The Beta Test (In theaters and streaming on AppleTV, Nov. 5)
Jim Cummings co-directs and stars as Jordan Hines, a sharky star agent for a legendary talent agency. Though globalism has tarnished his power, Hines behaves as though he’s untouchable. His own wedding is imminent when he receives a mysterious invitation to an anonymous sexual tryst. He’s blindfolded prior to a rendezvous that’s everything he’d hoped for and more.
Co-writer-director PJ McCabe steps in as co-worker PJ, Hines’ only buddy. When Hines confesses he’s obsessed with his illicit liaison, PJ helps search for the invitation’s sender. The endeavor endangers Hines’ engagement, success and reputation but satire runs deep as he strives to get what he wants and gain the upper hand—an upside-down version of a predatory Hollywood mogul. (Lisa Miller)
“Clarice Season One” (Lionsgate Blu-ray)
Stephen King once called Hannibal Lecter “the great fictional monster of our time.” In Silence of the Lambs, the cultivated cannibal’s unlikely colleague, Special Agent Clarice Starling, stood tall in his shadow through a performance by Jodie Foster. The Starling story continues in the CBS series “Clarice.” She is an unwilling media celebrity for cracking the “Buffalo Bill” and is confronted by resentment from fellow FBI agents. Over the objections of her immediate supervisors, Starling is tasked by the attorney general with investigating a new set of serial killings. Is a darker conspiracy at work?
With Rebecca Breeds playing the lead role in this brusquely dramatized series, Starling calls upon her West Virginia good sense as well as her behavioral science background as she follows a trail paved with bones and gore. The four-disc set includes 90 minutes of special features. (David Luhrssen)
Eternals (In theaters Nov. 5)
Opening to mixed reviews, Eternals is another adaptation from Marvel comics that features a team of superheroes. Chloe Zhao directed and co-wrote the screenplay, transforming three male roles into female roles. Her inclusive Eternals consist of four Whites, three Asians, two Blacks, and one Latina. One member is gay (Brian Tyree Henry), another deaf (portrayed by deaf actress, Lauren Ridloff).
The Eternal’s 7,000-year mission is to protect us from super-predatory beasts known as Deviants. However, unbeknownst to all but one immortal, they are actually here in service of a hidden agenda. When the new orders come through, the Eternals rebel against their betters, the Celestials. Angelina Jolie plays immortal Thena, her brain unable to cope with an eternity of memories. Immortal Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) has become a Bollywood star and he revels in it. Gemma Chan appears as Sersi, leader of the Eternal’s revolt, while Salma Hayek is Ajak, their conduit to the Celestials. Director Zhao opted for practical effects when possible and ranks character introspection above battle sequences. It’s makes for an uneven 157 minutes, but with glimmers of a different type of superhero film. (Lisa Miller)
The Protégé (Lionsgate Blu-ray)
The opening scene is nicely staged neo-noir: a rainy night in a crowded Far East city. A mysterious figure, Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) steps down a dark alley and into a warehouse. He finds a parcel of dead men strewn across the floor—and a brave little Vietnamese girl hidden in a cupboard. Moody adopts Anna (Maggie Q) as his own and trains her in his profession—killing.
The Protégé is a border-jumping adventure as the team of assassins take down the worst of the worst (for pay). Interest is added to the characters through personal details. Anna’s true passion is her rare bookshop and Moody loves the blues—he owns Albert King 1958 Gibson. They enjoy civilized lives when not spilling geysers of blood with jaunty ease. (David Luhrssen)
