This might be the healthiest, most livable dystopia in cinema history. It is like The
Purge for premarital sex. For twelve hours, one night each year, everywhere
in America is like Fort Lauderdale during Spring break. Again, like The Purge,
you also must have “protection.” Yet, weirdly, the two main characters can’t
help looking for something more than sex. It seems pretty obvious they are
perfect for each other, but it will probably take them most of the film to
figure that out in Will Gluck’s One Night Only, which opens Friday in
theaters.
Poor
Owen. His longtime girlfriend Malika just dumped him, temporarily, because she
figures she can get her lust for their neighbor out of her system tonight and
then Owen will take her back tomorrow. He takes it really hard. Consequently,
the first time he meets Allie, it is decidedly not cute. Yet, their paths keep
crossing as they attempt to find their annual hook-up, all of whom start out
looking hot and promising, but turn out to be weirdos.
Yes,
apparently America took a moralistic turn that a lot single hipsters do not
approve of. However, Gluck and Travis Braun show shrewd restraint with respect
to the political particulars. They largely avoid partisan finger-pointing and
ideological analogies. Plus, the big punchline always hiding in plain sight is
the truth about Allie and Owen, who are both inclined to wait—or at least take
things slow.
Indeed,
One Night Only is bizarrely chaste for an ostensibly sex-driven comedy,
but that is part of its appeal. It also helps that both Callum Turner and Monica
Barbaro have so much charm, they could export a few pallets-worth without missing
any. They look their parts, while flirting and bantering with effortless screen
charisma. This is exactly the sort of film that will have single viewers
rooting for romance and commitment.
Homage and nostalgia have always been a big part of horror. In the case of Creepshow,
the franchise’s whole reason for being is fan-love for old school EC Comics.
You can see hat-tips and winking nods throughout the latest episode of Creepshow,
but some work better than others when it premieres today on Shudder.
Two
astronauts on a mission with bad vibes definitely evokes memories of classic
films—and indeed you can see the initials HAL stenciled on the wall at one point
in “The Right Stuff,” directed by Joe Lynch. However, it is not the computer
that malfunctions. It will be high-strung flight commander Alex Toomey, who
still lives in the shadow cast by his famous astronaut father, sort of like
Brad Pitt in Ad Astra or Fred Armisen in Moonbase 8, but in
twitchier, crazier kind of way. His space flight is about to take on unexpected
historic dimensions, but Mission Control wants genius scientist Ted Lochwood in
the spotlight instead of him.
“Snuff”
has an austere vibe that nicely evokes vintage 1960s/1970s science fiction and
the story reveals a twist that would not be out of place in a vintage Twilight
Zone or Outer Limits episode. It is a respectable anthology production,
but it does not have the gross-out effects or sly attitude fans will expect
from Creepshow. This could have been part of the Outer Limits 90s
reboot, which wasn’t bad.
The
Creep returns to his strengths with the darkly droll “Sibling Rivalry,”
directed by Tales from the Hood’s Rusty Cundieff. Right from the start,
Gen X’ers will be mainlining nostalgia when they see Molly Ringwald playing a
high school counselor, Ms. Porter, who is truly hilarious. Ms. Porter has her
hands full with Lola, a gum-smacking air-headed teen who thinks her brother is
trying to kill her.
