Greta

The whole "eccentric stalker" psychological thriller sub genre has honestly jumped the shark. Few films in the genre do anything to set themselves apart or stay memorable or even interesting. Unfortunately, Greta can't seem to buck that trend, to the point of being painfully predictable. I found myself predicting major plot points and character beats way before they actually happened, negating any sort of suspense right off the bat. I get the commentary on the well intentioned naivety of the millennial generation, I get the commentary on how society exploits the "niceness" of young women, I get the thematic significance of the socio-economic disparity between Greta and Frances, I've just seen it all done before so many times and done far more interestingly.

The film also has serious problems with pacing. It moves far too fast for me to buy Greta's obsession with Frances and it felt jarring how quickly the film moved through their relationship. This really hurts the whole movie as a whole as reveals that should really leave an impact on me just end up falling flat.

Despite all of this, I still found myself entertained by Greta. A lot of that comes down to just how outstanding the acting performances were. Isabelle Huppert was the entire reason I went to go see this movie and she does not disappoint in the slightest, completely stealing the show as Greta. The class and sophistication that she brings to the role makes the character alluring, fascinating and even darkly likable despite the horrific and evil things she ends up doing. You can absolutely tell she's having a blast chewing the scenery and you can definitely see why Frances begins the film so drawn to her. That being said, when her darker nature is revealed, Huppert is genuinely terrifying in the focused madness that she brings to this character. Nobody could have played her better.

Chloe Grace Moertz is also very solid. She's always been a solid actress and that's no different here, bringing a real wide eyed sweetness and innocence to the character of Frances that constantly had me rooting for her to escape Greta's clutches. She gives off an almost Snow White-esque vibe where her kindness and capacity for unconditional trust almost becomes her downfall and Moertz is honestly quite charming in the role.

I was really impressed by Maika Monroe, which is something I never thought I would say. She brings a radiant confidence and strength to her role of Erica and her comedic timing is surprisingly on point as well. She can act! Who knew?

I'll also give credit to the visual direction. While the writing leaves much to be desired, Neil Jordan's elegant, Gothic sensibilities bring a real beauty and glamour to the production. This is a gorgeous looking film and Jordan definitely manages to capture the enchanting nature of New York City from the eyes of a young Bostonian girl.

Overall, Greta is worth a a watch for the performances and the direction, but it's hardly worth catching in theaters. This has Netflix written all over it and I'm not sure if it really even justified a theatrical release. That being said, it's still a decent enough thriller to watch. It's painfully cliched and completely predictable, but it's a watchable thriller all the same.

Poor, unimaginative and illogical script. Protagonists continuously made unrealistically silly decisions and everything always end up with the worst possible result. I know we have to suspend disbelief to enjoy works of fiction but come on...there still needs to be a semblance in reality of how folks make decisions and odds play out. Sequence of events were so far fetched that it was obvious the writer/s were simply trying to keep story going to fill an average movie run time. The mere fact that victim, a younger and fitter female can not overcome the villain, an old and frail lady, sums up the irrationality of this film.

A little like "fatal attraction," or "misery," and a lot predictable. BUT, the acting is really good and it has some genuine creepiness to it without the gore, sex, swearing, and jump scares that most modern horror movies desperately resort to. Solid and entertaining.

In GRETA, Frances (Chloe Grace Moretz) happens upon a lost handbag on the subway, and decides to simply return it to its owner, the older woman of the title (Isabelle Huppert). Frances strikes up a friendship with Greta, who is lonely and sort of reminds her of her late mother. All is well until Frances makes a bizarre, terrifying discovery.

This movie plays with the idea of being seriously targeted by someone who is doing it out in the open, while the law is unable to stop the perpetrator, and even protects them. It's pretty infuriating, and leads up to a final nightmare for Frances.

Ms. Huppert's character is exquisitely demented. Her unflinching portrayal is chilling. Ms. Moretz plays a kindly woman in an unbearable situation. While Frances is rather wimpy, she does rise up at one point, causing some damage to her tormentor. Not a bad movie at all, although the finale is a bit abrupt...

The first half of this film is really good. The suspense builds throughout and a good story develops. Then, a scenario occurs in which there is only one obvious course of action and when the protagonists inexplicably do something else, all interest in the movie is lost because, from that point on, you will be distracted by the question "Why have they not just....?"