Stoker

Awesome! Such a perfectly polished film is something we see only once or twice a year. It was pure joy from the first to the last minute, everything is where it should be. I won’t even criticise the script much. The movie relies on human irrationality and instinct, so the “illogical” behaviour of the characters can be easily excused. Brilliant in every way. (07/06/2013)

Stoker is a visually charming version of the plot involving psychopathic intruder in the family, as defined by Hitchcock in 1943 and then repeated in every detective TV series ever made. Except that this time it is presented through compelling acting performances, but without emotions, tension and credible psychology of the characters, so it doesn’t work in the slightest and ends up being completely useless. (07/04/2014)

How can I say this politely, Pak? You're pissing me off. For years, I believed that nobody could shake me in terms of cinema, and I could handle even Simandl and his creations without problems at one point, but I simply can't handle you anymore without my tube of medication for high blood pressure. There's so much talent wasted that it just hurts. You are a kitsch artist. Maybe the king of kitsch artists, but that won't defend you in my eyes. The aestheticization of violence already bothered me in Old Boy, and here it's just a continuation of the same. Emotionally, we are completely different. Overall impression: 10% for the acting ensemble. You won't deceive me with the rest. Farewell and make sure to avoid the places where I hang out. The wasted time really hurts. (22/04/2017)

CONTAINS SPOILERS, BY NO MEANS READ BEFORE WATCHING. The best and yet most bizarre thing about this work is the brutal contrast. On the one hand, such poetic, imaginative, subtle, and wonderfully sensitive direction; on the other, a pretty brutal portrait of a homicidal maniac who takes his responsibility to family tradition very seriously and of course has the best interest of preserving the "family lineage" (or more aptly, all that's left of it). I hadn't researched anything about this film beforehand, all I knew was that it was directed by Park Chan-wook and starred Mia Wasikowska and my lifelong platonic love Nicole Kidman. It's certainly worth mentioning the particularly oppressive atmosphere, which has a slight erotic tinge in places, but because Park Chan-wook is very watchable this time around, you can tell from various little details and clues that the eroticism is really an afterthought here. In the end, this is an extraordinarily perverse film that depicts the darkest aspects of human existence in a captivating and visually extremely inventive way, degrading man himself to some mere instinctive essence. You know, I've often wondered why it is that people have children in the first place... And the conclusion I've come to... is that at some point in our lives we realize that things are fucked up beyond repair... So we decide to start again. Wipe the slate clean. Start fresh... And we have children... Little carbon copies we can turn to and say, "You will do what I could not... You will succeed where I have failed...," Because we want someone to get it right this time. (12/01/2014)

Park Chan-wook is synonymous with flashy but hollow mannerisms. Looking at the cut scenes, it was clear to me that the whole thing must have struggled mightily to make it more digestible in a way other than just overblown ideas in the style of moving manga panels. But if you're intrigued by Emo Wasikowska or need to tick off Nicole Kidman working with a fashion director (and you need more than her and Lars von Trier), go right ahead and watch it. If you're looking for inspiration for evening masturbation, surprisingly, this is also the way to go, but only if you like leather belts. (26/01/2015)