Woman of the Hour

Director: Anna Kendrick
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Tony Hale, Nicolette Robinson, Pete Holmes, Autumn Best, Kathryn Gallagher, Kelley Jakle, Matt Visser, Jedidiah Goodacre
Running Time: 94 min.
Rating: R

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Zodiac meets Promising Young Woman and Late Night with the Devil in Anna Kendrick's directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, a gripping dramatization of a true crime case almost too impossibly bizarre to believe. While the basic details are out there, accompanying ones remain a bit of a mystery, making this an ideal story for deeper exploration. What most know is that in 1978 a serial killer appeared on TV's The Dating Game, but it turns out this frightening fact only scratches the surface, eventually revealing as much about the era's cultural attitudes as it does the perpetrator himself. 

If not for actual existing footage, it's easy to imagine this being written off as some kind of urban legend. Was he still committing murders at the time? Couldn't someone watching the show identify him? Did he win? Was there a date? What happened on it? Since many of those questions have gone publicly unanswered, Kendrick is afforded the opportunity to squeeze considerable suspense from real events. She and writer Ian McDonald fascinatingly suggest the killer is both everyone and no one, unexceptional enough to easily slip through the cracks. Lots of alarms should have gone off, but back then, the onus fell on women to be careful and nice, no matter how deadly the situation. 

It's 1978 Los Angeles and aspiring actress Cheryl Bradshaw (Kendrick) is striking out on auditions when she gets a call from her agent about potentially going on The Dating Game. Banking that this valuable exposure in front of a national television audience could result in a big break, Cheryl's excited but nervously skeptical, despite encouragement from irritating friend and neighbor Terry (Pete Holmes). 

On the day of the taping, Cheryl's prepped backstage before appearing on camera to question her mystery suitors, including "Bachelor #3," Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), a long haired photographer from Texas. But what Cheryl, producers and even the authorities don't know is that he's a prolific serial killer whose ongoing murders date back to the early seventies. 

Jumping between the episode and Rodney's brutal homicides, a portrait is painted of a violent psychopath in the vein of Ted Bundy or Ed Gein. But on the show he charms the studio audience and Cheryl, raising the likelihood she could actually end up picking this guy as her date. That is unless someone can come forward and connect him to these crimes.

Kendrick inventively uses the show as a framing device by surrounding it with flashbacks and flashforwards of Rodney targeting random young women. And while unconfirmed reports put his victim count at over a hundred, it stands to reason he encountered others who lived to see another day. Because of this, these scenes carry even more weight since we're unclear whether anyone survives until they fully play out. Some of his murders take place years before he appears on the show, while others, including an extremely pivotal one, occurs after. As a result, the film's structure and timeline becomes crucial in tracing the trajectory that lands him on stage with Cheryl.

The quiet, withdrawn Rodney methodically entraps his victims, making small talk and showering them with compliments before eventually convincing them to pose for him. And his photography becomes a major theme, tying into the natural human instinct to feel and be noticed, a vulnerability he preys on before the world sees those tactics in action on TV.  

The full scope of Rodney's depravity is displayed in the film's haunting desert opening while  photographing a woman named Sarah (Kelley Jakle) who opens up to him about a painful breakup. Zovatto's performance is scary in how he plays Rodney as weirdly off, but initially harmless until his tone, facial expressions and body language betray that, exposing his true intentions. Unfortunately, by then, it's too late. He earns their trust before going in for the kill, attempting to repeat this pattern with flight attendant Charlie (Kathryn Gallagher) and most memorably, young runaway Amy (Autumn Best). 

The constant misogyny and sexism Cheryl deals with is really what leads her to appear on a show so clearly beneath her, even as she comes to it well-armed from those terrible experiences. Whether being grilled about nudity on an audition or guilted into succumbing to her annoying neighbor's advances. Kendrick doesn't overplay her hand, presenting Cheryl's plight as business as usual for the period, trusting audiences to reach their own conclusions. 

Instructed by the show's pompous host Ed Burke (a brilliant Tony Hale channeling Richard Dawson) to just smile, laugh and look pretty so she doesn't seem smarter than the bachelors, Cheryl flips the script to take the upper hand. Much to his and the bachelors' chagrin, she milks those 15 minutes of fame by simply being authentic, even as two of the three suitors prove awful in different ways. Only one is sharp enough to keep up with her. And it's a shame who that is. 

Kendrick's quick, snappy, matter-of-factness has rarely been utilized as well on screen, as she plays Cheryl in a constant state of self awareness. She has no false illusions about this program's quality and what it could do for her career, bringing that same level-headed pragmatism to the eventual encounter with Rodney. There's also great unsung work from Nicollette Robinson as a woman with a past connection to him who's paralyzed by fear and judgment from others. How her character's mistreated and dismissed by the men around her goes a long way in explaining how Rodney not only evaded capture for years, but was cast on widely popular television show without a second thought.

The last thirty minutes (and particularly one parking lot scene) are terrifyingly tension filled, threatening just how bad things can possibly get. Since Kendrick spends much of the film establishing Rodney's M.O., it's only that much more impactful when he's finally thrown off course and needs to improvise. After meeting his match in a woman who knows how to turn the tables, she reads and manipulates him well enough to deserve a criminal psychology degree. And we believe it, mainly because these serial killers always have traumatic baggage to be exploited, but only if their potential victims can somehow stay alive long enough to find the trigger. 

As a director, Kendrick visually and thematically links the game show to these murders, all while delivering a lead performance equally effective in conveying that. Smart, shrewd and extremely lucky compared to the other women, Cheryl can't see herself as any of this when falsely defined by the superficial, condescending terms society ascribes to her. What starts as a last ditch effort to be "seen" on a program that's spawned hundreds like it instead reflects a systemic malignancy still resonating to this day. It all provides chilling context for a TV episode now very much remembered, though not for reasons anyone had originally intended.  

Speak No Evil

Director: James Watkins
Starring: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Francioso, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, Kris Hitchen, Motaz Malhees
Running Time: 110 min.
Rating: R

**The Following Review Contains Plot Spoilers For 'Speak No Evil' **

★★★½ (out of ★★★★)

Proving how the distance between a foreign feature's release and its eventual American remake continues to shrink, writer/director James Watkins' take on the Danish horror film Speak No Evil arrives only a couple of years after the original's release. Blumhouse likely set the gears in motion for an update a while ago, as viewers accustomed to disappointing adaptations prepared themselves for the worst. But this one's different.   

Yes, these characters sometimes make decisions that have us yelling at the screen, but they're not contrivances since it's believable based on their behavior and personalities. They see the red flags, yet keep feeding themselves excuses while walking right into the trap. But besides being surprisingly complex, it also features the onscreen reunion of two stars from one of TV's most underappreciated dramas of the past decade. And watching them play off each other again under drastically different circumstances is a real thrill, displaying their versatility opposite another performance that's downright maniacal. 

Married American couple Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) are vacationing in Italy with their 12-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) when they befriend Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Francioso), a carefree British couple traveling with mute young son Ant (Dan Hough). As Louise and Ben's marriage remains fractured over his recent unemployment and her infidelity, they return home, later receiving an invite from Paddy and Ciara to stay at their farmhouse in Devon. 

Louise and Ben reluctantly accept the offer from these people they just met, but after arriving at their desolate, filthy residence, the unpredictable Paddy exhibits disturbingly passive aggressive behavior. Louise wants to leave while Ben urges her to stick it out as the two kids form a close bond. But when Paddy's unpredictable outbursts grow scarier and more volatile, any opportunity for the Daltons to get out shrinks upon discovering the real reason for this invite, drawing them into a fight for their lives.  

Watkins lets the situation breathe, spending about three quarters of the running length building tension between the hosts and their guests. Each cringeworthy scene becomes a "what would you do?" scenario wherein Paddy intentionally provokes the Daltons, creating a dynamic uncomfortable enough that the couple looks ready to crawl under the table. And it only gets worse, but in recognizably realistic ways heightened by a sinister McAvoy turn loaded with microaggressions and escalating manipulation. 

Whether he's mocking Louise's vegatarianism or simulating sex acts with Ciara in a restaurant to humiliate Ben, Paddy knows exactly which buttons to push, frequently punctuating his antics with an apology intended to coax both into blaming themselves for wanting to leave. And since the emasculated, unemployed Ben is much more willing to stand up to his wife than a sadistic Paddy, the latter's plan works even better than expected. 

Anyone who saw how brilliant Davis and McNairy were on AMC's late, great Halt and Catch Fire are in for a real treat here, as they seamlessly channel the platonic chemistry they shared on that show over to this unhappily married couple. What Davis does with Louise is particularly special since her character knows from the jump that the trip was a huge mistake and is constantly looking for a way out, if only for the sake of daughter Agnes, who clutches her stuffed rabbit "Hoppy" for dear life. 

Davis's facial expressions and body language really tell the tale, as you can see the unease all over Louise whenever she's talking to the wildly unhinged Paddy. If that wasn't bad enough, Ben tries to talk convince her into staying, both out of fear and a sadly misguided effort to prove he's man enough to put up with Paddy's abuse. Still sore over his wife's extra-marital affair, he may as well pin a scarlet letter to her chest for that indiscretion, dismissing her feelings at every turn. He may be a hapless cuck, but McNairy earns twinges of sympathy by not overplaying it, somehow managing to make the character relatably human. 

The film also creates a believable bond between the young kids, thanks to excellent child actors in Lefler and Hough. While the trailers falsely hinted at a supernatural component involving Ant's inability to speak, what actually happens is considerably more intriguing and well handled. It's rare in this genre for kids to be this intelligently written, but when critical information is shared in the third act it's even more impressive just how logical their actions seem.

Hints are dropped well before the big revelation, but it's still a relief to see the knowledge presented in a clean, straightforward manner. In other words, there's no scene with a cackling villain spouting off expository dialogue about how their evil plan came together. The true breaking point comes with Paddy's abuse of Ant, but by the time the Daltons can summon the will to leave and get help, it's too late. More force is now required to make them stay, culminating in a spectacularly staged finale that couldn't have been easy to film in such a tight, confined space.

Watkins uses every corner and crevice of this old farmhouse to great effect, as the claustrophobic setting provides an ideal layout for a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase that has the desperate Daltons scrambling for every household item and tool at their disposal to take down Paddy. True to form, Louise emerges as the badass we suspected, utilizing another weapon in Davis's acting arsenal previously present in Terminator: Dark Fate and Blade Runner 2049. Watching her here, it becomes even more perplexing she isn't already a massive star, action or otherwise.  

It's only natural fans would be up in arms over any deviation from the Danish original, but Watkins is in no way obligated to adopt that film's nihilistic ending. And while recognizing the potential shock of a mainstream release doing it, what worked the first time doesn't necessarily guarantee the same result for a different version. Watkins' conclusion feels like the better fit for his story, regardless of how far it deviates from the source. 

Trailers tried to sell Speak No Evil as horror, but this is a full blown psychological thriller, solidly grasping a thematic concept similar efforts have failed to completely capture. If anything, it shares more in common with 1971's Straw Dogs than its many inferior imitators, skillfully shaping its plot until it boils over in the final thirty minutes.                                                                               

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O' Hara, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Arthur Conti, Santiago Cabrera, Danny DeVito, Nick Kellington
Running Time: 104 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)

There's always this tendency to assume the worst when a beloved property like Beetlejuice is resurrected decades after the original's release. Years of rumors and false starts weigh on fans who can only hope it's not just a cash grab and some creative thought went into continuing the original's legacy. This concern is especially real with Tim Burton's intended sequel, which seemed perpetually stuck in pre-production since the early 90's. 

As time passes, expectations fall, which is why it comes as such a relief that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice resembles the kind of follow-up audiences wanted but didn't think they'd ever get. Signaling a welcome return to form for Burton, it rekindles flickers of his former glory throughout, while still looking and feeling like the Beetlejuice we know. The director's recent work on Netflix's Wednesday, could almost be seen as a prelude to this in that his twisted imagination is once again freed up to run amok with fewer boundaries.

It's 2024 and Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) is now a psychic medium hosting her own supernatural talk show, Ghost House, where she contacts the dead. But her sullenly skeptical teen daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) isn't interested, still harboring grief and resentment over the death of Lydia's husband and her father, Richard (Santiago Cabrera). And as Lydia's slimy TV producer boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux) prepares to take their relationship to another level, professional artist and Deetz matriarch Delia (Catherine O' Hara) breaks the news to Lydia that her father Charles (played by Jeffrey Jones in the original) just died in a horrific accident. 

With the family reconvening in Winter River for Charles' funeral and preparing to sell their old home, Astrid falls for local teen Jeremy Frazier (Arthur Conti) while Lydia finds out the hard way that Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) isn't done with her yet. Now working as an "Afterlife Manager" on the other side, he's being stalked by ex-wife Dolores (Monica Belucci), a murderous soul sucking cult member being hunted by action star turned ghost detective Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe). But when Lydia realizes Astrid's in danger and only Beetlejuice can help, she's reminded that any deal with this mischievous demon comes at a high price.

Recognizing there's such a thing as overkill, Burton strategically uses the Beetlejuice character, both in terms of screen time and his overall purpose. Of course, we all know he's keeping Keaton in his back pocket until the ghoul's ready to unleash his goofy madness, or more accurately, has a reason to. And writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar come up with a good one, putting the now middle-aged Lydia at a place in life that makes sense given her past and tumultuous connection to Beetlejuice. 

Now a famous TV star, Lydia's addicted to pills, dating a creep and unable to connect with daughter Astrid on any level, particularly when it comes to discussing the latter's deceased dad. And if there's a benefit to have waited this long for a sequel, it's that Ryder's now old enough for her character to struggle parenting a version of her rebellious younger self. That she's played by a perfectly cast Ortega is only icing on the cake. 

While Keaton and Ryder have publicly expressed their desire to reprise these roles for a while, it's no secret the addition of Ortega is what finally got this greenlit. As strong a match for Astrid as Ryder originally was for Lydia, the pair's natural chemistry consistently shines through in every scene they share as mother and daughter. And though this iteration mostly plays it safe, Ortega's Astrid is given the film's bleakest, most compelling subplot, serving as the primary catalyst for Lydia and her stripe suited nemesis's reunion. 

Catherine O' Hara delightfully hams it up as Delia, spending most of the running length in hysterics over Charles' death, while also remaining strangely unfazed by it, keeping with Burton's quirky, bemused take on the macabre that's punctuated much of his previous work. And while there was no chance of Jeffrey Jones returning as Charles, it's a treat watching how brilliantly Burton works around it, using photos, paintings and an extremely clever animated stop-motion sequence to help make him an even bigger presence dead than alive.

Once Beetlejuice is fully involved, Keaton runs with it, and if family drama justifiably monopolizes the film's early goings, he dictates the rest by recapturing Juice's brand of sarcastic quips and physical comedy. The plot involving his murderous ex Dolores is probably the script's weakest, but it's still well executed, notable for a brief but memorable black-and-white flashback depicting the couples' sordid history. And when the action shifts into the Afterlife and takes all the characters along, it picks up steam before arriving at a wacky, divisive ending that really flies off the rails without veering far from the franchise's roots. 

This doesn't approach prime Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands territory, but it's fun seeing everyone slide back into their roles as we revisit a universe that hasn't changed much at all. Between Danny Elfman's score, the similar production design and a continued emphasis on practical effects, Burton clears the toughest hurdle by recognizing any legacy sequel's biggest competition is its own nostalgia. By effectively tailoring the story to present day, he forgoes cheap fan service, instead crafting a worthy successor that will leave viewers wanting even more.

Strange Darling

Director: JT Mollner
Starring: Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Barbara Hershey, Ed Begley Jr., Madisen Beaty, Bianca Santos, Eugenia Kuzmina, Steven Michael Quezada, Denise Grayson, Sheri Foster, Jason Patric, Giovanni Ribisi
Running Time:  96 min.
Rating: R

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

While there's a jarring reversal that occurs midway through writer/director JT Mollner's excitingly original horror thriller Strange Darling, it's almost unfair to categorize it as a "twist." Just the very word falsely implies a gotcha gimmick intended to sacrifice story for shock when the truth's hiding in plain sight the entire time. It's the story's structure that throws us, but what's most surprising is how a concept this clever hasn't yet been explored to the extent Mollner does here.

Those looking for profoundly complex theories about consent, misogyny or gender issues would be barking up the wrong tree since this isn't trying to tell us anything we don't already know. Instead, Mollner implies we often choose to look the other way, falling into some of the same traps his characters do. The impact comes not from what the film says or even how, but that it even bothers to ask. Structurally, there's a lot to take in, but the pieces fit together, eventually reaching a crucial juncture where it grabs hold and doesn't let go.

Introduced as a dramatization of an infamous serial killer's murder spree that climaxes in rural Oregon, we see a bloody and injured woman called the "Lady" (Willa Fitzgerald) running out of the woods in  red hospital scrubs. It turns out she's being chased by a mustachioed, shotgun wielding man credited as the "Demon" (Kyle Gallner) who follows her to the farmhouse of aging hippie wilderness couple Frederik (Ed Begley Jr.) and Genevieve (Barbara Hershey). 

When the Lady seeks refuge at their residence, the Demon closes in, with the film flashing back to the pair's one-night stand at a local hotel that led to this. But the shocks are provided by what happens in between, their feud now culminating in a volatile encounter that will transform this cat-and-mouse game into a grueling, high stakes battle for their lives.

Kicking off with a barrage of title cards that would make Tarantino proud and a Texas Chainsaw-inspired voice over provided by Jason Patric, Mollner has us questioning early whether what we're seeing is based on real life events. In this era of true crime obsession it's easy to believe certain details could have been, as his six nonlinear chapters lay the groundwork for surprising developments that will have many clamoring for a rewatch in its chronologically accurate order. 

The picture was shot on 35 mm film and you can tell, with first time cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi (yes, him) giving this a beautifully washed-out look that perfectly aligns with Mollner's retro aesthetic. Though events take place in 2022, the year could just as easily be 1972, save for the presence of iPhones and few other contemporary details. And a haunting soundtrack from Z Berg prominently features an iconic Keith Carradine assisted cover of "Love Hurts," along with a variety of other acoustic AM radio ballads that further convey its throwback sensibility. 

As a chilling 24-hour account of a serial killer's rampage, it's fascinating and darkly humorous, with many narrative detours evoking a more heightened response than if the timeline was traditionally presented. Subverting expectations to this level just wouldn't work without Mollner's jumbled storytelling device, which the studio inexplicably wanted to scrap before cameras rolled.  

Reacher actress Willa Fitzgerald's breakthrough performance as the Lady constantly challenges viewer's notions of how other characters read her, as an already toxic sexual encounter spirals dangerously out of control. The Demon isn't exactly all he appears to be either, with Gallner playing on certain assumptions of male loners before twisting and turning them beyond recognition with his best big screen outing yet. Hershey and Begley Jr. are a welcome presence, bringing some much needed levity to their smaller roles while also partaking in one of more impressive breakfasts you'll ever see.  

The film's hypnotizing opening and closing shots can't be viewed in a vacuum since their full context will eventually reveal more than our perceptions trick us into believing. What unfolds between the two characters only scratches the surface of this oddly compelling disasterpiece told from a different, unexplored perspective. Violent, unsettling and emotionally charged, you'd be hard pressed to find another recent thriller that takes the daring risks this does, with most of them paying off in disturbingly brilliant ways.

Wolfs

Director: Jon Watts
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, Poorna Jagannathan, Zlatko Burić, Richard Kind, Frances McDormand
Running Time: 108 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)     

Its title may be a grammatical nightmare, but writer/director Jon Watts' Wolfs finds two of the world's biggest movie stars reunited in roles that only further confirm their value. An action comedy throwback to when that genre routinely packed theaters, a project like this almost feels like a complete outlier now. But tight direction and a pair of immensely enjoyable lead performances end up being enough to temporarily breathe life into what could have been a paint-by-numbers effort. 

Built around a straightforward premise, George Clooney plays a cold, emotionally detached "fixer" not unlike his avenging protagonist in 2007's Oscar nominated Michael Clayton. Only this time, he's more likely to break the law than uphold it, remaining meticulously obsessive until an unexpected visitor forces him to face the possibility his skill set isn't as unique as he thought. 

That this interloper is played by Brad Pitt enables the actors to take dry, sarcastic jabs at each other, successfully calling back to the chemistry the duo shared in the Oceans films. While both are capable of turning an eye roll or sideways glance into pure hilarity with their understated expressions, what develops is an effective action bromance with bickering characters who can't stand just how alike they really are. 

Panicked Manhattan District Attorney Margaret (Amy Ryan) calls the number of an anonymous professional fixer (Clooney) when a young man she took back to her hotel room ends up dead. After arriving and calmly taking stock of the scenario, the fixer asks Margaret some questions before starting the clean-up process, assuring her everything will be fine if she does exactly what he says. Unfortunately, they're interrupted by a second unnamed fixer (Pitt) who was given instructions by the hotel's owner Pam (Frances McDormand) to sweep this situation under the rug. 

While neither "lone wolf" trusts the other, Pam orders the two men work together for the sake of protecting the hotel's reputation. But while debating how to best solve this issue and dispose of the body, one of them makes a discovery that reveals something more dangerously complicated. So if the feuding fixers want to avoid getting killed, they'll need to stop arguing long enough to rectify what's suddenly become a gigantic mess.

From the initial tone and execution, it's easy to understand how audiences could be roped into thinking this will be a deadly serious crime drama. And even when Pitt first appears, lingering doubts still surround that assumption, as Watts smoothly lulls us into a situation that's about to spin way out of control. 

With few expressions and even fewer words, Clooney's character retains complete control, at least until Pitt's fixer arrives and things go sideways. Neither takes kindly to a competitor invading their territory, but one of the better aspects of Watts' script is how it suggests an imaginary underground of criminal fixers who think only they can do this dirty work.

As their dilemma grows more complex, levels are revealed that go well beyond a prominent D.A's hotel indiscretion. And much of it involves protecting an unnamed asset referred to as the Kid (Austin Abrams), who's carrying something valuable enough to cause huge concern. Abrams' manic, livewire performance is the film's highlight, providing the perfect foil to Clooney and Pitt's exasperated fixers, who just can't agree on how to handle him. 

An excitingly chaotic and hilarious chase through New York City streets is Watts' pivotal set piece and it doesn't disappoint, nor do encounters with a no-nonsense medic (Poorna Jagannathan) and a Croatian mobster (Zlatko Burić) whose daughter's wedding they accidentally crash. And the great Richard Kind briefly pops up in an amusingly memorable scene as the Kid's Frank Sinatra-obsessed dad. 

For supposed experts in this narrow field, these fixers are pretty sloppy, though there's nothing normal about either the job at hand or this reluctant partnership.  How similar they are is a detail everyone notices but them, creating a humorous dynamic where their oversized egos prevent them from realizing they're stronger together than alone.

Forced to begrudgingly get on the same page in the final act, it's to make a moral choice that requires them abandoning the rule book to embrace their consciences instead. Without time for debate or wiggle room, it becomes glaringly apparent that being a lone wolf carries baggage neither considered. Ending on a cliffhanger of sorts, Wolfs is the kind of film you wouldn't mind getting a sequel to, if only so Clooney and Pitt can have a rematch.