Niggle was a painter. Not a very successful one… Of all Tolkien’s works, arguably none of them lend themselves so readily to analysis as Leaf by Niggle. The allegory by the man who claimed to hate allegory. A touchingly close examination of a character who may be as close as Tolkien ever came to writing a self-insert. Even, arguably, Tolkien’s most religious and theological work (of his fictional tales, that is…On Fairy Stories is, of course, Tolkien’s theological triumph). As such, Leaf by Niggle is probably the Lesser Tale in least need of yet another analysis, especially one by a…
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Ever since I saw Across the Spider-Verse, I’ve been really interested in the journey that Gwen Stacy undergoes in the film. I’ve already talked about the hubris of Miles, Miguel, and even the Spot, and how this is a core thematic element of the story – but Gwen’s very much got her own thing going on. So I figured I’d try and break it down a little here, with the help of one Joseph Campbell and a certain infamous narrative template – but I’m getting ahead of myself. A central plot point of Across the Spider-Verse is the idea of…
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This isn’t really a blog for reviews – and I’m not about to break form here by even trying to review Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Apart from anything else, it’s been just over a week since I saw it and I’m still trying to digest it all. So, if you want my review, here it is: go and watch the damn film. Or better, watch Into the Spider-Verse first, and then go out and immediately watch Across. I really enjoyed Into, and Across outdoes it in nearly every aspect. The animation is stunning. The soundtrack is perfect. The script is…
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Once, there was a terrible and wicked monster, who destroyed a great and peaceful kingdom, killing many and driving the survivors into a long and bitter exile…
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