Fighting Over Fiction

We watch How to Train Your Dragon and ask...

Does How to Train Your Dragon prove that animation is at its best when it make the impossoble feel emotionally real?

Is the films emotional impact driven by it's animation or its plot?

Does the animation make Toothless feel more human than the human characters?

Is it a great family film because it trusts kids with big emotions?

We watch Titanic and ask...

Does Titanic romanticise tragedy to make its audience feel more deeply?

Does the romance strengthen the tragedy or overshadow the real disaster?

Does the film’s spectacle enhance the tragedy or diatract from it?

We watch Everything, Everywhere All At Once and ask...

Is EEAAO a masteclass in maximilist filmmaking or just overwhelming?

Is the film’s chaotic editing and genre hopping emotionally purposeful?

Is the humour a good counter balance to the heavier themes?

Does the film ultimately reject nihilism or repackage it as existentialism?

We watch Fleabag and ask...

Is Fleabag’s fourth-wall breaking a successful tool for audience connection?

Do the fourth-wall breaks bring us closer to Fleabag, or keep us at a safe distance?

How does the fourth wall breaking change the emotional weight of key moments?

Would Fleabag be as compelling without the fourth wall breaks?

We watch Top Gun : Maverick and ask...

Does Maverick prove that a sequel can be as good if not better than the original?

Does Lego Movie balance it's appeal to children and adults effectively?

Do the jokes land equally for kids and adults?

Does the emotional core reseonate more with adults or children?

Do the fast past visuals prioritise younger viewers over deeper themes?

Does the conformity vs creativity message resonate differently for adults and children?

We watch Role Models and ask...

Does Role Models use dual protagonists to tell a coherent story?

Does one protagonist dominate the story?

Does the dual structure strengthen or weaken the film?

Can we separate the film’s comedy from its problematic humor?

How does Role Models compare to single protagonist films of the Noughties?

We watch Forrest Gump and ask...

Does Forreat drive his own narrative, or is he carried by it?

Is Forrest a reliable narrator?

Does Forrest activley affect the live of Jenny and Lieutenant Dan?

Do the filming techniques support Forrest’s version of events, or encourage us to question them?

We watch Taxi Driver and ask...

Is Travis Bickle a compelling protagonist even though he isn't a typical 'good guy'?

Can we sympathise with Travis is any way?

Does Travis’s violence feel justified when it shouldn't?

Why are we still engaged by Travis even when we don't like him?

What does Travis tell us about Paul Schrader?

We watch the end of Game of Thrones and ask...

Did the ending of Game of Thrones ultimately have more strengths than weaknesses?

Did the major character endings feel ewrned or rushed?

Does the finale balance story and spectacle?