Ty Watches "Black Mirror: Hotel Reverie"

Continuing my recap of each "Black Mirror" episode this season, I'm here to talk about one episode that I think will be talked about for years to come, "Hotel Reverie".

Issa Rae stars as a modern movie star, Brandy, who is sick of playing the roles she keeps getting offered. She is either a love interest or the lead of some run of the mill indie drama. She is speaking with her agent one day and an offer that he seems to think is nothing big takes Rae's attention. Her agent is going through all the roles being offered and he tells her about an old classic being remade for the modern audience, but in a new way too. The movie is called "Hotel Reverie". And it stars Emma Corrin, who is playing Dorothy. There is a whole preamble when the episode starts that shows clips from the movie intercut with news stories about Dorothy's personal life. Dorothy had a tough life. Dorothy wasn't able to live the life they desired. Dorothy had to hide a ton of things. I should also mention that "Hotel Reverie" is owned by a dying studio that is looking for any type of project to get them some money. That is where Redream comes into place. Awkafina plays one of the, I think, leaders of this new company. What Redream does is make old movies with one new star and films them in real time. It is like a play come to life of an old classic. Brandy is obsessed with this movie and that is why she jumps at this role. Brandy also wants to play the co lead, who was a man back when they first made this movie. Awkwafina is all for this, so they give her the role. She gets sent an envelope with the script and her lines and everything. We also happen to see a USB fall to the ground that Brandy doesn't notice. So, when Brandy arrives on set, she is ready to go, but she doesn't fully understand what Redream is doing. She relents and agrees and is sent into this world that Redream has built. It is all artificially created people and they all seem to think they're real. Brandy is stunned, obviously, at first, but then she gets into acting mode and goes for it. Then things start to go a little haywire. Everything has to be perfect, but like most "Black Mirror" episodes, things aren't always what they seem. As this episode unfolds it becomes about so much more. The episode shows love and how it comes and goes and can be devastating. We get an idea of what AI could become if it were ever to gain sentience and feeling. We see an upstart company dealing with some harrowing issues all along the way by not coming up with their own ideas. And I loved it all. Issa Rae gives a wonderful performance. I believed her every step of the way. I felt for her. I wanted her to be happy. But Emma Corrin really shines here. They give us a performance for the ages. Playing the original Dorothy and the AI version, they give us two separate but equally incredible performances. There are some scenes that Corrin takes to another level that really shined through.

I still sit in my home and think about things from this episode daily. I was so enamored with "Hotel Reverie". I love the whole idea of Hollywood not being unique enough anymore. I love seeing love stories, good and bad. And when actors go for it and nail it, that is the cherry on top. "Hotel Reverie" is an achievement that I truly loved watching. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Watches "Nosferatu"

I'm a Robert Eggers fan. I have three of his four movies now, and all 3 I have enjoyed very much. Last week my dad and I decided we were going to see "Nosferatu". We try to see a movie during the holiday season and this was one that we both wanted to see. I had high expectations because I love "The Lighthouse" and "The Northman" is one of the coolest movies that has ever been made. The early reviews were also very favorable. As we settled in and sat back, I was ready to love Eggers vision for "Nosferatu".

And, it delivered on every level for me as a movie goer. This movie was an absolute homerun. I have only recently seen the original from 1922, and Eggers and crew do that movie some solid justice. The story is pretty much the same, but they added dialogue and made it a little more understandable. We also get to see Count Orlok early on in this movie, and we get to hear his horrifying voice. Bill Skarsgaard does an admirable job as the Count. He plays him menacingly and unforgiving. He is a truly wretched being, and Skarsgaard nailed it. I am more impressed with each role I see him in. He is a good actor and he seems to have found his niche in Hollywood. Lily Rose Depp is undeniably great as Ellen, the one whom Orlok is obsessed with. She is pitch perfect here. The convulsions and visions also felt very real to me. Depp never dives into cliche stuff with this role. She embodies this sickness and it shows on screen. Nicholas Hoult is very good as the husband. You buy his naivete at first, but then when he encounters Orlok, his whole outlook on the world changes, and Hoult embraces the madness incredibly well. You can see the agony and fear on his face when he goes to sell the Count the new home he is purchasing. Aaron Taylor Johnson and Emma Corrin give very good performances as the married couple friends of the Hutter's, who take on Ellen when Thomas is sent away. They have a family and a life, but all that is on hold when Ellen comes to stay with them. You see their grief and frustration. Ralph Ineson, a buddy of Eggers I presume, is wonderful as the doctor trying to help Ellen with her issues, but he won't buy into the occult. Instead, he enlists his former professor, played excellently by Willem Defoe, to take on the patient. Defoe is magnetic. I loved every single second he was on screen. Defoe is one of my favorite actors, and he is more than game for this role in this movie. From his dusty jacket to acting with live rats, Defoe nails it here. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Simon McBurney as Knock. He is Orlok's pet so to speak. Everything he does is in service to Orlok, and he will go to great lengths to get the job done.

Outside of the cast, the cinematography and the story are dynamite. There are some shots in this movie that are impeccable. When Hutter meets the chariot that takes him to the castle at a fork in the road, that was an amazing shot. Every time we get more of a glimpse of Orlok, it gets spookier and spookier. The castles are big and beautiful to look at on screen. The story is simple enough, but the actors have totally bought in and they really sell it to the viewer. I was on the edge of my seat the entire two plus hour long runtime. I didn't want to miss a thing. For as gross and gory as some of the stuff in the movie was, it was all needed to move along the plot and let us know why we were in certain situations.

"Nosferatu" is truly an achievement and a movie I think a lot of people should see on a big screen. I cannot recommend this movie enough. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.