After exiting the press screening of “Disclosure Day” a few weeks back, I powered up my phone and looked up Courtney Grace, who plays the NBC News anchor in a pivotal late-film scene. Over the course of just a few minutes, with the emotional weight of the entire story in the balance, Grace’s unnamed character serves as the messenger to much of the world as she witnesses and processes, in real time, the incredible footage proving that aliens have been among us for nearly 80 years.

At first, she’s in journalist mode, delivering the news. Then she apologizes for the disturbing images, wrestles with the profound implications of the footage, and finally, reassures the viewer: If you are watching this, you are not alone.

What brilliant work! One character, whom we didn’t even know existed while we followed the paths of the central figures played by Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, et al., is suddenly tasked with bringing the story to a close. The anchor doesn’t interact with anyone else. We see shots of her at the news desk, alternated with the no-longer-secret government footage of the aliens. Her reactions are raw and real.

Who is Courtney Grace? Is she a TV journalist playing a version of herself, ala Wolf Blitzer, Rachel Maddow, Lester Holt, and the literal King of almost too many appearances to count, the late Larry King? Or is she an actor portraying an anchor?

In a way, both. Grace spent seven years as a TV news reporter and anchor, primarily with WTSP in Tampa, FL,  before quitting her job three years ago to pursue an acting career. Since then, she has had small parts in series such as “Tulsa King,” “Sweet Magnolias,” and “Stranger Things”—but it’s her singularly powerful performance and the poise she displays while helping bring a Steven Spielberg film to an emotional conclusion.

I love a good “one-off’ scene, where an instantly indelible character who usually arrives with little narrative baggage is suddenly plunged into the narrative, often deep into the story, and shifts our attention away from the main players. Often, they’re the smartest person in the room. Frequently, they drop emotional and plot-point grenades.

The best of these performances shakes things up. They inject a visceral kineticism into the proceedings. They change the game.

(We’re not talking about gimmicky cameos, however entertaining they may be, e.g., Sean Connery showing up as King Richard in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” or George Clooney’s Bruce Wayne stepping out of the car in “The Flash.” A true one-off wonder is integral to the story, dominates the screen for a few golden moments, and leaves a deep footprint.)

Occasionally, the one-off performance will introduce a blazing talent with exciting potential. Think of Robert Duvall’s Boo Radley emerging from the shadows in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” For the entirety of the story, Boo Radley has been constructed as the boogeyman, a dangerous monster, but when Mary Badham’s Scout casts eyes on him, she sees a scared, gentle, and lonely man. That Duvall silently conveys so much with his eyes and his body language, and the hesitancy of his movement is all the more remarkable in retrospect, given what we’d come to know about his booming, commanding voice.

Then there’s Brad Pitt, whose resume included roles such as “Boy at the Beach,” “Waiter,” and “Party Guest” before he exploded onto the scene as the charismatic drifter and con man in “Thelma & Louise.” The shirtless Pitt bounced into the scene with an electric, movie-star presence.

Much more often, though, the great one-off performances come from established actors who come in with chops blazing. Arguably, the most cited example is the Oscar-winning performance by Beatrice Straight as Louise Schumacher in “Network” (1976). In just over 5 minutes of screen time, Straight burns down the house after William Holden’s Max Schumacher confesses to an affair, as Louise explodes with rage and pain. (Dame Judi Dench is often mentioned in the same breath as Straight due to Dench’s brief, Oscar-winning role as Queen Elizabeth I in “Shakespeare in Love,” and it’s a performance for the ages—but we see Dench a number of times in the film.)

Quentin Tarantino has teamed up with some legendary performers to deliver unforgettable one-off moments. His script for 1993’s “True Romance” (directed by Tony Scott) features Christopher Walken as the dapper and snake-blooded Vincenzo Coccotti, who goes toe-to-toe with Dennis Hopper in one of the most tense exchanges in movie history. Walken has another moment to shine in “Pulp Fiction” (1994), with Captain Koons telling young Butch Coolidge in excruciatingly exact detail about a certain family heirloom. 

Another one of my favorites, and one of the most-quoted one-off appearances: Alec Baldwin’s laser-focused and alternately hilarious and terrifying performance as the sociopathic corporate fixer in “Glengarry Glen Ross” (1992). The role and the scene didn’t even exist in David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, but Mamet crafted a near-perfect monologue for Baldwin, who killed with such lines as, “Put that coffee down! Coffee’s for closers only,” and, “Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you’re fired.”

In “The Fabelmans,” Spielberg’s latest release prior to “Disclosure Day,” David Lynch makes one of the most memorable one-scene appearances in recent memory as John Ford, who barks at aspiring young filmmaker Sammy Fabelman: “Now remember this! When the horizon’s at the bottom, it’s interesting. When the horizon’s at the top, it’s interesting. When the horizon is in the middle, it’s boring as shit. Now, good luck to you. And get the f— out of my office!”

Priceless.

For “Disclosure Day,” the casting of Courtney Grace is brilliant on a number of levels. If Spielberg had cast a famous actor, there’s the danger it would have taken us out of the moment and shifted focus from the intensity of the scene in favor of us chuckling and nodding in recognition. If he had gone with a name anchor—well, that would have been a lot of heavy lifting even for a Wolf Blitzer or a Rachel Maddow. Most of us didn’t know Grace before she appeared onscreen, but we instantly believed her in an anchor role that, on some level, she’d been prepping to do for the better part of a decade.

PakarPBN

A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.

In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.

The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.

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FEATURES

250 Years Later and Blacks Are Still Politically and Racially Enslaved by Carla Renata

From My Block to Wakanda: Movies and Black Travel by Reginald Ponder

To Make People Aware of Something is Great: A Conversation with Maya Cade by Robert Daniels

Can the New Anti-Heroine Heal My Inner Black Girl? by Lyvie Scott

Through My Lens: The Accidental Archivist of ‘90s Howard University by Lance R. Williams

I Am Telling You: Dreamgirls at 20 by Odie Henderson

Film Criticism’s Crisis in the Letterboxd Era by Brandon Lewis

Cinematic Albums of the 2020s: Music That Feels Like a Movie by Cortlyn Kelly

What the 2025 Federal Arts Cuts Mean for Documentary Filmmaking by Ife Olatunji

J. Christopher Hamilton on Culture, Capital, and Creative Leverage by Sonia Evans

The Legend of Us: Expanding the Chosen One by Sherin Nicole

A Father Learning Beside His Children: What Jiu-Jitsu Taught Me About Fatherhood by Andre Hammel

The Urban Environment: A Conversation with Tatsu Aoki, Avant-Garde Filmmaker by Danielle Momoh

What is the State of the Black Movie Star? by David Moses

Radical Whimsy: Exploring the Creative Mind of Boots Riley by Brandon Towns

When Sci-fi Was Horny: “Logan’s Run” at 50 by Brandon David Wilson

REVIEWS

The Death of Robin Hood by Brandon David Wilson

Captivating Third Season of “House of the Dragon” Is More Complex Than Ever by Kaiya Shunyata

Toy Story 5 by Robert Daniels

Never Change! by Craig D. Lindsey

Paramount+’s “The Agency” Expands Its Scope With An Exhilarating Second Season by Kaiya Shunyata

Leviticus by Cortlyn Kelly

PakarPBN

A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.

In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.

The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.

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He-Man is back, and just in time for Pride Month. Remembered as being your dad’s third favorite toy line, He-Man was a product that became a cartoon, that became a cultural phenomenon…like, 30 years ago. Safe to say, this new Masters of the Universe film feels like it’s coming just a bit too late, don’t you think? Sure, there recently was a She-Ra cartoon that had no He-Man and a Masters of the Universe cartoon that had He-Man for ten minutes, but it’s not like the masses were clamoring for some more buff men in funny outfits. Actually, wait, the masses have never not been clamoring for that.

He-Man was the response of a toy company who wanted to try to compete with Star Wars, and this new film is a response from the same toy company who got shocked by Barbie doing insanely well. The franchise has never not been a reaction to something else, so is there really any fun to be had with the Masters of the Universe in the year of our He-Lord 2026?

Surprisingly, yeah, there is. Enough fun? I’m not entirely sure.

2026’s Masters of the Universe reminded me a lot of Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves in its style, wit, and the fact that it’s probably gonna make no money. Which is honestly a shame, because there was a surprising amount I liked here. I think this modern characterization of He-Man, a spellbound himbo who’s in touch with his feelings enough to put the “man” in “human”, is actually pulled off fairly well. It helps that every actor in this is fully bought into the silliness of the setting and aesthetic, but the film surprisingly doesn’t feel like it’s been overmedicated on irony pills. Somehow it manages to strike a nice balance between winking and nudging at the absurdity of the world, but it never completely undermines it either, feeling actually sort of proud to be repping Eternia. Plus some of these fight sequences are actually a lot of fun, getting real wild and winding with the camera work and particle effects. Don’t get me wrong, it’s far from perfect. The pacing really drags its feet, and the world feels incredibly artificial at times. The comedy isn’t too bad, but it’s not exactly gonna make you laugh out loud, even if you’re a diehard fan I reckon. But, with all that, this is actually not half bad for what it is. A misguided cash grab for sure, but one that still manages to have a little fun along the way.

The cast absolutely sells the weirdness of this world, with there not really being a bad performance from the main characters to even some of the one-off freaks we come across. Nicholas Galitzine is great as the buff but kinda dumb version of He-Man, with Bottoms being a great precursor to his final form. Okay, he’s not dumb per say, just a little naive. It keeps him likable and far from being a boring protagonist, especially with his grapples with masculinity and manlihood. Now, don’t choke on your Mountain Dew, chuds. This isn’t a woke-ified adaptation, this is just taking a bare bones idea and putting a little depth into it. We get some nice back and forths with his best friend Teela, played by Camila Mendes, but she’s honestly left out to dry on character development, feeling mostly just like a competent sidekick. Her dad, on the other hand, is a different story. Idris Elba once again proves he can be the best part of an okay film, as his Man-at-Arms is a man who failed, desperately trying to become the man he once was again in quite entertaining fashion. Alison Brie, who I didn’t even recognize at first as Evil-Lyn, is effortlessly campy in the role. And then there’s Jared Leto.

What dirt does he hold on Hollywood execs to be consistently landing these big roles? Sure, he’s talented, but I can’t remember the last time a role of his floored me…until this one. Leto is phenomenal as the big bad Skeletor. I had my hang-ups when I heard he wasn’t gonna have the nasally voice, but this version of the character is just as pompous and whiny as I remember him being. He actually serves as a decent antithesis to He-Man. Sure, he’s nothing but pure evil, but his obsession with control and power is driven by the expectation of being the strongest guy in the room, which goes against He-Man’s rejection of those ideas. The role is fully mocapped and the voice is modulated, so I don’t know how much of Leto’s performance actually comes through here, but for what it’s worth, the guy does a great job at feeling menacing yet silly.

I was actually kinda surprised by some of the brutality of this film. It’s nothing gory or anything, but people are straight up dying in sometimes gruesome fashion, so I just thought that was neat. There’s definitely an air of the adult to the film; just enough that kids might not catch on, but plenty for the adult fans this movie is definitely trying to pull in. There’s talk of fisting, giving people head and swords dangling between creamy thighs, but I actually think the film keeps from being too overtly cringey with its attempts at humor. Like I said earlier, this isn’t the most gut busting of comedy at play here, but I honestly found the jokes to hit more often than they miss. It helps that the script actually has a nice bit of wit to it. Genuine wit, not the artificial “ha ha, isn’t this character’s name stupid” kind of wit. There is some of that here,and it’s the worst parts of the comedy, but luckily it isn’t the bulk. And while I can take or leave some of the bigger action set pieces in this, anytime someone’s throwing hands, I was having a good time. The camera work and editing is so playful, punching in for emphasis and allowing the action to be well seen rather than hidden by particles or the shake of a camera.

A good amount of positives, but there’s some negatives too. This thing did not have to be nearly 2 and a half hours long. I get there’s a lot of lore and backstory to stuff in, but surely there could have been a more concise way to do this. Prince Adam’s backstory, his time on Earth and the final act could have absolutely had a few minutes shaved off of each. I just kept getting bored until the film went to its next setting, and even then, the story doesn’t entirely feel like a journey. Everyone just happens to be in the right place at the right time, so there doesn’t always feel like you’re getting a lot of character growth or narrative beats. The story itself is pretty bone dry, with a lot of those aforementioned themes not really having a worthwhile impact in the story. Then there’s the visuals, which I think are mostly fine, but man, for every interesting practical set, there’s another obvious green screen that takes all weight out of the film. I get that not every fantastical space can be created practically, but the characters hardly even interact with their environments, like they were just pasted into them rather than them being a part of the story. Eternia hardly even feels like a realized place; just a mismatch of environments that leave no real impact. For everything it does better than some modern superhero movies, there’s still the usual trappings the movie occasionally falls into.

So, look, this isn’t some amazing, franchise revitalizing thing, mostly because no one seems to care about this franchise in the first place. But there are genuinely some elements here that are worth appreciating. It feels earnest to the IP, looking just as weird as you would expect these characters to. The script actually sounds like it was fun to write, at least from a dialogue point of view, and the whole thing feels like it could appeal to any age. It’s solid, just maybe not that memorable. After all, we’ve been down this road so many times before when it comes to superhero movies and IPs being resurrected from the dead. Despite its attempts to break ahead of the pack, there are unfortunately enough elements working against it that keep it from going from good to great. But a somewhat good movie it is; one that might actually be worth checking out somewhere down the line. Just wake me up when Street Sharks are getting their own movie. The kids have had their fun, but now it’s the men’s turn.

RATING

SKELETOR

Sure, He-Man is the face of this franchise, but no one has endured cultural relevancy quite like the big bad, Skeletor. So I decided to base the cocktail off of him, getting wild and weird with out-there flavor pairings that make for a smokey, yet fruity cocktail. There’s a lot of hoops to jump through, with the optional Electricdust and the pineapple ice cube shaped like a skull, but this can be simplified to your heart’s content to make it more accessible for you. Don’t have Electricdust? Skip it! Don’t have an skull ice cube? Any ice mold will do! Never forget, you have the power.

NOTE: Cocktail was staged for presentation rather than practicality. If that’s not something you want to worry about, serve the drink in a more standard glass, like a rocks glass.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5oz mezcal
• 3/4oz lychee liqueur
• 1/4oz blue curacao
• 1/2oz lime juice
• OPTIONAL: Pinch of electricdust
• Pineapple skull ice cube

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake with ice.
2. Strain into cocktail glass.
3. Add pineapple skull ice cube to glass.

PakarPBN

A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.

In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.

The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.

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Of course, it’s still primarily about the films, a confidently curated selection of hits from fests like Sundance and SXSW alongside some local premieres. To give you a sampling of what to expect this year, we thought we’d highlight a few of the most interesting screenings. Get tickets here.

“Street Smart” (Centerpiece Film)

Arguably the biggest “get” of the Bentonville team this year is the world premiere of the latest drama from Catherine Hardwicke, the acclaimed director of “Thirteen,” “Lords of Dogtown,” and “Twilight.” After a few years of solid work on TV, Hardwicke has returned to her indie roots, telling a story about young people on the edge of society. In this case, it’s an ensemble piece that centers on a young woman (Isabelle Fuhrman) who arrives in Venice Beach with $20 in her pocket and a dream of becoming a musician. She stumbles into a found family of unhoused young people that includes characters played by Yara Shahidi, Michael Cimino, Kaitlyn Kemp, Skeet Ulrich, MVP Miles McKenna, and promising breakthrough Isiah Hilt.

Hardwicke peppers the supporting cast with familiar faces like Sally Struthers, Marcia Gay Harden, and Harvey Guillen, but her greatest asset remains her deep empathy for young people, something that has been there from her Oscar-nominated debut. The script that she co-wrote with Nic Sheff works better in its quiet, character-based moments than in its plotting, but there are enough of those to make the movie’s arguable manipulations tolerable. Hardwicke and Sheff clearly like these characters, and that compassion is contagious.

“Moonglow”

Isabel Sandoval’s “Lingua Franca” was a breakthrough indie drama, a truly great film that promised a career to watch. Sandoval went to TV, helming episodes of “Under the Banner of Heaven,” “Tell Me Lies,” and “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” She returns to Bentonville, where “Lingua Franca” won Best Narrative in 2020, with her first film since then, a movie with echoes of “Double Indemnity” and “In the Mood for Love.” Sandoval stars as Dahlia, who we see sneak into a house in Manila in 1979 in the film’s opening sequence, learning shortly thereafter that she’s a police officer who happened to be robbing her corrupt boss. Of course, she’s assigned to investigate the crime, alongside her former partner Charlie (Arjo Atayde), and Sandoval delivers a film that alternates between a moody character piece and something closer to a slow-burning procedural.

The two films don’t always coalesce in a script that sometimes slides from moody to slow, but she has such a confident eye that her framing and use of color alone make this worth a look.

“When a Witness Recants”

The great Dawn Porter is back with an incredible new documentary, a film that just so happens to have won the Audience Award for Best Documentary last month at the Chicago Critics Film Festival. The director of “John Lewis: Good Trouble” collaborates here with Ta-Nehisi Coates to adapt a New Yorker article by Jennifer Gonnerman about the convictions of Andrew Stewart, Ransom Watkins, and Alfred Chestnut for a 1983 murder that they didn’t commit. The men have been released, and Porter’s film culminates in an astonishing scene in which they meet with the man whose coerced testimony put them in jail. It’s as unforgettable as anything you’ll see this year.

Other Sundance repeats include the other CCFF Audience Award Winner, “If I Go Will They Miss Me,” along with “Hot Water,” “The Musical,” “American Pachuco,” “Cookie Queens,” “Jane Elliott Against the World,” “The Brittney Griner Story,” “Give Me the Ball!,” and “Seized.”

“Maddie’s Secret”

Just before its limited release next week, before it expands across the country, Bentonville audiences will get to see one of the most unique directorial debuts of 2026. Since its premiere at TIFF in 2025, John Early’s comedy has steadily built buzz with a robust festival tour (which also included a sold-out show at CCFF).

Early directed, wrote, and stars as Maddie Ralph in a film that’s basically a spoof of TV movies about eating disorders, but it works because of how earnestly Early plays the bit. He’s not mocking eating disorders or even cheesy TV movies. It’s not a parody. It’s a loving ode to outsiders that may not always work, but the degree of difficulty of it is remarkable to consider. That he even gets as close as he does makes Early a filmmaker to watch.

“The Dads”

The documentary program at Bentonville is incredibly strong, but I wanted to highlight this insightful film, given the continued battle for trans rights in this country, especially during Pride Month. “The Dads” started life as an expansion of a short film about a discussion group for dads of trans kids, but the production took place during 2024, which included an election that forever changed the people profiled. As some parents consider leaving the United States in the wake of Trump 2.0, “The Dads” becomes an unforgettably emotional and fraught personal journey. It will almost certainly feature one of the most interesting and powerful post-film Q&As.

“Little House on the Prairie” (Closing Event)

A film festival that includes TV episodes is nothing new; Sundance and SXSW have made that kind of programming an essential part of their events, but I’m not sure it’s as common to see one given the framing of closing night. Of course, viewers of a certain age remember the ‘70s adaptation of the hit books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and they can now introduce their kids to this world a half-century later with the Netflix version. It premieres on July 9, 2026, and has already been renewed for a second season. Get a sneak peek at Bentonville.

Note: If you’re thinking about bringing the kids out to more than just closing night, there are free screenings of hits scattered through the fest, including “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” 2025’s version of “Superman,” and “KPop Demon Hunters.”

PakarPBN

A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.

In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.

The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.

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Though most audiences wouldn’t really catch up to Head until he was the middle-aged mentor of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” he built a notoriety as one half of the so-called “Gold Blend couple” (alongside costar Sharon Maughan), who spent years chasing a serialized courtship in 40-second bursts over cups of instant coffee. The pair were magnetic, Head flashing that dimpled smile and sweeping Maughan off her feet with his effortless charm (not to mention that distinctive reedy baritone). When you have only half a minute to make an impression, the fact that Head did so effortlessly is a testament to his immediate presence.

Born in 1954 to documentary filmmaker Seafield Laurence Stewart Murray Head and actress Helen Shingler, Head decided quickly he’d follow his family into show business. “When it’s in your family, it’s a choice, it’s there. It’s not a jump to say: ‘I want to act,’” He told Metro in 2013. “When I was six I was in a little show my mother’s friends organised, playing the Emperor in The Emperor’s New Clothes. I remember thinking: ‘This is the business, this is what I want to do.”

And that he did, starting out in theater with roles like Freddie Trumper in Chess (his brother, Murray, played the part in the original cast) before studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. From there, he’d continue his work in shows like Godspell (alongside Su Pollard) in the late 1970s, while also testing his vocal chops in the band Red Box and, post-Gold Blend, a turn as Frank N. Furter in The Rocky Horror Show on the West End. (His musical prowess will become important later.)

But international audiences likely know him best as Giles, the bespectacled grownup who kept the Scooby Gang of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in line for six of the show’s seven seasons. Amid all the emotional tumult and supernatural ass-kicking that Buffy Summers and co. had to contend with, Giles was always there in the library, purring out one bon mot or helpful piece of advice after another. Of course, when he got to let loose on the show, it was a delight: See season three’s “Band Candy,” where cursed chocolate bars turn Sunnyvale’s adults into hormonal teenagers, Giles included; there, he gets into fights and sports a tight white T-shirt with cigarettes rolled into the sleeve, all greaser charm. And in the inimitable “Once More, With Feeling,” he showed off his pipes once again as he sang about the torment of realizing his paternal protection of Buffy was holding her back, and he needed to leave.

Springboarding from that role, Head would find himself firmly ensconced in the genre well, cropping up in all manner of sci-fi and fantasy TV shows, particularly in Britain. He long hovered around the titular part in “Doctor Who” in the 1990s, eventually appearing in some audio dramas, a webcast, and, in 2006, an honest-to-God episode of David Tennant’s first season as an alien school administrator with devilish plans for his students. He spent four seasons on BBC’s “Merlin” as King Uther Pendragon, lending gravitas to its low-budget tale of swords and sorcerers.

Through all of these parts, Head carried himself with that beautiful mixture of stentorian warmth and brutal coldness that personified the British character actor; in many ways, he was the platonic ideal of such a figure. Which made, of course, his dips into comedy that much more effective, as when he played the Prime Minister (and object of David Walliams’ infatuation) in the long-running sketch series “Little Britain” or BBC Radio comedy “Bleak Expectations.” He could deadpan with the best of them, throwing in a devilish smirk to land a joke just as easily as he could recite Shakespeare.

But that smirk turned into a sneer in one of his most memorable film roles, as overprotective dad/organ repossessor Nathan in Darren Lynn Bousman’s midnight-movie hopeful “Repo! The Genetic Opera.” Born of Bousman’s background in underground LA theater, and buoyed by his work on the successful “Saw” sequels, “Repo!” saw him update the homespun show into a modestly-budgeted bid to become a 21st-century “Rocky Horror,” and it was so smart to put Head smack dab in the middle of that. He gurns and growls with relished commitment to every corny bit and bob, wailing that rock-tenor through tracks like “Legal Assassin” and “I Remember,” trying as he might to lend the deliciously adolescent mayhem on display some pathos. “Repo!” may be remarkable for its charming shagginess, but Head is the Atlas holding it all on his shoulders.

Of course, even his later career would be marked by consistent work; he’d dip back into the musical well with the short-lived, unfairly forgotten medieval musical “Galavant,” and he made turns on “Bridgerton” and the sitcom “Motherland.” His last major role, arguably, was as devious, two-faced ex-Richmond owner Rupert Mannion on “Ted Lasso,” whose role elevated from thorn in Hannah Waddingham’s side to full-on rival in the third season. He offered a perfect counterpoint to Ted’s unfailing faith in the goodness of people; he was just kind of unstoppably bad, even as Head’s performance hinted at jealousy and possessiveness that at least explained his villainy.

It’s fascinating that he’d play so many villains and tricksters and men of devious motive since, by all accounts, Head was a delight as a human being and a costar. In tributes to the star, his Gold Blend costar Maughan called him “a lovely man,” and Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, wrote on her Instagram: “‘Tell Giles I figured it out and I’m ok’ Well I don’t have it figured out and I’m not ok. But I know I’m the lucky one because I knew you.”

Despite the romantic tumult of many of his characters, Head seemingly found his happily ever after with his longtime partner, Sarah Fisher; the pair remained together, though they never married, until Fisher died in December 2025. And now, with Head’s passing, he, too, is mourned not just by generations of fans but by the people who were blessed to work alongside him. His ubiquity, more than anything, is a testament to that reputation; that he could have such a long, comfortable career juggling sex appeal and silliness feels like a rare achievement.

PakarPBN

A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.

In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.

The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.

Jasa Backlink

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So, in the last review, we talked about Obsession, a stellar horror film from yet another YouTuber turned director, Curry Barker. This has been a growing trend over the years, and now we get to talk about yet another instance of this phenomenon. Except this one is the only one of them that wants to make me end it all. In a good way.

Kane Parsons broke onto the YouTube scene with the The Backrooms, a vibey, found footage style horror series centered around empty, subliminal spaces. Parsons created this series when he was just a teenager, and it became such an online success that A24 allowed him to make a feature length adaptation of his series with a much higher budget and some of the best actors working today. This kid is 20. Ten years younger than me. And here I am bitching and moaning on the internet. 

But I’m honestly super happy for this growing trend of online creators transitioning to film. It’s allowing creative minds with actual ideas and ambitions to take a crack at the box office, and it’s the kind of shake up the scene has been needing for a minute. So, how does Backrooms compare to the latest slew of online creator horror films?

Backrooms is absolutely a showcase of Parson’s ability as a wordbuilder and tone maestro. The same somber sense of dread and amazement that originated in his short film series is carried over to the big screen with incredible effect. The recreation of the droning, otherworldly spaces of yesteryear make for a haunting, astonishing journey through a world that feels familiar, but only just. The scenes taking place in the Backrooms are filled with ample tension that put your right in the shoes of the characters as they delve deeper into a madhouse of nostalgia and bygone eras. But while this film is undoubtedly a showcase of Parson’s strengths, it’s also quite clear where he stands to improve as a narrative storyteller.

While the vibes, setup and execution are all solid, it’s those elements that flow in between them that ultimately makes this film feel less impactful than it ultimately could. As much as I appreciate the attempt at trying to tie the backrooms to a greater theme of memory and change, a lot of the reflections on it ultimately feel hollow, with the film having to explain its themes verbatim to you through dialogue between an underwhelming Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. Additionally, the third act kind of moves away from the ambient horror of the first two acts, kind of feeling like the film overplayed its hand and didn’t stick the landing as much as I’d hoped. Even still, I think fans of the original series are really gonna love this, while still finding ways to unsettle those who aren’t as chronically online.

There is no Backrooms without the backrooms; the sprawling, off-kilter world of 1900s reflections that feel alien, yet familiar. Originally created in Blender in Parson’s prior series, the world is expertly brought to life, making for what I would wager to be one of the most fun looking sets to be on. Parsons manages to capture a world that feels massive, yet claustrophobic; enticing, yet off-putting. All the scenes set in this world hidden beyond our own is a wonder to see on screen, and it’s made all the more haunting by a very obvious understanding of tone and pace. Parson knows exactly how to get the most out of this world, navigating through it at just the right speed that builds curiosity and anxiety over what lays around the corner. It makes for some of the most compelling found footage scenes I’ve witnessed in a minute, and while the scenes presented not through an in-world camera aren’t always as scary, it still sells the maze as the sprawling space of uncertainty it should be.

Leading the journey through the backrooms is Clark, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, a recently separated, angry furniture store manager who stumbles across this hidden world in the lower level of his store. He’s going through therapy with Dr. Mary Kline, played by Renate Reinsve, trying to get to the source of his tendency to ruin everything he touches and take accountability for his rage. A good enough character structure to get the narrative going, not one that ultimately leads to anything worthwhile. Truth be told, both of these terrific actors feel misused here, not really playing to their strengths or giving them something all that meaty to deliver on. We spend the most time with Clark, whose spiraling the film rushes through to get to its madhouse climax that doesn’t feel all that earned. Ejiofor does the most with what he’s given, managing to at least be entertaining even if his characterization feels like it’s missing pieces to itself.

I’ve really enjoyed Reinsve in The Worst Person in the World and Sentimental Value, but she sort of just feels out of place here. Those aforementioned performances are very grounded, very reigned in, and I don’t think her style really aligns with what this film was going for. Her character of Mary is carrying her own baggage of having grown up with a mother paranoid of the outside world, but like Clark, the deeper aspects of this character don’t ultimately get explored through the lens of the setup. Reinsve does fairly well in scenes that involve sitting with metaphysical despair and uncertainty, but she almost feels like a fish out of water when thrown into more traditional horror setups. I don’t think this is a complete knock on her acting ability; it more just shows how the film kind of goes from being one thing to another, and that transition isn’t a total home run.

I do recognize that, by having someone like Parsons take on the directing role, the film avoids a lot of pitfalls modern horror movies fall into. For one, you can actually see what’s going on. The uncomfortableness of the backrooms comes from its overexposure, and I’m glad that was carried over, because you just know there was a director out there that wanted to make it all dark at night. The film also refrains from overexplaining and taking away the mystique of the area as well. There’s no real, definitive answers given to what it is outside of what the other characters interpret, and I like that. It makes you feel as if you’re discovering it alongside them, formulating your own theories and reasonings. I almost kind of wish the film went a little vaguer, as it’s a concept that can honestly speak for itself purely through visuals. 

But, as a horror movie, the terror of the film mostly comes from the uncanny visuals and a hindrance on drawing too much attention to what you should be scared of. There’s a couple found footage sequences here that completely envelop you and unnerve you based on what you see, rather than by scripted jump scare noises that tell you what you should be frightened of. The third act definitely departs from this quite a bit, but while it’s not nearly as frightening as the prior acts, it still turns out to be a good time.

My only real critique of this comes down to the script, which I still feel is a much better outcome than what I was expecting. Like I said before, the themes of the film don’t entirely make themselves known in the cleanest fashion through the narrative, so some heavy handed therapy dialogue is employed to really drive this stuff home. It makes a lot of the writing come off kind of clunky, but there’s a humor to it that I certainly appreciated. I just wish there was more to take away from those underlying elements here, because the central idea behind the backrooms is quite interesting. I read it as almost a haunting reminder to the spaces that dominated the cusp of the new millenia. Large malls and office spaces defined the aesthetic of the time, and now to see them in such a mangled, mistakenly remembered setting is almost like seeing the remnants of an empire. All we’re left with is the memory of what once was, but even our own memories can’t be trusted 100%. The film’s narrative and the two main character’s journeys feel a bit disconnected from that idea, but I will confide that actual thought was put into this film than most creepypasta movies would ever allow. Looking at you, Slenderman.

Horror has always been the proving grounds for directors getting their start, and that trend seems to be continuing tenfold. Backrooms is an incredibly solid piece of online horror brought to the big screen that has a patience and maturity to it that some might not be expecting and more might not even like. But Kane Parsons has proven he wants to tell stories, not appease swarths of Roblox players, and I’ve gotta tip my hat to him. I think the young director is right on the cusp of making something truly great, and if he feels so inclined, I’m sure he’ll have quite a prosperous future in film if he sticks with it. Definitely give this one a watch if unconventional horror interests you, and remember to take a chance on small creators who truly have passion. Remember next time a guy on the street tries to get you to read his screenplay. It’s me. I’m the guy.

RATING

LEMON-AL SPACE

Liminal spaces tend to evoke on odd comfort almost as much as they invoke a sense of uneasiness. The environments feel familiar to you, but not entirely, and yet there’s still a sense of weird warmness that comes with gazing into the past. But those feelings are confusing! So lets give you a feeling that’s a bit more straightforward with the Lemon-al Space. This is a creamy, light cocktail that pulls in tart flavors from limoncello and lemon juice to make for a slightly desert, slightly refreshing cocktail that can make the madness of staring at that same wallpaper design over and over again a little more palatable.

INGREDIENTS

• 2oz gin
• 3/4oz limoncello
• 1/2oz lemon juice
• 1/2oz heavy cream
• 1/2oz simple syrup
• GARNISH: lemon zest

INSTRCUTIONS

1. Add ingredients to a shaker and shake with gin.
2. Strain into chilled coup glass.
3. Grate a lemon over the top to garnish with lemon zest.

PakarPBN

A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.

In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.

The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.

Jasa Backlink

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★★★

The real world has caught up with Runway. Apparently. Just don’t tell The Devil Wears Prada 2, the twenty years gestated, gloss-fest sequel to David Frankel’s well-remembered original. Budget cuts may be à la mode in a breezy script by returning writer Aline Brosh McKenna but, when the top to bottom of Frankel’s (also back) screen looks every bit the $100m budget, it’s a somewhat shallow punch. Nostalgia can, after all, prove poisoned chalice. Sure, there’s a lot to like here but, make no mistake, the film wants heavily for its predecessor’s zippier outsider energy.

Just look at the cameos. Few dared face the ostensive wraith of Anna Wintour back in 2006. Come 2026 and Prada 2 is riddled with a who’s who of contemporary fashion. It’s a safe space. Catwalk catnip for the attention economy. Much as few would suggest the original dealt in razor sharp satire, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is as blunt as star vehicles come. Think Sex in the City. The best on offer here is the odd vague, and decidedly uncritical, jab in the direction of Ozempic. If financiers, advertisers, models, retailers, trend setters and consumers are all too valuable to skewer, who’s left to gut and plunder? It’s with something of a sigh that the film settles on the world at large, which is decries as, simply put, wrong. In the words of Emily Blunt’s first assistant turned Dior exec: ‘remember when magazines were a thing?’ 

Unto this brave new world, physical copies of Runway – the film’s fashion mag substitute for Vogue – are but a heritage relic. Nice to have but largely unthumbed by actual readers. The real numbers are online, on the app, and – whisper it – on the socials. Such serves to ensure that a returning Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), back at Runway after two decades of worthier journalism, is exactly the wide-eyed ingenue she ever was. That Hathaway barely looks a season older than she did when she last walked the offices of Runway helps the sell on this. Frankly, it’s an absurdity of the film that age does not appear to have troubled any of the central players. If time has been unkind to Miranda Priestly, it has been more than generous to Meryl Streep.

As per the demands of a more emotive contemporary, Streep’s Priestly feels a more human entity this time around. Still imperious, still “Queen Bitch” of the mannered slap down, but wearier somehow. If clawing your way to the top takes blood, sweat and tears, remaining there for the long run demands everything else you have left. It’s a typically magnetic turn from Streep that carries the burden with the thrill. Still upright at her side, albeit a step or two behind, is Stanley Tucci’s Nigel Kipling. He, too, proves tremendously affecting. The melancholy that defined Nigel in 2006, bubbling beneath the veneer of genial cattiness, has matured through decades since and allows for well earned progression as the film plays out. This is a game of survivors.

It’s a “fast fash” scandal that brings Andy back to Runway, with a rare lapse in judgement embroiling Miranda, not to mention her overheads, in the sort of row that the users of X and TikTok live for. Resolution, however, comes with peculiar ease to this initial nugget of would be stakes, allowing for a pretty, but pretty unfocused, middle stretch, before a final act asks us to fear for Runway’s very survival. Buoyancy aid additionals include whether or not reclusive divorcée Sasha Barnes (Lucy Liu)  grant Runway an interview and a dreary romance for Andy, with Colin from Accounts’ Patrick Brammall. Justin Theroux proves far more entertaining as Emily’s beau, a dimwit devil with the purchasing power to buy all of this.

There are a clutch amusing lines sprinkled throughout, mainly courtesy of Blunt, while no minute passes without feeling perfectly amiable. Quite transparently, all involved are thrilled to be back. Groundbreaking? Not even in the ironic sense. Enjoyable? Perfectly so. Sometimes, that’s all fans want.

T.S.

PakarPBN

A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.

In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.

The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.

Jasa Backlink

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I took my time getting around to Shelton, taking for granted that we had a dozen directors like her, making the kinds of gentle films that Sundance was then making its stock-in-trade. The festival was softening, and Shelton’s movies seemed endemic of a shift towards easy victories. It was an easy position to take. I felt inundated with that kind of work.

But then I actually sat down and watched “Your Sister’s Sister” and found something shocking in its subtlety. Shelton’s mise en scène was open, clear, and bright. Actors in rooms, digital photography, honest, unadorned. This showed you what you were looking at. And then, without warning, I felt a shift inside me. I’d seen everything plainly, but felt something greater than for which the facts seemed to allow. 

It was her relationship to Marc Maron, her work directing episodes of “Glow,” his stand-up specials, and the magnificently madcap “Sword of Trust,” that turned me from a casual fan into a full-blown acolyte. Her back catalog then opened up—the Claire Denis cursive of “We Go Way Back,” the searing critique of foppish male posturing in “My Effortless Brilliance,” the whisper-quiet treatise on intimacy in “Touchy Feely,” and finally the openhearted luster of “Laggies,” this month’s Unloved. 

As a huge Keira Knightley fan, the mediocre reviews hurt my heart. Seeing it, I was even more flummoxed, but maybe it’s just that this movie was made just for me: A film about retreating in plain sight, a house becoming a sight of secrets and turmoil while the rest of the world waits for resolution. It hit me right where it was meant to, and very much influenced my own movie.

We keep Shelton alive now through our connection to her movies and the tension that comes with bad intentions that crawl toward self-actualization. I’ll miss the way her little movies would grow so large. I’ll miss knowing the next Lynn Shelton movie was just a few years away. 

PakarPBN

A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.

In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.

The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.

Jasa Backlink

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In the 2025 episodes, “The Four Seasons” gave us a pretty damning portrayal of life in your fifties—the cast of long-time friends, consisting of three couples who go on regular vacations together, all seemed stuck. Unhappy marriages, poor communication, empty nests, and unfulfilling work/life were everywhere.

This season is still sad, but the show has given its protagonists specific things to be sad about, rather than just a broad moroseness of middle age. Now, they’re mourning the friend, Steve Carell’s Nick, who died at the end of season one. They’re still traumatized by COVID and what living through the pandemic really looked like. And they’re making hard decisions about how they want to spend their remaining years, realizing that life and energy are time-bound.

Part of what they come to appreciate is the role of friendship in their lives. Fey’s Kate and Colman Domingo’s Dannt get a particularly sweet arc on this front, testing and reaffirming their connection. It turns out old friends are really like no other. And their chemistry—as friends, as actors, and as comedians—gives the whole thing lots of weight and laughs (see Fey’s physical comedy sequence in the penultimate episode with Domingo playing the straight man).

Domingo’s partner, Claude (Marco Calvani), finally gets some justice this season, freed from his ditzy characterization in season one. We get to some in his native Italy, oozing confidence and strength in a way immigrant Claude, speaking in a foreign language, just isn’t able to. He’s clearly right in many of his arguments with Danny. And what he brings to their relationship has never been clearer. The evolution is palatable but not overwrought as Calvani hits his comedic and dramatic beats with equal ease.

Unfortunately, Fey’s fictional husband Jack (Will Forte) doesn’t fare so well, stuck in the downer role. Forte does what he can with this sad sack, but the show just keeps hurling more fuel for his depression at him. It’s hard to watch, but even as the couple tries various strategies to pull through, it’s hard to figure out what we should make of Jack’s arc. Sometimes people go through dark times, I guess, and there’s nothing to do but stick around.

Of them all, though, Anne (a mischievous Kerri Kenney-Silver) has the best story. The widow and ex of Carell’s Nick, she starts the season needing to sort her emotions about how she feels both about Ginny (Erika Henningsen), the woman Nick left her for, and, of course, the baby she’s carrying. In response, Anne tries on a variety of different identities, effectively creating her own coming-of-(middle)-age story. She’s free to be whoever she wants now, and her attempts at exploration are hilarious, echoing the fierce young woman she once was and the more experienced widow and mom she is now, even if she gets frustrated about her own lack of “executive functioning.”

In this iteration of “The Four Seasons,” the characters grow in compelling, hilarious ways. Anne gets to share prescient truths of early motherhood in one episode, while making a sexting mistake in another. Danny must face his limitations even as he protests that somehow, the little Italian car he’s attempting to move just doesn’t understand that he’s “good at everything.” And the list goes on.

These juxtapositions make your fifties seem, if not something to aspire to, not something to dread either. We can laugh at the vagaries of getting older without positing that they’re the only thing there is. And getting to do that with Kenney-Silver, Fey, and Domingo is a real joy, delivering on the promise of this series in its second outing. Some things really do get better with age.

Whole season screened for review. Currently streaming on Netflix.

PakarPBN

A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.

In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.

The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.

Jasa Backlink

Download Anime Batch

On paper, Curry Baker’s Obsession sounds like the same old crap that you’re used to seeing from Blumhouse. Another toothless, simplistic horror centered around an object that’s gonna do the bare minimum and still somehow make 3 billion dollars. But there’s one element to this that made this thing stand out from the get go. Curry Barker; a director with a clear vision if his 2024 horror film Milk & Serial is anything to go by. Barker joins the now growing lineage of YouTubers graduating to full on filmmakers, joining the likes of the Philippou Brothers, Chris Stuckman and even Markiplier. But not everyone is cut out for the transition, and when I saw the plot synopsis and Blumhouse’s involvement, I was, admittedly, a bit skeptical. But Obsession is an example of a belief I’ve always held; a film doesn’t have to necessarily re-invent the wheel, it just needs to show a new way the wheel can be used. And Obsession is a speeding, ricocheting wheel straight to the head.

This is the feel-bad movie of the year, and the film is all the more better for it. Obsession takes a pretty familiar monkey’s paw concept and really goes for it, seeing just how dark and messed up it can get without necessarily feeling like torture porn. There’s actually a bit of poignancy to the film; maybe not enough to generate a ton of thinkpieces about it, but enough to come across as honest and grounded while still going absolutely batshit. A lot of this comes through in the lead performances of Michael Johnston and Inde Navarrette, who pull no punches in creating characters that are supremely grounded but also outlandishly psychotic. Plus the atmosphere, blocking and overall structuring of the film breathes actual life into a story you may have seen a hundred times, making it feel fresh with its own voice. This is a gut punch that also has a lot of dark humor to it, with a constant cloud of dread hovered over the entire thing. This is easily one of the best horror outings to come from 2026, if it’s making me say positives about a Blumhouse movie, then you know it has to be doing something right.

A lot of people have rightfully praised Inde Navarrette’s star-making performance as Nikki in this, as they should, but I also want to throw some flowers to Michael Johnston’s Bear as well. Not just because his name makes up two-thirds of my name, but because he does an absolutely tremendous job at capturing a character that easily could have been made out to be a flat, obvious stereotype. Bear isn’t the typical, woman-hating, woe-is-me incel this film could have made him. He has unrequited feelings for a childhood friend that he just can’t work up the courage to vocalize, and it’s that hesitance that drives him to using a One Wish Willow to grant him Nikki’s affection. He’s certainly relatable and a bit sympathetic, but all of that gets thrown out the window when he decides to ignore very obvious signs and takes the easy way out. He is 100% in the wrong and all of his suffering is a direct result of going along with this plan of removing Nikki’s agency, but the film actually refrains from being outright cartoonish with this setup. But Johnston does a terrific job at selling the agony of the situation, being just relatable enough to make us uncomfortable, which really challenges the viewer on how sympathetic you can be.

But let’s talk about Inde Navarrette’s Nikki, the dream girl who is quickly turned into a nightmare through another man’s weakness. A really important part of this film is making sure you know that Nikki is the victim here, despite the fact she’s the one scaring the crap out of everyone and committing heinous acts. She’ll terrify you and keep you on edge the entire film, maybe she’ll even make you laugh. But there’s still a deep sadness to her situation that keeps her from totally being seen as a monster. Navarette is displaying a physicality here that is impressively warped, almost dipping into uncanny valley territory. The way she manipulates her face and plays with the octaves of her voice is super impressive, knowing just the tone to strike for each individual scene. Additionally, the way she’s presented in many scenes where her face is obscured or she’s lit so darkly that you can barely see the glimmers of her eyes is not only haunting, but also fully drives home the idea of the erasure of her identity, being turned into a plaything for someone who’s going to get what’s coming to them.

I wouldn’t go so far as to call this a horror comedy, but I often found this to be just as funny as it was depressing. I think it’s a testament to Barker’s online routes; it’s very clear that, like the Phillipous, he’s tapped into the humor of the modern age and the younger generations that were molded by it. It helps to give this thing more of an identity, more of a voice, but it’s still content with making your skin crawl. I do think the film occasionally gets saddled with some stupidly loud jump scares from time to time, but they’re a bit more forgiving because the tension is laid thick early on and never really relents. Shadows, erratic motions and things just out of view do most of the heavy lifting, with a big emphasis on drawing your eyes to backgrounds or empty spaces to keep you on your toes. It’s this great mix of horror and humor that kept this thing engaging throughout, never really pumping the breaks or showing even a glimmer of possible happiness. 

This is one of those films that puts a pit in your stomach; the kind that leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and yet, you can’t help but savor what you just had. Which is impressive considering this kind of setup isn’t wholly original. The progression of the narrative is pretty cut and dry, but the film still finds ways to surprise you and reel you in. Obsession is elevating the idea, and not in some kind of pseudo-intellectual, snobby way. It’s injecting an actual voice, a personality into it, which is kind of what Blumhouse should have been doing all along. There are ideas and concepts that can be done on a budget, but a real, genuine talent will take them to new heights, shocking people and genuinely giving them a reason to be scared. That’s what I believe Curry Barker has done here, and I hope it leads to a shift in the status quo for not just this studio, but every studio.

Needless to say, I thought Obsession was a blast that also super bummed me out. It generates real feelings, whether it be humor, fear or empathy because it does such a great job at building off authentic interactions and mindsets. At the same time, it revels in its goofiness, but not enough to the point where the impact of each depressing beat after another feels dull or limp. It’s certainly scary, strange and not afraid to challenge you with uncomfortable imagery and ideas. Let this be a reminder that the worst thing she can do is say no, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you can avoid her doing something much, much worse.

RATING

ONE WISH WILLOW

The One Wish Willow is the latest horror movie MacGuffin to ruin someone’s life, but in this case, this one stands to actually improve yours. This is a bittersweet cherry cocktail that’s loaded with botanical notes and the slight tartness that comes from black cherry and lemon juice. I can’t promise you this drink will make your dreams come true, but a little alcohol never hurts the believing process.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5oz sloe gin
• 3/4oz amaro
• 3/4oz lemon juice
• 1/2oz dark cherry syrup
• GARNISH: Lemon peel heart (refer to video for visual example)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add ingredients to a shaker and shake with ice.
2. Strain into coup glass.
3. For the heart, remove the flesh from a lemon wheel and cut the peel to make it a long, linear piece.
4. Cut a slit down the middle of the peel.
5. Trim off the edges of one of the ends to make the pointed part of the heart.
6. Twist the peel to make a heart shape and garnish the cocktail with it.

PakarPBN

A Private Blog Network (PBN) is a collection of websites that are controlled by a single individual or organization and used primarily to build backlinks to a “money site” in order to influence its ranking in search engines such as Google. The core idea behind a PBN is based on the importance of backlinks in Google’s ranking algorithm. Since Google views backlinks as signals of authority and trust, some website owners attempt to artificially create these signals through a controlled network of sites.

In a typical PBN setup, the owner acquires expired or aged domains that already have existing authority, backlinks, and history. These domains are rebuilt with new content and hosted separately, often using different IP addresses, hosting providers, themes, and ownership details to make them appear unrelated. Within the content published on these sites, links are strategically placed that point to the main website the owner wants to rank higher. By doing this, the owner attempts to pass link equity (also known as “link juice”) from the PBN sites to the target website.

The purpose of a PBN is to give the impression that the target website is naturally earning links from multiple independent sources. If done effectively, this can temporarily improve keyword rankings, increase organic visibility, and drive more traffic from search results.

Jasa Backlink

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