B Movies Blog

Note: Check back for updates as new content is announced!

January 2026

January 2 – We Bury The Dead (Theaters)

January 6 – Will Trent (ABC, Next day Hulu)

January 8 – The Traitors (Peacock)

January 8 – His & Hers (Netflix)

January 9 – People We Meet On Vacation (Netflix)

January 9 – Sleepwalker (Theaters)

January 9 – Primate (Theaters)

January 16 – Night Patrol (Theaters)

January 16 – 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Theaters)

January 21 – The Beauty (FX, Next day Hulu)

January 21 – Queer Eye (Netflix)

January 22 – Finding Her Edge (Netflix)

January 23 – Return to Silent Hill (Theaters)

January 28 – School Spirits (Paramount+)

January 28 – Shrinking (Apple TV+)

January 30 – Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (Theaters)

January 30 – Iron Lung (Theaters)

January 30 – Send Help (Theaters)

February 2026

February 6 – The Strangers: Chapter 3 (Theaters)

February 6 – Dracula (Theaters)

February 6 – Pillion (Theaters)

February 6 – Whistle (Theaters)

February 8 – The ‘Burbs (Peacock)

February 13 – “Wuthering Heights” (Theaters)

February 13 – GOAT (Theaters)

February 13 – Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (Theaters)

February 18 – 56 Days (Prime)

February 20 – This is Not a Test (Theaters)

February 25 – Scrubs (ABC, next day Hulu)

February 27 – Scream 7 (Theaters)

March 2026

March 5 – Ted (Peacock)

March 6 – The Bride (Theaters)

March 6 – Peaky Blinders: The Eternal Man (Theaters, Netflix on March 20)

March 11 – Scarpetta (Prime)

March 18 – Imperfect Women (Apple TV+)

March 20 – Project Hail Mary (Theaters)

March 27 – Ready or Not: Here I Come (Theaters)

March 27 – Fantasy Life (Theaters)

March 27 – They Will Kill You (Theaters)

April 2026

April 3 – The Drama (Theaters)

April 8 – The Boys (Prime)

April 10 – Malcolm in the Middle (Hulu)

April 15 – Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple TV+)

April 17 – The Mummy (Theaters)

April 17 – Normal (Theaters)

May 2026

May 1 – The Devil Wears Prada 2 (Theaters)

May 1 – Hokum (Theaters)

May 15 – Obsession (Theaters)

May 22 – I Love Boosters (Theaters)

June 2026

June 12 – Scary Movie 6 (Theaters)

June 19 – Toy Story 5 (Theaters)

July 2026

July 12 – Disclosure Day (Theaters)

July 17 – The Odyssey (Theaters)

August 2026

August 21 – Insidious: The Bleeding World (Theaters)

August 28 – The Dog Star (Theaters)

August 28 – Coyote vs. ACME (Theaters)

September 2026

September 11 – Sense and Sensibility (Theaters)

September 18 – Practical Magic 2 (Theaters)

September 18 – Play House (Theaters)

September 18 – Resident Evil (Theaters)

October 2026

October 1 – Terrifier 4 (Theaters)

October 2 – Digger (Theaters)

October 9 – Other Mommy (Theaters)

October 16 – Street Fighter (Theaters)

October 23 – Remain (Theaters)

November 2026

November 20 – The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (Theaters)

December 2026

December 18 – Avengers: Doomsday (Theaters)

December 18 – Dune: Part Three (Theaters)

December 25 – Werewulf (Theaters)

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping my favorite movies of 2024 into the ol’ VCR. 

Well, friends, 2024 was…a year that happened. 

And while there was a lot of bad, there were some good movies (which obviously doesn’t make up for the bad).

Now, I’ll be honest… 

I was worried for a bit, as my list remained stagnant for a hot minute due to the strike (which was MORE than understandable and justified), and some movies were just not hitting for me the way they did for other people. 

HOWEVER, not only was I able to arrange my list, but I have four honorable mentions, and, as with last year’s list, my top 20 horror movies. 

Before we get into it, I have some disclaimers. 

First and foremost, I know that some of these movies are here on technicality. Some of them were *technically* released at the tail end of 2023, and one wasn’t allowed to be released until this year, but I’m still counting them. 

Secondly, I’m going to go ahead and give my famous disclaimer: 

Just because I think a movie’s good doesn’t make it a good movie, and just because I think a movie’s bad doesn’t make it a bad movie. The movie-making process is stressful, and I think it’s badass that people partake in it (unless it’s offensive). 

Lastly, I want to mention Anora real quick. We talked about this on the B Movies Channel, but, Anora would’ve been in my top had it not been for the weird r*pe conversation and use of the f slur throughout the film. 

Alrighty, that should do us for disclaimers and introductions. 

Without further ado, and in no particular order, here are some of my favorite movies from 2024: 

My 10 Favorite Movies of 2024

• Queer 
• Challengers
• Monkey Man 
• Perfect Days
• Robot Dreams
• The Substance 
• Lisa Frankenstein
• The People’s Joker
• All of Us Strangers  
• His Three Daughters 

Honorable Mentions 

I have a few honorable mentions this year, and I feel like I loved each of them for a different reason. The Zone of Interest destroyed me in new ways I didn’t even know were possible while How to Have Sex blew me away and exceeded my expectations. The Fall Guy was a lot of fun, and Kinds of Kindness has stuck with me since I saw it. Although there weren’t as many big releases this year, I feel like it made some movies stand out even more. 

My 20 Favorite Horror Movies of 2024

Okay, we were FED this year, y’all. 2024 was a strong year for horror (both on and off the screen), and I’m definitely pleased with where we ended up. Again, in no particular order, here are 20 of my favorite horror movies of 2024: 

• Trap 
• MadS
• Smile 2
• Longlegs 
• MaXXXine 
• Nosferatu
• Immaculate 
• Mr. Crocket
• Daddy’s Head 
• V/H/S/Beyond
• The Substance
• The First Omen
• Alien: Romulus 
• Hold Your Breath 
• I Saw The TV Glow
• Lisa Frankenstein
• In a Violent Nature
• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 
• A Quiet Place: Day One 
• Late Night With The Devil

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping some of the hottest TV couples into the ol’ VCR. 

Okay, I feel like we need to start with the disclaimers on this one. 

Please know that this piece is all in good fun. Y’all know that I think conventional beauty standards are stupid, and what you see on TV doesn’t represent reality, and, oftentimes, it can’t be replicated. 

I just want to make that clear. 

This is a prime example of a silly goose writing a silly piece. 

Also, some of these actors have been involved in controversies. We’re not talking about the actors themselves, but, rather, the characters they’re portraying in their respective shows. 

Alrighty, that should do us for introductions and disclaimers. 

Without further ado, here are five of the hottest, in my opinion, television parents:

Phil and Claire Dunphy from Modern Family 

Julie and Jimmy Cooper from The O.C.

Jesse and Becky Katsopolis from Full House

Maxwell Sheffield and Fran Fine from The Nanny

Sandy and Kirsten Cohen from The O.C.

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping another edition of Lights, Camera, Albums into the ol’ VCR. 

It’s finally time for a brand-new edition of Lights, Camera, Albums!

And, we’re coming back strong, baby. 

If this is your first LCA, we’re happy to have you, but let me explain… 

Lights, Camera, Albums, or LCA, is one of our most popular series wherein I pick an album and pair each song on its tracklist with a movie. 

There are times when the connection is super obvious and then there are times when you’ll just say, “Uh huh,” and abruptly change the subject. 

Regardless, this series is a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoy it. 

We’ve covered a variety of bands and artists before, ranging from Chappell Roan to My Chemical Romance, so if you like this piece, I definitely recommend checking out the others. 

Surprisingly, I can’t think of too many disclaimers off the dome. 

As always, I suggest doing your research on all of the movies we include in these pieces to avoid any potentially triggering content and/or having a trusted person watch these movies first. 

Additionally, we only do the standard versions of albums on LCA, so we’ll end things with “Don’t Smile.” 

Alrighty, that should do us for introductions and disclaimers. 

Without further ado, I present to you Lights, Camera, Albums: Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet:

“Taste” as The Way We Were 

What really sold me on this pairing is how strong-willed Katie is (Barbra Streisand). I think Katie would’ve said something like this to Carol Ann (Lois Chiles) after Hubbell (Robert Redford) cheated on her before moving on. 

“Please Please Please” as Selena 

This was one of the first pairings I made for this LCA because it reminds me of Selena (as portrayed by Jennifer Lopez) and Chris’s (as portrayed by Jon Seda) relationship (as portrayed in the film). Selena stands up for Chris to her father (as portrayed by Edward James Olmos) because he has a bit of a reputation/the bands he’s played for have a bit of a reputation, but she sees the good in him. 

“Good Graces” as Hocus Pocus 

Okay, so HEAR ME OUT. Winifred (Bette Midler) is shown to be the epitome of a scorned lover, as we see what she did to Billy (Doug Jones) for cheating on her. I think this song speaks to her duality because even though she ridicules her sisters, it’s clear she loves them. However, it’s also abundantly clear that if you cross her, she’s coming for blood. 

“Sharpest Tool” as Bridesmaids

For some reason, this was the hardest set to pair. But, after some vigorous Googling, everything finally came together. Annie (Kristen Wiig) is hooking up with Ted (Jon Hamm), who is truly one of the worst guys on the planet. He isn’t necessarily unintelligent, but it’s clear that he’s not going to commit to her, even though she keeps coming back, much like the guy Sabrina is singing about. 

“Coincidence” as Bring It On 

We all know I love this movie (as evidenced by the gay fanfiction I wrote), so I’ve been keeping it in my back pocket until now. I can 100% see Torrance (Kirsten Dunst) singing this to Aaron (Richard Hillman) after finding out that he’s not only been cheating on her the entire time he’s been in college but has been telling girls that she’s his sister…and then Missy (Eliza Dushku) comforts her, and they passionately kiss. At least in my version. 

“Bed Chem” as Zack and Miri Make a Porno 

I thought Zack and Miri Make a Porno worked really well with “Bed Chem” because Zack (Seth Rogan) and Miri’s (Elizabeth Banks) friendship transitions into more after they film their sex scene. Plus, a horny song calls for a horny movie. 

“Espresso” as Death Becomes Her 

I knew I wanted to put Death Becomes Her in this piece somewhere (even though we’ve already used it) as a nod to Sabrina referencing it in the music video for “Taste,” and it finally clicked with me. “Espresso” has Madeline (Meryl Streep) written all over it. She steals Ernest (Bruce Willis) away from Helen (Goldie Hawn) and would indeed be working late because she’s a singer, aka in a Broadway show at the beginning of the movie. 

“Dumb & Poetic” as Banana Split 

There are a few movies I had in mind for this one, but alas, we’ve already used them in other pieces. Some honorable mentions being The DUFF, Lady Bird, and Lisa Frankenstein. THEN, I remembered that I had rewatched Banana Split recently, and I thought about how Nick (Dylan Sprouse) is on the pretentious side, and April (Hannah Marks) and Clara (Liana Liberato) both make fun of him for it. 

“Slim Pickins” as Bridget Jones’s Diary

If you’ve ever read and/or seen Bridget Jones’s Diary, I think you can see exactly where I’m coming from on this one. Bridget’s (Renée Zellweger) diary entries read a lot like the lyrics of “Slim Pickins,” and, in my humble opinion, speaks to the reasons why she gets involved with Daniel (Hugh Grant), even though he’s awful to her. 

“Juno” as Knocked Up 

This song is my least favorite song on this album because it makes me feel a little icky since Juno is about teenage pregnancy. Therefore, I wanted to age the song up a little bit with the movie Knocked Up. Granted, Alison (Katherine Heigl) and Ben (Seth Rogen) didn’t mean to have a baby, they end up together in the end.* 

*Additionally, I do want to mention that Katherine Heigl criticized this movie, and it impacted her career for a while, and I think that’s awful. Her points, in my opinion, were valid, and I’m glad that her career has had a resurgence. 

“Lie to Girls” as In a Lonely Place

As Laurel (Gloria Grahame) and Dixon’s (Humphrey Bogart) relationship progresses, it becomes clear that Dixon has a lot of issues. However, Laurel continues to make excuses for him until the bitter end, when she stops lying to herself and admits what he’s truly capable of. It makes the lyric “I’ve never seen an ugly truth that I can’t bend” all the more poignant when you think about it in the context of this movie. 

“Don’t Smile” as Back to Black 

As much as I absolutely hate this movie, “Don’t Smile” immediately made me think of Amy Winehouse (as portrayed by Marisa Abela). She and Blake’s (as portrayed by Jack O’Connell) relationship is so tumultuous and ends on such heartbreaking terms that I couldn’t help but think of her when I was listening to this song.

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping 10 of my favorite pop albums into the ol’ VCR.

So, in a B Movies first (probably), this piece has been strategically planned to act as a segue into tomorrow’s piece aka, the highly-anticipated Sabrina Carpenter edition of LCA. 

Because, what better way to lead into one of my favorite (and most listened to) albums of 2024 than revisiting a few of my other favorite pop albums of all time? 

Now, this piece is going to call for several disclaimers, so let’s throw out a few explanations. 

First and foremost, I know there have been some controversies with a couple of the artists on this list, the most notable, in my opinion, being Katy Perry’s recent work with Dr. Luke, who is trash. 

I want to be clear that I haven’t supported Katy Perry in years, and revisiting One of the Boys makes her trajectory all the more disappointing. I was a big fan for years, but I had to stop supporting her when her comments to American Idol contestants and all of the other controversies became public. This album was just really impactful to me as a teenager, and it upsets me to see Katy Perry make so many questionable decisions, to put it nicely. 

Additionally, I’ll be the first to admit that “Ur So Gay” doesn’t hold up, and it was unfortunately my MySpace profile song in high school on more than one occasion. 

Secondly, I know that most of these albums are genre-bending, and I don’t want anyone to think that I’m trying to put any of those artists into a box or minimize their art. 

Finally, please know that these are only 10 of my favorite pop albums, and I have so many others. I just had to cut myself off because I kept adding more and more albums to the list, and we’re going to save that for the piece I have coming up with my 50 favorite songs of all time. 

There are so many more I could put on this list ranging from TLC’s CrazySexyCool to Avril Lavigne’s Let Go. 

Alrighty, that should do us for introductions and disclaimers. 

Without further ado, here are 10 of my favorite pop albums of all time: 

Emotion: Side B by Carly Rae Jepsen 

One of the Boys by Katy Perry 

Bangerz by Miley Cyrus 

Rainbow by Kesha 

Oops!…I Did It Again by Britney Spears 

Electra Heart by MARINA (aka Marina and the Diamonds) 

The Fame by Lady GaGa 

Unorthodox Jukebox by Bruno Mars 

Back to Black by Amy Winehouse 

Purple Rain by Prince

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping another cheesy holiday letter into the ol’ VCR.

As 2024 is finally drawing to a close, it’s time to reflect on this past year… 

And boy howdy, was it a lot. 

The first half of this year was ROUGH, but the last half of this year was good-ish.

However, I also know that a) I’m speaking from a place of privilege and b) I’m saying this as we’re about to enter what will probably be some of the most tumultuous years of lifetimes. 

I want to start off by thanking all of you for all of your support this year. 

B Movies is the first project of mine that I’ve kept going continuously, and I love it in ways I can’t even articulate. 

It makes me so happy that so many of you also love it, and I can’t thank you enough for reading and watching. 

Secondly, I want to thank Elliott. 

When I asked her to go on this journey with me almost two years ago, I never thought we’d have a YouTube channel, Instagram account, and things like the B Movies Bookclub. 

I also can’t thank her enough for all of her editing, support, and friendship. 

Love you, El. 🖤

Thirdly, I know that the B Movies Channel is going on a little break, but I promise you that we’ll be back. I love writing scripts and recording video too much to let the channel fade away. 

This holiday season has just been so hard, and I’ve been really feeling KP’s absence this year. 

Grief isn’t linear, y’all, and I’m learning that firsthand. 

Lastly, I can’t tell you everything is going to be okay in 2025. 

But, I can tell you that we’ll be here to hopefully make you laugh, cry, and think about movies during the next year. 

I can tell you that we’ll continue to talk about important topics. 

I can even tell you that I’m sure there will probably be another Bo Burnham piece at some point. 

I don’t know what the future holds, but we love you, Movie Mavens. 

Happy New Year. 🖤

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping the work of Kristen Stewart into the ol’ VCR.

On April 9, 1990, Kristen Stewart (aka one of my biggest celebrity crushes) was born. 

She was born in L.A. and raised in the San Fernando Valley (a la Hilary Duff’s character in A Cinderella Story). 

Kristen Stewart started acting in elementary school and snagged her first small roles in movies like The Thirteenth Year and The Safety of Objects after being discovered by an agent in her school’s Christmas play. 

Then, in 2002, she landed her first starring role in David Fincher’s Panic Room, alongside Jodie Foster. 

As a result, Kristen Stewart began acting regularly with lead and/or bigger roles in Catch That Kid, Speak, and Zathura: A Space Adventure, just to name a few. 

However, it was in 2007 that she gained international recognition after being cast as Bella Swan in the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. 

Kristen Stewart would also portray Joan Jett in The Runaways and star in films like Welcome to the Rileys, Adventureland, and The Yellow Handkerchief (2008) during the Twilight series’ run. 

From there, Kristen Stewart’s career began to explode, as she did modeling/fashion media, acted in several indie films, and even appeared in Jenny Lewis’s music video for “Just One of the Guys.” 

Kristen Stewart came out as bisexual in 2017 and revealed that she was told it could jeopardize her career. 

She also says that she’s fluid in both her gender and identity, and she’s been an LGBTQIA+ icon ever since. 

I also want to mention how much the media criticized Kristen for her acting in Twilight, even though it’s extremely clear she’s a talented actress, and these were romantic fantasy novels about vampires and werewolves, so she did the best she could with what she had. 

And now, she’s even gone on to play Princess Diana and CRUSH it. 

Hell yeah. 

There’s not much more that I can say about Kristen Stewart that hasn’t already been said. 

Kristen, if you ever read this, thank you. 🖤

Without further ado, here’s some of my favorite Kristen Stewart content: 

• Speak 
• Panic Room 
• The Runaways 
• Catch That Kid 
• Happiest Season 
• Personal Shopper

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping a brief history of stunt performers into the ol’ VCR.

Like many of you, I saw The Fall Guy earlier this year and loved it. 

It also got me interested in the world of stunt performers (which I believe was David Leitch’s intention, as a former stunt performer himself). 

In my humble opinion, stunt performers are some of the unsung heroes of Hollywood who bring so many incredible scenes to life. Not to mention how dangerous this work can be. 

That’s why I thought it would be cool to a) give stunt performers their flowers and b) dive a little bit into the history of stunt performers to educate us both. 

So, friends, that’s exactly what we’re going to do today. 

Stunt performers have been around for ages, getting their roots in traveling circuses. There, they performed stunts like trapeze work, tightrope walking, and other daring aerobics acts. 

However, the term we’re familiar with wouldn’t appear until vaudeville came to the forefront in the 1890s, and with Wild West shows like Buffalo Bill’s, in particular. 

Then, during the late 1800s/early 1900s, the emergence of stage combat would thrust stunt performers further into the spotlight. 

As motion pictures began emerging, stunt performers were needed, but most of the individuals performing these stunts worked for free and/or very small wages and weren’t professionally trained. 

It was honestly really predatory because there was a lot of poverty and desperation for work, and the industry knew this. Yikes. 

Then, in the 1910s, directors finally started to employ stunt performers with some degree of training (i.e., casting former cowboys to perform rodeo-related stunts). 

In 1923, Harold Lloyd’s film Safety First! would become the first motion picture to actually pre-plan stunts, and, y’know, take (some) necessary safety precautions for stunt performers. 

Granted, the precautions included mattresses and safety wire, but I’m assuming it was a step up from…nothing. 

As the taste for action movies grew, stunt performers became more and more commonplace on sets. 

However, it wasn’t until the 1960s that stunt performing as we know it would finally emerge. 

The 1960s saw the appearance of stunt performers like Evel Knievel, the transition of stunt performers like Bruce Lee to actors, and the invention of squibs and other products that increased safety and expanded the limitations of cinema. 

I also want to mention how big of an impact Hong Kong action cinema had on the world of stunt performing, as Sonny Chiba, Jackie Chan, and Michelle Yeoh (to name a few) all either started as stunt performers and then became actors or started as both stunt performers and actors. 

I don’t believe modern stunt performing, or action movies in general, would be shaped how they are without these influences. There are obviously other influences on stunt performing, but I honestly can’t possibly give them their due in a single piece.

The world of stunt performing is also very dangerous, and there have been several casualties within the field, and it’s extremely tragic and heartbreaking. 

There’s also a lot of controversy on whether or not footage of the stunt performer’s work that led to their death should be included in the completed film. 

That’s why I think it’s insane that the Oscars don’t have a category for stunt performing and stunt coordination because, without stunt performers, some of your favorite movies and scenes wouldn’t exist. 

It’s also why I wanted to give stunt performers their spotlight. 

Thank you for everything you do. 🖤

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping the work of Christine Baranski into the ol’ VCR.

On May 2, 1952, Christine Jane Baranski was born. 

She was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and was both the class president and salutatorian of her high school’s graduating class. 

From there, Christine Baranski attended Juilliard, earning a Fine Arts degree. 
Because Christine Baranski is such a tour de force, we’re going to break up her career into two sections: The Stage and The Screen.

The Stage 

She made her stage debut in 1980 in Coming Attractions and made her Broadway debut soon after in Hide & Seek. 

Christine Baranski won her first Tony in 1984 for The Real Thing and her second in 1989 for her role in Rumors.  

Additionally, she would go on to win a Helen Hayes Award in 2003 for her portrayal of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd during the musical’s run in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center. 

Christine Baranski was also inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2018.

The Screen 

Now, let’s dive into Christine Baranski’s TV and film career. 

Christine Baranski made her television debut in 1983 on Another World. 

From there, she made appearances in shows like All My Children, The Equalizer, and Law & Order before booking a starring role in Cybill. 

Over the years, Christine Baranski has landed ICONIC roles in films like How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Mamma Mia!, and Cruel Intentions, just to name a few. 

There’s not much more that I can say about Christine Baranski that hasn’t already been said. 

Christine, if you ever read this, thank you. 🖤

Without further ado, here’s some of my favorite Christine Baranski content:

• Chicago
• Mamma Mia! 
• The Birdcage 
• Cruel Intentions 
• Addams Family Values
• A Bad Mom’s Christmas
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) 

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping Bo Burnham’s Inside into the ol’ VCR (again).

From the mind that brought you a review on Inside, an anniversary piece on Inside (which is my personal favorite), a piece on The Inside Outtakes, and a piece earlier this year that explicitly stated I wouldn’t be writing about Inside anymore, comes another piece about…Inside. 

Yes, friends, I’m officially back on my BS, aka Bo Shit. 

(Every time I think I’m done, that brilliant bastard draws me back in) 

In case you haven’t noticed, the world is falling apart, and, like many of you, I’ve turned to Inside for comfort. 

And, as we all know, I believe that what., Make Happy, and Inside are a trilogy, so I watched all three. 

However, on this particular watch-through, I noticed something I hadn’t noticed before (and yes, I read all the other pieces to make sure, thank you). 

Now, this isn’t as prolific as my Bagel Bites = Bo Burnham theory, but I still think it’s worth discussing. 

You see, there’s a line in Make Happy that I hadn’t given too much thought to in the past that I want to go ahead and highlight now: 

“What do we want more than to lie in our bed at the end of the day and just watch our life as a satisfied audience member?”

Holy shit. 

Let that sink in. 

This man just described a major theme of Inside…in a special that was filmed four or five years earlier. 

I kept this line in mind as I rewatched Inside, and I noticed something else. 

I’ve touched on the idea before about how Bo is watching his life from the audience throughout the special, but I think it actually goes way deeper than that. 

My little festive and analytical ass writing this piece on Christmas Eve

In Make Happy, there’s a cut to the audience during “Can’t Handle This (Kanye Rant)” that’s framed with very specific lighting. 

And friends, I think Bo is mimicking that exact shot at the end of Inside, confirming that, at the very least, Make Happy and Inside are indeed a set. 

The scene in question

I know how absolutely unhinged this sounds, but you also have to remember that Bo HIMSELF has not only discussed but joked about how all of his specials are so meticulously timed and written. 

We’ve seen examples of this in what. with the “Art is a lie” segment. 

We’ve seen examples of this in Make Happy with the “improv” bit he does. 

We’ve seen examples of this in Inside when he jokes about the transitions not being smooth. 

Every single thing this man does is planned, so I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the shot we get of the audience is very similar to the lighting and the audience shot we get of Bo throughout Inside, especially in the final scene. 

Look familiar?

Additionally, as I believe I mentioned in my anniversary piece, towards the end of Make Happy, Bo says, “If you can live your life without an audience, you should do it,” and cuts to a shot of the audience that’s eerily similar to the idea of the camera being turned back to us in Inside. 

YUP. 

I know, right?

But, it doesn’t stop there. 

I think there’s even more to the lighting than I originally thought, and I think I can officially prove my trilogy theory once and for all (maybe). 

Before I continue, though, I do want to go ahead and give a little bit of a disclaimer for those who are new around here. 

While Bo Burnham is one of two celebrities that would leave me speechless if I ever met them (the other being Elmo—yes, I’m serious), this is all in good fun. 

I love to theorize and analyze pop culture, and Bo Burnham’s content is a prime example of the gift that keeps on giving. 

Also, every time I write about Bo Burnham, it seems as though the degrees of separation get smaller (God help me), so on the off chance Bo Burnham does ever see this, I want to be clear that I’m of sound mind and spirit (mostly)*, so please know I’m just doing what I love to do. 

*Editor’s Note: Elliott says that she can (mostly) vouch for this.

Additionally, I want to take a moment and talk about something rq. As much as I love Bo Burnham, I still don’t condone some of the jokes and use of the f slur in a lot of his specials prior to Inside. 

That’s the entire point of “Problematic,” right? 

We shouldn’t put people on pedestals, even though I think Bo Burnham is an excellent writer, performer, director, comedian, you name it. He still said some really offensive things and had some really offensive jokes through Make Happy. 

Okay, now that I’ve given you some extremely rational and practical disclaimers, I’m going to pitch to you that Bo Burnham uses lighting to literally highlight the moments where his mental health is deteriorating. 

I contain multitudes, baby. 

Alrighty, let’s dive in. 

Let’s start with what., aka what I believe is the unofficial beginning of this trilogy. 

In the song “Left Brain, Right Brain,” there are strobe lights to represent the “procedure” that both separates and combines the sides of Bo’s brain. 

This lighting is extremely similar to the lighting we see during “Can’t Handle This (Kanye Rant)” in Make Happy, AND Inside starts with a similar strobe effect in “Content.” 

Crazy, right?

Video source: Bo Burnham 

Well, I also noticed that what. and Make Happy have extremely similar starts with pantomiming, call and responses, and Bo faking out a piano intro. 

Again, crazy, right?

Now, let’s take what we’ve learned and apply it to Make Happy. 

In “Breakup Song,” Bo uses the same red lighting he uses in “Left Brain, Right Brain” as a device to illustrate a conversation between two different people (clever girl), but there are also very similar strobe lights whenever he’s lashing out at his ex-girlfriend and gets vulnerable about why he does it. 

He also mentions how he was born in 1990 in Make Happy, which is a direct line from “30” in Inside (which is one of my weaker points, but still). 

Additionally, in Make Happy, Bo says, “It is performer and audience melded together,” during a monologue. To illustrate this point, there are shots at the end of Make Happy where we switch between Bo’s POV and the audience’s because we’ve officially “melded together,” and that line has been fully blurred. 

And this is the part of Make Happy I really want to hone in on for a minute… 

When Bo says, “My biggest problem’s you,” in Make Happy as we cut to the audience, the vantage point is almost identical to the shots we see of Bo watching his own content in Inside. 

Here’s my take: 

Because Inside is part retrospective, Bo has now taken a seat in the audience to examine his own work, becoming part of the problem. 

Yeah, I know. 

Then, when you think about some of the cover art for Inside and Make Happy on Netflix, things get wild because several of them have strobe lighting in them. 

Exhibit A 

Exhibit BB 

Yeah, fam. 

And that brings us to Inside, which not only has the most strobe/flashing lights because it’s the special Bo’s been the most vulnerable about his mental health in but also contains “All Eyes on Me,” which has the SAME SPECIFIC BLUE LIGHTING WE’VE COME TO ASSOCIATE WITH THE AUDIENCE IN BOTH Inside AND Make Happy TO SHOW THAT BO AND THE AUDIENCE HAVE “MELDED.” 

We also see similar blue lighting in songs like “Facetime With My Mom (Tonight)” because Bo’s mom is his audience as he is performing in the sense that he’s acting as though his mental health isn’t deteriorating. 

Whew. 

Let’s recap. 

1. I believe what., Make Happy, and Inside are 100% a trilogy (probably?) 

2. The lighting has been specifically structured throughout to represent Bo’s declining mental health (strobe/flashing lights) as well as to represent the audience and how Bo has become his “biggest problem” by assimilating with them (blue lights). 

3. I should probably add aluminum foil to my grocery order. 

Look, I’m not gonna make the same promise I made in the last piece I wrote about Inside because we all see how that turned out.

I’ll leave you all with this instead: 

I promise that I’ll only write about Inside when I discover something like this. Bo Burnham’s content is chock-full of stuff to uncover, so I can’t promise if or when I’ll write about Inside again, and we’ll just leave that door open a la the end of Make Happy. 

P.S., aka Paul Stanley’s son, Evan. Hi, hello. I know you’ve liked my story before, and you were mutuals with Phoebs before she wiped her Insta. Please don’t tell Bo about this. Be cool, man.

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping a cheesy holiday letter into the ol’ VCR.

Y’all didn’t think I’d let you get through an entire holiday season without one of our trademark cheesy letters, did you?

As an adult, you have to work harder to make the holidays magical. 

Between work, relationships (romantic, platonic, and familial), and everything else, it’s easy to get tired, and the holidays only pile on the stress. 

So, I want you to do me a favor and make some magic for yourself this holiday season. 

I want you to watch a holiday movie without checking your work email, or drive around and look at lights without taking pictures. 

I want you to bake cookies in a onesie and not think about going to the gym later. 

I want you to twirl under a Christmas tree made of lights, belting “Let It Go” until you’re dizzy like KP and I did one year. 

I want you to blow bubbles and have a snowball fight. 

Things are so goddamn hard right now, and I 100% understand I’m speaking from a place of privilege. 

So, while we rest up to get ready for whatever fresh hell is to come next year, I want you to put the magic back into your holidays, even if it’s just for a couple of hours. 

Bring back a holiday tradition you had as a kid or make a new one with your chosen family. 

Let yourself have this season, Movie Mavens. 

Things are so uncertain (and not so uncertain), so give yourself this time to rest and find a little magic. 

Because without that glimmer of hope, we’ll never make it through. 

Happy Holidays, Movie Mavens. 

I love you all. 🖤