- First teaser for Tyson Johnston’s first contact flick EXIST
- First teaser for Tyson Johnston’s first contact flick EXIST
- Apartment Complex Becomes Lost in Time, Descends in Chaos in THE LOCKDOWN TOWER (La Tour) [Trailer]
- First Trailer for THE WALKING DEAD: DEAD CITY
- New Neill Blomkamp Movie on the Way with Joel Kinnaman!
- TWISTED METAL Adaptation Gets a Teaser Trailer
- New Neill Blomkamp Movie on the Way with Joel Kinnaman!
- Hollywood Crosses The Rubicon with Harry Potter Reboot
- Possibly the Bleakest Movie I've Ever Seen
- Possibly the Bleakest Movie I've Ever Seen
- Re: Falcon Rock Command...
- Re: Occupation, Australian Sci Fi movie
- Slice of Life, Blade Runner inspired short
- Is Snowpeircer a sequel to Willy Wonka?
- Re: Yesterday
- Re: Yesterday
- Yesterday
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- First Trailer for THE WALKING DEAD: DEAD CITY
- TWISTED METAL Adaptation Gets a Teaser Trailer
- Korean Post-Apocalyptic Netflix Series BLACK KNIGHT Gets a Trailer
- Possibly the Bleakest Movie I've Ever Seen
- Here's What's New on Blu-ray and 4K UHD Steelbook [March 23, 2023]
- SILO Trailer - Apple's Series Based on Hugh Howey's Books
- New Blu-ray and 4K Releases [January 31, 2023]
- MAD MAX: HOPE AND GLORY Short Film Funding on Kickstarter
- Dawn of the Dead 4K Coming in January!
- Here's What's New on Blu-ray and 4K this Week! [October 18, 2022]
- Sony Released A Bunch of Limited Edition Steelbooks This Week
- VIFF 2021: THE IN-LAWS, MIRACLE, SALOUM, SECRETS FROM PUTUMAYO [Capsule Reviews]
- TIFF 2021: SILENT NIGHT Review
- VIFF 2021: Documentary Preview [Capsule Reviews]
- TIFF 2021: THE PINK CLOUD, THE HOLE IN THE FENCE [Capsule Reviews]
- TIFF 2021: JAGGED Review
- TIFF 2021: SUNDOWN Review
- VIFF 2021: Animation Preview [Capsule Reviews]
- SAINT-NARCISSE is Bruce LaBruce at His Most Accomplished [Review]
- TIFF 2021: DASHCAM Review
- TIFF 2021: THE DAUGHTER Review
- First Look at Neil Marshall's DUCHESS
- New Blu-ray and 4K Releases [January 31, 2023]
- New this week on Blu-ray and 4K UHD This week! [January 24, 2023]
- Famous Fist Films: Before SKINAMARINK Kyle Edward Ball Directed its Progenitor
- Must Watch: Terrifying Skinamarink Trailer
- DRAGONSLAYER Gets a 4K Steelbook!
- New on Blu-ray and 4K UHD this Week [December 20, 2022]
- Trailer for Brandon Cronenberg's INFINITY POOL
- Is Apple TV+ Eyeing Neuromancer Trilogy for Series
- Battle for Pandora Trailer!
- Trailer: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
- MAD MAX: HOPE AND GLORY Short Film Funding on Kickstarter
- Here's What's New on Blu-ray and 4K This Week! [November 1, 2022]
- War on the Waves: AVATAR 2: THE WAY OF THE WATER Trailer
- Dawn of the Dead 4K Coming in January!
- Watch Trailer for XYZ Psychological Thriller PRESENCE
- Here's What's New on Blu-ray and 4K This Week! [October 25, 2022]
- Watch Rare William Gibson Documentary NO MAPS FOR THESE TERRITORIES
- Here's What's New on Blu-ray and 4K this Week! [October 18, 2022]
- Vestron Announces SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT Sequel Collection
Jack In
Latest Comments
Latest Forum Posts
PA News
Latest Reviews
Older News
Crew
Marina Antunes
Editor in Chief
Vancouver, British Columbia
Christopher Webster
Managing Editor
Edmonton, Alberta
DN aka quietearth
Founder / Asst. Managing Editor
Denver, Colorado
Simon Read
UK Correspondent
Edinburgh, Scotland
Rick McGrath
Toronto Correspondent
Toronto, Ontario
Manuel de Layet
France Correspondent
Paris, France
rochefort
Austin Correspondent
Austin, Texas
Daniel Olmos
Corrispondente in Italia
Italy
Griffith Maloney aka Griffith Maloney
New York Correspondent
New York, NY
Stephanie O
Floating Correspondent
Quiet Earth Bunker
Jason Widgington
Montreal Correspondent
Montreal, Quebec
Carlos Prime
Austin Correspondent
Austin, TX
Latest news







Is one born evil or is it actions that turn us evil? The question of where evil comes from isn't new. From religious and academic texts to entertainment, it's a question that's been explored at great length. Stoker, Chan-wook Park's English language debut, isn't even the director's first brush with the subject which was also a central theme of his 2009 vampire thriller Thirst but Stoker is a far different beast because tied into the concept of searching for the nature of evil, we have the story of a young woman coming of age.
Written by Wentworth Miller (best known for his turn in front of the camera in the successful TV drama "Prison Break"), Stoker centers on India, a wisp of a girl, fiercely loyal to her father, cold to her mother Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) and wholly independent. The action begins on her 18th birthday, a time of celebration marred by the sudden death of her father in a car accident. The day of the funeral brings with it the arrival of Charlie, the uncle India never knew she had, and from the moment she spots him across the lawn, something in her changes.
It's some time before we know what exactly is going on behind the creepy smiles and sexually charged silences but one thing is certain: Charlie has come for India and against her better judgement, the young woman feels drawn to him. In all seriousness, what woman wouldn't be? The casting of Matthew Goode is a stroke of genius. It's not his first turn as a villain (it's worth tracking down Scott Frank's The Lookout) but he's so charming here, dressed in brown and beige, warm smile always at the ready... and Evelyn is so needy and false... you want Charlie and India to run away together yet nearly every time he appears the music shifts, almost as if someone is whispering a warning: "don't fall for him."
The only member of the Korean crew Park brought with him to Hollywood was long time cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung. The two have a short hand which has worked well over the years and though some may have issues with Park's movies, the way they look has never been a complaint. Stoker is gorgeous, capturing the luscious beauty of the countryside but also the confines of a large house which never feels claustrophobic until, in the end, it does. Much of the movie is captured in close-ups of India's face, particularly her eyes, which have an unnatural colour that I wouldn't be surprised to discover was either created with contact lenses, in post or a combination of the two. Kidman, who has of late been criticized for the unnatural tightness of her features, perfectly fits the role of Evelyn, a woman who is cold, vulnerable and selfish and yet manages to, in the final moments, display some deep rooted motherly love for India.
In part Stoker is very much a coming of age tale, one that incorporates both the turn from girl to woman, something which is somewhat ridiculously visualized through shoes, but also India's growth into the family legacy which ushers in the exploration of the nature of evil but it's also a genre picture the likes of which we've come to expect from Park. It may look like a tight laced tale of upper crust family dysfunction but when it takes a turn for the dark, Park doesn't hold back.
The shoes aren't the only misfire, there's a flashback sequence that spells out the mystery of Charlie and which feels out of place in a movie that is otherwise full of nuance and numerous questions that are left unanswered (I'm certain there's some meaning to the use of the name Stoker) but Stoker comes out mostly unscathed, a dark tale of sex, longing and growing up. With a twist.
You might also like






