Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ and The Future of Movie Theaters

September 5, 2020 By mwmelugin

It’s a turbulent time for the movie industry and movie theaters, so what better answer than a movie about time?

It was three years, one month, and thirteen days between the domestic releases of Christopher Nolan’s last film Dunkirk and his newest release, the long-awaited and much-delayed Tenet. I lead with those numbers because the auteur director and most of his films, Tenet not withstanding, seem obsessed with the concept of time.

A lot has changed in the last three years, including the way most of us watch movies. The movie industry has evolved since the release of Dunkirk. That evolution has reached a crescendo in 2020 as face masks and home viewing have become the new normal. Movies theaters closed their doors in March and I now go through more hand sanitizer than I do artificial popcorn butter, which feels crazy. It’s a weird time to be alive and an even weirder, more precarious time for the film industry at large.

Finally, movie theaters are reopening. They started the reopening process on August 20th, with over two-thirds of theaters open as of September 3rd. To do so is an admittedly mixed bag; movie-nerds such as myself are elated to see new movies in a theater but there’s an inherent trepidation about the safety/sanity of doing so. One of the most hotly anticipated films of the year is set to open and the big question is whether anyone will actually go out to their local cinema and see it. A year ago, we never would have questioned whether we would be going to the theater to see Tenet.

Weird times indeed. And in these weird and confusing times, I find it incredibly apropos that theaters are set to reopen on the back of a weird, confusing film about time. Enter Tenet.

Considering Determinism | Was I Always Destined To Love Devs?

May 6, 2020 By mwmelugin

I recently blasted through the FX mini-series Devs. The show was created, written, and directed by Alex Garland, who I have been enamored with since his 2014 directorial debut, Ex Machina.

Don’t worry, I’m not interested in giving spoilers but let me just say, Devs is the bomb. You should seek it out immediately if you’re at all interested in sci-fi, thrillers, quantum mechanics, the social consequences of technology, or questions of moral philosophy. That said, you don’t need to have seen it to read this post.

Director Alex Garland and star Nick Offerman on-set of FX’s mini-series, Devs.

On top of being a brilliantly entertaining tech-thriller, Devs centers around the philosophy of determinism. If you aren’t familiar, determinism is the philosophical belief that all events are completely pre-determined by previously existing causes, i.e., everything in life is already meant to be. This includes the good aspects of life as well as the bad. Determinists believe that every avenue of reality is fated to occur precisely as it does. (I encourage you to watch this excellent video from Crash Course if you’d like more context on determinism before you continue reading.)

Since the onset of 2020, the world at large has been a bit, well, rocky. Between the COVID-19 outbreak and various other strokes of misfortune, including my own personal unemployment, Devs presented itself at a curious time in my life. It feels oddly serendipitous that a show about determinism would come at a time when the world faces such medical and economic turmoil. I feel the series arrived at a timely moment because it suggests that even the worst of events are meant to be. And I, for one, am thankful for a show that encourages us to ponder why good and bad things happen.

Disney & Taika Waititi | Jojo Rabbit Oscars Conspiracy

February 17, 2020 By mwmelugin

Taika Waititi won his first Oscar on Sunday, February 9th. He won in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for his 2019 film Jojo Rabbit. He took home a little golden man in exchange for a beautiful, brash and bewildering tale about a young boy with an imaginary friend in the form of Adolf Hitler.

Taika Waititi co-stars as Adolf Hitler in Jojo Rabbit.

Waititi co-stars in Jojo Rabbit as the imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler.

Jojo Rabbit is based on Christine Leunens’s book Caging Skies. It’s impressive that a fairly unknown property was able to contend with such venerable competition. Jojo went up against Greta Gerwig’s beloved retelling of Little Women and Todd Phillips’ take on the Joker character. Other nominees included Anthony McCarten for The Two Popes and Steve Zaillian for The Irishman. In the end, none could defeat a ten-year-old Nazi.

My speculation is this:

My hypothesis is that Disney secretly pulled the strings to ensure Waititi won his Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. “Why,” you ask? By bolstering his stature in the industry they would be able to more effectively market future Waititi-directed Disney properties.

My Top 10 Films of the Decade | 2010-2019

January 24, 2020 By mwmelugin

To no one’s surprise, there have been countless year-end and decade-end film lists in the past few weeks. Everybody and their mother has done a Top 10 Films of the Decade list. But so what? I mean, it’s not every day we enter a new decade. Why shouldn’t we take a moment to appreciate and commemorate the best of the best?

The past ten years of film history have been tumultuous and varied. Films changed as the culture evolved and new technologies such as streaming services moved in. It was the decade of Netflix, but it was also a decade of auteurs and companies like A24. If you’re into labeling eras, I’d say this has been the decade of the superhero film. Box offices were dominated by Marvel and Star Wars, reboots and sequels. Some of them were great and some weren’t. A couple of movies won Best Picture that maybe shouldn’t have (here’s to you, The King’s Speech) but it should not be overlooked how many truly exquisite films we’ve been given since 2010.

A collage of the top 10 films of the decade.

Remember, art is subjective.

Bear in mind, I’m a humble autodidact who has only been writing about film seriously for about a year. I’m not an authority so don’t be mad if your favorite movie isn’t on here. These are all great films in one way or another, whether they can definitively be called the top 10 films or not. I’m simply putting them forth as my top 10 films. Each of them has deep and resonant themes that impacted me on a personal level when I first saw them. Not only that, but they have all held up upon multiple viewings. I’ve loved and thought about these films the most. They’re the ones that have inspired and challenged me and made me feel connected to my fellow humans and the art of movie-making.

If you’ve ever tried it, you know it’s insanely difficult to rank what the best movies are. It’s all subjective. Like when you’re asked what your favorite song is, it probably depends on your mood. I’ve compiled this list alphabetically because they’re all amazing and I wanted to avoid the pain of having to rank them. After detailing my top ten, I’ll list out my forty honorable mentions, also in alphabetical order. Thus presenting my unranked top fifty best movies of the decade.

Without any further ado…

My top 10 films from 2010-2019…

Why I Started Using A Weekly Planner | Video Blog 01

January 3, 2020 By mwmelugin

This post is my first ever attempt at a video blog. You may either watch the video or read the extended, original prose article below. Or do both, that would be cool too.

https://youtu.be/iyokJn1MtpI

My History with Journaling

I never kept a weekly planner before this year. In high school and college they often hand them out for free in order to encourage students to use them. In those days though, I was young and stubborn and, frankly, rather ignorant, so I rebuked every journal or planner that was presented to me. Back then, I think that I regarded myself as being above the necessity for such devices out of some delusional notion that “my brain could do what other people needed a planner for”. If my memory serves me, there were a few instances where I gave it a whirl with a planner for maybe a week or so before promptly losing interest in it, or simply losing it.

That trend ended this past August when I encountered the Smart Planner Pro via an unsolicited Instagram advertisement. I followed the link (which was a mistake because I then got targeted ads for planners and journals for a month) and bought one off Amazon the following day.

This planner has been very durable for me. It’s a great size and I appreciate the pen holder on the side.

As I said in my previous post, I had been feeling stuck in my daily routine. I felt like time was out of my control and that it was slipping away without my consent. It was a combination of not actively structuring my days well enough and feeling like I didn’t know where my days had gone once they were over. I spent several weeks trying to figure out what I could do to remedy this feeling. I had no idea whether a planner would solve my problem or not, but I figured it was worth a shot.

A Personal Update: Finding Mindfulness and Being Deliberate With Your Time

November 13, 2019 By mwmelugin

For the past few months, I’ve felt like I haven’t been in full control of my time. Life moves so quickly; between having a full-time job, doing chores and errands, and spending time with friends and family, I’ve been finding it difficult to carve out sufficient time for myself and my creative work. It’s so easy to “let your life live you” rather than the other way around. Throughout most of 2019, it’s definitely felt as though my life has been living me.

Social engagements and daily maintenance can pose an especially dangerous threat to those seeking to make a life in the arts. I’m constantly making plans with friends, which is a wonderful problem to have, but it comes at a cost. On top of that, there are so many hours that slip away from menial tasks like going to the grocery store and washing dishes. Individually, these chores and engagements don’t matter much. I’m happy to spend time with loved ones and certainly enjoy doing so. However, when combined with every other aspect of life, they become a serious imposition on my time and mental energy which could otherwise be channeled into writing or making music.

I’m not suggesting that we should never take the time to have lunch with mom or grab a beer with a buddy, I’m a big fan of doing both, but I’m finding the trick is to be more deliberate with your time and not make such choices impulsively. With the New Year right around the corner, I’ve been reflecting on my habits, identifying the ways in which I’ve been spending my time, and making a plan to take back control of my life and rededicate myself to my creativity. For me, that means making the extra effort to be more focused, disciplined, and overall more mindful in my daily activities.

Nowadays, “being mindful” has almost become a cliché. There’s so much content and so many services advertising mindfulness, specifically meditation, that it can feel like a marketing scheme rather than honest life advice. However, a cliché usually becomes a cliché because it’s true. I’ve made attempts at becoming more mindful many times in the past but it’s proven to be a difficult regimen to stick to, largely due to the aforementioned social obligations. In the past, I’ve gone through phases during which I would practice meditation. It’s no secret that meditating is a key component of becoming more mindful. I’ve realized, though, that there’s much more we can do. This is a list of steps I’ve been taking in order to become more mindful, more focused, and overall lead a healthier creative life.

Emojis: How They Could Impact The Future of The English Language

June 8, 2017 By mwmelugin

Given the impact emojis have had in written communication already, what if we were to take them as a more serious method of communication? What if we viewed them as essentially a new language, one which has been incorporated into English without our even knowing it? Then, what if we proceeded to evolve that language and iterate upon it? At what point would an emoji be able to convey what can currently only be conveyed with an entire sentence?

Our current emoji set is already extremely vast. It also boasts many emojis which do hold acute meanings within culture. However, I believe we‘ve only scratched the surface of emojis’ potential. Wouldn’t it be interesting to follow this line of questioning and create more emojis that could, in one simple character, represent such ideas as:

“Terribly sorry, I’m running late but I’m on my way and I’ll be there soon.”
“I don’t particularly care, you should choose.”
“I know that may seem a bit embarrassing but I’m proud of it anyway.”

In this article I’ll attempt to explore what emojis are, how they fit into the historical evolution of linguistics and orthography, and their potential impact on the future of human communication.

Nostalgia: 4 Reasons Why It’s Good To Be Nostalgic

May 16, 2017 By mwmelugin

I’ve been a nostalgic person for as long as I can remember. I still have stacks of homework assignments from elementary and middle school, drawings I did as a child, and countless scrapbooks my mom made. Like many people I enjoy looking back through these from time to time for a casual stroll down memory lane. For me, nostalgia has always been a positive thing. It reminds me of a “simpler time”, and makes me appreciate my life.

Nostalgia can be a double edged sword however. For those like me it can connect one with their past and bring an appreciation for a time that once was. Sometimes though it can induce sadness or a tendency to “live in the past”. Despite the possible consequences, I’ve found that to be nostalgic can be tremendously beneficial both in the writing process as well as in one’s day-to-day life.

An old photo of me reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, circa 1997. This scene is essentially the epitome of nostalgia for me.

HOW NOSTALGIA IS GOOD FOR WRITING

They say “write what you know” and that “all beginning writers write about themselves”. As far as I’m concerned, these maxims both ring true. There lies great creative value in holding on to the small, emotional bits of life so as to one day channel them into a character. To appreciate the significance of the past can aid in developing more complex characters in one’s writing.

Commercials and Product Placement: Why They’re Good For Us As Artists

May 8, 2017 By mwmelugin

Commercials are everywhere. They’re on our televisions and social media, in our movies, and play before our YouTube videos. It’s true that their omnipresence can frustrate me from time to time. Ads can be exhausting and occasionally make me feel like I’m being bombarded by capitalism. However, there remains a wealth of reasons why commercials are a great thing for us both as consumers and artists.

1. They Provide Jobs

Being an artist and/or filmmaker is classically one of the toughest fields as far as job security goes. I might not enjoy every car or fast food commercial I see on cable but I appreciate how they provide work for thousands of people. It’s tough to get experience as a director, cinematographer, editor, sound engineer, etc. Thankfully, there’s not likely to be a shortage of commercial work anytime soon. Each commercial made, whether it be video or audio, offers more opportunity for all of us to secure work in these positions. While these can still be difficult positions to get, this is a valuable professional resource for burgeoning artists as we work toward whatever it is we truly wish to be doing, such as working on films or shows. And, if your ultimate goal actually is to work on commercials, even better.

Behind-the-scenes of a Mini Cooper commercial.

2. Commercials and Product Placement Provide Budgets

Product placement in movies and TV shows has seen a dramatic increase in the past decade. Companies have learned that they prove more effective than traditional TV ad spots. These placements give products more context for the viewer. They force the viewer to emotionally connect the product with whatever show or movie they’re watching. Unfortunately, this form of advertising doesn’t exactly provide jobs like standard TV/radio/YouTube/etc commercials. However, they provide another very valuable service to the creative process. They furnish additional budget to the creators of the films and shows that feature them. Movies and shows are expensive to make (obviously) and making placement deals with companies is a brilliant way to provide artists with the high budgets they require to produce quality content for us to enjoy.