Chinatown - Mastering Chekhov's Gun

We've got a brand-new video up on the Curmudgeon Media YouTube channel! This time, Tom (yours truly) will be breaking down the use of Chekhov's Gun in the legendary 1974 neo-noir, Chinatown.

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How A Silent Voice changed my life - a salute to Kyoto Animation

Written by The Curmudgeon I n 2017 I watched a film for the first time which perfectly embodied my experience with depression. The story and themes captured not just the symptoms of my personal depression, but also a cause. It so succinctly sliced through the confusing bullshit of my mind. It cracked a code. I’m talking about A Silent Voice (2016) . I feel indebted to this movie because it somehow found a way to explain my depression better than I ever could. It gave me words when there were none. It made depression feel like a less lonely place, perhaps just because I had something to compare myself to. I’d like to delve into how the film affected me and how I read into it personally. This is not a review, nor is it an exhaustive essay claiming to understand what the film is ‘about’, per se. This is simply my own take on a film which affected me in a totally idiosyncratic way. And, as always…spoilers ahead. A Silent Voice revolves around two kids: a...

Why does Netflix's Hilda feel so good to watch?

Written by The Curmudgeon S ome time during 2018 I stumbled over a hidden treasure. You know, one of those movies or series which you never asked for, were previously unaware of, but ends up surprising you with its quality. And what a treasure Hilda (2018) turned out to be. A delightful British-Canadian animation of only 13 episodes, Hilda captivated me from the start. For a while now, I've contemplated writing something a little more essayistic and detailed about the show, but something about it is elusive. Words escape me whenever I try to sell Hilda to my peers. The closest I can come to expressing my love of the show is to simply say that it just feels good to watch. But what is it specifically that makes it so? That, friends, is exactly what I'm here to talk about. Or at least, I'm gonna try my bloody best. Hilda is about a young girl - Hilda, if that wasn't already obvious - and the adventures/misadventures she begets with her two friends...

Blade Runner - the choice to be human

WARNING: Spoilers ahead... Written by The Curmudgeon “M ore human than human” – the slogan which describes the synthetic, artificial life forms of 1982’s Blade Runner . These life forms are known as ‘replicants’. In the world of Blade Runner, replicants appear human - they’re sentient, intelligent, and capable of feeling. They are but slaves to their homo sapiens overlords. As much as they would like to be, they aren’t human – they can’t be. And they’re equipped with an in-built 4-year life span to keep things that way. They are totally stripped of their agency. Thus, the “more human than human” concept is also the conceit by which the replicant rebels, led by Roy Batty, fuel their upheaval. When replicants revolt, it’s down to the Blade Runners – replicant hunters – to “retire” them from service. Among them is Rick Deckard, a lone detective who’s lumped with the responsibility of relentlessly hounding Roy Batty, the replicant deuteragonist, when he defects. Al...

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