the escapist | the m0vie blog

New Escapist Column! On the Contradictory Generational Conflicts of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”…

Posted on September 3, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. With the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look at the film.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is an interesting mess of contradictions. On the one hand, it is a classic story of generational conflict about a son who needs to defeat and vanquish his evil father in order to determine his place in the world – like Star Wars. However, it is also a story about a prodigal son who needs to connect with his roots and let his older relatives provide him with an identity that he cannot determine for himself. It’s a weird juxtaposition that creates an irreconciliable conflict at the heart of the movie.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: China, filial piety, film, generations, hollywood, in the frame, Movie, shang-chi, shang-chi and the legend of the ten rings, the escapist | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Review”

Posted on September 3, 2021 by Darren

I’m thrilled to be launching movie reviews on The Escapist. Over the coming weeks and months, I will be joining a set of contributors in adding these reviews to the channel. For the moment, I’m honoured to contribute a three-minute film review of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which is released theatrically in Europe and the United States this weekend.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: escapist, review, shang-chi, shang-chi and the legend of the ten rings, the escapist | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! On How “The Green Knight” Deconstructs the Hero’s Journey…

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Darren

So, as I have mentioned before, I am launching a new video series as a companion piece to In the Frame at The Escapist. The video will typically launch with every second Monday’s article, and be released on the magazine’s YouTube channel the following week. This is kinda cool, because we’re helping relaunch the magazine’s film content – so if you can throw a subscription our way, it would mean a lot.

With the release of The Green Knight on streaming, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look at what makes the film so unique and so effective. In particular, how David Lowery uses the film to explore and interrogate the conventional hero’s journey – in particular, the idea that all it takes to make a hero great is an epic adventure.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: david lowery, gawain, J. R. R. Tolkien, omar ahmed, the escapist, the green knight, the hero's journey | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Column! On How “The Green Knight” Deconstructs the Hero’s Journey…

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. With the release of David Lowery’s The Green Knight on streaming, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look at the director’s reimagining of classic Arthurian legend.

In particular, when is so fascinating about The Green Knight is the way that it takes a very classic and very conventional hero’s journey – the story of a character who embarks upon a quest that makes them better, stronger and wiser before returning home fundamentally changed by the experience – and gradually deconstructs it. Is a hero’s journey alone enough to make Gawain a great man? Can the adventure make him a different person? Is there a checklist of accomplishments that he must complete before he becomes a worthy knight? The Green Knight interrogates and explores these questions.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: arthurian legend, david lowery, dev patel, film, in the frame, Joseph Campbell, jrr tolkien, king arthur, Movie, myth, quest, review, the escapist, the green knight, the hero's journey | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! On What Makes “The Suicide Squad” the Year’s Best Blockbuster…

Posted on August 29, 2021 by Darren

So, as I have mentioned before, I am doing some film critic work at The Escapist. Part of that includes long-form video criticism, such as this piece which is now available to watch at YouTube, editted by the wonderful Matt Laughlin, looking at what makes The Suicide Squad the best blockbuster of the year to date.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: blockbuster, James Gunn, matt laughlin, the escapist, the suicide squad, video | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Column! On How “Candyman” is About Art About Trauma…

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. With the release of Nia DaCosta’s Candyman this weekend, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look at the film and the larger franchise.

Much has been written in recent years about the recent explosion of African American horror, and the relationship between that horror and the very real trauma experienced by that community. What’s particularly interesting about Candyman is that the movie is very much engaged with that debate. In an era where so many movies and television shows purport to be “about trauma”, Candyman is explicitly a movie about art about horror, and the thorny questions that stem from that relationship.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: appropriation, candyman, community, gentrification, horror, in the frame, memory, nia dacosta, racism, secrets, the escapist, trauma, violence | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! “Candyman – Review”

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Darren

I’m thrilled to be launching movie reviews on The Escapist. Over the coming weeks and months, I will be joining a set of contributors in adding these reviews to the channel. For the moment, I’m honoured to contribute a three-minute film review of Candyman, which is released theatrically in Europe and the United States this weekend.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: candyman, Chicago, escapist, jordan peele, nia dacosta, review, the candyman, the escapist | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! “Reminiscence – Review”

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Darren

I’m thrilled to be launching movie reviews on The Escapist. Over the coming weeks and months, I will be joining a set of contributors in adding these reviews to the channel. For the moment, I’m honoured to contribute a three-minute film review of Reminiscence, which is released theatrically in Europe and the United States this weekend and is now streaming on HBO Max.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: 3mr, escapist magazine, hugh jackman, lisa joy, movie review, noir, reminiscence, review, sci-fi, the escapist, three minute review | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! “The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf – Review”

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Darren

I’m thrilled to be launching movie reviews on The Escapist. Over the coming weeks and months, I will be joining a set of contributors in adding these reviews to the channel. For the moment, I’m honoured to contribute a three-minute film review of The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which is releasing on Netflix tomorrow.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: 3mr, anime, netflix, review, the escapist, the witcher, the witcher: nightmare of the wolf, three minute review | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! “A Marvelous Escape” – What If – “… T’Challa Became a Star Lord?”

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Darren

With a slew of Marvel Studios productions coming to Disney+ over the next six months, The Escapist has launched a weekly show discussing these series

This week, I join KC Nwosu and Amy Campbell to talk about the second episode of What If…?, streaming on Disney+.