The Take

We look at why Valley of the Dolls is so beloved and appreciated, both for its "badness" and hidden merits.

We look at all the classic movie references, influences and easter eggs in La La Land.

George Lucas was heavily inspired by Akira Kurosawa for the original Star Wars movies. In Rogue One, directed by Gareth Edwards, we can still see the deep influence of the legendary Japanese director's Samurai films.

Zootopia tackles topics that family films usually avoid: racism, sexism, fearmongering and drugs. But it never uses any of these words. We unpack how skillfully the film addresses adult topics in terms that kids can understand.

What really happened at the end of Arrival? What was the deeper meaning? We unpack the details and symbols, and we speak to the screenwriter for an extra level of insight. B

We spoke to top screenwriters at Sundance about the process of writing for the screen. We asked what makes someone a good screenwriter, how to adapt from source material, and what advice they'd give aspiring writers.

enneth Lonergan uses the Unannounced Flashback throughout Manchester by the Sea to tell the story of Lee Chandler (played by Casey Affleck) and express Chandler's ongoing grief. We look back at the history of flashbacks to shed light on Lonergan's choice.

Moonlight is a masterclass in expressive camera and sound. We walk through the film's structure, cinematography, sound and symbolism to show you what you might have missed about this immersive and intimate story.

We asked top directors at Sundance 2017 to share their tips and advice about how to direct a film. Featuring Marti Noxon (Unreal, To the Bone), Drake Doremus (Like Crazy, Newness), Craig Johnson (Wilson), Andrew Dosunmu (Where is Kyra?) and Gerard McMurray (Burning Sands).

JK Rowling's screenplay for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is full of analogies that speak to our world's problems and history. We look at Fantastic Beasts and the Harry Potter universe to unpack what Rowling is really saying.

What is the real fantasy that's drawn so many people to Fifty Shades of Grey? Even though many find the relationship problematic or even abusive, it's tapping into some common deeper fantasies.

Charlie Brooker says the Black Mirror "flavor" is like a box of chocolates, and they're all dark chocolates. We explore some of the show's Easter Eggs, as well as how the episodes share a common tone and worldview. DISCLAIMER: We don't discuss every single Black Mirror Easter Egg here

We look back at 1991's Beauty and the Beast and unpack what made the movie so great: its visuals, the symbolism of the story, and the origins of the "tale as old as time."

We revisit the classic comedy Some Like It Hot with Yale Professor Marc Lapadula. Take a closer look at the performances, directing, messages and historical impact of the groundbreaking, hilarious film.

We unpack what happened at the end of Donnie Darko, and what it all meant.

We speak to the director and cast of Netflix's Burning Sands about what happened at the end of the movie, and what it's all about.

We take an in-depth look at the Lego movie, its symbolism and its hidden meaning, to reveal what it's all about.

We look at legendary director Martin Scorsese's most recent film, Silence (2016), in the context of his filmography. How much do his trademark style and thematic interests show up here? Does this feel like a "Scorsese" film?

We explore how FX's Legion uses visual storytelling techniques and symbolism to give us a window into David Haller's mind. As the Marvel character struggles to distinguish his mutant powers from insanity, the show uses creative camera, sound, editing and lighting to express what he's feeling and how he perceives the world.

We talk in-depth to cinematographer Gonzalo Amat about the visual world of The Man in the High Castle. He discusses lighting, framing, the different worlds of the show, and how a DP is also a visual storyteller.

We look back at the iconic series, Twin Peaks, to understand what made it so groundbreaking and influential. The series created by David Lynch and Mark Frost brought cinematic visual techniques to TV, challenged audiences, and built an atmosphere that countless shows have since tried to emulate

What problematic love lessons are romances and rom coms sending us? We dig into the Nice Guy Trope, the Hot Person Rule and the idea that romance is about grand gestures and pushing each other away.

We look at the deeper meaning of Billy Wilder's noir classic Sunset Boulevard. Wilder critiqued Hollywood's toxic star machine, its mistreatment of writers and its system discouraging true originality.

We look at why Guardians has been so successfully, both financially and artistically -- how can a blockbuster deliver what we want and also achieve creative originality?

Westworld is an extended metaphor for storytelling. We look at what the series tells us about writing good stories and how stories shape the way we think about our reality.

We track the history of Wonder Woman and her enduring impact. Since she was created 76 years ago, Wonder Woman has been rewritten and reimagined, mirroring the history of feminism in the US.

We unpack the symbolism and deeper messages in Get Out, and look at how it updates classic social horror films Stepford Wives and Rosemary's Baby.

We take a close look at the new short film The Girls Were Doing Nothing, part of the upcoming feature Eros Cycle. We unpack its allusions to iconic films of couples in crisis, especially Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, Mike Nichols' Closer and Lars Von Trier's Nymphomaniac.

House of Cards gets its power from a few key elements: the Shakespearean magnitude, historical and present political mirrors, the dark and extra-dirty world, and the guilty pleasure of rooting for its deliciously wicked central couple. This contains Spoilers for Seasons 1-4 (no Season 5 spoilers).

The Lego Batman Movie explores the Batman myth, embracing the different versions of the hero over the years and looking inward at Batman's core themes.

We look closer at Sofia Coppola's beguiling cinematic worlds, her early life and her key works, from The Virgin Suicides to the Beguiled.

Now that you've finished Orange is the New Black Season 5, dig into our OITNB analysis on the structure of dread and anxiety, the horror movie tone, and who the "real monster" is.

Find out more about the deeper meaning of the house symbols on Game of Thrones, starting with the Starks: their grey & white, their motto, "Winter is Coming," and their animal, the direwolf.

Spider-man is the Marvel Universe's Everyman. We look at Peter Parker through the years, what he represents, and how he's changed through the movie franchises.

Who is Rhaegar Targaryen? Despite being dead, the eldest brother of Daenerys Targaryen has influenced many of the events we see on Game of Thrones. So how can a dead man have so much impact?

The second in our series on the deeper meaning of the Game of Thrones house symbols: find out more about the Lannister crimson & gold, their motto, and their animal, the lion.

War for the Planet of the Apes, releasing everywhere July 14, is another example of the franchise using the parable of apes ruling over humans to convey deep fears and challenges of the society of its times, each time creating a new, innovative story supplemented by cutting edge visuals.

Dunkirk, the latest mind-bender from Christopher Nolan, is unique but also contains many of the signature characteristics of Nolan's impressive filmography.

We continue our series on the deeper meaning of the Game of Thrones house symbols with a look at the Targaryens.

Prior to the release of Dunkirk, look back at Christopher Nolan's filmography to understand the patterns and techniques that define him through the years.

In Season 2 of Master of None, creators Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang boldly draw on Italian film classics, and apply their cinematic sensibility to the problems of the present. The end result is a fantastically creative and artistic spin on the modern romantic comedy.

The Coen brothers’ 2007 film No Country for Old Men is not your typical Western: the hero doesn’t win, or even survive, the villain gets away, and the ending isn’t a shootout but rather a slow, calm, monologue by a character who was the least involved of the three main characters. The final scene, much debated by fans and critics, does however give us a window into the movie’s deeper meaning and the Coens’ pessimistic worldview.

Who are the White Walkers on Game of Thrones? What do they want? And what's the deeper significance George R.R. Martin is getting at? Whether they represent fate, death, winter or climate change, the White Walkers may still have some surprises in store.

From Jaws to Breaking Bad, great movies and TV shows find creative power in the Point of View shot. We look at the four best types of the shot from 51 movies and tv shows.

With her new movie, Detroit, releasing everywhere on August 3rd, ScreenPrism took a look back at 30 years of film making for the Oscar winning director.

We continue our series on the deeper meaning of the Game of Thrones house symbols with a look at the Tyrells.

Is Jaime Lannister dead or alive? Following Season 7 Episode 4 of Game of Thrones, we analyze the two sides of Cersei's brother.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bonnie and Clyde, ScreenPrism analyzes how the iconic film changed the makeup of American cinema forever.

Gendry Baratheon returned in Season 7 Episode 5, so it is good timing that we continue our series on the deeper meaning of the Game of Thrones house symbols with a look at the House Baratheon.

We explore the 19 signature trademarks of Steven Soderbergh, director of Logan Lucky, Ocean's Eleven, Magic Mike, Traffic, Erin Brockovich and the Girlfriend Experience.

IT (2017), based on Stephen King's It, gives us reason to wonder: why are we so scared of clowns? What is the deeper force that It’s terrifying Pennywise represents? If you like this video, subscribe to our channel and like ScreenPrism on Facebook.

We continue our series on the deeper meaning of the Game of Thrones house symbols with a look at the House Bolton

Justin Simien's Dear White People is a show about open dialogue and a multiplicity of views, and it sends the message that nothing about issues of racism and representation is simple or one-sided.

Prior to the Season 7 finale of Game of Thrones, we take a look back at the history that inspires the story -- and even more than the facts, to try to uncovers the messages, themes, and lessons that might be learned (and repeated) from history.

Taylor Swift’s new video “Look What You Made Me Do” is an epic dis-track that draws on iconic movies, music videos & pop culture imagery to deconstruct the mythology of who “Taylor Swift” is in our eyes.

We continue our Game of Thrones House Symbolism series with a deeper look at House Greyjoy and the Ironborn way of life.

Prior to the premiere of Season 4 of Broad City, we explore what makes the show so entertaining and relatable.

David Simon's modern classic, The Wire, is worthy of a multi-part series about the characters, codes and institutions that give the cult classic its definition. Our first entry explores the polarizing Jimmy McNulty.

Bojack Horseman, the character, is unlucky in love. But Bojack Horseman, the show, argues that it has little to do with luck— it’s all Bojack’s fault

Director of Mother!, Darren Aronofsky has 8 signature trademarks throughout his films. We look back at patterns in his work, including highlights like Requiem For A Dream, Black Swan and the Wrestler.

Rick and Morty, the immensely popular Adult Swim cartoon, has yet to flesh out the backstory of Rick Sanchez, the egotistical, alcoholic, and exploitative grandfather to the long-suffering Morty Smith. In this first of our Rick & Morty Character Studies, let’s look at a few theories that could explain what makes Rick such a Rick.

Rick and Morty fans have repeatedly been curious about one particular question over the first three seasons: Has Rick Sanchez changed? Is he becoming more caring? Let's look at the evidence to try to better understand the thinking of showrunners Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland.

Stranger Things is fueled by its bountiful nostalgia and love for the 80s. At times it even feels like a creative mash-up of the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, and Stephen King.

Emmy Nominee The Handmaid's Tale shows us how to tell a story when characters can't say what they mean. The show is a masterclass in using audiovisual techniques like framing, color, music, flashbacks and voiceover to express what characters are thinking and feeling.

Head-turning and all-knowing, Joan Holloway is one of the most subversive characters in Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men. The unexpectedness of Joan’s character arc, and how much her evolution surprises even herself, is what makes her so compelling.

In the age of the anti-hero, (think the Lannisters and the Underwoods) A Clockwork Orange’s hero, Alex, stands out as a prototype. Stanley Kubrick created a character who is the prime example of a strange but fascinating subset of the anti-hero type, which we like to call the glamorous psychopath.

We continue our Game of Thrones House Symbolism series with House Mormont, looking at how Jorah, Jeor and Lyanna Mormont all embody the fierce loyalty of the Mormont bear. If you like this video, subscribe to our channel for more.

The start of every school year provides a great excuse to revisit one of the most enduring films about high school: Wes Anderson's 1998 classic, Rushmore.

There's one question about Ridley Scott's Blade Runner that audiences have debated for decades: Is Harrison Ford's character, Rick Deckard, a Replicant? In time for the sequel, Blade Runner 2049, we explain the ending of the original.

We often look down on people who take things too literally, but some of Rick and Morty’s most hilarious jokes are derived from being “literal.” In this video about the Adult Swim hit that just finished Season 3, we explore just exactly how to think like Rick.

Stranger Things is infused with 80s horror references and updates to the classic tropes of 80s teen movies and music. In Part 2 of our series about the Netflix hit, we explore how the Duffer brothers draw on these pop culture references in the teen strand of the story.

Big Little Lies taught us some interesting and useful lessons by the end of Season 1. The HBO series, with its star-studded cast including Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Zoe Kravitz and Alexander Skarsgard, is set in Monterey, California, and explores the everyday dilemmas and life-threatening traumas modern women face. BEWARE SPOILERS. If you like this video, subscribe to our YouTube channel for more.

We continue our Game of Thrones House Symbolism series with House Martell, the house that is arguably depicted most differently between the show and the books by George R.R. Martin.

Blade Runner 2049 is the latest directorial achievement of Denis Villeneuve, who was previously best known for his feature films Arrival (2016), Sicario (2015), Prisoners (2013), Enemy (2013) and Incendies (2010). In our latest video we explore the 14 signature trademarks of the Oscar-nominated director.

What happened at the end of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining? Until the last minute, the plot seems to be wrapping up in a conventional way.

Prior to Season 8 of AMC's The Walking Dead, we look at the show's characters and their moral codes, starting with the protagonist: Rick Grimes.

40 years after its release, Close Encounters of the Third Kind remains one of Steven Spielberg's most personal and acclaimed films. Close Encounters may have been overshadowed by two other big sci-fi releases of its day, -- 1977’s Star Wars and 1979’s Alien -- but it should be remembered for using its story and visual effects to renew a sense of awe and wonder on Earth.

Stranger Things, which returns to Netflix for Season 2 on October 27th, masterfully incorporates familiar visuals from iconic films, novels, characters and tropes. By doing so, the Duffer brothers speak to our nostalgia for a past time while creating a modern story that feels fresh for any generation.

We unpack the meaning of Darren Aronofsky’s mind-boggling movie mother! We explain what happened at the end, its religious symbols, climate change allegory and more.

Rick and Morty's Summer Smith is actually very similar to her grandpa, Rick Sanchez. A new character study on the Adult Swim hit from Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon.

Stranger Things teaches us how to think like a kid. As Season 2 hits Netflix, we can all learn how to treat life like a game, be good friends and steer clear of "adults."

Friends portrayed lovers as friends, and friends as the loves of each other's lives. From Rachel and Ross to Monica and Chandler, the great love stories on the show are friendships. When Jennifer Aniston's Rachel gets pregnant, Rachel and Ross become a strong parenting team still as friends. As we open on these six characters in Central Perk -- Joey, Phoebe, Monica, Chandler, Ross and Rachel -- they are each other's family, too. The humor and stories on the show underlined the crucial impact of friends in shaping who we are.

It Follows paints a disturbing picture of teens’ initiation into sexuality. Suburban teen Jay learns that her date Hugh has passed on a curse to her through sex. We explain the ending of It Follows and discuss how the movie updates slashers like Halloween to dramatize the anxieties of contemporary teen sex and the fear of STDs. Sex in this film is not loving or fun -- it’s a trauma one person inflicts on another, a way of passing on a burden.

Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976) turns the school bullying, body shame and the overwhelming emotions of teen life into the stuff of horror. You’d be hard-pressed to find a film that makes adolescence look worse. Horror movies realize our worst fears, and in adolescence, we’re terrified of getting rejected by our peers and puberty transforming our bodies beyond recognition. The thing every teenager wants most is to control their classmates, their parents, and their own rapidly changing bodies and emotions. But when Carrie White resorts to mind control instead of normal self-expression, the result is disaster. We explain the ending of Carrie and what it all meant.

We discuss what we've learned about William H. Macy's Frank Gallagher, Emmy Rossum's Fiona, Lip, Ian and the rest of the Gallagher clan over the seasons (up to season 8). "Shameless" is a show about addiction, about poverty, about family. It’s a show about whether change is possible. Every character wrestles with bad habits and self-destructive habits as they cope with their environment. "Shameless" show how difficult and rare it is for people to truly change.

We explain the ending of one of the most confusing movies of all time -- David Lynch's Mulholland Drive (2001). Starring Naomi Watts and Laura Harring, the film features two Lynch-ian trademarks: the truth-revealing dream and the dark side of the everyday. As it turns out, dreams can be more important to us than reality.

The ever controversial Lars von Trier is all about making the viewer uncomfortable. Through his works like Dancer in the Dark (2000), Dogville (2003), Antichrist (2009), Melancholia (2011) and Nymphomaniac (2013), he forces us to confront taboos and makes us wonder whether deep down we've been truthful to ourselves.

Disney's Cinderella has gotten a lot of hate for giving girls a bad role model. But does the movie really deserve this hate? Dismissing Cinderella blames a victim of abuse for her situation and devalues stereotypically feminine traits like kindness, optimism and resourceful imagination.

Rick may get all the attention, but Morty is just as essential to Adult Swim's Rick and Morty. Here are the reasons why #MortyMatters and why it's perfectly okay to be a Morty.

In many ways, the Jon Hamm character is the American ideal that everyone aspires to be, but nobody really is. In the ending of the series, Don appears to finally have learned how to bridge his past and his present. But how did he arrive at this point, ready to create the iconic Hilltop Coca-Cola ad?

The problem with the Idris Elba character is that he combines cool-headed corporate efficiency with a market in which it’s standard to kill. His capitalist mindset yields one of the most exceptionally cold and lethal codes we witness on the show.

The Henry Selick and Tim Burton film explores the holiday's core theme of thankfulness. There are surprisingly few good Thanksgiving movie options. So the Nightmare Before Christmas is the perfect post-turkey entertainment.

Jon Snow is the moral center of HBO’s Game of Thrones, and his power comes from his dual nature as both a dragon and a wolf. The Kit Harington character is both ice and fire, a Stark and a Targaryen. He embodies the core values and deeper messages at the heart of the story.

The lightsaber is the Force made visible, sensible, concrete -- the mental transformed into the physical. What really makes the lightsaber special is that it’s the bridge between the Force that’s felt inwardly, and the Force that’s manifested in the outer world. The lightsaber is not just elegant and civilized -- it’s inspirational, telling us that what we feel and believe can have a direct, visible mark on the world… if we understand how to access and control the Force.

In the revival of Twin Peaks, David Lynch and Mark Frost critique our nostalgia. Season 3 looks inward at what revival is, and why we're so eager to return to past shows we loved.

Disney's Aladdin centers around a universal question: how do we achieve freedom?

In the first episode of our "Battle of Ideologies" series, we discuss the life philosophies Ned Stark, Jon Snow and Sansa Stark represent in HBO's Game of Thrones.

As Star Wars: The Last Jedi approaches, we look back at what Wise Master Yoda taught us and Luke Skywalker about how to live close to the force: listen to the Force speaking within us, practice emptiness, do what we think is impossible, know everything is connected, respect nature, stay in the now, and never underestimate the small in stature.

Despite coming from two shows that seemingly couldn't be more different, Raphael Bob-Waksberg's "BoJack Horseman" on Netflix and Matthew Weiner's "Mad Men" on AMC, the Will Arnett and Jon Hamm characters are in fact very much alike, proving our enduring fascination with glamorous, mysterious and self-destructive characters.

Paradoxically, we need someone like him on the Justin Roiland/Dan Harmon show, and a series of new revelations make us change our minds about him.

We explore the 9 director trademarks of Paul Thomas Anderson, the director of the upcoming Phantom Thread, as well as Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood, The Master and Inherent Vice.

At the start of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," Luke Skywalker is the last Jedi remaining. But what's the deeper meaning of the title, and how does it relate to the big reveal about who Rey's parents are?

The chemistry between Adam Driver's Kylo Ren and Daisy Ridley's Rey in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" has led to fans rooting for #Reylo to happen. But is true love doomed in Star Wars?

Rick and Morty’s Beth Smith is a character full of contradictions, shaped by the trauma of being abandoned by Rick as a child.

Charlie Brooker's "Black Mirror" is full of twists. Here are a few ways to spot them before they happen.

Frank Gallagher of Shameless and Rick Sanchez of Rick and Morty are both rebellious alcoholic egotists who torture their families. So why do we still like them?