20250731:
I had reservations about watching the film. However, ChatGPT informed that it is relatively mild horror compared to modern day horror, and so I felt more comfortable to watch it. The reputation of the film precedes it. It would have been a shame to not watch the film.
In the end, I'm glad I did watch the film. I would agree that the film develops much more of a psychological tension throughout the film and falls within the type of films I enjoy.
Rating: 5.0/5
Instant Comments:
1a: pause at 7 minute mark. upon checking this timestamp, I noticed Hitchcock cameo outside the window. in any case, I was distracted with managing my photo library, and also realized I'm even too tired to do that. SO i'm gonna go lie down.
1b: Resume.
1b: She's thinking about running off with the money? He said 40K? How much is 40K back then?
1b: Hehe. Her boss.
1b: Wow. this music at that moment really changes the feel of the interaction. Without it... there'd have been less indication that something is up
1b: hehe the music continues with the police car following. I suppose this will continue throughout the film and we won't ever really know what to expect until we least expect it
1b: Hehe. wants to trae her car in. how suspicious; kind of strange
1b: her car plus $700 to trade it
1b: I'm surprised she's making the purchase with the policeman watching; what's the point. usually one makes the trade to hide tracks, but if she does it in the prescence of the cop... []
1b: I thought she was gonna hide the money away in the bathroom
1b: Earlier she was worried but here she is smiling as we get to hear conversations by others
1b: hehe "flirting with me"
1b: hehe. she opts for hiding the money in plain sight... how silly. it seems superficially smart but...
1b: hehe. how he switches between his crazy speech and a smile... it's just perfect
1b: She didn't sign "Crane" in the book.
1b: He checks. Marie Samuels
1b: Holy crap. So I knew something would happen in this shower scene but didn't know what. So I tried to kind of brace myself. When it happened... I was kind of surprised at the simplicity of the event.
1b: hehe. he's actually gonna miss the newspaper?
1b: camera turns to the newspaper to remind the audience
1b: ah! lol he noticed it
1b: hehe. hoping it's deep enough
1b: hehe. Norman smiles as the investigator is leaving
1b: hmm... he's not there for legal reasons so I guess while he doesn't have a warrant, he would invalidate an attempt to prosecute? I'm curious what the laws are
1b: hehe. interesting outcome; she stabs Arbogast
1b: oh no... they want to go to the Bates motel.
1b: He says "bad business out there about 10 years ago" but doesn't get into it
1b: what!?! The sheriff gets on with what he was referring to... plot twist.
1b: Hehe. "If the woman up there is Mrs. Bates, who's out there buried in the Green Lawn Cemetary." (I suppose it could be the wife in the story... but how did they mistaken her for Mrs. Bates?)
1b: They're meeting at the church... I'm very curious who else if anyone will die.
1b: Indeed I figured there might be a piece didn't flush down. But as Sam says it doesn't prove anything. Sam did notice there's no shower curtain; but neither does that specifically prove anything
1b: oh my goodness. they're gonna go. what if she's on the other side of the door
1b: he keeps a journal?
1b: damn. he went in to try to save her and she's heading to the cellar.
1b: wow the reveal
1b: I thought in the one scene he carried her downstairs.
1a=20250727, 1b=20250731
Watched 20250731 (Netflix, Instant) (last day to watch 20250731)
Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock. 109 min
Relevant Links:
Psycho (IMDb.com)
Psycho (RottenTomatoes.com)
Psycho (Wikipedia.org)
A branch of my blog series for movies and other screen media (e.g., series, shorts, and comedy specials).
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Thursday, July 31, 2025
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Vertigo (1958)
20250722:
Rating: 4.0/5
Instant Comments:
Hitchcock walking by (in scene after protagonist faints)
huh why go the back way.
oh the sign above the door says "customer parking"
I look up the difficulty of following someone in a car without being detected
Is that painting the person she went to visit? Carlotta Valdes? Maybe they're related
Soon after, confirmed. "Portrait of Carlotta"
How strange. He saw her, but apparently she didn't enter
it is said Carlotta Valdes is her great grandmother
I feel like there's a disconnect between what the husband is saying and the wife's actions; I think as the viewer, we're being led to believe that the husband is sane and telling the truthful narrative but first and foremost he withheld information so he's already at least slightly an untrustworhty source. I think the wife does know, since I wouldn't believe in the supernatural nature of the story
how did she go faint just by jumping in?
apparently this actress was born in 1933 and (he's talking to her after she woke up)
hehe "I've never been inside"
she must now know he's following her to be taking so many turns
hehe. "Somewhere in here, I was born, and there I died. It was only a moment for you. You took no notice." Both beautiful and dark. My kind of thought
that's quite a cool overhead shot
he sees the woman going to the room; suggests perhaps he's been dreaming the whole thing up this whole time
why does she have a strange look on her face?
holy moly. she thinks of the situation... maybe twin sisters then. but so what... they've been switching off and the husband had an affair with the sister and killed his wife?
what!?! he just got a look-a-like and killed his wife? couldn't he have just left his wife? [after finishing the movie, I looked this up and apparently it's to gain her inheritance]
how strange. she says "cause I remind you of her?" but she is her, right?
very... dark (he's obsessive)
he's in her room waiting. he's gonna find her dress perhaps? or the note she wrote?
muss - "make (someone's hair or clothes) untidy or messy"
wait, that's the necklace...
what's going to happen...
I don't get it. Did he not fall in love with Judy? [apparently the movie is about obsession; John "Scottie" Ferguson was obsessed with the idea of Madeleine which Judy had portrayed, not with Judy herself]
What? Why... [supposedly there is some ambiguity in Judy's death. but I like the interpretation that she was startled in the figure being a ghost - and a little quirky karma for pretending to be haunted by Carlotta Valdes]
Watched 20250722 (Netflix, Instant) (last day to watch 20250731)
Vertigo (1958) Alfred Hitchcock. 128 min
Relevant Links:
Vertigo (IMDb.com)
Vertigo (RottenTomatoes.com)
Vertigo (Wikipedia.org)
Rating: 4.0/5
Instant Comments:
Hitchcock walking by (in scene after protagonist faints)
huh why go the back way.
oh the sign above the door says "customer parking"
I look up the difficulty of following someone in a car without being detected
Is that painting the person she went to visit? Carlotta Valdes? Maybe they're related
Soon after, confirmed. "Portrait of Carlotta"
How strange. He saw her, but apparently she didn't enter
it is said Carlotta Valdes is her great grandmother
I feel like there's a disconnect between what the husband is saying and the wife's actions; I think as the viewer, we're being led to believe that the husband is sane and telling the truthful narrative but first and foremost he withheld information so he's already at least slightly an untrustworhty source. I think the wife does know, since I wouldn't believe in the supernatural nature of the story
how did she go faint just by jumping in?
apparently this actress was born in 1933 and (he's talking to her after she woke up)
hehe "I've never been inside"
she must now know he's following her to be taking so many turns
hehe. "Somewhere in here, I was born, and there I died. It was only a moment for you. You took no notice." Both beautiful and dark. My kind of thought
that's quite a cool overhead shot
he sees the woman going to the room; suggests perhaps he's been dreaming the whole thing up this whole time
why does she have a strange look on her face?
holy moly. she thinks of the situation... maybe twin sisters then. but so what... they've been switching off and the husband had an affair with the sister and killed his wife?
what!?! he just got a look-a-like and killed his wife? couldn't he have just left his wife? [after finishing the movie, I looked this up and apparently it's to gain her inheritance]
how strange. she says "cause I remind you of her?" but she is her, right?
very... dark (he's obsessive)
he's in her room waiting. he's gonna find her dress perhaps? or the note she wrote?
muss - "make (someone's hair or clothes) untidy or messy"
wait, that's the necklace...
what's going to happen...
I don't get it. Did he not fall in love with Judy? [apparently the movie is about obsession; John "Scottie" Ferguson was obsessed with the idea of Madeleine which Judy had portrayed, not with Judy herself]
What? Why... [supposedly there is some ambiguity in Judy's death. but I like the interpretation that she was startled in the figure being a ghost - and a little quirky karma for pretending to be haunted by Carlotta Valdes]
Watched 20250722 (Netflix, Instant) (last day to watch 20250731)
Vertigo (1958) Alfred Hitchcock. 128 min
Relevant Links:
Vertigo (IMDb.com)
Vertigo (RottenTomatoes.com)
Vertigo (Wikipedia.org)
Monday, July 21, 2025
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
20250721:
Rating: 3.0/5
Instant Comments:
the pressure for the person doing the cymbals
smile. he's so tall
how strange. hard on the neck
what an odd character this doctor
hehe no one stopped to help the stabbed man
oh wow. it was Louis Bernard
interesting question. "why should he pick me out to tell"
good advice. he should write down something pretend. like a substitute
ah yes. I was thinking this earlier. that the boy going separate way was bad... but I thought the wife [Mrs. Drayton] was a bad person. well we still don't know (phone call about Hank)
ah. Dr. McKenna ifnroms his wife what he's figured out makes sense so far.
hmm. he told his wife the note. how could he prevent his wife from telling
Hmm. But there are other A. Chappell. Why not any of the others?
ah the cymbals
I would just take a chair and break a window
classy. climbing the bell tower rope
hehe how nice of the ticket taker. he didn't insist on her providing a ticket
I keep nodding off during this music piece
hmm kind of underwhelming ending...
Watched 20250721 (Netflix, Instant) (last day to watch 20250731)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) Alfred Hitchcock. 120 min
Relevant Links:
The Man Who Knew Too Much (IMDb.com)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (Wikipedia.org)
Rating: 3.0/5
Instant Comments:
the pressure for the person doing the cymbals
smile. he's so tall
how strange. hard on the neck
what an odd character this doctor
hehe no one stopped to help the stabbed man
oh wow. it was Louis Bernard
interesting question. "why should he pick me out to tell"
good advice. he should write down something pretend. like a substitute
ah yes. I was thinking this earlier. that the boy going separate way was bad... but I thought the wife [Mrs. Drayton] was a bad person. well we still don't know (phone call about Hank)
ah. Dr. McKenna ifnroms his wife what he's figured out makes sense so far.
hmm. he told his wife the note. how could he prevent his wife from telling
Hmm. But there are other A. Chappell. Why not any of the others?
ah the cymbals
I would just take a chair and break a window
classy. climbing the bell tower rope
hehe how nice of the ticket taker. he didn't insist on her providing a ticket
I keep nodding off during this music piece
hmm kind of underwhelming ending...
Watched 20250721 (Netflix, Instant) (last day to watch 20250731)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) Alfred Hitchcock. 120 min
Relevant Links:
The Man Who Knew Too Much (IMDb.com)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (Wikipedia.org)
Saturday, July 12, 2025
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
20250712:
I decided to watch this movie with my younger child. I was on the fence as to whether the movie would be appropriate for her. Perhaps I was more afraid if there would be something too scary for her. However, she seemed to enjoy the movie and not have any problems.
20250726:
The kids watched this movie. I mostly just listened to it in the background as I worked.
20250822 Comment:
The movie goes by fast and I feel like it isn't the best story, but the songs are great.
Rating: 4.6/5
Instant Comments:
2: oh they are eating ramen with their names/faces on it
1: hehe 3 min
1: hmm. it seems suppressing demons is way different than eliminating them. not sure how demons stay alive and reproduce though
1: lol. she released new single during their break.
1: i dont get it. so she is a demon? she covers her patterns
1: hehe she probably should have taken a break. but good pace for the movie
1: it's explained in this scene (her patterns)
1: interesting (demonic voice)
3: (walked away when she think of the idea to go to a place that works)
1: hehe dancing to it
1: smile. magicians
1: he cut her sleeve
1: ah and now he noticed it
1: huh he covered it for her. why would he do that
3: (came back when they start writing takedown)
3: the two lines just merged
1: wow. the story twist where take down song gets used against her
1: hehe similar problem as Elsa. her "parent" told her to hide it and that's what resulted in the problem
1: hehe still covering it
1: caption says "harmonize demonically"
3: hehe "your just my type oh well" "no more abs!"
1: I bet Jinu helps (when gei ma atacks)
1: oh I thought he would have done it by song. but he just straight-up sacrificed himself
3: oh she still has tattoo but its not purple
1=20250712, 3=20250810
Watched 20250712 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20250726 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20250810 (Netflix, Instant)
KPop Demon Hunters (2025) Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang. 95 min
Relevant Links:
KPop Demon Hunters (IMDb.com)
KPop Demon Hunters (RottenTomatoes.com)
KPop Demon Hunters (Wikipedia.org)
I decided to watch this movie with my younger child. I was on the fence as to whether the movie would be appropriate for her. Perhaps I was more afraid if there would be something too scary for her. However, she seemed to enjoy the movie and not have any problems.
20250726:
The kids watched this movie. I mostly just listened to it in the background as I worked.
20250822 Comment:
The movie goes by fast and I feel like it isn't the best story, but the songs are great.
Rating: 4.6/5
Instant Comments:
2: oh they are eating ramen with their names/faces on it
1: hehe 3 min
1: hmm. it seems suppressing demons is way different than eliminating them. not sure how demons stay alive and reproduce though
1: lol. she released new single during their break.
1: i dont get it. so she is a demon? she covers her patterns
1: hehe she probably should have taken a break. but good pace for the movie
1: it's explained in this scene (her patterns)
1: interesting (demonic voice)
3: (walked away when she think of the idea to go to a place that works)
1: hehe dancing to it
1: smile. magicians
1: he cut her sleeve
1: ah and now he noticed it
1: huh he covered it for her. why would he do that
3: (came back when they start writing takedown)
3: the two lines just merged
1: wow. the story twist where take down song gets used against her
1: hehe similar problem as Elsa. her "parent" told her to hide it and that's what resulted in the problem
1: hehe still covering it
1: caption says "harmonize demonically"
3: hehe "your just my type oh well" "no more abs!"
1: I bet Jinu helps (when gei ma atacks)
1: oh I thought he would have done it by song. but he just straight-up sacrificed himself
3: oh she still has tattoo but its not purple
1=20250712, 3=20250810
Watched 20250712 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20250726 (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20250810 (Netflix, Instant)
KPop Demon Hunters (2025) Chris Appelhans, Maggie Kang. 95 min
Relevant Links:
KPop Demon Hunters (IMDb.com)
KPop Demon Hunters (RottenTomatoes.com)
KPop Demon Hunters (Wikipedia.org)
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Barbie (2023)
20250708:
I didn't realize this film leaned more into comedy. I was expecting something more deep. While the movie did have some heavy themes, it was overall light and comedic. While not an amazing film, I did enjoy it enough to give it above a 4.0.
Rating: 4.6/5
Instant Comments:
hehe. parody of 2001: A Space Odyssey
hehe. she's not entirely stiff but some aspects like her feet staying extended to convey the Barbie-ness
hehe. Just one Allan
hahahaha. "Bet you can't do a flip like that, Ken."
haha. what? "You guys ever think about dying?"
hehe "I'm actually not sure."
ha! fake cold water
smile. haha. do it again
chuckle. blame Mattel
hehe. "Oh look the Supreme Court"
oic. like just because there is an ideal behind Barbie, the real world is more complicated
aww... she shed a tear
hehe. "Men rule the world" was what came out of Ken's mouth
hehe. a room full of men
hahahahaha. That's a well written joke. "Think of it like a town in Sweden, Aaron Dinkins." And they all say "Sweden."
oh wow. surprise to the viewer. mother of the Sasha is the one who drew the designs in sync with Barbie's feelings
hahahahahaha. Aaron says "I'm a man with no power. Does that make me a woman?"
hehe. comedy well done (cubicle scene)
she says her name is Ruth [apparently Ruth Handler created Barbie in 1959 and was the co-founder of Mattel]
hehe. key card
ooh... haha. it is explained in this scene why Barbie had a weird connection
smile. "yeah it was dad" with a look back at Barbie
huh. apparently the CEO is concerned with preserving Barbie
haha. "one lady, she even asked me for the time" (of course the point is that's how women generally feel in the real world)
haha. double glasses
(these are archival)
hehe the way they spread out before falling
delayed laughter. All of N 'Sync.
hehe. "Note to the filmmakers, Margot Robbie is the wrong person to cast if you want to make this point."
Watched 20250708 (Netflix, Instant)
Barbie (2023) Greta Gerwig. 114 min
Relevant Links:
Barbie (IMDb.com)
Barbie (RottenTomatoes.com)
Barbie (film) (Wikipedia.org)
I didn't realize this film leaned more into comedy. I was expecting something more deep. While the movie did have some heavy themes, it was overall light and comedic. While not an amazing film, I did enjoy it enough to give it above a 4.0.
Rating: 4.6/5
Instant Comments:
hehe. parody of 2001: A Space Odyssey
hehe. she's not entirely stiff but some aspects like her feet staying extended to convey the Barbie-ness
hehe. Just one Allan
hahahaha. "Bet you can't do a flip like that, Ken."
haha. what? "You guys ever think about dying?"
hehe "I'm actually not sure."
ha! fake cold water
smile. haha. do it again
chuckle. blame Mattel
hehe. "Oh look the Supreme Court"
oic. like just because there is an ideal behind Barbie, the real world is more complicated
aww... she shed a tear
hehe. "Men rule the world" was what came out of Ken's mouth
hehe. a room full of men
hahahahaha. That's a well written joke. "Think of it like a town in Sweden, Aaron Dinkins." And they all say "Sweden."
oh wow. surprise to the viewer. mother of the Sasha is the one who drew the designs in sync with Barbie's feelings
hahahahahaha. Aaron says "I'm a man with no power. Does that make me a woman?"
hehe. comedy well done (cubicle scene)
she says her name is Ruth [apparently Ruth Handler created Barbie in 1959 and was the co-founder of Mattel]
hehe. key card
ooh... haha. it is explained in this scene why Barbie had a weird connection
smile. "yeah it was dad" with a look back at Barbie
huh. apparently the CEO is concerned with preserving Barbie
haha. "one lady, she even asked me for the time" (of course the point is that's how women generally feel in the real world)
haha. double glasses
(these are archival)
hehe the way they spread out before falling
delayed laughter. All of N 'Sync.
hehe. "Note to the filmmakers, Margot Robbie is the wrong person to cast if you want to make this point."
Watched 20250708 (Netflix, Instant)
Barbie (2023) Greta Gerwig. 114 min
Relevant Links:
Barbie (IMDb.com)
Barbie (RottenTomatoes.com)
Barbie (film) (Wikipedia.org)