Cinematic Doctrine

Jacob's Ladder - Silent Hill Meets Slaughterhouse-Five

Kathryn Benson Season 1 Episode 238

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MOVIE DISCUSSION: 

Kathryn joins Melvin to discuss an early 1990s horror feature, Jacob's Ladder! That's right, the gang heads back to the 90s to discuss another cult-classic horror feature, and the two get into all its metaphors, scares, and the joy of having changed opinions on rewatched movies. 

Topics:

  • (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 23-minutes discussing Martin Shore's write-up on WhatToWatch titled, "Are movies really getting longer? Were films in the 1980s really shorter? We test the data..." and exploring why that may be. (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 
  • Jacob and Jacob's Ladder as a movie are both very holistic; the whole film explores the whole-person of Jacob.
  • Melvin was caught off guard with how emotional he found the film, especially as this was his second watch, and he shares why he thinks that is.
  • Melvin yells at cloud and wants more movies about adults, and he praises Jacob's Ladder for exploring adult experiences.
  • Exploring the various metaphors at play within the film.
  • Ruminations on memento mori.
  • Jacob cries a lot in the movie which is a nice depiction of manhood. 
  • Understanding the ending as a representation of tragic classism, and the death of the American Dream.

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