Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Monday, June 8, 2026
Movie Review: Backrooms
Michael's Movie Grade: B
An eerie and atmospheric horror film.
In this movie, a man discovers a series of backrooms behind a wall in his furniture store.
For the first two-thirds or so of the movie, it plays like an old school horror movie. There is barely any blood or gore and though we get the feeling that something is watching our main character, we are not allowed to see what is actually watching him. Here we see horror filmmaking at its best. Rather than relying on cheap jump scares or gore, this film focuses on creating a sense of atmosphere and dread. Exploring some almost universal fears (confined spaces, being alone and what you can't see), this movie manages to be scarier than many horror films that tend to focus on jump scares or disturbing images. If you were to head home by yourself after this movie, you might just find yourself looking over your shoulder, every time you hear a noise.
In the last act. this film completely changes into something more philosophical and cerebral. The tonal change doesn't completely work as it can feel very abrupt, almost like we entered into a completely different movie. This act starts by examining something that we heard the main character talk about very early on. To suddenly make this the focus after it had been seemingly suddenly dropped and moved on from makes the tonal change even more abrupt. Yet the themes discussed and brought up in this final act are very intelligent and thought provoking. Unlike many horror films, this will not only leave you with a sense of dread but also a lot of food for thought. And the more thought you give to this final act, the more intriguing and smarter it becomes. The ending will especially leave you with a lot on your mind. However, I must admit that this final act has some pacing problems and can feel longer than it needs to. There is also the fault that when we actually see the “monster,” it simply looks more silly than scary.
While far from perfect, this is a legitimately scary and thought-provoking horror film.
Sunday, June 7, 2026
3 Essential Blu-ray Sets
If you are as into classic slapstick comedy as I am, here are three very recent Blu-ray sets that you simply must have.
Laurel and Hardy Year Three: The Newly Restored 1929 Silents
I am definitely late to the party with recommending this Blu-ray set, yet I would be amiss if I didn't recommend this wonderful set. With this third set in this series all of the existing silent films of classic comedy team Laurel and Hardy are now available on Blu-ray. As the title suggests this set consists of every silent film (and some talkies) from Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's third year as a team, 1929. These films look better than they ever had before and cinephiles who have seen them a million times will be amazed how good they look. Yet, this set has much more to offer than these films alone. The special features on this set are outstanding. The commentaries by Richard W. Bann and Randy Skerdvedt are so incredibly informative that you may want to take notes while watching them. Alternative versions of the films are another highlight. I loved watching the silent versions of Unaccustomed as We Are and Berthmarks (the team's first talkies). As some of you may know not all theaters were equipped for sound in 1929 and because of this, silent versions of were made of some talkies so they could play in silent movie theaters as well. Seeing these, especially for someone who has seen both Unaccustomed as We Are and Berthmarks as many times as I have, is a pure delight and historically fascinating. Also included is a dubbed version of the silent short Double Whoopee made by Chuck McCann for TV in the 1970's, a very informative booklet and a look at shooting locations. If you are a fan of silent comedy and don't own this yet buy it as soon as you can.
Looney Tunes Collector's Vault Volume 2
The greatest cartoons of all time are back with another Blu-ray (which came out this March). Like the previous volume, this set is broken up into two discs. The first is of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons that haven't been on Blu-ray, DVD or VHS before. Some of these are such gems that it is hard to believe that they haven't gotten such a release before. The second disc is made up of cartoons that haven't been released on Blu-ray before but have been released on other forms of physical media. There are so many true classics here that help remind us just how brilliant the classic Warner Brothers cartoons could be. As someone who wants to own everything Looney Tunes on physical media this is a godsend.
Looney Tunes Cartoons: The Complete Series
Running from 2019 to 2024, this series of new Looney Tunes cartoons came out on the streaming service HBO Max. I didn't watch much of these cartoons when they came out, but with my desire to own everything Looney Tunes, I needed to get it when it came to physical media. Available in both Blu-ray and DVD, this is a very fun set. While these cartoons may not reach the full heights of the 1930's-1960's cartoons, they are quite enjoyable. I especially enjoy the return of the wild and crazy Bob Clampett-esque Daffy. While there may be too much of an overreliance on gross out gags and some cartoons may fall flat, the majority of cartoons are well timed, well animated, well voiced and understand the characters. If you are a Looney Tunes fan like I am, I definitely recommend this Blu-ray.
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