MaggieQ-public

Revisionist mediocrity.

Robert Eggers' Nosferatu (2024) is another exercise in revisionist, millennial indulgence, cloaked in a veneer of artistic mediocrity. It will pander primarily to Gen Z viewers who, arguably, haven't been exposed to much greater works across (any) genre.

. And already some have dared call this a "masterpiece." Huh? Much of this seems driven by social media "influencers"-motivated by clicks, likes, and the greedy promise of brand endorsements.

. This points to a larger cultural problem: the internet, social media, and the influencer economy have diluted art, criticism, and cinema. Quick consumption and endless online echo chambers create a climate where mediocrity isn't just tolerated-it is celebrated.

Eggers' Nosferatu struggles to justify its existence. Rehashing familiar ground, the film offers neither fresh perspectives nor meaningful innovation. The performances are competent, but fail to elevate. Lily-Rose Depp gives an eager effort, but her range is questionable. More disappointing is the underutilization of Willem Dafoe, whose immense talent is wasted in his role.

Visually, again, the film is hyped up for greatness. Really? A 19th-century German setting (check), cobblestone streets (check), traditional period costumes (check), and "day-for-night" cinematography (check) is fine but nothing groundbreaking.

. This isn't about competition about craft, but auteurs like Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) remains a towering visually, combining opulent gothic imagery with operatic intensity. Herzog's "Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)" is more of the eerie, stark beauty. And Carl Dreyer's Vampyr (1932) is more dreamlike in visuals.

. Nosferatu (2024) is an unnecessary, revisionist retelling wrapped in mediocrity. It reflects an increasingly movie model shaped by nostalgia and reboots, serving as a reminder of how movies-(not art)-can falter when innovation takes a back seat to reverence.

The Order is a mid-budget crime drama-no flashy stars, no superficial glitz-tackling a brutal, festering truth that corrodes the core of America. For anyone dismissing this gripping, meticulously crafted film: the problem isn't with the movie, it's with you.

Justin Kurzel's direction is unflinching, capturing an atmosphere and era as unnervingly prescient (a word that might strain some) as this fractured, politically precarious moment demands. At its center lies the truth America refuses to reckon with: its original sins-racist hatred, slavery, and the genocidal exploitation of Africans and Natives. These crimes against humanity reverberate through every crack in society today. The echoes of slavery persist in mass incarceration, systemic poverty, and state violence against Black Americans.

Rather than addressing these legacies, America continues its descent. The underground movements once confined to the rural fringes of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon have metastasized to the White House. The empire hasn't just stumbled-it's fallen. The widening chasm between rich and poor has broken wide open, yet the scapegoating remains the same: blame Black, brown, and immigrant communities for problems the ruling class created. This refusal to confront its own sickness will be America's undoing.

With stellar performances from Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett, and Zach Baylin, The Order pulls no punches. And neither should you.

Lyndon B. Johnson said it best: "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."

So here we are. The cycle repeats. The fall is here. So long, US empire. Hello, BRICS (many will hear of it, and hear too much of it and then the blame of it, soon enough. Very soon).

There is no worse feeling for me when preparing to watch a new episode of House of the Dragon than to read in the opening credits the words: "written by Sara Hess and directed by Geeta Vansant Patel."

When I read this, I know I'll be in for an episode of side stares, emotional showdowns, courtyard discussions, and dresses pulled up to the ankles as queens march angrily through their castles. In other words, a big-budget episode of a daytime soap series not unlike "One Life to Live."

George Martin has said this: "Everywhere you look, there are more screenwriters and producers eager to take great stories and "make them their own." "The book is the book, the film is the film," they will tell you, as if they were saying something profound. Then they make the story their own.

They never make it better, though. Nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, they make it worse." End quote.