Tag: ann dowd

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER – Review

So October has finally arrived and the studios are truly “bringing out the big guns” in order to “scare up” some box office bucks at the ole’ haunted multiplex. We’re talking the “classics” here. No, it’s not another SCREAM entry, since this one goes back a lot further in fear film history. Not as far as the “thirsty Count” since we’ve had two flicks about the true first “bat-man” in the past year. But it is older than the HALLOWEEN (the crew behind the last three are behind this one) series or the assorted other sinister stalkers. We can call this a fright franchise since there have been four (some say five) entries and even a short-lived TV series. And it all started exactly fifty years ago as a best-selling novel was adapted into what was then the most profitable horror movie ever (for at least a couple of years). Talk about a “hard act” to follow! That’s the daunting task ahead for this “reimagining” titled THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER.

It begins, much like the original did, with a flashback in an exotic foreign land. Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) is enjoying a vacation in Haiti with his very pregnant wife Sorenne (Tracey Graves) thirteen (oh oh) years ago. He’s indulging his passion for photography when they’re separated by a devasting earthquake, which leads to a tragic decision. Flash forward to today as Victor shares a home in a small Georgia town with his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett), who is curious about her mother. Luckily she’s made many friends in school, particularly Katherine (Olivia Marcum). One day they each toss out fibs about studying at each others’ houses to their folks. Instead, the duo explores a nearby wooded area to light a candle and attempt to communicate with the “spirit world” (maybe Angela’s mum will answer her queries). Hours pass, darkness falls, and Victor starts to panic. He reaches out to Katherine’s folks, who think she’s with Angela. The panicked parents meet at the police station where the very religious Miranda (Jennifer Nettles) and Tony (Norbert Leo Butz) eye Victor with suspicion. Soon the trio are covering the town with missing flyers. Amazingly the girls turn up alive three days later, thirty miles away. They get a clean bill of health at the local hospital despite some odd scars on the feet and legs. And then the truly freaky behavior begins, as the duo begins to speak in low guttural voices and lash out violently. Victor starts to consider admitting Angela into a mental health facility until his neighbor, a local nurse named Ann (Ann Dowd) gives him a copy of a book written by a woman claiming that her daughter was possessed by a demon. After checking out some online interviews, Victor visits the author, former actress Chris MacNeill (Ellen Burstyn). She agrees to observe Angela, but can her knowledge and experience end the living nightmare of the parents and save their daughters?

Serving as the film’s anchor which strains to hold the disparate plot twists and turns is the talented Mr. Odom Jr. as everyman Victor. We first see him as a loving husband and later father who must not allow fear and panic to overwhelm him. We see that determination on Odom Jr’s face and a hint of desperation in his eyes. It’s then that he shifts into hero mode to rescue his precious daughter. In that role, Ms. Jewitt is quite endearing as the sweet, but often exasperating Angela as she peers into memories of that past which her father doesn’t wish to relive. Plus, she’s very creepy after her “return’, much like Ms. Marcum, who has a bright mischievous smile while disrupting class before morphing into a wild feral creature who terrorizes an entire church. Nettles is quite compelling as her devoted mama, while Butz is manic and boisterous as her “wildcard” papa. Ms. Dowd brings much gravitas and poignancy to the role of the neighborhood “nudge” (“Take in those trash cans!”) turned demon-fighter. Kudos also to Raphael Sbarge as Katherine’s Baptist pastor who eschews the usual cliche of the greedy mega-church huckster. But the film’s MVP is probably the franchise return of Burstyn who commands the screen as the haunted, but still fiery Ms. MacNeill, who is eager to join the battle despite her years, perhaps to release her from some half-a-century-old anguish.

Horror vet (the final HALLOWEEN trilogy) David Gordon Green takes over the directing reigns working from the script he co-wrote with Peter Sattler, Danny Mcbride, and Scott Teems. For the film’s first half, he keeps the pace flowing while setting up the creepy undercurrents of small-town America. Unfortunately, the specter of the 1973 original looms large, pushing him to try and emulate the quick editing unnerving image sequences of that iconic work. Green tries to temper this with more modern “jump scares”, which are offset by the loopy “set-ups” (Victor is barely slowed down when coming through the unlocked front door of his home). And did we really need the nast sequences at a homeless shelter or at a home for the mentally ill (shades of THE SNAKE PIT)? Speaking of modern, we get plenty of the current genre’s penchant for cruelty, especially with a pivotal scene involving MacNeill, that’s is so mean-spirited it pushes the boundaries of good taste for this much-maligned genre. But at least she’s not part of the final act “face-off’ in which a multi-faith Avengers-style team uses each of their religion’s teachings to battle the two possessed pre-teens sporting all manner of CGI-enhanced makeup prosthetics (Katherine sports a Frankenstein-like forehead while Angela harkens back to the 70’s grindhouse classic shocker ABBEY). All the chaos and pummeling sound and fury lead to a limp finale and a bland epilogue, even though a late “arrival” is somewhat charming. The folks at Blumhouse can’t quite work their monster magic on this familiar property, making THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER a reboot with no real “kick”, and only a smattering of those “Tubular Bells”.

1.5 Out of 4

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER is now playing in theatres everywhere

Frightening Is What THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER First Trailer Is And Sees The Return Of Ellen Burstyn

(from left) Angela Fielding (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia Marcum) in The Exorcist: Believer, directed by David Gordon Green.

Exactly 50 years ago this fall, the most terrifying horror film in history landed on screens, shocking audiences around the world. Now, on Friday, October 13, a new chapter begins. From Blumhouse and director David Gordon Green, who shattered the status quo with their resurrection of the Halloween franchise, comes THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER.

Since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, Victor Fielding (Tony winner and Oscar® nominee Leslie Odom, Jr.; One Night in Miami, Hamilton) has raised their daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett, Good Girls) on his own.

But when Angela and her friend Katherine (newcomer Olivia Marcum), disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil.

Body and the Blood – hit the iconic Tubular Bells and catch the truly scary trailer now!

For the first time since the 1973 film, Oscar® winner Ellen Burstyn reprises her iconic role as Chris MacNeil, an actress who has been forever altered by what happened to her daughter Regan five decades before.

The film also stars Emmy winner Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale, Hereditary) as Victor and Angela’s neighbor, and Grammy winner Jennifer Nettles (Harriet, The Righteous Gemstones) and two-time Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz (Fosse/Verdon, Bloodline) as the parents of Katherine, Angela’s friend.

(from left) Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) and Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr.) in The Exorcist: Believer, directed by David Gordon Green.

When The Exorcist, based on the best-selling book by William Peter Blatty, was released, it changed the culture forever, obliterating box office records and earning 10 Academy Award® nominations, becoming the first horror film ever nominated for Best Picture.

Check out the new book The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear by Nat Segaloff who was an original publicist for the movie and the acclaimed biographer of its director.

As William Friedkin said on many occasions, “I didn’t set out to scare the hell out of people as you do with a horror film. I set out to make a film that would make them think about the concept of good and evil.”

The THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER is directed by David Gordon Green from a screenplay by Peter Sattler (Camp X-Ray) and David Gordon Green, from a story by Scott Teems (Halloween Kills), Danny McBride (Halloween trilogy) and David Gordon Green, based on characters created by William Peter Blatty.

Director David Gordon Green on the set of The Exorcist: Believer.

The film is produced by Jason Blum for Blumhouse and by David Robinson and James G. Robinson for Morgan Creek Entertainment.

The executive producers are Danny McBride, David Gordon Green, Stephanie Allain, Ryan Turek and Atilla Yücer. Universal Pictures presents a Blumhouse/Morgan Creek Entertainment production in association with Rough House Pictures.

MASS – Review

Martha Plimpton and Ann Dowd in MASS. Courtesy of Bleecker Street.

Is there anything harder for a parent than the loss of a child? That heartbreak is at the center of the drama MASS, in which one couple who suffered such a loss meets years later with the couple whose child was responsible for that loss. Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton play one of the two couples, Gail and Jay. who have agreed to meet with the other parents, Linda and Richard (Ann Dowd and Reed Birney). The meeting is to take place in around a table in a small room of an Episcopal church, in a town in a Western state. The meeting has been arranged by a therapist who has been working with Gail and Jay. It has the look of a “truth and reconciliation” meeting to help both couples get past what happened.

That is not giving away any more than is in the film’s trailer. Exactly what did happen, and even which son is the killer and which the victim, is not clear at the film’s start, a deliberate choice by first-time director, but long-time actor, Fran Kranz. The carefully written script, also by Kranz, slowly brings out details of the events, as the actors develop and reveal aspects of their characters, giving the drama much more suspense than if the film had laid all cards on the table to start. The therapist and the couples know the facts but the audience does not. The meeting of the two couples is tense, even wary, and a sense of anger and sorrow permeates the room.

Eventually it is revealed that the killing happened during a school shooting six years earlier. The four parents have dealt with the aftermath in differing ways, and one couple, Richard and Linda, have divorced, although they are still cordial to each other. Most of the drama takes place in the church meeting room with a lead-in sequence, in which the therapist inspects the room while a hovering church worker makes too many helpful suggestions, which serves to pique our curiosity.

Of course, it is hard to avoid the sense of a stage play with a drama set largely in a single room. What makes for searing drama on stage does not always translate to the big screen. But director Franz deals with this problem first by shifting angles and moving the characters about the space, but largely by revealing the information, about what happened and who these people are, in carefully paced bits. The drama also rests heavily on the skill of the cast, who exceed expectations as each slowly reveals their characters. Who they seem to be in the scene where they first meet changes over the course of the shifting drama, as new facts are revealed.

Martha Plimpton’s Gail is seething with barely suppressed anger even before the meeting, anger we glimpse in a scene with her and Jay before the two couples meet face-to-face in the church room. It looks at one point as if she will back out at the last minute, and the couple have an exchange about something she has come to say. By contrast, Ann Dowd’s Linda seems more open, even eager to reach out, offering Gail flower arrangement as a gift. It leads to the first of many awkward moments as Gail politely thanks her but does not reach out to accept them, a fore taste of the back-and-forth emotional dance to come.

The scene also illustrates the careful construction of each moment in the film and the skill of the performers. Eventually, the ice breaks and bit by bit, facts and feelings come out, as one side seeks to know if there were a hints that could have prevented what happened and the other struggles with the answers.

Richard seems the most wary and reserved at the beginning, speaking about agreed to contracts and seeking to avoid acknowledging anything or sharing details that could lead to legal action. By contrast, the more open Jay has devoted his life to activism on school shootings. As the meeting goes into deeper emotional depths, Richard’s surface gradually cracks a bit, exposing raw unspoken feelings, and Jay begins questioning what his work really has accomplished in the ensuing years. Questioning and self-doubt, admissions and denial all swirl through the charged atmosphere.

Outstanding performances are the key to MASS, which it has in abundant. All the actors are excellent but Ann Dowd is the standout. The discussions thoughtfully explore the variety of issues that have been raised by school shootings, such as debates over guns, violent video games, and the political aspects that have grow up around them. At the same time, these characters grapple with their own complex, sometimes conflicting emotions – anger, regret, guilt, grief – all of which are on both sides in some fashion, leading slowly towards forgiveness and acceptance.

The subject matter, and the film’s structure as a drama built around discussion, means there is a limit on the kind of audience MASS will draw. But the drama offers much, with its thoughtful, complex discussion of difficult subjects, its delving into human nature and the human heart, and its stellar, multi-layered performances. There are no easy answers and there are no uncomplicated people nor personal stories in MASS.

MASS opens Friday, Oct. 22, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema and other theaters.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

OUR BRAND IS CRISIS (2015) – The Review

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So you’re tired of all the news reports and headlines about those campaigning for the president, in an election that’s still over a year away? Well, why not take in a movie at the multiplex? Here’s Sandra Bullock’s latest all about…a presidential campaign. Ah, but Sandy’s not in the running, although she’s dashing around quite a bit. She’s a campaign strategist who’s working for a candidate all the way south, very south, in Bolivia. So are presidential races there the same as up here, with sound bites, negative ads,and other ways to manipulate the media? You bet your ballot! So what does she come up with, how will her hopeful break away from the ‘pack’?  Just one way, as Ms. B explains in the film’s first act, OUR BRAND IS CRISIS.

US Public relations vets Ben (Anthony Mackie) and Nell (Ann Dowd) have been hired by General Castillo (Joaquim de Almieda) to get his old job back. He was the president of Bolivia fifteen years ago, but was voted out when he privatized the local industries. Unfortunately the electorate has a long memory, which may account for him being down 28 points in the polls. But Nell has a plan, and so she and Ben drive up to a desolate cabin in the snow. They hope to lure the legendary strategist “Calamity” Jane Bodine (Bullock) out of a self-imposed retirement.  After a stint in rehab, preceded by several unsuccessful gigs, she’s hesitant to get back in the game. But when she hears that the front-runner, Rivera, has hired her old nemesis Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton), Jane puts away the clay pots and cups and hops on a Bolivian bound private jet. After meeting the third member of the American crew, the prickly Buckley (Scoot McNairy), and the surly, brusque Castillo, Jane hatches a campaign “scenario”: the country is in dire straights, on the brink of collapse, and the general is the only one who can save the day. Bringing in her top aide, “hit woman” LeBlanc (Zoe Kazan), and enlisting an enthusiastic local Eddie (Reynaldo Pacheco), Jane attempts a career comeback, for the candidate and herself, as old demons from the past return.

In her first live action role since Oscar-nominated turn in GRAVITY, Bullock’s star charisma injects much-needed life in many of the story’s soggy stretches. In the scenes back in her tiny snow-bound cottage she projects a great deal of vulnerability with her hesitant line delivery and haunted “seen it all” stare. Upon her arrival on foreign soil, Bullock goes for laughs as Jane battles the effects of the altitude. This plays often as an appeasement to fans hoping for a reprise of the pratfalls from THE HEAT or the MISS CONGENIALITY flicks. But soon she puts down the ever-present bag a’ chips and gets down to business with a hard-driving, “take no prisoners” zeal that propels the plot forward, which seems to mask her sadness over the times she went too far for victory. Once again Bullock ably balances the tough and tender in an expert performance.

Happily, an accomplished ensemble aides Ms. Bullock. Thornton is an excellent sparring partner as the all “too slick” and smooth Mr. Candy, who knows exactly how to get under her skin, with his smug sarcasm twisting like a knife. Mackie is the questioning moral center of the PR team, standing up to Jane when she crosses the line. Dowd is the hardened vet and co-conspirator in Jane’s wild schemes, an “Ethel” to her “Lucy”. McNairy is very funny as the easily irritated and irritating Buckly, always quick with a lousy idea or crass comment. As the candidate, de Almeida, struts about as if the whole affair were beneath his regal, military bearing with a sinister glint in his eyes. It makes us wonder whether he can really woo the populace, as we question his true motives. The delightful Kazan is underused as Jane’s “ace up my sleeve”, but Pacheco has a great deal of youthful charm and energy as the optimistic Eddie who will eventually face the ugly, dark side of politics.

Although the film’s being marketed as a breezy “culture class” comedy, director David Gordon Green breaks out of the stoner comedy cage (YOUR HIGHNESS) to deliver a tough look at dirty side of campaigning. Unfortunately these two goals never quite gel. The high spirits wackiness of making tacky commercials with llamas and racing campaign buses over treacherous mountain roads slams up against ugly internet lies that inspire suicide and exploitation of the poor. Peter Straughan’s screenplay (inspired by the 2005 same-titled documentary) never really finds a way to balance that tone while keeping the story moving at a brisk pace. And the film’s main character is still something of a mystery by the end scenes. At one point she fully plunges back into her old vices (starting with the interminable chain-smoking), boozing with little ramifications other than waking up hung over in a jail cell. In the film’s final moments the script heads down a dark cynical path that is detoured with a contrived hopeful final shot that’s forced (I smell ‘test-marketing’ at work). It’s great to have Bullock back, but her considerable charisma and talents can’t erase the story and pacing flaws of OUR BRAND IS CRISIS.

3 Out of 5

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Filming Begins on David Gordon Green’s OUR BRAND IS CRISIS Starring Sandra Bullock, Anthony Mackie, Zoe Kazan & Billy Bob Thornton

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Filming is underway in New Orleans on director David Gordon Green’s (“Pineapple Express,” “George Washington”) feature adaptation of the critically acclaimed 2005 documentary OUR BRAND IS CRISIS, starring Oscar winners Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”) and Billy Bob Thornton (“Sling Blade”).

When a group of American consultants accept the challenge of getting an unpopular Bolivian president re-elected, they realize they need help. Tracking down retired maverick political consultant Jane Bodine (Bullock) to her cabin in the woods, they persuade her to lead the team—a decision they quickly come to regret, as “Calamity” Jane begins to live up to her nickname, unleashing her very own brand of chaos on the campaign.

Just as all seems lost, the loathsome Pat Candy (Thornton), Jane’s worst enemy, arrives in town to work for the opposition. Suddenly things become personal and as the battle begins the consultants get to see Jane the legend in action.

The film also stars Anthony Mackie (“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”), Scoot McNairy (“Gone Girl,” “Argo”), Zoe Kazan (“Ruby Sparks”), Ann Dowd (“Side Effects,” HBO’s “The Leftovers”), Reynaldo Pacheco (“Beginners”), Dominic Flores (“Rampart”), Louis Arcella (NBC’s “The Blacklist”), Octavio Gómez Berríos (“Che: Part One”) and Joaquim de Almeida (“Fast Five”).

Green directs from a screenplay by Oscar nominee Peter Straughan (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”), based on the documentary by Rachel Boynton, which outlined the American political campaign marketing tactics employed in the real-life 2002 Bolivian presidential election.

The film is being produced by Oscar-winning Smokehouse Pictures’ principals George Clooney and Grant Heslov (“Argo”), with Bullock, Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King, and Stuart Besser serving as executive producers. Participant Media is a co-financier on the film.

Green’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes frequent collaborators director of photography Tim Orr, editor Colin Patton and production designer Richard A. Wright (“Manglehorn”), as well as costume designer Jenny Eagan (“Now You See Me”).

The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Watch Bruce Greenwood in WILDLIKE Trailer

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Premiering at the Hamptons International Film Festival this Friday, October 10, here’s your first look at the trailer for WILDLIKE. The film stars Ella Purnell, Bruce Greenwood, Brian Geraghty, Ann Dowd, Nolan Gerard Funk and Diane Farr.

Mackenzie, a troubled but daring teenage girl, is sent to live with her uncle in Juneau, Alaska. She longs for her struggling, absent mother, but as her mom’s phone calls become less frequent and her uncle’s care is not what it seems, she must flee. Her only thoughts are to escape her uncle’s grasp and contact her mother somehow, but as she plunges deeper into the Alaskan interior she is suddenly helplessly alone. A chance connection with a loner backpacker, Rene Bartlett, proves to be her only lifeline. As Mackenzie shadows Bartlett across the last frontier, she thwarts his efforts to cut her loose until Bart has no choice but to help her survive in the wilderness.

Against the backdrop of a spectacular Alaska landscape, they discover the redemptive power of friendship. Mackenzie and Bartlett prove to be the unlikely salve for each other’s scars, until the damage Mackenzie carries with her threatens to destroy her newfound sanctuary. Returning to civilization, Mackenzie is once again at risk of capture by her uncle as he hounds with manipulative calls and messages. When Bartlett finally discovers her alarming secret, he must make a bold choice to take real responsibility for Mackenzie and help her escape her traumatic past and return home.

Written and Directed by Frank Hall Green, WILDLIKE is from executive producer Christine Vachon of Killer Films.

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Win Tickets To The Advance Screening Of GIMME SHELTER In St. Louis

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Based on a true story that centers on 16-year-old Agnes “Apple” Bailey (Vanessa Hudgens), GIMME SHELTER uncovers the struggle for survival and the hope of redemption through the harsh realities of life on the streets. As a pregnant teenager, Apple’s journey plummets her into a perilous struggle until finding salvation in a suburban shelter for homeless teens.

With provisions of unprecedented comfort, a collective sisterhood connection and female empowerment, the shelter elevates Apple to break the shackles of her past and inspires her to embrace the future with clarity, maturity and hope not only for herself but her unborn child.

GIMME SHELTER stars Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical franchise, Machete Kills), Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Trance), Brendan Fraser (Crash, The Mummy), James Earl Jones (The Great White Hope, Star Wars franchise), Ann Dowd (Compliance, Side Effects) and Dascha Polanco (“Orange is the New Black”).  Also appearing in the film are several real life shelter mothers, their babies and Kathy DiFiore.

GIMME SHELTER opens nationwide January 24th, 2014.

WAMG invites you to enter for your chance to receive a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of GIMME SHELTER –  Tuesday, January 21 at 7PM in St. Louis.

Answer the following:

What was Vanessa Hudgens’ character’s name in the High School Musical series?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. ENTER YOUR NAME AND ANSWER IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

PG-13 for mature thematic material involving mistreatment, some drug content, violence and language – all concerning teens.
www.GimmeShelterTheMovie.com 

BUS TO COPS: VANESSA HUDGENS "APPLE" IN BUS 3.tif

COMPLIANCE – The Review

Time for another movie ” inspired by true events “, but this one sticks much closer to reality than recent flicks THE VOW and PEOPLE LIKE US. So much so, that it’s really thought-provoking. And ultimately disturbing. COMPLIANCE is based on a real incident that occurred in Kentucky during the 1990’s. A couple of lines of dialogue are taken verbatim from newspaper articles and network TV news magazine shows. This is one of those rare films that…well, if you go with some friends, expect to discuss it afterwards, from drinks, through dinner, perhaps past dessert. COMPLIANCE is not a film that will evaporate from your mind the minute you pass through the theatre doors.

The setting is a fast food place called ChickWich, home of breaded chicken patty sandwiches and chicken tenders, located in suburban Ohio during a wintry Friday. Frazzled manager Sandra ( Ann Dowd ) is doing the best she can on this busy day. She’s almost out of bacon ( OMG! ) and one of her cooks is sick with ” that thing that’s going around “. To further complicates matters, she gets a call from an Officer Daniels ( Pat Healy ). He tells her that a ChickWich customer claims that one of the cashiers, a petite doe-eyed 19 year-old named  Becky ( Dreama Walker ), reached into her purse and grabbed a handful of cash. Sandra brings Becky into the back office and puts her on the phone to Daniels. Becky denies the theft. Daniels tells her that he will come to the restaurant, arrest her, and keep her in jail overnight unless she consents to allow Sandra and her assistant manager Marti ( Ashlie Atkinson ) to search her. And so begins a long, long day of humiliations as the directions of the Daniels are conveyed over that office phone and followed through to aid him in his ” investigation “.

Helping anchor this almost impossible to believe true story are three impeccable actors who should ( and hopefully will ) become better known. I was only familiar with Dreama Walker from the TV sitcom ” Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 “, so I was surprised at her dramatic range in the role of the hapless Becky. At the film’s start, she’s a carefree gal in her late teens, who knows that the future will be much brighter once she’s past this wage slave job. That future seems in jeopardy as the nightmare begins. She’s stunned at first, then outraged at the accusation. But the caller amps up the fear and soon she’s careening from helplessness to hopelessness.  For the audience she becomes everybody’s kid sister. She has to be rescued from that cold, dank room. We don’t see Pat Healy as the caller until well after the interrogation has begun ( beside a brief scene as he buys his phone cards ), but once we see him at the other end of line , Healy becomes one of the great screen villains. We can see the wheels in his head turning as improvises his instructions and peppers the conversation with ” cop jargon ” ( thanks to a several police manuals ). This is the banality of evil as he goes about his daily routines ( taking out the garbage, fixing lunch ) always with the receiver almost attached to his ear. It’s a movie monster we’ve not seen before. A true control freak. Sandra is played expertly by character actress Ann Dowd. Usually regulated to mothers and professionals ( lawyers, doctors, etc. ), Dowd gets a chance to shine as the dithering overseer. She seems to be one of those plate-spinners from the old Ed Sullivan TV shows. She just can’t keep all those dishes moving.When we first meet her she’s berated by another company boss. Later she’s insulted not so subtly by her staff ( maybe she shouldn’t have told them that she and her beau exchange ” sex texts” in an ill-advised attempt to seem ” with it” ). Speaking of him, she struggles to keep her man on the straight and narrow, while believing that he’s going to pop the question any day now ( one last chance at longed for marital bliss ). She may be a more clueless, pitiful female spin on Steve Carell’s Michael Scott of the TV’s ” The Office”. Sandra’s so frazzled that she’s the perfect patsy for Daniels. Confusion turns to confidence as Sandra  convinces herself that she’s being a good citizen ( there may be a bit of resentment going on since Becky represents youthful promise that passed her by decades ago ). She’s an example of the dangers of gullibility, literally naive’ to a fault.

Director Craig Zobel gets everything right about the restaurant world. The customers at the drive-thru and counter have no idea of the drama going on in the back kitchens and offices ( kind of like backstage at a theatre ). You can almost smell the frozen chicken fillets cooking in the bubbling grease baskets. The film begins almost as a fast food take on OFFICE SPACE with a clueless boss, snarky, bored wage slaves, and cranky patrons. But once Daniels calls, Zobel ups the tension very slowly we’re in for a rough ride. It’s almost as if we’re being held hostage in that cold back room along with Becky. Many times I wished I could jump into the screen, grab a character by the shoulders, and try to scream some sense into them. And all the while you just can’t believe this really happened. My only complaint is a somewhat confusing time line. While night has fallen at the ChickWich, the sun shines brightly at Daniels’s home. That’s a minor quibble. COMPLIANCE is a film that may be difficult to watch, but it’ll be bouncing around your head for quite a while…much longer than a meal at your local ChickWich.

Overall Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

COMPLIANCE plays exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre