Sick Day Story Allegory: The Princess Bride Integrates Grief on the Sly

Inigo Montoya brandishing his sword, left hand raised to the side, with Fezzik out of focus in the background.

|Jake Rudegeair| Forget everything you know about The Princess Bride.

It won’t be easy. Rob Reiner’s hilarious classic from 1987 is fused to our collective filmic memory like a sixth finger. It would be like asking you to forget your favorite grade school teacher or your first crush. Continue reading

Stardust and the Quest for Childhood Wonder

Young Tristan stands in front of an armed Prince Septimus, preparing to fight to save his love Yvaine.

|Finn Odum| Since the dawn of time—which began either in a rural Tennessee farmhouse or a rented duplex in Milwaukee—I have been a movie person. My early childhood memories overlap with scenes from A Bug’s Life, A Night at the Opera, and Air Bud. Some of the… Continue reading