“Some Twink from the Fed”: Performative Language in MINORITY REPORT (2002)

Twigger warning for discussion of homophobic language There's a jarring bit of dialogue in the opening moments of Minority Report (2002). The science fiction thriller, directed by Steven Spielberg and adapted by Jon Cohen and Scott Frank from a novella by Philip K. Dick, throws the audience into the action in medias res. Howard Marks …

Televisions and Domestic Spaces in ROBOCOP (1987)

Screenwriter Zack Stentz, writer of the movies Thor (2011) and X-Men: First Class (2011) and Netflix animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, posed a fascinating question on Twitter the other day: https://twitter.com/MuseZack/status/1617304839570194437?s=20&t=q-rizcSVxfQx6aP-ixwsbg What does Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith), one of the villains in RoboCop (1987), do when he’s not being evil? This tweet has picked …

Renny Harlin’s Fascination with Heroic Failure

“He’s going to save her,” my dad whispered to me. We were sitting in a movie theater in 1993. I was nine years old, watching one of my favorite actors on the big screen. Sylvester Stallone — Rocky and Rambo himself, in all his bulging, sweaty glory. America’s hero in his new blockbuster, Cliffhanger, was …

“Touch Me and I’ll Sue” — Lawsuits in the Cinema of 1990

Donald Trump has threatened to sue many people and organizations in his life. Just in 2022 alone he's boasted his intent to bring lawsuits against Fox News, the FBI, CNN, the SEC and the January 6 Committee. And this isn't anything new — in the leadup to the 2016 election he claimed he would sue …

Science vs. Magic in the Works of Sam Raimi

The innocent must suffer, the guilty must be punished, you must drink blood to be a man.Ethan Coen, quoting Sam Raimi to describe Blood Simple, from The Big Lebowski: An Illustrated, Annotated History of the Greatest Cult Film of All Time There's a fascinating dichotomy of science vs. magic that runs through the oeuvre of …

Technology and Women in 2022’s KIMI and FRESH

What do Fresh and Kimi have in common? These 2022 movie releases don't bear much resemblance at first glance — but look deeper to see a provocative message about technology in both. Fresh, directed by Mimi Cave and written by Lauryn Kahn, is a horror comedy that explores the frustrations and possible dangers of modern …

Where Are All the Children in The Matrix?

Think about The Matrix (1999) for a second — really, all four movies at this point. Do you remember any children in the Matrix — the computer simulation — itself? Sure you do. When Neo (Keanu Reeves) in the first movie goes to meet the Oracle (Gloria Foster) he sees several children, including the iconic …

“Live It Up in Style” — Appearance and Identity in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is a man who knows how to weaponize his appearance. The audience's introduction to the character in the first Beverly Hills Cop (1984) is a fakeout. Wearing a black, sleeveless T-shirt and olive drab military-style pants, we think Foley is a criminal selling a truck of stolen cigarettes to two mafioso …

Watching Black Widow (2021) as a Girldad

Director Cate Shortland subtly explores how women and girls are harshly treated in this world with Black Widow (2021). This exploration is exactly why the first 15 minutes hit me so damn hard, and how that opening built up enough good will to carry me through the rest of the movie. Because there's no denying …

What’s in a Name? Albert Pyun’s Nemesis (1992) as Trans Narrative

Does the concept of the cyborg lend itself to transgender readings? With a little help from RoboCop (1987), I'm going to attempt to argue that Albert Pyun's Nemesis (1992) has secretly been a trans narrative all these years! Pyun isn't exactly known for being a prestige filmmaker. The schlockmeister came on the scene with the …