Send Help (Sam Raimi, 2026)
Bundling up an actress with 24k looks in a cardigan and loose skirt isn’t going to fool me into believing she’s ugly Betty. Has hollywood lost the ability to cast well beyond creating beautiful ensembles? Nevertheless I still had a good time with this ‘eat the incompetent rich’ affair. Dylan O Brian’s smug face turned soaked and sullen is pure schadenfreude especially without all the moralistic finger wagging in movies like The Menu. Wanted this to be more dense a la Reiner’s Misery. Felt like it couldn’t decide if it wanted to commit to the intrigue or simply reveal its hand and revel in that slow rot of both its protagonists. I did love the nightmare sequence and I wish that McAdams’ guilt was played out for longer especially to serve as a counterpoint to Brians’ entitled and morally bankrupt nature. A bit more tension between the leads a la Phantom thread perhaps? Raimi is clearly elevating some undercooked writing with his Raimi-isms. It’s still effective and enjoyable but just a little… less.