Broey Deschanel

Greta Gerwig (LATE-early access)

Hey guys! I am SO incredibly sorry about this - I am posting the early access just a few hours before I'm due to go live. Getting this video up has been a bit of a nightmare - my computer broke last week and I had to get a new one, THEN the new version of Final Cut wouldn't work at all so I had to try and learn Premiere Pro within a few days, but THEN my neighbours blew out our wifi so we had to get it replaced which meant I had to outsource the rest of the editing to someone else because I c...

250k Q&A

Hey guys! I'm thinking of doing a 250k Q&A on the channel (or maybe 300k depending on how fast it grows ;)) and I want your questions to be first priority! So if you have any questions about the channel or about me as a person, feel free to ask down below!

What are your thoughts about representation in film?

Hey everyone! I'm writing my next video, which is currently titled "Greta Gerwig, Representation, and the Problem of Universal Girlhood". It's all about this crisis in media criticism I'm seeing right now, where we tend to tear down popular works made by women on the basis that their art does not represent all women. I see a similar cynicism towards and rejection of popular white female authors too, like Sally Rooney. To me, this exposes a disparity in the expectations we place on artists who...

Mini Pod: The Sopranos

Mini discussion about The Sopranos featuring just moi! Also a little update on where I'm at, and what Hannah and I are working on at the moment. What do you guys think of The Sopranos? Please share below: but no spoilers after season 1! 

Valley of the Dolls: Why We Love Terrible Movies (Early Access)

Gotcha! Early access for the May video is available today :) very excited to hear what you guys think of this one - I had a ton of fun making it! Also considering a catchier, more unique title - if you have any ideas please throw them my way! Gonna brainstorm tonight. 

Enjoy!

UPDATE (tomorrow, June, July)

Hello everyone! Early access for the Valley of the Dolls video will be up tomorrow! I also want to announce that I have an exciting video that I'm creating in partnership with MUBI which is in the works for July - where I'll be discussing Mia Hansen-Løve's 2021 film, Bergman Island (it'll be posted on my channel along with another video for that month!). Next month's video is going to be about... da da da: SPRINGBREAKERS :) very excited for that as well! Hope you're all enjoying the summer -...

"Valley of the Dolls" Script Preview

Hey everyone! I'm about to start editing my video for this month - which is about Valley of the Dolls, exploitation films, and... once again, camp theory! It's gonna be lots of fun! So I just wanted to share with you an excerpt from the video introduction. Hope you like it! 

Also wanted to share this lovely article which was a huge guiding force for the video script: (if you can't open it because of a pay wall, my hot tip is to open with incognito mode!)

2022-05-18 14:39:22 +0000 UTC View Post

The Northman | Review

[SPOILERS] I was so excited for this film, and am sad to say it did not live up to my expectations. While I think The Northman was, for the most part, visually striking, impeccably choreographed, well acted, and beautifully composed (the score was heart-stopping), I found the thematic elements to be quite rudimentary and underdeveloped. At this stage in filmmaking, I need more melodrama from my hero’s journey stories (in the likeness of Gladiator). And if a film chooses not to lean into mel...

The Death of Cinema (early access)

New video is out! Hope you guys enjoy (esp the shitty student film we created for the intro <3)

Excited to hear all your thoughts! And please please please let me know if you are a Margot Throbbie or Richard Vixon and you don't see your name listed in the patron section at the end of the video! The list on here sometimes gets messed up and I don't want to miss anyone!

Back from vacay + new video

Hi everyone! I've been in Mexico City for the last little bit, which is why it's been a bit silent on here :) but I'm back now and I'm about to start recording/editing my video for this month! It's gonna be all about the state of cinema in Hollywood right now and this increasing pessimism I'm feeling about the industry. So I wanted to pose the controversial question: do you think American cinema is, for better or worse, dead? If so or if not - why! 

Also, here's a pic from my trip ...

Ranking the Best Picture Nominees

This might just be our most obnoxious video yet! Watch us judge every nominee based on the following criteria: (1) is it too long? and (2) does it look good?

Please enjoy!

Road to Oscars: King Richard

My biggest problem with biopics is that they’re too digestible. My curiosity to see real life events unfold on screen overrides my ability to properly assess their filmmaking elements, which are often mediocre. I can’t say King Richard is completely different. I find it interesting that they chose to portray this from Richard Williams’ perspective, since he presents a very complex character study. But seeing that Will Smith was a producer makes me dubious that this choice may have been ...

Road to Oscars: Belfast

If I could describe this movie in one word (and strangely it’s the word I would use to describe many of the best picture nominees this year), it would be “tender”. What Branagh executes very well is painting a portrait of childhood nostalgia. I think the black and white actually serves a purpose here, unlike many other films that fall into the trend, because it creates a certain feeling of distance between the viewer and the action - like they’re glimpsing a memory. However, I found t...

Road to Oscars: West Side Story

I went into this with very low expectations, and came out very pleasantly surprised. Of course, I should not have unestimated the power of a good Spielberg movie, but my knee-jerk reaction to reboots got the best of me. Right off the bat, the cinematography in West Side Story is mesmerizing. Janusz Kamiński’s camera operates in perfect harmony with the intricate music and dance numbers. I loved how the hyper-artificial lighting and studio sets harken back to the 1961 film, you can tell Spi...

Road to Oscars: Dune

I am a bit disappointed. As someone who is unfamiliar with Herbert’s novel, I had a lot of trouble keeping up with this film. Denis Villeneuve has really mastered the art of epic visuals – but I felt that his insistence on uniformity, symmetry, and muted colour palettes did not pull me into the narrative. Since the colours were all so similar, I had trouble distinguishing between the different warring factions and did not feel very compelled by the world building - which is so unfortunate...

Road to Oscars: CODA

I was complaining just last week that no one seems to be making feel-good family movies anymore. And then I watched CODA. The main criticism waged against Sian Heder’s coming of age film is that it’s “predictable” and “by the numbers” - but something I’ve begun to appreciate as the years go on is when a film hits all the cliches known to storytelling, but washes them with a new light. The bones of CODA may be something we’ve seen before, but its freshness can be found in the d...

Road to Oscars: Power of the Dog

I am completely enraptured by this film. It’s rare that you would use the words “thrilling” and “meditative” in the same review, but that’s exactly duality that Power of the Dog is able to strike. There was never a moment in this film where I anticipated what would happen next, yet the cold suspense of its atmosphere did not stop me from feeling tenderly towards the characters. The actors - particularly Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst, convey such a complex array of emotion...

Euphoria and the Art of Naval Gazing (early access)

Hi everyone! Here is the first cut of my Euphoria video :) things will change just depending on what gets copyrighted - I also might add a small intro sequence, but other than that, here is the full vid!

Hope you enjoy :) excited to hear your thoughts

Thumbnail Sneak Peek + Song

Hi guys! Here's the thumbnail for my upcoming video on Euphoria :) this one's gonna be a bit shorter since it's mostly a review, and also because I'm looking to get back to my 20-30 minute format (to me it a good way to challenge yourself writing wise trying to get your thoughts out succinctly!) 

Also here's a weird lil song I found on Spotify that I thought I'd share:

ht...

LET'S TALK ABOUT EUPHORIA

Since no one seems to be discussing this show... we figured, let's be the FIRST!

(jk, but we wanted to talk about it too)

Thoughts on Euphoria?

Hi everyone! Hannah and I are going to recording a mini podcast review of Euphoria (season 2) today - but I'm so curious to know what you all thought about it! (if you happen to watch it). It's such a polarizing show. Do you love it? Hate it? Let me know!

The Worst Person in the World | Review

As a sucker for any movie that falls into the ‘messy female protagonist’ genre, I was very excited for The Worst Person in the World. And I can say that it did not disappoint… to an extent. Julie is an attractive, intelligent, and charismatic young woman who, for one reason or another, does not seem to have any focus. She hops from degree to degree, from career to career, and is stuck in limbo when it comes to deciding whether or not she wants to have children. Essentially, she has no i...

Eyes Wide Shut: Stanley Kubrick's Swan Song (early access)

Hi everyone! Here's the early access link for my February vid :) this one is a bit different - more in the style of a documentary! I was getting a bit tired of my usual video formula so I wanted to shake it up a bit. Hope you like it! 

I might have to re-upload because it looks like Youtube has somehow already found a copyright infringement. Monetizing video essays is becoming almost impossible at this point. PRAY for me that this one doesn't get age restricted :(! lol

Late February Update (and an interesting article!)

Hi everyone - sorry for being awol the past couple weeks! I was in New York, and before that desperately trying to get my passport. I saw a ton of amazing art in NY (my usual goal for travelling) - but hands down my favourite piece was this installation at the MoMA called "Badge of Honour" by a Puerto Rican artist named Pepón Osorio. I'll link it here - but wow, if you ever get a chance to go to NY I highly recommend going to see it. The experience was incredibly moving.

2022-02-21 17:11:19 +0000 UTC View Post

What should the next video be?

Hey everyone! I was planning for next month's video to be a continuation of my series "Taboo on Screen", but since the first instalment was age restricted I really don't think I can risk it again (Youtube is painfully conservative with how they approach certain subjects). I'm now brainstorming a few ideas for the February video but I'm interested in your input! At the moment - I'm toiling with doing a deep dive into the production/legacy of a certain film or documentary! One that has a super ...

PEN15: The Lush Horror of Middle School Life

There is a certain strangeness in declaring PEN15 your favourite show. At a time where television only becomes grander, an era of sophisticated dynastic dramas, dystopian parables, and crime epics, I come back to PEN15 - a show about middle school. There’s something to be said about a small-scale comedy that is so compelling it easily topples any high-budget, grandiose show on a ranking list (mine, that is). PEN15 is a tender show. More than any other, I feel the love from its creators bake...

And Just Like That Review (Episodes 5-8)

Hey besties - here is the second episode of our AJLT review series! Hope you ENJOY! 

Licorice Pizza: Does Depiction Equal Endorsement? (Early Access)

Hi everyone! Here's my video for this month - it's part of a two-part series I'm doing about "Taboo on Screen". Where this video covers the dilemma of film as a medium and whether portraying taboo subjects is an inherent endorsement of them, next month's video will cover cult filmmakers and the line between social commentary and gratuity/exploitation (Todd Solondz, Gaspar Noe, Harmony Korine - and the like). 

Hope you guys enjoy this one - it's my longest video yet! It got copyrigh...

And Just Like That....We Made a Podcast (Episodes 1-4)

Hi everyone! We're back with the unnamed podcast for Patreon to do an exclusive recap on the SATC reboot, "And Just Like That". This is the first instalment and covers episodes 1-4 of the series - it'll be recorded in 4 episode increments! 

We're peak annoying here so apologies in advance. 

Liquorice Pizza | Review

Liquorice Pizza is a gray movie that left me with gray feelings. While I can acknowledge his filmmaking prowess and his eye for beauty in the very un-beautiful, I have never been a die hard fan of Paul Thomas Anderson. I love Boogie Nights, but hate Inherent Vice. Phantom Thread left me feeling very little, and The Master irked me. I know all of these films are masterpieces, but I cannot embrace them personally. I think this might be because PTA makes distinctly male films. Oddly enough, I en...