'STOKER'

'STOKER' (R) (3 STARS)

Written by Wentworth Miller
Directed by Chan-wook Park
Actors: Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Nicole Kidman, Jackie Weaver.

It seems so lovely to sit down and have dinner with the Stoker family, daughter India, her mother and Uncle Charles. There are a couple of dinner scenes in Chan-wook Park's "Stoker" which is a creepy, methodical and pristine horror thriller. Park is directing his first American film coming off his bloody South Korean revenge thrillers starting with the popular "Oldboy". You have to like Park's style of filming which is very careful and film school like and if you don't you will be frustrated. "Stoker" is less bloody and more in control than "Oldboy" but you can still see his careful camera movements and wide screen, time consuming shots. If you haven't seen "Oldboy" it won't matter and if you like horror thrillers that don't try to hard to scare you but make you feel uneasy climb on board!

Yes this is a very artsy movie but I have seen so many lame horror movies the past few years and other crap this year that "Stroker" is just what I needed, a breath of fresh air. "The Regular Moviegoer" lets a complicated movie work out it's deliberate style and "Stoker" might not make everyone happy but I appreciated it. The movie tells the eerie story of young India Stoker, her cold mother and the uncle she had no clue about. Uncle Charles shows up when India's father (Dermot Mulroney) dies in a mysterious car accident. Uncle Charles is a cool customer, mysterious, different and a tad strange. India is a very guarded and reclusive girl who gets picked on in school. The story unfolds like a mystery novel with Hitchcock style twists and I did kind of guess the big surprise in the story but I still had fun with this movie's style and quirky creepiness.

"Stoker" reminds me of a Hitchcock movie without ripping off the master's style too much. I do love Park's framing and camera movements but I bet you want to really know if "Stoker" is scary. I don't think it is meant to be but it will give you the creepy jeebies. The movie is never boring even when it plods slowly to it's big reveal and then some fun, nasty stuff in the end spills out. The performances here are fine including Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, The Kids Are Alright) as India. I am loving Warsikowska's style of acting and her natural beauty (without much make up) and the fact that she delves into her character without vanity and also comes off as very natural. The movie really belongs to Matthew Goode as Uncle Charles and I love Goode. He was so great in one of my favorite movies of the past few years "Lookout". He is so evil and deliciously creepy here, this is an actor that can play anything and you will hear his name a lot soon (Oscars) and I hope you do.

Nicole Kidman as the mother and Oscar nominated actress Jackie Weaver as an aunt that visits don't register as much but their characters are not really the big focus here. It is refreshing to see big time actresses defer to smaller roles to enhance a very good film maker's movie. "Stoker" will get under your skin and you will absolutely love Matthew Goode's performance. It is a very creepy, beautifully shot movie and if you like your scary movies unsettling without having too much gore or cheap thrills this movie will be rewarding. I just would love to see it again another time just to focus on Park's shot selection. This is a filmmaker to watch out for!