The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Dogs, then Lobsters, then Deers, oh Lanthimos. The bizarre pacing, aggressively passive performances and alarmingly sterile cinematography elevate what could be an urban legend to a cinematic installation worthy of its epic, tragic title. Kidman and Farrell impress with deeply internalized emotion while the younger supporting players prove disturbingly comedic.

12 Strong

Despite intense action sequences and heavy helping of familial empathy enhancers, Thorse Soldiers lacks emotional impact of Lone Survivor or suspense of Zero Dark Thirty. The story is straightforward though their path meanders, and character arcs fall unsatisfyingly in between. And the ‘bad Muslims’ educational cutaway feels preachy and unnecessary.

Annihilation

Garland goes from mechanic to organic with deep dive into Area Ex, annihilating conventional narrative amidst shimmery translucent visuals dense with opaque meaning. Simultaneously adds and subtracts from source’s actively ambiguous characterization, while sparse script and rich score imply just as much depth as the stony performances of the cast.