Know Theatre of Cincinnati’s Post

Great review just in for 'THE UNKNOWN' from The Black List: 'Visceral, emotional, yet surprisingly intimate, this war drama subverts expectations of the genre by focusing not on the horrors of war, but on how we honour the sacrifices of those who fell and learn to heal from the wounds we suffered. The premise is instantly intriguing, tapping into moviegoers fascination with history and war, while also engaging their love of mystery by lifting the curtain on an untold part of that history. And as protagonists go, David Railton is a paragon of nobility -- selfless, heroic, and dedicated to his goal of carving out some meaning and honour for the countless lives lost whom he bore witness to. As much as its a story about a country coming together, it's also a story about this one man healing his own deep, internal wounds. And while the plot may seem a bit straightforward to some, it has incredible emotional potency. World War I may be a century in the past, but we feel the gravity of it in every scene, whether in the visceral, realistic depictions of battle, or the subtle, nuanced portrayal of the difficulties that soldiers -- and the nation -- faced upon returning home. There has always been -- and it seems, always will be -- space in the feature marketplace for movies about war. And with the recent success of films like '1917' and 'ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT', it's clear there is an appetite for stories about this war in particular. What distinguishes this spec from others in the space is that, while it certainly delivers on our expectation for big, visceral, action-driven war scenes, the story actually focuses on the elements of the period that exist off the battlefield -- the grief, loss, and unseen wounds that everyone carried with them after the Armistice, soldier and civilian alike. With a sharp, clear voice and a keen cinematic eye, this is a powerful, cathartic experience for any reader, British or not.' My screenplay, 'THE UNKNOWN' is now available to read to members of The Black List.

Signum University Graduate School presents Thesis Theater with Duane Watson: The Power to Dominate or Preserve: Magic as a Means of Production in Middle-earth. Friday April 5, 2024 at 2 pm ET J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth has long been praised for its sense of depth, but Tolkien’s creation has often been criticized, especially by Marxist critics, for its lack in depicting economic realities and for providing a reactionary fantasy to soothe bourgeois anxieties about a changing world. However, the traditional bourgeois-proletarian dichotomy, in particular when mapped onto the Hobbits and the Orcs of Middle-earth, fails to fully engage with Tolkien’s fantasy world. Building off the concept of sub-creation established by Tolkien in his essay “On Fairy-Stories” and Gergely Nagy’s examination of magic as inherent power in Middle-earth, this paper argues that magic rather than capital functions as a means of production in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Just as our relationships to capital in the real world shape our ideologies, so the peoples of Middle-earth are shaped by their relationship to magic, from the highest Elves to the most ordinary of Hobbits. This focus on magic shows how Tolkien’s works present a compelling picture of a world where relationships to power are complicated and change is inevitable. Register: https://ow.ly/JsN550R62tw

Signum University Graduate School presents Thesis Theater with Duane Watson: The Power to Dominate or Preserve: Magic as a Means of Production in Middle-earth. Friday April 5, 2024 at 2 pm ET J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth has long been praised for its sense of depth, but Tolkien’s creation has often been criticized, especially by Marxist critics, for its lack in depicting economic realities and for providing a reactionary fantasy to soothe bourgeois anxieties about a changing world. However, the traditional bourgeois-proletarian dichotomy, in particular when mapped onto the Hobbits and the Orcs of Middle-earth, fails to fully engage with Tolkien’s fantasy world. Building off the concept of sub-creation established by Tolkien in his essay “On Fairy-Stories” and Gergely Nagy’s examination of magic as inherent power in Middle-earth, this paper argues that magic rather than capital functions as a means of production in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Just as our relationships to capital in the real world shape our ideologies, so the peoples of Middle-earth are shaped by their relationship to magic, from the highest Elves to the most ordinary of Hobbits. This focus on magic shows how Tolkien’s works present a compelling picture of a world where relationships to power are complicated and change is inevitable. Register: https://ow.ly/2snE50R62tv

Ever feel like your mind is a 3D blockbuster, but your words are a silent film? You're not alone! Our brains paint masterpieces in vibrant hues, yet when we try to share them, it's like attempting to play a symphony on a kazoo. We're essentially mind-melding artists, trying to transfer our mental Monets through the limited palette of language. But here's the beautiful paradox: even as we struggle to bottle our inner storms or thread needles with sunbeams, we keep striving for connection. Because even imperfect words can bridge the gap between souls. So, fellow thought-jugglers and idea-wranglers, how do you navigate this cosmic comedy of communication? Share your tricks for turning your mental masterpieces into spoken art! #VisualThinking #CommunicationStruggles #CreativeExpressions #FridayReflections #CommunicationChallenge #MindMappingMadness

In the grand theater of societal structures, the market's kingdom, the feudal labyrinth, and the chains of dominion are like different plays with a common theme: the dance of marionettes and puppeteers. In the feudal labyrinth, lords and vassals were akin to chess pieces in a game of power, where one's move depended on the other's will. The chains of dominion, a darker narrative, was like a shadow play with stark contrasts, where the strings of freedom were held tightly by an uncompromising hand. The market's kingdom, while wearing a more modern costume, still echoes this drama. It's a complex web where the spiders sit in the corners of high finance and industry, and the flies, though freer to move, find themselves entangled in threads of economic necessity. Each system, a different act in the same play, showcases the enduring saga of power and subordination, performed on the stage of human history. It's fascinating, and a bit unsettling, how these patterns repeat through time, just wearing different masks.

Emergence of Horror genre The horror genre has ancient roots, inspired by folklore, mythologies, and religious tales that explore fear and the supernatural. But how did the horror genre start in modern days? 1. Gothic fiction in the 18th century: It is a literary genre containing elements like horror, romance, and the supernatural. It often shows mysterious settings like castles or decrepit mansions, supernatural occurrences, and gloomy atmospheres. Some famous works are: Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto" (1764) was the first Gothic novel. Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and Edgar Allan Poe's short stories. 2. 19th century: The horror genre really started to gain popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the influence of "Frankenstein," "Dracula," and Edgar Allan Poe's short stories. 3. 20th century: The cinema further popularized the horror genre, with films like "Nosferata" and "Psycho" marking horror genre places in entertainment. - Sakshi #horror #horrormovies #horrorfilm #horrorart #genre

The Allure of Erotic Horror: Unveiling An Empty Embrace In the realm of literary genres, few fuse as provocatively as erotic horror, a tantalizing blend of spine-tingling terror and sensual allure. This blog post delves into the unique elements that set this novel apart and offers insight from Cyril Mezden on the magnetic pull of combining the erotic with the horrific. #erotic #horror #smut #vampires #dnd -esque https://lnkd.in/g-Qpfcqb

Powerful essay by Maggie Blackhawk, a law professor at N.Y.U. about the constitutional doctrines of American colonialism. A significant part of my undergraduate degree focused on political and moral philosophy, and I studied many of the philosophers she references in the piece. What I find fascinating is how much of the work I do now remains grounded in the belief that if we can see the humanity in one another, that if we can feel each other's pain, we can connect on a human-to-human level and begin to heal past traumas and other wrongdoing. But as Professor Blackhawk points out, trying to "provoke a public reckoning with American colonialism by highlighting the pain and suffering of Native people at the hands of the United States government and its citizens" hasn't been successful in the context of American colonialism. I'd take it one step further to say the approach hasn't been successful in a variety of contexts involving other underserved and marginalized populations either. This piece has got my wheels turning as I think about the crossroads of generational trauma and moral in jury in the context of organizational trauma in our workplaces. Definitely something I plan to dive into a little deeper. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch Killers of the Flower Moon yet because of the violence, but I know I need to. As Ms. Blackhawk so eloquently states: "We can all remain simple, childlike Ernest Burkharts or we can begin to see the American colonial project we have wrought — the project we help perpetuate through our own willful ignorance, self-delusion and self-interest." Hope to talk about this more with anyone who is interested once I've had more time to think it through.

The sacrifice of historical accuracy at the altar of the dramatic and the appealing is somewhat symptomatic of the issues we face on both sides of the Atlantic today. Instrumentalizing history as a means to serve political ends, Ridley Scott's movie inscribes itself in the continuity of our era’s rewriting of history from the standpoint of today’s morals. Check out the latest article by Joseph L. ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/e59UsBea

Dune: Part Two film review is now live on my H. Dean Fisher website: "I was drawn to Dune (as a teenager) not only for the science fiction elements but also for the overt religious messages about the nature of prophecy, holy wars, and messianic figures. Considering the story now, after I’ve read far more SF, studied more history, and engaged with both mythological and feminist storytelling, and I can see the obvious use of the White Savior myth, the prejudicial undertones about 'savage,' nomadic people, and the assumed patriarchal ordering of a society that is supposed to exist 10,000 years in the future. Into all of those personal feelings drops one of the most technically astounding and beautiful films I’ve seen in years." Click here to read the full review: https://lnkd.in/eYq_sCFU