Stay_away_from_the_Metropol

Well, that's 4 for 4. I think it's safe to say Ari Aster is one of the finest filmmakers of this century. After quickly becoming one of the most celebrated new horror directors (and rightfully so), his bold, brave, and abrupt shift into dark, satirical comedy is beyond admirable. While his two horror gems, Midsommar and Hereditary, were two saving graces amidst an otherwise stale sub-genre of film, he's now shifted into becoming a proven visionary capable of keeping us on his toes with each move..."What is Ari Aster going to do next?"

Eddington was brilliant, which ain't no surprise. It's easily Aster's most disciplined film thus far, without losing any of his dark wit or luster. It's definitely his film that has the most to say. While his other 3 films felt like immensely personal stories, having more sentimental relevance, Eddington focuses more on archetypes, each representing one of us, and of course, making us all out to be idiots. Since Eddington is a reflection of us, it is easily Aster's most relatable film. It's also the FIRST major motion picture to effectively encapsulate the social climate we've all been struggling to navigate through for nearly a decade now, a climate which the 2020 pandemic only made more extreme, expediting all the elements we were hoping would disappear altogether.

Somehow, with a pretty traditional pace, Eddington shines a light on how screwed we have all become. It is no one's fault, and all of our faults, at the same time. For most of the haul, it's a relatively slow burn, though it's never dull - it's sly, smart, rich with satire, and intriguing all the way through. While we have our "main" characters, the small characters are of almost equal importance in the large scheme of things - a teenage activist named Bryan played by a no-name kid unsuspectingly manages to sneak his way into becoming the most memorable character in the entire film, well, maybe with the exception of maestro Phoenix's lead Sheriff Joe Cross, of course. Phoenix's performance is as complex and nuanced as usual - truly one of my favorite actors.

In the final half hour, Aster does shift the gears and takes the viewer on an eerier journey brimming with tension, proving even more thought-provoking than the prior. It was conjuring "edge of your seat" effectively. Though it never goes as bonkers as Beau Is Afraid (truly one of the most psychotic films ever made), it does share a similar sense of humor, and a couple more parallels. It's definitely one of those movies that left my girlfriend and I with a lot to discuss when it was over, and we both loved it.

I can't think of another successful contemporary American filmmaker who would have the gall to do what Aster has done here. It is the first true reflection of the era we are living through, in film format, and I think that is film still has any relevance at all 30-40 years from now, this film will recognized for that. We're all going to be like "Jesus christ, I cannot believe we lived through that".

People were like "It's Goodfellas in Vegas", and for the most part, they were right. But, Goodfellas is a lot better. Sorry, Casino heads.

Greatest strength here is, as is the case with many of Scorsese's finest 2.5+ hour features (Goodfellas and Wolf of Wall Street come to mind first), it never feels slow for a second. It has an electrically entertaining pace ALL THE WAY THROUGH. It never stops moving. Music choices are fun - I wasn't expecting so much Devo. It's pretty cool just how much screen time they give Joe Pesci. Like, he's pretty much the main character once you really get into this. And Pesci is a legend - he deserved that. In the first half, I was like, "wow they really aren't utilizing Sharon Stone's potential very much, are they?", then I got to the final hour and I was like "OH OK, THERE SHE GOES". What a legend, as well. It's just too bad they have her in that atrocious wig by the time she starts going guano. If they had her going maniacal looking the way she did in the first half of the movie, there would be a lot more people using her screaming face as iconography nowadays the way everyone is doing with Isabelle Adjani.

Considering how epic the movie is otherwise, it's kind of interesting how much it kind of feels like the movie just trails off and fizzles out into a sudden end credits when it's over. And, I can't believe nothing else happened with James Woods after the first half. I truly, truly thought some sort of insane finale focused on James Woods' character was going to be the kicker, but he really just kind of vanished from the entire film after the first half.

Goodfellas is better because it's more tightly knit and it has more memorable characters. This trifecta is fantastic, but with a 3 hour runtime, I think this could have really excelled as more of an ensemble piece. That aside, this is a really great movie - pure cinematic entertainment, and I really wish they were still making movies like this.

Quite the hidden gem of 70's horror. Very underrated.

I'd seen a few intriguing stills over the years and heard positive things, but really didn't know what to expect. Much to my pleasure, it fits in beautifully with some of my favorite horror films of all time, floating somewhere between Roman Polanski's legendary apartment trilogy, like The Tenant and of course Rosemary's Baby, accursed/possession films like The Exorcist, and even a bit of the Russian folklore wonder VIY. Though it's not nearly as intellectual or tastefully delivered as any of those masterpieces, it does maintain an equally impressive tone and leaves you with several sequences of visual terror that have the potential to stain your mind for the rest of your life. Much like a lot of 80's horror, the plot twists are all FAR from profound and often feel like "oh yeah, this works just well enough to keep this story going", BUT, that never takes away from the entertainment value or memorability of this movie. Plot wise, it's a stretch and even kind of silly, but it did keep me intrigued throughout, and more importantly, I was simply really vibing with it - highly, highly entertained all the way through. It's a short & sweet evil treat.

The cast is full of familiar faces before the majority of them were notable actors. Christopher Walken is the assistant to a head detective, who gets tons of close-ups but I believe doesn't utter a single word for the entire film. Chris Sarandon who I'd say is most notable as the handsome, likable hero in the original Child's Play, here plays a strangely wooden love interest opposite the lead actress. Jeff Goldblum appears as snarky photographer (a step up from his debut as the lead gang rapist in the director Michael Winner's previous film, Death Wish). And, my personal favorite, Beverly D'Angelo (who I've always known as the mom from the Vacation movies - opposite Chevy Chase) puts in an unforgettable performance as an utterly creepy nymphomatic mute lesbian - it is hard not to find it somewhat comical, but it remains simultaneously creepy. Lead actress Cristina Raines who is otherwise unknown to me, makes for a perfect damsel in distress - beautiful, fragile, at times endearing, at times manic - she carries the movie wonderfully. And the many, many old men playing members of the church really fill the whole thing out.

I'm really happy I finally stumbled upon a DVD of this film at a killer record shop in Chicago. I've wanted to see it for a very long time, and it pleases me to report that it is well worth getting your hands on. I will definitely be holding onto this DVD and keeping it in my collection. It's far from a masterpiece but I would say it's a must-own for any real fan of horror films from the 1970's-1980's (the best era of horror, in my opinion). The finale is unforgettable, and I promise you, you will never see anything like it in modern films, probably ever again.