Revolting though utterly brilliant horror film “Midsommar”
by Sam Juliano
Now the 4th is behind us and we move forward with scorching temperatures and air conditioner overtime. Some of us are presently on vacation, others still attending to their regular employment. Yours Truly is working the summer literature and writing enrichment program until Wednesday July 31st and then the one month of the year a break is awarded to us, though the dog days of August are normally the time heat is redefined. This past week J.D. Lafrance gave us a terrific essay on Kathryn Bigelow’s Point Break, and Jim Clark will soon be posting his own addition in his great Ingmar Bergman series.
Extreme gore, terrifying images, a “Handmaid’s Tale” sensibility, and “Wicker Man” execution, nightmarish tapestries and a touch of dark humor collide in Ari (Hereditary) Aster’s unique horror film Midsommar, a tale of twisted revenge set in a remote Swedish village. The film is sometimes indescribably revolting yet visceral, sublime, atmospheric and undeniably brilliant. Florence Pugh is extraordinary! 4.5 of 5.0 methinks. Lucille and I saw it in Secaucus on Friday night and I have to admit it had me shaken.
The Beatles, Pavarotti and an Australian pelican
As I regard the Beatles as the greatest band of all-time from any country and Luciano Pavarotti as the most titanic voice I’ve heard in my lifetime, (I witnessed him three times at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Opera) I would have told anyone who predicted I’d like a slow-moving Australian drama about a boy and his pet Pelican Mr. Percival better than films about the music legends in serious need of psychiatric help. Yet there it is. The Down-Under drama, Storm Boy a bonafide tear jerker starring Geoffrey Rush and newcomer Finn Little is a shattering little film which is lovingly lensed and movingly performed, deserves wider distribution. I certainly liked the Pavarotti documentary by Ron Howard for a host of reasons, but it isn’t cohesive and could have been much better.
As to Yesterday there is charm but also a sense that the film’s time-travel novelty devise wears thin. Always fabulous though to hear some of the greatest songs ever written on-screen of course. Lucille and I spent our July 4th in the Montclair Claridge multiplex watching all three films in succession. NOTE: Sadly Storm Boy bombed at the box office, losing about 10 million for its independent distributor.
Midsommar **** 1/2 (Friday night) Secaucus multiplex
Yesterday *** (Thursday, July 4th) Montclair multiplex
Storm Boy **** (Thursday, July 4th) Montclair multiplex
Pavarotti **** (Thursday, July 4th) Montclair multiplex
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You watched an interesting array of films this past week Sammy. I remember the Storm Boy based on the same novel from two decades a few decades ago and I liked it a lot. Don’t know if I can stomach Midsommar but I’ll give it some thought. The two movies based on music icons have some inherent appeal for me.
Karen, thanks so much for mentioning that excellent earlier version of THE STORM BOY. To be sure it is better than this re-make even though I like it too. You will surely love the two music-themed films and also the two I saw yesterday which have reported on the new MMD.
A friend of mine saw Midsommar and was repulsed.
Ha Ricky! I can’t say I’m surprised. Thanks for sharing that.
Just how repellent is Midsommar? Is it Lars von Trier nauseating?
My Raid on Criterion, Round One: Heaven Can Wait (Lubitsch), His Girl Friday, My Man Godfrey, Smithereens, The Heiress, 24 Frames, Vanya on 42nd Street, Elevator to the Gallows, Murmur of the Heart, and Mikey and Nicky.
Pensee: The best directors of the New American Cinema were all women – May, Kopple, Weill, Loden, Seidelman. With all respect to Scorsese, Ashby, Altman, Hopper, Coppola, and Malick, I hope this isn’t considered a *controversial* opinion, i.e., don’t give me any shit on this.
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman (Heisler, 1947). A Quinn-Martin production. Susan Hayward, unkdray again. She’s a credible tippler unlike, say, Ann Baxter, whose drunk scene in The Blue Gardenia is a howler of boozy cliches. I’m surprised Ms. Baxter forgot to put on lampshade on her noggin back at Raymond Burr’s crib. Returning to Smash-Up, it’s always a pleasure to see Eddie Albert in anything (Roman Holiday, The Heartbreak Kid, Green Acres).
The Old Maid (Goulding, 1939). From the golden year of the studio era where it belongs. I liked it, and Davis is awesome, as the kids say. For me, a necessary palate-cleanser after watching the badly miscast All This, and Heaven Too last week. So now I’m in the middle of Edith Wharton’s Old New York, a collection of four novellas including The Old Maid.
Mark, I’ll excuse your outlandish position on the “Best Directors of the New American Cinema” being all women, though I wouldn’t say it is controversial just a view pretty much unprecedented since I couldn’t myself even include one of that group with the men you mention afterward. Still I respect your position. Did you mean round 1 of Criterion are blu rays you bought in the July B & N sale or just films you came upon this week? I am think probably the latter. Excellent comparative and entertaining take on SMASH UP, which is a film I like as well. Love Albert too for Green Acres and The Heartbreak Kid but yeah for Roman Holiday too! I’d love to hear about your reading of the Wharton quartet! Like so many I adore The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome. As to MIDSOMMAR yes it is in fact “Lars Von Trier” nauseating. Ha! Have a great week my friend and thank you. I saw THE QUEEN this morning at IFC on your recommendation and thought it a gas. 🙂
RIP RipTorn, unforgettable as country singer Maury Dann, the satyr screwing his way through Daryl Duke’s classic Payday.
Aye, was saddened to hear about Rip Torn who was also great in a key episode of Boris Karloff’s Thriller, “The Purple Room” and also in Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Naked City in the early 60s.
Thanks Sam, was interested in watching ‘Yesterday’ but just had a feeling that it was a bit twee, resting on the magic of the songs.
I’ll be posting you a handful of stuff that really rare in the next couple of days. Two fantasy shorts the equal of the great tv fantasy anthologies of the ’60s, a drama that is the greatest of it’s type the equal of ‘Citizen Kane’ in its own field, two versions of ‘Hamlet’ very few know of, and an anthology the equal of ‘The Twilight Zone and the ‘Outer Limits’.
Yeah Bobby, I really wish I could come in with a better report in view of my holding the Fab Five as the greatest rock group of all time. To be fair the songs are still magic and the presentation was solid. I am greatly looking forward to your your new stuff. All I can say is WOW!! Thanks you and have a wonderful week my friend!