Where Kaye, her “proper” WASP-wife analogue, is a blonde, college-educated school teacher who (at least at the outset) loves Michael unconditionally, embodying both familial innocence and a “New World” kind of feminine consumeristic contentment (she’s shown buying Christmas presents, organizing trips, going to the theater, getting ready to settle down with Michael), To Die For goes out of its way to stress that Suzanne is only partially educated (“junior college” her father reluctantly admits), and anti-maternal, a seducer of school children, a would-be working woman destined to failure by her own vanity and shallowness. As the previous quote suggests, many reviews continually emphasized Suzanne’s lack of intelligence – or, per National Review, “just the right amount of dumbness” – and it’s this dimwittedness, paired with an overdeveloped sense of elitist entitlement, that leads to Suzanne’s ultimate demise. “Vaguely feminist emotions stir in my breast,” David Denby wrote of this aspect of Suzanne’s character (somewhat ironically given his own misogynistic description of the character),“Henry and Van Sant have hallowed [her] out, as if an ambitious driven woman needed to be exposed as a jerk. What would happen if “Matt Dillon were the ambitious one?” he asks. Well, he might have been Michael Corleone.
At the same time, Suzanne is no Kaye either. While Kaye’s WASPy purity and innocence frame her as a potential oasis of all-Americanness for Michael, Suzanne’s surface-level similarities to Kaye are framed as a sterile trap for Larry. “She’s so pure and delicate” Larry initially marvels, comparing her looks to a fragile china doll, “You just have to look at her and you wanna take care of her the rest of your life.” But Suzanne doesn’t want Larry’s care, she wants independence and success, and she will kill to get it, despicable in part because the movie posits she was never smart enough to make it. When Larry asks whether she wants kids, Suzanne spits, “If you wanted a babysitter you should’ve married Mary Poppins.” She’s bewitching, but deadly, a feminine monster who’s repeatedly associated with witches through cuts to Bell, Book and Candle on TV in the background and the use of Donovan’s ‘Season of the Witch’ at the film’s conclusion. Like a witch who enchants men for her own purposes, Suzanne is hyper-performative and über-pragmatic, using the racist, classist, elitist logics of television as her yardstick for life.
Suzanne views her doll-like “ice queen” beauty as a means to an end, weaponizing her status as an avatar for the televisual beneficence Kaye types typically represent. She religiously preserves her pallor (or her “pure” whiteness in contrast to what she calls the “ethnic” disadvantages of anchors like Connie Chung), constantly tries to lose the five pounds the camera adds, and wears her pastel miniskirts and kitten heels like an army uniform, no matter how schlubbily her coworkers may dress for the office. She tells everyone around her to “optimize” themselves to “succeed,” and finally uses “trailer trash” teens to kill Larry. Lacking the excuses Michael has for his actions, she weaponizes the familiar narrative true crime tropes her Kaye-like exterior offers – innocence and victimization – turning them on her husband and drawing the cameras she so desperately craves in the process. “Who are they gonna believe?” she asks primly, “I come from a good family.” One review put it this way: “What jury would convict such an attractive and popular TV weather girl? (ask O.J., he’ll tell you).”
Only Larry’s sister, Janice (Illeana Douglas), sees through this delicate façade, calling Suzanne “an ice queen” and “a four letter word: C‑O-L‑D, cold.” Where Michael Corleone’s signature coldness is presented as an extension of the American capitalist imperative, Suzanne’s status as an “ice queen” is presented as a monstrous extension of that all-American medium of “New World” modernity, television. In this sense, Suzanne’s relative “coldness” is her defining characteristic and the principle that unifies the film’s themes – as Marshall McLuhan suggests, television is a cool medium, mesmeric and passifying, and, icy though she may be, it’s her “avidity,” her passionate desire to make it (her failure to truly embody Michael’s businesslike “New World” mentality) that fails her. “She looks very fragile and delicate right?” Larry tells Janice when they start dating, “But when we’re– when I’m… the details are too graphic, but she’s like a volcano.”
Current films have struggled to address the modern-day realities of relationship dynamics. Sophie Brooks’ Oh, Hi! might exaggerate the details for the sake of entertainment, but the story’s basis is a skewering of dating, romance, sex, and expectations.
Synopsis
Molly Gordon stars as Iris, a young woman going on her first weekend getaway with her boyfriend Isaac (Logan Lerman). While everything begins idyllic, including some light bondage during a sexual encounter, Iris mentions their status as a couple, which Isaac rejects. Apoplectic, Iris leaves Isaac chained to the bed and goes to another part of the house to ruminate.
Logan Lerman and Molly Gordon in ‘Oh, Hi!” (2025). Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Following a phone call with her mother (Polly Draper), Iris attempts to convince Isaac to stay with her for the next 12 hours while he is chained. As Iris tries everything in her power to keep Isaac in a relationship he didn’t know he was in, she enlists the help of her best friend, Max (Geraldine Viswanathan), who brings along her boyfriend, Kenny (John Reynolds). As they face the true implications of their actions, Iris attempts to reconcile and recontextualize the reality of her and Isaac’s relationship.
Themes
Brooks and Gordon (who receive a story credit) are not in the business of having the right answers for any party. Outside of the actual kidnapping aspect, who is actually to blame for their status as a couple is always in question. Iris correctly points out arbitrary “boyfriend” things Isaac has done for her, while Isaac correctly states their relationship has never been formalized.
On the flip side, Iris is jumping to very large conclusions while Isaac cannot be that oblivious to the reality of their situation. Neither character gets an easy out. It’s all presented with this tightrope walk of lunacy and pragmatism.
Logan Lerman and Molly Gordon in ‘Oh, Hi!” (2025). Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Out of context, Iris performing an interpretive dance she did as a child for a chained Isaac seems like crazy behavior. Nonetheless, Iris just wants the ease and romance they experienced in their first few hours to continue, no matter the cost. It’s only with the arrival of Max and Kenny that Iris recognizes the severity and insanity of her actions. It somehow also never strays from comedy.
Jokes about going to jail, or even the possibility of murdering Isaac, are mentioned, but there is no actual threat of real harm. The lack of severity in the threats doesn’t make the film predictable. It’s the exact opposite. Your mind concocts several scenarios, and Brooks leads it to a satisfying conclusion.
Cast
Gordon, who has shot to stardom as a writer, director, and performer, delivers her best performance. She completely inhabits Iris’ ideals of romance and desire, while switching to levels of instability and unpredictability without betraying her characterization. It’s her most complex work, and she shares a balanced chemistry with each of her scene partners.
Geraldine Viswantahan and Molly Gordon in “Oh, Hi!” (2025). Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Lerman, who seemed doomed to typecasting as the young, sensitive man, plays wonderfully against type. While he is by no means a creep or a deviant, he smartly subverts the expectations of his previous film roles to deliver a solid comedic performance.
It takes a while for Viswanathan to show up, but she is an always-welcome sight. Similarly, her chemistry with Reynolds is one of longstanding trust, which is difficult to convey in the short time span the film allows. Reynolds also has some hilarious line readings with a dry delivery. David Cross also shows up briefly as a particularly odd, but continually funny neighbor to the house.
Conclusion
Oh, Hi! is a breezy watch for the new generation of 20 and 30-year-olds attempting to navigate modern relationships. It might not be the deepest of films, but the tone will be a big hit for those who are currently in that world.
Like a rabid zombie with a wanton desire to gorge mindlessly on its prey, filmmaker Danny Boyle has got a bloody sweet tooth for nostalgia lately. From publicly despoiling a copper-bottomed cult classic for cringey call-back kicks (Trainspotting 2), to appeasing the “gold” radio crowd (Yesterday) and reframing the punk era as a dressing-up box farrago (TV series Pistol), he’s drawn heedlessly to the amber glow of youth and happier, more fruitful times of days yonder.
You might deduce a hint of autobiography, then, in his new film 28 Years Later, which introduces a closed society of Northumbrian island dwellers who have experienced no technological or social evolution since the initial outbreak of the Rage virus that was documented in 2002’s frisky genre hit, 28 Days Later. A benign form of socialism has taken over, and this close-knit group of survivors have been able to subsist and persist via collective endeavour and unselfconscious empathy, sharing food and supplies and embracing a level of full-tilt social equality that would have a Tory grandee scoffing into his kedgeree.
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The British mainland, meanwhile, has been left to fester, now a global no-go territory and under strict quarantine from Europe (sound familiar?). While many of the infected have also succumbed to the ravages of time, some have also evolved into a supercharged breed that, with their non-verbal yowling and distaste for clothing, resemble a new iteration of pre-historic man. And leading the packs are the dangerous new “alpha” variants, immune to the slings and arrows of the islanders and apparently the product of steroids present in the original strain.
Where the original film leached on the bleeding edge aesthetics of the Dogme 95 movement, with its use of consumer grade digital cameras to immerse us in all the blood-vomiting detail of the urban apocalypse, this new one opts for a mix of classical high definition vistas as best to emphasise the bucolic splendor of northern England. Yet there’s still great glee taken in having us monitor the explosive exit wounds caused by arrows hitting their targets directly in the face.
The story follows 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams) whose loving, burley pops Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is making him an extra large fry-up this morning, as he’s heading to the mainland for his first foraging mission. Upstairs, his ailing mum Isla (Jodie Comer) writhes around in bed, suffering from an illness that no-one can diagnose or assist with, as there is no-one with medical training on the island.
Without going into too much detail, the film is as fervent in its love for the NHS and socialised medical provision as was Boyle’s 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, praising the presence of doctors even when they don’t have the tools to help those who are suffering. And it also offers a stinging critique of all those who actively yearn for the halt of progress, and what we see here is the horrible upshot of what a country would look like if indeed the clocks were to grind to a halt.
The first half of the film sees Spike and Jamie tooled up and ready to do battle with the infected, while the second focuses on the son’s attempts to find some relief for his mother. There are a number of references and influences at play, including fantasy franchise building like The Hunger Games movies, and some of the more outré modern folk horror offerings, such as those by Ben Wheatley. Screenwriter Alex Garland is someone who has been vocal in his love and respect for modern video games, and the dynamic here, with the insistently paternal father clashing with the rebellious son, feels like an homage to the 2018 title God of War.
There are little suggestions of allegory and satire in the mix, but Garland has this time managed to find a nice sweet spot where meaning and message don’t choke the story as a whole. Boyle, meanwhile, shows us some of the old magic in the various action set pieces, especially the ones where the alpha and its mighty, swinging member become involved. Tonally, the film is all over the shop, but never to the point where things don’t feel fluid or coherent. Anachronism is used for humour, particularly in a climactic scene which, for this viewer, might be considered one of the most jaw-dropping and bold in recent memory. A mic-drop moment par excellence.
It’s a film which manages to have its daft thrills and convincingly pivot to wistful philosophical introspection, and while there are certainly some rough edges and unexplored plot avenues, it probably counts as one of Boyle’s strongest works this century. This one needs to do numbers to ensure that the entire trilogy comes to fruition (Nia DaCosta’s second instalment is in the can and arriving early 2026), and we can honestly say something now that we haven’t been able to say for a long time: Danny deserves your dosh.
There’s nothing quite like a cozy movie night to unwind after a long week. Whether you’re hosting a group of friends or planning a solo night in, the right combination of atmosphere, snacks, and entertainment can turn an ordinary evening into a memorable experience. But if you’re someone who enjoys pairing your cinematic indulgence with a little cannabis, there’s another factor to consider: having the perfect bong setup—especially the right bowl capacity.
From gourmet popcorn to plush pillows and streaming services to ambient lighting, movie night is an art form. And for cannabis enthusiasts, choosing the correct bong bowl capacity can be just as essential as picking the right film. A well-prepared movie night enhances your comfort, mood, and overall enjoyment. This guide will walk you through the must-have essentials to craft the ultimate viewing experience—from snacks and ambiance to choosing the best bong bowl for a smooth and stress-free session.
1. Snack Selection: Go Beyond the Basics
🍿 Popcorn—The Undisputed Champion
Popcorn is a classic for a reason—light, crunchy, and endlessly customizable. Skip the microwave bag and make your own stovetop popcorn or invest in an air popper. Elevate it with toppings like truffle oil, cheddar powder, chili-lime seasoning, or even a sweet caramel drizzle.
🍫 Sweet Treats
Pair salty with sweet for the perfect flavor balance. Chocolate-covered pretzels, gummy candies, or DIY s’mores can hit the spot. If you’re feeling fancy, set up a mini dessert board with brownies, cookies, and fruit.
🧀 Savory Options
Cheese boards, nachos, sliders, or even sushi rolls can take your movie night snacks to gourmet levels. Try to include a range of textures and flavors to keep everyone happy.
🍹 Drinks
Have an array of beverages available—sparkling water, soft drinks, craft beer, or mocktails. For a cannabis-friendly experience, THC-infused drinks are also a great alternative to smoking.
2. Comfortable Setup: Creating the Perfect Vibe
🛋️ Seating is Key
Comfortable seating can make or break your night. Whether it’s a plush couch, floor cushions, or bean bags, make sure there’s plenty of space for everyone to stretch out. Add throws and pillows for an ultra-cozy feel.
💡 Lighting Matters
Dimmable lighting or string lights set a calming tone and reduce screen glare. Candles can also add a warm glow, but be sure to keep them away from anything flammable, especially if you’re lighting up.
📺 Screen & Sound
A large TV or projector with a good sound system can elevate your movie night from average to immersive. Invest in a soundbar or surround sound system for full cinematic effect. Don’t forget to test your streaming service or Blu-ray player in advance to avoid interruptions.
🌬️ Ventilation & Air Quality
If you’re using cannabis, good ventilation is important. A fan or open window will help circulate the air, especially when using a bong or other smoking device.
3. Choosing the Right Bong Bowl Capacity
For cannabis users, the bong bowl capacity can significantly affect the overall experience of movie night. The bowl is the part of your bong where the cannabis is packed, and its size dictates how much you can smoke in a single hit or session.
🔥 Small Bowls for Solo Sessions
If you’re watching a movie alone or prefer smaller doses, a bowl with a capacity of 0.2–0.3 grams is ideal. It conserves product and helps you maintain a gentle, sustained high throughout the film without overdoing it.
👯♂️ Medium Bowls for Two
When it’s just you and a friend or partner, a medium-sized bowl (around 0.5 grams) strikes the right balance. It allows for a few quality rips each without the need for frequent reloads.
🎉 Large Bowls for Groups
Hosting a group? Opt for a bowl that can hold up to 1 gram or more. Larger bowls are great for rotation and minimize the need to repack frequently. Just be sure to manage the intensity if there are newcomers to cannabis in the crowd.
💨 Efficiency Tips
Use a grinder to ensure even burn, and don’t pack the bowl too tightly—this can restrict airflow. Also, clean your bowl regularly; a clean bowl enhances flavor and reduces harshness, keeping everyone comfortable and happy.
4. Movie Selection: Set the Tone
🎬 Classic Comedies
Comedies like Superbad, The Big Lebowski, or Pineapple Express are always a hit—especially when cannabis is involved.
🌌 Mind-Bending Sci-Fi or Fantasy
If you’re looking to get lost in a different world, try movies like Inception, Interstellar, or The Matrix. Fantasy options like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings are also immersive fan favorites.
💖 Feel-Good Rom-Coms or Dramas
If you’re in the mood for something warm and fuzzy, rom-coms like Notting Hill or dramas like The Secret Life of Walter Mitty offer the right emotional depth without being too intense.
👻 Stoner Horror?
For the thrill-seekers, go with lighter horror-comedy hybrids like Zombieland or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. Just make sure your guests are up for the jump scares!
5. Final Touches: Personalize the Experience
📝 Themed Nights
Add a twist to your night by choosing a theme. Think “80s Night,” “Superhero Marathon,” or “Stoner Classics.” You can match snacks, outfits, and even décor to the theme.
📸 Capture the Vibe
Set up a mini photo corner or take some candid snaps of your setup. You’ll appreciate the memories—and maybe even inspire your social media followers.
👃 Aromatherapy & Scents
Consider using essential oils or incense to enhance relaxation. Scents like lavender, sandalwood, or eucalyptus pair beautifully with cannabis and a cozy atmosphere.
Conclusion
A perfect movie night is more than just pressing play on your favorite flick—it’s about crafting an experience that feeds the senses and soothes the soul. From gourmet snacks to immersive setups and the right bong bowl capacity, every detail contributes to the vibe. Whether you’re chilling solo or hanging out with friends, take the time to plan your movie night essentials, and you’ll turn an ordinary evening into something special.
So go ahead—queue up that film, pack your bowl just right, and settle in for a night of cinematic bliss.
We’re guessing that there’s a spreadsheet somewhere on an old company laptop in Hollywood whose rows and columns made the compelling financial case for the sequel to 2022’s mid-tier animated feature, The Bad Guys. As, on a purely vibes-based deduction, it’s not a film that too many people were either hankering for or expecting. Indeed, a review embargo for the film set for the day of release is, in the majority of cases, a red flag accompanied by a small, panicked firework display. So the odds were not in our favour.
The surprising news, then, is that Pierre Perifel’s film – like The Godfather, Toy Story and the first Bourne sequel – joins that rarified club of film franchises where the second film is arguably superior to the first. With The Godfather and Toy Story it’s a coin toss, but in this case, The Bad Guys 2 wipes the floor with the original which, in hindsight, looks like a scrappy work in progress.
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Mr Wolf (Sam Rockwell) is the immaculately-attired, smart-alecky leader of an inter-species wrecking crew whose skills perfectly align to make them maestros of the heist(ros). They are the archetypal, self-styled baddies, forced in the first film to go good, but now finding the job market and domestic drudgery of the strait-arrow life to be frustrating and dull.
All of the gang – Mr Snake (Marc Maron), Mr Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr Piranha (Anthony Ramos) and Ms Tarantula (Awkwafina) – are hankering for a cheeky bit of recidivism, when their transgressive prayers are answered as they learn of a master thief who is taking down joints and nabbing everything they can find made from the rare metal, McGuffinite. The cops are baffled, and so Mr Wolf lends his insider insight to spin the dictum, “It takes a thief to catch a thief.”
It’s a confident and spry film that actually manages to get better and better as it goes along. Perifel channels the limb-stretching physics and Picasso-esque landscape aesthetics of vintage-era Loony Tunes, while Rockwell’s voicework equals the louche, quippy charms of George Clooney in full Danny Ocean mode.
It’s a story about criminals who have reached a point where they do things purely for the thrill of it, desiring excess for no reason other than to have achieved a feat of thievery that exceeds all others. Which speaks directly to our modern oligarch culture. There’s a bumbling idiot character based on Elon Musk who, at a wedding of gaudy, Bezos-esque lavishness, uses an AI to identify his richest guests. And there’s also something quite subversive in how it deals with the notion of modern Robin Hoods, and how their ideals about distribution of wealth still leaves them with excessive and perhaps unearned levels of power.
But this is, in the main, a rolicking good time at the pictures, and its interstellar finale mocks the OTT stunt work of the Mission: Impossible films as we see the Bad Guys leap on to a space rocket from a moving helicopter. Never thought we’d ever be saying this, but roll on The Bad Guys 3.
A hospital is a 24 hour facility. Death, illness and, indeed, recovery do not keep office hours. The (inevitably white) walls are home to questions, tears, frustrations and goodbyes. Powerful emotions are an hourly occurrence. In Late Shift, Swiss writer / director Petra Volpe crafts a taut, powerful drama that unfolds over the course of a single shift in a hospital. With a powerhouse performance from Leonie Benesch at its core, the film is a sobering yet deeply human exploration of the modern healthcare crisis, told through the exhausted eyes of one overworked nurse. It’s a film that doesn’t just depict stress, it immerses you in it.
The story follows Floria Lind (Benesch), a dedicated and compassionate nurse working in a Swiss surgical ward. From the moment her shift begins, it’s clear that the hospital is understaffed and overwhelmed. Patients pile up, emergencies escalate and Floria is pulled in every direction, by doctors, patients, colleagues and her own conscience. As the hours tick by, the pressure mounts, and what begins as a routine day spirals into a tense, near-thriller-like race against time.
There’s no external villain here. The antagonist is the system itself: a healthcare infrastructure stretched to its breaking point and the emotional toll it exacts on those who keep it running. The film’s climax isn’t a dramatic twist, but a quiet, devastating moment of emotional collapse that feels all too real.
Late Shift is a searing indictment of the global nursing crisis, but it’s also a deeply empathetic character study. Volpe uses Floria’s shift as a microcosm for broader systemic issues: burnout, emotional labor and the invisibility of care work. The film doesn’t preach, it shows. Through Floria’s eyes, we experience the impossible balancing act of triaging patients, managing bureaucracy, and maintaining a shred of humanity in a system that demands constant sacrifice.
Thematically, the film explores the erosion of boundaries between professional and personal; between care and self-neglect. Floria’s quiet resilience is both her strength and her undoing. She internalises every failure, every missed call, every patient she can’t save. The film also touches on gender dynamics, subtly highlighting how emotional labor is disproportionately expected of women in caregiving roles.
Leonie Benesch delivers a career-defining performance as Floria. Known for her roles in The Teachers’ Loungeand Babylon Berlin, Benesch brings a raw, lived-in authenticity to the role. Her portrayal is remarkably physical: every movement, every glance, every sigh feels earned. She doesn’t need grand monologues; her exhaustion, compassion and quiet despair are etched into her face. It’s a performance that feels less like acting and more like witnessing.
The supporting cast, including Sonja Riesen and Alireza Bayram, provide strong, grounded performances that flesh out the hospital’s ecosystem. But the film belongs to Benesch, whose presence anchors every frame. We fully understand her sense of routine and experience; she knows exactly which drawer to open, which room to attend and which tests to run. Although, given the frenetic pacing of her shift, you cannot help but feel on edge that mistakes might be made along the way.
Petra Volpe’s direction is intimate and immersive. She eschews melodrama in favour of realism, capturing the chaos and claustrophobia of the hospital with documentary-like precision. The camera, handled masterfully by Judith Kaufmann, often follows Floria in long, unbroken takes, creating a sense of urgency and immediacy. The hospital corridors become a labyrinth, both physical and emotional, through which Floria navigates with increasing difficulty.
Kaufmann’s cinematography is both beautiful and brutal. The sterile whites and harsh fluorescents of the hospital are contrasted with fleeting moments of warmth: sunlight through a window, a patient’s smile, a rare moment of stillness. These visual choices underscore the emotional highs and lows of Floria’s journey.
The film’s sound design is a standout element. The constant beeping of monitors, the buzz of intercoms, the hurried footsteps all contribute to a soundscape that mirrors Floria’s fraying nerves. The score, used sparingly, is composed of ambient tones and subtle piano motifs that swell into a pulse like staccato only when absolutely necessary.
Late Shift is not an easy watch, but it’s an essential one. It’s a film that demands empathy, not just for its protagonist, but for the countless real-life nurses she represents. Writer / director Petra Volpe presents a cinematic call to action, but also a deeply personal story of one woman trying to hold it all together in a world that keeps asking for more.
Late Shift is in UK and Irish cinemas from August 1.
Editor at Moviescramble. European cinema, grisly thrillers and show stopping musicals are my bag. Classic Hollywood Cinema is comfort food. Spare time is heavily dependent on a lot of pizza and power ballads.
As wellness trends keep changing, people are looking for new ways to feel better and learn about themselves. One way that is becoming more popular is taking psychedelics, often in small doses or for therapy under advisability. Because of digital changes, online platforms help people get psychedelics in a way that is easy, private, and made for those in the wellness community.
This article looks at how buying psychedelics online is changing the wellness experience. It is now easier for people to get these things. People can buy them in private. The way you use them can be made just for you. This helps those who want better mental clarity, feel more healed in their emotions, and find spiritual balance.
The Growth of Psychedelics in Holistic Health
People have changed how they think about healing in a big way. More and more people are turning to alternative therapies that fit with a natural, whole-body concept instead of just using traditional medicines. Psychedelics have come up in this conversation as promising tools for not only healing mental health problems but also for improving self-awareness, creativity, and emotional strength.
A lot of this interest comes from scientific studies, interesting documentaries, and more and more health experts who see the healing power of drugs like psilocybin, LSD, and mescaline. As curiosity around these experiences increases, platforms like gomicromagic.com are becoming popular for offering secure, accessible, and well-informed avenues for people to explore psychedelics with greater confidence.
Convenience meets privacy
Online platforms can give you safe and private ways to get many psychedelic products.
People can look through products without showing who they are and read real reviews from others.
There is no need to go anywhere or meet anyone in person.
Stay informed and cautious
Laws are different in each country and area. You should always look at local rules before you do anything.
Good sites talk about rules and teach people how to use things the right way.
Many people who sell these items only send them to places where their use is not against the law or where people can use them for themselves.
Discovering Trusted Options
Platforms such as Go Magic Micro have emerged as go-to destinations for those seeking safe, well-reviewed, and clearly labeled psychedelic products. These sites not only offer convenience but also focus on customer education and mindful usage, helping users feel more confident in their wellness journey.
Smaller doses, bigger benefits
Micro dosing means taking very small amounts to help you do better in your daily life.
People say it helps with focus, creativity, mood, and staying balanced with their feelings.
Professionals, artists, and people who care about wellness often use it.
Tailored experiences for every need
Online shops have capsules, tinctures, teas, and gummies.
Products give clear dosage steps and what is inside.
Some stores give advice or ask your questions to help you choose.
Safety and privacy first
Most good stores make sure to use plain and safe packaging that cannot be changed.
Tracking info and customer help make the delivery easy.
In many cases, you can get shipping to different countries.
Shop smart, stay safe
Look at what customers say, check if there is third-party testing, and see if the company is open about their products.
Stay away from sites that have unclear product details or rules.
A clear return rule or customer help line shows that the company is honest.
Positive changes shared by real people
Lower feelings of worry and sadness.
Better understanding of feelings and less confusion in the mind.
A stronger bond with nature, more creativity, and a deeper sense of self.
A part of a balanced approach
Psychedelics are not a quick fix. These help as part of a bigger wellness plan.
Responsible use, having clear goals, and looking at your thoughts and actions are important to get the most out of them.
Online psychedelic shopping is more than just a trend; it is part of a big change in the way people live and care for themselves. Now, people who want better wellness can explore these tools independently, with access to safety, privacy, and the opportunity to educate themselves before making any decisions. Platforms like gomicromagic.com offer a discreet and informed way to begin that journey. This opens up new paths for healing and personal growth.
As always, it is wise to move forward with care and a clear mind, keeping your health at the forefront of every step. Looking inward remains one of the most powerful things you can do. For many, psychedelics are now a trusted and life-changing part of the wellness journey.
What happens when the past doesn’t leave but lingers – quiet, unresolved, and heavy? At Queer East 2025, grief and memory seemed to haunt not only the narratives but also the structure of the films themselves, written into their pacing, silences and repetitions. In Wang Ping-Wen and Peng Tzu-Hui’s A Journey in Spring, mourning is deferred, stretched and avoided through the rigid resolution of a man who continues to live according to his daily routine alongside his wife’s deceased body, in denial of her death. In Akihiro Suzuki’s Looking For An Angel, the film traces the life of a young porn star who died violently through recollections from those who knew him. In the former, grief is shaped by the quiet ache of losing a lifelong partner who had become inseparable from one’s own self; in the latter, it is moulded by a future that could have been, cut short before it could be fully experienced. Both are shaped by the unresolved weight of absence; yet one mourns the end of a shared lifetime, while the other contends with the brutality of erasure. What emerges is a sense of emotional haunting, as characters grapple with a grief-induced rupture in the temporality of everyday life.
Set in a lush green rain-soaked hillside just beyond Taipei, A Journey in Spring unfolds in a quiet, traditional home, seemingly untouched by modernity. Khim-Hok (King Jieh-Wen), an ageing, conservative man, and his wife Siu-Tuan (Kuei-Mei Yang, known for her iconic role in Vive L’Amour) venture up and down the mountain into town to complete errands before returning to their secluded abode. Their domestic life is punctuated by bickering and brief mentions of their estranged queer son. When Siu-Tuan suddenly dies, Khim-Hok places her body in a freezer, unable to confront her passing, and continues with his days as if she were still there. Much of his emotion is withheld; he fixes the plumbing, gets a job at a noodle shop, and sits in silence by himself. One of the few moments where his routine falters comes when he opens the freezer to add more ice. He stops, looks at her, and reaches out tenderly to touch her face. The close-up captures her features through the soft textures of the film’s 16mm medium, lending a warmth that feels both intimate and fragile. This stillness, paired with his cry, breaks the busy rhythm that has so far kept Khim-Hok’s emotion at bay. It is a gesture of startling vulnerability that breaks through his denial, making grief impossible to suppress any longer.
When their son returns, the seclusion which had so far allowed Khim-Hok to continue living with his wife is encroached, disrupting the fragile temporal suspension of his grief. As they prepare for the funeral, the relationship between Khim-Hok, his son, and the son’s partner remains laconic and steely. In several scenes, the three men spatially occupy the frame, but they often stand apart, oftentimes the dad within the background and the couple in the foreground or vice versa. The composition itself reflects their disconnection: three people moving through the same rituals across entirely different spatial and temporal planes. This intricate choreography stands in quiet contrast to earlier scenes, where Khim-Hok and his wife moved in gentle sync. Often walking slightly apart, they still followed one another, occupying the frame with a rhythm that felt habitual and interdependent. Their shared presence grounded the frame with a quiet intimacy that now feels conspicuously absent. Just before the cremation, Khim-Hok places his wife’s body in a truck and takes her on a final journey and speaks to her as if she were still alive. Her presence is not morbid, but comforting, marking a shift from the earlier freezer scene where his denial felt desperate. Now there is tenderness, a quiet attempt to stay close and say goodbye on his own terms. In the end, the film returns to its opening shot – Khim-Hok seated before the waterfall that his wife had desired to visit together, now carrying the full weight of their shared memories and her passing. Life continues, but he remains suspended in grief, and his everyday life is shaped by absence: not the kind that fades, but the kind that settles in and lingers.
On March 13, 1997, thousands of people in Arizona witnessed the largest mass UFO sighting in U.S. history—now famously known as The Phoenix Lights. Among them was 10-year-old Claire, who felt as if the lights called to her. In Star People, years later, Claire (Kat Cunning), now a photographer, is still chasing that moment, hoping to capture the lights on camera and finally make sense of what she saw.
When a mysterious tip leads her deep into the Arizona desert during a deadly heatwave with her UFO streamer boyfriend (Connor Paolo) and troubled brother (McCabe Slye) in tow, they encounter a vulnerable immigrant family whose plight complicates her mission. As tensions rise, Claire searches for the answers she seeks on terra firma and among the stars.
Kat Cunning stars in “Star People” (2025). Photo courtesy of Blue Harbor Entertainment.
Meet Adam Finberg
Filmmaker Adam Finberg grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and moved to Southern California to attend the American Film Institute’s directing program. He has worked as a writer, director, and editor for the past 20 years. Star People is his first feature-length narrative film.
Adam began his career directing music videos (for artists such as Armin van Buuren, Malbec, and Otis) before transitioning to commercial work (for clients including Napoleon Perdis and GoDaddy). His first documentary, After Katrina: Rebuilding St. Bernard Parish, shined a light on the perils and pains of post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.
His first feature documentary, The Business of Recovery, dove into the secret lucrative world of the American addiction treatment industry. The film was featured on Last Week Tonight With John Oliver as it sparked conversations about the rehab industry and was even showcased at the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Washington, DC to help guide policy decisions.
Interview
Cinema Scholars’ own Glen Dower recently interviewed writer and director Adam Finberg about his new sci-fi/thriller Star People, starring Kat Cunning. Star People will open in theaters July 25, with a VOD release to follow nationwide on all major platforms on August 12, and is being distributed by Blue Harbor Entertainment.
Lightly edited for content and clarity.
Glen Dower:
Hi Mr. Finberg. Star People, not a singing competition on Saturday night television, but your new heartfelt sci-fi drama, of which you are writer and director, which I enjoyed. You grew up in Phoenix, and for those people who don’t know, can you explain what the Phoenix Lights were and how they partly influenced the story?
Adam Finberg:
Sure. Well, the Phoenix Lights were a mass UFO sighting in Arizona in 1997. On March 13th, 1997, thousands of people saw a strange formation of lights flying across the state. And it’s been talked about for years, investigated. There have been many TV shows about it and a lot of speculation about what it is and what it isn’t. And at the time I was in high school, I didn’t see them, but I do know several people who did see them that night. And in fact, some people who worked on the film told me that they had seen the lights. They were very excited to work on this film.
And for me, it was always an interesting jumping off point for storytelling because I was always intrigued by them. I also have a personal friend who had seen them, and I just wanted to write about characters who had experienced that. That was kind of how that started. This was in a time, too, when the idea of shared experiences was a little different than it is now because, you know, there wasn’t social media yet. You know, when a lot of people saw the same thing, there were only so many ways to talk about it at the time. It’s still mysterious to this day about what happened.
Glen Dower:
That is so cool. So like you say, you created a great ensemble of characters that have run the gamut of those who may be involved in a story like this: the believer, the non-believer, the cynic, the people just along for the ride, etc. So how did you come about those characters?
Adam Finberg:
My influence for the writing, a lot of it came from my experience directing a documentary in 2015 called The Business of Recovery, which was about the addiction treatment industry. And a lot of the people I met during that time were experiencing trauma of one sort or another. I found that my experiences in talking to people firsthand in the making of that film really influenced my writing years later because it is something that is a common thread in the human experience about how we process terrible events or how we process holes in our lives.
That experience fed into, I guess you could say, my imagination as I was building these characters. A lot was influenced from that because, for me, at the end of the day, this had to be a very good human. There had to be a very good story behind the science fiction elements. I didn’t want to tell a story just about the science, the lights, or just about the science in it, because that wasn’t enough storytelling. I had to have characters that you would be interested in learning about and going on a journey with.
Absolutely. So, when we go into films like this, we can either go into it with the concept of Close Encounters Of The Third Kind or War of the Worlds. We’re just waiting, waiting, waiting, and here comes the ship! Oh, there they are. Or there’s a film I saw like last year called Acid Man. I don’t know if you saw that, starring Thomas Hayden-Church, directed by Alex Lehman, the director, and he and I had a really interesting conversation about how UFO experiences really bring people together. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a cynic or not, it’s about how it reveals or deepens relationships. With your film, do you think the brother-sister relationship was the central hook?
Adam Finberg:
As I developed the characters, yeah. It started with the main character and building out, you know? Building out that character’s life. I had to have opposing elements with a good story. So there had to be, you know, her and her brother, Claire and Taylor. They were sort of two sides of the same coin, and they both had to share trauma, and the way that they sort of dealt with it was just different. You know, one hooked into this experience to try to find answers. The other sort of found help in self-medicating, you could say, with substance abuse.
From there, I just had to just kind of expand it. I mean, the writing process is a lot of throwing things in the wastebasket. For me, it’s like, you think you’re gonna keep, you gotta keep digging so that it just took a lot, a lot of digging and just building it more and more until it felt, you know, as real as I could, I could get it.
Glen Dower:
And the film is beautiful to look at as well. Filmed in Arizona, right. Locations like these always make me think of John Carpenter’s The Thing, because, as a director, you have to find that it looks remote enough…but also accessible, because you’re making a film, you have to walk that fine line. How did you come up with those locations?
Adam Finberg:
Well, that was a big adventure in itself! I worked very closely with this wonderful guy, Brian Bukovic, who was my location manager, and we did our road trips around Phoenix. I mean, because yeah, we needed to find a place that felt remote, yet it was accessible to shoot, that we could be close enough and not put our crew up far, far away. Most of the remote-looking stuff is in the Superstition Mountains, which is a range southeast of Phoenix, kind of southeast of Mesa. There’s a wonderful ranch out there called Quarter Circle U Ranch that we ended up filming at.
It’s deep in this canyon. You take this dirt road about eight miles off the grid, no cell service, you know, got all the trucks out there, and we were able to just shoot out on that property. One of those scouting days on my own, when I was driving around, I got a flat tire out there, and I had to deal with it because it was off the grid. But it wasn’t that far off the grid. And we also shot some in South Mountain Park, which is this huge park south of downtown Phoenix, which has this paved road that we were able to shoot on, that looks very remote, because you can’t, you know, you can’t see, but you aren’t that far from the city, right there. That’s good.
Glen Dower:
So an adventure in itself to find an adventure.
Adam Finberg:
Oh yeah, all over.
Glen Dower:
I also want to talk about your take on the influence of shows and movies like The X-Files. I was in high school when the show was at its peak. It was always the thing we talked about in the yard the day after the episode aired. And I was also lucky enough to talk to Dr. Erin McDonald recently, and she’s the science advisor for the current Star Trek universe. And we talked about the Scully Effect on female careers in the STEM arena. So looking back, just at that show, The X-Files, do you think films like yours could have been made without shows like that, all those decades ago, that have inspired and intrigued generations for years?
Adam Finberg:
Well, there’s a lot. The X-Files has colored our popular consciousness, which is fine. It’s just like Twilight Zone or Close Encounters. I mean, all these things. Any art is sort of built on the art that came before it. What would it be? I don’t know. I mean, I think the Phoenix Lights would have still happened, and we still wouldn’t know what they are. But you would just have less TV bits using The X-Files music and talking about the Phoenix Lights. I feel like I’ve seen bits where they play The X-Files theme song. There are so many shows about searching for answers, because that’s what we all want. We want to know meaning, we want to know why. And sometimes it’s not so clear cut, though, unfortunately. That’s ‘the’ truth.
Eddie Martinez and Adriana Aluna Martinez star in “Star People” (2025). Photo courtesy of Blue Harbor Entertainment.
Glen Dower:
And what’s great about your film is that it very much leads a lot to the audience to form their interpretations. And one thing I wanted to say, there was one line, I just wrote it down with great laughter. “My stomach is baking an evil pie!” I loved this line – was it scripted or improvised?
Adam Finberg:
No, that was the line I wrote! To have a character, and McCabe did an incredible job portraying a guy who had recently OD’d, because you had to make it all believable. So we had had him digging into that, you know, the physicality of, what would the day after having a bender be like? But yes, that was in the script originally. But to his credit, he brought the pain in that scene in a way that only he could do!
Glen Dower:
And just one last word about the casting. How did you find your leads? Because obviously, they’re great together. Was it just luck or a bit of magic?
Adam Finberg:
It’s a lot of searching! No, my casting directors, Helen Geer and Kendra Clark, who were a casting team in LA to cast our leads, were amazing. They knew kind of what I was looking for to help bring auditions in for me to find, to eventually find Cat, who was very talented and also a musician. And, you know, I remember Cat’s first audition. I was like, this is Claire. And it came through a Zoom audition, because nowadays, a lot of these auditions are video, you know, on Zoom. I just imagined, in person, that I was going to get a great performance.
But once we had Cat, then we had to line Cat up with who would be the brother. And, you know, we did. We did chemistry reads to make sure that we had the right brother and sister. Do I believe it? And once I knew Cat was a musician, I knew I had to involve Cat’s music, because the music, the track in the credits, Cat collaborated with my composer, Reza, to produce and write. Well, he produced the track, but they both wrote and performed on Constellation, at the end.
Glen Dower:
And they’re the heart and soul. Well, it has been a pleasure. Thanks so much for your time, Mr. Finberg.
Adam Finberg:
Thank you, Glen. Great chatting with you.
Adam Finberg’s Star People, starring actor and recording artist Kat Cunning, McCabe Slye, Connor Paolo, Eddie Martinez, Bradley Fisher, and Adriana Aluna Martinez, will open in theaters July 25, with a VOD release to follow nationwide on all major platforms on August 12.
