I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
★★★½
This review may contain spoilers.
there is a lot of heart in this film, but I don't think this connected with me, which really sucks because there is so much potential on display here the tone of the film is so well done a very consistent tone which is hard to do now days, the things that are great are really great but the things that are not so great really drag this down, I really really wanted to like this but I just didn't -- I will watch this a second time, but I want to give it some time to sit with me and then I'll give it the ol' rewatch and maybe I'll like it more the second time. who knows.
something that I really liked in this film was the lighting, the way the lights not only live in the environments that they are in but how they bounce around the environments is sometimes awing, the campfire scene and how it casts onto the tree's, the school with the blue/greenish hue that lives in that environment, so many good lighting set ups — one cool thing was the flickering light looking like static that was really cool.
another thing that I really liked was the costumes and make up teams, they did some truly stellar work in the film, not just with the monster make up but the everyday make up that these characters wear is done so sparingly but so great, the costumes look really good in this film, the one with young Owen and the yellow pants with the pink sleeping bag, the outfits on the bleachers, the outfits in the game place at the end, all this stuff is really well done.
I also really liked the sound design, the wheezing at the end of the film, but one thing I feel like this film does particularly well is the silences, they know when to score a scene and when to leave a scene completely quiet and that is great, it works really well here.
I liked the VFX from the drawling's, to the crumbling of Moon dude to the static effects that kept flashing above Owen, these were all spectacular.
I really liked the editing specifically the momentary editing, I like how shot to shot the scenes flowed, no shot felt out of place, it all kind of flowed together in a cohesive way, I didn't dislike the structural editing I just think the momentary editing was really well done here. I liked the font in the film it was pretty cool.
there is a lot of heart on display here, it is clear that the director cared about the story that was being told here and I really love that, if nothing else I am glad I watched this for that reason in particular. this movie is art.
notes below
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- the poster looks super cool, the darkness of the background and pink looks great.
- I like this opening long shot, the colors of the world is really great.
- the lighting in this is already really great, the campfire and how it casts onto the background, the color of the tv and how it is reflecting on the characters face, it's pretty stellar.
- this bluish hue in the school looks great.
- cool set dec that the tables are upside down, makes the environment look cool.
- no one is ever going to believe me but I guessed he was in seventh grade -- I celebrated!
- I like this shot of the two of them sitting backs to the soda machines, looks cool.
- the lighting of this car scene is really great, the way it is moving on the backseat of the car -- oh my god.
- love the Dutch angle -- that was cool, and then pink sleeping bag, against his clothes looks great as well, good wardrobe
- I like that the show was muffled and in the background and it slowly came into focus and then as they said The Pink Opaque it came into full focus.
- I feel like that shot with him watching the show should have been a Dolly Zoom.
- I really like the set dec of Young Maddy's home.
- that cyan color of the fish tank looks great.
- this long tracking shot of him walking through the carnival looks great.
- 10:15 bedtime, looks like 27 lol.
- I like the drawling on the film, that looks great -- I like how long "Isabel and Tara feel like family to me" stayed on screen.
- they have committed the greatest sin, ignoring the FBI copyright law at the beginning of the film.
- I like that he is narrating the film by fourth wall breaking, that is pretty cool.
- I really like the costume design, specifically the colors in the costume design.
- after he says "I think that I like TV shows" there is a subtle look that Maddy gives that was nice.
- I love the silence that is permeating this scene on the bleachers.
- I like the makeup on Maddy in this scene where she is talking about getting out of this town -- very subtle but very well done.
- the sound design is very good in this film, like the fact that it is very silent in these parts of the film is great.
- cool VFX with the tv static.
- that is a very good stark image of the tv burning.
- I like that the fire is flaming over him like in front of his shot.
- I knew it was Connor from the What lol.
- I like that most flickering lights kind of look like TV static, cool affect.
- do people still walk up isles with a flashlight in movie theaters?
- also this is a cool framed shot with him getting groceries.
- Brigette is doing some pretty good acting, the lost look that she has while Owen hugs her was so great.
- this song "I Saw The TV Glow" is describing the characters, there is something here.
- a feeling of drifting aimlessly, of being lost in life with no direction is pretty up front.
- I like how the ghost lit up on the back of his neck.
- the makeup design on the creatures looks cool.
- I like the VFX on Mr. Melancholy
- I like the effects on the screen when the twist is revealed, the distorted digital effects on him watching the show looked good; the whole his head in the tv set was cool as well, with the drawling's coming out of his mouth super dope.
- why have one piece of dirt shovel sound effect and not two others dang it.
- I like the projection in this room that was cool.
- I like that we moved farther and farther away that was cool, wish we kept moving back and back.
- also how regularly is his dad pulling him out of a TV? lol.
- I like the heart beating in the background, good sound design.
- I like that the lighting in the school has changed from a cyan to a yellow that was cool.
- I liked that really long shot on the football field too but those really close shots were really cool, so up close and personal.
- I like the chalk on the ground, I am sure I said that before but it looks cool, good set dec.
- "it's the end of the world" good track choice here.
- it's on Netflix, that was the Netflix UI
- Isabel's face is flashing on Owen's that's cool.
- I like this rotating shot, very cool.
- I like how close these shots are at the end.
- the wheezing is very spooky and ominous.
- such a visceral scene when he pulls his chest open.
- this third act felt like it dragged a bit.
