Trailerblazing -- The Woman In The Yard

The Woman in the Yard (2025) -- March 28, 2025 -- directed by Jaume Collet-Serra -- starring Danielle Deadwyler, Okwui Okpokwasili, Russell Hornsby

 

Blending Us and Candyman vibes, the new movie from Orphan director Collet-Serra appears to be an original ghost (or demon? Or something else?) story. The appearance of an entity clad in black in a family's yard seems to be the catalyst for a whole lot of mystery, which is an always welcome element in horror; just ask Strange Darling and Barbarian. Trailers that show hints of events and just enough of the narrative without making major reveals are a rarity, so seeing one is rather refreshing, not to mention intriguing. Deadwyler has been having a lot of success in recent years with her powerful turns in Till and The Piano Lesson, while Hornsby appeared in last year's The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat. The trailer also brings urban legends to mind and we are about to find out if the movie resurrects or invents one. It looks like a unique genre piece, with a number of twists and surprises to unravel.

Trailerblazing -- Drop

Drop (2025) -- April 11, 2025 -- directed by Christopher Landon -- starring Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Ed Weeks

 

 

 

The prolific Blumhouse will greet spring with this offering about a widowed mother who goes on a date and becomes entangled in a murderous conspiracy. The movie gives off serious Red Eye vibes with a similar kind of narrative -- a lone female protagonist getting caught up in a game of cat and mouse -- and looks like it could be a sleeper hit like the Wes Craven feature. Based on the trailer, the way modern technology gets incorporated into the proceedings is an intriguing and integral aspect of the screenplay. Fahy, who made a splash in Season 2 of "The White Lotus", gets another juicy role in this piece, while Sklenar is coming off of the success of the controversy-filled It Ends With Us. Seemingly brimming with nail-biting moments, Drop also boasts vivid cinematography by Marc Spicer (Lights Out, Escape Room) and marks the first thriller for director Landon. It appears taut and suspenseful, with an appealing cast and interesting characters, and it might just start a welcome revival of action thrillers.

A little something about Twin Peaks. Thank you, David Lynch.

I first wrote this article in the spring of 2017, right before the “Twin Peaks” reboot was about to premiere. I posted it and then removed it, since it seemed too personal for me to share. However, I feel the need to re-post it today, because I am forever grateful to David Lynch for introducing me to this quirky town and its mysteries, especially since it occurred during a time of great unrest in my life. One can never have too much “Twin Peaks” and people need this show’s wisdom and fantasy. I have edited some parts, but it is essentially the same ode to my favorite show of all time. I hope that you enjoy it.

Rest in peace, Mr. David Lynch. Thank you.

 

            "Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it. Don't wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot black coffee." 

- Agent Dale Cooper  

I watch many scripted shows. Considering that we live in the new golden age of television, my love and appreciation for diverse episodic entertainment is a bottomless well. 

There are shows that I have watched and enjoyed immensely, be it for fantasy elements (“Grimm”, we miss you), great chemistry ("Almost Human", audiences are in dire need of your unique style and wit) or gut-busting humor ("The Big Bang Theory", we need you -- also, why did I not start watching you until 2010?). 

Then there are shows that I have watched and got lost in COMPLETELY; those whose casts, characters, storylines and fandoms hold a dear and meaningful place in my heart. Whoever knows me knows that I am talking about my Targaryens and Lannisters of "Game of Thrones", my Winchester boys of "Supernatural" and my lovable outcasts of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". The first one is my standard against which all fantasy and every epic needs to be measured. The second one is my little show that could, a gem that exemplifies the power of a brilliant rapport, engaging stories and fandom families. The third one turned my world into a smile, reaffirmed my goals and made me laugh until I fell off the couch, a journey that I was inspired to write about.

And then there is one show that determined the course of my passion and my love for storytelling. A show that is still considered revolutionary in its quirky ingenuity three decades later, paving the way for riddles such as “The X-Files”, "Lost" and "Wayward Pines". A show that provided so much more to me than hours of entertainment in a time that was anything but, a time of turmoil that had been unimaginable only a year earlier. 

You know it well. If not, you definitely should. 

The genius murder mystery/dark humor/Americana hybrid, "Twin Peaks" is a wild and beautiful creation from the minds of David Lynch and Mark Frost. From the very first time I saw Julee Cruise's "Falling" video, I was intrigued. From the very first time I heard that a certain beauty queen was dead, wrapped in plastic, I was hooked. 

The show started broadcasting in my previous home country in April 1991 and this is where my part of this story comes in. 

I come from the former Yugoslavia. In June 1991, two weeks after we had celebrated our junior prom, clashes started in Slovenia and then Croatia. While my friends and I were doing high school entrance exams, war raged only a few hundred kilometers away. While I am forever thankful for not having lived in a war zone, witnessing my country break apart was bizarre to say the least. Our lives changed and the mentality grew more insane by the hour, with politics taking over every second of every day.

The breakup of Yugoslavia is one of the most significant events that marked my life and one of the main factors that formed my personality. It reverberated throughout my teenage years, its echoes loud and clear in the way we lived. News versus propaganda. Economic sanctions. Stolen votes. Blackouts. Gas stations with no fuel. Empty supermarket shelves. Inflation rates in the hundreds of thousands. I will never forget going to the post office twice one day; when I returned two hours later, the money that I had was literally worthless. I will never forget the evening when my best girlfriend and I witnessed an entire apartment block lose electricity. Weirdness squared, with a side dose of melancholy. However, it was not war, as I selfishly remind myself to this day. Things could always have been worse.

But teenagers will do what teenagers do. No matter what their environment brings, they find a way into their special little world of simple joys and purehearted optimism. They deal in sweet frenzy, schoolyard flirtations and exuberant banter, and I was no different. Looking back, "Twin Peaks" was my salvation when the storm started. It was my Guido from Life is Beautiful -- obviously on a much smaller scale, but it is the only parable that I can think of. It was my gorgeous distraction, a delightful phantasm that enticed my imagination and spun my brain. In the spring and summer of 1991, I was busy recording episodes shown in the afternoons as reruns, those that were not superseded by endless parliament gatherings. Forget duplicitous politics, there was no room for those problems in my 14-year-old life -- I needed my daily "Twin Peaks" fix! My teenage self needed Audrey, Laura, Donna, James, Shelley and Bobby's intrigue and love affairs. My philosophical self yearned for Agent Dale Cooper's curiosity and Sheriff Harry S. Truman's down-to-earth wisdom. My writer self required the Black Lodge and its mystique. I wanted to be in that forest and be a guest at the Great Northern, AND meet those cool Norwegians while I was at it -- why not? I needed it all. It was my obsession, my art, my drug. It was my dream for a creative life. It was my dream for stories and hope that wonderful, feverish tales were waiting for me in my future.

"Twin Peaks" is more than my favorite iconic show. It reminds me of a light in what would otherwise merely have been a period of darkness. It reminds me of my parents, who were hearing about my obsession every day, and my friends, who I would not talk to about anything else. Why would I? It reminds me of the two scrapbooks that I had dedicated to it, as well as the first time that I wrote fan fiction. It takes me back to when I was a 14-year-old girl with a head full of dreams. It takes me back to that fateful first glimpse of Julee Cruise's "Falling" video.

One of the first VHS tapes that I bought after moving to Canada at seventeen was the original TV movie/pilot. I have the Gold Edition DVD postcards on a wall and one of my most treasured possessions is the show's soundtrack on tape... tape! That tape has been opened and listened to thousands of times, the cover nearly worn out. I have Jennifer Lynch's "The Diary of Laura Palmer", which I pored over in high school and took everywhere. And it all takes me back. And it all reminds me of that magical Washington town that whispered its secrets to me and provided sanctuary when I needed it most. 

Since then, I have finished school and discovered many things about myself. Among other things, I discovered that I was a writer and I know that it is largely due to the influence of "Twin Peaks" in my life. I have completed my first novel, in no small part owing to my love for and inspiration that I got from this show. Saying that I had been looking forward to the 2017 reboot would be an understatement. It was a brilliant and thoughtful continuation to the story.

I am grateful to David Lynch, Mark Frost and the entire cast for creating something that not only stands out and stands the test of time, but also feeds the imagination and provides comfort. Thank you for your genius and thank you for inspiring me. Paying another visit to your mystical town in 2017 was an honor and an experience to remember.

Now please excuse me while I treat myself to some cherry pie and some damn good coffee.

With no side of politics whatsoever. 

Oh, wait.

Trailerblazing - Presence

Presence (2025) -- January 24, 2025 -- directed by Steven Soderbergh -- starring Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan, Lucas Papaelias, Callina Liang

 

Written by David Koepp (Stir of Echoes, You Should Have Left), this is Steven Soderbergh's first horror feature (unless one considers Unsane to be a horror movie, an argument that one could easily and rightfully make). With its sinister atmosphere and disorienting camerawork, as well as the trailer's hints at surprises, this story of a family haunted by their own house looks like a winner. With the exception of 2007's Rise, Liu has never been in a horror piece, so hers should be an intriguing turn. After his starring roles in "The Knick" and "This Is Us", Sullivan is getting a chance to show his range in a different kind of project, while Fox and Liang's stars have been rising steadily in recent years. I did wonder about the technology used to shoot this movie, since its crisp feel reminded me of Unsane -- shot using the iPhone 7 Plus -- and I found out that iPhones were indeed used with Soderbergh's latest, among other types of cameras. The director is also in charge of the cinematography and the idea of a paranormal entity hiding behind all the light and bright hues is really appealing to me. Presence seems frightening and effective in its minimalism, and it looks like another underrated hit for an underrated filmmaker.

Trailerblazing - Heart Eyes

Heart Eyes (2025) -- February 7, 2025 -- directed by Josh Ruben -- starring Jordana Brewster, Olivia Holt, Devon Sawa, Mason Gooding 

                         

This Valentine's Day, prepare to die of delight... well, maybe not exactly delight. In the vein of Valentine and Scream, this is apparently a story about a couple who manage to evade a V-Day serial killer, only for said killer to proceed to chase them around the city. Coming off of her successes in Totally Killer and "Cruel Summer", Holt is quickly becoming the next final girl, while Gooding is also carving out a niche in the genre following his turns in Scream, Scream VI and Fall. Stephen Murphy's (Years and Years) cinematography provides an ominous ambience and dashes of dark humor bring levity to the creepy proceedings. One of the writers, Christopher Landon, also brought us Freaky and the ingenious Happy Death Day duology, so there is no doubt that we are in for some clever twists and hearty laughs in between all the stabbings and shootings. Whoever said romance was dead? 

Review -- Poor Things

                                    

Every once in a while, a movie comes out that changes your perspective. Every once in a while, you find yourself cheering for a unique character and immersing yourself in dialogue so rich, you wonder what universe it had come from. Based on Alasdair Gray's 1992 novel, Yorgos Lanthimos's Poor Things is one of such life-affirming, exhilarating cinematic experiences. You will not see anything else like it.

 **SPOILERS AHEAD**

After a pregnant woman (Emma Stone) dies by suicide, an eccentric doctor (Willem Dafoe) revives her by replacing her brain with that of the baby she had been carrying and names her Bella. While Bella's brain develops, she starts yearning to participate in the world more, and so her daring and self-exploratory adventure begins...

The movie's look and ambience is so lavish in texture, it feels like we are able to reach out and touch the surrealist world that Lanthimos has created. Occasionally reminiscent of Michel Gondry's works, particularly 2013's Mood Indigo, Poor Things is an opulent visual feast of an alternative Victorian Europe, with touches of steampunk along the way. Holly Waddington's costumes and the production design by James Price, Shona Heath and Zsuzsa Mihalek -- all Academy Award winners for their work here -- lead the way in tactile triumph and creativity. Robbie Ryan's cinematography is equally vivid, especially the Lisbon and Paris scenes.

The movie's usage of black-and-white and color is also impressive. The color is infused once Bella has intercourse for the first time, showing how thirsty Bella is for intimacy and human connection. She goes about achieving them in a reverse way due to the circumstances, but once she starts discovering herself as a fully formed person and as a woman, her true life begins. Sexual expression represents liberation and freedom in this story, as it does in some other movies from recent decades. Much like Joan Allen's Betty in Pleasantville, who is no longer black-and-white after engaging in self-pleasure and after a lifetime of not taking care of her needs, the usage of color in Poor Things serves to emphasize Bella's isolation and virtual captivity until she discovers the idea of sexual relations. 

The cast is fantastic. Stone is magnificent as Bella, giving one of the bravest performances that I have ever seen. Just pay attention to the character as she listens to music or the sequence in which she finds out about the concept of classes and injustice. The actress's face speaks volumes and her joyful eloquence fully conveys Bella's wonder, curiosity and open-mindedness. Mark Ruffalo is tragic and hilarious as a man who simply does not understand not being able to control a woman. His performance brings satire to the narrative and the actor runs with it. Dafoe also excels as a man so lost in his traumatic upbringing and what he considers to be science that he does not understand until the very end how the imposed lack of choice has affected his ersatz daughter. Ramy Youssef provides notes of sensitivity and rebellion to the part of medical student Max McCandles, while Christopher Abbott, Suzy Bemba, Jerrod Carmichael and Kathryn Hunter are outstanding in supporting roles.

In this retelling of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", the "monster" transcends boundaries to create and curate a rewarding existence for herself, going beyond societal expectations and patriarchal norms. The successes and travails of Bella Baxter are an example to us all and this heroine is someone who will stay in your mind for a long time. Finding her voice and independence is a courageous journey, even in this fantasy world that mirrors our own. In this sense, Poor Things is undoubtedly and unabashedly a feminist piece. However, even more than that, it is a humanist piece of art that encourages audiences to reassess themselves and their lives, to live to the fullest and to live their truth.

10/10

Review -- Outback (2019)

                               

In the grand cinematic tradition of couples doing stupid things while on vacation and based on an urban legend, this 2019 offering from director and co-writer Mike Green takes us on a couple's ill-fated Australia getaway. Tense and frightening in its ruthless pragmatism, the screenplay also acts as a detailed manual on what not to do and how not to act while visiting an unfamiliar location.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Lisa (Lauren Lofberg) and Wade (Taylor Wiese) are in the land down under, while also coping with a bump in their relationship - he proposed on the plane and she refused. On a whim, they decide to explore the Outback, but make a wrong turn and lose their way in the unforgiving wilderness. Now the question is if they can survive the snakes, dingoes and other hazards lurking around...

As far as survival movies go, Outback is gripping. We empathize with the young couple who are just starting their lives together and are already in disagreement. The love that they share is palpable, with Lofberg and Wiese relatable and sympathetic as the two, which only makes their later torture more grueling to watch. Their last scenes, particularly Lisa filming her video, are exceptionally moving. Justin Bell's ominous music and Tim Nagle's gorgeous cinematography contribute to the sense of dread and loneliness when the two get lost; there are some beautiful shots of a place that should only be visited in an online image search. Just like 2008's The Strangers, the movie depicts an especially frightening situation because it can actually happen in real life. One does not need Jason or Michael when there are creatures that can kill you at the drop of a hat.

However, what riles me up is how ignorant these two people are about going to see a country that is third on the list of countries with the most venomous animals in the world (Mexico and Brazil are #1 and #2, respectively, in case you are wondering). They do not know much about Australia's flora and fauna, which is pretty much the first thing that one needs to be aware of when traveling there. They jump into the ocean willy-nilly and do not seek medical assistance when Wade gets stung by what is likely one of the most dangerous species of jellyfish on the planet. They decide to visit one of the wildest and most remote places on Earth without a guide or any kind of plan. They leave their car and do not even have flares, not to mention that they obviously have not brought enough food and water for this type of excursion. One has to wonder what the two are thinking; it is no surprise that nature quickly crashes them down to a brutal reality. This is where the movie cannot seem to be able to make up its mind - is its intention to purposefully show the couple's naivete or are the plot holes really this big? Are we supposed to believe that these two apparently experienced travelers know so little? It is difficult to tell.

Outback is a good way to spend two hours distracted by others' plight, yelling at the screen and shaking your head in disbelief. Its unique location is a merciless predator, toying with two unsuspecting humans in its midst. An engaging and suspenseful movie, it demonstrates how beautiful places can also be perilous and is a good warning for any wannabe travelers to always do their research.  

7/10