What Does “Hot Girls Wanted” Say About the Meaning of Fame and Success in 2015?
Fame and success have a different meaning in today's culture than they used to. With many people launching into the public eye through sexual exploits, it's easy to understand why teen…
Is “The Brink” Following the Current Trend of the TV Dramedy?
Typical of the currently popular "dramedy," much of "The Brink's" comedy revolves around the characters self-referential commentary on their own situation. This may stem…
Is “Hot Girls Wanted” One-Sided in its Representation of the Porn Industry?
"Hot Girls Wanted" takes a look at the pro-am market of the porn industry and uses it as a reflection of the industry as a whole.
How Does “Ballers” Make the Most of its Miami Setting?
Placing the action in Miami is one of the most important storytelling decisions made by "Ballers" creator Stephen Levinson and his writing team. Miami and South Florida function as the…
How Does “Guardians of the Galaxy” Reflect the Stark Contrast Between the West and the Middle East?
Besides the humorous and turbulent relationship between the titular characters, Guardians of the Galaxy’s (2014) main plot focuses on the clash of civilizations between two opposing forces that…
In “Taxi Driver,” What are the Existentialist Themes?
One of the most common elements in the works of existentialism is the theme of isolation and self-loathing. In "Taxi Driver" (1976), Travis Bickle (played by Robert DeNiro), a socially…
What Scientific Ideas Does “Parallels” Draw From to Craft its Premise?
Parallels draws on the scientific idea of parallel universes, a theory that stems from quantum mechanics and proposes that there are an infinite number of alternate universes that exist, where all…
What Are Some of the Questions “Parallels” Raises that Could be Answered in a Series?
Parallels is 83 minutes of unanswered questions and the establishment of dozens of potential plot lines that ultimately go nowhere. If the film were transitioned into a TV series, what questions…
Why Does “Parallels” Feel Like It’s Only The Start of a Larger Story?
Parallels isn't exactly a film. It's a pilot for a television series made into a film, which tells an excellent story but finishes with no resolution.
How did “The Lazarus Effect” Director David Gelb Transition From Documentary to Scripted Horror?
David Gelb, the Jiro Dreams of Sushi documentarian made The Lazarus Effect his first scripted work. The transition from documentary to horror comes from an innate desire to tell stories, regardless…
In “The Lazarus Effect,” What Happened to the Dog?
Zoe killed the dog in a brief off-camera moment after manifesting her evil powers.
Does “The Lazarus Effect” Fail to Answer the Big Moral Questions It Sets Up in Its First Half?
The Lazarus Effect tries to raise some intense philosophical and moral questions during the first third of its runtime. Once the "horror" starts, it forgets all about it and becomes a…