I Saw The TV Glow

[Terry Monohan]

Just opened at our large Landmark Theatre Del Mar in downtown Santa Cruz CA. First showing was this past Friday only 7 people in the big downstairs deco cinema that still won't close and open their working curtains and light comes down from the ceiling and ruins the pre show trailers.

There was no glow for us with this new horror film. Masking was set for flat 1.85 at least. A boring movie at best. No effects till 30 minutes in and that was not even a TV.

We liked the previews they showed on the new Glow flick as many A24 movies have been our favorites the last few years. I just did not understand this slow paced movie sorry had to do a walkout after 30 minutes.

The only thing that saved my movie experience at the Del Mar on Friday May 17 where the two new films coming out in June & July 2024. The trailers were over the top. The first film was the new Emma Stone teaser preview for 'Kinds Of Kindness' arriving June 21. Well edited tease not like most trailers today that they show the whole film in 2 second edits. The other new movie coming July 5th is 'MAXXXINE' a longer trailer that pulled us in on wanting to see this new Hollywood theme film. Almost like a classic grindhouse movie. Tarantino will love It. Maybe watching the new Maxxxine movie It will wake him up so Quentin can start work on his new delayed last movie, don't think It will be 'The Movie Critic' I wonder what Tarantino thought of 'I Saw The Glow' If he ever watched It. Glow will probably never play in 35mm at his new Vista Theatre in LA.

'Maxxxine' needs to be rated X not R to add more publicity to this summer 2024 treat. The red band R trailer was pretty tame but most enjoyable. If you play It turn your theatre into a grindhouse for the engagement and show old classic grindhouse trailers before.


After watching these two new movie trailers our group of 4 people were all set to see the 'I Saw The TV Glow' presentation on the big screen. The opening stereo surround mix was ok but like I mentioned the 'Glow' film did not glow enough for us as we had to make a fast exit and not to the candy counter or restroom. I think even the young crowd If they go to see Glow will not like It .We had one teen with us and he said It was the worst movie he had seen in the last two years and that was just 30 minutes in.

[Ryan Gallagher]

Yeah we premiered it at SXSW. I hated it. I felt like the whole plot was an excuse to dip into some nostalgic aesthetics and one-liners from the early 90s.
I should have loved it, i'm in the target audience for that nostalgia age wise (formative HS years), but wow did they blow it.

So bad in fact I feel like they stole the opportunity for a better film to really lean into that era's vibes. It's been done now, and done badly.

[Benjamin Ruder]

Thanks for saving me a trip to see this! Sounds unpleasant.

[Chris Haller]

I saw this at the local Cinemark multiplex last night. I greatly enjoyed it - its primarily a movie about the discontent two people feel about the lives and bodies they're inhabiting, and how one of them recognizes this and embraces a new identity as someone else after leaving their hometown. They come back to rescue their friend from the identity they've been saddled with, and he ends up succumbing to the societal pressures around him to stay, "normal," and rejects the their rescue attempt.

It's essentially a movie about recognizing one's body dysmorphia and the two paths to reconciling with it, through the lens of that TV show that the two lead characters fell in love with. One of the leads decides to embrace a trans identity, and the other one refuses. It's not a traditional horror film in the, "you will jump and be tense," sense, but it illustrates a different kind of horror in terms of illustrating the consequences of repression and assimilation for those who yearn to be different.

I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it is not your traditional A24 horror feature for sure. And it will not resonate with everyone.

[Ryan Gallagher]

I saw this at the local Cinemark multiplex last night. I greatly enjoyed it - its primarily a movie about the discontent two people feel about the lives and bodies they're inhabiting, and how one of them recognizes this and embraces a new identity as someone else after leaving their hometown. They come back to rescue their friend from the identity they've been saddled with, and he ends up succumbing to the societal pressures around him to stay, "normal," and rejects the their rescue attempt.

It's essentially a movie about recognizing one's body dysmorphia and the two paths to reconciling with it, through the lens of that TV show that the two lead characters fell in love with. One of the leads decides to embrace a trans identity, and the other one refuses. It's not a traditional horror film in the, "you will jump and be tense," sense, but it illustrates a different kind of horror in terms of illustrating the consequences of repression and assimilation for those who yearn to be different.

I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it is not your traditional A24 horror feature for sure. And it will not resonate with everyone.

I would like to retract my previous diss... I saw too many movies that week and had it completely mixed up with another one!!!
*embarrassed*

Y2K (another one of our A24 premiers) was the movie I was completely unimpressed by. I did not pay enough attention to I Saw The TV Glow from the booth to form a real opinion.

[Jim Cassedy]

The trailer piqued my interest a bit, and I wanted to watch it. A couple of days before the movie
opened, we had an advance preview here which included a Q&A with the director that was live
streamed to a number of theaters across the country. It was a complete 3 camera shoot which
took all day to set up with special lighting & sound crew brought in. I was there for the Q&A but
had to run another live event show upstairs during the actual movie so I didn't see it that night.
I sat down to watch it during one of my breaks a couple of days later, & I made it through about
the first ½hour or so before I decided I had better things to do. I just wasn't connecting with it.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Thanks for saving me a trip to see this! Sounds unpleasant.

Well, that was one of my primary concerns with this movie: It sounds unpleasant. Whoever committed themselves to this sound mix needs their ears examined.

The muffled, monotone voices of the lead actors don't really become more intelligible if you add some fake "VHS tape distortion" to it...