skybridge

koberulz.bsky.social · @koberulz.bsky.social@bridge.neodb.net

Rated Obsession 4/10

There was a lot of excitement about this until the director got Milkshake Ducked a couple of days ago, and people seem to have cooled on it a little in the aftermath of that—at least, those aware of the interview have. The film's art director, Sally Choi, made note of her meagre pay for the film that was not in any way proportionate with the millions it's ended up raking in, and director Curry Barker was asked about it by the Hollywood Reporter. He had this to say: I have nothing but respect for the art department, and the work they did was extraordinary. Everybody on this film worked so hard and they deserve to be recognized. This movie was made for so little money that it’s typical that the only people who [directly] benefit from its financial success are the people who took on some sort of risk. But what I hope is that every person that worked really hard on this film will see opportunities to catapult their careers in ways that can be very financially fruitful for them It's maybe not the best response, though it seems not unreasonable coming from a guy who has no real reason to be in the weeds of Hollywood financing and its potential reforms. But you'll note there's no period at the end of the quote, because the last sentence is this: But what I hope is that every person that worked really hard on this film will see opportunities to catapult their careers in ways that can be very financially fruitful for them — like what’s happening for me. And....what a fucking tool. In the same interview, he says that the lesson Hollywood should learn from the film's success is that audiences want original ideas not tied to existing IP. He also says he's excited to work on his upcoming projects The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Obsession 2. Good things really do happen to bad people. As for the film, it's solid. I enjoyed it more than Backrooms, which I watched earlier today. I definitely found it more relatable, though I'm not sure relating to Bear (Michael Johnston, Slash) is a good thing...it's another of the many uncomfortable moments I've had where I can see myself in a guy who turns out pretty quickly to be an abusive, controlling, delusional shithead. The lines they're so willing to cross are what separates me from them, but it's no less uncomfortable seeing the commonalities of the initial awkwardness. In this case, it's Bear being confronted by Nikki (Inde Navarrette, Cranberry Nights) about whether he's attracted to her, and choosing to lie rather than to put himself in a vulnerable position by confessing that he is. Now, I'm pretty awful at reading body language, and I could well be wrong here, but my read on that scene as it unfolded was that Nikki was, in fact, attracted to Bear, and was simply waiting for him to grow a pair and ask her out. Which isn't in itself ideal behaviour, really, and women being romantic/sexual initiators should be normalised, but it's not unreasonable in the way much of Bear's later behaviour is. Even the wish which kick-starts the downward spiral seems reasonable. It's the downright malicious interpretation of his wish that lands him in trouble, and it's really not until further down the track—how he responds to the situation he's created—that he becomes the unambiguous villain of the story.

#movie

Published 2026-06-23 00:00 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere