Gwen Roger's Blog

  “What’s your favorite movie?”  This is a question that fills me with dread. I know it’s an innocent enough question. But for film students, it’s practically a psychiatric evaluation. Your favorite movie defines who you are, both as a person and artist. And, let’s face it, most of the movies I like aren’t exactly deep films. The types of movies I’m drawn to tend to be family movies. Don’t get me wrong here, I can appreciate new wave films and counter cultural films just as much as the next person. But as an aspiring comedy writer/director, I focus on family movies because these are the kinds of movies I want to make one day. So, what is my favorite movie? I can’t exactly say, because honestly I have a few that I really like. So for this essay, I’ll focus on one that doesn’t get a lot of critical attention. Night at the Museum. The author, being a nerd Night at the Museum was released in 2006, with an all-star comedy cast (including a monkey, who did walk the red carpet). The ...

(Originally published May, 2021)  I tend to get excited about movie musicals — more often than I care to admit — often geeking out to unfortunate listeners, who tend to have the same criticism: “Yeah, musicals just aren’t realistic enough for me.” To that end I could argue that there is no such thing as a realistic film. Even the most dogma style film takes liberties with reality. But in a sense, you’re right! Movie musicals aren’t realistic. They inhabit their own unique versions of reality, making it possible for filmmakers to explore themes like love and loss, and offer powerful commentary. Yes, you heard me right: powerful. Why? Because they’re not like any other genre out there. To me, musicals offer a way of looking at life that other films can’t. The primary goal of any film is to give us insight into the main characters’ emotions and how they change throughout the course of the story. Movie musicals do this through song. Each song in a musical provides the audience a unique...