Diary
April 2026
Alien
Happy Alien day to all the freaks who celebrate 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 I don’t think I’ll get tired of this film. Genuinely. Came out almost 50 years ago and it hasn’t aged a day. Generational stuff here
Easy A
April’s Fools #3 Really cool. Emma Stone is wonderful here. She’s hilarious, witty and heartbreaking. I loved every second she was on screen. The parents played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson were the highlight for me. They were soooo funny and to be honest I think they also represent the ideal parent-child relationship, or at least the one I’d want if I ever had kids. The musical number was also great. I’m starting to love when comedies do that. The low point of the film for me however was Rhiannon. I feel as if her turn from friend to enemy came a little out of left field and just felt strange. I think if we had one scene that showed her feelings turning for the worst then it would’ve felt better but the relationship that they had in the film felt very boring and shallow. All in all i had fun and I think this film was really good.
The Evil Dead
Started off a little slow but it got real interesting once Cheryl got possessed. After that it was steady escalation in horror and raw filmmaking skill until like the last 20 minutes when became one of the coolest and most creative horror films I’ve ever seen. That whole section when Ash went to the basement was amazing. And the moment he touched the mirror? Insane. I also thought it was really funny that the professor found the evil demon summoning spell and not only used it but recorded it and just left it lying around for the next unlucky person to find. Real dickhead move prof Anyways I thought this film was great and I’m very excited to get into the others as I’ve only heard great things about this franchise. Sam Raimi did his thing man I swear
Lee Cronin's The Mummy
A I really enjoyed this film. It’s wicked, gruesome and disgusting. The horror is well executed even if it isn’t the scariest thing in the world. For me I found that the real dread came from putting myself in the shoes of the characters and wondering what I would have done or how I would have felt if my family was thrust into a situation such as this one. In that regard it gave me shades of hereditary here and there but most notably I saw clear inspiration from The Exorcist whether you look at the surface level similarities of a possessed child who’s crawling, contorting and expelling strange substances, or the more in depth similarities within the themes of family, faith and desperation. I found that the cinematography was quite to my liking. The film features some striking and stylish images with my personal favorite being of the half buried pyramid in the sunlight. Speaking of shots there are also a fuck ton of split diopters here, Like seriously there’s one every 3-5 minutes or so, some a lot less necessary than others in my humble opinion. I also really love the scene of the detective watching the tape in her office. The shot is claustrophobic, dusty, cramped and illuminated solely by the blue light of a tv, as if it’s beckoning to you to jump in. Cool stuff! I will say though I’m not a big fan of the ending, more so the execution than the substance itself. The whole film felt really creative and interesting with its editing, amazing sound design and great cinematography, and then we get to the last 15 or so minutes and becomes every other possession film you’ve ever seen and it’s really disappointing for me. In conclusion, I thought this film was quite good. It was very fun and creative. It had a lot of style and sauce to make up for a relatively run of the mill possession story but kind of lost steam towards the climax but I really liked it!
Psycho Killer
On paper, a satanist who believes that he needs to cause a nuclear meltdown in order to open the gates of hell, is an interesting premise and could’ve been something really cool but in its execution here it comes off as nothing but goofy and nonsensical. This film is such a mess of subject and tone that not only am I completely lost on what it was trying to say but I’m also unsure as to whether I was supposed to take this seriously or not. The killer himself is an extremely flat and boring character, if you can even call him that. He’s just a guy that kills. That’s it. There’s no real  philosophy or motive behind his actions, he just kills people when he sees an opportunity to do something gruesome and it is unbelievably fucking boring. I don’t even know what the vision was for that whole section with the group in the mansion. Just absolute nonsense. Genuinely the only good thing about this film is Georgina Campbell’s performance and that’s it
Naked Lunch
March Madness #10 Confused and intrigued. Not quite sure what to make of this one but I’m quite interested in unraveling its meaning. I will say though that I love the way that this looks. The visuals are really well done, the colors work together quite well and the practical effects are gorgeous.
Game Night
April’s Fools #2 Hilarious stuff! I love how much it escalated. Jesse Plemons was the highlight and I had no idea that the “baby that’s not Denzel” joke was from this movie. Also Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman worked so well together here. Genuinely hilarious couple. Loved the pulp fiction reference too
undertone
Loved it! There’s such a masterful command of atmosphere and tone here. There me barely any scares but the overall feeling of dread is managed so well that I was at the edge of my seat for the majority of the film. The film itself is really well made as well. I love how invasive the cinematography feels sometimes. There was particular section where Eevie was on her computer while the camera was pushing in from behind and it would stop when she looked over her shoulder and resume when she went back to work. It felt like I was there looking over her shoulder, slowly creeping in with this dark presence. Really cool! Also I can’t help but think about how convenient it must’ve been to shoot the whole thing in this house. I also really loved Nina Kiri’s performance as Eevie. Especially since she was essentially acting alone the entire time. I was really impressed by her. I will say tho that the way she said “mama” was a bit strange to me idk felt off. In terms of the story, I could catch various themes and ideas like motherhood, fear of becoming your mother, religion (maybe religious abuse as well) and isolation. In terms of the isolation idea, it stood out to me that Eevie has no face to face interactions throughout the film and I’m sure that’s important. I do think some of this stuff could’ve been explored a bit more clearly because it did feel a bit jumbled thematically at times. I also feel like it wrapped up a bit abruptly. I feel as if the abysou demon could’ve been explored a tad bit more as well. But I really loved this movie and I had a great time with it
Shelter
Uninteresting, predictable and boring. Jason Statham plays the exact same character archetype doing virtually the same stuff as his other films and that by itself wouldn't have been that big of a deal if the films were at least interesting in some way. it has decent hand to hand combat but the action is overall more of the same with very standard and boring sequences and set pieces. The characters are equally uninteresting with all of them filling the typical roles you'd expect in a film like this. there's a hacker, a big distinguished villain man, the big bad unthinking action villain, the big isolated and stoic action hero and the girl that needs to be saved/protected. The lack of dimension of these roles is only intensified by the very boring and flat performances attached to them. none of these people are convincing as their characters (especially the one's who barely have characters to begin with) but one of the people that stood out the most was Kamal played by Tom Wu who is described as this "violent trafficker" who needed to be kept on a leash but none of that is shown? there is no actual character to him and when we meet him he's literally just a guy in a suit, nothing about him hinting at any of the danger or unpredictability that was promised and he's played with all the enthusiasm of a loaf of bread. this is the norm for all of these characters. they are boring, flat and one note words on a page that are completely lacking in any meaning or depth. not even to mention the really flavorless dialogue that just absolutely has to have characters sit and have the most unnatural conversation reminding you of the events of the story every 30 or so minutes just in case you were on your phone. See i really don't like art that doesn't take me seriously and treats me like I'm a fucking child with the attention span of a goldfish. the story is just as uninteresting, so much so that i won't even go into detail. it is essentially the same as any one of these films. Jason Statham plays a mysterious guy keeping a low profile who has to spring into action to save/protect/avenge a child/girl/woman and then we find out that he's the most dangerous man that's ever lived and is on the "don't fuck with" list of every major federal organization. and that's it, that's the story. it annoys me too because there was a clear path to talk about the hyper surveillance of the digital age and the government's role in it but i suppose it was probably unfair of me to expect a film like this to take a swing like that. i said earlier that the action, especially the hand to hand stuff, was solid and i stand by that. most of the films that statham attaches himself to have that in common, which really annoys me because your story is boring and you have these really well choreographed action scenes but there's only like two of them. just lean more into these scenes, and try to shoot more creative and interesting action. in that sense i actually liked the club sequence. i think the music used in that scene really helped to create this feeling of urgency which is carried along further by the frantic, fast paced action. just sucks about the rest of the movie though overall i didn't enjoy this and i was quite bored and frustrated during my time with it. I'm starting to think now that maybe these movies aren't for me anymore.
Dead Ringers
March Madness #9 It’s very frustrating to feel dependent on a person, thing or idea to maintain your sense of stability and sanity. This feeling that you can’t live without something even something harmful, eats away at your psyche and sense of self until all that’s left of you is this husk, living solely by the whims of that object that seems to destroy yet maintain you at the same time. David Cronenberg’s “Dead Ringers” is a film about addiction. It’s film about the slow descent into madness that comes with losing yourself to the thing that seems to make you whole. The addiction it tackles is not simply one of substance abuse but also an addiction to people as well. Calling it an addiction is really just to connect it to the main conflict of the film but what Cronenberg does with Beverly is explore the experiences of a man trapped within unhealthy relationships due to his lack of individuality. Beverly exists as other people see him not as he is. Beverly is an idea, pulled in so many directions at once that he keeps no part of himself for himself. He’s left in a state where he’s essentially unable to survive on his own, whether it be from the effects of drug abuse or just loneliness. Unlike his brother, he hasn’t seemed to be able to develop a proper, stable sense of self due to them essentially sharing an identity, one that Elliot is clearly much more comfortable within. I think what Claire represents here is an opportunity for Beverly to have a relationship that is more equal and compassionate, a partner who actually sees, treats and values him as his own individual. The tragedy in it is that Beverly at this point has deteriorated so much in his isolation and self degradation that a healthy relationship with Claire just isn’t quite possible. It’s a bit difficult to watch this man’s mind succumb to the clear, painful assault of depression, anxiety and paranoia which culminates in a complete breakdown and murder. As I said before, this film is about addiction. I think that Beverly is quite literally addicted to drugs but also metaphorically addicted to the people in his life that make him feel less alone and more of a person. So through the lens of addiction, Dead Ringers tells a story of the importance of having an identity and vision of yourself out side of your relationships and to not be shackled by the expectations and views of others. Also this film is shot quite beautifully. Probably Cronenberg’s best work visually and obviously Jeremy Irons is brilliant here. Beverly and Elliot are two distinct beings and He’s able to do this thing where he very convincingly switches between playing them in a way where you can tell the difference vs playing them so that you can’t. Just great stuff
You, Me & Tuscany
Some funny jokes and moments throughout but if you take out the sex jokes it’s really just a standard Disney channel movie. However it did have a cool soundtrack and I also had amazing company
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Just insanely creative and cool film. Music, cinematography, acting, action and everything else come together in this perfect harmony to create something truly special. I specifically really loved the “Elle and I” chapter. Daryl Hannah was so fucking cool as Elle Driver and I wish we got more of her character. That little scene where she’s driving to meet Budd is just stuck in my head replaying on a loop. And the “Bitch, you don’t have a future” is one of the hardest lines in a movie ever
Scary Movie
April’s Fools #1 Feels like a time capsule with a bunch of really funny bits alongside some jokes I’d rather not think of or see ever again. I was expecting a mote original story with just jokes and references to horror movies but it was actually mostly a parody of scream and I know what you did last summer. Then again it is possible that I just didn’t catch some of them. I also found that the jokes worked more for me when they were leaning into random stupid bits than when they were outright making fun of something because while the former felt interesting and creative the latter was more ignorant and cheap. The staircase scene is an all timer though. Just genuinely hilarious
How to Make a Killing
Unfortunately found this quite disappointing. An interesting premise and a simple story with a lot of potential gets bogged down by really uninteresting and boring writing. The characters are really flat and lifeless, Glen Powell’s character was especially infuriating for me as the film seems to want to use him and his actions to tell a story about greed and how you can love a fulfilling life without the finer things but they kind of neglect to do any of the necessary work with the character for a story like this to function. Powell’s character goes on a killing spree of a wealthy family in order to get an inheritance that will lift him out of poverty. This is a solid idea for a story. The issue is that he essentially accomplishes this goal after killing the first guy but he just keeps going? It makes no sense to me because even though he doesn’t get the inheritance until all of them are dead, his motivation wasn’t specifically to become a billionaire but just to have the means and resources to have a happy, fulfilling life. He gets all of what he needs after the first guy but he still goes out of his way to kill the rest of the family because his mom asked him to? That could work as a revenge story but he was never fueled by anger or revenge in his quest. Maybe that’s intentional, maybe the film wanted to say that he was corrupted by the greed and was just hungry for the billions but nothing in his actions suggested that. If you want to make a story about a guy who goes out of his way to put himself and his loved ones in peril, especially if he doesn’t need the things he’s chasing, his motivation needs to at least be understandable. In this case they aren’t. It feels like Beckett’s motivation, the thing that drives him to commit these strings of murders and claim this family’s wealth, is completely non existent. It’s like he only does the things that he does because the story requires it of him and not because he’s a character who wants to do these things. Julie is another baffling character because she essentially does nothing but pop off every once in a while to try and manipulate Beckett but then she doesn’t actually do anything until the end of the film. The character itself is also really uninteresting and she’s saved solely by the charm of Margaret Qualley. Like it was so bad that I genuinely forgot she existed whenever she wasn’t onscreen. They clearly wanted here to be this mysterious, eccentric and unpredictable presence in the background of the story but they just didn’t do anything with her for the majority of the story. It’s disappointing because Julie specifically could’ve been a really cool character. I also didn’t like the big climax with the grandfather played by Ed Harris. It felt really nonsensical and just seemed to be banking on shock value rather than any substantial thematic or emotional payoff The film does however have some great music throughout. Really cool score and really interesting needle drops at pivotal moments. That’s it though. Did not quite fw this film. I thought it had potential to be cool but ended up being really boring, uninteresting and generally irritating.
I Saw the TV Glow
There’s a light inside you that’s begging, pleading to get out and shine…what you do from there is completely up to you.
The Fly
March Madness 8 (https://boxd.it/Sgfq8) Easily some of Cronenberg’s best work so far. Those last 15-20 minutes in particular were extraordinary. Incredible film
Sound of Falling
Death has always been a major part of my life. While I have not been personally affected by it that much, it has never left my thoughts. The death of myself, the deaths of my loved ones, the deaths of people I’ve never met, all of these are things which weighed on my mind from a very young age. So I felt a particular connection with this film that seemed to have its own fascination with death. The film jumps back and forth between different branches of a specific family tree detailing how they each dealt with and experience death in a way that feels almost like a reminder that the things we experience and think about aren’t as unique as we think, that the human experience is quite universal and the film expresses this idea through its fixation with death. Suicide specifically is a focus of this story. There are multiple scenes of characters either committing or contemplating suicide and I found that very interesting. The film seems to me be tackling this idea by showing the variety of reasons someone might have for taking their own life. The victims are people of different ages, classes and eras and the only thing they have in common is that they’re girls from the same family. I think that perhaps these scenes and characters exist to show how long and how differently women have been failed by the societies around them and how them seeing death as the only way out is indicative of broader social issues. It’s a ghost story for sure but not a horror movie. It’s intense, interesting, sad and beautiful. It has a lot to say and I know I’m only scratching the surface after this first viewing. Really really really good movie
Once Were Warriors
A lot more intense than i was expecting. Terribly tragic and heartwrenching but underneath the violence and hurt there's a story about resilience and strength. really liked this one
Set It Up
I have a heart #10 (https://boxd.it/RSQYe) The Parent Trap but corporate!!! Loved it. I thought it was really funny with some really cool characters like creepy Tim (who should’ve gotten more screen time). Zoey Deutch was really great in this. She was funny and charming and little insane and she always brought this light with her to whatever scene she was in. Glen Powell was also good. He was quite witty and I loved his journey of personal growth by the end of the film. Pete Davidson had like 3 scenes but in every one of them he was somehow the best character ever. Stephanie Hsu was on screen for like 3 seconds in the beginning but that woman shines no matter where she is or how long she’s there. Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs were really good together and I wish they’re were more scenes of them interacting on dates and stuff! I think it would’ve been really interesting to see their disagreements happen in real time rather than hear about them afterwards. Granted, the route the film actually took was effective but I think there was a lot of comedic potential in showing these dates. Also loved that little message for the writers out there that being bad is inevitable at first! There’s this line from adventure time that goes “Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something” and sometimes we can forget these things so it’s good to watch movies that have these little reminders that being dog shit is actually part of the process and not overwhelming evidence that you’re terrible and need to go die in obscurity somewhere. But anyways, great movie, really fun and very funny!
March 2026
Ready or Not
unsurprisingly, movies are better with friends
