PLOT – The story of Carrie follows an awkward teenage girl trying to navigate the mess that is high school, while dealing with abuse from her deranged overly-religious mother Margaret (Julianne Moore), and being the victim of bullying by her high school peers. If you don’t think you know the story, I’m sure you’ll recognize the image of the prom queen covered in blood. Adapted from the 1974 novel by Steven King and the critically acclaimed 1979 film directed by Brian De Palma, it is a cult classic that has stood the test of time (even after a few previous horrible remake attempts). This modern day version is directed by Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) and stars Chloë Grace Moretz (30 Rock) and Julianne Moore (Don Jon).
ENGAGEMENT – Director Kimberley Peirce does her best to create a character film that leaves us rooting for Carrie to take her revenge. And she almost does it. Almost. While I was horrified for Carrie White during the shower scene (for many reasons), the rest of the film never made me feel the true sympathy I should for a victim of such (implied) bullying. With the exception of Chris Hargensen (Portia Doubleday) and Julianne Moore, who once again does crazy so well as Carrie’s mother, we don’t see much of what would drive Carrie to the breaking point. However, Peirce does a nice job throwing in some current references and incorporating cyber bullying, which is timely considering the unfortunate stories of victims of bullying lashing out with violence.
STYLE – Style plays a vital role in the film by showing the contrast between Carrie’s homemade, ill-fitting, plain clothes and the sexy style of the rest of the students. The high school halls were filled with floral patterns, lace, fringe and moto jackets, fall's go-to leather jacket.
Check out our interview with director Kimberly Peirce
This movie should be 75% on your radar:
Release: Friday, October 18th
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxwPUSWRaJo[/youtube]
(Image courtesy of Sony Pictures)
