O snap, it 2023!

Things have been a lil manic for the last few months, and I’ve really fallen off not just posting, but creating as well.

Honestly, all this BS surrounding AI scraping and generation took the wind out of my sails for a while. I didn’t enjoy painting as much when most people were going to just assume it was created artificially. I’ve never really produced anything with the intention to build a following or anything like that, it’s always just been for the fun for processing out my own thoughts and for relaxing, but it nonetheless bummed out me out that my little corner of joy could be stamped on so easily by people aggressively trying to monetise the latest exploitative flash in the pan.

The good news is, I’ve finally reached a fresh state of equilibrium with a new apartment, and a new job which is fulfilling a lot of my creative needs. I don’t have anything to share just yet, but there’s going to be some very exciting things popping up in the near future!

Maybe I’ll even find more time to get back into painting and grow that little corner out again.

Until then ✌️✌️

— Thom

by Thomas Scott Holland

3000 YEARS OF LONGING (2022)

Top contender for the best film of the year that nobody will see, not least of all because it seems like its theatrical run has been cut to less than two weeks.

That is a baffling choice, because this is a great film! At once tiny and intimate, while still presenting grandiose and epic storytelling in fine form.

It goes like this: a woman who wants for nothing discovers a Djinn in a bottle, and he spends days with her recounting his life to convince her to make the obligatory three wishes.

The longer it sits with me, the more I appreciate all the detail and nuance.

It’s beautifully constructed; wonderfully imaginative in design, narrative, composition and performance. Set design and VFX are fantastic and magical in a distinct, unique fashion. The simple chemistry between Swinton and Elba alone elevates this to something special.

Not perfect, but a sincere and genuine piece of creative filmmaking executed with the kind of seasoned confidence and flair that only George Miller can.

It’s unlikely you’ll be able to enjoy this in a cinema now, but it’s definitely worth your time when it hits streaming.

Recommended.

by Thomas Scott Holland

THE REHEARSAL // s01

Part reality show, part social experiment, part work of (evil?) genius.

It’s impossible to describe exactly the kind of absolutely wild project this is, and it’s really worth your time to just watch the first episode blind and see for yourself.

Nathan Fielder might be a supervillain. There’s a lot of conversation to be had about the ethics of The Rehearsal, because on one hand it feels exceptionally manipulative, but it’s also hyper-conscious of exactly this fact and accounts for itself in frequently surprising ways.

Seriously though, check it out. It will make you say “What the fuuuuuuuuuuck…?”

A lot.

by Thomas Scott Holland

THE SANDMAN // s01

A pitch-perfect adaptation of the beloved graphic novel series.

Immaculately cast, beautifully shot. I’d have personally liked it to skew just a bit darker and stranger, but really there’s not much to pick at.

If you’ve read the series, you’ll be delighted to find how faithful it is. If you never read it, this is the perfect introduction.

Fingers and toes crossed that WB/Netflix greenlights the rest of the adaptation, this one really deserves it.

Highly recommended.

by Thomas Scott Holland

DAY SHIFT (2022)

What’s this 90s vampire movie doing, being released in 2022?

Genuinely, I thought this was some kind of relic that had just gotten a wide release.

It’s fine. The humour’s hit and miss, the action is hilariously well done, the story is serviceable.

It’s kind of inconsistent its worldbuilding, in that it explains a lot of what things are but then forgets to ask why or to connect them together or pay things off fully.

Still, it’s silly fun that never takes itself seriously at all, so it’s mostly forgivable.

Not going to shake the world, but it’s worth a watch.

by Thomas Scott Holland

BETTER CALL SAUL

When Breaking Bad finally wrapped, it seemed unlikely that we were going to see a show as good again for a long time.

And then, here comes a prequel/spinoff which somehow manages to not only surpass it, but to actively improve and build on the original series.

It’s remarkable. Even knowing full-well where things are going, BCS manages to wring an incredible amount of tension and character growth out of every moment of screen time.

It’s superbly shot, brilliantly acted, and up there among the best written and directed shows of all time.

Even if you’ve never seen Breaking Bad, this is an absolute must watch.

Highly, highly recommended.

by Thomas Scott Holland

BULLET TRAIN (2022)

A wild, bloody, ridiculous action-comedy from the guy behind John Wick and Deadpool 2.

It’s assassins on a speeding train, with multiple overlapping jobs, changing objectives and an escalating series of Chekhov’s guns.

Feels very antithetical to a lot of modern Hollywood action fare: the edges are rougher, the gags don’t feel like they’ve been run through a committee. It’s refreshing, loose, silly fun.

It’s kind of a hot mess, but in a good way — pinballing from one absurd scenario to another, juggling a big cast of goofball personalities, and never for a moment taking itself too seriously.

Recommended.

by Thomas Scott Holland

PAPER GIRLS // s01

A little janky to start, but otherwise a solid little sci-fi adventure.

Four girls on their paper route in 1988 end up thrown across time, on the run, in search of their future selves.

It’s a neat little exploration of expectations vs reality, and the possibilty of changing fate.

Already seems to have deviated somewhat from the comic series it’s based on, but I’m interested to see where it goes. The cast is solid, and the concept has enough of a spin on the usual time-travel tropes to make it feel fresh.

Worth a watch.

by Thomas Scott Holland

PREY (2022)

A solid little monster film, and probably the next-best Predator film after the original.

Proves definitively that the franchise works best when stripped right back to simplicity: take a ruthless alien hunter, drop it in a random time period. They’re slasher films! In this case, it’s the 1700s on the Comanche nation.

Amber Midthunder (Legion) is a badass, the action is well choreographed, cinematography is gorgeous, the creature design is awesome and it’s got a sweet dog!

What more do you want? It’s great fun!

Recommended.

by Thomas Scott Holland

THE GRAY MAN (2022)

It’s actually kind of impressive that a movie directed by the Russo Brothers, and starring Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Billy Bob Thorton and Jessica Henwick could be so utterly mediocre and forgettable.

Evans should absolutely be playing more villainous roles, he seems like he’s having a ball. But other than that, The Gray Man is little more than a mishmash of ideas from other action movies that have all been executed better elsewhere.

The result is something with no definitive personality of its own — just overlong shootout after overlong shootout with aimless, scattershot pacing. It feels solidly half again longer than it actually is.

There’s much better action films out there, don’t burn two hours on this.

by Thomas Scott Holland