'Midsommar' Review

Synopsis: A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown's fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

Runtime: 147 minutes

MPAA Rating: R (for ritualistic violence, grisly images, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use, and language)

Who should see it? Adults who are interested in the disturbed mind of filmmaker Ari Aster.

On the heels of Hereditary, Midsommar is writer-director Ari Aster's second feature. Though Aster's approach to Midsommar differs considerably from Hereditary, the two are equally unsettling. Neither picture fits in the conventional confines of the horror genre, considering they aren't traditionally "scary." However, both films are immaculately crafted and feature sequences which many may deem peculiar and perturbing at the very least.

Contrary to Hereditary's darkened gloomy atmosphere, much of the pagan ritualism present in Midsommar transpires in broad daylight. Violence is scarce and abrupt, but gruesome nonetheless. Viewers who are easily repulsed by the sight of blood will want to avoid Midsommar, as the camera tends to linger on the grotesque injuries which I, myself, found difficult to watch at times. Aster's sophomore effort is an uncomfortable, tedious experience full of bizarre symbolism which begs to be dissected for its deeper, profound meaning. A majority of the iconography is ambiguous and left to the viewer's interpretation, but Aster occasionally lends a hand via on-the-nose expositional dialogue. 

Though I deemed the onscreen events frequently repulsive, I was persistently mesmerized by the masterful craftsmanship on display. Midsommar depicts a nine-day long Swedish festival, which certainly felt nine days long, and an uneasy ambiance is central to Aster's examination of grief and codependency. The atmospheric dread beneath the surface of a bright, flowery environment is brilliantly realized as Bobby Krlic's score eerily accompanies the picturesque imagery staged by Aster's crew (notably, director of photography Pawel Pogorzelski and production designer Henrik Svensson). I'd also be remiss to forget editor Lucian Johnson's contribution, as he incorporates seamless transitions. 

Front and center, Florence Pugh is extraordinary. Dani's an emotionally troubled individual coping with grief, trauma, codependency, and denial, which Pugh portrays wonderfully. Opposite Pugh, Jack Reynor provides a multi-faceted performance as Dani's despondent boyfriend, Christian. The relationship clearly isn't meant to be, but, understandably, these characters think otherwise. Will Poulter's a particularly pleasant source of comic relief, Vilhelm Blomgren and William Jackson Harper are solid supporting players, and the cast of Swedish villagers are ominously hospitable. 

Ari Aster made Midsommar for a specific audience, and those viewers will surely love it while others will be deeply disturbed as it unravels. I appreciate Aster's artistry, but Midsommar was too obscene and overlong for my liking.

Film Assessment: B-

'Detroit' Review

Detroit is set amidst the Detroit riots of 1967. Racial tensions are high as the Detroit Police Department, Michigan State Police, and Michigan National Guard patrol the streets for crowd control and keeping the peace. Shots are heard from the Algiers Motel, so the police and guardsman search the premises for a weapon. When they are unable to find a gun, an intense police investigation unravels. The predominantly African American males residing in the hotel are then maliciously interrogated until a confession is retrieved. Those are the terrifying events depicted in Detroit.

Detroit is the latest project from the Academy Award winning director Kathryn Bigelow and her frequent collaborative screenwriter Mark Boal. The two previously worked together on both The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, each earning a few Oscar nominations and even a win for those films in their respective categories (Both received two Oscars for Hurt Locker in the categories of Best Picture and Best Director/Best Original Screenplay). Deviating from her trajectory of war films, Bigelow thrusts audiences straight into the chaotic atmosphere of the '67 Detroit riots. 

Bigelow re-teams with Barry Ackroyd, her cinematographer from The Hurt Locker, and utilizes a handheld camera to ensure viewers feel submersed in these appalling events. Large portions of Detroit are shot in a documentary style, but the camera is maneuvered differently as it gets up-close, and personal to these actors so the viewer can distinguish beads of sweat and discern heavy breathing. This technique turns out to be incredibly effective, because audiences will be nauseated by every cruel kill and the brutal beatings will rattle viewers throughout this uncomfortable watch.

Detroit's a rude awakening to the hidden horrors of America's racist past of police brutality that is unfortunately still relevant today in some instances. Thankfully, Mark Boal knew better than to victimize all cops or dignify those in open rebellion. It's shown that some rioters were woefully ignorant as they ransacked businesses owned by blacks, and even the most virtuous enforcers fouled up by not reporting heinous acts because they didn't want to deal with all the red tape. Boal's screenplay is a dramatization of the events, but the actions occurring onscreen can't help feeling eerily realistic (with the production and costume design only adding further authenticity).

However, it's the performances on display that bring it home. John Boyega's security officer Dismukes will probably irk some viewers for his lacking support, but there's nothing he could have done in that situation when you stop and think about it. Boyega's subtle performance communicates an inner sense of unease that's drastically different from his costar's intense emotional outpours, but still impressive. Jacob Latimore, Algee Smith, Anthony Mackie, Jason Mitchell, and Payton Alex Smith all accentuate fundamental fear in this startling situation and manage to extract some unexpectedly extraordinary range. Algee Smith, in particular, flexes his acting chops quite a bit over the course of the two-and-a-half hour runtime. 

Will Poulter, on the other hand, extrapolates a refined hatred as the racist cop Krauss. Viewers will find themselves so wrapped in Poulter's despicable behavior that they'll even hate his lawyer for sticking his neck out for the guy. Guess who the lawyer's played by? John Krasinski. Never in my life did I think I could possibly direct malintent towards Jim from The Office, but it happened. I would not be surprised in the slightest to see Poulter be a major contender for Best Supporting Actor this awards season. At his side, Jack Reynor and Ben O'Toole put in some solid work as accompanying policeman, but neither are anywhere near the contemptible heights Poulter reaches. 

Despite an off-kilter animated opening that took me off guard and a crawling conclusion, Detroit's a film that will definitely be joining the awards conversation this year. I will warn those intent on seeing Detroit that it's a harrowing watch, but a necessary one nonetheless. Detroit is about an event fifty years ago, but its relevance to ongoing issues today underscores this is a difficult discussion that the human race still needs to have.

Film Assessment: A-

'The Revenant' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Alejandro González Iñárritu, Best Actor; Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Supporting Actor; Tom Hardy, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.

Won: Best Director; Alejandro González Iñárritu, Best Actor; Leonardo DiCaprio, and Best Cinematography.

The Revenant tells the story of American frontier fur trapper expedition that quickly goes awry after an indian assault and the expedition's navigator Hugh Glass undergoes significant trauma, both physically and emotionally, and then is left for dead. The remainder of the film follows his quest for vengeance against those who wronged him (I won't go into details because I'd rather refrain from spoiling the film). 

Alejandro González Iñárritu directs The Revenant hot off of his Best Director Academy Award victory last year for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) and I can confidently say that Iñárritu has now been cemented as one of my favorite directors working today as I loved both Birdman and now The Revenant. Iñárritu's proven he's quite a visionary director looking to stretch the boundaries of filmmaking and once again teams with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki to create a visual pièce de résistance after their collaboration on Birdman. 

All of the cinematography in the film is breathtakingly gorgeous and very awe-inspiring. Something interesting to note about The Revenant is that it was filmed using only natural light, which lead to a prolonged production period since the cast and crew depended on sunlight to create the film. Iñárritu and Lubezki manage to bring some incredible sequences that borrow from some of the techniques used in Birdman, where in The Revenant one of the beginning action sequences appeared to be filmed in one take, rather than be piece milled together. 

All of the performances on display are terrific and in particular Leonardo DiCaprio just needs to be handed a golden statuette already (of course I'm referring to the fact that he has yet to win an Oscar). DiCaprio is given an opportunity to bring a unique more physical performance as Hugh Glass and he is spectacular. One scene in particular that I felt I should touch on in the review is one involving a gruesome bear attack on Hugh Glass. DiCaprio's dedication is present as he's so convincing in the scene making you actually believe that Glass was being brutally mauled by a bear. 

Tom Hardy portrays the film's antagonist John Fitzgerald and he certainly becomes a despicable human being. Hardy's infamous The Dark Knight Rises Bane voice slips in at some points along with some of his grunting seen in Mad Max: Fury Road but gives a outstanding performance nonetheless. The remainder of the main supporting cast Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter are superb each bringing great supporting characters to the film. 

The Revenant is not only a visual delight but is involves some sensational direction and performances that will maintain interest in it's two and a half hour runtime. I recommend it for fans of DiCaprio and  Iñárritu's work but be forewarned that there are some gruesome gory violence and blood so if you're sensitive to this, then I'd be wary of watching The Revenant  I loved the film and as of now it's one of my favorites amongst the film award contenders and certainly hope it will be appreciated by the Academy as well but we'll see in the coming weeks as nominations are announced, which I will cover  in a few blog posts including the announcement of the nominations, my predictions and the actual results. Once again, The Revenant is a phenomenal film that fans of cinema will certainly appreciate. 

Film Assessment: A+