I’ve likened myself to Rudy Ruettiger before, especially in my college experience. But all these years later, I have found something new to relate to in his plight. Continue reading
I hope you will have a wonderful Thanksgiving this week. This is a special time to turn our thoughts to our Creator and give thanks to Him for the bounteous blessings He has bestowed upon us. Continue reading
I’m not proud of the article I wrote last week. My heart wasn’t in it, but I didn’t know how to refuse to write it. An amazing reader of mine named Jay had sent me a complete summary of how The Big Lebowski worked as a chiasmus months ago. He had also done that with three other films, too. I wanted to finally finish writing those articles, despite the challenge of doing that. Continue reading
With apologies to my wonderful reader Jay, I have to admit this has been the hardest of the four movies he sent me to write about. Perhaps it’s because Goodfellas was crammed with so much violence, foul language, and drug use, but for whatever reason, The Big Lebowski drained the last of my reserves and left me feeling hollow.
I can’t even bring myself to take one more look at that film to gather images for this article. So this will be my first pictureless Cinematic Chiasmus article, not because of some artistic reason, but because the film deserves no such honor. Let’s get on with this sordid affair. Continue reading
As far back as I can remember, there have always been symmetrical movies. All the way back to the Buster Keaton classic The General, where the film is structured (appropriately enough) like a railroad track.
Well, today we’re going to discuss the symmetrical nature of another movie called Goodfellas. This is the third film recommended by a reader of mine named Jay. And it works just as well as the first two he sent: Ghostbusters and Die Hard. Let’s start digging into how this film’s chiasmus works. Grab a shovel from ma’s house. Continue reading
The story structure of Die Hard forms a really cool chiasmus, meaning that its first and second halves mirror each other. This is the second film I was sent by a reader named Jay. He mapped it all out for me, so I just wrote the main body of the article, not the framework.
The first film he sent was Ghostbusters, which I published several months ago. I apologize for taking so long to get to this one. I hope to finish his other two shortly after this, if all goes well. On with the Die Hard Cinematic Chiasmus! Continue reading
I have been both looking forward to and dreading this moment for a long time. I suppose that’s true of any major undertaking in my life. And this certainly fits into that category. Continue reading
Halfway through Dumb and Dumber, the story transitions from a road trip to a wish-fulfillment fantasy. The titular dumb and dumber friends Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne take a briefcase across the country to try to return it to a beautiful young woman who left it at an airport. Once they arrive in her hometown of Aspen, Colorado, they finally manage to get it open, and they’re shocked to find that it’s full of money.
They literally become millionaires overnight. They promise to be responsible with the money, but temptation gets the better of them almost immediately. This scene showcases the danger of getting rich through winning the lottery or receiving an unexpected inheritance. And I think it’s worth examining to ensure we don’t fall down a similar path of self-ruin. Continue reading
I once heard the story of when a young George Lucas was in a recording studio working with a sound mixer. The man said he needed Reel 2, Dialogue track 2, but he shortened all of that information to simply, “R2D2.” For some reason, this sparked something in the burgeoning writer/direction, and he decided to write it down.
Maybe it would come in handy one day. Continue reading
This is probably a no-duh statement, but I think it’s easy to criticize and think we’re better than other people. It’s harder to be kind, thoughtful, and forgiving of others’ weaknesses.
I recently had an experience I’d like to share where I let my emotions get away from me. It doesn’t exactly paint a flattering picture of me, but I’ll be honest to hopefully explain why I want to be kinder. Continue reading
