Starring: Taylor Russel, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance
My Rating: ★★★★ 1/2
Bones and All is the story of a young woman named Maren (Taylor Russel), who embarks on a journey to discover herself after her father abandoned her. On this odyssey, she meets Lee (Timothée Chalamet), a drifter. Despite their love for each other, all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts, in which they face challenges to determine whether their love will survive.
Maren is a cannibal. Ever since she was a child, she’s had this insatiable urge. After an incident at a sleepover, Maren’s father leaves her to fend for herself. He left her a tape explaining how he discovered she unintentionally killed her babysitter after taking a bite out of her. As Maren first attempts to manage her unquenchable hunger for human flesh, she boards a bus to Ohio. There she meets Sully (Mark Rylance), another “eater” like herself. Sully carries with him a rope of braided hair from his victims, implying that he has been functioning that way for decades. Upon their first interaction, Maren is bothered by Sully and manages to escape after a disturbing encounter.
After fleeing, she meets Lee at a convenience store. She immediately recognizes Lee as an “eater” because Sully briefly trained her to smell their kind. From that point onward, they fall in love with each other. Bones and All is a shocking story of an existence meant to be isolating and the fight against expectations and instincts.
After watching Call Me By Your Name by Luca Guadagnino, I found his directing style fascinating and beautiful. Especially in Bones and All, the contrast of the brutal subject matter with the softness of the directing put me in a trance. I found this film shocking and raw, yet somehow delicate and fragile. It was also lonely and tragic but still beautiful. Please remember that Bones and All is INCREDIBLY graphic and deals with heavy subject matter. It will make you experience extreme discomfort, but it is undeniably worth viewing.
Starring: Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Christopher Plummer, Toni Collette, Don Johnson
My Rating:★★★★
Knives Out is a classic “whodunit” film reminiscent of renowned Agatha Christie mystery novels. On the night of Harlan Thrombey’s 85th birthday, he was found dead with his throat slit and blood spilled on the floor. With his entire family gathered, the circumstances of his death are mysterious. When Detective Benoit Blanc arrives, he instantly recognizes that the family is immensely dysfunctional. Amidst his initial questioning, the puzzle pieces do not match up, leaving everyone in the family a suspect. Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings from Harlan’s family to his devoted staff to uncover the truth.
Harlan Thrombey (Christoper Plummer) was a very successful mystery writer until he was found dead. His housekeeper, Fran (Edi Patterson), finds him with a slit throat and a knife still in his hand. It initially looks like suicide, but there are some unresolved questions. A pair of cops come to the Thrombey estate along with Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to conduct an investigation, and the film begins with each of their interviews. Daughter Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a successful businesswoman with a subpar husband, Richard (Don Johnson), and an awful son, Ransom (Chris Evans). Son Walt (Michael Shannon) runs the publishing side but has recently quarreled with his father. Daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette) is deep into self-help and social media but has been helping herself by ripping off Harlan. Finally, there is Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), Harlan’s nurse and most trusted confidant. Can she help Detective Benoit Blanc solve this mystery?
Knives Out is captivating and entertaining, keeping you enthralled with the mystery from the beginning. It is a wildly fun plot to unravel, also providing some biting social commentary on 2019 America. The entire cast is passionately charismatic and is perfect for their roles. The director, Ryan Johnson, confidently stays at least a step ahead of his audience, leaving them breathless but satisfied at the end.
On November 23, 2022, Glass Onion, the second installment to the Knives Out saga, premiered in theaters. It features a new star-studded cast, except Daniel Craig, and takes place in Greece. It has similarly received rave reviews, and I hope to see it soon!
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel
My Rating:★★★★★
Black Swan is the story of a young ballerina, Nina (played by Natalie Portman), and her psyche as she takes on the role of the duplicitous swan queen at her ballet company. The film details Nina’s mental struggle while attempting to fulfill her role, often depicting sequences of psychosis. Black Swan also illustrates the competition within Nina’s ballet company for the character and its effects on her peers.
The film begins when Nina’s ballet company announces they are putting on a variation of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. The variation involves a sole ballerina portraying the role of both the innocent white swan and the seductive black swan. After forcing prima ballerina Elizabeth MacIntyre into retirement, the director, Thomas Leroy, announces that he is looking for a new dancer. Nina auditions and flawlessly portrays the white swan but fell short when it came to the black swan. Nina approached Thomas asking him to reconsider, but instead, he forcibly kissed her. In response to this, Nina bit his lip and ran away.
The next day, Nina discovers the cast list, and to her surprise, she is cast as the lead. Soon after, Nina discovers that Elizabeth was hit by a car. Thomas suspects that she attempted suicide, but when Nina visits her in the hospital, she discovers that her leg is severely injured, which would prevent her from dancing again.
During rehearsals, Thomas tells Nina to observe a newcomer, Lily, who has qualities that Nina lacks for the black swan. Nina begins having hallucinations and finds scratch marks on her back. One night, Nina reluctantly accepts Lily’s invitation to go out for drinks. Lily offers Nina a tablet of ecstasy, which Nina hesitantly takes after reassurance from Lily. After partying at the bar, Nina returns home, which she shares with her controlling mother, Lily. Following an argument with her mother, Nina barricades herself in her room and engages in sexual acts with Lily. The following morning she wakes up and realizes she is late for dress rehearsal.
When Nina arrives, she sees Lily dancing her role and confronts her about their night together. She seems confused when Nina insinuates that they had sex and denies going home with her. Nina then becomes convinced that Lily aspires to take her role, especially after Thomas names her Nina’s alternate. Nina’s hallucinations grow very intense, and her injuries similarly deepen. Nina’s mother traps her in their house on opening night after calling the company saying the role has been too much for her. Even so, Nina arrives at the company and demands her role back, assuming that Lily has stolen it already.
During the ballet’s second act, Nina suffers continued hallucinations, which causes her male counterpart to drop her onstage, infuriating Thomas. She returns to her dressing room to find Lily preparing to take the stage. During their confrontation, Lily transforms into Nina, causing the two to fight. They break a mirror, and Nina stabs her doppelgänger with a shard of glass. The body reverts to Lily, and Nina hides her bleeding corpse in the bathroom of her dressing room. After the incident, Nina takes the stage.
She dances flawlessly and seemingly transforms into a black swan, her arms covered in feathers. Amidst a standing ovation from the audience, Nina returns to her dressing room to prepare the white swan makeup and costume. She hears a knock on the door, which she answers only to find Lily alive. She apologized for their misunderstandings and congratulated her on the performance. Confused, Nina sees the broken mirror, but there is no blood or corpse. She looks down and pulls a piece of glass from her abdomen, realizing that she stabbed herself, not Lily.
Nina dances the final act, which ends with throwing herself off a cliff and landing on a mattress. The theatre erupts in applause while, amidst congratulations from her peers, Nina lies on the floor. Thomas sees the blood spreading from her waist and yells for help. When Thomas asks her what happened, Nina replies that she was finally perfect as the screen fades to white.
After its release in September 2021, Squid Game became a massive success and caused a cultural storm across the globe. It is Netflix’s most-watched series, attracting more than 142 million member households during its first four opening weeks, surpassing Bridgerton for the title. Since the publication of Squid Game, it has cumulated numerous accolades: a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for O Yeong-su, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series, and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for Lee Jung-jae and HoYeon Jung. Following its huge success, Squid Game has been renewed for a second season and is set to premiere in late 2023 to early 2024.
The show follows Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), a divorced father and heavily indebted gambler, who is invited to play a series of children’s games in exchange for a grand cash prize. After accepting the offer, he is taken to an unknown location among 455 other players, similarly in financial ruin. Each player wears a green jumpsuit displaying their respective number and is kept under the watch of masked guards in pink jumpsuits. The Front Man, who wears a black mask and uniform, is revealed to oversee the entire operation. The players realize that losing the game results in their “elimination,” or death, with each passing adding ₩100 million to the potential ₩45.6 billion grand prize (roughly $35 million). Gi-hun allies with other players, such as his childhood friend Cho Sang-woo (played by Park Hae-soo) and North-Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok (played by HoYeon Jung).
Spoiler Warning!!!
Episode 1: “Red Light, Green Light”
The pilot episode details the life of Seong Gi-hun, who is estranged from his ex-wife and daughter and in debt with dangerous loan sharks. While waiting for the subway, a man approaches Gi-hun and offers him money in exchange for playing a game of ddakji. The elusive man later presents Gi-hun with an opportunity to play more games with much higher stakes. He accepts the invitation, is sedated, and wakes up in a dormitory with 455 others. It is explained that all participants are in dire financial situations, but they will be given billions in prize money if they win the competition. Gi-hun befriends Player 001, an elderly man with a brain tumor as well as Player 067, a North Korean defector, and recognizes his former classmate Cho Sang-woo. When faced with the first game, Red Light, Green Light, anyone who is caught moving is shot dead, which reveals the sadistic nature of the competition. Half of the crowd panics and attempts to flee, which results in a massacre, but Gi-hun finishes the game alive thanks to the help of Sang-woo and Player 199.
Episode 2: “Hell”
With half of the players killed in the first game, many players demand to be released. Using the game’s third clause, the players hold a majority vote and narrowly decide to stop the games without any prize money. Back home in Seoul, Gi-hun tells the police what he experienced, but no one believes him except Detective Hwang Jun-ho, whose brother received the same invitation card and recently disappeared. The players are invited to reenter the games, and many return, including Gi-hun, whose mother needs surgery, Sang-woo, who is about to be arrested for fraud, Player 001, who wishes to die on his terms, Player 067, who wishes to rescue her parents from North Korea, and Player 199, a Pakistani migrant worker, and Player 101, a gangster on the run from gambling debts. Detective Jun-ho secretly follows Gi-hun as he returns to the competition.
Episode 3: “The Man with the Umbrella”
Jun-ho successfully infiltrates the games by disguising himself as a masked worker, and it is revealed that the competition is being held on a remote island. As the players feel more prepared, they start forming alliances amongst themselves. Gi-hun, Sang-woo, Player 001, and Player 199 team up. Player 067 secretly explores an air vent and finds workers melting pots of sugar, which reveals the next game: Ppopgi, where each player must extract a shape from a dalgona (honeycomb candy). Sang-woo learns of this but does not alert his teammates while he picks the easiest shape for himself. Gi-hun chooses the umbrella shape but can complete it by licking the candy to melt it. Player 212, a mouthy and manipulative woman, helps Player 101, Deok-su, complete the game with a smuggled lighter. Later, a player about to be executed forces a guard to remove his mask, which results in his murder for revealing his identity.
Episode 4: “Stick to the Team”
Player 111, a former doctor, secretly works with a handful of guards to harvest the organs of losing players to sell on the black market, in return for information on the upcoming games. Deok-su kills an innocent player in the dormitory, which subsequently increases the prize money and inspires players to riot during the night. Gi-hun’s group survives and exchanges names to build trust amongst themselves: Player 199 is Ali Abdul, and Player 067 is Kang Sae-byeok. Player 001, because of his brain tumor, has trouble remembering his name. Player 212, Han Mi-nyeo, has sex with Deok-su, which implies they are allied. For the third game, players are told to form groups of ten. Deok-su, having learned of the game beforehand, rejects Mi-nyeo and gathers only strong men for his team. The game is then revealed to be tug-of-war on two raised platforms. Gi-hun’s team, consisting of two women (Player 240 and Sae-byeok) and an old man (Player 001), along with other men, is pitted against a team of entirely young men.
Episode 5: “A Fair World”
Gi-hun’s team wins thanks to Player 001’s strategy and Sang-woo’s cleverness. Jun-ho witnesses the organ harvesting scheme, as the guard whose identity he stole, was originally a part of it. Everyone involved is eventually killed, including Player 111, except for Jun-ho. In response, the Front Man launches a facility-wide manhunt for Jun-ho, who breaks into his office and discovers that his brother won the game in 2015.
Episode 6: “Gganbu”
The players are assured by the Front Man that the games are designed to give every player a fair chance. For the fourth game, the players are instructed to pair up, and many of them do so with their closest allies. They discover that instead of working together, they are playing against each other in a marble game of their choice. Whoever gets all of their partners’ marbles in 30 minutes will survive. Sae-byeok and Player 240 exchange life stories, where Player 240 sacrifices herself after deciding Sae-byeok has more to live for. Sang-woo tricks Ali into giving him his marbles and wins. Gi-hun exploits Player 001’s dementia to win, only to discover that the old man was aware of the deception the entire time. Player 001 remembers his name to be Oh Il-nam and lets Gi-hun win as he is his gganbu (trusted friend). As a result of the deaths of their friends, Sae-byeok and Gi-hun are traumatized.
Episode 7: “VIPs”
The players return to find Mi-nyeo, who did not have a partner, still alive. Foreign VIPs, who had been virtually wagering on the games, have arrived to watch them live. Jun-ho, posing as one of the masked servants, is sexually propositioned by one of them. He subsequently attacks the VIP and forces him to reveal information about the games and confess. Once he records his confession, Jun-ho flees the island. Meanwhile, the fifth game has players crossing a two-panel wide bridge, where the panels are each made of either tempered or regular glass, the latter of which cannot support their weight. The players at the front of the line fall to their deaths as they test the panels. Deok-su refuses to progress until someone goes in front of him; However, Mi-nyeo grabs him and vengefully plummets them both to their deaths. Only Gi-hun, Sang-woo, and Sae-byeok complete the game; at its conclusion, explosions shatter the remaining panels and injure the three players.
Episode 8: “Front Man”
Gi-hun, Sae-byeok, and Sang-woo are given a change of clothes for their finalist dinner. Sae-byeok hides a severe stab wound acquired from the bridge explosion. After eating dinner, each player is left with a steak knife. Realizing that Sang-woo will go to any length to win, Gi-hun suggests that he and Sae-byeok ally. Instead, Sae-byeok begs that whoever wins the game will look after the others’ loved ones. As Sae-byeok’s injury worsens, Gi-hun calls for help, but while he is away, Sang-woo stabs her and kills her. Heartbroken, Gi-hun is furious with Sang-woo and attempts to slash him but is stopped by the guards. Meanwhile, Jun-ho makes it to another island but is quickly followed by the Front Man, who shockingly reveals himself to be his brother, In-ho. Following his failure to recruit Jun-ho, In-ho shoots him in the shoulder, causing Jun-ho to fall off a cliff and into the sea.
Episode 9: “One Lucky Day”
In the final installment of Squid Game, Gi-hun defeats Sang-woo after a brutal fight, but refuses to kill him and instead shows mercy. After Gi-hun suggests evoking the third clause, Sang-woo stabs himself in the neck and asks Gi-hun to take care of his mother, leaving Gi-hun the winner. After returning to Seoul, Gi-hun is left with a bank card to access the prize money but discovers that his mother has died. A year after the end of the games, Gi-hun has not touched his prize money and resumed his prior life in the name of guilt. He receives an invitation card from his gganbu, and finds Oh Il-nam on his deathbed. Il-nam reveals he created the game to entertain wealthy people like himself and only participated in Gi-hun’s group out of nostalgia. Shortly after, Il-nam dies in the presence of Gi-hun. He retrieves Sae-byeok’s brother and has him looked after by Sang-woo’s mother by giving them a large share of prize money. As Gi-hun travels to the airport on a trip to see his daughter, he stumbles across the same recruiter playing ddakji with another desperate player, but only manages to get his invitation card. He calls the card’s number before boarding his plane, demanding to know who is running the games. The operator orders him to board his plane, but Gi-hun heads back to the terminal instead.
For some reason, I had this preconceived notion that since I did not like stop-motion very much, I would not like this film. That assumption was so far from the truth.
Right off the bat, Fantastic Mr. Fox flaunts that Wes Anderson flair. Knowing that Anderson directed the film gave me some initial hope to grapple with. His use of color is so pronounced and exaggerated, which works in tandem to create a world so distant from reality. I feel as if Anderson was the perfect director to tackle this sort of movie. His already “quirky” aesthetic combined with the concept of stop-motion woodland animals appears as a strangely perfect opportunity.
The film follows Mr. Fox, a father, and husband, bored with his current life. In stereotypical fox fashion, he was once a chicken burglar but is now a newspaper columnist. In an attempt to make his life more interesting, Mr. Fox becomes the mastermind behind a heist of three local farmers. The farmers, tired of the cunning and sly Mr. Fox, enact revenge against him and his family. They trap Mr. Fox, his family, and his community of various animals underground to force surrender. Mr. Fox and his fellow animals must utilize their crafty animal instincts to escape the plotting of his vengeful human neighbors.
Overall, Fantastic Mr. Fox was wonderfully creative and witty. It suited my style of dry humor, which was amusing to watch. Despite its advertisement as a children’s movie due to its adaption from a children’s book, it also serves adults well. Its snarky and witty punches make Fantastic Mr. Fox a thoroughly enjoyable watch. The voice acting is likewise phenomenal, alongside the animation and cinematography. Fantastic Mr. Fox ticks all of my boxes for a perfect movie, and I could not recommend viewing anything more.
To be honest, this movie was pretty bad. I had seen many negative reviews beforehand that lead me to expect the worst, but after I finished it, I was more confused than anything.
The film is set during the 1950s in an experimental utopian community, Victory. Harry Styles, who plays Jack, goes to work on a top-secret project along with all the other men in the community, leaving the women to enjoy the luxury of their “perfect” paradise. While Jack is away at work, his wife, Alice, played by Florence Pugh, experiences flashes of convoluted memories that threaten to expose their community.
One day, Alice witnesses a plane smoking and falling from the sky while taking a community bus. She ventures through the Californian mountains to find it but comes across a strange structure that she is barred from entering, which turns out to be Victory headquarters. When she returns to the community, flashes of incoherent memories start appearing, which causes Alice to intensely question the Victory Project. Alice eventually pieces together the puzzle that the Victory Project is a simulation. Her husband, Jack, essentially kidnapped her and trapped them both inside the utopian simulation so they could live happily together. Jack and the other men inside the simulation are revealed to be conscious of its parameters; However, the women are not. Once she realizes this, Alice races to Victory headquarters and when she touches the glass boundary is presumably transported to the real world.
Don’t Worry Darling is highly disappointing from my perspective. The premise initially sounded so interesting and there was so much potential for the plot twist. However, none of the characters were developed enough. I had no emotional ties to any character except Alice, barely. I do not think the plot was developed enough either. It felt as if bits and pieces were haphazardly thrown in, which left it more nonsensical.
I recently finished watching the entire Twilight series for the first time. Coming from the perspective of a non-Twilight fan, I definitely have some unpopular opinions.
Twilight
In the first installment of the Twilight franchise, Bella Swan, a seventeen-year-old girl, and Edward Cullen, a vampire, are introduced. The film is set in the rainy town of Forks, Washington, and focuses on Bella and Edward’s budding relationship and the hardships faced due to their conflicting natures. Edward’s family, a coven of vampires, joins forces to protect Bella from a swarm of “evil vampires.”
New Moon
In Twilight: New Moon, Bella celebrates her eighteenth birthday with the Cullens at their house. After a frightening incident when Bella cuts her finger, Edward decides that he is too dangerous to be around her and disappears. Without Edward, Bella exists only in a depressive state and subsequently seeks the comfort of Jacob Black, her best friend. However, throughout their friendship, Jacob begins acting strangely, which leads to Bella finding out he is a “shape-shifter” or a wolf. She also learns of his ancient grudge against the vampire species and consequent disapproval of her relationship with Edward.
Bella later finds out that a vampire named Victoria wants to avenge her mate James, whom Edward killed in the first installment, by killing her. Edward decides to call Bella, but Jacob answers and unknowingly makes him think that Bella has committed suicide. Stricken by grief, Edward sets off to meet the Volturi, the law enforcers of the vampire world, with a request to die. They will not kill him, so Edward decides to reveal himself to humans to ensure his death. Bella appears to save Edward from death; However, the Volturi now want to kill her, but a vision is shown to them of Bella eventually becoming a vampire. Edward tells Bella that he will only turn her into a vampire under the condition that she will marry him.
Eclipse
Eclipse, the third installment of the Twilight series, begins with Victoria turning a college student, Riley Biers, into a vampire. She intends to incorporate him into a “newborn army” to hunt down Bella. Amidst the supernatural violence in Forks, Edward decides to take Bella to Jacksonville, Florida, to visit her mother to assure her safety. After they return, Bella discovers that Victoria has returned and is sent to spend time with Jacob for protection. Jacob later confesses his love for Bella and forcefully kisses her, which results in awkward tension between the two.
A few days later, Bella graduates from high school and discovers that the newborn army is under Victoria’s control. Bella realizes that spending eternity with Edward is more important than anything else and happily accepts his marriage proposal. Bella, Edward, and Jacob then camp in the mountains in preparation for battle with the newborn army. The next day, the wolves and vampires fight the newborn army and manage to kill almost the entire group; However, Victoria successfully flees.
Breaking Dawn Part 1
Breaking Dawn Part 1 begins with Bella and Edward’s wedding. It is set in the woods and heavily decorated with white and pastel-pink flowers, creating a whimsical and ethereal setting. After the wedding concludes, Bella and Edward venture out to Brazil on their honeymoon. During the trip, Bella realizes she is pregnant with Edward’s half-human, half-vampire child. They return to the Cullens’ house and discover that Bella’s pregnancy is progressing at an unnatural rate.
A member of Jacob’s wolf-pack, Sam, decides it is necessary to kill Bella to prevent the impending danger of her supernatural baby on the locals. Jacob, however, separates himself from the pack to defend Bella. As Sam and the rest of the wolf-pack surround the Cullens’ house, Bella discovers that consuming human blood satisfies her weak condition. Shortly after, Bella gives birth to her daughter, Renesmee, which subsequently kills her. But, since Renesmee and Edward bit her, Bella becomes a vampire.
Breaking Dawn Part 2
The final film in the Twilight franchise begins with Jacob imprinting on Renesmee, to Bella’s dismay. The Cullens gather other vampire clans to protect Renesmee from false allegations that caught the Volturi’s attention. Bella begins to learn her abilities as a vampire and trains in preparation to confront the Volturi. The inevitable confrontation leaves the Volturi retreating in fear of their deaths. The film ends with a vision of Edward, Bella, Jacob, and Renesmee living happily together later in their lives.
“Their lenses are more like microscopes, really. And I’m the insect in the dish. See, they’re pulling my wings and my legs off one by one- making notes on how I react.”
Kristen Stweart, Spencer
Spencer
Starring: Kristen Stewart
MyRating:★★★★
Spencer is a historical, psychological drama taking place amidst the failing marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. It focuses on a Christmas weekend with the Royal Family at the Queen’s estate, where Diana and Charles’ relationship is demonstrably cold and failing. While rumors of Charles’ affair with Camilla circulate, Diana’s mental state suffers greatly as she feels suffocated by the constraints of royalty. Princess Diana understands the rules of such social gatherings, but this particular year, she intends for things to be different.
While watching Spencer, I found the film to be very conceptually interesting. The idea of solely focusing on one of Diana’s most psychologically challenging moments provides a creative opportunity to dissect her experience with the Royal Family. Similarly, the film effectively portrayed the claustrophobia that Princess Diana presumably felt around the Royal Family. It depicted her as free-spirited and personable with her children but constrained and tense near others like her husband, Charles. Kristen Stewart also played the role of Princess Diana seamlessly.
With films about Princess Diana, there is bound to be criticism. Many distasted the film because Diana’s children, Harry and William, are still alive and might come across the work. Similar to historical figures like Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana’s story has been exploited and told to death. This prompted others to criticize the film for not letting her Rest In Peace. I however have other criticisms: I feel as if the film portrayed Diana as whiny and entitled, which I know was not accurate of her personality and was most likely not the film’s intention.
Spencer provides an extremely interesting and nuanced perspective on Princess Diana’s departure from the Royal Family. It was spectacularly told and beautifully directed by Pablo Larraín and cinematographer Claire Mathon. I recommend watching this film at least once, especially if you are interested in “drama” about the Royal Family or a fan of Princess Diana.
Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long
My Rating:★★★★ 1/2
Unlike films akin to Midsommar and Get Out, Barbarian is more of a “traditional” horror movie than a psychological horror/thriller. Barbarian tells the story of a young woman who travels to her rental home in Detroit, MI. She discovers that a stranger is already occupying the house, and despite her better judgment, she stays with him. As she spends the night, she soon discovers there is more to fear in the house than just the stranger.
Before seeing the film, I had heard mostly positive reviews. This was surprising to me because horror films are pretty hit-or-miss. I went into the theater blindly, only reading the description, and it shocked me, to say the least. The pacing was excellent, I felt as if new ideas were constantly being thrown at me. The film’s backstory was also thoroughly developed, which is not common in other “traditional” horror movies.
I think that because of the release of films like Midsommar, Hereditary, and Get Out, which all fall into the genre of psychological horror, Barbarian has acquired invalid criticism. Many expect horror movies to have this extra layer that creates this psychological question, but Barbarian neither has it nor needs it to be considered good from my perspective.
Barbarian also warrants praise outside of the technical realm. Every single actor was fantastic. Unlike many other horror movies, the dialogue did not feel awkward or cringe. The plot was so creative and well-developed, and hard to dislike watching it play out. The storyline was incredibly engaging, and I genuinely felt horrified while watching. Despite difficulty reviewing Barbarian without spoiling it, the film earns so much merit, and I highly recommend seeing it in theaters.
"You call me up again just to break me like a promise,
so casually cruel in the name of being honest."
Starring: Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien
Written and Directed by Taylor Swift
All Too Well: The Short Film is Taylor Swift’s personal story of love and heartbreak written and directed by herself. Swift’s song All Too Well, which inspired the short film, overlays the screenplay and acts as a narration. Essentially, All Too Well delves deeper into Swift’s relationship with Jake Gyllenhal. The short film features Sadie Sink as “Her” and Dylan O’Brien as “Him.” The film begins with “Him” and “Her” lying on a bed, intertwined, feeling wistfully happy. The narration then commences as Sink forgets her scarf in O’Brien’s house. The short film progresses to a dinner party with all of “His” friends. Their fairytale romance is disrupted when O’Brien’s character condescendingly drops Sink’s hand and pats it, leading to a fiery argument. Sink is then pictured alone and sobbing after splitting from “Him.” The final seconds depict an older Sink as a widely successful author while O’Brien watches through a window with Sink’s old scarf tied around his neck.
A significant pattern is the recurrence of “Her” red scarf. The color red is also symbolically represented as an emotion throughout the short film.
The red scarf acts as a symbol of innocence lost in a relationship as well as the parts of ourselves that we give to others. Sink has red hair and is pictured in warmer colors, whereas O’Brien is always seen in cooler blues and grays. This characterizes “Her” as more vibrant and lively, whereas O’Brien is depicted as cold and distant.
The scarf metaphor is especially effective because it is so accessible and also encompasses the main idea of the short film. Symbolizing the color red is also clever because it displays the fluctuations in their relationship.
The main group of people consuming and interacting with this piece of media is women. All Too Well: The Short Film is commonly referred to as reflecting the “female gaze,” which gives agency to women as subjects who can still be looked at but have the ability to look back. By incorporating this perspective into the short film, more women feel inclined to consume this media.
