Bone Korine-n-Harmony
StokerÂ
Bram Flakey
Official Website | Trailers & Mo
R | 98 min
Korean director Chan-wook Park has given in and giving filmmaking the ole Hollywood try.  The Oldboy (not Old Joy) dynamo (or so we hear, since we’ve never seen one of his movies) takes a script by Wentworth Miller (yes, that Wentworth Miller) and hands in something that’s notable, but not really that noteworthy.  What does that mean?  Zero idea, but we also kinda sorta have zero idea what to make of the result – Stoker
Stoker is about a mother (Nicole Kidman) and a daughter (Mia Wasikowska) trying to move on after their hubby/daddy (Dermot Mulroney) dies in a mysterious car accident.  Out of nowhere comes his dashing brother (Matthew Goode), who’s more into flirting than grieving.  He has eyes & designs on both ladies (the mother’s game, the daughter’s glum), and a wide perma-smile that spells something fishy.  So what happens?  Moody moodness, lovely cinematography and editing, some pop-ins from Alden Ehrenreich and Jacki Weaver, and not much else.  There’s a reveal towards the end, but it’s not too revealing, and then some stuff happens, and then something else happens, which doesn’t seem to jive with anything, and then the movie ends, and I was like, whaaat?  And then I was like OK, well, whatever, nevermind
Acting Up: for some reason Harmony Korine plays an art teacher in Stoker, and has about 8 seconds of screen time.  This isn’t Korine’s first acting rodeo.  Lettuce take a look at all of Harmony’s harmonic screen appearances!!!
Club Kid in 1995’s Kids (he co-wrote the script)
Boy on Couch and is own Gummo, 1997
Jerve in 1997’s Good Will Hunting
Guy in Club in 2005’s Last Days
Hervé in his own unwatchable Trash Humpers, 2009
Verdictgo: high endish Sum Merit But No Stinkin Badges
Stoker is stroking it in limited release
and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…
So Tell Me Again, Why Did You Have To Die? Part III
this year’s theme – PAIRS!*