Films That I Saw: August 2025

 

Summer is coming to an end, and this has been a dark summer considering all the chaos that is happening here in America. People who work at the CDC and FEMA are being laid off while our human septic tank of a dictator continues to make things worse for everyone. Another mass shooting in Minnesota happened at a Catholic school where two kids are killed as Republican lawmakers continue to make excuses. This year fucking sucks although there was a brawl at Mexican senate meeting between two senators that was fun to watch over America’s involvement with Mexico’s war with drug cartels in their country. I am going to side with whoever does not want America to get involved with Mexico’s own affairs. Honestly, why do we often have to interfere with the interests of other countries?

My mother is already dealing with relatives getting deported as the news over what happened to Kilmar Abrego Garcia as he had just returned to the U.S. but is now in a dilemma to either plead guilty over a smuggling charge that he was not involved in or to be deported to Uganda. This is another example of why the idea of the American Dream does not exist. It did a long time ago but that is now nothing more than a nightmare. What is the point now of even coming to a country where no matter how hard you work? You are going to go back to where you come from or to be sent to a place that you have never been to before. These are dark times we are living in, and it is a damn shame for anyone to be proud to be an American because of bullshit like this.

I get my news through whatever I see on my phone, a widget on my laptop, or on Reddit and to know what to avoid as I do not watch anything that is on YouTube or on TV as it can be overwhelming. I am fortunate to find things to watch to escape from all that negative shit such as pro wrestling where AEW has regained momentum considering that 2024 was a bad year for them even though they must contend with WWE who continuously made new deals with ESPN and will counterprogram whatever AEW does. Yet, there was something that happened at an independent wrestling show in California where as a longtime fan of pro wrestling. I have never been more disgusted or sickened by as it relates to this incident on August 24.



Raja Jackson, the son of legendary MMA fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson made an appearance at KnokX Pro Wrestling event where he would be involved in a match with Stuart Smith aka Syko Stu. An incident that was meant to be a work only escalated into something realistic in which Jackson beat up Stu during the match only for Jackson to assault Smith to the point of near-unconsciousness. What Jackson did was he nearly killed this man as wrestlers and others had to pull him out while Smith was unconscious with many thought he had died. Fortunately, as of August 30, 2025, as I am writing this. Smith is alert though his recovery will take a while as he apologized for smashing a beer can on Jackson’s head before the match as it was part of the angle. Jackson on the other hand should go to prison for nearly killing a man while those who goaded Jackson into assaulting Smith should go to prison. The promotion has lost its WWE ID designation while many talents at the promotion have left over the incident. Smith has received donations from several wrestlers, including Chris Jericho, on the medical bills that he is going to have to pay. Still, this is an incident that has left a blemish in the industry as Jackson should be banned from not just all pro wrestling promotions but also from MMA organizations.

In the month of August 2025, I saw a total of 17 films in 17 first-timers with 3 of the first-timers being films directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. A lot of short films by a few filmmakers with the highlight of the month being my Blind Spot film pick in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for August 2025:

1. The Fantastic Four: First Steps

2. The Dante Quartet

3. Billy Joel: And So It Goes

4. Witch’s Cradle

5. For Marilyn

6. Ritual in Transfigured Time

7. Mothlight

8. Return to Lisca Bianca Island

9. Comingled Containers

10. Krypto Saves the Day! School Bus Scuffle

Monthly Mini-Reviews/What Else I Am Watching

Return to Lisca Bianca Island



The first of three short films by Michelangelo Antonioni that I found on YouTube as this 1983 7-minute short film Antonioni made has him returning to the island where he filmed a key sequence from his 1960 film L’Avventura. The short has Antonioni and his crew filming the island while audio from the film is present as if it plays as a ghost where the events in that film still loom. It is a short film that fans of Antonioni should seek out as it highlights the influence of his international breakthrough film on this remote island.

Seven Reeds One Dress



The second short film from Michelangelo Antonioni is a 10-minute documentary short film that explores post-war Italy and how this economic recovery would change things for a northern town in Italy. The short film is this mixture of Italian neorealism and the sense of alienation that Antonioni would explore in his feature films. Especially as it shows reeds from marshlands that get cut down meticulously to become materials for highly-expensive dresses in the world of high fashion. It is an excellent short that fans of Antonioni should also watch.

Billy Joel: And So It Goes

As a child of the 80s, I grew up on the music of Billy Joel. My parents had his greatest hits collection on CD when CDs were new. I knew a lot of the songs and knew about Joel’s story. This two-part documentary film covers Joel’s life and career as he remains this humble guy from Long Island who likes to go boating and smoke an electronic cigar. The two-part approach is great as the first part is about Joel’s life and career, including his marriage to his first wife Elizabeth Weber who would be his manager during that time. When they divorced and she decided to step away from the business, she knew that when Joel hired her brother Frank it was a bad idea as even Joel’s second wife Christie Brinkley knew something about him was not right. When the wives are telling you something is wrong, you listen. The film also goes into why Joel stopped making pop music in the early 90s as well as his complicated relationship with his own father as well as him learning about his own family history that included his grandfather Karl Amson Joel who was a textile merchant/manufacturer in Germany in the early 20th century until the Nazis came in as the man, his wife, and Joel’s father left Germany with nothing. This is a great documentary film of one of the greatest American artists ever as he is still dealing with his own health issues as he remains a treasure that everyone loves. Still, I hate The Longest Time because that doo-wop shit sucks.

Superstition



The third and final short film by Michelangelo Antonioni I found on YouTube is a 9-minute short film also released in 1948. It is about the subject of superstition but in small towns in the north of Italy through people who still believe them even though the country has changed following World War II into this new idea of modernism. It is a good short film although the lack of subtitles really does hurt the film a bit despite its gorgeous visuals and music score.

From: First Hymn to the Night-Novalis



The first of eight short films by Stan Brakhage that is available on YouTube as this 3-minute collage piece inspired by the German poet Novalis as it includes lines from his poem of the same name. The short film is filled with colorful imagery that is typical of Brakhage’s work as it plays into his own interpretation of Novalis’ work.

Rage Net



A 38-second short film from Brakhage as it plays into his idea of anger through his own visual ideas.

Kindering



A 3-minute short film from Brakhage that is an atypical short film that has 2 kids playing in their backyard but there are some weird noises in the background and other weird shit as it is absolutely fucked up. It is fucking awesome.

Comingled Containers



Another 3-minute short that is more in line with what Brakhage does as it has him experimenting with various liquids for the short. What he would present is something astonishingly beautiful. Even in the usage of decayed film stock where Brakhage creates something that is among one of his best short films.

Ritual in Transfigured Time



The first of two short films by Maya Deren that is available on YouTube features score music from Feona Lee Jones as it plays into a woman being drawn by the activities of others. In its 15-minute running time, the short film is filled with elements of surrealism that add to the sense of wonderment in Deren’s visual style. Whether it is a woman making a cat’s cradle or people doing interpretative dancing to music that they do not hear. It is all about connection as it is a short film that anyone interested in film need to see.

Water for Maya



Another 3-minute short film by Stan Brakhage that was made in 2000 as it is another experimental short film featuring collages of images of paintings and such that Brakhage made. It is a short film that does not say much but did it need to say anything? Part of the fun of watching Brakhage film is in the images that he creates to express whatever he is feeling now.

Krypto Saves the Day! School Bus Scuffle



Anyone here who saw James Gunn’s film version of Superman is aware of the dog Krypto as he is given the spotlight for himself in this 5-minute animated short from DC Animation. It is about a dog who is dealing with fleas as he goes after a pigeon who takes a shit in front of his window at Superman’s apartment in Metropolis. It is a fun short film where Krypto saves the despite the fucking pigeons. Fuck these pigeons!

For Marilyn



Made in tribute to his second wife Marilyn, this 11-minute short film by Stan Brakhage is one of his best films. Playing into his style of colorful collages and dizzying imagery, it is a short that is really an expression of love towards his wife with handwritten messages appearing every now and then. This is one of Brakhage’s most essential short films and anyone new to Brakhage like I am now should see this.

Mothlight



Another 3-minute short by Brakhage made in 1963 is among another of his gems yet is a short made without a camera. Using an array of material such as blades of grass, flower petals, and moth wings on 16 mm film stock, Brakhage creates something that has a look that is ugly but there is a beauty to the ugliness that he captures.

Witch’s Cradle



The second short film by Maya Deren that is available on YouTube may be an incomplete short film that Deren made at Peggy Guggenheim’s Art of This Century Gallery in 1944. Still, the short film is among one of Deren’s finest works as it plays into her interest in the occult and artistry with strings hovering around a room like a web. The version I saw featured a score by Enric Chalaux that adds a lot of intrigue to what Deren has created in the short film as it is something fans of experimental silent short films should see.

The Dante Quartet



Stan Brakhage’s 1987 six-minute short film that he made in the span of six years while going through the dissolution of his first marriage is one of the greatest films of his career. It is Brakhage’s interpretation of Dante’s Inferno in four-parts as it plays into imagery that can be described as hellish. It is in Brakhage’s unique visual style while there is also something about that is entrancing in every image that is presented in this film.

King of the Hill (season 14)

As someone who watched a lot of animation in the 1990s on FOX like The Simpsons during its golden run, King of the Hill was also a show that I enjoyed watching for the first three-four seasons. As I grew into my 20s in the 2000s, I stopped watching mainly as I had other things I was interested in as I never saw its original season finale and the seasons that followed before the finale. The news of its revival is a surprise though it is bittersweet that two voices of the show in Johnny Hardwick and Jonathan Joss died before the new season’s premiere though there are episodes dedicated to their memory. The new season of this series can be described as an old friend returning to the world and reminding us of the finer things in life.

Honestly, this season is phenomenal as I am happy to see Hank and Peggy Hill returning to Arlen, Texas as they spent eight years in Saudi Arabia where Hank got a job as a consultant for propane and propane accessories. Yes, the times have changed around them, but values and community has not changed as this season is a reminder of how the world can be with decency, kindness, and common sense. The show also shows their son Bobby grown up as a chef at a Japanese/German/American robata chain fusion restaurant as he is going through things as a young adult while reuniting with childhood friend Connie who is going through her own growing pains as a young adult. The old characters are back along with a few new characters as this season has been an absolute joy to watch as I am happy that a new season is coming. I know it is very unlikely that Luanne and Lucky Kleinschmidt will appear since their respective voice actors in Brittany Murphy and Tom Petty have passed away. Still, I would like to have a mention of them though there is a picture of the two in the background in one episode.

Wednesday (season 2, episodes 1-4)

The new season of the series is just as fun with Jenna Ortega delivering once again in the titular role while I am happy to see expanded coverage for the rest of the Addams family with Catherine Zeta-Jones being a total delight as Morticia and Luis Guzman as Gomez. The new season is about Wednesday dealing with new fame as she had saved Nevermore Academy which is under a new rule in the new headmaster in Barry Dort who is played by Steve Buscemi. The season also plays into Wednesday’s own issues with her powers as she had a vision where her roommate Enid could be killed as she is trying to save her. The show is still entertaining and exciting as I am eager to see what will happen in the new episodes coming in a few days.

Dark Side of the Ring (season 6, episode 5 & 9)



One of the drawbacks of not having cable is not having access to certain channels to watch certain shows. Fortunately, VICE did post a couple of episodes of the series on YouTube in their documentary series about the dark aspects of pro wrestling. The first of which is on “Superstar” Billy Graham who was a big star in the 1970s as he had a look and a style of talking that proved to be influential. Even as he would win the WWWF title from Bruno Sammartino in 1977 as he would hold it for a year until he is forced to drop the title to Bob Backlund. Graham’s time at the top was brief with an aftermath that proved to be troubling as he never achieved the same level of fame, he had that others like Jesse “the Body” Ventura and Cunt Hogan would have.

The other episode I watched that I posted is on Daffney who was one of the few gems during the final days of WCW as she had a Goth look that was unique and was beloved by fans. Yet, the episode focused on her mental health issues including bipolar as she would go to TNA in mid-late 2000s until an injury would hurt her career and her suicide in September of 2021. That episode is the saddest of them all though there is a good ending in how much she gave back to the fans including giving a young woman with disabilities her only wrestling match and put her over as it shows the kind of person Daffney is and why she continues to be missed.

Well, that is all for August 2025. Next month, I hope to watch One Battle After Another from Paul Thomas Anderson while Darren Aronofsky’s new film Caught Stealing is a maybe if I have time and money. The next Blind Spot film will be Jean Eustache’s The Mother and the Whore while my Auteurs piece on Robert Eggers will arrive in September as I am 2/3s finished with the essay. Other than that, I am not sure what else I will review though it is likely I will be watching more short films from Stan Brakhage, Maya Deren, and Michelangelo Antonioni.



Before I bid adieu, I want to express my condolences on those who passed away this month in film producer Frank Price, actress Veronica Echegui, Floyd Levine, Jerry Adler, comic book artist Dave Taylor, Danish film producer Per Holst, Michael Antunes of John Cafferty & the Brown Beaver Band/Eddie & the Cruisers, cinematographer Eduardo Serra, Tristan Rogers, Danielle Spencer of What’s Happening, David Ketchum, Bobby Whitlock of Derek & the Dominos, astronaut Jim Lovell, singer Terry Reid, Loni Anderson, filmmaker Jonathan Kaplan, and from one of the best bands from Atlanta in Mastodon in vocalist/guitarist Brent Hinds. We will miss you all. This is thevoid99 signing off…

© thevoid99 2025