Veronica M

This is the perfect example of how filmmakers have have gone from storytellers to attention seekers. Critics praised this film for being a “new kind of horror”, but there’s nothing new here. Most horror films contain some level of family drama that drive the story, but this one has a family and no story. What is this movie even about!? At the beginning of the film Annie describes her mother as a secretive woman who preformed private rituals. This seems like a clear indication that the film will revolve heavily around her mother, but an hour and a half go by and we still have no idea what Annie’s mother has to do with the things they’re experiencing. In fact what she’s experiencing seems more like a mental breakdown than the act of paranormal forces. Throughout the film there are several scenes that create questions for the audience that are never answered. Annie says Charlie was her grandmother’s favorite and Charlie seems to have had a close relationship with her strange grandmother, but why was Charlie so important to a woman who seemed to be mentally ill? What is the real point of Annie’s doll houses? They’re creepy, but don’t seem to contribute anything to the story. Is Annie possessed or is she part of the Pagan religion her mother was a part of? Why is Peter being tortured throughout the film then ends up with in the role her got? I had an endless amount of issues with this film. This film, like Midsommer, showed a lot of promise, but failed to deliver. Both films were rushed which destroyed the storyline and character development. The acting was good but the overall story wasn’t there for the actors to save it. This film just revolves around shockingly violent scenes that make me question Aster’s sanity instead of praising his “creativity”. Maybe as a TV series it would’ve been able to tell a story, but as a film it was just a waste of a potentially great idea.

The beginning is very promising. Aster starts out with a traumatic event that is both shocking and leaves you wanting to know more. However, the character development seems to stop early on in the film. Little is known about any of the characters, even the main character Dani. The movie contains endless amounts of absurd scenes which are both disgusting and disturbing. The simplicity of the scenery and the beauty of the landscape create the perfect environment for a movie like this one, but the story is lacking depth and meaning. The gruesome scenes may play a vital role in the rituals and traditions that make the cult a dark place, but the most disturbing part is the lack of effort placed on creating something so grotesque instead of focusing on the overall storyline. To add to the disgusting murder/suicide scenes, Aster chose to add the most unnecessary orgy scene which was not only disturbing but lacked creativity. Aster had the perfect opportunity to develop Christian’s character as he is being seduced by the girl, instead he chose to use the orgy to justify what seemed like a man-hating and vindictive ending. Yes, the movie is disturbing enough to keep you from looking away, but it fails to tell an impactful and cohesive a story which is the real purpose of a film.

This film was released TODAY and continues to be criticized for “falling flat”, but lets take a moment to analyze whether the negative feedback is justified. First, this film is a REMAKE. The majority of the viewers who are watching he film have already the watch the original and are well aware of how the story unfolds. With that being said, you cannot go into the movie expecting to be blown away by a story you’ve watched a thousand times. Second, this film is a LIVE ACTION. Have you ever seen a lion rolling his eyes at the zoo? No, so don’t expect Scar or any other character to be full of facial expressions. Lastly, we all know Beyonce is a fabulous singer, but not the greatest actress, so don’t expect to be impressed by her voice acting. Nala’s character does fall flat and lacks the emotion that the original character had. Scar’s character is not as amusing as he was in the original film, but several characters (such as the hyenas) were developed better in this version than in the original. The CGI animation is truly breathtaking and the music/soundtrack is as captivating as the original. The story is almost exactly the same with a few things added that actually enhanced the film. If you go in expecting it to be exactly like the original then you will be disappointed.

If you’re looking for a show that is both relatable and entertaining, this is it. This show has the perfect mix of comedy and drama that will keep you interested. Linda Cardellini and Christina Applegate are brilliant in this show. They flawlessly portray characters dealing with grief. If you are bothering by swearing then avoid this show. I personally feel like it enhanced the show. I’m really hoping they renew it for season 2.

The trailer showed so much potential, but the show falls flat. The first half of the shows Sasha is dealing with visions of Becky’s past which leads her to trying to figure out how she died. By episode 5 you know how she died and the show takes a weird turn which does not improve the show at all. The young actors fail to make the story interesting or even believable. Uma Thurman and Tony Goldwyn have some good scenes, but the rest of the cast kills the show. The writing is awful, but somehow it still makes you want to know the ending… and even the ending is terrible.