Barry Levinson’s Next Film Will Cover The JFK Assassination
It’s been a long time since the masses got a good Barry Levinson film. Maybe you could say that his 2018 film, Paterno was good, but I’d say his last good movie was in 1997 when he released Wag The Dog. Since then we’ve seen middle of the road to subpar pictures that don’t leave an impression on you. Hopefully his next film, Assassination will be a renaissance for the aging film maker. According to Letterboxd, the film is “A new take on the JFK conspiracy, centering around Dorothy Kilgallen, one of the most famous voices in media at the time. When Dorothy suspects that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone, she uses her fame and influence to find the real killer of JFK.“
Assassination will star Academy Award Winners Brendan Fraser, Al Pacino and Jessica Chastain and Emmy Winner Bryan Cranston. While I like that Levinson is working with a stacked cast, what more can be said about the JFK assassination? It’s a topic that’s been done to death in documentary form and the best film about the event was made in 1991 by Oliver Stone. Nothing will touch JFK. Nevertheless, it’s cool to see Levinson working on a, potentially, interesting project.
‘American Psycho’ Writer Bret Easton Ellis Set To Direct LA-set Horror ‘Relapse’
Bret Easton Ellis’ name has been in the news over the last few weeks and that’s due to the remake of American Psycho, which’s based on the novel Ellis wrote in 1991. That’s not why I’m writing about him. Apparently, Ellis will be directing his second film titled Relapse. The thriller has a plot described as “Matt Cullen is checked into rehab after witnessing a horrific death during a drugged-up party. Three months later, he‘s set to get his life back together, staying at his parents’ mansion in Los Angeles. But things have changed around Matt and everything seems off balance. Fueled by his unstable personality and the invading power of social media, Matt’s paranoia grows, messing up with his rehabilitation program. As he starts using again, a mysterious presence starts growing around Matt, and a monster that has been haunting him since he was a teenager reveals itself.“
Along with directing, Ellis is also penning the script. Attached to star as Matt Cullen is Stranger Things co-star Joseph Quinn.
I love Bret Easton Ellis. His books are brilliant, his podcast interviews are insightful and his work in movies is ambitious. That means that going into Relapse, I’ll have a sort of blind affection for the film. Regardless, the idea of Relapse has promise. It’s set in L.A. with a horror element, which is a large portion of some of my favorite Ellis novels (Less Than Zero, The Shards, Imperial Bedrooms). Needless to say, I’m excited.
Margaret Qualley To Star In Gothic Horror-Thriller ‘Victorian Psycho’
Every week it feels like Margaret Qualley is either booking a new film or a film starring her is releasing. This week is no different. It was announced this week that Qualley would star in Zachary Wigon’s Victorian Psycho. On Letterboxd, the film’s plot description states “Set in 1858, the film will follow a young, eccentric governess named Winifred Notty who arrives at the remote gothic manor known as Ensor House. Winifred’s responsibilities include teaching the children table manners and educating them about their family’s history, all whilst hiding her psychopathic tendencies. As Winifred assimilates into life at Ensor House, staff members begin to inexplicably disappear, and the owners of the estate begin to wonder if there is something amiss about their new governess.“
This is great. It’s great because it shows Qualley will take risks and star in what she wants to star in without being a diva. It also shows that she likes to work with directors she’s worked with in the past. Victorian Psycho is the second collaboration between Qualley and Wigon as she starred in Sanctuary in 2022. You almost have to admire Qualley’s collection of directors she’s already worked with at a young age. So far, she’s worked with Gia Coppola, Shane Black, Quentin Tarantino, Claire Denis, Yorgos Lanthimos twice, Ethan Coen and Coralie Fargeat. Whatever Qualley stars in in the future, I know I’ll be seated.
What’d I Watch This Week?
SPOILERS AHEAD!
– American Gigolo (1980) dir. Paul Schrader
My Schrader phase continued this week. I’ve continued to dive deeper into his filmography and it continues to amaze me. Early in his career, he was just writing scripts, ones that were successful like The Yakuza, Obsession (which we’ll get to), Taxi Driver and Rolling Thunder. In 1978 and 1979, Schrader directed his first two films, my second and third favorite in his filmography, Blue Collar and Hardcore. In 1980, he directed American Gigolo, which to me, feels like his sleekest film. It stylistically plays as a neo-noir masterpiece with a synth score and vibrant, yet seedy L.A. as the backdrop. Watching this, it’s easy to see the influence a film like Drive took from American Gigolo.
In the classic style of a Schrader film, the first 75% of American Gigolo is slow played a bit and the final 25% is a rush of blood to the head. For a lot his movies like this, Hardcore, The Card Counter and Auto Focus, it works. Then you see it happen in Affliction and Adam Resurrected and it’s detrimental to the viewing. Nevertheless, American Gigolo is a cool movie. One that saying you liked it at the time was probably a cool move. And saying you like it now makes you cooler. Whether it be Gere’s fashion and performance or Bill Dukes brutish demeanor or the crime element, there’s a lot to like in American Gigolo.
4/5 Stars
– Obsession (1976) dir. Brian De Palma
At this point, you’re probably sick of hearing me talk about Bret Easton Ellis and Paul Schrader. In all reality, I don’t care. It’s what I care about. Obsession, the 1976 Brian De Palma thriller was originally written by Schrader, but from what I gathered in the Bret Easton Ellis podcast interview with Schrader, De Palma massively rewrote Obsession to the point where Schrader didn’t care about the outcome of the film. While that might be the case, I liked Obsession. Even though it’s a pretty close rip-off of Hitchcock’s Vertigo, it has its own flare that makes you want to uncover the seediness that is right in front of your face.
The settings of New Orleans and Florence, Italy were enthralling, but what reeled me in more than anything was the performance from John Lithgow, who sported a stylish mustache and a solid southern accent. When I saw this in the first five minutes, I strapped in for a film that wasn’t getting anything less than a three star rating.
Obsession has a twist that’s not exactly complex, but is still shocking. It’s less grim than you think it will be, but still delivers. Due to that, I won’t spoil a whole lot of this early De Palma picture. It’s currently streaming on Tubi and is worth a watch.
4/5 Stars
– Woman of the Hour (2024) dir. Anna Kendrick
2024 has been a good year for actors hopping behind the camera and directing films. First, we saw Dev Patel’s Monkey Man, a thrilling action flick with a plot line revolving around India’s politics. It wasn’t necessarily my jam, but it was a valiant effort. The same can be said about Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour, this was just more my jam. It’s the real life story about serial killer Rodney Alcala and how he ended up on The Dating Game, beating out two other bachelors and scoring a date with Sheryl Bradshaw.
While there are definitely the visible growing pains of a new director, Kendrick made Woman of the Hour a tense and stylish thriller that strangled the viewer in the opening scene up until the final frame. Even though she grabs your neck with tension, she lets you grab air when she inserts humor in the dating game. Performance wise, no one particularly stands out. That’s not a good or bad thing necessarily, just no one gave a performance that made you say wow, they were (insert great or awful). This hit Netflix at the perfect time for the fall as it radiates spookiness in its tone and plot.
3.5/5 Stars