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Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Midsommar (2019) in Movies

Mar 22, 2020

Midsommar (2019)

2019 | Drama, Horror, Mystery

6.8

(43 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Can't Deny it's a Solid Movie

Typically when I write a review, I try to watch the movie as I’m writing to bring back any lost memories to mind. Now, as I watch Midsommar on Prime, I’m trying to type as fast as I can so I can move on from this movie. It’s not that the movie is bad, not in the least. It’s just unsettling as hell, a movie that leaves you with an eery feeling that’s undeniable. The plot: Trying to escape a family tragedy, Dani (Florence Pugh) escapes with her boyfriend to a Swedish village for a midsummer festival. What she finds is the furthest things from what she expected.

Acting: 10

Beginning: 10

Characters: 10
Here’s what I loved most about the characters in Midsommar: They are, all of them, true to form. When situations arise, they act just like you expect them to act based on their personality traits. If it weren’t for these main characters, the movie never would have played out the way it did as they all experienced their doubts about the village at one point, but continued to stay for one personal reason to the next. As a result, shit hits the fan and things get juicier by the minute.

Cinematography/Visuals: 10

Conflict: 7

Entertainment Value: 1

Memorability: 10

Pace: 8

Plot: 9

Resolution: 5
It was…an ending to say the least. Bananas. Crazy. Threw me for a loop. Did I love it, though? Meh.

Overall: 80
Thankfully, it’s only taken me about eleven minutes to get all this typed so I’ll be shutting Midsommar off real soon. In my overall opinion, the movie falls short a few paces of being in the classic category because it gets a bit humdrum after awhile. However, I applaud it’s bold originality and its desire to be like nothing else that’s out there right now. That is something I ultimately respect whether or not I loved the movie. It won’t have universal appeal, but I definitely recommend it if you are a movie buff and have yet to see it.

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Captain Fantastic (2016) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019

Written and directed by Matt Ross, “Captain Fantastic” is perhaps the most beautiful film put out in many years. It tells the story of a family living in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, surviving off of the land.

Viggo Mortensen plays Ben, a father who raises his children away from society, training them to be hunters and philosophers. The first scene is of an epic chase of a deer in the forest. In a manner that can only be equated to tribal tradition, the children stalk the animal while covered in black mud. When the eldest son takes down the deer, he is fed its heart and pronounced a man. Although, the film is not filled with scenes aimed at shock value. It has far too much depth to be described in that way.

When tragedy strikes, the family is forced to go into the city and face the rest of the world. Ben and his children stop at a diner in a small town, and everything is bizarre to the kids. They had never heard of soda, and they don’t understand why everyone is so overweight around them.

Quickly though, it becomes clear to them that they are the “strange” ones. When they visit their relatives, Ben is confronted with disdain and concern for how he chooses to raise his children. Everyone is panicked that he is not providing them with an adequate upbringing, while he feels it is the only acceptable path.

Together, they go on a journey that invokes the beauty, wildness, and sadness of being human.

“Captain Fantastic” takes audiences through the spectrum of human emotion, and truly makes one think about what it means to live in society today so far disconnected from our animal roots.

Each character delivers a raw and authentic performance. At moments Ben seems like a lunatic; at other times he seems like he is actually the sanest person on the planet.

The film is beautifully shot in some amazing parts of Washington, inciting nostalgia for Seattleites.

The music is subtle and helps to make the film a riveting experience.

Not just a movie, but a true masterpiece. Though it seems like a massive understatement, I give “Captain Fantastic” 5 out of 5 stars.