Reading Between the Reels: Film analysis with snark and heart

In this year’s third installment of Star Wars 101, bestselling author Ian Doescher joins my English classes to explore how Star Wars uses storytelling, symbolism, character development, and the Force to create one of...

In this year’s second installment of Star Wars 101, Din from F-105 joins my English classes to explore the causes and consequences of galactic conflict in a galaxy far, far away. Because sometimes the best way to...

<p>For this installment in our Steven Spielberg series, we unpack A.I. — the feel-good family story about replacing your dead child with an upgraded model. We’re talking abandoned robot children, existential loneliness...

<p>In Minority Report, people are judged before they act—which hits a little close to home, because we definitely formed strong opinions early and spent the rest of the episode trying to justify them. Join us for the...

<p>In War of the Worlds, global annihilation isn’t stopped by genius alien tech or tactical brilliance—it’s ultimately halted by Earth’s smallest, least cinematic residents: germs. Join us for the latest entry in our...

<p>The third episode of our Spielberg series covers E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and explores how one glowing finger traumatized a generation, turned bikes into pedal-powered UFOs, and made Reese’s Pieces an emotional...

<p>For the second stop in our Spielberg deep dive, we’re landing straight in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. From the five-note tune that ruins lives to mashed potato mountains, we dissect all the weird, wonderful...

<p>We’re kicking off our Steven Spielberg series with Jaws, the movie that made beaches terrifying and mechanical sharks famous. Spielberg turns a busted shark into pure panic, proving he’s the master of suspense and...

<p>If you could snap your fingers and assemble the ultimate movie dream team, who’s on your list? The director who actually gets it, the writer who really writes, the composer who makes you feel things, and the actors...

<p>Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer isn’t just about explosions—it’s a visual and emotional symphony. In “Oppenheimer - Part Two: Faces, Places, and Consequences,” the final episode in our series on Nolan’s films, we...

<p>Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, hits like a ticking bomb. In “Oppenheimer - Part One: Light, Sound, and Panic,” the penultimate entry in our series on Nolan’s films, we break down why. From cinematography...

<p>For this year’s “Star Wars Podcast Day," we go back into the archives for one of our first deconstructions and revisit an early episode of “Coruscant Community College” in which we break down Solo: A Star Wars...

<p>In the conclusion of our two-part Tenet breakdown, we examine the film’s performances, set design, and characters—all in hopes of unpacking one of the movie’s most brain-melting ideas: when cause becomes effect and...

<p>Strap in, reverse your entropy, and whisper “pincer movement” like you actually know what it means. In this episode, we launch Part I of our two-episode deep dive into Christopher Nolan’s mind-melting blockbuster...

<p>A quick end-of-year episode to settle the debate one last time.</p> <p>Die Hard is a Christmas movie. So are Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. If it’s set at Christmas and ends with...