Jonathan

I had surprisingly high expectations for this one, and while it filled the nostalgia meter, it did nothing else.  Honestly, the **Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special** was a whole lot of nothing. It felt like a low effort cash-grab with no real thought behind it.  It does make me want to revisit the original show, but it did leave me deeply disappointed.

It’s always fun to read one’s old reviews, seeing how your perception has changed over the years, and how your perspective evolves as you age. I don’t disagree much with my review of **The Witch** from 2019, but I’m unsure how I was surprised by this being shot digitally rather than on film. I guess I was going through a film purist face. How was **Robert Eggers** on a meagre four-million-dollar budget supposed to finance shooting on film? I write in that early review that I was in the middle of making a short film – I’m guessing it was the final exam film I made during a film class in school. I just rewatched it for the first time in years, and while it does have many flaws and I’m unsure where **The Witch** functioned as an inspiration, the film did earn me a good grade. So I guess a thanks to **Robert Eggers** for inspiring me back then is long overdue. Nonetheless, **The Witch** is a great film and its handling of the horror genre is brilliantly unique. It’s no wonder that it propelled **Robert Eggers**’ career to where it is today.

I’ve contemplated watching **A Serbian Film** for years at this point. But when are you ever ready for such a film? At its core there’s value in the film’s message – criticizing the porno and entertainment industry for its greed and dehumanizing practices. But at what point do you become the very thing you’re criticizing? Taking away the gratuitous violence that shapes most of the film, **A Serbian Film** just isn’t particularly well made. It’s obviously low budget and it shows around every corner. The performances are flat and the characters difficult to root for due to a lackluster script. The cinematography is just plain bad, and the score is uninspiring at best. It’s an uncomfortable watch in more ways than one. I can now say I’ve seen **A Serbian Film**, but at what cost?