Blink twice (15, 103 minutes)
Verdict: The Get Out of this decade
Has Halloween arrived early this year? It seems so, judging by the off-season flood of horror movies hitting theaters.
And, if you’ve already survived Alien: Romulus and Trap, prepare for more summer darkness with a reboot of The Crow (out today; thankfully no advance press screenings), next week’s sci-fi horror film AfrAId (likewise), plus British thriller Broken Bird, followed by folk horror Starve Acre and a Beetlejuice sequel opening just as school holidays end.
After that, we’ll all need to lie down in a nice, dark crypt.
Two more hair-raising films are released today. The best of them, Blink Twice, marks the directorial debut of actress Zoë Kravitz, best known for being the daughter of music legend Lenny and for playing Catwoman.
As such, Blink Twice had all the hallmarks of a “nepo baby” toy, but it confounded my (low) expectations by being genuinely good.
Channing Tatum is chillingly good as a disgraced tech billionaire who invites two waitresses on a vacation to hell (pictured: Channing Tatum)
Channing Tatum, from left, Naomi Ackie, director Zoë Kravitz and actor Levon Hawke on the set of Blink Twice.
When we first meet our heroine, Frida (Naomi Ackie), she’s scrolling through Instagram and watching a confessional video made by disgraced tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) apologizing for his “abuse of power.”
Later, Frida is working as a waitress at the charismatic Slater’s fancy fundraiser when she and her best friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) wear tight dresses to get his attention and are invited to stay on his luxurious private island.
To ensure Slater’s privacy, his nervous personal assistant (Geena Davis) confiscates all of the phones. Suddenly, Frida finds herself drawn into some kind of super-VIP bubble she’s only seen on Instagram (but which Kravitz herself would have observed firsthand): a “tsunami” of champagne, Michelin-starred food, designer clothes and MDMA-fueled parties with gorgeous girls like Sarah (Adria Arjona) and the host’s friends (played by Christian Slater, Haley Joel Osment and Kyle MacLachlan).
Everything seems great (while everyone keeps raving about everyone else), but something evil is clearly creeping into this Eden…
Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie in a scene from Blink Twice
Channing Tatum, left, and director Zoa Kravitz on the set of Blink Twice
Glass Onion/White Lotus’ immaculate style is seductive, but this psychological thriller has much more to offer than just good looks. Kravitz mixes a provocative MeToo cocktail with cancel culture, forgiveness, female solidarity, the allure of social media and taking responsibility for one’s past, and does so in a brilliantly entertaining and wildly funny way.
Kravitz is a director of impressive precision. She takes us into very dark territory, but the tone of the film does not waver.
She’s also very interested in the casting. Her real-life fiancé, Tatum, hasn’t acted properly for a decade and now he’s doing a spectacular job.
And let’s hope rising British star Ackie gets the recognition she missed after her Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody failed to make the grade.
As usual, the trailer gives away too much, so it’s best to avoid it. It may not be the best for a first date, but otherwise it’s a sure-fire hit.
Cuckoo (15, 102 minutes)
Verdict: An aptly named horror oddity
There’s more blood in paradise, courtesy of Cuckoo. This mind-bending horror film stars former Downton heartthrob Dan Stevens as Herr Konig (right), a mad Bavarian scientist who runs a remote Alpine resort by day and likes to play his wooden flute (not a euphemism) in his spare time.
The latest guests at their snowy retreat are a divided family who have moved from the United States to Germany. There’s Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), a moody 17-year-old, her father (Marton Csokas), his new wife (Jessica Henwick) and their eight-year-old daughter, a voluntary mute named Alma (Mila Lieu), who begins to behave very strangely. Just like everyone else.
The eerie atmosphere is masterfully conceived; the narrative less so (pictured: Cuckoo film art)
Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), 17 years old and grumpy, in Cuckoo
The strangest of all is the screaming bogeywoman in the woods, famous for her rain hat, Gary Larson sunglasses, and single wet hand. I’m still not sure what she was.
At 25, Euphoria star Schafer is clearly too old to be playing a teenager, but she’s a fascinating presence and it’s exciting to see her spread her wings on the big screen.
The eerie atmosphere is masterfully created, but the narrative less so. Schafer and Stevens manage to keep you hooked on the strange events.
But the cuckoo-in-the-nest concept is underdeveloped, while, ironically, the demented mystery plot becomes less clear as more is revealed. By the climax, I was so stunned that a cartoon bird might as well have been jumping out of my forehead.
All the movies are in theaters now.
A heady celebration from the French first lady of champagne
Widow Clicquot (15, 90 minutes, ★★★✩✩) is a relaxing and picturesque biopic of the legendary “Grande Dame of Champagne,” Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin (career-best Haley Bennett).
In 1805, following the death of her troubled husband (Tom Sturridge), a grieving Veuve Clicquot decides to run her vineyard “like a woman,” to the disdain of the men around her. “You make it sound like a dinner party,” one scoffs at her radical ideas for collaboration. But Barbe-Nicole proves them wrong, invents pink champagne and sets out to overcome Napoleon’s trade blockades with the support of her faithful distributor (Sam Riley).
Sensual and slightly heady, with more complexity than meets the eye, this brilliant homage to France’s most important businesswoman is a pleasure, despite some dull moments.
Hayley Bennett poses upon arrival at the special screening of the film ‘Widow Clicquot’ on August 21 in London
In Between The Temples (15, 111 min, ★★★✩✩), a depressed 40-something synagogue cantor (Jason Schwartzman) finds his nerve again after reconnecting with his former music teacher (Carol Kane).
Less predictable than the summary suggests, this New York romantic comedy-drama delights in defying expectations and upending conventions at every turn. Veering from dull to sweet, it clearly appeals to members of the community who appreciate Jewish jokes. But the scenes of dysfunctional families would make anyone laugh.
Caroline Aaron and Dolly De Leon practically steal the show as overbearing mothers, while the mismatched-couple chemistry between Schwartzman and Kane shouldn’t work, but it does, just like in this film.
I wouldn’t want to spend an actual night with the proud “low-life scum” of Kneecap (18, 105 mins, ★★★★✩), but a night at the movies with them is a blast.
A ‘Troubles’ tale with a cheeky difference, this is the outrageous and ‘mostly true’ origin story of a foul-mouthed hip-hop trio called Kneecap, made up of two young Belfast drug dealers and a teacher (Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh, all effortlessly playing themselves), who rap primarily in the Irish language.
Rich Peppiatt (left) and other cast members attend a preview and Q&A for Kneecap on August 22
“Every word spoken in Irish is a bullet fired for Irish freedom,” intones Michael Fassbender as one of their fathers, an IRA fugitive whom the boys listen to and mock.
Writer-director Rich Peppiatt’s script is equally irreverent in tone, its intelligence and wit masking a cartoonish attitude to violence and antisocial behaviour. With unstoppable, Trainspotter-like energy, Ireland’s 2025 Oscar bid could well go all the way to a nomination.