Now streaming on Netflix is director Patrick Brice's horror/thriller Creep. Starring Mark Duplass (who also co-writes and co-produces) and Brice, the found footage pic debuted at SXSW in 2014 before releasing to VOD platforms back in June. The runtime is short (just 82 minutes) and the premise is simple: Aaron (played by Brice) is a videographer who answers a Craigslist ad offering $1,000 for a one-day video job only to find that all is not right with his client Josef (Duplass). Saying "all is not right" with Josef is an early frontrunner for biggest understatement of the month.
Labeled as a horror/mystery/thriller, I expected Creep to have some scares and it doesn't disappoint in that regard. What I didn't expect was for the film to tap into the notion of human sympathy so strongly. Brice and Duplass do a brilliant job of positioning Josef as a sympathetic character; as someone who is deeply troubled, lonely, and sad. They force us to view Josef through Aaron's eyes (the found footage technique is effective here as we only come to know Josef through Aaron's camera lens) and we accept Aaron's decisions against our better judgment as a result of the sympathy we share with him for Josef. The end result is not only an effective horror film, but also a fascinating look at how easily we can be manipulated and the dangers of misplaced compassion.
Enough psychology, let's get to this week's Top 5:
Ant-Man Coverage
I had a lot of fun with Ant-Man. Paul Rudd is as charming as always, Michael Peña steals every scene he's in, and director Peyton Reed's microscopic action scenes are entertaining throughout. Will I forever wonder what an Ant-Man film directed by Edgar Wright would have looked like? Yes. Does that dampen my enjoyment of Reed's film? I'd like to say no, but it probably does.
At any rate, I still recommend checking out the film in theaters if you haven't already done so. Of course, I also suggest reading Matt's review; watching Steve's video interviews with the cast and Peyton Reed; and Christina's recap of the film's press day conference with Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Michael Douglas, and Kevin Feige.
First Suicide Squad Trailer
We're still more than a year away from David Ayer's Suicide Squad hitting theaters but you can go ahead and count me in. I remain cautiously optimistic about the way the DC Cinematic Universe is shaping up as a whole over at Warner Bros., but after watching this trailer that debuted at Comic-Con several times, Ayer's Suicide Squad looks to be coming together quite nicely.
Trainwreck Interviews and Review
For me, marriage is a difficult but rewarding commitment that I've made to someone I love greatly. Part of that commitment is not watching a movie we both want to see without her while she's out of town for the weekend. It's all about sacrifice, folks, which is why I'm more than happy to give my wife until this Sunday evening before I go see Trainwreck without her.
For more on Judd Apatow's latest, be sure to revisit Perri's SXSW review; Steve's SXSW video interview with Apatow and Amy Schumer; and Christina's print interviews with Bill Hader, Tilda Swinton, Amy Schumer, and Jupp Apatow.
First The Revenant Trailer
We got our first look at Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman follow-up, The Revenant, this past week and aside from also featuring beautiful cinematography from Emmanuel Lubezki, it looks to be quite a departure from Michael Keaton power walking in whitey tighties.
I'm looking forward to this one regardless simply because Hardy and DiCaprio are money, but this first trailer caught my eyes and ears by having some of the best use of rhythm, tempo, and repetition since this trailer for The Coen Brothers' A Serious Man.
2015 Emmy Nominations
The nominees for the 67th Emmy Awards were announced this past Thursday with HBO's Game of Thrones garnering the most nods with a total of 24 across 17 different categories. Guess I need to start watching that show...
Of course, no awards nominations would be complete without an analysis of the perceived snubs, surprises, and in this specific case, the "snoozes" of the nominee field. Check out said breakdown by our Chris Cabin by clicking here.