Practical Magic for the Family: Jacob Estes’ ‘He’s Watching’
“‘He’s Watching’ is a practical and efficient horror film in the style of Rob Savage’s ‘Host’ (2020), but its brilliance lies in Estes’ subversive funhouse mirror approach.”
This category is a Vague Visages archive for movie, TV and music content from the 2020s.
About Vague Visages:
Mission: Vague Visages aims to publish high-quality writing about world cinema and culture. The site maintains a balance of indie and mainstream coverage, allowing for a unique blend of perspectives.
Origins: Inspired by the cinema movement known as La Nouvelle Vague, Q.V. Hough created an image-based blog called “Faces of the French New Wave” in 2014. For a creative twist, the site’s name quickly changed to “Vague Visages” (aka Wave Faces) in honor of French New Wave filmmakers and American indie filmmaker John Cassavetes (director of the 1968 film Faces).
Shift to Film Criticism: Q.V. moved Vague Visages from Blogger to WordPress in late 2014, using the French publication Cahiers du cinéma as a thematic model.
About Q.V. Hough:
Q.V. (Quinn) Hough is Vague Visages’ founding editor and a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. After graduating from Concordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota) in 2004 with degrees in Communication-Mass Media, History and Classical Studies, he lived in Hollywood, California from 2006 to 2012. Q.V. worked closely with ABC On-Air Promotions as the production manager for LUSSIER. He previously co-hosted Concordia On-Air for three semesters before moving to Los Angeles.
In 2014, Q.V. founded Vague Visages. While developing the site, he wrote 600 video scripts and one e-book for WatchMojo (2014-17), along with 2,000 articles for Screen Rant (2018-21). Q.V. has also written for RogerEbert.com, Fandor and Crooked Marquee. He committed to Vague Visages full-time in August 2021.
E-Mail: qvh@vaguevisages.com
Twitter: @QVHough
Instagram: @QVHough
LinkedIn: @QVHough
“‘He’s Watching’ is a practical and efficient horror film in the style of Rob Savage’s ‘Host’ (2020), but its brilliance lies in Estes’ subversive funhouse mirror approach.”
‘Not Okay’ Soundtrack: A Vague Visages guide for every featured song in Quinn Shephard’s 2022 Hulu movie.
‘Not Okay’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in Quinn Shephard’s 2022 Hulu movie.
‘Keep Breathing’ Soundtrack: A Vague Visages guide for every featured song in Martin Gero and Brendan Gall’s 2022 Netflix miniseries.
‘Keep Breathing’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every performer and character in Martin Gero and Brendan Gall’s 2022 Netflix miniseries.
‘Umma’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in Iris K. Shim’s 2022 movie.
‘Don’t Make Me Go’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in Hannah Marks’ 2022 Amazon movie.
“‘Diary of a Spy’ mostly keeps viewers in the dark; it’s unclear what makes the main characters tick. Anna and Camden are Dostoevskian figures in spirit, from a different tale, who seem lost in time.”
‘Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl’ Soundtrack: A Vague Visages guide for every featured song in Joss Crowley’s 2022 Netflix documentary.
“Hyde’s handling of the material, confirmed by her tone and the setting, should not be condemned for something it is decidedly not.”
‘The Gray Man’ Soundtrack: A Vague Visages guide for every featured song in Anthony Russo and Joe Russo’s 2022 Netflix movie.
‘The Gray Man’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in Anthony Russo and Joe Russo’s 2022 Netflix movie.
“‘Ruth Stone’s Vast Library of the Female Mind’ is an inspiring excavation of the subject’s subconscious; a trip that shouldn’t be avoided by off-the-grid creatives.”
‘Fear Street: Part Two – 1978’ Soundtrack: A Vague Visages guide for every featured song in Leigh Janiak’s 2021 Netflix movie.
‘Fear Street: Part Two – 1978’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in Leigh Janiak’s 2021 Netflix movie.
‘Alba’ Cast: A Vague Visages guide for every main performer and character in Carlos Martín and Ignasi Rubio’s Netflix series.
“Films today, likes films of yesterday, have great trouble dealing with the poor Southern white.”
‘D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?!’ Soundtrack: A Vague Visages guide for every featured song in Marina Zenovich’s 2022 Netflix docuseries.
“I think Raiff is a legitimate addition to the broad group of artists identified with the New Sincerity trend as popularized by David Foster Wallace and Jim Collins.”
‘Resident Evil’ Soundtrack: A Vague Visages guide for every featured song in Andrew Dabb’s Netflix series.