A single line — paraphrased by countless pornos but said verbatim at a key turn in “Strange Darling” — unlocks the heart of JT Mollner’s razor-sharp psychosexual thriller.
“I’ve never put it THERE before,” says someone in a scene that shouldn’t be described.
This horror movie is the best kept secret to come out of Fantastic Fest 2023. Until now, almost everything the public has heard about this magnificent slasher deconstruction was an intentional and ingenious misdirect. From its opaque title to its overly slick poster, this blood-soaked Trojan horse is rarely what you would expect. That’s true even and especially when it’s riffing on iconic tropes.
An excruciating chase film, a terrifying puzzle-box whodunit, and a testament to romanticizing even the darkest cinema in glowing 35mm, “Strange Darling” is an outright triumph. That much you can know now, although the following review treads very carefully to avoid spoilers.
Audiences going in with the least knowledge of what you could call a gut-wrenching date night will have the best crack at enjoying this movie in theaters — but there’s more than plot to recommend Magenta Light Studios’ jaw-dropping first feature. Yes, writer/director Mollner’s exacting script is a lean, mean vivisection of humanity’s never-ending hunt for a serial killer. Told nonlinearly, with chapter names signposting its story out of order, “Strange Darling” plays like an even more volatile “Pulp Fiction,” cocaine included.
But it’s also proof that actor Giovanni Ribisi has been hiding out as one of Hollywood’s greatest living cinematographers — a fact laid to bare in some of the most beautiful murders this side of Dario Argento’s “Deep Red.” The main cast further asserts themselves as top talent in the kaleidoscopic world of meta-performance. After a brief black-and-white vignette sets the stage with an instantaneous jump-scare, you’ll meet “The Lady” (Willa Fitzgerald) and “The Demon” (Kyle Gallner) in an opening sequence that feels ripped from the throat of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
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Will Fitzgerald as The Lady in ‘Strange Darling’
Sprinting across an Oregon field in ruby-red scrubs — eyes wide like a deer, pallid skin bouncing in slow-motion — the enigmatic bleach blonde has crimson oozing from her ear. What happened there? The Lady is followed by a blitzkrieg in scarlet plaid, but we won’t see The Demon reach maximum fury until the high-octane car chase that follows. (It’s a brief but rip-roaring scene that might just make contemporary audiences understand why some of the earliest movie-goers once feared a train bursting through the big screen.) No, here The Lady is alone, credits in the foreground and the melodious “Love Hurts” floating somewhere overhead. It’s the first in an endless cascade of clashes designed for second-guessing.
The Demon might not catch up to her yet, but you’ll still feel the breath trapped in your throat as the seething actors and red-on-red shades emanate an angry delirium. Mollner begins his six-parter smack-dab in the middle with “CHAPTER 3: CAN YOU HELP ME? PLEASE?” but the filmmaker clues the audience in on a couple of other things before that. A tightly written crawl says the nightmare you’re about to witness is based on a true story (it’s not) and that it chronicles the last days of an especially sadistic murderer (that part is true…technically).
Kyle Gallner as The Demon in ‘Strange Darling’Allyson Riggs
“Strange Darling” can do straightforward brutality with the best of them. And yet, throughout the film, the actors’ playful portrayal — dipping in and out of an ever-shifting dynamic that seems too complicated to write down, let alone embody — recalls something like Mia Goth’s dazzling performance in “Pearl.” Fitzgerald tests her endurance in some delicately drawn-out one-shots, while Gallner makes his bid for small-time scream king armed with a shotgun and an assuredness that feels like its own assault. Comparisons between “Strange Darling” and most other modern horror movies should stop there, if only because the timelessness these singular characters capture can make even great genre efforts look trite.
Before saying anything of his nightmarish story, Mollner makes a point of including another slate: “SHOT ENTIRELY ON 35MM FILM.” That self-indulgent choice in a horror movie might make some cinephiles scoff, but Ribisi earns the recognition. This isn’t Mollner’s first rodeo — the writer/director made “Outlaws and Angels” before this — and he knows what he’s got. As the tension builds past what even the characters can take, their director wants your eyes open enough to admire what his director of photography has achieved. The lighting and relighting of a single wig in this film deserves its own featurette.
Editor Christopher Bell proves equally essential, assertively reorienting audience perspective with an almost comic relentlessness. Bell’s scalpel-like cuts are meant to screw with your head. That may prove too challenging for some viewers, who will already be high on a supply of arresting violence and original tracks by alt-rock musician Z-Berg. And yet, the dreamy core of “Strange Darling” will push real genre fans forward — finding revelatory relief in comedy so black it could make even a non-smoker want a cigarette.
(Left to right): Barbara Hershey and Ed Begley Jr. in ‘Strange Darling’
When The Lady encounters an older couple living in an idyllic cabin in the woods, Barbara Hershey and Ed Begley Jr. complete the cast. She’ll struggle to decide if they’re friend or foe, but it’s the rock-solid actors’ relationship with each other that will be talked about when “Strange Darling” is in the rearview. Genevieve and Frederick are introduced in a scene that silently shows them making breakfast. Jam. Syrup. Sausages. Pancakes. Four sticks of butter… with whipped cream on top?! Their intimacy — built on the back of a gross-out recipe that could only be discovered by people who are totally and alarmingly in love — gifts Hershey what may prove to be the best acting beat of her career.
Electric and unforgettable, “Strange Darling” lives up to its maddening moniker. In a summer movie season that’s been middling at best, this is a must-see — a feat of filmmaking so extraordinary you’ll wonder if it could ever truly be spoiled. You’ve met this man and this woman. You know these tropes and their horrors. But in this exceptionally slippery film, somehow never once losing its traction, you’ve never seen “it” put “THERE” before.
Grade: A
From Miramax, Spooky Pictures, and Magenta Light Studios, “Strange Darling” is in theaters August 23.
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Sudeep in ‘Max’.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Inspector Arjun Mahakshay a.k.a Max takes charge unofficially a day before his suspension ends. A huge blunder inside the station puts Max against powerful men, who come for his life. As he is faced with the improbable task of saving his colleagues and coming out unscathed from the problem, the daring cop pauses to prepare a cup of tea.
Director Vijay Kartikeyaa’s debut project is driven by a protagonist who keeps you guessing about his next move. Even if Max aims to provide unhinged ‘masala’ entertainment, the movie’s leading man isn’t a one-note character. Since the events unfold during one night, and he has limited time to cross a series of hurdles, Max puts his sharp brain to quick use. And once he enters the risky zone of facing the criminals head-on, he unleashes the beast inside him.
Storyline: A day before reporting for duty after a two-month suspension, inspector Arjun Mahakshay faces an unexpected situation. Can he save the day?
Max is a celebration of Sudeep, who oozes style in his aggressive portrayal of an all-conquering officer. If you saw him as a subdued yet classy cop carrying a deep pain within him in Vikrant Rona (2022), Sudeep cuts loose in Max to cater to his fans, who were hungry for ‘mass’ moments involving their favourite star.
The one-man show is great fun to watch to an extent. Director Vijay scripts an old-school world where the hero emerges as the ultimate saviour of distressed people. However, as a whole, Max leaves you wanting more as you expect the protagonist to face the heat of a mighty antagonist.
Sunil, essaying the main villain, is undone by a toothless character. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar’s character of a cop with a negative shade shows promise early on but gets fizzled out eventually as she fails to make any difference to the plot. Right from the beginning, it’s apparent that both the characters are bracing for an inevitable onslaught from Max.
It’s also quite shocking how Max has an almost incompetent team. When they aren’t blindly following the instructions from Max, the junior-level officers are scared and clueless. Ilavarasu, playing an experienced officer, delivers a measured performance. The rest of the cast, including Uggram Manju, Samyuktha Hornad, Sukrutha Wagale and Vijay Chendur, are too loud in their respective portrayals.
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One can’t blame the actors as their characters are designed to artificially amp up the tension. With a highly dramatic plot in hand, the director’s decision to showcase stronger emotions than what’s necessary dents the film.
ALSO READ:‘UI’ movie review: Upendra’s political commentary is a one-of-a-kind experience despite its flaws
The core idea of Max might remind you of Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Kaithi (2019). With so much happening in a short span of time, it’s tough to emotionally invest in the proceedings. On the other hand, Max’s racy screenplay keeps you curious about the events on screen. A superb fusion of Chethan D Souza’s action choreography and Ajaneesh Lokanath’s ensures an adrenaline-pumping experience.
Max is a star vehicle with admirable experiments from the makers. With Vikrant Rona and Max, Sudeep has deviated from traditional commercial films. The big stars of Kannada cinema are seeking change, and that’s a good sign.
Mollywood icon, Mohanlal has now ventured into the director’s chair and his directorial debut film Barroz has made its theatrical release today, December 25, 2024. The Malayalam fantasy movie, within hours of release, has gotten some vivid reviews from fans, who have highlighted their opinions on social media.
Well, it seems that Barroz has received mixed opinions from some fans, who have significantly highlighted how the film has not lived up to the expectations considering it being the senior actor’s directorial debut.
Fans have expressed disappointment at the fact that the film’s storyline is weaker, and it is only the specialised use of VFX that has been pulling it all together.
On the other hand, some other fans have appreciated the impeccable acting chops of Mohanlal himself, with special mention to the excellent 3D presentation appealing to mass audiences for more than one reason.
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There have been specific references to a few underwater scenes, which have been touted as an epitome of masterclass cinematic presentation, not to forget how it would not hit as a mass entertainer.
Check out the fans’ reviews about Barroz on Twitter:
Mohanlal has left no stone unturned when it comes to the jam-packed promotional spree for Barroz. The film’s cinematography has been done by the talented Santosh Sivan, while the musical score is handled by Mark Killian.
Coming to the plot of the film, it is said to revolve around the conquest undertaken by Barroz, the guardian of a treasure which has been hidden for over 400 years. This wealth has been trusted to only a true descendant of Da Gama.
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It is inspired as an adaptation of Jijo Punnoose’s novel Barroz: Guardian of D’Gama’s Treasure. However, the scenes were rewritten by Mohanlal and Thazhathupurakkal Karunakara Panicker, including characters and locations, leading to the exit of the novelist, forfeiting his credits.
Speaking of the cast of Barroz, besides Mohanlal, it stars Maya Rao West, Cesar Lorente Raton, Kallirroi Tziafeta, Daniel Caltagirone, Aadukalam Naren, Tuhin Menon and others.
ALSO READ:Nayanthara enjoys ‘best holiday’ in Europe with Vignesh Shivan and twins; sunsets, long walks and Eiffel Tower sum up her travel diaries; PICS
The Fire Inside Director: Rachel Morrison Michael De Luca Productions, PASTEL In Theaters: 12.25
I’m not a fan of combat sports in real life, yet I find that movies about them are nearly irresistible. Whether it’s Rocky,The Karate Kid, Warrior or the upcoming wrestling flick Unstoppable, the underdog who comes out swinging and bests their bigger, more experienced opponent always plays. It’s also nearly always the same movie, and that’s what makes The Fire Inside a knockout.
In this fact–based story, Claressa Shields (Ryan Destiny, A Girl Like Grace, Oracle) is a young woman from Flint, Michigan, who has one skill and one passion: boxing. Despite limited support from her family, Claressa is taken under the wing of Jason Crutchfield (BrianTyree Henry, If Beale Street Could Talk, Godzilla vs. Kong), a coach at a local gym. As Jason becomes as much a surrogate father as a coach, Claressa trains with a ferocious determination and earns a spot on the 2012 Summer Olympic team — Claressa “T-Rex” Shields becomes the first American woman to take home the gold in the sport at age 16. From there, Claressa goes from being a poor inner city kid with nothing to … a poor inner city kid with a gold medal overnight. There are no endorsement deals, no professional career and seemingly no new worlds to conquer. As Claressa fights discouragement, she must find a path to lead her beyond a one time victory into a lasting better life.
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Rachel Morrison, the first woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for her work on Black Panther, makes a strong directorial debut, coming out swinging. She’s ably assisted by a terrific script by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight). The Fire Inside transcends the tropes of the genre by reaching the rush of climactic fight and then daring not to end there, instead delving into the reality that in Shields’ life, one triumph in the sports world doesn’t change your circumstances, especially for an uncouth young woman with no interest in playing the public relations game and selling a softer, more traditionally feminine image. We’ve heard the cliche “this isn’t just a movie about sports, it’s about life,” but such a candid look at a life-changing moment that does nothing to change your life, and learning how to face this, was something refreshingly new and honest. The often bleak and at times stunningly beautiful cinematography by Rina Yang, along with the stirring score by Tamar-kali,lift the sensory experience and go a long way to making this one a winner.
Destiny shows potential as a breakout star, commanding the screen as effortlessly as Claressa commands the ring. Henry is the highlight of any film he’s in, and The Fire Inside is no exception, with his grounded performance keeping the film moving along and setting the tone for a story about learning that you can still lean on others while you’re believing in yourself. The sizzling chemistry between these two actors drives a poignant and entertaining story to a satisfying and believable conclusion that’s not the one you’re expecting.
The Fire Inside is a breath of fresh air in a genre that far too often settles for stale and dank. It provides enough inspirational warmth to fulfill its duties as an uplifting sports movie, but its got the stamina and the drive to go a few extra rounds and push its own limits. Unlike most boxing films, this champ doesn’t pull any punches. –Patrick Gibbs
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