Triweekly Tuesday Tributes: Take Four

This one is late and will also be a little short. Just a lot going on irl right now.


Books

Just one this time, Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray. Very stock-standard scifi dystopian rebellion romance, but it wasn't bad by any means. Not really my thing, though.


Articles and Videos


Movie

I was incredibly wary of Backrooms because I'm a horror fan who is sick and tired of "analog" "horror." (Maybe I will write a rant about Angel Hare, Wendigoon and I Have No Mouth and Also No Point one day.) Worldbuilding and vibey pictures are nice and all, but you need an actual plot or why am I here. I was also concerned it would turn out like Weapons did, where there was a hell of a lot of hubbub about how confusing and mysterious it was for a movie that told you exactly what was going on and how right from the get-go. However, while leaving the theater, I heard a woman who had clearly been dragged there by her kid say that "It was weird, scary, and I don't know what just happened." which is exactly what I want a non-fan to say about the movies I'm the target audience for. Backrooms told you nothing more about the "lore" than what you needed to know to understand the characters themselves. No annoying lore dumps, no desperate attempt to make the viewer think that this was edgy or gritty or realistic, just what the handful of important characters experience themselves and a few shallow lines about medical equipment. That way the writing can focus on making a good movie instead of a good collaborative writing project for 14 year olds. Here's some people with problems people have. Here's a situation that completely shatters their sense of safety and view of reality. Let's see how they react. Also, a wonderful depiction of men who go to therapy to prove how emotionally intelligent they are just to lie to the therapist and ignore any feedback they get that doesn't make them either the victim or the hero. Tldr this is a great horror movie and it's about my ex