locking in on my watchlist

media musings issue no. 5 - art i consumed may 2026

You know when you just lock in on your watchlist like it’s your job? That was me the month of May. Armed with a library card and streaming subscriptions, I powered through and discovered some fun stuff. And some not so fun stuff. There were cultural darlings like Eve’s Bayou and Before Sunrise, and infuriating messes like The Bride! and Euphoria’s final season. Speaking of, the horrors of marriage continued to be a theme this month with Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. I finally crawled out of my cave for a screening of Obsession, and I was obsessed. I also got a few books in this month, for better and for worse. Let’s dive in.

television

PONIES (2026)

A crime thriller set in 1970’s Moscow starring Haley Lu Richardson and Emilia Clarke as two inexperienced undercover CIA agents? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP. PONIES (aka ‘Persons Of No Interest’) follows Bea (Clarke) and Twila (Richardson), two bored housewives of undercover CIA agents living at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in 1977. The pair are brought together when their husbands die under mysterious circumstances during a mission. The women know the CIA is hiding something about their husbands’ deaths, so in order to stay in Moscow and find out the truth, they convince Dane Walter, chief of operations, to hire them as agents because, as women in 1977, their KGB enemies would never suspect the two of them to be undercover.

Richardson and Clarke have insane chemistry. Twila is this outspoken, rule-breaking, fearless woman, while Bea is ambitious yet naive and afraid. Their opposing personalities attract each other, each one pushing the other in ways they didn’t expect, yet desperately need. Twila’s fearlessness and quick thinking not only helps them during missions, it pushes Bea to go after what she wants. Bea, a kind and empathetic listener who also feels like she doesn’t fit in with the other housewives at the Embassy, is the first friend Twila can really lean on and be honest with. Both are grappling with insecurities and hidden troubles, and as they dig themselves deeper into the intricate, dangerous world of the KGB, their confidence and friendship grows. Not without struggle and juicy drama, of course! Both actresses are great, but Richardson particularly disappears into this role, it’s like no other character I’ve seen from her.

Twila and Bea’s relationship is definitely the strongest part of the show, and it’s what kept me watching, but the twists and turns were pretty good, too. There are some truly shocking plot twists that reveal character backstories and motivations in such interesting ways. By the end of it, I was heavily invested in every character. And it’s the 70s, so of course the fashion and set design are to die for! Twila, with her long curly locks, colored sunglasses, and go-go boots just screams “I’M AMERICAN!” in the middle of Moscow’s cold, grey environment, and that’s played for laughs a few times. Did I mention the show is really funny? Amidst all of the action and drama, these two deliver the laughs constantly. This entire show is just so charming and cozy, even while having you on the edge of your seat. Season 1 ends on a cliffhanger so I hope it gets renewed!

[spoilers]

Vasiliev was so unnerving, he made a great villain. I didn’t know what he was going to do from one moment to the next, and the danger Bea was in whenever she was around him felt so palpable. I loved what they did with Bea’s marriage, how they portrayed it from her point of view as this loving, honest partnership, and then slowly reveal the cracks in it over time. She wanted to believe her husband was a good guy, but the truth is that to be a successful CIA agent, you can’t be good, and this contrasts so well with Twila, who has a more grounded view on the matter and went into her marriage knowing that her husband wasn’t great, but it was an opportunity for her to get out from her shitty home life. Looking back, I should have seen Cheryl coming the whole time. It makes sense they would apply the “you never suspect the woman” trope to the big twist. Maybe a little predictable when all’s said and done, but still satisfying!

The ‘Burbs (2026)

I love seeing Keke Palmer on my television again. True Jackson forever! The ‘Burbs follows Samira (Palmer) and her husband Rob (Jack Whitehall) after they leave the city to move to Rob’s childhood home in Hinkley Hills for a chance at raising their newborn son in a safer, quieter environment. Across the street from them is a dilapidated Victorian mansion where Rob’s childhood friend, Alison, lived… until she mysteriously disappeared twenty years ago. When a creepy new neighbor buys the house, Samira believes he has something to do with Alison’s disappearance and is determined to find out the mystery with her fellow neighbors.

A series based on a cult classic usually doesn’t go well, but after having seen the original film, I can say the series successfully crafts something of its own that is just as watchable. Keke Palmer is definitely the strongest of the cast, but every character is lovable by the end and everyone gives great performances. The central themes of isolation, boredom, and paranoia are all present here just as they are in the film, but they’re explored more fully. Starting with Samira, her isolation stems from being the only Black person in a sea of rich white people, and she’s stuck at home all day caring for her son and dealing with postpartum. Without the structure of her job as a lawyer, Samira has nothing to do. While she’s suspicious of the new neighbor from the start, after he calls the cops on her when she was just taking brownies to his doorstep, she has extra reason to believe the new neighbor is a bad man.

Every neighbor on the block has a secret that makes them look suspicious to others, even their own friends. As the neighbors grow closer to solving the mystery, their layers are pulled back, revealing that suburbia is never as perfect as it seems. The season’s final episode brings this theme to the forefront as the group uncovers a conspiracy that represents the idea that it takes dirty work to make suburbia beautiful. Hinkley Hills, dubbed “the safest town in America” has just as much danger as any other city, it’s just buried under beautiful flowerbeds and HOA regulations. If you’re looking for a black comedy with a mystery to keep you intrigued, ‘The Burbs is a great choice. Sometimes the jokes don’t land, sometimes the writing is a bit on the nose, and it takes a few episodes for the show to really find its groove, but by the end of it, you’ll love all the characters and will be on the edge of your seat.

The Miniature Wife (2026)

Elizabeth Banks and Matthew McFayden give outstanding performances as the most insufferable married couple you’ll see all year. Lindy and Les Littlejohn are in marriage counseling, and each day is a toss up over if they’ll make it or not. Lindy, a celebrity author who wrote a Pulitzer-winning novel twenty years ago, is tired of living in St. Louis and playing second fiddle to Les, a brilliant scientist who is on the verge of a breakthrough that could solve world hunger by miniaturizing crops to scale up agricultural production exponentially. Lindy has spent the last two decades waiting for Les to finish his work so they can move back to New York and it can be “her turn” to be supported again. One night, Les brings the miniaturization device home with him and when he and Lindy have another fight, he “accidentally” shrinks her to 6 inches tall and doesn’t yet have the formula to change her back.

What follows is a comedy-drama about the couple navigating the power imbalances in their relationship, their egos, insecurities, and childhood experiences that shaped them into the people and partners they are today. This series only works as well as it does because of Banks and McFayden, who are acting their asses off. The Littlejohns are not particularly likable people, but they play them well enough that it’s still entertaining. They have one daughter, Lulu, who is even worse than they are (not on purpose). I feel bad for the actress portraying her because she does great with what she’s given, it’s just that Lulu is such an insufferable character that by the end of the series I would get pissed off every time she showed up. The series doesn’t explore its themes and characters as deeply as it could have. A lot of time is taken up by the subplot that is used to up the stakes: Les’s newest investor has given him a 30-day deadline to finish the formula, or else Les will lose the tech (and thus the ability to restore Lindy to her natural size). At 10 episodes, I think it could have worked in 8 or even 6.

It’s still a fun ride, however, I’m not sure about the ending. With such a literal take about a husband making his wife feel small, I think Lindy forgives him too easily. Especially considering there’s more than one instance where Les puts Lindy and others in serious danger and it’s played off as him “just kidding” or “he didn’t mean any real harm.” I’m not sure Les’s big gesture at the end is enough to save their relationship. (Spoiler alert I guess, but come on, were you expecting to watch a show like this and the couple stays apart? That never happens). Overall, it was very entertaining, but I can’t say it was particularly moving. But I am laughing my ass off at the name they chose for the husband. Les Littlejohn? As in les little john? As in “the little dick”? Hilarious.

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen (2026)

Camila Morrone and Adam DiMarco star in this horror series as Rachel and Nicky, an engaged couple who will say “I do” in just 5 days at Nicky’s family’s secluded home in the snowy woods. This is Rachel’s first time meeting Nicky’s family, and they’re all weird and off-putting, adding to Rachel’s enduring gut feeling that she doesn’t belong. Weird family members, old secrets, and paranoia test the couple’s relationship as the big day looms closer. The opening scene tells you it will end in a bloodbath, and the dread/suspense/fun comes from slowly unraveling how.

I can’t talk much about this show without giving spoilers but it’s genuinely like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s far from perfect—the plot kind of gets repetitive and it could have been a solid 4 or 6 episodes instead of 8—but it’s a fresh take on the concept of marriage, love, fate, fear of commitment, and soulmates that delivers on the dread, suspense, and horror. I am not one to get scared, and maybe it’s my own jitters about getting married one day playing a part, but the dread I felt while watching this was palpable. The horror is very character-driven as well, so there’s no cheap scares. The snowy, isolated setting makes an intensely creepy atmosphere and the score is chilling. The song selection is excellent and I really liked everyone’s performances, particularly Morrone, who also just looked gorgeous and I need all of the clothes she wore in this STAT!

[spoilers]

Maybe I’m dumb but the curse seemed very convoluted. I couldn’t keep track of how it worked and I swear Rachel explained it like 8 separate times. This is where I think the show could have benefitted from a shorter runtime because once the plot twist with the curse is revealed, it meanders a bit. But other than that, it’s pretty solid! I saw some comments from people asking what was the point of the fox in the bathroom, the dogs, the Barbie shoe, the baby in the car, etc. and I think it was red herrings, not to make us believe those things are connected to something bad happening, but to show how Rachel, who is a very anxious person, views these things as omens. The whole series hinges on the concept of fate versus coincidence, something that many people (especially those with anxiety and OCD) struggle to contend with. I thought it was a perfect setup to show those really intense pre-wedding nerves.

Obviously a Netflix horror show needs to deliver a bloody ending, so we knew things weren’t going to go well. But I was pleasantly surprised at how well the ending fit thematically. The curse said you would be killed if you didn’t believe your partner was your soulmate. Seeing all of the Cunningham family members fall to their bloody deaths was horrifying because it makes you realize none of them really thought they were with the right person. A lesser script would have made the whole soulmates thing literal, but the inclusion of “believe” is the whole point! Very smartly done. It’s why I love Julian and Nell’s relationship. They were the only couple who were completely honest with each other. Their relationship wasn’t a performance for themselves or others. Even though they were going through a divorce, Julian still believed Nell was his soulmate, and thus survived. Hopefully they’ll find their way back to each other (and warn their son Jude to never get engaged!). It also makes me wonder about the women from Rachel’s bloodline who had to marry for survival. How many of them knew they were marrying the wrong man but had no other options? They were doomed from the start, creating an interesting commentary on marriage’s patriarchal roots. Rachel’s mother even warns her about the curse in the videotape, reminiscent of mothers who tell their daughters to learn from their mistakes and not choose the wrong man.

Euphoria (season 3)

using this image instead of that fuckass season 3 poster….and because… Rue :(

Every week that I sat down for Euphoria, I found myself asking, “Remember when this show was about what happens when teenagers don’t have adequate access to mental health support?” The show was never perfect by any means but oh, how far we have fallen from season one. We know Sam Levinson is a hack who somehow got HBO to give him a buttload of money to do whatever he wants when he should really stick to directing other people’s scripts… but even Zendaya’s magnificent performance as Rue almost wasn’t enough to keep me around. I did stick around though, if only to see Rue and Maddy out.

Sam, why can’t you imagine anything for women other than sex work, trauma, and death? This exercise in Quentin Tarantino dick sucking was a beautifully shot, derivative, messy, nothing burger of a season. Quoting the Bible and using heavy-handed symbolism does not make your script deep or profound, Sam. You can explain your intentions all you want but that doesn’t negate the abysmal execution. Tell me, Sam, why we didn’t get a funeral for Rue but we got several up-close tracking shots of Kitty’s BBL? I know, it’s my own fault for expecting better of you. It’s still frustrating nonetheless, because the potential was always there. I hope Labrinth’s new album haunts you. I hope Zendaya deletes your number.

films

To Die For (1995)

Nicole Kidman plays Suzanne Stone, a bombshell blonde who will do whatever it takes to be a world-famous news anchor. Too bad her husband is in the way! When she recruits a group of teens (one of whom is in love with her) to help murder him, things go south, and it becomes the story of the decade. It’s not a perfect film, but the premise is interesting and the execution is daring and creative, using mockumentary framing devices to shake things up. Suzanne (should I mention that is my cat’s name?) is a fascinating character in no small part because of how Kidman plays her. She’s ambitious, conniving, manipulative, and deceitful, with an added lack of self awareness about her actual talent and how the public perceives her. Joaquin Phoenix plays the infatuated teen who murders for her, and for a film that came out in 1995, his performance and the script actually do a fantastic job at showing the mental and emotional turmoil of a teen boy in his situation. It’s a fun, slightly campy look at the lengths we’ll go to to be loved, whether it’s by an adoring public or the object of our affections. The set design and costumes are stunning as well!

The ‘Burbs (1989)

Tom Hanks plays Ray, your average family man with a wife and son in a white picket fence cul-de-sac somewhere in America. Instead of going on vacation during his week off work, Ray decides to stick around the house. He begins to notice the strange behavior of his new neighbors, a family that just moved into a crumbling Victorian mansion. After a fellow neighbor goes missing, Ray and his other neighbors believe the strange family has something to do with it, and team up to break into their house and see what they can find. This was such a weird comedy that wouldn’t be made today (yes, there is the reboot television show, but I’m talking if it were an original idea in the year 2026). Tom Hanks delivers 110%, no surprise there. That man can do anything. He and his castmates are perfectly in tune to the comical bits while still being grounded enough to make you believe these people actually exist. Because they do. We all have stories about nosey, paranoid neighbors who volunteer as unofficial members of the surveillance state because they have nothing better to do. The monotony of suburbia that can drive any man insane, and the twist ending that comments on the sick part of us that wants the satisfaction of seeing our morbid fascinations actually turn out true.

Mystic Pizza (1988)

Three best friends (two of them sisters) work at their local pizza joint, Mystic Pizza, in the small seaside town of Mystic, Connecticut. They navigate love, heartbreak, financial struggles, and their futures, with one calling off her wedding, one headed for college, and one dating a WASPY rich guy. Julia Roberts had no right to act so good in this movie. Everyone does a great job, but wow, she really was a star from the beginning. The movie is fine. It’s a little coming-of-age, slice of life drama with some funny bits. It’s charming and heartwarming thanks to the three main characters, but it’s frustratingly empty and melodramatic at times. None of the male love interests are anything special, and in fact, do more to piss me off than get me on their side. Oh, and we’re supposed to believe the Anglo-Saxon cast are Portuguese-Americans.

Before Sunrise (1995)

Two strangers in their twenties have a chance meeting on a train bound for Paris. After having a great conversation, they do the unthinkable: hop off in Vienna and spend one night together before one of them has to board their flight home to the U.S. in the morning, and the other has to be back in Paris. No staying in contact, no future meetups. Just one unforgettable night, and then out of sight forever. This movie was on my list for a while, and I was expecting great things from it judging by what I’d seen online. But oh my god, I had my entire view of love and relationships altered forever. What a beautiful, heartfelt masterpiece! A romance for the ages that only lasts one night!

Everything about this is warm, comforting, and inviting. The two leads have so much chemistry and it was a joy to watch them develop feelings for each other. And it felt real! A film like this could have easily felt contrived and farcical, but there wasn’t one single minute when I wasn’t enjoying just watching these two people have conversations about life, love, and relationships. It struck the perfect balance between allowing the viewer to live out their fantasy of following that hot stranger on the train while maintaining realism. It was so perfect that I almost don’t want to watch the sequel.

(Can I safely admit here that I went through this entire movie thinking the lead actress was Uma Thurman? IDK IDK IDK!! For some reason I had it in my head that Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke met on the set of this film and fell in love while filming and I pressed ‘play’ without bothering to read the cast’s names. The entire time I was looking at Julie Delpy thinking “wow, Uma Thurman looks so different here.” I also thought they were still together. They divorced in 2005. I feel dumb enough, don’t worry).

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)

Andy and Miranda are back, this time working together to save Runway from being gutted by the billionaire that wants to take over the publishing company. A valiant attempt to comment on the state of journalism and legacy media in 2026. Was it needed? No, but it was enjoyable. Mostly. The man they force Andy to be with has less flavor than stale bread, and he’s nothing more than the personification of a half-baked commentary on how the whole world is gutting beautiful things for money. The film feels like it has several small plots instead of one cohesive story. The fashion was… no comment. I like that Miranda wasn’t softened for the sake of political correctness. The running gag where her assistant, played by the beautiful Simone Ashley, has to routinely remind her to stop committing HR violations was funny and felt true to her character. I wanted to see Nigel’s whole speech so he could have his moment, but that was cut for some odd reason. Emily was a joy to watch as the film’s surprise antagonist. Overall, I loved what the film had to say about the talent and hard work it takes to work in this industry, that buying your way in doesn’t make you a visionary, and that you won’t get rid of legacy media that easily. A big budget film clowning on billionaires and AI will always get at least a 3-star rating from me!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Funny story, I accidentally started watching the 2009 Swedish version before I switched to the 2011 American version, and part of me wishes I had just stuck with the former. But I heard the David Fincher version was really good. It was fine. I will always laugh at English film adaptations casting British and American actors to play characters that are clearly still set in the original country the novel takes place in. Because why is Rooney Mara pulling off a Swedish accent but Daniel Craig is still British? Why not just make the setting and characters American or English, since we already have a faithful Swedish adaptation? Anyway.

The film trims the fat from the novel, but leaves certain characters feeling flat, Lisbeth in particular. Rooney Mara is doing her damn hardest to give Lisbeth any type of complexity and interiority. In the novel, Lisbeth and Blomkvist’s relationship evolved naturally, it was a healing moment for Lisbeth that taught her how to actually trust people, make a real friend, and fall in love. But the film just completely flattens this, even the scene where they first have sex is sudden and aggressive, and borders on sexual assault, nothing at all like in the novel. Speaking of, I know the novel had pretty graphic descriptions of Lisbeth’s rape, but the film is just as bad and doesn’t do anything to creatively work around straight up showing a scene of a woman being brutally assaulted. David Fincher is a great director, but I couldn’t help thinking about what a woman would have done. It’s like when director Mary Herron made American Psycho and made the story just as gorey and insane as the novel without resorting to exploitation. I think I will try the Swedish version eventually, but I don’t have it in me to go through all that again any time soon.

Marty Supreme (2025)

After getting over the ick that this film’s Oscars campaign gave me, I finally sat down to watch Timmy Tim in what is supposed to be his greatest role yet. He plays Marty, a Jewish NYC native whose ultimate dream is to be the world champion at table tennis, if only those around him would take the dream as seriously as he does. He’s arrogant, manipulative, and irresponsible, and the entire film is watching him get out of messes he gets himself into. It doesn’t have as much ass-clenching anxiety as Uncut Gems, but it’s a solid film. Odessa A’zion is great too. I loved her performance in Grand Army, so it’s nice seeing her get big roles.

The Bride! (2026)

I didn’t have super high hopes for The Bride! given that it was written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who completely butchered the screen adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s The Lost Daughter, but I was still intrigued. When the film opened with Jessie Buckley as Mary Shelley trapped in purgatory reciting a pretentious, nonsense mess of a monologue, I got a bad feeling. Then, when Mary Shelley’s spirit begins possessing Ida, a woman in 1930s Chicago also played by Jessie Buckley, who riffs back and forth between an American and British accent as the spirit of Shelley takes over her to “tell the rest of her story”, I genuinely began to question if I could sit through this. I did, but at what cost?

The basic premise is that Ida, a call girl for the Chicago Mob, dies after falling down the stairs and is resurrected by a doctor whose name I can’t be bothered to remember. The doctor resurrected Ida at the request of, you guessed it, Frankenstein’s monster, who just goes by “Frank.” When Ida wakes up, she has no memory of her previous life and is still experiencing fits of possession by Mary Shelley. Frank tells Ida they were married but killed in a car wreck and were revived. She believes him, obviously, and the two set off on a Bonnie and Clyde style adventure after Frank kills two men that tried to assault Ida (who is also currently named ‘Penelope’ by Frank). Ida, who through Mary Shelley (I think?) has knowledge of every man that has abused a woman, goes on a revenge killing spree with Frank, and ignites a feminist revolution. Two detectives, one of them a woman played by Penelope Cruz who has to pretend she’s the male detective’s secretary when around others, are on their tail. Frank and Ida are in love… until she finds out the truth. Eventually, the cops catch up with them, kill both of them, and then the doctor revives them, with the last shot of the film of them holding hands.

Now, I hear Maggie didn’t have final say in the cuts and reshoots were rushed. But that doesn’t excuse this piss poor script. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Because a good story IS there. It’s just buried underneath whatever fuckass shit she was attempting. I do applaud trying something daring and original, except it ends up being anything but. The feminism is severely dated, not to mention the fact that the film’s central message of female autonomy and consent is contradicted because Ida ends up with Frank, who sexually assaulted her via lying to her about being a married couple and then having sex with her. There’s too many ideas going on, none of them fleshed out well. This movie is basically the Barbie monologue’s freaky insufferable cousin. There’s a Jake Gyllenhaal jump scare. The most annoying white woman you know WILL make this her Halloween costume. I genuinely think I could write a better script for this but I don’t want Maggie suing my ass. I watched this movie for free but I am entitled to financial compensation.

Eve’s Bayou (1997)

Eve Batiste tells the story of the summer she was ten years old… when she killed her father. I don’t want to say any more than that because this film works so well when you go in completely blind. But I will say that it is a beautiful, haunting Southern Gothic film that is as warm and comforting as it is unsettling. Eve and her family are at the center of it all, their secrets permeating the air heavier than the muggy summer at their rural Louisiana manor. There’s a supernatural element at play too, adding to the drama and mystique without being hokey. The film feels like a hazy childhood memory, with some beautiful themes of coming-of-age, relationships between sisters, and Black girlhood. The score is excellent as well, haunting and dramatic at just the right moments, and there’s also some beautifully shot sequences, including one using a mirror in such a unique way that I have never seen before. The performances are great, but especially Jurnee Smollett as Eve. She gives Eve such powerful emotion and depth, but she also has plenty of scenes of Eve being a sassy little girl, striking this perfect balance of being a young girl going through a tough time but also still being just that: a young girl. I don’t even remember why this film was on my watchlist but I put it on and am so glad I did. It’s an instant classic and one I’ll be returning to every summer.

Hot Milk (2025)

If you’re a subscriber, you may know that Hot Milk by Deborah Levy sneakily became one of my favorite books. So when I saw it was made into a film, I was excited but apprehensive, because so much of the story relies on Sofia’s internal narration. And I was right. This film is empty and flat. Emma Mackey and Fiona Shaw give great performances as Sofia and Rose, but the dynamics of their complicated mother-daughter relationship don’t translate well. Sofia’s dalliance with Ingrid loses a lot of its chemistry and intensity, and the woman playing Ingrid is a fine actress but completely wrong for the part. Dr. Gomez, who is such a mysterious, confusing quack that it still keeps me up at night, is more sanitized in the film and utterly boring. Sofia’s time in Greece with her estranged father lasts like five minutes even though it’s a major part of the book. And speaking of, an integral part of Sofia’s complex identity issues stems from the fact that she resembles her Greek father, causing her to feel othered by her mother and other Anglo-Saxons back home in England… and they cast British-French actress Emma Mackey. At least it was pretty to look at.

Twisters (2024)

I saw the original Twister only once (RIP Bill Paxton) and I did not fall for the Glen Powell hype, so Twisters never interested me, even despite starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, whom I fairly like. But one day I was bored and decided to put it on just to have something new to watch. Cut to me, two hours later, on the edge of my seat and crying. The film follows Daisy’s character Kate, an Oklahoma weather science student trying to gain funding for her sodium polyacrylate invention that, if deployed in a tornado, should theoretically lower its intensity. This requires Kate and her fellow scientists to chase tornadoes so they can deploy the invention and gather enough data to present to boards for funding. An F5 tornado kills all of them except for Kate and Javi.

Five years later, Javi chases Kate down (no pun intended) for another opportunity, this time chasing tornadoes for one week to gather data for Javi’s new 3D tornado radar company. While back in Oklahoma, Kate meets Tyler Owens, aka “Tornado Wrangler”, who upon first glance seems like an arrogant, cocky YouTuber just chasing storms for fame, but actually uses his platform to help the people affected by the tornadoes he documents. Of course, Kate hates Tyler immediately, they have a flirty competitive streak while chasing storms, she gets to know the real Tyler, they bond, and Tyler helps Kate rediscover her passion for chasing and restart her attempts at getting her invention off the ground (literally).

It’s a thrilling, emotional ride full of wild set pieces and memorable characters. If you take away the disaster elements, at its core it’s a film about loss, grief, fear, and hope. Kate’s journey as a character was really compelling to my surprise, and by the end I even bought into her romance with Tyler. I cried, not because I thought any of them were going to die, but because their performances were so good that I honestly believed that they believed they were going to die. Of course there were some good death scenes, especially the climactic set piece in a local movie theater. At the end of the day, it was just a really well-made blockbuster and sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

Obsession (2026)

Obsession follows Bear, a twenty-something guy that is in love with his friend and co-worker Nikki, but lacks the courage to tell her. Frustrated after a night of repeated failed attempts to spill his feelings, Bear breaks a “One Wish Willow” stick and wishes for Nikki to love him. Nikki is then possessed by an entity that exists solely to love and please Bear. They get into a relationship and Bear thinks his wish has come true, until Nikki starts acting paranoid, jealous, weird, and obsessive, leading them down a dark path with sinister and deadly consequences.

This film is everything. I have seen a lot of praise for it, and I think the praise is well-deserved. The premise is simple but wildly effective. It excels at showing Bear, a “nice guy” who loves the idea of being in a relationship with his crush more than he actually loves or respects her, getting exactly what he asked for. But it also shows the horror of the situation for Nikki, who has lost her autonomy, is being sexually assaulted by this guy she thought was her friend, and is left to deal with the trauma of it all when it’s over.

I don’t know how other people reacted, but my theater experience was WILD. Screaming, gasping, laughing, jumping, and most importantly, yelling at Bear every time he said or did some dumb shit. That’s what I love the most about the film. It makes you feel for Bear in the beginning, but shows him no sympathy as it peels back the layers of his awfulness. I just hope the men this film’s message is intended for pick up on that. The editing was tight, the score was excellent, and most of all, the performances were top notch. Inde Navarrette in particular infused Nikki with as much life as she could, making her feel like a real person in the short time we get to know her before the possession starts. And when it does, she dials her performance up to 100. She struck the right balance between horrifying, campy, and earnest. I’ll be thinking about the film’s ending for a while.

books

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

Mikael Blomkvist, a financial reporter currently under fire for running a false story about a Swedish billionaire, is hired by Henrik Vanger, a wealthy CEO of a crumbling business, to investigate the disappearance of Henrik’s niece, Harriet Vanger, who vanished without a trace forty years ago. Unbeknownst to Blomkvist, Vanger hired private detective Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant yet strange girl with a mysterious past, to investigate him. Eventually, Blomkvist and Salander’s paths cross in a way that brings them together to find out what happened to Harriet Vanger and who was responsible. It’s a layered, complex mystery that focuses on the violence women face at the hands of men. It’s… fine. I was entertained, though it took me a little while to get into the novel at first. The original title in Swedish is “Men Who Hate Women” which is so much more interesting. The novel kind of gives the vibe that Larsson discovered what sexual assault is and was like “oh my god guys, do you know what women go through?!” but I applaud his earnestness. I got really attached to Lisbeth and didn’t care much for Blomkvist, which affected my reading experience because Blomkvist is effectively the main character. I know there are two other books in the series that have more to do with Lisbeth, but I don’t think I have it in me to read them.

Age of Consent by Amanda Brainerd

Eve and Justine meet at a private Connecticut boarding school in 1983 and become instant friends. Eve is jealous of Justine’s confidence and sexual experience, and Justine longs for Eve’s money and exciting life back in New York City. They navigate a school year full of boys, parties, drugs, and predatory older men, particularly Eve’s English teacher. Then, they both spend the summer in NYC working, Eve at a posh art gallery, Justine at a prop warehouse. While Eve gets to stay in her Park Ave apartment, Justine stays in a slummy apartment rented by Eve’s friend, India, a girl hiding from her junkie father and warding off the advances of an older male artist. Together, the girls weather this insane world of being treated like children and adults at the same time, grappling with the power adults have over them and how to assert independence.

Sounds great, right? This was such a disappointment. The characters are shallow, there’s no real plot (and the characters aren’t interesting enough to make up for that), and I often felt jarred and confused at what was happening because plot points would just end without being properly resolved. There’s a student-teacher situation with Eve that I don’t think was effectively explored or resolved, but at least it wasn’t being endorsed. I think India is supposed to be the third main character but she’s hardly in it, and her parts hardly explore her as a character beyond one or two things, she may as well have not even existed. Eve and Justine’s friendship felt surface level, like I was being told they were best friends instead of shown. There was an odd moment with a “surprise exclusive secret David Bowie concert” that felt unrealistic and out of place. Most of the supporting characters were shallow and really fucking annoying. Spoiler, at the end, Justine drives away from her friends with her mom, leaving the world of rich city kids behind and feeling grateful for her parents. I liked that aspect of it. I really wanted to love this book. There is a good story here somewhere. Maybe a few more drafts would have uncovered it.

The London Train by Tessa Hadley

Paul lives in Cardiff with his second wife and two daughters, not really doing or thinking much. When his daughter from his first marriage disappears, he finds her in London, pregnant and living illegally in counsel housing with an older man. Paul makes the strange choice to move to London and live with them. Cora also lives in Cardiff, after leaving her husband behind in London. Grappling with grief, she’s not sure what to make of her marriage, or herself, anymore. Connecting these stories is Paul and Cora’s chance meeting on the train from Cardiff to London.

Not enough trains. Not enough London. Both characters were not great people, but Paul in particular was a real piece of shit and I hated reading about him. I genuinely don’t know why I kept reading this book. Maybe because the prose itself isn’t bad, and I was hoping it would lead somewhere. But when the book ended, instead of feeling like a passenger pleased with the ride and excited to hop off to their next destination, I asked myself at the end, “surely we can’t be there yet?” as this metaphorical train just stopped in the middle of nowhere.

youtube

ur internet mom ash aka Ashley Ippolito - Euphoria commentary

In addition to watching Euphoria, I watched Ashley Ippolito’s reaction commentary videos for it because one, I’m a subscriber so I watch everything she releases because the woman is my comfort creator, and two, they’re great videos. If you want to feel like you have a friend to watch the show and/or rant about it with, or you just want to see what happens without having to actually see the show, Ashley is your girl. #FUCKNATEJACOBS IYKYK.

Nicole Rafiee - Chronically Online Girl Explains Euphoria Lore

So I did overdose on Euphoria content. But when my favorite YouTubers cover it, I’m going to watch! Rather than reacting to the episodes, Nicole catches you up to speed by describing the plot, letting you in on behind-the-scenes info, and discussing various thoughts like her theories and takeaways. Her narration is detailed, thoughtful, and funny, and she dresses up in a different Euphoria-related costume for each episode. My favorite is the episode she dressed up as the snake that killed Nate Jacobs. I do realize that during the months of April and May, I watched Euphoria, watched reaction videos to Euphoria, and watched explainer videos on Euphoria. Needless to say, I’m so done with this fuckass show.

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Whew, this month’s recap was a long one! Thanks for sticking around. Let me know anything you read or watched this past month in the comments! To see what I get up to when I’m not writing, you can follow me on IG at mjewrites. My letterboxd, StoryGraph, and Serializd accounts are also under that name.