Originally Posted by horcrux2007
(Post 1014874)
The Neon Demon (2016)
Director Nicolas Winding Refn returns to the big screen with his lesbian cannibal necrophiliac thriller The Neon Demon that got one of Cannes infamous "boos" (which realistically means nothing). There's also this whole thing about the modeling industry too. Elle Fanning plays Jesse, a 16 year old aspiring model in LA, gets signed by an agency for her natural beauty and youth. However, as she quickly rises through the ranks, other models start to become jealous and will stop at nothing to steal her beauty and youth in a world that's literally eat or be eaten. Refn can certainly stage some elaborate visuals because the entire movie is eye candy. There's a color scheme reminiscent of Suspiria, some hypnotically beautiful visual set pieces all put alongside an awesome 80's-style synth score. Refn makes a clear distinction from the high society of the modeling industry and Jesse's real life living in a run-down motel with a sleazy owner. While the modeling world has all the fantastic visuals, the real world is portrayed in a gritty way that shows that living the high life in LA might not really be as great as one might think. The actual plot is difficult to follow at points since the story sometimes takes a backseat to the visuals, but it's interesting enough and even pretty disturbing at times that it'll keep you engaged. There's a slew of crazy scenes involving cannibalism and necrophilia that more hardcore viewers might enjoy, just don't go in expecting another Cannibal Holocaust. The disturbing parts are more subtle and slow than your usual gorefest. The ending especially will either shock you or infuriate you. The Neon Demon is going to divide its audience based on if they're willing to stomach the more difficult scenes, but it's a visually stunning, often disturbing and poignant satire of the modeling industry in Los Angeles.
7/10
The Shallows (2016)
It's been a pretty dismal summer movie season with more unwanted sequels than one could imagine (who really wanted Now You See Me 2?), so it's a bit of a breath of fresh air when a fun and simple shark thriller rolls into theaters, and a surprisingly decent one at that. The Shallows is about Nancy, played by Blake Lively, a med school student and recreational surfer who travels to a secluded beach in Mexico where her late mother once surfed when she was a baby. Her alone time is ruined when she gets too far from the shore and a shark attacks her, forcing her to take refuge on a rock. Stranded two hundred yards from the shore, Nancy has to outwit the shark and try to get back to her dad and sister before becoming shark bait. In a year filled with pretentious sequels coming 15 years too late, watching a good old-fashioned non-pretentious thriller will come to a relief to many. It never takes itself too seriously, although never venturing into camp territory, and it stays suspenseful for its brief 87 minute running time. There's even a little bit of good gore thrown in there too. The Shallows is more of a survival thriller than Blake Lively vs. The Shark, so it's more suspenseful than brutal and intense. Luckily, Blake Lively gives a great performance as Nancy, a resourceful and insanely likable heroine. She's the only face on screen for about 80 minutes of the film, so it's good that she made her presence likable. The Shallows is a pure popcorn thriller: suspensful, taut and fun.
7/10
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