Posts by Sean Witzke

• October 28, 2014

  How ‘Housebound’ Does Horror Comedy Right

  Early on in Gerard Johnstone’s debut film, ‘Housebound’ (released in 2014, and now available on demand, on iTunes), a talk radio DJ drops the term “cognitive bias.” He describes it as a state “where the brain deviates from logical thought into fallacy.” In some ways, ‘Housebound’ is about the idea of genre as a form of cognitive bias.

• October 10, 2014

  ‘The Guest’ 101: A Primer on the ’80s-Action-Horror-Influenced Thrill Ride

  With ‘The Guest’ on its way to being one of the cult favorites of the year, here’s a look at some films that inspired the ’80s-flavored action-thriller, via some of the classic tropes found in the movie.

• September 19, 2014

  Men on Fire 101: The Revenge Thrillers That Shaped ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones’ and ‘The Equalizer’

  Look at the leaves changing colors, smell the crisp autumn air: It’s revenge season. This week, Liam Neeson’s latest example of his very particular set of skills hits theaters with ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones.’ Next week, Denzel Washington has ‘The Equalizer.’

• September 2, 2014

  ‘The Hateful Eight’ 101: A Look at the Films, Characters, and Ideas That Might Shape the New Quentin Tarantino Western

  So much of the appeal of Quentin Tarantino’s direction can’t be found on the page — it’s in the performances, music, composition, and, of course, the intertextual relationships with other movies. Those references are one of the great pleasures of his work, and they can provide a sort of road map to understanding his art.

• August 23, 2012

  There Will Be Murk: Forget the Multiplex This Weekend and Rent The Raid: Redemption Instead

  A ticking clock and a handgun are the first things you see in The Raid: Redemption. Before anything, there’s the implication of imminent violence. The promise of that opening shot is paid off pretty well once a grenade, a propane tank, and a fridge are used to level an entire floor’s worth of guys with guns, […]

• June 12, 2012

  A (Not So) Brief Conversation About the Alien Franchise

  From the Ridley Scott original to Prometheus and everything in between.

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