Watched and Read - May 24, 2026

 Here's what I watched and read...

 

 

MOVIES

Used Cars (1980), directed by Robert Zemeckis. One of my favorite films that I watched growing up. Much of the humor still holds up, especially the scene when they jam the president’s speech on TV to run a commercial. And I love Toby, the dog. Fun film.

Room 237 (2012), directed by Rodney Ascher. I don’t agree with many of the interpretations and claims made in the film, but I still found it fascinating to watch. The Shining is one of my favorite films, and I even wrote a chapter about it in my book, Cinema of Confinement. The documentary is worth checking out, especially the part where they play the film forward and backwards at the same time. But if you are a Kubrick fan, you might find yourself yelling at your TV or computer, or however we watch things these days.

Fear and Desire (1952), directed by Stanley Kubrick. This is the first film directed by Kubrick, which he financed himself. It is nowhere near the great films he would later make, but it is worth seeing, even with all its flaws and mistakes. For one, the visuals are great - there is something strange about the way Kubrick frames and composes the forest. There are also some interesting experiments with editing. Lastly, Kubrick’s first film takes up a topic that he would return to in Paths of Glory and Full Metal Jacket: the psychological impact of war on the individual. Kino Lorber put out the restored version (70 minutes) a few years ago. Definitely worth the watch. 

 

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TV

I watched the first episode of The Burroughs and thought it was pretty good. What held my attention was Alfred Molina. He is just an amazing actor, and he plays the part with authenticity. In addition to Molina, there are other great actors in the series, such as Geena Davis, Bill Pullman, and Clarke Peters, to name a few, that make it worth watching. It definitely has an old-school Spielberg vibe from the early 1980s.

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BOOKS

See my post on Stephen King’s From a Buick 8.

I am almost done reading Noël Carroll’s book, The Philosophy of Horror, or Paradoxes of the Heart, which I am very much enjoying.

 

 

Watched and Read - August 17, 2025

 

Watched and read this past week:

Movies

Karate Kid: Legends. Enjoyable and fun. I just wished they let the story breathe a little bit.

The Life of Chuck. Nice adaptation of King’s novella. I like that Mike Flanagan continues to adapt King’s work for the screen. Both Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game are great interpretations of his books. Still can’t believe he pulled off Gerald’s Game!

Watched four by Jim Jarmusch. Stranger Than Paradise, Down By Law, Mystery Train, and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. All excellent films. Love RZA’s score for Ghost Dog. Mystery Train might be my favorite of Jarmusch’s. It was sad seeing Joe Strummer. Wish he was still with us.

Everything’s Going to Be Great: Nice coming of age story. Great performance by Allison Janey.

Psycho Beach Party: Fun, but I felt it was a little too long. Cool to see Amy Adams in one of her earlier films.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad. Still holds up and still hilarious!

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TV

Halfway through the sixth season of Little House on the Prairie. Big improvement from the fifth season. But the two-part episode, “May We Make Them Proud,” was devastating and perhaps too much. I think Mary has been through enough.

Finishing up the latest season of Bob’s Burgers. Need more Teddy episodes!

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Books

Todd’s McGowan’s Introduction to Jacques Lacan. Outstanding. See my post.

Jack Finney’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Excellent read. One of my favorite sci-fi films (1956 version). The 1956 version left out the section where they discuss space spores, which was one of my favorite parts of the novel.