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The Purge 2013
Directed and written by: James Demonaco
The strength of a plot comes in three four factors: goals, stakes, pacing and complete character arcs. The genres that suffer from having clear goals and character arcs are normally action films, comedies and slashers. They’re more focused on the action set-pieces, on making the gags and scaring their audience respectively to focus too much on keeping their plot strong. So long as the premise is good enough to get bums on seats in…
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No Country for Old Men 2007
Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen
Screenplay by: Joel & Ethan CoenAntagonists are found within most pieces of literature and media – they provide a point of conflict for the protagonist in some form while raising the stakes of the narrative in one way or another. For more light-hearted films, this can be they attack the emotional standpoint of the protagonist such as a bully and for superhero films, they pose a threat on a global or universal scale. However, for…
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Shutter Island 2010
Shutter Island is a neo-noir psychological thriller set in Boston, 1954 and tells the story of US Marshal Teddy Daniels, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio. Teddy has been sent to Shutter Island, home to a mental institute for the criminally insane in order to investigate a missing patient. But all is not as it seems.
The film opens with a black screen, all the audience can hear is water lapping until a foggy backdrop fades into view. Slowly drifting in through…
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Just Mercy 2019
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Screenplay by: Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew LanhamSystemic racism is a form of racism practiced in social and political institutions, such as law enforcement. In 2013, the Black Lives Matter international activist movement was formed to battle against the treatment against black people by law enforcement, where many have lost their lives due to racial profiling or racial inequality. BLM predominantly deals with police brutality but in 1989, the Equal Justice Initiative was formed in…