Even though Swedish Netflix drama Young Royals has a unique premise, it genuinely tackles a range of teen issues, from relationships to disabilities to immigration to addiction. The show follows Prince Wilhelm, who is sent to a boarding school after encountering trouble. There, he encounters people from diverse backgrounds and falls in love with a boy named Simon. At a time right now, when the future seems uncertain for teens around the world, a show with authenticity is needed to help teenage audiences feel like they are not alone.
I watched HSMTMTS as a 23-year-old adult and loved it. Shows made for kids and teens can cater to more than just that demographic! Here are some of my thoughts.
In light of the recent attention the “male gaze” and “female gaze” have been getting on social media, I wanted to take this opportunity and explore in more depth the two concepts, how they are used on social media, and what is their significance in the film industry. To do so, I will look at 5 films that expose the female gaze, and consider what makes them stand out so much.
Read MoreMy piece explores the world of Bo Burnham’s Inside and what it means to create or create the illusion of, authentic art. I look at this idea in relation to both Burnham himself and us as an audience at home, and the power dynamics that are at play when it comes to demanding, creating, and receiving this sensitive work. I view Inside not only as a film released on Netflix but a product of the social/virtual zeitgeist more broadly, that both reflects our current moment and operates beyond its release as functioning proof of Burnham’s message.
My article discusses 'In the Heights' the film and its lack of representation of the Afro Latinx community. The film was a tiny reflection of a huge social situation, opening the door of conversation about Colorism in Latin Hollywood. The article also includes why the film is overall important for the American Latinx Community and explains the disappointment and reason for backlash when excluding the Afro Latinx within the community. Most importantly, it adds how to do better.
Enrico Casarosa’s Luca being similar to Luca Guadignino’s Call Me By Your Name has been frequently brought up since the release of the animated movie. Many are angered by this, mainly because Call Me By Your Name is a romance and includes actor Armie Hammer, and Luca involves the lives of child mermaids. In this article we will analyze the anger surrounding t and compare the two with visual and storybuilding context.
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Documentaries receive a very special place both in journalism and in cinema. It is a mixture of art and reality that allows its subject the power of being heard, and grants the audience a switch in point of view. Here are five documentaries you should watch.
Read MoreThe Florida Project (2017) is a slice-of-life drama following a single mother, Halley, and her young daughter, Moonee, who are part of the ‘hidden homeless. The film is set just outside of Disney World, known for its excessiveness, and starkly contrasts it with Moonee’s childhood experience in poverty.
Teen films have led us to believe that our teenage years will be marked by everlasting relationships, life-changing experiences, and endless, reckless yet endearing fun. However, this is not the case for the majority of teenagers. Adolescence simply sucks, most of the time. Here are some coming-of-age films that show how lost and bleak the teenage years can actually be for people, removing the rose-colored lenses Hollywood loves to put on this period in time.
Read MoreLove em or hate em, makeovers are an essential ingredient of teen movies and romcoms. From The Princess Diaries to She’s All That, Devil Wears Prada to Miss Congeniality, their montages fulfill our fantasies of what we could look like with better style, money, and confidence. But why couldn’t Princess Mia rule Genovia while wearing glasses? Why did Laney Boggs only become desirable after contacts? Why can’t we be beautiful, badass, and embrace our bad eyes?
The brilliance of the sound design in A Quiet Place and its sequel have helped to establish it as one of the most outstanding horror movies of the 21st century. While most horror films make use of sound and music to scare audiences, A Quiet Place instead uses silence to create a tense atmosphere that will have every audience member anticipating what will happen next.
An analysis of the power structures in Suspiria (2018), looking at what is true matriarchy and how these structures come to inform and dismantle the binary of mother and daughter.
Read MoreHBO has recently rebooted the beloved 2007 hit show Gossip Girl and many of the critiques given by fans have been less than stellar. On the surface, these may seem insignificant but once given a closer look, it unsurprisingly gives way for a much deeper issue: why do people have such trouble viewing BIPOC as classy?
Read MoreWith TV becoming more popular than film, one genre is being pushed to the side; the multi-camera sitcom. Where did it go? Will there be another Friends or Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in this decade?
This summer is full of new and exciting content across varying streaming platforms and now, also in theaters. So, if you need something fun to do while staying inside to beat the blazing heat, here is a brief list of some of my most anticipated movies and shows released during the months of June and July.
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Lots of people now look back at the hit TV show Glee and recall it as being one of the most progressive shows of their childhood or teenage years. Indeed, if you consider the cast or premise of the show it has representation of people of color and people with disabilities and the plot has central LGBT themes, with many characters identifying as LGBT. However, if you take a closer look under the surface, Glee had many flaws with its representation, from LGBT characters to race issues to disabilities.
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When you watch a film, do you ever wonder if it is about the person who made it? Some people think it's a necessity to have the same experiences as the characters in your story, others believe that all underlying themes can relate to anyone.
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Often featuring scandalous romances, scheming characters, and messy drama all around, soap operas are a unique type of television series that usually focus on domestic conflicts and are known for their continuous style of narrative. Growing up watching some of these shows, while it got me some raised eyebrows, it also gave me an understanding of why millions continue to tune in everyday. This article dives into the world of soap operas and takes a closer look into what makes them so addicting.
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The most significant accomplishment a filmmaker could strive for is making their film feel alive. That doesn’t mean that they should strive for realism, and I genuinely believe that there is a distinction between the two. Here is a list of talented directors who were able to turn locations into fully breathing, tactile tools that elevated the stories they wanted to tell and ultimately became as memorable as the characters that inhabit them.
For so long, being a “cinema lover” is something you have to own, and there’s no easy guide to that. There’s no exact number of movies you’d have to watch, or which director’s work you’d have to know, however, to reference some classics is a pretty resourceful trick that will make the listener swallow their words and let your argument pass, unquestioned. But does a classic picture actually have anything that can’t be found in a production made in the 2000s?