Original poster for Death Becomes Her Jesse Pasternack explains how Robert Zemeckis’s cult comedy achieves its laughs and special effects. Death Becomes Her (1992) is one of Robert Zemeckis’s best films because it expertly melds two of the most famous sides of himself as a director. They are, respectively, his exceptional ability to use film… Read more »
Original poster for The Raid: Redemption (2011) Jesse Pasternack looks at what makes The Raid: Redemption such a jaw-dropping action spectacle. I have followed the same routine when I watch a movie so I can write about it since I was in high school. I get a journal and something to write with (sometimes a… Read more »
Poster for His Girl Friday Jesse Pasternack explains what makes Cary Grant’s work so dazzling in the indelible rom-com His Girl Friday. His Girl Friday (1940) is full of great performances. There’s the iconic and hilarious one given by Rosalind Russell, the sweet and subtly funny one given by Ralph Bellamy, as well as a… Read more »
Jesse Pasternack explains how the new Mad Max prequel Furiosa enriches and informs its predecessor Mad Max: Fury Road. When I finished watching Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) for the first time, I had a lot of thoughts. I marveled at the scale and inventiveness of its worldbuilding, the intensity of its action sequences,… Read more »
Poster for Chungking Express Famous for its use of the Mamas & the Papas’ song “California Dreamin,’” Jesse Pasternack interprets how Chungking Express evokes the feeling of pop music. When I think of films about pop music, some familiar titles come to mind: A Hard Day’s Night (1964), Stop Making Sense (1984), That Thing You… Read more »
V (Hugo Weaving) in V for Vendetta Jesse Pasternack considers the echoes of 2020 that can be found in 2005’s intense — yet still hopeful — dystopian drama V for Vendetta. When people think of 2020, certain words come to mind, like “pandemic,” “quarantine,” “protest,” or “change.” It was a year where people grappled with… Read more »