sometimes you need to do something bad to stop you from doing something worse.

Date: Tuesday 12th March
Film: Stoker (2013)
Director: Chan-wook Park
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman and Matthew Goode
Running time: 01 hour, 38 minutes
Rating: 9/10

I'll be honest, I had little desire to see this film - the trailer didn't appeal to me and the posters left me cold - but the reviews were so strong, so convincing that I felt like I had to give it a go, even if it was being described as horror, a genre I'm never that keen on.

Stoker is so much more than that, in fact, I would be hard pressed to call this horror. It is not a slasher film, it is not gratuitous with it's violence, it is not about ghost and ghouls, it is a slow burning thriller. A coming of age story of a young girl living in unusual circumstances.

Stoker is visually mesmerising, the film has an authentic gothic feel to it, if they didn't specify that it was set in modern day, you could almost believe it was a period piece. The cast are phenomenal, Mia Wasikowska especially, carrying the piece as she discovers exactly who India Stoker is, what she wants from life, how she's going to get these things. Matthew Goode plays sinister and creepy incredibly well.

I don't want to give away what this is all about, the publicity has been ambiguous, which I think is fitting with the film, but I will recommend checking it out. Don't be put off by the horror tag. Stoker isn't horror. It is wonderful.

Challenge day: 168
Challenge time: 10 days, 11 hours, 07 minutes
Challenge film total: 130