Cheezwiz

I was surprised at how closely it followed the template laid out by Hereditary - almost note for note, despite the very different subject matter. Hereditary was certainly more batshit and had some shocker twists I DID NOT SEE COMING whereas Midsommar was more muted. I grew up watching bad 70's TV movies of the week about regular folk bumbling into cults & witchcraft, so in some ways Midsommar felt more predictable to me. But man, Aster is good at building slow dread and discomfort - I felt similarly squirmy and cringey during both films. I spent a lot of time peeking through my fingers.

I honestly don't see much of either of Maya's parents in her features at all. Possibly her smile is a bit like Uma's. However her voice definitely sounds identical to her Mom's. If I were listening to a sound recording of both of them speaking, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart. I only noticed this because I just recently watched a movie starring Uma.

That's the impression I got - that the commune used younger people like Pelle to travel abroad as "procurers" to bring a pool of potential fresh genes to the community. Once they'd served their purpose, they were disposed of. Dani wouldn't have anyone looking for her, so she could remain in the community without issue, but it doesn't answer the loose ends about the rest of the unfortunates - surely people would be searching for their loved ones at some point?

I'd have to agree with this, and Bonnie's mother has been completely inert in a hospital for most of it! This season is definitely not up to par with Season 1 (and I was saddened to see that HBO wrested control from Andrea Arnold who is an amazing director). The main problem is with the writing, so yeah, we're looking at YOU David E. Kelley. Much of this season feels like bargain basement scripts from "The Practice". That being said, I'm still enjoying the performances from all of the actresses. Renata sure picked a winner didn't she? In addition to blowing through all of her earnings, her husband was boinking the nanny and promising payment for extra services rendered! Zoe Kravitz did a great job with the scene reading from her confession book in the hospital, but I wish her Mom would either wake up, or pass away or something. Having a whole plot line based on a comatose character is tiresome. Clearly that diary is going to wind up in the wrong hands somehow. Also bored with the Madeline/Ed will they won't they stay together storyline. Don't really care if Ed boffs Chesty McChesterton at this point. Nicole continues to knock it out of the park, even with the ludicrous courtroom writing. I was hoping we'd get more layered insight into Perry's past, but I guess we're going to have to wait and see if Celeste drags it into the sunlight in her cross-examination (which is an admittedly ridiculous plot point that no judge would probably agree to). Regardless, I want to see her annihilate Mary Louise next court date, and I hope she dredges up something good!

I just saw it today, and I kind of agree with everyone else's posts. Random thoughts: I felt similarly after watching Hereditary, in that most of the film felt genuinely tense and foreboding, but it didn't quite stick the ending - it sort of tilted over from frightening and disturbing into the ridiculous at the conclusion. Although I enjoy a slow-burn, it was a bit overlong and needed trimming. I didn't know exactly what would go down (I assumed ritual sacrifice of some sort going in) but I immediately knew the poor British couple were effectively the movie's "red-shirts", along with the rude transgressors. I think the tension for me was whether the main couple was going to try and make a break for it or not. (Did anyone else think the actor playing the non-committal boyfriend looked EXACTLY like a thinner fitter Seth Rogen? Was it just me?) I agree with everyone else about the winking flowers - it added to the trippy hallucinogenic quality of the film. I wonder if the timing being all over the place was also meant to sort of scramble the audience's brains? It was supposed to be a Midsummer festival which one would think would be Summer Solstice which is late June. Yet they're crowning a May Queen. And a bunch of trees had pink blossoms on them, which even in Northern Sweden seems too late in the season. I dunno. I felt saddest for the poor bear in the end. One thing that has bothered me about both Hereditary and Midsommar is Ari Aster's seeming fixation on people with physical deformities. I thought Millie Shapiro (the little girl in Hereditary) was just unusual looking, but apparently she has an inherited condition that affects the cranium, and again in this movie, someone with a visible deformity was used mainly for horror purposes. That doesn't sit well with me. I will say kudos to the production designers and costumers - they did a fantastic job of world-building with the folk-art paintings, runic symbols, embroidery and flowers. For such a freaky film, it was visually beautiful. Can't say that I loved this film, but Aster is very good at using horror to explore grief - however I thought The Babadook dealt with that theme more effectively. This one was like an updated less goofy Nordic version of The Wicker Man.

Yep, it sure was! I was a teen in that era and I tried many times to get the elevated mall bang look, but my smooth slippery hair would never cooperate. I am now eternally grateful it didn't pan out. My class photos are not too horrific. Follow this link for some real-life honest-to-god examples: https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/25-photos-of-80s-hairstyles-so-bad-theyre-actually-good

Oh my, I think I may have to go watch this now!

Amen! That scene bothered me way more than the exploding rats, and the slime monster sequences!

It's freaky how much her voice sounds exactly like Uma's! However I don't think she actually resembles either one of her parents. Not really seeing much of Uma or Ethan in her features. I realized she reminds me a lot of the actress Zoe Kazan - they are far apart in age, but they look like they could be related.

Phew! I thought I was the only one who thought this! Some folks in another thread tried to explain it as being due to the Mid-west setting and behind the times in fashion, but even factoring a fashion lag, seriously, NO TEEN BOY in the mid-80's would be caught dead with those pudding bowl haircuts - they look ridiculous! Billy and Steve also have silly hair, but it's at least age/time-period appropriate. The best explanation I read was that the boys had grown so much in between seasons, that the show's stylists may have decided to keep their "kid" hair-cuts so they'd still be recognizable to the viewing audience. I hope they change them for next season, because the sheer awfulness of their hair is actually distracting and taking me out of the show.

I'm finding it a bit hard to root for Hopper this season - I feel like the writing for his character has been a bit lazy and broad - he seems unnecessarily angry hostile and violent ALL the time. I feel like the character (and David Harbour) are much more intelligent than what has been in the script this season. It's been one of the more notable weak points for me this time around.

I'm so glad I have these forums to help me fill in the blank spots, because I seriously had no clue what her gesticulating was supposed to mean in that scene!

Holy smokes, that was intense and pretty scary! Possessed Billy is quite terrifying. I felt sad for Max, as you could tell she was really hoping there would be some shred of humanity left in her brother. Apparently not - and as others have already mentioned, I'm actually feeling a bit sorry for Billy. I predict if any main character dies, it will likely be him. Poor Mrs. Driscoll. That hospital scene was also terrifying. The air-duct thing is such an 80's trope: Die Hard as well as The Breakfast Club among others that I'm probably forgetting. The show continues to nail the period details: Nancy's purple and teal dress with the little cutouts was peak mid-80's fashion. She's wearing some outfits that I envied on other girls back in the day! I actually like Nancy, and am interested in following her story, but I'm super-bored with Jonathan - he feels totally extraneous to me now, and the show drags when they are together. I also laughed at the Mayor's gloriously tacky eighties bedroom decor. Hopper and Joyce are probably now up the creek without a paddle once the Mayor calls in for back-up. Like everyone else, I'm loving the Scoops Ahoy gang (Robin has now grown on me), and hope they are reunited with the rest of the cast soon.

I was just joking about the apnea exercise, mainly because I loathe Chicago and think their music is exerable. An exercise like that would send me into a vessel-popping rage. Carry on!

Yes, I think this is what she's up to - relentlessly poking and prodding, looking for weak spots. She's convinced her perfect precious son was the victim of a pre-meditated murder by a cabal of women, and she wants someone to crack. If she gets custody of her grandkids in the bargain, then that's icing on the cake for her. I'm still not sure about Corey being a cop or PI - perhaps he was at the police station for some innocuous reason, but time will tell.