arungeorge13

The poster gives you hints of something, and the logline tells you something else. It's kinda spoilery, but the film succeeds in what it tries to communicate, very candidly. This is a stark reminder of why we need strong filmmakers like Eva Victor (it's her debut? Damnnnn!) telling such stories. What seemingly begins as a light-hearted dramedy turns into something deeply affecting by the second chapter (or "year"), and that's where the decision behind keeping the storytelling non-linear truly shines. Even the "something bad" part is conceived and shot with such clarity, conveying everything it needed to, without being insensitive. The friendship between Victor's and Ackie's characters is also warmly written and portrayed. Lucas Hedges and John Carroll Lynch also get noteworthy roles.

What made me like the film a lot more is how Agnes (Victor), after what she's been through, still comes across men whom she finds unexpected solace in. Two scenes in particular are really memorable. One takes place on the side of the road, and another inside a bathtub. As much as the scenes highlight Agnes' inner feelings, they're also about navigating life as it comes. There's some situational dark humour at play too, without detracting from the core theme. If I were to zero in on a single takeaway from Eva Victor (as a writer-director first, and an actor second) it's in the art of balancing sudden tonal shifts.

P. S. What a lovely, poignant scene to close out the film!

I LOVE a horror film that covers its logline in the first 5 minutes. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE a horror film that doesn't spoil everything in its trailer cut. Zach Cregger follows up Barbarian with yet another increasingly tense and mysterious plot setting, where a (bizarre) incident rattles an an entire community. Once again, Cregger isn't a writer that spoonfeeds viewers. He wants you, the viewer, to fit the puzzle pieces together to form your distinct version of a cohesive whole -- this is smartly done through various characters' POVs colliding into each other's at specific (often unexpected) points. The pacing is apt, the (jump)scares are effective, and the score is splendid.

Besides the writing that oftentimes feels like the sharpest critical reflection of the current state of affairs in the US, the biggest praises from my end will go towards the cinematography (Larkin Seiple) and editing (Joe Murphy) efforts. Not only do the visuals manage to send chills down your spine, but the changing perspective makes us want to tune into everything that's going on, slowly and steadily unveiling the mystery. And speaking of satisfying endings, this has got to be one of the finest conclusions for a horror film in recent memory -- inventive, funny, shocking, batshit crazy!

Julia Gardner (sooo in love with that haircut), Josh Brolin (a needed masculine presence in a film like this), Alden Ehrenreich (one more "baddie" to his list), Austin Abrams (cool one-liners, bruh), Benedict Wong (shows his range), and Amy Madigan (chief creepy ANTAGONIST) all deliver really solid performances to elevate the plot and keep us invested in its progression. Justin Long and Sara Paxton show up in cameos. That's it -- enough reading -- if you're into psychological horror, head to the nearest cinema hall right away. You're in for a treat!

At this point, the D-Rex has more in common with a Xenomorph than a dinosaur (..are we getting an Alien x Jurassic World crossover?), but whatever. Such forgettable characters, mediocre dino-kills, and and a weak as hell payoff in the final act -- not what you'd expect usually of David Koepp (the writer behind the original JP), though this is what we get. Gareth Edwards is good at stirring tensions with "monstrous" set pieces, and while it works with the sequence at sea, the rest don't pack any punch given almost all the characters are disposable (and not worth caring about). Yeah, the film takes far too many storytelling liberties (like a character falling off a cliff and not having a single cracked bone; the dinosaurs seem to be great at playing hide-and-seek, and so on) and you'd easily be knowing which characters are going to be dino-dinner and when. Also, solid product placement by Lay's and Snickers!

P. S. The most disappointing thing about these movies lately have to be how UNSCARY the CG dinosaurs have become. It's not the worst entry in the series, but it'll be disregarded pretty soon. And no, ScarJo being present in it makes no difference.