All Forms of Art

  Coralie Fargeat's The Substance is a cinematic tour de force that melds grotesque body horror with a poignant exploration of identity, aging, and self-worth.  Anchored by Demi Moore's fearless performance , the film challenges viewers to confront society's obsession with youth and the lengths to which one might go to reclaim it. A Tale of Duality and Desperation Demi Moore portrays Elisabeth Sparkle, a former Hollywood star turned aerobics host, who faces obsolescence upon being dismissed on her 50th birthday.   In a desperate bid to regain her former glory, she turns to a mysterious substance that allows her to generate a younger, more "perfect" version of herself named Sue, played by Margaret Qualley ( Maid ).   This transformation sets off a harrowing cycle of identity swapping, with each woman allotted seven days in the real world before yielding to the other—a balance that becomes increasingly unsustainable.   Moore's Career-Defining Performance Moo...

  The Watcher was an up-and-coming show on Netflix . It promised horror and suspense… and I was excited to watch it. It starts in a very typical way: a family moves to a new house, a great deal, and in a few days, they realize that it was too good to be true. Catchy The new house that isn’t as great as they thought can make you feel that it is a bit of a cliche, yet you are hooked in no time. The story starts very well, leaves you curious, and has the potential for binge-watching. The first episodes are terrific, and you get high expectations about the show. Too high… The problem is that the story is disturbing, as it should, but it doesn’t develop. Great Cast One of the best things about this show is the cast. They are excellent, credible, and engaging.  The one I didn’t think was a good character was the private detective, yet Noma Dumezweni’s performance was flawless.  Disappointment The Watcher starts well, with a good story, able to grab your attention, but then… i...

  Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is indeed a very curious and good show, totally worth watching. Horror The show has eight episodes. They are like miniature horror movies, all with different takes on horror. Some are more intense than others, and it is difficult for me to pick a favorite. They are all very different and focus on specific nightmares, one could say. What's your worst nightmare? There are different types of horror, and they impact you differently as well. In this show, you have a good collection in terms of diversity. Sometimes, there are monsters; sometimes, the monster is yourself… I considered reviewing each episode, but it wouldn't be fair. The show is great the way it is, with every single story in it. Guillermo del Toro The show is good, and if you are a fan of horror stories and Del Toro's work, this Cabinet of Curiosities is definitely the right one for you.

  Jack Kline enters the Supernatural show in the 13th season, but his story was designed in the 12th. Jack is a Nephilim, the son of Lucifer, with a human woman, Kelly Kline.  I will not get to all the details that led to his birth, despite the fact that they created an interesting storyline and yet another challenge for the Winchester brothers and the sweet angel Castiel. I'd instead focus on the character itself, as it was played by Alexander Calvert . A breath of fresh air After so many years on air, the show needed something new that would grab the audience's attention again - Sam's six-pack wasn't doing the trick anymore. So, the best way to develop interest was to create a new character that would be thickening the plot. A new permanent character that would take the spotlight along with Sam and Dean. Supernatural fans are used to regular characters that don't appear in every episode. For a while, Jack shared a significant amount of screen time with the broth...

  John Winchester is one of the main characters of Supernatural , even though he rarely appears. It is because of him that Sam and Dean get together again, and the story starts. So, what's his problem? He's a terrible father! Through Dean's Eyes In the beginning, most of us like John, and the one or two things he says or does which are idiotic… well, we ignore them. He looks cute and clearly loves his boys. We mostly see him by Dean's eyes, and Sam looks like a brat complaining that daddy doesn't understand him. Then John dies, we all share some tears, and dead guys tend to be seen as perfect, right? The past isn’t that glamorous As the story evolves, you may start questioning yourself about some things. Who raised the boys? Were they alone all the time? Why does he fight with everyone? If you look closely, the boys aren't always well-received by John's old friends, and most of them don't see him in a long time because… they had a fight. Are all his frie...

  What would you think if someone got into your house and told you that you need to sacrifice one member of your family or humanity will end? Wait, what? Yes, that’s the premise of Knock at the Cabin . A little girl and her dads are on vacation in a cabin in the middle of nowhere when four people armed with strange weapons appear and say one of them should be sacrificed.  Is this horror? I’ve seen people rebuking the movie, and I get why, but let’s take a minute to think about it. Why do you feel so… well, nothing. When the story starts, it is promising. It is not something you’ve seen a thousand times in other movies, and you can feel the tension. It is an impossible choice to make. Here, the problem starts: it creates expectations. These expectations are not fulfilled. The movie is supposed to be a psychological thriller, but you never feel your heart race. Instead, it is slow and calm; all you see are four lunatics and one guy screaming at them. I believe the other guy is s...

  Based on the book of Daria Polatin, with the same title, Devil in Ohio , is the story of a traumatized girl that escapes from a cult and finds shelter with a psychiatrist and her family. Cults are part of the social curiosity, which is enough reason for many to check out this show. Yet, this wasn’t what had the most significant impact on me. The therapist Dr. Suzanne Mathis is a therapist that runs the extra mile for her clients. After meeting Mae, she immediately feels like a mission to take care of and help her. But, being a traumatized child herself, she quickly forgets the needed boundaries between patient and doctor. And sometimes, she forgets about her own family and their needs. I found her an annoying woman. She always has the right thing to say but as a psychiatrist. Even for her daughters, she says the right sentences, but not as a mother would. Instead, she seems cold and distant and so focused on Mae’s needs that no one else’s seems to matter. She is so eager to do th...

  The Sandman is a recent Netflix show, and it's been having a lot of success among the audience. It is the right amount of "weirdness" and mystery, and that conjunction keeps you watching. How do you show you’re something more? In this first season, you get to know the characters. And, frankly, it seems like it's all this season is about: introduction. I felt like I went to a party, and someone introduced me to all the guests at once.  I'd like to focus on the main character and Tom Sturridge . He had a fantastic performance. This is no regular character. How do you show the public that you're not human?  Tom definitely did it. From the very first scene to the most simple ones, you always get the vibe that he is "something more". Congratulations, fantastic work. So many different characters Throughout the show, you get to know different characters from different spiritual beliefs. Here, they all belong to the same world. Some of them are pretty fun...

  This new season of Stranger Things started strong and is better than the previous one from the very first minute. Now, let’s pause to evaluate how huge those episodes are. All episodes are more than one hour long, and the last one is more than 2 hours! That’s not a show. That’s a movie franchise!  They don’t ruin the show by doing this or anything, but it can make it a bit more tiring.  Usually, there is a reason for you to see a show instead of a whole movie, right? So why not have more episodes but shorter ones? Vecna - was all worth it? Everything is connected, not only the hive mind of Vecna and its “things”. Everything was connected or depending on each other in this season. The Russians were fighting or, at least, using the same things that were attacking Hawkins. It may look absurd initially, but everything starts to make sense soon enough. The character Yuri made me laugh a few times. He is a bastard, I know, but let’s face it, his craziness gave a light touch...

  Last Night in Soho is the most recent movie by Edgar Wright. So that alone is a reason to check it out, right?  This is probably one of the weirdest movies I’ve seen in months. Yet, as soon as I started watching, I couldn’t look away anymore. It is different, which makes it interesting, but there is no better word to describe it than weird . The 60s While living in the present time, the main character, Eloise, is a young lady in love with the 60s. She loves music, fashion, and everything related to that decade. Eloise is not an ordinary girl, though. She seems to have some "spiritual powers", I would say. We know she sees her dead mother, but we are never sure what she can do more. Things get weird when, after renting a room from an old lady, she is transported to the 60s London. There, she follows a mysterious woman named Sandie. She is so in love with the decade that everything seems fascinating. At first… It quickly turns out to be a bit creepy, and it will probably mak...

  Baxter is an old French movie about a dog looking for its perfect family. You have access to his thoughts and opinions, always following the dog’s point of view. Do you think we’re talking about a cute dog looking for a sweet owner? Yeah… not even close. Baxter is not cute Baxter is not a cute dog. He is scary and creepy as hell. Actually, he might be considered a psychopath. He kills his first owner! Then, he tries to kill a baby for no other reason than jealousy and selfishness. It is a weird way to show a dog.  Yet, Baxter is not the only one that’s creepy. When he finally finds what seems to be the perfect owner, that’s when the movie gets genuinely uncomfortable to watch. The kid is as messed up as the dog.  Innovative  When I watched it, I had zero information about the film. The only thing I knew was it was about a dog—nothing else. When I realized where it was going and how they portrayed a disturbed mind, I thought the movie was recent. The 80s clothes an...

  A thick mist falls up a town, and something about it isn’t right - good premise. We would expect nothing less than good from a Stephen King’s book. Yet, as we all know, book adaptations can be quite disappointing.  It goes from good to terrible. I loved the plot and, in the beginning, I was very curious and interested - it was almost impossible to stop watching it. Yet, at some point, it started to get on my nerves, and not in the way that a good horror show should. As we got closer to the end of the season, many things stopped making sense. Some characters are simply… not believable. The explanations for whatever was happening were ridiculous and easily refutable. It all took away the feeling of “this could be real”. It killed my interest. Many changes were made to the original novel. Some of them were interesting and made the story better, yet others were… well, nonsense. Cast and production As I said before, the first episodes were good and made us want to keep watching, ...

I watched this movie a long time ago, but for some reason, I didn’t do the review. I hadn’t much information at the time I decided to watch it. But what I had was enough. Stephen King’s story? Let’s go for it! When it goes wrong… The general idea of the story is about a couple trying a sexual fantasy that goes wrong. Entirely credible, a situation you would never think could happen. But it could. Worst, it would be a huge problem… A simple and common fantasy: your partner ties you to the bed. Then… he has a heart attack. You are alone, tied up, with no chance of asking for help and with a dead body in the room. Creepy enough? Our mind is full of tricks This whole vision is enough to make us cringe. Yet, the story is not about what went wrong. It is about the tricks your mind can play on you when you are scared, tired, and desperate.  The way the whole thing is conducted could have been perfect. After all, everything concerning our mind, especially i...

Quarantine 2: Terminal picks up the infection story from the first film but swaps the claustrophobic apartment building for an airplane and an isolated terminal. A routine flight quickly turns into chaos when a passenger suddenly becomes violently ill.  The crew makes an emergency landing, only to realize they’re now trapped inside a quarantined facility as the mysterious rabies-like virus spreads from person to person. Cast and Characters The film stars Mercedes Mason as Jenny, a flight attendant who steps up as the story’s main heroine. Alongside her is Josh Cooke  (also known for Young Sheldon ) as Henry, a biology teacher who seems to know a little too much about the infection.  Mattie Liptak plays George, a young boy traveling alone, who lends the story emotional weight.  Review Here’s the thing about Quarantine 2: Terminal : it’s one of those movies where the synopsis sounds a lot more exciting than what you actually get on screen . The idea ...

I really enjoy watching horror movies, even when they’re not great, because you either get a good scare or a good laugh. I just like it. So, based on that facet of myself, I decided to watch this movie with my husband. I thought “Hm, this might not be great, but we’ll at least get a laugh!”. I didn’t laugh at all. Quite the opposite!  Jumpy I’m not sure what I think of It Follows , but it definitely got under my nerves. I jumped a couple of times and was pretty tense for most of it. So, it did a pretty good job for a movie in this genre. Of course, I found some flaws or weaknesses with it, some more severe than others, such as, for example, the ending to the movie. It was so abrupt, it seemed as if the tape had just run out or something…  That particular ending has a purpose, though. However, I can’t quite figure out what it might be. Will we perhaps have a second movie?  Do exactly what you shouldn't Speaking of the things I don’t reall...

I watched this movie on one of those nights—you know the kind. My husband had a rare evening off, our baby was finally asleep, and we had that golden question on our hands: “Should we watch something? And if so... what?” So I opened Netflix, did a bit of scrolling, and landed on a zombie movie . Why not, right? We hit play. We weren’t expecting much—just something fun to unwind with. First Impressions: An Unexpected Take on the Undead Let me start by saying this: it’s not a bad movie. The plot had some interesting elements, the cast was solid, and the pacing wasn’t awful. But there was one thing that completely threw me off… The zombies run. And jump. And climb. Yes, you read that right. As a fan of zombie movies and post-apocalyptic settings, I’ve seen all kinds of takes on the genre—but this one felt especially… energetic. At first, I couldn’t even process what I was seeing. Zombies aren't supposed to be athletic! It was almost too much for my traditional zom...

Prepare yourself for a group of stories that will make you shiver. It’s hard to describe exactly what you are going to find, without giving away any spoilers. So, what can I say then? To sum it up nicely in one word: creepy. A lot of ‘creepy’! The Usual Ghost Story? When I first started to read the first story, I was expecting a normal, or regular ghost trope, that would scared me, but Regina Pucket had some else in mind for us. You won’t jump in the chair, but you’ll definitely get some goose-bumps. You’ll finish each story with a weird feeling, like something is not quite right, but just when you turn off the light, that discomfort will attack you. You’ll feel that these stories are disturbing in their very own special way and that’s what makes this book really interesting. Read... if you dare Not afraid of ghost stories? Good. Turn off those lights, and allow yourself to be immersed in these stories. Feel the hair in the back of your neck rise.