Georgina Campbell as Tess in 20th Century Studios' BARBARIAN, exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
A candidate for best horror film of 2022, along with a sweet-tempered streaming series spun off Pixar’s “Cars” vie for your viewing time this week.
Plus, we delve into one the fall’s most urgent existential debates: is “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” worth watching?
Read on.
“Barbarian”: While on a quick trip to Detroit for a job interview, the likable but gullible Tess (Georgina Campbell) proves she’s oblivious to every warning sign a horror film could throw at her.
Perhaps if she’d seen even one bloody “Saw” movie, she might have Google mapped the hell out of a neighborhood before booking an Airbnb stuck in a decaying suburban nightmare where no one ventures out at night. She might’ve had the foresight to say “no way, no how” about spending the night there once she met the awkward but cute guy (Bill Skarsgard) already booked there. Most of all, she would have never ventured into the bowels of a creepy basement.
Thank goodness, then, that unfortunate Tess never dipped into the canon of Wes Craven, Jordan Peele and John Carpenter; her cluelessness is partially what makes actor/comedian Zach Cregger’s innovative feature debut such a scream — a freak show tailor-made for shouting at.
Cregger’s ambitious feature isn’t schlocky; it takes diabolical pleasure in mixing solid jump scares with a multi-tiered narrative that supports numerous plot curlicues and “Psycho”-like shocks and creates a horror story with something to say about America’s societal and cultural ills and the nasty fallout of gentrification, Reaganomics and toxic male behavior.
How does Cregger cram so much into a genre picture without turning “Barbarian” into a preach-from-the-rafters sermon? He keeps the message tempered and never loses sight that he wants to scare the hell out of us over both imagined and real horrors.
To get the maximum pleasure from “Barbarian,” though, don’t read too much about it (the trailer, for once, refuses to reveal an iota) since Cregger spins narrative doughnuts throughout. The cast is top-notch, with Justin Long in a killer supporting role. While “Barbarian” could have elaborated more on a few of its trap-door backstories, I came away with the sense that Cregger’s not done with addressing the evil that dwells below and above. It’s one of the best horror films of 2022, and one of the best feature debuts of the year. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in theaters Sept. 9.
“Cars on the Road”: Even if some of us felt like the “Cars” franchise ran out of gas a sequel or two back, Pixar’s self-contained nine-episode Disney+ series is likely to spark renewed interest. The setup is simple and efficient with junkyard truck Mater (voice of comedian Larry the Cable Guy) and race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) taking a road trip to Mater’s sister’s wedding. Each short episode (6 to 10 minutes) gives Pixar storytellers and animators the chance to cut loose and take both kids and adults on a joy ride with homages to “The Shining,” “Jurassic Park” and other memorable movies and Americana moments and locales. It’s breezy and entertaining, but at its core “Cars on the Road ” celebrates the friendship of two very unlike people, er, cars and how that odd couple-ness takes them to unexpected destinations and gives them better insight about each other and those around them. Details: 3 stars; available Sept. 8 on Disney+.
“House of Darkness”: Playwright/filmmaker Neil LaBute drives a stake into the faux-woke attitude of straight guys in this shrewd stage-like production that takes a plot strand from “Dracula” and stitches it into a modern setting. Tipsy Hap Jackson (Justin Long, again) drives a striking woman he just met at a bar — Mina (Kate Bosworth) — to an isolated, creepy mansion. Are is intentions noble, or does he just want to score? LaBute’s conversations between the two (both exceptionally well-played) are playful and come loaded with deeper meaning and context. As the night thickens, two of Mina’s sisters (Gia Crovatin, Lucy Walters) pop in and the nightmare truly begins. “House of Darkness” draws blood better than most of LaBute’s recent fare. It’s a surreal, eerie and intriguing head trip that’s stripped down to the essentials and showcases LaBute’s gift for uncomfortable dialogue. Details: 3 stars; in theaters Sept. 9; available on Apple TV+ Sept. 13.
“Burial”: Hitler’s fresh corpse proves to be a hot commodity in writer/director Ben Parker’s decent World War II thriller that starts with more promise than it delivers. The promising prologue set in 1991 London surrenders to an effective but traditional action film as it flashbacks to 1945 East Germany. That’s where Brana (Charlotte Vega) is on a secret Russian mission to transport the Fuhrer’s remains to Poland and later to Stalin. Naturally, there are hitches, shootouts and double crosses, all as German “Werewolf” Nazis try to nab the body in order to preserve the crumbling Third Reich. “Burial” does have a fair share of suspenseful moments but it never takes full advantage of its premise. Still, it’s a rousing genre picture punched up by a good performance from Vega. Tom Felton, as a villager with a worthy backstory, and Harriet Walter, as the older version of Brana, are also strong. Details: 3 stars; now available on multiple streaming platforms.
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”: Amazon Prime’s massively expensive fantasy spectacle deposits us into a fantasy realm that JRR Tolkien fans most likely will admire — more so for its looks and scale rather than its story — so far. Leagues better than the nonsensically long-winded Peter Jackson “The Hobbit” trilogy, the first two episodes of this series set the stage for a promising Middle-earth adventure — one inspired not by a book, but a long expanded footnote detailing this prologue of sorts in the appendix of “The Lord the Rings.” Created with abiding appreciation and respect by JD Payne and Patrick McKay, it gives us an impressive, rousing spectacle. The question is whether the first two elaborate episodes, which introduces and reintroduces us to a gallery of characters and fantastical locations, will eventually lead to a more intricate, plot-based storyline as elf Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) sounds the alarm that the hissable Sauron is staging a comeback. (Cate Blanchett played the baddie in the original Jackson series). The narrative is served well by the longer episodic format, gradually transporting us into a detailed world and leaving us transfixed and wanting more as we get to know the big cast of characters better. But I do hope that the needle on the story will move forward in the ensuing episodes. Supposedly, Payne and McKay have mapped out many more seasons. Details: 3 stars; now on Amazon Prime.
“Margaux”: An AI system called Margaux goes amok in an isolated smart home that’s conveniently tucked in the deep woods, where a group of annoying college chums gather so they can preen, scheme and get picked off in gory ways. The early mayhem that the screenwriters wrought is standard issue and uninspired, but then director Steven C. Miller capitalizes on a wicked twist that reinvigorates “Margaux’s” slasher setup. Everyone in the cast is either pretty or handsome and does a commendable job flexing their muscles — acting or otherwise. But “Margaux” does feel like a missed opportunity for something better, even though the demises do get inventive. A near-death experience while taking a virtual cycling class might well be a first. Details: 2 stars; available Sept. 9 On Demand.
“McEnroe”: With the excellent, underseen dramatization on the rivalry/friendship between tennis titans John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg (“Borg vs. McEnroe”) and a fascinating mathematical/scientific breakdown of McEnroe’s playing style (“John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection”) already available, do we really need another sports doc about one of the most covered athletes ever? The answer is a surprising yes. What fuels director and screenwriter Barney Douglas’ portrait is that he gets candid comments from not just his subject, but from those who know him best — including his family (not former wife Tatum O’Neal) and tennis superstars Bjorn Borg and Billie Jean King. McEnroe’s short fuse on the court, of course, is covered — a dubious image that the older, more mellow McEnroe can’t squeegee from the public domain. His battles with addiction, his outrage at the paparazzi also get covered, and we go deep into his upbringing and his relationship with his father, who was his agent. It makes for a fascinating exploration of one of the greatest athletes of all time, a flawed man who has shaken away many of his demons. Details: 3½ stars; now showing on Showtime.
Contact Randy Myers atsoitsrady@gmail.com.
Originally published at Randy Myers