THE SHALLOWS
Columbia 87 Mins, Horror/Action/Thriller
Blake Lively stars. Written by Anthony Jaswinski Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Rated PG-13 for language, violence and gore.
SYNOPSIS: Only 200 ft. away from the shore a Young woman is stranded alone on a buoy with a great white shark circling the waters between her and the shore.
BUZZ: Buzz is strong for The Shallows reviews are sitting pretty at 95% positive out of 20 reviews with critics complimenting Lively's performance and saying it's a worthy successor to Jaws.
Positive:
Peter Debruge of Variety says " Lively is a compelling heroine."
Brian Roan of Film Stage says " A film that is patient, atmospheric, and that delights in delivering escalating thrills!"
Matt Singer of Screen Crush says " Surrounded by so many bloated unsatisfying summer movies. The Shallows is as refreshing as a quick dip on a hot day!"
Scott Mendelson of Forbes says " Blake Lively gives a terrific solitary performance in this effective little horror drama."
Roger Moore of Movie Nation says " Straight simple and primal."
Negatives:
Tim Grierson of Screen International says " The Shallows sports plenty of B Movie Gusto but this thriller never really rises above it's predictable survival story line. That said there are pleasures to be had in watching Collet-Serra and Lively try to wring every scare out of this simple scenario."
PROS: The trailers are incredible. The film looks to be an edge of your seat thriller that makes sharks scary again. Jaume Collet-Serra is directing and he's responsible for some of the most suspenseful films of the last decade Orphan and House of Wax. Writer Anthony Jaswinski is coming off the kick ass horror thriller Kristy. The film sports gorgeous cinematography and actress Blake Lively proved herself thoroughly with last summers Age of Adaline.
CONS: The last great serious shark movie to come out was Jaws. Sure there have have been some nightmarish blips here and there with Open water and The Reef and some entertaining ones like Deep Blue Sea but the sub-genre hasn't been effective in a very long time. Also Jaume Collett-Serra has been known for some less effective films outside of the genre such as Unknown and Non Stop.
BOX OFFICE PREDICTION: Although the film is pretty buzzy Columbia hasn't put any real marketing push behind it. Also the Box office will be hurt by a last minute changed release date. It also doesn't help that it's opening against Independence Day 2 and is only one week away from the release of The Purge plus Conjuring will still be going strong in it's third week. Still with 95% percent positive reviews (unheard of for the genre), strong word of mouth and an excellent release day I'm guessing it's gonna open with around 17 Million and close out with around 50.
Conclusion: The Shallows looks to be a lot of fun and the film will deliver some big genre summer movie thrills that are sorely lacking.
Alternative Suggestions: If you're not feeling venturing out to the cinema or it just doesn't seem like you're cup of salty water. 2003's low budget Open water will deliver some serious shark thrills and if you're in the mood to be purely entertained you can check out the super-fun Deep Blue Sea from 1999.
NEON DEMON
Amazon 117 Mins. Horror/Thriller
Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Keanu Reeves Christina Hendricks and Desmond Harrington star.
Written and Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn
Rated R
SYNOPSIS: When an aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has.
BUZZ: Critics are spit with this one. It's at 50% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Positive:
Anthony Lane of The New Yorker says "Prettiness and Brutality seep from the pores of the movie."
Stephaine Zacharek of Time Magazine says " This is purely an exercise in style, and what style!"
Chris Alexander of Shocktilyoudrop.com says "It's a singular masterpiece!"
Nick Scaeger of Film Journal International says " A scathing, highly stylized thriller of fashion world monstrousness!"
Negative:
Owen Gilberman of Variety says " it's not boring but there's less to it than meets the eyeball."
Allison Willmoore of Buzzfeed news says " The movie is a bloody-mawed catfight on hallucinogens, but the visual splendor doesn't change the fact that the film barely has characters."
Allan Hunter of The list says " It's supremely stylish but exceedingly slim. A bright shiny, eye catching bauble with a vapid center."
PROS: The film's Trailers are absolutely breathtaking. Refn did Well with films like Drive and Bronson. Elle Fanning is a talented young actress breaking more out of her shell with each film. Plus Critics are split and some people seem to really like it.
CONS: Refn is also responsible for Only God Forgives.Also Critics are split and half of them don't seem to like it.
BOX OFFICE PREDICTION: This is a specialty release so there is very little chance of it breaking out. Still the film does seem to be making small waves which should lead to a small but ultimately successful box office run. Look for a 2-3 Million opening weekend with a final tally of 5-7.
Conclusion: Neon Demon is sure to be a surreal, hallucinogenic cinematic experience. And although I'm dying to see it, I'm not sure the film will deliver the goods I'm hoping it will. Still it should make for an interesting venture.
Alternative Suggestions: For artsy horror look no further than David Lynch's masterpiece Mulholland Drive and if you're feeling more high fashion check out Dressed to Kill by Brian DePalma and if it's the trashiness that's luring you in there's always the timeless classic Showgirls.
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