You’ve probably heard of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), but may be mystified. What is this tabletop game with no board and so many strange dice? From its basement origins in the 1970s, Dungeons and Dragons has now firmly cemented itself as a beloved staple of geek culture. It works by collaborative storytelling. In this role-playing …
Black History Month is a perfect time to expand your horizons and explore work by black filmmakers. So today, we’ll look at the contributions to cinema by incredible African-American women. However, these women are just the tip of the iceberg. Whether you want a fun blockbuster, feel-good romance, or artsy indie, you’ll find a film …
With a global pandemic and political strife, stress seems to be an unavoidable part of daily life, making self-care more important than ever before. This holds true even for young people, as anxiety and depression become increasingly common among teenagers. Fortunately, creativity (while not a cure-all) can help one’s mental and physical well-being. It can …
By Claire Graman Today, we’re celebrating the work of six amazing female Indian directors. Indian cinema, often called Bollywood, although the country contains more “‘woods”, is incredibly prolific, profitable, and popular around the world… except in the U.S., where it we don’t often see it. And, like Hollywood, the Indian film industry also struggles with …
Six Amazing Female Indian Directors You Should Know Read More »
Amanda Seyfried as Marion Davies in Mank (2020). By Claire Graman Who is Marion Davies? What role does Marion Davies, conflicted comedienne, play in Mank (2020), David Fincher’s recent film on the making of Citizen Kane (1941)? The rise of streaming services and extended copyright laws have made old films less accessible. However, the legends …
By Claire Graman Our Oscar Predictions Today, I’m sharing our Oscar predictions for 2020. This has been an unprecedented year in film history, to say the least, but the Oscars will still happen (albeit two months later than usual). The new guidelines working towards diversity won’t kick in until 2023, but there have still been …
By Claire Graman TikTok and the Teenage Girl Though TikTok is popular for all, expected to pass 1.2 billion users next year, young people have made the platform what it is, and specifically young women. According to The Atlantic, an estimated 40% of TikTok users are between 16-24, with a significant portion even younger than …
Women Directors of South Korean Cinema: Fierce and Fearless By Claire Graman Parasite’s historical win for Best Picture at last year’s Academy Awards helped Korean film break through “the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles.” Male directors Bong Joon-Ho (Snowpiercer, Okja) and Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden) are especially well-known, but what about South Korea’s female …
Animation’s Forgotten Pioneer, Lotte Reiniger By Claire Graman Here’s a bit of trivia for you: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937) wasn’t the first animated feature-length film. Animation’s forgotten pioneer, Lotte Reiniger, almost single-handedly made the most notable early animated film. In 1926, Reiniger created The Adventures of Prince Achmed. She based the film on 1,001 …
National Novel Writing Month: NaNoWriMo By Claire Graman When I was a teen, I would come home from school, eat an enormous snack, and embark on a journey to a fantasy world, retreating to my room where I would write stories on my laptop. Writing always made me feel inspired, empathetic, and powerful. Yet I …
