i caved and made a public SOME KIND OF STAR TREK insta to post sci-fi/nerd commentary instead of always just typing into the void here on the blog. unfortunately, i forgot... i don't really know how to post on insta? and mostly enjoy using it for photos like we did in 2012. the end result is no nerdy commentary here or insta, which is kind of a bummer. let's see if we can get those numbers up.
the one thing i've been consistent about is updating the movie log... until i saw CACTUS PEARS, which broke my brain in the most beautiful way, and i couldn't think about a single review until i wrote...
CACTUS PEARS (or SABAR BONDA) (2026)
i've spent the last couple of years stating that i'm kinda over movies about "real life" as it were, and that i only want to see movies about the fantastic in some way. CACTUS PEARS completely changed my mind, because it captures real life in a way i've never felt from a film. it made me realize what i dislike about most films that aren't about the fantastic is... they're attempting to capture real moments, but they're still using all the artifice of those big, fantastic movies. that doesn't quite work, does it? CACTUS PEARS has no music, no camera movement, and not even much conflict... and it truly captures life, human connection, and emotion in a way i've never seen in all my moviegoing years. this was part of the 2026 SOUTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL here in montréal, and... it was inspiring, moving, and hasn't left my thoughts.
i've also always joked that people who had supportive, loving parents can't make good art, and CACTUS PEARS proved me wrong again. there was a Q&A over zoom with director rohan parashuram kanawade -- in india, and 6am for him apparently -- where he revealed that the stoicly strong supportive parents in this film were quite literally based on his parents and the things they said and did for him. what?? and yet despite those odds, here we are with an incredible piece of art.
this will probably be put in the category of queer films, but i would argue queer films have an agenda -- which isn't a criticism, it's a needed agenda and an agenda i am very much here for. but this isn't a queer film. it's the most human film i've seen in a very long time.
i am changed in many ways after seeing CACTUS PEARS.
P.S. the two leads, omfgs, their hair! the director definitely knew the actors had beautiful south asian hair, and knew just how to capture it.
* * * * / 4.0
I LOVE BOOSTERS (2026)
a must see in theaters. the colours! the fashion! the stop-motion! the miniatures! the physical creature FX! the joy! a true delight of filmmaking. proof that you can have all the silly fun in the world but still make your movie about something. and also... what a shockingly lovely, understated performance from keke palmer. the movie is big, but all her reactions are small, with such a sweet melancholy to them. i was genuinely and consistently moved by her. the song "cassandra" that keke sings over the end credits and her performance throughout the film have somehow given me an entirely new appreciation of someone i already loved.
naomi ackie was great too -- when the fuck is BLINK TWICE finally going to get its moment??
i loved the ending, because it's a reminder that the solution really IS pretty fucking simple... if we want it.
this only loses half a star because... unlike everyone else, i actually did not like the score. not my tempo, and the only miss in an otherwise great time at the movies.
* * * .5 / 4.0
QUICK REVIEWS
LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND was a pleasant surprise. great performances from the adults, weirdly creepy performances from the kids, good tension and humour, and i enjoyed the ride.
READY OR NOT: HERE I COME was a letdown. huge miscasting with kathryn newton, and since all her scenes were with samara weaving, this was the first time i haven't enjoyed watching samara onscreen?? wtf. the ending wasn't bad.
ABIGAIL is from the same directors as READY OR NOT, which is funny because it's the exact reverse concept. some fun ideas. a rare miss of a performance from dan stevens, who i guess was trying to be jack nicholson? neither READY OR NOT 2 nor ABIGAIL came remotely close to the cleverness and fun of SCREAM 6.
BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER was officially added it to my top 10 films of allllll tiiiiiime after this rewatch with my roommate. what joy. what a cast. what incredible direction and design.
HAIRSPRAY continued my john waters deep dive -- i saw the musical remake in theaters but had never seen the original, strangely. a delight! almost impossible to believe john waters made a film for the whole family?! of course he still snuck plenty of subversive weirdness into it. i'd like to see the remake again because the story really does make perfect sense as a musical... but justice for harvey fierstein.
anyway, i'm moving. center of the city. wish me luck. long days and pleasant nights to you all.
2026.05.29