Stoker

on my list

source: Stoker

Park Chan-Wook did what he could to turn a mediocre screenplay into a fascinating psychological thriller, but the end result remains rather subpar. The decadent sensuality of the story is perfectly complemented by the stylish production design, slick cinematography, and beautiful music. Park fills the long silences with vivid imageries and sophisticated visual storytelling to communicate what the clichéd dialogues and situations couldn't. However, everything somehow feels cold and distant despite the beautiful visuals, resulting in a thriller with no tension or intrigue. This sense of emotional detachment is also emphasized by the stiff and mechanical performances of the actors. Possibly an artistic choice to point out the emptiness of the characters? It could have worked for some films, but in this case, it just added up to the feeling of being watching a straight to TV movie.

This film is about a mysterious uncle who appears in India Stoker's household, after the unexpected death of her father. The Stoker household seems to be a perfect household, with beautiful people, a grand mansion and just about everything they want to have. It is quite a surprise when thins turn from bad to worse, after the arrival of the handsome uncle Charlie. Matthew Goode does a great job in portraying the charming but spine chilling character, while Mia Wasikowska's beauty and innocence on screen is remarkable. Nicole Kidman, on the other hand is as beautiful as ever. However, even in a critical scene where she engages in an emotional monologue, she appears wooden from the lack of facial expression. India Stoker's transformation throughout the film is unconvincing though, making me think she transformed so that a sequel could be made.

Why do I love this movie? First, it is so beautifully made, it's almost like thousands of photos melting together. The scene in the beginning where she looks at her shoes and you can hear the pitter-patter of little feet and then the shoes are lined up in a semi-circle on her bed is just absolutely gorgeous. The acting is also superb. Mia Wasikawska is the most talented young actress out there and this is the best role for her to show what she's capable of. It is intriguing, stylistic, and sexy. And I love that it's also a coming-of-age story, but I don't want to go into more detail with that because of the spoiler potential. And it's also a mystery too. Where does she get the key? Anyway, the movie is spectacular for the style and acting alone but it's also an interesting story about family, mental illness, and, well, genetics.

Excellent cinematography, certain scene transitions were just superb and indeed the movie is shocking. Feels the director inspired Hitchcock's style of murder and suspense in modern day cinema but didn't get anywhere near to it. I'm okay with the slow creepy atmosphere in this movie but there are too many loose ends in the movie like the sudden disappearance of a character at the residence and no one cares. Also many other silly scenes that is totally unexpected from the director who gave a classic cult movie like 'Old-boy'. The storyline is too thin as a kitten's whisker and movie never took off. If you'd ask me to watch this movie again, then I'll say "No, THANK YOU"

A tale of an 18 year old girl who's dad dies. Her uncle shows up right after her fathers death and the family dynamic is a treat. The movie follows her, and is a bunch of fun to watch. Just like Park's other films there is a hint of comedy in the movie to keep your uneasiness at bay. After a day or two to decompress this movie....I loved it! It was a bunch of fun, and kept me hooked the entire time. I love the directorial style that Chan-wook Park brings to all his movies, they are visual masterpieces to watch. This is Park's English debut, and man did he nail it. I've seen complaints about the story, script, etc. and I have to say...I loved the whole setup. My only complaint was that they introduced a cool aspect to the family that is never explored in the film, and though it comes off as important, never goes anywhere.

The only reason I finished this is because I hate to give up. The film has about as many twists as a ruler and you can see all the "shocking revelations" coming from a mile away. The only this it succeeds in is being unsettling, in a very heavy handed, unsubtle way.

One of the other review writers termed it perfectly. Style over substance. All the critics (and most of the reviewers) could talk about was how lovely everything looked. No one cared about the story, or lack thereof. There is no real plot, the ending has no meaning, but heaven forbid we offend the visionary park chan-wook. Whenever someone did comment on the story, they did the easy thing. They blamed the writer. If a lesser known director had been in charge, and if he hadn't compensated for lack of a good story with fancy camera techniques, thus wowing the critics, this film would never have been given a second look.

Very good acting (all of the main characters), very good directing, very well written with the exception of a few things (mostly the missing explanations and expositions eg. the mother - why is she so unstable, what is she doing the whole day). Great visuals, great attention to details (the shoes metaphor, I especially adore the Louboutin heels as a sign of growing up, changing, becoming more mature and dangerous), too sexual and disturbing, but also kinda relatable (unlike Oldboy which I despise), good soundtrack. Also Wentworth Miller deserves a praise for this - it was very psycho/mystery thrilling experience. If it was slightly longer it would have been boring, but like this is perfect. Ending was also quite good. Actually, there is not a lot that I dislike in this movie.