The Beguiled,
directed by Sofia Coppola
(R, 1 hour, 33 minutes)
Although the original 1971 drama from Don Siegel with the same name had a lot going for it (Clint Eastwood, who's far sexier than Colin Farrell), this beautifully photographed version from Sofia Coppola capitalizes on a short running time to cut to the chase and get the story -- ablaze with simmering sexuality, rivalry, and mind games -- told with alacrity.
That story concerns a Virginia boarding school for girls during the Civil War, where one of the students stumbles across a wounded Yankee soldier. She brings him home to the school's achingly evocative Southern manse, where he's tended by competent, authoritative and elegant headmistress Miss Martha (Nicole Kidman), frumpy teacher Edwina Dabney (Kirsten Dunst) and a host of barely controlled adolescent girls. Fear and suspicion turns into curiosity, then goes beyond as the girls become intrigued by their injured guest. He's clever enough to see his way toward saving himself with a bit of manipulation. Then the tables turn. And turn again.
One complaint: Spanish moss is unlikely to be seen in Virginia. WithElle Fanning, Angourie Rice.
Baby Driver (R, 1 hour, 52 minutes) The soundtrack to this edgy, tense, and original action thriller is also a big player in the life of professional young driver (Ansel Elgort) who, while working as the getaway guy behind the wheel of a variety of heists for a hard-hearted crime boss (Kevin Spacey) reaches a seemingly dead end when a big job goes terribly wrong. With Jon Hamm, Lily James, Jamie Foxx; directed by Edgar Wright.
The House (R, 1 hour, 28 minutes) An incompetent, murky, poorly edited and unfunny crime satire in which a couple (Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler, a talented pair who ought to have known better), fritter away their daughter's college fund, then start an illegal casino in their basement in an attempt to make up the losses. With Nick Kroll, Allison Tolman; directed by Andrew Jay Cohen.
Pilgrimage (not rated, 1 hour, 36 minutes) Set in 13th-century Ireland, this darkly original battle-filled drama follows a small gathering of monks on a journey, replete with tribal warfare and threats from Norman invaders, to take their monastery's jewel-encrusted holy relic to Rome. With Tom Holland, Jon Bernthal, John Lynch, Richard Armitage; directed by Brendan Muldowney.
Wish Upon (PG-13, 1 hour, 30 minutes) This two-disc set, which includes the director's unrated cut, is a bloody but not particularly scary low-budget teen horror effort that concerns 17-year-old Clare Shannon (Joey King) who receives an old music box from her dad (Ryan Phillippe) that promises to grant its owner's wishes.
But, as most fans of such films already know, benefits like this one come with a high price. With Sherilyn Fenn, Sydney Park; directed by John R. Leonetti.
MovieStyle on 10/13/2017