The Wretched (IFC Midnight)
Ben is a troubled but decent teen spending the summer with dad. But against the emotional static of broken marriage comes more sinister doings among adults. The Pierce Brothers’ teen horror pastiche, The Wretched (2019), includes moments of humor and creepiness amidst its homage to those ‘80s movies—the ones where girls always walk into dark rooms despite the obvious presence of monsters. Who will believe Ben’s warning of the evil that lives next door?
"Batwoman: The Complete First Season” (Warner Bros.)
The DC Universe, as they like to call it, is expanding at the same rate as the real cosmos. And one of the latest entries drives a familiar story down new avenues. Kate aka Batwoman is a motorcycle riding, Ramones T-shirt wearing lesbian. She wants dad’s love and approval—and a job in his Crows Security, the heavily armed firm that keeps Gotham’s 1% safe from crime and anarchy. And she finds her way into family secrets—starting with discovering that her beloved cousin Bruce Wayne is Batman. She decides to tailor his bat suit and jump into the dangerous nightlife of her metropolis.
The backstory concerns Batman’s unexplained disappearance. Is he dead or just sick of it all? Gotham is menaced by a new gang of masked miscreants led by a bug-eyed blond who calls herself Alice. Is she just a destructive force of nature—or is it personal?
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