Straight From a Movie / The film journal
Movie blog. Beyond the credits.
A film doesn’t always end when the credits roll. Here we revisit the scenes, memories and ideas that keep coming back, through personal essays and guest voices.
A few places to begin.
Film conversations
When two characters hold the screen
Michael McKown picks three memorable one-on-one conversations from film history.
27 Mar 2025
Cinema & culture
The films that shape us
A personal essay on how cinema colours the way we see our own lives.
9 May 2015
Nostalgia
A first encounter with dinosaurs
A return to Jurassic Park, a school television and the wonder of watching it for the first time.
21 Jun 2015
More from the film journal
Browse the rest of the archive, from character studies to film history and personal reflections. Publication dates are shown so older pieces can be read in context.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006): A Fairytale not meant for Children
Read the article →: Pan’s Labyrinth (2006): A Fairytale not meant for ChildrenGuillermo Del Toro’s Gothic 2006 fairytale horror Pan’s Labyrinth a.k.a. El laberinto del fauno is a social critique of the mental, physical, and…
Celebrating the Top Three Women Directors From Early Hollywood
Read the article →: Celebrating the Top Three Women Directors From Early HollywoodOver the many decades of film history, we’ve come to acknowledge the great directors and pioneers of film as being mostly men: Alfred…
Release the Snyder Cut Movement | The Story of Zack Snyder
Read the article →: Release the Snyder Cut Movement | The Story of Zack SnyderWhat an insane victory! Release the Snyder Cut Movement finally comes to fruition. It has been an emotional joyride, and what a ride…
Big Fish Movie 2003 Analysis | Fiction as a Source of Inspiration for Reality
Read the article →: Big Fish Movie 2003 Analysis | Fiction as a Source of Inspiration for RealityBig Fish Movie (2003) defies the very well-known fact that every work of fiction is inspired by reality, and points out that there…
Drive Movie 2011 Analysis | Search for a Real Human Being, a Real Hero
Read the article →: Drive Movie 2011 Analysis | Search for a Real Human Being, a Real HeroUnlike most movies out there, Drive movie 2011 is a narrative based more on sensorial experiences than dialogues from the characters. Throughout the…
Rebecca Movie Analysis (2020) | The Themes of the Films and Novel
Read the article →: Rebecca Movie Analysis (2020) | The Themes of the Films and NovelThe Rebecca movie analysis I am about to pen down is based on my knowledge of all the Rebecca versions that I have…
Keep the conversation going.
Have a film, a memory or an idea you’d like us to explore?