The Inquisitive Inkpot
Exploring Tales and the Art of Telling
Category: Reviews
Inception, emotions, and Identity
Whether or not you buy into the theory that the entirety of the movie Inception takes place as a dream, we can all agree on one thing: the importance of emotional memory in the story. The first time I saw the film, I struggled… Continue Reading “Inception, emotions, and Identity”
Ambiguity: the Emotional effect of Memory in La La Land
First, let me ask: have you seen La La Land? If not, do NOT read any further or you will forever rue the day that you let me spoil it for you. Last week we talked about the role of “reflecting” or “recalling” in… Continue Reading “Ambiguity: the Emotional effect of Memory in La La Land”
How Many Faces Can One Figure Have?
Have you ever seen multiple iterations of the same historical figure? I don’t mean simply multiple appearances of said person in a variety of different hist-fic books, shows, or movies. I mean different works both devoted to that person, whose portrayals clash in some… Continue Reading “How Many Faces Can One Figure Have?”
Sailing on Against All Obstacles: Lessons from a Historical Figure
“Only a weakling gives up when he’s becalmed! A strong man sails by ash breeze.” Admittedly a funny-sounding inspirational quote. What on earth is “sailing by ash breeze?” I wondered this when I first read the line in Carry on Mr. Bowditch— the true… Continue Reading “Sailing on Against All Obstacles: Lessons from a Historical Figure”
Less than Friends, More than Rivals
I’ve spent the past three weeks unpacking the character foils found in the TV series The Last Kingdom, and I promise next week we’ll move on to something else. 🙂 But I couldn’t help spending one more post on perhaps the most central foil… Continue Reading “Less than Friends, More than Rivals”
Good guys, bad guys: what’s the real difference?
Do you ever stop and think about what exactly it is that makes one character a hero and another a villain? It’s easy to chock it up to a good vs. evil conrast, but it seems that the more complex and realistic the characters… Continue Reading “Good guys, bad guys: what’s the real difference?”
Saints and Prudes: what do they show us?
You probably don’t sit down to watch a show with the intent of analyzing and breaking down its elements. Most people don’t. And to be honest, I didn’t plan to when I first started The Last Kingdom, but by the time I finished season… Continue Reading “Saints and Prudes: what do they show us?”
Wait… What did I just see?
Do you ever finish watching a series and then just need some time to mentally process everything? Four weeks after finishing Season 3 of “The Last Kingdom,” I am still formulating my opinions on the series as a whole. I will say that as… Continue Reading “Wait… What did I just see?”
