isaacb

Florence Pugh and Tom Holland shirtless in the same scene was my favourite part

I was super cautious with this film and kept putting off watching it. I love Kane’s early work on youtube and he really pioneered an entire genre of youtube analogue horror so i didnt doubt his creative vision, but i worried that studio/production oversight would lean into the ‘mascot horror’ aspect of the backrooms ip, rather than what Kane clearly intended to explore. And to a degree, it does a little. the Third Act is clearly the weakest but still enjoyable. Where this film really shines is its visual storytelling. Kane is a expert at delivering horror so subtly and ambiguously i cant really think of many mainstream horror films that are doing the same right now.  I think the most interesting development is how in the First Act, the ‘backrooms’ (big fan how they never call it this in the movies) physically tempts Clark and later Mary into it. really really interesting concept. And those last few shots and the music ohmygod the nostalgia the chills i lovedddd it. Of course i knew he’d have ‘Still Life’ play at some point but its delivery is always so effective every time. And of course theres so much homage to his earlier works and just the once very small scene of analog horror creation, maybe in just falling for nostalgia bait, that i really enjoyed. I was pleasantly surprised, very fun film and im really excited to see what Kane makes next… praying he adapts The Oldest View!!

Ive been rewatching season 1 of Andor with my Dad this week and find this show always leaves me deeply frustrated. Im far too old and disillusioned to care about Star Wars anymore, a franchise i grew up with and adored slowly whittled down my increasingly cash-grab, poorly written and sloppily produced surface level tv mini series and an atrocious anthology trilogy to top it off.  Which is why Andor pisses me off so much, because while you can, with very minimal effort, detach this widely acclaimed masterpiece from its wider universe, it is at the end of the day a Star Wars, and by extent Disney, property.  Which means that for over a decade, Disney has had access to the resources, the funding, the talent necessary to create this TV show. Andor is a complete pleasure to watch, its brimming with labour of love by an extraordinary talented team, many of whom both actors and produces I imagine will view this as their magnum opus, the highlight of their career. The show WON THREE EMMYS! The idea of modern star wars being nominated  for an emmy is absurd, nevermind winning multiple.  But it just devastates me that no matter how extensive the critical acclaim has been nor the profit this show turned, I know Disney wont make something like this again. Its beyond a diamond in the rough, five years ago it was widely considered impossible for Star Wars to turn its direction around and produce anything of substance, and even a devoted 16 year old me had given up slogging through the latest glup shitto show spin off.  So how could they have possibly turned around and created this nuanced masterpiece, with such fascinating personal discussions of authoritarian rule and protest and freedom. Such deeply cared for and crafted characters and inspirationally written dialogue. Such gorgeous art direction and ground break set design. It breaks my heart that I have to savour these two seasons of Andor and be content with that. This show deserves the world and exceeded everybody's expectations ten-fold. Its ridiculous to care so much, let alone get emotional, over something tied to the Star Wars IP. But I cant help myself.

After a pretty slow, cliche and aggressively generic Act One and Two, Spielberg delivers the best 10 minutes of cinema ive watched this year, only to one up it 20 minutes later in the final segment of the film. The first 90 minutes of this film constantly threaten boredom but it does really pay off in the final Act Also incredibly jarring to watch Emily Blunt in this after TDWP 2, she gives an incredible performance here. This is Spielberg’s love letter to the modern discourse surrounding extraterrestrial life, and I think he delivers. Id love more than anything to see something like this really happen in my life time.