Saturday, January 16, 2021
Midsommar
- Commentary: I don't favor horror movies. I have a few, but I tend to avoid them. Generally, they strike me as fake, as containing elements that could never happen. In fact, the first full length movie effort by Ari Aster, who is reponsible for this movie, too, fell into the category, for me, of unbelievable, which is why I don't own it. [Yes, I entertain exceptions to my horror movie preferences. For instance, the premise of Rosemary's Baby is wholly ludicrous, but it was crafted so well that it remains one of my favorite movies.]
Well, here's a horror movie that isn't fake. Everything in this movie could happen. The movie, to me, is so good, so well crafted in both story and production, that it made me wonder if this story had happened, or if it is in the process of happening.
The first time I saw this movie was through it's placement on a video service. It was free for me to watch. So was Aster's other effort, Hereditary. I liked Midsommar so much that I immediately watched Hereditary, Aster's first major effort. And was disappointed. Curiously, critics were not. In some cases, Hereditary was rated more highly than this movie.
I would love to purchase the extended director's cut (with an extra 33 minutes) of this movie. It's availability, here in the U.S., is confusing, though. On those copies I can find, either the price is so high it's waaaay out of my range or its region playback ability appears to be questionable. Hopefully, access to it will be smoothed out and cheapened in the coming months. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out. In the meantime, I am completely satisfied with the version I have. I've not only watched it more than a few times, I enthusiastically encouraged MFS to watch it (for free on the video service).
I'm still waiting for a reasonably priced (the lowest price I can find is $45), Region 1 Director's Cut of this movie that will play on my standard blu-ray player. Come on, Retail Oligarchs, get your heads out of your asses and make one available! Do you think, after the last few years of bailouts for you and nothing to speak of for us plebes, that we plebes are made of money?!? You took it all! Do you have any idea how much money you'd make if you made available a reasonably priced, Region 1 Director's cut?!?
I have to mention before closing, RogerEbert.com went absolutely crazy over this movie, posting no less than three articles about or featuring this film and the issues it addresses in addition to its straightforward review: first article, second article and third article. Am I surprised? Well, a little, but, I have to tell you, in my opnion it's a great movie and I can't remember how many times I've watched it, so many has it been.
One more mention before closing: If you're as fascinated with this movie as I am, you might find this commentary interesting.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Florence Pugh Dani Ardor Jack Reynor Christian Hughes Vilhelm Blomgren Pelle William Jackson Harper Josh Will Poulter Mark Ellora Torchia Connie Archie Madekwe Simon Henrik Norlén Ulf Gunnel Fred Siv Isabelle Grill Maja Agnes Rase Dagny Levente Puczkó-Smith Oracle Ruben Julia Ragnarsson Inga Mats Blomgren Odd Lars Väringer Sten Anna Åström Karin
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2019
Directed by Ari Aster.
Labels: A24, drama1, folk-horror, haunting1, suspense1, violence1
