Suspiria (2018)

Rated: R - Runtime: 152 min
tesg's Rating: Three stars (out of four)

Dario Argento's original trippy, colorful horror cult classic succeeded on visuals and atmosphere.  There really wasn't much to the story, it was just good enough.  It assaulted you with colors and crazy music and got the hell out in about 90 minutes.  Nothing looks or feels quite like it, and that's what makes it work.

Luca Guadagnino's take on this is exactly the opposite.  The story is the same basic premise, but it's far more complex.  The characters are greater in numbers and have more depth.  The surroundings are...muted.  The rich colors of the original are nowhere to be seen.  The music is subtle and haunting.  And at a 2 1/2 hour running time, it's in no hurry to get to the point.

And yet, I was never bored.  I would not have cut a thing out.  It kept my attention all the way through.

The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)

Rated: R  - Runtime: 157 min
tesg's Rating: Two and one half stars (out of four)

I was a big fan of the original Swedish miniseries version on Stieg Larrson's original trilogy.  Larrson died, but apparently the family hired a writer to carry on the story.  And his books, and this movie, just don't have the edge Larrson's books had.  It's like watching the boring parts of a Bond movie.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Rated: PG-13 - Runtime: 135 min
tesg's Rating: Three stars (out of four)

There's a scene where Mercury is being interviewed on the radio and, having failed to get "Bohemian Rhapsody" released as he first single from "A Night at the Opera", gets the guy to play it. As it starts, a collage of one-line negative critic responses to the song from back then appear on the screen. They were all proven wrong by the public, who made the song massive.

That's exactly what's happening with the movie. The critics hate it, but the masses love it.