Category Archives: Movies

Social Anxiety and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

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In honor of Star Wars Day 2017, let’s continue the saga of the Force versus the Dark Side. We found a new hope in Episode IV, the Empire struck back in Episode V, the Jedi returned in Episode VI, and a Phantom Menace rose in Episode I. Now we visit episode two of the prequel trilogy, Attack of the Clones. It is admittedly not a great film, although it does contain one of my favorite action scenes in the entire Star Wars series: the flying car chase through the Coruscant cityscape at night. It also contains some wise insights into the Force (mindfulness) and the Dark Side (social anxiety).

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Social Anxiety in Movies: Napoleon Dynamite

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Napoleon Dynamite is the type of movie you either love or hate. Except in my case, I both love and hate it. At first, I wasn’t sure why. I enjoy quirky independent comedies, and Napoleon Dynamite features socially awkward characters (like me), so it should have been right up my alley. But I didn’t love the film wholeheartedly like so many other fans. There were certainly parts of the movie I found funny, but other parts rubbed me the wrong way. After re-watching the movie recently and thinking about it further, I realized part of the reason I “hate” Napoleon Dynamite might be the way it portrays social anxiety. Continue reading →

Top 10 Movies (At Least 10 Years Old) I Saw in 2016

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I saw a lot of great movies in 2016 (the best so far being Arrival) but there are still too many I need to see before I can do a best-of list. So I was thinking of doing a “best of 2015 list,” since I spent 2016 catching up on all the movies I missed last year. But there’d be nothing interesting about my list, as it would be pretty similar to any film critic’s best of 2015 list. So I decided to do a unique list. Continue reading →

Social Anxiety and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

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We’ve completed the original trilogy of social anxiety in Star Wars, but now it’s time to start from the beginning. A time when the Jedi ruled the galaxy… Until there was a disturbance in the Force, and the Dark Side began to rise. Continue reading →

Social Anxiety in Movies: Little Miss Sunshine

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Little Miss Sunshine is about a family who goes on a road trip across the country to bring seven-year-old Olive to compete in a beauty pageant. Included in the group are two characters, Frank and Dwayne, who show signs of social anxiety, though in different ways and for different reasons. Continue reading →

Predestination and Time Travel

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Predestination may be the most mind-bending time travel movie I’ve ever seen…and I’ve seen them all. It’s not the best time travel movie. I still prefer Primer, Looper, and of course Back to the Future. But Predestination is the ultimate exploration of the paradoxes involved in time travel. Continue reading →

Social Anxiety in Movies: Ghost World

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social anxiety-Ghost World

Ghost World is about two teenage hipsters, Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), struggling to navigate the real world after their high school graduation. When Enid plays a prank by responding to a personal ad in the newspaper, she and Rebecca meet Seymour (Steve Buscemi), an older man whom they view as a pathetic socially awkward loser. Continue reading →

Social Anxiety in Movies: The Station Agent

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Social Anxietyin Movies

The Station Agent is about Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage, pre-Game of Thrones), a quiet dwarf who tries to live isolated from society, but after he inherits a train depot, several people in the town invade his life of solitude. Continue reading →