Skip to main content

Review: Stoker


Hollywood is running short on new talent. Imports have always been a large reason for the influx of rising stars and directors and this time the scouring net has landed upon the Pacific, specifically, South Korea and Park Chan-wook, its most celebrated director.

Stoker serves as the English-language debut of Park, most known for his unconventional works like Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance (better known as the revenge trilogy). His films don't make for comfortable viewing because they ask when violence can be justified and then shows you devastating effects it can take afterward.

That Park uses Shadow of a Doubt for the inspiration of Stoker shouldn't come as much of a surprise given the director has stated that Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo made him decide to become a filmmaker. The script written by Wentworth Miller focuses on a seemingly perfect family is submerged in a layer of grime and filth impending sense of doom. Uncle Charlie is also the name of the main antagonist in Hitchcock’s classic, and his entrance is fairly similar.

India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) is shocked by the sudden loss of her father (Dermot Mulroney) in a tragic car accident. More intrusive is the unannounced arrival of Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), whom India has never met before. Eve (an icy Nicole Kidman) takes Charlie in without hesitation and the two grow close, closer than India is comfortable with. Charlie has a way with the women in the Stoker clan, India suspects that this disarming man has ulterior motives beneath his polished surface. The suspicion doesn't lead to horror though, she becomes entranced by him.

Charlie's arrival does not come without consequence however, the peace and tranquility of the household is upended by other accidents. Aunt Gwendolyn appears for dinner and then disappears without word for the rest of her visit, the most senior staff at the Stoker house leaves without saying anything. It doesn't end there either, India's new influence in her life gives her the courage to render tormentors a run around of her own.

Stoker isn't as violent or bloodletting as Chan-wook’s earlier films, but it also less dour, meshing stylishness with Gothic fairy tale. The film has an absolutely sumptuous look to it, inviting viewers to lean in when they should be backing away. The camera, the music, and all the pure technique all totaling into a visually mesmerizing piece. Park creates innovative images that just aren't seen much anymore (watching a mane of Kidman's hair transition into a tall field of grass is just spectacular).

Kidman launches into her scenes with gusto and chews into scenery like a thick steak. Wasikowska does her level-best treading the line of sexual tension and darker desires as she grows into an adult. Now if only the script were up for rivaling the direction and acting in quality. As a cat-and-mouse thriller, Uncle Charlie never has the upper hand, which makes the thriller aspect a bit off, but the horror is there though, presenting a bloodline that finds killing as easy as breathing.

Popular posts from this blog

The Best of the Decade

Over the last ten years, the cinema has given us a great deal to be thankful for: a rebirth of the Batman franchise, a series of examinations of what it means to live in this particular decade, and a mass of character studies whether they be animated or popcorn thrillers. As much as I have enjoyed the offerings, a list must be culled together for the end of the year. Except this year is different, this year ten films must be selected from hundreds. Below are some of the best of the aughts. Enjoy! 10) There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson's magnum opus, a scathing look at extremism in America and the evils of greed and profiteering from religion. It also features the best performance of the decade with Daniel Day-Lewis as oil-man Daniel Plainview. 9)  Up A beautiful tale that entrances all ages,  Up managed to captivate children and tell a tale that adults cherish as well. 8) The Dark Knight Maybe just a comic book film, but it is the best comic book film

Paprika vs. Inception

Months before Inception hit the theaters forums were alive with rumors that Christopher Nolan either accidentally or intentionally stole some details from another film, the Japanese anime Paprika. The biggest point of comparison for some bloggers and forum runners was the fact that both of the films featured a device that allowed a person, or people, to travel into another’s dreams and delve into their subconscious. Minor points of comparison include scenes in Paprika where the character Paprika breaks through a mirrored wall by holding her hand to it, as well as a scene where a police detective falls his way down a hallway. Claims have been made that Inception abounds with imagery similar to or exactly like the anime movie, but with the recent release of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray, and with Paprika available for several years now, an examination of the two plots can be made more fully. Let us begin with the primary claim— Inception stole the idea of a dream

Armond White's Top Ten Films on Flickchart

Armond White is film criticism’s most famous contrarian. At one moment he writes  a review declaring  Toy Story 3  to be the most obscene excuse for toy commercials  he has ever watched, and then two weeks later types out  a glowing review of  Resident Evil: Afterlife . He is of split-mind for sure. But what does his Flickchart look like? Read the rest at Flickchart !