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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-mp77SZ_0M The Invitation is a new horror movie directed by Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, Jennifer's Body) starring Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michiel Huisman, and John Carroll Lynch. The film takes place over one night at a dinner party hosted by Eden and her husband David, who return after seemingly vanishing from their circle of friends after two years. One of the invited guests is Will, Eden's ex-husband who divorced her several years ago after a tragedy destroyed their marriage. Will arrives with some hesitation, reuniting with his old friends (who fell out of touch with him after the divorce) and seeing how his ex is doing. But all isn't well from the looks of it, and Will gets suspicious as one strange event after another occurs: Eden talks about how she's learned to let go of painful emotions like grief, David keeps the front door locked at all times, one of the guests makes sexual advances toward Will when no one else is around, and plenty of other off-kilter things keep popping up as the party keeps going. As the film continues, Will becomes more and more paranoid until he doesn't know if he's going crazy or if there really is something wrong going on. Ever since I saw this last summer, I've been singing its praises to everyone I can find. Not to compare, but out of the recent horror films that have been getting praised by critics and audiences (eg The Babadook, It Follows, The Witch), The Invitation is my favourite. People who don't like "slow burn" horrors should stay away from this one, since it takes its time building things up, but it's so perfect in its execution I was practically clawing my face off anticipating things to go awry at any second (think the opening act of Funny Games in terms of how much dread this thing generates). And then, once the film finally clears up all of its mysteries/ambiguities, it takes a turn that actually makes for a satisfying ending. I was yelling at the screen like a total dumbass throughout the last half hour of this, and I loved how the movie manipulated me to get to that point. This is, in my eyes, the best horror film of the year next to Green Room, and people really need to see this one since it seems to not be getting a lot of publicity. It comes out on April 8 in theatres and on VOD. Has anyone else been able to catch this one since its premiere last year?
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Apr 7, 2016 03:44
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| # ? Apr 18, 2024 23:09 |
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Just watched it through Amazon, liked it a lot. The movie did a good job at keeping you second guessing as to when all the crazy poo poo was going down, and in hindsight everything seems to make sense, although I'm not sure what was up with the crazy blonde girl offering to gently caress the main character.
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Apr 10, 2016 04:00
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I like how the cult leader was played by Toby Huss. Starting a cult seems like the natural progression for Artie, the strongest man in the world.
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Apr 11, 2016 02:21
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Anonymous John posted:Just watched it through Amazon, liked it a lot. I think they probably figured that Will would be the toughest nut to crack; the person most likely to say gently caress it to politeness and demand answers. The girl was probably tasked with distracting him, and she tried the best way she knows how. Based on how Eden's character acted at the end, I wouldn't be surprised if Will's presence at the dinner was a demand she made. The three others probably would have liked to have one less complication in what they considered a really important night.
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Apr 11, 2016 17:31
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This kinda was unnerving me a bit because I have an ex who kept sending me some russian religious pyramid schemes and I was trying to get her away from that.
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Apr 11, 2016 18:06
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I really hate how horror movies, even ones that show a ridiculous amount of restraint throughout, can't help but poo poo themselves in the last thirty seconds. That said, this movie is an exercise in tension, in the running for best horror of the year, and worth seeing asap. This being an insane, isolated incident is a horrifying, semi-realistic idea all on its own. Adding in a level of "b-b-b-but it's everywhere, Scooby!" right before cut to credits was such a bad call.
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Apr 11, 2016 18:32
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It was pretty obvious when the guy went outside right in the middle of the party to light that lantern, that he was signaling to someone. I'm just not sure if what they went with was better or worse than what I was expecting(cops are in on it, cleanup team shows up at the last second to kill the surviving characers, etc.) But the lantern thing telegraphed pretty early that there would be some sort of shenanigans at the end.
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Apr 11, 2016 18:48
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This film was brilliant in how palpable the dread slowly grew into an outright cataclysm. Especially loved the touches in things like a small callback to the mercy killing of the coyote intertwined with stuff like Pruitt's wife's death, or even just how Will handles things emotionally . I hope more people see this and talk about it as its more interesting than loving Batman. weekly font posted:I really hate how horror movies, even ones that show a ridiculous amount of restraint throughout, can't help but poo poo themselves in the last thirty seconds. That said, this movie is an exercise in tension, in the running for best horror of the year, and worth seeing asap. I was fine with that, especially since one of the characters does say earlier "everybody's weird out here" or something to that effect.
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Apr 13, 2016 04:17
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I didn't really like the timing or device of poison, specifically in a wine toast, and wish they had kept us guessing. I was enjoying not knowing whether main character was being a paranoid rear end in a top hat beating up on rich mountain hippies, or if he was really on to stuff. I think if they hadn't overplayed the door lock and the "where's Choi!?" stuff, it would've worked better. Like, the main guy could've asked politely at first, then gotten really frustrated at being blown off, and then come at it hard. Going straight from normal to super rude jerk was a little odd. And it felt like they were having drinks for an absurdly long amount of time. The poison wine was predictable. They should have started the final act partway through dinner, then made it a poison dessert or prosecco so you think "oh it's over, and the violence is going to come from somewhere unexpected" Welp that's my lazy criticism. I enjoyed it well enough as it is.
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Apr 13, 2016 04:28
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Zeris posted:I didn't really like the timing or device of poison, specifically in a wine toast, and wish they had kept us guessing. I was enjoying not knowing whether main character was being a paranoid rear end in a top hat beating up on rich mountain hippies, or if he was really on to stuff. I think if they hadn't overplayed the door lock and the "where's Choi!?" stuff, it would've worked better. Like, the main guy could've asked politely at first, then gotten really frustrated at being blown off, and then come at it hard. Going straight from normal to super rude jerk was a little odd. They were most likely drinking Port Wine which is common as a dessert wine, you could tell since they were toasting in small glasses often used for a Port or Sherry. So yeah that was the end of the dinner
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Apr 15, 2016 04:38
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Guys, I don't know about you, but I thought Tom Hardy was great in this. Seriously though, Tom Hardy should sue Marshal Logan-Green for... I dunno, identity theft? I know goons are accused of facial blindness alot, but I feel like this one is justified.
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Apr 15, 2016 15:30
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What was the significance of killing the coyote at the beginning?
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Apr 15, 2016 15:32
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Yaws posted:What was the significance of killing the coyote at the beginning? It think its making the point that almost everyone would kill given the right circumstances. It gives us maybe a little bit if insight into how the cultists think about what they're doing. They don't seem to want to live in this world, and they consider ending someone's life a mercy, similar to killing the wounded coyote.
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Apr 15, 2016 15:48
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Basebf555 posted:It think its making the point that almost everyone would kill given the right circumstances. It gives us maybe a little bit if insight into how the cultists think about what they're doing. They don't seem to want to live in this world, and they consider ending someone's life a mercy, similar to killing the wounded coyote.
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Apr 15, 2016 17:28
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Slugworth posted:I think that's fair, it's telling that when everyone else acts shocked by the story, David is totally unphased. Eden also says something towards the end like "it wasn't supposed to be like this, it was supposed to be quiet and clean". I can't remember the exact line but it was something like that. I think she, and probably David too, really felt like they were doing something good. Makes everything a little more disturbing in my opinion.
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Apr 15, 2016 17:40
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DangerZoneDelux posted:They were most likely drinking Port Wine which is common as a dessert wine, you could tell since they were toasting in small glasses often used for a Port or Sherry. So yeah that was the end of the dinner Oh I'm dumb
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Apr 15, 2016 19:28
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Basebf555 posted:Eden also says something towards the end like "it wasn't supposed to be like this, it was supposed to be quiet and clean". I can't remember the exact line but it was something like that. I think she, and probably David too, really felt like they were doing something good. Makes everything a little more disturbing in my opinion. drat, what a great opportunity to replace the finale soundtrack with yakkity sax
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Apr 15, 2016 19:30
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Slugworth posted:Guys, I don't know about you, but I thought Tom Hardy was great in this. thank you, glad I wasn't the only one who thought of this. Was surprised Toby "World's Strongest Man" Huss was in here, too. I guess that's what happens to Arnie.
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Apr 15, 2016 19:44
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I've seen Prometheus about 15 times so I have no problem recognizing Marshall-Green
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Apr 15, 2016 21:11
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Holy crap yes. Best horror/thriller in a long while. It reminded me of Coherence. I just know there is a tv tropes page about adult dinner party thrillers. I loved the end, I loved the final act, I love the first 80% of the film. The characters were perfect. I just wish I picked out the 'final girl' sooner.
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Apr 16, 2016 12:12
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Just saw it. No dinner party is ever like that ever. Would leave immediately
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Apr 18, 2016 06:46
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SaltLick posted:Just saw it. No dinner party is ever like that ever. Would leave immediately During the video everyone would get bored and stare at their phones
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Apr 18, 2016 06:48
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Loved the intensity of this, and I'm big on slow-burn horror. I'm glad it's getting noticed. If I have one issue it's that they didn't make the mentality clear enough. I get that the cultists wanted to induct people willingly at first, and tried to convince those who were reluctant, but why did they want to kill everyone else too? If you refuse and leave, what does that change for the people who know about it and want to do it? Can they only go through with it if everyone they know is dead? It seemed like it went against the cult leader's message of peacefully slipping away to just up and murder everyone regardless of their wishes. I'm perfectly fine with the outcome knowing that some people misinterpret messages and some people have extremist passions toward things they want, I just didn't think that motivation was made clear enough in the actual script. weekly font posted:This being an insane, isolated incident is a horrifying, semi-realistic idea all on its own. Adding in a level of "b-b-b-but it's everywhere, Scooby!" right before cut to credits was such a bad call.
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Apr 18, 2016 23:32
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SaltLick posted:Just saw it. No dinner party is ever like that ever. Would leave immediately Having grown up in LA I have met every single one of those people at a party, sometimes all at once. If anything like this was ever going to happen it's in the Hollywood Hills and they do a good job (I thought) of showing that by having the party Asian girl, gay couple, star bright hippy chick, ex-cokehead record producer, etc. Overall I thought it was a pretty solid even though it's a really slow burn at first but the looming tension throughout the movie and third act is what really made it entertaining. After the final scene showing all of the red lamps strewn about the hillside I thought, oh this could also work as The Purge 3: Hollywood Hills.
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Apr 24, 2016 19:12
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weekly font posted:I really hate how horror movies, even ones that show a ridiculous amount of restraint throughout, can't help but poo poo themselves in the last thirty seconds. I loved the last 30 seconds. It turned the whole thing into a Twilight Zone episode out of nowhere. Really good film. Reminded me a little bit of The Overnight, which is an entirely different kind of "dinner party horror film" and is loving amazing.
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Apr 25, 2016 15:02
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A little disappointed with this. I appreciated how well the themes were fleshed out (loss, grief, mercy killing, etc), but it ultimately didn't do enough to surprise me. I grew anxious to know what the big mystery was, but looking back on it it was all pretty run of the mill and, dare I say, predictable. The build up grew tiresome, especially during the second act when things really dragged. I liked the last shot, but the overall payoff didn't justify the impatience I felt throughout.
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May 7, 2016 20:36
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So what happened to Claire? Did they really just let her leave, or did Pruitt kill her off-screen when he called out to her to stop as she was about to drive off?
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Jun 14, 2016 14:38
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Suck-A-Sage posted:So what happened to Claire? Did they really just let her leave, or did Pruitt kill her off-screen when he called out to her to stop as she was about to drive off? That's one of the more interesting unanswered questions. I could argue it either way, because it does seem that the cult's preference is that people willingly sacrifice themselves, and Claire left early enough that Pruitt could conceivably have let her go thinking she didn't know enough to expose them.. On the other hand, the scene is shot very precisely. Pruitt and the car are off-screen just at the moment when she would have driven off or he would have killed her.. I guess we're not supposed to know for sure.
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Jun 14, 2016 14:44
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| # ? Apr 18, 2024 23:09 |
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Saw this last night and maybe I shouldn't have watched the trailer. But there was zero tension throughout and when the asian girl dropped I was like, "oh, here we go". About the only thing I liked was the ending, where they reveal the entire hills are in on this cult. Otherwise, it's a forgettable movie and I don't even think I would lump it in with horror.
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Jul 8, 2016 15:35
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