#the reading

One of my all time favorite horror movies was on added on Pluto for free.

first posted in facebook september 29, 2025

ram kumar -- "the vagabond" (1956)

"the feeling is more important than form. it’s deeper" … ram kumar

"leave your steppingstones behind there something calls for you forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you the vagabond who's rapping at your door is standing in the clothes that you once wore strike another match, go start anew and it's all over now, baby blue" … bob dylan

THE READING,1870 by HENRI FANTIN-LATOUR

In this painting, the reader is the artist’s future wife, VICTORIA DUBOURG. The dark part of the canvas suggests that VICTORIA is lost or entranced by or in the world of a book. On the right-hand side of the painting is victoria’s sister, charlotte. At the time, VICTORIA was a guest of CHARLOTTE’s house. CHARLOTTE stares straight at VICTORIA.

On her side of the frame, the light illuminates her almost as if she has materialized out of the dark that her sister inhabits. On the other hand, THE READING offers another example of the painter’s grim realism. The composition conveys a poem-like, almost dream-like and melancholic atmosphere. In fact, the image conveys a sense of domestic isolation through the mental separation of the two sisters.

(1/5) Its been a while since a film got a 1/5 rating on my page but this was well deserving.  Sorry to the writers, producers and everyone else involved but you all missed the mark.  I remember hearing about this film and it was originally supposed to star Octavia Spencer and be released on Netflix if I am not mistaken.  But something changed and this was the ending result.  

I will say I think they had a good foundation the story was their but lackluster performances, an unimaginative script and plot, questionable lighting all amalgamated into a very unimpressive film.  To the creators...you all didn't watch a home invasion movie, Stir of Echoes or Misery? Nothing?  Those films would have been great source material to take notes from.  

My first issue with the film was with the home invasion.  It felt like a “hit” more so than a random home invasion and the fact that they didn’t show the husband dying (movie formula 101, if they don’t show the person dying they ain’t dead), I started drawing an insurance scheme conclusion spawned by the husband but that was dissolved as the plot evolved. Another issue was the scamming ghost hunter/medium team.  How you all gone be out here scamming grieving people out of money with medium readings using a real medium and not expect something to happen.  That is like playing with witchcraft and expecting nothing to happen. 

Now to The Reading...

There were so many things that were done wrong here.  The group not being on the same page, the vague side argument before entering the house, the skeptical sister in law feeding the group information about the family for the cameras (if you are a skeptic why would you feed them information), the footsteps during the reading they never explained or came back too and then the plot twist. SPOILER ALERT.

So in the beginning of the film we are shown this gruesome home invasion were Emma (Monique) is the sole survivor.   But it turns out that there was no home invasion and that Emma killed her entire family.  What we saw in the beginning was a lie that Emma fabricated.  But the question was why?  I don’t feel the film went into her issue at all.  The just labeled her crazy and pure comedy followed. The quick cut chase scene had me on the floor screaming of laughter.  The boyfriend getting shot in the chest and still moving, “The Fuck Them Kids” statement, the 2 girls getting beat up by Emma and more.