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stuffp
Keeping it Light
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2015 8:06 am Posts: 11240 Location: Bright Falls
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Hereditary
Quote: Hereditary is a 2018 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Ari Aster, in his feature directorial debut. It stars Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, and Gabriel Byrne, and follows a family that begins to be haunted following the death of their reclusive grandmother. The film premiered on January 21, 2018 at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight section.
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Fri Jun 08, 2018 12:43 am |
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
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Re: Hereditary
This is a very fine horror film—with intense acting, handsome photography, and a somberly foreboding tone—but it falls ever so slightly short of the majesty to which it aspires. Toni Collette is its chief asset. Always a welcome presence in a film, she is truly firing on every cylinder here, committing body and soul to portraying her character's increasing emotional disorientation and frenzy. It is a big, bold, ravenous, and convincing piece of high-wire acting (and nicely complemented by an understated Gabriel Byrne as her character's gently skeptical, levelheaded, sleepy-eyed husband). The film in general is clearly made with formal intelligence and care, highlighted by its staunch, art-house-friendly favoring of slowly burning tension to fleeting and manufactured jolts, but its end game is slightly deflating (I almost want to call it Paranormal Activity 3 for the uptown set). It is a fairly familiar denouement ( gasp, the curiously solicitous new friend is part of a sinister coven...cue the ritual with flames and nude flesh...etc. ), and other films have traversed similar ground more successfully. And on a certain hard-to-pinpoint x-factor level, it is not as frightening as I hoped, though there are definitely distinct moments of ghoulish surprise and subtly executed dread.
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Fri Jun 08, 2018 1:13 am |
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Magic Mike
Wallflower
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:53 am Posts: 34876 Location: Minnesota
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Re: Hereditary
This is a fantastic horror film. Those who like their horror of the jump-scare variety will be disappointed. I really didn't even find it scary. That's not saying much because horror movies never scare me but I don't see people who do get scared finding it scary either. But there are definitely some creepy moments. If you are looking for a fast-paced, thrill-a-minute ride I'd look elsewhere. But I was never once bored. This is an incredibly engrossing film. I was actually interested in these characters. Especially Collette's. This is, first and foremost, a dark family drama before it veers into horror territory. Toni Collette is absolutely brilliant in this film. She has to go through so many emotions and I was wowed by her. It will be a grave injustice if she misses out on an Oscar nomination. I cannot even imagine seeing a better performance this year. There's a dinner scene that had me riveted. She's well-matched by Alex Wolff. He's incredible here.
Go into this one knowing as little as possible. Something happens maybe 35 minutes in that left my mouth agape for a couple minutes. How this didn't get spoiled for me I don't know but I am so glad it didn't. Did not expect that.
I will say it's really not inaccessible to a mainstream audience. If it had an upbeat ending I honestly think audiences would like it. But the downer ending will ruin it for those who need a happy ending. Still, it's not going to be hated like something like It Comes At Night.
My only small issue is the finale could have been longer. I don't have a problem with where the ending goes but feel it could have been drawn out more and the execution of it lacked a little something. Still, this is indeed an instant classic of the horror genre. Can't wait to see it again.
9/10 (A)
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Fri Jun 08, 2018 2:15 am |
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Malcolm
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Re: Hereditary
Yeah...this was awful.
It is lost on me what was so "scary" about this POS. Lots of creepy noises/reflections/movements/etc don't make watching a bunch of glum, silent, sad people interesting. Sure, *technically* it is a well-made movie but aside from people involved knowing how to make a movie I'm lost as to what about this garbage story needed to be told. There was nothing interesting about the plot, which seems to me like it's been done to death--secretive family figure(s) turns out to be member of cult, other "friendlies" turn out to be worshipers, and the protagonists are all dead/possessed by the end. How surprising...
And to say the ending should have been *longer* sounds just horrific. Was the five minute shot of the possessed son's face as random cult members chant whatever-the-fuck not lengthy enough? What a waste of time. It simply felt like such misery porn coupled with cult conspiracy nonsense, nothing new to see here.
At least I know other movies from this writer/director can easily be skipped.
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Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:50 pm |
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thompsoncory
Rachel McAdams Fan
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:13 am Posts: 14544 Location: LA / NYC
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Re: Hereditary
Fantastic. Toni Collette is absolutely stupendous and the ending legitimately freaked me out. A
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Sat Jun 09, 2018 9:49 pm |
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j_forest23
Star Trek XI
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2016 4:16 pm Posts: 386
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Re: Hereditary
This was fucking amazing, and Toni Collette and Alex Wolff give some of the best acting jobs I’ve seen in a horror movie ever. Collete should be on her way to an Oscar nomination.
Believe the hype.
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Sun Jun 10, 2018 12:36 am |
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Jiffy
Forum General
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2004 2:27 pm Posts: 6145 Location: New York
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Re: Hereditary
I second Magnus on this one.
I loled at Peter's sobbing during the seance scene.
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Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:07 pm |
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Flava'd vs The World
The Kramer
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am Posts: 23908 Location: Classified
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Re: Hereditary
Meh. I was with it for awhile, the production and acting are mostly great, but the ending kinda ruins it. If ever there were a time to pull a “all the spooky stuff was just in their heads” twist it was in Hereditary. Cause up until the last shots, everything can be explained away by grief causing unreliable narration.
As is, the movie feels kinda pointless. Did I really need to see a child get decapitated just to get back to the same ole “satanists win the day” ending? Can’t we get there without a rotting severed head? Wouldn’t a better climax have been Toni Collete believing she needed to kill her son to save the world? It would be so much more personal and powerful; a statement on grief, mental illness and what it takes to be a good parent in the face of adversity. Exactly what Hereditary wants to be - the smart horror movie. As is, its just a slow horror movie.
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Wed Jun 13, 2018 12:16 pm |
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Magic Mike
Wallflower
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:53 am Posts: 34876 Location: Minnesota
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Re: Hereditary
I will agree that the ending could have been stronger. Something more hard-hitting. But everything else was so terrific and enjoyable that I can't really fault it.
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Fri Jun 15, 2018 8:24 pm |
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nghtvsn
Extraordinary
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:13 pm Posts: 11015 Location: Warren Theatre Oklahoma
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Re: Hereditary
HEREDITARY
Overall, I liked the film and mythology they created. I like the paranormal type of film like this and it had some interesting moments throughout the film that I liked such as the sudden death of the girl, the seance with the family, the burning of the book and the last bit with the possessed mother. I thought the cast was good and gave good performances though Byrne was the any person could have played role for the film. I think the film could have used a bit more scare moments or supernatural moments. I'll probably get this on blu ray and hopefully it has an interesting commentary track.
Grade - B
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Tue Jun 19, 2018 9:42 am |
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Dil
Forum General
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:48 pm Posts: 8942 Location: Houston, Texas
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Re: Hereditary
Man what a silly fucking movie. First off, I really wanted to like this and for about the first 20 minutes or so I was hooked. This movie was actually doing a decent job building up the tension and I will admit that this director definitely has an eye for making some really cool camera shots, but as soon as the daughter died it all kind of went downhill from there for me. The way these characters are written and how they react to the situation at hand felt so unrealistic IMO. Gabriel Byrne's character is probably the only one that had any sense and honestly the only character I truly felt any kind of sympathy for. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Toni Collette's character or Alex Wolff's character as I found both to be pretty damn unlikable and insufferable at times. I've seen Toni Collette be really good in other stuff, but here I thought her performance was all over the fucking place. Sometimes she was great in the dramatic scenes and other times she was just over the top.
I haven't seen Alex Wolff in many things, but he was also pretty terrible in this. I didn't mind him at first, but when he actually has to show emotion I thought his crying bits were awful. For the entire second half and third act of this movie I was laughing my ass off at the crazy shit I was seeing and I'm pretty sure it was all unintentional. I never found this movie to be the least bit scary and any kind of tension that had been effectively built up was entirely gone to me. I will say though that at least I was thoroughly entertained, so I can't say it's all bullshit or was a complete waste of time.
C
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Wed Aug 22, 2018 9:24 am |
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Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
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Re: Hereditary
I liked what this movie built till the end which was great in its own but slightly disappointing. If you want to twist better go with a great one. Collette was great in this and is equally matched by Byrne though his character is not given much. Wolffe was hit and miss but overall not bad. I loved all those doll house scenes as well but the ending needed a bigger punch for it to really land.
7/10
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Thu Sep 06, 2018 1:33 am |
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Jack Sparrow
KJ's Leading Idiot
Joined: Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:15 pm Posts: 36923
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Re: Hereditary
Malcolm wrote: misery porn
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Thu Sep 06, 2018 1:34 am |
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Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67125
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Re: Hereditary
Fucking hell. Tense stuff. It's not perfect. Some things are are not good, such as Peter being a little bitch, steering to avoid a dead rabbit that he could have driven over and it wouldn't have even touched the undercarriage of the car, and the very end ... but other than those things it is an absolutely absorbing, nerve-racking chiller. My hands were locked in a clasp for the entire second half of the film. Surprisingly, though, no sweaty palms. It positions itself in a fine area of horror where it is not necessarily scary but it raises anxiety levels through the roof. Performance-wise, Collette is fine but a tad overacted, and her character is annoying. But I was actually most impressed with Gabriel Byrne and Ann Dowd. A-
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Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:01 pm |
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Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm Posts: 67125
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Re: Hereditary
Jack Sparrow wrote: the ending needed a bigger punch for it to really land. I agree with this. Although still an ok ending, the build up required more than we were given.
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Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:06 pm |
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Flava'd vs The World
The Kramer
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am Posts: 23908 Location: Classified
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Re: Hereditary
I don't think When Evil Lurks deserves its own thread, but it did convince me that Hereditary has had a negative effect on the genre. Everyone is so concerned about being seen as so super smart instead of just embracing the things that make horror films great. Elevated horrors and oscar bait films are not really all that different anymore. They tell me that they are intellectual art and that I am obviously so very smart for choosing to watch them, but then they show me absolutely nothing.
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Sat Oct 28, 2023 2:50 pm |
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