After mid-to-late morning work stuff, I watched a couple of movies (and soaps):
Obsession (Peacock) - The 2025 hit, not the various other movies and TV series with this same title.
ÿÿ OK, yeah - this is quite good. It's no wonder that this has been a surprise hit.
ÿÿ And, of course, the guy who is basically the "asshole" in this flick
is named Ian.ÿ >:/ÿ [roll]ÿ [LOL]
ÿÿ Anyway!...
ÿÿ Gist: Weak, timid, nebbish-y young man named Bear (Michael Johnston,
who apparently was on the "Teen Wolf" TV series but I don't remember
him) is in love with his best friend Nikki (tiny, tiny Inde Navarrette - she's literally 5-foot-nothing, and maybe not even that!) but is too
much of a coward to tell her. So, instead, he uses a novelty new age
shop's "One Wish Willow" to wish that Nikki "Loved him more than anyone
else in the world." (What could possibly go wrong?!!)
ÿÿ Then Nikki starts acting really, *really* weird.
ÿÿ Like so, so, so weird it's actually mind-boggling.
ÿÿ And, believe it or not, that is more than enough to sustain the
film, as Nikki's increasingly bizarre behavior starts putting Bear more
and more ill at ease (and terrified)!
ÿÿ Inde Navarrette really, really sells this - I don't know if her face/body acting is as good as Lily-Rose Depp's was in "Nosferatu", but
if not it's close.
ÿÿ Bottom line: It's no wonder that this flick is being hailed as the
"best horror film of 2026". Director Curry Barker (apparently no
relation to Clive Barker!) really knows how to set a "disquieting mood",
and the way this is filmed (several scenes consist of Navarrette as
Nikki backlit in such a way that she looks like a ghost or demon
naturally!) really adds to the proceedings. Add in a good script and
you've got a winner.
ÿÿ My only complaint, if there is one, is I would have liked a follow-
up on the ending. But it's really just a minor complaint.
Into the Deep - The 2025 sharks-versus-pirates-vs-Scout Taylor-Compton! flick!
ÿÿ This is a weird one - the casting (Richard Dreyfuss(!),
Townsend, even Jon Seda) and the setting (looks to have been filmed in Indonesia) and production, indicate to me that this movie had higher asperations than going direct-to-streaming. But direct-to-streaming is basically how it went.
ÿÿ Gist: Recently married Oceanographer (Taylor-Compton) has a
traumatic past in which her dad was murdered by a great white shark when
she was a girl...
ÿÿ But these aren't just any great white sharks - they are CGI great
white sharks!!
ÿÿ Anyway, Taylor-Compton and her new husband (Callum McGowan, who apparently is the lead of "The Librarians: The Next Chapter" TV series though that didn't click with me watching this) go on a diving excursion ship, whose skipper is Stuart Townsend, in deepest darkest Indonesian(?) waters to look for sunken treasure (or something).
ÿÿ But, soon enough, they are set upon by pirates! led by dastardly and scarred Jon Seda! Who forces them to go diving, in shark-infested
waters! for sunken drugs instead!
ÿÿ Shark-inspired peril results!
ÿÿ The CGI sharks in this are actually pretty good - certainly better
than what you get from The Asylum. OTOH, the CGI blood in the water,
etc. was terrible, so I guess the CGI budget only covered the sharks!
ÿÿ We haven't seen much from Richard Dreyfuss lately, and I think this
film shows why - I found his performance off-putting and insufferable
here, made worse by the producers having the bright idea of having
Dreufuss robotically read a PSA on shark conservation over the end-credits.
After mid-to-late morning work stuff, I watched a couple of movies (and soaps):
Obsession (Peacock) - The 2025 hit, not the various other movies and TV series with this same title.
OK, yeah - this is quite good. It's no wonder that this has been a surprise hit.
And, of course, the guy who is basically the "asshole" in this flick
is named Ian. >:/ [roll] [LOL]
Anyway!...
Gist: Weak, timid, nebbish-y young man named Bear (Michael Johnston,
who apparently was on the "Teen Wolf" TV series but I don't remember
him) is in love with his best friend Nikki (tiny, tiny Inde Navarrette - she's literally 5-foot-nothing, and maybe not even that!) but is too
much of a coward to tell her. So, instead, he uses a novelty new age
shop's "One Wish Willow" to wish that Nikki "Loved him more than anyone
else in the world." (What could possibly go wrong?!!)
Then Nikki starts acting really, *really* weird.
Like so, so, so weird it's actually mind-boggling.
And, believe it or not, that is more than enough to sustain the
film, as Nikki's increasingly bizarre behavior starts putting Bear more
and more ill at ease (and terrified)!
Inde Navarrette really, really sells this - I don't know if her face/body acting is as good as Lily-Rose Depp's was in "Nosferatu", but
if not it's close.
On Jul 18, 2026 at 1:22:40 PM PDT, ""Ian J. Ball"" <ijball@mac.invalid> wrote:
After mid-to-late morning work stuff, I watched a couple of movies (and
soaps):
Obsession (Peacock) - The 2025 hit, not the various other movies and TV
series with this same title.
OK, yeah - this is quite good. It's no wonder that this has been a
surprise hit.
And, of course, the guy who is basically the "asshole" in this flick
is named Ian. >:/ [roll] [LOL]
He wasn't the villain, Bare was.
And people totally miss the point of the
title of the movie. It wasn't Nikki who was obsessed. It was Bare.
Even when he finally broke down and called the helpline listed on wishing stick's box, his first request wasn't to cancel the wish and give Nikki her life back, it was to "modify the wish", so he'd still get to be with her and have sex with her, even though he knew at that point that she was basically trapped and helpless in her own body, unable to control her own behavior.
Bare was the monster in this film.
Anyway!...
Gist: Weak, timid, nebbish-y young man named Bear (Michael Johnston,
who apparently was on the "Teen Wolf" TV series but I don't remember
him) is in love with his best friend Nikki (tiny, tiny Inde Navarrette -
she's literally 5-foot-nothing, and maybe not even that!) but is too
much of a coward to tell her. So, instead, he uses a novelty new age
shop's "One Wish Willow" to wish that Nikki "Loved him more than anyone
else in the world." (What could possibly go wrong?!!)
Then Nikki starts acting really, *really* weird.
Like so, so, so weird it's actually mind-boggling.
And, believe it or not, that is more than enough to sustain the
film, as Nikki's increasingly bizarre behavior starts putting Bear more
and more ill at ease (and terrified)!
Inde Navarrette really, really sells this - I don't know if her
face/body acting is as good as Lily-Rose Depp's was in "Nosferatu", but
if not it's close.
Navarette deserves an Oscar nomination. It's too bad the Academy almost never recognizes horror movies for awards. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS was a huge anomaly.
On Jul 18, 2026 at 1:22:40 PM PDT, ""Ian J. Ball"" <ijball@mac.invalid>wrote:
After mid-to-late morning work stuff, I watched a couple of movies (and
soaps):
Obsession (Peacock) - The 2025 hit, not the various other movies and TV
series with this same title.
OK, yeah - this is quite good. It's no wonder that this has been a
surprise hit.
And, of course, the guy who is basically the "asshole" in this flick
is named Ian. >:/ [roll] [LOL]
He wasn't the villain, Bare was.
Even when he finally broke down and called the helpline listed on wishingstick's box, his first request wasn't to cancel the wish and give Nikki her life back, it was to "modify the wish", so he'd still get to be with her
Bare was the monster in this film.recognizes horror movies for awards. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS was a huge
Anyway!...
Gist: Weak, timid, nebbish-y young man named Bear (Michael Johnston,
who apparently was on the "Teen Wolf" TV series but I don't remember
him) is in love with his best friend Nikki (tiny, tiny Inde Navarrette -
she's literally 5-foot-nothing, and maybe not even that!) but is too
much of a coward to tell her. So, instead, he uses a novelty new age
shop's "One Wish Willow" to wish that Nikki "Loved him more than anyone
else in the world." (What could possibly go wrong?!!)
Then Nikki starts acting really, *really* weird.
Like so, so, so weird it's actually mind-boggling.
And, believe it or not, that is more than enough to sustain the
film, as Nikki's increasingly bizarre behavior starts putting Bear more
and more ill at ease (and terrified)!
Inde Navarrette really, really sells this - I don't know if her
face/body acting is as good as Lily-Rose Depp's was in "Nosferatu", but
if not it's close.
Navarette deserves an Oscar nomination. It's too bad the Academy almost never
On 7/18/26 2:29 PM, BTR1701 wrote:
On Jul 18, 2026 at 1:22:40 PM PDT, ""Ian J. Ball"" <ijball@mac.invalid>
wrote:
After mid-to-late morning work stuff, I watched a couple of movies (and
soaps):
Obsession (Peacock) - The 2025 hit, not the various other movies and TV
series with this same title.
OK, yeah - this is quite good. It's no wonder that this has been a
surprise hit.
And, of course, the guy who is basically the "asshole" in this flick
is named Ian. >:/ [roll] [LOL]
He wasn't the villain, Bare was.
I didn't say Ian was the "villain" - I said he was the asshole. He was.
For at least a couple of reasons.
All that said, he did not deserve what happened to him. Basically no one did, except for Bear.
And people totally miss the point of the
title of the movie. It wasn't Nikki who was obsessed. It was Bare.
Even when he finally broke down and called the helpline listed on wishing
stick's box, his first request wasn't to cancel the wish and give Nikki her >> life back, it was to "modify the wish", so he'd still get to be with her and >> have sex with her, even though he knew at that point that she was basically >> trapped and helpless in her own body, unable to control her own behavior.
Bare was the monster in this film.
Anyway!...
Gist: Weak, timid, nebbish-y young man named Bear (Michael Johnston,
who apparently was on the "Teen Wolf" TV series but I don't remember
him) is in love with his best friend Nikki (tiny, tiny Inde Navarrette - >>> she's literally 5-foot-nothing, and maybe not even that!) but is too
much of a coward to tell her. So, instead, he uses a novelty new age
shop's "One Wish Willow" to wish that Nikki "Loved him more than anyone
else in the world." (What could possibly go wrong?!!)
Then Nikki starts acting really, *really* weird.
Like so, so, so weird it's actually mind-boggling.
And, believe it or not, that is more than enough to sustain the
film, as Nikki's increasingly bizarre behavior starts putting Bear more
and more ill at ease (and terrified)!
Inde Navarrette really, really sells this - I don't know if her
face/body acting is as good as Lily-Rose Depp's was in "Nosferatu", but
if not it's close.
Navarette deserves an Oscar nomination. It's too bad the Academy almost never
recognizes horror movies for awards. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS was a huge anomaly.
On 7/18/2026 1:22 PM, Ian J. Ball wrote:
After mid-to-late morning work stuff, I watched a couple of movies (and
soaps):
Obsession (Peacock) - The 2025 hit, not the various other movies and TV
series with this same title.
ÿÿ OK, yeah - this is quite good. It's no wonder that this has been a
surprise hit.
ÿÿ And, of course, the guy who is basically the "asshole" in this flick
is named Ian.ÿ >:/ÿ [roll]ÿ [LOL]
ÿÿ Anyway!...
ÿÿ Gist: Weak, timid, nebbish-y young man named Bear (Michael Johnston,
who apparently was on the "Teen Wolf" TV series but I don't remember
him) is in love with his best friend Nikki (tiny, tiny Inde Navarrette -
she's literally 5-foot-nothing, and maybe not even that!) but is too
much of a coward to tell her. So, instead, he uses a novelty new age
shop's "One Wish Willow" to wish that Nikki "Loved him more than anyone
else in the world." (What could possibly go wrong?!!)
ÿÿ Then Nikki starts acting really, *really* weird.
ÿÿ Like so, so, so weird it's actually mind-boggling.
ÿÿ And, believe it or not, that is more than enough to sustain the
film, as Nikki's increasingly bizarre behavior starts putting Bear more
and more ill at ease (and terrified)!
ÿÿ Inde Navarrette really, really sells this - I don't know if her
face/body acting is as good as Lily-Rose Depp's was in "Nosferatu", but
if not it's close.
ÿÿ Bottom line: It's no wonder that this flick is being hailed as the
"best horror film of 2026". Director Curry Barker (apparently no
relation to Clive Barker!) really knows how to set a "disquieting mood",
and the way this is filmed (several scenes consist of Navarrette as
Nikki backlit in such a way that she looks like a ghost or demon
naturally!) really adds to the proceedings. Add in a good script and
you've got a winner.
ÿÿ My only complaint, if there is one, is I would have liked a follow-
up on the ending. But it's really just a minor complaint.
*Nothing* happy happens next... What they need is either a prequel or
an anthology showing other wishes.
Into the Deep - The 2025 sharks-versus-pirates-vs-Scout Taylor-Compton!
flick!
ÿÿ This is a weird one - the casting (Richard Dreyfuss(!),
Isn't this his third or fourth killer fish movie?
Stuart
Townsend, even Jon Seda) and the setting (looks to have been filmed in
Indonesia) and production, indicate to me that this movie had higher
asperations than going direct-to-streaming. But direct-to-streaming is
basically how it went.
ÿÿ Gist: Recently married Oceanographer (Taylor-Compton) has a
traumatic past in which her dad was murdered by a great white shark when
she was a girl...
ÿÿ But these aren't just any great white sharks - they are CGI great
white sharks!!
ÿÿ Anyway, Taylor-Compton and her new husband (Callum McGowan, who
apparently is the lead of "The Librarians: The Next Chapter" TV series
though that didn't click with me watching this) go on a diving excursion
ship, whose skipper is Stuart Townsend, in deepest darkest Indonesian(?)
waters to look for sunken treasure (or something).
ÿÿ But, soon enough, they are set upon by pirates! led by dastardly and
scarred Jon Seda! Who forces them to go diving, in shark-infested
waters! for sunken drugs instead!
ÿÿ Shark-inspired peril results!
ÿÿ The CGI sharks in this are actually pretty good - certainly better
than what you get from The Asylum. OTOH, the CGI blood in the water,
etc. was terrible, so I guess the CGI budget only covered the sharks!
ÿÿ We haven't seen much from Richard Dreyfuss lately, and I think this
film shows why - I found his performance off-putting and insufferable
here, made worse by the producers having the bright idea of having
Dreufuss robotically read a PSA on shark conservation over the end-credits.
LOL!!!
Obsession (Peacock) - The 2025 hit, not the various other movies and TV series with this same title.
OK, yeah - this is quite good. It's no wonder that this has been a surprise hit.
What did you watch?
Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
Isn't this his third or fourth killer fish movie?
Let?s see
Jaws
Into the deep
Bubble guppies
Piranha 3-D
Ocean of fear
That?s all I?ve got
Verily, in article <113gnag$3q7qs$2@dont-email.me>, did
ijball@mac.invalid deliver unto us this message:
Obsession (Peacock) - The 2025 hit, not the various other movies and TV
series with this same title.
OK, yeah - this is quite good. It's no wonder that this has been a
surprise hit.
I'd love to see that, but I don't have Peacock. It'll probably find its
way onto Hulu eventually.
What did you watch?
On Friday, I watched the latest two episodes of Futurama. My impression
is that they don't quite know what they're doing. They're trying to
settle into a groove -- they can't drag out "Fry loves Leela" and "Kif
loves Amy" forever, so now they're just established couples -- but they
don't know what their groove is.
On Friday, I watched the latest two episodes of Futurama. My impression
is that they don't quite know what they're doing. They're trying to
settle into a groove -- they can't drag out "Fry loves Leela" and "Kif loves Amy" forever, so now they're just established couples -- but they don't know what their groove is.
They are making *new* Futurama?!?
On 7/18/2026 8:39 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:
Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:"Bubble Guppies"?
Isn't this his third or fourth killer fish movie?
Let?s see
Jaws
Into the deep
Bubble guppies
Piranha 3-D
Ocean of fear
That?s all I?ve got
On 7/18/2026 8:39 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:
Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:"Bubble Guppies"?
Isn't this his third or fourth killer fish movie?
Let?s see
Jaws
Into the deep
Bubble guppies
Piranha 3-D
Ocean of fear
That?s all I?ve got
Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
On 7/18/2026 8:39 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:
Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:"Bubble Guppies"?
Isn't this his third or fourth killer fish movie?
Letƒ??s see
Jaws
Into the deep
Bubble guppies
Piranha 3-D
Ocean of fear
Thatƒ??s all Iƒ??ve got
Man-eating bubble guppies...
How are you not terrified?
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