the Backwoods Bergman

Hey guys,

Some new things:

1. The deepest infrared images of the universe yet. They're also heavily manipulated and colored. (They're not like this to the naked eye.)
   

2. If ever there was a recent film to demand such a document, it is this one.
   

3. I've just heard of "outsider" filmmaker Mickey Reece for the first time. His story is oddly compelling. And inspiring. "Backwoods Bergman" eh? What strikes me from the trailers of his films pre-2020 is, while they may look amateur and film-school-ish, the dialogue and assembly are actually pretty sophisticated...
   

4. Spielberg has finally directed a music video, and it's for Marcus Mumford. Shot on his phone. Kinda lame, probably meant as just a fun little family collab (Spielberg's wife Kate Capshaw helped. As did Marcus's wife Carey Mulligan.) I like to think he's already done better "music videos".
   

5. The T. Rex still rules.
    

6. Similarities in brain chemistry between mating and aggression.
   

7. The affliction of geological time.
   

8. I was reluctant to see Everything Everywhere All at Once, despite hearing it might match my sensibilities. Well, I ended up liking it.  It's Michelle Yeoh's best role in a while, it's bold, it's silly, and it gets away with it -- mostly -- because philosophically, that approach kinda makes sense: how else do you convey everything everywhere?
   
   But it also solidifies my feelings about the Daniels' work, and I can now more clearly say: their whimsy is the kind that feels better in short projects like over-the-top commercials and music videos. I'm all for childlike imagination -- and in ways it's more genius than Christopher Nolan somber affairs --  but maybe it needs a more complex lesson to match its technique.... or maybe it just needs to move past some of the potty humor... or maybe it needs to go fully obscure and embrace the myriad difficult possibilities out there... why does Everything show us these alternate universes and not the myriad others?
   
   (This alt universe was pretty great though)
   
   One of the benefits of watching things adjacent to your taste and not quite your taste: it helps you better define who you are. It's getting to know yourself through the analysis of others.
   

9. The second half of the final season of Better Call Saul is sticking the landing.
   

10. And here's one I would likely never have found if I hadn't clicked a few times through Hulu. Remarkable how many influential people are out there who many of us have never heard of, despite their very large communities.
    
    I knew nothing about Teal Swan. Through this series, I have a sense why she is fascinating. Too bad she's come out against it. It showed her in a not fully flattering light and focused on some dissenting voices, apparently without letting her know... But then again, if she had known, would she have let them make this?... But then again, couldn't the producer and director have handled it better?... But then again, what if they did let her know, and she's willfully denying it? In the link above, what exactly do these birthday messages confirm? They hardly seem to be evidence of lies. I could imagine many people sending such pleasantries; doesn't mean they're your loyal friends; they're just being courteous... But then again, what does it say about us, that we're accustomed to dealing with -- and partaking in -- such everyday "fakery"? From the perspective of an idealist, I can see how it's disheartening.  But then again, isn't she a little naive, calling out the other crew members, who ultimately did not have a say in how the documentary would be assembled and the tone it would take? Food for thought.

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Chris