AMERICAN PSYCHO
(Mary Harron, 2000)
I watched this back in 2002 and hadn't seen it since, so I decided to give it another go round for its 20th anniversary. Pitch black satirical slasher about a young hotshot NYC executive who begins giving life to his murderous fantasies after the indulgences of the capitalist 1980's no longer give him any feeling. Christian Bale's performance here is still his best work (and Jesus, what a body! Dat ass.) He nails the tricky tonal balancing act of the whip-smart screenplay, at times hilarious and others horrifying. One of the all-time great villains, and he's backed by a stellar ensemble even if most don't have much to do other than look great in the 80's period duds. I do feel the film loses a bit of steam in the third act, and some of its power in its own confusion over whether what we are seeing is real or fantasy. With Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, and Reese Witherspoon. GRADE: B+
THE BLACKCOAT'S DAUGHTER
(Osgood Perkins, 2017)
I've heard some describe this as a cult fave in the making, and others say it's one of the worst films of its respective year. Sadly, I'm leaning a bit towards the latter. A frustrating experience because it is clear that Perkins does have genuine talent as a director, which is also evident in this year's Gretel and Hansel. I suspect it would be best if he directed someone else's screenplay. This film is about two students stranded at a boarding school over winter break, and another young woman who is picked up by a couple whose daughter was murdered years before. The connection between the two stories becomes fairly obvious, and the actors do what they can with the material. Mostly, everyone seems to be in a coma, though James Remar and Lauren Holly (remember her?!?!) fare the best. Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Boynton, and Emma Roberts star. GRADE: C-
