Candyman (Theatrical release Aug. 27)
Artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), lives in Chicago’s gentrified Cabrini-Green, when he becomes fascinated with the urban legend of the Candyman. The mythical character is rumored to be a vengeful, murderous spirit and killer of Cabrini-Green residents during its housing project years. McCoy, who finds the Candyman’s (Tony Todd) origins sympathetic, accidently reactivates the killer along with the Candyman’s murderous lover, Caroline. The original 1992 film was adapted from a Clive Barker story, leaving England for a new setting at the infamous Cabrini-Green. After years of failed sequel attempts, this one succeeded when Jordan Peele took on the project as co-writer and producer (in partnership with Universal Studios), and co-writer Nia Costa agreed to direct. Peele’s talent for housing horror plots and racial issues under the same roof, fits this one sweetly. (Lisa Miller)
Echoes of Violence (Streaming Aug. 24 on AppleTV)
This crime-action-drama borrows Pulp Fiction’s non-linear storytelling. In the Sedona desert, Alex (Heston Horwin), stumbles upon Marakya (Michaella Russell), while she attempts to escape Kellin (Chase Cargill), the man hired to kill her. As Marakya’s story, and the reasons she targeted, are revealed, real estate agent Alex decides to help her. They embark on a trip to Los Angeles to track down a corrupt immigration attorney (Taylor Flowers). Stylishly filmed and directed on a relatively low budget, this film develops its characters in unexpected ways and thrives on coherent action sequences. (Lisa Miller)
My Heart Can’t Bet Unless You Tell It To (Dark Sky Films Blu-ray)
Jessie, Dwight and Thomas are close-knit siblings sharing a house. Thomas is sickly, suffering from a debilitating disease and sustained on human blood in large amounts—provided by his brother and sister, who kill. My Heart (2020) is a horror film of an unusual sort, its gothic elements held in low key at a leisurely pace whose painful silences echo Dwight’s glum unease. Jessie is the family’s go-getter!
The subtext makes the film interesting. The siblings have little money and low-paying jobs. They live in a thrift-store economy and in a house they probably inherited. They prey on those less fortunate, homeless men and immigrants in a town that might have known better days. My Heart shows the horror that lurks in everyday life as well as the pull of conflicting values. (David Luhrssen)
“The Real Thing” (Film Movement DVD)
Japanese film buffs will recognize Koji Fukada from his Cannes award-winning Harmonium (2016). With “The Real Thing,” the director moves into a different field, a television series of half-hour episodes. The story follows toy salesman Tsuji as he’s drawn into a series of misadventures with Ukiyo, the mysterious and hapless-looking woman he met in a grocery store aisle. “Her frail charm forces men to help her,” a gangster tells him. “The Real Thing” is evidence that Japanese comedy can be as dry as British humor. (David Luhrssen)
The Show (in theaters one night only, Aug. 26)
A private investigator arrives in a small British city looking for a missing piece of jewelry—or is he just a P.I.? And what’s with that jewelry, a strange gold cross with a rose at its center? Written by graphic novelist Alan Moore (From Hell) and directed by his longtime collaborator, photographer Mitch Jenkins, The Show is a mordant comedy with quirky one-liners, a spoof of tough British crime flicks as well as Hollywood film noir. The P.I. (or is he a P.I.?) enters a world where dreams and cyberspace intersect reality and the dead plot against the living. Tickets are available here. (David Luhrssen)
