Dir - Lee Cronin
Overall: MEH
Adhering to a large number of generic checkmarks, (too many in fact), the full-length debut from Dublin-born filmmaker Lee Cronin The Hole in the Ground is another where a single mother and her quiet son move into a huge, isolated house in a small town, a doctor prescribes sleeping pills, the kid starts acting weird, the mother is made to look crazy, and then other stuff. It even opens with swelling noises on the soundtrack over the production and distribution credits before it goes black and reaches its crescendo. Then the movie begins proper, followed of course by a psyche-out car accident and a creepy person standing in the middle of the road in a robe. Some may argue that Cronin uses such a very safe, contemporary horror movie structure in a sufficient manner that benefits the story, but the story is as tripe as the rest of it. The lack of originality in the premise is enough to sink the sufficient atmosphere, consistent tone, and solid performances unfortunately and the only really interesting narrative element is that very hole referenced in the title which provides a decent, ambiguous supernatural foothold. Elsewhere, we have been to this rodeo many, many times before, especially as of late.
Dir - David Yarovesky
Overall: MEH
The James Gunn-produced project Brightburn is one of the many that boasts an interesting premise on paper, but fails to bring its warped concept to life in a consistently successful manner. Written by Gunn's brothers Brian and Mark and directed by David Yarovesky, (2014's The Hive), it is a solid set-up of "What if Superman went evil when he was twelve-years old?". What follows is a movie that thinks it can skirt by on a few "cool" or even "creepy" scenes, but at the same time boasts a near terrible script and an uninspired presentation. As for the sound design, people are either whispering at barely-audible levels or ear-splitting jump scares are popping up every couple of minutes, every last one of which can be seen coming miles away. It also clumsily balances its tone, mostly trying to be straight, emotionally-driven horror, yet setting itself up to become a fun franchise with some ridiculous moments of gore tossed in along the way that come off as comical. Every plot point is just there to get us to the next thing that the screenwriters wanted to do as opposed to say, actually contemplating what the characters in the movie would believably do. It is not dumb enough to be schlocky, but still pretty dumb which possibly could have been avoided, but eh, trying is hard sometimes
Dir - Robert Eggers
Overall: GREAT
The highly anticipation follow-up to Robert Eggers' The Witch, (that ultra, ultra rare instant masterpiece that has only since become more rightfully renowned), The Lighthouse hit Cannes about a year after it wrapped up shooting and then still only saw a limited theatrical run on its scheduled release date. This only caused more of a stir for those who had to hunt down a convenient enough place to see it. Impressively, there is virtually no comparing it to The Witch as it is a unique, complex beast all its own. Liberal on the humor and myth-heavy symbolism, there is a lot to weave through in The Lighthouse. The plight of loneliness, toxic masculinity, the negative effects of alcoholism, the pitfalls of both seeking forbidden knowledge and withholding it, the futility of trying to escape one's past, longing for identity, and how all of this and probably some other things can lead to inevitable madness, the speculation is ideally fascinating. It seems to be about so much simultaneously and how remarkably photographed and acted it is, (cinematographer Jarin Blaschke and Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattison deserving so much credit), only further magnifies the movie's intensity. While it never really bothers to go for gut-wrenching horror and once again embellishes virtually no tired cliches, none of this ultimately matters in the slightest. Eggers' reach is clearly a bold one and the meticulous nature of his work here is once again as captivating as it comes.
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