Hansel Castro
@hanswritten.bsky.social
Writer, cultural critic, member of the Florida Film Critics Circle. Visit at www.hansel-castro.com
Hey, 'sup, Internet. I'm a few eps behind, so it's cool to keep quiet for a couple of days while I decide for myself if the #StrangerThings finale is disappointing, or if the whole thing has been disappointing since they changed Nancy's haircut. Thanks in advance!
January 1, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Hey, 'sup, Internet. I'm a few eps behind, so it's cool to keep quiet for a couple of days while I decide for myself if the #StrangerThings finale is disappointing, or if the whole thing has been disappointing since they changed Nancy's haircut. Thanks in advance!
Another awesome, unguessable, intricate Benoit Blanc mystery from Rian Johnson. "Wake Up Dead Man" nods to Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and especially John Dickson Carr, who has gone neglected for too long. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/12/27/r...
December 27, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Another awesome, unguessable, intricate Benoit Blanc mystery from Rian Johnson. "Wake Up Dead Man" nods to Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and especially John Dickson Carr, who has gone neglected for too long. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/12/27/r...
Go to Hallucina to read Part 2 of this Year's Binge-Worthy Award-Type Movies, or the plant gets it! No Other Choice! thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/12/18/b...
December 18, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Go to Hallucina to read Part 2 of this Year's Binge-Worthy Award-Type Movies, or the plant gets it! No Other Choice! thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/12/18/b...
Reposted by Hansel Castro
We heard you're waiting for the Florida Film Critics Circle to announce our nominees. Well, it is finally time to reveal those.
December 15, 2025 at 5:39 PM
We heard you're waiting for the Florida Film Critics Circle to announce our nominees. Well, it is finally time to reveal those.
Run to read part 1 of my award-time favorites list. Stay Supreme, folks. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/12/15/b...
December 15, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Run to read part 1 of my award-time favorites list. Stay Supreme, folks. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/12/15/b...
Detective Conan is the epitome of anime mystery, but Tantei Gakuen Q is up there as far as mind-twisting Japanese puzzles go. Several volumes in, and still my jaw drops.
November 21, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Detective Conan is the epitome of anime mystery, but Tantei Gakuen Q is up there as far as mind-twisting Japanese puzzles go. Several volumes in, and still my jaw drops.
"Little Amélie, or the Character of Rain": the colorful tale of a toddler's epiphanic journey in Japan. Based on one of Amelie Nothomb's decidedly mature memoirs of her childhood thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/11/12/b...
Big in Japan : Mailys Vallade & Liane-Cho Han – “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”
If you only watch one Francophonic movie about an adorable, quirky girl named Amélie, then I direct you to Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amélie. But if you make room for two, then definitely check out Littl…
thepageaholic.wordpress.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:04 AM
"Little Amélie, or the Character of Rain": the colorful tale of a toddler's epiphanic journey in Japan. Based on one of Amelie Nothomb's decidedly mature memoirs of her childhood thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/11/12/b...
Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know loses coolness when you find out it’s about Uncle Joey from Full House. Similarly, Lily Allen’s West End Girl, her conceptual divorce album, is great 'til you find out it’s about...the Sheriff from Stranger Things? That ruins it a little. It’s not fair.
November 15, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know loses coolness when you find out it’s about Uncle Joey from Full House. Similarly, Lily Allen’s West End Girl, her conceptual divorce album, is great 'til you find out it’s about...the Sheriff from Stranger Things? That ruins it a little. It’s not fair.
Leviathan Wakes feels like Raymond Chandler and Arthur C. Clarke had a whiskey too many in a space port, wound up in a zero-g motel, and, some guilty months later, had an alien baby. (It’s space, it’s the future, those things happen all the time.) thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/e...
November 11, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Leviathan Wakes feels like Raymond Chandler and Arthur C. Clarke had a whiskey too many in a space port, wound up in a zero-g motel, and, some guilty months later, had an alien baby. (It’s space, it’s the future, those things happen all the time.) thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/e...
Twisted, wicked fairy-tale remakes are not new, but #TheUglyStepsister manages to dust the ashes off Cinderella, making mordant comments on the beauty industry. Here, the “Ugly Stepsister” (Lea Myren) goes to some surgical extremes to get her chance at the charming prince 🤮
November 7, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Twisted, wicked fairy-tale remakes are not new, but #TheUglyStepsister manages to dust the ashes off Cinderella, making mordant comments on the beauty industry. Here, the “Ugly Stepsister” (Lea Myren) goes to some surgical extremes to get her chance at the charming prince 🤮
Lovely, Dark, and Deep is not that deep, but two out of three ain’t bad in this tale of a ranger ( #GeorginaCampbell ) exploring a lovely / dark park, trying to find her sister in an inhospitable vegetable maze rampant with ghosts. Moral: Leave our national parks to Yogi Bear.
November 6, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Lovely, Dark, and Deep is not that deep, but two out of three ain’t bad in this tale of a ranger ( #GeorginaCampbell ) exploring a lovely / dark park, trying to find her sister in an inhospitable vegetable maze rampant with ghosts. Moral: Leave our national parks to Yogi Bear.
Although Self-Help nearly sprains its spine trying to be a “Halloween” movie, (cliched masks abound), it’s more about a girl (Kandry Bender) caught in a self-actualization cult (motto: “We’re not a cult!”). Also, her mom is dating the kinky cult leader! AWKWARDZ!
November 4, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Although Self-Help nearly sprains its spine trying to be a “Halloween” movie, (cliched masks abound), it’s more about a girl (Kandry Bender) caught in a self-actualization cult (motto: “We’re not a cult!”). Also, her mom is dating the kinky cult leader! AWKWARDZ!
Jay Duplass' The Baltimorons surprised me: The krayzy adventures of an improv actor and his dentist during a Baltimore Christmas Eve is the indie rom-com gem of the holiday season. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/11/03/y...
Yes, And : Jay Duplass – “The Baltimorons”
Set to the plinky, jazzy, Chrismas piano score of Jordan Seigel, The Baltimorons aims to become this year’s indie holiday treat, sort of like Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point was last year. Jay Dupl…
thepageaholic.wordpress.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Jay Duplass' The Baltimorons surprised me: The krayzy adventures of an improv actor and his dentist during a Baltimore Christmas Eve is the indie rom-com gem of the holiday season. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/11/03/y...
The house is haunted; the dog knows. Good Boy has a gimmick, but it also has heart. At a brisk 73 minutes, this pup doesn’t overstay his welcome. The makers spent 3 years getting Indy to “act,” (mostly Kuleshov effect), but give him a Benji or a Lassie or whatever award dogs get.
November 3, 2025 at 6:51 PM
The house is haunted; the dog knows. Good Boy has a gimmick, but it also has heart. At a brisk 73 minutes, this pup doesn’t overstay his welcome. The makers spent 3 years getting Indy to “act,” (mostly Kuleshov effect), but give him a Benji or a Lassie or whatever award dogs get.
"KPop Demon Hunters" deserves its popularity. It’s all part of the strategy. Set “brain” at low settings. Let the lights and the sounds take you down, down, down. It’s how it’s DONE DONE DONE. In the end, you’ll be GOLDEN. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/11/02/o...
November 2, 2025 at 10:21 PM
"KPop Demon Hunters" deserves its popularity. It’s all part of the strategy. Set “brain” at low settings. Let the lights and the sounds take you down, down, down. It’s how it’s DONE DONE DONE. In the end, you’ll be GOLDEN. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/11/02/o...
Georges Simenon thought his 117 "romans durs" ("hard novels") would win him a Nobel prize. They did not, but not because Simenon was deluded. It was the Nobel people who were clueless. Three masterful thrillers from 1933: thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/10/30/t...
October 31, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Georges Simenon thought his 117 "romans durs" ("hard novels") would win him a Nobel prize. They did not, but not because Simenon was deluded. It was the Nobel people who were clueless. Three masterful thrillers from 1933: thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/10/30/t...
Even if Zach Cregger's "Weapons" messages are scattershot, it has both the year's best ensemble and, in "Aunt Gladys," the year's best Halloween costume. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/10/27/s...
October 28, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Even if Zach Cregger's "Weapons" messages are scattershot, it has both the year's best ensemble and, in "Aunt Gladys," the year's best Halloween costume. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/10/27/s...
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle doesn't QUITE rock, (it's more serious and less tawdry than the original). But Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Maika Monroe make it worthwhile. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/10/27/r...
October 27, 2025 at 3:35 PM
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle doesn't QUITE rock, (it's more serious and less tawdry than the original). But Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Maika Monroe make it worthwhile. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/10/27/r...
Shakespeare is alright, but the greatest wordsmith in the English language is whoever has been coming up with all the shop signs in Bob's Burgers for 16 seasons.
October 21, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Shakespeare is alright, but the greatest wordsmith in the English language is whoever has been coming up with all the shop signs in Bob's Burgers for 16 seasons.
The Immodest Gaze of Modesty Blaise, Britain's Greatest Strip-Spy. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/t...
The Gaze of Blaise : Peter O’Donell – “Modesty Blaze”
Peter O’Donnell’s classic spy strip Modesty Blaise was first published in the London Evening Standard in 1963. Modesty herself had canonic origins as a nearly feral WWII refugee. A scrappy child, s…
thepageaholic.wordpress.com
October 17, 2025 at 12:59 AM
The Immodest Gaze of Modesty Blaise, Britain's Greatest Strip-Spy. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/10/09/t...
Theory: a writer dined at Seattle's Space Needle, got charged $100 cover for the privilege of paying $200 on a "Le Cobb Salade," and decided: "F THIS PLACE!" Thus, the birth of "Final Destination Bloodlines." thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/10/07/f...
Finalized : “Final Destination Bloodlines”
It’s been a long journey, but we’ve arrived at our FINAL Final Destination. Kidding. “Death is not the end.” Question: You know how you and I (reasonable as we are) overlook…
thepageaholic.wordpress.com
October 8, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Theory: a writer dined at Seattle's Space Needle, got charged $100 cover for the privilege of paying $200 on a "Le Cobb Salade," and decided: "F THIS PLACE!" Thus, the birth of "Final Destination Bloodlines." thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/10/07/f...
Need a few more listens to pass a verdict on the new #TaylorSwift, but this lady has now referenced Romeo and Juliet, All's Well That Ends Well, AND Hamlet, among others. Most pop stars only read the DMV Handbook, and get confused by it.
October 3, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Need a few more listens to pass a verdict on the new #TaylorSwift, but this lady has now referenced Romeo and Juliet, All's Well That Ends Well, AND Hamlet, among others. Most pop stars only read the DMV Handbook, and get confused by it.
I'm a huge fan of Lukas Moodysson's cult classic "Together." Had a genuine sense of joy seeing these folks, like revisiting friends after decades. But "Together 99" is simply puzzling as a stand-alone film. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/t...
The Way Old Friends Do : Lukas Moodysson – “Together 99”
I was pretty dumb about non-Hollywood movies until the year 2000 or so. Although I had seen a Kurosawa or two along the way, Lukas Moodysson’s Together was a cinematic life-changer, altering my per…
thepageaholic.wordpress.com
September 15, 2025 at 11:24 PM
I'm a huge fan of Lukas Moodysson's cult classic "Together." Had a genuine sense of joy seeing these folks, like revisiting friends after decades. But "Together 99" is simply puzzling as a stand-alone film. thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/t...
If a guy at a party tells you that holding a severed hand lets you talk to the dead, "but let go within 90 seconds"- LEAVE. "Talk to Me," the Philippou Brothers' debut, riffs on The Monkey's Paw, but horror fans know this stuff like the back of their hands thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/09/13/t...
Thumb Wrestling Advanced : The Philippou Brothers – “Talk to Me”
Before Bring Her Back, the Philippou Brothers (Danny and Michael) got people talking with Talk to Me, their auspicious debut, in 2023. It, fittingly, begins with brothers at a party- and with a sho…
thepageaholic.wordpress.com
September 13, 2025 at 8:08 PM
If a guy at a party tells you that holding a severed hand lets you talk to the dead, "but let go within 90 seconds"- LEAVE. "Talk to Me," the Philippou Brothers' debut, riffs on The Monkey's Paw, but horror fans know this stuff like the back of their hands thepageaholic.wordpress.com/2025/09/13/t...
"Ash" is a blatant Alien-clone with Eiza Gonzalez and Aaron Paul, distinguished by trippy light design...but it annoyed me! If a spaceship malfunctions, why would its lights default to "molly-ready neon night club"? Just so that we can go on a Flying Lotus vibe?
September 11, 2025 at 11:04 PM
"Ash" is a blatant Alien-clone with Eiza Gonzalez and Aaron Paul, distinguished by trippy light design...but it annoyed me! If a spaceship malfunctions, why would its lights default to "molly-ready neon night club"? Just so that we can go on a Flying Lotus vibe?