Comment on Watch These Parodies of Video Essays and Learn the Answer to the Question 'Why Is Cinema?'

Ah, the video essay. Insightful and interesting if you're Matt Zoller Seitz, Kevin B. Lee or Tony Zhou, but maybe not as revelatory as you'd hope if you're a rando on YouTube. One new voice, Cameron Carpenter, has brought a strange, borderline anti-humor approach to the form. That, coupled with his genuine knowledge of film history and theory, makes his short "Why Is Cinema" videos well worth a few minutes of your time. READ MORE: Press Play Is Not Done Playing Over the last few months, Carpenter's series has lampooned everything from film critics, director cameos, long takes ("we reward this basic functionality with millions of dollars") and religious themes in movies (above).