X

 Mia Goth     Jenna Ortega     Brittany Snow     

Kid Cudi     Martin Henderson     Owen Campbell

            X is quite the horror show, but a lot like the usual porn movie too.  An ambitious Texan from Houston, Wayne (Henderson) has big dreams of becoming a major filmmaker.  He recruits a committed independent film cinematographer named RJ (Campbell) to shoot and direct a movie they’ll call “The Farmer’s Daughters.”  Wayne has in mind to revolutionize the porn industry and get everyone to be more comfortable with sex.   The two head out in a van with RJ’s girlfriend Lorraine (Ortega), Wayne’s fiancé Maxine (Goth), and two of Wayne’s porn stars, Bobby-Lynne (Snow) and Jackson (Cudi).  One gets the impression that his “business” (and he emphasizes that “it is a business”) is a brothel.

            As the plot thickens, it becomes clear that members of the group (except for RJ and Lorraine) have very liberal views about sex, and when Lorraine voices some religious concerns, the group tries to open her up to thinking a different way.  The trouble comes when Lorraine starts softening to the idea, which startles RJ. He’s not ready for that.  His sole aim is to make an indie film; not a porn flick.  What follows is what happens in slasher movies like Chainsaw Massacre when the farmer and his wife’s spying informs the two of them about what the group is up to.

            Although as I said, the film is very much like your usual porn fare (set-ups, script), it does have some interesting and thoughtful characteristics.  For instance, it’s good at foreshadowing; a woman staring out or into a window, an evangelist on television preaching about sexual morality, dead bloody cows in the road run over by traffic, and a close-up of a chicken as the group pulls up to the farm/ranch house (this brought up chuckles in the audience), where Wayne hopes to film his movie.  He wants to use a small house on the property as a set as well as a place for the group to stay.

            Beyond the foreshadowing, I’m not sure about the editing; in particular, the technique of starting a scene with one set of characters but concluding it with another set of characters. Is this artistry or simply a cheap magician trick?  It bothered me several times while watching this film.

            Another interesting observation I had—and I don’t know whether the filmmakers were conscious of it when they included it—was that the horror the audience seemed to experience at seeing an old woman’s desiccated body and her using it for seduction was as great or greater than all the blood and gore in the rest of the story.  I found this very amusing.

            Mia Goth is known for her roles in previous horror/sci-fi/adventure films, and she is good here as an ambitious “nobody”, aspiring to stardom.  She and Henderson pair together well as a couple.  As a sexy blonde, Brittany Snow provides much of the light and glamourous sides of the story.  Kid Cudi—a producer as well as an actor—serves as believable stud in the cast.  Jenna Ortega is able to pull off a naïve but smart character who is open to change, and Owen Campbell’s acting skills are shown in his championing indie films and his surprise and huffiness when his girlfriend, in his mind, betrays him.

            Writer/director Ti West has made a name for himself in the horror/thriller genre (The Innkeepers, The Sacrament) and uses any of the standard tropes here, e.g., a person going down into a dark cellar, near misses for a character almost getting destroyed, characters looking for someone in a mystical forest, and hovering figures that become ominous.  By mixing together horror and something akin to advocating for porn, West may be testing the limits of the genre, although it is not unique in that respect.  X might be considered an “erotic-horror film” a la James Hancock’s conceptualization in his article https://wrongreel.com/top-10-erotic-horror-films/ or perhaps “a horror movie…that is basically porn” (https://thecinemaholic.com/horror-movies-that-are-basically-porn/).  The title itself does suggest it will be racy.

 

Fans of horror movies are likely to find this movie appealing, although its advocacy for porn is rather bold and may be offensive to some.  

 

Grade:  C                              By Donna R. Copeland

EMMA

Anya Taylor-Joy     Tanya Reynolds     Josh O’Connor     Bill Nighy     Johnny Flynn

Mia Goth     Miranda Hart     Gemma Whelan     Rupert Graves     Amber Anderson     Callum Turner

     Based on a novel by Jane Austen and set in the nineteenth century in England, Emma. is a view mostly of the upper class. The character Emma (Taylor-Joy) embodies the period as a highly admired lady of the town who has been so indulged she comes across as superficial and vain.  Yet she fancies herself such a good judge of others’ character, she rushes into matching her friends up with one another.  Not only does she introduce them, but takes an active role in furthering their romantic relationships.  

     As one would expect, Emma makes some fateful mistakes along the way, misjudging who will be with whom.  Much of the story plays out like an English country dance with constantly changing partners.  That is, we see presumed partners through Emma’s eyes—until reality overcomes fantasy and all is settled in the end.  The one most surprised will be Emma herself.

     Emma. is so well cast, it becomes the film’s strongest asset, helping keep such a mannered story from becoming rather boring to the modern eye.  Taylor-Joy is beautiful and captures Emma’s personality in its mixture of well-intentioned kindness and condescension that stems from over-protection and indulgence.  Still, she maintains an aura of authority in her role as mistress of her father’s house.  

     Co-starring with Taylor-Joy is Johnny Flynn (as George Knightley), the epitome of a gentleman.  Knightley owns a manor brimming with fine art, but is sensitive and always kind and merciful. A neighbor and in-law of Emma and her father, he sees them daily and is Emma’s only critic.  Flynn is perfect for the role in his looks (not so handsome he becomes suspect) and his low-key, personable manner.

     Other prominent roles are carried by Mia Goth as Harriet, a naïve young woman Emma has decided to take under her wing to “make a lady” of her; Rupert Graves (as Mr. Weston) is an appealing “Mr. Nice Guy”, who is social and charming; Bill Nighy as Emma’s hypochondriacal father proves again his effectiveness in being a character actor; and Amber Anderson as the mysterious Jane Fairfax attracts the eye and plays the piano with flourish (Anderson is an accomplished pianist as well as an actor).

     For me, the music provided by David Schweitzer and Isobel Waller-Bridge (composer for “Fleabag” and sister of Phoebe Waller-Bridge) is a high point, coming in unexpectedly at times, religious choral music at other times, and lyrically sweet songs, such as the duet by Jane Fairfax and Johnny Flynn, “The Last Rose of Summer.”  

     I don’t think we really needed another remake of Emma, but director Autumn de Wilde and screenwriter Eleanor Catton have produced a worthy rendition of the Jane Austen classic.  Lovers of Austen’s work will likely be pleased with this update.  Others will not be so impressed.

Emma. is worthy of your attention if you are drawn to period pieces.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

SUSPIRIA

Dakota Johnson     Tilda Swinton     Chloe Grace Moretz

Angela Winkler     Elena Fokina     Mia Goth     Jessica Harper

     Cumulative symbolism throughout this film overshadows the potentially interesting narrative.  Early on, we get scenes from 1977 Berlin when the Baader-Meinhof group is clashing with police in robberies, kidnapping, and assassinations; and Lufthansa flight 181 is highjacked to secure the release of Red Army Faction prisoners.  

     Soon after, we observe a young woman desperate to see her therapist banging on his door and incoherently reporting on strange events she has observed at her ballet academy.  He regards her as delusional, but later learns that she has been found missing, which is troubling to him, a man grieving for his wife, who has also disappeared during the political conflict.

     The connection between these events and the subsequent story about a coven of witches within the ballet academy will be puzzling to most viewers, although in broad terms, they all seem to relate to the film’s title, Suspiria, a Latin term meaning “sighs from the depths.”  Perhaps it all has to do with the suffering that occurs among lower figures in a hierarchy as a function of the struggles for power among leaders, something that can occur at state levels on down to performance academies. Importantly, sacrifice always seems to be involved.

     Within the ballet academy, the primary setting for the drama, lead dancers are getting freaked out by suspicious events occurring behind the rooms that are open to the dancers.  It’s surprising when a newcomer arrives for her audition and so impresses the academy staff, she is immediately awarded a lead role.  This is Susie (Johnson) who, despite being warned about dangers, maintains an air of self-assurance and aplomb.  The horror aspect of the film is gradually ramped up as it becomes more and more evident that the occult with violent manifestations is involved.

      The numerous dance scenes in general are very exciting (beautifully choreographed by Damien Jalet), the most artistic and dramatically successfully being when a soloist’s percussive, aggressive movements are cross-cut with scenes of another dancer being mutilated and killed by actions and movements that mirror the soloist’s.  On the other hand, as good as the final dance performance is, it is extended far too long in an agonizing way.

     Luca Guadagnino’s transition from last year’s romantic Call Me By Your Name to the political horror story of Suspiria is taking many by surprise.  It’s receiving mixed reviews and reactions, partly because of its artsy, intellectual nature, I think.  It would perhaps have been much better if Guadagnino had omitted the political references in the beginning, and focused only on the intrigues at the ballet academy.  That would also trim the film down from its lengthy 2½ hours. It’s much too long, especially as the final dance scene seems to go on forever.  

     This is probably Dakota Johnson’s best performance and biggest role in her career.  She is especially to be praised for executing all her dance scenes, using a double only about 10 percent of the time.  But beyond this, she captures the complex personality of Susie, a Mennonite from Ohio whose confidence in herself is up to that of a seasoned ballet student from New York, and yet she’s able to earn the goodwill and respect of her fellow dancers and teachers.  

     Tilda Swinton inevitably stuns with her ability to become any character in a drama, whether male or female, young or old.  Here, she is well suited for the role of the high-minded artistic director of the academy, the compassionate older male psychiatrist, and the hideously formed leader of the coven, Helena Markos.  

        Filmed by Guadagnino’s cinematographer for Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria is likewise a cinematic work of art.  

Heavy symbolism overshadows the plot about strange happenings in a ballet company.

Grade:  B-                               By Donna R. Copeland