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 The Invitation (2016) 

What grade would you give this film?
A 40%  40%  [ 2 ]
B 40%  40%  [ 2 ]
C 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
D 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
F 20%  20%  [ 1 ]
Total votes : 5

 The Invitation (2016) 
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Post The Invitation (2016)
The Invitation (2016)

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The Invitation is a 2015 American horror thriller film directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. The film stars Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michiel Huisman and Emayatzy Corinealdi. The film premiered March 13, 2015, at the SXSW film festival. The film was released on April 8, 2016 in a limited release and through video on demand by Drafthouse Films.


Tue Apr 12, 2016 12:04 am
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
I loved this movie. Easily my favorite horror film of 2016 so far and eventhough I still haven't seen The Witch it's going to be hard to beat IMO. The dark, unsettling atmosphere is put to great use and I enjoyed the slow build-up. The way this movie handles paranoia is quite compelling and most of it is due to a fantastic and emotional performance from Logan Marshall-Green aswell as a very solid ensemble cast. I also love how perfectly suited John Carroll Lynch was for his role and while some might find the finale a generic, cat and mouse slasher I was actually really satisfied with how it was done.


Tue Apr 12, 2016 1:03 am
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
The Invitation is an absolutely astounding and deeply frightening suspense film; it evokes Roman Polanski's enclosed-space pictures and the writing of Bret Easton Ellis, but it is also entirely its own beast. The enigmatic story opens with protagonist Will (Logan Marshall-Green) and his girlfriend Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi) driving to a dinner party at an opulent hillside home in L.A. The hosts are Will's ex-wife Eden (Tammy Blanchard) and her second husband David (Michiel Huisman). Will and Eden's relationship fell apart after the death of their son, and they have not met in two years, which she spent in Mexico. The reunion, also attended by several of the former couple's mutual friends, is strained, particularly after the introduction of an aloof older man (John Carroll Lynch) and an uncomfortably lascivious woman (Lindsay Burdge) who are strangers to everyone but Eden and David. Will grows suspicious of the hosts' intentions, but he also wonders if his vision is still clouded by grief and regret. Diabolical, slowly burning, and infused with nocturnal atmosphere, The Invitation is a masterclass in building suspense and generating a palpable sense of discomfort and paranoia, and then it delivers a devastating finale. It is well-cast with character actors and rising stars, and they play three-dimensional people whose emotional experiences are treated with respect and sophistication.

Sixteen years ago, director Karyn Kusama splashily debuted at the Sundance Film Festival with the slice-of-life boxing drama Girlfight, but subsequently failed to soar within the studio system: Aeon Flux was a high-profile action-movie bomb plagued by extensive studio interference, and while I largely enjoy the horror-comedy romp Jennifer's Body, it is mostly either forgotten or regarded as Juno writer Diablo Cody's sophomore jinx. But this independent feature represents a sensational return to form for Kusama; the use of light, perspective, and space is playful and exemplary (the film never registers as static despite chiefly unfolding within one house on one night), and the pacing and presentation—a nod toward menace here, a moment of comic relief to disarm us there—are pinpoint.

A-

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Mon Aug 08, 2016 5:44 pm
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
I thought this started very slowly, but it definitely builds and the last half hour is amazing and insane. Worth checking out. B


Mon Aug 08, 2016 9:43 pm
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
My thoughts are pretty much the same as Cory's. B from me too. I expected more but it is solid.


Tue Aug 09, 2016 12:27 am
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
* / ***** (F)

I was bored and unimpressed throughout. I wouldn't mind the fact it's slower than a snail if it wasn't so predictable. The final twist got me laughing so hard. If this were a comedy it would have a higher grade from me. Karyn Kusama just can't make a good movie it seems.


Tue Aug 09, 2016 5:14 am
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
When was the last time you have written a very positive review on anything here?

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Tue Aug 09, 2016 7:15 am
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
Stranger Things.

I also recently liked Anomalisa, Election, Hail Caesar, Zootopia etc. Not the best movies, but good ones. But I only bother to grade if the thread pops up.


Tue Aug 09, 2016 8:15 am
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
Arthur, did you enjoy this one? I see it was shown at the genre-themed festival you attend yearly.

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Tue Aug 09, 2016 11:29 am
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
I thought it was solid. What prevented it from being great was that it is utterly predictable. You just sit there and wait when the truth, that you as a viewer has suspected all along, will finally be revealed.

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Tue Aug 09, 2016 11:31 am
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
I believe the wait for the inevitable drop of the hammer only heightens the movie's queasy power. And I did not find it too predictable, either. I was, for instance, not sure how complicit and involved the ex-wife would be compared to the John Carroll Lynch character.

And the very ending completely surprised me and blew me away. Just brilliantly revealed, in my opinion.

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Tue Aug 09, 2016 11:41 am
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
David wrote:
And the very ending completely surprised me and blew me away. Just brilliantly revealed, in my opinion.

Really? The lighting of that red candle or whatever was so ceremonious and in your face I immediately assumed it was some kind of a lighthouse signal. And guess what? It was. I actually laughed at the end how predictable this was from the get-go. And I wouldn't mind that if the movie had great acting, atmosphere or dialogue. But it doesn't. It's way too pedestrian and overlong. Might've been a good short movie (30-45 min) though.


Tue Aug 09, 2016 6:25 pm
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
I figured it was a signal, but I did not expect a nearly apocalyptic final shot with a sea of red lanterns.

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1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game


Tue Aug 09, 2016 6:56 pm
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
The shot was predictable, but I still thought it looked great and very haunting.

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Tue Aug 09, 2016 7:28 pm
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
I didn't see the very ending coming at all personally. Loved the final shot.


Tue Aug 09, 2016 10:03 pm
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Post Re: The Invitation (2016)
This would have been alot better if the cultists hadn't turned murderous. Once the twist happens, it makes everyone in the movie besides Will look like a fuckin idiot. Great build up and final shot though.


Sun Nov 13, 2016 3:29 am
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