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Showing posts from January, 2019

Overall Analysis #2: Ready Player One as a Masterpiece

Welcome to the place where we look at elements of a Director or Film's entire meaning in a way more meaningful than the tradition reviews. I'm Logan Tyler Smith, and this is Overall Analysis. Now I know Ready Player One (both the movie and then book) are getting a lot of hate on the internet around this time. There’s the video on JustWrite, another video I didn’t really watch, and a lengthy series of endless movie reviews. To be clear, I’m not talking about the movie (which definitely has different merit) I’m talking about the movie because - spoiler alert, it’s actually kinda great. Now I realize some of you don’t understand or appreciate this work, so I’ll make essay brief and to the point. Ready Player One is a love letter to the 1980s-and while that could definitely be a turn off to some people, to me and (hopefully) the general public, this content seems to have resonated. Not just in terms of the film’s box office returns (which were really profitable) but in terms

Overall Analysis #1: The DC Comics Extended Universe is Terrible - and here's why

Welcome to the place where we look at elements of a Director or Film's entire meaning in a way more meaningful than the tradition reviews. I'm Logan Tyler Smith, and this is Overall Analysis. To be clear, I do generally LOVE superhero movies, but that doesn't mean I like the god-awful DCEU mentioned in this TOTALLY persuasive title. It is crazy how profitable these films are given they're CLEARLY horrendous to both critics and general audiences alike. They have had maybe two solid hits and that's pretty much it. There are many reasons the DCEU SUCKS, and I will describe them below. If you stay until the end, I might give you an award. Just read this whole post (; The DCEU represents the big budget trash many of cinephiles have warned about. Francois Truffaut, a known French critic in the 1950s, was known for being SCATHING (much like I'm being now), and for good reason! In his (and assumedly his audience's) general opinion, there were LOTS of

In Case You Missed It #4: Moonrise Kingdom Review

This is the segment where I talk about movies pre-2015 that may have escaped the public consciousness in recent years. I'm Logan Tyler Smith, and this is In Case You Missed It. In “Moonrise Kingdom” two young kids run away together in the wilderness they claim as their own. On the quest to find the youngsters, the adults realize just how little they have life figured out in general.  Moonrise Kingdom is another delightful art film to add to the movie continuity of the year 2012. Immaculately framed, charmingly acted, and above all funny, Moonrise Kingdom knows exactly the type of movie it is. It’s shot almost like a cleverly illustrated storybook, yet remains inventive in its use of cinematic language. This language remains intact even when the story appears to take dark turns.  The film is admittedly two-dimensional, and never really tries to be anything more. In a weird way, that’s the beauty of this attractive, masterful painting. The film might be more of a painting

In Case You Missed It #3: Frances Ha Review

This is the segment where I talk about movies pre-2015 that may have escaped the public consciousness in recent years. I'm Logan Tyler Smith, and this is In Case You Missed It. In "Frances Ha", a young New York dancer drifts through life while everyone else around her seems to be advancing in life. Going from a variety of living areas and dancing jobs, the young woman must eventually grow up and accept herself as an individual. Frances Ha is certainly not for everyone. While it, at first glance, appears to be a romantic comedy or drama, certain aspects of the film seem to defy genre conventions. The funny, well-acted protagonist never actually finds love, save for maintaining an important friendship in her life. The dialogue of the film may slow down parts of the film, but it remains a thing of beauty. Writer-director Noah Baumbach humanizes his characters (especially Greta Gerwig's humorous role) with a collection of witty, nuanced writings. Despite occasional