STRANGE DARLING - Movie Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ก.ย. 2024
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I particularly enjoyed the last 3 minutes of the movie. The cinematography was great, Fitzgerald's acting was great, and it was a very beautiful end to the movie that was appropriate to the rest of it.
She BETTER get award nominations. She was so good.
The fact Giovanni Ribisi did the cinematography in this is nuts lmao
WTF? I just spent 32 bucks on a Scott Baio jigsaw puzzle on EBay!
I will see this. Going cold. I will be back.
Imo, this is a stellar job of discussing a thoughtful film without giving away anything. I also was blown away by the intensity and range of Fitzgerald. So nice to discover new talent!
I work with Jt at his haunts in Las Vegas as his Director of Operations (Freakling Brother's Horror Shows) and I just saw this today. I'm still a bit in shock 8 hours later. SO GOOD. The car conversation was so real, the fears and desires, along with the negotiating and rules...
This movie is the anti-"Blink Twice," and that's a compliment
This girl is a sociopath, she is not 'hurt' in any typical fashion. Life is a series of power games and love is not even a possibility
It's worse than that. She's a psychopath.
Looks like someone’s been black pilled
Red Letter Media got me into Kyle Gallner flicks so I’m stoked to see this
Great film. Was totally blown away. The music and score were also important elements. I don’t think the movie would’ve been as effective without them.
Amazing review. Agree saw it yesterday and was blown away great acting and intense throughout. Loved it! Again love your reviews.
the director took a big swing with the subject matter in this movie. this is extremely brave filmmaking.
best movie of the year for me
I agree. Best movie of the year so far.
Bad year for movies.
I saw an early screening. I absolutely loved it! In my top three of the year so far!
I drove out of town and saw a Sesame Street-themed planetarium show at a museum and Strange Darling at the theater all in the same day-the best combination ever.
It's always gratifying when someone whom I hold in high esteem shares my opinion about a film!
I'll definitely check it out! Its always good to see you enjoy a film! Stay badass, much love! 😊❤
Stopped the video at 1:15. Will go watch the movie, then come back
yeah, me too 😅
Yes! That's exactly what I did when RLM put out their video on this movie the other day.
Well worth it.
Mommy has been in the psychiatric hospital since March 6, 2003, and there she will remain, until the end of time, with a piece of my soul. After watching your videos I have decided to give the rest of my soul to you. I’m proud to call you my new mommy ;)
Oh man for a split second I thought Maggie was reviewing the underrated masterpiece STRANGE DAYS from Katherine Bigelow
Going tonight at the one showing nearby. I stupidly watched a couple reviews, as I hadn't heard of the movie and didn't plan on going, but it still should be a great ride.
This...is..the...one!!!! Willa for an OSCAR!!!
I’m looking forward to rewatching this. I tend to find movies that use nonlinear storytelling to obscure PLOT to drop pretty significantly on rewatch.
Hopefully this one holds up. But yeah, super exhilarating. So well acted and has a great variety of set pieces and points of view.
I do find something lacking at its core tho. You mentioned how empty you found DONT BLINK to be.
I found that movie to be pretty substantial in its clear eyed rage and depictions while I found STRANGE DARLING to be (at least somewhat) obvious about its dog whistling about “you can’t believe ALL women.”
As a genre exercise it’s wonderful. But by reaching past the “love story” to be a story about this woman felt a bit off for me.
Loved the final shot. But this should have ended being a story about 2 ppl, not one person who has been routinely underestimated.
We’ll see when I finally see it again. I had issues, but even still, it’s a great ride.
EDIT: and you mentioned NOLAN with regards to time and nonlinear structure. I disagree with your take there.
Nolan uses it to put on the level with the ppl and thematics he’s exploring. This movie uses it to trick us into believing one thing until it ends up being another.
Which is far more empty in the long term IMO.
Agree wholeheartedly! My 2 favorite filmgoing experiences this year so far are Strange Darling and Furiosa. So enjoyed your breakdown and perspective!
I took a chance and saw this movie the day it came out while knowing nothing about it. And I’m so glad I did. I loved everything about it so much that I went to see it again a few days later. I feel like this movie was directed to be a likeness of both a Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan style. And I was also glad that there weren’t any big name movie stars playing the lead roles. In a movie like this, it can be too distracting. Willa Fitzgerald played her character perfectly. I felt every single emotion while watching her performance. She should definitely win some awards. Thank you for reviewing and happy you liked it too.
I can't not see Kyle Gallner as a dysfunctional, heart of gold, fantasy suburban rich kid chasing his dream of punk rock authenticity.
When Maggie said "[he] uses those elements almost like it's a gateway drug and that is going to open up into this whole area that maybe we're not used to exploring on the surface." That is when I suspected that Maggie liked this film. A few seconds later she says "I loved this movie"
The absolute best review of this DIAMOND of a movie on the internet. Yes, better than RedletterMedia’s. And Chris Stuckmann sucks.
Saw 2 minutes of your review and checked out the movie and thank you so much I know I can always trust you because i also LOVE this movie
Also agreed with the love story part it reminded me of my favourite love movie ever with the unsaid parts I didn't even have to think about it just felt it in my soul The actress gave my favourite performance I have seen in a long time Loved her
I think this is a type of movie that both normal and seasoned audiences can enjoy (though some people might not love the ending) It deserves to be a hit!
Need to check this one out! RLM also gave it a good review
Shouts from Australia! We need more intelligent film critics.
Im so happy you liked it - I also adored it. Can we talk about Willa Fitzgerald's perfromance?????? 😵
I personally felt like this film was a lot less subversive and interesting than was first led on by the interesting structure and shifting perspectives. I was expecting the plot and perspective to continually shift throughout, instead I was pretty accurately able to predict what was about to unfold from about the first 10 minutes or so (typically I'm not trying to guess where a film is going, but this one kind of invites that sort of speculation early on). It ultimately felt like a slight feminist spin on a Tarantino style grindhouse thriller, that failed to engage me in any significant way emotionally which meant the violence and chaos was lacking stakes and I really didn't have any particular investment in where the story was going. Seems I'm the odd one out on this one but it very much left me cold and even a little indifferent, despite admiring the admittedly great performances and the well calculated presentation/style.
I saw it yesterday evening. Ngl, was waiting to hear what you thought about it. 😅
I really liked this movie, and at same time recognize it's really hard to review without spoiling. Yes, go in blind for sure. It's a movie that plays on your expectations with a sort of poetic intention that's layers deep in ways I can't articulate very well without spoiling. That mixed time was very effective in telling the story the way it needed to be told.
You made me wanna watch this movie in the way you came alive talking about it. Will watch.
Excellent my favorite movie of the summer and it’s not even close . I knew very little about this movie hadn’t even seen a trailer , I just saw a snippet on IMDb which was basically the opening scene , saw that it had excellent critical notices and I was all in , beautifully shot and impeccably acted , intense from start to finish morally ambiguous especially towards the end great stuff ,can’t recommend it enough
I loved the movie but very happy to see DFL liked it so much as well. Willa was absolutely phenomenal.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
After just 1 viewing of this film at a matinee last Sunday, I'm already positive that this will in my 2024 top 10 list.
I'm not watching it again until this weekend because since last Sunday evening, I've been going to the Harry Potter film series rerun, so my evening slots are booked already!
This my why your not just one of my top fav movie reviewed but why your just one of these period. So experienced, thoughtful, mature, intelligent and uniquely awesome period.
OK so I've been repeating the same comment again and again from the last year.
Please watch and review Ship of Theseus. It is a very philosophical, subtle and thought provoking movie about the meaning of life. It is available free on TH-cam with subtitles.
I'll still be upset with the Indian jury for not submitting this film as the official entry to the Academy Awards. They gave it the National Film Award (the highest honor in India), but didn't send it to the Oscars. Or perhaps the 50% non-English rule was a factor-I’m not sure.
Maggie didn’t watch much Indian content, but believe me, we have some of the finest cinema.
I think it's speaking about the evolving modern male-female relationship power dynamic. If I may, the presentation of consent was a red herring for maybe a more common and honest representation of interactions of men and women today. Without the violence lol. I went in cold, and loved it, I couldn't wait for the next scene. Film of year for me.
If anyone is interested in watching the movie, I would suggest going in as blind as possible. Then come back of course :)
Totally agree with you that it’s very Tarantino-esque. Best twists and turns in a film I’ve seen this year and very good use of Chekov’s guns. And I loved how once the mid movie reveal happens, it completely changed how I viewed and felt about the movie up till that point (in the best way). The choice to tell the story’s chapters out of sequence was such a good one.
It’s one of my favorites of the last few years!
nice and its on less than 2 hours! sounds like a winner.
Only 10pm showing at my theatre. Definitely going this weekend
I responded to a buddy on Twitter about the movie and JT jumped in the convo lol. Super nice guy. I liked the movie. I just knew what he was doing right away, like within 10 min I figured it out, so every new surprise was something I saw coming.
I rarely seen you this excited over a movie, now I got to check this one out 👍🏿
I was waiting for this review because I knew you would love this film. It was incredible.
i'm not completely sold on the plot, but i loved the lurid look of this movie. there were some incredible setpieces in it. and willa fitzgerald's performance was astounding.
This one shot straight into my top 5 of the year. Really stoked to see how i react to it after a second view
Ahhh! Excited to see this on Saturday. Willa Fitzgerald is absolutely one to watch. She was terrific on the not-very-good Scream MTV series, and even better in the very good Fall of the House of Usher series. (Also, I just love Kyle Gallner in anything...)
Really strong movie. It's got a great feel to it. It has a Me Myself and Irene quality in those Hotel bedroom scenes. And for my taste, one the best movie endings of all time. This woman's performance is a revelation. I agree.
This might be one of the only truly nuanced takes on male and female sexual politics I've seen in a very long time, and definitely the first I've seen made in the last decade. It also goes to show that if every time this kind of story gets told but only from a certain, culturally approved point of view, that movies like this can become so predictable. This movie had me guessing every time the chapter changed until the very last scene of the movie. Probably the best movie of the year thus far.
This film is incredible.
I am extremely excited for this movie. Seen no trailers for it
Great review and I could not agree more. Already saw it twice and will be seeing it again. As you said it’s a movie.
Sounds interesting enough to seek out when available to me. I see Giovanni Ribisi handled the cinematography; always liked him, he was excellent in Tykwer’s “Heaven” for example.
Love the movie. Thanks! BTW what is your name? I have watched you for years and do not recall you telling us your name.
The Lady Reviewer
Enjoyed this film, but it felt a lot more like a well-executed directing exercise than a fully fledged film (story was only in the set-up, and not developed further in the action.) Stylewise, not quite grindhouse, not quite arthouse, but a precarious balance - it definitely felt like the director was full in control. Would love to see the director do a real script - think Mollner would have a made much, much better Longlegs.
I loved this movie too! Thank you for your articulate thoughts, you described it well. I give it 5, but I saw a BUNCH of 1/2 star reviews calling it misogynist on LB and i thought i was going crazy!
The movie was A+ really enjoyed it
I didn't think anything was gonna top Zone of Interest for my #1 but here we are, this movie was FANTASTIC & my new #1 of 2024
Good movie it is captivating. Agree with not looking it up just go see it, thats how i went.
I did feel the ending with lingering on the one character riding in the truck was excessive.
I agree. This movie was great. I saw the Q&A and Giovanni Robisi was the DP. Which was another element to the atorytelling. The male lead was supposed to be in my film. Nice guy. Very quiet in real life
Giovanni Ribisi is a cinematographer as well? I never knew that.
@@mabusestestament It's his first feature.
@@FritzTheCat_1030
But apparently he’s also a cinematographer, at least for this movie, that’s pretty nice to hear🍻
i think the film would’ve been a lot better if there was more ambiguity… there is no ambiguity with her character, she’s just a psychopath.. there’s no hint of a troubled past or misplaced revenge.. they could’ve had her turn AFTER seeing he was a cop, maybe hinting that she had been abused by a cop, and his character could’ve maybe pushed beyond what was agreed to to make it seem like it triggered her.. it was simply ‘good [horny] cop’ vs ‘psycho chick’ and i didn’t see the depths at all other than in the performances themselves.. they were given nothing in the script to work to make it more than the surface level
I'm not sure how you ruled out past trauma turning her into a sociopath. It might have been just mental illness making her see some people as demons, or intense trauma.
My favourite enigma... That's you and not the flicks.
While both _Blink Twice_ and _Strange Darling_ are shot beautifully (I saw both as a double feature 2 weekends ago on the basis of their _seemingly_ similar broad gender themes), SD is clearly the far superior film IMO. While its plot is deceptively simple, the strategic nonlinear arrangement of its 6 chapters is both a clever story device and a masterclass on deceptive framing. And the final scene? OMG. Just it by itself is worth the price of admission.
BT, like with _Longlegs_, comes off as the director being too impressed with their own technical abilities and forgetting to craft a coherent story.
Its so Shakespeare esque the way the tables keep turning
I absolutely loved this movie. I’m so glad you reviewed this.
Absolutely loved this movie. Been a long time since ive rated something 10/10. The way the story was told was mind blowing, going in blind had me so tense the whole movie. Soundtrack was great and loved the lynch vibes throughout!
Haven't seen this review yet. I loved the movie. Loved the performances, especially the lead lady. Now let's see if we agree.
00:39 yuh!
Edit2: also, the ending of the movie. The last 3-4 minutes. Goddamn.
i hated the non linear aspect of it but it’s just a pet peeve - it’s kind of necessary to avoid spoiling itself though
Is this the first movie you've "LOVED"? I haven't seen you so enthusiastic about a film in a long while. I thought it was amazing.... I love Kyle Galner and Willa Fitzgerald in this.
I appreciate your review, but hated this film. The music and cinematography didn't work for me (tons of shots out of focus and neon lighting is imo overused) and the fact that they had a title card that stated "Shot entirely on 35mm" came off as extremely pretentious. I was never on edge. Kyle Gallner still on top though
I’ll never understand why people get triggered on the 35MM title card? The DP and Director/Writer have an obvious love for a dying art form in actual film. They wanted to make people know that film as in 35MM is still relevant.
This movie is great! I totally agree
Went and saw it this morning. I loved it! I felt like I was watching a lost film from the 90’s. I suggest to everyone who is interested in it go in as blind as possible.
Good movie. Not great. It pulled punches a bit. For the topic and events : kinda sterile. In 1997 it would have had some nudity and grit. I felt modern sensibilities were on display.
People are over praising it a bit because it's type is a rarity these days.
Still enjoyable and original.
I loved this film too and was fully immersed from start to finish.
SPOILERS AHEAD: This movie explores the dangers of dating for women and turns this notion on its head. I also don't normally enjoy non-linear narratives, but the fact the chapters are out of order makes the plot twist that more satisfying. Like other films about female serial killers, such as Titane and Pearl, I found The Lady's character complex but not likable (although I will admit Pearl was very charismatic). By the end, I wanted the Lady to get her comeuppance and for the Demon to get a better ending.
I kind of felt the same, but on a second watch I actually had much more empathy for her.
Maggie did you see Sanctuary or Crum Catcher? Both could be part of a boxed set with this film.
I loved this movie! When it ended I was just like, “yes!”
Pistachio - an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period.
Hi there @deepfocuslens I watched your review for the movie first one minute in the morning and then immediately purchased a ticket for the movie and watched it 3 hours ago , it was one of the best movie of the year for me , great acting , great cinematography, great directing… Thank you for your review, if I did not watch your review i would not go this movie …
We've had this, Trap and Longlegs when it comes to serial killer characters 😍🔪
You just needed 50 seconds to convince me that the film's worth seeing. And mentioning David Lynch a few seconds later...count me in.😉(Wish I could watch Twin Peaks or Mulholland Drive again for the first time...)
Tbh, it felt like a debut feature to me.
If it were a debut I would praise it. More. It was a mixed bag for me. Moments were great and moments felt like a student film.
"Maybe he deals drugs on the side" ... Hey ladies!
If Tarantino visted Twin Peaks with Blue Velvet and had a baby.
I’m really surprised to hear for your love of this film. From a performance and filmmaking perspective I felt it was very strong. However, the plot felt like a one trick pony and once it reveals its twist the movie goes steeply downhill for me. Particularly the end police rescue scene felt half baked and cringeworthy. Spoilers ahead: the whole twist felt like it was catering to the fears of the far right that we really shouldn’t trust women. They are depicted as either, naive, stupid, or downright evil. Not having any real background on the characters here really made the film suffer and the whole “sometimes I see devils” bit feels overdone and lacking any complexity I really needed to have any sympathy for this protagonist. Anyway, I get the comparisons to Tarantino and some scenes really work for me. The breakfast scene with the hippies was particularly enjoyable, too bad those characters didn’t get more screen time.
To single out this moment as a minor flaw in an otherwise praised review is telling of an inherent bias. This reveals a deeper bias, where our societal expectations of nurturing and sympathy override professional duty and logical assessment. The fact that many people take issue with this scene points to its provocative nature, which starkly illustrates a dichotomy between patriarchal duty (protecting and upholding logic and responsibility) and matriarchal compassion (caring and trusting in perceived innocence). This scene subverts expectations of who is a victim and who is an aggressor. By showing a woman, who has staged herself to look like a victim, actually being the perpetrator, the film dares to question the validity of those gut instincts society has trained us to have. It forces us all to confront the idea that our inherent biases, particularly around gender, may not always be accurate. In the context of broader societal conversations about trust, gender roles, and justice, the scene feels particularly relevant but also uncomfortable for those of us who don’t want to confront such biases.
I get your point but I didn’t find the scene provocative in any way. I felt it was predictable. The female cop is supposed to be like you were at the beginning of the movie. By this scene, what the movie was trying to do was already done, making it feel superfluous and heavy handed. If I knew more about the characters/cared what happened to them I might have been able to buy in. I singled this scene out because the trick of the movie had already been revealed and I was left with nothing to care about.
Yeah. THANK YOU
I love it how you have the watchmen comic book standing on it’s place now for eight years!
Definetly a piece that belongs in the channel now
No mention of the lead actor?
I hated Longlegs, so when I saw the “Thriller in 6 Chapters” title card, I almost felt like walking out lol. But I’m glad I stuck with the movie because I absolutely loved it too
Yeah, at first I was like what the hell is with all of this jumping around with chapters but then it all makes sense
Yeah within a month I’ve watched Longlegs, Cuckoo, and this film. I disliked Longlegs but it’ll take a second viewing to see if I like this or Cuckoo more but probably this one
Interstellar is by far the greatest movie ever made. People who only watch Marvel don’t understand because they aren’t artsy enough.
Ho-wow - I'm sold!
It will be released on 6th September in India; I will watch it for sure.
Not Released in my state. Movie distribution is annoying in India.
Haven't seen this yet
6.5/10......All style no substance. Went in blind and walked out thinking it was another film of 2024 that I will forget. There are elements that were good but overall it was a little better than average
Naked by Mike Leigh 👉🏻👈🏻