Obsession - Movie Review

Is it possible for a film to be too effective? The new horror film, Obsession, though a great film, was incredibly unsettling, to the point that it honestly begs the question. Fair warning, we're going to get into some spoilers as we proceed in this discussion of the film.

The film is about a guy who makes a wish for his crush to fall in love with him, and that wish comes true in the worst possible way. There are layers to how disturbing this movie gets, and the various different horrors that come into play. Right off the bat, I'd like to reiterate that this was a tremendously made film. The use of lighting and shadows is brilliant, the writing is well thought out (every time I thought I found a hole in the film's plot, the film eventually addressed it), and the acting is top notch, particularly from Inde Navarrette, who gives an outstandingly dynamic performance. This is a hauntingly captivating movie that'll ingrain its horrifying visuals and ideas into your mind.

The movie is also incredibly brutal, again, to a disturbing degree, and some characters' fates are sealed in ways that they really, truly don't deserve, but which sadly make all too much sense within the narrative. It's truly a feel bad movie in the best way possible. When I left the theater, I wasn't sure how much I even liked the movie, as it left me feeling dirty for even watching it, and yet I held nothing but high regard for it.

The concepts this movie deals with are truly skin crawling, and director Curry Barker doesn't shy away from going all the way with his best worst ideas. The character of Nikki doesn't just fall for our lead, she becomes possessed by a different entity entirely who is dangerously obsessed with him, while the real Nikki finds herself trapped inside her own body. I've played with this idea in some of my own fiction, both published and unpublished to date, but this film really nails just how terrifying such a scenario would be in reality.

And that's not even the main concept of horror at play. Our lead character, Bear, finds himself having to deal with the overly obsessed girlfriend who's overly emotional and possessive, and it's truly terrifying stuff. She watches him sleep, she desperately duct tapes the door shut to try and trap him inside, and that's just the tame stuff, as I don't want to give everything away in this review. And yet, horrific as the situation is that Bear finds himself in, he's not so innocent himself. Over the course of the film, he realizes that he's not dealing with the real Nikki, that the real her is trapped inside of her. And yet, in one of the most soul crushing moments in the movie, he scolds the real Nikki, asking if it's really so bad being with him, and ultimately accepts that he's fully taking advantage of her, despite all the horror it's bringing into his own life.

Again, in some ways, for me watching this movie is like watching some of my own creative ideas I've played with in my writing coming to life on screen, even if the movie isn't exactly a one for one of those ideas. Some of those ideas I ultimately decided to shelve for various reasons, and seeing those ideas brought to fruition in this film sorta reinforces my decision to move in a different direction creatively, as the end product is incredibly creepy to bare witness to, particularly for my standards. But kudos to the director for totally going all in to those darker places.

In the end, I almost wish I hadn't even watched it. I honestly don't even gravitate towards horror movies these days, despite how many horror films keep getting recommended to me, and this film served as a starch reminder of that. I was left feeling like I needed a palette cleanse after the movie. I felt like I needed to take a shower and wash myself clean. So, was the movie too effective at what it was setting out to achieve? Maybe. And yet, despite it all, how bone chillingly dark and creepy and even rapey the movie can get, I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

2026 – The Su-metal Tattoo

In November of 2025, I flew out to LA to see Babymetal live at the Intuit Dome. I met up with some friends while out there, and while we were waiting in line before the show, some members of the Fox God Crew were filming the fans and taking pictures. One fan that they took a picture of was showing off their Babymetal tattoo, and that's when one of my friends suggested that I show mine off for the camera. I had to explain that it's in an awkward location where I'd essentially have to pull my pants down to reveal it though, so my tattoo remained hidden. That incident did get me thinking though, it would be nice to have a Babymetal tattoo in a location where I can show it off at shows.

I had actually been toying with ideas for another Babymetal tattoo for some time by this point, and one image in particular came across my feed that I felt really captured the raw intensity of the band's lead singer, Su-metal, where she's seen screaming into her mic. Literally the first thought I had upon seeing the image for the first time was that it would make for a really awesome tattoo. A little over a year later, I decided upon that image for my next tattoo, and I had the perfect spot for it picked out, on my right arm just below my shoulder.

Euphoria Tattoos had just moved to a new location again, and I also decided this would be a great way to help break in the new place. So I went to my usual artist, Alain, and he was able to get the job done in only about an hour and a half. It wasn't painful in the least, and in fact, sitting in the chair felt almost calmly therapeutic in a sense. But I was more than happy with the end result, and felt that he did another phenomenal job really capturing the image from the reference picture.

Then I decided to share the picture of my tattoo online for the Babymetal fandom to see.

To say that I was baffled by the response would be an understatement. I was thoroughly attacked by people claiming that the tattoo was bad, that it looked amateurish, and that they hoped I hadn't actually spent money on it, among other gross and disheartening comments that really killed the vibe. And I could sit here and write a full rant about this experience alone, but I've decided instead not to focus too much on the negatives. It's just such a shame that I now have to associate my new tattoo's story with this unfortunate experience.

Upon reflection, however, perhaps it's fitting that my new Babymetal tattoo was met with such a WTF reaction. After all, the band themselves are always chasing after such a response. And personally speaking, I've lived through quite a number of fandom meltdowns in response to various song releases and other band activities over the years, despite coming from a fanbase for a band that stands firmly against precisely that sort of behavior. So it's not like I haven't ever seen this side of the fandom before. I just haven't experienced it targeted at me, and I was completely taken off guard by the reaction.

But most people have actually had a much warmer response to the tattoo. I've been told by multiple people that my tattoo was indeed sick, and in some instances even beautiful. Whenever I show off the reference photo, most have agreed that the picture was captured accurately, and they have proceeded to share in my absolutely dumbfoundedness when I've told them about the backlash it's received online. So it hasn't all been bad, even though the negativity can certainly weigh down on you if you let it. But like I said though, I'm personally very happy with how it turned out, and I can't wait to show it off at my next Babymetal concert.

Thank you for reading about my latest tattoo, and if you'd like to read more tattoo stories, consider picking up my book Down the Fox Hole.

Scarlet - Movie Review

Scarlet is director Mamoru Hosoda's follow up to 2021's Belle, and it's yet another bold and ambitious venture from the director. As of this writing, I've now seen the movie three times. On initial viewing, I really enjoyed the movie. After multiple viewings though, I was able to see just how deep the movie is beyond the surface. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to die? And what does it mean to love?

The world this movie takes place in is simply fascinating, and implies a lot without ever giving any concrete answers. Life beyond death is a core facet, heaven and hell, purgatory, but it also delves into the possibility of reincarnation without ever being explicit about it. It explored the ideas of one's soul being everlasting, and of multiple planes of existence in the ongoing mystery that is our existence, both within the worlds of the living and the dead. In the real world outside the confines of the film, we don't know for certain what lies for us after death. It's the great mystery. And even within the world of this film, that question still remains even after one dies. What does it mean to become nothingness? What lies in the infinite land? We're shown glimmers throughout, but every new revelation comes with a whole new slew of questions.

I thought the concept of a revenge story taking place in the world of the dead was quite intriguing, and the story of ongoing conflict even after death is something I've explored even in my own writing at times. And the complexities of the characters mirrors the complexity of this world. Scarlet isn't just dealing with turmoil in her mission, but within herself as well. Her chosen path is constantly challenged, and both she and her companion wind up challenging each others' ideals over the course of the story.

This movie asks what it means to be human, what it means to be consumed, and what sort of life we might have lived had we not become consumed, be that by revenge, or power, or what have you. It offers hope beyond death, and argues that it's never too late to change your ways and live a life worthwhile.

And this movie explored all of these ideas under the guise of a fairly basic revenge tale.

Beyond all that, the movie is stunningly gorgeous, but also dirty and dreary when it needs to be. The action sequences are both brutal yet clever, and the music evokes a sense of gravitas, even at its most light-hearted, such as the scenes in the present day. There's a line in the movie about how God doesn't listen to the words of man, and so they communicate with him through dance, and there's something about that freeing sense of letting oneself go in the groove of the music that's enraptured in the film's core themes of letting go and being able to forgive oneself.

I found the characters incredibly compelling, and ultimately all of the workings of their world serves to explore and challenge our cast first and foremost. The film is a brilliant emotional piece, and is a mind bender that insists the viewer looks inward, like a fantastical exploration of the human heart and soul. I'd love to go into more details digesting the different characters and their emotional journeys, but to do so would force me to great into more explicit spoiler territory than I already have, and really, I'd especially encourage for this movie to be first experienced as blind as possible.

To compare it to anything, on first viewing, I was reminded of Babymetal's Apocrypha graphic novel with the time bending fantasy story on display, and subsequent viewings have only further enforced this comparison to me. I feel much as I love the movie now, I would have especially loved it in my younger years, when I was more into my goth phase or My Chemical Romance and that sort of thing, as the storytelling definitely has that sort of feel to it. And on my most recent viewing, I was actually reminded of Interstellar, and the way that film also has a mind bending story that keeps you thinking and trying to piece it all together, a story that starts to make more and more sense the more it's revisited.

I watched the movie subtitled twice, and dubbed once. It's great either way, as I felt they did an excellent job translating the material in the dub. Either way though, I would highly recommend the movie, but just suggest that one goes into it with an open mind. I'd place it just below Belle as my second favorite out of Hosoda's filmography, and a movie that I'd rank highly even beyond that.

Rest in Peace, Josie

Josie is actually still with us as I'm writing this. My mom is sitting by her side as we wait to take her to the vet. She's had breathing problems for a while now, and they've finally caught up with her. But I still wanted to take this moment to reflect on her life, while she's still with us.

Josie spent the majority of her life living like a kitten. Even as a full adult cat for many years, she always still felt like a kitten to us, and it's because she was always so full of life and whimsy. She was an incredibly smart cat, perhaps the smartest cat I've ever known, and was also very sociable to a degree unlike what I've experienced with any other cat as well. And she always liked to play. She always chased her toy mice around, and whenever she'd catch one, she'd cry out for attention until someone finally gave their attention to her. She was so proud of her catch, and wanted nothing more than for the world to acknowledge her feat.

It really wasn't until we got our new kitten last year, Leo, that Josie appeared to finally grow up. She was always a very loud and talkative kitty, but she quieted down after Leo's arrival, and finally she was acting more like an adult cat than the kitten we had always knew her as. But perhaps she grew up a little too fast, and her age caught up with her, because she gradually started to deteriorate, until suddenly, it wasn't so gradual anymore, and her body was rejecting her medication.

We've made her comfortable in these last days. She's slept with her favorite pillow, and I've been sure to visit with her and give her loving pats. I'm going to really miss her. She's been a great cat, a rare breed indeed, and it feels like she's being taken from us far too soon. Rest in peace, Josie. You were one of the good ones.