Peripeteia. Is it a synonym for ‘onomatopoeia’? A fancy potato? A lyric from Mary Poppin’s “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? Excellent guesses, but no. Peripeteia isn’t written sound effects, a special tuber or delightful nonsense from the Poppinverse. So, what is peripeteia? Despite how intimidating it may appear on paper, the peripeteia definition is a simple, but crucial, story element that we will spell out for you. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will be able to not only spell peripeteia but use it, too.Continue reading What is Peripeteia? A Deep Dive Into a Surprising Plot Device
There are many things that define movies directed by Edgar Wright. Brilliant needle drops. Laugh-out-loud moments by the barrelful. And characters subtly telling you at the beginning what’s going to happen throughout the movie. There’s really no such thing as a bad Edgar Wright movie, so consider this a ranking from great to greatest. By looking at each of his films, we can dissect what makes him such an idiosyncratic filmmaker and why each new film he comes out with is met with intense anticipation from movie lovers. We've left his first feature, A Fistful of Fingers, off the list…
Mad Men is one of television's best period pieces. It not only uses the 1960s as a backdrop and setting for the show, it imbues its dialogue, story, and characters with the details of the times. Every character reflects the 1960s in one way or another. In this article, we’ll analyze how Betty Draper’s tragic character arc was developed and written to reflect the times. Be warned there are spoilers ahead. Continue reading Betty Draper: How They Wrote Mad Men’s Most Tragic Character
The beauty of poetry lies in its ability to express the deepest human emotions, experiences, and narratives in a way that prose often cannot. Poetic devices can make storytelling through narrative poetry especially unique. Among the many types of poetry, one form stands out for its storytelling prowess – narrative poetry. Continue reading What is Narrative Poetry — Definition, Types & Examples
Legends are timeless tales. They have been woven into every culture since the dawn of time, and have this incredible way of captivating our collective imagination. They're like windows into the past, giving us glimpses into what our ancestors believed, feared, hoped for, and dreamed about. Continue reading What is a Legend — Definition, Types and Examples
Midsommar is Ari Aster’s haunting folk horror film that stunned audiences in 2019. The movie follows a group of college students who travel to a pagan festival in Sweden and get caught up in a terrifying ordeal. If you’ve seen the film, then you know that description doesn’t really do the movie justice, and there’s so much that makes this film such a complex, intriguing work of art. Fortunately, we’ve analyzed every frame to bring you a comprehensive breakdown of what this movie’s really about. Here’s Midsommar explained for all you filmmakers wanting to make your own folk horror masterpiece.…
Few filmmakers are able to imbue simple, grounded genre stories with as much dramatic heft and visual style as Michael Mann. One of the “neon-noir” innovator’s greatest cinematic achievements is his action-thriller Collateral (2004). If Heat was Michael Mann’s masterwork of the ‘90s, then the Collateral movie was his masterwork of the ‘00s and, arguably, his last great film to date. Collateral was Mann’s most successful film in terms of box office earnings. The film was made for a budget of approximately 65 million dollars and brought in a massive return of over 220 million dollars. Let’s take a look…
The Office has found its way into audiences' hearts well after its series finale. The show has stood the test of time thanks to its dry humor, clever writing, and likable characters. Well, some likable characters. In the Season 3 of The Office, one character became more annoying and disagreeable than any other, yet somehow lasted until the series finale. How? This is how the writers of The Office constructed the fall and rise of the Nard Dog, Andy Bernard. Continue reading Andy Bernard: The Office’s Most Unlikely Likable Character
Believe it or not, there was a time in Hollywood when all studios wanted was a spec script. The next big thing. More Shane Black movies. Before Hollywood became the land of superheroes, reboots, and remakes, it was the land of original IP. Welcome to the ‘80s and ‘90s, when writers would write, directors would direct, actors would act, and the studios had their checkbooks open. So, who is Shane Black? Just a recent UCLA grad who took full advantage of this seller’s market, becoming the world's highest-paid screenwriter by the age of 30. Let’s find out how.Continue reading Shane…
Queer theory is a complex, multi-faceted subject that’s difficult to cover in a single post. So we’re going to try to break it down into more digestible pieces. We’ll give you a basic overview of Queer Theory, but mainly we’ll provide some examples from films and TV shows that have been groundbreaking in terms of Queer representation. Continue reading What is Queer Theory? Definition and Examples for Filmmakers
