Movie Crush Monday: CT & Stoker
So there's not much I like more than a really well-crafted horror movie. The flip side of that is that stupid horror movies fill me with a totally unreasonable rage, but it also makes it especially sweet when a horror flick takes me by surprise. My Movie Crush this week is one of those movies, Chan-wook Park's Stoker.
I don't know if this movie got much of a release outside of NY and LA, so here's the trailer:
Little C and I went to see this movie with one of our other sisters, not knowing much about it but definitely intrigued. The script was written by Wentworth Miller, and I have to admit that my expectations were pretty low because of it. Not that actors haven't also been good writers before, but it is rare (and as I said before, my bar for horror movies is high).
But I have to say, I wasn't just pleasantly surprised by Stoker. I was blown away. This movie is tense, well-written, and beautifully shot.
I teetered back and forth for a while after we left the theater about whether or not I really think this is a horror film. I think a lot of people would just consider it a thriller. But in the end, it was the imagery that pushed it into horror for me. It's not super gory or anything, just a finely tuned gothic storytelling. Every shot is both beautiful and unsettling, pushing and pushing until everything in the film makes you a little more uneasy.
But right alongside the amazing visuals are the performances. This is a movie that walks a really, really fine line, especially in the twisted relationship between India (Mia Wasikowska) and her uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode). A centimeter more overtness from either actor and this would have become a slimy cheesefest. A centimeter less and the audience wouldn't have been able to track their complex feelings towards each other. Both actors nail this line and the result is a power-play that's so much fun to watch. And then there's the powerhouse of Nicole Kidman shutting down every single scene she's in, which is always a treat.
This movie may be a tricky one to find, and it's definitely not for everyone, but I have to say it's one I've thought about a ton since we saw it. And sticking to you like that is one of the best things a film can do.
Happy watching!
CT
I don't know if this movie got much of a release outside of NY and LA, so here's the trailer:
Little C and I went to see this movie with one of our other sisters, not knowing much about it but definitely intrigued. The script was written by Wentworth Miller, and I have to admit that my expectations were pretty low because of it. Not that actors haven't also been good writers before, but it is rare (and as I said before, my bar for horror movies is high).
But I have to say, I wasn't just pleasantly surprised by Stoker. I was blown away. This movie is tense, well-written, and beautifully shot.
I teetered back and forth for a while after we left the theater about whether or not I really think this is a horror film. I think a lot of people would just consider it a thriller. But in the end, it was the imagery that pushed it into horror for me. It's not super gory or anything, just a finely tuned gothic storytelling. Every shot is both beautiful and unsettling, pushing and pushing until everything in the film makes you a little more uneasy.
But right alongside the amazing visuals are the performances. This is a movie that walks a really, really fine line, especially in the twisted relationship between India (Mia Wasikowska) and her uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode). A centimeter more overtness from either actor and this would have become a slimy cheesefest. A centimeter less and the audience wouldn't have been able to track their complex feelings towards each other. Both actors nail this line and the result is a power-play that's so much fun to watch. And then there's the powerhouse of Nicole Kidman shutting down every single scene she's in, which is always a treat.
This movie may be a tricky one to find, and it's definitely not for everyone, but I have to say it's one I've thought about a ton since we saw it. And sticking to you like that is one of the best things a film can do.
Happy watching!
CT
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