Is There Ever Enough Room for a ‘Lurker’?

September 12, 2025

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This is How you Lurker (CREDIT: Mubi)

Starring: Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Zack Fox, Havana Rose Liu, Wale Onayemi, Daniel Zolghadri, Sunny Suljic

Director: Alex Russell

Running Time: 101 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: August 22, 2025 (Theaters)

Lurker is a grainy warning about allowing someone into your inner circle with minimal vetting, as pop star Oliver (Archie Madekwe) hires clothing store employee Matty Morning (Théodore Pellerin) as his personal documentarian after a seemingly chance encounter. Soon enough, Matty is trying to control Oliver’s entire artistic direction, and pity anyone who stands in his way. That insinuation is definitely something to be on the lookout for if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, but I want to talk about Oliver’s living situation, i.e., a modern mansion that he shares with the tightest members of his entourage.

It’s quite the platonic fantasy, isn’t it? I know I wasn’t the only one who thought it would be the ultimate dream to live together in a big house with my closest buds in my twenties. And now it’s a reality for plenty of people – have you seen those influencer houses? But they could really use some adult supervision. I’m not against living arrangements that go beyond the traditional setup of parents and kids; if you’ve got the space, extra residents are a solid way to split the costs and share the memories. But instead of a surplus of young adults, I’d recommend something more multigenerational, and the lessons of Lurker only serve to underscore that.

Grade: 5 DV Camcorders out of 7 DSLRs

‘Saltburn’ Is More Strange and Creepy Than Intoxicating

November 14, 2023

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Look at all that salt burning! (CREDIT: MGM/Amazon)

Starring: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan

Director: Emerald Fennell

Running Time: 127 Minutes

Rating: R for Deviant Deviousness

Release Date: November 17, 2023 (Limited)/November 22, 2023 (Expands Wide)

What’s It About?: Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) doesn’t have anywhere to go on his summer break from Oxford University! And quite frankly, he’s been struggling to find his place at school the whole time he’s been there as well. That’s just how class divisions are in merry old England, innit? But he’s fortunate enough that big man on campus Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) has taken him under his wing and invited him to spend the hottest months at his family’s massive estate, the titular Saltburn. Felix’s parents Elsbeth (Rosamund Pike) and Sir James (Richard E. Grant) and sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) all readily embrace Oliver. But there’s also a sense that he’s being kept a little bit at arm’s length and that everyone has some serious secrets to hide. It gets weird.

What Made an Impression?: Imitation of Life: If I had to choose one word or phrase to describe the regulars at Saltburn, I would say “Wax figures.” Which is to say, they look and talk and move like human beings, but not exactly. Perhaps they’ve been cooped up and cut off from the outside world for too long to remember what meaningful conversations sound like. I guess this is meant to be satirical, and Britain certainly has a long tradition of skewering the idle upper classes. But this comes off as unnervingly confusing rather than raucously Python-esque. (Although maybe that was the intention!)
Beware of Obsession: Because Elsbeth and Sir James have forgotten (or never knew) how to function usefully, they’re easy marks for Oliver’s devious designs. Felix and Venetia are a little more savvy, but they don’t quite have the wherewithal to withstand what’s coming. Quite frankly, I’m not sure anyone ever could. Oliver’s Gatsby-esque scheme takes several outrageously graphic turns that mostly feel preposterous. I’m occasionally impressed by his cunning, but mostly I’m flabbergasted about why he chooses to be so positively creepy.
A Real Yikers: Saltburn has an intoxicating hook, or at least that’s the idea. I respect its commitment to putting its skin on the line (in more ways than one), but I can’t say that I was fully won over by its peculiar blend of cinematic witchcraft. My comfort was frequently pushed to the edge, and it never felt like there was much of a point to all that button-pushing. There’s something to the heist of it all, but the journey to get to the big score is so profoundly off-putting.

Saltburn is Recommended If You Like: The Great Gatsby or The Talented Mr. Ripley, but if they were, like, really gross

Grade: 3 out of 5 Parties