jordanthom

Stockholm is thoughtful in its human moments, but thoroughly entertaining at the same time. Its premise warrants insanely hilarious scenes with Ethan Hawke's character Lars, but at its core it's about the unusual circumstances that relationships form- in a way that is both moving and a little messed up. This film isn't short of highly tense, stressful moments that have you completely hooked. The weird balance of absurd comedy and human drama is perfectly matched with Hawke's performance. You buy the motivations behind his character and shortly realize that he is just someone pretending to know what the hell he is doing, and it's really incredible to see someone as good as Hawke portray a character that has such a big personality.

Soul To Keep is a thoroughly enjoyable movie for horror fans. The execution of the subtle and haunting horror slowly coming into play for the characters is fantastic. It takes advantage of the dread you feel for what is about to happen, and knows just when to let the story fully unleash. The film also cleverly brings in demonic and spiritual mythology in a way that feels organic and intensely interesting. Kate Rose Reynold does some really impressive body horror when she plays the first friend to be possessed. She is so creepy and unsettling, which I really loved out of the performance. I was terrified of her. This is a really engaging and interesting film that exceeds all expectations you could have. The cinematography is really impressive and only made the horrifying moments even more horrifying.

Saint Judy does a really beautiful job at showing how defiant it is to fight for others to be treated with simple empathy. We live in an extremely unfair world, and our immigration system is just one facet of that. Where it seems like all hope is lost and there's no use in fighting, there is Judy's vibrant and determined outlook on life, just genuinely wanting to make other people's lives better. She is an infectiously bright presence, and a lot of that is because of Michelle Monaghan. She really captures the uplifting spirit of the film and makes you believe in all the good in the world. This film is both clever and inspiring, and leaves you with the reminder that there is always hope.