Essays

The Weird and Wild History of Zack Snyder’s Needle Drops

By Mary Beth McAndrews 

From “Down With The Sickness” to “Zombie,” Snyder is the king of not-so-subtle musical cues.

The Ending of ‘Mad Men’ Explained

By Aurora Amidon 

We look back at the ending of the iconic TV series and consider two ways of looking at Don Draper’s final epiphany.

‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’ and the Question of Robotic Love

By Aurora Amidon 

Are machines really capable of feeling emotion? And what is love, really, anyway?

The Expression of Inanimate Objects in Wong Kar Wai’s ‘Happy Together’

By Aurora Amidon 

No one world-builds quite like Wong Kar Wai.

How ‘Wish Dragon’ Traces The Story of Aladdin Back to Ancient China

By Hans Qu 

From ancient China to the modern cinema, the new Netflix animated feature has centuries of storytelling tradition in its bones.

An Indy Darling: John Williams and ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’

By Charlie Brigden 

As ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ turns 40, Charlie Brigden explores how composer John Williams gave Indiana Jones his groove.

On the Particular Devastation of the ‘Chernobyl’ Premiere

By Valerie Ettenhofer 

For our Episodes column, we re-examine “1:23:45”, the bleak, fantastic first installment of HBO’s ‘Chernobyl’ miniseries.

‘Bo Burnham: Inside’ Redefines the Internet Age

By Aurora Amidon 

At a time when everyone is doing it, Bo Burnham gets internet critique right.

Back to the Movies: Celebrating Portland’s Historic Hollywood Theatre

By Chris Coffel 

The Hollywood Theatre first opened its doors in 1926. Nearly one hundred years later, it has navigated its fair share of hard times to become a beloved staple in the Portland arts scene.