Too many to pick, but the last time I really looked forward to a film was back in 2018 when Bohemian Rhapsody came out, it was the first time in a long time that I genuinely was rooting for a film at the Oscars, I had never left a movie theater so dazed and out of it in my life, I knew right away that I wanted to see the film in theaters again (because the week I did go I was recovering from a bad cold) I ended up seeing it again not long after that, the day after I saw Ralph Breaks the Internet (I was disappointed with what I had seen)

I'm well aware of how inaccurate it is, but I'm willing to look past it, oh if I wasn't watching Lion King (2019) right now I'd pop that dvd in

Oh you know what, I forgot to bring up how much I make it a habit of watching Hocus Pocus every Halloween (if ABC Spark doesn't air in by the 31st then I take matters into my own hands and pop the dvd in) I'd be excited about the sequel but I don't have Disney+ and my parents won't budge in regards to the subject of streaming services (even though both parents to like the film and there is one thing that got my mom interested)

My favorite movie is now The Lighthouse by Robert Eggers. It stars Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe as two lighthouse keepers (wickies) one old and one young on an island who get stranded together and slowly descend into madness. It's framed as a horror movie but there's none of the typical horror elements but does carry some Lovecraftian vibes. The movie is filmed in black and white in an obscure aspect ratio. It's set in the 1890s and has had rigorous studying done on the dialect of the time, leading the characters to speak in a tone of English that you may not be very familiar with. Living on a coastal community with plenty of lighthouses, I see bits of it spread throughout our local vernacular and pronunciation at times. The imagery that was used is inspired by gothic art from the 1800s while the story itself is framed upon the Tragedy of Prometheus.

The younger wickie keeps to himself, expecting to work with the other wickie to get the jobs done and go their separate ways at the end of the day, while the older one has claimed supreme authority from seniority and makes him do everything out of intimidation, while expecting to have a friend to drink with at the end of the day. The younger one wants to see the light at the top of the lighthouse, while the older one strictly forbids it and keeps the ability to bask in its light to himself. They drink and sing together at the end of every night and you start to wonder who is crazier.

There are plenty of things to be said about this movie's underlying messages, such as the working environments and job choices at the time, alongside a look at relations that people have with their supervisors, and how power dynamics can make the slightest bit of coldness from a subordinate a horrible malfeasance. The temptation that seeing the light holds over the younger one, and how his emotions towards his personal environment can alter how it treats him.

It's a fascinating movie that I could watch several more times discovering something new about the movie or realizing something in the background could be very important, or noticing a distinct phrase or scene shot has far deeper meaning than what is simply being discussed by the characters.

alexanyways : I really liked that movie and the acting was amazing but I remember being so confused by the ending to the point where I couldn't sleep for days because I was thinking that there was some error or continuity issue that I couldn't get past. I think I hated the ending but loved everything else.

*Lighthouse Spoilers*


zanderlex : Seeing the light represents power in the same way facing judgment from Zeus for stealing fire was for Prometheus. I think after he killed the bird, and when the older one learns of it, he has that argument over cooking where he curses him without blinking for 4 straight minutes in sick old sailor talk condemning him to death at sea by Poseidon for eternity, it is the final step to a punishing judgement right until the axes start swinging at each other, where the young one sees the old man transform into a creature with tentacles. He is literally Proteus, son of Poseidon, also known as the Old Man of the Sea, who is a shape-shifter. Prometheus was chained by Proteus who had him picked apart by birds for eternity. The Lighthouse is Zeus, or the Elder God. Once you see the light, judgement has been passed.

Or, he was mesmerized, saw the light too bright, fell out of the tower, landed on the rocks outside the island with ruptures.

Assuming the head he found halfway through the movie was the last person on the island before the last shift the old man was on, hence the vacancy in the position, maybe he too was cursed.