What I Learned About Becoming Successful from Eminem’s 8 Mile

I have never been a big fan of hiphop, although most kids I grew up with in the 90s were 2nd generation immigrants (like myself) listening to MC Hammer and playing basketball to be like Michael Jordan. Being raised in a low-middle class environment in what you could call a 60k version of Detroit, one block away from an international car factory that dominated the … Continue reading What I Learned About Becoming Successful from Eminem’s 8 Mile

Between Genius and Co-Dependency: The Missed Potential of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon

The life of Napoleon Bonaparte is a fascinating topic to explore. His strategic genius, his innovations in tactical warfare, but also his inspiring charisma and enthusiastic character allowed him to rise from a simple Corsican officer to the Emperor of France. All these factors offer countless opportunities to study the variables of life for greatness, genius and success. When I first heard that star-director Ridley … Continue reading Between Genius and Co-Dependency: The Missed Potential of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon

Self-Idealization and Reality: Why did Gatsby’s Vision Fail?

The iridiscent character of Jay Gatsby from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novella has been a cultural fascination for almost a century since it was first published in 1925. There are various reasons for that. The first one is certainly the rags-to-riches-story of a young man’s transformation from poor circumstances into a flamboyant, wealthy dandy. The second, and certainly most prominant one, is the romance of this … Continue reading Self-Idealization and Reality: Why did Gatsby’s Vision Fail?

Dune 2: What Paul Atreides Taming the Sandworm Teaches us About Facing Obstacles in Life

Dune 2 is coming to theatres today in pre-premiere before the official launch on March 1st. As if the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s first installment of the franchise wasn’t already hyped enough, the Canadian star-director had decided to release a 7-minute sneak preview 2 weeks prior to the official release of the movie. To savour a little taste of Dune 2 in its anticipation, this … Continue reading Dune 2: What Paul Atreides Taming the Sandworm Teaches us About Facing Obstacles in Life

Layers of Illusion and Schizophrenia in Christopher Nolan’s Inception

Despite its unquestionable complexity, Inception is probably the single fan-favourite Christopher Nolan film. This might be due to Leonardo DiCaprio starring in it, but it is certainly also due to the captivating topic of going through multiple layers of dreams within the human consciousness. In this essay I am going to attempt an inherently psychological approach at Inception, focusing on illusion and the loss of … Continue reading Layers of Illusion and Schizophrenia in Christopher Nolan’s Inception

Poetically Overcoming Adversity: Stoicism in Altered Carbon

Overcoming adversities has been the subject of religion, philosophy and literature since the first beginnings of mankind. Despite the modern focus on entertainment in literature and film, today there is still a wide variety of productions that beyond the entertaining factor dedicate themselves to provide role models, examples and inspiring lessons on how to overcome obstacles in life. The cyberpunk-series Altered Carbon, based on the … Continue reading Poetically Overcoming Adversity: Stoicism in Altered Carbon

The Father’s Love Beyond Time and Space in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is one of those movies who have captivated their audience in all possible dimensions: the interest in scientific theories, the monumental visuals filmed in IMAX, the stellar performances of the starring actors, the deep, meaningful storytelling and the awe-inspiring soundtrack, that has swiftly risen up to the ranks of the most played soundtracks in the world. In all these aspects, Interstellar is … Continue reading The Father’s Love Beyond Time and Space in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar

Identity and Self-Acceptance in Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur and The Gentlemen

Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur is another one of those great movies who have gone rather unnoticed. Despite its little success it is still a fantastic and powerful movie that can teach us a lot about dealing with our own demons, with self-sabotage, and how self-acceptance of our own strength can be the key to overcome our self-doubt. Arthur’s identity is bound to the sword. Only … Continue reading Identity and Self-Acceptance in Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur and The Gentlemen

Time, Guilt and Redemption in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer

This essay is the attempt at a deeper understanding of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Beginning with the analysis of the filmographic techniques Nolan utilizes in the film, we will follow the clues that lead us to a better understanding of the conflict between the protagonist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his antagonist Lewis Strauss. Establishing context with Oppenheimer’s spiritual precursor Tenet, we will take a closer look … Continue reading Time, Guilt and Redemption in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer

The Artist and Addiction in A Star Is Born

A Star is Born is the love story between the successful country-musician Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) and the young, talented singer Ally (Stefani Germanotta). He wants to help her fulfill her potential and become successful. But their love relationship is tainted by Jack’s addiction to alcohol and drugs. Although the movie is very grounded and focuses solely on the interaction between the characters, the whole … Continue reading The Artist and Addiction in A Star Is Born