SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (The Daily Dish) — Joaquin Pheonix stars in one of the year’s most anticipated horror films, but will ‘Beau Is Afraid’ be hailed as a creative success, or will you be “Joaquin” out the door?

Beau Is Afraid

Joaquin Phoenix stars as Beau, a very timid and terrified man in fear for his life, his sanity, and his overbearing mother. When a collection of bad choices lands Beau without a way to visit his mother, he will embark on the most terrifying and surreal journeys I’ve seen this year, but also one that I don’t wish to revisit soon.

Ari Aster as a director thrives in divisive imagery and the vague storytelling that makes you want to talk with your friend about the film hours after it’s over. Midsommer and Hereditary are both films that explore grief, and loss, and weave that into pure horror, taking you into the surreal, and grounding you with the sincerity of his writing. With Beau Is Afraid, I did not see the tight script with his previous films. Instead- this is a 3 hr exploration into madness with the familiar themes of grief and loss, but the narrative is all over the place.

If you aren’t sure what you’re getting into with seeing this film- I would suggest going in without expectations. I will say this is Ari Aster’s funniest film to date- but it’s drenched in horror and is tough to gauge with an audience that doesn’t know what they’re in for. I did find myself chuckling at the most absurd parts- but I can’t figure out if I’m laughing at the film or at the film.

See it, don’t see it, but I commend anything that is a creative force- and Beau is Afraid absolutely is a creative force that, should you choose to explore, will certainly give you conversations for hours.

See It or Skip It: Either

Chevalier

A story about a long-forgotten master composer during the time of Mozart, ‘Chevalier’ tells how he got into music, his struggles, and what ended up happening that took his name away from the list of great composers.

All the performances were strong, Kelvin Harrison Jr. gives a star performance and is immediately likable. His character’s relationship with Samara Weaving’s character was the highlight of the film. It was also very interesting to learn more about the history of what Europe was like during the French Revolution but done with a modern style in writing and whenever Chevalier plays.

Overall, This is one I could recommend to anyone. If you’re a fan of period piece films, who loves forbidden romances and good music- then there is something here for you.

See It or Skip It: See It

To Catch A Killer

While the film has a grade-A cast with Woodley and Mendelsohn, ‘To Catch A Killer’ has too many side stories and not enough substance to justify it to new audiences who are fans of crime thrillers. This isn’t an awful film and there are some good parts to the suspense built in some scenes, if you happen upon this while browsing your streaming site it may be a good one to check out.

See It or Skip It: Skip It