Jared_Andrews

Dracula. It's a story that has been told hundreds of times. So why make another? There's really no need... Unless a singular writing and directing talent comes along with an uncanny ability to capture the look, language, and liveliness of another time and place and render something beautiful now for us on screen at a movie theater.

Robert Eggers, you magnificent son of a B, you've done it again.

After previously inspiring awe with his versions of an old folktale about a witch, isolated men descending into madness, and a viking revenge tale, Eggers finally had a chance to take his swing at Nosferatu (a movie he had wanted to make for 10+ years), and he did not miss. The guy never misses.

Eggers' "Nosferatu" transports viewers into his vision of a haunted German town in 1838 from the opening scene and never relents. Every character, every scene, every line of dialogue are all equally committed to the bit. There are no winks at the camera, which serves the movie well. We remain immersed in this fantasy world.

The story opens on a devastatingly lonely Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp, confoundingly brilliant), as she beseeches an unknown angel to save her from her despair. An opportunistic Orlock answers her pleas and appears in the shadows and coerces her vow her loyalty to him before she realizes the evil she has conjured. It's too late. He has inserted himself into her life, and she cannot escape his clutches.

After years of haunting dreams and feelings, Ellen falls in love with and marries a sweet, gentle Thomas (Nicolas Hoult). Despite her disturbing premonitions, Thomas leaves home to broker a real estate deal for a mysterious Count Orlock (Bill Skarsgard) in the Transylvannian mountains. Of course, this house purchase is all a ruse to lure Thomas to Orlock's castle and away from Ellen so Orlock can claim her for himself.

Orlock casts his shadow over Thomas as he nears the Count's castle, infiltrating his mind before encountering him in the flesh. Their initial meeting scene is transfixing. Hoult embodies the terror of someone encountering a real-life evil he doesn't quite understand. He doesn't even dare look directly at the Count. Eggers masterfully keeps Orlock veiled in darkness, not quite revealing him completely.

Later in the film, when we finally catch a full glimpse of Count Orlock in all his sartorial splendor, he resembles a cross between Pennywise and the Monopoly Man's great-great-great grandfather's corpse draped in robes he found in the back of some dead king's closet. He's terrifying, yet also lowkey ridiculous. And I mean that as the greatest possible compliment.

Hoult dutifully plays the damsel in distress role with conviction throughout. He has the least showy part of any central character, but he is understatedly excellent.

Skarsgard, on the other hand, swallows the screen every time he appears. He brings to life (brings to half-dead?) a towering presence with thundering footsteps and a room-rattling voice. That voice! It's dominant, it's intimidating, and it's seductive. He blew me away.

Orlock is not exactly a zaddy, but he is oddly believable as an unshakeable sexual magnet for Ellen. Depp puts on a masterclass of internal conflict, as she demonstrates her hatred for Orlock, while unable to deny she still feels a carnal desire for him. She won't win the Oscar, but you may not see a more acrobatic and versatile performance all year. Hopefully her work here will springboard her to many more opportunities to showcase her immense talent.

There is not a trace of our world anywhere in this film. Eggers brings a palpable authenticity to a story that is pure fantasy. But it feels real. Part of that comes from the very real metaphor of women being oppressed and forbidden from expressing their sexual desires. Women expressing much of anything at all was seen a malady in need of treatment. It's comical by contemporary standards.

Actually, as unsettling as the movie can be at times, I could not help but view certain elements as hilarious. Part of the humor comes from how straight all the actors play their characters.

On multiple occasions while under Orlock's seductive spell, Ellen undulates as she repeatedly moans, "come to me" and "he's coming." Those around her respond by calling her ill, strapping her to a bed, and sedating her with ether. C'mon people. She's not sick. She's horny!

Aside from the era's Germanic austerity and the whole vampire thing, this movie is not far removed from being a modern sex comedy. The Orlock-Ellen-Thomas love triangle. The yearning. Aaron Taylor-Johnson's smirk. The pieces are there.

I love this movie. I've seen it twice and will see it again. It's a must-watch for any admirers of Eggers.

How often do we assume we know where a story is heading, and how rarely does that story deliver legitimate shock and awe? Dog Day Afternoon is a movie that left me shaking my head in disbelief so many times I lost count.

Directed in a matter-of-fact documentary style because the story needs no artificial dramatization, the movie never fails to remain transfixing. No soundtrack or score plays aside from the opening credits. Natural sound is all we hear. Save for a few Pacino scenes, every performance is subdued. The raw sequence of events provides all the necessary juice. The feat becomes more remarkable if you pull back and thoroughly examine the movie's construction and achievements. It's like being enthralled by a Wikipedia article.

That's certainly not to suggest Dog Day Afternoon is devoid of feeling. The characters all present as real people with real and really human reactions. Pacino (Sonny) takes us on a journey as his character attempts to control the situation that quickly derails when the robbery attempt hits its first bump. He had zero contingencies built into his plan that was woefully underprepared. This plan needed to be 30 pages long, but Sonny only wrote two.

Despite the unrelenting stress and dripping sweat, he remains cordial to the hostages and the police. He seems like a decent guy, likeable, even. But he lives with a darkness likely stemming from Vietnam-related trauma. Unsurprisingly, the robbery was not the first of Sonny's anti-social behavior.

In addition to Pacino's work, one of the film's greatest strengths is its representation of a media circus, rapidly shifting and divided public views, and a thirst for fame. I don't know of a more prescient depiction of 2024 from nearly 50 years prior. The only thing missing is the smartphones.

There are certain movies people will say movie fans need to watch before they die. Some of those have deteriorated with age. Some have been surpassed by more recent imitators. And some transcend time and remain essential. Consider Dog Day Afternoon a movie that belongs in the latter group.