The Nerd Corps

Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse is a deep dive into madness created by the isolation of Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson.

In order to actually talk about this movie I feel that we need to go back to the year 2015. The world would be subjected to the incredible directorial debut of Robert Eggers, The Witch. Now The Lighthouse is no The Witch because it is a completely different movie breed of its own. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson play these two sailors who are stuck working on this island as Dafoe maintains the lighthouse which seems to have some weird powers. Here is the catch, these two men are slowly going mad and it all happens in an incredibly crafted way.

Now I understand at first glance this probably looks like the most pretentious film of 2019 because it is filmed on 35mm black and white film along with an immersive 4:3 aspect ratio. The thing is that there are films that seem to take these types of aspects and make it more important than the story. That is definitely not the case for this picture. Throughout the film it never feels like Eggers is sacrificing style for substance.

Robert Eggers crafts an incredible piece of art that is heavily supported by two one of a kind performances. The cinematography and creation of the atmosphere amplifies the sense of uneasiness throughout the film. Eggers truly creates a one of a kind film that was not easy to watch to say the least, but leaves you with shivers down your spine until the end. Pattinson absolutely loses himself in this role and along with some disturbing visuals left me speechless. Dafoe also does an incredible job with the several monologues and line delivery.

When I continue thinking about this movie I think about the fact that Eggers really stylized this picture and made it his own by taking influences from Ingmar Bergman and Stanley Kubrick to name a few. I cannot wait to see what Eggers does next and how this shapes up at next year’s Academy Awards.

10/10 or 5/5

Wondering how our week went? Look no further than this week on the podcast feed! As always click those sweet edits made by YoungYoda to check these episodes out.

High Flyer Radio #1: AEW Dynamite Preview

We opened the week hot with the debut of our new pro wrestling podcast, “High Flyer Radio.” The hosts introduced the show and gave their thoughts on the AEW Dynamite premiere before its debut!

The Nerd Corps Podcast #279: Not Fun. So Done.

We kicked off Horror Film Month with our amazing guests Ayden and Leah by watching Brad’s first pick which ended up being a complete and total disaster of a movie.

Unstructured With YoungYoda #9: Shook Ones

Unstructured is literally unstructured this week as YoungYoda talks about Kevin Smith’s “Not Ones.”

The Impaired Files #13: Robert Butler III

Raul was joined by RB3 as they discuss RB3’s love of movies and what set him on his path as a filmmaker.

The Gamer Corps #59: Diversify Your Grind

The nerds go deep into a conversation on whether Bungie needs to concentrate on making a new non Destiny game, and Raul also opened the wrong link in this episode a couple of times.

The Nerd Corps Podcast #280: Confusing & Unsatisfying

Claire joins the nerds again this week to review Millennium Actress and she vents her frustration with the film and her overall confusion.

The Nerdy Chicano Show #45: Love For Our People

Luis watched Joker, shenanigans, and a lot of nonsense. It’s pretty much what you would expect from an episode of The Nerdy Chicano Show.

Ad Astra is a riveting melancholic experience through the void of space as Brad Pitt maneuvers the void not just outside of his ship but in his mind too.

In his newest directorial effort since 2016, James Gray ventures into the corners of a man’s psyche as he deals with his mission to rescue his absent father portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones. Brad Pitt plays the main character, Major Roy McBride who is contacted to go and rescue his father who is in the remnants of the “Lima Project.” Now why is this so important? Well, as it seems these surges threatening the Solar System seem to be coming from around that area. After learning about the truth of the history of the project, Major McBride decides that he is the only one who can go for his father.

If you are walking into this film expecting a spectacle like Gravity, Interstellar, or 2001: A Space Odyssey then you are walking into a completely different film from those three. James Gray constructs a film where the characters are at the forefront and the void of space is the backdrop. This distant void is what allows for Major McBride to explore the various feelings that are going through his head as he reaches closer and closer to his father. I am a huge fan of Brad Pitt’s performance in this film that with every word spoken there is an underlying sense of melancholy to Major McBride, and once he does get to his father the both of them work so well off each other.

An aspect of this film that is so interesting is the commercialization of space travel which is an aspect about space colonization that has not been explored. It really gets the mind thinking that maybe this is the most accurate possibility of how space travel will work. Maybe once we colonize the Moon we will throw a McDonald’s up there, and at least the zero gravity will cut construction costs for a play area. Other than the incredible performance, writing, and direction the cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema is incredible and I feel like that statement inside of itself is an understatement. I was so blown away by this aspect that I am throwing a lock in for Oscar nominations and Hoyte Van Hoytema will one hundred and ten percent will be nominated for this picture.

Ad Astra is my favorite movie of this year so far and have not been this surprised by a film since 2018’s Hereditary. If you are looking for an incredible psychological space venture then this is the film to see this weekend.