Next (2007)

Next is another of those movies that have been on my watchlist since the dawn of times because of Julianne Moore but kept putting off because it's a Nicolas Cage flick, and I have to be in the right mood and mentally prepared to deal with the insanity of them. 

This one follows Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage), a small-time magician who can see a few minutes into the future. There's an exception though as he once had a vision of a beautiful woman (Jessica Biel) walking into a diner at 8 and he makes it his mission to be there and meet her. In the meantime, a terrorist group threatens to detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles so the FBI, led by Agent Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore), tries to capture Cris and convince him to help them prevent the attack. 

Crimson Peak (2015)

Genre

Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Director

Guillermo del Toro

Country

USA | Canada

Cast

Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver, Burn Gorman, Leslie Hope, Sofia Wells, Doug Jones, Javier Botet

Storyline

When her heart is stolen by mysterious Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood-red clay: a place filled with secrets that will haunt her forever.

Opinion

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I wouldn't call myself a fan of Guillermo del Toro, but there's something very captivating in his films, and I expected this one to be spectacular. Unfortunately, although I wasn't completely disappointed, the film didn't meet my expectations.

A visually breathtaking psychological horror, Crimson Peak is the disappointing result of choosing style over substance.

The script - I kind of feel ashamed to call it that - is the worst part of the film. I can't believe Guillermo del Toro has been able to write such a thing. 

The story starts off pleasantly, and makes you wonder what the ghosts are up to, but then it becomes extremely predictable, and doesn't bring anything new to the table. As they make their first appearance, the cruel intentions of the mysterious brothers are more than obvious, so is the incest, and Lucille being the one killing Edith's father. Whether or not you have seen Rosemary's Baby, the poisoned tea is easy to guess since the narrative keeps on insisting on the beverage so many times it's impossible to keep track.

So, if the purpose of cinema is to amaze and surprise the audience, this is a real failure from del Toro, and there is an abyss that separates Crimson Peak to Pan's Labyrinth.

As mentioned before, the visuals are stunning. The sets are spectacular, the costumes are gorgeous and detailed, the ghosts are monstrously beautiful - I was expecting a major involvement in the story, though -, and the result is a delightfully creepy atmosphere.

The acting is also superb. Both Mia Wasikowska and Tom Hiddleston give good performances, and they do have a great chemistry, but Jessica Chastain is the one that steals the show, delivering a wonderful performance that has Oscar material written all over as cold-hearted, and manipulative Lucille.