Jacob Ethington

Obsessed with films and other obscure media. I write sometimes. Member of @ATXFilmCritics

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

My latest review for the Hyperreal Film Journal is for David Lowery's latest film MOTHER MARY, which sees him meditating on his two greatest preoccupations: Time and ghosts. The end results are mixed, except for the amazing lead performances and visuals: https://t.co/9Repsn0dJA

[Mr. Chau @Srirachachau]

Yes! Also like, really smart kid

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

@girldrawsghosts Christopher Nolan seems to have that effect on people, I’m thinking about that hilarious/infamous interview clip of Alden Ehrenreich where he says “It’s nice when you don’t have to pretend to be excited about this shit.”

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

@girldrawsghosts The first time I saw a screenshot about this quote going around, I thought it was a joke. Like, I know they slap the MCU films together, but to basically have a lead actor from one of the projects phrase it this way and in this context is astounding.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

The more interviews I see of Parsons, the more I understand why people are so excited about his future potential as a filmmaker. He’s really articulate here, just get him a stronger script and I think he’s going to start delivering all-timers.

[IGN @IGN]

Backrooms director Kane Parsons on making a film for both old and new fans:

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

Spoilers for Backrooms:

Am I the only person who thought the way steadicam shots were framed during Captain Clark and Mary’s final confrontation was heavily influenced by Kubrick’s camerawork in the Room 237 sequence in The Shining? Specifically the camerawork here.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

@BrndnStrssng The thing about it that has surprised me the most is how much slack I’m willing to cut it because of its genuine weirdness. There’s a part of me that feels like the ending is a cynical sequel setup, but I’m willing to interpret it other ways on the strength of what it does right.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

Because man… I still think Gareth Edwards eye for creating staggering imagery is there, but he has managed to dodge a good screenplay for a decade now. I really hope Parsons avoids that fate.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

At this exact moment, Kane Parsons reminds me of Gareth Edwards towards the beginning of his career (intensely talented image maker with a background in computer graphics) and I hope Parsons manages to overtake Edwards in one specific area:

Finding stronger scripts to work with.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

I don’t think the script for Backrooms is horrible, it’s rough around the edges in noticeable ways, but Parsons’ filmmaking eye is so unbelievably developed that Backrooms mostly pushes past that problem. I’m salivating at the thought of Parsons working with a stronger script.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

At the risk of being hyperbolic it’s been a while since I saw a movie in wide release and thought to myself “Huh some of the imagery reminds me of Inland Empire,” so I’m definitely positive overall on Backrooms. Cool to see a movie this big be genuinely weird (for the most part).

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

Mixed on Backrooms writing and conclusion, but I absolutely *love* how the film looks, both within its found footage sequences and more traditional cinematic set pieces. One of those movies I could easily see enjoying more the 2nd time around knowing what to expect.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

@girldrawsghosts I do love Part 4 for the fact that you get to see a post-The-Prowler Joe Zito play with a bigger budget, and I think Part 2’s final chase is one of the scariest games of cat and mouse in a slasher ever.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

@girldrawsghosts I think the most underrated quality of the better Friday the 13th films is that they have a cozy/hangout vibe where you can *kind of* imagine chilling with the characters. It’s why I’m lenient on them despite the fact that Jason Lives is, arguably, the only genuinely good one.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

This movie somehow:

1. Has some of the most unbelievable fire stunts of the 1970s

2. Is one of the most dull-as-dirt movies I’ve ever seen

[Billy Jarrett @billyjarrettugh]

CITY ON FIRE (1979)

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

@BrndnStrssng I have two different books about Ray Harryhausen’s career, and one thing that’s striking to learn is how much of his concept art was influenced by paintings and painters he admired. He wasn’t just animating skeleton warriors for kicks, he had an awareness of other art forms.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

I watched this show as it aired and was canceled, didn’t think anyone else would remember this, but I completely forgot Emma Stone was in it.

[Mike 📺 @michaelcollado]

Drive (2007) — the Fox TV show that was canceled 10 days after it premiered — we still talk about you.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

@girldrawsghosts It blows my mind how close the reboot gets to doing something novel and unique with the NOES origin and goes out of its way to throw its best idea in the garbage. It’s like another writer wrote the rest of the script and was angry at another writer for trying to change things.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

@girldrawsghosts Definitely recommend checking out Infested (2023) if you haven’t, it’s the previous film from the director of Evil Dead Burn and it’s basically Attack the Block with tiny spiders.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

@girldrawsghosts This is one of the only times the “epic remix of a pop song” thing has actually worked for me in a trailer, it fits the whacky tone perfectly.

[Jacob Ethington @JacobTalks4ever]

@YoungerPope @Srirachachau The only close comparison here is the Italian film The Wild Beasts (1984). There are some unreal “they asked an actor to do WHAT with wild animals” stories there, not on Roar’s level, but within striking distance.