This is the personal website of Thomas Flight, a writer, media critic, and filmmaker whose work examines the artistry of filmmaking and the language of the media that surrounds us.

Here is a selection of some of my work:

Philosophy and Media Theory

Better understanding media through philosophy, and using media to better understand the world.

Why Do Movies Feel So Different Now? - The Metamodern Era of Cinema

A look into why so many movies feel different now. A guide to what metamodernism is, how it shows up in cinema and why it might explain the change in feeling; charting the course from cinema’s modernist roots through its postmodern deconstruction, to its metamodern present.

The Real Villain of Nope - Examining Spectacle

A dive into how Jordan Peele’s horror film Nope explores the tension between dramatizing trauma and creating spectacle.

Why Donald Glover’s Atlanta Feels So Weird - What is Afrosurealism?

A look at how the FX series Atlanta employs Afrosurrealism to comment on race and society. I speak with D. Scot Miller, Author of the Afro-Surreal Manifesto for the video.

The Terror of Everything Everywhere All At Once - A Hypermodern Masterpiece

An exploration of what the multiverse represents in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and one of the film's central themes: The Experience of The Internet.

**Why Is Bo Burnham’s Inside Like That?**

An examination of Bo Burnham's genre-breaking comedy special Inside, examinging how it works, and what it has to say about isolation, the social media, mental health, and more.

**Why is The Curse Like That? - Realism is a Joke**

A look at the Showtime TV series The Curse, how it examines realism in reality TV and holds a mirror up to contemporary media.

**How Real is The Rehearsal? - Nathan Fielder’s Hyperreality**

A look at how Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal takes us on a journey from Simulacra to Simulation, in a world of pure imagination.

Film Analysis

Essays that look examine analyze a larger filmography or trend in filmmaking.

Why Do Wes Anderson Movies Look Like That?

A critical examination of Wes Anderson’s immediately recognizable visual style, diving into not just what defines it, but what purpose this style serves within his storytelling. I’ve also covered many of Wes Anderson’s movies individually in The Fictional Truth of Asteroid City, The Absurd Intricacy of The French Dispatch, The Strange Reality of The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Movies that Shaped Moonrise Kingdom.

Martin Scorsese’s Search for Redemption - The Sacred and Profane

Most people know Martin Scorsese for his depictions of morally reprehensible characters, but he’s also a significant portion of his filmography exploring spiritual and religious subject matter. Are these two aspects of Scorsese's work in conflict or can we resolve the Sacred and the Profane in Scorsese's films and see the bigger questions that run through the heart of his entire career?

Why Are David Lynch Movies So Weird?

An examination of the enduring, beautiful strangeness of the work of David Lynch, where his bizarro visions come from, and how we can approach trying to understand them as viewers.

Why Do Terrence Malick’s Movies Look Like That?

Terrence Malick has developed one of the most distinctive visual styles in contemporary American cinema. In this video, I investigate the distinct elements of this style and what motivated the development of his unique aesthetic. I also explore his style more intuitively in my earlier video, Malick’s Obsessions.

The Director Who Mastered The Art of Filming Faces

A look at Ingmar Bergman’s extensive exploration of the ways the human face to be arranged and composed on screen to great dramatic effect.

The Artistry of Filmmaking

Cinematography, Sound Design, Editing, Acting, Visual Effects - In these essays I look at the technical artistry that goes into making beautiful movies and TV.

In Praise of Subtle Performance

Big, intense performances are often the ones that get a lot of the recognition and praise (often for good reason!). But a lot of my favorite moments of acting are tiny, subtler moments of acting. In this video I highlight the power of some of these subtly highlight where talent is about much more than intensity.

**Why Dune’s VFX Feel So Real**

In a world where impressive visual effects are increasingly commonplace, Denis Villeneuve’s 2022 Dune managed to stand apart. In this video I examine how Dune's grounded approach to VFX was different. In separate videos I also examined Dune’s masterful Sound Design, and Editing.