Across the Stars: The Ill-Fated Romance of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala

Obsessive. Obsession. Obsessed. These are not words that you want to describe your feelings toward or your relationship with a significant other, are they? And yet, they sum up the relationship between Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala quite well. While most fans decry Anakin and Padmé’s relationship as being toxic, cringily written, and so on,...

The Film Noir Features of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

It’s the story of a man, a woman, and a rabbit in a triangle of trouble. A detective with a hard look and a difficult fate, an innocent victim, a femme fatale, an unexpected villain—we all know the main characters of this classic film noir. A tale of twisted intrigue, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, released...

A Japanese Lesson in Romantic Obsession

The word obsession translates to shuuchaku しゅうちゃく in Japanese and is a staple theme in most Japanese entertainment. In fact, many relationships in Japanese films start because of a persistent obsession from one of the lead characters. This is a good thing, otherwise the Japanese characters might never marry. I find it funny that obsession...

Halloween 2020: Obsession and Film Noir

Obsession. It can lead you down a dark path or toward the light. It’s easy to form one—for a person, a place, a task… but these fanatical thoughts can either turn dangerous or transform you into a better person. In this issue, we focus on memorable “obsessive” dynamics on film, as well as explore some...

“Falling Snow” by Skye Hoffert

What if Snow White wasn't a princess? What if she had no royal heritage, no famous or important parents, no special lineage, nothing remarkable about her at all... except WHO she IS? She, herself, deep inside. The person she is, with her own talents and shortcomings, hopes and dreams, fears and failings. What if she...

Skin Deep: Beauty and the Beast

For centuries, the stories we know as fairy tales have been both entertainment for children and part of their maturation into adolescence. The plots and character types of these narratives are universal and timeless. However, the patriarchal nature of human society lends these tales some underlying themes only illuminated through a modern lens. The adaptation...

The Hidden Depth of The Princess Bride

[Spoilers throughout.] What if I told you the real story of The Princess Bride was not about Buttercup and Westley? Or Inigo and his revenge? What if I told you that, instead, the heart of this fairytale lies in the “real world,” in the parallel plotline of a little boy hearing it for the first...

The Power of Fairytale Retellings

Fairytales are all but ubiquitous to our modern culture, thanks to Disney’s princess films. But even with their importance in the cultural landscape—and, let’s face it, their entertainment value—some people look down on fairytales, princess movies, and suchlike. They wonder why fairytales are still relevant when they’re ‘just’ a bunch of fantastical stories that don’t...

The Book of Lost Things

I’ve always loved fairy tales. Some of my favorite memories involve pulling the thick brown volumes that had belonged to my grandma off the shelf and reading in my room for hours. I enjoyed animal stories and the quests of Greek and Roman gods as well, but I’ve always gone back to fairy tales. As...

Thanks, Prince Ivan: The Death of Koschei the Deathless

“Thanks, Prince Ivan!”  Those words have been a sarcastic refrain around our house for fifteen years or more.  It started when my brother and I discovered Andrew Lang’s translation of the Russian folktale, The Death of Koschei the Deathless.  If you’ve never read the story, you need to know a few things.  First, Prince Ivan...