The Real Sequel to Mad Max: How to Explain the Apocalypse in The Road Warrior by Watching Threads

Just after a nuclear explosion, the silhouette of a man on a bike in a tree burns in an orange blaze.

| Ben Jarman | Nobody is surprised when it happens; it’s been coming for a long time, before written history. One argument turns into conflict after conflict. Sometimes the conflicts bring us to the brink, but never over the edge. The scholars warn and the media antagonize… Continue reading

The Thin Line Between Chaotic and Lawful: Litigious Grief in Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter

A medium-long shot of Tom McCamus as Sam Burnell sitting on top of a picnic bench alongside Sarah Polley as his daughter Nicole Burnell. Sam has one leg propped up on the bench of the table, his hands resting in his lap and holding a half-eaten ice cream. He's dressed in forest green coveralls and wearing a brown leather toolbelt, staring up and to the left with an inscrutable expression on his face, his shoulder-length dark hair blowing in the wind. Nicole has both legs propped up on the same bench and is dressed in beige, white, and pink clothing, including a patterned sweater with rabbits strewn across the chest. She is mid-bite of her cone and looks amused. The brightly lit background indicates they are at a carnival at dusk.

| Chris Polley | I barely understood what a lawyer was as a teen in the 90s. I especially never thought I’d end up marrying one. The major reference points I had were all from TV and movies: I loyally watched The Practice even as ABC kept messing with its time slot… Continue reading