The Outtake
Smart, accessible, and sometimes very personal writing on film and television, classical and contemporary. Written (mostly) by people who study this stuff for a living.
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My Father and ‘National Security’
My Father and ‘National Security’
Our last conversation was about the movie I least expected
Chris Boyd
Mar 29
December 17, 2006
December 17, 2006
A Survivor Memory about Not Watching Survivor
Myles McNutt
Dec 17, 2016
The Superhero Girlfriend
The Superhero Girlfriend
Is it bad for a woman to play a this role, or is there more to it than that?
Miriam Kent
Nov 12, 2016
Orange Is the New Black Dives into Latinx Identity Politics
Orange Is the New Black Dives into Latinx Identity Politics
The series treats relations between Dominicans, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans with a level of nuance uncommon in mainstream media
Rebecca Bodenheimer, PhD
Nov 7, 2016
“Smarter Audiences” Is Not the Reason Niche Comedy Thrives on TV
“Smarter Audiences” Is Not the Reason Niche Comedy Thrives on TV
A tale of two series.
Stephanie Brown
Sep 6, 2016
New to Outtake? Start Here.
New to Outtake? Start Here.
About Us. Submission Guidelines. Featured and Latest Posts.
Kelli Marshall
Apr 4, 2015
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Your Back-to-School Reading List
Your Back-to-School Reading List
For many of The Outtake’s writers and readers, school is back in session. (Sorry.)
Kelli Marshall
Sep 2, 2016
TV’s Spoken Prologues: An Homage
TV’s Spoken Prologues: An Homage
Series’ intros have waxed and waned, but one type remains a rarity
Rod T Faulkner
Aug 28, 2016
Mr. Robot Goes Full Hitchcock
Mr. Robot Goes Full Hitchcock
Sam Esmail’s homage to the Master of Suspense goes deeper than you might realize
Joel Gunz
Aug 21, 2016
Mike Birbiglia’s Modern-Day Romances
Mike Birbiglia’s Modern-Day Romances
How does category affect film?
Stefano Cagnato
Aug 10, 2016
Moms in Film
Moms in Film
Crashing the industry with babies and boobs.
Mathilde Dratwa
Aug 7, 2016
Taking Up Space: Busting Ghosts, the Female Experience, and the Unabashed Queerness of Jillian…
Taking Up Space: Busting Ghosts, the Female Experience, and the Unabashed Queerness of Jillian…
The reboot should be funny to just about everyone. But it’s really funny to some women.
Kate Skow
Jul 25, 2016
Boys Shoot and Girls Cut, or Who’s Really Responsible for the Movies You Love?
Boys Shoot and Girls Cut, or Who’s Really Responsible for the Movies You Love?
Quick quiz: how many of these people do you recognize?
John Alberti
Jun 3, 2016
The DGA Fails to Do the Right Thing
The DGA Fails to Do the Right Thing
Few films recognized by the organization have enjoyed the level of cultural relevancy as Do the Right Thing.
Argun Ulgen
May 25, 2016
Gregory House: Doctor or Scientist?
Gregory House: Doctor or Scientist?
The character is a scientist, albeit one disguised as a doctor.
Kyle Osborne
Apr 30, 2016
Economical Exposition in Michael Clayton
Economical Exposition in Michael Clayton
A scene like this from Michael Clayton could have taken up much more space and time, and could have been much less elegantly told. But…
Simon Lund Larsen
Apr 23, 2016
Jacqueline White Nonsense
Jacqueline White Nonsense
In Netflix’s sitcom, I’ve found someone who desires American whiteness as much as I.
Kyle Turner
Apr 20, 2016
Handheld Cameras and Losing Your Lunch at the Movies
Handheld Cameras and Losing Your Lunch at the Movies
I blame Woody Allen.
Rom Watson
Apr 16, 2016
An Oscar-Winning Civil War Veteran?
An Oscar-Winning Civil War Veteran?
Most reading this will never have heard of a man named Absalom Erickson.
alexwh
Apr 7, 2016
In Appreciation of The Good Wife’s Jason Crouse
In Appreciation of The Good Wife’s Jason Crouse
In Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s character, the series’ writers have created the perfect man.
Kelli Marshall
Mar 22, 2016
Why TEX MONTANA WILL SURVIVE! Is Important — Whether You Like It or Not
Why TEX MONTANA WILL SURVIVE! Is Important — Whether You Like It or Not
Creating film distribution in which fans support filmmakers and piracy isn’t an issue
Jason Coffman
Mar 18, 2016
Sympathy for the Swanson
Sympathy for the Swanson
Parks and Recreation’s Ron Swanson lends libertarianism and conservatism some much needed humanity
Brontë Mansfield
Mar 11, 2016
Know Thy Audience: Marketing the Horror Film IT FOLLOWS
Know Thy Audience: Marketing the Horror Film IT FOLLOWS
What happens when you learn mid-campaign that you’re targeting the wrong audience?
Ben Johnson
Mar 11, 2016
TV Professors and the Higher Ed Apocalypse
TV Professors and the Higher Ed Apocalypse
Who are the villains in the story of higher ed’s collapse?
Amanda Ann Klein
Mar 6, 2016
Downton Abbey Does Chicago
Downton Abbey Does Chicago
At “Dressing Downton,” fans can enter the opulent world of the Crawleys
Dave Wischnowsky
Mar 6, 2016
Science Is Different in the Movies
Science Is Different in the Movies
(As compiled by a real-life scientist)
Allie Rubin
Feb 18, 2016
“Elmo’s Song” and the Heartbreaking Lie of Creation
“Elmo’s Song” and the Heartbreaking Lie of Creation
Elmo is a liar, and your life is meaningless. That’s the short version of this piece, if you want to skip to the end.
Alex Zalben
Feb 1, 2016
What the response to ‘Carol’ says about expectations of queer narratives
What the response to ‘Carol’ says about expectations of queer narratives
Establishing a framework for reception of queer stories beyond political necessity
Laurence Barber
Jan 28, 2016
The Challenger Generation
The Challenger Generation
Aaron Schmidt
Jan 28, 2016
Blerd Defined
Blerd Defined
When I identify myself as a blerd, people often ask me what the term means, as in this exchange I had with a Twitter follower:
Rod T Faulkner
Jan 15, 2016
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