A daring, modern re-telling of Shadow of Doubt. I couldn't take my eyes of this film even when nothing was happening, the attention to detail is astounding and the intense sound work really perfected the pacing. Really loved this film.
Visually, musically sumptuous and excellently directed - I counted numerous points that were quite breathtaking - but the dark mood is continually underwrought by the three leads' hammy acting, a plot twist that goes too far, and the (admittedly mostly non-explicit) undercooked combination of a sexual maturity theme and thriller violence that seems like two bad movies in one, strung together where they shouldn't have. The fact that there's relatively minimal dialogue lets the film soak in a well-established mood but also holds up the rickety narrative for examination. Honestly, this could have been a much better film, and points for trying, but it doesn't work as well as it should have.
After seeing Chan-wook Park's The Handmaiden, and realizing the same director also made Oldboy and I'm an Android, I vowed to see more of his visually impressive work. Stoker is the Korean director's first American film, an even darker twist on Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, when a mysterious young uncle comes to live with his brother's widow and daughter. It's a horror/thriller where most of the attendant unease is created by the cinematography, editing and sound design, to the point where you might wonder what's real and isn't, every shot something that could bear multiple analyses. I sometimes fear Mia Wasikowska is typecast as a Gothic heroine, but she's so good in those types of stories, it's hard to hold that against the films. Stoker reveals its characters a bit at a time, building to a violent, coldly logical finale, well worth the appropriation the Dracula's creator's surname, if only to put certain thoughts and expectations in your head that bolster the mystery.
One of the best horror/mystery movies I have seen lately. Loved not being able to figure out what was happening until the very end.
And everyone was looking good - my eyes were really resting on the beautiful (and talented) actors.
Far better film than most other American-mades these days. Acting was spot on. Goode had me creeped out the entire time, and India's awakening was entirely believable. I was occasionally uncomfortable, embarrassed, and felt awkward at times but I think I was meant to.
Psycho brother in law has a moment of 'clarity', and attempts to take over his brother's life. Inadvertently causing his awkward niece to break out of her frigid shell in an amazing way. Fantastic story. Enthralling watch start to finish.
Very dark and disturbing Thriller.. Had traces of the films - The killer inside me and the white bird in a blizzard..
Mia's acting is good and a few other scenes for cinematography. Still did not like the dark taste of the film.. 6.5/10.
Bit slow to start but I enjoyed it overall. Matthew Goode finally has a passable American accent. Was Kidman's character even relevant? I would like to see what India did next.
The photography , the art direction, the use of the camera was this movie a really good taste and really enjoyable. The plot nothing new but it kept you interested the whole movie, a bit slow but now in a sleeping way. I was looking for a thrilling Sunday movie and I was surprised.
South Korean director Park Chan-Wook's latest has nothing to do with Dracula, as you might assume from both the title and from his last feature length which delved into the vampiric, but is actually a psycho-sexual update of Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt" (with a twist). It is just as stylish, strange and bloody as you would expect from the man who made "Oldboy" ten years ago, but unfortunately this English language debut doesn't bear comparison to his stellar "Vengeance Trilogy".
The problem lies entirely with the plot and the script supplied, bizarrely, by Wentworth Miller (the smug, tattooed hero of TV's "Prison Break"), possibly as a star vehicle for himself, but it's British actor Matthew Goode who ended up taking the plum role of the smoothly malevolent Uncle Charlie and it's a perfect fit. It's his best screen performance to date with charisma to spare and he easily holds his own alongside Nicole Kidman who also does a great job as the repressed, recently widowed Evie. The film stands and falls with the performance of Mia Wasikowska though - she is suitably detached and creepy in a role that would have been taken up by Winona Ryder or Christina Ricci in yesteryear, but India is sadly a merciless bore as a leading character, blessed as she is with heightened senses, along with a heightened superciliousness and advanced gothic moping & pouting skills. She's also an expert at killing with a rifle, which of course comes in very handy in the latter stages of the film.
It's extremely well made, with some great cinematography, so it's a shame that the plot is a total dud - there's no rhyme or reason to most of what happens, and the biggest mystery is why we're supposed to care. Much has been made of the supposedly ingenious sound design, but I can't see a great deal of skill in effectively making sound effects louder to match India's abilities. Another misstep is the dependence on CGI special effects - especially the blood which looks terrible, as usual.
Unfortunately it's style over substance, never particularly exciting or horrifying, at best darkly intriguing at worst laughable and (most disappointingly) boring.
A girl walks across a road. She’s wearing her Father’s Belt and her Mother’s blouse…she’s looking out into a field…and this pretty much sets the tone for the entire film.
Stoker is very much a slow burner, but an intriguing and engaging film all the same. We follow India Stoker, an introverted soul, mourning the loss of her father, living with her mother in a large house. It’s not until her Uncle turns up, to throw the family into a subtle disarray, that we start to see their family life unfolding.
Charles Stoker is besotted with India, taking a very keen interest in her in a way which constantly feels awkward and a little bit wrong, whilst forging a friendship with his Brother’s widow.
But it’s India’s character arc which is the main focus, and what a journey she goes on. I cannot say too much about her character without giving too much away about where the film goes, you’ll just have to watch it for yourself.
Director Chan-wook Park delivers a visual spectacle, with long sweeping camera shots, swift angle changes and a very typically clear colour palate to bring everything together. India is surrounded by blacks & whites and greys whilst her Mother is very much enveloped in a mustard and light orange glow, which fits in well with Nicole Kidman’s hair colour.
The script is also well written, and Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller clearly knows his craft well, bringing a very slick text to these characters.
Stoker is not a drift-in, drift-out movie, it’s a “watch and see what happens” type, driven by great cinematography and dialogue. Matthew Goode’s Charlie is sinister even when he’s being nice, and Mia Wasikowska’s downplayed part comes across well.
Chan-wook Park brought us one of the greatest Korean films ever in “Oldboy” and he definitely delivers in this, his first ever English Spoken film.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 17
catbranco
Cinematography heaven. This was great.mizzlle
A daring, modern re-telling of Shadow of Doubt. I couldn't take my eyes of this film even when nothing was happening, the attention to detail is astounding and the intense sound work really perfected the pacing. Really loved this film.Scratch47
Visually, musically sumptuous and excellently directed - I counted numerous points that were quite breathtaking - but the dark mood is continually underwrought by the three leads' hammy acting, a plot twist that goes too far, and the (admittedly mostly non-explicit) undercooked combination of a sexual maturity theme and thriller violence that seems like two bad movies in one, strung together where they shouldn't have. The fact that there's relatively minimal dialogue lets the film soak in a well-established mood but also holds up the rickety narrative for examination. Honestly, this could have been a much better film, and points for trying, but it doesn't work as well as it should have.Musanna
Wow a lot of negative comments. I'll be the first to say I absolutely loved it. Fantastic direction and cinematography.Siskoid
After seeing Chan-wook Park's The Handmaiden, and realizing the same director also made Oldboy and I'm an Android, I vowed to see more of his visually impressive work. Stoker is the Korean director's first American film, an even darker twist on Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, when a mysterious young uncle comes to live with his brother's widow and daughter. It's a horror/thriller where most of the attendant unease is created by the cinematography, editing and sound design, to the point where you might wonder what's real and isn't, every shot something that could bear multiple analyses. I sometimes fear Mia Wasikowska is typecast as a Gothic heroine, but she's so good in those types of stories, it's hard to hold that against the films. Stoker reveals its characters a bit at a time, building to a violent, coldly logical finale, well worth the appropriation the Dracula's creator's surname, if only to put certain thoughts and expectations in your head that bolster the mystery.blondy2323
One of the best horror/mystery movies I have seen lately. Loved not being able to figure out what was happening until the very end.And everyone was looking good - my eyes were really resting on the beautiful (and talented) actors.
audiopile
Far better film than most other American-mades these days. Acting was spot on. Goode had me creeped out the entire time, and India's awakening was entirely believable. I was occasionally uncomfortable, embarrassed, and felt awkward at times but I think I was meant to.filmyjo
Very dark and disturbing Thriller.. Had traces of the films - The killer inside me and the white bird in a blizzard..Mia's acting is good and a few other scenes for cinematography. Still did not like the dark taste of the film.. 6.5/10.
sherlocksonlywoman
Bit slow to start but I enjoyed it overall. Matthew Goode finally has a passable American accent. Was Kidman's character even relevant? I would like to see what India did next.juanittomx
The photography , the art direction, the use of the camera was this movie a really good taste and really enjoyable. The plot nothing new but it kept you interested the whole movie, a bit slow but now in a sleeping way. I was looking for a thrilling Sunday movie and I was surprised.dombrewer
South Korean director Park Chan-Wook's latest has nothing to do with Dracula, as you might assume from both the title and from his last feature length which delved into the vampiric, but is actually a psycho-sexual update of Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt" (with a twist). It is just as stylish, strange and bloody as you would expect from the man who made "Oldboy" ten years ago, but unfortunately this English language debut doesn't bear comparison to his stellar "Vengeance Trilogy".The problem lies entirely with the plot and the script supplied, bizarrely, by Wentworth Miller (the smug, tattooed hero of TV's "Prison Break"), possibly as a star vehicle for himself, but it's British actor Matthew Goode who ended up taking the plum role of the smoothly malevolent Uncle Charlie and it's a perfect fit. It's his best screen performance to date with charisma to spare and he easily holds his own alongside Nicole Kidman who also does a great job as the repressed, recently widowed Evie. The film stands and falls with the performance of Mia Wasikowska though - she is suitably detached and creepy in a role that would have been taken up by Winona Ryder or Christina Ricci in yesteryear, but India is sadly a merciless bore as a leading character, blessed as she is with heightened senses, along with a heightened superciliousness and advanced gothic moping & pouting skills. She's also an expert at killing with a rifle, which of course comes in very handy in the latter stages of the film.
It's extremely well made, with some great cinematography, so it's a shame that the plot is a total dud - there's no rhyme or reason to most of what happens, and the biggest mystery is why we're supposed to care. Much has been made of the supposedly ingenious sound design, but I can't see a great deal of skill in effectively making sound effects louder to match India's abilities. Another misstep is the dependence on CGI special effects - especially the blood which looks terrible, as usual.
Unfortunately it's style over substance, never particularly exciting or horrifying, at best darkly intriguing at worst laughable and (most disappointingly) boring.
acoltismypassport
India, the empress of all that is hipster.Great film.
FameAsser
My review from - My Blog - Click hereWatched Film #1,222 from icheckmovies.com
A girl walks across a road. She’s wearing her Father’s Belt and her Mother’s blouse…she’s looking out into a field…and this pretty much sets the tone for the entire film.
Stoker is very much a slow burner, but an intriguing and engaging film all the same. We follow India Stoker, an introverted soul, mourning the loss of her father, living with her mother in a large house. It’s not until her Uncle turns up, to throw the family into a subtle disarray, that we start to see their family life unfolding.
Charles Stoker is besotted with India, taking a very keen interest in her in a way which constantly feels awkward and a little bit wrong, whilst forging a friendship with his Brother’s widow.
But it’s India’s character arc which is the main focus, and what a journey she goes on. I cannot say too much about her character without giving too much away about where the film goes, you’ll just have to watch it for yourself.
Director Chan-wook Park delivers a visual spectacle, with long sweeping camera shots, swift angle changes and a very typically clear colour palate to bring everything together. India is surrounded by blacks & whites and greys whilst her Mother is very much enveloped in a mustard and light orange glow, which fits in well with Nicole Kidman’s hair colour.
The script is also well written, and Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller clearly knows his craft well, bringing a very slick text to these characters.
Stoker is not a drift-in, drift-out movie, it’s a “watch and see what happens” type, driven by great cinematography and dialogue. Matthew Goode’s Charlie is sinister even when he’s being nice, and Mia Wasikowska’s downplayed part comes across well.
Chan-wook Park brought us one of the greatest Korean films ever in “Oldboy” and he definitely delivers in this, his first ever English Spoken film.
Enjoy!
The_Comatorium
http://thoughtsfromthebooth.com/2013/10/08/film-review-stoker-2013/My Review
Thomas_Jerome_Newton
Like most contemporary american cinema trying so so hard to fit the "alt" category with over use of macro lenses and cool tones.Showing items 1 – 15 of 17