During my time in film school, I studied Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1972 film Solaris and have since been contemplating possible connections to Hindu beliefs:

1.  Ocean Imagery: The planet Solaris is enveloped by a vast, sentient ocean capable of materializing human thoughts. This brings to mind the ‘Ocean of Milk’ (Kshira Sagara) in Hindu tradition, where Lord Vishnu reclines upon the serpent Ananta. Both serve as cosmic entities facilitating profound transformations.

2.  Character Names: The protagonist is named Kris Kelvin, and his wife is Hari. ‘Kris’ bears phonetic similarity to ‘Krishna,’ and ‘Hari’ is another name for Lord Vishnu. While this could be coincidental, it has intrigued me.

Despite extensive research during my studies, I found no explicit evidence linking Tarkovsky or his works to Hindu philosophy or India. I’m reaching out to this community to gather insights:

• Has anyone come across analyses or discussions that draw connections between Solaris and Hindu beliefs?

• Could these similarities be intentional, or are they purely coincidental?

I would greatly appreciate any perspectives or resources you might share on this topic.

One of my favorite Batman comics is a story entitled Batman: Night Cries. If you aren't familiar with it, the plot revolves around a string of gruesome murders of parents. Batman discovers that a man is murdering these parents because he has the supernatural ability to hear when children are in pain. The man targets child abusers. Spoilers ahead: the man commits suicide, and the story ends with Batman standing on a rooftop screaming in despair because he cannot hear and therefore save children who are being abused.

Even though it's dark, I think if done right it could work as a movie adaptation. The comics’ message of putting the voiceless at the forefront of its plot is something a wider array of people need to see. Executing the final scene is crucial though. First off, how would you effectively communicate to the audience that Batman is screaming because he cannot hear what the murderer heard without telling them? Second off, what are some other movies that execute a character screaming as the final scene well? We wouldn’t want it to come across as Darth Vader screaming "NOOOOO" at the end of episode three. The last scene coming across as corny would ruin the movies entire message.

Thank you.

🎥 Documenting a Legacy: Through the Eyes That Have Seen It All – My 92-year-old grandfather, Charles Maitland, has lived through nearly a century of history. From Grenada to Brooklyn, he’s experienced it all. Now, I'm working on a documentary to preserve his incredible journey. Help me make this project a reality by supporting the Kickstarter! 🙌

Check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/charlesdoc/through-the-eyes-that-have-seen-it-all?ref=project_build&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0BMQABHkL8BQnaiZLjw6WOahqrFtQkjY2Dc0IJFCZ6ZdNbLfmydI0LYdys-Wvk5OWc_aem_CYPTkxZtor1LeN9PF7cv8A

Documentary #Storytelling #FamilyLegacy #Kickstarter #Grenada #Brooklyn

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ (-10/5)
Review Title: This Movie Is the Equivalent of Falling into Lava with 47 Diamonds

Review:
This isn’t just a bad movie. This is a soul-crushing insult to one of the most beloved games of all time. I watched Minecraft: A Blocky Abomination (let’s call it what it is), and I genuinely felt like someone put my childhood in a furnace and then rage-quit without saving.

The fact that this movie had a $240 million budget is a cosmic joke. You mean to tell me that with hundreds of millions of dollars, the best they could give us was:

• Stock explosions
• Green screen glitches
• Ghasts falling like budget drones
• Villagers that look like Shrek’s cousins made out of Play-Doh
• A purple dog for... reasons???
• Much much more of shitty animations, explosions, mobs i could go on and on

This wasn’t written by Minecraft fans. This was written by a room full of executives who probably think Redstone is a wine. The script has all the heart and nuance of a server running on 2 FPS. It’s not quirky. It’s not self-aware. It’s not even bad in a fun way. It’s just soulless, cringe-filled, and embarrassing.

Jason Momoa looks confused the entire time, like he’s trying to remember if his contract allows him to escape early. Jack Black is the only thing keeping this movie from being a complete cinematic void, and even he seems like he’s screaming internally by the final act. His musical numbers? Barely salvaging anything. They're like trying to patch a shipwreck with a sponge.

The boss fight? Laughable. The emotional moments? Non-existent. The animation? Looks like someone ran Blender on a potato. Honestly, I’ve seen YouTube roleplay videos made by 13-year-olds with more polish, better pacing, and actual Minecraft logic.

And let’s talk about the developers and writers for a second:

You had the entire Minecraft universe—the most creative, community-driven game in history. You had Hermitcraft. Dream SMP. Hypixel. Stampy. DanTDM. Mods. Hardcore worlds. Fan-made lore. Redstone geniuses. Survival chaos. Cozy vibes. And what did you do?

You ignored all of it.
You spit in the face of what this game means to people.
You crafted a monstrosity that no one asked for and somehow made the most imaginative game ever made feel boring.

If your goal was to make a movie so bad that it stops people from ever trying Minecraft again, congrats. You speedran the death of joy.

This movie didn’t “miss the mark.” It mined straight down, found nothing, and rage-quit.

Final Verdict:
If you love Minecraft, stay far away.
If you’re curious, play the actual game—it’s magical.
If you made this movie... you owe the entire community an apology and a refund in emeralds.

Watched it last night on filmsmovie(dot)com, and I was genuinely blown away by how visually striking it remains nearly 70 years later. The use of stark lighting, deep shadows, and surreal compositions gives it this haunting, dreamlike quality that feels completely timeless.

Laughton’s direction, especially the way he stages scenes like the river journey or the silhouette of Robert Mitchum riding across the horizon, is masterful. It’s not just horror or thriller, it’s visual poetry.

How did a first-time director manage to craft something so bold, so expressionistic, and so emotionally layered? For anyone who’s studied it, what technical or artistic choices really stand out to you on rewatch?