Midsommar (2019)

Director: Ari Aster. Cast: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter. 147 min. Rated R. Horror/Mystery.

Similar in structure to Hereditary, but a beast on its own. A group of youngsters join a rural commune in Sweden, and from the get-go you're trying to guess who'll still be alive by the end. The major actor is DP Pawel Pogorzelski, who by eerie lighting, mystifying angles on mind-boggling violence, and tracking shots delivering surprise after surprise, creates a slow-burn climaxing in flaming heights (no pun intended), reminiscent of an iconic 1973 horror movie - so expect a cinematography Oscar nomination (or win). After Hereditary and this, Ari Aster is confirming his position as a titan of horror film-making.

PS: For the first time: three MoMagics in a row.

Mo says:

MoMagic!

Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)

Director: Jon Watts. Cast: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L. Jackson, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders. 129 min. Rated PG-13. Action/Sci-fi.

Marvel movies keep trying something new, and every once in a while, they hit the jackpot. Mysterio, the Master of Illusions, is not only a cool Spider-Man adversary, his concept of creating illusions to control the masses rings so close to the idea of fake news, and being suspicious of what you see. We're in Nolan territory here - juxtaposing superhero stories onto the political climate of the day. To round it up, the movie even hands youngsters a guiding light on how to defeat illusions: literally diving deep into their core, and pulling out the truth. Well done, all around.

Mo says:

MoMagic!