Rey and Luke in The Last Jedi Critically acclaimed yet divisive amongst fans, Rian Johnson’s Star Wars sequel has had a lasting effect on the franchise, as explained by Ben van Welzen, one of our newest regular contributors. “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.” These words, spoken by antagonist Kylo Ren… Read more »
Joaquin Phoenix in Inherent Vice Ben van Welzen delves into the formal complexity and intentional haziness of Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s sprawling novel. “We tell ourselves stories to live,” Joan Didion writes in her sprawling essay recounting the tumultuous times of the 1960s, “The White Album.” According to Didion, we collectively impose… Read more »
Still from Brazil Ben van Welzen explains how genre tropes, the tension between banality and absurdity, overwhelming production design, and more make Terry Gilliam’s 1985 masterwork so effective. It’s sure that the world is heading towards dystopia, the only question is when. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four presumed it would be, well, in 1984. However, as… Read more »