Barbara VanDenburgh
@babsvan.bsky.social
Poor, obscure, plain, and little. Writer, critic. Former books editor at USA TODAY. Let’s talk movies https://boxd.it/lA7b
2025 watch #170: Marty Supreme. Hahahaha holy shit it’s so good, Timothée Chalamet cranked the charisma stat all the way up, broke the handle off and gave me ten heart attacks over goddamn ping pong. Amazing.
November 25, 2025 at 4:55 AM
2025 watch #170: Marty Supreme. Hahahaha holy shit it’s so good, Timothée Chalamet cranked the charisma stat all the way up, broke the handle off and gave me ten heart attacks over goddamn ping pong. Amazing.
Post a famous bathroom scene 🤔
November 24, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Post a famous bathroom scene 🤔
2025 watch #169: Train Dreams. Oh, how I wish I had felt the euphoria others are feeling. It's beautiful, of course, but obvious. Training wheels for Terrence Malick.
November 24, 2025 at 12:03 AM
2025 watch #169: Train Dreams. Oh, how I wish I had felt the euphoria others are feeling. It's beautiful, of course, but obvious. Training wheels for Terrence Malick.
Bro that’s how “Dinosaurs” ended
November 23, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Bro that’s how “Dinosaurs” ended
A movie that takes place where you’re from
November 23, 2025 at 5:49 PM
A movie that takes place where you’re from
2025 watch #168: Materialists. “You make me brave enough to admit I want to be happy.” What is this writing, wtf is wrong with straight people, I was in misery every second of this.
November 22, 2025 at 3:14 AM
2025 watch #168: Materialists. “You make me brave enough to admit I want to be happy.” What is this writing, wtf is wrong with straight people, I was in misery every second of this.
2025 watch #167: Blood Simple. Got to watch this on the big screen tonight with a bunch of people seeing it for the first time, and they were tickled. Such a good, mean little film right out the gate from the Coens who are so gifted at stories about people in over their heads.
November 21, 2025 at 5:02 AM
2025 watch #167: Blood Simple. Got to watch this on the big screen tonight with a bunch of people seeing it for the first time, and they were tickled. Such a good, mean little film right out the gate from the Coens who are so gifted at stories about people in over their heads.
2025 watch #166: The Ugly Stepsister. Lord knows the world doesn't need its thousandth retelling of Cinderella, but I did get a kick out of taking an awkward adolescent body horror approach and sympathetically centering one of the stepsisters. Entertainingly grotesque.
November 21, 2025 at 4:59 AM
2025 watch #166: The Ugly Stepsister. Lord knows the world doesn't need its thousandth retelling of Cinderella, but I did get a kick out of taking an awkward adolescent body horror approach and sympathetically centering one of the stepsisters. Entertainingly grotesque.
2025 watch #165: Wicked: For Good. This has all the lived-in authenticity of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float (and none of the good songs).
November 19, 2025 at 5:41 AM
2025 watch #165: Wicked: For Good. This has all the lived-in authenticity of a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float (and none of the good songs).
Hoo boy, here we go.
November 19, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Hoo boy, here we go.
2025 watch #164: The Running Man (1987). This has fuck all to do with the book (one of my favorites from King) and is dumb as hell, but I appreciate the goofball aesthetics of 80s excess. Richard Dawson is having a great goddamn time as the carnival barker of state-sanctioned murder.
November 16, 2025 at 6:35 AM
2025 watch #164: The Running Man (1987). This has fuck all to do with the book (one of my favorites from King) and is dumb as hell, but I appreciate the goofball aesthetics of 80s excess. Richard Dawson is having a great goddamn time as the carnival barker of state-sanctioned murder.
Felt like a bed rot with Calvin and Hobbes kinda Saturday morning
November 15, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Felt like a bed rot with Calvin and Hobbes kinda Saturday morning
2025 watch #163: Freakier Friday. The only thing that got me through this turd was Manny Jacinto’s cheek bones.
November 15, 2025 at 4:31 PM
2025 watch #163: Freakier Friday. The only thing that got me through this turd was Manny Jacinto’s cheek bones.
I love how women are socialized to be so discreet about having bodies down to pretending periods don’t exist so men aren’t uncomfortable, yet I can’t make it through a store anymore without running into a wall of holiday themed “dingle bells” Dude Wipes because they can’t clean their own assholes
November 14, 2025 at 11:22 PM
I love how women are socialized to be so discreet about having bodies down to pretending periods don’t exist so men aren’t uncomfortable, yet I can’t make it through a store anymore without running into a wall of holiday themed “dingle bells” Dude Wipes because they can’t clean their own assholes
2025 watch #162: Sorry, Baby. I admire more than love this. It's an assured debut, I'm excited to see what Eva Victor does next, but I should respond more to a story about coping with trauma through ironic detachment (it's literally my life). The film itself is too ironically detached for me.
November 14, 2025 at 7:20 PM
2025 watch #162: Sorry, Baby. I admire more than love this. It's an assured debut, I'm excited to see what Eva Victor does next, but I should respond more to a story about coping with trauma through ironic detachment (it's literally my life). The film itself is too ironically detached for me.
2025 watch #161: In Waves and War. Documentary about veterans with PTSD receiving experimental psychedelic therapy. Lots of animated sequences to convey the experience of panic, depression, psychedelic trips and healing that I thought were compelling creative choices.
November 14, 2025 at 4:35 PM
2025 watch #161: In Waves and War. Documentary about veterans with PTSD receiving experimental psychedelic therapy. Lots of animated sequences to convey the experience of panic, depression, psychedelic trips and healing that I thought were compelling creative choices.
Can we talk about how cool the coffins are in Frankenstein
November 11, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Can we talk about how cool the coffins are in Frankenstein
2025 watch #160: Frankenstein. What a grand, gluttonous feast of gothic melodrama. I’ve got that woozy, sort of sickly feeling one gets after they’ve gorged themselves. I’m not sure all of it was good, but I enjoyed devouring it. May del Toro never stop creating fuckable monsters.
November 11, 2025 at 4:10 AM
2025 watch #160: Frankenstein. What a grand, gluttonous feast of gothic melodrama. I’ve got that woozy, sort of sickly feeling one gets after they’ve gorged themselves. I’m not sure all of it was good, but I enjoyed devouring it. May del Toro never stop creating fuckable monsters.
2025 watch #159: Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery. Take me back.
November 11, 2025 at 3:58 AM
2025 watch #159: Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery. Take me back.
Hey @democrats.org great job, just updated my party affiliation for the first time since 2008. If you’re going to willingly hand the Trump administration victories, then you’re functionally no different than republicans and I no longer have a party. Primary all these motherfuckers.
November 10, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Hey @democrats.org great job, just updated my party affiliation for the first time since 2008. If you’re going to willingly hand the Trump administration victories, then you’re functionally no different than republicans and I no longer have a party. Primary all these motherfuckers.