a remake or sequel. But here’s the thing: I usually disagree with the award-winners because my taste differs from Hollywood sensibilities. And the fact that Three Billboards was sweeping all the major Best Picture awards leading up to the Oscars confounded me, because in many ways this is a thoroughly anti-American, anti-Hollywood movie. It’s almost ironic that it’s found so much success among the snobby cultural elite because, on a fundamental level, it spits in the face of modern-day political discourse in this country. And that’s why I’m not one bit surprised that it did not win Best Picture over the more “sensible,” conventional Shape of Water. Yes, we could get into the weeds about the preferential ballot or the controversy surrounding Rockwell’s character, but I think there’s something more fundamental behind the Academy’s rejection of Three Billboards as an eternal representative of their establishment.

‘Annihilation’ Review

An ambitious philosophical journey masquerading as sci-fi horror. Does the film succeed in its endeavors or fall flat? SPOILERS AHEAD!

Manchester by the Sea Script Analysis

There’s a fine line screenwriters must walk between dumbing things down enough for the audience to understand them, and assuming the audience is smart enough to figure things out on their own. Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea (2016) tends towards the latter, but recognizes that certain steps must be taken to ensure that the audience is not left confused in a story with a disjointed narrative structure. He starts the film in the middle of protagonist Lee Chandler’s character arc and progressively works his way backwards through flashback to reveal aspects of his life that constantly change our perception of his motivations.

2018 Oscar Race Analysis: Who Will Win, Should Win, and Should Have Been There

2017 was a phenomenal year for movies, with so many worthy performances and contributions that it’s difficult to pick one winner. But having seen every film in the major categories this year, I definitely have thoughts on who should win, and perhaps more importantly, who got snubbed!

Top 10 Films of 2017

2017 was an incredible year for cinema. I’ll fondly remember the year as one where I could walk into a theater and know I was getting more bang for my buck than in years past. It was also one of the most difficult years to rank a Top 10 because many of the films were so close together that I couldn’t decide between them! But having refined my list over the past two months, and having the benefit of hindsight to justify some of my picks, I am more confident than ever in my choices.