Watched and Read - November 30, 2025

Here’s what I watched and read last week…

 

MOVIES

Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood (2022) is an animated film that takes place in 1969, not long before Apollo 11 lands on the moon. The story is told through the eyes of Stanley, a fourth grader living in the Houston suburbs. What I loved about the film are the small details Linklater captures from the era—food, TV shows, board games, pop music, and more. Linklater’s emphasis on the everyday is never boring; I found myself completely absorbed by the film.

Sangre Del Toro (2025) is a documentary about filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and his love of horror. I’ve heard del Toro speak many times on horror and the Gothic—especially in his video on Bleak House—but this is by far the most in-depth exploration of his passion for the genre.

Big Eyes (2014) tells the true story of Margaret Keane, an artist known for her paintings of figures with oversized eyes. It’s a low budgeted film directed by Tim Burton, and Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz deliver excellent performances—I’m surprised they weren’t nominated for Academy Awards. The costumes and sets are outstanding. The court sequence is a bit over the top, but overall I really enjoyed watching Burton’s film.

Marvin’s Room (1996) is a powerhouse of actors, starring Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert De Niro. It’s a strong story with excellent performances, particularly from DiCaprio, who would go on to become a global star later in the 1990s.

Quadrophenia (1979) is based on The Who’s 1973 rock opera and follows Jimmy, a Mod living in 1960s England. Whereas Ken Russell’s Tommy (1975) uses surrealist imagery to capture The Who’s first rock opera, Quadrophenia emphasizes realism and working-class grit. Phil Daniels convincingly embodies Jimmy’s schizophrenia, and it was cool to see a young Sting play the Ace Face. An excellent film from one of my all-time favorite bands.

Eddington (2025). Ari Aster’s new film is kind of a mess. There are some funny moments, and I always love seeing Joaquin Phoenix on screen, but it felt like I was watching two different films. The mix of graphic violence and comedy didn’t work for me. And, like Beau Is Afraid, the movie went on too long.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012). I watched the Criterion edition, which looks amazing. There are some great extras, including a making-of feature. Moonrise, along with The Grand Budapest Hotel, represents Wes Anderson at his best.

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TV

I finished the first and second seasons of Slow Horses. Both seasons were exciting. I love the labyrinthine storytelling, with all its twists and turns. The characters from Slough House are complex and interesting, especially Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman). I’m looking forward to season 3.

Watching season 5 of Stranger Things took me a little time to settle into the story, especially while trying to ignore how much older the characters have gotten. But I’m really enjoying it. It definitely feels like the show is moving toward its endgame. I love the crosscutting between the different storylines—it’s such an engaging series. I just wish they hadn’t broken the season into parts.

Welcome to Derry has a Stranger Things vibe but is much darker. They just introduced an element from Doctor Sleep connected to Dick Hallorann’s character, which I won’t spoil. There are only three episodes left, and I’m curious to see how it will all come together.

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BOOKS

King Sorrow is Joe Hill’s latest novel and might be one of his best. If you haven’t read it, I won’t say much about the plot, but there’s definitely a dragon involved—something the cover makes clear. The novel is epic in both scope and storytelling, blending fantasy and horror with medieval scholarship. There’s plenty of humor, but it’s never snarky, and I love all the references to popular culture. I’ve read most of Hill’s work and think he’s one of the best descriptive writers out there. Don’t be intimidated by the novel’s length—it’s never boring.

 

 

Watched and Read - November 23, 2025

 

Here’s what I watched and read last week…

MOVIES

It’s Impossible to Plow by Reading Books (1988) is Richard Linklater’s first film, which he shot on 8mm. It follows a year in Linklater’s life, involving travel to visit a friend, riding trains, preparing dinner, watching television, and more. The film grew on me as I found myself curious about what he would do next. It’s a film you have to lean into and let its language draw you in. Plow’s slow pace and spontaneity contain the seeds of Slacker (1991), the film that would launch Linklater’s career.

Days of Heaven (1978) is another beautiful and haunting film by Terence Malick. The cinematography is stunning—one of those films you could watch with the sound off and still be mesmerized by the images alone. It’s hard to believe Malick didn’t make another film until The Thin Red Line, nearly 20 years later.

Frenzy (1972). I watched it again for research, as the film provides the conclusion of my manuscript on Alfred Hitchcock. Although there is much to appreciate about Hitchcock’s final film, Family Plot, Frenzy is truly his last great work—some even call it his final masterpiece. My research focuses on the expression of horror and the Gothic in his films. My book proposal is almost ready, and I’ll be sharing updates as the process unfolds. It’s been an amazing journey writing about Hitch.

 

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TV

Slow Horses is an exciting series with some great twists. Gary Oldman’s performance is outstanding, and I love Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner. I’m looking forward to watching more episodes.

Welcome to Derry: Episode four was probably the least action-packed of the episodes so far this season, but it served an important purpose in bringing us closer to Pennywise and setting up the stakes for the rest of the season, especially for Charlotte (Taylour Paige), who is turning out to be a great character. Lastly, that eye-horror scene was gruesome. Eek!

I watched the fourth episode of Pluribus and I’m getting the same feelings I had when I first watched Breaking Bad. Gilligan does such a great job sustaining my curiosity and building anticipation about what’s going to happen next to Carol (Rhea Seehorn). Just like with Breaking Bad, I wish I didn’t have to wait each week for the next episode.

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BOOKS

The Subject of Torture by Hilary Neroni. A great read, especially for those interested in psychoanalytic theory and media. Her writing is highly accessible and supported by strong examples. See my post.

The Subject of Torture - Book Review

 

Hilary Neroni’s book explores depictions of torture in popular media. The introduction begins by contrasting biopower with the psychoanalytic notion of the desiring subject. Biopolitics focuses on the body, such as Giorgio Agamben notion of bare life, where truth is located in the body itself. In contrast, psychoanalysis emphasizes the divided subject and unconscious desire, where truth resides in desire and must be read and interpreted.  

 

According to Neroni, this is what shows such as Alias tap into. Instead of relying on the torture of bodies to extract truth, as in 24 with Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), Alias draws out the subject’s unconscious desire through Sydney’s (Jennifer Garner) staged fictions and performed identities. By doing so, Sydney can read and interpret the subject’s desire to uncover the truth, rather than depending on bodily torture.

 

Neroni’s book is a great read, especially for those interested in psychoanalytic theory and media. Her writing is highly accessible and supported by strong examples. I highly recommend it.

 

 

Watched and Read - November 16, 2025

 Here's what I watched and read last week:

MOVIES

A Better Tomorrow 2 (1987) is another high-octane action film from John Woo. It’s not as good as the first movie, but I still enjoyed it. I especially loved Woo’s depiction of Americans in the New York sequence—so over the top! I couldn’t stop laughing.

The Blue Gardenia (1953) is part of Criterion’s “blackout” noir theme. I read online that it’s one of Fritz Lang’s “newspaper noirs,” and I really enjoyed it. There’s a good twist at the end, and Anne Baxter gives a great performance.

Guilty Bystander (1950) was the last film I watched from Criterion’s “blackout” noir theme. I didn’t really connect with it, but I thought the subway sequence was very well done.

Badlands (1973) is a haunting and poetic film by Terrence Malick. The juxtaposition of Kit’s (Martin Sheen) violent killing spree with the sprawling Midwest landscape is deeply unsettling. Malick’s first film is one of his best.

Nouvelle Vague (2025) is an excellent and fun new film by Richard Linklater that wonderfully and beautifully recreates Jean-Luc Godard’s making of Breathless (1960). The French New Wave is one of the most significant movements in the history of cinema, and I thought Linklater did a wonderful job capturing the spirit and spontaneity of these filmmakers.

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TV

We finished Death by Lightning. This was such an awesome series with great performances. I enjoyed learning about Garfield and what led to his assassination.

Welcome to Derry, episode 3. The series keeps getting better with each episode. The writers are doing a great job working from King’s book while creating new and very interesting stories. It also has a great ensemble cast. I particularly enjoyed Rose and Francis’s relationship.

I love Vince Gilligan’s new series Pluribus. The tone and style are very similar to Breaking Bad, but it’s science fiction. It definitely gave me an Invasion of the Body Snatchers vibe, but with humor. Rhea Seehorn gives an outstanding performance.

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BOOKS

I am currently rereading Hilary Neroni’s book The Subject of Torture. It’s great revisiting it, and it offers some excellent insights into the fantasy of torture in media. I’ll write and post a review once I’m finished.

I halfway through Joe Hill’s book King Sorrow and loving it. This might be his best book yet.

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ME NEWS

My new book, Last Stand, is now available for purchase. It is the third and final book in the Zworsky’s Children series.

Watched and Read - November 9, 2025

 

Here’s what I watched and read last week:

MOVIES

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) centers on Bruce Springsteen as he writes the songs that would eventually become the albums Nebraska and Born in the U.S.A. Even if you’re not a Springsteen fan, this is a must-see for musicians. Scott Cooper creates a moody atmosphere that mirrors the dissonant, echoing sound Springsteen captured on the cassette recordings of his songs. I also loved the detail that the cassette had no case—it perfectly reflects the raw realism Springsteen was striving for in these sessions. Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong both deserve award nominations for their performances. An excellent film.

Frankenstein (2025) is an outstanding film by Guillermo del Toro. I’d rank it right alongside The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth. The film has a richly Gothic atmosphere and beautifully written dialogue. Every performance is excellent—especially Jacob Elordi, who delivers a haunting portrayal of the “monster.”

 

 

Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost (2025) is an intimate documentary about Ben Stiller’s parents. I didn’t realize they were such a prominent comedy duo during the early days of television. I also enjoyed learning about Ben Stiller’s childhood with famous parents, though it was sad hearing him talk about his own marital struggles, some of which mirrored those of his parents.

Who Killed the Montreal Expos (2025) brought back a lot of memories for me. I was living in Burlington, Vermont, and could watch the Expos on TV before they moved to D.C. to become the Nationals. I remember how sad it was to see such low attendance at the stadium, unless the Red Sox were playing. I think the documentary would have benefited from telling the story chronologically rather than jumping around, but overall, I really enjoyed it.

Superman (2025) features some great secondary characters, especially Mister Terrific, Green Lantern, and Krypto the dog. James Gunn’s strength has always been portraying misfits, as seen in Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, which is why I found his take on Superman less engaging. He also relied on Krypto a bit too often to get Superman out of tough situations. However, I thought Techmacher’s secret relationship with Jimmy Olsen was hilarious.

Black Angel (1946). The Criterion Channel is curating a series of noir films centered on the theme of “blackout.” This one has a strong setup and a great twist at the end. I always love seeing Peter Lorre. The story is adapted from a novel by Cornell Woolrich, who also wrote the short story “It Had to Be Murder,” which Rear Window was based on.

Framed (1947). This film is another entry in Criterion’s “blackout” noir series. Mike Lambert (Glenn Ford) is a drifter and heavy drinker who winds up in a small town looking for work, only to get caught up in femme fatale Paula Craig’s (Janis Carter) scheme involving a banker who has embezzled two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I always enjoy watching Ford. Framed doesn’t quite measure up to Gilda, The Big Heat, or Human Desire, which starred Ford, but it’s still worth checking out.

Blackout (1954) is another entry in Criterion’s “blackout” noir series. I didn’t really connect with this one, but it was interesting to learn that it was made by Hammer Productions, best known for its classic horror films.

Deadline at Dawn (1946) is the fourth film I’ve watched from Criterion’s “blackout” noir series. It’s not a bad movie and has a solid twist at the end. The dialogue, written by Clifford Odets, is sharp, and I liked that the story unfolds entirely over the course of one night.

 

 

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TV

Death by Lighting (2025). I’m really enjoying this series. Michael Shannon is great, but I am still adjusting to Matthew Macfayden as Charles Guiteau who plays the role with intense mania. I hate to admit this, but I know little about James Garfield, only that he was assassinated shortly into his presidency. So, I’m finding this series fascinating, and its making me want to learn more about him, which I think is a mark of a good historical drama.

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BOOKS

Tales from the Crypt Vol. 2: Another great volume of EC horror comics from the 1950s. It was a lot of fun to read during the Halloween season.

I am currently reading Joe Hill’s King Sorrow, which I am thoroughly enjoying. It’s a long book, and I probably won’t finish it until December, but it’s very engaging.

 

Watched and Read - November 2, 2025

 

Here’s what I watched and read last week….

MOVIES

Weapons (2025) is an excellent film that challenged my formal expectations. I was surprised by Zach Cregger’s non-linear approach to storytelling, and I didn’t expect such a strong blend of humor and disturbing horror. Having done extensive research on Alfred Hitchcock—who often inserted jokes into his films—I’ve learned that movies combining humor and horror tend to create an uncertain spectatorship, preventing viewers from finding a secure foothold. I certainly found this to be the case with Weapons. It’s definitely one of the best films I’ve seen this year.

Les Diaboliques (1955), directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, is a significant film in the horror genre. Hitchcock screened it several times while making Vertigo, which was based on a novel by the same authors who wrote Les Diaboliques. The Criterion Channel has an excellent video about it. I won’t say much about the film itself—it’s best experienced without spoilers—but I highly recommend it. I also suggest Clouzot’s other masterpiece, The Wages of Fear (1953), which inspired William Friedkin’s Sorcerer (another masterpiece).

The Shining (1980) is the film that inspired me to study cinema. I watch it every year during Halloween. Earlier this year, I read TASCHEN’s book on the making of the film, which I highly recommend. I also wrote a chapter about The Shining as an example of “confinement cinema” in my own book.

Napoleon Dynamite (2004) is a hilarious indie comedy. I love its offbeat humor, and the relationships between the characters work wonderfully. And, of course, Napoleon’s dance to Jamiroquai is an absolute classic. “Tina, eat your food!”

A House of Dynamite (2025) is an intense film. I love the way Bigelow structured the story. The performances are excellent, especially those by Idris Elba and Jared Harris. The film invites us to consider a powerful question: if you were in the President’s position—knowing a missile was heading toward one of our major cities and could wipe out millions of people—what would you do?

 

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TV

Mr. Scorsese (2025) is an excellent documentary about one of our greatest filmmakers. I was surprised by how much I learned, especially about his struggles during the late 1970s and into the 1980s, when the power of the auteur was being crushed by the major studios. My only complaint is that I wish there were more episodes!

It: Welcome to Derry (2025). I’ve watched the first two episodes and thought they were very good. The series looks and feels very much like the It movies that Muschietti directed, and it features some impressive special effects. Having read the novel, I’m curious to see how the show incorporates the backstories King wrote. I think the ending of episode two alluded to one of those stories. So far, I’m really enjoying it.

Dept. Q (2025). The first season had lots of great twists. Carl, Rose, Akram, and James work really well as a team, though at times it was a bit hard to keep track of everything—especially with no recaps at the start of each episode. Still, I’m definitely looking forward to the next season.

Sticks (2025). I watched the first episode and thought it was okay. There wasn’t anything particularly surprising about it, but I really enjoyed seeing Owen Wilson and Marc Maron together.

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966). We watch it every year on Halloween. I love the expressionistic animation—it really captures the fall vibes. The jazz score by Vince Guaraldi is also amazing. Truly a classic.

 

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BOOKS

These are the books I finished this week. Some I had been reading over the past few weeks.

Universality and Identity Politics by Todd McGowan. McGowan’s central claim is that what binds us all together in the social order is that we all don’t belong. In other words, he identifies non-belonging as the site of the universal. McGowan makes a strong case that we should not abandon the universal, because it is also the site of our freedom. The concept is challenging, as we can never fully reach the universal—only strive toward it. The key, he suggests, is to detach from particularity or identity politics. Throughout the book, McGowan supports his argument with numerous examples from history and cinema.

The Bewitching by Silvia Garcia-Moreno is the third book I’ve read by her. I loved Mexican Gothic and The Daughter of Dr. Moreau, and I really enjoyed this new book, which centers on witches and sorcerers. I particularly appreciated the way the story is structured—it made the book very engaging.

Anxiety (Seminar X) by Jacques Lacan. It goes without saying that Lacan is notoriously difficult to read, but this seminar was a little bit easier to digest than his others. In it, he introduces a fundamental concept: objet a (the object cause of desire). The objet a creates lack for the subject when one enters the symbolic order. It is what prevents the subject from ever being fully identical with oneself, producing what Lacan calls the split subject. One of Lacan’s central claims is that anxiety arises from the “lack of lack.” If you want to explore objet a further, I discuss it in more detail on my blog. For beginners, I highly recommend Todd McGowan’s introductory book on Lacan or Slavoj Žižek’s Looking Awry.

 

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!