"Stoker" Review

Stocker follows India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska), an estranged high school senior who loses her father and best friend to a freak car accident on her 18th birthday. Evelyn (Nicole Kidman), India's distant and emotionally unstable mother, welcomes the support of Charles, her late husband’s distant brother -- whose existence is unfamiliar to India until he mysteriously appears at the wake wearing a light-colored suit -- into their home. As the haunting details about Charles surface, India's infatuation with him blossoms. 

Stoker
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode
Directed by Chan-Wook Park
My Opinion: Fuck Yeah

Chan-Wook Park's new horror is reminiscent of his past films, including Old Boy, Thirst, and Three Extremes, but it certainly leaps into a league of its own. Though Stoker was quickly criticized for having a "weak" script in comparison to Park's earlier work, this is not an opinion that I share. I am always looking for a high-quality script, but here Park chooses a visual method of storytelling. There are a few scenes that have hardly any dialogue at all, yet the vibrant, stylized cinematography controls the narrative, illustrating the portentous development of a troubled young adult. Park's scrupulous attention to detail fetishizes both incest and the cold heart of a killer, which makes the film all the more alluring and simultaneously creepy (for some). Park's work is utterly sopping in symbolism and I look forward to deciphering further upon my second viewing.

Aside from the dazzling film work, the performances are equally shiver-inducing. Kidman does an incredible job as a widower, desperate for love and affection. Kidman's execution alongside Wasikowska painted a dark but exposed portrayal of a pained mother-daughter relationship. On her own, Wasikowska artfully represents a dangerous young girl in a performance that very much reminded me of Catherine Deneuve in Roman Polanski's Repulsion.

A horror film that is artful and thoroughly meditated, Stoker crawls beneath your skin and leaves a lasting and beautiful impression. Bravo.

"Evil Dead" Review

Five teenagers travel to a cabin deep in the woods for a weekend getaway where they accidentally awaken the evil dead.

Evil Dead
Starring Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci
Directed by Fede Alvarez
My Opinion: This is some quality entertainment,
if you don't take it too seriously.

This update of Sam Raimi's beloved classic is surprisingly solid. Naturally, it doesn't quite reach the grotesquely lovable original, but it stands tall amidst recent, less successful remakes (Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Nightmare on Elmstreet). The film modifies but maintains several key moments for Raimi-fanatics (tree raping, anyone?). It also creates a back story behind the cabin and some of the visitors, but an explanation is pretty insignificant for a film with such a degree of ridiculousness.

Overall, Evil Dead is a pretty good modern horror flick: it has laughs and scares without dawdling in between. Don't take it too seriously and pair with a full theater and some alcohol - a brew and view would be ideal!