Memory keeper. Mostly music and movies, plus some series and video games. Obscure darkness meets pop culture glow.
I didn’t like to watch this, per se, but it was a visceral experience, I have to give it that. Also interesting how straightforward the message felt to me, and then it turned out that my wife and I understood it differently. Anyways, if it has to be A24 and a war theme, I’m team Civil War all the way.
After Weapons, this was a must-see, as soon as possible. And this was just OMG all over again. This is even weirder than Weapons: so strange, so much it’s own thing, hard to convey, but as someone who likes horror that’s more weird than gore or scary, I’m here for this. There’s a kinship with Heretic, but this is better.
This was a fantastic movie. Such atmosphere, acting, characters, also music (there’s a track on the OST called The Flight—during the movie it was goosebumps, afterwards it’s a relive). And the biggest of all: such a balancing act of horror, thriller, and some weird dark comedy, that it could so easily fall apart—and it doesn’t. It’s a masterclass in directing. Also, the villain is just… chef’s kiss.
This made me instantly look up more about Zach Cregger and jump on to watch Barbarian literally the next day.
As for the cast, two notes. First, I haven’t really seen anything with Julia Garner, but I hope to see more, she has a captivating presence. Second, I have a newfound love for Benedict Wong: despite the shit that the 3 Body Problem was, his character and acting was easily the most interesting in that one, and he just kills it in this movie as well; I’m actively seeking out movies with him now. Okay, third, Amy Madigan’s Gladys is just pure genius, it’s a phenomenal character design, I was in awe.
I was so confused first. I expected a typical Hollywood zombie movie and this was, well, I’m not sure what this was. Zombie arthouse cinema? It’s a weird one. I needed some time to settle and process it, but after a week I still went back thinking about it and it grew and matured as a memory. Now I think it’s a unique zombie film, and it’s a lot better that it’s that than a run-of-the-mill popcorn flick.
That chanting of the poem while the old war scenes are playing—it still just pops into my mind every now and then, months after watching it.
This one got left behind. I compiled the lists at the beginning of 2025, but never ended up posting it, so here it goes. Like always, not everything was released in 2024 (or most were not, rather); this is a list of things that I consumed and liked most during the year.
I was going in as “let’s give it a shot” and come out “omg yes”. The style, music, cinematography, vibes, and Jordan’s acting were all on top. The story was not that strong though, but how it was done won me over still.
My fandom for Paul Giamatti just keeps rolling, I’m on target for the full filmography. This movie felt like one of those “a day in the life of” flicks where we just happen to follow these people along for a bit, taking a sneak peek into their lives. Very well directed and shot, feels lived in.
Great atmosphere, great casting, great acting, fun story. I didn’t see a role like this coming for Florence Pugh and she was so awesome: many different types and levels of emotions, and being light-hearted as well.
There are a few nice tracks and hooks, but overall it’s not a king slayer in the realm of NIN soundtracks. Its biggest merit is to get something new that has NIN on it.
It was a rather unique and nice journey. Coming out of the cinema we had somewhat different ideas about the setting, but that’s exactly what makes this feel fresh: it’s up for interpretations and metaphors, and it’s interesting to discuss the different ideas.