Here’s what I watched and read last week…
MOVIES
A Confucian Confusion (1994). Criterion is currently featuring Edward Yang’s films on their channel, and I’ve seen almost all of them. I enjoyed A Confucian Confusion—maybe not as much as some of his other films—but, like Yang’s other work, I enjoy his ensemble cast of characters with minimal plot. Dennis Lim also provides a great introduction to Yang’s films on the Criterion Channel. I highly recommend Yi Yi if you’re interested in exploring his work.
A Better Tomorrow (1986). A great crime film by John Woo, featuring plenty of stylish action sequences that would come to define his signature style. I also enjoyed the dynamic relationship between Ti Lung and Chow Yun-fat.
Carnival of Souls (1962). A moody, atmospheric horror film featuring a haunting organ score. Much of it reminded me of The Seventh Seal, particularly the ending. It’s available to watch on the Criterion Channel.
War of the Worlds (2005). I love Spielberg’s blending of realism and CGI. The action sequences are incredible, especially the ferry scene. In my book Capturing Digital Media, I discuss the long take of Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) and his family escaping New Jersey—a brilliant example of using CGI effectively without going overboard. I also love how the film shifts from expansive outdoor spaces to the claustrophobic basement scenes with Harlan (Tim Robbins). It’s one of the scariest moments in the film and a perfect example of what Hitchcock called “pure cinema.”
The Craft (1996). A solid teen witch story. I’d only seen parts of it a long time ago, but watching it now definitely gave me strong 1990s nostalgia vibes. Some of the horror elements surprised me, especially during the film’s climax. It was also nice to recognize all the Los Angeles locations—I wish more movies were still shot here.
TV
We finished Task and thought it was outstanding. It’s definitely one of the best television shows I’ve watched this year. The performances were incredible, and the locations added a great sense of realism and atmosphere. I’m so glad HBO continues to produce such high-quality television.
The Endfield Poltergeist (2023). A fascinating and genuinely scary documentary on Apple TV+. At first, it was a bit hard to adjust to the reenactments paired with the real audio recordings from Maurice Grosse, but it turned out to be a really well-made and chilling documentary. Truly scary!
BOOKS
Tales From The Crypt Vol 1. I’ve been reading these comics over the past few months, and they’re so much fun. It’s amazing how EC came up with so many different stories—some of them are even pretty funny. A great read for the Halloween season!
