David Robert Mitchell directs Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist and Olivia Luccardi in this supernatural horror where a stalking curse that can take any human form is sexually transmitted to a suburban girl.
The most original, and certainly the most effective, horror of the last decade. Announced David Robert Mitchell as a major talent and then nobody watched his sprawling, eerie Under The Silver Lake and we haven’t heard a peep from him since. Very Lynchian – even though it delivers traditional shocks and tension too. The bleak romantic, horny yearning atmosphere of it really needles at you between the set pieces. There’s something significant being said here about sex and mortality, trust and intimacy. Maika Monroe is the only Scream Queen to rival Jamie Lee Curtis in terms of looks, acting ability, charisma and choice of projects. It doesn’t get much better than this. Disasterpeace soundtrack = chef’s kiss. No idea what the seashell kindle / torch one of the backing character’s use is?
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Perfect Double Bill: Watcher (2022)
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Genuine modern horror classic.
The less said about Under The Silver Lake – a palpable pretentious waste of my time! One of the worst films I’d endured from a major talent, that is until Beau is Afraid!
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Confession: I really liked Silver Lake. But I can see how it could easily push the same wrong buttons as Beau / Inland Empire / Inherent Vice. Indulgent shaggy dog brain slappers.
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I trust Inherent Vice because Anderson doesn’t disappear around the pretentiousness turnpike. He was in control for f the material. Not my favourite of his.
I wonder if David Robert Mitchell had a Producer controlling the excess on It Follows? Guiding them with structure. One not present on Silver Lake?
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I think it was just a case of a splooge of ideas and a budget that gave deadly freedom. I do think whenever new voices like this are allowed to make wild, unwieldy swings like that as project number 3 or 4 then a sensible producer should at least have a modestly budgeted, marketable project number 4 or 5 lined up to start shooting directly after. Like how Looper saved Rian Johnson’s career…
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Sure, as long as the risk taking doesn’t bury their career.
Yeah, Looper was fantastic!
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