Midsommer. It wasn't as truly memorable as the directors previous film Hereditary. It's blindingly obvious what's going to happen if you know the tiniest bit of folklore. I know half the point in horror is characters dying of their own pride and stupidity, and screaming how do you not know the situation you have got yourself into is fucked beyond all hope. There's enough black comedy in watching these idiots clearly getting what's coming to them, which I hope is what the director was aiming for, because it failed to really disturb.

Edit: A few minutes more thought on this. I've been a bit hasty. Yeah, okay I get the movie now. It's all in piecing together the symbolism and stroking your beard about it afterwards. I couldn't see the woods for the trees in the hipster horror. It's all in the characters failing to see the dog whistles. The subtext is sleepwalking into the Far Right. I spent the whole movie screaming "Burn the place down, you must be smart enough to understand they mean to fucking kill you. The symbolism is right there for you to unpack. You're supposed to be anthropologists!" I immediately spotted all the White Supremacist clues, but I'm slightly smarter than average bear. Movie related pun intended. I wasn't quite quick enough to spot the Directors intention though.

But was it as hilarious as Hereditary?

I’m still puzzled by what you thought was funny about that film. We enjoyed it and found it atmospheric. Looking forward to Midsommer.

Midsommar is Swedish for midsummer.

Fallible wrote:I’m still puzzled by what you thought was funny about that film. We enjoyed it and found it atmospheric. Looking forward to Midsommer.

I think it all started when the teen guy started head-butting the table. Someone started laughing and the whole audience started erupting.

By the end we were all in tears laughing.

According to cinema goer reviews on IMdB my theatre was not the only one.


As for Midsommer; Mark Kermode says that unlike Hereditary the atmosphere is consistent the whole way through and doesn't descend into farce. So there's the answer to my question.

Midsommer.
Midsommar.

Oh this is the one with Jack Reynor. Yeah, I'll watch this.

Animavore wrote:But was it as hilarious as Hereditary?

Actually, I was thinking about black comedy and director intent. There is a kinda Paul Verhoeven satire element to Midsommar. There is a level that the film could be a deliberate pitch black satire. Events get pretty weird, and the tone can slip.

On the other hand his films are meticulously researched, and some of the weirdness is genuine folklore or occultism and makes complete thematic sense as not intentional comedy. There is method in it. Personally I think he aims to ratchet it back one step from comedy, mixing genre and subverting expectations to disturb. But that's a fine balancing act which can blow straight through from hysteria to hilarity.

Hereditary was meant to be a Greek Tragedy but the unreality trips into comedy for a lot of audiences. Midsommar, I'm fairly sure has a tongue in cheek whilst trying to make a serious point. The director is a Kubrick fan boy, and not quite able to pull off the whole multi level, multi tone work the master could. I'm probably quite forgiving of his work, but that's because as a writer I want to play with similar ideas.

LucidFlight wrote:Midsommer.
Midsommar.

It's the latter. I hadn't spotted the autocorrect.

I was in Plymouth cinema with mates, watching 300 for a birthday treat. When Xerxes approaches Leonidas from behind and places his enormous hands on the king's shoulders he whispers softly into the ear, "It is not the lash they fear..", Xerxes lips are trembling. I fucking broke a rib as I burst out laughing. But I was the only one in a packed out cinema and no one joined me.
Xerxes follows up with, "..it is my divine power." And I could barely manage a, "oooh right", but I'm not sure that helped my corner.

Spinozasgalt wrote:Oh this is the one with Jack Reynor. Yeah, I'll watch this.

Is that the bloke from Emmerdale?

In a sense? Yes. In another, more accurate, sense? No.

The Plot sounds a bit like Wicker Man.

felltoearth wrote:The Plot sounds a bit like Wicker Man.

It's a clear touch stone for the filmIt's basically a hipster horror The Wicker Man with quasi-facist cult and a different focus.

Animavore wrote:But was it as hilarious as Hereditary?

Boo.

Testing.

enjoying it ...loved the Stan Lee tribute

"Kidnapping Stella" and "Cold Blood Legacy" both good.


This is the best psychological thriller I ever watched. I cant believe the IMDB score and comments under trailer, I really love it.

The Cleaning Lady

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7044076/

I just watched Eighth Grade. Probably the most realistic teen film I've seen in ages and one of the best portrayals of social media's effect on kids.

I also recently watched The Wind that Shakes the Barley, which was good, but not as amazing as I was expecting. And Children of Men because I'm obsessed with Emmanuel Lubezki. It was pretty good but seemed to be a lot more epic than it really needed to be for the story. Some incredible sequences though.

Oh and I forgot I watched Booksmart. Probably a better comedy than Eighth Grade, but Eighth Grade is the better film. Eighth Grade is kinda like Breakfast Club in being one of the only teen films with genuinely realistic teen characters, rather than the sort of quick-witted, aspirational teenagers (played by 20-somethings) that you get in most teen films including Booksmart. In fact, apparently it was a reaction against the sort of nostalgic portrayal of teenagers of things like Stranger Things.

Yeah I broke my leg, hence all of the film viewing.

The Intruder

good, woman's attitude pissed me off a lot of times but still interesting

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6722030/?r ... flmg_act_6

Secret Obsession

another good one

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9419834/