The Lighthouse

A masterful psychological thriller bent on gaslighting and murder

Peanut Butter Falcon

Fables, even modern-day ones, are easily forgotten.

Jojo Rabbit

Driving comedy with a strong and meaningful narrative structure

The Big Lebowski

Where attitude and meaning collide

Knives Out

Learning how to play the game

A Few Good Men

5 Steps Towards Writing like Aaron Sorkin

Marriage Story

Finding meaning, and maturity, in loss

Early Man

What happens when you forget to include a subjective throughline

Life on the Fast Lane (The Simpsons: S1 E9)

Telling a complete story in a relatively short amount of time

Home Alone

Revisiting a Christmas classic.

Joker

The psychosis of an Unreliable Narrator and its effect on narrative structure.

Little Woods

When you forget to finish your story.

Missing Link

The art of civilized storytelling.

The Highwaymen

Mechanically sound, emotionally bereft.

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

The effect of a character study on the meaning of a story.

The Wife

The weight of emphasizing the Main Character Throughline above all else.

BlacKkKlansman

What to do when you have no proof of a conspiracy of inequality.

Wanderlust: Season One

A brilliant exploration of possibility, and the fallout that arises from wanting.

The Old Man and the Gun

This is how you tell the story of a life well-lived.

The Dark Knight Rises

Meaning arrives with a home version you can sink your ears into.

Roma

A beautiful portrait of family.

Teen Titans Go to the Movies

An afternoon cartoon full of surprising relevancy and meaning.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

The greatest film of all time. Animated.

The Mule

A tale of one man's life. Not a story.

Bird Box

Allegories do little to change the world.

Smallfoot

A film that falls short of making a complete and convincing narrative argument.

Ralph Breaks the Internet

An absent Antagonist breaks this film's storyform.

The Grinch

Stealing everything, but a complete story--and a way into our hearts.

Westworld: Season 2, Episode 8

A story that lasts in the heart is the one that provides greater meaning for its Audience.

Solo

Han and Chewie fail to outrun the massive hole in this story.

The Greatest Showman

What happens when you're unclear about what you want to say.

Darkest Hour

Inconsistent relationships fail to establish the foundation for a meaningful narrative.

The Shape of Water

More than a fairy tale, this film sends an effective message about standing up and defending others.

Coco

The sophisticated juxtaposition of logistic concerns & emotional issues secures this film's immortality.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Solid story structure supports & strengthens this meaningful narrative.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Season One

A single and effective storyform ties the episodes of this first season into a meaningful narrative.

Lady Bird

A subtle blend of objective & subjective concerns lights this film’s moving narrative.

Dr. Strangelove

A Cold War satire that leaves you cold.

Professor Marston and The Wonder Women

The secret identity of this film is the brilliant mutation of message into narrative structure.

The Florida Project

Reporting the day’s events misses an opportunity to say something about the day’s events.

Mom and Dad

A meaningless tale of familial violence that borders on saying something significant.

Winter's Bone

An overwhelming sense of brooding darkens the tone of an otherwise Triumphant narrative.

A Bronx Tale

A unique and complete storyform forms the foundation for this masterpiece of narrative.

Blade Runner: 2049

Large expanses between story points cloud an otherwise meaningful message about what it means to be human.

se7en

An effective account of telling a story about the dangers of the stories we tell.

The One I Love

Love the one you're with, lest you go home with someone else.

Paterson

A moving exploration of projecting thoughts into existence, of transforming intent into reality.

The Prestige

A story of battling magicians foretells the consequences of risking it all for the roar of the crowd.

Get Out

Breaking structure creates tremendous shock value-while maintaining the integrity of the message.

Okja

Whether you intend to or not, leaving out key portions of an argument trends a story towards propaganda and coercion.

The LEGO Batman Movie

A send-up of the Caped Crusader that masquerades as a clever and hilarious parody of story structure.

Dunkirk

A missing Relationship Story Throughline and a deficient Main Character Throughline steer this narrative towards propaganda.

The Big Sick

A brilliant, if not slightly long, exploration of what happens when one bases their life on the reactions of others.

Logan

A narrative told through Four Throughlines elevates this film to legendary status.

Captain America: Civil War

A classic story of revenge, told from a surprising perspective.

Despicable Me 3

An emotionally vapid experience lacking connective tissue to tie the various threads of storytelling together.

Sing!

Familiar & common because of its refusal to stray from the bare bones of story structure.

Wonder Woman

A confident and exciting exploration of the power of female intuition over probability.

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

Missing Throughlines cast this beautifully animated film into the bin of easily forgotten fare.

BFG

Boredom arrives when the Author fails to provide a greater context for the conflict within a story.

Arrival

A non-linear understanding of story makes it easier to appreciate the structure of this untraditional story.

Moonlight

By leaving out a key component of the narrative, the filmmakers draw the Audience in--allowing them to become a part of the storytelling process.

The Yellow Birds

Give your typical soldier an atypical method of problem-solving and open yourself up to a wider and more appreciative Audience.

I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

Shifts in the type of conflict and modes of expressing that conflict result in a shocking and jarring experience.

Moana

Beautiful animation in service of a story-by-numbers, Disney delights while following a familiar pattern of narrative.

Hacksaw Ridge

A moving and emotional film that effectively convinces us of the importance of staying true to one's convictions.

Trolls

Fun, but misguided and episodic, an unfortunate consequence of its fractured narrative.

Captain Fantastic

Powerful, insightful, and touching--the very definition of a moving and brilliant narrative.

Ex Machina

A brilliant psychological thriller coded with a strong and meaningful story structure.

The Nice Guys

High on fun, low on structure--a perfect example of a schizophrenic storymind.

Hell Or High Water

A film that promises much, but delivers little when it comes to a functional and meaningful narrative.

Florence Foster Jenkins

A delightful biographical comedy with a twist--Meryl Streep is neither the Main Character nor Influence Character.

Eddie The Eagle

Simple, familiar, and predictable--all things that could have been avoided with a deeper understanding of the story's thematics.

The Dark Horse

From the first shot to the last, this masterful narrative takes us in and offers a powerful and emotional experience.

Hunt For The Wilderpeople

A brilliant, wonderfully told film that can attribute much of its praise to its solid storyform.

Angry Birds

Waiting an hour to begin a story results in a narrative that is difficult to remember.

45 Years

A wonderfully crafted narrative supported by a stunning performance.

Zootopia

A functioning and powerful storyform carries the message of this film for this generation, and the ones to come.

Little Boy

Breaking structure to argue faith is a recipe for critical disaster.

When Marnie Was There

A sophisticated and unique narrative structure supports this beautifully animated film.

Brooklyn

A solid Main Character Throughline anchors this complete and well-written story.

Creed

Another film may have won the night, but this film won the fight.

Inside Out

A brilliant piece of filmmaking that uses what goes on inside of our heads to tell us a story about what goes on inside our heads.

Beasts Of No Nation

A shocking, yet deeply meaningful look at child soldiers in Africa tops the list of 2015.

James White

Breaking structure is a poor strategy for attracting eyeballs.

The Big Short

A fantastic docudrama relating the tale of the US housing market collapse in 2007.

Kilo Two Bravo

Continuing the trend of expert filmmaking with little to no story.

Bridge Of Spies

A beautiful documentary perfect for the History channel, but deficient in terms of story.

99 Homes

A phenomenal thriller that pulls you in with its confident and complete narrative.

Steve Jobs

A cold and under-developed Main Character Throughline distances us from becoming emotionally involved with the film.

Cop Car

Incomplete Throughlines explain why this film feels like a short stretched into a mediocre feature.

While We're Young

A strong and well-woven storyform supports this entertaining and moving film.

The Revenant

A tale of survival and revenge, not *a story* of survival and revenge.

Sicario

A masterful thriller that makes meaning out of the meaningless.

Dope

A solid & sophisticated Main Character Throughline anchors this smart indie.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The compulsion to see this film again can be attributed to a solid and complete story structure.

The Peanuts Movie

Gorgeous animation in the service of a broken and episodic tale.

Minions

Missing Throughlines account for this film's low rating.

Trainwreck

Meaningful dick jokes explain this film's popularity.

The Martian

An entertaining space tale with little more to offer.

Furious 7

A fine tribute that could have been more.

Captain America: Winter Soldier

The best Marvel comic book film falls just short of telling a complete story.

Ant-Man

Diversionary fun; no real story.

The Sweet Hereafter

Emotionally heavy, yet thematically rich and fulfilling.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Mindless comic-book fun.

Nightcrawler

A rare gem; entertaining AND thematically compelling.

Ida

A bleak, yet emotionally powerful, portrayal of a young woman's rediscovery of her true calling.

The Theory of Everything

A split in a key relationship fractures an otherwise insightful narrative.

Whiplash

A master class in solid & meaningful narrative structure.

Chef

With half the narrative missing, this film's central argument fails to land.

Enough Said

A message of catharsis reinforced by a competent & effective story structure.

A Most Wanted Man

Deficient emotional throughlines relegate this film to a one & done experience.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Copenhagen

An incomplete narrative that feels more like a triptych than a story.

Interstellar

An interesting, yet emotionally unfulfilling ride through the experiences of a holistic-minded Main Character.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

An animated film that argues for the use of violence over discussion.

The Past

A sporadic & inconsistent Objective Story Throughline accounts for this film's lethargic and unsatisfying narrative.

Mother

A powerful look at the unstoppable drive that is the maternal instinct.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

An entertaining tale with little more to it.

The Spectacular Now

The lack of an objective storyline limits the possibilities of this romance.

12 Years a Slave

A missing relationship robs the heart from this depiction of man's brutality to man.

Brother Bear

No emotional argument, no meaning.

The LEGO Movie

Wonderful entertainment that masterfully weaves together two arguments.

Frozen

Sisterhood, not story, claims responsibility for this film's massive success.

her

A film that demands repeated viewings almost certainly rests upon a strong structural foundation.

American Hustle

The lack of a subjective view relegates this film to the status of a tale.

Nebraska

An effortless account of what it means to stop being risk-averse.

Lone Survivor

An inconsistent Main Character Throughline trends this film towards documentary & away from greater meaning.

Don Jon

A strong Relationship Story Throughline goes unexplored, veering this film towards an obvious & superficial sermon.

Dallas Buyers Club

A competing sub-story robs this film of narrative greatness.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Epic fatigue crushes any hope of emotion in this long & drawn-out tale.

Short Term 12

A small film with a powerful message.

Inside Llewyn Davis

More soundtrack than story.

Mud

A strong and cohesive narrative accounts for this film's critical acclaim.

Gravity

Thrilling and engaging, this film's narrative suffers from the lack of an objective Objective Story Throughline perspective.

Zero Dark Thirty

A simple tale with little to no greater meaning makes this film forgettable.

The Croods

An easily distracted tale derails this family's quest for greater meaning.

Life of Pi

Stunning imagery in the support of spiritual propaganda manipulates the Audience into becoming a part of the story.

ParaNorman

A late blooming Relationship Story weakens an otherwise moving film.

The Intouchables

A missing Objective Story leaves little objectivity with which to appreciate this moving relationship.

The Master

An uneven and incomplete structure delivers an unclear message.

The Sessions

Untouched and unexplored, the narrative promised fails to satisfy.

End of Watch

Fantastically engaging visceral experience deficient in greater meaning.

Wreck-It Ralph

An emotionally moving narrative that tells us something more about who we can be.

Argo

The danger of recounting events that happened, not events within a complete and meaningful story.

Prometheus

An attempt at meaning without the narrative structure to carry and support it.

Looper

A bumpy, but necessary, handoff between Influence Characters seals the structure of this time-travel narrative.

The Avengers

A fun ride that explores what it means to be a team player.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

A deficient narrative structure accounts for the coldness and emotionally vapid nature of this film.

Your Highness

A delayed Influence Character perspective breaks this disappointing film.

Rabbit Hole

A narrative that barely delivers a complete argument while focusing on raw emotion.

Captain America

No need to resurrect this lifeless tale.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

A competent weaving of the same story structure seen through the eyes of two different relationships.

Drive

An entertaining thriller devoid of signficant meaning, but well worth the ride.

50/50

A quiet charater study finds its emotional core between two friends.

Horrible Bosses

A fractured structure turns a funny concept into something easily forgettable.

Moneyball

An underdeveloped Relationship Story fails to bring down this sports champ.

Bridesmaids

A fun, but forgettable, comedy light on structure and meaning.

X-Men: First Class

The addition of a second story diminshes the meaning and purpose of the first.

Win Win

A wonderful narrative that effectively argues the value of going to the mat for another.

Tangled

A story falls apart when both principal characters adopt each other's perspective.

Jane Eyre

A satisfying & enriching narrative that explores what it means to obligate oneself to another.

Battle: Los Angeles

An opportunity to tell a meaningful story is lost in another tale of fighting aliens.

The Harry Potter Series

The final chapter in a series of novels and films successfully completes the telling of a powerful and meaningful story.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

A conflict in messaging reduces this film to a simple tale of man and ape.

Of Gods and Men

Without a Main Character Throughline to attach ourselves to, our attention wanes and empathy dies.

The Tree of Life

As with all things Malick, an experience unlike any other.

The Adjustment Bureau

The compulsion to state your purpose directly indicates a dysfunctional narrative.

Super 8

Paying homage to those who came before is not enough to create a functionable and lasting narrative.

The Housemaid

Titilation fails to make up for an underdeveloped and deficient Main Character Throughline.

Kung Fu Panda 2

A Relationship Story Throughline that dies halfway through destroys any greater meaning for this film.

Even the Rain

A fantastic example of the greater meaning a functioning narrative brings to a film.

Thor

An absent Relationship Story Throughline diminishes the believability of the Main Character's development and growth.

Faster

A last minute misstep breaks the soundness of this film's central argument.

Hanna

Making half an argument makes half a story.

Blue Valentine

A focus on relationship over objective plot results in a deficient narrative.

Animal Kingdom

A no-holds barred approach elevates this frightening Tragedy beyond critical success.

True Grit

The Kids Are All Right

Tron: Legacy

The Fighter

Black Swan

A masterful performance elevated by a strong and meaningful narrative.

The King's Speech

Megamind

127 Hours

Let Me In

The Social Network

Easy A

A missing Influence Character perspective weakens an otherwise funny film.

Get Him to the Greek

The Town

Kick Ass

Inception

Toy Story 3

Iron Man 2

Date Night

How to Train Your Dragon

Two Thousand Twelve

The Invention of Lying

Avatar

500 Days of Summer

The Princess and the Frog

Up In The Air

Meshing personal issues with the objective concerns of all makes for a meaningful narrative.

Coraline

New Moon

Where the Wild Things Are

Zombieland

Sunshine Cleaning

State of Play

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

A complete story that resolves in an unexpected, yet meaningful way.

The Informant

Nine

Adventureland

Gran Torino

The Hurt Locker

Watchmen

I Love You, Man

District 9

Inglorious Basterds

The Counterfeiters

Let The Right One in

Taken

Funny People

Three hours with no discernible narrative structure makes for a painful experience.

Moon

The lack of a thorough examination of all Four Throughlines hinders this film from rising above.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Public Enemies

Bruno

The Proposal

The Hangover

Up

Star Trek

The Lives of Others

The most beautiful film of all time.

The Wrestler

Doubt

An unconventional exploration of thematic structure and positioning of the Audience.

I Am Legend

Rambo

27 Dresses

A solid narrative supports this entertaining romantic comedy.

The Mist

Stranger Than Fiction

300

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Ratatouille

Babel

An aptly named film when considering the narrative structure.

South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut

Little Children

Laura

Casino Royale

Training Day

Children of Men

Meet the Robinsons

Notting Hill

Hotel Rwanda

The New World

The Maltese Falcon

Taladega Nights

Amelie

Pirates 2: Dead Man’s Chest

Tarzan

Superman Returns

Nacho Libre

The Break-Up

War of the Worlds

Is it sad to say that I saw this film in Spielberg's private screening room on the Universal lot...and hated it?