Theory & Criticism

At first glance, the gothic and the noir genre may seem quite mutually distinguishable: the former, with its castles, ghosts, and curses, involves a fear of the past; the latter, set in modern urban landscapes, a fear of the future. Yet, a deep sense of fatalism and impending doom permeates both. They also often feature anguished and troubled protagonists who try to navigate through oneiric, manic worlds. Stylistically, both employ expressionistic elements, at times even to t

Over the past decade, Hollywood’s largest studios have become trapped in a cycle of reboots, sequels, and prequels, driven by the mistaken belief that familiar intellectual property guarantees profit. Now, as Hollywood faces the creative consequences of a potential Warner Bros-Paramount Mega Merger, Elijah Segal analyzes what led to this creative stagnation and elucidates steps studios can take to bring Hollywood back to life.

Matthew Colandrea recounts his experience navigating his first heartbreak with the help of movies. He narrates his journey from finding movie theatres as an escape, before turning to movies to help learn about love, all while falling in love with film again.

A way of looking at a Columbia student’s journey through college as told through Whit Stillman’s 1990s comedic trilogy Metropolitan, Barcelona, and The Last Days of Disco.

In a time of intense political tension and a seemingly unresolvable resentment felt across the political spectrum, Bugonia functions as a direct and scathing critique of modern political extremism. Quite simply, through its depictions of delusion and conspiracy, the film exposes the narcissicism, hypocrisy, ignorance, and animalistic aggression of the Greta Thunbergs of the world.

In Sam Witt’s piece she discusses Bill Rebane’s film Blood Harvest and argues that the film serves as a grim model for the horror genre's tendency to sexualize women.

Observational reality shows have become predominant in South Korea’s entertainment industry, demonstrating an extreme shift from a society that once held strict Confucian values of privacy. Due to lack of social interaction and communication, the Korean public is filling up their emotional hollowness with collective voyeurism. This phenomenon ultimately leads to the commercialization of privacy.

As we wrapped up 2025, Stranger Things released their fifth and final season. Upon the release of the long awaited final season, fans raided social media platforms, enraged by its lack of depth and abundance of plot holes. Why was the build up to season 5 so underwhelming? Why was the dialogue so lacking in depth? This essay addresses the many inconsistencies fans were forced to endure throughout their watch of the final season.