Photo © A24 Films
Death of a Unicorn
(From left) Téa Leoni, Will Poulter , Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega and Anthony Carrigan in 'Death of a Unicorn'
Death of a Unicorn
(In Theaters March 28)
Having long been depicted as gentle, magical creatures, in writer-director Alex Scharfman’s horror, it turns out that unicorns have very dark tendencies. Attorney Elliot (Paul Rudd) and his college-age daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) are on their way see Elliot’s uber-wealthy client Odell (Richard E. Grant), when their car hits a young unicorn. Amazed by the existence of this mythical beast, Ridley manages to forge a connection with it before the unicorn dies. Elliot stuffs the animal into the back of his SUV, and brings it to the mansion of Odell, who insists on further examining it. Then the beast suddenly springs back to life, prompting Odell to harvest its blood to cure himself of terminal cancer. Téa Leoni appears as Odell’s socialite wife, while Will Poulter portrays the pair’s entitled son. Ridley warns that unicorns can be fearsome, and soon enough the unicorn’s angry parents appear on the mansion’s doorstep. This unexpected premise is fun but weakened by awkwardly depicted CGI unicorns. Still, gruesome killings, satire, and a realistic father-daughter relationship, are ample B-movie justifications. (Lisa Miller)
Family
(IndiePix DVD/Digital)
Lily arranges her parents and siblings on the couch for a family portrait, but it’s hard not to notice that they are a grim lineup indeed. Are they just in a bad mood—or dead? Israeli writer-director Veronica Kedar’s Family asks the question all of us confront about that moment of pause between “I should” and “better not.” Did Lily, a photographer from a family charitably describable as unhappy, kill them all? She wants to tell what happened to her psychiatrist but is stuck instead with the doctor’s snarky teenage daughter and relates events in flashbacks. Several visually stunning scenes are neo-noir in deep shadows and lurid reds. (David Luhrssen)
The Woman in the Yard
(In Theaters March 28)
Following a car accident that took her husband’s life, Ramona (Danielle Deadwyler) is recovering from a serious injury that has left her in an ankle-to-thigh leg brace. She lives at an isolated farmhouse with 14-year-old son (Peyton Jackson) and six-year-old-daughter (Estella Kahiha), where Ramona’s debilitating grief has made her a neglectful parent. One day she looks out the window to see a woman (Okwui Okpokwasili), seated in a chair at the far edge of her front yard. She's a sight in her black veil and Civil War era dress. From her porch, Ramona asks what the woman wants. The cryptic reply, “Today’s the day ...”, offers no consolation. Now locked inside the home with her children, they note the woman’s chair moving closer and closer. Ramona’s various attempts to get rid of their visitor, all fail. Coming in at a crisp 88-minutes, This Blumhouse production documents the terrified family’s attempts to survive the threatening visage. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, and rated PG-13, apparently the film isn’t too scary for teens, but I’ll be sleeping with the light on. (Lisa Miller)
A Working Man
(In Theaters March 28))
Action star Jason Statham signed on for the first movie in what’s hoped will become a franchise. Sylvestor Stallone teams up with director David Ayer to write this screenplay adapted from the Levon Cade novel, Levon’s Trade (the first of 12 in the series). Meet retired special operative Levon Cade (Statham), working security for wealthy construction entrepreneur Joe Garcia (Michael Peña). When Garcia’s daughter, Jenny (Arianna Rivas) vanishes in Florida during Spring Break, he offers Cade a handsome sum to find and rescue the girl. Cade accepts, then learns she’s been taken by an extremely violent Ukrainian crime syndicate. Nonstop action sees Cade killing every last thug who deserves it, while also struggling to win back custody of his own nine-year-old daughter (Isla Gie). Regarding its tone: Readers compare Cade to Jack Reacher—the caveat being that Cade’s lethal tendencies makes Reacher seem like a Boy Scout. (Lisa Miller)
