Barbara VanDenburgh
@babsvan
Poor, obscure, plain, and little. Writer, critic. Former books editor at USA TODAY. Let’s talk movies
For two awestruck hours that summer morning, I believed with my whole heart that dinosaurs existed again, and I believed because of Sam Neill. I believed because of the awe he imbued in Dr. Alan Grant, because of the sheer wonder his character radiated. The movie wouldn't be a masterpiece without it
Jurassic Park was the most magical moviegoing experience of my life and it will never be topped. 11 years old at a weekday matinee screening with my dad, happily ignorant of the meaning of the word "Jurassic" and what we were about to see. And bing bang boom, suddenly dinosaurs walked the earth.
2026 watch #98: The Sheep Detectives. I am not the target demographic for "What if the Minions guy did a Knives Out-style cozy mystery with talking sheep" thus am immune to its charms, but what bothers me most is that all the sheep in this sleepy English village have different accents.
2026 watch #97: Wild Bill. Disorienting not to find anything to love about a Walter Hill western starring Jeff Bridges and John Hurt, but this is abysmal. Absolutely unlived-in with abruptly shifting styles and tones. Every time someone gets shot, a mud puddle appears for them to fall into.
I felt a sad twinge of nostalgia remembering this E.T. promo poster from McDonald’s that was taped to my bedroom door in my childhood that got thrown out in move. Then I remembered I have a credit card, access to eBay and free will.
She poked her head out… then went back under the house. I yearn for death.
Zuzu update: we have proof of life! She stuck her little face out of this hole leading the crawlspace under the house. Annnnnd then she promptly went back inside. We are camped out for the long haul. True to form, she chose the day it was 111 degrees to do this. She knows her worth
It’s been four hours of frantic searching, and still no Zuzu. It’s going to be 110 degrees outside today and I’m worried sick.
Woke up this morning to find the back door wide open and my cat missing. Zuzu is (affectionately) a dumb baby with two flickering brain cells and too beautiful for the outdoors. Also today is my dead mom’s birthday, so please say a prayer for her safe return and my frayed mental health.
You: It’s the Fourth of July! Let’s watch Independence Day to celebrate! Then The Patriot and Rocky IV! Me: Now feels right for a Deadwood rewatch.
2026 watch #96: The Whole Town’s Talking. John Ford doing a zany screwball doppelgänger gangster flick! Far more interesting for the impressive in-camera special effects work to create the illusion of two Edward G. Robinsons than for the plot, but hey, you also get Jean Arthur.
2026 watch #95: Pillion. I cackled through this the way I cackled through Phantom Thread - I think there's some shared subversive DNA between the two Dom-Coms cheekily exploring erotic power struggles. Henry Melling continues to be a revelation, I too would let a Skarsgard step on my throat.
2026 watch #94: The Bride! What if the Bride of Frankenstein were a 1930s gangster moll styled after Bonnie Parker and Lady Gaga is the kind of shit you come up with half a dozen bong rips deep in a dorm room at 3 a.m. This should have disqualified Jessie Buckley from winning the Oscar.
2026 watch #93: The People vs Larry Flynt. I was 14 when this came out and it was the only movie my dad ever tried to forbid me from seeing. Of course, I saw it opening night. It's funny he was so panicked about it, because this is so chaste, a Schoolhouse Rock episode with brief flashes of tits.
Starry Night, seen through the huddled heads of patrons analyzing brushstrokes
2026 watch #92: Sisu: Road to Revenge. Look, I can’t be mad at what is essentially a live-action coyote vs roadrunner cartoon that devises increasingly elaborate ways to decapitate people. I just can’t.
2026 watch #91: Parting Glances. An impossibly young Steve Buscemi shines in this 1986 queer film that bittersweetly depicts romance, friendship and community that is joyful and loving even as they're threatened by the AIDS crisis, which claimed the director's life a few years later. A special film.
2026 watch #90: Disclosure Day (2nd viewing, in 70mm). Something clicked for me this time that this is in part a Spielberg movie about Spielberg movies - you can build a suburban home in a warehouse and fill it with crayons and Nintendo games, but you can never go back.
2026 watch #89: Backrooms. This is kinda like Gen Z Blair Witch Project, and you know what? I'm not mad at it. Let the 20 year olds cook.
2026 watch #88: Disclosure Day. Steven Spielberg still believes in us even if we don't, and it makes me want to believe in us, too.
2026 watch #87: One From the Heart. Who amongst us hasn't faced the impossible choice of deciding between Raul Julia at his hottest and the worst man in the world? Never seen a movie so full of undeniably great things (cool production design, Tom Waits soundtrack, naked Teri Garr) fail so hard.