Watched and Read - October 26, 2025

 

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.

 

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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!

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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!

 

Watched and Read - October 12, 2025

 

Here’s what I watched and read last week…

MOVIES

Are We Good? (2025) is a great and entertaining documentary about comedian and podcaster Marc Maron. Most of the film focuses on the years just before and after the lockdown. I especially loved seeing the studio where he records his podcast—and we even got to see his cats! After the screening, Larry Charles interviewed Maron, which basically turned into a stand-up set. I’m really sad that there won’t be any more WTF episodes.

Bullet in the Head (1990) – The Criterion Channel is currently featuring John Woo’s action films. While Bullet in the Head isn’t quite as great as The Killer or Hard Boiled, I still enjoyed Woo’s take on the story of three childhood friends trying to escape war-torn Vietnam. Having seen many Vietnam War films, it was fascinating to watch Woo’s perspective. The movie carries a Deer Hunter flavor, especially in the tragic fate that befalls one of the friends later in the film.

Slither (2006) – James Gunn’s directorial debut is a lot of fun to watch. It reminded me of the 1988 version of The Blob. You can already see some of Gunn’s signature touches, like his creative use of popular music and sharp sense of humor. The bathtub sequence was definitely the highlight of the film.

A Good Marriage (2014) – I believe this was a straight-to-video release. Stephen King adapted his own novella for the screen. It’s not a bad movie—slow at times, but still engaging. I especially enjoyed Joan Allen’s performance. The story comes from Full Dark, No Stars, a collection of four novellas by King that I highly recommend.

What Lies Beneath (2000) – I had mixed feelings about this one. I was living in Vermont at the time it was filmed, so it was fun to recognize some of the locations. The film is visually stunning, but the story feels a bit muddled. It starts in Rear Window mode, then shifts into Gothic horror with a “restless ghost” narrative. Zemeckis clearly shows his love for Hitchcock, but the film struggles to decide what it wants to be. That said, there are some great moments—especially the bathtub scene. Funny enough, that’s two horror films I watched this week featuring bathtubs.

Annabelle (2014) – Not as scary as The Conjuring, but I still enjoyed it. I liked that the story is set in an apartment, which gives the film a Rosemary’s Baby vibe. There are some solid scares, too.

Ozzy: No Escape From Now (2025) – This is a very good documentary about the final years of Ozzy Osbourne’s life. We watched the entire Back to the Beginning concert in July, and it was incredible—one of the greatest metal shows. The documentary doesn’t delve much into Black Sabbath or their brief reunion for one last performance, but it powerfully captures how much Ozzy struggled after his unfortunate back surgery. Very sad. RIP Ozzy.

John Candy: I Like Me (2025). Nice documentary that celebrates the life and work of John Candy. Uncle Buck is one of my favorites of his.

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TV

The latest episode of Task was one of the best so far. Mark Ruffalo delivered an incredible performance, and that twist was huge. This series is really turning into something great.

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BOOKS

Pure Excess: Capitalism and the Commodity by Todd McGowan is an excellent companion to his earlier work, Desire and Capitalism. In Pure Excess, McGowan’s central argument is that the commodity form conceals our fundamental lack by offering objects of pure excess. Since the subject is always psychically divided—meaning we carry an unshakable lack—the commodity form masks this truth by presenting the illusion of pure excess without requiring us to confront that lack. In this framework, limits are the enemy of capitalism. McGowan provides many scenarios and examples to illustrate how this dynamic plays out. Highlight chapters include his analyses of paranoia and modernism.

 

Watched and Read - September 28, 2025

Here’s what I watched and read last week:

MOVIES

Chinatown (1974) is one of the great films of the New Hollywood wave. It helped usher in the neo-noir era—a term used because filmmakers in the 1940s and 1950s didn’t realize they were creating what would later be called “film noir.” The label “noir” came from French critics, most notably Nino Frank. I still consider Robert Towne’s Chinatown one of the best screenplays ever written.

Needful Things (1993). Three hours and 8 min version. It was hard to tell exactly what was new, but I did enjoy it more than the theatrical cut. I’ve read King’s novel, which I like a lot—though the ending is a bit messy. Perhaps that has to do with the madness that takes over Castle Rock in the final part. King’s multi-character perspective novels are some of my favorites—The Stand and Under the Dome, for example. Needful Things definitely fits into that storytelling style. I thought the extended cut did a better job of capturing the ensemble cast than the theatrical version. It would’ve been interesting if the story had taken place over the course of just one day. That might have made it even more powerful. I also appreciated that they didn’t explain why the devil shows up in Castle Rock—it’s more unsettling that way. They left out Ace Merrill (the villain from The Body) from the novel. I thought he might show up in the extended version, but I’m guessing that would’ve made the film way too long. The standout performance was J.T. Walsh—he pretty much stole the show. Overall, a fun film to kick off the Halloween season!

Devo (2024) is a good documentary. However, I wished it had gone more in-depth about how the band got into songwriting and how they learned to play their instruments. I also would have loved to learn more about what the other musicians—besides Mark Mothersbaugh—did after Devo during their hiatus. Still, it’s definitely worth checking out. Director Chris Smith has made some great documentaries, especially American Movie (1999), which is one of my favorites.

Triumph: Rock and Roll Machine (2021) is a very good documentary about the rock band from Toronto. It was directed by Sam Dunn of Banger Films, who has made many great documentaries—especially in the metal genre. What I particularly liked about this one was the fan-focused aspect.

Five Corners (1987) – I watched this on Criterion and thought it was a very good film. It was written by John Patrick Shanley, who also wrote Moonstruck (1987) and Doubt (2008). The movie features a great ensemble cast, and John Turturro delivers a chilling performance as a particularly scary character. There were some genuinely shocking moments that caught me off guard.

 

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TV

Episode 3 of Task is beginning to take on a labyrinth-like structure, effectively blending suspense, noir, and whodunit mystery.

Black Rabbit is messy (maybe its supposed to be), but I’m still enjoying it.

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BOOKS

Departure 37 (2025) by Scott Carson is an excellent sci-fi novel. The story blends elements of The Twilight Zone with Cold War-era paranoia, offering thoughtful reflections on technology that resonate with both the past and the present. I also recommend Carson’s other two books, The Chill and Lost Man’s Cave.

 

Newsletter #2

Hope the year is going well for everyone.

Spring has been busy for me. I am working hard on a bunch of projects. My article on Vertigo is going through a revision process, which means it wasn’t rejected—at least not yet. The reviewers liked what I wrote but had a lot of suggestions. My revisions must be completed by next month. Hopefully I’ll know by the summer if its been accepted. 

 

I really enjoyed writing on Vertigo, so I wrote a rough essay on Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train. You probably know where I’m going with this. A book on Hitchcock. I’m thinking five films, focusing just on horror.

Zworsky’s Children Series. The third book, The Metachromes, is just about done, and I will be sending it to my copy editor this summer. Stuart Bache will be designing the cover. If everything goes as planned, the book will be available in late October. I’m excited to share the conclusion of the series.

Dark Escape. A short novel connected to the Zworsky universe. It focuses on a character from Rise of the Creepers. I’ll share more details about it next year. If you haven’t checked out Creepers, it is available to purchase.

My Lovely Dark Summer. My newest book is a young adult story written for teens and adults. I cannot wait to share this one. It is a mix of mystery, science fiction, and coming-of-age. If you like Charlie One and/or The Mansion, I think you’ll really dig it.

Audio books. Amazon sent me a notice that I could create audio books using their virtual voices. I would love to hire someone to narrate my books, but I can’t afford it right now. You can listen to Suburban Tales 1 & 2 and The Postcard. The price is super cheap. I haven’t gotten any feedback, but I think the virtual voices sound really good.

Flight Unknown is inching toward 100 ratings on Amazon. I’m very thankful for all the ratings and comments.

Well, that’s it for me. I’m looking forward to sharing more news as it comes along.

Keep reading.

Tom C.

www.tomconnellyfiction.com

 

Kill Park

My new short story will be available to purchase as an eBook on April 26. This is another story of mine that takes place in Burghville and is connected to my first novel THE POSTCARD.

Stacking and chopping firewood is nothing new for the Ferguson brothers. It’s a routine they have to endure every fall before winter comes barreling through the Hudson Valley. But on this day, after slicing a short log, they discover something mysterious inside it that will haunt them forever. . . .

Writing this story reminded me of stacking cords of wood for our wood-burning stove, growing up in upstate New York. Unsure why, but I thought . . . what would happen if a character chopped a log in half and found something weird inside it? 

I went with that thought and wrote KILL PARK. I hope you enjoy the story. There will be no paperback version since it is only 40 pages. 

Happy chopping....

For more information about my books and to sign up for my newsletter:

www.tomconnellyfiction.com

Suburban Tales and The Mansion

Coming soon! Suburban Tales Last year, I wrote a bunch of short stories that focus on the supernatural, fantasy and horror. I picked three stories and thought it would be fun to independently publish them as a book series. The stories are entitled, "The Rock Star," The Piano," and "The Decorator." All three stories focus on Eden Gardens, a fictional neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.

I was surprised to see a number of well-known authors like Joe Hill and Paul Tremblay were publishing short reads and short stories under the Kindle Short Reads category. I wonder how this has impacted print journals that publish short stories. As always with digital technology, there are pluses and minuses.

I also wrote the third book in my Hudson Valley trilogy called The Mansion. I hope to have it ready later in the year. The other two books in the trilogy are The Postcard and The Bells - both available through Amazon.

My academic books, Capturing Digital Media (Bloomsbury Academic) and Cinema of Confinement (Northwestern University Press), are also available for purchase.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Ivyscobie

www.tomconnellyfiction.com

 

The Lacanian Gaze and Psycho

The Lacanian gaze is one of the hardest concepts I teach for my Film Theory course. The way we commonly think of the gaze (to look) is not what Jacques Lacan argues. Rather, he argues that when we encounter the gaze, we encounter an impasse, a blind spot within the field of vision. As Todd McGowan states, "the gaze is a distortion within the visual field" (72). The gaze is how our unconscious desire distorts the visual plane. But because this process is unconscious, the field of vision appears objective. But movies can express the distorting effects of the gaze. 

One of the important things that must happen in order to encounter the gaze is that you must be invested in the film. That way, when we encounter the gaze in cinema it demonstrates the activity of our unconscious desire. So what does that mean? And why is the gaze is not defined as the look?

One of the best examples of the gaze (from Slavoj Zizek and Todd McGowan) can be found in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). After Marion (Janet Leigh) has been murdered by "mother" in the shower, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) cleans up the mess. Notice how long it takes for Norman to clean the bathroom. This is important because Hitchcock is a laying a trap for our encounter with the gaze.

After Norman cleans the bathroom, he place Marion's body in the trunk of her car and drives out to the swamp near his motel. Norman pushes Marion's car into the swamp. Norman anxiously watches the car as it begins to sink. Suddenly, for a brief moment the car stop sinking. I always ask my students what their reaction was when the car stops sinking. Their response: they want the car to sink. How does this happen? Why are we suddenly complicit in Norman's cover up of the murder?

This is the moment when we encounter the gaze. The gaze demonstrates your unconscious desire at work in the film. This is why film form is so important to understand in studying the gaze in cinema. In my book Cinema of Confinement, I explain how directors set up these types of cinematic moments such as the swamp scene in Psycho. They are designed so that we encounter the shocking impact of the gaze.

An example I use is the final sequence in Alien (1979) when Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) learns that the alien sneaked aboard the escape shuttle. The way in which director Ridley Scott films this scene sets up the viewer for an encounter with the gaze--namely, when Ripley shockingly discovers the alien. We think Ripley has defeated the alien, which is emphasized when she says: "I got you, you son of a bitch." Even the soothing musical score suggests that Ripley is safe. But as we know, she is far from safe. Alien's final scene is so scary because of the way Scott lays a trap for us to encounter the gaze. This is why it is important that Hitchcock show us all the details of Norman cleaning up the murder in Psycho. He is a laying a trap for the gaze: when the car stops sinking in the swamp. That's when we all go "Oh shit!" You're now siding with Norman's cover up of Marion's death.

What does the gaze tells about how we watch movies? First, it demonstrates how our unconscious desire is at work when we watch a movie. And we can locate the activity of desire through cinematic form. Second, you must be invested to look in the movie, otherwise you are less likely to encounter the emotional impact of the gaze. Lacan's example of Hans Holbein's painting The Ambassadors explains this point.

As you observed the painting, you see the riches that surround the men. But when looking  toward the bottom of the painting, there is a stain. When looking awry, you see that the stain is a skull that looks back at you.

 

The skull reveals your spectatorship. This is why you have to be invested in looking at the painting in order to discover the skull. When we encounter the skull, it takes our desire into consideration. Likewise, when Marion's car stops sinking in the swamp in Psycho, we have a visceral reaction, demonstrating that we are complicit in Norman covering up the murder. It illustrates how our desire is at work in the film.  

The gaze is the moment when our seeing falls apart. It is the point where the viewer's vision breaks down. Yet it is these moments in cinema, such as Ripley seeing the alien aboard the ship and Marion's car that temporarily stop sinking in the swamp, that draws us to the movies.

 

References:

Todd McGowan,  Psychoanalytic Film Theory and the Rules of the Game (New York: Bloomsbury, 2015).

Slavoj Zizek, "In his Bold Gaze"  in Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Lacan. . . .  But Were Afraid to Ask Hitchcock, ed. Slavoj Žižek (London: Verso, 1992). 

The Aging Movie Star in the Horror and Sci-Fi Genres

A recurring theme of the horror/sci-fi film genre is the figure of the old and wise character who is often performed by the aging star actor. This character is typically a doctor or scientist, and holds knowledge of the monster, alien, and/or of character's superpowers. These characters are often highly educated, speak very intelligently, dress professionally, and have a calming presence for spectators. They often arrive in the narrative with pivotal information that motivates and drives the plot forward.
 
Consider the movie Them! (1954) one of the first atomic-age monster films, which casts aging star Edmund Gwenn as Doctor Harold Medford, an entomologist, who discovers that the mutant ants are powerless without their antennae. Even though the scientific discourse in the film seems be a bit obvious, the knowledge of the mutant has to pass through Medford as the figure of knowledge to legitimatize it's narrative exposition.

In the 1970s and 1980s, there seemed to be a plethora of horror/sci-fi films with the aging star as the figure of knowledge and reason. For example, John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) starred Donald Pleasence as Dr. Samuel Loomis, Michael Myers' psychiatrist. It is Dr. Loomis who knows Michael's condition and intentions that he will kill his sister and believes he is the only one knows how to stop him.

 

In Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980), it is the Overlook Hotel's chef, Dick Hallorann (played by Scatman Crothers), who discloses to Danny's that they both have the gift of "shining," the power to telepathically read each others thoughts as well as seeing premonitions. In this case, Hallorann is not a scientist or doctor, but the figure who has a direct pipeline to the Overlook hotel's past. 

 

In David Cronenberg's The Dead Zone (1983), Herbert Lom plays neurologist Dr. Sam Weizak as the figure of the older erudite man who provides knowledge to viewers about Johnny Smith's (Christopher Walken) power of seeing a person's future through physical contact. 

As a side note: The Dead Zone has a fantastic and creepy opening credit sequence where the lettering of the title's typography slowly appears on the screen over images of the town of Castle Rock, Maine. Here the title sequence emphasize the letters' negative space, which reflects the concept of "the dead zone," a void in the future that Johnny cannot predict-such as the ending of the film. 
 
We also find the casting of the aging actor as the conveyer of knowledge in fantasy/science fiction films. Most famous is the casting of Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi in Star Wars (1977). Ben plays the figure of the aging Jedi Knight who explains to young Luke about Darth Vader and the Clone Wars.

Even the political sci-fi thriller Children of Men (2006) casts Michael Caine as an aging hippie cartoonist, Jasper Palmer.  Palmer as the conveyer of knowledge and comic relief helps propose the plan for Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) and Theo Faron's (Clive Barker) escape.

As such, the icon of the aging star plays an important function in the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror genres as the communicator of knowledge, wisdom and reason.

The role of the aging star actor also raises the question of science fiction and horror films as occupying a B-film status. Certainly many sci-fi, superhero and horror films are produced with high quality, especially given the power of today's special effects. And many of these fables and story worlds are well written, and inform us about our own experiences of everyday life on planet earth.

But given that the overall body of work of these older actors is not often associated with fantasy and horror films suggests how the presence of an aging star can help legitimize a film's exploration of topics such as mutant bugs, telepathy, monsters, and other forces beyond the everyday world.