Movie reviews: ‘The Last Voyage of the Demeter’ is an old-fashioned fright fest

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER: 3 ½ STARS

“The Final Voyage of the Demeter,” a brand new horror movie now enjoying in theatres, relies on the chapter “The Captain’s Log” from Bram Stoker’s novel “Dracula.” Advised by way of information clippings and notes from the captain’s log of the Demeter, the chapter particulars the horrifying voyage that introduced Rely Dracula to England.

Haven’t learn the e-book? Then consider it as “Alien” on the excessive seas. A claustrophobic nineteenth century thriller, it swaps out the industrial house tug Nostromo and Xenomorph creature for the service provider ship Demeter and probably the most well-known vampire of all time.

Set in 1897, the story begins when the Demeter is chartered to hold fifty mysterious, unmarked wood crates, contents unknown, from Japanese Europe to England.

“Our constitution has agreed to pay a bonus for well timed arrival in London,” says Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham).

The bonus pay can be hard-earned by the crew… if there’s any crew left by the point they hit dry land.

When somebody or one thing begins attacking the on-board livestock at evening, rumors fly amongst the crew.

“Evil is onboard,” says Olgareen (Stefan Kapicic). “Highly effective evil.”

That evil comes within the type of Dracula (Javier Botet), a 400-year-old aristocratic vampire who feeds on the crew, killing them one after the other, to regain his full powers.

“The factor wears the pores and skin of a person,” says stowaway Anna (Aisling Franciosi). “Within the evening it drinks our blood, and he’s on the ship. Which implies we are going to by no means depart it.”

“The Final Voyage of the Demeter” isn’t precisely Dracula’s story. We get a number of the common vampire lore, and he’s actually a presence, however that is the story of the crew preventing in opposition to a terrific unknown. Director André Øvredal takes his time introducing the characters and organising the state of affairs on the ship earlier than the primary kill. Then, he builds rigidity slowly, shrouding the display screen in fog and darkish shadows the place unusual issues simply is likely to be lurking. When the carnage begins, Øvredal retains the bloodsucker principally out of sight, hidden in corners, shot in tight close-ups, constructing anticipation for the eventual monstrous reveal.

It is a good twist on the same old Dracula film. It eschews the Bela Lugosi vampire mannequin in favor of a extra rough-hewn, demonic aesthetic, like Nosferatu, with needle tooth and wings. They rid him of any of the hypnotic appeal he might have had within the fingers of Lugosi or Christopher Lee. On this movie, he’s evil incarnate, as if sprung from the deepest, darkest areas of the human creativeness.

“The Final Voyage of the Demeter” conjures up its scares with sensible results, with little or no CGI or inexperienced display screen work. Constructed of rigidity and concern, it makes for an old style fright fest, yet another excited by easy, old-school scares than heavy particular results pushed terror. It’s slightly heavy handed in its last moments, because it makes an attempt to arrange a sequel, but when the subsequent one is as elemental and scary as this one, I’m in.

HEART OF STONE: 3 STARS

The 2023 worry-of-the-week, that synthetic intelligence (AI) will develop so highly effective it’ll quickly be controlling our lives, is kicked up a notch or two in “Coronary heart of Stone,” the brand new Gal Gadot excessive tech thriller now streaming on Netflix.

Gadot is Rachel Stone, a pc tech/operative for a super-secret peacekeeping group known as The Constitution.

“When governments fail, the one factor left is the Constitution.” They’re a specialised unit of “probably the most extremely educated brokers with no political leanings, no nationwide allegiances, working collectively to maintain peace in a turbulent world.”

Serving to them to police humanity is a robust AI program known as the Coronary heart.

“Should you personal the Coronary heart,” says MI6 agent Parker (Jamie Dornan), “you personal the world.” It’s a significant organ, probably the most superior AI program on earth, able to scrutinizing and evaluating all human information, discovering patterns and utilizing these outcomes to make predictions of future international threats.

“The Coronary heart is data and energy. It may well crash a market or drop a aircraft out of the sky. Who must steal a nuclear bomb when you may management all of them?” says Parker.

Within the mistaken fingers a program that formidable, with the totality of human data, might destabilize the world, which is precisely what mastermind hacker Keya Dhawan (Bollywood famous person Alia Bhatt) has in thoughts.

“Now you’ll reply to me,” she taunts like an excellent film villain ought to.

Cue the globetrotting mission to cease Dhawan from stealing the Constitution’s Coronary heart.

Directed by Tom “Peaky Blinders” Harper, “Coronary heart of Stone” is an enormous, slick story of worldwide intrigue that works finest when it’s in movement. When Godot is flying by way of the air on a skidoo or going one-on-one with the baddies, it zips alongside like a 90s period 007 film. Which means a great deal of high-tech nonsense, flamboyant characters, a dastardly villain, worldwide intrigue, a propulsive soundtrack and, in fact, outlandish motion.

However when the characters converse, they usually converse quite a bit, the 007ness of all of it reduces to a jumble of B film spy clichés. It seems good, however speaks within the language of truisms. In different phrases, been there, finished that.

Cinematographer George Metal shoots for the large display screen, and has an eye fixed for motion. The placement work—together with the now compulsory chase scene by way of the cobble streets of a European metropolis—offers the film an up-market sheen, however don’t be fooled, that is an costly knockoff, a Canal Road copy of different, higher spy motion pictures.

“Coronary heart of Stone” didn’t heat my coronary heart.

SATAN WANTS YOU: 3 ½ STARS

Within the early Eighties it appeared the Satan was lurking round each nook. Mother and father, involved that heavy steel was bringing their children over to the darkish facet, performed data backwards, trying to find hidden diabolical messages. Rumors circulated {that a} main toothpaste model had secret satanic messages embedded into their emblem and sordid tales of human sacrifices, incestuous orgies and ritual abuse by the hands of Satan worshippers had been assured rankings gold for afternoon discuss exhibits.

Floor Zero for the satanic panic was “Michelle Remembers,” a bestselling memoir co-written by Victoria, B.C. primarily based psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and Michelle Smith, his long-term affected person and future spouse. The e-book, and the ensuing reverberations brought on by its allegations, are the topic of “Devil Needs You,” a brand new documentary now enjoying in theatres.

Primarily based on Smith’s “repressed reminiscences,” the e-book particulars lurid and sometimes absurd claims of kid abuse she says she suffered by the hands of a cabal of satanists led by her mom Virginia Proby. Because the e-book gained reputation, with excerpts in Folks and the Nationwide Enquirer, Pazder and Smith turned media celebrities, spreading the now debunked message that satanists lurked in every single place, and nobody was protected from their devilish grasp. Regardless of no precise proof of satanic exercise—Smith claims the Virgin Mary visited her and eliminated scars and different indicators of abuse—their sensational claims acquired a maintain within the zeitgeist.

Administrators Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams methodically work their means by way of the story and misinformation, supported by audio recordings of Smith’s unsettling hypnotherapy classes with Pazder, tacky reenactments, a great deal of archival footage and new interviews with household and pals of the principle characters. What emerges is a portrait not solely of a conspiracy and ethical panic spun uncontrolled, and lapped up by an keen media, but in addition of the exploitive relationship between the physician and affected person.

The movie’s give attention to that side of the story offers the bigger image a little bit of a brief shrift. The panic brought on by “Michelle Remembers” ruined the reputations of falsely accused folks and value others a fortune defending themselves in expensive courtroom trials.

As an alternative, the movie forges a connection between the Eighties satanic frenzy and the latest conspiracy theories promoted by QAnon. On the earth of misinformation, the movie suggests, the whole lot outdated is new once more.

“Devil Needs You” is a time capsule of Eighties ethical outrage, however greater than that, it demonstrates how rapidly and simply misinformation could cause an epidemic of mass hysteria.

PASSAGES: 3 ½ STARS

“Passages,” a brand new Paris-set erotic relationship drama from director Ira Sachs, now enjoying in theatres, is the story of an insupportable narcissist made tolerable by the lead efficiency from Franz Rogowski.

German actor Rogowski performs Tomas, a self-involved filmmaker recent off the set of his newest film. Controlling and uncompromising, his marriage to long-time companion Martin (Ben Whishaw) is starting to fray across the edges. On the wrap social gathering for the movie, Martin doesn’t really feel like dancing, so Tomas hits the ground with Agatha (Adèle Exarchopoulos). They dance, they flirt and spend the evening collectively.

The following morning, Tomas returns dwelling to an understandably upset Martin.

“I had intercourse with a lady,” Tomas says. “Can I inform you about it?” Martin is unenthusiastic as Tomas describes his “thrilling” evening with Agatha.

Martin writes off the one-night stand as Tomas blowing off some steam. “This all the time occurs while you end a movie,” he says, however their bond unravels additional as Tomas turns into smitten with Agatha. He rapidly strikes in together with her, leaving Martin excessive and dry.

When Agatha broadcasts she is pregnant, Tomas feels the load of his actions.

“Passages” is a examine of poisonous habits. Tomas is brusque, unscrupulous, self-absorbed; involved solely together with his personal emotions and pleasure. It’s a trick to create a monster, a personality devoid of any emotional intelligence, and but nonetheless set him up as the item of need. Rogowski slithers by way of the movie, utilizing magnetism to control Martin and Agatha, drawing each into his tumultuous world. It’s a formidable efficiency, equal components maddening and mesmeric.

Rogowski dominates the movie, however Whishaw and Exarchopoulos are given latitude to be extra than simply victims of the charismatic Tomas. He’s their weak point, however neither are weak characters. Each have scenes that show their power and lives exterior of Tomas’s poisonous circle.

“Passages” looks like a throwback to the erotic relationship movies of the Eighties and 90s. It’s an grownup, sexual movie with a pair express scenes, however greater than that, it’s express in its emotional complexity.