MOVIE REVIEW: GRETA

Frances finds a handbag on the New York subway and promptly returns it to Greta, an eccentric French piano teacher who loves tea and classical music. Having recently lost her mother, young Frances strikes up a seemingly harmless friendship with the lonely and kindly widow who enjoys her company. But when Greta's behavior becomes increasingly erratic and obsessive, Frances does whatever it takes to end the toxic relationship before things spirals out of control.

Director: Neil Jordan

Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore, Stephen Rea

Release Date: March 1, 2019

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery

Rated R for some violence and disturbing images

Runtime: 1h 38 min

Review:

Greta is one of those odd ball thrillers that pulls you in because of the talent assembled but never provides anything new or groundbreaking.  Neil Jordan’s film is wonderfully shot which makes it look far better than it deserves.  So it has a nice glossy veneer that elevates the subject matter even when it’s at its most ridiculous.  Isabelle Huppert is a decorated actress fully capable of playing this role in her sleep and she makes the entire thing run even if you do wonder why such an acclaimed actress is slumming it in such routine Fatal Attraction/Single White Female knock off. Chloë Grace Moretz is solid overall even though her and Huppert’s characters are so thinly written that there’s very little depth to either of them.  Maika Monroe makes the most of her supporting role even making more nuanced as the film moves around.  Ultimately, Greta is one of those films that pops up on cable down the road and is just interesting enough to keep you from changing the channel.         

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: IT FOLLOWS

A sexually transmitted haunting plagues a Detroit teenager in this stylized horror film from director David Robert Mitchell (The Myth of the American Sleepover). In the wake of sleeping with a handsome stranger, Jay (Maika Monroe) quickly learns that she has inherited a most unusual curse: wherever she goes, lumbering, half-naked phantoms follow, and their singular goal is to see her dead. Desperate, Jay turns to her younger sister and loyal circle of friends to for help. In time, however, Jay learns that her only hope for escaping death is to sleep with someone else, and pass the curse on. But the pursuing phantoms are invisible to Jay's friends and it soon becomes apparent that her time is running out. Now, with death closing in, the terrified young woman will be forced to make a difficult decision if she hopes to survive her terrifying ordeal. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: David Robert Mitchell    

Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto

Release Date: Mar 13, 2015    

Rated: R for graphic Nudity, Disturbing Violent Content, Disturbing Sexual Content and Language    

Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.    

Genres: Drama, Horror, Suspense/Thriller    

Review:

The horror genre is a virtual wasteland of garbage littered with cheaply made lazy films.  If you’re a fan of the genre you really have to run through a lot of garbage to find a few gems here and there.  It Follows is one of those gem that hits all the right notes while turning some of the genre’s tropes on it’s head.  David Robert Mitchell’s film a tightly wound ball of tension with only an occasional splat of blood here and there.  Its DNA is laced with Carpenter’s Halloween, Craven’s original Nightmare on Elm Street and even a bit of Kubrick’s The Shining.  While there’s a clear linage on screen, the film works very well on its own merits building up a pervading sense of dread for the majority of the film.  It’s a dense film that’s got plenty of to say about budding sexuality, adolescence and self identity with an impressive level of authenticity, thanks in large part to a wonderful cast, that makes the film even better.

A