While it pales in comparison to its 1978 remake, the original "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" still proves to be a relevant, almost film noir-like, science fiction flick. Like most other 1950s sci-fi, it feeds off the fears and nightmares of its time, in this case the rise of communism or conformity in the American household and what that does to the American way of life and how that turns into rampant paranoia and suspicison. The thought that anyone and everyone around you could be a cold, uncaring alien that could try to convert you too when you least expect it, speaks not only to McCarthy era, but still rings true even to this day as our personal identities become so important. It adds a certain level of horror to the film, on top of it's noir style of unraveling its other worldly mystery. One of the classic 1950s sci-fi movies, as well as one of the simplest yet most effective.
Final Grade: B+
For a short thriller about a family trapped in a flooding house surrounded by alligators in the middle of a hurricane, you really can't get much better than "Crawl." It does everything it can with its simple yet effective premise, delivering some well-shot scenes that are perfectly paced while consistently racking up the tension. It doesn't try to be any more than this, while nevertheless succeeding at being an effective, gripping story of a father and daughter overcoming several ferocious predators without coming across as invincible. As far as I'm concerned, that makes "Crawl" a near perfect thriller.
Another impressive feat are the effects used on the gators. While it was all done with CGI, it always felt like they were really there. The weight, size and power of the gators is always on full display, and you never see anything out of place or strange about their movements. This only makes these beasts even more terrifying, since gators have never been more intimdating and murderous than in "Crawl." Who knew that gators could be the best cinematic killing machine since the Xenomorph?
While the performances aren't noteworthy and pretty stiff, they do enough to convey emotion and make us care about the safety of the father and daugther. Plus their performances convey to us that this movie only has one goal of making alligators as cinematic as possible and it excels at creating a tense and effective experience. "Crawl" may not reinvent the thriller genre or tell a Hithcock-level story, but it hits all the right notes and is a great example of fitting right in with its genre.
Final Grade: B+
If there's one thing Ari Aster's horror movies excel at, it is the unsettling fear of the unknown. The dread of "Hereditary" came from the first hour of build-up, unclear where it was heading or how all the dots connected, yet every moment oozing with atmosphere, where terror potentially waiting around every corner. "Midsommar" thrives on this fear even more than "Hereditary," leading the audience around with a trail of gruesome bread crumbs for two hours as the tension builds once you start to see that gingerbread house and the pleasant rather unassuming witch that doesn't say too much, only grinning like a fool.
The film follows Dani Ardor (Florence Pugh) after a tragedy befalls the rest of her family. Her emotionally distant boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) does what he can to support her in her time of need, but it is clear their relationship is strained. After it slips that Christian and his friends are heading to Sweden for a summer trip, Dani insists on going too, much to the dismay of Christian and his friends. Though this quickly becomes the least of their concerns once they get their friend's Swedish ancestral commune, where their midsummer celebration that only takes place once every ninety years begins and they quickly pick up on some strange and oddly gruesome traditions within the commune.
While "Midsommar" is unsettling above all else, it was also surprisingly engaging due to its rather alien story structure. I had no idea where anything was going or what the members of this commune were trying to achieve. They certainly had ulterior motives, but nothing is spelled out, which makes the scattered bits of terror and screaming even more sickening. It's like taking a trip with an unknown destination and trying to piece together where you're going from the ominous clues around you.
Like with "Hereditary," the pacing might be maddening to some people; it does take a while before anything horrific begins. But an atmosphere of impending dread constantly hangs over the movie, which more than makes up for the rather slow, almost operatic pace. Ari Aster takes this time to curiously explore another culture with the ambition of how this would effect a strained relationship, certianly made better through Pugh's performance.
Overall, "Midsommar" is a fascinating follow-up to "Hereditary" from Ari Aster. It feels more personal and cathartic, as Dani's emotional pain turns into a fantasy of revenge. While the pacing gets a bit grating at times and there are many repeating scenes, the unsettling atmosphere overpowers everything else, always making it seem like there's something crawling up your spine, waiting for your most vulnerable moment to pounce.
Final Grade: B-
It's a little unfortunate that we've now reached a point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that it is nearly impossible to talk about how spectacular one of the entries is without going into massive spoilers. I do my absolute best to keep my reviews spoiler-free, but even I had a difficult time keeping that up with "Avengers: Endgame," especially since that film did not follow a logical path that "Infinity War" had set by going with a five-year time skip just twenty minutes into the movie.
Much like "Endgame," "Spider-Man: Far From Home" is quite unexpected and has many twists and turns that the audience will not see coming, while also drastically changing how the story plays out from that point on. But while I won't mention what those twists are, I can say that they are so expertly handled and built up that it makes "Far From Home" even more satisfying than "Endgame." Combine this with stellar performances, especially from Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal, and the same wonderfully awkward and down-to-earth sense of humor from "Spider-Man: Homecoming," and you get the best Spider-Man movie to date.
Set a few months after the events of "Endgame," the world is still grieving over the death of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), especially Peter Parker (Tom Holland) who is also being bombarded with questions about Spider-Man replacing Iron Man. Feeling suffocated by these unbelievably heavy responsibilities, Peter gets away from it for a while by going on his class trip through Europe, where he intends to tell his crush, Mary Jane (Zendaya), how he really feels about her. But his plans become increasingly more complicated when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) snatches Peter away to deal with a new threat from an alternate Earth, with the help of that Earth's only surviving hero, Mysterio (Jack Gyllenhaal).
Part of the reason "Far From Home" works so well is due to how it builds off of "Endgame." Little things like 3.5 billion people suddenly popping back up on Earth are addressed, especially since a large portion of those people are now homeless, while others have to deal with friends or family being five-years older than they remember. Nick Fury, for example, is a lot tougher and more agitated than usual, since he's missing five years of information and progress, almost like he's an alien on Earth now.
But the biggest development following "Endgame" comes in the form of an Iron Man-shaped void in the world. We see monuments and tributes to Tony Stark in many shapes and forms throughout the movie, while others constantly question what will happen to Earth now that their greatest hero is gone. All of this is given even more gravity with Peter coming to terms with losing his mentor, while questioning his own mortality. He begins to think that being "the next Iron Man" must mean that he has to lay down his life if necessary, which is something he can't even begin to consider if he hasn't even told his crush that he likes her.
This is probably the first time the Marvel Cinematic Universe has asked if it is right to be a hero if it means sacrificing an ordinary life, and this is all done masterfully through Holland's subtle performance, while Jackson and Gyllenhaal continually pull him in opposite directions.
All of the strengths of "Homecoming" are also on display in "Far from Home," especially the comedy. The colorful cast of high schoolers feel just as genuine and honestly awkward as ever, while characters like Ned (Jacob Batalan) and Mary Jane get more time to develop and grow into their own brand of comedy.
If I could describe "Far From Home" in one word it would be maturing. As Holland's portrayal of Spider-Man goes from wide-eyed joy to confused and misplaced, we watch him and the world evolve and come to terms with the fact that these superheroes are just as mortal and flawed as everyone else. The growth of Peter Parker throughout this movie is both entertaining and well-earned, especially as those twists and turns are introduced. Even characters like Ned and Mary Jane show plenty of maturity, learning to overcome their own awkwardness as they grow on this Europe trip as well. All of this adds to one of the most rewarding and satisfying superhero movies in a while and the most well-put together Spider-Man movie to date.
Final Grade: A
It is difficult to discuss "Z" in great detail, mostly because it is a political thriller based on real events in the 1960s. The film opens up with the statement that any characters looking or acting like actual people is not a conicidence, it was done intentionally. Even though the film is in French, "Z" has a fiery passion for Greek politics, as the film reflects actual events that happened in Greece, where a no-nonsense judge learns that a hit-and-run accident against a democratic Greek politician might be connected to the Facist government trying to assassinate him. All of this is based off of an actual assassination attempt on a Greek politician who opposed the military dictatorship in place in Greece at the time and the outrage that it sparked.
I say this is difficult because of how deeply expressive and outspoken "Z" is about what actually happened in Greece. This isn't like "The Great Dictator" where Charlie Chaplin pokes fun at Hitler and German society or bounces a large globe around like a beach ball, this is an outcry over a dictatorship murdering those who stand in their way and the helplessness the filmmakers feel.
The strange thing I've heard is that "Z" had a very dark sense of humor, but I guess that didn't translate well into English since I didn't laugh once, rather I was horrified to see the inner machinations of a dictatorship and the lengths they'd go to keep their power over the nation. I found "Z" to be a distrubing take on real life events that only got more unbearable as it goes on, as we find out just how deep the roots of the military's power goes. Even if the film was meant to be a satire, it never once plays anything for laughs, only horror.
Final Grade: A-
French New Wave cinema has never been one of my favorite film movements, despite being one of the most important and artistic movements cinema has ever seen. These films are the definition of existentialism and prefer to ask long-winded questions about life, love and our purpose in the universe, not unlike Ingmar Bergman's films. This style has its place in asking important questions about what's truly important in life, but it's like watching the same well-crafted painting for two hours - you can admire the details and subilties, but it isn't enough to keep it interesting for that long.
"Cleo from 5 to 7" is one of the most widely known entires in the French New Wave, alongside "Breathless" and "The 400 Blows." But "Cleo" takes a vastly different angle, following one woman around Paris in real time as she waits for her test results to find out if she has cancer. She visits friends, sings, goes to bars and restaruants, all in an attempt to make her forget about her impending doom. So where other French New Wave films would meander and attempt to seem deep, "Cleo" focuses on a dying woman looking at life in Paris through an entirely new lense, wondering why she didn't see it like this before and if this will be the last time she gets to see the beauty of Paris. This certainly elevates "Cleo from 5 to 7" above other French New Wave films I've seen, elevated by a wonderfully captivating and heartbreaking performance from Corinne Marchand.
Final Grade: B
