"The Neon Demon" Review

From Nicolas Winding Refn, the director of Drive and Only God Forgives, comes another uncompromising vision in fluorescence and blood. Though it may not be singularly unique, Refn's The Neon Demon is about as bold and unsettling a film as I've seen in quite some time. It's the perfect movie to shatter through the mundanity of another safe summer blockbuster season.

Before seeing The Neon Demon, I recommend checking out Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer's Starry Eyes as well as Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. This triple feature from Hell offers three bloodcurdling visions of the toxicity of fame. Specifically, The Neon Demon centers around a young, up-and-coming model named Jesse (Elle Fanning). Jesse moves to Los Angeles from a small town like so many young girls dreaming of fame and fortune. On her first job, she meets Ruby (Jena Malone), a talented makeup designer. Ruby introduces Jesse to Sarah (Abbey Lee) and Gigi (Bella Heathcote), two other models against whom Jesse will likely compete for jobs. Threatened by the new girl's youthful, doe-like beauty, Gigi and Sarah will do whatever it takes to devour the competition before the industry corrupts Jesse forever.

Compared to Refn's previous work, The Neon Demon isn't quite as accessible as Drive. Anyone looking to study the director should start there, and then maybe work their way backwards to Bronson, Valhalla Rising, and the Pusher trilogy. End it with the neon-drenched double bill of Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon. Only God Forgives, for me, is the toughest to digest. It's very slow, and the message isn't entirely clear. The Neon Demon is sort of a happy medium between Drive and Only God Forgives. Its pacing is deliberate, but it actually has a script with a story and characters worth following.

The Neon Demon revels in the macabre a bit more than anything I've seen from Refn before. This is a horror film in the art-house sense. From the film's chilling opening shot, to a photo shoot where Jesse is swathed in nothing but gold paint, to a nightmarish runway rave sequence, every frame is a visual feast. Regardless of how unsettling and unsubtle the journey may be, it is impossible to tear your eyes away from the screen. It culminates in a shock ending the likes of which Hollywood doesn't have the balls to put in movies anymore.

Fanning is tremendous in the lead role with Malone standing out among the supporting cast. Mad Men's Christina Hendricks and The Matrix's Keanu Reeves both have small roles that they fill nicely. Hendricks plays a representative for a modeling agency with Reeves as the manager of the grungy motel Jesse lives at.

Bottom line is that if you are someone who prefers movies that are straightforward rather than overtly bizarre, you should probably stay away. But if you're someone who enjoys horror stories that aren't all haunted houses and jump scares, or if you appreciate Refn's previous work, you should find plenty to love in The Neon Demon.

A

"The Shallows" Review

Director Jaume Collet-Serra is known for churning out solid, if often forgettable, action thrillers. Remember Run All Night and Non-Stop from a couple years ago? How about Unknown or House of Wax? Yep, all made by the same guy. Collet-Serra follows up Run All Night with The Shallows, a shark attack thriller starring Blake Lively (TV's Gossip Girl). While many, including this reviewer, found the trailers to be less than impressive for this movie, it turned out to be pretty good. Just goes to show that if you temper your expectations for something, you may walk away pleasantly surprised as I was leaving my screening for The Shallows.

The story follows Nancy (Lively), a medical school dropout and surfing enthusiast who's in a delicate emotional state following the death of her mother. To honor her memory, Nancy visits a secluded beach in Mexico to surf the same waves that her mom always talked about. At the end of a long day in the water, Nancy is attacked by a great white shark which leaves her injured and stranded on a small rock 200 yards from shore. Trapped for days with nothing but a rash guard and her will, Nancy enters into battle with the meanest, smartest fish since Jaws.

For all of its guilty pleasures and blatant shortcomings, The Shallows has been lauded as the greatest shark movie since Jaws. We could get into an entire debate on where the Sharknado films fall in that ranking, but intended comedies notwithstanding, The Shallows may very well be the best shark attack thriller since Jaws. Unfortunately, that isn't saying too much.

In some respects, The Shallows aspires to be this year's 127 Hours, but the script from Anthony Jaswinski (Vanishing on 7th Street) never quite reaches the narrative or emotional highs to be considered Oscar fodder. There just isn't enough below the surface (pun intended). That said, it's loaded with effective white-knuckle sequences and has a great score to boot. I squirmed in my chair at all the right moments even though it was never as suspenseful or as memorable as anything in Jaws.

Another reason why this film falls just short of greatness is that it just isn't as consistently directed as it needed to be. The first half of the film feels like an energy drink commercial while the second half becomes much more bleak as it embraces the horror elements of the story. I'm also not certain that the presentation is as subtle as it should be. Let me explain...

As a red-blooded male, I enjoy looking at Blake Lively as much as the next person, especially when she does such a tremendous job carrying the movie. The Age of Adaline proved to me that she could act and was more than just a beautiful face. The Shallows proves that she can carry a film entirely on her own. There were times, however, where I felt like I was watching a masochist snuff film. SPOILER ALERT: I'm not sure it's necessary to emphasize Lively's Bay Area "assets" as she's mauled by a shark and then again as she graphically tries to "stitch" herself back together. To be honest, I'm surprised they got away with a PG-13 rating based on the violence alone.

As I've said before, summer is the time of year where movies are best enjoyed at face value. The Shallows features a tremendous lead performance and has enough suspense to satisfy those looking for a good thriller that isn't a sequel, remake or part of a franchise. It lacks a deeper sense of purpose, which is why it probably won't be remembered in the years to come.

Bottom line is that I walked away from this movie the same way I did Collet-Serra's Non-Stop - cognizant of its flaws yet still elated that I saw it.

B