I finished Twin Peaks: The Return yesterday. It’s pretty good, I don’t know if you’ve heard about it, but it’s good television! I’m about to spoil it, and the entirety of Twin Peaks, as well as David Lynch’s films Mulholland Drive and Wild at Heart. Throughout The Return, no image is harder to look at,Continue reading “David Lynch Doesn’t Do Angels”
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When a Boy Becomes a Cruel Boy: Parenting as Intervention in Nobody Knows and I’m Still Here
Spoilers for Nobody Knows (2004) and I’m Still Here (2024). A group of four children, three in unwashed, tattered hand-me-downs, one in a school uniform, walk home holding their groceries. The youngest stays behind for a moment to grab quarters left behind in the vending machine, happily shouting to the others that he found some.Continue reading “When a Boy Becomes a Cruel Boy: Parenting as Intervention in Nobody Knows and I’m Still Here”
Manodrome and Stories of the American Man
Spoilers ahead for Manodrome. Here’s a question: is Manodrome supposed to be funny? South African filmmaker John Trengove’s portrait of masculinity is a lot of things, many of which it’s consciously trying to be, but I don’t know if funny is one of those things. The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, one of the de factoContinue reading “Manodrome and Stories of the American Man”
Asteroid City and the Nightmare of Misinterpretation
Spoilers ahead for Asteroid City. There is a nuclear bomb nestled in the heart of Asteroid City. The eleventh film of indie darling Wes Anderson, Asteroid City seemed like a welcome shift for the king of twee, dipping his toes into McCarthy-era American science fiction the same way he dove headfirst, somewhat clumsily, into JapaneseContinue reading “Asteroid City and the Nightmare of Misinterpretation”
Technology Will Save Us All: Optimized Optimism in the Searching Films
The one video on YouTube that never fails to bring me joy is Neil Cicierega’s “The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny”. The 3-minute-long music video is little more than a barrage of pop culture references and crude drawings thrown together with the endless excitement of a five-year-old swimming in an ocean of action figures forContinue reading “Technology Will Save Us All: Optimized Optimism in the Searching Films”
A Plague Tale: Requiem and the Power of Golfing
Spoilers for A Plague Tale: Requiem and The Last of Us Part II follow. I guess I’m here to talk about Ellie and Joel again. California developer Naughty Dog’s 2013 opus The Last of Us inspired the gaming industry in a way developers dream of. To quote the smartest man in games criticism, Tim Rogers,Continue reading “A Plague Tale: Requiem and the Power of Golfing”
Don’t Worry Darling and the Black Hole of Political Stepping Stones
Olivia Wilde’s 2022 thriller Don’t Worry Darling, much like her first film Booksmart, is a movie that demands to be taken seriously. One of Wilde’s best qualities as a director, the full-throated shout of importance is refreshing in a sea of attempts at four-quadrant adult entertainment that is horrified of being read too far into.Continue reading “Don’t Worry Darling and the Black Hole of Political Stepping Stones”
Davey Peppers 