Hello! I'm Ellery. 

 

Let's just get this out of the way: if you're looking for pretentious, you might want to try somewhere else. Yes, I've spent a lot of time studying film, television, theater - I just love learning about visual storytelling - but my favorite thing about spending six years in higher education to learn about film and TV history has been the people.

 

Isn't it wonderful that every person has their own stories about the films, shows, and stage experiences that have moved them? Everybody has something to say. These aren't topics exclusively for scholars, though, of course, I'm always interested in academic perspectives. But when it comes down to it, the visual arts are for everybody. 

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You might think this site would be better named "Ellery & Movies & TV & Theater", and I see your point. But my major at NYU was Cinema Studies, which NYU taught me to believe encompasses classical cinema (i.e. movies), television and the visual arts. So here we are!

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You've probably already noticed: I love the outrageous. If it's downright absurd cinema, I've probably seen it. Part of the charm of cinema is trying to figure out how a single work happened, what previous works inspired it, and how something became the amazing (or wretched) production that resulted.

 

On the less cynical side, I enjoy watching stories that have some sense of adventure or magic - because what's more at the heart of visual storytelling than getting to have otherwise impossible adventures? I believe a movie or show should instill hope, make us reflect, and inspire us ... and I'm not afraid of escapist cinema, either. For me, I'll probably love whatever I'm seeing if it has a true sense of romance, adventure, or the impossible.

 

So, what should we watch next? 

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Most Frequented Genres:

 

Fantasy

Science Fiction 

Family films

Psychological crime thrillers

Satire

Musicals

Animation

Horribly ill-conceived train wrecks (always good)

 

 

A few areas of interest: 

 

The Hollywood Studio System

Film History

Teen Television

1960s Television

Adaptations

Genre Transformations

Star Culture

The Production Code

Franchises 

1950s & 1960s Cinema Trends

Modern and 1960s French Cinema 

1960s British Cinema

Auteur Theory

Musical Theater/Stage Adaptations

                       ... to name a few

 

 

Some favorite films? Here are a few:

 

The Artist (2011) 

Back to the Future (1985)

Batman: The Movie (1966)

Brighton Rock (1947)

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Control (2007)

East of Eden (1955) 

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

Harold and Maude (1970)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Hugo (2011)

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Le Petit Nicolas (2009)

Peter Pan (2003)

Plein Soleil (1960)

Psycho (1960)

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Sleeping Beauty (1959) 

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

 

 

Some TV, too? 

 

Pushing Daisies (ABC, 2007 - 2009)

Smallville (The WB/CW, 2001 - 2011) 

Merlin (BBC, 2008 - 2012)

The Mighty Boosh (BBC Three, 2004 - 2007)

The Monkees (NBC, 1966 - 1968) 

Stranger Things (Netflix, 2016 - present)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The WB/UPN, 1997 - 2003)

Angel (The WB, 1999 - 2004)

Batman (ABC, 1966 - 1968)

I Dream of Jeannie (NBC, 1965 - 1970)

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