Weekly entry For Us by Oluwatomisin Akintokun

After rewatching US (finally), I can comfortably say that the biggest shortcoming of Jordan

Peele’s US is that it came after Get Out. And what a lovely problem to have as a director. Us is

one of the most impersonal personal films I have ever watched, and I believe that is caused by

how vast in scope this movie’s message is. A message that differs from audience member to

audience member. For me, the core message of this movie is about the inherit exploitation of

specifically; the American dream and socio-economic class structures at large. The imagery of

the joy of the top world being mirrored by the suffering of those below (as seen in the ballet
scene during the fight scene with Addie and Red), very much speaks to the fact that upper class

success is more often than not built on the exploitation of those below. I also like the fact that the

way those below get the change they seek, and the same way fake Addie takes her place in the

top-side is through violent means. Because despite what those at the top will have you believe,

change is never obtained peacefully. Also, the foreshadowing of our Addie being her tethered

version with her speech quirks and clothing getting increasingly red is just amazing.

Ari Aster’s 2019 film; Midsommar is for me, the most unique horror film I have ever laid eyes

on, and I believe this is down to the color palette and setting of the movie. So many times, we

see horror movies get set under the dead of night, in tight, grungy, claustrophobic environments,

and for good reason too, as this all helps to keep us on edge. But Midsommar is anything but.

This movie is bright, vibrant, and spacious, as if one has been transported to a fairy tale land. All

be it one with an underlying sinister evil. An evil that unlike its contemporaries, does not need to

hide because it is not invasive. Our characters have unknowingly but intentionally stepped into

its domain, and as such it does not require the cover of the night sky to operate.

Weekly entry For Us by Oluwatomisin Akintokun

After rewatching US (finally), I can comfortably say that the biggest shortcoming of Jordan

Peele’s US is that it came after Get Out. And what a lovely problem to have as a director. Us is

one of the most impersonal personal films I have ever watched, and I believe that is caused by

how vast in scope this movie’s message is. A message that differs from audience member to

audience member. For me, the core message of this movie is about the inherit exploitation of

specifically; the American dream and socio-economic class structures at large. The imagery of

the joy of the top world being mirrored by the suffering of those below (as seen in the ballet

scene during the fight scene with Addie and Red), very much speaks to the fact that upper class
success is more often than not built on the exploitation of those below. I also like the fact that the

way those below get the change they seek, and the same way fake Addie takes her place in the

top-side is through violent means. Because despite what those at the top will have you believe,

change is never obtained peacefully. Also, the foreshadowing of our Addie being her tethered

version with her speech quirks and clothing getting increasingly red is just amazing.

Ari Aster’s 2019 film; Midsommar is for me, the most unique horror film I have ever laid eyes

on, and I believe this is down to the color palette and setting of the movie. So many times, we

see horror movies get set under the dead of night, in tight, grungy, claustrophobic environments,

and for good reason too, as this all helps to keep us on edge. But Midsommar is anything but.

This movie is bright, vibrant, and spacious, as if one has been transported to a fairy tale land. All

be it one with an underlying sinister evil. An evil that unlike its contemporaries, does not need to

hide because it is not invasive. Our characters have unknowingly but intentionally stepped into

its domain, and as such it does not require the cover of the night sky to operate.

Weekly entry For Us by Oluwatomisin Akintokun

After rewatching US (finally), I can comfortably say that the biggest shortcoming of Jordan
Peele’s US is that it came after Get Out. And what a lovely problem to have as a director. Us is

one of the most impersonal personal films I have ever watched, and I believe that is caused by

how vast in scope this movie’s message is. A message that differs from audience member to

audience member. For me, the core message of this movie is about the inherit exploitation of

specifically; the American dream and socio-economic class structures at large. The imagery of

the joy of the top world being mirrored by the suffering of those below (as seen in the ballet

scene during the fight scene with Addie and Red), very much speaks to the fact that upper class

success is more often than not built on the exploitation of those below. I also like the fact that the
way those below get the change they seek, and the same way fake Addie takes her place in the

top-side is through violent means. Because despite what those at the top will have you believe,

change is never obtained peacefully. Also, the foreshadowing of our Addie being her tethered

version with her speech quirks and clothing getting increasingly red is just amazing.

Ari Aster’s 2019 film; Midsommar is for me, the most unique horror film I have ever laid eyes

on, and I believe this is down to the color palette and setting of the movie. So many times, we

see horror movies get set under the dead of night, in tight, grungy, claustrophobic environments,

and for good reason too, as this all helps to keep us on edge. But Midsommar is anything but.

This movie is bright, vibrant, and spacious, as if one has been transported to a fairy tale land. All

be it one with an underlying sinister evil. An evil that unlike its contemporaries, does not need to

hide because it is not invasive. Our characters have unknowingly but intentionally stepped into

its domain, and as such it does not require the cover of the night sky to operate.
Weekly entry for Pulse by Oluwatomsin Akintokun

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse is a very interesting film. Through out my viewing, I felt as if I

were watching a modern-day folk tale of sorts. There was an air of mystery and uncertainty that

accompanied me all the way from the beginning, and to the end of this movie. I believe this

sense of unknown(ing) is down to the way the movie tells its narrative along with the general
cultural givens that one not native to the land would not be aware of. Strangely however, I think

it aids the viewing experience of this movie by both serving as a way to keep one in the dark and

by putting us perfectly in the boots of our main characters; Mattie and Ryosuke. Knowledge is

power, and in horror movies, knowing what is going to happen (be it through having already

seen the movie or relying on previous knowledge of others seen) lessens the effect of the horror.

But when you do not know what to expect, you have to deal with both the horror on screen and

the fear of the unknown. And to a considerable extent, Mattie and Ryosuke especially face this.

They have to deal with this new phenomenon that seems to be claiming the lives of all those dear

to them, while acting on nothing but extremely little information. I also found some sense in the

deliberate ignorance of Ryosuke when it came to confronting the ghosts and what was happening

around him in general. At first I thought it to be a case of what you chose not to believe has no

power over you, but after thinking further and applying the little knowledge of Japan’s suicide

problem, then it morphed from ignorance for survival to ignorance because the truth is too

tasking to accept.

I went into Kwaidan expecting to be scared to no end, but that was not the case. This is

no slight at the film as movies can never be responsible for my pre-conceived expectations not

being met (unless we are dealing with misleading trailers), but I just got that vibe from it.

Kwaidan or Ghost stories is far more slow, meditative and lined with thought provoking imagery.
Truly it is like nothing I have ever seen before, and I cannot yet say if I mean that in a positive or

negative light. What I do know for certain, is that that feeling of watching a folk tale I got while

viewing Pulse, was only exemplified in Kwaidan. This is not to say that all Japanese horror films

are fairy tale like in nature, but that these two I happened to see fit that bill. Although in

Kwaidan’s case it makes sense, as these stories are original folk lore that Masaki Kobayashi

adapted.