-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
As my life has evolved since I started Express Elevator to Hell (EEH) almost 10 years ago, so has my analytical study of my favorite extracurricular passion, cinephilia. I have long used film studies to counterbalance my professional scientific career and give perspective to my personal life. That is one thing that has not changed … Continue reading
One of the earliest attempts by my high-school friends and I at “branching out” from Hollywood blockbusters (Star Wars [1977-]! Jurassic Park [1993-]! The Dark Knight [2008]!) and our childhood favorite genre movies (e.g. Aliens [1979-]! Predator [1987-]!) were the annual Oscar nominations, or Academy Awards given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and … Continue reading
Over the past winter break, I took time to binge-watch large sections of several noteworthy television series I own on Blu-Ray format. These included shows from multiple networks, but one distributer in particular stood out from the bunch: Game of Thrones (2011-2019), developed by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for Home Box Office (HBO) … Continue reading
I’ve discussed my distaste for viewing movies in public before, and with some exceptions (e.g. college campus, independent arthouse, and film festival theatres), I argue the theatrical experience is not worth the money, time, and energy necessary to patronize it. Most patrons themselves are obnoxious, loud, and disruptive, distracting from the “immersive cinematic experience” of … Continue reading
In light of the successful revivals of intellectual properties (IPs) like Star Wars (theatrical releases [1977–2019]; expanded as The Mandalorian [2019-] and other shows on Disney+), The Karate Kid (theatrical releases [1984, 1986, 1989]; expanded with Cobra Kai [2019-] on YouTube Premium and later on Netflix), and Lost in Space (original broadcast television series [1965-1968]; … Continue reading
As both a celebration of my 500th(!) post on this website and as a reaction to numerous criticisms of the widespread “movie-review format,” today I shall analyze what I perceive are the major types of biases that corrupt viewers’ interpretation and enjoyment of films. I published my 500th essay last month, yet never found the … Continue reading
Sooner or later, cinephiles debate with themselves or general moviegoers the merits of seeing films on the big-screen, also known as “the theatrical experience.” These discussions may be more or less frequent depending on the quality of local theatre chains (e.g. Alamo Drafthouse), the quantity of peers’ streaming subscriptions, people’s general tastes in genre or … Continue reading
My contemplation on the nature of Jungian shadows, shoulder angels, and facing the temptations of our worst instincts ends with the original Hollywood blockbuster incarnation of negativity: The Return of the Jedi’s (1983) Emperor Palpatine. Arguably the most popular and parodied symbol of evil, authoritarianism, and general villainy in modern pop culture, Ian McDiarmid’s cruel, … Continue reading
Another series of films that deal with obvious, yet not on-the-nose representations of Jungian shadows or shoulder angels are Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight (2005, 2008, 2012) franchise. In the broadest terms, the trilogy could be interpreted as a thematic analysis of fear, how it can evolve from an enemy to an ally. Batman Begins introduces this … Continue reading
“These boys come in here, this is how they survive. They gotta fight for life — kill or be killed. People die in there! Your Daddy died in the ring…” American writer William Faulkner is credited as saying, “The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.” I first stumbled … Continue reading
Express Elevator to Hell 