Items tagged "mother":
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We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)
The mother of a teenage boy who went on a high-school killing spree tries to deal with her grief - and feelings of responsibility for her child’s actions.
Based on the novel by Lionel Shriver.
“Why would I not understand the context? I am the context.”
How to create a monster. A tremendous family drama, centered on maternal love and self destruction.
An absolutely engaging experience, visually and emotionally.
Tilda Swinton rocked the fuck outta this one! Portraying the frustrated mother who can’t seem to get things right. We see her life slowly sucked away by her antagonist son Kevin. A smart and cunning boy with grand plans.
Blind-as-a-bat husband John C. Reilly flexes his dramatic muscles. Blurring the lines of cause and effect in this suburban tragedy. The voice of reason… or is it?
KEVIN! was well performed and intriguing in all ages. Ezra Miller did a spectacular job as the teen. His eyes and demeanor was frightening and yet a glimmer of light shone through those dark eyes. His younger counterparts Jasper Newell and Rock Duer swung it home. Giving life to the troubled boy.
Jumps between infant, toddler, teen and current times might/may confuse some viewers at first. It will all become clear in the end. Hints and clues lead up to the heartbreaking reality.
The cinematography was be-a-u-ti-fucking-ful! And the script was compelling. The grand finale was one to remember. Depressingly gorgeous and whimsically dramatic.
Tough love.
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Outcast (2010)
It tells the tale of Petronella (a Scottish/Romany girl) and Fergal (her mysterious Irish traveler boyfriend). As their doomed relationship plays out, a Beast stalks the estate, killing locals, working its way towards our protagonists. Meanwhile Cathal and Liam, two mysterious travelers from Ireland use ritual and magic on a blood hunt. Mary, Fergal’s mother performs ritual and magic of her own. As Cathal comes face to face with Mary in a vicious finale we know one thing: the Beast must die.
A fantasy horror romance by UK t.v. director Colm McCarthy. My enthusiasm for this film was instigated by it’s (other) “posters”, which had some pretty impressive claims such as:
“The best British horror since The Descent” - EYEFORFILM
“An excellent film. See it at all costs” - AIN’T IT COOL NEWS
*This raised my eyebrows: “The most original horror since Let The Right One In”
One thing’s for sure, it AIN’T original. A story we’re heard many times, but told a little differently. When i started the film my first thought was “Holy shit a Scottish/Irish Twilight (2008)” and then our protagonists meet in the swings “i’m guessing that’s where the Let the Right One In (2008) Låt den rätte komma in comparison is based on” A little after that the mother son relationship unravels i thought “Oh, it’s like Sleepwalkers (1992)”. With the budget and creature effects, indie feel, atmosphere of a film like Ginger Snaps (2000). Original.
*There are hundreds of borrowed ideas, visible to the trained horror movie eye.
So, how was the film? Decent. I thought it was a genuinely good attempt, the charms, rituals and magic were interesting enough and executed well. The characters were good but not great. Some gore… but the creeping and lurking around was old and dragged on ‘til the last minutes. They really build it up… towards and ending that was “mediocre”.
There were some nice things about this. The acting was good (especially the mother and hunter), the music and sound effects were great and there were a few nice shots a s well. Some nudity and R18 stuff, which tells you this is NOT for kids. The film IS good, but the claims that came before my viewing it… had dampened my perception.
And the pace was quite slow, it felt a little too dramatic. The film also has it’s own little twist (“the beast”), audiences may hate or love. In the end it was “ok”, nothing spectacular but a pretty clean Brit horror. Better than most i’ve recently viewed.
