Jake Tropila
@jaketropila.bsky.social
Film critic, editor, licensed troubleshooter, problem eliminator. May good luck plumb snow you under.
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Nothing Ever Changes: Passion & Prophecy in Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days | In Review Online
You ready? Yeah, boot it. Strange Days should have launched Kathryn Bigelow’s career into the stratosphere. Having conquered land, sea, and air in 1991’s Nothing Ever Changes: Passion & Prophecy in Ka...
inreviewonline.com
For its 30th anniversary I wrote about STRANGE DAYS, its prophetic vision of the future, Kathryn Bigelow’s formal mastery, and how it ends things on a bold glimmer of hope. Now live over at InReviewOnline:
inreviewonline.com/2025/10/15/s...
inreviewonline.com/2025/10/15/s...
REFLECTION IN A DEAD DIAMOND (2025, Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani)
November 14, 2025 at 3:50 PM
REFLECTION IN A DEAD DIAMOND (2025, Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani)
Threw on the EWS resto. Best it’s ever looked, rich and vibrant and sporting a healthy layer of film grain. Will save a full rewatch until I have the disc, but I do like that they subtitled Leelee’s silent line:
November 13, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Threw on the EWS resto. Best it’s ever looked, rich and vibrant and sporting a healthy layer of film grain. Will save a full rewatch until I have the disc, but I do like that they subtitled Leelee’s silent line:
Finally skimmed through the 4K restoration of Hard Boiled. Absolutely astonishing, almost feels illegal to see it in a quality that would never exist on a subpar DVD.
November 13, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Finally skimmed through the 4K restoration of Hard Boiled. Absolutely astonishing, almost feels illegal to see it in a quality that would never exist on a subpar DVD.
KING IVORY (2025, Swab): TRAFFIC by way of DEN OF THIEVES. Never quite reaches the heights of those two films, but it’s hard to go wrong when you have James Badge Dale, Michael Mando, and Graham Greene (in one of his final film roles) on board.
November 12, 2025 at 11:41 PM
KING IVORY (2025, Swab): TRAFFIC by way of DEN OF THIEVES. Never quite reaches the heights of those two films, but it’s hard to go wrong when you have James Badge Dale, Michael Mando, and Graham Greene (in one of his final film roles) on board.
Today marks one year at my current job. I actually started as a temp fifteen months ago but it wouldn’t be another three months until I was hired full time. I’ll always celebrate gainful employment but I’m beyond thankful I’m at a place as great as this one.
November 12, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Today marks one year at my current job. I actually started as a temp fifteen months ago but it wouldn’t be another three months until I was hired full time. I’ll always celebrate gainful employment but I’m beyond thankful I’m at a place as great as this one.
Reposted by Jake Tropila
New Ep! We kick off Yes Nut November with an examination of the works of notable pervert Stephen Sayadian, aka Rinse Dream. We discuss Nightdreams, Café Flesh, and Dr. Caligari. Enjoy!
www.optimismvaccine.com/episode/the-...
www.optimismvaccine.com/episode/the-...
The Perverts vs. Stephen Sayadian (Yes Nut November 2025) - Optimism Vaccine
THIS WEEK: Nightdreams (1981), Café Flesh (1982) and Dr. Caligari (1989)
www.optimismvaccine.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:44 PM
New Ep! We kick off Yes Nut November with an examination of the works of notable pervert Stephen Sayadian, aka Rinse Dream. We discuss Nightdreams, Café Flesh, and Dr. Caligari. Enjoy!
www.optimismvaccine.com/episode/the-...
www.optimismvaccine.com/episode/the-...
Rest In Peace to the extraordinary Tatsuya Nakadai.
November 11, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Rest In Peace to the extraordinary Tatsuya Nakadai.
The latest episode of The Chair Company feels like it escaped from the deepest, darkest recesses of Tim Robinson’s id. A beautifully chaotic and nightmarish episode of television.
November 10, 2025 at 4:16 PM
The latest episode of The Chair Company feels like it escaped from the deepest, darkest recesses of Tim Robinson’s id. A beautifully chaotic and nightmarish episode of television.
GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (1972, Jun Fukuda)
November 10, 2025 at 2:31 AM
GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (1972, Jun Fukuda)
Met Malcolm McDowell this evening, a tremendous experience.
November 9, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Met Malcolm McDowell this evening, a tremendous experience.
R.I.P. Lee Tamahori. Die Another Day receives a ton of shit but I’ve come to embrace it as the perfect pendulum swing into glorious, highly entertaining excess that celebrates Bond’s four decades of success. If nothing else it is never dull; Tamahori nailed the assignment.
November 7, 2025 at 6:53 AM
R.I.P. Lee Tamahori. Die Another Day receives a ton of shit but I’ve come to embrace it as the perfect pendulum swing into glorious, highly entertaining excess that celebrates Bond’s four decades of success. If nothing else it is never dull; Tamahori nailed the assignment.
SON OF GODZILLA (1967, Jun Fukuda)
November 7, 2025 at 6:09 AM
SON OF GODZILLA (1967, Jun Fukuda)
Well, aren’t you gorgeous.
November 6, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Well, aren’t you gorgeous.
EBIRAH, HORROR OF THE DEEP (1966, Jun Fukuda)
November 6, 2025 at 6:34 AM
EBIRAH, HORROR OF THE DEEP (1966, Jun Fukuda)
DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968, Ishirō Honda)
November 5, 2025 at 6:26 AM
DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968, Ishirō Honda)
Now watching the Showa Era’s Battle Royale:
November 5, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Now watching the Showa Era’s Battle Royale:
Just remembered “How Does It Feel When You’re In REM” and had a great laugh about it.
November 4, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Just remembered “How Does It Feel When You’re In REM” and had a great laugh about it.
For InReviewOnline, I reviewed CHAINSAW MAN - THE MOVIE: REZE ARC, the cinematic event of the year.
inreviewonline.com/2025/10/24/c...
inreviewonline.com/2025/10/24/c...
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc — Tatsuya Yoshihara [Review] | In Review Online
A new film review of Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, for film review site In Review Online.
inreviewonline.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:45 PM
For InReviewOnline, I reviewed CHAINSAW MAN - THE MOVIE: REZE ARC, the cinematic event of the year.
inreviewonline.com/2025/10/24/c...
inreviewonline.com/2025/10/24/c...
INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER (1965, Ishirō Honda)
November 4, 2025 at 7:10 AM
INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER (1965, Ishirō Honda)
Happy Godzilla Day. Dalton and I are now watching the film where Big G dances.
November 4, 2025 at 4:44 AM
Happy Godzilla Day. Dalton and I are now watching the film where Big G dances.
Quickly, Robin, to the Carnicopia!
November 4, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Quickly, Robin, to the Carnicopia!
Not typically a hat guy but I couldn’t resist getting the official Godzilla JXSDF cap, as seen in the Millennium Era. Very thrilled to find it fits comfortably on my freakish head size.
November 3, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Not typically a hat guy but I couldn’t resist getting the official Godzilla JXSDF cap, as seen in the Millennium Era. Very thrilled to find it fits comfortably on my freakish head size.
Rest In Peace, Diane Ladd.
November 3, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Rest In Peace, Diane Ladd.
After The Idol was cancelled, I felt lost, abandoned, and confused. When will I ever see a show about making it in the greatest city on earth on prestige cable again?
Thankfully, I Love LA is here to scratch that itch, though you should probably get that itch checked out.
Thankfully, I Love LA is here to scratch that itch, though you should probably get that itch checked out.
November 3, 2025 at 4:18 PM
After The Idol was cancelled, I felt lost, abandoned, and confused. When will I ever see a show about making it in the greatest city on earth on prestige cable again?
Thankfully, I Love LA is here to scratch that itch, though you should probably get that itch checked out.
Thankfully, I Love LA is here to scratch that itch, though you should probably get that itch checked out.
BUGONIA (2025, Lanthimos): Nice to see Yorgos operating on such a meaner register, lacing cruelty with his customary pitch-black humor, but I was more compelled by the tragedy at the heart of this story. Very sad, and very gorgeously shot; Stone and Plemmons are dynamite.
November 2, 2025 at 3:41 PM
BUGONIA (2025, Lanthimos): Nice to see Yorgos operating on such a meaner register, lacing cruelty with his customary pitch-black humor, but I was more compelled by the tragedy at the heart of this story. Very sad, and very gorgeously shot; Stone and Plemmons are dynamite.