Sam Kench
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Ghosts… of the Civil Dead (1988) Review
Nick Cave’s first screenwriting credit and first acting role can be found in the extremely rare Australian prison movie from director John Hillcoat, Ghosts… of the Civil Dead. 8/10 Read more
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How to Craft the Perfect Car Chase
A video essay examining the construction and execution of the car chase sequence and a tribute to the best car chases throughout cinema history. This video essay includes footage from The Seven-Ups, Vanishing Point, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, Shadows in an Empty Room, Bullitt, Gone in 60 Seconds, Mad Max, The Road Warrior, Fury Road,… Read more
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The Scream Series Retrospective
This video is a huge retrospective review examining the entire Scream series started by horror master Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson. We’ll be taking a look at Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4, and Scream 2022 AKA Scream 5. Each movie is reviewed individually and then the Scream franchise is ranked overall —… Read more
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The Halloween Franchise Retrospective
A big retrospective looking at and reviewing every Halloween sequel, remake, reboot, remake sequel, and reboot sequel. This tangled series includes the original 1978 “Halloween,” “Halloween II,” “Halloween III: Season of the Witch,” “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers,” “Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers,” “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers,” “Halloween H20:… Read more
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The Best Surrealist Filmmaker You’ve Never Heard of
I never hear anybody talking about the master surrealist that is Quentin Dupieux AKA Mr. Oizo, so consider this my tribute to him and my attempt to bring the tiniest bit more attention to his films and music. Read more
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The Lovers on the Bridge is Essential Cinema
The Lovers on the Bridge AKA Les Amants du Pont-Neuf is a 1991 drama romance written and directed by French filmmaker Leos Carax and starring the pairing of Denis Lavant and Juliette Binoche. This video essay aims to convey why The Lovers on the Bridge should be considered an essential work of cinema. 10/10 Read more
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Film History Crash Course
Are you looking to brush up on the history of cinema? Are you trying to cram for a film history class and looking for a cheat sheet? Here is a broad overview of cinematic history condensed into under 8 minutes. You can find the full list of films below the video — and note that… Read more
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Why John McTiernan Disappeared for 20 Years & Tracking Down His Lost Documentary
John McTiernan directed Predator and Die Hard back-to-back as his second and third films. He would make several other films over the next few years before stopping abruptly in 2003 after Basic. The reason for his disappearance and why he hasn’t made another movie in the 20 years since is a big, complicated affair. This… Read more
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True Detective Season 2 Deserves More Respect
“True Detective: Season 2” earned a reputation as one of the most disastrous follow-up seasons to an acclaimed TV show to ever hit the air. This video breaks down why it failed and why it is secretly far better than its terrible reception would indicate. Read more
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How Ruben Östlund Tracks the Ripples of a Moment in Triangle of Sadness and Force Majeure
Video essay examining how Ruben Östlund tracks the ripples of a seemingly insignificant moment in “Triangle of Sadness” and “Force Majeure.” Östlund won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for “The Square” in 2017 then again in 2022 for “Triangle of Sadness,” which was also nominated for multiple Oscars and BAFTAs Read more
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