Now You See It

In the last few years, there has been an explosion of 80s pop culture. But why? Let's take a look at the movies of the 80s and see why they left such a mark on the blockbusters of today.

What makes Dave Chappelle one of the most unique comedians of all-time? Let's take a look at his personality based, celebrity-infused comedy to see how he can do what no one else can: dodge the laser beams.

The Dutch Angle has a very revealing history, showing us the birth of subjective and experimental cinema. Let's take a look at some of the most important Dutch Angle's of all time and see how they frame the great Dutch Angles of today.

The Vampire is perhaps the most popular creature in all of media. So why do people like them so much? Let’s take a look at movies specifically to see how Vampires are used to give powerful and progressive messages.

Quentin Tarantino embraced the classics and elevated them to a new level in his genre movies, creating something entirely unique. His directorial control and incredible knowledge of cinema from all over the world allows him to twist universal movie tropes into new, innovative stories. “The story of a genre. The three stories in Pulp Fiction are more or less the oldest stories you’ve ever seen: The guy going out with the boss’ wife and he’s not supposed to touch her -- that’s in The Cotton Club, Revenge. The middle story, the boxer who’s supposed to throw the fight and doesn’t -- that’s about the oldest chestnut there is. The third story is more or less the opening three minutes of Action Jackson, Commando, every other Joel Silver movie -- two hit men show up and blow somebody away. Then, they cut to “Warner Bros. Presents” and you have the credit sequence, and then they cut to the hero three hundred miles away. Here, the two killers come in, BLAM-BLAM-BLAM-- but we don’t cut away, we stay with them the whole rest of the morning and see what happens to them . The idea is to have these old chestnuts and go to the moon with them.” Quentin Tarantino Interviews, pg. 78 Tarantino Analysis

I’ve seen countless videos and articles about why Dave Chappelle left Hollywood and went to South Africa. I think none of them truly hit the mark. This video has no speculation, only what Dave has said himself. Once you take apart his interviews and the analogies in his stand-up, I think you can really understand why he did what he did.

After reading Michel Pastoureau's "The Devil's Cloth: A History of Stripes," I saw an opportunity to expound upon his ideas and apply them to the movies. Once you're on the lookout for stripes, you can see just how nicely their historical significance aligns with the significance of striped characters in the movies.

When is analysis too much? Let's have a look at artistic intent and see when analyzing movies goes too far, and when it doesn't.

When a character gets on a horse, they carry with them symbols of power, domination, and mastery. Let's take a look at American cinema (and elsewhere) to see how filmmakers use the horse to tell us about the character riding them.

Alternate Title: Red: Fire and Blood, Life and Death Red is without a doubt the most symbolic color. So how do filmmakers use it to elevate the visual impact of their movies? Through the lens of the symbolic masterpiece Schindler’s List, let’s explore all the history and power packed in such a vibrant color.