Vaughn‘s film reviews with a twist! Each week, the Review Roulette wheel lands on an approach that I then use to watch and review a film from the 20th century
Guest Posts
- Hearing Death at the Movies
A Guest Post by Alexander Ludwig
Vaughn’s Posts
- Actually, It’s Necro-WO-mancy
A Feminist Approach to Practical Magic (1998) - The Social Costs of Toxic Masculinity
A Marxist Approach to Beauty and the Beast (1991) - It’s Hot Classics Summer, Girls
A Comparative Approach to The Trojan Women (1971) - A Classicist-Turned-Film-Scholar’s Take on The Odyssey (2026)
A Disciplinary Approach to The Odyssey (2026) - No Kings but Motor Kings
A (Kinda) Formalist Approach to The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976) - Mel Brooksian Multi-Culturalism and the Wild, Wild Best of American Media
A Comparative Approach to Blazing Saddles (1974) - Unlimited Resources for Repression and Pizza
A Marxist Approach to Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - Sexualized Pastries and Trash People
A Feminist Approach to Some Like it Hot (1959) - Smart, Clean, Totally Decent Human Being? Gay.
A Symbolism Approach to In & Out (1997) - Ah, Cultural Reception, Sweet Mystery of Life
A Disciplinary Approach to Young Frankenstein (1974) - A World Worth Fighting For
An Actor’s Oeuvre Approach to Mulan (1998) - The Day the Music Thrived
A Genre Approach to La Bamba (1987) - Unlike Some Other Robin Hoods, He Can Break the 5th Wall
An Environmental Approach to Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) - We’re Going to Steal the Falcon of Independence
A Symbolism Approach to The Maltese Falcon (1941) - Methodology IV: The Quest for Media Literacy
A Methodological Refresh - This Man is Obviously a Psychotic
A Rant Inspired by Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - Vaseline Smeared Visions of American Housewifery
A Personal Reflection on Desperate Housewives (2004-2012) - Don’t be Stupid, Be a Smarty. Come and Join the Mel Brooks Party
An Auteur Approach to The Producers (1967) - A Western, a Rom-Com, and a Sports Flick Walk into a Pub
A Genre Approach to The Quiet Man (1952) - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (It’s Expected Gender Performance)
A Feminist (Kinda) Approach to The Birdcage (1996) - Film Criticism, Uh, Finds a Way
A Score/Sound Approach to Jurassic Park (1993) - Funny Women Belong in the Kitchen, Separating Eggs and Folding Cheese
A (Kinda) Formalist Approach to Woman of the Year (1942) - Philosophy 101: Of Owls and Weasels
A Sound/Score Approach to The Defiant Ones (1958) - Catherine’s Talent isn’t O’Fair-a
A Contemporary History Approach to Waiting for Guffman (1996) - You Can’t Bogart Love
A Comparative Approach to Sabrina (1995) - The Parable of the Have-Nots
A Textual Approach to Dear God (1996) - The Gravitational Pull of Hollywood’s Star
An Actor’s Oeuvre Approach to Charade (1963) - DEFCON 1 Levels of Charisma
A Formalist Approach to An Affair to Remember (1957) - Tech Bros Ruin Everything, but Most of All Christmas
A Marxist Approach to Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) - You’ve Got Male
The Shop Around the Corner (1940) – Feminism (Kinda) - It’s a Festive Existential Depression, Mickey Rooney
A Dualist Approach to The Year Without A Santa Claus (1974) - In Santa We Trust
A Disciplinary Approach to Miracle on 34th Street (1994) - It’s a Gendered Disaster, Charlie Brown
A Feminist Approach to A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) - The Worst Guy You’ve Ever Met vs. The Realest
A Race & Ethnicity Approach to Clash by Night (1952) - The Godfather 2 1/2: Simba’s Pride
A Comparative Approach to The Godfather Part II (1974) - Monster Mash V: The Monsters You Never Suspect
A Personal Reflection on The Blob (1958) - Monster Mash IV: Monsters We See in the Therapist’s Blob
A Comparative Approach to The Birds (1963) - Monster Mash III: The Great War and Modern Monsters
A Marxist Approach to Gods and Monsters (1998) - Monster Mash II: Monsters in a Crystal Cave of Culture
A Contemporary History and Disciplinary Approach to Frankenstein (1931) - Monster Mash I: Monsters Wrapped in Unjust Laws and Bible Quotes
A Genre Approach to The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) - Methodology III: Return of the Jedi
A Methodological Refresh - Newman’s Own Combination Brothel Hut and Carousel
A Formalist Approach to The Sting (1973) - This Bluesmobile Fights Fascists
An Apparatus Approach to The Blues Brothers (1980) - “You Work on Wall Street?” “What, Like It’s Hard?”
A Feminist Approach to Working Girl (1988)
Archives
Here are a few posts migrated from their original publication on Substack. I will repost them here with their original publication dates as I reference them in new reviews.
- Communism Is, Was, and Will Always Be A Red Herring
A Contextual History Approach to Clue (1985) - Nielsen’s New Son Neeson Nails It
A Thought on the Franchise - Frank Drebin and a Lion Save the Planet from Robert Goulet
A (Kinda) Genre Approach to The Naked Gun 2 1/2 (1991) - Ferris Bueller Didn’t Kill OJ Simpson, but Frank Drebin Did Save the Queen
A Formalist Approach to The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) - From Hitchcock With Love
A Reception Approach to North by Northwest (1959) - Hopelessly Devoted to Review
A Genre Approach to Grease (1978) - The Great American Melting Pot Needs A Little Spice
A Dualist Approach to Mississippi Masala (1991) - The Long, Hot Sumthin, Sumthin
A Textual Approach to The Long, Hot Summer (1958) - Bernie’s Body’s Working for the Weekend
A Marxist Approach to Weekend at Bernie’s (1989) - You’re Gonna Need A Bigger Quote
A Reception Approach to Jaws (1975) - His Very Own Empire State Building of Depression
A Score/Sound Approach to The Graduate (1967) - Bonus Corn: Movements and Moments of Capracorn Kindness
A Summation of Corn - Part V of Corn: Helping the Whole Circle
A Textual Approach to American Madness (1932) - Part IV of Corn: Make Way for Odd Little Ducklings
A Queer Approach to Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1934) - Part III of Corn: Propaganda for Caring About People is Rad as Hell
An Apparatus Approach to Meet John Doe (1941) - Part II of Corn: The Path of Most Resistance
A Formalist Approach to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - Corn: Both Canned & Capra
A Personal Reflection Inspired by Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - Imminent and Inevitable Darkness on the Edge of Town
A Contemporary History Approach to High Noon (1952) - Here’s Thinking With You, Kid
An Alternate Reading of Casablanca (1942) - I’m a God Damn Marvel of Modern Film Scholarship
A Contextual History Approach to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Next (1975) - Nuance in New Orleans
An Apparatus Approach to A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) - Lions and Tigers and Hot Takes, Oh My!
A (Kinda) Genre Approach to The Wizard of Oz (1939) - Righteous Impatience for Dinner and Progress
An Apparatus Approach to Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) - I Got 57 Problems and Polish Caviar Ain’t One
A Hyper-Focussed Approach to The Manchurian Candidate (1962) - This One Goes to 11
A Formalist Approach to This is Spinal Tap (1984) - The Cacophonous Silence of Mimes
A Formalist Approach to The Conversation (1974) - Solidarity, Hope, and A Future Worth Living
A Feminist (and Contextual History) Approach to Salt of the Earth (1954) - The Art of Falling Madly in Love with Your Best Friend
A Queer Approach to Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) - The Visible Magic of Asking “Why?”
A Contemporary History Approach to Klaus (2019) - A Suit on a Bus, and Other Hilarious Depictions of Social Inequalities
An Apparatus Approach to Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
Review Roulette recently moved to this space on its 2nd anniversary in September 2025. For backdated reviews that have not been transported over, please get in touch with Vaughn or see the originals on Substack.