Before I get into my actual thoughts on the film, allow me to digress a bit. It seems important to note the circumstances at which I came to watch it (also I just want to talk about it, it’s my blog, you can’t tell me what to do wah wah cry me a river and such).
Prior to this weekend I had always held a small stigma towards going to the movie theater alone. Whether it was the fact that I had just never done it before or the fact that I was in my hometown and going out in public in your hometown two years after moving away always carries a stigma; I’m still not sure. Regardless, it’s something I always went about with hesitation until this past Saturday. I thought, “None of my friends are home and I need a review. Let’s just do this.” So I did. I hopped right into my car and headed for the theater for a nice 3:10 PM showing of the hot new horror film of the moment, You’re Next.
I was alone. More alone than my intention. There was literally no one else in the pitch dark theater with me to see the hot new horror film of the moment.
There’s so many different dynamics when it comes to watching movies and much of it depends on who you are with. When I’m alone at home, I am extremely more personally invested in the film than I am when others are around. I scream, I yell, I scold the characters because yes of course they can hear what I’m saying. This behavior transferred into my massive lonely black box of a theater, and allowed me what might have been the most interactive (for lack of a better word) experience at a movie theater in my life. Who knew. But enough about me.
You’re Next is a long time coming. Despite premiering at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival, it has not gotten a wide release until this past weekend. Directed by Adam Wingard, it’s one of the first few mainstream debuts of a long standing but still emerging genre called mumblecore. Another mumblecore film out in the current end-of-August movie lineup is Drinking Buddies, dir. Joe Swanberg (who also plays a role in You’re Next as the douchetastic older brother of the protagonist’s boyfriend). For those who don’t know, mumblecore is based on a system of low production values, and a reliance of naturalistic dialog and in some cases improvisation to move the story forward. In other words, it has a keep-it-simple-stupid approach to filmmaking that I’m quickly growing to love in a world full of cinematic structure and frivolity.
In the past few years I’ve found myself a bit disillusioned with the entire horror genre. Lots of reliance on exposition and inventive concepts, not a lot of zest. I got my scares in the form of cheap jumps at the screen which also happened when I watch the tiger leap at the screen in Life of Pi, and why in the hell would you want your horror movie compared to Life of Pi? You’re Next sucks me right in with the suspense and faceless horrors that I want and need. I don’t need to know every detail about these characters before the monsters come out to play; I can see exactly who they are by the way the monsters scare them. It scared the ever loving shit out of me not because of cheap leaps at the screen but because of smart twists and turns that move the story forward and allow me to learn about these people all wrapped up into a neat, bloody, gooey package. That’s what makes You’re Next so wonderful. That’s exactly why you should go see it.
P.S. I've been debating if I should set up some kind of points or ratings system for the films at the end of my review. On one hand, it would be a nice way to wrap things up and simplify all the previous word vomit I had to put you through. On the other hand, I feel like so many factors can go into the rating of a film and it would seem unfair to stick such a complex object on a 1-10 scale or the equivalent.
If you have any ideas or advice regarding this matter, feel free to leave it in the comments. OR, if you don't have a Google+ account, reach me at my Tumblr blog or Twitter if you have any of those.
No that wasn't a shameless plug for you to follow me socially what the heck is wrong with you.
P.S. I've been debating if I should set up some kind of points or ratings system for the films at the end of my review. On one hand, it would be a nice way to wrap things up and simplify all the previous word vomit I had to put you through. On the other hand, I feel like so many factors can go into the rating of a film and it would seem unfair to stick such a complex object on a 1-10 scale or the equivalent.
If you have any ideas or advice regarding this matter, feel free to leave it in the comments. OR, if you don't have a Google+ account, reach me at my Tumblr blog or Twitter if you have any of those.
No that wasn't a shameless plug for you to follow me socially what the heck is wrong with you.
Hi. I find your "word vomit" rather palatable. =^) My son and I enjoyed this movie. For me I have one actual complaint about it. I feel that it would have been twice as good if the kind of droll explanation had been vaguely alluded to at best, rather than being thoroughly spelled out, and especially as it was done so early into the film. I feel that it would have been far more powerful never to know with any certainty what the hell the reason is for these freaks in animal masks to be attacking. Mike and everything.
ReplyDelete