Nosferatu

Director: Robert Eggers
Starring: Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, Adéla Hesová, Milena Konstantinova
Running Time: 132 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)    

On paper, another cinematic Dracula interpretation would seem to be the last thing anyone wants or needs, especially if it happens to be a remake of F.W. Murnau's 1922 indisputable German classic, Noseferatu. And while it's the rare project that risks trampling on sacred ground for film buffs and horror fanatics alike, most can agree that if an updated version has to happen, Robert Eggers is probably the best director for the job. And following The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman, it also feels like the next logical step for a filmmaker who's already proven himself more than capable of handling similar material. 

Given how there are still mainstream moviegoers unfamiliar enough with the original, Eggers now gets the opportunity to put his own stamp on the story without alienating newer audiences or offending purists. And that's just what he does, offering up an unusually distinctive vision that mostly meets those expectations. While an altogether disturbing, grotesque and unpleasant experience to sit through, that's sort of the point, as Eggers delivers on exactly what he sets out to accomplish.  

It's 1838 and the newly married Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp) and her realtor husband Thomas (Nicholas Hoult) are living in the German town of Wisburg when he accepts a job from prospective employer Herr Knock (Simon McBurney) to sell off the dilapidated Grünewald Manor estate. Upon Thomas learning the buyer is the mysteriously reclusive Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), a frightened Ellen begs him not to go, realizing this is the same supernatural creature she gave herself to in her youth. But knowing how this opportunity will financially benefit them, he goes, leaving Ellen to stay with wealthy friend Friedrich Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), his wife Anna (Emma Corrin) and two young daughters. 

Warned by the locals to stay away from Orlok, Thomas arrives at the castle to finalize the sale before becoming suddenly ill in his presence. But the Count rejects his desperate pleas to leave, giving him little choice but to attempt an escape. Meanwhile at Friedrich's, Ellen is suffering from violent seizures, sleepwalking and hallucinations, leading eccentric Swiss scientist and occult expert Albin Eberhart von Franz (Willem Dafoe) to diagnosis her as being under the spell of the demonic, plague carrying vampire Nosferatu (a.k.a. Orlok). As she continues to conceal her connection to the monster, Thomas heads back to Wisburg, but Orlok isn't far behind, planning to claim Ellen as his own, but not before causing unimaginable bloodshed and death. 

After a methodical opening the horror truly begins at this old, cavernous estate when Thomas comes face-to-face with this vampire lurking in the shadows who lets it be known through his foreboding voice and presence that he's not just looking for a good property deal. What Orlok really covets is Ellen, who's not only terrified, but appears to be in no position to stop the potential trap Thomas has walked into.  Rendered helpless under Orlok's spell, Ellen gets little support from the Hardings, specifically a skeptical, patronizing Friedrich who refuses to acknowledge any supernatural component to this at all. 

Friedrich's disbelief reaches new heights with the arrival of Dafoe's scientist, who the actor skillfully plays as something of a loony cross between Dr. Loomis from Halloween and the psychiatrist at the end of Psycho. The film's most repulsive events unfold while Thomas is trapped inside this Transylvanian castle where's he bitten, chased by wolves and unintentionally signs his wife's life away. But once Orlok sets his sights on Ellen, the story enters its creepiest, most exciting territory as he unleashes his plague on Wisburg.

If the first half belongs to an effective Hoult as the hapless husband in way over his head, from that point on Depp is devastating as Ellen, whose traumatic past opens a gateway for destruction. In a vividly unhinged performance that conveys her character's sense of impending doom, she's over-the-top, but appropriately so, leaving no doubt what's at stake. And much like her dad, she has this peculiar onscreen charisma that seems ideally suited to Gothic horror genre. As Orlok, an unrecognizable Skarsgård makes the most of what he's given by conveying the desperate motivations of this damaged beast through what must be pounds of prosthetic makeup. 

Thrilling at times, depressingly hypnotic at others, the film definitely looks beautiful, with Jarin Blaschke's dimly lit cinematography and some visually stunning production design from Craig Lathrop bringing a nightmare to life. Functioning as an homage to the original while still remaining unmistakably his own, Eggers deserves credit for going all out with a cast that looks and feels completely at home in this demonic world, even if it can be an unsettling watch. Though more likely to evoke feelings of respect than outright admiration from some, it won't be difficult for others to embrace this with even fewer reservations.                                                                    

The Fall Guy

Director: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Ben Knight
Running Time: 126 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

An action comedy on steroids, The Fall Guy is so over-the-top it's almost daring you to hate it, as director and former stuntman David Leitch frequently plays with the concept of satirizing the very picture he's making. Somewhere, Michael Bay is fuming his potential dream project got away, even if he'd probably struggle balancing its odd sensibilities, quirky humor and peripheral love story. To be fair, Leich sometimes wrestles with it, but he and writer Drew Pearce keep chipping away and succeed, even amidst all the craziness. 

Carried by Ryan Gosling, who's rarely been cooler, it plays like a fun mix of the actor's comedic turns in The Nice Guys and Barbie with his previous stuntmen outings in Drive and The Place Beyond the Pines. But despite him occupying Lee Majors' title role from the 1980's TV series, the movie does its own thing, taking only faint influences from its source to spoof modern day blockbusters. Earning laughs at the industry's expense, the script's spotty at points, but Gosling's star power and versatility more than cover. Deserving of a larger audience, this dares to be a little different, establishing itself as the big event movie that somehow slipped through the cracks.

Colt Seavers (Gosling) is a Hollywood stunt double for famous and cocky action star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) until suffering a serious on set injury, causing him to abandon his job and camerawoman girlfriend, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). But while working as a parking valet at a Mexican restaurant 18 months later, he gets a call from Tom's producer, Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham), who convinces him to return for first time director Jody's debut film, the sci-fi epic Metalstorm. 

When Colt arrives in Sydney for the production, it's apparent Jody doesn't want him there, and as tensions persist between them, Colt's informed by Gail that Tom has mysteriously disappeared. In an effort to save Jody's first feature, Colt agrees to track the star down, only to find himself sucked into a dangerous criminal cover-up. With his life and the movie in jeopardy, he'll get closer to discovering what really happened to Tom, while still desperately pining for a reconciliation with Jody.

If Gosling seems born for this, Blunt's a shakier fit as an up-and-coming director, which sort of tracks since Jody's supposed to be a rookie filmmaker flustered by the various obstacles she faces and her conflicted feelings toward Colt. Still, it isn't always easy to buy her character as the director of a surefire bomb that resembles a embarrassing hybrid of Mad Max and Cowboys and Aliens. But even when this gets occasionally too meta for its own good, she shares a decent amount of chemistry with Gosling, which is what matters here. 

After an inventive opening title sequence, we're asked to immediately invest in Colt and Jody, but the bickering plays better once the main narrative kicks in and their relationship is fleshed out a little more. Viewers may have to get past the idea of anyone resuming their stunt career after such a devastating injury, but the plot's big set-up works, especially when it results in thrilling set pieces like a chaotic apartment shoot-out and a high speed garbage truck chase through Sydney's streets.

While there are a few twists and turns, funny inside references, Colt crying to Taylor Swift songs, and a clever use of split screen, Leitch leaves his most elaborate sequence for last. To say this finishes strong is an understatement, and if it's Gosling's film throughout, there are still some lively supporting performances from Johnson, Stephanie Hsu as Tom's personal assistant, Winston Duke as Colt's stunt coordinator and the unrecognizable Waddingham, who really goes for it in giant glasses and a wig as this big shot producer. 

Containing all the ingredients required for a massive hit, you still have to wonder if prospective viewers confused about its intentions decided that just sitting this one out was safer. Full of wacky characters and eye-popping action, it's all over the place, but deliriously entertaining as a result. Some have called it a love letter to stunt performers, and even if that compliment conveys a sincerity the film's trying to lampoon, they're not wrong. Among The Fall Guy's charms is how heavily it relies on practical effects and real stunt work, possibly taking more inspiration from the original series than it's gotten credit for.