Screening Room: You’re Cordially Invited, Companion, September 5, Hard Truths & More
Tag Archives: Hope Madden
Paranoid Android
Companion
by Hope Madden
It’s not to say that writer/director Drew Hancock is saying anything new, exactly. Most of the ideas are borrowed, and even the look of Companion feels cribbed from more insightfully stylized films. But the way he puts these ideas and images into play and keeps them playing guarantees a mischievously, wickedly good time.
On the surface is a timely reminder of themes played out on film since Bryan Forbes’s 1975 Stepford Wives and before. But today, as AI and sexual predation become terrifyingly acceptable, the tension feels wildly of-the-moment.
Sophie Thatcher (so good just last year in Heretic) is Iris. She doesn’t know it yet, but Iris is a robot companion, an emotional support robot, a f*ck bot. She and Josh (Jack Quaid) are hanging with Josh’s friends Eli (Harvey Guillén), Patrick (Lukas Gage) and Kat (Megan Suri) at Kat’s boyfriend Serey’s (Rupert Friend) for the weekend.
Things get out of hand.
Lars and the Real Girl meets Revenge meets AI meets maybe twenty other movies, but damn if Hancock and this sharp ensemble doesn’t make it work.
A great deal of the film’s success is in our investment in these themes, the way we recognize and respond to buttons Hancock pushes. But what’s maybe more impressive is the plotting and structure of the thriller underneath. It’s smart, its beats make sense and amplify tension. A couple of reveals are telegraphed, but it’s not nearly enough to sink the fun of the story.
And it’s funny. Guillén can be counted on for hilarity, but the dark sense of humor that flows through this thriller as surely as blood consistently strikes the right chord.
Quaid convinces as entitled “nice guy” Josh, an excellent foil for Thatcher. Her turn in Heretic offered a glimpse of the instincts on display here. Thatcher seems simultaneously aloof and vulnerable, unnatural and human. She gives the film a depth of character, a heartbeat that allows it more punch than your garden variety dark comedy.
Hancock does settle for humor, biting though it may be. The script flirts with darker, edgier but no less honest ideas, but Companion isn’t here to expose all of that. Because that stuff is just not funny, and outright horror films need content too.
Turns out it’s kind of fun to be on the side of AI for a change.
RSV-P.O.’d
You’re Cordially Invited
by George Wolf
Can you believe there are some people who don’t think Will Ferrell is funny? That’s crazy to me. And what about the ones who claim they aren’t instantly charmed by Reese Witherspoon?
Okay I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like Reese Witherspoon. But the point is, putting Will and Reese together isn’t a bad strategy for getting your Prime Video rom-com a little script insurance.
Writer/director Nicholas Stoller buys in for You’re Cordially Invited, and surrounds his two leads with an equally likable ensemble that delivers some lively smiles even when the antics go a bit overboard.
Will is Jim, a widower whose sweet pumpkin Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan – a delight as usual) just got engaged to Oliver (Stony Blydon)! Reese is Margot, who volunteers to plan her sister Neve’s (Meredith Hagner) wedding to Dixon (Jimmy Tatro). Through a ridiculous mixup that somehow feels like it could happen I suppose, Jim and Margot both end up reserving the very same private wedding venue on the very same weekend.
They reluctantly agree to make the best of it, but it isn’t long before the two wedding planners go “chaos monkey,” and start planning some mischief to each make sure it’s their celebration that gets the upper hand in marriage.
Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek) pits reality TV exec Margot and her bless-your-heart southern family (Leanne Morgan, Rory Scovel, matriarch Celia Weston) against the probably a hairdresser Jim and his daughter’s rowdy bridesmaids (Keyla Monterosso Mejia, Ramona Young, Lauren Holt). Expect drunken toasts, hurt feelings, black eyes, alligator wrestling and some enthusiastic, “Islands in the Stream” karaoke-ing.
For me, the only true LOL moment comes with the late reveal of what Jim really does for living (and Ferrell’s priceless delivery of that information). Still, there are amusements along the way, and some well- meaning lessons about judging people too quickly and feeling lonely around your own family members.
Of course you know where it’s ultimately headed. But with Will & Reese at the top of this engaging guest list, You’re Cordially Invited throws a home steaming party that’s slightly more fun than forgettable.
Fright Club: Skeletons in the Closet, 2025
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Maybe our favorite podcast of the year, the annual celebration of all the terrible horror movies that the new crop of Oscar nominees might just want you to forget they ever made. But will we? Never!
Happy to see so much horror appreciated this year: The Substance, Nosferatu, Alien: Romulus. But that’s for another podcast. Today, let’s pry open some closets and see what’s festering in there.
5. Sebastian Stan: The Apparition (2012)
Yawntastic! Ben (Stan) participates in a college experiment with Patrick (Tom Felton), who believes that if you believe hard enough in a spirit even if you know it doesn’t exist, it suddenly will exist.
And if that’s not dumb enough, it will also reappear suddenly many years later. And also hunt you down even if you’re far away, haven’t believed in it again, or I don’t know? And it turns into mold? Because it’s affected by energy? Or something? And it doesn’t like camping? Or it does?
Here’s what I know for sure. It’s boring as hell.
4. Guy Pearce: The Seventh Day (2021)
You know what every Guy Pearce fan should see? You should see Ravenous. It’s so good! Scary, tense, weird in the best way. You know what you probably shouldn’t see? The Seventh Day.
First of all, Justin P. Lange’s follow up to his underseen gem The Dark with an exorcism movie. Yawn. Then he goes on to waste real talent—Keith David and Stephen Lang. Pearce plays a legendary, no-frills, even controversial and brackish exorcist who’s taken on a trainee. But all is not what it seems and none of it’s very interesting. There’s a kind of intriguing premise hidden underneath all the boring whatnot, but it does seem like Pearce is trying to elevate the material.
3. Adrien Brody: Giallo (2009)
Dario Argento made some incredible films. Giallo is not one of them. It fits squarely into the uninspired, visually bland, poorly plotted output we saw from him post-Opera.
Adrien Brody, in duel roles, didn’t seem to care for the film, either. He used the pseudonym Byron Deidra, but you’ll know it’s him. Both times. There was a time when Argento’s films were so stylish, so visually arresting and gloriously weird that no one cared how silly the plot was. But rob a film of that panache and the borrowed, bland, dumb plotting is hard to miss.
Brody’s no stranger to horror, and while none of these are masterpieces, all but Giallo is decent: Wrecked, Predators, Splice, The Jacket, The Summer of Sam. We’re obligated to mention The Village, too, although we’re not fans.
2. Isabella Rossellini: Infected (2008)
What on earth was the tortured ingenue in the masterpiece Blue Velvet doing in Adam Weissman’s 2008 made-for-TV contagion/alien invasion flick? She’s great, actually, and her big-reveal scene is no doubt the reason she took the role. It’s inadvertently hilarious.
Judd Nelson co-stars. He may have been actively in a coma. But it’s worth it just to see Rossellini’s big scene. It’s on YouTube and dailymotion—wouldn’t want you to pay for it!
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi2612003353/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
1. Demi Moore: Parasite (1982)
Friend of the show Charles Band directed this treasure of low rent cinema. Demi Moore stars ad spunky, lemon loving Pat in a post apocalyptic desert town. “Sickies” run wild, often topless. Work camp escapees are even worse. Still, somehow Pat trusts the stranger (Robert Glaudini), a doctor who used to create parasites for the government and is now infected with one. She’s just helpful like that.
Moore does not embarrass herself, and that’s tough given the terrible writing and stiff scene partner. Best part is the creature, which we believe inspired the look of the beast in Killer Condom. High praise!
Sister Sledgehammer
Hard Truths
by Hope Madden
Nobody makes films quite like Mike Leigh, and that may be because nobody’s films more accurately resemble humanity than his. There is nothing glamourous, nothing artificial about a Mike Leigh film. Certainly not Hard Truths.
Marianne Jean-Baptiste astonishes as Pansy, the most unpleasant woman in England. Profoundly unhappy with everything and compelled to share her vitriol, Pansy is a tough character to love. Perhaps impossible.
Leigh traps us for 97 minutes with a woman we would, in real life, do anything to get away from and Jean-Baptiste insists that we see her humanity, edgy and prickly as it might be. This performance should be studied.
A supporting cast of characters, each bringing laughter as well as drama, buoys the quick run time. David Webber, in particular, excels, bringing surprisingly touching depth to a character with barely two sentences of dialogue. That’s mainly thanks to Pansy.
Luckily, Pansy’s unpleasantness is balanced by her sister, Chantelle (Michelle Austin). Open, caring, and endlessly forgiving, Chantelle is Pansy’s opposite, and only friend. Austin’s warmth, which Leigh brings to the screen at exactly the necessary moment, offsets Jean-Baptiste’s bitterness and allows for a real story to begin to take shape.
As is so often the case with Leigh’s films (Mr. Turner, Happy-Go-Lucky, Secrets & Lies, and on and on), the story unveils itself slowly. His writing is as deceptively structured as his direction, forever suggesting fly-on-the-wall but seamlessly moving toward deeply human revelations.
It is this masterful craftsmanship that steers his films away from parody, from caricature, from melodrama and toward poetry. Leigh accepts even the most flawed and unlikeable character, holds them with compassion if not forgiveness. He doesn’t solve their problems, often doesn’t even offer them an opportunity at redemption. But he refuses to ignore even those people you would not want to have to spend 97 minutes of your own life with. And miraculously, in giving Pansy just a little slice of your day, your own humanity deepens.
Screening Room: Oscar Snubs, Presence, Brave the Dark & More
First Reaction: 2025 Oscar Nominations
Hollywood, hoping to find and spread a bit of cheer today, announced its nominations for the 2025 Oscars. We celebrate with them, because we’re thrilled for most of these nominees. Check out those Animated Features (once again, the best category in the lineup)! But, as usual, we have a handful of gripes.
Actress in a Supporting Role
Where is Danielle Deadwyler for The Piano Lesson? In fact, where is that movie? While we think it’s a contender for adapted screenplay (Virgil and Malcolm Washington), as well as perhaps lead actor (John David Washington), there’s no question Deadwyler (also snubbed for 2022’s Till—die she kick somebody’s cat or something?) should not only have been nominated but she probably should have won.
- Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown
- Ariana Grande, Wicked
- Felicity Jones, The Brutalist
- Isabella Rossellini, Conclave
- Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez
Actor in a Supporting Role
This is a strong lineup, but Clarence Maclin’s performance in Sing Sing is a painful oversight. As much as we loved Norton, Pearce and Strong, Maclin was better than any of them.
- Yura Borisov, Anora
- Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
- Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown
- Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
- Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Piano Lesson over A Complete Unknown, but at least Sing Sing and Nickel Boys made the list.
- A Complete Unknown: James Mangold and Jay Cocks
- Conclave: Peter Straughan
- Emilia Pérez: Jacques Audiard; in collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Lea Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi
- Nickel Boys: RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes
- Sing Sing: Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley; story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield
Writing (Original Screenplay)
No real complaints, but grateful to see September 5 get some love. This is a stacked category and some real masterpieces are going to go home empty handed.
- Anora: Sean Baker
- The Brutalist: Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold
- A Real Pain: Jesse Eisenberg
- September 5: Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; co-written by Alex David
- The Substance: Coralie Fargeat
Music (Original Score)
No Challengers?! Being the best score of the year, we’d have bumped any one of these guys to fit it in. (Nice to see The Wild Robot, though.)
- The Brutalist: Daniel Blumberg
- Conclave: Volker Bertlemann
- Emilia Pérez: Clément Ducol and Camille
- Wicked: John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
- The Wild Robot: Kris Bowers
Music (Original Song)
Disappointed again not to see Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross get any love here. “Compress/Repress” would have been our pick. We’d probably have given it the Diane Warren slot.
- “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez: music by Clément Ducol and Camille; lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
- “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight: music and lyric by Diane Warren
- “Like a Bird” from Sing Sing: music and lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
- “Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez: music and lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol
- “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late: music and lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin
Documentary Feature Film
Great list of films here. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat and Sugarcane are our favorites.
- Black Box Diaries
- No Other Land
- Porcelain War
- Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
- Sugarcane
International Feature Film
So happy to see Flow and The Girl with the Needle included here. Emilia Pérez is no doubt the front runner, but you should see all five of these.
- I’m Still Here: Brazil
- The Girl with the Needle: Denmark
- Emilia Pérez: France
- The Seed of the Sacred Fig: Germany
- Flow: Latvia
Animated Feature Film
Brilliant films, top to bottom. Hard to even choose. The best thing you can do is to watch every one of them immediately.
- Flow
- Inside Out 2
- Memoir of a Snail
- Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
- The Wild Robot
Film Editing
Challengers really needed to be on this list. We’d give it any of these slots except Anora.
- Anora: Sean Baker
- The Brutalist: Dávid Jancsó
- Conclave: Nick Emerson
- Emilia Pérez: Juliette Welfing
- Wicked: Myron Kerstein
Cinematography
Finally, some love for Nosferatu. We’d liked to have seen Nickel Boys and The Bikeriders on here, probably instead of Maria and Emilia Pérez, although once again it was a remarkable year for cinematographers and all five of these films are gorgeous.
- The Brutalist: Lol Crawley
- Dune: Part Two: Greig Fraser
- Emilia Pérez: Paul Guilhaume
- Maria: Ed Lachman
- Nosferatu: Jarin Blaschke
Actor in a Leading Role
Not a ton of surprises here. All solid choices.
- Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
- Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
- Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
- Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
- Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Actress in a Leading Role
Thrilled for the Demi Moore nomination. There were so many exceptional lead performances this year by women, and the one woefully overlooked all season was Jodi Comer in The Bikeriders. We’d have loved to see her make this list against the odds, but it’s tough to say whose slot she should have taken.
- Cynthia Erivo, Wicked
- Karla Sofia Gascon, Emilia Pérez
- Mikey Madison, Anora
- Demi Moore, The Substance
- Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here
Best Director
Robert Eggers (Nosferatu) should have had James Mangold’s spot.
- Anora: Sean Baker
- The Brutalist: Brady Corbet
- A Complete Unknown: James Mangold
- Emilia Pérez: Jacques Audiard
- The Substance: Coralie Fargeat
Best Picture
Nosferatu and Sing Sing instead of A Complete Unknown and Dune: Part Two. Thrilled to see The Substance and Nickel Boys recognized.
- Anora
- The Brutalist
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia Pérez
- I’m Still Here
- Nickel Boys
- The Substance
The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will air on ABC Sunday, March 2, live from the Dolby Theatre.
Life During Wartime
The Girl with the Needle
by Hope Madden
Were The Girl with the Needle any less gorgeous, less poetically filmed or liltingly told, the misery of 1919 Copenhagen might be too grim to bear. But somehow co-writer/director Magnus von Horn’s hypnotic storytelling bathes the nightmare in beauty, compassion, even hope.
Vic Carmen Sonne’s vacant expression gives Karoline an inscrutable quality that suits the character of a young seamstress coming to terms with more and more dire circumstances as WWI ends. Pregnant when her husband, long presumed dead, returns from the war, she faces difficult choices.
Each choice—always a hopeful step toward the promise of something better—is punished in time. Between the grimness of the wartime sufferings, the unreadable expression of the protagonist, and Michal Dymek’s gorgeous black and white cinematography, The Girl with the Needle conjures Václav Marhoul’s 2019 ordeal, The Painted Bird. But von Horn’s story rings with authenticity, partly because he treats the suffering with some distance and restraint, and partly because the story itself is rooted in true events.
Which, of course, only makes the tale that much more difficult. Bravo to the filmmaker and actor Trine Dryholm for treating Dagmar—the woman who represents Karoline’s biggest leap toward something better—the way they do.
Dryholm’s beautifully tormented, conflicted performance never veers toward cliché, or even toward sinister. Though her acts are unthinkably villainous—the stuff of legend and nightmare—they are rooted in a logic that feels honest to the character.
The dual performances transform this true crime horror story into a fable of mothers and children, of collecting and discarding family. Sonne’s childlike trust and Dryholm’s tortured caregiving further distort an image von Horn’s been twisting since his remarkable opening shots.
Mercifully, he ends his film and its portrait of family on a hopeful note. You won’t find much other mercy here, but alongside these powerful performances and mesmerizing storytelling, just a glimmer is enough.
Face Off
Grafted
by Hope Madden
Well, Sasha Rainbow knows for sure that there’s an audience for body horror enraged at the pressure to fit a certain standard of beauty. The fact that her feature debut Grafted will face constant comparisons to Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance is less of a positive note. (There’s even a scene of someone gorging on shrimp, I swear to God.)
Rainbow introduces us to Wei (played in youth by Mohan Liu) and her father (Sam Wang). Both father and daughter are marked with some kind of red tissue across their faces, and while working on a cure, tragedy strikes, and Wei is left on her own.
Years later, she obtains a scholarship to a university in New Zealand and goes to live with her aunt (Xuai Hu) and cousin, Angela (Jess Hong). Try as she might, Wei (Joyena Sun) cannot fit in with Angela and her beautiful friends (Eden Hart, Sepi To’a), but she has other things on her mind—finishing her father’s research.
Rainbow, who co-wrote the script with Lee Murray and Mia Maramara, wraps social anxiety, assimilation, misogyny, sexual politics, the ludicrous nature of scientific advancement, racism, nationalism and more around Wei’s descent into madness, and it might be just too much to take on in 96 minutes.
Sun, Hong and Hart have fun, making the most of their onscreen personality swapping and Rainbow’s focus is most on target during these sequences. Jared Turner entertains as your typical vain professor, and To’a delivers enough empathy to give the film a touch of humanity.
But Grafted bites off more than it can chew. It too often feels unfocused, random, and superficial. It suffers not only in comparison to Fargeat’s film but to New Zealand’s pretty epic history of body horror.
That doesn’t mean it’s bad. There are some great ideas at work here, and every performance, large and small, brings its own weirdness to the screen. It’s certainly enough to keep me interested in seeing what Rainbow does next.
Screening Room: Wolf Man, The Brutalist, Nickel Boys and Much More
